If you want to read something disgusting - and, really, who doesn't? - click on over to www.nytimes.com and check out Zusha Elinson's March 5 story about Bay Area Rapid Transit, the San Francisco area light-rail system. The story is headlined "On BART Trains, the Seats Are Taken (by Bacteria).''
Thanks to the Bay Citizen, a local news organization, and a San Franciscio State University biology laboratory, public transport riders now know what they have long suspected: The stained, moldy, cloth-covered seats on BART trains are contaminated by an impressive variety of virulent bacteria, some of which are resistent to antibiotic drugs. The 40,000 seats are cleaned or replaced from time to time, but not enough to make much of a dent in the problem
One paragraph, deep in the copy, provides a key to understanding why the problem persists. Elinson quotes a BART spokesman's e-mail about the behavior of BART passengers: "Last year, the BART police received 1,051 complaints of smoking, eating and drinking, 245 complaints of urinating or defecating, and 56 reports of spitting.''
I started riding BART back in 1973, the year after the regional system opened. In what I estimate to be several thousand train trips since then, I have seen fellow passengers drinking enormous soft drinks, sipping coffee, wolfing down sandwiches, eating crunchy snack foods and dropping crumpled plastic bags on the floor and the seats and carrying hot, reeking boxes of pizza and chicken. Oh, I've seen passengers clipping fingernails and toenails on the trains, too, and leaving cuticles to fall where they may.
In all this time, not once - not once - have I seen a station agent refuse boarding to a passenger with food and drink, even though a number of signs posted in stations and on board trains expressly forbid eating and drinking. In other words, BART doesn't enforce its own rules, and the American slobocracy embraces a degraded notion of democracy that holds that people can do anything - OK, not anything, but almost - wherever and whenever. To deny them this would infringe on their rights and thus be too much bother for authorities to enforce.
So, we have broadly interpreted individual rights - and we also have health hazards in travel that come about as a direct consequence of some travelers ignoring the presumed right of others to ride in a clean, disease-free environment. Some countries - Japan and Singapore, among others, quickly come to mind - don't have this problem because eating food on the street or on the train or bus is considered bad form by passengers themselves.
This is one custom I'd like to import into the United States.
Showing posts with label Singapore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Singapore. Show all posts
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
The Big Bird Returns to the Sky, Gradually
The largest commercial passenger jet ever built - Airbus's A380 superjumbo - was widely grounded late last year, when problems with engines built by Rolls Royce forced first Qantas, then Singapore Airliness and others, to curtain or even stop flying the big bird. The engines have been tweaked, the problems seem to have been worked out and airlines are gradually returning the A380 to service, as well as announcing new routes for the humongous double-decker plane.
This good for Airbus, of course, as several hundred of the aircraft are on order, led by petrodollar-rich Middle Eastern airlines. It's good for congested airports in that more of these planes once put into service could help ease congestion by moving people with fewer flights. It's good for the airlines, as they can fully utilize growing fleets. And it should be good for travelers; flying in the A380 is a memorable and usually positive experience.
Qantas is returning its superjumbos to service, having resumed flights between Sydney and Los Angeles International as of Jan. 16.
Singapore Airways recently announced it will deploy the big plane between LAX and Tokyo, with continuing service to Singapore, as of March 27.
Korean Air plans to launch service from New York's John F. Kennedy International to Seoul/Inchon International on Aug. 2, the first use of an A380 between New York and Asia. On Oct.1, Korean will ramp up some more, using the A380 between LAX and South Korea.
As it happens, I was on the first-ever scheduled commercial flight of an Airbus A380. That was Singapore Airlines's aptly numbered flight 380, from Singapore to Sydney on Oct. 25, 2007. I remember it as one big party, some eight hours long, with people popping in and out of their seats, drinking bubbly and snapping pictures of each other. The aircraft was memorably and impressively spacious and extraordinarily quiet for a plane its size.
Last month, I had lunch with James Boyd, a vice president communications in the Americas for Singapore Air, who told me that as of then ''11 Airbus A380s are back in the air. It's a well-received and reliable aircraft. We've carried 3 million passengers on our A380s and flown hundreds of thousands of miles. It's a well-performing aircraft, and 40 percent more quiet." Quieter than other jumbo jets, that is.
