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Daily Radar: 11.06.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on November 6, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

The hills are alive, with the sound of... Google? Google recently opened its offices in Zurich, Switzerland, and certainly knew how to integrate Swiss culture into the office, as evident by these meeting rooms--in the form of ski gondolas--above. [FastCompany]
In other European news, the Munich Airport was recently rated Number 5 in the world, according to a recent Skytrax survey. One of the main reasons it fared so well? Its abilities to reduce stress. The airport has a visitors' park where travelers can take walks, mini golf, and in summer, sit on a beach. The airport also has a brewery with local beer, a Fit & Fly Health & Spa Club with message chairs in multiple terminals and, at Christmastime, the airport has a traditional Bavarian market, making me almost wonder why anyone would ever want to leave the airport in the first place.

Photo: via FastCompany

Daily Radar: 11.05.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on November 5, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

A South Korea court has ruled that cab drivers can continue to have televisions on their dashboards, despite the obvious risk of getting into an accident. The BBC reports, "The ruling comes after a taxi driver challenged a $507 (£311) fine imposed by the local authorities in the capital, Seoul. The city's tortuous congestion led taxi drivers to install new mobile TV systems in an attempt to beat boredom." [BBC]
Scotland's family-friendly Crieff Hydro Hotel has asked that its guests leave video games at home this holiday season in an attempt to "restore traditional family values." The hotel, said to be the oldest family-run hotel in Scotland, is hosting family quizzes, Highland games and archery, sporting activities and outdoor laser quest over the holidays. We're realistic, acknowledging that teenagers may want some time away from their parents, and vice-versa, and there are plenty activities to break free and be independent with family friends or others in their peer group," says the hotel's managing editor. "We're not just offering a fun family Christmas but opportunities for our younger guests to be active, learn new skills and make new friends." [Scotland Herald]

Photo: Paul in Uijeongbu via Flickr

Daily Radar: 11.04.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on November 4, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

For the past month, 10 slabs of the Berlin Wall have been installed outside the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). According to thelocal.de, "The 2.6-tonne slabs have been made available to artists, who have been given free rein to make their own statements on each block of concrete." The wall will be on display until November 8, "being symbolically toppled." [thelocal.de]
Through November 5, Omni Hotels is offering 40 percent off select stays in Austin, Chicago, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Diego, New Orleans, San Antonio, Houston, and Tucson. Reservations must be made for travel between Dec. 2, 2009 and Feb. 10, 2010 (and excluding December 31). Fore more information, click here. [Omni Hotels]

Photo: currentevents via Flickr

Daily Radar: 11.03.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on November 3, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

For the first time, tickets to the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will be awarded by online lottery system. Fill out the application between November 4 at 12:01 a.m. EST and November 6 at 11:59 p.m. EST for a chance to win one of 10,000 tickets (7,000 are standing-room-only) to the annual tree lighting on December 3. [Jaunted]
Ever wonder what the colors on top of the Empire State Building actually mean? Check out website WhatColorIsTheEmpireStateBuilding.com for a guide to what the colors stand for each day. Brilliant! [Gadling]

Photo: BenjaminB99 via Flickr

Daily Radar: 11.02.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on November 2, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

Looking for a Thanksgiving getaway? Aspen, Colorado's Hotel Jerome is offering a "120th Anniversary Celebration" package between November 25-29. For $1,889 (half the usual price--and the year the hotel opened), guests get: four-night's accommodation for two in a junior suite, lift tickets for two days, and a full Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday evening. [Gadling]
Want to celebrate the holidays with George and Martha Washington? Tickets to Mount Vernon's annual Candlelight tours went on sale yesterday. Every year, the estate opens its doors at night, and leads tours of Mount Vernon, complete with hot apple cider, cookies, caroling, dancing, and even a special appearance of Mrs. Washington. Tours are offered on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from November 27 through December 13. Click here for more information and to make reservations.

Photo: Hotel Jerome

Daily Radar: 10.30.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on October 30, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

If you find yourself around D.C. this Halloween weekend, look out for some sweet-looking traffic cones. Street artist diabetik has been installing Candy Cones all around the city. Has anyone in your hometown done anything eye-catching for Halloween? [Laughing Squid]
New York Times best seller Pat Conroy (author of South of Broad) now has a walking tour to accompany his book. Old Charleston Walking Tours has put together a two-hour tour that highlights the sites featured in the best-selling novel, including the Gibbes Museum of Art, St. Michael's Episcopal Church (the oldest in Charleston), and the Dock Street Theatre. Tours are available Tuesday through Saturday at 11 a.m. and begin at the Mills House Hotel. For more information, click here. [Old Charleston Walking Tours]

