Travel Blog: News and Briefs
Links We’ve Loved: The Post-9/11 Kindness of Gander, Newfoundland
by Michael Yessis | 09.11.09 | 9:39 AM ET
In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, several trans-Atlantic flights were diverted from their U.S. destinations to airports throughout Atlantic Canada. The hospitality and kindness of the town of Gander, Newfoundland, has become legendary. Here’s one story I loved, the Savvy Traveler’s 2001 tale of the passengers of Delta Flight 15 and the residents of Gander, who hosted them for “four long, yet special, days.”
Here’s our original blog post.
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Yahoo! BuzzCelebrating 50 Years of Leaf-Peeping
by Eva Holland | 09.10.09 | 5:16 PM ET
New Hampshire’s Kancamagus Highway, one of the more famous fall foliage routes in the country, is a half-century old this year. USA Today has all the details—including the correct pronunciation of Kancamagus.
Travel Song of the Day: ‘Interstate Love Song’ by Stone Temple Pilots
by Eva Holland | 09.10.09 | 4:05 PM ET
Three Would-Be Airliner Bombers Convicted
by Eva Holland | 09.10.09 | 2:59 PM ET
Three men charged with planning to bomb several trans-Atlantic flights were found guilty of conspiracy to murder in London this week. The trio was behind the August 2006 liquid-explosives plot at Heathrow that ushered in the current restrictions on liquids and gels.
Photo We Don’t Love: Aeromexico Hijacking Suspect
by World Hum | 09.10.09 | 1:46 PM ET
REUTERS/Jorge Dan Lopez Mexican federal police detain Jose Flores, accused of hijacking an Aeromexico plane carrying more than 100 passengers from Cancun to Mexico City yesterday. The Bolivian-born suspect reportedly said he was on a divine mission. He was arrested upon landing and nobody was injured. In fact, passengers said they were unaware of the hijacking until after the plane touched down.
‘CSI: The Experience’ Comes to Vegas
by Eva Holland | 09.10.09 | 12:04 PM ET
Well, finally. I’ve been waiting for Las Vegas to really tap into the “CSI” theme—no, the mugs and t-shirts in the cheapo gift shops on Fremont aren’t enough for me—and now the MGM Grand has obliged with a new exhibit, CSI: The Experience. Writes Jen Leo over at the Daily Deal blog: “You will act as an investigator and go through one of three crime scenes. Take notes, analyze clues and watch videos with characters from the TV show while you learn about DNA identification, firearm and toolmark identification, blood-spatter analysis, forensic entomology and more.”
Next time I make it to Vegas, I am so there. Who says learning can’t be fun?
‘The United Steaks of America’
by Michael Yessis | 09.10.09 | 10:13 AM ET
Alright, Al Franken. Impressive work drawing the map, but I’d be more amazed if you could do this with beef.
Meet the Gaza Surf Club
by Eva Holland | 09.09.09 | 3:30 PM ET
The National has the unlikely story of Gaza City’s surf scene, from its early origins to the ongoing efforts to smuggle new boards in as the old ones break. The Gazan surfers’ main benefactor? A Tel Aviv-based organization called Surfing for Peace. “Surfing is not just the solitary act of standing on a hollowed-out plank on the face of a breaking wave,” Brian Calvert writes. “[T]he culture of the sport breeds an intense solidarity.” (Via The Daily Dish)
Al Franken Draws a Map of America
by Eva Holland | 09.09.09 | 1:12 PM ET
From memory. Apparently the good Senator’s been pulling out this party trick for years, but his latest display—presumably, his first since taking office—is drawing a lot of online attention. Here it is, from the Minnesota State Fair:
Hey, wouldn’t it be nifty if an excellent grasp of the country’s geography was a prerequisite for federal office, rather than a viral video-worthy feat?
‘Dying to do Letterman’ Comic Gets Wish, Riffs About Hotel Keys and Key Cards
by Michael Yessis | 09.09.09 | 12:06 PM ET
When Steve Mazan was diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer, he decided to focus his energies on his dream: appearing on The Late Show With David Letterman. He made it last week with a bit about hotel keys and key cards.
Americans Fight Tourist Kitsch in China
by Michael Yessis | 09.09.09 | 11:00 AM ET
In China, “‘ancient’ villages are being redeveloped in a kitschy, gift-shop-heavy way,” James Fallows writes in the Atlantic. Americans Brian and Jeanee Linden are fighting the trend. They’ve “worked with party officials to secure something rarely accorded foreigners: the right to use a ‘Class A’ historical relic and restore it—its tiling, wooden arches and fretwork, painted murals.”
Are Zagat Ratings an Endangered Species?
by Eva Holland | 09.09.09 | 10:11 AM ET
The New York Post reports that the company’s book sales are “down dramatically” and that web traffic is declining, too. The culprits? The recession—and its impact on high-end dining—on the one hand, and free online upstarts like Yelp and Chowhound on the other.
Two Days in the Life of a Rest Stop on the New York State Thruway
by Michael Yessis | 09.08.09 | 3:15 PM ET
This American Life did it again this weekend with a superb program chronicling the happenings at a highway rest stop in Wallkill, New York. Some accompanying photos can be found on Flickr.
The Cognitive Benefits of Vacation
by Eva Holland | 09.08.09 | 11:37 AM ET
Over at The Daily Dish, Jonah Lehrer checks out a couple of recent studies.
Road Tripping Through the Recession
by Eva Holland | 09.08.09 | 10:42 AM ET
Some reassuring news from the AP: The great American road trip is still going strong despite the grim economic climate. There are some interesting historical tidbits in the story, too—for instance, did you know that AAA was organizing national road trips as early as 1904?
