Travel + Leisure top U.S. cities list; New Orleans #1 but where's L.A. on the list?

It's list day in the Toronto Star travel editor's blog. Okay, I've got a cold and I'm not feeling like inventing my own copy, so instead I'm shamelessly ripping off two other outlets and adding my own comments in the hope that this looks like semi-original copy. Is that a better description of today's entry?

TRAVEL + LEISURE TOP USA CITIES

1. New Orleans. Great food, music, exuberant culture. Hard to beat. I was only there once, and I was 11 years old. I failed to appreciate the finer things but I do remember wrought-iron courtyards, jazz music and the sight of nearly naked women dancing behind a string of beads that covered the entry to a night club. My mother quickly pulled me away but not before I got a glimpse of something mysterious and sexy.

2. Santa Fe. I confess, I've never been to New Mexico. Weird for someone who grew up in California but there you go. I hear nice things about the architecture, the jewelry shopping and the food.

3. New York City and Nashville tie. I love New York. It's hard not to with the incredible buildings and parks and food and nightlife and energy. If you've never been, I suggest a trip in late April or early May before it gets too hot. New York in summer is not much fun. Nashville? Again, sorry, never been.

5. MInneapolis/St. Paul. I like it fine, having visited many times when I covered the Blue Jays. It's pretty but I don't recall the downtown being anything remarkable. Frankly, it's a nice place and probably underrated, but I wouldn't put it anywhere near the top 10 from what I recall.

6. San Diego and Savannah tie. Both on the coast but polar opposites in a lot of ways. San Diego is new and has fabulous beaches and a great brewpub culture and surprisingly good nightlife. Savannah is old-school, southern charm with great food and old-time squares and fountains. Not at all alike but both great spots.

8. Charleston and San Francisco tie. I've only spent a few hours in Charleston but found it charming in a "too many tourists walking around looking at old-time, charming buildings" kind of way. San Francisco, again, is the complete opposite; a joyful, exuberant, crazy explosion of sound and food and culture. I grew up near San Francisco so I'm biased. But I'd put it far ahead of Charleston, personally.

10. Chicago. Should be ranked higher, I'd say. Fabulous museums, a beautiful waterfront almost untouched by buildings, incredible food and culture. Plus Wrigley Field and world-class architecture. Definitely top six.

11. Portland. Very pretty and quite cosmopolitan, with fabulous brewpubs and wine bars and old, brick buildings. Great coffee culture and fabulous, fresh food add to the west coast vibe for a very cool city.

12. Austin and Boston and Providence, tie. Never been to Austin, but Boston has everything you want in a city; fun walks, beautiful parks, great shopping and hotels and another wonderful ballpark, Fenway. I've never found the food to be quite as good as I'd expect but perhaps I need to try new places. I hear great things about Austin's music and bar scene, and the local hills that are ablaze in colour in spring, but have never had the pleasure. I think I drove through Providence, Rhode Island once and thought the seashore and the marinas and huge boats with white sails were pretty. But that's not much to go on.

15. Honolulu, Las Vegas, Miami and San Antonio tie. Whoa, a four-way tie? Okay, here goes. Las Vegas does not belong on this list. It's a destination, it's not a city. Okay, okay, the shows are awesome and the food is excellent and you can do some fun things in the desert. So I guess 15 isn't too crazy. Miami? I just spent a few days there and enjoyed it. The beach is great and the hotels are fun and South Beach is a gas. But there's no downtown to speak of that I could find. So I'd have to agree with the placement, despite the great weather (most of the time). San Antonio? Sorry, never been. But I'd put Honolulu (see Waikiki Beach photo at right) closer to the 12 spot, personally. I adore Hawaii so that's part of it. But there's also absolutely remarkable food and a strong cultural component to the city to go with great beaches, sunshine, surfing, fabulous Hawaiian music and great hikes and golf. Definitely top 12, Honolulu is.

19. Philadelphia, Seattle and San Juan tie. Philadelphia is an under-rated spot with great history and fun neighbourhoods such as South Street. I'm not just where I'd put but a 19 tie seems pretty fair. Seattle I might push up just a bit given the Pikes Place market and the beauty of the water and nearby mountains, not to mention the coffee and restaurant scene. San Juan is a nice addition here, with great beaches and an old, waterfront fort that's awesome to explore, plus a very colourful old town with pastel painted buildings and a New Orleans/Caribbean feel. Also underrated.

