Training shuttle to be displayed in Seattle’s Museum of Flight

by Sean McLachlan on


It looks like the Space Shuttle, but it isn’t. It’s made of plywood, for one thing, and it can’t fly.

Yet it’s a piece of aeronautics history and will soon grace Seattle’s Museum of Flight. This training shuttle, more properly called the Full Fuselage Trainer, is a full-scale mockup that astronauts have used for practice since the 1970s. The museum originally hoped to get one of the four actual Space Shuttles, but those went to other museums. The advantage of the training shuttle, however, is that visitors will be able to climb aboard and get a feel of what it must have been like to go on a mission.

The shuttle will be flown to Seattle in five segments starting in May and should be open to the public sometime in June, the Seattle Times reports.

The Space Shuttles are going to four different museums. The Atlantis will go to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center in Florida. The Endeavour will go to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. The Discovery is earmarked for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center in northern Virginia. The Smithsonian will transfer the shuttle prototype Enterprise to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

The couple’s guide to Valentine’s Day hotel packages

by Jessica Festa on

It’s always fun to do something a little special for Valentine’s Day, and staying at a luxury hotel can definitely add an air of romance to the occasion. And because we know every couple has a different idea of romance, here is a guide based on your “couple personality” to help you decide where to spend this Valentine’s Day.

Nature-loving couples

Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island
Amelia Island, Florida

The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, is a romantic hotel in general, with ambient restaurants and activities for couples like cooking classes, bike tours, wine tastings, and picturesque hikes. There is also a nightly “Beach Lovers Fire by the Dunes” where couples can snuggle with blankets, hot cocoa, and binoculars for star-gazing in front of a beach bonfire. For Valentine’s Day, couples can opt for the “Romance Package”, which includes accommodations, champagne and chocolate covered strawberries upon arrival, breakfast for two, a rose-petal turndown service, free parking, and late check-out. Rates begin at $379 per night. Call 904-277-1100 to book.Couples who love food and wine

Geneva on the Lake
Finger Lakes, New York

Geneva on the Lake is situated in the perfect location for those who love celebrating with delicious cuisine and free-flowing vino. The area is home to culinary trails, farm-to-table dining experiences, and over one hundred vineyards. During the month of Valentine’s Day, Geneva on the Lake is helping to enhance the wining and dining experience even further with a “Romantic Valentine’s Celebration” package, which includes accommodation in a suite that overlooks Seneca Lake and the Seneca Lake Wine Trail, two elegant wine glasses, chocolates, a full breakfast, a bottle of locally produced wine or Fuji apple juice, a candlelit four-course dinner with live music, and, if you stay on a Friday, a wine and cheese reception. Rates begin at $330 per night. Call 800-343-6382 to book.

Eco-conscious couples

Shore Hotel
Santa Monica, California

The Shore Hotel is an environmentally-friendly, luxury property right on the beach. They are LEED-registered, use local materials for building as much as possible, and recycled 50% of their construction waste, among other initiatives. During the entire month of February, the property is offering a “Pink Goes Green” package that includes accommodations, two bicycle rentals to use for your entire stay, a 60-minute couples massage at Tikkun Spa, a bottle of organic champagne or wine, and a $50 credit to The Lobster Restaurant, the on-site seafood eatery. Rates for the package start at $469 per night. Call 310-458-1515 to book.

Couples who love public displays of affection

Affinia Hotels
New York, Chicago, and Washington D.C.

Affinia Hotels, a boutique hotel chain with multiple properties in New York, Chicago, and Washington D.C., is offering a “Kiss & Tell” package from now all the way until December 31, 2012. The package includes accommodations with upgrades (if available), a list of each city’s most romantic kissing spots, Affinia signature “Kiss Me” mints, a “Kisses Goodnight” turndown service that includes Hershey’s kisses, and a split of champagne. To make the package more fun, the hotel is asking couples to take kissing photos around the cities and post them to the Affinia Facebook page and the Affinia Twitter account. Prices start at $139 per night in New York and Washington D.C. and $149 a night in Chicago. Call 866-246-2203 and say the word “KISS” to book.

