Gadling

I always wondered if those valet parking guys ever crash people's cars. They must, right? Kind of like this poor guy...

According to the Daily Mail, A British delivery driver for a car rental company wrecked a rare Mercedes-Benz worth more than $650,000 on Friday. He was driving the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren to a London drop-off when an 18-wheel truck ripped off the front end of the car. He says he was "creeping along in this very narrow lane and the power steering was very hard at such low speed and he couldn't turn."

The driver said he was only two minutes from his destination when the accident took place and estimates repairs could cost about $100,000. The Mercedes is the most notable car the rental company offers and was being repaired by engineers at the McLaren workshop in Weybridge, England.

The driver says he feels awful. I bet.

[via UPI]

A recent study revealed that about 12,000 laptops are lost or stolen every week at US airports, with LA Lax Airport having the highest number (1,200) going missing every week.

I'm baffled at how so many laptops can go missing! A laptop is hand-luggage. The only time your laptop is out of sight is when you are putting it through security check, or while you're asleep; even then, the sheer quantity of laptops missing is beyond comprehension.

Apparently, the main problem has to do with people forgetting to repack their laptops after they've been taken out for screening. What world are you in to forget your laptop at a check point!? And how do the airport thieves flick your laptop at a security point!? Oh it's because they are the security! Tutut.

Also, items in your checked luggage have a higher probability to get stolen, especially when your bag is not locked, which makes me wonder -- are people checking-in their laptops!? If so, why? They are fragile, expensive, and often have confidential information!

Something else to add to the befuddlement: Over 60% of the missing laptops at the lost and found, are not being reclaimed. How lazy can you get!

Anyway, for those who need written advice on not losing your laptop while traveling, check out these tips from Network World.

A German man waited patiently in line yesterday for the grand opening of Madame Tussauds' latest museum in Berlin. He was the second person in the building. What did he do?

He promptly ran to the wax statue of Adolf Hitler on display and ripped off his head, shouting three times as he did, "Never war again!"

Germany's national tabloid Bild has the whole story today (sorry, it's in German), and it's pretty funny.

A man authorities are only calling "Frank L.", from the Berlin neighborhood of Kruezberg (where I live!) tussled with and injured several security guards on his way to bringing down the Hitler display. Witnesses say he was fanatical and determined.

His girlfriend, who was there, said only, "I am proud of what he did. He was really angry for days about this display. He is a quiet, loving person."

Police arrested Frank and questioned him, but eventually let him go. He told police that he simply objected to the proximity of the Hitler display to the city's Jewish museum (though, in reality, they are not that close: Tussauds is near the Brandenburg Gate, while the Jewish museum is more than a 30 minute walk away).

The Hitler display at Madame Tussauds has been a subject of controversy in Germany for months, with most concluding that the man who wreaked havoc on a good chunk of the world does not deserve to be immortalized in wax for deep-pocketed tourists to gawk at. In many ways, the controversy is not such a surprise in a country that still takes all matters relating to WWII seriously and that has officially outlawed naming boys Adolf.

Predictably, the German press today mocked the attack. On its German Web site, the major news magazine Der Spiegel said, "Finally a Hitler assassination that worked!"

The Hitler display at Tussauds cost about $300,000 and right now museum officials are debating whether to replace the display, which originally depicted Hitler at work at his desk.

Reaction today among museum goers was mixed.

Bild quotes one tourist from the German city of Mannheim saying, "Hitler belongs to our history. That's why I would have liked to see him."

Another tourist says bluntly, in a nod to Germany's past greatness in tennis, "Hitler? I want to see Boris Becker!"

The only time my family on either side of my tree has had a reunion was when my dad's side converged at Fontana Village near Fontana Dam for a week. In the midst of the Great Smoky Mountains, this was a gorgeous place to spend time.

The drive there was filled with winding roads and vistas. Next year marks the 75th anniversary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Seventy-five years ago, from donations collected from the public and private sectors, the land in North Carolina and Tennessee that now boasts 800 miles of maintained trails, 1,500 black bears, plus elk and deer, became property for the public to enjoy.

If you can't make it to the anniversary celebration, there are planned activities throughout the spring, summer and fall every year. This summer is filled with them. Here's the link to the interactive calendar that highlights what is happening on specific days. I adore ranger programs. I've never seen a bad one.

To kick off the 75th anniversary, there is a nifty Web site that highlights the upcoming activities and the park history. The interactive timeline that dates back to pre-1900s is particularly cool. For example, did you know that Clarence Darrow visited here in 1925 when he was in the midst of the Scopes "Monkey" Trial?

Along with the park itself, the neighboring communities also have events planned to celebrate the beauty in their midst. Knoxville, Tennessee has several. From what I can tell, events will be added as the year goes on, so keep checking back.

If you have been to the Great Smoky National Park and want to add to the legacy, there's a feature, "Smokies Family Album" where you can share your photos.

The big weekend Anniversary Weekend is June 13-15. 2009.

A few days ago Grant posted about Spirit Airlines' move to start charging for any seat reservation, including middle seats.

Barbara from Detroit was less than happy to learn about these seat charges, and recently called Spirit to complain.

As she recounts to the Consumerist, her first attempt to reach customer service resulted in talking to a representative based somewhere in Asia with a shaky understanding of American geography -- Michigan? Where's Michigan? She asked for a better customer service number, and the representative gave her...a phone sex line.

"I was more than startled," she said.

I bet.

Barbara did eventually get to another customer service agent, who promptly gave her another 800 (or 900?) number, where she was kept on hold for more than 30 minutes.