So that's my take on the top 20 (or so). I was a bit surprised to find Los Angeles didn't make the cut. I mean, it has its faults but L.A. is a hugely underrated city. I lived there for five years at university and go back fairly often (in about eight days I'll go again, actually). It's got fabulous culture, with outstanding museums all over town. It's got great beaches. It's got some outstanding, old-time architecture. Add in the movie stuff and amusement parks and the great hiking/horseback riding in the hills and the proximity to the desert and mountains, plus some of the world's most iconic hotels and incredible cuisine, and you've got a top 12 city. Yes there are freeways and traffic. But there also are cool neighbourhoods such as Santa Monica and Manhattan Beach and Pasadena and Los Feliz that are tons of fun. Come on, folks. Where's the love? I"m also surprised to see Denver left off the list. Maybe not top 15, but I'd have expected a presence in here somewhere.

 

 

 

New York tries to get back to normal following damage from Sandy

A week after superstorm/hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on New York, things are getting somewhat back to normal.

Reuters reports the subway is operating at about 80 per cent capacity but that service on many rail lines is reduced, which made for tough commutes today. That won't affect most tourists, but the subway system is still an issue.

USA Today is reporting that the 9/11 Memorial, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and South Street Seaport remain closed. But the Bronx Zoo and most New York parks reopened on the weekend. Already back in operation are such attractions as the Empire State Building, Top of the Rock and Rockefeller Center skating rink, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and most Broadway theatres. So that's good.

"The visitors bureau recommends that travelers reconfirm hotel reservations directly with the property, regardless of location. Meanwhile, notes USA TODAY's Barbara De Lollis, the city's hotels are coping with unprecedented cancellations and requests to extend stays, a high number of walk-in room requests from powerless local residents, unpredictable staffing levels, non working phone lines, and in some cases no steam heat."

You gotta feel for the poor folks on Staten Island and on Long Island, where so many people lost loved ones in the storm or lost their homes and most treasured possessions. Not to mention, of course, the severe damage in New Jersey.

Heartbreaking.

THIS AND THAT

I see that Southwest is taking over some Air Tran routes in Key West, including flights to Orlando and Tampa. There's talk of a direct New Orleans-Key West flight, and how much of a dynamic duo would that be? I mean can you imagine the debauchery of a combined Big Easy-Key West vacation? All they need to do is add is a stayover in Las Vegas and they'd have the triple crown of carousing ... I have my own political views, but there's no doubt who wins the presidential election as far as travel and home states are concerned. Mitt Romney is mostly a Michigan, Boston and Utah guy, I'd say. And that's not bad. Boston is a great, great city and Michigan has plenty of charming inns and lakes and one of the best college towns in America, Ann Arbor. Utah has awesome skiing and beautiful canyons and deserts. But Obama can claim (mostly) Chicago and Hawaii. Chicago has incredible museums and powerful architecture, a fine waterfront and some of the best food in the U.S. I'd probably give it a bit of an edge over Boston, but it's as close as a Romney-Obama fight in Wisconsin. Hawaii is easily one of the world's great destinations, with perfect weather, amazing beaches and friendly people. Under-rated cuisine, too, if you ask me. 

Returning to normal in U.S. skies ... Awesome Air NZ safety trailer w/The Hobbit

Still some cancellations today, but things appear to be running much more normally in terms of air service. Newark and JFK airports in New York are open, and LaGuardia opened this morning, albeit not at full service.

It's devastating to see the damage in New Jersey, especially along the coast (see photo of the Seaside roller coaster resting in the ocean, and doesn't it feel like a disaster movie or something from Planet of the Apes), and in parts of New York, such as Queen's. I saw yesterday that both American and United airlines were giving away miles in their frequent flyer programs to folks who made donations. The figure I saw was 250 miles for a $50 donation, and that's a nice gesture.

Certainly every day lost to tourism and travel is a big deal in a city like New York. It also hurts here at home as there were hundreds and hundreds of folks who couldn't make it into Toronto earlier this week to spend money at hotels and restaurants and in taxi cabs.

Speaking of cabs, can anyone tell me just when this city became so ridiculously expensive? I took a cab from 1 Yonge St. to Union Station on Wednesday to shoot a video for wheels.ca and it cost $8. Eight dollars! In New York that would get you 20 blocks, I bet...

The video for wheels.ca was one of Wheels Editor Norris McDonald's famous "smackdown" deals, where he squares off against someone else in the newsroom about an issue regarding cars. Our "argument," as it were, was whether it's better to take the train in Europe or to drive a car.

Naturally, Norris took the side of driving a car, arguing you have flexibility to follow your own schedule and veer off in various directions if you want to see, say, an auto race. I took the side of trains, arguing they're fast and efficient and allow you to watch the world go by or read a book or have a coffee. Since I met my wife on a train in Italy, I could hardly argue for the car option.

In truth, of course, the ideal vacation would be a little of both. Trains are cheap and easy and fast ways to go from city to city and from some towns to others. But you won't find trains taking you to those famous hilltop villages in Tuscany. For that, you want a car.

I drove from Zurich to Salzburg ten or twelve years ago and had a wonderful time checking out remote valleys and small towns. Ditto on a trip to Italy a few years back.

