TripCart :: The Travel Blog

Picture of the Day (06/18/07) - From TripCart

No clue what the story behind this one is.  From Kane County, Illinois.

(thanks Sintex)

LEGO Art at Discovery Center Museum

Why be a lawyer when you can play with LEGOs for a living?  We guess that's what Nathan Sawaya was thinking when he quit his day job to play with the famous little plastic bricks all day.  This show at the Discovery Center in Rockford, Illinois features 30 of his pieces as part of his first solo art exhibit.  Some of his work includes a 7-foot Brooklyn Bridge and life-size version of a Tyronasaurus Rex.  The show is $5 for adults and runs through Labor Day.

(thanks flyawaycafe)

Picture of the Day (06/17/07) - From TripCart

"A feeding flock of Snow Geese take flight after being scared from the cornfield at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. Often it's a coyote that spooks them or other predators. While not equal in flock size to the morning fly out, these "fright flights" are an impressive spectacle in and of themselves."

(thanks again fort photo)

The T-List Part II

• » 2 GO GLOBAL
• » A Long Ride
• » Absolut BCN - Blog de Barcelona
• » Airport Blog
• » Andrew Pascoe's Under The Rotunda blog
• » Aquela Passagem
• » Argentina’s Travel Guide
• » Back of House in DXB
• » BedJump.com - Bed Jump - Hotel Bed Jumping
• » Blog Rydges.com
• » blog.entornao
• » Blog.rydges.com
• » Brand Canada Blog
• » Brave New Traveler - Online Travel Magazine
• » Brazil Travel Blog
• » Buenos Aires Argentina Guide |
• » Buenos Aires Daily
• » Buenos Aires through my eyes
• » Buenos Aires, City of Faded Elegance
• » Bull City Mutterings
• » Chileno - Life in Santiago, Chile Travel
• » Chronicles of On The Road Travel
• » Comercialización hotelera? a donde vamos?
• » De Viajero.com
• » Diane Clarkson
• » E-hotel
• » eHotelTools.com - Index
• » eurotrip
• » Family Travel
• » Farecastblog.com
• » Foreign Perspectives
• » France This Way
• » Frank Arr - an aussie microsoft blogger
• » Gadling
• » Geeky Traveller - A Travel Blog for Nerds
• » Guía de Viajes - La Aventura de Viajar
• » HISTORY INTERNATIONAL - Drive Thru History
• » Holiday Pad 2.0 - The Holiday and Vacation Weblog
• » Hotel Internet Marketing News and Know-How
• » Hoteles
• » http://www.tr-avel.com/
• » Jaunted -The Pop Culture Travel Guide
• » Jen's Site
• » Jens Thraenhart
• » Kulinarisch Reisen - Blog der Österreich Werbung
• » La Descripción del Mundo
• » Leatherwood Trail - Home Page
• » Line of sight
• » LocalHotelDirectory.com
• » locuraviajes
• » Lonely Planet | Travel Blog
• » Los viajes de Jota
• » m-Travel.com and Travel Distribution News
• » Marketing Turístico
• » My Marrakesh
• » New York Traveler
• » Normandy Gite - Le Gaillon
• » Nos vamos de turismo!
• » Notas do Turismo
• » Online Travel Review -- Daily Airline News
• » Our Journals -  Netherlands
• » Pasa en Buenos Aires
• » Randy's Journal
• » Real  Travel
• » Relactions blog
• » Rumboperdido
• » The Lobby from SPG
• » Touristik-Blog hokat.de
• » Trabber Noticias
• » Travel & Tourism Technology Trends
• » Travel Blog @ National Geographic Traveler
• » Travel Post Insider
• » Travel Start-Ups
• » Travel Stuff
• » Travelvice
• » TurismoNet : Biblioteca digital
• » Vagablogging :: Rolf Potts Vagabonding Blog
• » Valencia está de moda
• » Viaje na Viagem
• » Voy de viaje
• » Vuelos Baratos en Internet
• » Vuelos Baratos en Internet
• » World Hum | Travel Dispatches from a Shrinking Planet

Picture of the Day (06/16/07) - From TripCart

On Lake Huron in Oscoda, Michigan.

