Tagged With "capacity limits"
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Re: France: Cameras are watching more than speed
Well said. I've always thought that aggressive driving is more dangerous than speeding...especially in areas where the limit is set too low.
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Re: EU Parliament Ends Cell Phone Roaming Charges in 2017
Yes, it will apply to prepaid plans, which many Europeans as well as visitors use, but it's not as happily absolute as some of the celebrators make it sound. The final June 2017 step depends on a reform of the European wholesale roaming market in which carriers pay each other for roaming use, and is also subject to limits for those who roam "too much." Here's a quote from one of the Parliament members who was a leading proponent of the law (which also originally included provisions for net...
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Re: Italian Competition Authority fines TripAdvisor €500,000
I know TripAdvisor has had some problems with a minority of people posting false reviews so I can kind of understand in 2012 the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK telling TripAdvisor not claim the reviews were from real travelers or use the word trusted describing reviews. As far as the Italian Competition Authority goes, below is their Press Release when the investigation started in May. It seems like it would be very difficult for TripAdvisor to prevent fake reviews , so I'm not...
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Re: AirBnB vs New York. Update
As a frequent Airbnb renter (about 16 times) I obviously think it's a valuable thing and want it to succeed. I also think that there's room for reasonable regulation that's sensitive to local needs, and that a reasonable compromise can be found. Let's take the case of New York City...there is a real shortage of affordable housing. While it's not caused by Airbnb, but rather by a series of market issues that I won't rehearse here, it's reasonable for the city/state to ban short-term rentals...
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Re: AirBnB vs New York. Update
I think my proposal as written could work; in my haste I left out one aspect and that is that Airbnb or similar would be expected to require that a host supply his or her city registration number, or look it up on city website. The company would be subject to penalty for unlicensed listings or for handling rentals beyond the limit. Of course if the host rented through other agencies beyond the limit, that would not be on Airbnb...some city enforcement mechanism would be ended but that's true...
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Re: Summer Solstice at Stonehenge 2014
What a terrific experience, Mac! I've been enthralled with Stonehenge since I was a boy. I first saw it about 30 years ago, and while it was smaller than I thought it would be, it truly is a marvel! I'm curious -- can anyone go? Do they limit attendance? The colors, the characters, the celebration of life -- it's just wonderful! Your photos made me feel part of that morning and make we want to be there to enjoy it sometime. Know my luck, though, it would be a rainy day.
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Re: Summer Solstice at Stonehenge 2014
Hi Dr. F. - No limit to the numbers who can attend and very few other restrictions (e.g. no bottles, drugs etc) for the 2 Solstices each year. This year was attended by a massive 37,000 people doubtless due to the excellent weather (the best in the past 8 years). Maria went 2 years ago whilst I was travelling and it poured with rain.... Not good. However, these are now the only times that you can touch the stones since they are normally roped off. The sights this year were just great. A real...
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Re: Four Days in Berlin
Thanks for the food info tour. Will definitely look into that. Did you do a cruise on the Spree and do you think it worthwhile in your opinion given the 4 day limit of our trip?
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Re: A Complete Guide to Buy Travel Insurance for your upcoming vacations
Just to add a personal note to these recommendations. I traveled for years without travel insurance, thinking that I could cover or recover lost reservations, luggage, etc. but friends' experiences made me realize that the medical and evacuation coverage is the real key. And then, a few years later we had an unexpected three-week hospitalization in Europe that ended with a medevac flight back to the U.S. The hospital bill was over $30,000 (much less than it would have been at home), and half...
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Re: Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii, Redux
Hmm.... maybe I was right ! I have no wish to terminate my "footloose" attitude. Sounds like a lake with thin ice. Diamond Head on Hawaii was my limit !
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Re: SriLankan Airlines OneWorld Member
And OneWorld partner American Airlines is celebrating both SriLankan and TAM (Brazil) joining the alliance by a sweepstakes with multiple prizes of a pair of First Class tickets for anywhere OneWorld goes, and a Hasselblad camers. You can enter HERE . There doesn't appear to be a limit on the number of times you can enter...except how many times you are willing to fill out the entry form.
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Re: Delta: Cheap inflight WiFi for Smartphones
I do think currently there are some band-width limitations to the wi-fi on planes. For example, there's not enough capability to support 200 people being on their mobile devices at any given time (remember this requires two way connectivity). So the cost may be just a barrier to limit access to the technology. But I like the idea. Costs will come down, technology will improve bandwidth, and offering it free will be a perk that may help people favor one airline over another.
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Re: When Nothing But the Best Will Do - Pizza
Well. they certainly hit the spot in New York with Di Fara's, but an awful lot of the choices look as if the prize was for most unusual accumulation of ingredients, rather than best pizza. Surely there is an outer limit, where you say "this is not a pizza, it's a take-off on a pizza?" Sort of like when you make a birthday cake and ice it to look like a burger on a bun...
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The Loire River Valley
Many find a visit to the Loire Valley to be the highlight of their visit to France, as did we. When we were planning our journey I discussed our itinerary with my friend, Wayne. Wayne and his wife had...
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Those darn computers! Outage snarls London
Computer outages in Britain's air traffic control system are fouling up flights in and out of London, as controllers limit the number of flights to what they can handle without the misbehaving machines. DETAILS (and updates) from USA Today.
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Erasmus Hall, Brooklyn, NY: Where Gumbo Was (#81)
As my fellow New Yorker Jonathan L recognized right away, Gumbo was at Erasmus Hall High School, the oldest public school in New York, and certainly one of the most beautiful. The exterior seen in the puzzle picture, in "Collegiate...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Feb 21, 2014: Hadrian's Wall, England
1,450 miles from Rome was the limit of the mighty Roman Empire in 122 AD when the Roman Emperor Hadrian came to Britain and took the decision to build this massive stone wall in order to consolidate his rule and the geographical extent of his Empire....
