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Daily Archives: August 3, 2012

Swarm of thousands of bees delay Pittsburgh flight

August 03, 2012 admin No comments

IMPERIAL, Pa. — A beekeeper says he had to be called into gather up a swarm of thousands of bees that delayed a Delta Air Lines Inc. flight from Pittsburgh International Airport to New York.

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5. Slideshow: London calling

Master beekeeper Stephen Repasky tells KDKA-TV he was called out on Wednesday when the bees gathered on the wing of the plane as crews were getting ready to fuel the plane.

Repasky says such swarms form when colonies become too large and the queen leaves half of her bees behind to find a new home. Some swarms can contain 25,000 to 30,000 bees.

Repasky says it's likely there's a wild honeybee colony at the airport somewhere.

The beekeeper was called to remove the insects because they're a protected species that cannot legally be killed.

See the sights of London for less

August 03, 2012 admin No comments

Kate Maxwell, a native Londoner and editor-in-chief of Jetsetter.com, shares her tips on how to visit London for less, including how to get around, where to stay, and what to do.

London is renowned for being one of the world’s most expensive cities, but there are many fantastic attractions that won’t cost you a penny. Kate Maxwell, editor-in-chief of Jetsetter.com, shared her favorites on the TODAY this morning.

Markets
Spending time at some of London’s markets — some of which have been trading for over a hundred years — is a great way to get up close and personal with the locals. Food markets around the capital have blossomed in recent years, selling local, seasonal and artisanal products. Look out for the free samples!

Borough Market, in Southwark, on the South Bank of the Thames, is open every day during the Olympics. Don’t miss Mrs Kings Pork Pies, hand-made in the north of England from a 159-year-old family recipe, Greedy Goat for ice cream made from pedigree goat milk, and Neal’s Yard Dairy, which sources from 70 cheesemakers all over the UK and Ireland and ages them in its maturing rooms under the brick railway arches of Bermondsey, close by.
Maltby Street, in Bermondsey, is a lesser-known alternative to Borough and the most recent addition to London’s market scene. Open Saturdays 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., it has stalls tucked under railway arches. My picks: custard doughnuts and eccles cakes from St John Bakery, Polish sausage from Topolski, Alpine cheese from Mons and Monmouth Coffee Company, which is often credited to revolutionizing London’s coffee scene, for flat whites.
In East London, not far from the Olympic stadium, Broadway Market is one of the city’s foremost hipster hangouts. The narrow street, which has hosted a market since the 1890s and has just been rebuilt, is lined with stalls on Saturdays, selling freshly shucked oysters, multiple types of olives, hand-filtered coffee and much more to a super trendy, creative crew. I always get a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich, and I have a pint of shandy (half-lemonade, half-lager) at the Cat Mutton pub, which has been serving since the 1600s, afterwards.

Museums
Incredibly, most museums in London do not charge entry, although you will have to pay for special exhibitions — and there are some fantastic ones on over the summer. My museum musts include:

The British Museum, which has an extraordinary collection of historical objects from around the world, including Ancient Greece, Anglo Saxon England, Imperial China and much more. I used to be fascinated by the Egyptian Mummies as a child, and the museum’s most famous exhibit, the Rosetta Stone, which is inscribed with a decree in three languages: Ancient Egyptian, Demotic, and Ancient Greek, and has been on display since 1802.

The Natural History Museum, in South Kensington, is THE place to take the kids, particularly dinosaur-obsessed ones — it’s a big hit with my 8-year-old nephew. There are hundreds of specimens on display, including life-size skeletons and four moving, animatronic dinosaurs — don’t miss the terrifying T-Rex with 15cm teeth.
Tate Modern on the buzzing South Bank of the Thames is currently hosting a Damien Hirst retrospective, which includes the bad boy British artist’s shark in formaldehyde, enough spot paintings to send you dotty, and a room of live butterflies (admission 14 GBP). The museum has the biggest collection of modern art in the country — I love Matisse’s The Snail, and the Rothko room. Tate Britain, meanwhile, is a boat ride away in Millbank, and exhibits British art from 1500 to the present day: Turner, Whistler, Francis Bacon, Lucien Freud.
Victoria Albert Museum in South Kensington is the UK’s largest art and design museum, with wonderful fashion, jewelry (my favorite bit), glass, ceramics, architecture and more from different periods in history — Renaissance, Rococo, Art Deco and much more — from all over the globe. This summer it’s showing "Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950," a collection of dresses worn by royals and celebrities — don’t miss Princess Diana’s Elvis Gown by Catherine Walker and look out for designs by Kate Middleton favorites Alexander McQueen and Jenny Packham — if you’re inspired, her boutique is just down the road.

