Working for an airline can lead to a Pulitzer Prize

by Jamie Rhein on

Which Pulitzer Prize winning author, who I credit as writing the most wonderful book of all time, once worked as a reservation clerk for Eastern Airlines and BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation)? Eventually, friends gave her a year’s salary so she could stop working in order to have time to write, and write she did.

Harper Lee’s birthday was April 28, and in the tradition of The Writer’s Almanac, she was honored by Garrison Keillor who told about this morsel of her life on Monday. So for my last post of April, hats off to Harper Lee who brought us To Kill a Mockingbird after her stint in the travel business.

Perhaps, one of the people who is checking your bags, or telling you that your flight is delayed, has a prize-winning novel percolating. With the way the airlines are going these days, I hope that if someone does have a novel in the works, he or she has a rich friend who can pay his or her salary for a year.

Lee won the Pultizer in 1961.

May Day in Cerne Abbas village in Dorset

by Jamie Rhein on

Tomorrow is May Day when spring is to be celebrated by dancing around a pole, wearing a flower wreath, arranging a bouquet, celebrating workers or honoring the Virgin Mary. It depends on where you’re from and when you grew up.

When my mother was a girl growing up in Appalachian Kentucky, she dressed in a white dress to dance around a May pole during a school-wide celebration. Early settlers of her town were steeped in the culture of Ireland, Scotland and England, so a May Day spin off in Celtic traditions was a natural fit. Here’s a YouTube video from last year’s May Day celebration in Cerne Abbas village in Dorset, England where folk dancing and the May Pole are still traditions.

Last business class only airline almost goes south, bailed out by UAE

by Grant Martin on

If you’ve been following the airline industry over the past few months, you may have noticed that things aren’t going so hot. Several airlines serving niche industries have gone under including Skybus (budget), Oasis Hong Kong (long haul budget) and Eos and Maxjet (business class only).

When the market is tight, niche carriers like above are particularly affected because passengers tend to revert back to the old trustables, legacy carriers that have a lower probability of going out of business and that can provide a sure thing. Effectively, the downturn in the industry creates a secondary problem for the company: in addition to now having to pay high fuel and operating costs, fewer passengers are now generating revenue with which carriers can operate.

Thus defines the problems faced by the half dozen or so carriers that have gone belly up in the last few months, and what is continuing to plague carriers that are still afloat.

Like other carriers, the last remaining business class only airline in operation, Silverjet, has been struggling in the recent market. It was only by a recent injection of $25m by a private United Arab Emirates investor that they’ve been able to stay afloat.

How long will Silverjet be able to last on this crutch? Will they be able to turn business around and operate with a profit in the current market? Is business-class-only a viable model? Your guess is as good as mine. Stay tuned to find out.

Detroit’s new casinos: The Motor City Casino

by Grant Martin on


Most people don’t think of Detroit when they think of a tourist destination. The city has suffered considerably in the last century – much of the population has moved into the outlying suburbs, crime has surged and empty buildings dot its cold, Michigan skyline.

The last several years have brought significant effort to revitalize the downtown area, however. Led by reconstruction of the Tigers’ and Lions’ stadiums, several pockets in the inner city are once again starting to flourish. Events like the Detroit Electronic Music Festival (DEMF) are perennial favorites among visitors while Hockeytown and The Old Shillelagh keep drinkers out late at night.

In addition to the new entertainment percolating in the city, several casinos have invested heavily in the downtown area, with two, the MGM Grand and the Motor City just finishing construction on two new huge, luxury casinos and hotels.

This article focuses on the newly developing Motor City Casino. Check out Gadling’s earlier article on the MGM Grand.

Motor City Casino – an introduction

Situated in the heart of Downtown Detroit, Motor City Casino (MCC) and hotel is a commanding structure in the Detroit skyline. Owned by Miriam Illich, the founder of Little Caesars Pizza, MCC is the only casino owned entirely by a woman. Renovations throughout the property are ongoing through beginning of the third quarter, with a new four-star hotel opened late last year and several smaller pockets of construction ongoing.

Gadling will cover the main aspects of the casino in four categories: Gaming, Dining, Nightlife and Hotel.Motor City Casino — Gaming

The board of directors worked hard with Chip Foose, senior casino designer to create a retro “Motor-city” vibe to the property. Design aspects of the automotive world are sprinkled throughout the casino — rows of mirrors resembling hubcaps, lines on the ceiling shaped like vehicle fairings.

