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AP TRAVEL AND LEISURE DIGEST for week of Nov. 16

The Associated Press 6:23 PM Wednesday, November 18, 2009

OBAMA-NYC

NEW YORK — Jeremiah Miller calls the time Barack Obama spent in New York "the lost years," because that period from 1981 to 1985 is not as well-known as his roots in Hawaii or his recent years in Chicago. To fill in the gap, Miller offers a tour of Upper Manhattan called "Obama's New York." The two-hour $25 walking tour includes stops at Columbia University, a Harlem subway station, and the street where the man who now sleeps in the White House once slept in an alley.

By BETH J. HARPAZ.

AP Photos NY400-407

AP Travel Video filename: 1116trav_walkobama

HONDURAS

ROATAN, Honduras — "The president's been arrested already this morning," hotel owner Jeff Kuken told me and my wife one Sunday morning in late June. We had spent months planning a vacation across Honduras, but now Latin America's first military coup in decades was unfolding on the third day of our trip. Not exactly part of our plans, and definitely not included in guidebooks that painted Honduras as the Next Big Destination for affordable eco-tourism.

We wondered whether it would be possible to have fun and relax in a beautiful country going through political chaos. The answer turned out to be a resounding yes — with some changes in plans and a bit of luck. By RYAN J. FOLEY.

AP Photos NY421-426

HOLIDAY GIFTS

NEW YORK — What makes a good holiday gift for a traveler? If you have big bucks, splurge on an e-reader or a netbook. But if you're on a budget, go for clever stocking-stuffers, like a laminated cardboard wine wheel to help wine-challenged foodies instantly determine good pairings, $8.85 from Magellan's, or a funky $17 passport wallet from Flight 001. By BETH J. HARPAZ.

AP Photos NY408-410

HOLIDAY BOOKS

NEW YORK — Whether you're looking for a gift for an armchair traveler or a frequent flyer, you can't go wrong with a book. Booksellers from three travel bookstores — Distant Lands — http://www.distantlands.com/ — in Pasadena, Calif., Globe Corner — http://www.globecorner.com/ — in Cambridge, Mass., and Idlewild Books — http://idlewildbooks.com/ — in New York City — offered their recommendations for travel books that make good holiday gifts, from coffee-table books filled with gorgeous photos, to travelogues of long-ago adventures in faraway places, to practical guidebooks for every type of traveler. By BETH J. HARPAZ

AP Photos NY411-414

HOLIDAY LIGHTINGS

NEW YORK — This season's Christmas tree displays include trees made from feathers at a historic home in Indianapolis, a thank-you tree in Boston sent from Nova Scotia, and the Obamas' first National Christmas Tree ceremony in Washington. By BETH J. HARPAZ

AP Photos NY415-420

FASHION-SNL WINDOWS

NEW YORK — It's not quite the warm and fuzzy crowd one probably imagines gathering around the Christmas tree, but Barneys New York is celebrating the holidays at its flagship store with a motley crew that includes Roseanne Roseannadanna, the Church Lady, Father Guido Sarducci, Wayne and Garth — and Pat. Two dozen "Saturday Night Live" favorites have been transformed into life-size, paper-mache ornaments to hang in the windows on Madison Avenue as the retailer puts on its biggest visual show of the year.

By Samantha Critchell

Eds: Story expected Tuesday, Nov. 17

TRAVEL BRIEFS

Eds: Items on travel survey, cruises for babies, holiday airfare, New Year's Eve-Times Square, New Year's Eve-Vegas, books, Smithsonian holiday exhibit, Forbes awards, Indiana-cranes, Alabama governor's mansion

FLIGHT PLAN-CREDIT CARD FEES

ATLANTA — Another fee is coming in the new year for airline and hotel customers — this time from your credit card company. The message: Miss a payment one month and you forfeit the miles or points you thought you earned for making purchases on your card during that period. To get the rewards back, it's going to cost you. By Airlines Writer Harry R. Weber.

Eds: Moving Wednesday.

UPCOMING TRAVEL STORIES:

Eds: For planning purposes, here are some of the print stories scheduled for the AP Travel package for the next few weeks (list subject to change).

For Nov. 23:

St Barth

Amtrak-AutoTrain

Frank Lloyd Wright synagogue tours - Philadelphia

Daisy Bates house tours - Little Rock

Holiday train shows

For the near future:

Nov. 30 - 3 stories for Olympics-themed ski package: A look at the 3 U.S. venues that have hosted the Olympics and how the winter games influenced those destinations: Squaw Valley, CA; Lake Placid, NY; SLC, Utah.

Bethlehem, PA: Christmas City

East v. West skiing - pros and cons

Rethinking green skiing

Colorado - ski season outlook

Honduras

Motorcycle - tour rentals

Bonaire

Virginia pirates exhibit

St. Bart's

January - Vancouver - one month out from winter OLY

Late January - cruise trends

AP Travel editor Beth Harpaz is reachable at bharpaz(at)ap.org. For AP Photos, call 212-621-1921.