New England is barrier to high-speed trains

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Nothing was more exhilarating than hearing the announcement on the Acela Express last weekend: we were traveling at the train’s top speed of 150 mph. I was comfortable, and I was moving quickly. I was also pretty psyched about the incredibly friendly service (airlines, you could learn plenty from the Acela). So, I’d love to see more high-speed rail travel, not to mention a greater number of faster stretches on the existing Acela routes.

An increase in triple-digit time seems unlikely in parts of New England, despite the feds are committing $8 billion in stimulus cash to put more high-speed trains on the rails nationwide. According to the Associated Press:

But in populated areas of New England where city streets and railroad tracks intersect and trains must negotiate curves, hills and tunnels, travel at speeds as high as 150 mph are out of the question.

As early as this decade, passengers will instead board trains moving at between 65 mph and 80 mph. That’s slower than true high-speed trains.

This should be sufficient to cut driving, though, which is the main objective. Hey, it’ll also give us another alternative with flying, which I’m pretty happy about.

[photo by Mr. T in DC via Flickr]

Haunted hotels in the US

by Gadling Staff on

“The tender word forgotten, the letter you did not write, the flower you might have sent dear, Are you haunting ghosts tonight.”
– Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

Spending an evening away from home in a luxurious hotel invites the opportunity to be pampered in a spa-like setting, enjoy fine dining and spend a romantic evening in a beautiful room. Over the years, some guests have enjoyed their stays so much at these hotels that they never leave … even after their demise.

With Halloween fast approaching, it’s time to explore some of the most haunted hotels in the U.S. that ooze with charm, history and ghosts. As an intuitive and paranormal researcher, I’ve had the opportunity to stay at many of the hotels on this list and have personally experienced some of the paranormal activity reported there. The question for you is: Do you dare spend an evening in the company of ghosts?

The Stanley Hotel (Estes Park, Colorado)
Ghosts at the Stanley Hotel include children running through the halls and the original owners and namesake of the hotel, Freelan Stanley and his wife. Paranormal reports at the Stanley inspired Stephen King to write his novel, The Shining and part of The Shining mini-series was filmed at the hotel.

TAPS investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson from the Syfy TV show Ghost Hunters investigated the Stanley and observed a number of paranormal occurrences including a thick glass cracking on the bedside table during filming.

Bourbon Orleans (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Once home to some of New Orleans’ most elegant parties and balls and at one point operating as a convent and an orphanage, the Bourbon Orleans is steeped in history. Ghostly reports run the gamut from children playing outside, to nuns shushing noisy guests and confederate soldiers pacing on the seventh floor.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, there’s a ghostly Romeo who steals kisses from attractive female guests of the hotel. Located in the historic French Quarter of New Orleans, if you don’t have a ghostly encounter while visiting NOLA, chances are you never will.Hotel Del Coronado (Coronado, California)
Located oceanfront in San Diego, the ‘Hotel Del‘ as it’s referred to by locals has a glamorous history, including the filming of Some Like It Hot with Marilyn Monroe on the beach in front of the hotel.

Sadly, the ghosts reported to roam the hotel are two women, both of whom committed suicide while guests of the hotel, the most famous story being of Kate Morgan, who was pregnant and apparently abandoned by her husband. In her distress, she bought a gun and shot herself on the steps of the hotel. Guests who stay in her room report strange noises throughout the night as well as the TV turning on and off and curtains blowing. Others have reported seeing the ghostly woman in the hotel’s bookshop rearranging the displays.

Grove Park Inn (Asheville, North Carolina)
“Built for the Ages” is the motto of this Inn, nestled in Asheville with a spectacular view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Guests at the Grove Park flock from around the world to enjoy the underground spa and the hotel has attracted a large number of presidents and celebrities over the years.

It’s also the home of the “Pink Lady,” a ghostly figure who is seen frequently in the main Inn’s Palm Court, where she reportedly fell to her death in the 1920s. A gentle spirit, guests report not being scared when she materializes in front of them in her pink gown — she simply appears for a moment and then moves on to another part of the Inn.

Hawthorne Hotel (Salem, Massachusetts)
Visiting Salem alone during Halloween is enough to guarantee a haunting good time, and highlighting the experience is a stay at the Hawthorne, conveniently located in the midst of all the haunting activity in Salem. The hotel has a long list of ghostly encounters and restless nights including guests being approached by ghosts of sea captains in their room and throughout the hotel.

