Tagged With "Man in Seat 61"
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo #17
Two other "road" books I've enjoyed...Where the Old Roads Go: Driving the First Federal Highways of the Northeast and The Old Roads of the Midwest. Both are by George Cantor, and suffer the same fate: Much of what he described in 1960 is gone 50-some years on. I did a bit of road-dripping with Cantor open on the seat in the late 1960s. Scary thought: It's 54 years since WTORG was published; 54 years before that, most of them didn't yet exist! The automobile age is both so old, and yet so new.
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Re: The airplane seat of the future
Good design is always encouraging, and some of this looks great (especially the cup-holder…no-brainer!) But I notice that the designs use the under-seat space for legroom, which would be great, but only if the airlines can provide enough overhead space that your bag doesn’t need to go there…
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, July 29, 2014. Shira Plateau, Tanzania
I think I'd go to the Zoo with your family Dr.F. Cola and some popcorn ! I believe if you join the Army you can run up these mountains for free ! I'm taking an easy seat until my pension starts. Take my hat off to you for this one !
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All the Tea In...Charleston?
Tea gardens, as the farms are traditionally known, no matter the size, have been seducing me for over a decade. In Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces of China, Himachal Pradesh and Darjeeling in Himalayan India, in the Cameron Highlands of...
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Charleston's Grand Mansions: Aiken-Rhett House
On a recent visit to Charleston, South Carolina, I bought a 2-day pass, called the Charleston Heritage Passport , at the North Charleston Visitor Center near the airport, and planned to include as many of the sites it offered of...
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So cool ! MicroTheater !
What a cool concept! Quick inexpensive plays in various locales in Spain.A good way to keep see great theater at cut rate prices. The Spaniards know how to make the most of the recession. Grab a front row seat...
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We Love our Travel Gadgets--And We Take Them with Us
TripAdvisor has published a report on how we travel, and found that 85% of us take our smartphones along on vacation, and 61% use social media while traveling. Not surprised, are you? REPORT
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In wake of terror, EU considers airline security
Proposals in the EU Parliament calling for more information about airline passengers to be made available to national authorities are on the table; they would make the Passenger Name Record (PNR) of all passengers arriving and departing EU available....
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Google vs. Uber? With no one in driver's seat?
Wait for it...Google is on the verge, apparently, of offering a ride-share app that would compete with Uber (a company it previously invested in). In the long run, Google hopes to pair it up with its longstanding driverless car research, which company...
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Frontier's raising bag fees; will the other "low-costs" follow?
Frontier Airlines, which last year joined Spirit and Allegiant in the ULCC (ultra-low-cost-carrier) class that seems to mean ULC (ultra lots of charges) for most folks, is raising its fees for checked bags. The only checked bags that will not go up by...
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(More) Signs of Boston
Those of you who are regular readers of TravelGumbo know that I like to collect photos of signs. I've come to find that signs tell us much about a destination and the people who inhabit it. Boston was filled with artistic, clever and...
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Controversy for New Concert Hall in Paris
Photo from Philharmonie of Paris / W. Beaucardet The €390 million Philharmonie of Paris opened in January of 2015, after delays and cost overruns with controversy. Its star...
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Boeing's 'Cuddle Seat' tackles the economy snooze
A new Boeing patent promises a better sleep situation for economy passengers. For those who can't afford the lie-flat seats in business or first, sleep is often an issue. It's not easy finding a position in which you can lean or curl or contort...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, May 4, 2015: Take a Seat, Please!
A stack of chairs turns into an abstract display of color simply by turning a digital camera dial. At the other end of the spectrum, with color limited to shades of black and white, they are equally abstract but quite different! Both images...
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United "right-sizes" its fleet; who's next?
United Airlines has just announced a whole bunch of swaps and changes in its fleet, based on changed priorities and preferences. Among the key changes: more wide-body domestic service, swapping some 787 orders for 777s, and phasing out the 50-seaters...
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Bid for Airline Seat Upgrades
This, from Condé Nast Traveler's Daily Traveler Newsletter... The chance for a surprise upgrade to business class from steerage just become even more remote with the appearance of Plusgrade , a bidding site offering an...
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Bombardier's new plane takes off into murky skies
Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier, which along with Brazil's Embraer, has dominated the market for 100-seat and under regional jets for years, has completed the first successful test flight of its CS300, a plane that can be configured for...
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Family kicked off flight
A three year old child refused to take his seat and buckle his seat belt on a return flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong. Staff on the Cathay Pacific flight demanded that safety required the child to be buckled. For a half hour the father...
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OpenTable "re-brands" and spreads its reach
OpenTable, the online restaurant reservation service acquired 9 months ago by Priceline, is starting to show off its new directions and ambitions. First up, a new logo and slogan. The logo is a stylized round table and seat; the slogan gives a broad...
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Gumbo’s Pic of the Day, May 22, 2015: The Lower Lighthouse, Portland Bill
As early as 1669 Sir John Clayton was granted a patent to erect a lighthouse on Portland Bill, Dorset, England to warn seafarers of the perilous currents that converge around 'the Bill', but his scheme fell through and it was not until early in the...
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Amtrak's Auto Train - Relax your way to Sunshine
There is a rhythm to train travel that is different. This is especially true when you are taking a train for a long distance. I recently took a round trip excursion on Amtrak’s Auto Train. And it immediately reminded me why I enjoy train travel...
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AirBerlin's new fares: JustFly, pretty cheap
Returning a bit to its roots as a discount carrier, AirBerlin is introducing a number of new fares starting May 5 (with some previews already for lucky travelers). The key one for bargain hunters is called JustFly; it comes with a seat and that's it....
