Intelligent Travel

This Week in IT

Where have we gone this week? (And where has this week gone? It's Friday already!)

IT followed a chocolate-powered journey through the Sahara, and we were ready to dive into a wine spa in Japan.

Our interest was "kindle"-d in a new e-book created by Amazon, and a collection of green guidebooks being put out by publishers.

And though it feels like we're forever green, we were pleased to hear that the Rockefeller Christmas evergreen – decked out in LED bulbs – is greener than ever.

We contemplated the demise of gayborhoods, and the impact of tourism on the Antarctic. And we celebrated the cooperation between African lodge owners and the Maasai community, and cheered the return of the New Orleans streetcar named St. Charles.

AND we were named one of the Travel Blog Rising Stars by Christopher Elliott, so thanks to Chris for the love!

And thanks to you for reading this week, and if you haven't already, please remember to subscribe to this blog's feed.

Global Eye: Varese, Italy

Photographer: Sefosse, from Pavia, Italy.

Getting the Shot: The pic was taken from "Sacro Monte" in Varese, an Italian town near Milan. You can reach "Sacro Monte" walking trough the "Path of 14 Chapels," along which you can see 14 sacred buildings built in 1600 which are decorated with many wall paintings from different ages. One of them has been created by Renato Guttuso. At the top you reach the sanctuary devoted to Madonna.

The Details: The pic was taken on Sunday, November 25, at 5 p.m.; in Italy we are in autumn. It is unique because the clouds covered the entire town beneath, while from the top of the Mountain (almost 900 meters) we were able to see a fabulous sunset. In the picture you can see two of the chapels, shrouded in mist. We felt a magical atmosphere, which seemed almost holy; my friend which has been living in Varese for many years said that she had never seen such a marvelous sky.

IT agrees that the shot seems magical, but maybe that's partially because we have a thing for mist.

Want your pictures added to the mix? Join IT's Flickr pool. Help us put more up online by adding your story behind getting the shot. And keep up to date on Global Eye and all IT news by subscribing to this blog's feed.

Green Guidebooks

While lots of tour companies are becoming more sustainable and reducing their carbon footprints, there are many travelers who still prefer to explore the world solo. Guidebook companies have answered travelers'  pleas, as the Washington Post recently noted:

The new responsible and ethical travel guides, including Lonely Planet's recent "Code Green: Experiences of a Lifetime"... aims to give readers a way to judge the sustainability of operations from lodges to wildlife treks. In a world where commercial enterprises are increasingly eager to tout their eco-tourist credentials, these specialty books help travelers distinguish environmental ventures from orchestrated PR.

Some publishers, such as the U.K.'s Rough Guides and Australia's Lonely Planet, have integrated the concept into all their books and Web sites. They urge readers to reduce their global warming emissions and compensate for those they generate over the course of a vacation. Both companies' Web sites have a feature allowing visitors to calculate the global warming impact of any given trip and then donate money to Climate Care, a British group that compensates for carbon emissions by funding initiatives that cut greenhouse gases. Every Rough Guide, moreover, contains a section urging travelers to stay longer in a given location to minimize their climate impact.

The guidebook companies are careful to practice what they preach: Lonely Planet's Code Green: Experiences of a Lifetime is printed on 100% recycled paper and uses soy-based inks. Also be sure to check out the company's "Is Your Holiday Green - Or Just Greenwash?" and its "Pick and Mix" PDF chapters for South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. This spring, Fodor's is also publishing Green Travel: The World's Best Eco-Lodges & Earth-Friendly Hotels, which will feature reviews of 100 hand-picked eco-lodges around the world.

So, whether you prefer Lonely Planet, Fodors, Rough Guides, or any other guidebook, it's likely your favorite trusted travel companion is turning green (and if it's not, then it is at least green with envy).

Photo: Lonely Planet's Code Green: Experiences of a Lifetime

Finding Lost Art in the Czech Republic

Traveler recently launched Laura Morelli's "The Genuine Article: In Pursuit of Authentic Crafts" on its online shopping guide. And in pursuit of some of our own authentic handicrafts, IT stumbled upon Traditional (Hastalska 7 Prague 1; +420 222 31 66 61), which, according to the store owners, is the only place in the  Czech Republic where you can buy 19th-century hand-carved wood printing blocks, which are often considered a lost art form.

Printing blocks are made from three pieces of wood (local Bohemian hardwoods like pear and plum) that are glued and nailed together. The top piece is carved with an intricate design, while the bottom piece is used as a handle.

Printing blocks were used to make textiles and wallpaper until the mid-20th century, when printing became entirely mechanized, and most wood blocks were deemed useless and thrown away. Traditional restores the blocks and now uses them and sells them in its store. Actual color prints can be seen at the shop, but due to their rarity, they are not for sale.

