Tagged With "Schoodic Point"
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Re: Ryanair's O'Leary: I have a way to make flying free
I hope I didn't sound as if I were kicking him, although at points he's opened himself to it, and I think intentionally...in his business, gejotting noticed is important and he's good at it. And, as you point out, he's reshaped an entire industry, nearly on a worldwide basis. Even Uber and Airbnb haven't achieved that degree of 'disruption.'
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Re: Tips to help with packing no matter where you are going
Adding to Mac's point. A big turning point for us was when we started packing for 7 days, no matter how much longer the trip. Usually we have a washer in the apartments we rent, but when not, there's always a laundromat nearby, and usually one that will wash and fold while we tour. We don't often enough change locations to want to keep everything packed (and anyway, I'm a compulsive unpacker) so some of the tools are less useful to us...but I do remind everyone that shoes are actually...
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#230)
And here are the final clues for this week's puzzle. I think these should help pin point where we're at. The reveal goes up on Monday so good luck with solving the puzzle.
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Re: Notes and Noticings from the road
Actually, I think the banks have a fairly minimal (as small as I can make it) impact on my currency transactions, in part because I never deal with exchanges; I use bank ATMs. That way, the exchange takes place not on my account, but as an interbank transaction at the base rate banks use with each other. I used to use my ATM card from Citibank, but eventually they began charging a 3% foreign exchange fee even on withdrawals. At that point, I opened an account with Charles Schwab, a brokerage...
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Re: What's the Best City in the World to Eat in?
I won't claim any city to be the best in the world—at least not until I have time to visit them all! I'm always skeptical anyway about "the best" "the most" and so forth. That said, I'll also add that the best is not always the most expensive or famous. And I'm pleased to see that he's not pushing posh places, but rather inexpensive curry houses and a 24-hour cafe. His point seems to be that London is the best city to eat in because it is, his opinion, the best city to BE in. So, I'll...
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Re: Where Gumbo Was #14: A Sewer Journey
IslandMan - Good one ! Your island home of Malta is an interesting case in point of modern water and wastewater management. The limestone and clay geology there leads to rapid groundwater runoff during the winter rains. Because of this, precious water is reused after treatment in one of the two above ground sewer plants. Water has always been a very valuable resource on the island. Perhaps you might like to make a report sometime about the natural springs and history of the Maqluba doline in...
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? #11
Well, here it is Friday night, and I see everyone gathered around to see what's in the Gumbo (e)mailbag and here...because indeed, the mystery has again been solved. Gumbo was in the Roman Arena at Arles, deep in the heart of Roman France. First to point at the site (but not to actually claim it) was Port Moresby, who contributed a picture of it at 1 pm on Wednesday while others were pointing out other Roman arenas. PM was followed by TravelandNature at 11 pm that night—you'll have noted...
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Re: Where We Went: London, Paris, Toronto
That's a great point! I never like "best" lists, anyway...and like to stray into any place that looks good and take a chance on whether it's "Zagat-quality." The cost of living is interesting, too, especially for travelers on tight budgets; my experience in Portugal last summer (see BLOG here on TravelGumbo) has sent a couple of younger colleagues off to plan Portugal trips instead of more expensive parts of Europe.
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Re: Should Wi-Fi be free in all hotels?
Technically, it would be possible to create very large WiFi zones, whether free or paid. But since someone gets paid (either on the meter, or a fee for the project) and there is a cost to constructing/installing the equipment to broadcast that signal...it won't happen unless someone is paying. In the case of the hotel, picking up on rbciao's point about breakfast--have you noticed that the free WiFi and the free breakfast tend to come with the budget chains, while the high-end places charge...
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Re: Should Wi-Fi be free in all hotels?
Actually, privatized toll roads are the coming thing these days! Some states have sold off roads; others have allowed private companies to build from scratch. The road to Dulles Airport near Washington is a prime example. But the comparisons to WiFi here don't really work. No one charged extra for electric light in hotels when it was new; it simply replaced the gas lighting. It took 70 years of broadcasting to create a pay system. As for WiFi, or internet access in hotels generally, it's not...
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? 7.5
It seems to be "Leopold", a symbolic 1890's photographer, by David Clemons, Higgins Point, Lake Coeur d'Alene in northern Idaho.