For general purposes and for getting from point A to point B and seeing the major sites, the train is still your top option.

HOBBIT SAFETY VIDEO

Gotta love the folks at Air New Zealand. They like to be a little cheeky when it comes to their safety videos, so this time they've teamed up with actors from The Hobbit, due to be released in NZ in about 27 days (and I CAN'T WAIT).

They've put together a four-minute safety blurb that they're showing on their planes, complete with gnomes and elves and furry-footed hobbits and wizards who switch their glowing staffs to airplane mode and a creeping Gollum and handsome earth men who flirt with female passengers and explain how to inflate things by blowing into a tube.

It's a bit racy but mostly just great fun. At the end, a co-pilot dressed like Gandalf the wizard invokes a passage from The Lord of the Rings and whispers "Fly, you fools."

It's great stuff, so check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/user/airnewzealand?feature=watch.

The airport in Wellington, New Zealand also has been outfitted with a giant Gollum reaching for some "fresh fishhhhes" and Air New Zealand has painted a couple of their planes with Hobbit themes. Good fun, all around.

 

Don't go packing your bags for New York just yet ... Canada gets top marks

The good news is JFK Airport and Newark Airport in the New York City area have reopened.

The bad news is there's still limited service. The even worse news is that LaGuardia is still a wet, watery mess (as you can see from this picture taken yesterday) and it's not clear when they'll be up and running again. Let alone the damage and blackouts in southern Manhattan...

USA Today reports the number of cancelled flights due to Hurricane/TropicalStorm/Pain-in-the-butt Sandy is nearing 19,000. No doubt the number will climb well past that by this afternoon given LaGuardia's situation and limited service in Newark and JFK.

What a mess...

ON THE OTHER HAND, GOOD NEWS FOR CANADA

In case you missed it, FutureBrand, the folks who run the Country Brand Index that rates countries according to their key attributes, have dropped Canada from the number one spot on the globe.

Canada came tops last year and the year before, but the latest rankings put Canada in the number two spot, behind Switzerland. Still, a silver medal ain't chump change, and we're ahead of third place Japan, fourth place Sweden and fifth place New Zealand.

Canadian Tourism Commission vice president Greg Klassen said there are "tremendously encouraging" bits in the report, including the strength of our ski resorts.

He also pointed to a note that Canada jumped from 25th to 10th in Heritage and Culture in the latest rankings and that Canada's culinary reputation leapt from 30th to 11th; also a key factor for incoming tourists who probably harken back to the back bacon days of Bob and Doug McKenzie.

Canada also is getting better marks in the value for money category, Klassen said.

Of course it would be better to stay as number one, but number two with some encouraging rankings is still a pretty impressive thing. It would be nice if the Canadian government would recognize those strengths and do more to help our tourism folks, however.

 

Sandy still making a mess of things ... Langdon Hall makes top 15 in world hotels

Things are looking up as far as the Hurricane/Tropical Storm goes. But not for everyone.

I got a note from Air Canada at 6 p.m. Tuesday to say that, "Following the re-opening of the following airports in the U.S. northeast, Air Canada and Air Canada Express will resume their normal schedule of flights beginning Wednesday October 31 to/from: Philadelphia, Boston, Washington National, Washington Dulles Baltimore, Harrisburg PA, Providence RI and Hartford CT.

"However, pending resumption of airport operations at New York City area airports: LaGuardia, Newark and J.F. Kennedy, flights to and from these three airports remain suspended until further notice," officials said.

To facilitate rebooking for affected customers, change fees have been waived for flights to/from US northeast airports until Wednesday October 31, and to/from New York City area airports until Friday November 2, Air Canada said. "Customers are strongly encouraged to consult the latest information online at
aircanada.com and rebook themselves online using our self-service rebooking tool in order to avoid longer call centre wait times."

Air Canada’s domestic Canada and international flights continue to operate normally. 

Porter flights were cancelled to and from US northeast today as were WestJet flights to LaGuardia.

I got a note at 6:20 p.m. Eastern time to say that WestJet has cancelled all flights tomorrow to New York/LaGuardia because of the continued closure of the airport. The first two flights on Thursday, Nov. 1 also were cancelled, officials told me.

Guest have received notifications by phone and email and we will continue to accommodate these guests as they require until we can get them up and on their way, WestJet said.

It's not just the airports, of course. Due to treacherous road conditions, some folks are finding it hard to even make their way to the airport, let alone hop on a flight.

Some cities appear to be returning to something approaching normal. Baltimore officials today lifted a travel ban. A few flights, meanwhile, were getting out of Logan International in Boston.

Scott Armstrong at Pearson told me terminals are quiet and 25 per cent of flights were cancelled today, although that still leaves 1,000 flights in and out for the day.

Folks have been very understanding but Armstrong said there's no way yet to predict tomorrow's schedule. The best thing is for folks to use the flight search tool at torontopearson.com, where you can get real time info by plugging in a city or a flight number. Individual airline websites have similar information.