Traditional also has locally handmade textiles, corn husk dolls, candles, and ceramics, so even if you're not looking for printing blocks, the store is worth a stop. Check out Traveler's Shopping Guide for more places to find Czech handicrafts on your next visit to Central Europe.

Photo: Traditional

Handmade Paper from China

From IT’s vantage point—peering from behind our towering files of research notes and page proofs stuffed with mass-produced (recycled) paper—the notion of handmade paper has a distinct charm. So the fact that Chinese villagers in Guizhou Province’s remote Shiqiao remain patient masters of just such a tradition is especially intriguing.

The handmade papermaking tradition dates back to the Han Dynasty in 100 B.C. It’s such a part of Chinese heritage that papermaking is even considered one of the four great ancient inventions of China, according to the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), who recently funded a project to build a visitor and display center in Shiqiao in an effort to help preserve the indigenous craft.

As if we needed to remind you, the ancient process of making handmade paper has hugely been replaced by modern mass production processes. These days, only 40 families in Shiqiao Village are still able to support themselves by producing and selling their handmade masterpieces.

World Premiere of the 'Hoppera'

All-American art icon Edward Hopper is getting major play at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, with 94 pieces on display in the first comprehensive American exhibition of his work outside of New York in more than 25 years.

Featuring Hopper’s well-known mid-century works like “Nighthawks” and “Automat,” the striking exhibition has attracted a shoulder-to-shoulder stream of visitors since opening September 16. The National Gallery explains Hopper’s universal appeal: "In etchings, watercolors, and oil paintings, he portrayed ordinary places—drugstores, apartment houses, and small towns. Both commonplace and mysterious, these haunting images led many to praise him as the most American of painters."

And perhaps even more noteworthy, five of Hopper’s works from the exhibition inspired a new opera (get it, Hoppera?) that coincides with the exhibit: “Later the Same Evening.” Written by composer John Musto and librettist Mark Campbell and performed by musicians from the University of Maryland’s Opera Studio, the world premiere of the opera was performed in November at UM’s Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and garnered rave reviews. A final (and free!) performance will take place at 6:30 p.m. this Sunday, Dec. 2, on a first-come-first-serve basis at the National Gallery of Art.

Unfolding on an early evening in 1932 in a New York apartment, the opera interprets the five artworks—"Room in New York," "Hotel Window," "Hotel Room," "Two on the Aisle," and "Automat.” The disconnected storylines imagine the lives of the characters in each painting intersecting randomly at a Broadway musical. The stark stage set-up prominently features the paintings, each one illuminated by spotlight at key moments in the performance as the singers freeze-frame momentarily to mirror the scenes.

Tour Guide: Earthfoot in Asia

Here's a tour company that offers something many don't: profiles and biographies of each of their tour guides. Earthfoot hosts very small-scale, low-impact, personalized eco-tours around the world. We know that a tour guide can make or break a trip, and were glad to see that Ecofoot provides detailed bios of their hosts so guests know what to expect when they head out on their tour. Here are a few of our Asia picks:

For equestrian enthusiasts, you can ride retired racing thoroughbreds with the daughter of the late His Highness Sri Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, Maharaja of Mysore on the Horse Safari near Mysore (India). You'll travel 12-22 miles (20-35 kilometers) per day and camp in deluxe tents at night for about a week. You can also explore the Golden Triangle along the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Burma with Dr. Jeffrey Petry, a cultural anthropologist. With Dr. Petry as your guide, you can visit Doi Mae Salong, a mountainside village founded by the Kuomintang soldiers 50 years ago, and explore the marketplaces in Chiang Mai and Mae Sai.

Most of the tours have very small groups, so you'll never feel you're another head of tourist cattle. Bravo to Earthfoot for giving us a tour of their tour guides.

Photo (Wat Arun in Bangkok, Thailand): Emily Haile

Kindling a Book Revolution

Last week, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos unveiled the Kindle, a portable electronic device he told Newsweek he hopes will become Book 2.0. The handheld gadgets can hold 200 books (plus hundreds more saved on memory cards), and has access to Amazon’s endless “virtual library stacks,” at $9.99 for new releases. Plus, via Amazon, Kindle users can subscribe to newspapers, magazines, and blogs at monthly subscription rates.

According to Newsweek:

The Kindle represents a milestone in a time of transition, when a challenged publishing industry is competing with television, Guitar Hero and time burned on the BlackBerry; literary critics are bemoaning a possible demise of print culture, and Norman Mailer's recent death underlined the dearth of novelists who cast giant shadows. On the other hand, there are vibrant pockets of book lovers on the Internet who are waiting for a chance to refurbish the dusty halls of literacy.

