TripCart :: The Travel Blog

Picture of the Day (04/20/07) - From TripCart

Shelby Forest on the outskirts of Memphis, Tennessee.

(thanks hrtmnstrfr)

Los Angeles Time-lapse

We're such suckers for time-lapse videos.  The one above is artist Tim Biskup throwing up a mural at 616 N. La Brea in Los Angeles.  If you're going to be in Los Angeles any time soon, stop by and check it out.

(thanks again boingboing)

Picture of the Day (04/19/07) - From TripCart

Death Valley, California.

(thanks ozyman)

Picture of the Day (04/18/07) - From TripCart

Sunset on the west end of Oahu, Hawaii.

(thanks christopherdale)

Annie Leibovitz Last Weekend in San Diego

We told you back in October about Annie Leibovitz's retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum. Well, her exhibit is now on the West Coast for one last weekend.  If you want to see a fifteen year retrospective of some of her best professional work, swing by the San Diego Museum of Art by April 22nd before the exhibit ends (the museum warns that you may be waiting up to an hour to get in over the weekend). Leibovitz is known for her portraits of many notable public figures including: Colin Powell, Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt, Bill Clinton, Demi Moore, William S. Burroughs and many more.

(thanks flyawaycafe)

Related posts: Annie and the Bigwigs in Brooklyn • Magritte in LA • Ron Mueck at the Brooklyn Museum of Art • LEGO Art at Discovery Center Museum • Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art Opens on the Water • Free Museums

Related travel guides: Arts and Entertainment in Southern California Coast

Picture of the Day (04/17/07) - From TripCart

Nicholas T says-

Late-day light, Blue Mountain, Carbon County, [Pennsylvania] as seen from a hillside near Palmerton.

Note the largely denuded slopes of Blue Mountain, as well as the scrub-oak barren on the hill in the foreground. For many years, extensive zinc-smelting operations severely degraded the local environment, destroying vegetation and helping to create soil erosion. The zinc smelters are no longer in operation; the area is now the site of an ambitious Superfund project, and the vegetation and soil are recovering.

Stairway to Heaven Leads to Myrtle Beach?

Led Zeppelin may already be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but we're sure they were jealous when Disney decided to build an Aerosmith roller coaster in Orlando in 1999.  Finally, the fates have smiled on Jimmy Page and Robert Plant and by 2008 Myrtle Beach will be graced with a 15-story looping steel roller coaster that promises to get the Led out.  It will be one of the signature rides at the newly constructed 140-acre Hard Rock theme park.  The park's CEO is thrilled with the cross-generational marketing opportunities: "Led Zeppelin are the icons of hard-rock music, parents and kids alike can relate to the band's music."

(thanks usatoday)

Picture of the Day (04/16/07) - From TripCart

A Great Egret fishing at the Palo Alto Baylands.

(thanks copeg)

10 Overlooked Travel Cities

If you're in the mood for a little R&R and don't feel like hitting vacation meccas like Chicago, San Francisco or New York, maybe you should check out some of the more overlooked cities in our fair country.  According to MSNBC, these second-tier cities have "great art scenes, friendly locals, delectable cuisine and rich history."  Here's the rundown on their suggestions-

• Baltimore - blue crabs, Inner Harbor, Mount Vernon neighborhood
• Fort Lauderdale - upscale beaches, sophisticated museums
• Houston - top-notch orchestras and operas, NASA Space Center
• Kansas City - more fountains than any city outside of Rome, American JAzz Museum
• Louisville - Kentucky Derby, Louisville Slugger Museum
• Minneapolis - building by top architects, booming Mill District
• Pittsburgh - museums, architecture, sizzling nightlife in Oakland
• Portland - breweries, museums, and nearby nature
• Providence - waterside walkways, gondola rides, New England history
• Sacramento - sophisticated food scene, who are we kidding? Just treat yourself right and drive the hour and a half to San Francisco

Related posts: Top 10 Foods to Eat Yourself Into a Wreck • Top 10 Labor Day Destinations • Top 10 Amusement Parks (Outside of Orlando) • Top 10 Tips to Travel in a Post-9/11 World

Picture of the Day (04/15/07) - From TripCart

The Aurora Borealis above Bear Lake, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.

(thanks joshua strong)

Airlines Continue to Pack Them In

Most major airlines flew last month with more seats filled than in any previous March.  Gone are the days of the empty middle seat.  American, Delta, Continental, United, US Airways and Northwest all flew at over 80% occupancy, meaning that virtually every popular flight was completely full.   The March numbers were due partly to Spring Breakers and bad weather that forced airlines to consolidate passengers who were on cancelled flights.

