TRAVEL
Design competitions are all about finding the most innovative, beautiful, and sometimes most environmentally friendly concepts to shape the way we look at structures. Design affects entire cities, states, and countries for years to come. Phases like the Art Deco movement survive years after its creation because of its beauty and historical significance. The Taiwan Tower Internation Competition painstakingly went through hundreds of entries recently and chose a design by Tokyo-based architect Sou Fujimoto entitled The Oasis to build at the Taichung Gateway Park.
December is here, and while the weather outside isn’t quite frightful, many are already ready for what this holiday season has to bring. The Christmas tree is lit up in Rockefeller Center, the ice skating rinks are open to the public, and coffee chains are doling out seasonal beverages like there’s no tomorrow. While we wait for our winter wonderland however, many in China anticipate their own. Every year at the start of January an entire city of ice and light is created as part of the Harbin International Ice Festival. The ethereal city is home to some of the most beautiful ice sculptures in the world.
Google Shopper: This app finds products at the lowest prices in your area. You also get access to special offers from "deal sites" like Groupon and Living Social.
Gas Buddy: If you're one of the lucky travelers who can drive to your destination this holiday season, you'll definitely want to download Gas Buddy. This app locates nearby stations and gives you gas prices so you can find the best deal.
Flipkey.com, a top vacation rental site, is offering a week in three epic vacation homes and inviting the winner to stay in their selected home with up to 10 friends. These luxury homes put 5-star hotels to shame with their attention to detail, amazing amenities and unbeatable locations. Pick your favorite for your chance to win the vacation of your dreams!
Grand Prize: A 7-night stay in either Bali, Costa Rica, or Tuscany. The vacation includes lodging and $3,000 for expenses. The winner can invite up to 10 friends to join them.
We know winter isn't even here yet, but we can't help but dream of our next summer vacation. If you're in the same mindset as us, you're in luck because the The New York Times Travel Show will be in NYC this spring. We know we're preparing way ahead of time, but if you want to register or even exhibit, now is the time to take care of business. You don't want to be scrambling come March because you were ill-prepared. Also, why risk not getting great travel deals on destinations to over 100 countries? Exactly our point. Deets here:
When: MARCH 2-4, 2012
What: The New York Times Travel Show features nearly 600 exhibitors representing more than 100 countries and focuses on travel destinations, packages and special offers, as well as tour operators, cruise lines and live entertainment for the whole family.
For more information, visit http://www.nytimes.com/travelshow.
Those tired of invasive security measures and rushing to different terminals may want a slightly slower mode of travel. Perhaps you travelers would like something with a little less of the screaming of jet engines and a little more float. We forget that air travel hasn’t always been tearing through the sky. Hot air balloons and the brief reign of the zeppelin made air travel all about the gentle drift and one point. Well, according to Tiago Barros, it is time to hearken back to that time of travel.
The Passing Cloud is a project that focuses on the experience of traveling. Given the strict protocol and rush of air travel today, it’s difficult to find a single person that still enjoys the experience of it. Travel is a means to an end, when it can be exciting or fun or even relaxing on its own. Rather than speed through, Barros wants passengers to float through, preferably on a cloud. His design is made of a series of spherical balloons which houses a stainless steel structure enrobed in heavy weight tensile nylon fabric. It forms something similar to a zeppelin, but has the wonder and beauty of a cloud.
Most of what we know about the igloo is its iconic shape and what we’ve learned from childhood cartoons. However, there’s something magical about the igloo. It’s a paradox--a home made of ice designed to keep its dwellers warm. Hotel Kakslauttanen in Finland not only celebrates the igloo, but has created its own igloo village for visitors to stay in. Many come to see the northern lights and enjoy a beautiful relaxing stay.
This only makes the beautiful glass-ceiling igloos even more intriguing. Yes, the igloo village is also home to igloos with beautifully crafted glass tops. Those inside remain toasty and warm and enjoy a breathtaking view of the sky. Those outside are treated to the warm glow of the rows and rows of glowing little homes. From afar, the the igloos look like rows of fireflies. It’s not just the northern lights that said igloo dwellers enjoy. The Hotel Kakslauttanen is located in one of the few places left where stars are visible in excellent condition. Every night is a beautiful sight for those who can afford a vacation away.
Note to travelers: don't be getting freaky on a day where national security officials are on edge. You'll get yanked off your plane faster than you can say "Mile High Club."
When airline staff aboard Sunday's Frontier flight from Denver to Detroit noticed a couple in the bathroom for "an extraordinarily long time," they notified the Transportation Security Authority. It quickly turned into a scene reminiscent of a high school gossip movie...starring our scariest government agencies.
The TSA told the FBI who told NORAD, who immediately told two F-16 fighter jets to escort the plane to Detroit's Metropolitan Airport. After a SWAT team with boarded the plane on the tarmac, three people were escorted from the plane in cuffs.
They say diamonds are a girl's best friend. The love for them has been imprinted in little girl's minds since Marilyn Monroe shimmied across a stage covered in them. Well, sorry men, but scientists have just discovered a diamond planet. So, if you were having trouble keeping up with the payments on that 1 carat, imagine what's going to happen when some oil heir buys the diamond planet for his mistress.
Reuters reports a the planet has been discovered some 4,000 light years away. The planet is about the size of Jupiter but 20 times more dense. The planet is apparently made of so much carbon that scientists calculate it must be crystalline --effectively making it diamond.
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