Of course, Porter flies out of the Island airport so checking the Pearson flight won't help would-be Porter fliers.

Stay tuned, as this likely will remain a fluid situation (pardon the pun) for a couple days...

CONDE NAST BEST TRAVEL LISTS

It's that time of year, when the magazines pull out their best-of lists. One item that caught my eye is that Langdon Hall (officially, just so ya know, Langdon Hall Country House Hotel and Spa) in Cambridge was named the 15th best hotel/resort in the world. And, yes, tops in Canada, too.

The only North American property to top Langdon Hall was the Waldorf Astoria in Chicago, so that's mighty heady company. And something to be proud of, for sure.

Also in the top 100 were King Pacific Lodge in British Columbia (21st in the world) and the Four Seasons in Whistler (62).

If you look strictly at hotels, the top three in Canada were Langdon Hall, then the wonderful Auberge Saint-Antoine in Quebec City and Queen's Landing in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which means two of the top three for Ontario.

Top resorts in Canada were King Pacific, The Four Seasons Whistler and the Long Beach Lodge Resort on Vancouver Island, giving BC a sweep of the podium.

 

 

A good week to stay home/Porter saves Star reporter/WestJet sun destinations

What a mess.

Porter AIrlines has cancelled all its flights from Toronto to Newark, New Jersey and to Boston and Washington (Dulles) due to Hurricane Sandy. Naturally, that means the flights aren't going the other way, either.

Judging by the flight status tools on the Air Canada website and WestJet's site, they, too, have cancelled all or most flights to and from Toronto and the northeast U.S. states affected by the hurricane.

"WJ for sure has cancelled their LaGuardia service," Pearson spokesman Scott Armstrong wrote to me in email. "I"m quite sure AC has done the same for the eastern seaboard."

Armstrong said 20 per cent of regularly scheduled flights have been cancelled at Pearson; roughly 300 in all. But that still leaves 1,000 flights operating as normal, he said.

Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick sent me a note and said customers should be sure to consult aircanada.com or the local airport website before going to the airport today to be sure their flight is operating.

"Most airports in the US northeast have been closed for today which has resulted in the cancellation of approximately 150 of our flights (Air Canada and Air Canada Express combined) today to and from LaGuardia, Newark, JF Kennedy, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington National, Baltimore, Harrisburg PA, Providence RI and Hartford CT. (Typically, we operate about 1,500 flights a day total across our entire network)," he said.

"Our domestic flights within Canada and international flights are operating normally," Fitzpatrick said.

Air Canada has waived change fees for flights to and from US northeast airports until Wednesday Oct 31.  Customers are strongly encouraged to consult the latest information online at www.aircanada.com and rebook themselves online using our self-service rebooking tool in order to avoid longer call centre wait times.

"We are monitoring the situation in the US northeast very closely with local airport authorities and will be adjusting our schedule as necessary over the coming days as airports re-open and we are able to get our customers to their destinations safely and as quickly as possible," FItzpatrick said. "We thank our customers for their patience and encourage them to continue consulting our travel alerts at aircanada.com for updates."

Associated Press reports that airports in the metropolitan New York City area are open, but air carriers are not operating. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said Monday that travellers shouldn't even try to go to Kennedy, Newark Liberty or LaGuardia.

According to some reports, some 7,000 flights in and around the eastern seaboard of the U.S. have been cancelled, and some already are cancelled for tomorrow. American Express just sent me an advisory saying that, for today, there are 774 cancellations at Newark, 428 at Dulles in Washington and 355 cancellations at Philadelphia. I can only imagine how crazy it must be for folks trying to get in a vacation or business trip...

It's not so bad for flights within Canada, but there appear to be some issues with high winds in Toronto and also with fog in the Maritimes. So even if you're travelling elsewhere, BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR FLIGHT STATUS early and often as this is shaping up to some kind of terrible, terrible week.

It was pretty messy in New York City yesterday. Here's a good report on how Porter folks in Newark saved the day for Star reporter Richard Ouzounian...

Trying to leave New York City on Sunday night while Hurricane Sandy moved ever closer, I was reminded once again why many Torontonians prefer Porter via Newark for trips to the Big Apple.

At the end of a weekend getaway with my wife, we woke Sunday morning to discover a city under siege. All major stores announced a 4 p.m. closing, restaurants were calling to cancel evening reservations and any shows planning performances called them off.     The subways were due to shut down at 7 p.m. and word of that (only the second closure in the city's history)triggered a kind of "last chopper out of Saigon" mentality in the city.

We were holding reservations on a 7:30 p.m. Porter flight back to Toronto out of Newark and we started for the airport three hours in advance.  Not for the first time, we were delighted that we were taking the New Jersey Transit train from Penn Station to Newark International Airport. (If you've never done it, it costs $12.50 one way, takes 25 minutes and leaves frequently.)

