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British tour company offers "redneck free" vacations {Gadling}
Jan 29th 2009 11:15AM A chav is not the same thing as a redneck; it's more fake-Burberry than Mossy Oak. While there are some common attributes to the stereotypes-- drinking too much, being undereducated and underemployed, and generally disregarding accepted standards of proper behavio(u)r-- a more accurate American English translation might be "guido" or "wigger".
None if which are nice things to call potential customers. I wonder if they sorted their mailing list to avoid mailing anyone named Courtney or Shannon...
007 Flies Virgin {Gadling}
Oct 14th 2008 9:04AM The Vesper isn't a new cocktail-- it was described in Ian Fleming's Casino Royale (1953), thusly:
"Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?"
Of course, I don't think they make Kina Lillet any more, and I guess Bombay Sapphire has more ad-budget dosh than Gordon's to throw at product placement these days.
SkyMall Monday: The Slanket {Gadling}
Oct 14th 2008 8:54AM You know, I had something like this when I was a kid in the 70's. It was sort of a fluffy blanket that had snaps around the edges that could either be used as a blanket or snapped in various configurations so you could walk around in it. Pop some popcorn and make some Swiss Miss, and you're ready for an evening with BJ & The Bear. They were called "Snug Bags"; here's the only example I could find online, with a truly horrible faux-quilt print:
http://www.epier.com/Home&Garden/OtherHome&Garden/285386.asp
(see the last photo for the item in use)
Just the thing for enduring those brutal South Carolina winters of my youth.
Could Shanghai Show Up Beijing? {Gadling}
Oct 7th 2008 11:01AM Well, of course! Just look what the World's Fair did for Knoxville (Home of the fabulous Sunsphere)! Perhaps Shanghai will also one day play host to the National Grammar Rodeo.
Velibs are the new box of chocolates {Gadling}
Sep 22nd 2008 11:34AM Here in Lyon (which has had Velo'v for years before Paris adopted the program last summer) the common practice, when you discover that your ride has something wrong with it, is to return it to a station and *turn the bike seat around backward*. This lets the next user know to pick a different one instead.
Don't know if this practice has caught on in Paris yet... they're always a little behind the curve up there, y'know.
ResortQuest stings vacation home renters with huge cancellation fees, blogger says {Gadling}
Apr 10th 2008 8:45AM I don't know anything about ResortQuest, but I've used Vacation Rentals By Owner on numerous occasions to book apartments in Spain, Italy and France, and never had a problem--in fact I've stayed in some interesting places and met some interesting people I wouldn't have otherwise.
That said, VRBO is mostly just a platform for arranging rentals between owners and travelers, and the person you end up dealing with may well end up being a jerk or just outright shady. The message as always: get it in writing, and read it carefully.
In defense of Texas {Gadling}
Feb 8th 2008 10:50AM In Western Europe at least, every person on the street already knows you're an American, because of your ball cap, your college sweatshirt, your athletic shoes, and your loud speaking voice.
So when someone asks where you're from, it's because they're genuinely interested, favorably disposed toward Americans, and may in fact know the difference between Missouri and New Hampshire.
The person who dislikes Americans based on his own preconceptions (mistaken or not) won't bother asking.
US Dollar in 2008: a comeback for the greenback? {Gadling}
Feb 6th 2008 5:40AM Where in France did you find a shirt for only €25? You must have been shopping at Tati...
(I live in France but often bring an empty suitcase home to the States to fill with clothing purchases. Or better still, buy the suitcase in the US, too.)
World's largest snow globe {Gadling}
Jan 16th 2008 11:44AM Nifty. But not the "world's largest"... the one in Lyon, France for the Fete des Lumieres is 18 meters in diameter:
http://www.lumieres.lyon.fr/lumieres/sections/en/event_view?id=123
Better picture here:
http://www.lyondailyphotoblog.com/the-king-in-pink
Some non-professional video here (my own site, sorry for blog-pimping):
http://thefrogmarch.blogspot.com/2007/12/piping-hot-fete-des-lumieres-video.html
I suppose the Ontario one can claim to be the World's Largest Portable Snow Globe, or the World's Largest Permanent Snow Globe. And being able to get inside it is a nice touch.
Bicycling in Paris: A New Version of this Option {Gadling}
Jul 17th 2007 11:29AM It completely depends on the location and the time of day. For example, the turnover at the Part-Dieu train station is very high; if there aren't any available, one can just hang out for a minute or two and someone will be along. On the other hand, the bike station nearest my apartment is right outside a popular bar in the center of town; on Saturday night at closing time all the bikes disappear (since the Metro has stopped for the night) and the rack generally doesn't fill back up until midday Sunday, since no one's going to that part of town on Sunday morning.
You can also have the opposite problem: You reach your destination and find a Velo station, but the rack is totally full and there are no spaces to return your bike...so you have to find another station or just hang around and wait for someone to leave.
It's really remarkable how the city has embraced the program--the "red bikes" are everywhere, so much so that if I look out my window I'll likely see one go by every minute or so. And Paris will have 3 times as many!
