Super Bowl XLIV – Your guide to Fort Lauderdale

by Annie Scott on

Super Bowl XLIV (number 44) is upon us. The grand Saints vs. Colts event will be taking place at Miami’s (well, Opa Locka’s) Sun Life Stadium on February 7, 2010, with kickoff at 6:30 pm ET. As this is the 10th time Miami has hosted, you surely know by now that attempting to stay in Miami is like trying to get a ride for two on Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. Surrounding areas, such as Fort Lauderdale (just 25 minutes away on a clear day), are the way to go.

Despite what the internet would have you believe, Fort Lauderdale is not just full of randy old people. There’s some pretty cool stuff to do there, and if you happen to be visiting one of their 33,000+ accommodations for the big game, you can find out what’s shakin’ in their free e-guide, The Essential Guide to the Big Game, available in PDF here.

The listings include Best Sports Bars, Best Clubs/Lounges, Spas, Gametime Food and other dining options, Golfing, Gambling, Nature, Best Places for Kids and more.

“We are looking forward to welcoming football fans from across the country and hope that they will get to experience as much of the destination as possible during their visit,” says Nicki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Conventions & Visitors Bureau. “There’s so much fun here they may never want to leave and the ‘Essential Guide’ will help them take advantage of the best that we have to offer.”

Don’t forget they have 23 miles of beach. Fort Lauderdale is lookin’ pretty good. Still need Super Bowl tickets? Visit Ticketmaster today to pay $1,450 to $237,300 per seat. Holy jockstraps, Batman!

Distrikt Hotel debuts in Manhattan, pays homage to New York’s neighborhood

by Melanie Nayer on

We’ve been closely monitoring the Manhattan hotel scene in anticipation of dozens of new hotels opening their New York doors this year. From the Andaz on Wall Street to Tribeca’s Smyth hotel, there’s plenty more places to stay in the Big Apple… and now there’s one more.

The Distrikt Hotel in Manhattan opened its doors Monday, Feb. 1, featuring a unique design concept that pays homage to the various neighborhoods of New York. The “distrikts” – from the Financial District to Harlem – are highlighted on various floors throughout the hotel.
OTTE Architecture, the New York-based firm that designed the hotel, worked with artist Chris Rubino to create back-lit collages of New York’s iconic neighborhood scenes on each floor. The collages feature the scenes and styles of Chelsea, The Village, Midtown West, Midtown East, Central Park, Soho, the Lower East Side, Tribeca, Harlem and the Financial District.
The 11-foot green “living wall” in the lobby represents Central Park and a subway themed elevator bank pays tribute to Manhattan’s famous ride.

The hotel is located at 342 West 40th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues. In addition to the 155 guestrooms that include free WiFi, iHome docking stations and great views of the city, the hotel is home to Collage restaurant, which offers New York foodie favorites and local beers.

Buying a $27,100 suitcase, or not

by Amy Chen on

Would you buy a $27,100 suitcase? Apparently neither would CNN’s Bob Greene.

In his hilarious column, Greene spots the offending suitcase on the cover of a magazine. He thinks it’s a joke but is stunned when he goes to the source to learn more. The culprit of this frivolity? Hèrmes, which also makes diamond-encrusted luggage for a mere $200,000. In this case, the Hector bag is part of the men’s line for only $27,100.

The best part is when Greene asks a store clerk if the bag ever gets damaged in transit. The clerk responds, “Some people buy metal suitcases in which to enclose their suitcases. They buy suitcases for their suitcases.”

When it comes to baggage handlers, I’m thinking maybe all suitcases are created equal–unless you’re on a private jet.

United now lets you redeem miles for one-way trips

by Amy Chen on

Don’t have enough miles to book that free ride? United is the the latest airline to let frequent flyers redeem their hard-earned points for one-way trips. United’s One-Way Awards program, which was announced today, mimics American Airlines’ One-Way Flex Awards, which were introduced in May 2009.

Under the One-Way Awards program, you can now book a Mileage Plus award trip starting at just 12,500 miles–or half of what a domestic round-trip flight requires. Even if you don’t travel very often, this increases your chances of racking up enough miles for an award ticket, especially if you use a credit card to earn even more points.

Frankly it has always annoyed me that the major carriers penalized you for buying a one-way ticket by jacking up the price. Low-cost airlines, on the other hand, are great for booking one-way legs. I’ve flown from New York to San Francisco on JetBlue but then I’ve booked my return on Virgin America. I’ve found that by mixing and matching, the schedules can be more convenient if I pair the low-fare carriers.

Tip: If a free round-trip ticket still eludes you, try cobbling together an itinerary using a one-way award ticket on United or American, plus the affordable one-way prices on airlines like JetBlue, Virgin America, and Southwest.

Personally, the One-way Awards program now gives me an incentive to use up my remaining United points, which lately has fallen short of the 25,000 round-trip benchmark, before they expire.

Photo of the day 2.1.10

by Karen Walrond on

I admit it: I’m a sucker for a great shot from the flight deck. And this image, captured by Fly for Fun (otherwise known as our very own Kent Wien) is a beaut — I love the saturated colours and compelling lighting, shot as the flight was descending into Boston. Well done, Captain!

If you’ve got some great travel shots you’d love to share, be sure to upload them to the Gadling pool on Flickr. We might just pick one as our Photo of the Day.