Hotel News We Noted: January 4, 2013

by McLean Robbins on

Welcome back, readers! We hope you spent the last days of 2012 and the first few of 2013 in good health, great spirits and an even greater location. We rang out 2012 at one of our favorite local escapes, Four Seasons Baltimore, and spent lots of time this season reflecting on all that we experienced over the past year.

Although we’re just a few days into 2013, the hotel world is already gearing up for a brilliant year. We’re always looking for ways to spice up the column, so we’ll welcome suggestions, tips and ideas from readers at anytime – just email us.

And now, without further ado, here’s this year’s first edition of “Hotel News We Noted.”

Hotel Week 2013 Means Great Deals in NYC
Hotel Week NYC™ kicks off on January 4 and runs through January 20, 2013, bringing a much needed boost to New York City’s economy after Hurricane Sandy reared its head. This 17-day event celebrates some of the city’s most prestigious hotels at a fraction of the cost ($100, $200 and $250 per night). Now 24 properties are participating, including some of our favorites; Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC, The James New York and Hotel Chandler are just some of our favorite hotels welcoming guests. View the full list of participating hotels here.

Even More Great NYC and DC Deals
Affinia is making winter travel affordable as well. Book between January 8 and 10 at any Affinia property in DC and New York and get 25% off the best available rate. That means that stays start at just $95 in DC and $129 in New York, a great deal at any time of year.
To book, visit www.affinia.com/JAN3DY, or call 866-246-2203 and mention promotional code JAN3DY.

Opening of Note: Fairmont The Palm
The first major opening of 2013 is in none other than the trendy location of Palm Jumeirah, the world’s largest man-made island shaped in the form of a palm tree. The 381-room Fairmont The Palm is located next to Burj Khalifa, the tallest freestanding building and The Dubai Mall, the largest retail development. We can’t wait to visit!

Fashion and Fun for JW Marriott and Nordstrom
Did you know that December was the most common month for engagements of the entire year? Now newly engaged brides and grooms the country over are scouring the globe for their perfect wedding location. If you’re a JW Marriott fan, enter their new Pinterest contest and the winner will get a $4,000 credit to the Nordstrom wedding suite, plus a a five-night stay inclusive of breakfast and spa treatments at their choice of one of the ten JW Marriott Resorts in the U.S. and Mexico, valued at $3,000.

Sweet Suite: Live Like “Downton Abbey” in Canada
One of our favorite shows returns for its third season (which we may or may not have already streamed online) this Sunday, and we’re borderline obsessed with all things Downton. For that reason, “The Manor Package” at Canada’s Oak Bay sounds right up our alley – and possibly yours too. Located in scenic Victoria, this waterfront town in British Columbia is one of our all-time favorites. The 999 CAD package includes:

  • Round-trip transfers by the Oak Bay Beach Hotel chauffeured Rolls Royce – between the hotel and any Victoria terminal (airport or ferry)
  • Two nights in a signature ocean view king guest room – including nightly turndown service
  • A full English breakfast each morning
  • High Tea served in the Conservatory
  • Dinner for two in the gourmet Dining Room
  • Personalized Butler service during your stay
  • Full access to the seaside mineral pools, steam room and fitness center.

[Image Credit: Fairmont The Palm]

Biking In Afghanistan: The Power Of Two Wheels To Change Perspective

by Anna Brones on

“Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of riding a bike.” John F. Kennedy

Bikes have long been a simple mode of transportation, getting us from point A to point B. But riding a bike doesn’t just get you somewhere; the process is fun. There is joy in riding a bicycle.

When I travel I am always on the lookout for bikes and what the local bike culture is. In my hometown of Portland, Oregon, bikes are everywhere. It’s a city filled with commuters, cross racers and road riders. It’s a city with a strong bike culture and thanks to the work of bike advocates and groups like the Bicycle Transportation Alliance there are plenty of incentives to ride.

Coming from a place like Portland, it’s easy to take my easy bike commute for granted. Other cities are not always graced with the same ease of life on two wheels; but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

My first day in Kabul, we were in the midst of afternoon traffic hour. Cars, minivans and motorcycles were everywhere. There was even the occasional goat on the side of the street. In the midst of this chaotic hustle and bustle, men on bicycles wove in and out of traffic, dodging cars and doing the kind of cycling maneuvers that are normally equated with bike messengers.I was stressed, and it had nothing to do with being in a conflict zone. The thought of bikes in this mess of traffic was too much.