Penn Station was jammed beyond belief, but the trains left on time and the bottom line is that we were at the airport in 45 minutes from the midtown theatre matinee we attended, while we heard and saw traffic reports of gridlock on all the bridges and tunnels going in and out of Manhattan. That cab ride to LaGuardia? Your limo through the Lincoln Tunnel? Fuggeddaboutit.

Any short-term joy we may have felt was dispelled by the longest line waiting to go through security at Newark I'd ever seen.  A combination of airlines moving flights earlier to beat the storm and airport employees not showing up because of Sandy Mania created a perfect storm (if you'll pardon the expression) of congestion.

We started waiting two hours before our departure time. We were still waiting 90 minutes later and might be waiting still were it not for a Porter ground worker in Newark who suddenly appeared, called for all Porter passengers, got us together, went up to airport security and demanded we been taken through at once so we wouldn't miss out flight.

The hundreds of people waiting with us for flights on British Airways, Air India and other carriers had no such luck. But our valiant wizard (I think of him as Harry Porter) talked us through with a mixture of calm confidence and perfectly-estimated aggression. We even had time to enjoy a free cappuccino at Porter's new airport lounge at EWR before boarding the plane, pulling away from the gate on time and landing in Toronto on schedule.

I thanked our rescuer personally as he got us on board, but I didn't ask his name. So, whoever you are, Porter ground employee in Newark, I salute you and your company for taking care of us Sunday night.   I'm now an even bigger fan.

 

WEST JET LAUNCHES SUN DESTINATIONS

WestJet on Sunday began twice-weekly service between Toronto Pearson and Antigua and Barbuda's V.C. Bird International Airport. Weekly service to Curaçao International Airport also began on Sunday from T.O.

Today (Monday), WestJet commences twice-weekly non-stop seasonal service to Liberia, Costa Rica. And on November 16 they'll add daily non-stop seasonal service between Pearson and Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

"With the addition of three more sun destinations from Toronto Pearson today and tomorrow, plus another one two weeks from now, WestJet continues to expand service from Canada's largest airport," said Peter Tong, WestJet's Director of Network and Schedule Planning. "We have almost doubled our service from Toronto Pearson to international destinations in just three short years, and have grown our overall service by almost one-third in the same period. Clearly, we remain focused on continued growth at a key Canadian gateway."

 

 

More cross-border airport hopping ... New Four Seasons Toronto opens today

In the wake of that terrific Conference Board of Canada report that shows millions of Canadians are avoiding high fees and fares in Canada and flocking to U.S. airports for their holiday trips came a good follow-up from Expedia.ca.

They offer dedicated Cross Border Deals from Buffalo, Detroit, Burlington Vermont, Seattle and Bellingham, Washington and note that big savings can be had if folks don't mind the drive. Most of us here in Toronto have a good two hour drive to get to Buffalo-Niagara. If you live in Oakville or Hamilton or Niagara, it's a heckuva lot closer. Oshawa? Not so great an option.

Expedia says Bellingham is just an hour from Vancouver and is most popular for flights to Las Vegas, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Diego. The top five destinations Canadians fly to from Buffalo are New York City, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Boston and Chicago. As for Burlington, about two hours from Montreal, it's used mostly for flights to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, New York City, Las Vegas and Tampa. Seattle is about three hours from Vancouver and is used by Canadians mostly for flights to New York, Los Angeles, Orlando, San Francisco and Fort Lauderdale. Detroit is about 2.5 hours from London Ontario and just across the border from Windsor. The most popular Detroit flights for Canadians are those heading to Orlando, Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale, Phoenix and Tampa.

The conference board report says Canadians save about 30 per cent by flying out of the U.S. versus flying from Canadian airports. For Montrealers, the cost of a flight to U.S. destinations from Burlington is often half the cost of leaving from Montreal, which is amazing.

Of course, driving to the U.S. is not without its issues. There's the time involved, although lineups might be shorter and security simpler in Buffalo than in Pearson, for example. You have to cross the border, of course, which can be time consuming depending on the time of day. You might have to pay for parking at the airport if you're not staying at a hotel. If you do stay at a hotel you might get free parking but would have to, of course, pay for your room.

Expedia.ca recommends checking for hotels with free parking and free airport shuttles. They also point out that coming home to Buffalo and then facing a wait at the border and a two or three-hour drive might not be the ideal ending to your holiday. Yeah, probably not, but worth it for a savings of $400 on your tickets for a family of four, I'd think. Maybe you'd save more than that.