Now, we prefer curling up with a tattered book or magazine to anything with an LED screen as much as the next bookworm. But as travelers whose shoulders get tense even thinking of the way we stuff our carry-ons with hefty novels and guidebooks, the notion of slipping a 10.3-ounce Kindle into our bag feels like instant Icy Hot to our weary muscles. “Working sort of like an Etch-A-Sketch,” says Newsweek, the contraption uses MIT-developed E Ink and is designed to be easy on the eyes.

Premiering at $399 per Kindle, we’re inclined to hope Bezos pulls a Steve Jobs and lowers the price soon. In the meantime, we can't wait to see whether the Kindle sparks a book revolution.

For some book picks to use on your new Kindle, be sure to check out our Ultimate Travel Library. And to read more Intelligent Travel, subscribe to this blog's feed.
 

Photo: Amazon.com

Maasai Inc.

African safari trips are one of the fastest-growing trends in tourism, so IT was interested to hear about an award-winning model in Kenya's Great Rift Valley, where the lodge owners partnered with the Maasai community to repopulate the dwindling wildlife and help stimulate the local economy.

When Anthony Russell, a Kenyan architect and safari tour operator, reached out to local Maasai leader John Lengio about building an eco-lodge in the Shompole region, he proposed a plan that would allow for the community to become partners in the lodge (they now own 11 percent, with the option of buying up to 80 percent of the project at any time). In return for their partnership, Russell asked that the community of over 2,000 locals be responsible for conserving the wildlife. ABC News reports:

They set aside one area just for conservation and used local Maasai men as the rangers. In seven years, the area has seen a huge increase in wildlife; the lion population, in particular, has gone from five to more than 50. The increase in wildlife means more tourists, which means more money for all.

...Last month the U.N. Development Program awarded Shompole Lodge with the   Equator Prize, one of the highest honors in eco-tourism. While there are many eco-friendly luxury lodges in Kenya, the program singled out Shompole for being unique in combining grassroots conservation with business.

Global Eye: Kumartuli, India

Chokkhu Daan, by Abhik Sengupta

Photographer: Abhik Sengupta from Sydney, Australia. 

Getting the Shot: Durga Puja is the principal religious festival in the Indian state of West Bengal. Idols of the Goddess Durga are worshiped for five days in colorful marquees, accompanied by spectacular lighting displays, music and dance. Most of the idols are made by families of artisans living in the Kolkata suburb of Kumartuli.

In October 2007, I went to see Kumartuli, hoping to catch some of the sculptors in action. Normally the idols would have already been finished and delivered. This year there had been extensive rain in the preceding weeks, so the whole process had been delayed.

I was lucky enough to arrive just as the senior artist was doing the process of Chokkhu Daan (literally "Gifting of Eyes"), which symbolically breathes life into the clay image of the goddess by painting the traditional lotus petal shaped eyes.

A Streetcar Named St. Charles

We've been keeping up with the rebuilding of life in New Orleans, and IT contributor Katie Howell sends along another sign of hope for the city.

Good news for public transportation proponents, historical preservationists, and those waxing nostalgic. The familiar “clang clang” of the world’s oldest surviving urban rail line has returned to New Orleans’ St. Charles Avenue. Hurricane Katrina halted service of the city’s derelict public transportation system more than two years ago. Service quickly returned to the “new” Canal Street line (reopened in 2004 after a 40-year hiatus); the modern, tourist-centered Riverfront line; and the downtown portion of the St. Charles Avenue line. But damage to the tracks and catenaries on the rest of the St. Charles line kept the green, historic landmark-status streetcars from running the length of the oak-lined avenue through New Orleans’ famous Garden District until two weeks ago.

While the system isn’t completely back to pre-Katrina status, commuters, tourists, and “Nolaphiles” alike celebrated the partial return of the Big Easy’s crown jewel with parades, parties, and free rides. Five streetcars are currently running ten minutes apart along the three miles (4.8 kilometers) between St. Charles Avenue and Napoleon Avenue. While the full 6.5 mile route is still not open and the trains are running on a limited schedule, they do replace the erratic bus service that's been in place for the last two years. The city hopes to have the rest of the St. Charles line reopened by spring 2008.

A Japanese Spa for Winos

For every swimmer who can relate to the unpleasantness of swallowing a mouthful of chlorine water, a hot springs spa in Hakone, Japan, has devised a unique solution: the headline-grabbing new Beaujolais Nouveau wine spa, complete with a 3.6-meter-tall wine bottle that sporadically pours the recently released trendy red into a pool filled with wine-loving spa-goers.

The wine spa is just Yunessun Spa Resort’s latest in a line of unorthodox offerings. You can steep in coffee and green tea baths, lounge in a pool of sake, or relax in spa designed to re-create the feel of a steaming bowl of Ramen noodles. Fortunately, Yunessun has a few more traditional spas as well, like an ancient Roman bath and a Turkish hammam.

