Whether you’re spending the day around a decorated tree, heading to a Chinese food restaurant, braving the airport or kicking it low-key style at home in celebration of the national holiday, we wish you a safe, happy and healthy day and the same for the rest of 2007. We’ll be back tomorrow with your regular dose of travel news, tips and advice from around the web.

The Dream: Let’s just say you had $100,000 to burn, and you really wanted to spend it during one luxury-packed weekend in San Francisco. You could book The Fairmont, San Francisco’s little-publicized $100,000 Best of San Francisco Centennial Package - an offering for haute travelers created to commemorate the famed Nob Hill hotel’s 100th birthday. The package isn’t mentioned on the hotel web site, but did grace the pages of San Francisco magazine this month. So what exactly does $100,000 get you at The Fairmont, San Francisco? Two nights in the 6,000-square-foot penthouse suite, a welcome toast with a 1907 medeira wine, use of the house Maserati, a dinner for 12 in the penthouse’s formal dining room and jewelry from Shreve & Company for everyone in attendance.

The Reality: Let’s say you had $599 to burn, and you really wanted to spend it during one luxury-packed weekend in San Francisco. Luckily, The Fairmont is offering another deal that’s more suited to the masses. The Live the Legend package includes two nights at the hotel (rates increase from $599 depending on which room type you choose), a coffee table book commemorating the history of the hotel and the surrounding city, centennial toasting glasses, a bottle of bubbly and a $100 food and beverage credit for use during your stay.

Ah, the fine art of traveling with kids. It’s an activity we suspect many of you will engage in over the next 10 days. In that spirit, we asked travel expert and mother of two Tracey Rosen to drop some serious knowledge just in time for the holidays. As mother of six and a half year old Kayla and three and a half year old Zachary (pictured) and president of the L.A.-based public and media relations firm Productivity, Tracey travels frequently – often with her kids and husband Andrew in tow.

Here, she offers tips for traveling with children, reveals what’s in her diaper bag and shows how a child’s drawing might just be the perfect antidote for in-flight rudeness.

How often do you travel with your children?

We probably travel with our kids every other month; however sometimes of the year, we find ourselves out of town two weekends within the same month, so it probably averages out to more like once a month.

What’s the best time of day to fly when you’re traveling with small children?

Believe it or not, we prefer to fly the red-eye flights if we are flying more than five hours. Our kids are accustomed to sleeping anywhere when they are tired, and this way they sleep through the flight and we don’t give them an opportunity to get antsy on the plane.

When a red-eye is not an option, we’ve found that an early morning flight is best because our kids can get excited about doing a particular activity when we arrive and they are usually on their best behavior in fear that they’ll lose that first activity if they act up on the plane.

What are your tricks for keeping kids occupied on long car trips?

I’m embarrassed to say this, but the DVD player in our car has been wonderful. Besides keeping the kids occupied watching a movie we found that it helps my son focus on something in the car and avoid getting car sick (as opposed to staring out the window and getting nauseous).

I also have each of my kids bring three toys that can’t roll around the car and can be played with in different ways, such as a doll with changeable outfits, an activity book with a Magna Doodle attached, etc. And of course, healthy snacks that don’t make a huge mess if they fall.

But the most important thing is that anything you bring for the kids needs to be in arm’s reach. My daughter usually stashes her toys in a small back pack, and I found a product called the Kiddie Kangaroo that fits on my son’s car seat to keep his toys and a water bottle within reach.

When you travel with your kids, what are some must-have items you always stash in your carry-on?

I always make sure that I have fruit snacks, raisins, and their favorite snack of the week, as well as Tylenol and Benadryl, a small activity book, crayons, a small toy or doll (I bring Word Spin or Sudoku for my older child), their blankets for snuggling, and a mini first-aid kit like the Medibuddy that can fit in my purse or the diaper bag (this became essential after my daughter fell in the airport on the way to St. Thomas and was bleeding, but we didn’t have time to leave the terminal to go to first aid to get a band-aid).

When my kids were in diapers, I always brought two extra than what I absolutely needed, a full stash of wipes (for diaper changes, hands, spills, etc.), and a change of clothes. Now that my son is potty training, I bring one or two extra sets of clothes and a Ziploc bag in case he has an accident.