Wedding-obsessed couples

The Pop-Up Wedding Chapel at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada

Whether you’re looking to get married for the first time, renew your vows, or just trying it out for a day or two, The Pop-Up Wedding Chapel at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas offers a variety of wedding-inspired packages. Each includes a 20-minute ceremony, Molla Space eraser rings, and Sofia Coppola champagne poppers. Note that all packages are faux until you add a $150 legal binding fee.

For those who are looking to quickly seal the deal, there is the “Hitched in a Hurry Package” ($80), which includes the wedding ceremony, a photo booth photo, and a gift bag. Couples looking to get a little more out of the experience can opt for the “On a Whim Package” ($125), which will give you the wedding ceremony, a silk flower bouquet, two photo booth photos, six cans of champagne, party favors, a t-shirt, two cake tops, and a gift bag. And, for those couples who want to really go all out, there is the “Going to the Chapel Package” ($195), which includes the wedding ceremony, silk flower bouquet, a bottle of Sofia Coppola Champagne (swanky!), two photo booth photos, party favors, six cake tops, two t-shirts, Marquee Hotel nightclub guest list access for four people, and a gift bag. Call 702-698-7640 to book.

Couples with sex on the brain

Canyon Ranch Hotel & Spa
Miami Beach, Florida

Let’s be honest; for most couples, romance isn’t just about chocolates and tropical sunsets. And because Canyon Ranch Hotel & Spa understands this, they’re hosting a “Sensuality & Sexuality” week from February 13-18, 2012. Not only will you be able to relax on the beach with your partner, you’ll also be able to learn how to heat things up in the bedroom (don’t worry if you’re single, as there are solo tips, as well). Some of the classes guests can partake in include:

  • Get in Touch with Yourself- Learn how to bring back and ignite sexual passion and vitality
  • Swap the Blue Pills for Dumbbells- Learn how to use exercise to increase sexual performance
  • Position Yourself- Couples will learn strengthening exercises that will not only work your muscles but also help you achieve unique and pleasurable sex positions
  • Keep It Up (for men)- Dr. McGee gives the men insight into how things like nutrition, relationships, stress, exercise, and everyday activities can affect sexual performance
  • Forty Beads Talk with Carolyn Evans (for women)- The ladies will learn a new method that will help transform their relationships

Rooms start at $605 a night. Call 800-742-9000 to book.

Rustic and adventurous couples

Blackberry Farm
Walland, Tennessee

Blackberry Farm is a luxury resort housed in a renovated farmhouse situated in the hills of the Smoky Mountains. From February 10-14, 2012, the property is hosting an array of romantic activities, some of which include a romantic confections baking demo, horse-drawn carriage rides, aphrodisiac tasting menus, spa treatments for couples, private fly fishing lessons, and adventure sports like kayaking and white water rafting. Rates start at $695 which includes all meals. Call 865-984-8166 to book.

Snow bunny couples

L’Auberge de Sedona
Sedona, Arizona

L’Auberge de Sedona is a luxury property situated on Oak Creek as well as in the midst of picturesque red-rock mountains. Through March 15, 2012, the property is offering couples a chance to experience the natural beauty of the area by hitting the slopes with their “Snowmance” package, which includes two-nights accommodation in either a guest room or fireplace and private patio-equipped luxury cottage, ski lift tickets to Flagstaff Snowbowl for each day booked, and a $75 credit to use for food and drinks or the spa. Prices start at $265 for a guest room and $320 for cottage. Call 928-282-1661 to book.

