Correction: Sorry, the place is not the place we meant

by Iva Skoch on

Call me crazy, but I am one of those people who likes to read newspaper corrections. Yes, I am every editor’s worst nightmare. It is probably because I have made my fair share of writing and reporting mistakes, and so I must derive some sort of weird pleasure from other writers’ mistakes.

One of my favorite corrections sections is in the Travel section of The New York Times. I bet nobody else reads it ,although it can be quite entertaining. This is my favorite correction of this week: “An article on April 20 about Rome at night misidentified the figure from mythology represented in the centerpiece sculpture of the Trevi Fountain. It is Oceanus, the Titan who the ancient Greeks believed ruled the watery elements – not Neptune, the Roman god of the sea.”

That wouldn’t be so bad, but this is what they included as an excuse: “The error has appeared for years in travel guides about Rome, is found extensively in Internet references, and has infiltrated at least five other articles in The Times since 1981.”

Great. Some slacker once put a false piece of information in a guidebook and it’s been picked up repeatedly in the last 27 years. You would think that the NY Times wouldn’t rely on guidebooks for their fact-checking.

Continental Airlines and United won’t be bed fellows after all

by Jamie Rhein on

Continental Airlines has decided to stay single after all–sort of. United Airlines’ parent company UAL had been wooing Continental looking for a merger hook up, but since United hasn’t had great luck financially as of late, (see Grant’s post), Continental has said, “See ya later, toots,” to the merger deal.

According to this article in today’s New York Time’s, Continental Airlines is still casting its gaze towards American Airlines and British Airways for some sort of alliance deal. In the meantime, United is looking for another bed pal.

U.S. Airways may be it, but that’s not clear either. With all the trying out the beds, it’s hard to keep up. What is clear is that ticket prices are going to keep rising. The economy is not being particularly kind to the airline business, although, since the New York Times article was written, the shares of Continental have gone up. The article said at the end of the week, shares were $15.21. Now a share is at $17.25.

As the airlines are looking to swing deals, I’m hoping someone will look at those old Skybus routes. I’m still recovering from that airline’s shutdown.

Day trip drive: Calcata, Italy

by Jamie Rhein on

When I browse the photos in Gadling’s photo pool to look for a “Photo of the Day” post, inspirational, lush, funky and interesting shots are aplenty. It’s hard to choose between them. Yesterday’s choice, David Farley’s shot of the restaurant, La Grotta dei Germogli gives a hint of the pleasure of being there which is one reason it caught my attention. It left me intrigued, prompting me to find out more about it. Oh, my goodness! This is a reason to head to Italy.

Calcata, where the restaurant is located, is a medieval village in the hills, 30 miles from Rome, thus a day trip suggestion. The town, over the years, has been taken over by the artsy crowd. When the government condemned it back in the 1930 because officials worried that the volcanic rock cliffs that it sits on would crumble, people moved out. But, the 1960s happened and hippies and artists moved in turning the town into a happening place.

I came across this New York Times article that details Calcata’s path from ghost town to groovy. It has something to do with the positive energy the village exudes. If you’re going to be in Rome, this looks like a terrific gallery and eatery filled spot to mellow out. There’s the blue chair folding chair on the balcony overlooking the hills with your name on it. It’s at the La Grotta dei Germogli. If you go, the gnocchi with almond pesto sounds delicious.

Planning your European nightlife

by Anna Brones on

Despite the low dollar, some of us still have European summer adventures on the horizon. And just because the economy is in a rut, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t focus on fabulous things to do across the Atlantic. This weekend, the New York Times put together a set of 10 articles on things to do after midnight in various European cities. I tend to like the New York Times Travel section, but I really enjoyed this compilation of articles which takes us from hip billiards in Paris to 24 hour bookstores in Moscow to a tram-based nightclub in Prague.

The ten cities covered are:
Athens
Barcelona
Berlin
Copenhagen
Lisbon
London
Moscow
Paris
Prague
Venice

Go here to discover more of Europe’s after-midnight adventures, and then start scrounging for euros.

Travel question? Ask the New York Times travel editor

by Anna Brones on

At Gadling, we like to think that we are pretty smart in regards to all things that relate to travel, but it never hurts to go to other professionals when it comes to travel advice. One of those professionals is the New York Times travel editor Stuart Emmrich. This week, April 7-11, he is answering questions from readers. So shoot him an email with your toughest and most complex of travel queries and see what you get for a response.

Click here for Emmrich’s email address. And when you’re done, send your question our way and you can compare answers.