Parks
Spending time in London’s patchwork of parks and green spaces is one of the highlights of a visit to the city. Pack a picnic and pray for good weather. The parks will also be broadcasting Olympics events during the Games, although you’ll have to pay for a ticket.

Kensington Gardens is one of eight Royal Parks and one of the most beautiful, with formal avenues of trees, ornamental flowerbeds, the Peter Pan-themed Diana Memorial Playground, created in honor of the late princess, and the Serpentine Gallery, which features a new architect-designed pavilion every summer (Herzog and de Meuron designed this year’s). Make sure you check out Kate and William’s new gaff, Kensington Palace, which recently opened to the public.
Richmond Park is the largest Royal Park, at 2,500 acres — three times bigger than Central Park — and a national nature reserve. Among the park’s attractions are 650 free roaming deer; 144 species of bird, including woodpeckers, kestrels, owls and numerous waterfowl; bats; and 1,000 species of beetle. There are historic oaks in the wooded areas, ponds, ornamental gardens (don’t miss Isabella Plantation), hills and grassland. It’s a tube ride from the center of London: take the Richmond-bound District Line and get off at the very last stop.

Oli Scarff / Getty Images

From Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square to the River Thames, the venerable London exudes history.

Launch slideshow

Chicago O’Hare terminal back to normal after scare

August 03, 2012 admin No comments

CHICAGO — The Transportation Security Administration temporarily suspended passenger screening in one part of Chicago O'Hare International Airport Thursday afternoon to allow agents to conduct a "suspicious activity" investigation, but nothing dangerous was found.

The TSA closed its security checkpoint at Terminal 2 but did not evacuate the facility, which remained open to inbound and outbound flights during the investigation, said Gregg Cunningham, spokesman for the Chicago Department of Aviation.

Nothing dangerous was found and terminal operations returned to normal as of about 4 p.m. local time, according to another Chicago Department of Aviation spokeswoman, Karen Pride.

O'Hare is one of the world's busiest airports.

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

10 tips for multigenerational travel

August 03, 2012 admin No comments

My family recently returned from our first ever multigenerational vacation. My husband and I, my parents (who hadn't been to Europe in 40 years), and our two kids, ages 5 and 10, jumped right in with a two-week trip to the Mediterranean. The vacation involved coordinating two international flights departing from different cities, two separate hotel stays and a cruise. Everyone told me we were nuts, and at some point during the planning phase, I began to think they might be right.

But we prevailed! The laughs and adventures we experienced on this vacation more than made up for the headache or two we suffered during the planning process; we shared the most amazing experiences together. Watching my son and his grandpa hand-in-hand winding their way through the ruins of Pompeii, and my daughter and her gram giggling over gelato on the Spanish Steps in Rome, these are memories I will cherish for the rest of my life. So, here are 10 tips to ensure your own extended family adventure is every bit as successful.

1. Get everyone involved
This point may seem like a no-brainer, but it's critical. If someone says "I don't care what we do, you can decide," they don't mean it. Or if they do, they won't mean it once they get there. Even if some family members are more well-traveled than others, or just more outspoken, make sure you involve everyone in the planning. Each person should contribute one thing they really want to do or see, and make sure they get to do it. Not only is this important to ensure that everyone has fun, but it also prevents one person from taking responsibility for the whole family's good time. Kids, even young ones, will love feeling like they are a part of making the trip a success.

2. Choose accommodations to suit your style
There's no right or wrong choice on accommodations: the key is to discuss your options with everyone in your group. Maybe you are the type of family who will enjoy one large suite or a vacation rental, ideal for fostering togetherness, or perhaps, separate hotel rooms work best for your brood. Either way, don't leave it to chance. Talk about preferences beforehand and respect requests for privacy. A vacation rental offers the best of both worlds: separate sleeping arrangements with common living spaces. Rentals work really well for families with infants and toddlers, as there is always a quiet space for naps. In hotels and on cruises, adjoining rooms/cabins are a great idea. Be sure to ask about group rates for large families!