The goal is to bring the largest diaper bag that can fit under the seat in front of you so that it is always in arm’s reach (and make sure you know where everything is so you don’t have to spend 10 minutes searching for a pacifier or snack if your baby/child is fussy).

What advice can you give parents traveling with children who encounter rude treatment from other passengers and employees on airlines?

Make sure that you’re not ignoring your kids and that any disgruntled travelers around you know that you are concerned about their comfort and are trying everything in your power to keep your kids calm, comfortable and entertained.

When my daughter was two and a half, a passenger behind us kept giving me dirty looks and making comments every time my daughter opened her mouth (and she wasn’t being loud). So I had my daughter draw a picture and then turn around with the cutest smile imaginable on her face and tell this older couple that she made it for them. At that point, they couldn’t help but smile and felt guilty that they had made their comments in the first place. Remember that you probably paid the same amount for your ticket as the person next to you and have just as much a right to be on the plane as they are. And if the plane is not full, flight attendants are usually willing to let you move to an area of the plane that is less crowded.

What’s the one piece of travel advice you’d want every new parent to know?

Try to stay calm, prepared, and involve your kids in planning a trip’s activities. Travel in and of itself can be stressful, and that obviously escalates when kids are involved. If you seem stressed, your kids will be aware of it and will most likely feed off of it. By planning everything in advance (but still leaving some room for flexibility for delays or adding a new activity that you didn’t know about), you can enjoy your time together instead of worrying about how to get there or what you are going to do next.

Also if you’re flying, try to book your trip on a 777 or Jet Blue (or Virgin America), because each seat has a television (usually with children’s programming or games) and the rows are wider, which allows your kids room to move around (and not be able to kick the seat in front of them).

At large resorts and vacation destinations, what safety tips should parents give their kids?

- Make sure your kids know your room number and what hotel staff uniforms look like in case they need help.

- Remind kids to stay on pathways and not near bushes or on the other side of fences (avoid falls or coming in contact with small animals or insects).

- Remind them that they can’t go to the pool area or in the pool without an adult that they came with (even if they can swim).

- And don’t let them climb on vanity stools in the bathroom unless you’re there so they don’t slip out from under them.

- And of course, always have a meeting spot that they can remember the name of in case they get lost.

- For the hotel room, most large resorts now offer bed rails for your child, as well as night lights and safety gates if your room has an outdoor area. I always bring outlet covers with me, as well. Either the hotel doesn’t offer them or housekeeping always forgets to keep outlets covered.

Has travel become any easier for parents in the last five years? Are there specific innovations or policy changes you can point to?

I think travel with kids has definitely become easier in the last five years. Hotels are offering more kid-oriented activities - whether it’s a kids’ program where you can drop them off for a few hours or family activities like s’mores roasting or movies by the pool area (my kids beg to go to the kids club and never want to leave).

Obviously, some hotels are more family-oriented than others, so I always look to find out if a hotel is best for business travelers or vacationers and confirm that our room has a bathtub in advance (many hotels are replacing tubs with over-sized showers).

We’ve also found that a lot of hotels have a secret stash of board games and movies available behind the front desk if you ask. You can usually get a good feel of a hotel’s family-amenities by visiting their web site as well.

Best kid-friendly travel snacks?

Fruit snacks, raisins, Gold Fish, and Graham Cracker sticks. Avoid snacks that are sticky or crumble easily. The snack should be healthy and filling enough to hold them over until the next meal but not stuff them where they won’t want to eat their next meal. I also pre-pack everything in snack-size Ziploc bags so they can be re-sealed and each of my kids can hold their own bag.

Let’s face it, traveling with kids can be a major hassle. Why is it worth it?

It’s the memories you create and the look on their faces when they try something new. You won’t take photos of them during a tantrum, so 10 years from now, when you look back at your pictures, you’ll focus on the fun that you had together.

Traveling also helps your kids understand that there is a whole world around them and they can learn about different cultures or appreciate what they have in their lives more.

Your kids also learn about compromising, i.e. going to a museum or a cultural tour in the morning and then in the afternoon going to a park or specific kids’ activity in the afternoon (as long as they help agree upon what the kids’ activity is). But most of all, you experience it together.

