Summer travel is in full swing. The days of open middle seats are fading fast. As airlines move toward full capacity some industry suppliers are imagining new ways to redesign aircraft interiors. Their goal: maximize airline profits while keeping crowded passengers comfortable in both business and economy classes. One design features fold-down seats that allow an entire family to recline while watching a movie.
The gyms are finally opening up. At Calistoga Pilates they are taking appointments for Pilates classes, including reformer machines. It’s a mood-boositng exercise just to stroll down Lincoln Avenue and see the shops open at long last. Located at the northern end of California’s Napa Valley, Calistoga is a small town with abundant attractions. Blessed…
Be a kid again at Changi, which features an enormous 12-meter slide for the amusement of parents and their children. Meander along trails twisting through the largest indoor forest in the world, stand and be mesmerized by the towering waterfall that cascades from the glass roof, meander through hedge maze or test your spatial skills…
Keep your knapsack close around this fellow. The capuchin monkey is an unrepentant pickpocket, who won’t hesitate to complain vociferously if you haven’t any goodies to offer. Photo by Rob Stoeltje, Wikicommons By Liz Campbell A clan of howler monkeys troops along a strand of electrical lines high beside the road indifferent to the humans…
Old and New Philadelphia. Built in 1747, Independence Hall has been the focal point of Philadelphia for 275 years. Oblivious to the surrounding high rise office buildings, people from all over the world line up to walk through the diminutive chambers were history was made. By Rich Grant It’s become fashionable of late to denigrate…
Much like the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Parthenon in Athens, Hagia Sophia is a long-enduring symbol of cosmopolitan Istanbul. Built as a Christian basilica 1,500 years ago. it has served for centuries as a landmark for both Orthodox Christians and Muslims. Byzantine Emperor Constantine commissioned the first Hagia Sophia in 360 A.D. when…
The Civil War formally ended on April 9, 1865 when Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate army to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. But news traveled slowly back then and it wasn’t until June 19, more than two months later, that news of the South’s defeat arrived in Galveston, Texas…
When the coronavirus pandemic began in early 2020, it sent airlines scrambling. All airline companies were challenged to implement health policies that would keep travelers and employees safe. Strict mask mandates and demands for social distancing forced airlines to consider new configurations of aircraft cabins to increase passenger comfort while maintaining the same level of…
By Tyler Melito It happens every spring. Thirty Major League Baseball (MLB) teams take the field to start playing more than 4,800 games. It’s a special time of year. Former Yale University president and Baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti described it best: “Baseball breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins…
The Tunisian suburb of Sidi Bou Said, a welcoming hilltop village about twelve miles north of Tunisia’s capital of Tunis, overlooks the ruins of ancient Carthage. It offers intimate cafés, locally-made handicrafts and stunning views of the Mediterranean. Locals call the hillside Kursi al-Sulh, ‘the seat of reconciliation,” since in former days it was a quiet place where Muslim holy men retreated for repose and meditation. The town’s name is derived from a religious figure, Abu Said al-Baji, who died in 1231 AD and is buried beside the town’s minaret in a mausoleum built during the period of Turkish rule.