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? 7.5
Originally Posted by PortMoresby: It seems to be "Leopold", a symbolic 1890's photographer, by David Clemons, Higgins Point, Lake Coeur d'Alene in northern Idaho. Well done Port Moresby. However there is a minor point about the location. Higgens Point (yes, this is the correct spelling) is about 0.2 mile southeast of the location of the statue. The statue is actually located on the 34 acre Coeur d'Alene Parkway, a thin strip of park land running along the Centennial Trail for about 1/2 mile...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Feb. 2, 2014: New York Harbor at Sea Level
My only experience of being on the water in NY Harbor was a lesson in perspective and point of view, as this one is. Seen from a clear distance in this way, a great city is an entirely different beast.
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Re: The "Eiffel Tour" Only Starts with the Tour Eiffel
T&N, you make an interesting point about the air circulation and coolness of Eiffel's building. These days we are constantly reading about advances in "green design," intended to reduce excess energy use. Ironic how well some of those principles of making life bearable were known so long ago by those who didn't have the option of mechanical air-conditioning! Another example is in today's blog about Gaudi's Casa Battlo in Barcelona, which uses an open well through the center of the...
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Re: Ottawa – NOT the coldest Capital in the world!
Nice article, but have to point out that the "Capitol" is a building in Washington DC while Ottawa (and Washington DC itself for that matter) are the "capitals" of their countries. One letter, but very different meanings.
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Re: Canal St-Martin in Paris/Where Locals and Travelers Mix
The Canal St.-Martin area is also good for food. One of the best-regarded new bakeries, Des Idees et du Pain is on its edge, and there's a great twice-a-week open-air market between the point where it goes underground and Bastille.
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Re: Please Don't Squeeze the Passengers: Airbus
Interesting point, Mac. Large planes with bright decor somehow seem to me roomier, even if the seat is the same size. I think there's a balance between physical comfort and "feel" that airlines may not always recognize. On the other hand, I've been on 777s that had so little division of space that my mental image was sitting in a huge concert hall...and felt a bit uncomfortable from that!
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Re: Renting an apartment in Europe
Good tips about Google Maps street view. I guess I should have thought of it, like as a good way to scout out an area. But I guess I still don't know if that is a safe area. How can you see of a place is safe. PortMoresby has a good point. I like having space in a room and being able to spread out. That doesn't mean you have to cook.
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Re: Finishing college. Need help planning trip to U.K,
Hi guys, hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. It was good to be with my family again. Visiting and catching up with everyone took longer than I'd thought, but did do a little research into the trip and came out with this plan. Basically, with GarryRF's advice, I think I'll focus my time in the north to save money cause my budget is limited. After that I'll finish my vacation in London and Paris. I need to find places to stay but more important now just to frame the trip. The details I...
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Re: The Tulou of Fujian Province
HistoryDigger, I'll explain. At the end of the first day of tulou visits, the large tour bus rendezvoused with a small van and it was indicated that I should bring my things and come with a young man. Since no one could explain, I had to simply trust and go along, an interesting sensation. I later realized that I was the only one who had opted for the second day. The young man drove me to a very basic village of mostly new buildings built, I suspect but of course don't know, for...
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Re: Capital of Culture Series: Liverpool
No offense intended, PHeymont. I was trying to make a point that the modern reality is very different than the "reputation".
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Re: Capital of Culture Series: Liverpool
Garry...I certainly did not mean to pick on Liverpool, or to pick it out of the very large crowd consisting of all large cities of the time. My point was that the reputation that Dr. F mentioned was not untrue--but was also nothing special about Liverpool. All the great and interesting places have been through that stage, and to some extent it will never end. While Prof. Rosner's description is a little simplified and sensationalized, it could serve as a prototype for writing about most...
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Re: Airbus Survey: 41% Willing to Pay for More Space
Good for Airbus! It seems the airline industry may have reached a tipping point where people will pay a little more for a little comfort. I hope that's the case and that they listen and provide options. I always look for a good airfare, but I also look at what kind of comfort that airfare buys me and am willing to pay a little more for a little more. 8-12 hours on a plane is not great fun, although I can divert my attention usually. But it's made infinitely more pleasant by a few extra...
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Re: Whom did you say was flying this plane?
GarryRF makes a great point. Computers are very sophisticated and can do a lot. But they lack "human judgement". Call me old fashioned, but I'm more comfortable with a human pilot flying my aircraft.
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Re: Do you Like these Hotel Tipping Tips ?
Garry, I think you missed my point. I, too, want a decent meal and good service...and when the owner sets up conditions in which either one is impossible, no matter how willing the staff...well, it's the owner who should shape up or ship out of the business.
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Re: Best Outdoor Workout Spots?
