Travel Blog: News and Briefs
London’s Trafalgar Square: ‘Completely Uncivilized’
by Eva Holland | 07.14.09 | 1:09 PM ET
Long live the stereotype of the stuffy British academic. The director of Britain’s National Gallery, Dr. Nicholas Penny, isn’t happy with the state of affairs in London’s venerable public square, which the gallery overlooks—and he isn’t afraid to drop some harsh words on the subject. “Levels of civil behaviour are incredibly low,” he told the Times Online. “As I speak, people are riding the lions and climbing up as far as they can on the reliefs of Nelson’s Column.” Penny did, however, acknowledge that the rollerbladers in the square are “incredibly skillful.”
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Yahoo! BuzzUNESCO: World Heritage by the Numbers
by Eva Holland | 07.14.09 | 12:12 PM ET
In the wake of a recent announcement about 13 new World Heritage site designations, the Independent offers a by-the-numbers look at the updated UNESCO list. The collection of mostly fun factoids is marred by one number in particular: 31 sites that remain under threat from war, pollution and more.
Parisians Promise to be Nicer to Tourists ... Again
by Alicia Imbody | 07.14.09 | 10:43 AM ET
As Parisian tourism continues to decline, the city’s tourist board has been addressing its residents’ reputation for being, well, less than welcoming to outsiders—the so-called Paris Syndrome. The plan to encourage travelers to return has nothing to do with the recession, and everything to do with attitude: “There’s nothing as telling as a smile,” Paul Roll, head of the tourist board, told Reuters. Teams of “smile ambassadors” are being strategically positioned at popular destinations to welcome visitors, and locals are implored to be more hospitable, a la Mayor Delenoe’s urgings before the first Paris Tourist Day two years ago.
The Miami Herald and ‘Why Newspapers Are Going Down’
by Jim Benning | 07.14.09 | 9:34 AM ET
In the latest blog post in his ongoing series, “Why Newspapers Are Going Down,” Tom Swick notes that the Miami Herald has a new travel editor—who also happens to be the Home & Design editor.
Coney Island: ‘It’s Not Dead Yet’
by Eva Holland | 07.13.09 | 4:07 PM ET
The New York Times thinks it’s about time for City Council “to stop the long, slow, perpetual dying of Coney Island”—and, as noted in this editorial, there’s a proposal in the works that could do just that. Hear, hear.
Site to Watch: Open Sound New Orleans
by Michael Yessis | 07.13.09 | 3:31 PM ET
It’s a soundmap of New Orleans. The directors of the project, Heather Booth and Jacob Brancasi, aim “to make more accessible the authentic, unedited sounds and voices of New Orleans. Sharing the sounds of our city as we hear them, move through them, and create them, is an act of celebration.”
Booth and Brancasi spoke about their project and shared a few sounds yesterday on NPR’s Weekend Edition.
U.S. Senate Encourages Domestic Travel to Canada
by Alicia Imbody | 07.13.09 | 2:55 PM ET
Screenshot of the Environment Of Public Works website The Washington Post embarrassingly revealed how the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee recently tried to promote domestic summer travel to the Rockies on its website, using a picture of Lake Louise—which happens to be located in Canada. When the Post questioned committee members about the contradictory image, both parties denied a deliberate attempt to promote foreign travel, pointing fingers and ultimately admitting to using a hasty “placeholder” photo, which has since been removed.
This is in no way related to past examples of the U.S. attempting to annex Canada for strictly promotional purposes.
Scott Simon: ‘I Love Tourists. They Remind us of What’s Remarkable’
by Michael Yessis | 07.13.09 | 1:14 PM ET
NPR’s Scott Simon delivered a great little essay this weekend about his love for tourists. “I love tourists,” he says, “because they put fresh eyes on familiar places, and remind us that wherever we look, we can find something amazing.”
‘Staycation’: The Word That Won’t Die
by Eva Holland | 07.13.09 | 12:23 PM ET
One step forward, one step back. (Via The Book Bench)
The Sounds of London
by Michael Yessis | 07.13.09 | 9:40 AM ET
Giles Turnbull carried his audio recorder to 10 spots around London to capture its audio portrait. The Morning News features 10 snippets, including the sound of Waterloo Station and outside Royal Festival Hall.
What We Loved This Week: Grizzly Bears, ‘Among the Thugs’ and Matisyahu
by World Hum | 07.10.09 | 4:03 PM ET
Photo by Nathan Millar Eli Ellison
Guilty of writing superlative-laden tripe about Disney theme parks (hey, I had to pay the rent), I loved finally reading Carl Hiaasen’s wickedly funny book Team Rodent: How Disney Devours The World.
Embassy Architecture: Can the U.S. Build More Than Bunkers?
by Jim Benning | 07.10.09 | 3:08 PM ET
Our recent troubles with terrorists have wrought many changes, including the rise of American embassies designed with such a strong emphasis on security—at the expense of everything else—that they’ve become, as L.A. Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne puts it, “one-size-fits-all bunkers.”
But a new report issued this week entitled “Design for Diplomacy” from the American Institute of Architects suggests that, while security must be at the forefront of embassy design:
U.S. embassies can, and must, reflect American values and ideals. U.S. embassies should symbolize America’s vitality, enduring strength, decency, and innovation. These essential qualities contribute to the conduct of American diplomacy, encourage international commerce, and enhance cultural exchange.
Travel Books and Graphic Novels: ‘A Natural Fit’
by Eva Holland | 07.10.09 | 12:37 PM ET
Whether in Burma, Naples or beyond, we’re fans of travel stories told in pictures—so it’s nice to see the travel book-as-graphic novel genre getting some love in this round-up from Perceptive Travel. Marie Javins writes: “Travel stories are charged with creating an atmosphere, their text inspiring imaginary visuals of foreign lands in the minds of the reader. Graphic novels are a natural fit.” Agreed.
French Tourists: The Worst in the World?
by Michael Yessis | 07.10.09 | 11:30 AM ET
Oui, according to a survey of hotel owners. Why? The French come across “as bad at foreign languages, tight-fisted and arrogant.”
The best tourists, according to the survey? The Japanese.
Site to Watch: Atlas Obscura
by Michael Yessis | 07.10.09 | 9:37 AM ET
The site’s not-so-modest goal: To catalog “all of the singular, eccentric, bizarre, fantastical, and strange out-of-the-way places that get left out of traditional travel guidebooks and are ignored by the average tourist.”
Joshua Foer and Dylan Thuras created the site, and they’ll be looking to travelers to help with the cataloging. (Via @jodikantor)
