For two minutes you understood what the hype was about, and then it was gone and you were left to go about your day. That’s pretty much the summation of my experience traveling to Nashville, Tennessee, for Monday’s historic solar eclipse: a sublime two minutes that felt like exactly what you wanted but still impossibly …
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‘Dirty Dancing’ premiered 30 years ago today — I visited the hotel where it was filmed and found a depressing tourist trap
First, I have to confess that I am a huge “Dirty Dancing” fan. Despite being born seven years after the movie’s premiere on this day in 1987, I have loved the movie for as long as I can remember. Thanks to my mom, I know most of the classic lines (“I carried a watermelon”), can …
A regional coffee chain with a cult following just recalled its free solar eclipse glasses — and customers are freaking out
Dutch Bros. Coffee is recalling the solar eclipse glasses it handed out to customers. Late on Sunday night, the drive-thru coffee chain — which has close to 200 locations, primarily in the Northwest — posted on Facebook that it was recalling the solar eclipse glasses it had been handing out at its locations. “If you …
Mexico City has turned into a major dining destination — and these stunning floating gardens help supply its most famous restaurants
Mexico City’s dining scene is exploding. With award-winning restaurants like Enrique Olvera’s Pujol and Eduardo García‘s Máximo Bistrot, the city’s dining options are increasingly gaining international recognition, and eager tourists are taking note. While the farm-to-table idea is not new in the food world, some higher-end restaurants in Mexico City are beginning to source their …
Airline workers share their 22 best tips for making travel less painful
Successfully and painlessly getting from one part of the world to another can be difficult. Between booking the right flights, planning and packing for all contingencies, and ensuring your travels are as stress-free as possible, a lot of things can go wrong along the way. Luckily, there are plenty of people in the airline industry …
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We visited the controversial, award-winning Trump Winery in Charlottesville— here’s what it’s like
This week, in a press conference addressing violent white-nationalist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, President Donald Trump brought up a surprising topic: his winery. “I know a lot about Charlottesville,” he said. “It’s a great place that has been badly hurt over the last couple days. I own one of the largest wineries in the United …
These photos are a perfect look into what the beachy Hamptons town of Montauk was like before the crowds arrived
In 1975, a young Michael Dweck and his buddy heard the rumor that the Rolling Stones would be recording at Andy Warhol’s place in Montauk, a small town on the corner of Long Island farthest from New York City. The two packed up the car and drove out with high hopes of meeting Mick Jagger …
JetBlue is turning up the heat on Delta by aggressively expanding in a critical market (DAL, JBLU)
On Thursday, JetBlue announced that is will double the number of daily flights to Atlanta. Beginning March 8, 2018, the New York-based airline will add round trip service to Atlanta from Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, and New York JFK International Airport. To commemorate the occasion, the airline is offering tickets on its new flights for an …
I rode London’s famous Underground system for a week — and I saw why New York’s subway will never catch up
It was the summer of hell, and I needed some relief. To take a break from the swamp that New York City becomes in the summer, I took a week-long trip to the sunny paradise of London for a well-deserved vacation. OK, fine. London may not be that sunny, but it is a transportation paradise. …
Google Earth created an eye-opening way to ‘step inside’ some of the world’s most remarkable homes
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to grow up in a completely different society, there’s a fun way to find out using Google Earth. With the latest update to Google’s “This is Home” project, you can take a look into twenty-two “traditional” homes around the world. Using the Street View feature, you …
The 10 most liveable cities in the US
In the United States, unrest seems to be growing by the day. Over the weekend, a white supremacist plowed through a crowd of counter-protestors in Charlottesville, Virginia. Several cities, like Baltimore, Maryland, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Lexington, Kentucky are removing confederate monuments, despite rallies from white nationalists to preserve them. Mass shootings in 2017 are …
How much legroom you get on major US airlines
Feeling crunched during a flight? Here’s how much legroom you’re getting in economy seating on some of America’s major airlines like United, Delta, and American. While most aircraft have a distance between seat of 30-31 inches, there are some planes that will give you more, or less, legroom. We’ve broken it down so you know …
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Prices for flights to eclipse-viewing hot spots have spiraled out of control
A flight to Nashville, Tennessee, in mid-August wouldn’t usually break the bank. But since the music mecca is in a prime location to view the solar eclipse due to take place on Monday, August 21, it’s moved to the top of the list for many travelers. According to Google Flights, if you were to book …
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The best restaurant in every state
The US has no shortage of outstanding restaurants that serve everything from flavor-packed amuse-bouches to hand-crafted desserts. To find the best one that each state (and Washington, DC) has to offer, we sifted through our list of the best restaurants in America, the James Beard award nominations, expert reviews, and local recommendations, paying particular attention …
