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To Me, the Harry Potter Exhibits at Universal Studios in Orlando are a Massive Disappointment, a Serving of Boredom Concocted by Show Business Executives Whose Only Talent is Building Roller Coasters

By Arthur Frommer

Posted on 05/28/2015, 9:00 PM

It comes as no surprise that Orlando, Florida, is currently visited by more tourists than New York City--62 million in 2014 as opposed to 56 million at the Big Apple. But the reason for the greater popularity of Orlando is, to me, a shocker: it is supposedly the astonishing draw of the Harry Potter exhibits at Universal Studios in Orlando that has caused Orlando to pull ahead. ...

The Failure of Congress to Properly Fund Amtrak Was the Clear Cause of Last Month's Derailment, and Condemns Our Rail System to Second-Class Status

By Arthur Frommer

Posted on 05/22/2015, 11:30 AM

Countless articles have discussed the recent tragic derailment of an Amtrak train outside of Philadelphia, and the consequent deaths of eight passengers and severe injuries to many more. Countless reasons have been cited for Amtrak’s failure to prevent its trains from traveling at high speed around curves, and countless theories have been voiced as to why adequate safety measures we...

Two Travel Destinations—Egypt and Myanmar—To Which I Will Not Be Going in the Weeks Ahead

By Arthur Frommer

Posted on 05/21/2015, 12:30 PM

To boycott a travel destination for political reasons is always a difficult decision to make, with arguments that can cited both pro and con. But to boycott a country because you fear for your safety there, is an easier step to take. That latter reason is why I’m no longer considering a trip to Egypt, and I have somewhat different and more arguable reasons for passing up a trip to...

The Latest Travel News about Smartwatches, Hotel Apps, Airfares to Asia and Cuba, Low-Priced European River Cruises, and Healthy Vacations. Whew!

By Arthur Frommer

Posted on 05/14/2015, 2:15 PM

One of CroisiEurope's recently refurbished vessels in Lyon, France In the vast outpouring of comment about Apple's new Apple Watch (a computer in the size and form of a wristwatch), surprisingly little has been devoted to the device's usefulness in travel. Maybe that's because there's scarcely any travel function the smartwatch performs that isn't already done by a cell phone (tells you...

A Wholly Unexpected Outbreak of Violence in a Famous Resort City Has Reawakened Fears of Vacationing in Mexico

By Arthur Frommer

Posted on 05/12/2015, 11:00 PM

The city is Puerto Vallarta, on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. The incident is a now-subdued battle between various drug gangs and the local police force, in an area of that city far removed from normal tourist activities. The brief violence, which apparently has now ended, would probably have not come to the attention of most Americans had it not been for the reaction of three well-known cruise ...

At Last: A Big and Well-Financed New Airline is About to Charge Budget-Level Prices for Round-Trip Flights Across the Atlantic

By Arthur Frommer

Posted on 05/12/2015, 5:00 PM

A major recent development has been the decision by the low-cost trans-Atlantic airline called Norwegian to greatly increase the number of flights it offers from both New York City and Los Angeles to London’s Gatwick Airport. A year-or-so ago, that well-financed (Norway is a rich country, enjoying offshore oil fields) airline entered the trans-Atlantic market rather gingerly, testing the demand...

This Haunting Record of Georgia's Forgotten Country Churches Could Inspire an Unforgettable Road Trip

By Jason Cochran

Posted on 05/12/2015, 3:30 PM

Friendship Baptist, cir. 1831, Wilkes County, Georgia, from HRCGA.org Now and then, we discover a homegrown website that celebrates a topic we'd never thought about much before, and before we know it, we're plotting a new trip. That's the effect HRCGA.org had. It stands for Historic Rural Churches of Georgia, and it's an elegant compendium of the most charming, the most quaint, the most ...

New York City’s Latest Culinary Trend Is One That Your Mother—And Your Cardiologist—Will Approve Of

By Pauline Frommer

Posted on 05/08/2015, 6:30 PM

About five years ago came the parade of pork, in every form under the sun, the fattier the better. That trend was followed by the “Cronut” phenomenon: normally sane people getting up at 4 am or earlier to wait online in front of a tiny bakery to taste an unholy marriage of croissant and donut. But since New York City taste buds often set the agenda for what’s eaten across North America—don’t be...

The Views Expressed in a Recent Gathering of the Editors-in-Chief of Our Nation's Travel Magazines, Are a Reason for Dismay

By Arthur Frommer

Posted on 05/08/2015, 11:00 AM

It is a long-established practice for the leading publication in the travel industry, Travel Weekly, to conduct an annual symposium of the Editors-in-Chief of America's major travel magazines. In a conference room or restaurant hired for that purpose, these journalistic eminents respond to questions posed by Travel Weekly's editor, Arnie Weissmann, and then comment on each other's responses. W...

The Lessening of Competition Among Our Newly Giant Airlines, and the Resulting Increase in Airfares, is a Troubling Situation That Might Require Legislative Action

By Arthur Frommer

Posted on 05/06/2015, 7:30 PM

Over the past twenty years, as one U.S. airline merged with another, reducing the number of major carriers to exactly four (United, American, Delta, and Southwest), we were always told not to worry. In press releases issued by the new behemoths of the air, we were reassured that all was for the best; that the new giants would compete harder than ever before, thrilling us with their barg...

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