Chocolate to Power Trans-Saharan Journey

On November 23, a team of Brits began the "first ever carbon-negative driving expedition." Andy Pag of London and John Grimshaw of Poole will drive their recycled BioTruck some 4,500 miles from the U.K. across the Sahara to Timbuktu in Mali, West Africa.

The catch? Their truck runs on chocolate fuel.

UK-based Ecotec has "developed a process for converting waste chocolate from a nearby factory into bio-ethanol on an industrial scale," says the BioTruck site. "Previously this waste product was thrown away in landfill sites but now the bio-ethanol can be used to make fuel for petrol cars and in the production of Biodiesel."

We thought "waste chocolate" was an oxymoron, but for now, we'll give them the benefit of the doubt:

Hostels in the Mail

IT loves hostels. Turns out, everyone else around the world agrees. So much, in fact, that several countries have recognized the virtues of hostelling with commemorative stamps, and the U.S. is looking to join the dormroom-loving party. Hostelling International USA has organized a petition for a 2009 postal stamp (deciding on 2009 stamps takes place late in 2008). World Hum has the scoop:

German schoolteacher Richard Schirrmann started the hostelling movement in 1909, and throughout its history Australia, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan and Sweden have all honored it with commemorative postage stamps. Hostelling International USA wants the United States to join those countries for the 100th anniversary of hostelling, and it’s asking travelers to help by signing an online petition.

Today, over 4,000 hostels located around the globe provide safe, affordable lodging to budget travelers worldwide, and hostels have hosted more than 1.2 billion overnights since the movement’s conception. Check out the picture gallery of international postage stamps recognizing “the positive impact of hostelling on intercultural exchange and youth development.”

We've already put our names on the list. Thanks, World Hum!

Photo: HI-USA

New York's New Ever-"Green"

As a transplanted New Yorker new to D.C., I've gotten a bit nostalgic this past week for all the holiday trappings of my former home: The massive twinkling UNICEF snowflake that dangles above Fifth Avenue (outshining anything in Tiffany's windows across the way). The smell of, yes, chestnuts, roasting over the street vendors' fires. And while there was the frustrating certainty that I'd be elbowed by tourists on my commute through Rockefeller Center, I could grant them some forgiveness once I got my daily glimpse of the spectacular Christmas tree.

So I was glad to hear that my old city is taking on some of my new interests. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced last week that the famous tree, brought in this year from Connecticut, would be decked with 30,000 energy efficient LED light bulbs. And, as part of the Mayor's expansive PlaNYC program, Rockefeller Center is adding a solar roof to its collection of buildings. Here's how it all breaks down:

Tishman Speyer has installed 363 General Electric solar panels on the roof of 45 Rockefeller Plaza to help reduce the building's electricity consumption....The solar-powered energy will help reduce peak electrical demand, especially during sun-intensive summer months when electricity use increases, which will in turn alleviate pressure on New York City's electrical grid. The solar roof will keep 67,392 lbs of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere each year and more than 2,000,000 lbs over its 30-year lifespan.

National Geographic Traveler Photo Seminar in NYC!

A Passion for Travel: Photos That Tell the Story

Create photos that showcase your passion for travel with National Geographic Traveler photographers Jim Richardson and Catherine Karnow. Discover the secrets of how to capture the spirit of a place and bring back images of enduring significance. According to Editor-In-Chief Keith Bellows, “we’ll help you turn your pictures into stories — which will make your pictures much more meaningful.” Let National Geographic Traveler show you how to make great pictures in the great places of your life.

WHEN:

DECEMBER 2, 2007
9:00AM-4:00PM
COST IS $195.00, LUNCH INCLUDED

WHERE:

Fashion Institute of Technology
Katie Murphy Amphitheater, D Building, 1st Floor
7th Avenue at 27th Street
New York, 10001-5992

Photo: Catherine Karnow

Explorer Sinks, but Launches Debate

For a video about the rescue of the Explorer passengers, visit NG.com

The sinking of the cruise ship Explorer in Antarctic waters last week has lots of people talking about how tourism is changing in the region. Over 35,000 visitors now travel way way down south, five times the number who trekked down there fifteen years ago. They get there on ships that vary in size from the 100-passenger types like the Explorer, to the huge cruise liners which transport thousands of passengers.

But since Antarctica is still one of the last unclaimed territories (seven nations claim to control portions of the region) there's difficulty in regulating the size and safety standards of the vessels that pass through the waters. A treaty group has been established as a kind oversight government for the area, and according to the New York Times, they're increasingly aware of the potential pitfalls for the tourism industry. The Times reports:

[W]ith the rapid rise of ship tourism in Antarctica — perhaps the last major ungoverned territory on earth — the sinking was not unanticipated. Both the United States and Britain warned a conference of Antarctic treaty nations in May that the tourism situation in the region was a potential disaster in the making.