It is also reported that the land that the Hawthorne was built upon, was previously an apple orchard owned by one of the women executed as a witch during the Salem Witch Trials and that when she visits the hotel, an overwhelming scent of apples fill the air.

Queen Mary (Long Beach, California)
Frequented by paranormal researchers for years now, the Queen Mary is reportedly one of the most haunted ships to date. Nicknamed the “grey ghost” during WWII when she was painted grey to slip back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean carrying soldiers, she’s lived up to her name even after she retired.

Now a hotel and museum, guests of the Queen Mary report running into her ghostly crew on numerous occasions.

Battery Carriage House (Charleston, South Carolina)
Location, location is key in real estate and often in haunted hotels. In a historic port city like Charleston, ghosts walk the streets by day and sleep at the Inns at night.

Stepping through the wrought iron gates out front of the Battery Carriage House Inn, it’s easy to slip back in time to a more gentile and charming era, along with the memories of the civil war in which Charleston was hard hit. Guests of the Inn frequently report seeing headless torsos, ghostly lights and polite encounters with a gentlemen ghost from the civil war era.

Don Cesar Hotel (St. Pete Beach, Florida)
Overlooking the Gulf of Mexico on a sugar white sandy beach, the Don Cesar is known as the ‘Pink Palace’ by locals. Employees report seeing the ghost of Thomas Rowe, who originally built the hotel as he embraces his true love Lucinda. They were forbidden to be together in life, but have become reacquainted in the after life and now roam the hotel.

Also used as a convalescent hospital during WWII, guests report ghostly encounters with soldiers walking the halls recovering from their injuries from the war.


Kala Ambrose is an author, paranormal researcher, and host of the “Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show.” Her new book, Ghost Hunting North Carolina, will be available in stores in 2011. Read her blog on Red Room.

[Images: Flickr | MiguelVieira; alliecreative; Floyd Nello; hyku]

From the shores of Louisiana – SoLa premiere

by Jon Bowermaster on


Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Last weekend I premiered my new documentary film about water and man in Louisiana – “SoLa, Louisiana Water Stories” – in the belly of the beast, in the heart of the state’s capitol.
The showing was at the beautiful Manship Theater and drew a crowd of Louisiana’s environmental cognoscenti, from activists to lawyers, politicians to fishermen. After the screening I was joined on stage by several of the characters interviewed in the film. I hadn’t been to Louisiana in a couple months – certainly not since the BP gusher had been finally capped – and was curious to gauge their take, emotional and statistical, on the status of the mess in the Gulf.
Former head of Louisiana’s Department of Environmental Quality, Paul Templet, admitted he hadn’t seen signs of change in the state level, or even yet at the federal agency level in regard to oversight of the offshore oil business. “My only sense of optimism,” he said, “lies with the courts. I think if BP is ultimately held to its promises it will be because of judges not politicians.”
There was worry among the crowd that BP may not live up to its promises of restitution – the $20 billion promised and currently being administered by Kenneth Feinberg, which many believe could grow to $100 billion, which could bankrupt the company.
Attorney Danny Becnel, Louisiana’s answer to F. Lee Bailey, from Reserve, Louisiana, filed the first suit in federal court against BP just 10 days after the spill, has since filed dozens more on behalf of fishermen, oil workers, restaurant and hotel owners and more. “The legal fights are going to go on as long as there is oil in the Gulf, which will be a long time,” he tells the crowd.

Dean Wilson, the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper, who watches over the environmental health of the most biodiverse swamp in the country, says while there is no oil in the basin …yet … his biggest concern post-spill is the continued lack of political will in the state. “We’ve been able to stop a lot of local environmental problems, like the cutting of the cypress swamps, but without the support of government and legislators. I think what we saw throughout the BP spill was the same thing … a lack of political will necessary to stop big pollution.”

“I don’t think (Governor Bobby) Jindal has ever even said the word ‘environment’ out loud,” quipped Templet. Prompting a shout-out from the audience, “But we know he can say ‘berm,’ ” reference to the governor’s fervent efforts during the spill to get a too-little-too-late $400 million berm built at the mouth of the Mississippi.

“Where has Mr. Jindal gone,” someone else asked from the audience. “He was all over the TV during the spill, calling for federal help. Now he’s nowhere to be seen.” Apparently his efforts these days are focused on getting the November 30 moratorium on new drilling lifted early.

