Win an autographed Anthony Bourdain poster! (Part II)

Two questions. You like to win free stuff, right? And have you heard of this guy Anthony Bourdain (he’s some sort of food show host apparently)? Alright, if the answer to either of the previous two questions is yes, Gadling has got your back. In what can only be described as deja vu, we’re giving away yet another Anthony Bourdain No Reservations poster, autographed by the man himself.

As you might have also heard, 2009 marked the kickoff of an all-new season of No Reservations. It’s been another solid string of episodes, with interesting installments on Mexico and a great look at some off-the-beaten path spots in Venice. Last week saw Tony enjoying our nation’s capital, Washington D.C., stopping for a half smoke at Ben Chili’s Bowl and getting some great Chesapeake Bay Crab at the local market. Tonight’s episode brings Tony to the isolated islands of the Azores.

Would you like your very own Anthony Bourdain poster to clutch to your chest while you watch the rest of the new season? Just leave an entry telling us about your favorite No Reservations episode in the comments below and we’ll draw a lucky winner by this Friday, January 30th.

Good luck!

  • To enter, simply leave a comment below telling us about your favorite No Reservations episode.
  • The comment must be left before Friday, January 30th, 2009 at 5PM Eastern Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
  • One Grand Prize Winner will receive a free, original autographed poster of Anthony Bourdain
  • Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • Poster is valued at $20.
  • Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Favorites from Gadling’s birthday giveaway

As I’m sure you’re well aware at this point, we’ve been hosting a birthday giveaway for a free pair of tickets to Amsterdam. Nice tickets. And we’ve been asking commenters to tell us “what they would do” in Amsterdam as their form of entry.

Obviously we’ll be picking the winner out of a random number generator and can’t give any special preference to friends or witty comments. But sorting through some of the comments today in preparation for contest closure, I did find a few that gave me a tickle.

Excerpts:

” If I won these tickets I’ll spend all my time in the red-light district staying at a dingy hostle. I’ll stroll the streets, collar turned up against the cold, looking at the women of ill-repute and wondering what it is in me that would never let me even consider paying for sex? Is there some gene that didn’t get turned on? Is there some gene that did? I’m sure to be attracted to the red-light women, assuming I’m walking down a “good” street, but this won’t play into my decision to walk on by; it’s as if I was born with a sexual desire firewall in place that even I can’t hack. I guess this is a good thing though. Besides, this’ll only give me more time and money to spend in the coffee houses enjoying the different varieties of coffee. I’ll pass the chilly afternoons in a gray haze considering history and philosophy, as well as numerous deep questions: does God exist? Do we really have freewill? Who invented liquid soap and why? I’ll also focus on the 4 spectacular years of Gadlingosity that have led me to this place in time – tears will fill my eyes – and for one brief moment all will be right with the world. “
“Gadling I sent this email and never recieved confirmation. Please look for it thanks. Flying Gadling is always a happy experience, so I hope your 5th Birthday is as happy as you make all your passengers. I would love to use the tickets to take my husband to amsterdam, on our 45th wedding aniversary. This is the place of his anscestry, He always wanted to go. Life is about coming full circle, and what better of a way than to have life come full circle from California to Amsterdam than with Gadling. Thank you so much for making life worthwhile for so many. “
“If I won 2 first-class tickets on Open Skies, I would definitely ponder what “Gadling” actually means. Maybe it would be best to eat a slice of “space cake” at one of those Amsterdam bars again and plan how to best explore the new wonders of Europe. “

Gadling’s OpenSkies contest wraps up at 5PM today. If you haven’t entered yet, now’s your chance.

Win free tickets to the Chicago Legoland Discovery Center!

Several days ago, I posted my review of the recently opened Legoland Discovery Center in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg. If you read my review and would like to spend a day surrounded by Lego with your family, then keep reading, as we have some free tickets to give away!

The Legoland Discovery Center is located about 20 miles from downtown Chicago. Parking is free, and in this indoor venue, you’ll find Lego themed attractions for the entire family.

Three lucky winners will receive 4 tickets each for free admission. All you have to do is leave a comment describing your favorite childhood memory involving Lego. This could be the time you managed to build a Lego tower that reached the ceiling, or simply the fond memories of opening your first Lego set purchased with your allowance.

