The AP reports today that this year more Americans will travel by car for their holiday plans compared to last year.  Read the full story, “Gas prices won’t deter Memorial Day travelers“, on MSNBC.com to find out about the tipping point for gas prices.  The report comes from a AAA survey.  It seems that many Americans plan take trips by car this holiday despite record gas prices over $3.00 per gallon at the start of the summer travel season. But they will take shorter trips and stay closer to home.  This could actually benefit the local Long Island economy, since more people in the metro NYC area will take vacations closer to home this summer.  Many Americans like to use this three day weekend at the start of the summer for short trips.  They plan to adjust to high gas prices by going to cheaper hotels, motels and restuarants.  Here are a few of the links to our business listings that can help you find bargins on summer traval and vacations on Long Island:

• Long Island hotels and lodging
• Guide for tourists on Long Island
• Long Island restaurants

The traditional start of the summer season in the Hamptons is almost here. Memorial Day weekend is the weekend that marks the transition to summer in the Hamptons.  Some of the noteable events this year are the Southampton Artists Association Annual Memorial Day Art Show.  It is located at 2 Pond Lane in Southampton at the Southampton Cultural Center.

Southampton Hospital is holding a benefit Memorial Day event for their Westhampton Primary Care Center.  The 2007 Memorial Day event … An American Celebration takes palce on the Great Lawn, Potunk Lane at Main Street, Westhampton Beach.  The event includes a cocktail reception, silent auction, dinner and dancing.

For people interested in Hamptons nightlife you should read JoonBlog’s Hamptons Nightclub Preview 2007. You’ll find tips on the new hotspots for dancing and dinning this summer.

Some of the best brewers in America are coming to Long Island on May 19th.  Some of the national and local favorites include Stone, Ommegang, Dogfish, He’Brew, the Brooklyn Brewery, Blue Point Brewery, and Southampton to name a few.

The Spring Craft Beer Festival happens at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale NY.  Its gret beer and great live music all day.

It is underway today and runs through Mother’s Day this Sunday May 13th. It is the 12th Annual East End Garden Festival and it benefits the Peconic Bay Medical Center. Annuals and perennials from 40 of the East End’s finest growers are offered for sale. This taking place under large tents at Peconic Bay Medical Center and at the Tanger Outlet Center, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. 

This is part two of an earlier post. With Mother’s day just a few days away we thought a few more tips about gift recommendation websites is timely and helpful. 

Yahoo mother’s day gifts section provides a basic breakout of three top categories - jewelry gifts, clothing gifts, and electronics gifts.  Yahoo then offers gift ideas structured around themes or personality types:

• Gifts for Super Moms (specific items like Mom’s wreath necklace, Mother’s Day Waterford Vase Arrangement, Mother’s day fortune cookie, flower arrangements, and more)
• Gifts for Stylish Moms (specific items like Emitations Cammy’s Silver Handcuff Earrings, Pearl Necklace: Freshwater Cultured Pearl, enameled rose mirror + card case, White Stag - Woven Stripe Crochet Tote Bag, Women’s Plaid Rain Boots and more.)
• Gifts for Working Moms (specific items like maman je t’aime bracelet, Franco Sarto Nolan (Women’s) - Black Calf, Mother’s Birthstone Necklace, Conair Thermal Spa Full-Body Massaging Bath Mat, monogrammed women’s therapeutic slippers, and more)
• Gifts for New Moms (specific items like Sally Spicer Diaper Bags Shoes - Baby Bag, baby’s memory book, Sherpani Shoes - Lena, Kodak Digital Camera Tripod, Digital Photo Diaper Bag and more.)
• Gifts for Techie Moms (specific items like Bose SoundDock Digital Music System, Saffaire Jukebox Station Universal ipod Dock, Sony VAIO notebook,
  digital cameras, and more)
• Gifts for Retired Moms (specific items HoMedics Therapist Select Shiatsu Massager SM100, Womens Wilson Hope 12pc. Golf Club Set Left Hand, Multi-Colored Gemstone Yellow Gold Pendant, Personalized Country Kitchen Cutting Board, family locket necklace, and more.)

 It is interesting to compare Yahoo’s gift categories and items with Gifts.com approach to recomending a gift for mom.  Gifts.com organizes mother’s day gifts in these categories :

• Working mom (specific items like personalized memo pads, digital picture frames, stylish laptop bags, personal video telephone, wireless headsets for cell phones, Treo Smartphones and accessories, designer iPod cases, gourmet coffee gift sets, tea gift baskets, personalized women’s stationary and more.)
• Gardening Mom (specific items like Dreamhome birdhouses, Gardener’s Tool Totes & Caddies, Ergonomic Garden Tools, potting and planting workbench and more)
• Grandmom (specific items like personalized photo pillows, tea collections, Roomba robotic vacuums, soothing eye pillows and masks, heatable spa wraps, jewelry armories and more.)
• Pet-Loving Mom (specific items like personalized custom pet portraits, designer dog collars, picture frames for dog lovers, Decorator Wicker Covers for Litter Boxes, and more.)
• Stylish Mom (specific items like Fabulous Designer Totes, Diamond Hoop Earrings, jewlery trees,  Ralph Lauren Pink Pony Tops, Stylish Diaper Bags, Create-Your-Own Oxford & Polo Shirts  and more.)
• Gadget Mom (specific items like Design your own bluetooth headset, Pink Zune, portable camcorders, Tivo digital video recorders, “Hands Free” Phone Accessories for Cars, and more.)

An innovative approach on this website is to provide presonality profiles for gift recipients.  Read them for yourself to see if they give you useful tips, reinforce silly stereotypes, or both.  The personality profile types are: Achiever, Adventurer, Country Clubber, Domestic Diva, Hipster, Super Mom, Thinker, Natural Woman, Trendanista and Urban Sophisticate.

MSN.com has posted a helpful set of last minute gift ideas and options for Mother’s Day.  Of course we hope you shop local after getting a list of gift ideas off of the web. The following general categories are the ones MSN suggests and we have linked to the corresponding general categories on our Long Island business directory:

• Clothing & Shoes  - Search for Long Island women’s clothing stores and shoe stores on Long Island.
• Jewelry & Watches - Search for Long Island jewelry and watch stores on Long Island.
• Beauty & Spa - Search for beauty products on Long Island, and beauty salons and day spas on Long Island. 

This past week Newsday and other local newspapers are starting to run stories and special sections on proms on Long Island.  This is a year when the interactive audience participation has jumped from the world of TV and websites to local newspapers.  Newsday is currently running a vote to let its readers help select a prom dress for its PRoject Rpom contest. This is the second year of the contest in fact.  You can vote for the best prom dress selection for Brentwood High School senior Shavon Ashley Colon.

Each year brings a new set of style trends for prom dresses. About.com offers these top five prom dress trends: metallic, white, lace, ruffles, and cocktail length.

We have updated these directory listings to include information for prom night preparations:

• Long Island prom dreses and tux rentals
• Long Island men’s formal wear
• Long Island women’s formal wear