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Columbus is number one on a best places list: 10 things to do within walking distance from downtown. 
Filed under: Activism, Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Festivals and Events, United States, Budget TravelMy friend over at Wallet Pop, Tom Barlow has outlined several reasons why Columbus is the number one spot on Forbes list of best places to retire. As he noted, that's great news for those of us who already live here. It will save moving expenses later in the golden years. Along with being a great place to retire, I have to say, Columbus is one of the best cities to visit if you are looking for variety whether its edgy or sedate, ethnic or traditional, outdoors or indoors. Like Tom mentioned, having a car would make a visit easier because COTA, the public transportation system has issues, but even for backpackers, Columbus would be a good few days stop on a cross-country itinerary. There are many places within walking distance of the Greyhound bus station, and the main artery of the city bus. With the person arriving by bus in mind, if I were heading to Columbus, here are places not to miss, all near the downtown and walkable. Although the COTA buses that go along Broad St. and High Street would save time. The interest range covers the arts, history, famous people, science and nature. With the list I've given, you'll be busy.Continue reading Columbus is number one on a best places list: 10 things to do within walking distance from downtown.Columbus is number one on a best places list: 10 things to do within walking distance from downtown. originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 09:05:07
Filed under: Activism, Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Festivals and Events, United States, Budget TravelMy friend over at Wallet Pop, Tom Barlow has outlined several reasons why Columbus is the number one spot on Forbes list of best places to retire. As he noted, that's great news for those of us who already live here. It will save moving expenses later in the golden years. Along with being a great place to retire, I have to say, Columbus is one of the best cities to visit if you are looking for variety whether its edgy or sedate, ethnic or traditional, outdoors or indoors. Like Tom mentioned, having a car would make a visit easier because COTA, the public transportation system has issues, but even for backpackers, Columbus would be a good few days stop on a cross-country itinerary. There are many places within walking distance of the Greyhound bus station, and the main artery of the city bus. With the person arriving by bus in mind, if I were heading to Columbus, here are places not to miss, all near the downtown and walkable. Although the COTA buses that go along Broad St. and High Street would save time. The interest range covers the arts, history, famous people, science and nature. With the list I've given, you'll be busy.Continue reading Columbus is number one on a best places list: 10 things to do within walking distance from downtown.Columbus is number one on a best places list: 10 things to do within walking distance from downtown. originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 09:05:07
Amazing Race, Season 13: Cambodia, boats, breakdowns and beauty is only skin deep
Filed under: Arts and Culture, Stories, Asia, CambodiaAfter episode 4's rest stop at Summerhill, that gorgeous sheep farm homestay in New Zealand, the teams barreling through the world in the Amazing Race were off to Cambodia. This episode did a tidy drop of highlighting aspects of Cambodia's culture and showcased its historical magnificence. I'm still not sure which team I want to win. I do know which team I don't. Travel Tips from this episode: If a travel agent says a flight is booked or closed, head to directly to the airline in case there might be room after all. Don't speed while driving in New Zealand. You could be stopped by the police. If your boat breaks down in Siem Reap Harbor, if you use a stick for a row, you'll eventually get somewhere. Holding hands with your traveling companion can reduce stress. Stay focused and calm, otherwise you'll walk in circles and pass by the very place you're trying to find. Continue reading Amazing Race, Season 13: Cambodia, boats, breakdowns and beauty is only skin deepAmazing Race, Season 13: Cambodia, boats, breakdowns and beauty is only skin deep originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 08:05:07
Filed under: Arts and Culture, Stories, Asia, CambodiaAfter episode 4's rest stop at Summerhill, that gorgeous sheep farm homestay in New Zealand, the teams barreling through the world in the Amazing Race were off to Cambodia. This episode did a tidy drop of highlighting aspects of Cambodia's culture and showcased its historical magnificence. I'm still not sure which team I want to win. I do know which team I don't. Travel Tips from this episode: If a travel agent says a flight is booked or closed, head to directly to the airline in case there might be room after all. Don't speed while driving in New Zealand. You could be stopped by the police. If your boat breaks down in Siem Reap Harbor, if you use a stick for a row, you'll eventually get somewhere. Holding hands with your traveling companion can reduce stress. Stay focused and calm, otherwise you'll walk in circles and pass by the very place you're trying to find. Continue reading Amazing Race, Season 13: Cambodia, boats, breakdowns and beauty is only skin deepAmazing Race, Season 13: Cambodia, boats, breakdowns and beauty is only skin deep originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 08:05:07
