Travel to the United States was off 5 percent last year, but this didn’t change how people enter the country. The top 15 ports of entry owned 85 percent of all overseas visits, gaining a full percentage point from 2008. New York JFK, Miami and Los Angeles took the first three positions and took 39 percent of the total, also picking up a full percentage point of “arrival share” relative to 2008. Five of the top 15 ports of entry actually gained inbound traffic over 2008, three of them in Florida: Miami, Orlando, Houston, Philadelphia and Fort Lauderdale.
GadlingTV’s Travel Talk 006: New York City, Engadget Show, Strikes & Protests!
GadlingTV’s Travel Talk, episode 6 – Click above to watch video after the jump
Ready for the City that Never Sleeps? This week we’re hitting the streets of Manhattan for a jam-packed episode that will take you through the Big Apple, behind the scenes of the Engadget Show, and show you how to get away from it all in a city like NYC.
This week we discuss the ongoing red-shirt protests in Thailand, the long awaited British Airways strike, significant new routes from Virgin America, a bus journey from D.C to Antarctica, and how NYC’s metro matches up against one of the most modern metros in the world.
Of course, there’s more Travel Tips with Bruce! and an epic Adventure that only left one of us curled up in a bathroom…
If you have any questions or comments about Travel Talk, you can email us at talk AT gadling DOT com.
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Hosts: Stephen Greenwood, Aaron Murphy-Crews, Drew Mylrea
Special guests: Mike Barish, Joshua Topolsky, and Bruce!
Special guests: Mike Barish, Joshua Topolsky, and Bruce!
Produced, Edited, and Directed by: Stephen Greenwood, Aaron Murphy-Crews, Drew Mylrea
Special thanks: Chad Mumm & the Engadget Team
Special thanks: Chad Mumm & the Engadget Team
Music:
Camping with Mike
“Camp Walk”
Derek K Miller
Travel Tips with Bruce
“Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob. XVI:49, III. Tempo di Minuet”
Mario Ajero
Engadget Show
“Le Conseil Militair pour la Justice”
Adhesion
Adventure of the Week
“New York City Heat”
Dead Heart Bloom
“Indian Funk”
Bloingo
all songs courtesy of Musicalley.com
It’s Disney characters! In Moss!: Touring the EPCOT Flower and Garden Fest
Nothing says spring like a giant, sphagnum moss Cinderella, right? That’s what all good Disney Parks fans will tell you, at least.
The EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival is open now through May 16 at Walt Disney World, and the more than 70 Disney character topiaries on display around EPCOT have a starring role.
There’s Captain Hook battling Peter Pan near the United Kingdom Pavilion and Rafiki holding up Simba the lion cub just under the shadow of Spaceship Earth. An event map provides a guide so that you can see them all.
(Look! There’s Thumper! Sneezy! Mrs. Potts!)
All kidding aside, though, the Disney topiaries are truly amazing. It takes months to design each one, build the frame and irrigation system and then plant the material that will need to grow to cover it. Dried flowers, plants and other natural materials are then used to create faces for the characters.
And they are being done in a scale you rarely see: Goofy is 14 feet tall, for heaven’s sake!
%Gallery-88501%When you’ve had your fill of marveling at the topiaries and colorful designs in the flower beds around the theme park, Disney has some other festival programs to fill your day.
You can learn more about the plants that make your cup of afternoon tea during a guided walk through the English Tea Garden, or sniff the flowers used to create Guerlain perfumes in a guided tour of the Fragrance Garden.
The festival’s calendar is beefed up on the weekends, with speakers and programs for gardening enthusiasts.
Disney horticulturists teach classes on planting butterfly gardens, irrigation and container gardening.
And superstar gardeners such as Tom and Joani MacCubbin and Ahmed Hassan fly in to meet their fans.
And if you hate everything green, the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival still might not be a lost cause. There’s still the Flower Power Concert series, which brings in acts from the 60s and 70s for evening concerts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. Starship performs this weekend, and upcoming acts include the Atlanta Rhythm Section and Davy Jones.
The flower and garden festival continues through May 16 at Walt Disney World. Admission to EPCOT is required, but there’s no extra charge for the concerts and most other festival activities.
Virgin America announces new routes to Orlando, Toronto
The wait is finally over (and we know you’ve all been on the edge of your seats).
Early this morning, Virgin America announced plans to serve Orlando International Airport and Toronto Pearson International Airport with daily nonstop flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The Orlando flights will launch Aug. 19, 2010 and, pending approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Virgin plans to start flying to Toronto as early as June 2010.
Amid all the excitement, however, is a bit of bad news. The airline has also announced that it will end service to John Wayne Airport (SNA) effective May 26, 2010. Silver lining: Virgin has promised all its John Wayne employees equivalent positions at LAX or in another area of the airline’s business.
But what good is a new route announcement without a new fare sale?
Never fear, flyers: Virgin America’s Los Angeles – Orlando fares start at $149 and San Francisco – Orlando fares start at $199 one way. Tickets are on sale today on Virgin America’s Web site.
It’s been a busy week for the Virgin team – on Tuesday, Virgin announced a partnership with Morgans Group Hotels, and rumor from the Virgin camp is the airline will announce at least three more new destinations to service in 2010 (our bets are still on Chicago, Atlanta and Dallas).
Get your Disney deals and resources from AOL Travel
When it comes to Disney, I’m rather weird – I can recite almost all of Finding Nemo, but I’ve only ever managed to visit their theme parks once. Thankfully my daughter is now at the age where a trip to Disney is going to have to be on the agenda pretty soon, or I suspect there will be rioting.
Our friends at AOL Travel have compiled a fantastic collection of Disney resources. Their articles can help with everything from where to find the best deals, to picking the best time of year to visit Disney World.
The main information hub also offers a great gallery of images from some of the lesser known attractions. Take for example the Richard Petty Driving Experience or the Disney Wide World of Sports – two attractions I had never heard of.
So, next time you start researching Disney, head on over to the Disney pages at AOL Travel. From the main Disney hub, you can also research Disney Cruise Lines, Disney Adventures or the Disney Vacation Club. The pages are easy to navigate and thanks to the daily updated deals, you’ll be able to research and book all from the same site.