Speaking of SQ, Boyd said that his airline at the end of March will commence thrice-weekly service between Singapore and Barcelona. SQ also eyes three-times weekly service to Sao Paolo, pending approval from the government of Brazil. "It's an open space in our network,'' he said.
SQ plans to use Boeing 777ERs configured into three classes for its South America service.
In the meantime, it's evidently wheels-up for the A380 superjumbo, following the necessary safety fixes. It's good to have the big bird back in the sky.
This good for Airbus, of course, as several hundred of the aircraft are on order, led by petrodollar-rich Middle Eastern airlines. It's good for congested airports in that more of these planes once put into service could help ease congestion by moving people with fewer flights. It's good for the airlines, as they can fully utilize growing fleets. And it should be good for travelers; flying in the A380 is a memorable and usually positive experience.
Qantas is returning its superjumbos to service, having resumed flights between Sydney and Los Angeles International as of Jan. 16.
Singapore Airways recently announced it will deploy the big plane between LAX and Tokyo, with continuing service to Singapore, as of March 27.
Korean Air plans to launch service from New York's John F. Kennedy International to Seoul/Inchon International on Aug. 2, the first use of an A380 between New York and Asia. On Oct.1, Korean will ramp up some more, using the A380 between LAX and South Korea.
As it happens, I was on the first-ever scheduled commercial flight of an Airbus A380. That was Singapore Airlines's aptly numbered flight 380, from Singapore to Sydney on Oct. 25, 2007. I remember it as one big party, some eight hours long, with people popping in and out of their seats, drinking bubbly and snapping pictures of each other. The aircraft was memorably and impressively spacious and extraordinarily quiet for a plane its size.
Last month, I had lunch with James Boyd, a vice president communications in the Americas for Singapore Air, who told me that as of then ''11 Airbus A380s are back in the air. It's a well-received and reliable aircraft. We've carried 3 million passengers on our A380s and flown hundreds of thousands of miles. It's a well-performing aircraft, and 40 percent more quiet." Quieter than other jumbo jets, that is.
Speaking of SQ, Boyd said that his airline at the end of March will commence thrice-weekly service between Singapore and Barcelona. SQ also eyes three-times weekly service to Sao Paolo, pending approval from the government of Brazil. "It's an open space in our network,'' he said.
SQ plans to use Boeing 777ERs configured into three classes for its South America service.
In the meantime, it's evidently wheels-up for the A380 superjumbo, following the necessary safety fixes. It's good to have the big bird back in the sky.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Chillin' in Changi Airport on a Passage to India
SINGAPORE - Changi International Airport is routinely voted at or very near the top of world's best airports list every year by experienced world travelers, and you can see why. It took me all of 10 minutes this morning to whisk through check-in and security, ending in Singapore Airlines' Silverkris Lounge. Of course, it was only 5 a.m., but, still...this is an airport that works.
Changi, the home base of Singapore Airlines, recently opened a state of the art terminal 3; I flew into that terminal almost exactly a year ago when I traveled from my home in California to Singapore for an airline wine event hosted by the carrier's trio of wine consultants. I flew this year into and out of terminal 2 from my previous stopover in Auckland.
Terminal 2 is older but scrupulously maintained. It is graced by a marvelous indoor tropical garden, complete with a wooden walkway through the ferns, oversized flowers and other flora, and is enlivened by a sizable koi pond. Showers, a swimming pool and clusters of stand-up PCs for free Internet use are scattered through the smartly carpeted terminal.
In the Silverkris Lounge, where I waited for my flight to Mumbai on my first-ever passage to India, were dozens more free PCs, a good coffee-making machine, sumptuous Asian and Western food, and an array of free alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Large video monitors blinked overhead with flight information, and muted television screens showed BBC and CNN news.
How tuned-in to customers is Singapore Airlines? When I arrived early this ay-em, before the airport check-in desks were formally open, rather than make me wait, a reservation agent opened her station 7 or 8 minutes early to check me in. I can't think of many airlines that would do that, or many airports where it would happen.
