Birth Of A Hotel: Site Tour (Video)

by McLean Robbins on




Last week, we were able to take a site tour of the soon-to-open Capella Washington D.C., Georgetown, including a sneak peek at its rooftop deck, which will boast an infinity pool as well as views of the Potomac River, the Kennedy Center and more.

It’s hard to believe that this shell of wood and wires will soon become a functioning hotel. We eagerly look forward to documenting the developments over the next few months. But for today, we bring you a bit of video from our tour, plus an interview about what guests can expect from General Manager Alex Obertop.

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“The Birth of a Hotel” is a Gadling-exclusive series that details what happens as a hotel prepares to open. Follow along with the articles and updates at “The Birth Of A Hotel” page, here. We’d also love to hear from you, our readers. If you have a topic about hotel development or trends that you’d love to see explored, email us or leave a comment below.

[A special thanks to H.E. Robbins productions for their video editing assistance. The voiceover, videography and images are from yours truly.]

Video Of The Day: ‘Half The Sky’ Visits Cambodia’s Toul Kork Road

by Jessica Marati on

Watch Meg Ryan Visits Cambodia’s Toul Kork Road on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.

“Half the Sky” is more than a four-hour PBS documentary series; it is a movement to turn oppression into opportunity for women worldwide.

The documentary, which premiered earlier this month, is the film manifestation of the best-selling book by New York Times writers Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. It follows Kristof and six American actresses as they travel to different countries in the developing world to explore issues facing women, from gender-based violence in Sierra Leone to sex slavery in Cambodia (featured in this clip).

The film swings from inspirational, to horrifying, to unspeakably sad. But while watching it will undoubtedly be a heavy experience, it will also be one that hopefully impels you to action – or at the very least provides a greater awareness of the things you witness in the places you travel.

The full documentary can currently be viewed only on PBS, but selected clips are available online.

Video Of The Day: Summer In Barcelona

by Libby Zay on

Summer might be over, but that doesn’t mean we need to stop daydreaming about warm places and days spent at the beach. It also means that some great videos produced over the summer are now popping up on Vimeo, such as the film above by director Pau García Laita. Over the summer months, the 22-year-old filmmaker sought out to capture a day in the life of his hometown of Barcelona, Spain. From sunny shots of classic Barcelona architecture to windsurfers catching waves on the Mediterranean, the film offers a glimpse of the city that would tempt any traveler to want to hop on a plane to Spain. However, García Laita didn’t just stick to tourist trodden places; he also captured some places and spaces travelers rarely see, like the stacking of boxcars in the city’s train yard or a bird’s-eye view of some construction sites. Did he do a good job of capturing Barcelona? You tell me in the comments below.

Watch A Cyclist Abuse A $16,000 Bike

by Kraig Becker on

When Bradley Wiggins won the Tour de France a few months back, he did it astride a Pinarello Dogma 2 road bike frame, which is made of carbon fiber, weighs just two pounds and comes with a price tag of about $16,000.

Cyclist Martyn Ashton got his hands on the very same frame recently and let’s just say he put it to test in ways that Wiggins wouldn’t even attempt. No one will ever confuse the two riders out on the road, as their styles aren’t even remotely similar. See for yourself in the video below, in which Ashton finds new and creative ways to abuse this very expensive bike.


Base Jumping Stunt In Norway Goes Terribly Wrong

by Jessica Festa on




Ouch! When base jumper Richard Henriksen decided to add a gymnastics element to his daring stunt, he expected everything to go smoothly. Unfortunately, Henriksen did not foresee the high bar he was performing his routine on to completely collapse, propelling him head first over a cliff.

According to news.com.au, the father of five was performing the stunt for a television program on the NRK network in Norway when the terrifying incident occurred. In the video, you can see Henriksen make one complete flip around the high bar, the crowd cheers and then everything falls apart.

Luckily, the daredevil survived the 3,937-foot fall. Narrowly missing contact with the rock face of the cliff, Henriksen managed to open his parachute on the way down.

We’re just glad he’s okay.