3. Plan something for everyone
Whatever time of year you're traveling, make sure you have plenty of different activities from which to choose, as well as ones with varying degrees of "difficulty." And don't expect everyone to participate in every activity. If you want to plan a hike, biking adventure or boat ride, great, but be sure there's something for those who don't want to participate, so they aren't stuck back at the rental or hotel with nothing to do. Also, be sure to plan a few activities that you know everyone in your family will enjoy doing together. For my clan, it was dinner and a show. The wider the age range in your extended family, the more options you'll want to consider. Renting a home on a secluded beach miles from town may seem idyllic to you, but your own idea of idyllic can translate to boring pretty quickly for both the older and younger members in your extended family.

4. Keep it positive
You don't need (or want) a month's vacation. Unless your family members are pros who travel together all the time, a week or two is probably plenty when it comes to a multigenerational trip. In fact, two weeks is the absolute max for us; that's right about the time when everyone says, "This has been amazing! Let's go home." If you stay much longer, family dynamics may start to unravel. Chances are, you won't be able to swing more than that anyway.

5. Share
On our recent trip to Europe, my mother and I realized too late that we had packed two of everything: two hair straighteners, two tweezers, two nail clippers, two bottles of Tylenol, two boxes of Band-Aids... you get the picture. While you can't share everything, there are a great number of items that can easily be communal property -- especially amongst family. When you're traveling long distances -- lugging and paying for extra bags -- sharing can be really useful. Make a list of the items that make sense to share and decide who will bring each. Heck, you can even share clothes in some cases. Other items that you might share: hair dryers, curling irons, laptops and toothbrushes. Just kidding.

6. Take a break
Don't mistakenly think this will be a relaxing vacation. It will be loads of fun, but it probably won't be relaxing. And even the most tightly knit families will get on each others' nerves eventually; things that never bothered you at home will bother you on the road, so be sure to schedule some time apart. Maybe the grandparents can enjoy an afternoon by themselves while others hit the beach with the kids. If you have more than one child, divide them up amongst the grownups, so each feels like the center of the universe for a day. Regrouping at the end of the day and sharing your stories over dinner is great fun. We made sure to end the trip together, enjoying a special dinner on our last evening away.

7. Be clear on finances
When planning a multigenerational vacation, consider everyone's budget, and make sure to discuss who will pay for what. Often, these types of trips are gifts, with one party footing the bill for the whole group. But inevitably, there are additional and unexpected expenses. Regardless of who has booked and prepaid for the vacation, be sure to discuss all the possible additional expenses, not just the major and obvious ones like air and hotel. Are meals included? Drinks? What about activities and excursions? Who will pay for those? What about tips? And don't forget about transportation once you get there. If you're planning on taxis, there's a good chance you won't all fit into a single cab.

8. Don't overtax the grandparents
While it's great to have grandma and grandpa around to play babysitter, their idea of a vacation might not involve staying in with the kids every night while mom and dad go out on the town. Have this discussion beforehand. Even if they insist, be sure to fit in time for them to get out alone for dinner one night, too. Our family loves resorts and cruises with kids' clubs so that when all else fails (and even when it doesn't) there is always someone around to entertain the kids.

9. When in doubt, ask an expert
We find that making the arrangements on our own is part of the fun; but if you're feeling a little unsure, or having trouble agreeing, you might prefer to have someone do the planning for you. There are tour operators that can help you plan a trip that appeals to all generations. Make sure you inquire about group rates and other discounts for large families.

10. Capture every moment
If your family is anything like my family, multigenerational trips are, sadly, few and far between. Busy schedules prevent us all from getting away together very often. By the time the opportunity comes around again, my 10-year-old will likely be in his teens. So, take a million pictures. Take a million videos. And then take some more. And make sure you ask a few trustworthy strangers to snap a photo of your entire crew. My all-time favorite picture from our vacation is one of all of us taken by a lovely Italian lady we stopped on the street by Trevi fountain. When you return home, let the kids help make a scrapbook. If one person picked up the tab, this is also a great idea for a thank-you gift!

There's no right or wrong when it comes to a choosing a destination, only what works for your family. Beach vacations, ski vacations, cruises, even dude ranches and theme parks can make great multigenerational trips, if you plan wisely. Remember, don't underestimate your elders! My parents had at least as much stamina trekking around Europe as we did. We had such a successful trip that I'm already brainstorming ideas for our next adventure -- and hoping to extend it to even more people this time around. Wish us luck!

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