Janelle Nanos: May 2008 Archives

We have a thing for slow travel, but until now, we didn't really think it could effectively involve planes. But that might change: Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) recently announced that, in an attempt to cut its carbon emissions and reduce their gas expenses, they've opted to fly slower. Reuters reports:

SAS said on Tuesday it has reduced the cruising speed of its passenger jets to about 780 kilometers (485 miles) per hour from 860 kph. The test project, run by SAS's Norwegian unit, has saved it an estimated $12 million in fuel since early 2006.

Since testing their policy, they've implemented it on all of their flights. So now, a jaunt from Oslo to Bergen, Norway would save 130 kg (287 pounds) of fuel and 420 kg (926 pounds) of carbon emissions. And the difference in time it takes to arrive? Only three minutes. Considering that that's usually the amount of time we spend waiting for the food cart to make its way back to our aisle, we don't think the extra time would bother us that much. And in order to ensure that they can make up for the lost time, they're going to, gasp!, ask people to board the planes earlier. Being on time? And more earth friendly? I can handle that.

SAS is apparently also looking to spruce up its "green" image by allowing customers to opt to offset their CO2 count when they purchase their tickets. The entire SAS Group is also hoping to reduce its carbon output by 20 percent by the year 2020.  You might say they have 20/20 vision.

Photo: Scandinavian Airlines

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The musical history of New York is vast and varied, but perhaps one of the most fascinating facets is hip-hop, which emerged from the Bronx in the 1970s. The mix of beats and spoken word evolved from West African and Jamaican rhythms to become the international juggernaut that it is today, but its humble beginnings are cited as starting in a rec room in the Bronx. The story goes that DJ Kool Herc was working his sister's party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue when he began to mix records and beats, calling out to his friends and extending portions of songs to encourage the partygoers freestyle dancing. His new style quickly caught on, and the rest is hip-hop history.

Today, Herc is working to protect the building where hip-hop was born. The Washington Post recently reported that building's current owner is looking to sell to a high-profile investor, and community members are fundraising in an effort to buy the building themselves.

If you want to see 1520 Sedgwick and more of hip-hop's major landmarks, check out Hush Tours. The tour company's mission is to "preserve the roots of hip-hop culture" while offering guests a "family friendly opportunity to revisit present day history." They have several offerings to choose from, like their Pioneers: Harlem/Boogie Down Bronx tour, which features emcee guides from the Furious Five and Crash Crew. The impresarios lead groups through midtown Manhattan, Harlem, and the Bronx, pointing out "historic clubs, battle sites, video locations, and parks where hip-hop took its first baby steps." Or go with the Walk This Way tour to explore Harlem's record stores, the Apollo Theater, and the terrific (and oft-overlooked) Museum of the City of New York. Their new Rapper's Row tour of Queens takes you through the neighborhoods where superstars like Nas, Run-DMC, LL Cool J, and 50 Cent grew up. Back then, we believe Mr. Cent was known by the nickname Nickel*.

Hush Tours: 292 Fifth Avenue Suite 608, New York, NY 10001, (212) 714-3527; Ticketing (212) 209-3370

*OK we're kidding, but take the tour for the real trivia tidbits.

Photo: RunDMC in motion, by Darren Nanos

We're always on the hunt for new and interesting environmentally friendly hotels (you can see some of our recent finds here and here). So we were excited to learn about a new website that's begun listing some of the best. The aptly-named Eco Hotels of the World has a write-ups of more than 75 "green" properties; their mission is to help people "enjoy [your] next holiday knowing that you are one of the good guys!" We think of ourselves as good guys, so we were happy to have a look.

Click through the site's handy map to navigate the options: For example, you can crash at the Bushy Point Fernbirds Homestay in New Zealand, a two-bedroom B&B located on a privately-owned nature reserve that uses recycled rainwater and is completely carbon neutral. Or perhaps you'd rather venture to the village of Ulpotha, a Sri Lankan pilgrimage site and yoga retreat that has us longing to do some downward dogs. They don't use electricity (only lamp oil and a bit of kerosene), offer yoga classes twice daily, and as the listing says: "The villagers that run Ulpotha do not need to know the meaning of the word eco as their lives are inherently ecologically sound."

The site has a five-star rating system, and asks that hotels fill out a questionnaire about their sustainable practices. Not surprisingly, a majority of the hotels give themselves a five-star rating on nearly every count, but it's good to know that the hotels are heavily vetted by the site's editors (and many of them are also on our Stay List). Eco Hotels' director, Alex Conti, tells us that they're still growing in terms of listings, but we think it could become a great resource for someone looking to be "one of the good guys."

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Apparently we're on the bird-poo beat these days. But I was interested to hear that a municipal ordinance in Venice has outlawed the feeding of pigeons in St. Mark's Square. Could a character of the city nearly as iconic as its canals really be abolished? And more interestingly, should it? The International Herald Tribune explains:

Like other metropolises with a significant pigeon population, including New York and London, Venice has long been concerned with the potential hazards the birds pose to human health, not to mention the damage caused by their guano and taste for marble. Previous efforts to control their numbers—nets, spikes and electronic contraptions to deter perching—have been mostly unsuccessful.

What has made the situation particularly drastic in Venice is the spiraling number of tourists—about 20 million a year by official estimates—which has triggered a whole new law of nature: More tourists equals more birdseed sold and more garbage produced. That equals more pigeons and more damage to the historic buildings in the square, including the delicate mosaics on the façade of St. Mark's Basilica.

In the Destination Watch column in our May/June issue, "Promise and Peril," Traveler's Geotourism editor Jonathan Tourtellot's tells us that travelers should put a value on authenticity, and make "intelligent choices" when you visit a place. "When you seek authenticity, and pay for it, you're not only sending a message, you're helping protect a local asset," he writes. He mentions IT editor Janelle Nanos's recent trip to Cabo San Lucas as an example of a place on the cusp of tourism overload. Nanos offers her full story here.

Yachts crowd the harbor in downtown Cabo San Lucas

Settling into my flight home from Cabo San Lucas, I struck up a conversation with my sunburnt seatmate. Our trips, we both agreed, were tremendous, but we quickly realized they were also very different. He'd spent much of his time sipping margaritas at his all-inclusive resort, and spoke of tallying up a $500 tab at the bars following an afternoon booze cruise. I too swilled a few margaritas, but I also wandered up to the artist community of Todos Santos, explored Pacific coast beaches, and stumbled upon a local semi-pro soccer game. He’d gone to relax and get away. I went to experience the place, but had to wander outside its tourist precincts to find a true sense of local culture.

It’s been a long time since Cabo San Lucas resembled the Baja of Steinbeck’s novels. Now it’s most commonly referred to as the “next Cancun.” Timeshare hucksters shill “beautiful” condos that have yet to be built, and driving the corridor from Cabo San Lucas to San Jose del Cabo is like watching time-lapse photography of construction.  Grabbing my ocean kayak from JT Water Sports, on the tip of Playa el Médano, I gawked at the eight-million-dollar Hacienda condos rising from the shoreline like monstrous sand castles. None of the hotels and bars that lined the beach were there 15 years ago.