Travel Channel 

What We Loved This Week: Turkish Coffee, Tinariwen and ‘Goin’ Places’

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:45:56 EDT

Our contributors share a favorite travel-related experience from the past seven days

Ben Keene
Since seeing Youssou N’Dour with his band at the “Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas” celebration last month, I’ve been unable to stop listening to West African music. Currently in heavy rotation on my iPod: the austere yet entrancing guitar tones of the Touareg collective Tinariwen.

Travel, Politics and the U.S. Flag

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:29:29 EDT

Timothy Egan has noticed something during his recent travels in the U.S.

Photo by debaird via Flickr (Creative Commons)

Timothy Egan has noticed something during his recent travels in the U.S.: “a surfeit of American flags.” In his story in the New York Times, he takes a shot at explaining the abundance of Stars and Stripes.

For a look at how the flag flies outside the U.S., check out our American Flag in a Shrinking Planet slideshow.

Photo We Love: The Glass Ledge at Chicago’s Sears Tower

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:05:31 EDT

Kids stand on just-opened Skydeck Ledge on the 103rd floor of Chicago's Sears Tower

REUTERS/Frank Polich

Kids stand on just-opened Skydeck Ledge on the 103rd floor of Chicago’s Sears Tower.

J.G. Ballard’s Shanghai vs. J.G. Ballard’s London

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:49:51 EDT

A look at the dueling influences on his life

Reason looks at the life and legacy of J.G. Ballard, comparing the dueling influences of Shanghai and London on his life.

In Shanghai fear and hunger and violence were right in front of him; there were dead bodies lying in the streets where he bicycled. As an adult in the comfortable London suburb of Shepperton, by contrast, Ballard had to look under the surface to find the darkest parts of the human psyche.

‘How Much are Venice, the Everglades, and New Orleans Worth?’

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:31:35 EDT

The answer: more than they might seem on paper

Photo by delgaudm via Flickr (Creative Commons)

Andrew Sullivan points the way to a Matt Steinglass post about the limits of measuring climate change damage in economic terms:

There will be no Everglades in 100 years. The economic cost of that change to US GDP is marginal. There will be no Venice in 100 years. The economic cost of that change to US GDP is tiny. There will be no New Orleans in 100 years. The economic cost of that change to US GDP is extremely small. ... But the worth of many precious things cannot be measured in money.

Indeed.

Backpackers in Thailand Just Won’t Quit

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:24:24 EDT

While Thai tourism suffers overall, Khao San Road is still busy

Photo by René Ehrhardt via Flickr (Creative Commons)

Tourism in Thailand has been suffering significant declines lately, and desperate vendors are offering discounts like free domestic flights, extra nights and other perks to lure money-conscious visitors.

But in spite of the setbacks to leisure and luxury travel, the AP reports “budget travel hasn’t suffered as badly, with beer stalls and hostels along Bangkok’s Khao San Road and other havens for backpackers still bustling.”

Keep on, keepin’ on, backpackers!

Osama bin Laden in Indiana: ‘And Just Like That, a Don DeLillo Novel is Born’

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:07:16 EDT

Or, Gawker suggests, maybe a reality show

Steve Coll breaks the news that Osama bin Laden and his family vacationed in the U.S. for two weeks in 1979, visiting California and Indiana. The details of Coll’s post in the New Yorker come from a forthcoming book by Osama’s first wife.

The DeLillo reference in our headline comes from a related snarky Gawker post. Gawker also asks: “Doesn’t Growing Up bin Laden sound like a great name for a reality show?”

Why not? It certainly would be more interesting than this.
Or this.
Or this.
Or this.
Or this.
Or this.
Or this.
Or this.
Or this.
Or this.
Or this.
Or this.

Man, that’s tiring.