The sounds of travel 2: "The Mountain"
Filed under: Arts and CultureHere at Gadling we'll be highlighting some of our favorite sounds from the road and giving you a sample of each -- maybe you'll find the same inspiration that we did, but at the very least, hopefully you'll think that they're good songs. Got a favorite of your own? Leave it in the comments below and we'll post it at the end of the series.Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer -- "The Mountain" The first time I ever heard a live performance of "The Mountain," I was sitting on the hillside at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in the Berkshires of New York. Tracy Grammer was singing the song written by her late partner, Dave Carter, and the melody and poetry put me in a trance. What mountain is she talking about, I wondered. For a while, I believed the song must be about the very mountain I was on at the time. To me, it felt like the song was about finding peace, and there is no place I'd ever felt more at peace than at Falcon Ridge, surrounded by gentle spirits, people who love the world well. Dave Carter wrote a lot of music about wandering the earth, going places and seeing things, and listening to Dave & Tracy's albums always fills me with a desire to hit the road, but "The Mountain" always takes me to specific destinations. First it was Falcon Ridge, and sometimes it still is, but then I visited Portland, Oregon. Dave had lived there when he wrote the song, and seeing Mount Hood for the first time, it dawned on me that this was probably the mountain in the song. While traveling in Oregon, I felt constantly drawn to the mountains, and so much at peace when I could just sit and stare at them. I felt like I really got the song this time. I wrote to Tracy Grammer to confirm my theory. She wrote back and told me this: "'The Mountain' isn't about any particular mountain, far as I know. The song was inspired by a dream Dave had, where he stood on a mountain and watched the wind move through the long grass in waves ... a place he felt the power of grace as if for the first time."Perfect. That's exactly the way I felt sitting on that hill at Falcon Ridge for the first time, thinking This! This is where I need to be. This is where I need to keep coming back. And I do return for the festival every year (so does Tracy Grammer). It's also how I felt when I saw Mount Hood for the first time, like I would always feel happy as long as I had a clear view of the Cascade Range. Mount Hood became my Utopia, and I know I'll keep returning to it for the rest of my life. "The Mountain" is closely associated with my two favorite places in the world, and whenever I hear the song, I feel at peace the way I imagine Dave Carter felt when he wrote it. I think the underlying theme of the song is not necessarily about going to the mountains but rather being exactly where you want to be. This song takes me there.Click here for previous Sounds of Travel Continue reading The sounds of travel 2: "The Mountain"The sounds of travel 2: "The Mountain" originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 08:05:07
Filed under: Arts and CultureHere at Gadling we'll be highlighting some of our favorite sounds from the road and giving you a sample of each -- maybe you'll find the same inspiration that we did, but at the very least, hopefully you'll think that they're good songs. Got a favorite of your own? Leave it in the comments below and we'll post it at the end of the series.Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer -- "The Mountain" The first time I ever heard a live performance of "The Mountain," I was sitting on the hillside at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in the Berkshires of New York. Tracy Grammer was singing the song written by her late partner, Dave Carter, and the melody and poetry put me in a trance. What mountain is she talking about, I wondered. For a while, I believed the song must be about the very mountain I was on at the time. To me, it felt like the song was about finding peace, and there is no place I'd ever felt more at peace than at Falcon Ridge, surrounded by gentle spirits, people who love the world well. Dave Carter wrote a lot of music about wandering the earth, going places and seeing things, and listening to Dave & Tracy's albums always fills me with a desire to hit the road, but "The Mountain" always takes me to specific destinations. First it was Falcon Ridge, and sometimes it still is, but then I visited Portland, Oregon. Dave had lived there when he wrote the song, and seeing Mount Hood for the first time, it dawned on me that this was probably the mountain in the song. While traveling in Oregon, I felt constantly drawn to the mountains, and so much at peace when I could just sit and stare at them. I felt like I really got the song this time. I wrote to Tracy Grammer to confirm my theory. She wrote back and told me this: "'The Mountain' isn't about any particular mountain, far as I know. The song was inspired by a dream Dave had, where he stood on a mountain and watched the wind move through the long grass in waves ... a place he felt the power of grace as if for the first time."Perfect. That's exactly the way I felt sitting on that hill at Falcon Ridge for the first time, thinking This! This is where I need to be. This is where I need to keep coming back. And I do return for the festival every year (so does Tracy Grammer). It's also how I felt when I saw Mount Hood for the first time, like I would always feel happy as long as I had a clear view of the Cascade Range. Mount Hood became my Utopia, and I know I'll keep returning to it for the rest of my life. "The Mountain" is closely associated with my two favorite places in the world, and whenever I hear the song, I feel at peace the way I imagine Dave Carter felt when he wrote it. I think the underlying theme of the song is not necessarily about going to the mountains but rather being exactly where you want to be. This song takes me there.Click here for previous Sounds of Travel Continue reading The sounds of travel 2: "The Mountain"The sounds of travel 2: "The Mountain" originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 08:05:07
