With apologies to Chicago, a city I love, but it takes some time away and a refreshed eye to realize that the cramped corridors, filthy corners, and lackadaisical employees shuffling listlessly about in certain U.S. airports to make me realize that we could do so much better.

In fairness I’m writing this while the agonizing stories of Heathrow’s Terminal 5 are making news, and the U.S. certainly has some newer airports to be proud of as well: Detroit is a wonder to walk through and extremely efficient. Denver, now 13 years old is more crowded than ever but still maintains an airy, open feel and has plenty of room to grow. And many regional airports are a breeze to navigate and showcase local flavor of their area.

However in contrast many of our international gateway airports like Chicago and LAX appear straight out of the Soviet era when compared to the gleaming gems of other ports. (And I haven’t even considered Asia in this.)

After spending a few days solo in Amsterdam I returned to Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport to pick up my sister and our guide Lili. Fretting about being late as always I arrived early enough in the morning to wander around and explore the facility. Some things that stood out to me:

This great idea. What’s the first errand you need to complete after a long stay away from home? Pick up some perishables of course. Schiphol has a full supermarket, allowing you to stock up your (tiny European) fridge upon return. And an adjacent liquor store too!

Left: In pier three I noticed dual jetways, although not used for our United flight. These were implemented at a few United gates in Denver for a while last year, but abandoned after a rear portion collapsed onto the wing of a plane. For some reason they work here.

Right: Almost ridiculously large signage everywhere. Arrival areas 1, 2, and 3 all exit into the same central hall, with ramps and elevators to the below train station. After clearing passport control departing passengers are treated to an enormous transit lounge with a plethora of restaurants and shops under one roof.

(more…)

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I’m a big fan of Patrick Smith’s “Ask a Pilot” column in Salon.  Smith writes of travel from a commercial pilot’s perspective.  Utilizing his sharp wit he educates and dispels rumors about the airline industry, and also shares stories of his personal travels from around the globe.

In a few recent columns Smith has addressed the issue of the quantity of garbage created on airline flights.  Air travel has been targeted due to the pollution factor, and we’re told to be wary of our carbon output, and some airlines sell us carbon offsets to compensate our seat. 

However this low consumption outlook doesn’t seem to be followed once on board.  Meals are wrapped in two layers of plastic, and plasticware is handed out like candy at Halloween.  As Smith notes:  If I can drink juice straight out of a small container at home, why do I need a tiny cup to pour it into?

On a nine hour shy flight from Chicago to Amsterdam, (and back,) I watched as flight attendants made several rounds of trash pick ups, and each time handed out NEW cups not more than 30 minutes after collecting the old ones.

Meal elements seem to be parted from each other as if they’re in quarantine.  Why not just bundle them together 1970s TV dinner style?   FOUR different parts to this meal, and each get their own sealed plastic base and cover.

In economy class it might be understandable why you would give up a plastic cup, only to take another one 15 minutes later - and that’s because you simply have no space.   But if your tray table is down or you have a free hand - why not just KEEP your empty cup for the next round of drinks?

What’s the point of buying a carbon offset if you’re going to blow through 10 sleeves of plastic and styrofoam cups every flight?  As I’ve noted before: its silly to fret about the environment in the big picture if we ignore small easy things that have a direct and immediate action in the small picture. 

Let’s make an effort to KEEP THAT CUP through the flight.   We’ll help the environment, and save United a few pennies too.  Or maybe UAL will read this and start charging a 20 cent cup fee.

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That line is actually from the movie “Sweet Home Alabama”  where Reese Witherspoon sees an old friend in her hometown bar and says “You Have a Baby… In a Bar…“    Not worth renting - but its a witty quip.

First my apologies to my faithful readers for the two week gap in posts.  You see I’ve been traveling around The Netherlands taking tons of photos of things I love:  bikes, trains, food, and architecture of modern and old.  

Amsterdam is an incredible city.  With the never ending canals, cafes, clean streets, and bikes everywhere its a utopia.  But why haven’t I been blogging every night from my trusty Asus computer?    Well - I’ve had a companion with me.   A few days after my arrival my sister and my beautiful niece Lili joined me in Amsterdam to continue our Dutch adventure.   Time to start waking up at 6am instead of going to bed at 6am!

