Travel Blog
Iran Hearts America (in Private)
by Joanna Kakissis | 02.14.08 | 3:33 PM ET
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may denounce the U.S. as the “Great Satan,” but we all know that most Iranians are welcoming to American travelers and are curious and open-minded about American culture, right? Lest anyone forget, a couple of recent articles highlight the point.
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Yahoo! BuzzClimbing Mt. Kilimanjaro: ‘Worse Than Childbirth’
by Eva Holland | 02.14.08 | 1:53 PM ET
That’s the verdict Gayle MacDonald comes to, after making the climb with 11 other middle-aged Canadian moms. Her recent story in the Globe and Mail, which is heavy on the ugly details, doesn’t exactly make me eager to try taking on Kilimanjaro myself, but it does make for a fun read about an unlikely group of people breaking from their routines and rising to a challenge. Here’s a sample:
Eating Cuban on Miami’s Calle Ocho
by Jim Benning | 02.14.08 | 1:37 PM ET
The cultural heart of Cuban life in Miami is, naturally, Little Havana. And in Little Havana, the main drag is Calle Ocho—8th Street. It’s on Calle Ocho where old men in elegant guayaberas gather to play dominoes, and it’s on Calle Ocho where a number of fine Cuban restaurants have been serving up strong espresso and garlic-infused fried pork for years. For Americans who want to experience authentic Cuban culture without violating U.S. laws with a clandestino trip to Havana, Miami’s Calle Ocho is the place to start.
The Last Days of the Postcard?
by Eva Holland | 02.14.08 | 11:00 AM ET
Somewhere in my house, deep in a closet or the bottom of a cardboard box, resides just about every postcard I’ve ever received—from a friend’s family trip to Key West in the fourth grade, to a recent arrival from Seoul, where another friend is teaching English and contemplating grad school.
The Cult of United’s ‘Channel 9’
by Michael Yessis | 02.13.08 | 5:07 PM ET
That’s the channel on United’s entertainment system that plays real-time audio between air-traffic controllers and the pilots in the cockpit. It “tends to be the most listened to channel on its entertainment system during takeoffs and landings,” according to a terrific story in the Wall Street Journal. It’s also controversial.
Lawsuit Questions Searches of Travelers’ Laptops, Digital Devices*
by Michael Yessis | 02.13.08 | 3:49 PM ET
The Electronic Frontier Foundation and Asian Law Caucus filed suit in a California court last week to seek the release of Department of Homeland Security records concerning searches of personal property, including computers and other digital devices, by the DHS’s Customs and Border Protection agents. From CNN: “The suit accuses customs agents of ‘lengthy questioning and intrusive searches’ and seeks clarification on the law that allows such searches.”
What Would Grizzly Adams Do?
by Joanna Kakissis | 02.13.08 | 3:03 PM ET
As a little kid I used to watch Grizzly Adams and Ben tear through the forest, chewing my braids as I strained to sense the scents and sights. So when my parents finally took us to the Black Hills one summer, I ran through the real forest, breathing in the pine and earth and windy scents of wildflowers. It was so much better than watching it on TV. Alas, since my favorite television show in my little girl days went off the air in 1982, our connection to nature has been steadily weakening, NPR reports. Participation in outdoorsy activities such as hiking, fishing and camping has dropped 18 percent since the 1980s, according to a University of Illinois study.
Worldometers: A Real-Time Look at the What’s Going on in the World
by Frank Bures | 02.13.08 | 12:33 PM ET
It’s impossible to watch the numbers spin at Worldometers without getting a concrete sense of just how fast the world is changing. The site features real-time counters for dozens of world stats, including the size of the world’s population; how many cars have been produced, books published and computers sold this year; and the fast-rising price of a bottle of beer in Zimbabwe—almost Z$4 million. It’s all terrifying and mesmerizing.
Pico Iyer: ‘I Was Turning Japanese’
by Jim Benning | 02.13.08 | 10:27 AM ET
The prolific travel writer reflects on life in Japan and his writing career in a recent Washington Post essay: “Perhaps the greatest beauty of the writing life is that it offers you concrete evidence of all your changes; the pages you write are like those charts nurses place at the end of your bed to map your progress. Whatever you need to know about yourself is there, if only you know how to read it.”
Related on World Hum:
* Q&A With Pico Iyer: On Travel and Travel Writing
Photo by kurisuuu via Flickr, (Creative Commons).
An Expat in Athens: Hitting the Polls in Greece
by Joanna Kakissis | 02.12.08 | 1:37 PM ET
There was no way I was going to miss voting in the most exciting Democratic primary in my lifetime. The Hillary Clinton-Barack Obama race is making major headlines in Greece, even knocking a tedious government sex scandal from its nightly takeover of the news.
JetBlue to Launch LAX-JFK Service
by Jim Benning | 02.12.08 | 1:25 PM ET
It’s about time JetBlue began operating out of Los Angeles International. Starting in May, the budget carrier with excellent entertainment options will offer three daily flights from LAX to John F. Kennedy International and one daily flight to Logan International in Boston. Even if you’re not as big of a fan of JetBlue as I am, it’s good news: It could lead to a fare war among other airlines at LAX. JetBlue is expanding service at other Southern California airports, too.
Paris: ‘A Delicate Pale Blue’ No Longer?
by Eva Holland | 02.12.08 | 11:11 AM ET
Photo by kla4067 via Flickr, (Creative Commons).
Plenty of cities have imposed smoking bans in bars and restaurants by now, but it’s rare that they chip away at a world-renowned image in the process. In Paris, on the other hand, where the city’s identity seems more intimately connected with smoking, the ban that came into force Jan. 1 has the potential to alter more than just the air quality.
EU May Begin Fingerprinting Travelers to Europe
by Michael Yessis | 02.12.08 | 9:05 AM ET
Tomorrow the European Commission will propose fingerprinting all travelers to Europe, according to the Washington Post. The Post also reports that the EU wants to take facial scans of some travelers.
‘Eat, Pray, Loathe’? More Reconsiderations of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Travel Memoir, ‘Eat, Pray, Love.’
by Michael Yessis | 02.11.08 | 2:55 PM ET
Release. Praise. Bestseller. Julia Roberts. End-of-year lists. Oprah. Juggernaut. Now, two years after its debut, comes the next phase: Reconsideration of—and backlash against—Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love.”
Monte Carlo in Las Vegas to Reopen Friday
by Michael Yessis | 02.11.08 | 2:13 PM ET
Three weeks after a three-alarm fire broke out on the top floors of the Monte Carlo in Las Vegas, the hotel and casino will reopen on a limited basis Feb. 15. Most of the rest of the hotel will reopen the following week, according to Reuters.
