Rate Airlines on Zagat.com: See Results on the “Today” Show

by Iva Skoch on

I don’t know about you but I rely heavily on Zagat restaurant ratings, especially when visiting a new city. Because they use consumer-generated reviews (not food critic-generated ones) I have never found any of their reviews to be completely different than my experience at a particular restaurant. If a restaurant gets a rating of 23 or above, I know it will be good.

Zagat is not stopping at restaurants and hotels reviews, it looks like. They have created an airline survey and are asking passengers to rate “the good, the bad and the ugly” by Sunday, October 7. Results will be revealed live on the Today show in late November.

Air travel has rapidly become the fast food of leisure time. I wonder if any airline gets 23 or above…

Milan’s Canals Rival Venice’s Famous Waterways

by Catherine Bodry on

My experience in Milan was speedy and dirty; I had a several-hour layover in the city that I spent wandering around outside the train station. I literally had pesto between my toes, a pigeon that ate some bad Chinese pooped all over me, I witnessed one of the drunk men lounging on the overgrown grass outside the station break a bottle over another drunk guy’s head, and I paid 3 Euro ($6) for a can of juice. Needless to say, I felt I had little incentive to return, when there are so many other wonderful places in Italy, until I read this article about Milan’s magnificent canals.

I might have extended my layover if I’d known that Milan has a series of canals that stretches three times longer than Venice’s famous waterways. Emanuele Errico, chairman of Lombardy canals, maintains that “this density of canals joining a great city to the surrounding countryside is an example that is almost unique in the world.”

Regional leaders are hoping to refurbish the centuries-old system that made landlocked Milan a top Mediterranean port. Around 70 percent of the canals, which were once overseen by Leonardo Da Vinci, need to be rebuilt. Whether or not they are, I’ve now got a reason to visit Milan.

Thanks to Astilly on Flickr for the photo of a canal in Milan’s Navigli District.

Fewer Loch Ness Sightings Might Mean Fewer Tourists

by Catherine Bodry on

Sightings of the famous Scottish monster are down lately — only two sightings this year so far and three in 2006. Ten years ago sightings were in the double digits and residents fear that fewer Nessie sightings could mean fewer tourist dollars. Nessie has been a key tourism draw, bringing an estimated 6 million pounds a year into the Scottish Highlands.

The Loch Ness Monster Fan Club runs four web cams on the North Shore of Loch Ness, hoping to record a glimpse Nessie. There have been more than 4,000 purported sightings, and lots of speculation as to what the creature might be. Some believe Nessie is an unknown species while others speculate that it could be a sturgeon, or even a last surviving dinosaur.

Giant Ads Seen From the Air

by Catherine Bodry on

Companies are always looking for new ways to advertise their products. In Anchorage, I’ve noticed a large truck that just drives around town flashing ads on its sides. I think they’re calling this a “moving billboard.” I’m calling it a waste of gas.

Well, someone came up with another brilliant idea to capture consumers’ attention: giant ads the size of three football fields aimed at plane passengers coming in to land. The UK’s Ad-Air launched this new service last week, offering brands ad space near some of the world’s busiest runways. The company has spent the last 5 years securing space around several major airports, which include Heathrow, Paris, and Los Angeles.

The first giant ad will appear near Dubai’s airport in October.

Really At Home On The Road

by Brett Atkinson on

Martha’s recent post about apartments and home rentals as an alternative to staying in hotels was bang on. Across my last few trips I’ve tried to incorporate a few more leisurely nights staying in private homes in local neighborhoods and have usually made bookings through the Vacations Rentals By Owner website.

VRBO lists around 86,000 private homes available for rent in more countries than you’d think, and so far the standard of places I’ve rented has been great. You very quickly find local cafes for breakfast and soon develop an addiction to the local newspaper.

A few of the highlights:

  1. A houseboat in Sausalito, Califorrnia (lazy days on the deck with a bottle of Francis Ford Coppola’s wine)
  2. An apartment in the West Village, New York (hanging out with the locals downstairs at Tavern on Jane)
  3. A flat in central Prague (around 200 metres from Weneceslas Square, but totally quiet)

Thanks to casspixx on Flickr for the pic of one of my favourite New York bars.