AAA Mid-Atlantic is predicting a 9 percent increase in travel this Labor Day holiday weekend … and most of those travelers will hit the road.

The company says approximately 637,200 Marylanders will take a trip at least 50 miles round-trip away from home. That’s a 9.1 percent increase from 2009.

But for those of you groaning over the inescapable traffic jam you’re sure to hit in your travels, there’s hope. Well, sort of.

The auto club issued it’s travel predictions with one caveat: The current path of Hurricane Earl could drive some travelers to stay home.

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I guess when you think about it, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey are pretty boardwalk-heavy compared with other U.S. shorelines … but we’ll take what we can get.

Especially when it means Maryland’s Ocean City boardwalk is rated by ShermansTravel as the fifth-best boardwalk in the country behind Atlantic City, N.J.; Coney Island, N.Y.; Kemah, Tex. and Mission Beach, Calif.

And Shermans is showing the love for the Del-Mar peninsula — right behind Ocean City is nearby Rehoboth Beach, Del.

Shermans cites Ocean City’s 2.5 miles of restaurants, night life, shops and amusements (especially Trimper’s Carousel, the country’s oldest continuously operating carousel) as its reason for the ranking.

In a statement, Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan said the boardwalk was one of the city’s most popular attractions and a “source of pride and heritage” for the town.

This is not the first time Ocean City has been nationally recognized for its boardwalk. In 2004, the Travel Channel recognized Ocean City as one of the “Best Boardwalks in America” and in 2005, USA Today placed Ocean City on its list of “One of the 10 Great Places to have Fun on the Boardwalk.”

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Want to rub shoulders with Le’Ron McClain, Jared Gaither, Jonathan Ogden and Michael McCrary…AND get a nice Caribbean tan while doing it?

After seeing the success of sports-themed cruises and launching Philadelphia Eagles and the Phillies- themed cruises last year, AAA-Mid-Atlantic is bringing the party to Baltimore this summer. The trip is aboard Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment Of The Seas and will take fans on a five-day round trip to Bermuda.

The package includes private cocktail parties, photograph sessions, autographs and a question-and-answer session with players.

AAA rates (per person and based on double occupancy) start at about $1,040 and go to just under $2,000 for the trip. That’s about a $400 to $800 mark-up compared with the normal cost for that same cruise in July.

And then there’s the chance they could change the players on you at the last minute. As of now you’ve got two retired players (who won the Super Bowl XXXV with the Ravens), a starting left tackle and a Pro Bowl fullback. No offense to third-string QB John Beck, but if one of those guys couldn’t make it and they stuck Beck in his place, I’d feel kind of swindled.

Would you book the trip?

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In no particular order some of my parking lot/garage pet peeves are:

1) Patiently waiting for a space only to have someone steal it from you.

2) Being stuck behind a car in a garage that YOU know will only have free spaces on the top floors…yet the person in front of you is delusional and inches along looking for that mythical free space on floors one through six.

3) Someone has pulled into their parking space with no regard for humanity and is hanging over into the space next to it, essentially taking two precious spaces while the rest of us are desperately driving around and hoping we’ll find a place to park before sundown.

So, yes — there are some holiday shopping stresses to be endured before we even set foot in the mall. AAA Mid-Atlantic has sent out a news release reminding us all to be nice to each other in the Land of No Civilization (otherwise known as the parking lot).

“Do not let trivial parking lot wars dim your holiday glow,” the release says. “Avoid petty confrontations that can result in additional holiday expenses, including fender-benders, personal injuries and a general Grinch-like attitude.”

Here are some of AAA’s tips:
1) Head for the side door. Many shoppers want to park near their favorite stores or near the mall entrance. Most malls have secondary entrances on the sides and those entrances usually have less traffic and additional convenient spaces.
2) Play the outfield. Outlying areas normally have more open spaces, lighter traffic and a lower risk of collision. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to walk off the holiday treats. In some cases, however, those spaces may not be as secure so be aware of the risks.
3) Wait until Cyber Monday. Many retailers, in fact 87 percent will have special online promotions on Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving, according to an eHoliday survey for Shop.org.