I’ve learned that traveling with kids doesn’t lend time to much else.    I’ve always been the person silently praying to be spared in 29A watching a group of kids shuffle down the isle towards me.   I’ve always been the annoyed one when sitting in a quiet coffee shop and the strollers steamroll in.   And I’ve always been dumbfound at the mall seeing the amount of gear parents need to carry with them for a simple outing.  

So why on earth would I want to travel with a 15 month old?  Well I don’t see her much here in the states, and as you can see by the photo - she is perfect.  Reason enough.  So in addition to driving around the countryside and cycling in the city I’ve made a new friend and travel buddy - and she’s just as interested in people, places, and city life as I am.

And I even managed to keep my mouth shut as a parent on the plane lamented Southwest’s ceasing their family first boarding.

More photos and stories on the way…

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I didn’t have time over the weekend to cook and prepare my weekday lunches of chicken and rice as I do most Sundays.   And since I’ll be heading to Amsterdam this week hence trying to conserve money to accommodate the painful dollar/euro conversion rate.   Now at 1.52 to 1 I believe.

So I grabbed a couple “Banquet” brand TV dinners from my grocer’s freezer.  After mindlessly staring at the microwave for 70 seconds I examined the packaging before pitching it.   At the lower left side, above “KEEP FROZEN” and “COOK THOUROUGLY” is the small disclaimer “SERVING SUGGESTION - ENLARGED TO SHOW QUALITY”

Enlarged to show quality?  Really ConAgra foods, it isn’t necessary.   For 99 cents I don’t need want a close up.

While quickly scanning for a photo I came across Sunny and 70s.    A site by artist Jennifer Mazur documenting and detailing all things 70s.  Check her work out at sunnyand70s.com

Enjoy her site.  While I enjoy, or at least consume, my salisbury steak.

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FINALLY!  How to opt out of phone books.  Sort of. 

In November I wrote about the frustrations of having useless fax machine size yellow dinosaurs constantly dropped off at my door. I wrote about it in November of ‘06 too.

Most readers agreed that these are about as relevant as an eight track player.  I also found another story about RETURNING phone books, (not just recycling them,) that was done up in Seattle by alternative weekly “The Stranger.”

From my original post:

Anywhere a phone exists there’s most likely internet access or WiFi, making your product obsolete. Even in my office at work I don’t see phone books in cubicles or workstations anymore. They’re as useful and as relevant as cassette tape answering machines, VCRs, and Blockbuster Video. 

Stop publishing these. It’s a waste of paper, and a waste of the plastic used to wrap them in. (Actually those make decent dog poop bags.) Also the only revenue these bring in - which is advertising, is sold under false pretenses. Just like magazines, phone book publishers base ad rates on circulation. So my handling of this book for five seconds between lifting it up, walking it to and heaving it into the recycle bin counts as an impression and/or user. Yeah right.

This prompted a passionate copied and pasted response from “Yellow Pages Industry” leader Ken Clark:

The other myth is that the Internet is all we need. The Wall Street Journal reported recently that the broadband market is about tapped out. There will always be a good percentage of the population that will never have access to the industry’s Internet products. Barely more than 50% of households in the U.S. (about 56 million homes), currently subscribe to a high-speed Internet service. An additional 21 million households still use dial-up connections (yes, you read that right dial-up connections).

This week 9News/KUSA ran a story on cumbersome phone books, where to recycle them, and most importantly how to opt out:

Call 1-877-243-8339 to opt-out of receiving DEX phone books. Call 1-800-929-3556 to opt-out of receiving Yellow Book directories. If you want to opt-out of the Verizon phone book, you can call 800-555-4833.

The catch however?   You MUST provide your phone number, so they can call you back next year to make sure you still hate phone books.   Well at least its a start.  I’d still rather drop them off at Ken Clark’s house.

Story and video from KUSA.

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Britain’s Telegraph had an excellent story about hostelling for families.  Why on earth would I care about that?   Stay tuned for dispatches next week when l’ll have tales of exploring Amsterdam - with my beautiful fourteen month old niece.

Yes its karma time for all the bitching I’ve ever done about kids on planes, kids in restaurants, kids stomping around in floors above you, and etcetera. 

Most British hotels that cater properly for children take the form of fancy country-house pads costing over £200 a night. Yet from our experience, cheaper places to stay rarely work well with young ones. So when we go away, like most families I know, we usually end up camping or renting a cottage.