Photo: diabetik via Flickr

Daily Radar: 10.29.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on October 29, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

Budapest's Museum of Fine Arts just opened "From Botticelli to Titian: Masterpieces of Two Centuries of Italian Painting," on display through February 14, 2010. The large-scale exhibit, which will feature some 130 Renaissance paintings borrowed from 50 museums (like the Met, the Louvre, and the Prado), includes pieces like Cossa's "Portrait of a Man," Botticelli's "Story of Virginia," and Palma Vecchio's "La Bella." For more information, visit www.szepmuveszeti.hu.
Travelers heading to Philadelphia this year should book their hotel through gophila.com/withlove. Visitors who book their stay through December 30 will receive a pass to 26 restaurants (like The Prime Rib and Table 31) that will offer prix-fixe, multi-course menus at $20, $30 and $35 per person. Visit gophila.com for more information.

Photo: www.szepmuveszeti.hu

Daily Radar: 10.28.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on October 28, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

JetBlue has partnered with car-rental company Hertz to offer a great contest. Here's the deal: enter your information on the Jet & Drive Giveaway homepage everyday through January 31, 2010. Each day, JetBlue will give away a $100 Hertz gift card, or a $2500 Hertz certificate and a $500 JetBlue gift card if the number of entries is over 2,500 or 5,000, respectively. Better yet, if the number of entries is over 50,000, a winner will get a four-night trip for two, including airfare, hotel, and, of course, a rental car. Click here for full contest details. [Jaunted]
McDonald's, no more. The fast-food giant--which had three location in Iceland--is leaving the country. Due to the failing krona, McDonald's would have had to charge $6.36 for a Big Mac to make a profit, making it the most expensive Big Mac in the world. [Gadling]

Daily Radar: 10.27.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on October 27, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (1)

Never seen snow before? Check out Colorado's "Snow at First Sight" competition, which offers the winner--a "snow virgin"--a three-month, all-expenses-paid trip to Colorado, complete with skiiing, snowboarding, dogsledding, snowmobiling, and any other snow-related sport you can imagine. To enter, submit a short video explaining why you should win, and post your video on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. All entries must be received by November 22. For complete rules and to enter, check out SnowAtFirstSight.com. [USA Today]
In honor of legendary climber Sir Edmund Hillary, a new four-day walking trail will open in New Zealand's Waitakere Ranges near Auckland. Hillary had discussed plans to create the trail before he passed away in 2008. The 70-kilometer trail will pass along the Karekare, Piha, Anawhata, Te Henga, and Muriwai beaches, an area explored by five generations of the Hillary family since the 1920s. The trail is expected to officially open early next year. [NewZealand.com]

Photo: Sanjoyg via Flickr

Daily Radar: 10.26.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on October 26, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

Rotterdam's new city hall will be the greenest building in the Netherlands, thanks to designer Rem Koolhaas. The building's modular design will require fewer resources to build, and is easy to add to if the structure ever needs to expand. [FastCompany]
Round of golf, anyone? The world's longest golf course--a grand 848 miles long--has opened in the Australian Outback. The scenic course--the fourth hole having the largest population of southern hairy-nosed wombats in the world--takes a week to play, and players must drive to each hole. A five-day tour of the course, which includes meals, lodging, and transportation, starts at $2250 AUD. [Gadling]

Photo: via FastCompany

Daily Radar: 10.23.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on October 23, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

Southwest just unveiled its new Green Plane (above). The plane, which is currently flying between Boston-Logan and Chicago-Midway, is outfitted with a host of environmentally friendly products, like the carbon-neutral InterfaceFLOR Carpet and man-made leather on the seats. The life vest pouch is also lighter, and Southwest estimates that it will save five pounds of weight per seat with these eco-changes. [Jaunted]
In other Southwest news, the budget carrier is celebrating 2010 by adding 10 new routes, including nonstop flights from St. Louis to Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, Raleigh/Durham, Seattle, and San Diego.These new routes, plus more, will be available beginning in May. [Jaunted]
Whether you board by row, group number, or class, every airline has a different approach to getting passengers on its planes. Virgin America is testing another variety--boarding by baggage. Now in a testing phase, the teams for some flights (mostly out of SFO) are instructing passengers without carry-ons to board first, with the philosophy being that these passengers will board faster than those who must fight for overhead bin space, making the overall boarding process more efficient. Many are skeptical about the process. Do you think it will work? [Cranky Flier]

Daily Radar: 10.22.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on October 22, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