Sorry for the Dirty Looks, Traveling Moms and Dads

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:33:20 EDT

Eva Holland will try harder to rein in those angry stares

Here’s one that will likely ring true for most traveling parents: In the New York Times, Judith Warner’s latest post addresses “the petty humiliations of motherhood.” She writes:

You know what I mean: the nasty little looks, tones of voice, gestures, subtle and not-so-subtle criticism and even insults that so often seem to come the way of mothers. Harsh words delivered in all apparent innocence, innocuous-seeming observations made in a tone that cuts to the bone, odd little interactions, generally, that manage to make a mother feel condemned in the court of world opinion.

I did indeed know what she was talking about—I’ve certainly shot my fair share of icy “You’re a terrible mother” stares at the parents of seat-kicking toddlers on airplanes. Warner’s post was a healthy reminder to rein those urges in.

Another Reason for Air Rage?

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:11:34 EDT

Those personal in-flight TV screens have a downside

Photo by quintanomedia via Flickr (Creative Commons)

Sure, we all love those nifty seat-back entertainment systems—but as Jaunted astutely points out, the personal TV screens come with a major downside: a long-haul flight’s worth of punches to the back of the head.

I’m assuming that when they’re not busy making air travel greener and/or finding a way to remain afloat in this brutal economic climate, the industry’s brightest minds will be working on the problem?

Ten Great Travel Twitter Tweets for June

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:49:09 EDT

What makes a good travel tweet? Here are 10 favorites from the past month.

My Deep-Sea Orbit Into a Love of Place

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:41:01 EDT

Joanna Kakissis says adieu to World Hum's eco-travel blog

The deep, clean dive into the sea off Southwestern Greece probably sealed my lifelong attachment to the pristine in places. I was 9 years old and, until then, had only swam in chlorinated swimming pools and muddy river water in landlocked North Dakota. My father had grown up swimming in a secluded beach near the village of Kyparissia as a young orphan and had associated its salty breath and blue-green water with a wanderlust that would turn him dreamy-eyed even as a middle-aged man. To him, travel at its most elemental was about the unadorned land, enlivened by tides and breeze and hulking mountains. He described his childhood beach so lovingly that it almost sounded human.

Canadians in the U.S.: What Do They Miss About Canada?

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:38:26 EDT

Malcolm Gladwell and Rick Moranis are among those chiming in

Here’s a Canada Day treat from the New York Times: Eleven Canadians living in the United States talk about missing, among other things, hockey highlights, universal health coverage, the Canadian Mosaic and the “u” in color.

Baez, Bon Jovi, Mike Scott: Which Iran Protest Song Is Right for You?

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:51:10 EDT

Baez? Bon Jovi? Mike Scott? Jim Benning picks his favorite. What's yours?

If you were a child of the ’60s, then perhaps it’s Joan Baez’s “We Shall Overcome.” If you came of age in the ’80s, then maybe it’s Jon Bon Jovi’s “Stand By Me,” which he recorded with Iranian exile Andy Madadian.

I’m a longtime fan of the Waterboys and their sometimes solo-recording frontman, Mike Scott, so I’m loving his tribute, which draws on the words of W.B. Yeats.

Which is your favorite? Any others we shouldn’t miss? Here they are:

New Satellite Map of Earth Unveiled

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:05:57 EDT

It's the most complete set of images yet

The latest terrain map, a collaboration between NASA and the Japanese government, offers coverage of 99 percent of the planet’s surface. The best previous effort managed 80 percent.

After Michael Jackson: Will Tourists Flock to Neverland Ranch?

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:52:55 EDT

MJ's death leaves some bloggers wondering where the pilgrims will go

Photo of the Apollo Theater by Eva Holland

Over at This Just In, the inevitable question has been asked: Where will Michael Jackson’s Graceland be? After all, the King of Pop’s fans will need a pilgrimage spot just as badly as the King’s do. JD Rinne offers a few possibilities: the Jackson family hometown of Gary, Indiana; Detroit’s Motown Museum; the Apollo Theater in Harlem; and, of course, Neverland Ranch.