Archives for February, 2008
Barcelona: Be Green, Be Cheap
Posted by Crowd Favorite on February 29, 2008 Planning an España getaway this summer? If you’re headed to Barcelona, be sure to check out the new Barcelona Urbany (opening June 1), which claims to be the country’s first eco-friendly hostel. What makes this hostel eco-savvy? It will recycle and reuse 50 percent of the water and use a rainwater harvesting system. It will…
Read the whole post »Neighborhood Watch: A Sign of Change in Hollywood?
Posted by Katie Knorovsky on February 28, 2008 One of Hollywood’s most photographed stars could be on its way to becoming just another real estate selling point if a Chicago-based investment firm has its way. Cahuenga Peak’s 138 acres of unspoiled mountains, which stretch behind the postcard-ready Hollywood sign, hit the real estate market earlier this month for a cool $22 million—much to…
Read the whole post »Eat and Shop Better
Posted by Crowd Favorite on February 27, 2008 For eager wanderers like us, browsing a bookstore’s travel guidebook section tends to stir raw and conflicting emotions: lust, for the thrill of a new adventure; ennui, for the too-often trite content; and angst, for the endless options from which to choose. After all, no matter how off-the-beaten-track you consider your destination, chances are likely…
Read the whole post »Tour Guide: Busabout Europe
Posted by Jeannette Kimmel on February 27, 2008 We all know that the Eurail is one of the most convenient ways to travel around Europe, but it can also cost a pretty penny (er, euro). But for the young and adventurous (or even young at heart) there’s another option: Busabout, or more specifically, Busabout Explorer, which expanded on the "hop-on, hop-off" city tour…
Read the whole post »Introducing: City Surfing
Posted by it on February 25, 2008 Traveler’s Associate Editor Amy Alipio offers up some city-licious links and other news from the City Life team. Get Some Dim Sum: At least, while you still can. Check out Andrew Evans’ interesting post on Gridskipper.com about the gentrification of Chinatowns, Washington’s in particular. Map it Out: We like superfuture’s cool maps for cities around…
Read the whole post »Vienna (Opera) Waits For You
Posted by Crowd Favorite on February 25, 2008 Travel to Vienna wouldn’t be complete without seeing an opera. But how to see one on a tight budget? I just learned how to get tickets to a world-class show, without giving up my right arm. The Vienna State Opera (pictured, above), the oldest German-speaking theatrical venue in Europe, has a variety of options to…
Read the whole post »The Not So Lazy Environmentalist
Posted by mary beth larue on February 25, 2008 A self-described “passionate yet lazy environmentalist” Josh Dorfman, radio host, environmental entrepreneur, author, and speaker, is anything but lazy. Since starting his satellite radio show, The Lazy Environmentalist, Josh has interviewed people ranging from celebrities to magazine editors highlighting green living, sustainable travel, and more. What inspired you to start the Lazy Environmentalist? I felt…
Read the whole post »Nose to Bottlenose
Posted by it on February 22, 2008 Senior Editor Norie Quintos likes going nose to bottlenose with dolphins… The Baltimore aquarium’s new Dolphin Encounter program, which takes you backstage with the trainer and the marine mammals, is a close encounter of the interspecies kind. The 2 1/2 hour program includes reserved seating at the dolphin show and a short educational seminar. But…
Read the whole post »An Opera in Paris
Posted by Jeannette Kimmel on February 22, 2008 The 16th-century Eglise St-Merri (pictured, above) offers free classical concerts on weekends. Curious about how to see an opera in Paris (while still having money left over for fine French food)? Well, so are we. So we checked out EuroCheapo and voila! Here’s what they advise when trying to see all types of shows in…
Read the whole post »Dominica Changes Course
Posted by Crowd Favorite on February 22, 2008 We were glad to hear the news that Dominica’s government has decided to put a temporary halt to their plans to construct an oil refinery on the island. The slated $80-million development, funded by Venezuela, had been met with opposition from the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association, who argued that the refinery would dissuade visitors…
Read the whole post »Driving on Air
Posted by Crowd Favorite on February 21, 2008 We’ve been so busy focusing on electric cars, biofuels, and other ways to cut carbon emissions from our autos that we might have overlooked one seemingly endless resource to run our vehicles: air. The BBC reports that a French engineer has promised that his design for an air-powered car will be ready for the roads…
Read the whole post »Paintings Below Zero
Posted by Emily Haile on February 21, 2008 Any talk of visiting Chicago in February may seem like a cruel joke to travelers, but the Windy City’s taking advantage of its chilly weather to present a public art project that wouldn’t be possible in, say, the Grenadines. Canadian artist Gordon Halloran‘s “Paintings Below Zero” is the centerpiece of the Museum of Modern Ice…
Read the whole post »Behind the Lens: Paris’ Deyrolle Taxidermy Shop
Posted by Katie Knorovsky on February 21, 2008 We were saddened when we heard that the beloved Paris taxidermy shop Deyrolle caught fire earlier this month. The ground floor garden shop has reopened, but the taxidermy gallery upstairs was badly damaged and hopes to reopen later this year. Photographer Catherine Karnow shot the shop for the “Authentic Paris” cover story and was shocked…
Read the whole post »Sleep Like a Parisian
Posted by Katie Knorovsky on February 19, 2008 Let’s face it: Planning a big trip can be overwhelming. And at least for me, choosing lodging is always the most overwhelming part of the process—magnified times a million when the destination is overseas or for a special occasion. So needless to say, hotel shopping for my Parisian honeymoon was almost enough to make me…
Read the whole post »Happy Birthday, Mr. Presidents!
