This is the path for American Airlines Flight 268 yesterday. Normally wouldn't be a big deal--except that flight is supposed to go to JFK. It made an unscheduled stop at ORD after an "electrical system issue." Because pilots couldn't rely on their gauges for the landing, the 757 ended up off the runway with a blown tire.
Blogger Pam Mandel was on the flight, and wrote up a pretty riveting account of what it's like to be on a plane greeted by a phalanx of emergency personnel at the airport:
The flight attendents were like angels, perfectly calm and in good humor. The passengers sat and joked, I snapped pictures of the fire crew out the window and as they boarded the plane. Finally the left engined whirled to a halt and a cheer went up in the cabin....
I managed not to fall down the stairs--I was a little jittery--and I stepped on the grass. A woman in full secrurity gear looked at me and smiled. "Welcome to Chicago O'Hare!" she said, and I laughed.
Tomorrow, the latest TSA shitshow starts, with passengers trying--undoubtedly with varying degrees of success--to run their laptops through x-ray machines while still inside carry-on bags. So how did the agency remind travelers about the new policy today?
James Brown once sang that Papa's Got a Brand New Bag. Well, it may be a different kind of bag than what the Godfather was singing about, but now everybody can feel better than James Brown and keep their laptop in their "checkpoint friendly" bag as long it meets certain criteria.
Back in April, we filled you in on Daryl and Davy Vogel, 10-year-old twin brothers planning to ride from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina. (They were nice enough to invite their parents along.) And though they've "only" made it to British Columbia so far, they've already managed to set a world record: They're the youngest duo to ever bike the whole 1,422-mile historic Alaska Highway.
Daryl took some time to write a blog post about the accomplishment:
WooHoo! We made it to "Mile 0." While we were riding there, Davy rode right in front of a car. Luckily he made it back to the shoulder in time. We got to stay at the Best Western. They have a waterslide!
After the kids finally got out of the pool, the family kept heading south. Only 27,700 miles left to go!
This is why the TSA has a blog. Yesterday, USA Today revealed that the agency was collecting data on people who came to security checkpoints without ID. In the evening, the TSA posted a public reply to the piece:
An August 13 USA Today article overstated the Transportation Security Administration's interest in passengers who come to airport checkpoints without identification but cooperate in establishing their identity. The story gives the public the impression they might be put on a "list" if they forget their ID. That is false.
Passengers whose identity is confirmed will not be added to any watch list or face additional scrutiny during future checkpoint visits.
Well, not any longer anyway! While this misleading comment from the TSA jives with the newspaper's story, it fails to point out that up until yesterday, Kip Hawley and company *were* collecting data on passengers.
Fortunately the commenters on the TSA blog aren't dumb enough to buy this double talk. It took 57 minutes before "seth" wrote:
Kip says that the names were being collected and that the practice stopped yesterday. You're now saying that the names were never being collected. Which one is it?
San Francisco has pioneered many green initiatives from hybrid taxis to a ban on plastic bags, and the city has a stellar reputation for trying out things that will benefit the world at large.
So hoping to capitalize on SF's green obsession, the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau has just coined a new word for you: "Ecothusiasm." The office has even devoted a section of its website to visitors who want to plan a green adventure in and around the city.
From eco-conscious meetings at the Moscone Center to environmentally friendly trips that involve the use of public transportation, the website offers solutions to travelers worried about their carbon footprint. There's even a blog, Eco411, where you can stay up-to-date on all the city's environmentally sound planning and development.
Online mapping programs have made traveling foolproof--for the most part. But there's always a time or two when you wish you could just type in a particular neighborhood instead of a specific venue. If you're planning a trip to Toronto anytime soon, you're all set.
BlogTO has gone the extra mile and offers maps and tips that offer directions as well as the vibe of the city's many neighborhoods. Available at hotels and other local establishments, the maps can also be ordered online and be shipped direct to you as long as you chip in for a small shipping cost.
Wireless access provider Boingo already has a Twitter account, a Facebook page and a LinkedIn profile. So it's only natural that the company would start a blog--called "The Hotspot"--to further its web presence. Being an internet provider, Boingo might even have the smarts to keep it going and make it a worthwhile read.
CEO Dave Hagan penned the first post:
That's what this blog is all about: It's about the Boingo community sharing the highs and lows of life on the road. It's about finding a "hot spot" in your destination city, that cool hidden gem that fellow travelers can appreciate.
But even an internet savvy company may not be ready for brilliant comments like this:
Travel writing curmudgeon Arthur Frommer is celebrating his 1,000 blog update today by announcing that he's paring back on posting. Given his description of what it does to him, we can't blame the guy:
Back in May of 2007, I began this daily blog about travel and soon turned into a creature of bloodshot eyes and an exhausted, shuffling walk. Gone were the days when I could turn in around 11 pm and put myself out with a relaxing mystery novel.
Our two "favorite" things about his blog are the epically long titles on posts and the lack of linkage Frommer hands out. But you gotta admire a titan in the industry who cranks out his own stuff. (You are writing these yourself, aren't you, Arthur?)
In honor of his accomplishment, we took a look back at some of his more memorable posts.
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