Photo of the Day (10.28.08)
Filed under: Arts and Culture, Turkey, Photo of the Day Usually I pick a Photo of the Day that's somehow reflects on my current situation or feeling as I shop around for photos. But sifting through some of the pictures during my weekly duties last week, I stumbled across the picture of a mosuqe taken by flickr user flicts in Istanbul.I'm a sucker for mosque and cathedral photos, probably because I'm always in awe of the architecture and silence in the structures, and this photo was no exception. Great shot, flicts.Have any cool photos you'd like to share with the world? Add them to the Gadling Pool on Flickr, and it might be chosen as our Photo of the Day. Photo of the Day (10.28.08) originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 08:05:07
Filed under: Arts and Culture, Turkey, Photo of the Day Usually I pick a Photo of the Day that's somehow reflects on my current situation or feeling as I shop around for photos. But sifting through some of the pictures during my weekly duties last week, I stumbled across the picture of a mosuqe taken by flickr user flicts in Istanbul.I'm a sucker for mosque and cathedral photos, probably because I'm always in awe of the architecture and silence in the structures, and this photo was no exception. Great shot, flicts.Have any cool photos you'd like to share with the world? Add them to the Gadling Pool on Flickr, and it might be chosen as our Photo of the Day. Photo of the Day (10.28.08) originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 08:05:07
Man gets his arm stuck in train toilet
Filed under: Transportation, NewsHere's something you don't read about happening every day.The BBC has this story about a man traveling on the TGV in France Sunday who got his hand sucked down the train's toilet.Apparently the man's cell phone had fallen in and he was trying to retrieve it. The train had to stop for two hours while rescue crews responded, cutting through the train's plumbing to free...the toilet.That's right: The man was taken off the train with the toilet still attached to his hand (or, his hand still stuck in the toilet). A witness tells the BBC that emergency responders had to saw the toilet in half to free the man's hand.Probably a good thing this happened on the TGV, whose toilets are typically in a little better shape than, say, the toilets on an overnight train in Ukraine.Man gets his arm stuck in train toilet originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 08:05:07
Filed under: Transportation, NewsHere's something you don't read about happening every day.The BBC has this story about a man traveling on the TGV in France Sunday who got his hand sucked down the train's toilet.Apparently the man's cell phone had fallen in and he was trying to retrieve it. The train had to stop for two hours while rescue crews responded, cutting through the train's plumbing to free...the toilet.That's right: The man was taken off the train with the toilet still attached to his hand (or, his hand still stuck in the toilet). A witness tells the BBC that emergency responders had to saw the toilet in half to free the man's hand.Probably a good thing this happened on the TGV, whose toilets are typically in a little better shape than, say, the toilets on an overnight train in Ukraine.Man gets his arm stuck in train toilet originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 08:05:07
Six countries from former Communist Bloc to be granted visa-free travel to US
Filed under: EuropeIf you've spent any extended time in the countries of the former Eastern Bloc during the last couple of years you know that one of the biggest gripes people there have had is that while Americans can travel to their countries without a visa, they cannot travel to America without one.This has irked the likes of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and others even more since they joined the European Union in 2004.Well, there's good news in the region today. The US has announced that beginning Nov. 17, citizens of six Central and Eastern European countries will no longer need visas to visit the US.The countries are: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Hungary.US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, on a visit to Hungary, is quoted by the Associated Press as saying the decision to let these countries into the so-called visa waver program is tantamount to "sweeping away the last dust of the Iron Curtain."South Korea will also receive visa-waver status on Nov. 17.Curiously, Poland didn't make the cut -- which is really going to piss the Poles off, given that they've been huge supporters of the US war in Iraq (joining the likes of Albania, Macedonia and Georgia as the US' fiercest allies in that particular conflict) and have agreed to host a controversial arm of the US missile defense shield. Perhaps they'll be rethinking that last one.Six countries from former Communist Bloc to be granted visa-free travel to US originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 08:05:07
