Tom Johansmeyer
Manhattan - http://migrantblogger.wordpress.com
Tom Johansmeyer is a New York-based writer specializing in travel, cigars, art and finance.
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Tom Johansmeyer
Manhattan - http://migrantblogger.wordpress.com
Tom Johansmeyer is a New York-based writer specializing in travel, cigars, art and finance.
The Charles Hotel's recent small gesture may actually be a bold move. The hotel, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has decided to add Skype and video cameras to the free computer station that occupy rooms once dedicated to ice machines. It doesn't look like much more than a small concession to weary travelers who want to stay in touch with their loved ones, but it's actually a fairly hefty commitment.
Next month, look for something new coming from kitchens across the Fairmont chain. Chefs at these upscale properties will be showing off their skills not only with seafood but the sustainable variety. So, when you cut into your fish of choice, you'll be experiencing both culinary and environmental bliss. Throughout April, Fairmont will be inviting guests in its dining rooms do donate merely $1 to the National Geographic Society to support ocean conservation and other sea wildlife initiatives.
I honestly don't have much of a problem with all the extra fees being tacked on by airlines. They have an obligation to their shareholders to deliver results: it's a fact of life. And, realistically, they don't do us any good if they can't afford to put planes in the air. But, I suspect I'm in the minority on this one. A recent online poll by Airfarewatchdog.com sought to learn which fee passengers hate most and found that 52 percent abhor having to pay to pick a seat. Only 14 percent had a problem paying for snacks. A mere 3 percent (my kindred spirits, I guess) said they were happy to pay for extra services.
George Hobica, Airfarewatchdog.com's president, observes that passengers are more tolerant of fees that come with an added expense to the airline. If you want a meal, someone has to pay for it. Sure, you're going to pay more than the airline does – as you should – but there's an understanding that the airline is picking up part of the burden. With seat assignments, he believes, the fact that there is no incremental cost is what irks passengers.
Spring sunset skiing sessions kick off in only a few weeks at Keystone Resort. Starting March 28, 2010, you can get some great late-season skiing out in Colorado. Most resorts in the Rockies don't force skiers and snowboarders to call it quits until April 11 or 18, so there's still plenty of time to hop a plane and get a few runs in. at Keystone, you can pick up the "Game On" package for $99, which includes free NASTAR ski racing (for the family) and Nordic skiing.
Yes, I know. Every time I write something for the smokers out there, the comments always fill up with an argument over smoking itself. For now, I'm just going to assume that there are some people out there who happen to smoke and travel. I have this sneaking suspicion that I'm not the only one. So, for those of you who enjoy a puff on the road, here are five places where you can smoke in Manhattan. At least one of them will surprise you.
Routine often breeds insight, and the form of business travel that once ruled my life was one of the variety that Ralph Waldo Emerson would have called "the hobgoblin of little minds." During one project, which involved seven months of weekly roundtrips to Omaha (and platinum status on Northwest by June), I'd get to Logan Airport every Monday morning and see the same names called for upgrades. It was demoralizing. As my miles accumulated, I knew that theirs were, too, leaving me no closer to my goal.
Now that the freeze that grips New England is easing up, the region's becoming dirty, sticky and sweet. "Mud and maple season" is upon us says the New England Inn and Resorts Association, and its members are offering some delectable deals to lure you up to its small corner of the country. NEIRA boasts more than 250 member properties, but I just don't have the stamina to poll all of them to find out their deals for spring. So for now, at least, let's stick with the top four.
I try to get to Compass by 11:30, when the restaurant opens. Brunch on the Upper West Side can get crowded quickly, and I enjoy that brief moment when the meal is its most peaceful. This Manhattan neighborhood is popular among brunchers and offers no shortage of choices. Yet, the most interesting by far can be found at Compass, on W. 70th Street, just west of Amsterdam Avenue. Be sure to make a reservation, because you won't be the only person in the neighborhood to have this idea.
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