But there is a promising-sounding alternative. Hostels may conjure up images of spartan, single-sex dorms and hardy backpackers, but at many properties this view is well out of date. Around two-thirds of the Youth Hostel Association’s 200 hostels in England and Wales offer private family rooms and about 50 have family rooms with ensuite bathrooms.

So, with family rooms costing from £36 a night, are hostels the budget accommodation answer? My partner Emily, our two boys (Edward aged two, and Arthur, five) and I thought we’d find out.

Full article “Bunking Down with the Family“

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I usually mute all commercials while watching TV.  I don’t like being yelled at and prefer to just sit in silence for a few minutes.  However during last Thursday’s episode of Lost I must have been slow on the draw because I remembered and recalled (FYI two key points of a successful ad!)  an Old Chicago spot in which they declared themselves “Official Home of the Calzone.”

My first recation wasn’t an urge to consume this bready, cheesy, carb laden mound of grease - but rather “Huh? The official what now?  What exactly makes it official?” 

In general the word “official” is used to market a product or service in which the parent company or owner is able to promote that product as exclusive to them.  And notice the words “official” and “exclusive” are often used interchangeably.  To market something as truly official requires an agreement with the product being touted as official.  For example Subaru is the official sponsor of the Globe Trekker TV series.  That’s because both parties at some point consented and agreed upon this.  For the same reason Dreyer’s Ice Cream is the “official” ice cream of American Idol.  American Idol ice cream?  Sure its stupid, but officially official because Dreyer’s and American Idol agreed upon it. 

A calzone cannot consent or agree to serve one single restaurant.  This is because a calzone is a conscious lacking food creation incapable of being exclusive to Old Chicago.  To my knowledge there is no governing body overseeing the sale and marketing of calzones, thus a retailer declaring itself as “official” carries no weight or authority whatsoever.

Like the photo of the calzone above, this campaign may appear substantial, but the phrase “Official Home of the Calzone,”  is really just empty and bloated - which is how I usually feel after eating at Old Chicago.

For the Future Gringo recommended calzone I suggest visiting Dolce Sicilia, a wonderful Italian bakery at 32nd and Wadsworth.

officially by James Van Dellen

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Zengo is chef Richard Sandoval’s Denver restaurant, located in the heart of Riverfront Park in downtown Denver.

Latin and Asian food served together. If you’re willing to try empanadas and sushi side by side you’re in the right place.

Oak and reddish design with blue and yellow accent lights. Like a forest with a leafy canopy of colorful wine bottles.

The bar and lounge area is a hip place to hang out, but needs a few more servers. 20 minutes to run a credit card doesn’t cut it.

Visit early or late. The food is excellent, but I suspect the popularity stems more from the sum of the design elements and trendy location rather than actual food itself. Thus the place is mobbed with insufficient staff for a hopping winter Saturday night.

More info at (and photo from) Modernmexican.com.

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I wouldn’t normally find myself dining in a hotel restaurant. I’m not a fancy corporate type who takes business trips and fortunately am not required to hype sales pitches to clients in places like this. In fact I don’t even think I’ve ever stayed in a Hyatt. But we were told of a restaurant called “Altitude” in the new Hyatt downtown, (opened in ‘06,) and decided to check it out last week.

Architecturally this is how hotels should be built. Lots and lots of glass. Ok energy efficient glass, which connects the inside to the outside urban streetscapes. Too many hotels built during the 70s and 80s walled themselves off from the streets with thick concrete and few windows, unless you count the revolving doors. Whether on purpose or not, this design segregates visitors and guests from the rest of the city by sealing them up inside a closed environment. I remember visiting the Renaissance Center in Detroit as a kid. A massive complex of offices, hotel, and retail, however barely accessible from the outside. In later years I read about criticisms of such design resulting in more people friendly changes to the “Ren Cen” and similar structures.

The Hyatt showcases Denver’s energy and vibe from the inside as well as the outside. We sat aside the large three story windows inside this elegant room while we watched the people stroll by and light rail strains swoosh up the streets. After selecting a bottle of Pinot Grigio I enjoyed an entree of lobster filled ravioli and pasta. Chocolate chip ice cream sandwiched between two fresh baked cookies made for a rich dessert.

Of course you’d find more local flavor by finding a neighborhood just outside of downtown, or by checking out local restaurant and bar, but if Denver is your home and you want a vacation for just a few hours then try Altitude - one of the finer upscale places to dine.

Official site, and a review from the Cherry Creek News. Altitude is at 650 15th Street, downtown Denver.

by James Van Dellen

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