CALL ME OLD-FASHIONED

May 05, 2009

Got an email today from the folks at Gansevoort Hotel Group, who are making Reader Digital Books available for poolside readings at their properties in New York City and the Turks and Caicos.

They say they're working with Sony to customize the Readers, so guests can view the hotel’s spa and dining menus as well.

As well, New York's Algonquin Hotel is offering "Amazon Kindles" pre-loaded with "best sellers and classics to use anywhere inside the property."

Nothing wrong with that, and it sounds convenient. But I don't get the idea of reading a "book" on some electronic device. I know perfectly sane people who swear by it, but it's not for me.

I'm not into collecting hardcover books or special edition books with gilded lining or anything (not like Helene Hanff, who wrote a delightful book called 84 Charing Cross Road and was devoted to a good, well-made book). No, I'm perfectly content with a five dollar paperback.

But I like paper. It's portable, it doesn't require batteries, and I don't have so much to lose if I drop it in the bathtub.

ALL THAT JAZZ - ONTARIO STYLE

It's coming up on musical festival time in Ontario. The Art of Jazz takes place in the Distillery District of Toronto June 5-7, while the Toronto Jazz Festival begins in town June 26. The Ottawa International Jazz Fesitval runs June 25 to July 5, while Kingston hosts the Limestone City Blues Festival Aug. 27 to 30.

AIRLINE RECOVERY?

It's still pretty tentative, but there are some signs of recovery in the airline industry down south. USA Today reports Continental last month found that traffic, as measured in passenger miles flown, was down 3.8 per cent from April of 2008. Not good, but a lot better than the 9.7 per cent drop they saw between March of 2008 and March of this year.

Posted by Jim Byers at 05:21:41 PM in airlines, Books, canada, Current Affairs, Music, ontario, toronto, tourism, Travel

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Travel Blog by Jim Byers

Jim Byers is the Star's Travel Editor. He has been writing travel stories for more than a decade, covered five Olympic Games and spent years covering the Blue Jays, the Toronto Raptors and the PGA Tour. He's been everywhere from Bonavista to Vancouver Island, as well as China, Hong Kong, Australia, the Caribbean, Thailand, Mexico, Tahiti, New Zealand, Vietnam, a dozen countries in Europe and just about every major city in the U.S. Okay, he was only in Liechtenstein for a couple hours in a rental car and his only visit to New Orleans was when he was 12, but you get the picture.

May 05, 2009