Marylee Orr, the executive director of the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, reminded a crowd that is impacted by Louisiana’s disasters first hand, whether hurricanes, oil spills or Saint’s losses, reminded that local time is now told “pre-spill and post-spill.” She guesses she did more than 400 radio, television and print interviews at the height of the spill and worked 20-hour days for more than 3 months. Is she optimistic now that the well has been capped?

“Only time will tell if we can afford optimism. The notion that is now being spread around the world that the spill is over, that the problem is over, that everything’s back to normal … is not okay. Nothing is back to normal.”

Supporting her was chemist Wilma Subra, who has literally been on the ground since day one of the BP gusher, measuring toxins in the air, water and fish. She is not impressed by any of the numbers and is most angered by the “spin” being put on the issue of whether Gulf seafood is good to go … or not.

“The director of NOAA stood in front of a group of fishermen last week and said, repeatedly, ‘Seafood from the Gulf is not contaminated.’ Well, I don’t think we know that for sure yet.” Her biggest concern is that the government has changed the “allowable percentages” of certain chemicals found in fish, to ensure the fisheries reopen, choosing economic incentive over environmental cautions.

“It will still be many years before we know for sure how these coastal communities are going to fare,” said Subra. “Anything else you hear is a rush to judgment.”

Relief: Four airport perks coming soon

by Tom Johansmeyer on

There’s nothing fun about going to the airport, and the regulatory climate isn’t likely to change that anytime soon. Security will still be a nightmare, and you won’t be able to bring your own water with you (at least not for a while). Fortunately, there are companies out there looking for ways to make your airport experience better.

So, what can you expect to see in your local airport in the near future? Here are four amenities to whet your appetite for something to counteract the airport security gauntlet:

1. Catch some comfy shut-eye: sleeping on a plane sucks. There’s just no way to get comfortable. And, if you slip your leg alongside the seat in front of you, you do run the risk that it will get slammed by the beverage cart. Well, you’ll be able to use your layovers to rest, soon. Napping nooks, already available at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, are expected to come to San Francisco in the near future. Seven airports are in the early stages.2. Light up a cigar: okay, this one is particularly meaningful to me. A few airports still have smoking areas (I just lit up in Denver last month), but they tend to be unfortunate spaces, not designed to appeal. This is where a company like Graycliff can make a difference. The Bahamas-based cigar and hospitality company has an idea for well-ventilated lounges, featuring cigar rollers (and nothing beats a stick fresh off the bench, at least, not for me). With Graycliff involved, you can expect a stylish, upscale experience. The first is already open at the airports in Nashville and Nassau.

3. Better shopping and eating: the challenge of finding a bite or buying a tie during weird hours could become a thing of the past. From the chance to dine at a Food Network Kitchen to broader shopping options, airports are scoping out ways to enhance the experience of being trapped within their walls. If all the doomsday predictions by the airline industry about the implications of the three-hour delay rule are true, you might need to buy several changes of clothes and meals … because they believe this rule means you will never get home again.

4. Get picked up more easily: no, this has nothing to do with wearing something hot or having that extra cocktail. Rather, airports are opening their minds to parking where your ride can wait for you. You call; they drive around to get you. But, it’s not always that easy. Nature calls, and there’s always a shortage of space. So, look for larger parking lots with bathrooms flight information boards and maybe even dining options? Newark’s already headed down this road, with plans in the works for JFK airport, Cincinnati, Fort Myers and St. George (in Utah).

For more on this topic, head on over to USA Today where airport expert Harriet Baskas explores more upcoming airport amenities.

[photo by msspider66 via Flickr]

Photo of the Day (10.17.10)

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Whoa, what is that thing? Some kind of mutant flower? An architecture project gone wrong? It’s actually New York City’s Coney Island Parachute Jump, taken courtesy of Flickr user ☆ Ambré ☆. There’s a couple neat photographic tricks going on here, most of which are created using a special photographic style called Lomography, a technique that allows photographers to create some wonderfully quirky, candid photos. The darkened edges, double/upside down image and distinctly “analog” look you’re seeing here are the result of this style. Want to try some lomography yourself? Learn more about it at sites like www.lomography.com or grab mobile phone apps like Hipstamatic or Instagram which replicate the “lomo style” without making you purchase a whole new camera.

Have any great travel photos you’d like to share with the world? Why not add them to our Gadling group on Flickr? We might just pick one of yours as our Photo of the Day.