I shot this video early this morning in downtown Orlando from the VIP viewing area as the not-so-old Amway Arena (once the TD Waterhouse Centre, opened 1989) was demolished. Ka-boom! Instant 9/11 flashbacks for me, and lots of dust.
March 2012
Travel and the baby brain
Travel regresses us to our “baby consciousness.” Is it any wonder that so many of us travel in our 20s, when we’ve just left that larval childhood stage but have not yet grown into the ill-fitting uniform of full adulthood? Is it any wonder so many travelers put a high priority on intensely sensory experiences such as drinking, sex, panoramic views, and extreme sports — pursuits that please our primal natures?
Welcome to the Low Self-Esteem Economy
More of us are being told by businesses that because the economy remains in a muddle, we’re all the equivalent of rank beginners. Welcome to the new Low Self-Esteem Economy.
The State Department STEPs up outreach to travelers
U.S. consulates or embassy are never places that welcome a weary traveler, not even if you have the privilege of carrying a passport with a bald eagle stamped on the cover. Indeed, the diplomatic fortresses we build abroad, such as the bunker on London’s Grosvenor Square and the $750 million citadel in Baghdad, are resolutely intent on keeping us out.