The updates coming to Apple Maps make me actually want to use it again (AAPL)
When I first got an iPhone three years ago, it only took me about 24 hours to make the switch from Apple Maps to Google Maps. I had been using Android devices up until 2014, and the Apple Maps interface wasn’t intuitive to me. Google Maps seemed more reliable, and I was hesitant to trust …
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Flight attendants don’t really want you to stop ordering Diet Coke
The whole “flight attendants hate when you order Diet Coke” discussion has been blown way out of proportion. If many of the headlines on the topic are to be believed, you must stop ordering Diet Coke on flights immediately, lest you incur the wrath of your flight attendant. Please. To be fair, many of these …
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The best restaurant in America paints a dessert on your table — here’s what it’s like
Alinea is a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Chicago that serves up unique dishes to diners. For dessert, they offer items like edible helium balloons and an edible work of art that the chefs paint on your table. Here’s a look at what you can expect from the “Paint” dessert at the best restaurant in America. Follow …
Mexican authorities seized ‘tainted’ alcohol from resorts after a 20-year-old woman died — and the problem is more common than you’d think
“Tainted” alcohol in Mexico allegedly killed a 20-year-old tourist — and it’s more common than you think. Authorities in Mexico have seized 10,000 gallons of potentially tainted alcohol from a seedy manufacturer and temporarily shut down two unsanitary serving locations in Cancun and Playa del Carmen, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Of the 31 …
Andrew Zimmern reveals what he does to find the best foods when he travels
Andrew Zimmern, the host of “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern” on the Travel Channel, is spending his new season traveling around the US searching for interesting foods to try. In his interview with Business Insider, he gave us advice on finding the best food when you travel. Following is a transcript of the video. Food …
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Flight attendants share 25 things they wish passengers would stop doing — and one you can probably get away with
We all have annoying habits, and travel tends to bring out the worst in people. If you have any sympathy for your flight attendants, who, day in and day out, are privy to some of the most extreme human behavior, you’d make an effort to do better. The first step is knowing just what you’re …
Airbnb now has more listings worldwide than the top five hotel brands combined
Airbnb has reached a new milestone: 4 million listings worldwide. The San Francisco-based startup now offers listings in 191 countries, and its total number of listings is higher than the top five major hotel brands combined. The US remains Airbnb’s biggest market with 660,000 listings, followed by France, Italy, Spain, and the UK. Airbnb’s number …
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The top 9 US airline rewards programs where it’s easiest to earn a free round-trip flight
Air travel can be pricey. But rest assured, you don’t have to be a world-class travel hacker with dozens of credit cards to save money on flights. In fact, most of America’s biggest airlines offer perk-filled frequent flyer programs for the average spender. It’s just a matter of finding the one that will meet your …
Trump’s childhood home is now listed on Airbnb — and up to 20 people can stay in it for $816 a night
The home where President Donald Trump spent the first years of his life is still standing in New York — and now, anyone can stay there starting at $816 a night. The five-bedroom house in Queens is listed on Airbnb. While new owners have long since taken over, the bungalow embraces Trump-centric decor to attract …
The top 10 hotel rewards programs where it’s easiest to earn a free night’s stay
Saving on accommodation is the easiest way to stretch your vacation budget. For many, the sharing economy provides a low cost and unique means of travel. It’s no secret Airbnb and other room and house rental sites like VRBO have done a number on the hotel industry. In 2015, one-third of US leisure travelers stayed …
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Why west-bound flights always take significantly longer
Ever wonder why your flight back from vacation feels so much longer than the one you took to get there? Part of it could be a vacation version of the “Sunday scaries,” but it’s also possible that your return flight is actually spending more time in the air. “There’s a very concentrated region of high …
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Mexico’s deadly narco violence is creeping into its most popular tourist areas
Mexico’s deadly drug-related violence surged to a new record in June, with 2,566 homicides that month alone. The country has seen a steady rise in killing since around 2015, and last month and the first six months of the year both had more homicides than any of the same periods over the past two decades. …
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18 of the best under-the-radar travel destinations in America
The United States is vast: 3.797 million square miles to be exact. Yet when it comes to choosing a vacation, we often limit ourselves to a tiny fraction of the country. There are plenty of good reasons why we would want to go to Yosemite National Park in August, along with 600,000 other people, or …
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