Okay, so reading The Other Boleyn Girl doesn’t exactly qualify as preparation for a trip to London. But it did introduce me to the goings on at the infamous Tower of London, one of London’s most notorious sights. Set on the lovely Thames River right downtown, the Tower dates all the way back to the times of William the Conqueror, in 1078. It’s an amazing anachronism, standing as it is surrounded by modern buildings.

Please join us in welcoming Martha Stewart to The Window Seat! This is an abbreviated version of Martha’s first travel column that debuted in the April 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Living Magazine. This article is a part of the new quarterly travel section and her next piece is scheduled for the August issue, which hits stands July 20, 2009. An abbreviated version of the next travel article will also be featured on The Window Seat so be sure to check back soon.

In the summer of 2008, I decided to travel to England, Ireland, and Poland to visit some of our company’s strategic partners. I also planned to sightsee and to film several segments for my TV show. This is not an unusual scenario. I frequently combine my love of travel with business because I go places that I think most of us would enjoy seeing and experiencing.

Catch a ride on a clattering cable car, slurp clam chowder from a sourdough bread bowl, stroll Fisherman’s Wharf--most tourists in San Francisco know the drill. But as locals, it often breaks our hearts to watch the hordes move from one time-honored experience to the next en masse, never stopping to wander without purpose through our charming city, never trying the new thrills and attractions.

I recently came across the term “dark tourism,” for the first time and was more than a bit surprised. According to the Dark Tourism Forum, it is “the act of travel and visitation to sites, attractions and exhibitions which has real or recreated death, suffering or the seemingly macabre as a main theme.” To me, when I thought of this, Severus Snape, the dark wizard from Harry Potter immediately sprang to mind as the poster child of “dark tourism.” I could just picture him digging around graveyards, poking around medical-specimen museums, glorying in haunted houses, touring former prisons, and thrilling to sites of mass horror, like the spot of the former World Trade Center or the bloody battle fields of the Civil War.

All I want to know is when do I get to go to Cuba?  Three cheers for the Obama administration for setting the stage for possible civilian travel to Cuba in the coming years.  We're not there yet, well not unless you're a descendant with relatives in Cuba but hopefully the announcement this week on easing restrictions to Cuba will put American travelers on the path to visiting the historic country.

Baseball fever is in the air and in just a few days Major League Baseball will be kicking off opening day in the City of Brotherly Love, where the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies will play against the Atlanta Braves.

And if there's one thing is for sure, die-hard baseball fans will be traveling miles away, braving the rainstorms, humidity, cold, or the extra long ball games (you know, the ones that goes into extra innings and neither team scores a run until the 12th inning) to cheer on their teams.

Last season, as a compromise with my significant other over baseball and shoe shopping, I accompanied him to three baseball games across the East Coast from Boston to Philadelphia to follow his New York Mets team and suprisingly, I had a wonderful time!

With all the excitement surrounding the inauguration of the 44^th president, travelers looking for ways to keep the momentum going should visit one of the President’s favorite spots. With Presidents’ Day weekend (February 14-16) fast approaching, we've come up with five destinations near and dear to the President that are worth visiting.

With the balls, parties, speeches, pageantry, and possible puppy announcement of Inauguration Day coming up in January, right now it seems all travel eyes are on Washington, D.C. While the economy may be hiccupping in general, in D.C. hotel rooms for that weekend are filling up fast, the restaurants are already taking reservations, and swearing-in speech tickets were being sold last week on eBay for truly outrageous prices (hint: these tickets are limited but FREE—just call one of your state’s representatives).

No other city in our country gets to renew itself in quite the same way with every new administration. But as each new cabinet gets ushered in, so do a whole new set of city fads. Cowboy boots are replaced by baseball caps, for example, or Springer Spaniels by Labrador Retrievers (when Millie Bush was in the White House, no less than three Springer Spaniels moved onto my block in Bethesda), and items as varied as jelly beans, broccoli, and "freedom fries" have all had their day in the sun at the local supermarkets.

Lincoln Memorial photo by IgoUgo member Shady Ady

To me, there’s almost nothing better than curling up with a good book on a lazy Saturday afternoon and my most recent obsession is the smash-hit Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Technically young-adult novels and “vampire fiction,” the series transcends labels and has found mass appeal across all age groups, genders, and even political persuasions. And next Friday, the Hollywood version of the first book hits the theaters.

More than the movie is making the young actors stars, it is making the sleepy Washington town where the books are set a popular tourist destination. This is probably because the backdrop is so distinct and fully realized in the books that you can’t help but long to visit this mysterious--and very real--place.

Airline safety. Passenger rights. High-speed rail. Climate change. The global economy.

No matter what your political views on the issues above, today is a historic day, and whoever is elected president will be in a position to impact the travel industry for years to come. We here at The Window Seat try to remain a non-partisan blog, but we do encourage you to arm yourself with information and make that journey to your polling place today to cast your ballot.

And if you’re not sure where the presidential candidates stand on major travel and aviation issues, then writer and travel industry expert Bill McGee comprehensively evaluates both John McCain and Barack Obama in a very informative and well-researched article, which you can read by clicking here.

Happy voting and happy travels, all!

Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member Shady Ady.