  • To enter, simply leave a comment below telling us about your favorite childhood Lego experience
  • The comment must be left before Friday, September 5th, 2008 at 5PM Eastern Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • Three winners will be selected in a random drawing.
  • Three Grand Prize Winners will be randomly selected to receive 4 free tickets to the Chicago Legoland Discovery Center (travel to/from Legoland is not included).
  • Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • The total value of each set of tickets is $76 (4 tickets at $19 each)
  • Click here for the complete official rules of this giveaway

Galley Gossip: Love on the Plane – plus enter to win More Than This by Margo Candela

Love on the plane, it happens. In fact, it happened to me. That’s where I met my husband, on a flight from New York to Los Angeles. I’m guessing we were somewhere over Illinois when I gave him my phone number. The interesting thing about it is he wasn’t even my type (not at all), which was good because my type, I soon realized, had a tendency to suck.

Love on an airplane. It happens. I don’t know why it doesn’t happen more often.

I mean where else but on an airplane (or at an airport) do you get such an interesting mix of people from all walks of life? Not to mention, you can tell a lot about a person by how they travel, particularly when it comes to how they treat the flight attendant. Don’t believe me? Next time you find yourself cramped in a middle seat, just watch the people around you.

I noticed my husband right away. What I liked about him was he didn’t flirt, but he was nice and very polite. Always he said please and thank you, and he looked me in the eye whenever he addressed me, which rarely seems to happen these days. The thing that stood out the most about the passenger who would soon become my husband, was a very tasty looking sandwich he had brought on-board from a deli in Manhattan. That said it all. It said he liked good food. It said he was a man with a plan. It said he knew how to take care of himself. When he noticed me drooling over his seat, he offered me a bite. I didn’t take the bite, but I knew right then and there he was the guy for me. Eight months later we were engaged. Six years later we have a two year-old son.

Love on the airplane. It happens. Has it happened to you?

Ever been at the airport, or on an airplane, when you spot that hot guy (or girl) at the exact same time he (or she) looks at you, and you swear you can actually feel your heart beating just as he (or she) is boarding a flight, deplaning the flight, or in the process of taking another flight, and you want to yell out WAIT! STOP! But you don’t. Because…well…normal people just don’t scream out in public places at strangers, even if that stranger makes your heart go thump thump thump. Yet later you find yourself wishing you’d actually done just that. And you wonder what would have happened if you had done just that – yelled those two little words that may have changed your life forever.
Chances are, if you’ve ever been in a situation like the one mentioned above, you’re going to love More Than This by Margo Candela. I know I did. Oh sure Margo is a friend, and one of the writers in my writing group, but this girl can write! Trust me. In fact, movie deals for this book should be rolling in any day now. I’ve already offered (okay fine, I demanded!) to play the role of the flight attendant when the movie comes out.
So tell me all about your experiences with love on the plane – whether it happened, almost happened, didn’t happen (but wish it had), or maybe it did happen and you really wish it hadn’t happened – and you’ll have a chance to win an autographed copy of More Than This, a story about missed connections, written by Margo Candela. The perfect read to pass your time on the next flight. We’ll draw a lucky winner by Friday, August 8, 2008
Good Luck!
  • To enter, simply leave a comment below telling us all about your experience finding love on an airplane.
  • The comment must be left before Friday, August 8, 2008 at 5pm Eastern time
  • You may enter only once.
  • One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
  • One Grand Prize Winner will receive a free, autographed copy of More Than This, by Margo Candela.
  • Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • Book is valued at $14.
  • Click here for complete Official Rules.

Enter to win an autographed Anthony Bourdain No Reservations poster!

In celebration of the new season of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations on the travel channel, Gadling is giving away a free, autographed poster of Mr. Bourdain to one lucky winner.

Have you been following along this year? We’re now three episodes deep into the season and blogger Jeremy has been following the unfolding debauchery closely. Take a look at his recaps if you’d like to catch up.

Think that poster would go great above your headboard? Just leave an entry telling us where you would like to see Tony travel next in the comments below and we’ll draw a lucky winner by this Friday, July 25th.

Good luck!

  • To enter, simply leave a comment below telling us where you think Anthony Bourdain should travel next.
  • The comment must be left before Friday, July 25th, 2008 at 5PM Eastern Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
  • One Grand Prize Winner will receive a free, original autographed poster of Anthony Bourdain
  • Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • Poster is valued at $20.
  • Click Here for complete Official Rules.