We’ve got snow on the brain. The good kind. The kind that keeps us happy even when our fingers are threatening to freeze off. Fortunately for visitors to Northern California’s Lake Tahoe region, the temperatures rarely plunge as low as those in the Rockies, the Wasatch in Utah or the White and Green ranges in northern New England. But that’s hardly the only reason to opt for a Lake Tahoe ski trip over another region.

In North Lake Tahoe’s Squaw Valley, skiers and snowboarders alike get the benefit of some 4,000 acres of downhill fun in a part of the country that sees an average of 300 sunny, cloudless days per year. And then there are all the great places to eat, sleep and hangout while you’re there. One of our favorite places to bunk in for the night is the PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn, whose 61 rooms are a treat anytime of year. During the winter, ski-in, ski-out access to Squaw Valley lifts and onsite rentals and equipment storage sweeten the deal.

This week, we checked in with Mike Murphy, GM of PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn for his insider take on doing Tahoe like a local.

One plank or two?

Both. I enjoy snowboarding on a powder day and some fast GS turns on the skis on the groomer days.

The best place to fuel up before a day on the mountain?

Home. A greasy breakfast burrito waiting in line for the lifts to open doesn’t work for me.

Best run first thing in the morning?

Wherever hasn’t been tracked out by all the die-hards that get in the lift lines two hours before opening.

Geekiest piece of outdoor gear you own?

I have one of those GPS watches that tracks your distance, speed and altitude change. I bought one for when I actually thought I was going to start training for a triathlon. The watch is still in the box.

On the mountain, the gear you can’t live without:

Helmet. Helmet. Helmet.

Favorite non-downhill winter Tahoe activity:

Snow-shoe with the snowboard strapped to my pack for some great local back-country turns.

Best cheap eats in North Lake:

Tacos Jalisco in Truckee. You have to try the “Armadillo!”

After a day on the mountain, where to head for beer with buddies:

The bar at PlumpJack Squaw Valley Inn is always fun and has a great location for those getting off the slopes. The Stone “Smoked Porter” is my personal favorite.

Most romantic spot at Squaw?

Table 8 at the PlumpJack Cafe. It seems to be where all of the wedding proposals and special anniversary dinners happen.

What should every visitor take home?

The tourists seem to love the pinecones. You would think that you can’t find them anywhere else in the country.

Whenever a friend visits, you always make sure they see:

Lake Tahoe. Any time of year it’s a pretty amazing site. I never get tired of it, and I have been here 13 years.

A day on the mountain wouldn’t be complete without:

Watching a touron hooting and hollering at the top of his lungs right before he yard-sales.

Last Friday, U.S. snowboarding champ Shaun White (a.k.a. The Flying Tomato) got into some hot water over his antics in the gameroom at the Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge, CO. The 2006 Olympic gold medalist was caught on hotel security video chasing a female companion with a pool stick before removing a fire extinguisher from the wall and discharging its contents onto the gameroom floor. It seems his shoes - and not his fiery red hair - were what identified White to the Breckenridge po-po. According to The Smoking Gun, police were able to match the tread pattern from the bottom of White’s shoes to the prints left in the dust from the extinguished extinguisher.

If you were to visit the Beaver Run Resort, we’d suggest skipping the gameroom entirely and heading for the Beaver Run Spa’s outdoor patio complete with hot tubs and Watsu water therapy pool overlooking the mountains. Rather hit the slopes instead? Then you’re in luck. The resort also offers ski-in, ski-out access to the Beaver Run Super Chair lift and the Quicksilver Six at Breckenridge.

Call me a travel geek, but I always get excited when a completely new hotel chain debuts. This week’s opening of the first NYLO Hotel in Plano, Texas is no exception, (even if it is in Plano). Like many hotels that have gone before it, this newcomer to the lodging scene is trying to hit that sweet spot somewhere at the intersection of the trendy boutique hotel and the bland, but functional business hotel. The whole notion is to look really cool while charging less than other places that look really cool and still manage to offer all the amenities core business travelers expect.

At NYLO Plano, high-ceilinged rooms feature flat screen TVs, iPod-compatible audio systems, free local and domestic long-distance calls, free wired and wireless high-speed Internet access and free bottled water. Another little detail: in-room desks are movable (i.e. on rollers), so you can configure your workspace. While those are standard amenities in every room, the hotel also has rooms with glass walls, separate lounge areas, Bose sound systems and private terraces. PURE rooms with air purification systems are also available.

