Travel Blog: News and Briefs
Amtrak Boosts Security Measures
by Jim Benning | 02.19.08 | 12:16 PM ET
Among other steps, the rail service is adding random baggage screening and officers with automatic weapons to some stations and trains, rolling out changes first in the Northeast corridor. Reports the AP: “The initiative is a significant shift for Amtrak. Unlike the airlines, it has had relatively little visible increase in security since the 2001 terrorist attacks, a distinction that has enabled it to attract passengers eager to avoid airport hassles.” Now if Amtrak could just get its trains to run on time, particularly out west.
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Yahoo! BuzzZheng He: China Embraces Legacy of ‘Legendary’ 15th Century Explorer
by Michael Yessis | 02.18.08 | 5:07 PM ET
The city of Nanjing plans to reproduce one of the boats in the fleet of Zheng He, who led explorations to Vietnam, Siam, Malacca, Java, India, Sri Lanka, Arabia and other lands in the early 15th century, well before European explorers made their marks on history. From Archaeology magazine:
Travel: It’s ‘Stuff White People Like’*
by Michael Yessis | 02.18.08 | 4:13 PM ET
Just like microbreweries and Sarah Sliverman and expensive sandwiches. The word about white people’s affinity for travel comes not from an Onion story, but from the satirical blog Stuff White People Like. Travel is post No. 19, and it lands a few funny blows at the expense of backpackers.
Two More Bookstores Beloved by Travelers to Close
by Michael Yessis | 02.18.08 | 12:27 PM ET
Candida’s World of Books, Washington D.C.‘s only travel bookstore, opened to the public for the last time this past weekend, and the Reading Room, the only literary bookstore on the Las Vegas Strip, announced it will be closing as soon as March.
The Global Incident Map: A Real-Time Look at All the Terror in the World
by Julia Ross | 02.18.08 | 11:37 AM ET
Last week we linked to Worldometers, a site clocking global CO2 emissions, deaths caused by smoking and other world statistics. To cheer you up, here’s another online eye-opener: The Global Incident Map offers a real-time look at the thousands of terrorist incidents happening worldwide on any given day, from a pirate attack off the Somali coast to a foiled assassination attempt in the Philippines.
R.I.P. Steve Fossett
by Michael Yessis | 02.18.08 | 9:33 AM ET
A Chicago-based judge declared Steve Fossett legally dead Friday, five months after the adventurer and his single-engine Bellanca disappeared during a flight from a private airstrip in Western Nevada.
World Hum’s Most Read: Feb. 9-15
by World Hum | 02.15.08 | 4:21 PM ET
Our five most popular features and blog posts this week:
1) One Man’s Odyssey into ‘Eat, Pray, Love’
2) Starbucks vs. the Traveler
3) Traveling While Texan (pictured)
4) U.S. Woman Arrested in Saudi Arabia Starbucks
5) Out of the Wild? Alaskan Town Considers Removing McCandless Bus
Photo: iStockphoto.
Tokyo: ‘The Premier City in the World for Food’
by Michael Yessis | 02.15.08 | 2:51 PM ET
Michelin’s first-ever guide to Tokyo gave the city’s restaurants a combined 191 stars, more than Paris (98 stars) and New York City (54 stars) have together. Sure, Tokyo also has far more restaurants (160,000) than Paris (20,000) and New York (23,000), but the news of the quality of the Japanese cuisine—Michelin released the Tokyo ratings last November—has resonated with travelers. According to the Japanese government, seven out of 10 international travelers to the country cite food as the primary reason for visiting.
‘Feng Shui-Inspired’ McDonald’s Opens in California
by Michael Yessis | 02.15.08 | 1:57 PM ET
A press release touts the “water elements, earth tones, red accents and exotic fauna” in a design by “Feng Shui Grand Master” Dr. Chi-Jean Liu. Eater LA and the San Gabriel Valley Tribune have photos, if you want to see the Grand Master’s work for yourself. Me? I just want to see if this influences the next Big Mac Index.
Slide Show: Valentine’s Day Around the World
by Michael Yessis | 02.15.08 | 12:17 PM ET
Australia, Iraq, Iran, the Philippines, the West Bank, Pakistan and China all represent in this Foreign Policy photo essay, but it’s the Japanese who look like they did the holiday up best.
Susan Jacoby on Americans’ ‘Hostility to Knowledge’
by Joanna Kakissis | 02.15.08 | 10:03 AM ET
Kellie Pickler may be the obvious mascot, but Susan Jacoby says American “hostility to knowledge” is not just confined to adorable blondes who think Europe is a country and “Hung[a]ry” is not. In her new book, The Age of American Unreason, she argues that a poor educational system and religious fundamentalism’s hatred of reason have helped turn many of us into isolationist dummies.
Fury Grips South Korea in Wake of Namdaemun Gate Burning
by Michael Yessis | 02.15.08 | 8:41 AM ET
Turns out South Korea’s “National Treasure No. 1” was burned Sunday by 69-year-old Chae Jong-gi, a man with a grudge against the country’s government. Ever since, South Koreans have been reacting with grief, anger and finger-pointing.
Climbing 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 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.