Filed under: EuropeIf you've spent any extended time in the countries of the former Eastern Bloc during the last couple of years you know that one of the biggest gripes people there have had is that while Americans can travel to their countries without a visa, they cannot travel to America without one.This has irked the likes of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and others even more since they joined the European Union in 2004.Well, there's good news in the region today. The US has announced that beginning Nov. 17, citizens of six Central and Eastern European countries will no longer need visas to visit the US.The countries are: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Hungary.US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, on a visit to Hungary, is quoted by the Associated Press as saying the decision to let these countries into the so-called visa waver program is tantamount to "sweeping away the last dust of the Iron Curtain."South Korea will also receive visa-waver status on Nov. 17.Curiously, Poland didn't make the cut -- which is really going to piss the Poles off, given that they've been huge supporters of the US war in Iraq (joining the likes of Albania, Macedonia and Georgia as the US' fiercest allies in that particular conflict) and have agreed to host a controversial arm of the US missile defense shield. Perhaps they'll be rethinking that last one.Six countries from former Communist Bloc to be granted visa-free travel to US originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 08:05:07
Tony Hillerman's Four Corners region of the U.S. and an encounter
Filed under: Arts and Culture, United States, Books, News"An author knows his landscape best; he can stand around, smell the wind, get a feel for his place." --Tony Hillerman Yesterday, when I read that Tony Hillerman died, I flashed back to one afternoon when I went as a guest to a writer's group meeting at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As I introduced myself, was I surprised when I shook one man's hand, and his warm voice said, "My name's Tony Hillerman." I had no idea that this was the writers' group he attended. What struck me about Hillerman was his unassuming aura. He was generous and thoughtful with his comments to the other writers, and not any more important than the others in the room. Like anyone else who lives in Albuquerque, I was aware of Hillerman's work as a mystery writer whose stories center around the Southwest. A person cannot live in that city without being aware of how he brought weight to the region. Plus, his books are everywhere. I recall racks of them. I'm in awe of writers who are able to attach themselves to a place and dive deep into its nuances. Reading a Hillerman novel is a trip to the Four Corners region of the Southwest. His version is not the one that requires putting one foot in New Mexico, one foot in Arizona, one hand in Utah and the other in Colorado before buying a Navajo taco from one of the food vendors. If you go to Four Corners with Hillerman's eye, you look for the person behind the scenery. Who is the person who is selling you that turquoise bracelet? Who lives in the houses far flung at the edge of the hills? What about life matters most to them? Continue reading Tony Hillerman's Four Corners region of the U.S. and an encounterTony Hillerman's Four Corners region of the U.S. and an encounter originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 08:05:07
Filed under: Arts and Culture, United States, Books, News"An author knows his landscape best; he can stand around, smell the wind, get a feel for his place." --Tony Hillerman Yesterday, when I read that Tony Hillerman died, I flashed back to one afternoon when I went as a guest to a writer's group meeting at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As I introduced myself, was I surprised when I shook one man's hand, and his warm voice said, "My name's Tony Hillerman." I had no idea that this was the writers' group he attended. What struck me about Hillerman was his unassuming aura. He was generous and thoughtful with his comments to the other writers, and not any more important than the others in the room. Like anyone else who lives in Albuquerque, I was aware of Hillerman's work as a mystery writer whose stories center around the Southwest. A person cannot live in that city without being aware of how he brought weight to the region. Plus, his books are everywhere. I recall racks of them. I'm in awe of writers who are able to attach themselves to a place and dive deep into its nuances. Reading a Hillerman novel is a trip to the Four Corners region of the Southwest. His version is not the one that requires putting one foot in New Mexico, one foot in Arizona, one hand in Utah and the other in Colorado before buying a Navajo taco from one of the food vendors. If you go to Four Corners with Hillerman's eye, you look for the person behind the scenery. Who is the person who is selling you that turquoise bracelet? Who lives in the houses far flung at the edge of the hills? What about life matters most to them? Continue reading Tony Hillerman's Four Corners region of the U.S. and an encounterTony Hillerman's Four Corners region of the U.S. and an encounter originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 22:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 08:05:07
