London Archives : Plane Sailing

Where the action is: hotels with Hollywood connections

I once stayed at the Hyatt (now Andaz) hotel on Sunset in West Hollywood where, apart from seeing Axl Rose in the foyer, I visited the rooftop pool that featured in the cult film This is Spinal Tap. The so-called “riot hotel” was also the scene of many real band-behaving-badly moments back in the day.

I didn’t seek out this rock’n’roll experience (it came as part of a deal secured by a friend), but there are plenty of people who do want to stay in hotels with connections to the rich and famous.

Is your favourite museum on this list?

The Rosetta Stone is one of the British Museum’s many drawards.

TripAdvisor has issued a new list. Now, I take both TripAdvisor and lists with a grain of salt, but I’m prepared to have a look and have my say.

This one offers up the world’s Top 25 museums. It’s a big call, but it’s interesting to me both because it mentions a few I know nothing about, and excludes (or gives low rankings to) some of my favourites.

Titanic auction is a sign of an ongoing fascination

More than 100 years after the “unsinkable” RMS Titanic sank, a collection of over 5,500 items salvaged from its wreckage is about to go under the hammer.

That there are many bidders, private and public, for the collection speaks a lot about our fascination with grand ocean liners in general and the Titanic in particular.

It’s not Little London, it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen

In Hollywood, when anybody is pitching a project, they have to brace for the inevitable question from the bean counters: “Yes, but what’s it like?”

And by that they mean that they want to know that the “new” thing is reassuringly similar to a film or television show that was popular and made money. Now, it seems, that attitude is creeping into the way we view our cities — with negative consequences for residents and tourists alike.

Continue reading It’s not Little London, it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen

Five ‘off Broadway’ destinations that are well worth a visit

The problem with big cities is that it costs big bucks to visit them.

Quite often, though, there are interesting places nearby where you’re in striking distance of the big smoke but able to save a little money and have a slightly different experience.

Continue reading Five ‘off Broadway’ destinations that are well worth a visit

Be alert to travel dangers

The terrible events in London have once again brought terrorism to the forefront.

Those who commit these acts choose their targets carefully: they want to disrupt the daily lives of residents and to persuade would-be visitors to stay away. Their aims are to inflict immediate damage and to create long-term economic harm.

Continue reading Be alert to travel dangers

The world’s favourite cities

Which city is the favourite with tourists? Well, it depends which source you believe.

Hong Kong is — again — the most popular city with tourists, according to the latest survey, which notes that London has been overtaken for second place by Bangkok.

Continue reading The world’s favourite cities

London by any other name

Planning a flight to London? Well, as frequent travellers who’ve spent time and money to travel in taxis, trains or buses already know, London’s two best-known airports are not actually in the English capital.

The Advertising Standards Agency in the UK has cleared an advertisement by London City Airport that claims it is the only airport that is actually in London, which means London Heathrow and London Gatwick are not.

Continue reading London by any other name

Savour the serendipity

On my first ever solo overseas adventure, I happened to be allocated a seat on a Boeing 747 next to the friend of a friend.

We went our own ways in London, but ran into each other in the streets of Bloomsbury just two days later.

In Bangkok one day in June, 2016, I was waiting at the BTS (sky train) station, and when the train pulled up and the doors opened, one of my oldest and dearest friends jumped out at me. Continue reading Savour the serendipity