High-roller couples

Fairmont Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

For couples that like to live life in the fast lane, a stay at Fairmont Chicago will give them the chance to spend this Valentine’s Day lavishing in expensive tastes. From February 10-14, 2012, the property is offering a $100,000 “Romantic Getaway Package”, which includes your own butler throughout the stay as well as a Presidential Suite featuring a rose petal trail from the foyer to a bed of six dozen red roses. The package also includes a $10,000 gift card to Saks Fifth Avenue in Chicago that will give sweethearts access to their exclusive Fifth Avenue Club, allowing for personalized shopping, doting slaes attendents, and the ability to shop during non-regular hours. And if you’re not feeling like a baller already, you will also receive a Marshall Pierce & Company 18 karat white diamond and sapphire necklace. Back at the resort, the high rolling continues with a lavendar and rose petal-filled bath for two, strawberries, Cristal Champagne, a ninety minute in-room couples’ massage, breakfast in bed each morning, as well as two fine dining experiences, one being a Chef’s Table-for-Two at the on-site Aria and the other being at your choice of hotel in Chicago. Call 312-565-8000 to book.

Couples who can’t get enough chocolate

Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead
Atlanta, Georgia

From February 1 up until Valentine’s Day, the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, is offering a Valentine’s Day package that includes accommodations, breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant, chocolate, champagne, a rose-petal turndown service, and overnight valet parking. Along with this, there is a calendar of chocolate-inspired activities for couples. Some sweet selections to expect include a Chocolate Afternoon Tea ceremony ($34), a chocolate desert-ladden brunch ($59), chocolate and wine pairing sessions (included), candy making classes ($125 per couple), and 50-minute chocolate spa treatments ($155-$290). Prices begin at $299 per night and the chocolate activities can be purchased a la carte. Call 404-237-2700 to book.

Photo of the day: Bright lights of Las Vegas

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Las Vegas and bright lights: peas in a pod, lovers on a park bench. They’re intertwined, and frankly unimaginable without the other. Flickr user jrodmanjr plays around with this association, capturing some of Las Vegas’ less extraordinary lights. He juxtaposes hotel neon with car lights, all set against an evening sky.

Las Vegas is an extremely popular destination by any measure, and we’d love to feature more photos of Sin City as future Photos of the Day. So upload your Vegas shots to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. We pick our favorite images from the pool to be Photos of the Day.

Southwest airline interior evolves, gets planet-friendly

by Chris Owen on

Called Evolve: The New Southwest Interior, Southwest Airlines introduced a new cabin layout this week at their Dallas headquarters. Due to be rolled out fleet-wide over the next year, the plan will cut 635 pounds off each plane and add six seats per aircraft in an eco-friendly way.

Many of the new developments were fabricated using products and manufacturing processes that favor the environment and the initial environmental savings reach far into the future. Products used are significantly more durable and recyclable so less replacement and repair will be needed.

Rather than replace seats, new seating materials are fitted to the existing seat frames and traditional carpets are replaced easier-to-repair carpet tiles. Even new seat back trays are made of recyclable, durable aluminum.

Big win for passengers: New seats designs emphasize and increase personal space.

“A low profile cushion combined with fixed wing headrests are geared to position customers down and back into the seat, reducing the need to recline to begin with and provided better ergonomics,”reports NYC Aviation.




Photo: Southwest Airlines

Boombox Party in NYC Saturday

by Elizabeth Seward on

Want to go to a Boombox Party in NYC this Saturday night? Of course you do. I do. I don’t know if a last-minute flight from Austin to NYC will be worth the Boombox Party experience for me or not, but something tells me it just may be. So, suffice it to say that if you’ll already be in New York this weekend because you’re visiting or living there, you should embrace this new kind of impromptu party. What is a Boombox Party? It’s a portable and battery-powered party, basically. Started by two guys out of Vancouver, the parties invite thousands of people to carry boomboxes around and dance. A DJ carrying an FM radio transmitter in a backpack has the boombox carriers tune into his master FM broadcast. The result is a mobile, synchronized sound system. The party can, and probably will, go anywhere and everywhere. Subways, city blocks, parks–who knows. The location for Saturday night is TBA, but it will start at 9pm. The theme is Strictly Business, meaning, of course, you must wear business attire.

Follow the party-throwers on Facebook and find out tonight where the NYC Boombox Party will be held. And if you hear the party outside your window in NYC and you’re annoyed, just remember: you’re in the city that never sleeps.