London’s Heathrow airport is among the world’s busiest airports for passengers, with the total number of travelers passing through in the first half of 2012 topping out at over 46 Million. Think about that number for a moment and try to put it in context. It’s not easy, is it?
To give some sense of what a typical travel day looks like at this London transportation hub, watch the above video. This dizzying time-lapse of takeoffs and landings, with planes hovering mid-air like buzzing honeybees entering the hive, is a hypnotic visual reminder of just how much travel we’re all doing these days.
When you were a kid, there’s a fair chance you spent some time running amok, arms outstretched, and making airplane sounds. Airplane enthusiast and proud papa Branden Williams captured just such a moment of his kids’ “airplane arms” with a 1960 Cessna single-engine plane. The black-and-white makes it feel timeless, and takes us back to a time when we didn’t scowl about children on planes, but dreamed of flying one as a child.
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Think New York has the most extensive subway system in the world? You may be right, but it’s a toss-up with London and Berlin. It’s easy to judge if you take all the metro systems and draw them to the same scale, as artist and urban planner Neil Freeman did in a series of minimalist subway maps. Comparing different systems, it’s a wonder why cities like Budapest even bothered with a metro, yet having ridden it, it’s a pretty extensive system.
Road trips taken over the weekend can get us away from our normal routine and surroundings without a lot of planning or cost involved. Some people would like to get away from election season ads on television, websites, newspapers and magazines. Others are really into the process of selecting the next president of the United States and look for ways to feed their addiction. Here are some easy fixes for travelers who just can’t get enough of the election year hoopla.
Stop by any 7-11 store and cast your vote by simply buying a drink to participate in their 7-Election. A blue or red cup choice counts as your vote for either candidate and can contribute to a historically precise way of predicting the election outcome.
2004, the 7-Election predicted Bush would defeat Kerry 51 to 49 percent.
Actual vote: Bush 50.7 percent, Kerry 48.3 percent.
2008, the 7-Election Obama would defeat McCain 52 to 46
2012 election running totals are posted on the 7-11 website.
The Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas, features exhibits, special events, and educational programs. Like other presidential libraries and museums, replicas of the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room are a highlight of a day-trip visit.
Permanent exhibits utilize documents, photographs, videos and interactive stations. The National Archives has information on all the presidential libraries, mostly located east of the Rocky Mountains.
The Sixth Floor Museum At Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, formerly known as the Texas School Book Depository has a permanent exhibit featuring films, photographs and artifacts that chronicle President John F. Kennedy’s life, death and legacy.
Another exhibit in Dealey Plaza, has been designated as a national landmark. The grassy knoll of Dealey Plaza is a small, sloping hill inside the plaza that became infamous following the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
The birthplace of President Grover Cleveland in Caldwell, New Jersey, has historical significance dating back to 1881 when Cleveland was running for governor of New York. Like other presidential birthplaces, the Grover Cleveland site preserves artifacts from Cleveland’s early years including his cradle and original family portraits.
Even those with no plans to travel (except out of the United States if their candidate does not win) have some help. JetBlue’s Election Protection will fly about 1,000 disappointed voters out of the country (and back) the day after the election.
“We decided to give people a chance to follow through on their claim to skip town if their candidate comes up short,” Marty St. George, senior VP of Marketing for JetBlue said in a Time report.
Still, if a road trip this weekend is in your plans, here are some tips for making it a great one.
Looking for a different way to celebrate Halloween this year? Do you love “The Amazing Race”? Do you like dressing up in costumes? If so, then round up some friends and spend your Halloween weekend going head-to-head with other road warriors in the Rental Car Rally. Described as “Halloween on Wheels,” Rental Car Rally (RCR) sends costumed teams on an expedition between two cities with checkpoints and challenges along the way, and is held multiple times each year in different cities across the country.
Meeting at a secret starting line, teams converge for a kick-off party and receive a briefcase containing a series of checkpoints they must find over the next 24 hours. The team that successfully finds all checkpoints (verified by requiring photos at each one) in the lowest amount of miles wins the prized Golden Gas Pump, and major bragging rights. Style points, defined by “looking awesome,” also play a role in the overall winner. Checkpoints include off-the-beaten-track places like haunted hotels, Cold War missile silos, closed amusement parks and brothels.
The $179 tickets are per vehicle, not per person. Teams wanting extra perks can upgrade to a $699 “Joe Viterbo” ticket, which includes a “deluxe steel briefcase” at the starting line, and a suite and steak dinner at the finish line hotel. There’s even a $2,999 ticket, that no one has ever purchased, and includes a shot of pure human adrenaline. Teams pick their own themes, which have ranged from Gilligan’s Island to Hooters Girls to Ron Burgundy and the Channel 4 News Team. While using an actual rental car is not required, it is highly advisable (with full insurance policies) due to mischief along the way.
The rally concludes with a party in the finish line city, which is still unannounced. Organizers say they got the idea of RCR by wanting to participate in international road trip adventure Gumball 3000, but not having the money for the six-figure entry fee. Previous RCR’s include Los Angeles to Tombstone, Los Angeles to Tahoe, New York City to Montreal and San Francisco to Yuma. Two 2013 RCR’s have already been announced for this year: June 21 from Los Angeles and August 13 from New York City. You can find out more at the rally homepage.
[Photos Courtesy Spencer Harrison and Rental Car Rally]