I thought back to my own close calls with cars – the near misses that keep you aware every time you get on your bike. I shuddered and wondered if I would have the mental capacity to deal with cycling in the midst of Kabul traffic on a daily basis. The phrase “this isn’t Portland …” kept popping into my head.

Making a U-turn in the middle of a busy road to avoid a traffic jam, we nearly hit a man with a kid sitting on his handlebars. Both the driver and cyclist insisted on their right of way, resulting in the bicycle tapping the front of our minivan and both our driver and the cyclist shouting at each other. I looked at my friend Shannon who has worked extensively in Afghanistan and knows the ins and outs of daily life. She just looked at me and shrugged. This was normal apparently.

What is not normal, however, is seeing a woman on a bicycle. As Shannon said in a recent interview about her own experience with biking in Afghanistan, “I had one man say to me, with this very shocked look on his face, how impressed he was, that it takes a lot of intelligence to ride a bike, alluding that that’s why women don’t ride bikes,” she said. “It became an interesting conversation starter.”

But that perspective is changing. There’s an Afghan women’s cycling team that competes internationally. One day we happened upon a girl riding to school just south of Kabul. In a country where conflict is a constant and women’s rights have a long way to go, it’s things like this that keep you inspired. Small change leads to big change.

In the rural village of Istalif, Shannon and I were even invited to take a cruise down the main street on a well-outfitted old bicycle, complete with a siren-sounding bell and streamers on the handlebars. The men laughed as we pedaled back and forth. A woman on a bicycle? How amusing!

It’s interesting to think about how much a simple thing like a bicycle can do to change perspective. As Susan B. Anthony once said, “Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel … the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.”

The simple joys that come from riding a bicycle are undeniable; the smiles from a group of young Afghan kids on their way to school stopping to ride with Shannon when she was out on her mountain bike are a vivid memory. If there is a cultural bridge to cross, a bike may very well be the way to do it.

At the end of October 2012, Anna Brones spent two weeks in Afghanistan with nonprofit Mountain2Mountain working to produce several Streets of Afghanistan public photo exhibits. This series chronicles the work on that trip and what it’s like to travel in Afghanistan. Follow along here.

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The Kimchi-ite: 8 Delicious Street Food Dishes Of South Korea

by Jonathan Kramer on


Any trip to Korea is absolutely incomplete without dipping under a steamy street-side tent to eat some mystery food, preferably late at night. Street food is extremely popular in Korea. Not in the same way as Twitter-enabled, grilled-cheese food-trucks that are growing with momentum in the U.S., but instead in a much more homey, down-to-earth way. Some foods have their gimmicks, but most of it is classic Korean food.

Carts like the one seen above are a staple of everyday Korean life. I see close to a dozen on my 20-minute walk to work. Called pojangmacha, or just pocha for short, appropriately meaning “covered wagon,” they are large steel carts with a striped vinyl tarp draped over top, forming a tent, which to me really evokes a carnival feel. There are thousands across Seoul, most of which seem to be manned by a surly middle-aged woman. Some are standing room only, others have seating at plastic tables, many have some beer or soju available to go along with your snack. Some carts serve a variety of foods, but most often carts will specialize in a specific dish such as some of the following:

Teokbokki
Pronounced closer to tuh-po-key, it is easily the most popular street food in Seoul, with the majority of food carts serving it alongside various fried foods of dubious origin. It’s a serving of rice cakes (tteok) and processed sea food (called odeng) in a spicy red sauce. While it does look a bit unappetizing and messy, the soft, gooey texture of the rice cakes goes along great with the spicy sauce.

Kimbap
Think of it as the little brother of sushi rolls, the difference being that Kimbap features less seafood and more vegetables. Often sold from a small table near a subway station or bus stop in the mornings, they make a great, cheap, filling breakfast or lunch.

Grilled squid
Usually extremely cheap, around 1,000 Korean Won (~$0.88), this is possibly the simplest of all Korean street food. The squid is flattened and grilled, then served up with some soy sauce and mayonnaise. Enjoy it sitting down with some friends drinking some beer on the side of the road.

Hotteok
My personal favorite, it’s basically a pancake with a sweet cinnamon, sugary filling. Unfortunately, hotteok is typically only available seasonally during the colder months; it’s the only reason to look forward to Koreas ridiculously freezing winters.

