Food. It’s all the rage lately. And as a lifelong devotee of its joys (and even its disappointments), I’ve been enthralled by the resurgence of conscious cooking and eating over the past few years: the (slow) death of squeamishness, the booming of farmers’ markets across the US (who would have expected it in the nation that spawned the Big Mac?), and the resurgence of local, farm-to-table eating across the country. Call it what you like—becoming a “locavore,” joining the “slow food” movement, practicing responsible eating—but it all rests on the simple concept of eating what’s in season and grown or raised nearby using natural, sustainable methods. It’s a concept that I wholeheartedly buy into—especially when I travel.
Welcome to The Window Seat: a blog for every traveler.
Why The Window Seat? Because if you're a traveler, it's how you take in the world around you. And because it's the best seat in the house, the one with the most captivating view - and that is precisely what this blog is about. Sharing travel perspectives and experiences.
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Posted in: Health & Wellness
New York City at 8mphThis weekend, tens of thousands of runners—and even more spectators—will take to the streets for the ING New York City Marathon. Commandeering most of the metropolis for eight-and-a-half hours, the runners will navigate a course that takes them through all five boroughs. For natives and newcomers alike, it can be a great way to see the city. In fact, one of our own will be lacing up her running shoes this weekend in what will be her first marathon. Be sure to wish her luck! Another Gnome employee, John Whitfield, is making a bid for the finish, too. Check out his blog and leave him some words of encouragement!
Grand Central SpasI’ve never really understood the appeal of the spa, let alone spa travel. I bruise easily, am ticklish, and have frighteningly sensitive skin, so my spa visits (mostly results of misguided gift certificates) have been somewhat traumatic. But ever since I visited China, where inexpensive spas were ubiquitous and my body sore from traveling, I’ve begun to rethink my position. Luckily, should I decide to become a true Spahound, my en-route options are fast becoming endless as transportation hubs take notice of spas’ popularity.
From October 31 to November 3, Spa Finder will assemble representatives from 50 of the world’s leading spas at New York’s Grand Central Station for The Spa Experience, allowing commuters to receive treatments or attend seminars on their way to work. I’m not sure I like the idea of taking to the massage table or cozying up to any sort of seaweed in public, but I’ll admit that an on-the-go massage does sound like the ultimate antidote to Grand Central’s legendary hustle and bustle.
Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member smmmarti guide
Nerves on a Plane: How to Remain Un-rattledWhat do Cher, Whoopie Goldberg, and Kate Bosworth have in common? Apparently, they’re all afraid of flying. According to FearlessFlight.com, your chances of being in an air accident are just one in 11 million. To me, this statistic doesn’t make soaring along the jet stream any less freaky, though. My airplane nerves used to keep me on hyper-alert for potential problems—as if there was anything I’d be able to do about a catastrophe.
Whenever I traveled with my sister, I was even worse. Each of our fears would foment the other’s, egging each other on to new heights of hysteria. Even in a pre-9/11 world we had our eye on all the passengers, ready to hit the call button for suspicious behavior or grab our armrests to steel ourselves through turbulence at a second’s notice.
Photo courtesy of IgoUgo member rokiss.ch.
Guerilla YogaThrough the windows of Ottawa’s Parliament building, senators are likely to see something that you wouldn’t expect on Parliament Hill: a Cobra; a Cat; and a Downward Facing Dog.
If you’re a follower of the ancient tradition of yoga, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Keep in mind, I am no yoga expert, but you don’t have to be an Ashtanga master to know there’s something special about Yoga on Parliament Hill, one of Travelocity.ca's Local Secrets, Big Finds. This free yoga class, sponsored by Lululemon Athletica, lures locals to the lawn of Parliament Hill, just along the banks of the beautiful Ottawa River.
Active Travel Trends...You Can Do ItFor a lot of people I know, one of the hardest parts of a vacation is just deciding where to go. After all, the world is a pretty big place. But a new fast growing trend is making the decision more difficult than ever – not only do you have to figure out where to go, but what to do when you get there. And once you have all that lined up, you even have to break a sweat. It sounds complicated, but millions of people are doing it. In fact, not so long ago, it was a challenge to get notoriously sedentary Americans off the couch and burning calories. All of a sudden, we can’t get them to stay home.
