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Readers’ Comments on Airplane Etiquette
My recent blog post, Airplane Etiquette: On Old Women and Window Seats, got ShermansTravel readers talking. Many took to the comments section to share their opinions on how I handled an awkward and stressful situation. There was overwhelming support for what I did: asking an older woman to move from a window seat – my window seat – on a transatlantic flight. Others, however, disagreed with me. Everyone seemed to have an opinion. Here are some examples of reader reactions.
Thoughts varied across the spectrum of support:
Locally Sourced Treatments at Seattle’s Four Seasons and Salish Lodge Spas
Seattle’s Starbucks single-handedly kicked off the Americana coffee craze and has since birthed a very competitive barista culture where a perfect cuppa is comparable to reaching caffeinated Nirvana, another Seattle signature.
Whether it’s the grunge bands or the notorious Microsoft country, a cafe or a string of rainy days, Seattle has several city signatures, many of which have made their way into the city’s top spas. Don’t expect a Bill Gates blowout or a Nirvana neck massage, but rest assured that coffee and rain are prevalent on Seattle’s spa menus.
Five Things I Learned at Gay Oktoberfest
As the last keg gets tapped today at Oktoberfest, the 201-year-old celebration of a royal wedding and horse race that’s become a two-week beer-soaked bacchanal at the end of September in Munich, it’s time to start planning for the 2012 festivities – and reflect on my three-day blaze, which coincided with “Rosa Montag,” one of the festival’s two gay days. Here’s what I learned:
Get a Natural High at Jordan’s Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea
The desert has long provided a profound feeling for spiritual seekers, travelers, and explorers alike. From the silkiness of the sand to the stillness that surrounds you and the beauty that abounds, it easily entices.
Couple that with the mere mention of The Dead Sea, which immediately conjures up evocative mud-riddled images of vacationing bodies floating effortlessly in the ever-still waters. No place is better positioned for an otherworldly float and a stunning Dead Sea sunset than the Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea in Jordan.
Once you’ve explored Jordan’s breathtaking scenery, natural resources, vast deserts, and historical and religious centers, the likes of Wadi Rum, Petra, and the Jordan River, it’s time to rest those tired tourist toes and go float at the lowest point on earth for quite possibly the greatest high of your life.
A Daily Hookup for the Gay Traveler
It’s no secret that local deals sites like Groupon and LivingSocial offer great ways to save some dough on unique experiences in your hometown. But with a little planning, they can also be a boon to the savvy traveler who exercises some patience and foresight. Consider the latest and greatest – and the only one out there geared for and curated by the gay community – The Daily Hookup. If you’re heading to gay hubs San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, or New York City they’ve got a deal for you (and we’re not talking out-of-the-way spas, second-tier restaurants, or Crocheting for Dummies 101).
Say you’re currently on vacation in NYC or planning a trip in the next few weeks. Log on now and score yourself a $100 gift certificate for only $50 to anything at preppy men’s atelier John Bartlett in the West Village. Buy it now; use it by July 31. Simple.
Follow the jump for previews of upcoming sales.
Saying “I Do” in New York: Gay Marriage Deals and Resources
It only took a weekend for the jubilation of marriage equality in New York ?– including the most spirited and largest NYC Pride event in recent memory, with about 2 million spectators for the parade alone – to turn from common sense to dollars and cents. That is, deals and offers from the tourism industry started pouring into my mailbox almost instantly. W Hotel group was the first: “W Hotels of New York have been gearing up in anticipation of the bill being passed for quite some time,” said a rep, acknowledging the brand has always had close ties to the gay community. “[We've] hosted many commitment ceremonies and civil unions, so we look forward to being a part of more beautiful unions.”
The official government response has also been strong in New York City. Read more
The Gayest Destinations in the World
This just in: Despite all evidence to the contrary, your local gay bar at 1:37am on a Saturday night ain’t the gayest place on earth. Sure, maybe for a second, in a Schrödinger’s cat kinda way, it exists in an alternating state of supreme gayness and supreme homogyny when you soft focus your eyes and mind (vodka helps), but when the spotlight’s on, the 24/7 crown of absolute homodom goes to (drum roll, please): New York City. And Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, and California – at least as far as tourism desires and hotspots are concerned.
What, were you expecting Minneapolis?
Don’t just take our word for it: For the past ten years, global marketing agency Out Now (www.outnowconsulting.com) has been tracking LGBT trends in the largest study of its kind, polling almost 40,000 respondents in 10 languages across six continents and 18 countries in 2010 alone, including for the first time Latin America’s exploding scene. In 2011, it plans to utilize social media networks, employee resource groups, and local community organizations to bump their reach to 25 countries. A boon, given that studies on “gay capitals” of the world usually rely on heavy sampling from our own soil.
So where are you planning to go next? Do you agree with the ranking? Leave a comment below, and you’ll be entered to win a free guidebook.
More detailed select results of the Out Now Global LGBT2020 Study after the jump. Full report available at LGBT2020.com.
Choose Your Own Starwood Adventure
Oh spring, you tempt us with your tulip shoots and sunny days only to throw it in our faces. I mean, really, country-wide thunderstorms we get, but snow… Get us out of here!
Where to go is another question. Do you want beach or desert? Skiing or nightlife? Cultural explorations or opportunities for romance? Killer cuisine or golf? (Gays golf, right?) What about all of the above? When the anywhere-but-here bug bites, it’s easy to lose yourself in the multitude of daydreams. Thankfully, Starwood Hotels & Resorts launched a new site just in time for you to sate that summer gaycation craving.
Save on Air and Hotels with Travel Gay Seattle
Oh, social media. Thanksgiving must be on the horizon, because you just keep giving and giving. To celebrate the launch of its new digital campaign, Travel Gay Seattle (TravelGaySeattle.com), the Greater Seattle Business Association’s five-month-old guide to everything L, G, B, and T its member hotels, restaurants and travel providers offer in the Emerald City, including a downloadable PDF map, is unveiling a string of exclusive deals just in time for the holidays. And all you have to do is become a Fan of its Facebook page.
Current offers include:
- 10% off an inbound flight, excluding Hawaii departures, on Alaska Airlines / Horizon Air (AlaskaAir.com) between November 30 – December 20. Booking code available on the site. Read more
Amtrak Launches Gay Microsite
All aboard…the rainbow rails! Following an announcement earlier this summer that Amtrak will use its diversity funds to launch a first-ever $250,000 multimedia advertising campaign aimed at the LGBT community?of course drawing ire from conservatives (Go, Rachel!)?the government-owned rail company unveils its new gay microsite, AmtrakRideWithPride.com.
The rather butch site, designed with a metallic motif and supported by public funds (trains being more welcoming than the military these days, we guess) is supported by TV spots as well as print and digital ad campaigns in gay media and aims to “raise the level of awareness of the benefits of train travel and increase consideration and ridership amongst this segment,” according to Darlene Abubakar, director of national advertising. Read more
