Gadling

Late last month we heard news that Virgin America was kicking off service between New York's JFK airport and Las Vegas and would be celebrating the event with the christening of HBO's "Entourage Air" with the cast in New York and a party at the Palms casino in Vegas.

Now, in the midst of the debauch we're checking in to update you on how the event is unfolding. Just after 1PM Gadling was asked to show up at hangar 12 right outside of JFK airport, an open air structure with the Virgin America "Entourage Air" A320 parked underneath. Walking up to the gate, two models showed up to escort us down the red carpet towards the hangar, where music was playing, couches were laid out and there were a hundred or so people milling about.

With Champagne, Grey Goose and Bombay Dry flowing freely, the crowd patiently snacked on hors d'oeuvres speculating about the arrival of Branson and the entourage until finally the crew snuck into the back of the aircraft, a few suits made some announcements and the entire lot burst from the front boarding door.

I'm not sure how rehearsed the entire spectacle was – apparently Sir Branson was late getting in – but after they posed for a few photos the entire crew of Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connoly, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Richard Branson as well as the creator, Doug Ellin came down the steps, grabbed bottles of Champagne and burst them open in front of the port engine. Someone tracked down a microphone for a few nebulous questions, then the cast unfortunately had to leave. Later, Devon, one of the PR associates at Virgin told me that they had tons of events associated with the HBO premier so had to jet out to the city as soon as possible.

As for the hundred or so people in the hangar, however, we were headed to Las Vegas for the after party and some grand old socializing. At 35,000 feet we were privy to another speech from the brass then delighted with a pre-screening of the first episode of this season's Entourage which airs this weekend. With four more hours left to Vegas, we were left to explore own wiles, which is where you'll find me now, tucked under a plush "Entourage Air" blanket.

Supposedly the afterparty takes place at the Playboy club in the Palms. Stay tuned for a full report from the event and all of the juicy pictures!

In December, Stockholm airport will be home to the first Boeing 747 hostel in the world. This 747-200 was built in 1976 and is currently being converted into a 25 room hostel with 3 beds per room.

Each room features a flat panel TV, wireless Internet access and a shared shower/toilet facility. The upper deck of this 747 has several more luxurious rooms with their own bathroom facility. For the ultimate in overnight luxury, you will even be able to spend the night in the cockpit, where you can enjoy a fantastic view of the air traffic at Stockholm's Arlanda airport.

In addition to the 747 conversion, the developers are also building a restaurant and excursion area where visitors will be able to walk on the wing of the Jumbo. With the possible exception of working for the airline, or leaving the plane in an emergency, this will be the only time you'll ever be able to do that!

And don't forget - you don't become a member of the mile high club unless you are at least one mile off the ground!

I've never been a big fan of hostels, but I'd most certainly make an exception for this one. The Jumbo Hostel will open its doors for reservations in December, in the meantime, why not enjoy some of the photos on their site.

If you've come to Gadling to get away from the Sarah Palin media frenzy, tough luck.

Assuming you're a sentient being who's been blessed with eyes or ears, you've probably noticed that America's foxiest governor, Sarah Palin, has been nominated as the Republican candidate for vice president. For the last several days, Palin has been derided as inexperienced by the Democrats, who cite the fact that she was mayor of the small town of Wasilla, Alaska, as recently as 2002.

It was only a matter of time before news outlets infiltrated the 8,500-person town of Wasilla and reported back to the rest of us. Over at Slate, Alex Sheshunoff has compiled a slideshow of the town, complete with photos of all the highlights: the Mexican restaurant, the taxidermist, the city hall, and most importantly, the Target.

This picture taken by jrodmanjr of a fireworks display in San Francisco really caught my eye. Notice how the bright lights coming from the Bay Bridge create a bit of a vignette around the picture.

The low light makes it tough to get a super crisp shot in these situations, but jrodmanjr did a nice job with this one.

Every picture in his photostream could qualify for a Photo of the Day!

Are you a Flickr user who'd like to share a travel related picture or two for our consideration? Submit them to Gadling's Flickr group right now!

We just might use it for our Photo of the Day!

You might have thought that London was already expensive, but next year you can look forward to budgeting even more money when visiting the English capital. Mayor Boris Johnson plans to raise London Underground train and bus fares next year by an average of 6% above the inflation rate.

What exactly does that work out to? The cheapest London Underground fare which you can get by using an Oyster prepaid card will rise to £1.60, or $2.85, in January from the current price of £1.50. That doesn't seem like a huge change, but for people -- and even tourists -- who use public transportation on a frequent basis, it certainly feels like it.

The current London Underground cash fare for a ticket -- £4 -- is reported to be the highest in the world for a subway system; apparently the city really wants to keep its ranking.

The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia is well known for its natural beauty. Visitors come from far and wide to hike the trails of the Shenandoah National Park and see the vibrant colors of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the fall -- but there's a new reason folks are flocking to the area: the theater.