San Franciscans are celebrating their state's counterculture movement this weekend at the (free!) West Fest: 40th Anniversary of Woodstock festival in Golden Gate Park. The festival will include musicians, anti-war speakers, Beat Generation poets, and even an attempt to beat a world record, as some 3,000 musicians simultaneously play "Purple Haze." West Fest takes place Sunday, October 25, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. [Gadling]
Tweeners everywhere, stay calm. Operating company Cruises, Cruises, Cruises has just announced the launch the Alaska Twilight Cruise, dubbed the "Convention at Sea for Twilight Fans." Starting next year, vampire fans can enjoy a week-long cruise to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria, B.C., in the company of Twilight actors Ashley Greene, Alex Meraz and Michael Welch. Guests aboard the cruise can also attend a costume ball and charity auction. Says cruise owner Linda Wolf, combining an Alaska cruise with a Twilight convention is "the best of both worlds." For more info and to book, click here. [Gadling]

Image: Woodstock Story

Daily Radar: 10.21.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on October 21, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

Kids need something to do on a rainy autumn day? Get them some Crayons and tell them to enter the National Zoo Poster Contest. The National Zoo is asking kids ages eight to 14 to create a poster for the Zoo, which will be featured at the Zoo, schools, and libraries. Entries due by November 12. [National Zoo]
Less than one month before the Terra Cotta Warriors descent on the District, and our NG headquarters are slowly transforming. Check out the Terra Cotta Warriors blog to get a behind-the-scenes look at the exhibit, plus info on tickets, special lectures, Flickr challenges, and more. [Terra Cotta Warriors]
How much can you carry for $249? That's what United Airlines is asking its passengers. United travelers can opt to purchase "Premier Baggage" for $249 per year, which will allow them to check in two bags on every flight, plus the bags for up to eight companions traveling under the same confirmation number. Worth the price? Yes, if you're taking nine round-trip flights in a year, or have a family of five taking at least two trips, according to the Economist. [Economist]

Photo: DC Digital Photography via Flickr

Daily Radar: 10.20.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on October 20, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

Earlier this year we brought you this heart-throbbing aerial Google photo, and now Oddee's got a photo essay of other Google Earth findings, like the "Badlands Guardian," (above) which looks like a human wearing a Native American headdress (located in Alberta, Canada at 50.010083,-110.113006). [Oddee]
Actions: What You Can Do With The City opened last week in Chicago. The exhibit--open through March 13--showcases works from artists and collectives that "share a preoccupation with turning everyday life--walking, playing, recycling, gardening--into interactive stunts, aimed to get people involved in the city fabric, in unusual ways." Want to see what we mean? Check out some highlights from the exhibit--including tents shaped like car covers and DIY bicycle lane stencils--here. [Fast Company]

Photo: Google Earth via Oddee

Daily Radar: 10.19.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on October 19, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

New York's Portland Square Hotel is transforming into a luxury boutique hotel. The new Sanctuary Hotel, which is set to debut in 2010 and is located in Times Square, is offering visitors the opportunity to preview newly renovated model guest rooms with a special "Dress Rehearsal" rate. Through March 31, 2010, guests can stay at the Sanctuary Hotel for $159 per night (instead of its anticipated $309 per night), and receive a $50 voucher towards a future visit. To book, call 212 382 0600 or use code DRESS1 when booking online at www.portlandsquarehotel.com.
When visiting Paris, forget the Champs-Élysées and Eiffel Tower. The coolest must-see is the Paris Sewer Museum, the "most comprehensive sewer experience available to tourists anywhere." The Musee des Egouts, located just near the Pont de l'Alma, has some 500 yards of tunnels that visitors can explore, as well as exhibits that detail the history of the 2,000-kilometer Paris sewer system. Just don't forget to stop at the museum gift shop for some "sewer-venirs" before you leave. [Brilliant Tips]

Photo: Sanctuary Hotel

Daily Radar: 10.16.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on October 16, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

Twenty teams of students have gathered in D.C. this week to participate in the Solar Decathlon, a competition in which university students design, build, and operate energy-efficient solar-powered houses. Entries this year include two houses (like Virginia Tech's Lumenhaus, above) that can be operated entirely by iPhones. All of the solar houses are on display on the National Mall through the 18th. [Guardian]
If solar-powered houses aren't your thing, check out the world's longest solar-powered footbridge in Brisbane, Australia. The bridge, which connects South Brisbane to the city center, is 1,500 feet long and has 84 solar panels that will generate a yearly output of about 40 MWh, which will be enough to power the bridge's LED lights and feed the main grid. [Treehugger]

Credit: Stefano Paltera/U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon

Daily Radar: 10.15.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on October 15, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

