No, we’re not suggesting a weekend with Proust; your correspondent couldn’t make it through the Cliff Notes. Memorial Day is coming fast, and the holiday is more than an occasion to dig out your white shoes and seersucker suits. The date was first marked in 1866 to pay tribute to fallen Union soldiers. Why not make time this holiday weekend to pay a visit to the final resting grounds of soldiers, leaders, and thinkers you most admire?

Washington flights | hotels
Arlington National Cemetery is a beautiful and moving memorial to the men and women who exhibited extraordinary bravery to fight for the United States. Take a historical trip through the country’s history as you visit graves and memorials from the Revolutionary through the Iraq Wars, or honor the astronauts, presidents, explorers, artists, and other national heroes who embodied the American spirit of innovation. There is also a memorial to the victims on 9/11 who died in the attack on the Pentagon. The Visitors Center can help you arrange tours highlighting Black history, women’s history, Jewish history, or any other personal interests.

Boston flights | hotels
As the site of much early American history, Boston offers up all sorts of cemetery treasures. In the Granary Burial Ground downtown lie Revolutionary heroes (and beer brewing geniuses) Samuel Adams, Crispus Attucks, Paul Revere, John Hancock — and the woman believed to be Mother Goose (apparently she had webbed feet). Across the river in Cambridge, the Mount Auburn Cemetery is a beautiful spot for a stroll, along rolling hills, winding trails and some of Boston’s wealthiest corpses.

Savannah flights | hotels
Dripping with Spanish moss and pulsing with Southern history, Savannah’s Bonaventure Cemetery was made famous in the bestselling novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (terrible movie but great book). The land was originally a plantation house, and the small family burial plot became the core from which the current 70 acres spread. As you wander beneath the shady live oaks you’ll find the graves of many of Georgia’s historical figures, including Revolutionary and Civil war soldiers and the state’s early governors. Jack Leigh, who took the iconic photograph on the novel’s cover, is buried here, but the “Bird Girl” memorial, made famous by his picture, has been moved to Savannah’s Telfair Museum of Art.

Paris flights | hotels
Pere-Lachaise in Paris may be the world’s most visited cemetery. Jim Morrison is the most famous resident, and fans leave Jim all the things he needs in the afterlife including wine bottles, drug needles, graffiti, and litter. In fact, there are so many treasures left at his grave that the cemetery has hired a full-time guard and Parisian officials are considering sending Morrison elsewhere. If the Doors are not your cup of tea, you can also find Oscar Wilde, Maria Callas, Edith Piaf, Frederic Chopin, Marcel Proust, Alice B. Toklas, and Richard Wright here.

Deals:

• Boston
  Stay at Boston’s Jurys Hotel from $185/night
• Paris
  Package deals to Paris from $542
• Washington
  Get around Washington with rental cars from $14/day

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Give Us Your Trip Ideas!
Starting this week, we’ll include a topic for the following newsletter. If you’d like to share your Trip Idea for this topic with our 600,000 subscribers, send us 50-70 witty words of wisdom and we’ll pick one each week. Be sure to double check your spelling, event dates, and locations. (That cute Corn-dogs ‘n Coleslaw stand in Boise may now be a Walmart.) Send your entry to us via our feedback page or e-mail. Include your name and hometown unless you’re in the witness protection program and prefer to remain anonymous.

Next Week’s Newsletter: Crop Circles

Thinking back but looking forward,

Steve and Paul, Kayak co-founders

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 9th, 2007 at 9:47 am and is filed under Newsletters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.