Now, onto Mumbai, next stop on my round the world journey with Star Alliance member airlines.
Changi, the home base of Singapore Airlines, recently opened a state of the art terminal 3; I flew into that terminal almost exactly a year ago when I traveled from my home in California to Singapore for an airline wine event hosted by the carrier's trio of wine consultants. I flew this year into and out of terminal 2 from my previous stopover in Auckland.
Terminal 2 is older but scrupulously maintained. It is graced by a marvelous indoor tropical garden, complete with a wooden walkway through the ferns, oversized flowers and other flora, and is enlivened by a sizable koi pond. Showers, a swimming pool and clusters of stand-up PCs for free Internet use are scattered through the smartly carpeted terminal.
In the Silverkris Lounge, where I waited for my flight to Mumbai on my first-ever passage to India, were dozens more free PCs, a good coffee-making machine, sumptuous Asian and Western food, and an array of free alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Large video monitors blinked overhead with flight information, and muted television screens showed BBC and CNN news.
How tuned-in to customers is Singapore Airlines? When I arrived early this ay-em, before the airport check-in desks were formally open, rather than make me wait, a reservation agent opened her station 7 or 8 minutes early to check me in. I can't think of many airlines that would do that, or many airports where it would happen.
Now, onto Mumbai, next stop on my round the world journey with Star Alliance member airlines.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Asia for Beginners
SINGAPORE - If I was advising first-time visitors to Asia where to stop first, Singapore would be the place. The island city-state is well-organized, safe, clean, English-speaking and modern, and things typically work well. Yet, it is deeply Asian, and very much itself, presenting a blend of Malay, Chinese, Indian and expat cultures that still seem exotic to non-Asians. All this makes Singapore interesting to outsiders and relatively easy for outsiders to get accustomed to. Culture-shock is minimal.
That stands in contrast for much of Asia, which can be considerably more challenging for travelers, especially first-timers. So, go to Singapore first, then work your way through other places in the region.
My very brief - not much more than a day - stay in Singapore didn't leave me much time, so I cut straight to the chase and homed in on Singaporean comfort food.
I feasted on stir-fried chili crab, with steamed buns for mopping up the gravy, at Jumbo, a delightfully named restaurant on Singapore's East Coast Parkway (block 1206, not far from Changi airport). Jumbo came well-recommended by several locals and experienced travelers; they were not wrong. Treat number two, savored at a hawkers' court in central-city Singapore (or S'pore, as local publications call it), was chicken rice, sometimes referred to as Singapore's national dish. Brought to S'pore from Hainan, China, the flavorful rice comes in fist-sized balls soaked in stock, and is served with boiled chicken - usually an older hen, sliced up with skin still on it and slightly yellow in appearance. Dipping sauces arrive with the meal, enlivened by the tang of garlic and ginger. This is downhome Southeast Asian comfort food, and it is delicious.
You can find fine expense-account restaurants in this great food town, but the great thing about Singapore is you can eat just as well in no-frills places, like the locals do. For foodies, Singapore is a magical destination.
That stands in contrast for much of Asia, which can be considerably more challenging for travelers, especially first-timers. So, go to Singapore first, then work your way through other places in the region.
My very brief - not much more than a day - stay in Singapore didn't leave me much time, so I cut straight to the chase and homed in on Singaporean comfort food.
I feasted on stir-fried chili crab, with steamed buns for mopping up the gravy, at Jumbo, a delightfully named restaurant on Singapore's East Coast Parkway (block 1206, not far from Changi airport). Jumbo came well-recommended by several locals and experienced travelers; they were not wrong. Treat number two, savored at a hawkers' court in central-city Singapore (or S'pore, as local publications call it), was chicken rice, sometimes referred to as Singapore's national dish. Brought to S'pore from Hainan, China, the flavorful rice comes in fist-sized balls soaked in stock, and is served with boiled chicken - usually an older hen, sliced up with skin still on it and slightly yellow in appearance. Dipping sauces arrive with the meal, enlivened by the tang of garlic and ginger. This is downhome Southeast Asian comfort food, and it is delicious.
