Tag: Links
Morning Links: Franz Kafka International Airport, Sonic Boom Trains and More
by Jerry V. Haines | 03.25.09 | 9:09 AM ET
- These trains are so fast they create sonic booms. Japanese engineers foresee 310 mph on the tracks by 2025.
- Pilot who prayed instead of taking emergency measures in fatal crash given a 10-year sentence.
- Christopher Elliott calls out five types of travelers he says are killing tourism. (If he hasn’t insulted you yet, you haven’t read far enough.)
- Grim days ahead for the world’s airlines, predicts the International Air Transport Association. But North American carriers might see a profit, due to better planning.
- On the other hand, North American hotels experienced the worst slump in prices during the last quarter of 2008.
- Video: Hold onto your Lada, it could become a collector’s item. Russian automaker enduring more than just bad jokes.
- With frightening shades of “the word that shall not be mentioned,” CNN.com has introduced the cringe-worthy, “nakations.” (Oh, wow: naked snow angels.)
- PBS’s NOVA contemplates the significance of Arctic ice melt in a documentary.
- In Brooklyn, you mess with people’s hot dogs at your own peril. (via roadfood.com)
- Video: We know it’s The Onion, yet Franz Kafka International Airport seems all too real.
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Yahoo! BuzzMorning Links: Walkable Cities, the Japanese ‘Sideways’ and More
by Michael Yessis | 03.24.09 | 8:22 AM ET
- How much danger do in-flight entertainment systems pose?
- A Nebraska town thinks the state’s old electric chair, aka “Old Sparky,” could make a great tourist attraction.
- Crushed! Daisann McLane on one of the most difficult cross-cultural hurdles to clear: differing perceptions of personal space.
- Forget Celebrity Travel Watch. It’s Celebrity Bookstore-Travel-Section-Browsing Watch with Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard.
- How walkable is your city? Check its Walk Score. (via Freakonomics)
- Odd travel promo of the day: “The Kaslo Hotel is giving Japanese-Canadians who have ties to the internment of hundreds of citizens during the Second World War a free two-night stay if they can spot themselves or a relative in one of two prominent photos at the hotel.”
- Here are Susan Fox’s Tourist of The Year awards. Christopher Elliott writes: “Names have been obscured to ‘protect the stupid.’”
- The eruption of Alaska’s Mount Redoubt “snarled” air traffic.
- The San Francisco Chronicle picks its best wine-tasting spots in Northern California.
- Napa wine country is the setting for the Japanese remake of “Sideways.” Why the location change from Santa Barbara? Says the remake’s director: “You can’t do a road trip in California without going over the Golden Gate Bridge.” Really? What about, say, the original “Sideways”?
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Morning Links: Commuting to Baghdad, a Currywurst Museum and More
by Valerie Conners | 03.23.09 | 8:14 AM ET
- A brawl between rival biker gangs at Sydney’s airport left one man dead and travelers “terrified.”
- Fourteen people were killed following the crash of a private plane in Montana.
- Getting stuck in rush-hour traffic is the least of his problems—Kevin McEneaney’s business has him commuting to Baghdad.
- Surveys are in and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has been ranked the best in North America.
- Salon.com features a provocative interview with Rick Steves, who discusses Iran and more.
- San Juan Capistrano’s Festival of the Swallows has come and gone, with nary a bird to be seen.
- Yapta expands its services, now tracking price drops for hotels as well as flights.
- Aspiring authors, take note: You too can write like David Foster Wallace in nine simple steps. (via The Book Bench)
- Chilaquiles and mole, git in my belly! Matador offers a round-up of must-taste Mexican staples.
- Hinterland Travel has taken the first officially sanctioned group of Western tourists into Baghdad.
- Wall? What wall? The latest attraction coming to Berlin is a museum dedicated to the currywurst. (via @Marilyn_Res)
- One of my favorite debates rages on: Which is Rome’s best trattoria?
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Morning Links: A Baghdad Reading List, Penguins and More
by Michael Yessis | 03.20.09 | 9:45 AM ET
- Arthur Frommer weighs in on the Royal Caribbean/Cruise Critic brouhaha over alleged free trips in exchange for positive reviews.
- Readers of Smith magazine are sharing their six-word travel stories. (via @KimMance)
- What they’re reading in The New York Times Baghdad bureau.
- Scott McCartney: “One travel benefit of the economic crisis: It’s easier than ever to upgrade.”
- The Greenbrier resort, which has hosted 26 U.S. presidents, filed for bankruptcy. Will Marriott buy it?
- Sean O’Neill offers five recession travel tips.
- Photos: Simon Winchester and penguins on South Georgia Island.