I’m talking about active, sports related travel, and for some reason people cannot get enough. In May I signed up to ride the annual Commerce Bank 5-Boro Bike Tour in New York City, a one-of-a-kind event that closes major Big Apple roadways like the FDR Drive and Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to traffic and allows bikers to enjoy these highways for one Sunday each year. I did the ride out of a sentimental urge to see my native New York from a perspective usually reserved for bumper-to-bumper drivers stuck in gridlock. Apparently I was not the only one who had the same idea: last year, the event, already the nation’s largest group bike ride, attracted about 30,000 people. This year, 42,000 showed up, a new record by a huge margin. They came from all over the country and as far away as Europe and Australia to ride a 45-mile route through the city that never sleeps.
The Loneliness Of the Long-Distance PassengerHaving lived in eight different countries before reaching double digits, and with family now spread out across the globe, I've taken my fair share of international flights. They're long and they're boring, but they don't have to be unbearable. Here's a few things I've found that help:
* While business and first class usually give you an amenity kit for the flight, good old coach doesn't do it anymore---and if you're like me, you'll likely be flying coach. No matter! Just pack your own amenity kit; I usually just find an old toiletry bag and fill it with an eye mask, a pair of earplugs, some Evian spray, a lip balm, antibacterial hand cleaner, a few Advils, some Wet Ones for freshening your face after a sub-par sleep, and a moisturizer. That way, you've got everything you could possibly need for your comfort all in one place, and don't have to go rooting around in your bag for that Chapstick every few hours.
Being sick while on vacation is beyond disappointing, and when it’s serious, you just want to beam yourself back home and into your own bed—even if you’re in a spectacular setting. That must have been what T.B. patient Andrew Speaker was thinking when he hopped on a plane home from Europe last month. While accounts vary as to how much he knew about how contagious he was, a case like this definitely brings up the risks of traveling among the public when you’re sick.
Motor CityI’ve often wondered why so many Americans are obese when places like Wal-Mart and Target are so enormous that surely just walking from Electrical to Greeting Cards must burn off a few hundred calories.
And so I wasn’t particularly surprised when I read that some Las Vegas tourists--exhausted, evidently, by strolling from casino to buffet and back to casino again--are hiring motorized bikes to navigate the Strip.
Called “mobility scooters,” these controversial forms of transportation were originally intended for the elderly, infirm, or disabled--all people who should, without question, be able to use them to make their vacation a little easier. But for $40 a pop, perfectly able-bodied patrons are hiring their own mobility scooters to make that afternoon walk from the Luxor to the Bellagio, well, a drive.
Your Next Big Travel Destination: Outside!I'm not a big hiker. To be honest, I'm not really a big exerciser. Sure, I drag myself to the gym every few days and walk 50 minutes roundtrip to and from work, but I only manage to do the former because it's in the lobby of my office building, and I certainly make up for the latter with supplementary trips to the candy bowl. (Supplementary to the candy I'm already eating, you understand. Because I need my strength with all that walking!)
And so this weekend when the mercury hit the high 70s in San Francisco and my boyfriend dragged me out of the house for some fresh air--some fresh hillside air--I wasn't too into it. Because although my single greatest achievement in life is the completion of a four-hour hike over the Great Wall of China in 90 degree heat and badly-fitting shoes, I only really did that by accident. (I thought we were going to a nice busy spot, where I could take a few pictures, wander around a little, and buy some postcards. I didn't know we'd be trekking from one remote spot to the other, with only a few hastily-made peanut butter sandwiches and a can of overpriced Pringles for sustenance.) In the end, the hike was fun, of course, but it was fun in the way that eating ten Snickers bars in a row is fun. Which is to say, I probably wouldn't want to do it again.
Seeking R&R? You’re Not Alone!Peppermint or strawberry scrub? Rosemary or sage and lemon wrap? If you’ve ever indulged in a day at the spa, you know that the menu reads more like the bill of fare at a decadent sweet shop rather than a list of services at a health resort. Even better, these treats are a calorie-free, guilt-free way to give your body a boost.
