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Heads Up
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Visit this space each month for reviews of books we think you'll enjoy, as well as snippets on travel news. For more travel news and tips, check out our On Second Thought column.
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Need a hotel room at a sane price? You Take Manhattan, I'll Take New Jersey
Finding a reasonably priced hotel in New York City is tough all year round where $350 a night rooms are commonplace—if you can book them. But come the holidays, when the revelers, theatergoers and shoppers descend, the town bulges at its seams and yield-managed hotel rates soar. One money-saving solution for business travelers who have to be in Manhattan: Bunk in nearby New Jersey hotels, and savor the skyline views. New York Waterway has roundtrip ferry service ($12) from 10 locations on the Jersey waterfront to downtown and midtown Manhattan leaving every 15 minutes until 1 a.m. and free shuttle busses connect to different points. www.nywaterway.com. Sample savings: Hyatt Regency in Jersey City across the Hudson from lower Manhattan has rates starting at $239. Grand Hyatt atop Grand Central Station quoted me $344. Sheraton Suites on the Hudson in Weehawken, New Jersey starts at $169 nightly for a regular room with no view. But rates vary widely and wildly. Doubletree Hotel Jersey City, a block from the PATH train station ($1.50 one-way) and the ferry and a block back from the Hudson quoted me a husky $329 a night and when I questioned it, was told, “Oh, it may drop tomorrow but I don’t know how much.” The hot new Jersey hotel for business travelers—and a real steal—is the Hilton Homewood Suites in Edgewater starting at $179 a night. For a rate that gets you a small room in a scary transient hotel in Manhattan, the new Homewood has a living room, bedroom, kitchen, room to spread out and work, and someone who is willing to shop for groceries. Or there’s Fleming’s Steaks and Baumgart’s for hearty meals at non-New York prices.
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Dig Deeper in 2007. A more robust economy, estimated 2 million new jobs, strong traveler demands and no real growth in supply will push airfare, hotel rates and car rental costs up, American Express Business Travel forecasts. An average U.S. business trip will cost $46 or 4.5 percent more in 2007 while a comparable international trip (hotel, air, car rental) will jump $180 or 4.6 percent. AMEX says short-haul U.S. Economy Class air tickets will climb 3 percent to 5 percent next year while Business Class fares hike 3 percent to 7 percent. Mid-priced hotels and upper tier hotels in the United States will levy the biggest boosts in room rates with a maximum 6 percent and 8 percent respectively. Car rental rates in the United States will climb up to 6 percent more next year. Sums up Amex: 2007 will be a “sellers market” for the providers and travelers better shop hard and shrewdly. Dining or entertaining in New York? Zagat Surveys , which publishes the ubiquitous Zagat Guides, reports “average meal cost” will hit $39.43 next year, up 4.8 percent, but at an expensive restaurant, the average tab leaps 14.5 percent to $128.79 pre-tax and tip.
Virgin America, the SF-based start-up low-fare U.S. airline that’s ready to fire up the jets of its A-320s as soon the Feds wave the green flag—possibly Q1 2007—is already partying in true Richard Branson tradition. With Grace Slick herself out for the ceremony at SFO, the first plane was dubbed “Jefferson Airplane” after the legendary San Francisco-based flower-power rock band. Branson (conspicuously absent to underscore his licensing of the brand with no ownership) and his crafty PR squad have cleverly set the stage for an entire parade of well-publicized aircraft baptisms. SFO to JFK will be among the first routes. Firm orders have been placed for 34 A-320s. www.virginamerica.com …Eos Airlines, the twice-daily 757 service with 48 lie-flat beds from JFK to London Stansted, is pushing the passenger service envelope again. The Business Class-priced carrier with First Class service is giving “guests” best-sellers from Penguin Group every Tuesday to celebrate its first anniversary…As this is written, JetBlue said it’s launching flights from Chicago O’Hare to JFK using a combo of its A-320s and its new 100-seat Brazilian jets…Delta is converting its Song 757 fleet to two-class (First and Economy) service but keeps the 24-channel live TV, music, video games and rotating roster of 20 movies. Delta says eventually 100 planes will get the makeover.
It’s Baaaaack: Silicon Valley, lamented as a barren wasteland in 2001 when dot-commers collapsed and tech stocks tanked, is back, hotter than ever. Google, Apple, Yahoo, H-P and names you’ve never heard are hiring and venture capitalists are dishing it out. This time, the keg parties are passé; the worldly are wheeling, dealing and dining in places like Alexander’s Steakhouse in San Jose where exec chef/co-owner Jeff Stout flies in Kobe beef straight from Japan. A Kobe eye-of-the-rib is $100 but includes shitakes and roasted garlic. Steaks start at $31 for a filet mignon plus all sorts of small plates (lobster and shrimp dumplings, $14; Colorado lamb chops, $17). Great for lunch too; try the Rami burger—Kobe beef, housemade pastrami and Gruyere cheese, $24. www.alexandersteakhouse.com. 408-446-2222.