At least with the phone sex line she would have had someone to talk to....

Flickr user wesleyrosenblum has decided to let us in on a secret - Lisbon is one of the most picturesque cities on earth. This photo looks like it was taken from atop the hill that's occupied by Lisbon's Castelo São Jorge, the magnificent castle that guards this ancient port city.

I like the way the cannon "pokes" out into the middle of this view, looming over the city below. I also like the way the field of view is split neatly in half, with little puffy clouds floating above and ancient terra-cotta-roofed buildings laying underneath.

Have any photos of a panoramic view in Portugal? Or maybe just a picturesque shot from Portland, Oregon? Add it to our Gadling photo pool on Flickr and it could end up as our Photo of the Day.

Back in high school I played the flute badly, but good enough to put me in my town's parades in the marching band. Deciding that the flute was too prissy for some reason, my junior year, I took up baritone saxophone. I thought it would be swell to carry that in the St. Patrick's Day parade one year. Not a chance. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Happily, I gave up the baritone saxophone as well, but have found myself jumping into a few parades in less taxing capacities. If you have never been in a parade, it's not hard. Seriously, this can be a no skills endeavor and one the whole family can enjoy doing. Plus, it's FREE.

Whenever we are in Philipsburg, Montana we are in the kid's parade as part of Flint Creek Valley Days. My son wears the same Spider-man hat each year.

On the 4th of July, my son and I were in an art car truck in the Doo Dah Parade. I received an email from Greg Phelps who helps organize the art car movement in Columbus and beyond. He wanted people to be in the guitar truck playing toy guitars. My son has a toy guitar so what could be easier than that?

This picture was taken by Greg Phelps who was driving the truck as we were on High Street going through the Short North section of Columbus.

Since it was raining, I suggested we set up the patio umbrella in the truck bed. I kept my foot on the base to keep it from tipping. The only other people in the back of the truck with me were my son and a third grade boy. The two of them flashed peace signs and yelled, "Peace out!" in between fake guitar playing.

Perhaps one of the most interesting inverse relationships in travel today is that between airlines and airports.

While most of us will agree that flying in America has grown insufferable in recent years, killing time at airports -- and let's face it, with flights always late, we have a lot more time to kill -- has grown considerably more pleasant. There are offerings of WiFi, well-stocked book stores, chic shopping outlets and game consoles at most major airports.

And let's not forget that anchor of time well spent at the airport these days: The upscale bar.

Gone are the days when you were forced to quaff Buds at some seedy 'deli' somewhere between Terminal B and C.

Most of the country's busiest hubs now have wine bars and brew pubs where you can pass the hours actually drinking like an adult. You can try a flight of French whites, a hoppy pale ale from a local brewer or a sophisticated cocktail before heading off to Buffalo or Akron or wherever.

Yes, often you'll need to take out a second mortgage on your house to afford a third drink; I'm not praising the prices at these places here. But simply to have the option of falling back on something more refined and civilized, during a travel experience that is usually anything but, has been a positive trend during the past several years -- and one that is certainly in stark contrast to the direction our experiences seem to be going once we board a plane.

Joe Brancatelli, who pens the Seat 2B column at Portfolio.com, praises this trend in his latest dispatch. He singles out places like Cibo Bistro and Wine Bar at Philadelphia International Airport , with its 32 wines available by the glass, and Vino Volo at Dulles, which manages to pair a substantial offering of wines by the glass with appropriate small portions of food.

Both establishments have opened in other airports (Vino Volo just opened its eighth location at Detroit's Metro Airport last week). Then there are the dozens of brew pubs that have sprung up at hubs nationwide (like Columbus Brewing Company at Columbus International and the Wasatch Brew Pub at Salt Lake City International), all owned by HMSHost, a division of Italy's Autogrill (yep, Italy owns most of the brew pubs in which you like to kill time at your local airport).

So, things have gotten better on the ground even as they have gotten worse in the skies.

Gadling would like to hear from you: Nominate your favorite airport bar these days. Wine, beer or cocktails; chains or one-offs; upscale or old school -- whatever. Extra points if you can tell us something about the place: what to expect, prices, a good menu recommendation, etc. Feel free to sound off on whether such places represent a positive or negative trend in travel today.

I'd like to dedicate a future post to publishing some of these tips and thoughts.

As our good friend Blogger Jeremy can probably tell you, one of challenges to marketing research is finding a good medium on which to deliver your ad. If you can find a way to acutely deliver your message to your target demographic, you've done your job well. For example, you don't see many ads for GI Joes or Depends on Gadling.

And where else are you intensely focused and forced to watch than on the baggage carousel? Double Take marketing unfortunately just figured out that the perfect way to deliver advertisements to a select demographic (business or leisure travelers) is down where you get your luggage. You're staring at the rotating metal blades, waiting for you luggage with nothing to do, and out pops an ad. You have to look, right?

Lucky for me, I still don't check luggage. But the rest of you may soon have to put up with advertisements on your baggage carousels -- installation begins this August. Take a look at the video below to see the ads in action.

I wanted to pick a great 4th of July shot to feature today, but then came across this amazing composition by pirano. Taken in Milano Centrale station, this photo manages to capture the hurried rush of two people running to catch their trains. But at the same time, being taken in black and white, the photo miraculously makes the central station seem very calm and organized. Definitely a shot worthy of framing and hanging on the wall to remind you of great travel moments.

Have a great shot you want featured? Submit it to the Gadling flickr pool to be considered for Photo of the Day.