In 2001, Shenandoah Shakespeare, which was to become the American Shakespeare Center, opened the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Virginia. The playhouse is a replica of Shakespeare's original indoor theater, and plans are in the works to build an open air replica of the Globe Theater as well.

Visitors to the Staunton playhouse can enjoy a rotating schedule of Shakespeare classics as well as modern plays and concert events in an atmosphere designed to recreate the Elizabethan experience. Next week marks the opening of the ASC's production of Shakespeare's Richard II:

An exploration about the nature of greatness is timely fare in an election year. Pitting Richard II, a man of words, against Bullingbrook, a man of action, Shakespeare raises the art of language to new heights while reminding us that rulers "feel want, taste greif, need friends."

There are pay-what-you-will performances on September 10, 11, and 12, while regular ticket prices start at $20. Also playing this fall are King Lear, Twelfth Night, and Measure for Measure.

It happens all the time. The one hour flight from one city to another is turned into a five hour adventure with security checkpoints, baggage claim traffic jams and surly airport staff. It would often be easier, cheaper and faster to drive (literally). If only there was an easier way to fly.

A new airline in the Pacific Northwest is seeking to take the hassle out of commuter flights. The small Portland-based company SeaPort only has 3 turbo-prop commuter planes. That's all it needs, because its only route is between Portland and Seattle. But what's special about SeaPort is, like corporate airplanes usually reserved for the rich and/or famous, they fly under the FAA's general aviation rules. That means that they can fly out of smaller airports where security screening and other hassles aren't required. In Portland, for example, SeaPort uses the business aviation area, not the main terminal, of the Portland International. In Seattle, they land at Boeing Field, a crowd-less airport six miles from downtown Seattle. The result, no waiting in lines. The airline's goal is to get passengers from downtown Portland to downtown Seattle in 90 minutes.

The price of a flight: $149 one-way. That is marginally more expensive than flying the same route on a traditional budget carrier. But, the time saved just might be worth it to many.

If the ticket price of the admission to museums makes you hesitate before pulling out your wallet, on Museum Day, September 27th, the price is right. It's free--not all museums, but many.

Several museums and cultural sites across the U.S. have been enticed by Smithsonian Magazine to not charge on the 27th to promote Museum Day.

You do need an admission card for free admission, but one pass will get you and a friend in the museum of your choice's door.

If you use the drop down menu on the Museum Day Web site, you can find out which museums are free in any state. I checked out New York state and found dozens. Reading the list is one way to find out the variety of museums there are.

One museum that fits the historical site category caught my attention in particular. Huguenot Street is in New Paltz and is where I dressed up like a Huguenot when I was in high school and gave tours on what was called Huguenot Day. The house in the picture is one of the houses that is part of the tour.

I found out about Museum Day from Tom Barlow, my friend at Wallet Pop. He swears that I told him about it last week. Where was I? I have no recollection. Here's the link to the Museum Day admission card.

A 35 year old "well dressed businessman" was arrested yesterday when he refused to turn off his laptop for the final approach of his Qantas flight. The passenger was on board flight QF418 from Melbourne to Sydney and apparently found whatever he was doing on his laptop to be more important than listening to flight attendant requests.

Upon landing, all passengers were told to stay seated while the Australian counter terrorist first response force arrived, taking the man into custody.

Witnesses report seeing the man being interrogated by 6 armed police officers in the airport terminal, but he was later released with no charges filed against him.

The only statement Qantas made, was that a male passenger had failed to comply with a captain's directive. Let this be a lesson to everyone; listen to the flight attendant, and turn off your laptop when you are told to. There may be no evidence to confirm that a laptop will interfere with flight controls, but a 4 pound laptop can become a cabin projectile when the aircraft touches down.

A friend of mine told me this summer about how his small jar of apple butter was confiscated at the TSA security check. He was hoping to bring it from Minnesota back to Montana..

Another person recently told me that the snow globe she was bringing back as a souvenir from her vacation to California this summer was also confiscated by TSA. Unfortunately, she read the post about snow globes not being okay in a carry on after she lost her treasure.

Turns out, there is something else to think about when you pack. If you have holy water on you, even if it is blessed by the pope, better be safe and tuck it into your checked bag--particularly if you are traveling with the pope on his plane. Put it in your carry on and it might be confiscated.

Pope Benedict XVI, recognizing the hazards of holy water in a carry-on, is warning people that even the smallest amount could be a problem reports this Reuters article. Pope Benedict was specifically referring to people traveling with him to Lourdes, France from September 12-15.

People travel to Lourdes on a pilgrimage to see the spot where the Virgin Mary appeared to a peasant girl in 1858. Picking up holy water as a souvenir is part of the occasion.

Like the pope, Air France has warned against bringing holy water onto the papal plane as well.

As for other airlines, other planes, and other occasions where you may be bringing holy water home with you, I'd pack it in a checked bag, or take your chances with a bottle if it's no more than 3-ounces.

But, remember the apple butter and the snow globe and those half empty bottles of bottled water dumped into the trash by TSA. There's no telling what might happen when you hoist that carry-on onto the conveyor belt that passes through an X-Ray machine.