Three art fairs in Madrid this month

by Sean McLachlan on

Madrid has always been a favorite destination for art lovers, and in February you have three more reasons to go. Later this month the Spanish capital will host three contemporary art fairs.

Art Madrid is the biggest, with 45,000 visitors last year. Now in its sixth year, Art Madrid is hosting 89 exhibition spaces that will showcase the collections of 60 art galleries from across Spain and around the world. It’s open from Feb. 16-20.

ARCOmadrid is celebrating its 30th year by focusing on Russian and Latin American contemporary art. Pieces from 12 Russian galleries will be on display and a “Solo Projects” program features artists from Latin America. It’s open Feb. 18-20.

JUSTMAD2 is the youngster of the crowd and only in its second year. About 50 exhibitors from many different countries will be showing their stuff. There will also be special programs on experimental design and sound art. It’s open Feb. 18-20.

It’s no coincidence that these are all happening at the same time. Buyers from all over the world will be here looking for The Next Great Talent, and like book fairs or other trade shows there will be a lot of hustling going on. Visiting one of these fairs will not only give you a large, interesting art exhibition for your money, but also insights into the inner workings of the art world.

US Airways increases baggage fees

by Chris Owen on

Here we go again. On the heels of greatly improved profits, US Airways has announced an increase of up to 80% on the charge for overweight bags.

In addition to the base price for checked bags of $25 for the first bag and $35 for the second, the additional fees for overweight bags are increasing. Overweight bags that weigh between 50 and 70 pounds will see the price increase from $50 to $90. Supersized bags that weigh more than 70 pounds will go from $100 to a whopping $175.

Will other airlines follow US Air’s lead? Probably. In January 2010, Continental matched Delta’s baggage fee increase and American matched United’s fees signaling a green light for others to follow.

At the time, travel expert Arthur Frommer noted “Any hope that the big airlines might move more gently in adopting such fees has been lost”. Looks like he was right.

Increases in baggage fees might not be all air travelers have to worry about on luggage either. The FAA, burdened by reduced demand for air travel since 9-11 expects an estimated $25 billion decline in revenue over the next six years according to a government report released last week.MarketWatch.com reports “Revenues declined early in the decade because of a series of largely unforeseen events, including the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, that reduced the demand for air travel, resulting in a steep decline in airline industry revenue,” wrote Gerald Dillingham, the director of civil aviation studies at the GAO.

The new US Air fees go into effect, and it says this on their website, “if you bought a ticket on or after February 1 for travel on or after March 1, 2011. They may want to take another look at that policy and/or ask cruise lines about the wisdom of making a retroactive service fee.

Six cruise lines ended up having to refund $40 million in fuel surcharge fees charged to cruise passengers after they had booked their cruises. I’m not offering legal advice here but anyone who booked between February 1st and 9th might have a case.

Regardless, it’s probably time to take another good long look at packing light.

Flickr photo by Deanster1983

Budget-friendly London Valentine’s Day ideas

by Alex Robertson Textor on

With Valentine’s Day coming up shortly, it’s time to catalogue some romantic Big Smoke activities. Here are five budget-friendly London Valentine’s Day ideas.

1. Flower hunting at Columbia Road Shops & Flower Market. East London’s Sunday flower market is jam-packed with shoppers and aimless strollers alike. The streets are full of stands selling flowers, with salesmen barking prices in hardcore Cockney tones. Columbia Road shops are also delightful, with cafes, furniture stores, and curio shops sharing retail space. Columbia Road Market is open on Sundays between 8 am and 3 pm. Arrive early to avoid the crowds and to pick up the best possible selection of Valentine’s Day flowers for your loved ones.

2. Valentine’s Day at Tower Bridge. For £15 ($24) per person, participants can ascend to the bridge’s walkways, eat chocolates, drink a glass of bubbly (pink Champagne, no less!) and enjoy views over London. Organizers promise “scented flowers, seductive lighting and live mood music” in the background. Wow. In other words: one part cheesy spectacle, one part make-no-bones-about-it goosebump fest. This activity is scheduled on the evening of February 14 in four one-hour admission shifts, at 6:30 pm, 7:30 pm, 8:30 pm, and 9:30 pm. 18 and older only.

3. Romantic candies. Pick up some Valentine’s Day sweets at Hope & Greenwood. The very British confectionary shop has two branches, one at 20 North Cross Road in Dulwich and the other at 1 Russell Street in Covent Garden. They’re hawking a line of special Valentines candies right now; these include an organic spotted dick chocolate bar, love hearts, and champagne truffles.