Astounding! That’s what John Johns thought when he was looking for a room at Tokyo’s Narita Airport and scored a Holiday Inn room for $49 a night off its Web site. What? Johns, co-founder and former president of East/West Products, San Diego, says he upgraded to a king room for $70 a night. That’s less than a simple business lunch in Tokyo…Asia on the cheap? UBS is out with its bi-annual ranking of bargain cities around the globe and Kuala Lumpur is atop the list with the lowest prices. A business traveler, reports the Swiss megabankers, can get a good hotel room, meals, entertainment and transportation in the Malaysian capital for a scant $260 a day. The same purchases added up to $1,090 daily in Tokyo, the priciest city, according to UBS. London is 10 bucks ”lower.” Among American cities, New York, no surprise, is the costliest at $920 a day.
Welcome Mat. It’s out at the new 80-room Regent South Beach, Florida that’s opening November 27 with 500-square-foot minimum size spaces, loaner IBM laptops, free Wi-Fi and rates starting at $650. (They’re firm during the season.) www.regenthotels.com …Opposite coast in Redondo Beach, south of LAX, is the 111-room Best Western Sunrise also with free Wi-Fi, fitness room and breakfast included at extremely low year-round rates starting at $129. www.bestwestern.com …Great new value in West L.A. near Westwood and Brentwood is circular-styled 200-plus room Hotel Angeleno from Joie de Vie with rates starting at $152 to $189 nightly. Includes comp 24-hour business center, free Wi-Fi, indoor fitness overlooking pool, an Italian steakhouse called West on penthouse level. www.hotelangeleno.com.
Short Hauls. Northeast corridor railroad commuters can pocket double Guest Reward points from Amtrak through December 16 except for a blacked-out week—November 21 to November 28…American Airlines quietly dumped its 777 Osaka to Dallas route. Insiders say economy had strong load factors but revenue-paying passengers in Business and First were few…Time on your hands? Vancouver International Airport has a gym, five spas and a place to nap, reports The Wall Street Journal, while McCarran International at Las Vegas has a 24-hour gym where 10 bucks will buy you a day…Flightstats.com says JFK’s 62 percent on-time arrival record overall was the worst in September but it was 78 percent on time for flights arriving at 6 a.m. to noon beating MIA, ORD, ATL and SFO. Comair had the worst on-time record for an airline; its flight 23 between JFK and ATL was delayed 90 percent of the time with an average delay of 78 minutes. JetBlue flight 195 from JFK to Las Vegas had a 13.3 percent on-time arrival record with 60-minute average delays…Ryanair and Qantas say they’re pushing toward ways passengers can use cell phones in-flight but so far no U.S. carrier is following in their wake.
Don’t Forget…Gritty exhibit, co-produced by National Geographic of unforgettable photos of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina by award-winning photojournalist David Burnett at The Louisiana State Museum Arsenal at 701 Chartres St. (504) 568-6987.
Heads Up is written by Chris Barnett
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| Books...by Jack McGuire |
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Hard to believe, but it’s that time of year again. Time to be on the lookout for that perfect holiday gift. Books, both print and audio, are a terrific choice.
Tales of the Tiger and More
For the inveterate golfer, not just the “grip it and rip it” weekend warrior, but the totally addicted, obsession-possessed lover of the game, here’s a suggestion for the perfect gift. Lorne Rubenstein and Jeff Neuman, a couple of self-professed, fanatical golf nuts, in an obsequious labor of love, have produced A Disorderly Compendium of Golf (Workman Publishing, $13.95), a treasure trove of trivia about the greatest game on earth for the Tiger Woods or Michelle Wie wannabe on your gift list.
The authors, who share a fascination for the minutiae of the sport, confess, “Most of all we enjoy the absurd and the random in the game, and highlight these here. The left-handed golfers who won major championships, but were really right-handed; the hustler who would bet you at night that he could make a 40-foot putt on his first try the next morning…and famous cases of ‘the yips’—the scourge of all too many golfers who struggle to make a smooth putting stroke, usually from near the hole.”
Among hundreds of lists, records, anecdotes, quotes and surprises, there’s the book’s mesmerizing effect on the true golf aficionado, hours of pure pleasure to be gleaned from 390 pages of golf facts and fancy. And the answers to such earth-shaking questions as:
Q: Was Shakespeare a golfer? A: Yes, with documented quotes to prove it.
Q: Famous golfers who died on golf courses? A: Bing Crosby, Julius Boros, Tony Lema.
