Janet Fullwood: Asking for directions just got a lot easier

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The days of dialing "POPCORN" to get the correct time came to an end last week when AT&T discontinued the long-standing service. But something way cooler has just become available to cell phone users in our own River City.

The Sacramento metropolitan area is in the second tier of regions targeted by a new voice-activated cell phone service called Dial Directions. It's easy to use: just punch in "DIR-ECT-TIONS" (347-328-4667) on your keypad, say where you are and where you'd like to go, and you'll receive turn-by-turn Mapquest driving directions instantly by text message. No GPS or Web plan required.

There's also an event feature that lets callers get directions to a local event from any starting point.

The service is free, but you have to subscribe to text service through your wireless phone company -- and pay applicable charges -- in order to use it.

Dial Directions was launched Tuesday in beta mode in Sacramento, Dallas, Denver, San Diego and Washington, D.C., after a summer rollout in Los Angeles, New York and the Bay Area.

The Sacramento service area covers 44 communities between Woodland, Davis and Winters to the west and Truckee, Tahoe Vista and South Lake Tahoe to the east.

A video demonstration is at http://www.dialdirections.com/.

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The U.S. Postal Service releases new stamps the way vintners release wines. Now the U.S. branch of Hostelling International, which will mark its 100th anniversary in 2009, is lobbying for a stamp of its own.

Hostel accommodations have enabled millions of Americans who couldn't otherwise afford to travel to see the world. Today there are more than 4,000 HI-affiliated hostels in 89 countries on six continents. They're nothing if not diverse: Sacramento's hostel is a restored Victorian mansion, while Stockholm, Sweden's best-known hostel is a converted sailing ship moored in the harbor. There's a castle hostel in Scotland and a Hong Kong hostel just a five-minute walk from a giant statue of Buddha.

The HI network was started in 1909 by a German schoolteacher who wanted to introduce his students to a wider world. The concept was brought to the United States in 1934. The HI-affiliated hostel network has since grown to 70 properties around the nation, including 10 in Northern California.

To learn more about hosteling -- and add your electronic signature to a petition asking the Postal Service to sponsor a commemorative stamp -- go to the Hostelling International Web site, http://www.hiusa.com/. For more about hostels in northern California: http://www.norcalhostels.org/.

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A few weeks ago we brought you up to date on hotel acquisitions in San Francisco that have resulted in new names for familiar properties.

Now the 101-room Wingate Inn by Wyndham Hotel in Rancho Cordova is changing names, too. The property has been acquired by Campbell Lodging, undergone a major renovation and been converted to a Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott. Among improvements are a new lobby, larger business center and luxury bedding in guest rooms.

About the writer:

• Bee travel editor Janet Fullwood can be reached at (916) 321-1148 or jfullwood@sacbee.com. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/fullwood. Blog: www. sacbee.com/ goingplaces.

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