Sustainable and edible? I wish. Ridiculous? Definitely. Bay Area artist Lisa Pongrace recently designed the ever-colorful Cupcake Car, an electric car that runs on a 24 volt electric motor and battery. Sure, I get that the car--which was introduced at the Burning Man festival and tops out at seven mph--is cute and sustainable, but it's also actually for sale. With a price tag of $24,000, I think I'll stick to my local cupcakery for my sweet tooth fix. [Inhabitat]
Introducing the German "Männermobil." If you don't speak German, fear not--it's exactly what it sounds like it is. The "boys only" RV comes complete with two surround-sound systems, two flat-panel TVs, a Wii and Playstation 3, a grill, foosball table, dart board, rooftop Biergarten, and other "manly" amenities. [Gadling]
Several Leonardo da Vinci paintings and sculptures are on display at Atlanta's High Museum of Art. The rare U.S. exhibit--which includes a 30-foot replica of Leonardo da Vinci's destroyed horse statue, other sculptures, and dozens of sketches--is showing through February 21, 2010. [USA Today]

Photo: via Inhabitat

Daily Radar: 10.14.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on October 14, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

An exhibit commemorating American Regionalist painter Thomas Hart Benton (1889 - 1975) just opened at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville, Tennessee. Through his art, Benton strove to honor rural America and its folk culture, which was "more authentic than the 'intellectual snobbery' of New York-based Modernists." The exhibit is on display through January 31, 2010. Benton was the creator of several large-scale paintings and murals, like "Social History of Missouri," which covers several walls of the Missouri Capitol building. [Music Road]
Plastic isn't worth what it once was. American travelers are finding more often that their credit cards don't work with merchants and kiosks in Europe. American cards lack an embedded microprocessor chip, which adds and extra layer of protection against theft and counterfeiting, which is becoming increasingly popular in Europe. [Practical Traveler]
The San Francisco Bay Bridge might get its own version of High Line Park. The Bay Line, which would be located in the East Bay section (currently undergoing major renovation], will include, gardens, meadows, climbing walls, and almost two miles of cycling paths. Skeptics of the "hanging neighborhood" design, proposed by Rael San Fratello Architects, think that the project--expected to cost $350 million--isn't practical, mainly because, according to Inhabitat, the "aging span of the Bay Bridge is being replaced for a reason - it's unlikely to hold up in the event of a major earthquake." [Inhabitat]

Photo: AmazingBrian via Flickr

Daily Radar: 10.13.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on October 13, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

Last week, officials voted to have the 1.3-mile stretch of road that runs through Stonehenge permanently closed. The move was made in part because UNESCO has expressed concerns about the 5,000-year-old monument's "shabby" surroundings. English Heritage, which manages Stonehenge, will build a £28 million visitors center and parking lot where the road once was. Construction is scheduled to be complete before the 2012 London Olympics. [Times Online]
Thinking of volunteering? Disney is giving do-gooders a reason to lend a helping hand next year. Beginning January 1, Disney will reward one million people who take a day to volunteer with one-day free admission to Disney World or Disneyland. To be eligible to receive a one-day pass, those interested should volunteer with the HandsOn Network, the largest volunteer network in the United States. For more information on the "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" program, click here. [In Transit]
A room for a quarter? To celebrate the launch of the U.S. Virgin Islands' United States quarter, some hotels are offering a "Cent-sational Promotion." Travelers who book up to three nights at a participating hotel through November 2 (travel dates through November 15) on BookIt.com can stay for 25 cents each night, receive a $25 per person dining credit, as well as a $25 per person activities credit. I say: here's to saving quarters! For more information, click here. [EON]

Photo: Bill M via Flickr

Daily Radar: 10.09.09

Jeannette Kimmel

on October 9, 2009 8:00 AM | Comments (1)

Take the stairs: that's what Volkswagen wants you to do. The popular car company turned a staircase in Odenplan, Stockholm, into a piano to see if people would chose the stairs over the adjacent escalator. The result? Over 60 percent more people chose the "fun" stairs over the boring escalator. Volkswagen also applied what it calls "the fun theory" to trash cans, and found that by creating the "world's deepest bin" (check out the video) people were more likely to throw away their trash. [Rolighetsteorin.se]
Introducing the McLouvre. To celebrate its 30th anniversary, fast food giant McDonald's has just announced that its newest location in France (the company's largest market after the U.S.) will be in the Carrousel du Louvre, the underground mall that connects to the museum. The most profitable McDonald's in the world is located next to the Champs-Elysees. [Gadling]

Video: via YouTube

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