Travel Blog: News and Briefs
Here Come the ‘Grown-up Gappers’
by Michael Yessis | 07.28.09 | 12:38 PM ET
Reuters reports that, because of the recession, Britons “aged 30-55 [are] more than twice as likely as 18-24 year-olds to take time out to travel.” Where do they say they’re going? Canada tops the list of destinations.
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Yahoo! BuzzHigh-Speed Rail Watch, Midwest Edition
by Eva Holland | 07.28.09 | 11:42 AM ET
The governors of eight Midwest states are on board with a proposal for a monster high-speed rail project that would eventually link cities in Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, with Chicago as the hub. The group would be aiming to land stimulus money for the project, but, like the Californian proposal we’ve been following, it’ll be in a tough fight for funding—a whopping 278 high-speed rail plans have been submitted for consideration, according to the AP.
Rick Steves and David Sedaris, Redux
by Eva Holland | 07.28.09 | 10:55 AM ET
This weekend on his radio show, Rick Steves re-played an entertaining interview with David Sedaris on his time as an expat in Paris and Tokyo. In case you missed it when it first aired last fall, here it is in full.
A Trip to Comic-Con in Celebrity Tweets
by Eva Holland | 07.27.09 | 4:06 PM ET
I’ll admit, I’ve never paid much attention to Comic-Con, San Diego’s annual geekfest spectacular. In fact, I’d never even heard of it until the teenage characters on “The O.C.” used it as a pretext for an illicit Tijuana road trip. But for thousands of people from across the U.S., and even around the world, it’s the travel event of the year—and this time around I too found myself following along, through the tweets of my favorite Hollywood celebrities.
Herewith, a brief, vicarious trip through the wacky world of the Con, from departure to exhausted arrival home:
I Violated the Cuba Travel Embargo and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt
by Jim Benning | 07.27.09 | 1:23 PM ET
And a few refrigerator magnets. And a green and red Che Guevara beret. And some postcards.
Crazy story here about an American freelance entertainment news producer who wants to be fined for his Cuba visits so he can challenge the travel ban. So far, to his chagrin, he has been met with little more than indifference from U.S. authorities.
Here’s hoping that U.S. officials have quietly stopped enforcing the stupid law—and that President Obama and Congress will act soon to revoke it.
‘The Great American Road Trip is Resurgent’
by Eva Holland | 07.27.09 | 11:28 AM ET
In the latest issue of Outside, Ian Frazier declares that the road trip is back. We’re glad to hear that he’s come around—last summer he was one of those who predicted that the road trip was dead—but we’re also pretty sure it never really went away in the first place. Frazier goes on to offer some thoughtful reflections on the irresistible urge to jump in the car and head west. His short piece is accompanied by more fine, compact road tripping essays from Walter Kirn, Matthew Power and Eric Hansen. (Via @AdventureLive)
R.I.P. Sandy van Ginkel, Montreal Architect
by Eva Holland | 07.27.09 | 10:36 AM ET
The Dutch-born architect and city planner, who is credited with saving the Old Montreal we know today from development, died earlier this month at 89. In the late 1950s, van Ginkel “almost single-handedly persuaded the good burghers of Montreal to abandon plans for an expressway that would have cut through the old city, destroying much of its heritage and the ambience that still draws tourists and visitors,” writes the Globe and Mail’s Sandra Martin.
What We Loved This Week: Bad Roadside Puns, Puppy’s First Roadtrip and ‘The Runaway Jury’
by World Hum | 07.24.09 | 3:26 PM ET
Photo by Alicia Imbody Our contributors share a favorite travel-related experience from the past seven days.
Alicia Imbody
I loved setting off with my new pup on our first road trip together. We started out easy—just a weekend trip up the Atlantic coast—but he was such a good travel buddy, I see this as training for future pan-America adventures, a la Steinbeck and Charley.
Here’s a picture of the little guy lounging on the floor under an air conditioning vent. Who would you rather spend thousands of miles in a compact car with?
New Travel Book: ‘The Mile High Club: Plane Sex Stories’
by Eva Holland | 07.24.09 | 3:05 PM ET
Maybe the Mile High Club isn’t dead yet, after all? Jaunted recommends the Kindle version for discretion.
Photo We Love: Surfing Huntington Beach
by Jim Benning | 07.24.09 | 2:33 PM ET
REUTERS/Gene Blevins
Australian Taj Burrow at the recent X-Games finals in Huntington Beach, California.
One of surfing’s biggest events culminates at the Huntington Beach Pier this weekend: The Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing concludes Sunday. Forecasters are predicting some big, tasty waves thanks to a swell from the Southern Hemisphere.
Pink’s Hot Dogs Headed for LAX
by Jim Benning | 07.24.09 | 12:57 PM ET
The iconic Los Angeles hot dog shop, which draws famously long lines and celebs to its historic La Brea location, plans to open an outlet in the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX later this year. “Various accounts have it opening anywhere from late fall to late December,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
It’s always good to see less generic, more local fare in airports. The trend continues.
Miami International: Off to the Races?
by Eva Holland | 07.24.09 | 12:02 PM ET
One corner of Airworld could get a lot weirder. There’s a proposal in the works to build a horse racing track in the parking lot at Miami International—apparently, a working track is a prerequisite for the real objective, slot machines at the airport.
Hey, I can see the slogan now: Win back your checked baggage fees!
Sam Neill: ‘You Can’t Beat a Flat Bed’
by Eva Holland | 07.23.09 | 12:34 PM ET
Publicity still from "Jurassic Park" via Hollywood.com The Kiwi actor, best known for his roles in “The Piano” and “Jurassic Park,” recently shared some funny and thoughtful travel reflections with the Independent. Among the highlights? Neill looks for “a sense of enquiry and wonder” in his travel companions, he finds grand old hotels “uncomfortable, patronising and with hideous furniture,” and he firmly believes that a first-class reclining seat is worth it on the red-eye: “You can’t beat a flat bed. It’s hardly a profound thought, but if you can sleep on a plane, you can function at the other end ... I know I should be waxing lyrical about other cultures, but the bed takes precedence, I’m afraid.”
British Pubs: An Endangered Species?
by Alicia Imbody | 07.23.09 | 10:38 AM ET
The warning signs have been evident for some time. Now, it seems that the iconic British Pub may soon be a thing of legend, as the Times of London reports that pub closures in the UK are accelerating, with 52 going out of business every week and at least 2,400 pubs and bars closed in the last year. The British Beer & Pub Association blames a preference for drinking more cheaply at home, and higher taxes on beer.
‘The History and Future of Airport Design’
by Alicia Imbody | 07.23.09 | 9:18 AM ET
Slate has a great slideshow essay on the history of airport architecture. It shows how the evolution has come full circle, from the early days when all you needed was a grassy field, through innovative and artful designs that reflected the bygone days when air travel was still glamorous, to the glorified bus stations we’ve come to expect today.