...While the rescue may have been a success, the consequences for the Antarctic’s fragile environment of having a submerged ship that is estimated to be holding 48,000 gallons of marine diesel fuel sitting off its coast are unclear.

And while the frontier nature of Antarctica is a large part of its tourist appeal, it also means that the region is a legal muddle. There are no obvious answers about who is responsible for dealing with any environmental damage the Explorer may cause or how methods can be created to prevent future sinkings.

“There’s been kind of an explosion of tourism in Antarctica,” said Jim Barnes, executive director of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition, an association of environmental organizations that participates in Antarctic treaty meetings. “Do we want this to become Disneyland or do we want some controls?”

There Goes the Gayborhood?

A scene from DC's annual "Drag Race" held the night before Halloween.

When San Francisco canceled its annual Halloween party in the Castro district last month over fears about safety, it spurred a conversation about the shifting makeup of historically gay neighborhoods, and whether they're on the verge of becoming passé. As the New York Times reported:

These are wrenching times for San Francisco’s historic gay village, with population shifts, booming development, and a waning sense of belonging that is also being felt in gay enclaves across the nation, from Key West, Fla., to West Hollywood, as they struggle to maintain cultural relevance in the face of gentrification.

...The Castro remains a top tourist destination for gay and lesbian visitors. But Joe D’Alessandro, president and C.E.O. of the San Francisco Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, and a gay parent who lives in the Castro, predicted that eventually the neighborhood would go the way of North Beach, “still a historic Italian neighborhood though Italians don’t necessarily live there anymore."

While gentrification encroaches upon urban gay enclaves, the idea that the neighborhoods are passé doesn't sit well with John Tanzella, Executive Director of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association. "I wouldn’t say that it’s the case yet," he told IT.

Climb Down Here and Pick Up Your Trash!

Rangers worry that the gym-to-outside transition for climbers is threatening the ecology of parks.

Maybe the elevation is going to their heads, but the Associated Press reports that some rock climbers aren't being so kind to the terrain they're scaling, and are leaving litter scattered all over Yosemite National Park.

The increasingly popular sport is attracting climbers to parks all over the country in droves, but the impact of those pilgrimages has become obvious, if not obnoxious. According to writer Garance Burke, volunteers picked up more than 900 pounds of abandoned ropes, toilet paper, and wrappers in Yosemite this past September.

Longtime climbers speculate that it's the influx of novices heading to the park. There have been reported thefts and even people drilling into the rocks with power drills. The AP reports:

"There are lots of people out cruising around the woods looking for really fun boulders to climb on," said Phil Powers, executive director of the Golden, Colorado-based American Alpine Club. "But one of the biggest concerns that we have is that gym-to-outside transition."

Problems are also cropping up in California's Joshua Tree National Park, where rangers have found boulders covered in holes and stakes, and in Arches National Park in Utah, which banned slacklining last year and no longer permits climbing on any arch named on a topographical map of the park.

Tour Guide: Eco-Lodges in Belize

We all want to be green these days, and some companies are making it even easier for us to travel that way. Manaca, Inc. offers eco-tours in more than 20 countries, from Nepal to New Zealand to Namibia. The company selects local operators, guides, and eco-lodges and asks them to sign Manaca's Responsible Tourism Pledge to ensure authenticity and sustainability.

Book an eco-tour to Belize and you'll experience the ruins, rain forests, and coral reefs that make Belize's environment unique. After touring the ancient Mayan ruins with Manaca's hand-picked guides, you might stay at DuPlooy's Jungle Lodge, located next to the 45-acre Belize Botanic Gardens. Or you could stay at the Chaa Creek, the first jungle lodge in Belize, which sits on a 365-acre reserve and employs more than 70 local staff. You can see butterfly farms and a medicinal rain forest trail, and have plenty of time to enjoy horseback riding, hiking, bird watching, canoeing, and the spa facilities offered by Chaa Creek.

Macaca's Eco-Assessment rates lodges based on what each does for community, conservation, and education. All of the lodges are tested by Manaca staff members, and while Manaca claims some lodges "vary in rusticity," they promise that "they are all quite clean and pleasingly comfortable."

Manaca's rating system makes life a bit easier when it comes to choosing what tours to go on, so they get a definite plus in our Tour Guide book.

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Beautiful Boquete

While Costa Rica has emerged in recent years as an eco-tourism destination, tucked in the Chiriqui Highlands near the Baru volcano is another eco-hot-spot waiting to erupt.

