Plane and helicopter collide in mid-air, fall into Hudson River

by Tom Johansmeyer on

A small plane and a helicopter from Liberty Harbor Sightseeing Tours crashed into each other in mid-air today, falling into the Hudson River just off Manhattan’s Pier 40. Three fatalities have been confirmed – two adults and one child – with another six presumed dead in a CNN.

The two adults were passengers in the helicopter, which was carrying five Italian tourists and the pilot. The child is believed to have been a passenger on the plane, which had two other people aboard.

The accident occurred just before noon. The white Piper Saratoga PA-32’s right wing struck the rear rotor of the Liberty Harbor Europcopter AS350. Searches conducted throughout the afternoon yielded the three bodies by evening, with divers continuing to search for the other passengers and wreckage from the two aircraft. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said the crash was “not survivable.”

The helicopter has been located, but the plane has not yet been found. The recovery effort was concluded at 6:30 PM and is scheduled to resume tomorrow morning.

[Photo by morenom via Twitpic, CNN video after the jump]

Gadlinks for Friday 8.7.09

by Brenda Yun on

This has been quite a week! I don’t know about you guys, but I’m eager for the weekend to begin. Here are some green-themed Gadlinks (to honor our green travel theme this month).

‘Til Monday, have a great weekend!

More Gadlinks HERE.

Don’t mess with Hawaii’s coral reefs

by Brenda Yun on

Did you know that Hawaii is home to over 3/4 of America’s coral reef? It’s not that surprising considering the heaps of divers that make the trek across the Pacific every year to experience the state’s special marine life. Hawaii’s unique ecosystem is its main draw for tourists, and since the reef is just that precious the state has begun to tighten the reigns and give out hefty fines to those who are not responsible underwater.

According to a recent article in the New York Times, “Ruining Coral Draws Fines in Hawaii,” fines of over $100,000 are being given to anyone who causes damage to Hawaii’s reefs. There are also no exceptions to this new rule. The state plans to sue even the U.S. Navy over coral that was ruined when a guided missile cruiser ran aground near Pearl Harbor earlier this year. Another example: a Maui tour company is paying the state nearly $400,000 in fines for damaging more than 1,200 coral colonies when one of its boats sank at Molokini, one of the islands’ most pristine reefs and most popular diving spots.

Experts say coral reefs in the marine national monument, a conservation area in the greater Hawaiian islands that is one of the biggest in the world, are in good shape. However, reef that is closer to Hawaii’s eight major islands centers have experienced severe overfishing and sediment runoff. Careless ocean users, who can kill a 500-year-old coral in just five minutes, are another real and difficultly controlled danger to the reef as well.

[via NatGeo Adventure Travel]

Remembering John Hughes through travel

by Katie Hammel on

John Hughes died yesterday at the age of 59, while out for a walk in New York City.

I was only a few years old when The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, and Weird Science came out, but thanks to repeated showings on TNT and USA in the early 90’s, I grew up watching his iconic films. I wanted to skip school with Ferris Bueller and I had a mad crush on Jake Ryan. So even though Hughes had withdrawn from Hollywood in the last decade or so, I was still saddened to learn of the passing of someone whose movies were such a big part of my formative years.

For other fans out there, the folks over at Jaunted have put together a list of some of the locations used for filming in Hughes’ movies, including Chicago-area sets like the Home Alone house at 671 Lincoln Avenue in Winnetka and the Illinois Police Station (formerly Maine North High School) in Des Plaines where Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald and Emilio Estevez suffered through Saturday detention.

I’m thinking it’s only a matter of time before we see a tour dedicated to revisiting these familiar locations. In the meantime, I’m going home to watch a Hughes movie marathon. That Jake Ryan is so dreamy.

Las Vegas Hard Rock hotel shows how to throw an opening party

by Scott Carmichael on

Yesterday, we showed you photos of the newly renovated Paradise Tower at the Las Vegas Hard Rock hotel and casino. It goes without saying that when a hotel like the Hard Rock plans a party, it knows what it is doing.

The party was held at the Rehab pool area, and if you were not one of the hip people shown in the photo above, then you can still experience your own “day at the beach party” during one of the upcoming Sunday Rehab parties. It’ll cost $150 to get in, or $1000 for a “season pass”.

Real high rollers will probably want to rent themselves a cabana where they can enjoy some personal attention, and a nice place to relax and get drunk off Bacardi soaked watermelon.

In the gallery below, you’ll find some more photos from the Paradise Tower launch party, courtesy of Oyster hotel reviews.

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