Posted by Jeannette Kimmel on February 15, 2008 George Washington snacks on his favorite hoecakes at Mount Vernon. Most of us look forward to February’s three-day weekend, in part because it’s the last public holiday until Memorial Day in May (which right now, seems so far away…). But instead of lounging around for three days (ahem), we’ve decided to see how the nation’s…
Read the whole post »Tour Guide: Green Tortoise
Posted by Crowd Favorite on February 15, 2008 I’m in the midst of planning a trip to Cabo San Lucas, and while perusing through my guidebooks I came across Green Tortoise, a San Francisco-based company that runs two hostels and operates a series of tours which wind along the Pacific coast, criss-cross the country, and crawl down into Central America. While their two…
Read the whole post »Patchwork Tourism
Posted by Emily Haile on February 14, 2008 A patchwork of color is popping up on historic barns all over the country, and the trend is a boon for rural tourism. Our friends at American Style report on the grassroots art movement of barn quilts: Colorfully painted quilt squares have appeared on barns throughout eastern Kentucky, often representing traditional, local patterns. The…
Read the whole post »Hotel Confidential: For the Kids
Posted by it on February 14, 2008 Associate editor Susan O’Keefe shares her favorite kid-friendly hotel activities and amenities. Got any she needs to know about? Anyone who has young ones knows that when traveling with children it’s all about the hotel pool, at least that’s the case with my three children. And, if there is a pool (especially one with slides…
Read the whole post »Go! Go! Bangkok!
Posted by it on February 13, 2008 Contributing Editor Daisann McLane sends us a dispatch from Bangkok… I’m in Bangkok now, on the first leg of a “low-carb” (as in carbon) trip around Southeast Asia. Tomorrow I’ve booked a sleeping berth on Thailand’s state railway for an overnight trip down the Thai isthmus, then across by ferry (or taxi) to Penang, Malaysia.…
Read the whole post »Japan! in D.C.
Posted by Beth Lizardo on February 13, 2008 It’s inside, outside, and even trickling out into the parking garage—it’s Japan! Culture+Hyperculture, the latest exhibition to take over The Kennedy Center. Made up of over 450 artists, 40 performances, and over a dozen free events, this interactive exhibition showcases all things Japanese: theater, dance, music, fashion, art, photography, literature, and, of course, toys. According…
Read the whole post »Strange Planet: Jurassic Lark
Posted by Crowd Favorite on February 12, 2008 Many of us here at IT were sad to hear about the demise of Blueprint magazine, but were heartened to learn that though the magazine is gone, their blog will live on. To that end, Bluelines introduced us to a fascinating museum that is now on our must-see list for our next visit to L.A.…
Read the whole post »Cause a Scene
Posted by Emily Haile on February 11, 2008 One man was tying his shoe. Another was looking at a map. They were just a few of the more than 200 “undercover agents” for the group Improv Everywhere to freeze in place on the Main Concourse at Grand Central Terminal. The result was a human art installation: Frozen Grand Central. For five full minutes…
Read the whole post »National Parks in Peril
Posted by Crowd Favorite on February 11, 2008 It’s been a tough few weeks for the National Park Service. First there was a USA Today article noting an uptick in the theft of artifacts from parks throughout the country. Rangers have reported missing Civil War relics and fossils, and say that with the online market for artifacts steadily growing, it’s becoming nearly impossible…
Read the whole post »The World’s First Solar City
Posted by mary beth larue on February 11, 2008 An enviro-utopia may be on its way. The city of Abu Dhabi, the World Wildlife Federation, and English architects Foster + Partners have recently revealed plans for a 3.5-mile car-free walled city near Abu Dhabi. The planned Masdar City, which means “the source” in Arabic, will be the home to some 47,500 residents. The WWF…
Read the whole post »Youth Hostels Grow Up
Posted by it on February 8, 2008 Could the shabby, no-frills youth hostels of our, um, youth, actually be growing up? The Youth Hostel Association of the U.K. has just announced that they’re planning to inject $26.6 million dollars into their lodgings, upgrading many dorm-style rooms and adding locally sourced food items to their menus. We couldn’t be more excited. “The point…
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