You can find fine expense-account restaurants in this great food town, but the great thing about Singapore is you can eat just as well in no-frills places, like the locals do. For foodies, Singapore is a magical destination.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Old and New at the InterContinental
SINGAPORE - Creature comforts can come in handy when you're on the road. Back in the day, I didn't much care if I had them or not. My attitude was, I'll sleep on the floor, you know? However, I have had an attitude adjustment since then. I don't look to be pampered, but it's good when things work, when they're easy on the eye, the body and the mind.
Which brings me to the InterContinental Hotel, the comfortably high-end hotel where I am staying in Singapore. I'm writing this in the hotel's recently redesigned club lounge, where ambient music is playing, there's a good cup of coffee at my fingertips and the spacious lounge reflects a Singaporean take on Chinese decor: Peranakan.
Peranakan culture is the mixture of fashion, religion, cuisine and decor that evolved when immigrants from the south of China arrived in Singapore and elsewhere in Southeast Asia and married local people. This produced a new hybrid culture. For example, Chinese dishes came to be made with Malay spices, producing an early type of fusion food.
The InterContinental, built in the mid-1990s in Bugis, traditionally a Peranakan neighborhood, kept and refurbished a number of traditional shophouses and worked them into the hotel, a modern, 16-story tower. Thus, parts of Malay and Malaba streets, which run past the hotel, are covered in clear glass and incorporated into into an air-conditioned shopping complex. Lining one side of Malay Street are 1920s shophouses with their trademark wooden shutters, remnants of a bygone age. These have been transformed and are now hotel rooms at the InterContinental; I am presently inhabiting one of them. My room looks directly into the mall. It has a high ceiling inside, a modernized bathroom, a small courtyard entrance in front. It is painted off-white inside and retains calming touches of the colonial era, when the British ran Singapore. Singapore was part of colonial Malaya, then part of independent Malaysia, and then attained independence on its own in the 1960s. The modern city of highrises, big containerized shipping port and clusters of corporate offices sprang up since then, transforming this small island. The InterContinental, with 403 rooms, an expansive lobby lounge, and three restaurants, manages to be part of the new Singapore while evoking the old.
As for creature comforts, I'm sure there are more of them now and they are more widely available than in past eras. Some people find contemporary Singapore too squeaky-clean, but traveling without an overwhelming chance of getting sick seems to me a good thing. If that runs counter to nostalgia, then maybe nostalgia is one luxury we can do without.
For more information: e-mail: singapore@interconti.com, tel. 65 6338 7600, Web: http://www.intercontinental.com/.
Which brings me to the InterContinental Hotel, the comfortably high-end hotel where I am staying in Singapore. I'm writing this in the hotel's recently redesigned club lounge, where ambient music is playing, there's a good cup of coffee at my fingertips and the spacious lounge reflects a Singaporean take on Chinese decor: Peranakan.
Peranakan culture is the mixture of fashion, religion, cuisine and decor that evolved when immigrants from the south of China arrived in Singapore and elsewhere in Southeast Asia and married local people. This produced a new hybrid culture. For example, Chinese dishes came to be made with Malay spices, producing an early type of fusion food.
The InterContinental, built in the mid-1990s in Bugis, traditionally a Peranakan neighborhood, kept and refurbished a number of traditional shophouses and worked them into the hotel, a modern, 16-story tower. Thus, parts of Malay and Malaba streets, which run past the hotel, are covered in clear glass and incorporated into into an air-conditioned shopping complex. Lining one side of Malay Street are 1920s shophouses with their trademark wooden shutters, remnants of a bygone age. These have been transformed and are now hotel rooms at the InterContinental; I am presently inhabiting one of them. My room looks directly into the mall. It has a high ceiling inside, a modernized bathroom, a small courtyard entrance in front. It is painted off-white inside and retains calming touches of the colonial era, when the British ran Singapore. Singapore was part of colonial Malaya, then part of independent Malaysia, and then attained independence on its own in the 1960s. The modern city of highrises, big containerized shipping port and clusters of corporate offices sprang up since then, transforming this small island. The InterContinental, with 403 rooms, an expansive lobby lounge, and three restaurants, manages to be part of the new Singapore while evoking the old.