What, me, break a sweat ? No no. You will find me under the umbrella at the beach, sipping mai tais. I can watch you energetic people run in the surf or chase a Frisbee from my shady vantage point.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 4, 2013: Patterns from the Air
Originally Posted by DrFumblefinger: With the softening of TSA inflight electronic requirements, this should be even less of an issue in the future. Hello, good Dr. F That is a good point. Sure, the flight attendants ought to be less fussy now.
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Re: United's Award Chart: Premium Award Cost Goes UP
John's point about the ratio between the two tiers is interesting (we looked at that a little in a forum post this week on value of miles). My guess--and it's just that--is that the same kind of yield-management used to set prices has taken a look at this and is carefully balancing loyalty vs. burn... I can't really compare East vs West availability personally; my school schedules have defined when I can travel well enough that I'm able to start hunting tickets 330 days out, when the...
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Re: Photo sharing services
I've used Picasa Web Albums (linked with the Picasa desktop software, by the way) from Google for that; I upload the raw pictures as an archive (not shared) and then a selection of edited ones that are shared with whoever I give the link to. Free up to a point, and added storage is pretty cheap. the one downside is that you occasionally have to click some links to say that NO, you do not want it linked to Google+ The other reasonable choice is DropBox; once you've created a folder in your...
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Re: AAA Premier a Good Idea for Budget Travelers
That's an excellent point, Travel Rob. The Premier AAA card is the way to go. But I believe it is only offered to long-time valued members of AAA. You can't walk in off the street and ask to be a Premier Member, at least that's my impression. They will offer it to you. But you should ask for it if you've been a AAA member for quite a while for all the reasons Rob outlines.
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Re: Air Miles vs Low Fare Airline
Call it whatever you like, but I seem to have missed your point. But, no matter, MY point was simply that I see no excuse for charging astonishingly different prices for the same product, transportation from point A to point B, on partner airlines ostensibly selling the same thing.
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Re: Alitalia: No money, but new uniforms
I'd suggest that, designer duds aside, Alitalia has arrived at this point in the company history because someone, or someones, has their head you know where. I was on an Alitalia flight this past Thursday and for those hours I was unable to put my knees together, so stingy was the leg room (aka "pitch") for my steerage-class seat. I had to place my feet on either side of the seat-back pocket and there they stayed. I'm a mere 5'6" in height and I felt for the tall guy next to me who was...
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Re: The Lure of Stonehenge
I've never written a review and used the opening paragraph to criticise a few idiots I may have encountered. Of which there have been many. Nor have I needed to draw on the bad experience of another to make a critical point. I've never heard it called "Boring" and I've been here for 60 years. I suppose this will add to the list of "Warm Beer" questions I find boring whenever I visit my American Family. Nice photo's.
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Re: November 26, 2017: Ranakpur: The Most Delicate Jain Temple
You are absolutely right. Not only is Ranakpur a convenient stopping-off point between Jodhpur and Udaipur, it is also one of Rajasthan's gems. We spent several hours there last year exploring both the main temple and the adjoining one. There were a few other tourists there, but it seems that most tours bypass the site completely.
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Re: Is your airport bin clean enough? Maybe not.
I think I'd rather have rubber globes patting me down than someone's sweaty hands! But your point is well taken. The intrusion of airport security into our privacy is truly shameful.
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo? (#261)
Here are the Saturday clues...a little off the beaten path. Offshore from our vantage point, a ship approaches port, and outside the area we're visiting, a windmill shows that all is not in vane. Sorry, couldn't resist!
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Re: Gallery: Jewel Cave National Monument, South Dakota
If memory serves me correctly, the tour was about 90 minutes. Yes, it was quite cool down there but since I had made the trip in late August, it was quite refreshing to be there. At one point, the guide turned out the lights so the guests could see what true darkness really looks like. I have been in the dark before but not like this, it even seemed to mess with your equilibrium and I felt like I wasn't going to stay upright. Yes DrF, that is a "bacon strip" formation. Water running down a...
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Re: Is it time to regulate airplane seats? Chris Elliott thinks so!
I'm not sure it's the case that mandating a decent space would raise fares...in the past, we've certainly seen that fares have a resistance point, and airlines have backed down from increases at times. Also worth noting that fares seem largely based on competition rather than actual expense involved; that's why it's often cheaper to fly NY to LA than NY to Kansas City! And, as Chris Elliott points out, having people fighting over seat space has led to expensive consequences, too...