About the same time Expedia was listing some good information about cross-border trips, the folks at Cheapflights.ca sent me a list of the most searched flights for October getaways. They found three places that had more than a 200 per cent increase in flight searches over the last month. Searches for Fort Myers, Florida, home of wonderful islands, good food and great beaches, were up a whopping 456 per cent. Searches for Phoenix jumped 302 per cent, possibly due to cooling weather in Arizona that makes the fall a great time to enjoy the golf, hiking, spas, shopping and other activities. Searches for New Orleans were up a solid 286 per cent as folks gear up for events such as the Voodoo Music Experience, which runs Oct. 26-28 and features the likes of Neil Young, Green Day and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Rounding out the top five search list for the month were Key West, Florida (awesome place, with searches up 258 per cent) and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, with searches jumping 245 per cent over September figures.

FOUR SEASONS OPENS TODAY

The latest in the five-star hotel assault wave on T.O. takes place today, when the new Four Seasons Yorkville officially opens its doors. Luminaries and media folks will be on hand in droves, I suspect, and I'm hoping to make it if they'll let me past security.

The Star's Susan Pigg has a good story on the hotel in today's business section, so you can check that out here. There's also a cool graphic on the hotel in this month's Toronto Life, which reveals that there are 300 silent-close toilet seats on the property and that they take eight seconds to close. They also note that security staff learns something called "verbal judo" to disarm aggressive guests, and that sounds intriguing as hell.

You can take the slippers home with you for free, but the robes are supposed to stay behind. Ditto for the free iPads they lend out to folks for their stay, which is becoming a trend in the industry for high-end hotels. Not so much the Comfort Inn at the Airport. Not yet, anyway.

 

 

Trouble in the air not limited to passengers ... A huge Ferris wheel for New York

I guess Alec Baldwin and folks who won't shut off their iPhones aren't the only problems in the air these days.

Twice in the last week we've had flight attendants going at it. The first incident involved two flight attendants on an American Eagle flight from New York to Washington getting into it. The plane had to be brought back to the gate and passengers waited FOUR HOURS for a new crew, according to travelmole.com. Yikes, would that piss you off or what?

The latest brouhaha came when attendants on a United flight from Raleigh-Durham to Chicago got into a knockdown fight that was so vicious the pilot had to go back to the airport in Carolina. The Raleigh-Durham News and Observer said no arrests were made as there was no physical assault.

Travelmole said the pair "had been in a prior altercation and the accidental brush of a leg while attendants were seat near each other was the start of the incident."

Can't we all just get along?

BIG WHEEL IN THE BIG APPLE

It sounds like the Ford brothers are making inroads into New York City. That may be a little unfair, but it's interesting to read an Associated Press report Thursday that tells how the world's biggest Ferris wheel is to be built on Staten Island.

I hadn't heard the phrase, but apparently some folks call Staten Island New York City's "forgotten borough." That might be better than being the Bronx and being known for crime and terrible housing, but Staten Island tourism types no doubt look at the growing cultural/hotel/food/bar scene in Queen's and, especially, Brooklyn and wonder why they can't get a piece.

The wheel will be 625 feet tall (191 meters), higher than the London Eye and the Singapore Flyer and a "High Roller" wheel planned for, where else, Las Vegas.

Riders will get tremendous views of the New York harbour, including the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Good views also should be had of the financial district and Donald Trump's ego which infairness, is visible from Delaware.

The package also is supposed to include a 200-room hotel and a 100-shop outlet mall.

"The New York Wheel will be an attraction unlike any other in New York City - even unlike any other on the planet," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The Staten Island Ferry, which is free, is a nice attraction, but it sounds like it's mostly for commuters and that most tourists simply take the boat for the views.

Staten Island is the only New York borough not accessible by subway. But it does have its attractions, including a minor league ballpark and, this is hilarious, a groundhog called Staten Island Chuck. Chuck is supposed to be able to predict the onset of spring, much like Wiarton Willie in Ontario or Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania. It's not clear in the AP story if Chuck is much of a prognosticator, but he does have the distinction of having once bitten Bloomberg.

Now THAT'S a photo op. 

Iceland looks for new name? RBC poll says (surprise) we want winter warmth

Hey, Leif Ericsson, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

I read today in the Huffington Post that Iceland is asking travelers to give their exotic, well-regarded island a new name. Yeah, as marketing gimmicks go, calling your country Iceland isn't exactly a great concept. It'd be like Edmonton saying welcome to Murderville, Alberta or Tonawanda being called "Fire City." Oh, wait ...

I don't know if it's true, but I read as a kid once that Ericsson, the great sailor/discovered, intentionally called Greenland that name because it was, in fact, almost all ice. Iceland, on the other hand, had things going for it so he slapped the ice word on it to discourage other folks from checking it out. It's pretty clever but I suspect it didn't do a lot in the long run except damage Iceland's modern-day tourism numbers.

The Huff Post quotes Inga Hiln Palsdottir, director of marketing and Visit Iceland at Promote Iceland, as saying her group is embracing the talk of a name change and that "some of the naming suggestions will appear on marketing materials and online properties."

