Jan 5th, 2011 at 3:30PM: Drinking and driving is a problem ... and drinking and flying is no different. A United Airlines pilot found this out the hard way: he spilled his coffee, which triggered a hijacking alert. So, United Flight 940, which was set to go from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany, had to dash across the border to Canada for an unscheduled stop.
A hijacking alert can have that effect, you know.
The plane ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
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Hot coffee hijacks United Airlines plane?!
Jan 5th, 2011 at 3:30PM: Drinking and driving is a problem ... and drinking and flying is no different. A United Airlines pilot found this out the hard way: he spilled his coffee, which triggered a hijacking alert. So, United Flight 940, which was set to go from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany, had to dash across the border to Canada for an unscheduled stop.
A hijacking alert can have that effect, you know.
The plane ...Five ways holiday travelers annoy business travelers
Dec 24th, 2010 at 3:00PM: On December 23, 1999, I was trying to get from Madison, Wisconsin to Boston Massachusetts. On paper, it didn't look hard. I had to catch a short fight from Madison to Chicago and another flight from Chicago to Boston. Unsurprisingly, it was snowing in Madison. It was also snowing in Chicago. Flights were canceled quickly and routinely, and crowds backed up in the gate areas. I was starting to ...Five ways to join the mile-high club around the world
Dec 24th, 2010 at 8:30AM: Generally, it's best to avoid an airline lavatory for any reason. It's cramped, smelly and generally not a pleasant place to be. If you're planning to use the lav for something other than its stated purpose, you're going to need to brace yourself. Unfortunately, it really is the best environment on the plane for joining the mile-high club (for those of you not in the know, that means having sex on ...Chicago's best bar menus for holiday dining and drinking
Dec 17th, 2010 at 1:00PM: It's no secret that Chicago isn't lacking for great food or bars. But often, the two are mutually exclusive, no matter what city you're in. Fortunately, as I discovered on a recent visit, Chicago has a wonderfully eclectic mix of new and established hotspots that manage to combine the best of both worlds. Indulge in boutique bourbon, esoteric microbrews, South Australian Shiraz, or meticulously ...Airlines, airports and passengers: nothing but gains this year [INFOGRAPHICS]
![Airlines, airports and passengers: nothing but gains this year [INFOGRAPHICS]](http://www.blogcdn.com/www.gadling.com/media/2010/12/airportlounge_thumbnail.jpg)
Dec 10th, 2010 at 12:00PM: There are a whole lot more of us flying this year: 4.3 percent more, to be exact. That's the increase in domestic air traffic from September 2009 to September 2010, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. In that month, U.S. airlines had 57.3 million passengers, leading to the largest year-over-year gain since September 2007. Meanwhile, international passenger ...10 Congested highways to make you lose your mind tonight
Nov 24th, 2010 at 3:30PM: We know that today and tomorrow, traffic is going to be brutal. With 42 million people traveling for the holiday – and 94 percent of them going by car – it's inevitable that someone's going to wind up frustrated. Throw in some nasty weather and highway construction, not to mention a handful of screaming kids, and you have a formula for misery.
Can it get any worse? The Weather ...Planes in Philadelphia and Newark being swept for suspicious materials
Oct 29th, 2010 at 11:45AM:
Suspicious items have been found on cargo flights that landed in Newark, New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania today. According to the Transportation Security Administration, the planes have been "moved to a remote location ... out of an abundance of caution," according to CNN.
The fire department's hazardous materials units in Philadelphia responded to situations with two planes ...New York: best and worst city in schismatic survey
Oct 21st, 2010 at 12:00PM: If you want to travel like a local, then it makes sense to know something about your destination ... and isn't the best city to live attractive? It's the kind of place you'd want to explore and see why it's so loved. And at the same time, you'd probably want to avoid the worst of the worst – who would want to go there?
Well, a new Harris Interactive poll makes this thinking hard to ...Highwood, IL to attempt Guinness Record for most jack-o-lanterns lit in one location
Oct 18th, 2010 at 3:31PM:
There must be a thousand ways to break a Guinness World Record, and most are easier than this.
The city of Highwood, Illinois will light the night for Halloween this year. If all goes well, they will also end up in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most jack-o-lanterns lit in one location. To break the record, this little town of about 5,000 residents needs to beat Boston's record ...Getting drunk: Twenty cities that don't know how to handle their liquor
Oct 8th, 2010 at 9:00AM: California loves to get wasted! San Diego and San Jose are the top two cities that drink stupidly, according to a survey by Insurance.com. They lead the country in alcohol-related driving violations, a dubious distinction to say the least. So, if you step into the crosswalk in these two spots, take an extra second to look both ways.