As for creature comforts, I'm sure there are more of them now and they are more widely available than in past eras. Some people find contemporary Singapore too squeaky-clean, but traveling without an overwhelming chance of getting sick seems to me a good thing. If that runs counter to nostalgia, then maybe nostalgia is one luxury we can do without.
For more information: e-mail: singapore@interconti.com, tel. 65 6338 7600, Web: http://www.intercontinental.com/.
Winging It to Singapore on Singapore
SINGAPORE - The 9-hour-plus flight from Auckland to Singapore went smoothly, typically so, on Singapore Airlines. It's one of the world's Tiffany carriers and has had a decided halo effect among experienced travelers for years.
Consider: The business class cabin on my flight boasted massive consoles in front of the seat that provide passenger privacy and offer features such as a vanity mirror, a socket for plugging in a laptop and other personal electronic devices, and a large video monitor. The seat folds out into a comfy bed, and if you need anything else to relax, the wine selections by Singapore Air's wine consultants - among them the eminent British wine guru Steven Spurrier - will help.
Raffles class - that's business class, in Singapore vernacular - also has one of the better interactive in-flight program menus in the sky. There are hundreds of CDs on demand, an extensive roster of Asian and Western movies and TV shows, video games and one of those interactive maps that help you track the progress of your flight; the map alternates big-picture looks at the flight path with focused looks at the terrain you happen to be flying over at the time - in my case, that meant the vast interior of Australia, with its mountains and deserts. I've always enjoyed this feature on long-haul flights, returning to it from time to time between building a sampler of tunes from music CDs and turning the pages of the book I'm reading. As I often do, I'm delving into my default author: Graham Greene, and his bittersweet novel "The End of the Affair.''
Singapore Air, as a Star Alliance member, shares a spacious and especially well-appointed lounge with fellow Star member Air New Zealand at Auckland International Airport. The Koru Lounge has two long tables, each table lined with 10 chairs and 10 sockets, for people to plug-in and work: 20 work stations all told. Didn't bring your laptop? There are four free PCs available. There's also a living-room-like space, where I saw people having afternoon tea on a china teaset. Miracle of miracles, the Koru Lounge also has a cell-phone-free zone. Braying mobile phone yakkers are among my prime travel beefs, so I count this quiet refuge as a definite plus.
The lounge food is varied and good. Forget the bags of nuts and cheese squares and crackers you get at many U.S. and some European airports; at Auckland there is soup, fresh green salads and international dishes such as Moroccan chickpea salad. Plus, a coffee machine - I made a "flat white,' the Kiwi term for a capp with an extra jolt of espresso - and a choice of half a dozen NZ wines (typically Sauvignon Blancs) and beers (typically light and refreshing lagers.) If you have some time to spend in this hub airport, New Zealand's largest, this is a nice place to do it.
I plucked a non-alcoholic ginger beer made by Wellington's Mac's Brewery out of the drinks case and out of curiosity began reading the copy on the label. It gave me a farewell taste of Kiwi wit:
"Ginger beer is a great New Zealand tradition. Unfortunately, that tradition frequently involves something that comes in large, fizzy drinks bottles, and has a propensity to explode because your auntie used too much sugar.''
Mac's ginger beer, I am happy to report, didn't blow up in my face. It had a nice balance of sweet and spicy and a lingering taste that stayed with me as I made the long walk across the airport terminal all the way to Gate 15, where a Singapore Airlines jetliner was waiting for the flight to Changi airport.
Consider: The business class cabin on my flight boasted massive consoles in front of the seat that provide passenger privacy and offer features such as a vanity mirror, a socket for plugging in a laptop and other personal electronic devices, and a large video monitor. The seat folds out into a comfy bed, and if you need anything else to relax, the wine selections by Singapore Air's wine consultants - among them the eminent British wine guru Steven Spurrier - will help.