(thanks usatoday)

Picture of the Day (04/14/07) - From TripCart

From Hoffmaster State Park on Lake Michigan.

(thanks curlyson)

Vote for Your Favorite American Architecture

The American Institute of Architects compiled their list of the 150 most significant architectual structures in the US.  You can now view all of them and vote for your favorite at the America's Favorite Architecture website.  You won't be surprised by anything you see in the top 10, but to our eye, the good stuff is towards the back of the pack.  Head over and vote for your favorite and find some inspiration for your next weekend getaway.

(thanks swissmiss)

Related posts: AIA and Google Earth Team Up • Spiffing-up Seattle • Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art Opens on the Water • Steve's Weird House in Seattle • Recycling Vegas • Art Gets Bigger in the Mile High City

Picture of the Day (04/13/07) - From TripCart

From the skies above the Wet Mountains in southern Colorado. 

(thanks Fort Photo)

Northwest Pilot's Pottymouth Gets Flight Canceled

A Northwest Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Detroit was canceled on Saturday after the captain was overheard swearing on his cell phone in the bathroom as passengers boarded the plane.  Here's the official report from Ian Gregor, an FAA spokesman-

He used what was described to me as rude language, at some point during the boarding process, he left the cockpit, went into the front lavatory, locked the door and continued his conversation.  Passengers who were boarding the aircraft could hear his end of the conversation through the lavatory door. When the captain emerged from the bathroom, a passenger confronted him about his behavior, reportedly prompting more cursing by the pilot of the B757 aircraft.

The police determined that there was no need for a sobriety test and Northwest compensated the passengers, however, they were unable to determine why the pilot was so angry with his wife.

(thanks reuters)

Related posts: Don't Take Flight 1659 From Newark To Chicago • Rate An Airport Near You • Airlines Continue to Pack Them In • Atlanta Still Has World's Busiest Airport • Maxim Posts the Top 10 Most Horrific Plane Crashes in Movies

Picture of the Day (04/12/07) - From TripCart

On the road near Lubbock, Texas.

(thanks gunnyrat)

New York Taxis of the Future

New York's ubiquitous yellow taxi cabs are due for an upgrade.  If you happen to be in New York between now and the 15th you can wander over to the New York International Auto Show for the Taxi 07 Exhibit which features some of the newest innovations for New Yorker's favorite form of transportation.  This exhibit is also in celebration of the yellow taxi's 100th year in New York.  The easy to read graphics on the side of the cab pictured above will be seen on all of the taxis in the city by the end of the year.

Related posts: New Street Furniture in New York • New York City Taxi Upgrade • Stalking the News in NYC • America's 150 Favorite Pieces of Architecture

Picture of the Day (04/11/07) - From TripCart

"I had gone to the lake to shoot the sunrise. While at the lake, I met two elderly gentlemen who were getting their boat into the lake for a fishing expedition. Glen and Charles were kind enough to manoever the the boat closer for a decent shot ."

(thanks Thermodynamic)

TripCart's Picture of the Day on Google's My Maps

Grand Canyon Skywalk Reviewed

Recently we posted about the Grand Canyon Skywalk which has just opened to the general public.  Blogger  Tyler Griffin Hicks-Wright managed to visit a week ago and reports back that it actually costs $75 a head (not $25) to check out the Skywalk-

...each person in the line thought they were going to be paying $25 per person. In reality, the tribe was charging another $50 on top of the $25 for each person. You read that right, 75 bucks a pop. The "Question Answerer" explained it to us:

"The investor wants to get his, that's the $25. But it's our land, and we don't get any of that $25, so we have to get ours too, you know?"

Apparently you're not supposed to take pictures while you're out there either because of worries that dropped photo equipment could break the glass.  Whether or not it's worth it is hard to say; while Tyler describes the structure as looking like a huge I-Beam propped over the edge, he had this to say about the actual experience itself-

The view and feeling of hovering were amazing. It really was the closest I've ever come to experiencing flight (unaided by plane or hot air balloon of course).

(thanks reddit)

Related posts: Skywalk Over the Grand Canyon Up and Running • Kartchner Caverns in Arizona • Crossing Over the Great Divide • Listen to the Desert • 18th Annual National Geographic Photo Contest Winners

Related travel guides: Golf near the Grand Canyon • Hotels near the Grand Canyon • Nature and wildlife near the Grand Canyon • Skiing near the Grand Canyon • Shopping near the Grand Canyon

Picture of the Day (04/10/07) - From TripCart

A beautiful arched bridge on the Ashokan Reservoir in the Catskills, New York.