(thanks again tEdGuY49)

A Giant List of Travel Blogs

The T-List was started a while back as a way to aggregate all of the travel blogs out there (and to help boost their presence).  This list is probably the best run-down you will find for travel related blogs, some of these focus on the travel industry, others on hotels, and still others are just blogs about traveling in general.  This should keep you busy for a few days-

• » A Luxury Travel Blog
• » aaron dalrymple
• » Adirondack Base Camp
• » ADV Italia
• » Air France Mexico - Weblog
• » Albert Barra
• » Apple Core Hotels
• » Aviación Digital
• » Bitácora de viajes
• » Blog de gestión turística
• » Blog de Viajes
• » Blog on Travel
• » BlogsdeTurismo.com
• » BootBlog
• » Brief Blog
• » BuhlerWorks by Joe Buhler
• » CampingCoop.org
• » de viaje a Brasil
• » Desde el Río Paraná a Tierra del Fuego
• » Despegar
• » Diario del Viajero
• » DondeViajar.es
• » Dot tourism
• » Dutto Relaciones Públicas
• » E-Mercadeo.com Marketing 2.0 en Internet
• » en transición
• » Entradas 31-40 » Diario del Viajero
• » Entreprendre dans le e-Tourisme
• » Erin Julian
• » Escapadas Europa.
• » eTourismus.info
• » Europe A La Carte Blog
• » Explorando Perú
• » Exposed Planet
• » FastenYourSeatbelts.at
• » General Manager's Blog - Opus Hotel Vancouver
• » Happy Hotelier
• » Hawthorne Hotel
• » Hotel Blog
• » Hotel Blogs by Guillaume Thevenot
• » HotelChatter
• » Hotels , Friends and more…..personal blog
• » Ibiza a pie de foto
• » inFlightHQ — Business Travel Blog
• » Intermundial
• » Kirkland Weblog
• » Kiwi Viajero
• » La Coctelera: ZuHause - Inicio
• » Les Explorers
• » Living with Legends: Hotel Chelsea Blog
• » Marriot on the Move
• » Me-go: Around-the-World
• » Megustaelturismo
• » Mike Wylie
• » Mochileros.org
• » My Travel Backpack
• » National Geographic Inside Traveler
• » New York Hospitality
• » New York Traveler
• » Newyorkology
• » Notes from the Road - Travels in City and Country
• » Planeta Viajes
• » Primera Clase
• » Radaron
• » Rolling Rains Report
• » Social Media On the Fly
• » The Cottage Chat
• » The Cranky Flier
• » The Front Desk
• » The Lost Girls
• » The McCluskey Blog
• » The Sydney Morning Herald Blogs: Travel
• » The Travel & Hospitality Diaries
• » The Travel Cooler - travel articles and photographs
• » The Travel PR Blog
• » The World Is Not Flat
• » They Let Her Travel
• » Tim Leffel’s Cheapest Destinations
• » Toni Mascaró Blog Barcelona
• » Top viajeros
• » Tourism Internet Marketing Blog
• » Tourismus - Zukunft
• » Touristikblog.de
• » Travel and Web 2.0
• » Travel Horizons
• » Travel Rants
• » Travel Weekly Blog
• » TravelerWIRE
• » Travolution Blog
• » Travel & Tourism Technology Trends
• » TripAdvisor: We Are Not Making This Up.
• » TripCart :: The Travel Blog
• » TURISMO + ACTUALIDAD
• » Two Dog Zoo Travel
• » Viajar Asia.
• » Viator Travel Blog
• » Web 2.0 Travel Tools
• » Weekendhotel Weblog
• » Xavier Cobos
• » Yahoo! 360° - Profile - Lodgeman's Profile
• » Zeitgeist

Picture of the Day (06/14/07) - From TripCart

An amazing HDR of Stinson Beach from Mt. Tamalpais in California.

(thanks warzauwynn)

Drive and Surf - Multitask While You Drive

After you rent a car, you throw on the bluetooth headset, plug in the iPod and hit the road.  But driving is so boring, it would be so much more entertaining if you could surf the web while you were driving instead of having to stare at the stupid road the whole time.  Avis has decided to bring the internet to the road with their new service that started a few weeks ago in San Francisco, Oakland and LA and is set to spread to Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, New York and Seattle by the end of the year.  The Avis Connect service costs $11 a day and will be available until enough people crash their rental cars trying to merge between lanes and look at porn at the same time.

(thanks businesstravelupdates)

Picture of the Day (06/13/07) - From TripCart

Live Oaks in South Georgia.

(thanks old shoe woman)

Crash Cars

Summertime is upon us which means that it's time to hit the road while you take advantage of your paltry 12 vacation days a year.  Have you ever been on the interstate and wondered what that shiny, new 2007 Ford Mustang would look like after a head-on collision?  Well Consumer Reports was kind enough to post their videos of crash tests of tons and tons of cars.  Just pick the car manufacturer and model and then sit back and watch it get it totaled.