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Re: A Busy Weekend in Philadelphia
Gary, that's a good point about stores closing at 5 so people can go home to their families, and I'm glad you mentioned that. Sometimes us impatient fast-walking New Yorkers need to be reminded of that. I did love how walkable Philly is, and the slower feel was perfect for a weekend getaway.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Jan. 18, 2015: Darkness into Light
Admittedly these cabins lacked the comforts of the white plantation owner's dwellings, but they are much nicer than many homes I have seen in my travels. I think here specifically of the huts made of cow dung and sticks in Tanzania as an example. I am also inclined to see the interior as a place of safety to those who lived in them, but understand your point and the metaphor.
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo? #56
Okay. This is starting to bug me. Apple on the kid's head? Nixon-like gesture on one of the lower guys? One guy super-demonstrating point? Is bottom guy taking a picture? I'm trying to gain a theme and figure out the setting. Newer building with older building in back? HELP!! Lynn
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Re: Why the Return of Frommers Guidebooks is a Big Deal
A thought about guidebooks: They started, really, as travel diaries of people who had happened to travel somewhere, for one reason or another—but not just for travel. De Toqueville comes to mind, and others after. Of course, these books all had a point of view! Many of the modern guidebook series don't really seem to have that, at least not a clear guiding philosophy. Rather, they tend to be comprehensive tomes—useful but not endearing. I always thought one of the best qualities of the...
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Re: Marriott to offer free wi-fi to all its Rewards member
The main clients of larger upscale hotels are business travelers, not mom and pop travelers. These are the same travelers that pay 10x what we pay to fly at the back of the plane for the privilege of a slightly larger seat and being able to get out 4 minutes before I do. Most don't care about wifi charges because their businesses pick them up. I think Marriott's action is a step in the right direction and they should be applauded for it. I've been a premier Marriott member for years so I get...
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Re: Marriott to offer free wi-fi to all its Rewards member
While business travelers are important to those brands, Marriott and the others make a big pitch to fill those rooms with vacationing and weekending families and couples, too—and I'm sure you've seen a lot of them there. As you point out, the cost of WiFi for business travelers is usually absorbed by the company, so it's hard to see why this new benefit would be attractive to them, since it's already essentially free for them. So it seems obvious that the benefit is, in fact, aimed at the...
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Re: Expensive Surface Pro 3, Great for Travelers
As you point out, it's a very expensive tablet...more so than even Apple's offerings! As far as advantages for air travelers, that's a question also. For the past year or so, we've had to take the Kindles out at security as well as the laptops. I always did wonder why tablets were treated differently...and now it appears TSA has, too!
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Re: AirBnB vs New York. Update
Listings on Airbnb are done as independent contractors and while Airbnb can advise their listers to comply, and do, I don't think they will, or even should, be responsible for that compliance. Companies who hire independent contractors , including Airbnb, aren't responsible for those people doing what they're supposed to do. I think it's unrealistic to suppose that what isn't a requirement in other industries, should be in this one. One may want them to be responsible for everyone's...
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Re: AirBnB vs New York. Update
Well, I see the point of your argument, but even without any liability on Airbnb's part it could work. Part A) If the local jurisdiction (NY or elsewhere) catches you in violation you can be fined, or whatever penalty. Part B) on notification by local jurisdiction that a listing is in violation, agency required to remove listing. I'm sure Airbnb and others would be able to work with that...they're willing to collect taxes and this would be far less burdensome than that!
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Re: AirBnB vs New York. Update
I'd love it if they collected the bed tax here. Since they don't, and it's my impression that few here pay it, including it as part of my fee creates an imbalance for me, making it appear as though I'm getting more than I do. I state the breakdown in my listing but hardly anyone actually reads the listings. If they collected it, it would give a fair comparison of the room rate with the taxes added on at the end, as the fees are now. I think, though, despite what seems a good idea from the...
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Re: World's 10 Best Airports? Maybe...
I think the comments, and mine are all hitting on the same point: better airport is not more amenities for while you're trapped there...better airport is not trapping you there. I get disbelieving stares when I tell people that Laguardia is my favorite. But, while it looks a bit dated, its size means you don't have ridiculous hikes, and it's easy to get in and get out. Heathrow T5, on the other hand...especially if you are transferring from T3...is an experience that makes you feel like...
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Re: Impression about Perth, Australia
I've actually visited Perth, attending a medical meeting there some years back. I really enjoyed the city. Mostly modern, but with historic colonial era buildings. Very friendly people, especially considering they're all descended from convicts (a point of pride and good humor with them, I found). Perth was a good springboard for a road-trip around southwestern Australia, including a drive up to Shark's Bay, through the wildflower way (am I remember that name correctly), down to the large...