The town of Boquete, Panama, is quaint—mom-and-pop shops line the streets, offering a more Southern California feel than a Central American one. But life around Boquete is vibrant—abundant wildlife and rich rivers and forests make bird watching, hiking, climbing, and white-water rafting all readily available in Panama’s vibrant environment. And better yet—the town’s 3,000-foot elevation means it is regularly ten degrees cooler than other Panama towns.

While you’re there, be sure to check out Boquete Tree Trek, a half-day zip-lining trip through 3 km (1.86 miles) of jungle canopy. On a hot day, go to Chiriqui River Rafting for white-water rafting trips with one of the region’s oldest outfitters. For those who want an energy boost without the adrenaline rush, take a coffee plantation tour with Coffee Adventures. Visitors can hike through fields of coffee trees, meet the pickers, and get a caffeine fix in the brewer’s "cupping" room.

Boquete is a seven-hour drive from Panama City, or 45 minutes from David.

Photos: Magda Wojtyra (top); Juan Antonio Villegas (right)

Mapping Chicago

If you find yourself in Chicago between now and January 27, be sure to check out the Field Museum's "Finding Our Place in the World," which opened November 2. The exhibit features more than 100 maps of all sorts—from those designed by Leonardo da Vinci and J.R.R. Tolkien, to flight charts and Buddhist cosmology maps. It also has rare maps like the world's oldest surviving road map, Erhard Etzlaub's Das Ist der Rom Weg, from 1500 A.D., and a 3,300-year-old clay map of what is now a part of Iraq.

The Field Museum, along with over 30 other institutions, is part of a larger citywide celebration called "Festival of Maps Chicago." The Brookfield Zoo features archival maps and future plans for the zoo in its Discovery Center Lobby. Check out celestial charts at the Alder Planetarium's Mapping the Universe exhibit, and learn how flat maps are made into globes at the Chicago History Museum's "Mapping Chicago: The Past and the Possible," which also has maps that document events like the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

The festival's blog showcases different events and exhibits around the city, so be sure to see what's happening before you go. If you can't make it to Chicago this winter, you can also see pictures of some of the maps online. The Field Museum is also co-publishing a book (pictured, above) with the University of Chicago, which features much of the exhibition material. Appropriately, the entire festival is plotted on a cool interactive map on its main website, so you'll never feel lost navigating your way through the varied exhibits.

Word of the Year: Locavore

We have a thing for slow food and sustainable eating, so we were thrilled to hear that our interests are in sync with the zeitgeist when the word "locavore" was selected as the Word of the Year by the New Oxford American Dictionary. Their explanation:

The past year saw the popularization of a trend in using locally grown ingredients, taking advantage of seasonally available foodstuffs that can be bought and prepared without the need for extra preservatives.

The “locavore” movement encourages consumers to buy from farmers’ markets or even to grow or pick their own food, arguing that fresh, local products are more nutritious and taste better. Locavores also shun supermarket offerings as an environmentally friendly measure, since shipping food over long distances often requires more fuel for transportation.

“The word ‘locavore’ shows how food-lovers can enjoy what they eat while still appreciating the impact they have on the environment,” said Ben Zimmer, editor for American dictionaries at Oxford University Press. “It’s significant in that it brings together eating and ecology in a new way.”

The Dictionary credits four San Franciscan women with coining the phrase two years ago when they challenged people to only eat food produced within a 100-mile radius of their homes for an entire month. The Locavore project took off, setting off a worldwide trend that eventually gave them "it-word" status.

We like some of the runners up as well, particularly "upcycling," which is the transformation of waste materials into something more useful or valuable.

Neatorama, thanks for the tip!

Pardoned Turkeys Fly First Class on Airbus A320

The always entertaining Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank reports on the travels and travails of May and Flower, this year's presidentially pardoned turkeys. 

From Tuesday's ceremony at the White House, writes Milbank, the two 45-pound turkeys were led by police escort to Dulles airport and taken to "a private room in the United Airlines Red Carpet Club" where they reportedly napped. Later, after skipping the security line and taking a private bus to their terminal, they presented first-class tickets to board a commercial flight dubbed "United Turkey One, Flight 6519" to Orlando. There, they will serve as grand marshalls at a Disney World parade. The irony wasn't lost on Milbank:

At a time when nearly 40 million Americans live in poverty, the wholesome ceremony for the annual turkey-pardoning has managed to turn into yet another display of American excess.

Apparently, their itinerary also got some scoffs from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals who noted that the birds would be better off in an animal sanctuary. "Most of the turkeys pardoned in the past several years have died less than a year after the ceremony," PETA wrote in a letter to President Bush.

"Putting these creatures into cages and whisking them off to Florida on an Airbus A320 has all the hallmarks of a CIA operation," noted Milbank.