Q: Are athletes golfers? A: Naturally. Tons of them. Such as Ken (White Sox announcer) Harrelson. Sammy (Babe Ruth Legs) Byrd, the only man to play in the World Series and the Masters; and the inimitable Mark (homerun slugger) McGwire, who is also a masterful golfer.
In random, but fascinating fashion, it’s all here, the wisdom, folly, rules and turgid trivia of the wacky, wondrous world of golf.
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The Play's the Thing
Audio books are a good antidote to those interminable airport waits and long overseas flights. There are literally thousands of titles available covering every conceivable subject from complete college courses on history, philosophy, religion or political science, to the latest best-selling fiction, autobiographies or the classics.
There’s also a wide selection of the world’s best theater on CD and tape, some of the best produced by L.A. Theatre Works and featuring such Hollywood notables as Richard Dreyfuss, Ed Asner, Amy Irving, Julie Harris, Helen Hunt and scores of other movie stars. Dramas, comedies, musical works, trials and docudramas, and women’s collections are contained in the complete catalog of shows. Unlike the usual audio book presentations read by the author or a narrator, these productions feature a full professional cast, musical bridges and complete sound effects, much like the great radio dramas of a bygone era.
Some of the well-known screenplays and stage productions adapted to the sound medium include “On the Waterfront” starring Hector Elizondo, Jeffrey Donovon and Bruce Davison; “Twelve Angry Men” with an outstanding cast on two compact discs and a total running time of 85 minutes. And the Arthur Miller classic, “The Crucible” featuring Richard Dreyfuss, Stacy Keach, Michael York, Ed Begley Jr. and Hector Elizondo.
Prices for the L.A. Theatre Works productions range from $20.95 for a single cassette, to $25.95 for most of the two-CD shows and $90.95 for the 14-hour production of “Babbitt” on 14 CDs. Featured in the Sinclair Lewis classic is an all-star cast including Ed Asner, Ed Begley Jr., Ted Danson, Richard Dreyfuss, Julie Harris, Helen Hunt, Amy Irving and John Lithgow. |
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"'Tiz a Puzzlement"
Here’s a gift idea that can provide hours of family fun, in a cyclopean collection of puzzles, riddles, illusions and baffling brain games. Internationally known and acclaimed inventor, puzzler and artist Ivan Moscovich has assembled no less than 1,000 of what he calls play thinks in The Big Book of Brain Games (Workman Publishing, $22.95).
Covering a wide range of categories including geometry, patterns, numbers, logic and probability, perception and much more, the 416 pages of this mother-of-all-brainteaser books, is jam-packed with puzzles to challenge the most passionate and astute game lover. “Whatever its form,” writes the author, “a play think will ideally transform you to a state of mind where play and problem solving coexist. You may find the book slyly educational, I certainly hope so. My goal is for you to play the games, solve the problems and come away more curious, more inventive, more intuitive.”
Each play think is rated in difficulty from 1 to 10. So a player may decide to start with puzzles rated 1 and 2, and then work up to the ones rated 3 and 4 and so forth.
All of the puzzles are indexed by level of difficulty at the back of the book, where you’ll also find the answers. But no peeking until you’ve given the problem solving a real shot. Group games and puzzles designed for more than one player are also included.
Here’s a sample puzzle (with a difficulty rating of three) to get you started.
Many years ago a man married the sister of his widow. How did he do it? Give up?
*You’ll find the answer at the end of this column.
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Stick These in Their Stockings
How about a pair of neat little stocking stuffers? In The Thank You Book (Active Parenting Publishers, $12.95) author Robyn Freedman Spizman has come up with hundreds of clever, meaningful and purposeful ways to say thank you. Along with everyday thank-yous are ideas to cover friends, business associates and family members.
As a television personality and consumer advocate for the past 20 years and a gift-giving expert reporting nationwide, Ms. Spizman has shown viewers how to express their thanks, appreciation, concern and feelings to those they care about in creative and meaningful ways. Her book is a collection of the ideas she has compiled over the years.
In a companion book, author Spizman’s daughter Ali, 14 years old, wrote The Thank You Book for Kids (Longstreet Press $12.95). Since it’s well documented that even the most polite children can cringe at the thought of writing thank-you notes, Ali has made a parent’s job of getting their offspring to send thank-you notes to grandma, other relatives and friends a lot easier with her helpful little book.
Here are some tips from Ali, one kid to another, on how to write a cool and clever thank-you note:
- Write like you talk or think! Have a pretend conversation with the person you’re writing to in your mind, then write how you feel and what you thought.
- Make your note witty, funny, enthusiastic or thoughtful! Show your style by writing thank-you notes that express your personality.
- Be specific! Pretend you’re a newspaper writer and give the details. Like any good reporter, your goal is to paint a picture with words.
*Answer to the puzzler posed in the review of The Big Book of Brain Games above: He married the sister first.
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