- Did you fill out your bracket in Theme Park Insider’s tournament to find the best theme-park ride in America? (via This Just in)
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Morning Links: Nude Hiking in Switzerland, Toronto Street Food and More
by Michael Yessis | 03.19.09 | 7:59 AM ET
- Croats to Serbs: We want your tourist dollars.
- The Hard Days Night Hotel is open in Liverpool.
- Toronto loosens its regulations on street food. Now you’ll be able to eat souvlaki, jerk chicken, injera, etc. in midtown and downtown.
- Video: Improv Everywhere turned a Manhattan subway station into an art gallery.
- A woman apparently gave birth on a flight to New Zealand and left the baby on the plane.
- Ben Groundwater reveals 10 things he’s learned from traveling.
- The Age looks at tours inspired by crime books and writers.
- Lee Eisenberg explains how the U.S. lost its “mall hegemony to the rest of the world.”
- In the wake of shenanigans by U.S. lawmakers Sen. David Vitter and Rep. Peter A. DeFazio, the Washington Post rounds up the airport exploits of lawmakers in recent years.
- The case of Appenzell, Switzerland vs. nude hikers. After looking at the accompanying photo, I have one question: Why?
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Morning Links: Misadventures in Bora Bora, Shawarma in Baghdad and More
by Michael Yessis | 03.18.09 | 10:08 AM ET
Morning Links: Parisian Flea Markets, Life Before Lonely Planet and More
by Eva Holland | 03.17.09 | 9:05 AM ET
- Coming soon: new TSA regulations for your air ticket purchases. The request for each passenger’s birth date and gender is intended to cut down on misidentification of “suspect travelers.”
- Geist Magazine takes a provocative look at life before (and after) Lonely Planet.
- Four hundred lucky Londoners earned free flights on Aer Lingus, by stripping down to their strategically placed shamrocks. (And on that note: Happy St. Patrick’s Day!)
- Tom Swick imagines a future of illicit newspaper bars.
- NY Waterway, the ferry service that helped rescue US Airways Flight 1549 passengers from the Hudson, is contemplating a lawsuit to recoup costs from the effort; the company is close to bankruptcy, and “miffed” at the lack of recognition for its role.
- Juliet’s House in Verona, Italy, is now open for your destination wedding business—balcony photo shoot included, of course.
- Gawker (sort of) laments the recession’s impact on the nation’s museums.
- EuroCheapo goes flea marketing in Paris.
- David Farley, Tony Perrottet and Peter Wortsman—World Hum contributors, all—will be reading at New York City’s Book Culture this Thursday.
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Morning Links: Bible Park, Pizza Vending Machines and More
by Eva Holland | 03.16.09 | 9:03 AM ET
- The Wall Street Journal goes way beyond Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
- Planning for Lebanon, Tennessee’s Bible-themed amusement park, has been suspended indefinitely due to “political differences”; the park’s developers are eyeing Kentucky instead. (Via The Book Bench)
- Coney Island’s famed Totonno’s pizzeria has been devastated by a fire.
- The San Francisco Chronicle has the little-known story of Iceland’s pizza pioneer.
- And in more pie-related news, the New York Times dishes on Northern Italy’s pizza vending machines.
- World Hum contributor Jenna Schnuer gets the local scoop on Houston’s finest cuisine, culture and more.
- New York City’s High Line may not be quite ready for visitors, but it is in bloom.
- Audrey and Daniel from Uncornered Market have just headed out on the road again; they reflect on five things they’ll miss about America.
- In the Huffington Post, Alison Stein Wellner goes looking for Jewish Barbados.
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Morning Links: Japan’s ‘Ambassadors of Cute,’ Obama’s Position on Travel and More
by Michael Yessis | 03.13.09 | 8:06 AM ET
- Australia floats a plan to offer tourists free flights to the country, provided they spend a certain amount of money while visiting. (via Jaunted)
- IgoUgo lists 10 places to go to drink iconic drinks.
- Out: Sears Tower. In: Willis Tower.
- Airport living: A Finnish woman apparently spent more than two months calling Berlin’s Tegel airport home. (via Gridskipper)
- Japan unveils its “Ambassadors of Cute.” Metro has a photo.
- Kenya slashes visa fees to encourage more travelers to visit.
- The latest Washington Post Time Zones piece: Eating in Tehran with Thomas Erdbrink.
- The White House clarified President Obama’s position on travel: Travel on federal bailout money bad. A strong travel industry good.