Raffles class - that's business class, in Singapore vernacular - also has one of the better interactive in-flight program menus in the sky. There are hundreds of CDs on demand, an extensive roster of Asian and Western movies and TV shows, video games and one of those interactive maps that help you track the progress of your flight; the map alternates big-picture looks at the flight path with focused looks at the terrain you happen to be flying over at the time - in my case, that meant the vast interior of Australia, with its mountains and deserts. I've always enjoyed this feature on long-haul flights, returning to it from time to time between building a sampler of tunes from music CDs and turning the pages of the book I'm reading. As I often do, I'm delving into my default author: Graham Greene, and his bittersweet novel "The End of the Affair.''
Singapore Air, as a Star Alliance member, shares a spacious and especially well-appointed lounge with fellow Star member Air New Zealand at Auckland International Airport. The Koru Lounge has two long tables, each table lined with 10 chairs and 10 sockets, for people to plug-in and work: 20 work stations all told. Didn't bring your laptop? There are four free PCs available. There's also a living-room-like space, where I saw people having afternoon tea on a china teaset. Miracle of miracles, the Koru Lounge also has a cell-phone-free zone. Braying mobile phone yakkers are among my prime travel beefs, so I count this quiet refuge as a definite plus.
The lounge food is varied and good. Forget the bags of nuts and cheese squares and crackers you get at many U.S. and some European airports; at Auckland there is soup, fresh green salads and international dishes such as Moroccan chickpea salad. Plus, a coffee machine - I made a "flat white,' the Kiwi term for a capp with an extra jolt of espresso - and a choice of half a dozen NZ wines (typically Sauvignon Blancs) and beers (typically light and refreshing lagers.) If you have some time to spend in this hub airport, New Zealand's largest, this is a nice place to do it.
I plucked a non-alcoholic ginger beer made by Wellington's Mac's Brewery out of the drinks case and out of curiosity began reading the copy on the label. It gave me a farewell taste of Kiwi wit:
"Ginger beer is a great New Zealand tradition. Unfortunately, that tradition frequently involves something that comes in large, fizzy drinks bottles, and has a propensity to explode because your auntie used too much sugar.''
Mac's ginger beer, I am happy to report, didn't blow up in my face. It had a nice balance of sweet and spicy and a lingering taste that stayed with me as I made the long walk across the airport terminal all the way to Gate 15, where a Singapore Airlines jetliner was waiting for the flight to Changi airport.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Road to Singapore
AUCKLAND - Bob Hope and Bing Crosby are nowhere in sight, but I am on the Road to Singapore today, the next stop on my round the world trip on Star Alliance member carriers. Actually, in my case, the road is a flight path. I'll be taking my second Star carrier, Singapore Airlines, to the airline's home in Singapore, the glittering, lush, island city-state.
Singapore is one of the best food towns in the world -befitting a crossroads city, as it's been since the 19th century, when native Malays, Indians, Chinese, British colonizers and - more recently - international corporate expats, put down roots. Humble hawkers' stalls are the glory of Singaporean food - they sell savory, cheap fare in sanitary conditions, something that can't be said of much of Asia, or for that matter, much of the world. Singapore's got it covered at the high end of cuisine, too. And it's a beautiful place to look at, festooned with restored colonial shophouses and modern highrises.
I'm looking forward to getting there, and getting back on the road.
But I will miss Auckland. It won me over right away with friendly, funny Kiwi hospitality, fresh food and drink, and velvety green volcanic nubs poking up amongst urban clusters all over town. There are dozens of peaks within the city limits - but no worries, mate, they are no longer erupting. Best of all is Auckland's beautiful harbor, criss-crossed by high-speed ferries and graceful sailboats. Auckland is known as "the city of sails'' and it's not a misnomer. I'd return to New Zealand - with a road map in hand, to see more of it - in a New York minute.
Singapore is one of the best food towns in the world -befitting a crossroads city, as it's been since the 19th century, when native Malays, Indians, Chinese, British colonizers and - more recently - international corporate expats, put down roots. Humble hawkers' stalls are the glory of Singaporean food - they sell savory, cheap fare in sanitary conditions, something that can't be said of much of Asia, or for that matter, much of the world. Singapore's got it covered at the high end of cuisine, too. And it's a beautiful place to look at, festooned with restored colonial shophouses and modern highrises.
I'm looking forward to getting there, and getting back on the road.
