Should the Spanish Steps in Rome Have a Barrier Against Tourists?
Posted on 09/13/2016, 12:00 AM
Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in front of the Spanish Steps in Roman Holiday (photo: Wikimedia Commons) Later this month, the Spanish Steps in Rome will reopen after a 1.5-million euro cleanup and restoration project financed by jewelry maker Bulgari. But if Paolo Bulgari, the chairman of the company his great-grandfather founded, had his way, the steps wouldn't reopen entirely. Ins...
The World's Busiest Airport
Posted on 09/13/2016, 12:00 AM
For the 18th year in a row, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was named the world's busiest airport in Airports Council International's annual report. In 2015, more than 101 million passengers flew through Atlanta, an increase of 5.5% over the previous year. The report cited the location of Georgia's capital as a major contributing factor—80% of people in the U.S. live within ...
Is the Trump Campaign Hurting Trump Hotels?
Posted on 09/12/2016, 12:00 AM
Old Post Office Pavilion in Washington, DC (photo: thisisbossi/Flickr) In Washington, DC, a luxury hotel is set to open today in the Old Post Office Pavilion, following a $200 million renovation of the historic building, which was constructed in 1899. But the idea of staying there might be a nonstarter for many travelers—and not just because the lowest rates are $950 per night. The place is ...
New Apps Let You Turn Your Luggage Into a Courier Service
Posted on 09/12/2016, 12:00 AM
Airline baggage fees have turned luggage space into a valuable commodity. And now there are apps to help you sell it. A startup called Airmule and a new rival, Grabr, connect customers in need of a delivery service with users who have space to fill in their suitcases. With Grabr, you can search to see if anybody in the city you're flying to wants anything from the city you're flying from, an...
Yosemite National Park Expands
Posted on 09/12/2016, 12:00 AM
Ackerson Meadow (photo: yosemiteconservancy/Instagram) California's Yosemite National Park grew by 400 acres last week—the park's largest expansion in 70 years. Thanks to a donation of land from private owners, Yosemite now includes Ackerson Meadow, a green expanse surrounded by pine trees and inhabited by wildlife including the endangered great grey owl. Donors Robin and Nancy Wainw...
Disney World Now Finger-Scanning Preschoolers
Posted on 09/09/2016, 12:00 AM
As of last month, Disney World now requires kids ages 3 to 9 to have their fingerprints scanned before entering any of the Orlando resort's four theme parks. Guests older than that have been getting their digits scanned for some time, but now the Mouse wants to take a look at even the jelly-smeared fingers of the preschool set. Disney says the move is designed to prevent stolen and reused t...
Air China Removes In-Flight Magazine with Article Deemed Racist
Posted on 09/09/2016, 12:00 AM
State-owned Chinese carrier Air China says it has removed from its planes copies of its in-flight magazine that contained an article many have found racist. In a guide to London, the September issue of Wings of China offered this piece of advice (in English) to out-of-town visitors: "London is generally a safe place to travel, however precautions are needed when entering areas mainly popula...
Airbnb Releases Updated Nondiscrimination Policy
Posted on 09/09/2016, 12:00 AM
Responding to allegations of racial discrimination on the part of some of its hosts, vacation-rental company Airbnb released an updated antidiscrimination policy on Thursday. According to the guidelines, hosts are barred from declining stay requests or listing preferences based on race, ethnicity, origin, gender, sexual orientation, and disability; violators risk being suspended or removed fr...
Stop Trying to Help Baby Seals in Cornwall
Posted on 09/08/2016, 12:00 AM
(Photo: Tambako The Jaguar/Flickr) If you happen to be in Cornwall on the southwestern tip of England and you see an adorable newborn seal resting on the beach, do the world (and especially the seal) a favor and LEAVE IT ALONE. Authorities in the area have had to issue a similar warning because baby seals kept getting herded into the water by well-meaning but wrong-headed tourists who a...
"Game of Thrones" to Film in Northern Spain
Posted on 09/08/2016, 12:00 AM
A beach near Barrika in Spain's Basque Country (photo: Jesús Ignacio Bravo Soler/Wikimedia Commons) On the one hand, we have a hard time understanding why people would base their travel plans on what they see on Game of Thrones, given that life in Westeros seems pretty horrific all around. On the other hand, some of the landscapes that appear in the HBO fantasy epic are so stunning that ...
