Arthur Frommer Online: In the current online edition of "The New York Times," travel becomes a matter for "Freakonomics," with me as the freakish economist

Sep 27, 2007

In the current online edition of "The New York Times," travel becomes a matter for "Freakonomics," with me as the freakish economist

Stephen J. Dubner, the 44-year-old co-author of the massive best-seller Freakonomics, was recently asked to move his blog so that he could bring his unique perspective on life to the website of the New York Times -- and guess whom he invited to be the first to discuss travel? A week or so ago, I received a call from Dubner's office asking whether I would respond to about 30 questions on travel that they would solicit from their readers and pass on to me.

Thinking it would be a snap to answer 30 questions in the two leisure hours I had for the task, I readily agreed -- only to learn that readers of The New York Times pose questions more extraordinary than you would find anywhere else. "What are your thoughts," asked one reader, "on Xavier De Maistre's Voyage Autour de Ma Chambre that before we jet off to see the world, we should apply that same curiosity and attentiveness to our immediate surroundings." "How can foreign restaurants balance authenticity with the increase of tourists who come based on your guidebooks' recommendations?" "Can a woman safely vacation in Samarra, Iraq?"

I did my best. And to see the results, you go to freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/.

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