With more travelers focusing on health and wellness in recent years, Spa Finder surveyed travel agents and discovered that spa vacations are on the rise. Being a traveler who doesn’t exactly like to “rough it” while on vacation, I, too, contribute to the growing numbers.
So the doctor says you need a little work done on your…And this procedure, whatever it is your eyes, your hip, your kidney, it requires bed rest and will force you out of commission for a week, maybe more. It turns out that if you leave the country for this procedure you can save your insurance company serious moolah and have excellent service and a pretty view. Though you might suffer alone, perhaps convalescing in the Caribbean or the South of France or even Bangkok or Singapore wouldn't be so bad? Who knows. And given the luxurious potential of the surroundings, who cares? But speaking of care – the big question is will it be as good as it is here in our home nation? Now we've arrived at the heart of the medical tourism.
Walk This WayWhile I don’t discount the efficiency of the subway or the ease of hailing a cab, I’ve always thought the best way to discover a new city was by walking. I’ve hoofed it through Hanoi, sauntered around Shanghai, and pounded the pavement in Paris. And since I’m likely to be both on a budget and indulging in a host of new gastronomic delicacies when traveling, it certainly doesn’t hurt that walking is not only free but also excellent exercise.
Spa DayFew things are more decadent than starting a day opening gifts, ending it with a steak dinner accompanied by a hearty bottle of Syrah, and filling up the hours in between at the spa. That was my Christmas.
Don't get me wrong. I love a Christmas back home surrounded by family and home-cooked meals, but every now and then it's nice not to lift a finger, or step foot in an airport.
The Rise Of The "Minimoon" In 2007Respite for our hectic lives can no longer be found from a mere Saturday walk in the park. Have you noticed? Seriously. It used to be that I could take a walk on the beach for an hour and feel renewed. But not anymore. And it's not just me. I see it with my friends, colleagues, and in the industry. People need something more than a yoga class, something that stretches beyond an hour of downtime. And that, my traveling friends, is what the Minimoon is all about.
Battling Holiday Pudge on the RoadThe scales don't lie; I've put on a few pounds this holiday season. It all started with a tasty Thanksgiving back home and has snowballed as party after party overflows with intoxicating spirits and bursts with divine treats. I fear that there's no end in sight since I'm heading to Wine Country this Christmas. Luckily I have a few tricks up my sleeve.
Vacation Sex...You Know It's BetterWithout going into detail, let’s just say I see where Danny DeVito was going with his Lincoln bedroom commentary on “The View” a few weeks ago--though I would have preferred to hear it from his buddy George Clooney. There is such a thing a “vacation sex.”*
DeVito’s rant aside, I get what he meant. Being away from home, from work, and from the distractions of our everyday responsibilities makes, ahem...you know, totally different than at home. Indeed, better...and more frequent.
BYOM (Bring Your Own Meal)I am loving the bring-your-own-meal (BYOM) trend on domestic flights. If there's been one improvement to air travel these days, it's actually the lack of in-flight meals--no more stinking airplane cabins and questionable food lingering on my tray table.
But now snack boxes are proliferating, and not only are they an example of gross over-packaging, but they are also known to be laden with empty calories and artery-clogging fat. I'm telling you now that I don't ever want to appear on The Biggest Loser, which means you won't find me "snacking" on chips and cookies at 30,000 feet.
Red wine is practically the fountain of youth thanks to resveratrol, a natural substance found in the skin of grapes that supposedly offsets the ill effects of a high-fat, high-calorie diet and extends longevity. But like any other crop, grapes can be grown with loads of pesticides and chemicals. And what's so healthy about sipping hundreds of chemicals in your Riesling while nibbling on 100% organic Camembert?
With its close proximity to some of the world's most prolific vineyards, it's been said that San Francisco has a one-to-one ratio of wine bars to city blocks. Why welcome another? Because this one only pours "green" wines, which are sustainable, organic or biodynamic. Head to San Francisco's up-and-coming Dogpatch neighborhood and toast the opening of Yield Wine Bar.
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January 28, 2008