Yahoo.com reports that "a naming booth has been installed at Keflavik airport where visitors are actively encouraged to share what Iceland is to them: name and all. A brand new naming page is now visible on the http://www.inspiredbyiceland.com website and the most popular contributions can be viewed along with the latest videos and images from the campaign. The conversation will also be available on The Inspired by Iceland Facebook and Twitter pages."

One guy, Floria Thomasson of Germany, apparently has suggested Landofendlessskyland. Someone on Twitter sent in AwesomelandUnicornMichaelJackson. As much as I like the funkiness of the latter suggestion, I somehow doubt it'll fly. It should sound European, I'd think, so people associate it more with Europe. PlungingEuroland, maybe? WeallneedabailoutbyGermanyland?

HAPPY WORLD TOURISM DAY

It's World Tourism Day, apparently, although I didn't get the memo.

I did, however, get a note about how Ipsos Reid recently did a study on behalf of World Vision and found that 77 per cent of vacationing Canadians are disturbed to see children working in the tourism industry. It also found that half of Canadians (a bit disappointing) would be willing to spend an average of 27 per cent more on their holidays if travel companies guaranteed they didn't use child labour.

"We wear maple leafs on our backpacks and lapels, but it's time we started recognizing how we may be unintentionally fueling the problem of child exploitation," said Caroline Riseboro, vice president of marketing and communications for World Vision Canada.

Food for thought.

PALM TREES AND PYRAMIDS

The latest RBC Travel Rewards Poll says Disney World, Machu Picchu and the Great Pyramids of Egypt remain high on our vacation wish list.

Asked to name their 2012 top city, 13 per cent named Honolulu, Hawaii. Yeah, it's got Waikiki Beach and hula girls and fab sunsets and surfing and all that, but it also has excellent food (Hawaiian chefs do great Asian-influenced seafood and all sorts of other great stuff), perfect weather and lots to do for city folks, including fine museums and great shopping. The wonders of Oahu are close by, too. Next on the list was Paris at 12 per cent, followed by Rome at 11, London at nine, New York at six and Las Vegas at six. New York was up from four per cent in the previous year's poll, by the way, so they're doing something right. All those added flights from WestJet and Air Canada and Porter likely are helping fuel the Big Apple boom as well, I'd think.

The top-ranked tourist destination (as opposed to city) was the Great Pyramids of Egypt at 18 per cent, followed by Machu Picchu in Peru (11), Disney World (10), the Canadian Rockies (nine) and the Great Wall of China (nine).

The poll found that the top activities likely to be part of the next vacation include sightseeing (64 per cent), staying in a hotel (51 per cent), shopping (49 per cent) and relaxing on a beach (45 per cent).

WALK NEW ZEALAND

Air New Zealand is looking for four great walkers to complete all nine of New Zealand's "spectacular and sometimes gruelling great walks," which span 550 km of terrain that includes alpine peaks, glacial valleys, native bush, golden beaches and rainforests.

Entries for the Great Walker can be found at www.greatwalkernz.com until Oct. 22. Winners will travel to New Zealand in Feburary 2013 to complete the "epic Kiwi adventure of a lifetime."

 

 

 

More great wine tasting spots: B.C., Australia, Hawaii and, of course, France

Yesterday I mentioned a whack of my favourite wine tasting places. Today I'm adding five more, with some random thoughts at the bottom just because it's a Wednesday and we need to celebrate the week is almost half-over. (Speaking of which, I saw an outstanding cartoon in the paper on Tuesday that showed a management type talking with a camel wearing a suit inthe camel's office. There was a calendar on the wall that said "Tuesday, Sept. 25" and the management guy had this great look on his face with a caption above that said something like "If you wish me 'Happy Hump Day' again tomorrow you're fired." Absolutely hilarious, if completely off topic. Because we were talking about wine. I don't know any good wine jokes, but I do remember a great episode of the Tonight Show once where Johnny Carson was talking about a wine and cheese event in Ohio somewhere in the 1970's where they had trays of Velveeta and glasses of wine, thoughtfully with bowls of sugar alongside in case folks found the wines too dry. Also hilarious.

So, anyhoo, with those side issues out of the way, here's my Wednesday look at some of my favourite wine-tasting-sipping-slurping-guzzling spots around the globe.

1. Australia. The Barossa Valley near Adelaide is Australia’s best-known area for high quality wines but you also can try the Yarra Valley near Melbourne for a great variety, including fine sparkling wines at the lovely Domaine Chandon (see photo). Heading further afield? Check out the increasingly high-profile Margaret River region in Western Australia for great Cabs and Shiraz. Only headed to Sydney?  The Hunter Valley is close by and they make very good reds and whites. They also do fun events such as “Jazz in the Vines” and “Opera in the Vineyards.”