Related posts: Men Have 77% Higher Risk of Dying on the Roads • Drive and Surf - Multitask While You Drive • New York City Taxi Upgrade • New York Taxis of the Future • Las Vegas Casinos Go Boom

Picture of the Day (06/12/07) - From TripCart

Occidental Park in Pioneer Square, Seattle.

(thanks again dean forbes)

Ho-Jo's is a No-Go

Consumer Reports recently released their results from a survey of over 35,000 participants and Howard Johnson racked up the most complaints of any chain with 55% of respondants reporting some kind of problem during their stay.  According to the survey their beds also suck.  Ritz-Carlton was the highest rated in overall satisfaction followed by Homewood Suites and SpringHill Suites.  Of the budget hotels, Microtel scored highest.  Ironically, the survey found that the cheaper the hotel the more likely they were to offer free amenities like breakfast and internet access (60% of high-end hotels charge for internet access compared to just 10% at budget hotels).  The survey also found that as both business and leisure travel continues to rise, so do prices, with fewer vacancies (and bargains) available. 

(thanks hotel hotsheet)

Picture of the Day (06/11/07) - From TripCart

The sunset near Del Mar, California.

(thanks MS4JAH)

Get Ready to Wait This Summer

Word on the street is that there are going to be tons of delays for people trying to fly this summer.  David Field, editor of Airline Business magazine, was recently interviewed on NPR's All Things Considered; he cites antiquated traffic control technology and smaller planes as the source of much of the trouble.  Field places the rest of the blame on airlines for padding flight times and over-scheduling arrivals.  Interesting listening, as always, from our bestest friends at public radio.

(thanks smartertravel)

Picture of the Day (06/10/07) - From TripCart

From the East Village in NYC.

(thanks mdumlao98)

Picture of the Day (06/09/07) - From TripCart

Just north of Marquette, Iowa, in Allamakee County.

(thanks todd ehlers)

Picture of the Day (06/08/07) - From TripCart

Coyote Buttes North, Paria Canyon - Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness, Arizona.

(thanks stefan mendelsohn)

Blast From the Past in Tulsa, Oklahoma

If you're plotting a cross-county road trip this summer you might want to plan on being in Tulsa on the 15th of this month.  To amaze the Earth's future inhabitants the residents of Tulsa decided to build a time capsule containing a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere Sports Coup, a case of Schlitz beer, and a bunch of other products.  The Tulsa Tribune relates the story from June, 15th 1957:

A 1957 automobile was buried in the courthouse lawn today - with a bottle of tranquilizer pills in the glove compartment.

Into the hole with the new Plymouth hardtop went a steel "time capsule'' containing assorted documents and artifacts of Oklahoma's semi-centennial year.

The car, mounted on a steel skid and swathed in a plastic and paper wrapping, was lowered into the concrete-lined well no the southeast corner of the lawn during dedicatory ceremonies marking the observance of Golden Jubilee Week here.

"This is the sort of thing that could happen only in Tulsa,'' commented Chairman Lewis Roberts Sr. "We have been amazed - although I guess we shouldn't have been - by the cooperation of every one concerned in making this event possible.

"Although the cost of the automobile is a major item, of course, Tulsans have contributed time, machinery and materials and services far beyond the initial cost.''

The vault will be opened in 2007. The automobile will be awarded then to the person who guessed nearest to the city's population figure at that time. If he or she is not living, the award goes to the heirs, along with the proceeds from a $100 trust fund. Guesses have been microfilmed and are sealed in the steel capsule.

Many are worried that the Plymouth may have turned into a rustbox over the intervening years.  Below is a video of the time capsule from 1957.

(thanks telstar logistics)

Picture of the Day (06/06/07) - From TripCart

Edisto Beach in South Carolina.

(thanks dejay181)

The Most Luxurios Spots in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is growing at incredible rate, in the last decade the number of people visiting per year has gone up about 25% and the number of hotel rooms will have almost doubled between 1996 and 2010.  Forbes has compiled their list of the best places in Sin City to live in the lap of luxury-

• Best Luxury Hotel - The Venetian - this 4,000+ room behemoth is the most lavish property in town
• Best Hotel Suite - Hugh Hefner Sky Villa at The Palms - it's a 2-story 9,000-square-foot behemoth whose living room can hold 250 people and costs a measly $40,000 a night
• Best Nightclub - Studio 54 at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino - trapeze artists, go-go dancers and four floors of party space
• Best Place for Poker Players - The Poker Room at the Bellagio - 30 tables and world-renowned players
• Best Entertainment - Cirque de Soleil at the Mirage - world famous performers in a theater with 360-degree seating and panoramic video projection
• Best Resort Hotel - Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas - 17 miles off the strip with both mountain and desert views
• Best Restaurant - Rosemary's - this place got more votes than any other in this year's Zagat's
• Best Spa - The Canyon Ranch Spa Club at the Venetian - over 120 services from acupuncture to Ashiatsu

Picture of the Day (06/05/07) - From TripCart

Donath Lake near Fort Collins, Colorado.