We never knew what "perks" turkeys were getting, and on the busiest travel week of the year! In the end, I suppose it's only fair for these two to get the trip of a lifetime, while millions of their brothers and sisters aren't so lucky.

Happy Thanksgiving from IT!

Photo: White House photo by David Bohrer

And Speaking of Debauchery Tourism...

We recently wrote about the top cities young people are congregating to let loose, so a World Hum post about which cities Americans are most likely to get arrested in caught our eye. Not surprisingly, six of the top ten are Mexican cities. Too much Spring Break fun, anyone? World Hum reports:

Tijuana tops the list, with a whopping 520 Americans detained last year. Not surprisingly, many of them were young and drunk, according to Sunday’s [Nov. 11] San Francisco Chronicle, which published the list. Guadalajara ranked second with 416 arrests, and Nuevo Laredo ranked third, with 359. London and Mexico City followed, ranking fourth and fifth respectively. Only one Asian city made the list: Hong Kong ranked 10th, with 90 arrests.

The numbers for Tijuana look pretty bad, but the Chronicle notes that roughly 15 million to 17 million American visit the city each year, so it could be worse.

Tijuana arrests were actually down from 646 in 2005, so the popular party town is improving. The SFC also reports that possession of alcohol, drugs, and guns is a leading cause of arrest at U.S. borders stops in Mexico and Canada. (We never would have guessed.) Surprisingly, there were only 32 arrests in Amsterdam in 2006, and arrests jumped from 45 in 2005 to 274 in London this past year. We're just glad partying Americans have moved on from Mexico and decided to represent our country in other cities around the world. (We couldn't say that more sarcastically.)

Photo: Magda Wojtyra

Yellowstone’s Grizzlies in Peril

The Associated Press recently reported some disturbing figures of female grizzly bear deaths in Yellowstone National Park. The article states that about 18 female bears have died this year from “hunting accidents, management removals, and natural causes.”

Grizzlies lost their endangered status earlier this year, a controversial move to some conservationists, including Paul Hansen, director of the Nature Conservancy's Greater Yellowstone Program. But not for the reasons you might think.

“It has been a bad year,” Hansen said in an interview with IT. “But the overall number of bears is still up and it's been up consistently for a decade or more.” The problem this year, he said, was the dry climate, which made food sources more scarce.

But Hansen sees trouble ahead for Yellowstone’s grizzly population. Climate change, the introduction of invasive species, and loss of habitat will be the bears’ main obstacles in the coming decades.

Saving Sherwood

The legendary Sherwood Forest is dying, the Associated Press recently reported, and while Robin Hood can't do anything to save it, 15 organizations have teamed up to win a $100 million grant to preserve it in a TV competition held later this year.

Sherwood Forest is most famous for being the hideaway of Robin Hood, the 13th-century bandit who robbed from the rich (outwitting the Sheriff of Nottingham) and gave to the poor. According to the AP, the once 100,000-acre forest is now a dwindling 450 acres, with 997 ancient oaks. Only 450 of those oaks are still alive, and only 250 of those are "in good shape." The AP explains:

On average one veteran oak per year would fall; this year seven have come down and the rate seems to be accelerating, said Izi Banton, the forest's chief ranger.

Each oak has its own management plan and some even have names, like Medusa, Stumpy and Twister. Rangers monitor them closely, watching for branches that look droopy or stressed, anxious to ensure that each tree lives as long as possible, said Paul Cook, a senior ranger.

Ancient oaks survive about 900 years, of which 300 years are spent growing and 300 dying. Of the seven trees already lost this year, four were felled by high winds on one February night.

The most famous tree is Major Oak near Edwinstowe, where Robin Hood is said to have married Maid Marion.

The 15 organizations that have teamed together are hoping they will beat out the other three finalists in "The People's £50 Million Giveaway," where people vote for which project they think deserves the funding. The Giveaway is part of the UK's BIG Lottery, a branch of the National Lottery that awards grants to community projects. Be sure to check out the video, which has a very animated Brit explaining why Sherwood Forest deserves extra funding.

Thanks, Gadling, for the tip!

Photo: VisitNottingham.com

Passing Time in Airports

As Thanksgiving approaches, the IT staff is looking forward to heading home for the holidays. But home for us—from Seattle to Long Island—involves trekking through crowded terminals, lugging baggage around the country, and, naturally, getting delayed (but hopefully not sleeping) in airports. So we were intrigued by a recent CNN article that highlighted airports offering travelers a number of different ways to pass the time before their flights.