2. British Columbia. The Okanagan Valley has great food and fabulous, award-winning wines. In the
south section around dry (think tumbleweeds and cactus) Osoyoos, they make excellent Syrah blends that are big and round, with a bit of California meets France halfway feel. Angels Gate and other wineries further north, near Kelowna, make fabulous Pinot Gris. Not washy, tasteless Pinot Grigio but fine, balanced Pinot Gris that’s excellent with food. An outdoor seat at the restaurant at Mission Hill is about as spectacular as you can get, with rows of vineyards sweeping down to the lake and dusty mountains off in the background. I've yet to find a winery in California with a view as nice as those in the hills above Okanagan Lake.

3. South Africa. I’m not a huge fan of the leathery reds they make (barnyard notes might be more accurate) but perhaps that’s because I grew up drinking fruity, new world wines. I’ve quite
enjoyed the whites I’ve had from SA, however, and they make a great range of Sauvignon Blancs and crisp Chardonnays. Sitting on a patio overlooking the harbour in Cape Town and gazing up at Table Mountain looks to be about as romantic a wine experience as you could have. 

4. Hawaii. Want something truly exotic? Tedeschi Winery on Maui makes surprisingly decent white and red wines, as well as pineapple wine that’s best left to give to Uncle Fred for his 80^th birthday celebration. The quaint and pretty winery/tasting room  is located high up the slopes of Mt. Haleakala in lovely countryside (see photo at right), with rolling hills, cattle, eucalyptus trees and stunning views out over the island of Maui.

5. France. Of course. But you already knew that. Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne are legendary. Ditto for the Loire, with great, crisp whites. Increasingly good products from Languedoc, and always consistent rose’ from Provence. Oh, don’t forget the versatile Pinot Gris/Pinot Blanc and Riesling
from up near the German border. Bordeaux is the king internationally, so much so that China is now the largest importer of Bordeaux wines in the world. The city of Bordeaux doesn't get a lot of exposure but it's got lovely, old buildings and stately squares and a terribly fun old quarter with cafes that spill out into tiny, pedestrian-only lanes. Awesome food and, of course, good wine lists. The area around St. Emilion is a personal fave. It's a beautiful town (see photo below left) filled with gorgeous, creamy buildings and built on top of enormous caves. There's an historic, underground church and plenty of tasting rooms and lovely, small hotels. Good macaroons, too, if you have a sweet tooth. I haven't been to Burgundy in years but I love small towns like Vezelay and Avalon. There's even a Montreal if you want to have fun with some photos. I haven't spent much time in the Loire but I love a good, crisp Sancerre white - a favourite if I remember correctly of former Star reporter Ernest Hemingway. The wines of Provence aren't as notable, but there are fabulous wines and great tasting opportunities down around the lovely town of Aix-en-Provence, which is only a short drive from the Cote d'Azur. In Aix itself, be sure to tour the former home of Cezanne, who did much of his painting in the home and in the area. It's quite a beautiful spot and there are tons of great cafes and terrific shopping opportunities in the old streets of town.

FURTHER THOUGHTS:

I've never been to South America but Chilean wines are exceptional. A few of the Cabernet Sauvignons at the low end have too much of a green pepper taste for my liking, but most of it is excellent and well-priced. Argentina does wonders with Malbec, also grown in the Cahors region of France, and a good Malbec goes great with a steak. They make some pretty good stuff in Uruguay and even parts of Brazil ... Further north you can get some tasty fruit from Mexico, mostly Baja California ... Back on the continent, Germany and Switzerland make very good whites and even some reasonably hefty reds . The vineyards along the Rhine and Mosel rivers are stunningly beautiful, as are the ones that cascade down the steep hills on the north side of Lake Geneva (or Lac Leman if you choose) in Switzerland… Looking for something different that’s great with food? Try a Gruner Veltliner white from Austria … Spain makes fab reds and terrific white wines. Rioja is king but you also can find good value from the Penedes and excellent sparkling wines for a quarter the price of French champagne … Israel makes some excellent red wine, as does Lebanon … Italy’s a no-brainer. My personal fave for value is Nero d’Avola, with full body that’s more to my North American taste than most Italian wines … Greece makes some lovely, crisp whites that are perfect for a seaside patio … Folks tell me Chinese wines are improving but the stuff I tried when I was last there wasn’t so great … Headed to the States? New York has great wineries in the Finger Lakes. More surprising is the quality of wine in Virginia and even Texas. Oregon and Washington you might know about, with similar grapes to B.C., but also in the up-and-coming market are places like Arizona, North Carolina and Colorado ... I've had some decent whites made on the Ile d'Orleans outside Quebec City, too ... Okay, it's not wine but Japan has won dozens of awards for its Scotch whisky. Something about the water, I guess, and the typical Japanese attention to detail. It's quite tasty.