It may have been inevitable that the phrase “UAE gaming license” would appear in a to-do list for the United Arab Emirates. But if you thought that this license was for a complex in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, think again. For the first time in the Gulf region, plans for a casino have received the […]
Tourism
Autumn JR Rail Pass
I’ve written a number of posts about Japanese train travel. Here’s another one, albeit with a more urgent tone: the autumn JR rail pass, or 秋の乗り放題パス (aki no norihoudai pasu). On sale until 18 October, this particular autumn JR rail pass was introduced to coincide with Japan’s “Railroad Day” which takes place on 14 October. […]
The Wuppertal Schwebebahn and Paternoster Lift
I have been a railfan for many years, but not traditional rail. Rather, it is more of an interest in metro systems and monorails. Depending on one’s point of view, that hobby reached its apex — or nadir — a few years ago, when I created a metro system ticket design for home and travel […]
Hotel Review: Novotel Miami Brickell
Disclaimer: Thanks to Vanessa Menkes Communications, I received a one-night stay at Novotel Miami Brickell. Following an underwhelming stay at DUA Miami, it was time to switch from Marriott to Accor. It was a short if humid hop along The Underline to Novotel Miami Brickell. Quite close to many restaurants, shops, and the Financial District, […]
Hotel Review: DUA Miami
Disclaimer: Thanks to Vanessa Menkes Communications, I received a one-night stay at DUA Miami. Although I could have just as easily looked at a map, I was barely familiar with Brickell, let alone Miami. However, given that it was just a few minutes walk from the Metro Rail station, by which you can easily get […]
JR West Kansai Area Rail Pass
I’ve written a lot about Japanese rail passes, but never about one in the Kansai region, which includes Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, and Nara. A short visit last month helped change that– let’s take a look at the JR West Kansai Area Rail Pass. I want to skip the JR backgrounder, and go right to the […]
The World’s Smallest Escalator
After all, the world’s smallest escalator still involves travel. As usual, there’s an unrelated backstory involved. While studying abroad in Hong Kong in 2005, I used to walk around Kowloon Walled City Park. The park was built on the foundation of the infamous Kowloon Walled City, which was entirely demolished in 1994. Then, after having […]
Hong Kong Chase Sapphire Lounge
The Hong Kong Chase Sapphire Lounge — formally, Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club HKG — is a decent addition to Hong Kong’s pack of lounges. Plus, it’s Priority Pass-accessible. Which is neat if you have that, but less neat if you also have the Chase Sapphire Reserve card (in other words, competing with more […]