(thanks mfajardo)

Picture of the Day (06/04/07) - From TripCart

The Oracle Headquarters in Redwood Shores, California.

(thanks (nz)dave)

New Street Furniture in New York

The Big Apple just dropped the big sum of a billion bucks for 3500 bus stations, 330 news stands (shown in the picture above), and 20 public toilets that will soon be popping up all over the city.  The new street candy was designed by Nicholas Grimshaw Architects and is composed of 95% recyclable materials.  We like the look (TreeHugger has shots of the other installations) but we would have preferred something that looked a little more old school.

(thanks treehugger )

Picture of the Day (06/03/07) - From TripCart

Montana highway.

(thanks intimaj)

Followup: Top 15 Sightings from Google Street Views

Last week we told you about the new Street Views on Google Maps, over at Mashable they've compiled the top 15 sightings so far.  People are really getting into the new street view and lots of people have managed to find some pretty peculiar stuff (like this apparent robbery in progress above), and some pretty embarrassing stuff as well - it's two parts cool and one part scary (and three parts absurdly embarrassing if you're the guy coming out of the strip club).  Wired also seems to be keeping tabs on all the new pictures that are cropping up.

Related posts: We're Back / Google Street View Update • Walk Down the Street with Google Maps Street View • AIA and Google Earth Team Up

Related travel guides: Places to Visit in Seattle, Washington • Tourist Attractions in Los Angeles, California • Tourist Attractions in Washington D.C. • Places to Visit in Manhattan and New York City

Recommended Highlights: Killington Ski Resort - Vermont • Stowe Ski Resort - Burlington, Vermont • Ski Beech Mountain Resort - North Carolina • Potomac Mills Outlet Mall - Prince William, Virginia • Montgomery Mall - North Wales, Pennsylvania

Picture of the Day (06/02/07) - From TripCart

Old Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys.

(thanks key lime pie)

Picture of the Day (06/01/07) - From TripCart

A bridge over the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky.

(thanks Daniel Light)

Picture of the Day (05/31/07) - From TripCart

Sunset at the Glacier Ridge Metro Park in Plain City, Ohio (best viewed large).

(thanks steve took it)

Picture of the Day (05/30/07) - From TripCart

From the Paris Theater on Washington Avenue in South Beach, Miami.

(thanks alexcarvalho)

Walk Down the Street with Google Maps Street View

Google's at it again, they've just made a major upgrade to their Google Map software for San Francisco, New York, Las Vegas, Miami, and Denver.  Now there's a nifty new feature called "Street View" which lets you get a pretty sweet 360-view of the area.  This is a good way to kill an hour.  Below is a moderately goofy video explaining how the street view works.

Related posts: We're Back / Google Street View Update • Biking Like a Dork in San Francisco • fastfoodmaps.com • MapQuest Does Gas • Google Maps - Now With Traffic • AIA and Google Earth Team Up

Related travel guides with Shopping Malls on a Google Map view: Mall of America - Bloomington, Minnesota • South Coast Plaza - Costa Mesa, California • Mall of Georgia - Buford, Georgia • Woodfield Mall - Schaumburg, Illinois • Ontario Mills - Ontario, California • Willowbrook Mall - Wayne, New Jersey • Roosevelt Field Mall - Long Island, New York • Dolphin Mall - Miami, Florida • Brea Mall - Brea, California • Glendale Galleria - Glendale, California • Regency Mall - Racine, Wisconsin • Jefferson Mall - Louisville, Kentucky • The Woodlands Mall - near Houston, Texas • Memorial City Mall - Houston, Texas • Katy Mills Mall - Katy, Texas • Fayette Mall - Lexington, Kentucky • Lynnhaven Mall - Virginia Beach, Virginia • Southridge Mall - Greendale, Wisconsin • Citadel Mall - Charleston, South Carolina • Broward Mall - Plantation, Florida • Baybrook Mall - Friendswood, Texas • Lenox Square Mall - Atlanta, Georgia • Smithhaven Mall - Lake Grove, New York • Deerbrook Mall - Humble, Texas • Walt Whitman Mall - Huntington Station, New York • Augusta Mall - Augusta, Georgia • Ingram Park Mall - San Antonio, Texas