For all the suggestions, click here.

Anyone putting on their game face for Black Friday? Have any parking lot horror stories or pet peeves you’d like to share?

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It’s hard to have thoughts of thanks (and giving) when you’re stuck in your cute little two-door, sandwiched between a minivan and a Suburban staring at traffic as far as the eye can see… Not that I’m being specific or anything.

But thanks to lower fuel prices this year, AAA Mid-Atlantic is predicting that 4.6 percent more Marylanders will hit the roads for the holiday this year compared with last year. (Although not me — the only road I’m hitting is the parking lot when we go out during halftime to toss the football around. I’ve learned my lesson, thank you.)

In total, approximately 794,000 Marylanders are expected to travel in one form or another for Thanksgiving. That’s up nearly 4 percent last year. Airlines also appear to be losing out to other transportation modes as just 6.5 percent of travelers (52,000) are expected to take to the skies — a 5.2 percent decline.

“It’s not surprising that Marylanders are foregoing the airport this year to reach their Thanksgiving destination,” said Regina Averella in a news release. “Given the hassles of airport security, reduced capacity, as well as added surcharges and fees, it seems Marylanders are seeking other modes of transportation that are less restrictive and perhaps more inexpensive.”

Speaking of which, anyone hear about the new Super Bowl surcharge this year? When will these guys stop?

At any rate, I’ve also noticed in my commute to work along I-95, the roads have already gotten more congested since Thursday. Seems as if the traffic madness is already upon us.

Are you going to brave the storm that’s alrady accumulating out there? So are you like me and hiding from traffic this year?

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New to Oriole Park? Don’t know where to park? Want to get the lay of the land before you arrive at the ballpark? The Orioles and the Harris Corp. have teamed up to offer “Virtual Birdland,” an online virtual tour of the park and its surroundings aimed at visitors unfamiliar with the area.

Harris Corp., a Melbourne, Fla.-based international communications and information technology company, has created 3-D flyover videos that show the park, adjacent parking lots, entrance roadways and the nearby Inner Harbor.

“This is especially convenient for first-time visitors who…want to become more comfortable with where they are going, and how to get there,” said Greg Bader in a news release. “We are confident that Virtual Birdland will demonstrate the ease and convenience of attending a game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and we’re very excited to offer this capability to our fans.”

I’m wondering what kind of difference this will really make for people attending Camden Yards for the first time. I mean, doesn’t Google Maps’ satellite view essentially do most of this already? I know I use that option when mapping a new destination with which I’m unfamiliar.

The new campaign is, however, in line with the team’s marketing angle that its ballpark is accessible and a tourist destination. But will it help sell tickets? Won’t most of the people checking out Virtual Birdland be doing it to plan their routes and have already have purchased a ticket?

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Yup. Those kind of thrones.

The America’s Best Restroom Web site has nominated our very own Tremont Plaza Hotel as having one of the nation’s finest restrooms and has opened voting to the public until July 31.

“These washrooms are testaments to their proprietors’ sense of taste, flair and attention to detail, and feature some of the world’s finest materials and customer comforts as well as a few surprises,” the site says.

Maybe it’s because I’m a woman, but I think this is a great idea. I’ve always appreciated a good commode. I can (sadly) think of one or two that recently stuck in my memory:

• The ladies’ rooms at the Red Rock Canyon Grill in Silver Spring have those stalls where the full-length doors seal you into privacy. Impressively thick disposable hand towels would put Bounty’s “even thicker, quicker picker upper” to shame;

• The ladies’ room at Legal Seafoods in Washington. They also have the full-length doors plus sinks/towels in each stall so there’s no waiting in line behind a woman who’s checking her makeup for the umpteenth time.

I know I can’t be the only one who notices these things — after all, there’s an entire Web site dedicated to the topic — so chime in and tell me what you’d nominate as your favorite restroom in the region.

As for me, I’ll be stacking the voting for the Tremont.

(Note: The top photo is actually from the Lowell Inn in Stillwater, Minnesota — which surprisingly did not make the list! Photo at bottom is the Tremont Plaza Hotel.)

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