Huge ice cream cones
Even though it’s currently ridiculously cold in the wintertime, I still see people walking around with ice cream cones. Interestingly, almost all ice cream cones sold on the streets of Seoul are comically tall, a good two feet tall.

Turkish kebabs
Shwarma, doner kebab, gyro … many names, one thing: lamb, veggies and a mayo-like sauce wrapped in a pita. Popular all over the world, they are starting to take hold in Korea. They are becoming increasingly popular, especially as late night food in party areas popular with expats, such as Hongdae and Itaewon.

Tornado potatoes
They take a whole potato, turn it into one giant spiral, then fry it. Yeah, it’s basically just one big French fry, but that’s exactly what makes these things so fun.

Corndogs
American county fair food with a little twist, crazy French fries all over it. Look at it! I almost want to eat a stick of just nuggety French fries by themselves.

With temperatures dropping to well below freezing right now in Korea, it’s a bit hard to believe that there are still people willing to eat street food but surprisingly, there are plenty of people everyday willing to stay out in the cold a little longer in order to get their snack on. So when you come to Korea, make note of these foods and track them down – it won’t be too difficult.

Be sure to check out more on Korean culture from the other Kimchi-ite posts here!

[Photo credits: Jonathan Kramer, Flickr user Sung Sook, Flickr user Augapfel]

A Traveler In The Foreign Service: 10 Tips On How To Get Into The Foreign Service

by Dave Seminara on

For those with incurably itchy feet and an interest in serving their country, the State Department’s Foreign Service is a great career option. As a Foreign Service Officer (FSO), you’ll spend the bulk of your career overseas, moving in 1-4 year increments and you’ll actually get paid to learn languages. You’re also signing up for worldwide availability and could be sent to a war zone without your family for a year, but that’s all part of the bargain.

With the next Foreign Service written exam window fast approaching (February 2-9, registration deadline is January 30, register here), I continue to get quite a few – got any tips on how I can join the Foreign Service – emails from FS hopefuls. Here are some tips from an ex-FSO on how to navigate the whole byzantine process.

10. Don’t Bother Cramming for the Written Exam

This isn’t the answer you wanted to hear is it? Everyone wants to cram for this test but it’s simply not possible. You can spend $29 on an official study guide but there is no real way to study for the multiple choice job knowledge section of the test because the questions are so varied. State wants to hire broadly informed, well-rounded people, so there are questions about computers and technology, management and economics, world and U.S. history, sports, music, basically you name it. (And if you need help deciding which cone to choose, buy Inside a U.S. Embassy to learn about what FSOs do, but bear in mind that many of the participants in those book chose to describe what their most interesting day was like rather than what a typical day is like, so bear that in mind as you read this book.)9. Set a Long Term Goal to be a Bit Less Clueless about Current Events

The State Department has a pretty good reading list but again, you can’t expect to cram. My best suggestion is to subscribe to The New York Times and the Economist for a good year at least, read them closely and you’ll be amazed by how much you learn. Even if you’re reading a story about what happened in the Congo last week, good reporters provide historical context to events, and that sort of background will help you on the exam.

8. Go Beyond Hola and Gracias

I know that if you’re reading this column you are probably hoping for quick and dirty suggestions, but here’s the best long term advice I can give you. If you can become proficient in a difficult language, say Russian, Mandarin, Arabic, Farsi, etc, you’ll have a huge leg-up on getting into the Foreign Service. These days, there are very few openings and too many candidates, so the extra points you can add to your score will likely push you off of the list of eligible hires and into A-100, which is the introductory class for new hires.

7. Don’t Try to be James Joyce on the Essay

The point of the essay isn’t to try to use big words or to write War & Peace. Try to make your argument short and to the point with concrete examples. Adding in a lot of fluff will cost you points. Read William Zinsser’s “On Writing Well” for tips on improving your writing skills.

6. Don’t Forget the Time you Mentored That Bolivian Exchange Student at Band Camp

In the biographic section, you’ll be asked to cite examples of how you’ve handled various situations and how much exposure you’ve had to foreign cultures and foreign nationals. Think about the jobs you’ve had and specific examples of your accomplishments and tricky situations you’ve handled. And if you’ve spent time overseas or have had significant contact with foreigners here in the U.S., be ready to write about it.

5. Boast but don’t be a Complete Lying Bastard

Since I went through the FS selection process, they’ve added a new step in between passing the written exam and being invited to the Oral Assessment – the personal narrative. The point of this exercise is to test your writing skills and to evaluate your work experience. You’ll be asked to brag about what you’ve done and will have to list someone who can verify your claims. I doubt that the reviewers have time to call all the verifiers, but believe me, the panelists have a good B.S. detector, so don’t try to claim that you invented a cure for cancer.

