Read my New York Times story on the world’s strangest collectible shop

by Jerry Guo on

If you’re ever in Westport, Connecticut (home of Martha Stewart and other moguls), check out this see-to-be-believed collectibles shop, though it’s not technically open to the public.

Run by 48-year-old John Reznikoff, University Archives holds the world’s largest collection of hair from celebrities. Oh, and they also have priceless artifacts like a cosmonaut suit, a copy of the Declaration of Independence, and one of Monica Lewinsky’s dresses :-).

My New York Times piece about John centers mainly around his hair collection and the growing interest in this strange–but lucrative–hobby. If you have any questions, shoot me a comment below and I’ll be happy to answer your questions. Read the full story here or pull out a copy of The New York Times Sunday Style section tomorrow morning at the breakfast table.

This time, a passenger struck a flight attendant

by Iva Skoch on

Just last week, we wrote about a pilot whose mental breakdown caused an emergency landing.

Now, AP reports that a flight from New York to Paris was diverted to Boston last night because a French passenger “struck a flight attendant.” Why? We don’t know. Nonetheless, the American Airlines flight landed safely after 8 p.m. Wednesday night at Logan Airport. The “attacker” was taken into custody.

Is it the cabin pressure that makes people go crazy?

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A commercial airplane with a king size bed? I wonder how much that costs…

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Minor relief for those flying out of New York

by Jerry Guo on

Did I mention the relief will be minor? After months–hell, years–of resistance to a bill of rights for airline passengers, there’s been one small step in the right direction. Now if you’re flying out of JFK or LaGuardia, you have the right to “fresh air, lights, functioning restrooms and adequate food and drinking water” on the tarmac if your flight is delayed more than three hours.

The whole movement got a kick in the pants last Valentine’s Day, when a ice storm caused some passengers to be literally trapped on planes for up to 10 hours, with none of the above mentioned “amenities.”

Unfortunately for customers, the bill of rights trend isn’t sweeping the nation. Though airline employees can be dullards, airlines have made sure their lobbyists in Washington are the best and brightest. And the penalties can barely be called steep. $1,000 a pop–if the violation can be confirmed (read: lots of paperwork).

I’m waiting to see what kind of impact this will have on the two New York airports, which are infamously headaches to go through. Next summer is also gearing up to be one of the busiest seasons on record. So good luck everybody We’ll need it.

Woman held in shackles at JFK for overstaying visa

by Martha Edwards on

Officials at JFK might have some ‘splaining to do after they shackled a detained an Icelandic tourist for days — all because she had overstayed her tourist visa 10 years ago. Erla Osk Arnardottir Lillendahl, 33, is not happy about the treatment she received upon arriving at JFK — she’s even called the experience the most humiliating of her life.

Lillendahl was arrested at JFK and interrogated for two days. During that time, she was held in a cell, had her hands and feet chained, was not permitted to call relatives and was even denied food and drink for a period of time. Now the Government of Iceland has asked US Ambassadors to explain the incident.

According to Iceland’s foreign minister Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir, “In a case such as this, there can be no reason to use shackles. If a government makes a mistake, I think it is reasonable for it to apologize, like anyone else.”

Can’t say I disagree.

Airport woes from New York Magazine

by Grant Martin on

This week’s New York Magazine covers the growing fiasco of air travel, from congested skies to travel tips to new developments in the industry — all centered around the New York co-terminals, LGA, JFK and EWR (or NYC if you’re in a hurry).

Headlining the feature is an article by Michael Idov, called Gridlock at 30,000 feet, which is an excellent (albeit sobering) look at the volume versus capacity of the New York airports and its deleterious result on traffic across the country. Indeed, it states that “75 percent of delays around the country originate in New York”

Idov does say that there are a variety of solutions and technologies in the works to alleviate the problem. But don’t plan on anything coming soon; the bureaucratic jungle awaits any changes to the flight plans or antiquated air traffic control system, hampering any improvement with red tape.

As always, when flying into New York its best to hope for the best and plan for the worst. Make sure you have plenty of time to connect or make your dinner reservations. From a personal standpoint, I flew American Airlines twice this weekend in and out of LGA. Both flights were late by almost an hour.

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