- Finally, in the Onion TV listings: Crash Cab. Description: “In this hit game show, unsuspecting taxi passengers must answer general knowledge trivia questions correctly to prevent their cab from careening into the nearest storefront or bridge abutment.” (via @Marilyn_Res)
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Morning Links: The Zion Curtain, Pynchon and Baedeker, and more
by Michael Yessis | 03.12.09 | 10:00 AM ET
- Utah may tear down the “Zion Curtain” and make it easier to get into bars. Will that boost the state’s tourism?
- See Europe ... in New York City.
- Kurt Andersen in Nicaragua: “[T]he country has become one of those Places on the Verge, discovered by cognoscenti but not yet overrun.”
- Yes, Los Angeles has a bike culture. Matthew Segal immerses himself.
- MetaFilter celebrates Baedeker travel guides—“the de facto travel guide for international men of leisure”—and how they served as a research tool for Thomas Pynchon.
- Man sues US Airways for $1 million after it allegedly lost his Xbox and gave him “an unconscionable runaround.”
- Man jumps into Niagara Falls and survives, only the third person ever to do so.
- Welcome, Big World Magazine.
- Finally, another U.S. Senator, another embarrassing airport incident. If only someone had caught Sen. David Vitter’s alleged outburst on video like Cathay Pacific caught the Airport Auntie.
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Morning Links: The Cuba Travel Showdown, Pirates and More
by Michael Yessis | 03.11.09 | 9:46 AM ET
- The Senate passed a bill to ease travel and trade to Cuba—but the showdown over U.S. policy isn’t over yet.
- A man sued American Airlines for $7 million, saying the carrier “illegally revoked his lifetime pass.”
- Here’s an interesting combination: William Langewiesche, a French luxury cruise ship and pirates.
- Registration for this year’s tours of Washington’s Hanford nuclear site begins March 30.
- Police in China are feeding drivers raw chilli to help them stay awake on the roads in the Chongqing region.
- Goodbye, Travel + Leisure Golf.
- Amina Chaudary says she’s the only Muslim to whom Samuel Huntington gave a formal interview. She writes about “The Clash of Civilizations” author’s legacy at PostGlobal.
- For map geeks: Bloopers from a New York Times map and graphics editor. (via The Morning News)
- Timers on postcards? Isn’t the cancellation stamp enough? (via Coudal)
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Morning Links: A Surge in Train Travel (Stories), the Truck Stop Dentist and More
by Michael Yessis | 03.09.09 | 7:38 AM ET
- Several airlines are rerouting flights after North Korea said it can’t guarantee the safety of flights near its airspace during joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises scheduled to begin today.
- The Washington Post gave President Obama’s vision for high-speed rail the front-page treatment.
- Andy Isaacson took a slow train across the U.S.—and recorded voices from the rails—for the New York Times.
- Here’s a touching piece by Jeff Greenwald about Nepal and the death of his father.
- Catherine Watson gets lost in Bahrain.
- Meet the truck stop dentist, Dr. Thomas P. Roemer of Exit 284 of Interstate 80.
- The Delta Queen is now a floating hotel in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
- Air Asia is apparently giving bloggers the opportunity to be pilots—and some hilarious fodder in this promo video. (via @Marilyn_Res)
- Finally, congrats to the winners of this year’s North American Travel Journalism Association awards, including World Hum contributor Julia Ross.
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Morning Links: Michael Lewis Asks About Bjork in Reykjavík, Yoko Ono’s Travel Daydreams and More
by Michael Yessis | 03.05.09 | 8:06 AM ET
Morning Links: Best Job in the World Finalists, ‘Narco-Tours’ and More
by Michael Yessis | 03.04.09 | 8:18 AM ET
- The 50-person short list for Tourism Queensland’s “best job in the world” includes a man who staged a musical on an Ontario street and Geek Brief’s Cali Lewis.
- The Tsunami Museum commemorating the victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami is open in Indonesia.
- China plans to open its earthquake ruins to tourists.
- Interesting essay by Alexei Tsvetkov on leaving Prague: “In the end some people here will probably miss me, but not many, not too much, and not for long.” (via The Rumpus)
- Ryan Adams: Travel writer? BlackBook has his take on Hollywood. Here are his musical takes on New York and Jacksonville.
- “Narco-tours” are on the rise in Mexico.
- Independent Traveler lists 10 reasons you should travel now.
- Esquire lists the 59 best breakfast places in America.
- Are you an, uh, anal traveler? (via BootsnAll Today)
- How great is this: John Wray will be giving a reading from his new book Lowboy while traveling on a Brooklyn-bound L train next week. Details in this video.
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Morning Links: A ‘Tropical Havisham Enigma,’ iPhone Travel Apps and More
by Michael Yessis | 03.03.09 | 9:54 AM ET
- Pico Iyer investigates a “tropical Havisham enigma” in southern Sri Lanka.