One of the concepts the hotel is trying to brand is its Loft concept. Each NYLO Loft is sort of a catch-all space where guests can eat, drink, meet and lounge. There’s sit-down dining, grab-n-go fare, a bar, coffee, a library for meetings and a courtyard with barbecue grills.

Through February 29th, the hotel is offering reduced rates when you enter the promo code 65DAY at checkout. Rates vary, but with the promo code, I found a NYLO king loft room (the standard room size) available for $169 on a Wednesday night in mid-January. The rate drops to $109 for a Friday night. If you really wanted to do it up (as much as one can in Plano, of course), you could book a NYLO suite mid-week for $219/night and $159 on the weekends.

Yes, lily white snow still covers the slopes at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, but a new hotel slated to open on Jan. 29, 2008 aims to make them just a little but greener. One of the few LEED-certified hotels in the country, Hotel Terra features 72 rooms and suites with with low-VOC paint and carpets, energy efficient heating and cooling systems, eco-friendly and sustainable building materials and water conservation systems. You can check out all the hotel’s green features here (we suggest always checking the fine print when it comes to “eco-friendly” lodging. So much green-washing these days).

Other notable aspects of this new boutique hotel include:

- Rooftop spa and outdoor hot tub

- Cafe serving organic breakfast fare

- Free wi-fi throughout

From Feb. 1 to April, 14 2008, the hotel is offering a grand opening Ski Green Package that includes overnight accommodations for two for four nights and two adult lift tickets each day. Rates start at $303/night. (FYI, a full day adult lift ticket for the mountain is regularly $77, though discounts are available for multiple days.)

Before the week is through, expect to hear a judge’s ruling on a New York state law requiring airlines to give passengers stranded in grounded planes for more than three hours adequate food, water, clean toilets and fresh air. Scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, the law, which has been informally called the airline passengers’ bill of rights, is backed by politicians, including State Assemblyman Michael Gianaris and Senator Charles Fischillo, Jr., as well as the grassroots organization FlyersRights.

Airline industry groups have fought back since the law’s passage. Their claim? That only the federal government has the power to regulate airlines, not individual states.

Today, the Associated Press reported that the judge in the case has said he will make a judgment within a week.

Airlines, Passenger Groups Clash in NY

You never know what you’ll find when you run across a little cottage in the woods. At Mirabelle Restaurant at Beaver Creek - well known for convincing even the weariest downhill-addled legs to get up and move come suppertime - you’ll discover Belgium-born Master Chef Daniel Joly’s menu, which vacillates between classic French concoctions like foie gras paired with a caviar crepe and black truffles to game-driven offerings with a decidedly American twist. Attention carnivores: Chef Joly’s elk filet with celery fries, turnip and quince compote and a berry wine reduction sauce is not to be missed.

But there’s something endlessly alluring about Mirabelle that goes far beyond the charms of its menu. It’s the kind of place where you’re likely to see co-owner Nathalie Joly casually maneuvering through the dining room, where a prominent portrait of the husband-and-wife team hangs above tables lit with flickering oil lamps. It’s the kind of place where your waiter was likely up before you that day, headed to the top of the mountain and can also likely give you a full ski report after he’s done explaining the daily four-course tasting menu. And it’s the sort of place with a history that precedes high-tech underwear, fancy resorts and the droves of women in furry boots that seem to dominate them these days.

Long before Mirabelle became one of Beaver Creek’s most popular dining destinations, it was, in one form or another, a gathering place for the region’s movers and shakers. According to local historians, the first home erected in the valley way back in the 1880’s occupied the land where the restaurant now stands. The current building’s west wing was built in 1898. The east wing, built later, made the house the largest in Avon, Colo. Its size and prominence made it a social hub for the growing local community.

To be sure, this little mountain cottage in the woods - now dwarfed by mammoth luxury homes and the glitz of nearby resorts - is no longer the grandest dwelling in the land. But we’d dare say the stream of eager guests is much the same as it ever was. Of course, we’re pretty sure our pioneer predecessors weren’t leaving full of lobster bisque and chocolate-laden sweets. Here’s to living in the present…