But I will miss Auckland. It won me over right away with friendly, funny Kiwi hospitality, fresh food and drink, and velvety green volcanic nubs poking up amongst urban clusters all over town. There are dozens of peaks within the city limits - but no worries, mate, they are no longer erupting. Best of all is Auckland's beautiful harbor, criss-crossed by high-speed ferries and graceful sailboats. Auckland is known as "the city of sails'' and it's not a misnomer. I'd return to New Zealand - with a road map in hand, to see more of it - in a New York minute.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Sleeping in Airports
One of the funnier, and occasionally useful, Web sites out there is sleepinginairports.com, which is about exactly what the name promises: A running log of reader experiences about sleeping in chairs, on couches but mostly on the floor in airports around the globe.
The site is a novelty, of course, but an entertaining one that includes readers' photos, accounts of personal experiences and cartoons about airports. As with most collectively produced products, the results are uneven but if you are, say, stuck in an airport due to flight delays, security issues or missed connections, finding tips, commiseration from fellow travelers and dark humor can be a hoot. The site describes itself as "The budget traveler's guide to sleeping in airports'' and claims, rather implausibly, that "Airport sleeping is no longer just for the poor young backpacker. Nowadays, you'l find travelers of all ages and income brackets stretched out on airport floors around the world.''
Not because they want to, however. Only because disruptive thunderstorms and blizzards, mechanical problems with aircraft and late arrival to the airport have stranded these frustrated and angry people. The number of travelers with money who choose to sleep on the floor of an airport is perishingly small.
The site is nice to look at and smartly run in the sense that its originators have figured out how to attract attention on the Net: let unpaid readers do most of the work, post a lot of surveys and votes and make lists, lists and more lists.
The latest lists show what readers think are the 10 best and 10 worst airports to sleep in: The two best being Singapore Changi and Seoul/Incheon and the two worst Paris Charles de Gaulle and Moscow Sheremetyevo. Cleanliness, safety, physical comfort amenities like good food and the courtesy of airport staff are the leading criteria for selection, pretty much as you would imagine.
Some parts of the site are helpful. A reader suggests finding a place to rack out at no. 10-best Denver International by wandering up to the the relatively quiet mezzanine in the main terminal, for example.
Anyway, should you find yourself stuck and have oodles of time on your hands, you might fire-up the laptop and check it out: www.sleepinginairports.com. The only catch: getting from one of the terrible airports to one of the good ones means you'll have to fly.
The site is a novelty, of course, but an entertaining one that includes readers' photos, accounts of personal experiences and cartoons about airports. As with most collectively produced products, the results are uneven but if you are, say, stuck in an airport due to flight delays, security issues or missed connections, finding tips, commiseration from fellow travelers and dark humor can be a hoot. The site describes itself as "The budget traveler's guide to sleeping in airports'' and claims, rather implausibly, that "Airport sleeping is no longer just for the poor young backpacker. Nowadays, you'l find travelers of all ages and income brackets stretched out on airport floors around the world.''
Not because they want to, however. Only because disruptive thunderstorms and blizzards, mechanical problems with aircraft and late arrival to the airport have stranded these frustrated and angry people. The number of travelers with money who choose to sleep on the floor of an airport is perishingly small.
The site is nice to look at and smartly run in the sense that its originators have figured out how to attract attention on the Net: let unpaid readers do most of the work, post a lot of surveys and votes and make lists, lists and more lists.
The latest lists show what readers think are the 10 best and 10 worst airports to sleep in: The two best being Singapore Changi and Seoul/Incheon and the two worst Paris Charles de Gaulle and Moscow Sheremetyevo. Cleanliness, safety, physical comfort amenities like good food and the courtesy of airport staff are the leading criteria for selection, pretty much as you would imagine.
Some parts of the site are helpful. A reader suggests finding a place to rack out at no. 10-best Denver International by wandering up to the the relatively quiet mezzanine in the main terminal, for example.
Anyway, should you find yourself stuck and have oodles of time on your hands, you might fire-up the laptop and check it out: www.sleepinginairports.com. The only catch: getting from one of the terrible airports to one of the good ones means you'll have to fly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)