Large swaths of the casino floor are underneath intelligent lighting networks, a series of LEDs that can change the color of the ceiling or portions thereof in an instant. This network is linked to LCD monitors circling the floor, resulting in a gentle color transition between the decorum. At one end of the casino floor is a series of glass tubes through which the light is projected, creating a pixelated matrix on which the lights can project images and gradients.

Nearly 100,000 square feet of gaming area is planned for after the renovation, including over 2,500 gaming machines and 53 tables. The poker room (complete with free snack bar), inset beneath the gaming floor hosts twelve tables with the typical bets in the 50/200 range.

A vip room lies just behind the gaming floor, ominously guarded by MCC staff, where you can play both slots and table games in lumberjack proportions. Behind this section is a special lounge area for VIP members to access their own buffet and beverage service.

Motor City Casino – Dining

Motor City’s boasts the ownership of Detroit’s only AAA four-diamond restaurant, Iridescence. Situated on the 16th floor of the property, diners face the western skyline as entrees like Cornish Game Hen and Ahi Tuna are served in style. Tall, vaulted ceilings help create an open, airy atmosphere that can be tuned to the mood of the clientèle; as pictured, hues of blue and red softly illuminate the dining floor as the Ambassador Bridge is seen through the dining window. Average entrees are in the 35$ range.

The a standard casino buffet is on the lower level of the property, offering a wide range of contemporary fare, with special nights set aside for seafood and soul food nights. Average buffet prices during the week are approximately 20$.

Additionally, small pockets of dining establishments are cradled in corners of the casino. The lower level casino has a small sports bar at the end of the floor where pub food and beer can be consumed within spitting distance of the gaming. The Motor City Pit Stop and Grand River Deli serve similar purposes.

Motor City Casino – Nightlife

Construction workers are just putting the finishing touches on Amnesia, Motor City’s new ultra-lounge slated to open up in May. Located on the 16th floor next to Iridescence, this lounge also reflects the retro, automotive undertones that the rest of the casino features. Facing the western Detroit skyline, the top floor of Amnesia will be reserved strictly for bottle service while lower sections of the bar will cater to casual drinkers.

In addition to Amnesia, a variety of watering holes are scattered throughout the casino floor and property. The end of the main floor hosts a stage for live performances in a constant cycle of live entertainment and activity. Just underneath, the sports bar also serves as close gaming access to alcohol.

At the opposite end of the gaming floor, the bar On Air is an interesting take on integrated entertainment. Above the standard bar are several DJ stations from which a variety of radio shows (internally and externally) can broadcast. For example, if a local radio station wants to broadcast their sports show from the gaming floor, they can bring minimal equipment, plug in to the Motor City’s station and start beaming their signal immediately.

Motor City Casino – Hotel and Spa

The finest section of the Motor City properties is undoubtedly the hotel. The lobby is pictured above. This 17 story, 400 room tower, includes 40 suites and one master suite overlooking the Detroit skyline.

Each room is equipped with the latest in technological amenities, from 37″ flat panel televisions on which you can order room service and check your flight status to mobile phones that you can take around the entire casino property.

Rooms are tastefully decorated in dark wooden hues with thick, lavish sheets and superior mattresses. Another nice touch is that there are live plants in every room, creating a fresher clean atmosphere that most standard hotels lack.

Motor City’s Spa (pictured, left) just opened up this month, featuring separate areas for men’s and women’s pampering, including treatment rooms, a whirlpool, sauna and a rain bench as well as a full fitness area with about twenty machines.

Rack rates run about 200$ per room with an additional fee for spa service.

“Bizarre Foods” on the Travel Channel: Season Finale– Delhi

by Jamie Rhein on

Location: Delhi, the city with a history that dates back to 1650 A.D. This is where the Mughal Empire once reigned supreme leaving stunning buildings in its wake, and the British tried to recreate into an organized place of roundabouts and more stunning buildings. Common to every part of the city is the sacred cow that wanders throughout. Food truths: milk crosses cultural boundaries, and there’s nothing quite like a perfect masala.

Episode Rating: 4 Sheep Testicles (out of 4) using Aaron’s system, but trade sheep for goat.

Summary: Oh, rapture! Joy! I thought I missed food in Taiwan until I saw Andrew Zimmern eat his way through Delhi. With the abundance of food options and places to eat, Zimmern and his crew did an admirable job honing in on highlights of the gastronomic variety. If one thinks that Indian food is nothing but yellow curry powder, this episode dispelled that. Another dispelled myth is Delhi belly. I never had it in two years that I recall. If I had it, I’d remember.