Boeing, the unions and your commercial jets
Filed under: AirlinesLike many of you waiting for your 777 or 787 to arrive, I've been closely watching the progress of Boeing against their rival unions for the last two months.As the manufacturing woes go, the International Association of Machinists (IAM) has been striking against the airframe manufacturer since early September, primarily citing worries about their jobs going overseas. For, Boeing, who has a long queue for 777s and 737s let alone the roll out of their new 787 Dreamliner to worry over, this strike can't come at a worse time. Already the company is falling drastically behind on its production schedule, and with every day of delay, airlines cancel orders, demand repercussions and become more agitated.V Australia is a prime example. The new long haul carrier was originally slated to receive six 777s from Boeing, with three to begin service in this quarter. Planning for launch, the airline sold a deluge of cheap fall and winter tickets, riling up passengers and building up the buzz --- only to have their aircraft delayed by the manufacturer. To make commitments, the airline booked passengers on other carriers at what must have been an immense loss. And they're not even operating yet.As the strike winds down this week and the two opponents finally come into agreement (hopefully), lets all be thankful that this bickering is over and that we can get back to fulfilling orders, making passengers happy, earning money and most of all, making damn good airplanes.You can read more about the strike at fleetbuzzeditorial.Boeing, the unions and your commercial jets originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 08:05:07
Filed under: AirlinesLike many of you waiting for your 777 or 787 to arrive, I've been closely watching the progress of Boeing against their rival unions for the last two months.As the manufacturing woes go, the International Association of Machinists (IAM) has been striking against the airframe manufacturer since early September, primarily citing worries about their jobs going overseas. For, Boeing, who has a long queue for 777s and 737s let alone the roll out of their new 787 Dreamliner to worry over, this strike can't come at a worse time. Already the company is falling drastically behind on its production schedule, and with every day of delay, airlines cancel orders, demand repercussions and become more agitated.V Australia is a prime example. The new long haul carrier was originally slated to receive six 777s from Boeing, with three to begin service in this quarter. Planning for launch, the airline sold a deluge of cheap fall and winter tickets, riling up passengers and building up the buzz --- only to have their aircraft delayed by the manufacturer. To make commitments, the airline booked passengers on other carriers at what must have been an immense loss. And they're not even operating yet.As the strike winds down this week and the two opponents finally come into agreement (hopefully), lets all be thankful that this bickering is over and that we can get back to fulfilling orders, making passengers happy, earning money and most of all, making damn good airplanes.You can read more about the strike at fleetbuzzeditorial.Boeing, the unions and your commercial jets originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 08:05:07
"Let's build a city... there!" The world's 4 least impressive planned capitals
Filed under: Burma (Myanmar), Kazakhstan, Belize, BrazilCities tend to develop the way living organisms do-- they begin their lives as small and simple creatures, they eventually flower into maturity, and some occasionally decay and die out. Cities are located where they are-- Paris is on the Seine, Sydney is on the Pacific coast-- not because central planners decided that's where they should be, but because of the choices of individuals. The decision was made from the bottom-up, not from the top-down. digg_url = 'http://digg.com/travel_places/Let_s_build_a_city_there'; But it doesn't always happen like this. Sometimes well-meaning bureaucrats, or even megalomaniacal dictators, decide that a city should develop the way they want it to-- in exactly the place they want it to. The results are almost universally disappointing. This problem is especially acute with capital cities, which are often thought to represent countries in important ways. Because of their symbolic nature, government oficials like to locate capitals in just the right place. Their intentions are often pure, but (to paraphrase an old saying) the road to a bad city is paved with good intentions. Here are the top four worst planned capital cities in the world: 4. Brasilia, Brazil Brazil's capital is one of the best examples of a planned city gone awry. In the late 1950s, Brazil's president ordered the construction of a new city, Brasilia, which would be the new, more centrally-located capital. At first, the city grew wildly, and its rate of growth (over 2%) is still above that of most large cities. But Brasilia is not thought of very highly by its residents, other Brazilians, or tourists. The city was built more for the automobile than the pedestrian, so getting around can be difficult, confusing, and expensive. On the plus side, Brasilia is known for its impressive modernist architecture-- it's a UNESCO World Heritage site. Still, the city is too cold and impersonal to be thought of as anything but a massive disappointment. Continue reading "Let's build a city... there!" The world's 4 least impressive planned capitals"Let's build a city... there!" The world's 4 least impressive planned capitals originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 08:05:07