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, March 12, 2015: King Kamehameha Statue, Kapaau, Hawaii Island, Hawaii
King Kamehameha I (1758 - 1819) conquered the Hawaiian Islands and united them to formally establish the Kingdom of Hawai ʻ i in 1810, thus founding the Kamehameha Dynasty. By developing alliances with the major Pacific colonial powers, Kamehameha...
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United testing revamped boarding areas...and scents.
Gotcha on that last one. Yes, United's plan to re-invent boarding areas includes a signature scent that you'll get a whiff of as you approach the plane! On a more down-to-earth basis, the new areas being built at several Chicago O'Hare gates,...
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AA-USAir loyalty merger...and a maybe last chance
American Airlines will merge its two loyalty programs "within 30 days" according to e-mails sent yesterday to all members of the USAir Dividend Miles program, which will be folded into the AAdvantage program. All existing miles will transfer; for some...
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The Future: A plane with NO window seats?
That could happen. Advances in electronics, combined with a goal of reducing aircraft weight and therefore fuel consumption, could bring us windowless planes within a decade, according to this article from the GUARDIAN (UK). In the...
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Welcome to the town of Dawson City, Yukon
Dawson City owns its existence as a direct result of the Klondike gold discovery in 1896 in the nearby creeks. Dawson was founded in 1897 and incorporated as a city in 1902. By 1898, the population was almost 40,000. It was the largest...
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Jerez Cathedral and Neighbors: Where Gumbo Was (#75)
Frequent-solver Roderick Simpson identified Gumbo's locale as the Cathedral of Jerez, in Spain. Another frequent contributor to the solutions spotted lots of clues: Spanish garb of non-angel statues, size not huge and cathedral not wealthy...
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For $345 you can fly back to the 70s on Pan Am
Well, sort of. The pricy ticket actually buys you a seat on the Pan Am Experience, a 4-hour simulated flight on a realistically simulated 747, complete with staff in period uniforms and a luxurious first-class meal...sourced from an actual airline...
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Budget airlines pushing seat squeeze on new planes
Think your airline seat is tight now? Wait for the next generation of planes being bought by Ryanair and other budget/short-haul carriers. They're adding seats, and the space for them has to come from somewhere... And, for the Airbus...
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Crowded planes a safety hazard? Witnesses say so...
Flight attendants, at a Federal hearing, pointed to "legroom wars" and increased air rage. A safety expert pointed out that the FAA's evacuation tests use planes with more legroom than you're likely to get, and Charlie Leocha of Consumer Traveler...
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Can 'smart' seats make crowding bearable?
That's sort of the idea behind some new design initiatives for airline seating. Panasonic, and some others, are betting that by designing all the elements of a seat together (seat, inflight entertainment screen, power outlets and more) the elements...
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Capella Palatina, Palermo, Sicily (Where Gumbo Was, #102)
I've visited dozens of wonderful churches in my life, some vaste and grand like St. Paul's in Rome or Westminister Abbey in London, others smaller and with a more intimate feel. As a rule, I'm partially to smaller chapels and...
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Yellowstone National Park in Winter
Seeing all fifty-nine national parks was never a dream of ours--especially not in fifty-nine weeks. We'd call it more of a whim, an impulse or an inspiration. Going to Yellowstone National Park in the winter was something we had...
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BA to squeeze passengers on 777
British Airways is planning to squeeze another seat into this picture for flights from London Gatwick.
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Columbus Antiquities Discovered in the Unlikeliest of Places
Who would have thought a great collection of Christopher Columbus artifacts could be found in a small Pennsylvania town. Stephanie Kalina-Metzger shares her discovery!
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Sept. 27, 2017: Balloon Man Running, Denver
A whimsical sculpture in Denver caught Samantha's interest; she shares views of it in different lights and times.
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A Tale of Two Cathedrals - Palermo Italy
Palermo, Sicily has two beautiful cathedrals, less than three miles apart. Jonathan L explores them both and explains their history.
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Tired of airlines? Buy Elvis's private jet
One of Elvis's private jets goes on auction Saturday, along with other celebrity memorabilia. Bring a few million along if you want to buy!
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Boeing makes first 737 MAX delivery
Boeing's first 737 MAX delivery goes to an unexpected customer
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Road Trips with Kids: 5 Things that Will Help You Make Them Safe and Fun
When traveling with kids, planning and preparation are extremely important. Katica offers a number of helpful tips to help make your journey a smooth one.
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Syracuse's Greek Temple Cathedral, Sicily
Gumbo was visiting a most unusual cathedral. Built as a Greek temple about 500 BC, it was already over a thousand years old when it became a church.
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Lyndale Park, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Lyndale Park is a wonderful place to escape the hustle and bustle of Minneapolis without having to leave the city.
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United exec: You don't REALLY want more legroom
United's president tells employees customers want the space, but don't want to pay higher ticket prices for it.
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Why Zurich Is The Place To Be In Summer
Roger T makes an excellent case why Zurich (especially during its short but beautiful summer) should be on your travel list!
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Japan's updated Pokemon train adds more trips
For Pokemon fans, Japan's Pokemon with You train is ramping up its summer schedule, along with other activities.
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Grand Marais, Minnesota (Where Gumbo was #222)
Gumbo was visiting the popular town of Grand Marais, Minnesota. Situated on the northwestern shore of Lake Superior, it's a great place for people who like to boat, kayak, sail, fish or explore nature.
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June 12, 2017. Susie Island Overlook, Minnesota
A lovely roadside stop in northern Minnesota provides a memorable view of the Susie Island chain and Lake Superior
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American backs off (a little) on seat squeeze
Under pressure, American backs off...just a little...from a seating squeeze that would have matched the Spirits and Frontiers of the industry.