Part of Prague's Dancing House Now a Hotel
Posted on 09/22/2016, 12:00 AM
(Photo: Pedro Szekely/Wikimedia Commons) Prague's iconic Dancing House—which features two towers of glass and concrete that appear to be cutting a rug on the banks of the Vltava river—has been off limits for many visitors to the Czech capital because the building has been been used primarily for office space. But now part of the unique edifice has been turned into a hotel. And owing ...
Only 12% of Visitors in Colorado Use Marijuana, Says State Tourism Office
Posted on 09/22/2016, 12:00 AM
As our own Arthur Frommer pointed out recently, legalizing the recreational use of marijuana in Colorado has increased the number of visits to the state—but not by as much as you might think, according to the Colorado Tourism Office. At a conference this week, state officials announced the results of a survey conducted by a market research company that found just 12% of visitors reported stop...
Video: Passenger on Emirates Gets Free Upgrade to $21,000 Seat in First Class
Posted on 09/21/2016, 12:00 AM
When YouTube vlogger Casey Neistat was recently upgraded for free to first class on an Emirates Airlines flight from Dubai to New York City, he did what YouTube vloggers do and documented the entire 14-hour experience. And wow, is it ever luxe. Ensconced in an enormous private cabin costing more than $21,000, Neistat shows viewers the embarrassment of perks he's treated to, including whenev...
Pieces of Concorde Jet Going Up for Auction
Posted on 09/21/2016, 12:00 AM
Seats from the Concorde (photo: Marc Labarbe/Twitter) You might not have gotten to fly aboard the supersonic Concorde jet before it was grounded in 2003, but you'll soon have a chance to own a piece of it. In November, 1,000 artifacts from the famous plane, ranging from screws and cockpit instruments to menus, seats, and oxygen masks, will be sold at an auction in Toulouse, France. Pr...
Government Softens Miami Zika Warning
Posted on 09/21/2016, 12:00 AM
Crediting the effectiveness of aerial pesticide spraying, U.S. health officials are no longer advising pregnant women to stay out of Miami's Wynwood arts district due to an outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus there. No new cases of Zika have been reported in Wynwood since early August, and Florida officials announced on Monday that the area is no longer an active infection zone. But t...
Three Separate Shark Attacks in Three Hours on Florida Beach
Posted on 09/20/2016, 12:00 AM
During a three-hour period on Sunday morning, three surfers were attacked by sharks in separate incidents on the same stretch of New Smyrna Beach in Florida. First, a 43-year-old man was bitten on the lower leg. Then, half an hour later, a 36-year-old man was bitten on the hands. Just two hours after that, a 16-year-old boy was bitten on the inner thigh. While the wounds of the first two me...
New Communication System for Pilots and Air-Traffic Controllers Will Make Flights Faster and Safer, FAA Says
Posted on 09/20/2016, 12:00 AM
Federal Aviation Administration officials say that a new communication system used by pilots and air-traffic controllers is helping flights move with more speed and safety. The system, called DataComm, sends text messages and computer file transfers about flight routes, traffic, and weather directly to the cockpit, replacing back-and-forth radio conversations between pilots and controllers. ...
Obama Designates Underwater Monument Off the Coast of New England
Posted on 09/20/2016, 12:00 AM
Last week President Barack Obama designated 4,913 square miles off the coast of New England as a new marine national monument, creating the first fully protected area in the U.S. portion of the Atlantic Ocean. Located along the continental shelf about 130 miles southeast of Cape Cod, the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument encompasses huge underwater chasms and towering...
SpongeBob Pineapple Suite at Nickelodeon's New Beach Resort
Posted on 09/19/2016, 12:00 AM
The Pineapple villa at Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana (photo: nickresortpuntacana/Instagram) It's not quite living in a pineapple under the sea, but it's as close as you're likely to get. At the new Nickelodeon-themed beach resort in the Dominican Republic—not to be confused with Orlando's old Nick hotel, which closed in February—you can stay in a two-bedroom, three-bathroo...
Bomb-Sniffing Dogs Failed Numerous Tests at U.S. Airports
Posted on 09/19/2016, 12:00 AM
The readiness of the Transportation Security Administration's bomb-sniffing dogs has been called into question by an investigation conducted by NBC News. Via a Freedom of Information Act request, the outlet found that between January 1, 2013, and June 15, 2015 (the most recent period for which records were provided), K-9 teams at 10 major U.S. airports—including those in Los Angeles, Washing...