Filed under: Burma (Myanmar), Kazakhstan, Belize, BrazilCities tend to develop the way living organisms do-- they begin their lives as small and simple creatures, they eventually flower into maturity, and some occasionally decay and die out. Cities are located where they are-- Paris is on the Seine, Sydney is on the Pacific coast-- not because central planners decided that's where they should be, but because of the choices of individuals. The decision was made from the bottom-up, not from the top-down. digg_url = 'http://digg.com/travel_places/Let_s_build_a_city_there'; But it doesn't always happen like this. Sometimes well-meaning bureaucrats, or even megalomaniacal dictators, decide that a city should develop the way they want it to-- in exactly the place they want it to. The results are almost universally disappointing. This problem is especially acute with capital cities, which are often thought to represent countries in important ways. Because of their symbolic nature, government oficials like to locate capitals in just the right place. Their intentions are often pure, but (to paraphrase an old saying) the road to a bad city is paved with good intentions. Here are the top four worst planned capital cities in the world: 4. Brasilia, Brazil Brazil's capital is one of the best examples of a planned city gone awry. In the late 1950s, Brazil's president ordered the construction of a new city, Brasilia, which would be the new, more centrally-located capital. At first, the city grew wildly, and its rate of growth (over 2%) is still above that of most large cities. But Brasilia is not thought of very highly by its residents, other Brazilians, or tourists. The city was built more for the automobile than the pedestrian, so getting around can be difficult, confusing, and expensive. On the plus side, Brasilia is known for its impressive modernist architecture-- it's a UNESCO World Heritage site. Still, the city is too cold and impersonal to be thought of as anything but a massive disappointment. Continue reading "Let's build a city... there!" The world's 4 least impressive planned capitals"Let's build a city... there!" The world's 4 least impressive planned capitals originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 08:05:07
Product review: The Blueair Airpod personal air purifier
Filed under: Consumer Activism, Gadling Gear ReviewI've been using the Blueair AirPod, a nifty little personal air purifier for people on the go or people who live in a large closet (that would be me). It's the model on the left, which I admit is a rather gaudy design now that it's on my desk; granted, they do come in blue and pink.However, it works great. There's a built-in ionizer that statically charges the air and a HEPASilent filter that boasts of the same technology you'll find on $500 models. Except this one costs $49.95! (Two-pack filter replacements are $42.50, each one will last you six months according to the website ... my packaging says three months).I spilled some soy sauce the other day and the smell was pretty pungent. But within a few hours the filter took care of the stink. It also doesn't seem as musty in the room. However, a few caveats. It's not silent, but the fan speed is adjustable so you can turn it down; and although the initial din, which is somewhat louder than a desktop computer fan, was more noticeable than I had imagined by reading the marketing material, you won't consciously hear it after a few minutes. And although it's advertised as portable, I would find it hard to make space for the somewhat bulky filter part (the black and white fractal box).But overall, it's made my life a lot more pleasant, and at $49.95, definitely worth a try.Product review: The Blueair Airpod personal air purifier originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 08:05:07
Filed under: Consumer Activism, Gadling Gear ReviewI've been using the Blueair AirPod, a nifty little personal air purifier for people on the go or people who live in a large closet (that would be me). It's the model on the left, which I admit is a rather gaudy design now that it's on my desk; granted, they do come in blue and pink.However, it works great. There's a built-in ionizer that statically charges the air and a HEPASilent filter that boasts of the same technology you'll find on $500 models. Except this one costs $49.95! (Two-pack filter replacements are $42.50, each one will last you six months according to the website ... my packaging says three months).I spilled some soy sauce the other day and the smell was pretty pungent. But within a few hours the filter took care of the stink. It also doesn't seem as musty in the room. However, a few caveats. It's not silent, but the fan speed is adjustable so you can turn it down; and although the initial din, which is somewhat louder than a desktop computer fan, was more noticeable than I had imagined by reading the marketing material, you won't consciously hear it after a few minutes. And although it's advertised as portable, I would find it hard to make space for the somewhat bulky filter part (the black and white fractal box).But overall, it's made my life a lot more pleasant, and at $49.95, definitely worth a try.Product review: The Blueair Airpod personal air purifier originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments Gadling, 2008-10-31 08:05:07