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Washington State’s Long Beach Peninsula
For most travelers, the southwestern corner of Washington state is easy to bypass. It lies well over an hour’s drive from the busy I-5 Interstate Freeway. The broad mouth of the Columbia River limits access from the Oregon...
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Qatar now biggest investor in BritishAir/Iberia
BritishAir's parent company, International Airlines Group, has a new investor, Qatar Airways, which has bought 10% of the company and says it's maybe interested in more. EU rules limit non-European investors to a maximum of 49%. IAG, which is...
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A Road Trip Gallery: Fort Mason Community Garden & the Man in Pink
March 12, 2015 I discovered the community garden on this visit to Fort Mason, having missed it the first time I stayed at the hostel. I walked in, looking around for possible subjects, and didn’t notice the thin man in a...
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Coast-to-coast road trip...without a driver
Well, sort of without a driver. Delphi Automotive had a driver on board its highly-automated Audi S5, but only to a) satisfy local laws, and b) help out a bit less than 1% of the time as the Audi SQ5 which was chosen for its looks. Delphi added the...
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AA joins Delta, United in tweaking capacity
AA's 787s...arriving slower The last MD-80s...leaving sooner U.S. legacy airlines are all making money again, but...
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Zipcar adds more airports; tests one-way rentals
Zipcar, which rents cars by the hour to its members for short-term use, is expanding its on-airport locations, adding seven more for a total of over 50. The new ones include Orlando and Tampa. For those who aren't familiar with Zipcar, it works...
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Billy Bishop Airport, Toronto. Where Gumbo was #77
Gumbo's heading out to Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ), sometimes also called Toronto Island Airport. Congratulations to ace travel sleuths Roderick Simpson and PortMoresby (by email) for being the first to correctly...
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Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens, Lethbridge
I'm fond of visiting gardens and enjoy their beauty and tranquility. This seems especially true of the Japanese Gardens I've visited, which combine the various elements -- carefully pruned trees and shrubs, flowing and still water, and...
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Airlines, Airports split over new fees
You'd think the airlines had never heard of a fee they didn't like, but now they've found one. Maybe what they don't like about it is that the money goes to airports, not airlines. The charge, which the airlines call a "tax" is the Passenger Facility...
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River Cruisers: They can't get any longer, so...
Ama Waterways solves the 'bigger' problem for river cruisers a different way, by building a 'double-wide.'
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Portland, Oregon's Lively Farmers Market
Portland has seven Farmers Market locations, each with its own day of the week, and lots of good things to eat.
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Barcelona free WiFi now on city buses
Barcelona's free public WiFi network now covers its entire city bus system, but for real speed you'll still need to go indoors
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Genoa airport waives liquid limit for pesto
When it comes to pesto, Genoese are passionate, and willing to make an exception to the rules.
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200 Years of History on the Erie Canal
After 200 years, the Erie Canal is still at work, and at leisure. JonathanL follows it from Buffalo to Albany for a great tour.
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Vienna's UNESCO status under threat
Plans for new towers near Vienna's historic core have led a UNESCO committee to warn that the area could lose its heritage status
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Water rationing set for Rome
Rome will reduce water pressure at night for a month to give reservoirs a chance to catch up after an unusually dry summer.
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Cuba cruise business keeps on growing
Cruise business to Cuba continues to build as Carnival adds to its schedule.
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France faces economy cuts in TGV service
Plans to limit small-town stops for France's high-speed rail network are aimed at cutting losses and speeding up service.
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Walk the Redwood Forest of Muir Woods
Jonathan L says "I am not much of a 'back to nature' kind of guy... But Muir Woods National Monument is a totally different experience." Share it with him!
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Tokyo taxis get app with locked-in rates
Tokyo is trying out an app that lets passengers order a cab and lock in the rate shown in the app.
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Europe's fastest-growing airports are near unknowns
Europe's air traffic continues to grow, sometimes in surprising places!
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Amsterdam tightens lock on Airbnb
Amsterdam's war on what it considers excess tourism impact takes a new twist with licensed short-term rentals with a ban in the city center.
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Milan, post-lockdown: More bike, foot lanes
Milan is planning a slow exit from lockdown next month; part of its plan is more space for bicycle and pedestrian commuting.
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Nature and History: Great Falls of the Potomac
The Potomac River's spectacular falls just north of Washington are a pleasant visit, and the scene of important American history.
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Paris clamps a cap on scooters
Paris is following the lead of Marseille by limiting the number of scooter companies to a manageable and licensed few.
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Ashland, Virginia: "Center of the Universe"
Stephanie shares a visit to the charming community of Ashland, known by some as the "Center of the Universe".
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5 Important Things That You Should Bring On Your Trip
Monica suggests some things you should take with you to make your next trip smoother (sponsored content)
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AA settles last post-merger contracts
Seven years after merger and after years of negotiations, American Airlines and its mechanic unions are working under a common contract.
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Puerto Rico: Go away, come back, please
Puerto Rico is saying gtoodbye to its visitors for now, but working to entice them back after the virus crisis.
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China slowly re-opens tourist sites, with limits
As China sees a continuing decline in coronavirus cases, it's cautiously re-opening a number of attractions.
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Explore Rome with bikes
Looking for a novel way to explore Rome? A bike offers you an environmentally friendly way of getting around, with health benefits and loads of fun (sponsored content)
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North Dakota State Capitol—Peace Garden State
Samantha and her husband tour the beautiful North Dakota State Capitol and feel sorry for other visitors that did not appreciate their capitol. It is an incredible piece of art.
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Qantas pilots and Operation Sunrise
As Project Sunrise ultra-long flights get closer, staffing remains a thorny issue.