4. Makeshift river cruise. Bypass the terribly pricey Thames dinner cruises and cobble together a romantic river journey of your own. On Valentine’s Day afternoon, take a River Cruise eastward from Westminster to Greenwich or westward from Greenwich to Westminster. A cruise leaving Greenwich at 4:50 pm arrives at Westminster at 6:10 pm, affording almost a full hour of post-sunset views of the city. A one-way journey for adults costs £9.50 ($15.30) and a roundtrip runs £12.50 ($20.10).

5. Primrose Hill views. Few neighborhoods in London are quite as picturesque as Primrose Hill. The hill itself perches on the northern flank of Regent’s Park, and affords beautiful, sloping views of central London. Primrose Hill is also home to ungodly numbers of British celebrities. Will they be out on Valentine’s Day evening, enjoying the view? Unlikely, but you never know.

Searching for the perfect romantic bolthole for Valentine’s Day? Of course you are. Check out our list of five romantic properties in Boston, California, Mexico, Quebec, and St. Lucia.

[Image: Flickr | siddhu2020]

Video: Extreme snow removal from around the world!

by Scott Carmichael on

While the majority of us think back to the past couple of weeks, and have nightmares about removing 20 inches of snow, some winter states and countries deal with the kind of snow that requires really major equipment to clear the roads and rails. We’ve collected some clips of extreme snow removal, which should make cleaning a couple of inches off your car seem like a walk in the park.

In the first video above, you’ll see a BNSF Train snow blower clear a mountain of snow off the tracks in Nebraska using a rotary blower . It is a long clip, but well worth the watch.

Turn your volume down before watching this next one! For some reason, this jet engine snow blower has been put to work to clear a road. The noise is absolutely deafening.

Watch as this Canadian snow shovel train clears the tracks.

This Overaasen TV2000 is crowned “World’s largest snow blower” – watch it in work to find out why. These beasts are put to work at airports around the world.

Admit it – if you saw this coming down the road towards you, you’d move over…

Another extreme rail snow plow

REAL extreme snow (fast forward to 50 seconds to see just how much snow they need to remove here!)

New York snow removal digger and tow truck destroy a Ford Expedition (audio may not be suitable for work)

A convoy of Vammas snow removal trucks at Helsinki Airport

Snow blower + car – you want to guess who won this battle? (fast forward to 27 seconds)

Four meters (13 feet) of snow removal on an access road to Cairngorm mountain in Scotland.

Five ways London will drive American business travelers nuts

by Tom Johansmeyer on

On my recent trip to London, I was asked frequently if it was my first time I didn’t quite know how to answer, as I’d spent a day wandering the city in 2008 before schlepping out to East Anglia. Instead of yes-with-a-but or no-with-an-except, I settled on kinda and used that as bait to give an explanation nobody really cared about.

Why is this important?

Subtlety matters in London, and for business travelers, time is of the essence. Fail to handle the former properly, and you will lose on the latter. Had I said I’d been to London while asking for directions, for example, the outcome would have been much different (I’d not have gotten sufficient detail). But, I remembered just enough to be dangerous.

London can be a tricky city for the white collar travel set, largely because it’s more different from what you see in the United States, given the shared language and history. Going to London on business? Here are five things that will tangle with your corporate yankee sensibilities:

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1. They drive on the other side of the road: I know; I know – this is perfectly obvious, and you should know about it already. Here’s the problem, though: I’ve spent the last three decades looking or traffic on the right side of the road. Old habits die hard. Combine this with jaywalking (a New York necessity), and the results can be unpleasant. I’m not saying this is right or wrong, but after several close calls, it becomes annoying.

2. Cold toilet seats: no explanation needed.

3. Hopstop FAIL: I love Hoptstop in New York, but it just doesn’t measure up in London. Too many streets are missing. Usually, getting “close enough” is fine, except when close enough points you in the wrong direction … when you’re on your way to a business meeting. I quickly gave up on Hopstop and started carrying a paper map.

4. Late-night dining FAIL: It seems like London hates to eat after 10 PM. I worked late several nights on my last trip and found myself needing dinner after 11 PM. There just wasn’t much. If you’re in London on business, feed yourself and your team early if you have an all-nighter forming … and stock up for the early hours of the morning.

5. Nobody knows where anything is: I grew up in the Boston area, so I’ve been through this before: these tiny, crazy little streets are difficult to navigate, and the comfort of the Manhattan grid is nowhere to be found. Everything makes sense if you know where to look. But, it takes targeted knowledge to help a lost American businessman, and I mostly encountered only friendliness and willingness. Give yourself plenty of time to get to that next meeting …