The reasons for hitting this list vary and include proximity ...Cross-dressing employee gets Hyatt sued
Oct 7th, 2010 at 1:30PM: Daynara Fernandez got back to her hotel room at a Hyatt and found, to her obvious surprise, a male employee clad in her skirt, underwear and ... of course ... high heels. So, is it all that shocking that she's suing the hotel chain?
When she got back to her room, after having attended a wedding, her door was blocked by a cleaning cart. Getting past it, she saw, according to Gawker, that "her ...Five basic facts about the hotel market, especially in New York
Aug 8th, 2010 at 2:00PM: Big-city hoteliers will be happier sooner than their small-time counterparts. It looks like demand for rooms in smaller cities is going to take longer to come back, with rate increases unlikely, it seems until next summer. The New York market has already shown a solid recovery, thanks to the corporate cards that keep road warriors away from home. For the little guys, though, the future isn't as ...Vegetarian child stranded in airport, fed burgers
Jul 27th, 2010 at 12:00PM: Julien Reid, at only nine years old, is used to air travel. He routinely flies between his parents in Ottawa, and San Francisco, so he's seen it all ... well, he has now. Reid was forgotten in a children's waiting room in Chicago, where he spent eight hours waiting and hoping to be discovered.
According to the Ottawa Citizen:
He was in a "tiny, little room cramped with kids," where they ...Six Flags employees booted for pounding Porky Pig
Jul 15th, 2010 at 2:00PM: Oink. Oink. Ouch.
Two off-duty Six Flags Great America employees were tossed from the park after they were seen beating the bacon out of a female coworker dressed as Porky Pig. According to Gurnee, Illinois Police Sgt. Jon Ward, the two perps posed for a picture with their 24-year-old swine-shrouded colleague before hitting her in the head between 10 and 15 times.
Park security pinched the ...Illinois hotel backs out of hosting Muslim group conference
Jul 12th, 2010 at 11:00AM: A Muslim group canceled its annual U.S. conference after the Marriott hotel in Oak Brook, a suburb of Chicago, backed out of hosting the event.
American members of Hizb ut-Tahrir planned to hold their annual conference on Sunday, but according to the Chicago Tribune, the hotel sent a cancellation notice and refund to the group organizers about two weeks ago. The one-day event has drawn ...Is the new Hotel Palomar the sign of a rooftop pool trend in Chicago?
Jun 14th, 2010 at 5:30PM:
Some cites get the rooftop pool concept right. Chicago is not the first place that would come to mind, but if we're being honest, when summer descends on Chicago, it's like God is smiling. Its winter weather gives the city a bad rap for the rest of the year, but outside of snow season, visitors to Chi-town could use the mercy of a cool dip.
Kimpton's Hotel Palomar, which opened in March in ...Corn Palace to the Jolly Green Giant: 10 Midwest roadside attractions you must see
Jun 9th, 2010 at 12:00PM: America's heartland is home to plentiful crops, rolling hills and orange sunsets. You can find a Dairy Queen next to a cherry tree and park yourself in front of a drive-in movie on a hot summer night. There's also the world's largest bottle of ketchup, and enchanted highway and the Jolly Green Giant.... wait, what?
It's true, travelers. The Midwest is home to many quirky attractions that might ...The Afro-Punk Festival: not your mama's punk show
May 5th, 2010 at 5:00PM: Each week, Gadling is taking a look at our favorite festivals around the world. From music festivals to cultural showcases to the just plain bizarre, we hope to inspire you to do some festival exploring of your own. Come back each Wednesday for our picks or find them all HERE.
You think you know what punk is. But you haven't seen anything until you've joined the thousands of head-bangers who ...16 great farmers' markets
Apr 15th, 2010 at 3:00PM:
Farmers' markets are not only a great way to sample a community's natural bounty, they're also a unique setting to experience its culture. While each farmers' market is different, a really good farmers' market brings a sense of community to the cities and municipalities where they operate. Wondering where you can experience some of the freshest produce, tastiest snacks and friendliest people ...Exploring the Illinois wine trail
Mar 26th, 2010 at 2:00PM:
When people think about American wine, the region that comes to mind is the West Coast. And that makes sense - the majority of wine production in the United States does take place in California, Oregon and Washington. What many people don't realize is that America is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, right behind the major heavyweights of France, Spain and Italy.
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