4. Try not to be Really Annoying at the Oral Assessment

I took the Oral Assessment twice before joining the FS and noticed that on both occasions the people who were very in-your-face aggressive didn’t make the cut. In the portion of the day when you’re interacting with your fellow FS hopefuls, be collegial and don’t act like you have to outshine them. There is no quota for who will pass each day – everyone can fail or everyone can pass, so don’t try to dominate the proceedings or make anyone else look bad – it will backfire. And keep in mind the 13 qualities/dimensions the State is looking for.

3. Stop Smoking Crack

If you make it this far, you’ll need to get through the medical and security clearances. During your background investigation, an investigator will interview you and others who may or may not know you well (neighbors, friends, colleagues, bosses) about your use of drugs and alcohol, among other things. A lot of candidates get nervous about this if they are or were recreational drug users and really, really nervous about this if they are or were junkies.

I told my investigator the truth – that I’d never taken any illegal drugs – and it seemed like he didn’t believe me. Having taken drugs, especially soft drugs in limited quantities in the past, isn’t a bar on getting a security clearance.

The key factors will be: when did you do it, what drugs did you take, how often and were there any adverse actions as a result – did you miss work, make an ill conceived pass at your boss, bludgeon someone with a rusty hatchet, that sort of thing. If you tell them that you are still taking drugs, especially hard ones, you are probably toast, so put down the crack pipe and everything else well before you start this process.

2. Bake Some Brownies for your Enemies

The investigator is also going to talk to current and former neighbors and bosses or colleagues where you’ve worked or studied. You’ll be asked to list contacts and you can hope and pray they won’t talk to the people who think you’re pond scum, but there’s no way to completely control the process. If you think they might run into a neighbor that was bitten by your pit bull or a colleague you stole a girlfriend from, now is the time for a charm offensive.

1. Join the Yahoo Group FSWE- Foreign Service Written Exam

Even if you make it through the Oral Assessment and the clearance procedure, you might languish on the list of eligible hires for a very long time. Remember that it’s very possible, and in some years it’s actually likely that you will remain on the list for 18 months, never get the job offer and have to go back to square one.

In order to maintain your sanity, join the FSWE Yahoo Group to become part of a community of likeminded people who share information and experiences. Aside from the message board, they also have some really useful tables that will help you put your scores in perspective and plenty of tips on how to navigate the whole process.

Read more from “A Traveler In The Foreign Service“

[Photo credit: Brianholsclaw on Flickr]

Gadling Gear Review: Solid Moisturizer From SkinFare

by Pam Mandel on

Can I get a show of hands from people who are still irritated by the need to game their packing to deal with the TSA’s three-ounce requirements? I thought so. There are still a lot of us out there. I’m both aggravated and pleased that there are new brands making solid cosmetics that I can get past the screeners. There’s a new-to-me brand out there called SkinFare; they’re making solid moisturizer sticks that give you more room for shampoo and sunscreen in your carry-on luggage.

There are a bunch of things I like about this product line. The moisturizers smell delicious – there are five different scents and one is sure to work for you. They come in recyclable cardboard packaging so there’s no plastic to throw away (take that, tiny hotel bottles of shampoo!). The moisturizer itself is made from organic stuff so you’re not putting toxic chemistry on your skin. It’s all good stuff. And yes, travel friendly, so you can carry a stick on the plane and use it as an all purpose moisturizer in the dry zone at 20,000 feet.

I find the product itself a little heavy, a little waxy, on application. I really like it as a lip balm or for my chapped and/or sunburned nose. But it doesn’t quite work for me – your mileage may vary – as an overall skin moisturizer. It’s easy enough to apply, you just rub it on your skin., but I want it to melt a little bit more on contact so it gets absorbed.

It’s worth a try, though. Everyone has different skin, so it might work really well for you. And I find that while it doesn’t suit my needs as an overall moisturizer, I’m putting the little container in my coat pocket instead of Carmex, and using it on my face and hands where I don’t have anything else on hand. And it’s perfect for on the plane – not just because of the solid product, but because the refreshing natural scents are nice for clearing that airplane funk out of your head.

SkinFare is $9.99 per stick. Give it a try or get some for your nearest traveler.

[Image by SkinFare]