(thanks iessi)

related travel guide:  Architecture in the Catskills and Hudson Valley

Marriott Goes High-Tech

In an effort to woo more business travelers as well as move into the 21st century, Marriott Hotels and Resorts has started to upgrade their rooms (Warning: Plays music without asking).  They are now becoming "ultra-adaptable," your "room is now fully compatible with the way you work and play.  Just check in, then plug-in and watch as the room adapts to your needs."  It doesn't look like things are quite that modular but their new 32" widescreen LCDs do make life a little easier.  A wall mount allows you to easily plug-in up to four appliances including your digital camera, PSP, iPod and laptop.  This is definitely a move in the right direction that hopefully other hotels will be following in the near future.  Let us know if they throw in free WiFi.

Related posts: World's Most Expensive Hotel Room to Get Trashed In • Jump for Joy at Your Next Hotel • Your Unwelcome Hotel Guests • Most Watched Hotel Movies in 2006 • Hotel Room Tatoos • Hotel Hallways • Going to LA? Book a Hotel Room, Rent a Car, Rent a Dog • Best Geek Hotel • Tropicana Resort is the Dirtiest Hotel in America

Picture of the Day (04/09/07) - From TripCart

The south shore of Utah Lake with a little help on the contrast from PS.

(thanks IvanoMak)

Beautiful Early Vegas Photos

If you're traveling to Las Vegas soon and want to see some great pictures of how The Strip used to look there are some great photos over at EarlyVegas.com

(thanks presurfer)

Related posts: Another 38,000+ Hotel Rooms Coming to Las Vegas • The Most Luxurios Spots in Las Vegas • Las Vegas Casinos Go Boom • Bye, Bye Stardust • Recycling Vegas • Top 10 Cities For One Night Stands (and Singles)

Related travel guides: Places to Visit in Las Vegas and the Nevada desert • Casino Gambling in Las Vegas and the Nevada desert

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

From the Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh, PA.

(thanks Niemster)

Get Hoooked Up from the Airlines with Rule 240

The Consumerist continues to deliver great advice for those of us flying the friendly skies.  Their newest tidbit involves printing out a copy of the airline's "Rule 240," - My Travel Rights, explains-

Before airline deregulation in 1978, Rule 240 was literally a federal requirement. Nowadays, it's a term describing what individual airlines will do for late or stranded passengers. In fact, the major airlines have filed "conditions of carriage" with the U.S. Department of Transporatation (DOT) guaranteeing their respective Rule 240s.

My Travel Rights (what is there not a blog about these days?) also advises to brush up on the particular airline's Rule 240 before approaching an agent with a printed-out copy.  You could be eligible for meal vouchers, ticket vouchers, hotel rooms and possibly a refund. A list of links to Rule 240 for most major American airlines  can be found at the end of the above post.

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

At the Gantry Park State Plaza, Queens across midtown Manhattan.

(thanks Farl)

The 4th Annual Smithsonian Photo Contest

It's time for the 4th annual photo contest from the Smithsonian.  You can see the best of this year's submissions over at their website, there's even an entire category devoted to Americana.

Picture of the Day (04/05/07) - From TripCart

From Discovery Park in the Puget Sound.

(thanks wildpianist)

Hawaiian Airlines is the Best of the Best

The 17th annual national Airline Quality Ratings study have just been released and the newly included Hawaiian Airlines beat out Jet Blue for the top spot (they were going for their fourth consecutive win).  Coming in third was AirTran followed by Frontier and Northwest.  The study is based on the finding of university research that gauges customer's responses to 15 different elements.  Hawaiian Airlines took the top prize based partly on their top performance for on-time arrivals (93%) and baggage handling (about 3 bags per 1,000 customers were mishandled).   Overall performance for the airline industry in three of the four major areas was worse than in 2005 according to the study.   Here are some more interesting stats from this year's study-

• 1 out of every 3 Atlantic Southeast Airlines flights wasn't on time
• On average 1 in every 4 flight in 2006 was late
• Atlantic Southeast Airline mishandles more bags than anyone else, more than five times more than Hawaiian Airlines (over 17 bags per 1,000 customers)
• Southwest Airlines had the lowest customer complaint rate
• United and US Airways had the highest customer complaint rate

You can view the full report here (warning: PDF file).

Related posts: Top Ten First Class Airlines • 3 of America's Most Beautiful Beaches Voted in Top 25 Sexiest Beaches in the World • Frequent Flyer Mileage Runners • FlyLite for the Business Traveler on an Expense Account • Northwest Pilot's Pottymouth Gets Flight Canceled • Air Fares Still on the Rise • $10 Flights Coming Soon

Related travel guides: Getting to Hilo, Kona, Volcano, Big Island of Hawaii

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

Some minimalist urban art on the UC Berkeley campus.

(thanks dotpolka)