- There’s a good reason why airline passengers lost fewer bags in 2008.
- Roger Yu evaluates some iPhone travel applications.
- Gulliver asks: “How will the recession affect green business travel?”
- Forbes lists America’s worst intersections.
- The fine Southwest has to pay for flying those planes that had missed safety checks: $7.5 million.
- The “very unconventional” lodging at Pixel Hotel Linz is spread all over the Austrian city. (via This Just In)
- Finally, here’s a look at the art of yarn bombing—“improving the urban landscape one stitch at a time”—in Vancouver B.C.
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Morning Links: War Hotels, the Solas Awards and More
by Michael Yessis | 03.02.09 | 9:06 AM ET
- A major snowstorm in the eastern U.S. has disrupted travel throughout the country.
- GlobalPost began a five-part series about the favorite hotels of war correspondents.
- NPR says the “stimulus puts high-speed rail on the fast track.”
- Rome’s mayor announced an unorthodox way to fight “violence and thuggery” in the city. (via @theroadto)
- What can modern cities learn from slums?
- World Hum contributor Eric Lucas is dumbfounded that nobody tells the truth about Las Vegas.
- Some travelers are feeling guilty about traveling at all in this economic climate.
- Thailand thinks you’ll want to visit the country more if it has a signature cocktail. So it created the “Siam Sunrays.”
- Congrats to the winners of this year’s Solas Awards. David Torrey Peters took the grand prize for best travel story of the year.
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What We Loved This Week: Food Tours, Traveling Through the Harper’s Index and More
by World Hum | 02.27.09 | 5:03 PM ET
Bakhat Singh in the Moonlight Our contributors share a favorite travel-related experience from the past seven days.
Michael Yessis
The searchable Harper’s Index. The magazine has been delivering pithy factual tidbits since 1984, and now you can search through all of them online by topic. Here are the 90 matches in my search for items about travel. One of my favorites comes from 1990: “Amount the U.S. Air Force spent this year to study the effects of jet noise on pregnant horses: $100,000.”
Joanna Kakissis
I’ve always wanted to host my own YouTube cooking show, because doesn’t the whole world really want to see me make my secret baklava recipe to the beat of “Chains of Love” by Erasure? But I doubt my show would ever be as awesome as the sensational “Cooking With Clara,” which features Great Depression-era recipes by 93-year-old Sicilian-American Clara Cannucciari.
Morning Links: Walking on Broadway, Fees for Airline Toilets and More
by Michael Yessis | 02.27.09 | 9:43 AM ET
- New York City plans to turn parts of Broadway into pedestrian malls.
- The inevitable Coldplay reference comes only four seconds into this video about that ice music festival in northern Italy.
- Are the “taste police” out to get German bakers?
- The literature of men in boats vs. women in houses. (via Arts & Letters Daily)
- Here’s the latest Carnival of Cities.
- Happy belated 90th birthday, Grand Canyon National Park. (thanks for the reminder @evaholland and @AlisonSWellner)
- The economic downturn has boosted Peace Corps applications and the number of financial types snowboarding the Alps.
- Mule drivers in period costumes need TSA security clearance, too! So Boing Boing started a contest to create mule-driver TSA IDs.
- Will passengers soon need to pay to use the toilet on Ryanair? Just how ridiculous can the carrier get?
- Finally, this is fun to say: Sassy the Sustainable Sasquatch.
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Morning Links: A Wordy Map of St. Petersburg, the Joy of L.A. Traffic and More
by Michael Yessis | 02.26.09 | 9:38 AM ET
- New Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says yes to body scanners.
- World Hum contributor Tim Patterson chronicles the struggle of the Kachin people of Myanmar.
- USA Today looks at “what might be the most endangered airline in the USA.”
- NPR has an interview with the world-traveling ethnographers from The Linguists.
- Happy 450th birthday Pensacola, Florida.
- Matthew Polly goes to St. Petersburg, Russia, in Slate’s latest Well-Traveled.
- This map of literary St. Petersburg was created using lines from Russian writers about St. Petersburg. (Via The Book Bench)
- Daniel Fox aims to shoot more than 100,000 digital images from around the world for the Wild Image Project.
- The Freakonomics blog is in the midst of a six-part series about the facts and fiction of Los Angeles Transportation. I find it compelling, though maybe I’m just looking at the gray skies here in D.C., waiting for winter to end, daydreaming about my upcoming trip back home.
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Morning Links: Venice Cokes Up, an Epic (Paper) Plane Video and More
by Michael Yessis | 02.25.09 | 9:44 AM ET