If you find yourself stuck in Austin-Bergstrom, look out for local musicians playing on weekday afternoons. Vino Volo (Italian for "wine flight") has wine bars at Sea-Tac, Sacramento, JFK, BWI, and Dulles (with 7-10 new stores opening in 2008), so travelers can enjoy a glass before boarding their planes. Major U.S. airports like JFK feature XpresSpa, which Traveler's Senior Editor Sheila Buckmaster has personally tested:

Travelers headed for an international destination, especially if they are good campers and allow lots of time between airport arrival and wheels-up, find themselves with time galore. I've spent mine just walking around, people-watching, reading, cleaning out my wallet, and—now—having my nails done. When I saw the Xpress Spa "station" at JFK, with a great cross-section of humanity submitting to back massages, reflexology, and nail attention—all in plain sight of folks passing by—I thought, "Great. Didn't have time for a manicure before I left, but now, I have all the time in the world to get one and allow it to dry thoroughly."

So I signed up, fearing that I'd get a mediocre manicure. After all, practitioners here aren't in the business of building a loyal following. We are one-shots for them. "Next...!"

In the end, I had as good a manicure as I'd ever had, and enjoyed my conversation with the technician, a Korean immigrant whose work ethic is formidable. The airport gig is her weekend job. She works at a salon in Jamaica, Queens, during the week.

Tour Guide: Amazon Adventure

Boldly go where no man has gone before. Well, go where few have gone before, anyway. Brazil-based Amazon Nature Tours offers a new boat tour that, by our calculations journeys farther up the Rio Negro than any other tour company.

Impressed? It gets better: Amazon Nature Tours began as a lumber company in the 1980s, but soon realized the importance of rain forest conservation. They began their eco-tour operations in 1989, employing locals and finding other ways to help support local communities. Amazon Nature Tours explains that for many of their crew members, their children are the very first in their families to attend school. So they're no longer harvesting lumber, but cultivating economic development instead.

The Genuine Article: Catalan Ceramics

Traveler's Genuine Article columnist Laura Morelli is back this month with a buyers guide to selecting traditional Catalan ceramics. Here's a peek at where you won't find the most authentic urns, bowls and plates (and where you actually will).

Barcelona—despite its reputation as one of the world's greatest shopping cities—is not the place to buy Catalan ceramics. At the pottery shops on the streets surrounding the cathedral, you will not find the best selection or prices, nor will you get the chance to see the wares being made. When you're ready to buy, arrange a trip to one of the regional towns known for pottery, including Argentona, outside of Barcelona; La Bisbal d'Empordà, near Girona; and La Galera, near Tarragona. These rural villages contrast sharply with the stylish Catalan capital, offering a more authentic experience, as well as a better value on traditional Catalan pottery. The best part: few of these towns figure in a guidebook, so it's a great way to experience Catalan life outside the tourist mainstream.

You can find the rest of the column here, as well as last month's tips for seeking out saris from Rajasthan.

Photo: Ingolf Pompe 26/Alamy

Dino-in-Residence

In case you wondered, National Geographic is a bit like a college campus. We have a cafeteria, a whole lot of knowledgeable folks milling around, and an ongoing series of events and lectures to keep us learning. And now, for a little while at least, we also have a mascot.

This past week National Geographic unveiled a 110-million-year-old dinosaur, which is currently in residence in our lobby. The 30-foot skeleton of the Nigersaurus taqueti, (which we at IT have dubbed Nigel) is the cause celébre of the new "Extreme Dinosaur: Africa's Long-Necked Fern Mower" exhibit, which will be on display through March 18. It's also an extension of the Extreme Dinosaur story in the December issue of National Geographic Magazine, which features an introductory essay by John Updike (you can read and hear a Q&A with Updike online).

"Nigel" was discovered by Explorer-in-Residence Paul Sereno in 1997. Most of its bones were collected from the Sahara region in Niger, and it's known for having a distinctively different mouth (which reminds us a bit of a stapler). NG's Insider reports:

"It had a broad, straight-edged muzzle with more than 50 columns of tiny teeth—500 altogether—lining the jaw. The construction of its mouth enabled the Nigersaurus to work close to the ground, mowing down mouthfuls of greenery."

In his presentation at the unveiling, Sereno called Nigel and its peers the "cows of the Mesozoic."

Another cool element in Nigel's backstory is that Sereno teamed up with a group of Chicago-area high school students to help pull the exhibit together. Through an organization called Project Exploration, the students did fieldwork, visited fossil labs, and read through research studies to help supplement Sereno's excavation. The students were on hand yesterday for the unveiling, and you can learn more about the project, and the delegates here.

To learn more about Nigel's anatomy and lifestyle visit the research report published by PLoS One, the online journal from the Public Library of Science. Or come down to the lobby and check out Nigel for yourself.

Photos: Above, Kate Baylor; Below, Mike Hettwer, Project Exploration

Sleeping in Airports