Seattle's Space Needle Gets a Glassy Makeover
Posted on 05/25/2018, 8:00 PM
A $100 million update to Seattle's skyline-defining Space Needle is just about finished. But don't worry, purists: The 605-foot retro-futuristic tower still looks like something dreamed up by the animators for The Jetsons—or, as the Frommer's guide puts it, "like a flying saucer on a tripod." Some sprucing up here and there aside, the most dramatic changes can be found on the observation deck, whic...
New Ferry Links Spain with Ireland, Thanks to Brexit
Posted on 05/22/2018, 1:00 PM
Something brand-new happened this month: A new ferry service between Ireland and Spain was inaugurated.Why? Because as the United Kingdom proceeds with Brexit, its half-baked plan to secede from the European Union, the border between the UK and the Republic of Ireland, which remains in the EU, will become much harder to cross. The new ferry service allows Irish and Spanish people to pass easily bet...
Hello Kitty Bullet Train to Make Japan Even More Adorable
Posted on 05/21/2018, 8:00 PM
We're just going to leave this right here.On June 30, 2018, a brand-new bullet shinkansen service will make its debut in Japan: a Hello Kitty train. The Hello Kitty Express, as we're calling it, will link Osaka and Fukuoka, two cities that are about 400km (250 miles) apart, but as of today, are at the center of our hearts.Everything will be pinker than a debutante, washed in the blush tones of Japa...
Thanks (and No Thanks) for the Memories, Bob Hope
Posted on 05/20/2018, 8:00 PM
The National World War II Museum in New Orleans—truly one of the best, most thorough, and well-funded historic museums in the United States, and deeply underrated—is adding a special new exhibition through the end of 2018 and into early 2019.It's all about Bob Hope, the comic megastar whose association with the USO was a defining feature of both that war and his career. The exhibition, So Ready for...
Florida's SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Will Give Away Free Beer Again This Summer
Posted on 05/16/2018, 8:00 PM
This post, originally published May 1, has been updated below.When the all-American brewer Anhueser-Busch opened Busch Gardens amusement park in Tampa, Florida in 1959 (other locations preceded and followed it, but only the Tampa park and another in Williamsburg, Virginia remain), the main focus was, naturally, marketing the brand's products. To that end, "hospitality houses" (Tampa's is pictured a...
American Airlines Cracks Down on Support Animals
Posted on 05/15/2018, 3:00 PM
Emotional support insects are no longer welcome on American Airlines flights.Whoever heard of an emotional support insect, you ask? We have two words for you: Jiminy Cricket.In addition to keeping your helpful, devoted, and musically gifted bugs from the passenger cabin, the carrier's newly revised animal restrictions, which go into effect July 1, ban goats, hedgehogs, amphibians, ferrets, reptiles...
Another Airline to Sell Transatlantic Fares from $200: What's the Deal?
Posted on 05/13/2018, 8:00 PM
You've heard of Norwegian, XL, and WOW—three low-cost, Europe-based airlines that have made their fame by selling affordable, no-nonsense transatlantic flights from the United States.In what's undoubtedly good news for people looking for yet another affordable way to get over the ocean, one more European low-cost carrier is joining the fray. It's 15-year-old Primera Air, and as of this month, its I...
Free Admission at Wisconsin State Parks on the First Weekend of June
Posted on 05/11/2018, 8:00 PM
Wisconsin is giving locals and visitors alike a good reason to experience the state's considerable outdoor charms on June 2-3. That weekend, admission will be free at all Wisconsin state parks, encompassing forests, hiking trails, lakes, bluffs, and beaches.You can hit the trails to see picturesque cascades at Copper Falls (pictured above) in the northern part of the state, survey the mighty Missis...
New Booking Site for Clothing-Optional Stays
Posted on 05/08/2018, 8:00 PM
We're strong believers in packing light—all that luggage will only slow you down—but the champions in that department have got to be those who are fond of vacationing in the nude. After all, once they reach their destinations, they don't need much more than towels and sunscreen (take that, airline baggage fees!).Those carefree and, we assume, frequently chilly travelers now have a new online resour...
Longest-Ever Around-the-World Cruise to Set Sail in Summer 2019
Posted on 05/08/2018, 5:15 PM
If you've seen a map of the world, you've seen the itinerary for the latest offering from Viking Ocean Cruises: a truly epic, ridiculously expensive, globe-girdling voyage that will leave Greenwich, London on August 31, 2019, and return to the city from the other direction eight months later. That's 245 days in total, making this the longest continuous cruise ever undertaken. By the time the trip i...