First stop, Chandni Chowk market in Old Delhi. This teeming place is as chaotic as it looks on TV.

“Every nook and cranny of this town has someone who is making a tasty treat,” declared Zimmern, who made an impromptu stop by a pan sizzling with fried potatoes. “Anytime I see fried potatoes, I eat them. I’m from Minnesota,” he said, then moaned through his bites, “These are good; these are so good.”

Here’s some other Old Delhi eating pleasures that Zimmern savored: Daulat ki Chatt, a sweet milk dish made from the froth; Nihari, a “hearty and spicy” stew made with buffalo thighs and beef brains that simmers for 5 to 6 hours; a fruit sandwich made with cottage cheese, apple slices, pomegranate seeds that is “delicious,” but hard to eat because the ingredients fall out; and a masala lamb stew that “smells almost chocolaty.”

This segment pointed out is that you can eat street food without getting sick if you’re picky and careful. Zimmern turned away a potato-chickpea dish that was garnished with tamarind tap water. I second the stay away from the tap water advice.

When visiting Old Delhi, a guide can take you to the best eating spots, like Zimmern’s did, and point out the details of the architecture and cultural highlights while helping you navigate the packed windy streets. I recommend it.

To get to the food without the wandering, stop at El Jawarhar Restaurant at the entrance of Chandi Chowk It’s across the street from the largest mosque in Delhi. Zimmern loved everything about this place, and went into great detail about how Muslim food preparation practices, called halal, helps ensure that the meat is fresh and clean. Food descriptors he used: “rich and creamy,” delicious,” “bright hot,”and “that sauce is out of this world.” The lamb scrotum, though, needed “to be cooked a whole lot more to be edible.”

I’ve eaten at El Jawarhar, and found it as good as Zimmern gushed. There are plenty of food choices without the odd ball ingredients–literally.

Next stop New Delhi, the part of Delhi designed by the British. Bukhara, Zimmern’s first eating pleasure highlight, is considered one of the best restaurants in Asia and is popular with the in-crowd–like famous people. Anyone can eat here, though. I did. The food is as superb as Zimmern said, but I have to say, it’s not as expensive as he alluded to. One of the great things about India is you can eat the very best food without spending outlandish prices. Maybe the prices were outlandish and I have amnesia.

Besides eating the glorious food, you can watch the chefs cook it. There’s a large plate glass window in one wall. My dad, who was visiting us, and is as much as a food buff as Zimmern is, went back to the kitchen for a chat. We ate exactly what Zimmern did, plus a couple other dishes. The dal is fantastic and the chicken is the “melt in your mouth” version like Zimmern said. The chef’s explanation of how eating with your hands helps add to the sensory experience of eating food is exactly right.

Besides trotting to restaurants, Zimmern headed to private homes. One he got to on the back of milk vendor’s motorcycle. Here I found out that Zimmern and I have something in common. We both are wild about Saag Paneer. This is a spinach dish with cottage cheese-like cubes. He drank lassi, my daughter’s favorite. It’s a yogurt milk drink blend that comes in a variety of flavors. Zimmern’s was laced with cardamon, rose syrup and pomegranate.

At a Kashmiri fashion designer’s house, Zimmern he had a 32-course meal called a Wazwan, a traditional Kashmiri feast where lamb is the meat of choice and it’s accompanied by a dizzying array of dishes, all served one at a time. Pacing is the key, Zimmern said. “Now, I’m starting to burp. The level of food is rising in me.” This was at 1 a.m. By the end, he was stretched out, leaning against the wall, his hands on his stomach.

He also went to Oh! Calcutta, a modern upscale place where he learned about the various ways bananas are prepared, including the flowers and stems. People I know went here and loved it, I never did since we had our own favorites. If ‘m ever in Delhi again, I’m heading here.

The last stop was the Sikh temple, Gurudwara Bangla Sahib where anyone and everyone can come for a free meal. Zimmern, with a Sikh turban on his head helped make chapatis and stirred dal for the masses. Zimmern marveled how it felt to be in “a sea of humanity but feel close to everyone in the room.” I was one of the masses once and vouch that the food is simple and good.

As Zimmern said of Indian cuisine, it’s a mix of flavors and cooking techniques based on religion and the region of the country the food is from. In Delhi, you really can get it all.