The Travel Life

Hurricane Harvey Tremendous Destruction in Texas

See the Photos

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From Reuters Wider Image

Airbus A380 Cockpit Tour; The world’s largest passenger aircraft
If your browser will support 360 degree view watch this interesting video of the Airbus A380.

First landing of Emirates A380 in Munich | Munich | Emirates Airline

Emirates Airbus A380 Pre-Service Check | Emirates Airline

On-airport hotels USA edition

Westin Denver International Airport

Conveniently located just steps from airport security screening is this 519 room Westin hotel. Spectacular architecture greets weary travelers in the lobby and continues to impress when you reach your room with floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The expansive views of the Rocky Mountains and the city of Denver are quite impressive. Dining options include Grill & Vine Restaurant.
HOTEL FEATURES

Westin WORKOUT® Fitness Studio
New Balance Gear Lending
Indoor Heated Pool and Hot Tub
On-property Dining
Concierge Service
Pets welcome
Self and valet parking $24-33/day
Complimentary WiFi for SPG members
Check-in time 3 PM- Check-out time 12 PM

Hilton Chicago at O’Hare International Airport

You can walk to this hotel from the domestic terminals via an underground walkway. The unparalleled view from the runway view rooms is spectacular with floor to ceiling sound proof windows.
If you have business downtown, the hotel is convenient to the Blue line train. The Hilton offers amenities such as an indoor pool, access to public transportation. A barber shop and in-room dining. Other dining options include The Gaslight Club serving steaks, seafood, and drinks. At Caffe Mercato, you can order Starbucks and a breakfast pastry. And finally for casual dining Andiamo serves American cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Ready to book some travel? BlueOcean Travel

Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport

Check-in 4 PM/Check-out Noon
An impressive hotel located between the “A” and “B” side terminals in the lobby of the airport. Only a short walk from the ticket counters and security, an elevator ride, takes you to the lobby of the hotel. Located in this Hyatt Regency are two restaurants. Premium services include baggage retrieval and delivery, airline check-in counters and car rental counters. A unique feature of the Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport is valet service to your vehicle in the airport garages.
WiFi is complimentary in the common areas and in the rooms with the option to upgrade to faster WiFi. A shopping mall is located on the 3rd floor with duty-free gifts, jewelry, theme park souvenirs, currency exchange and ATM and much more.
The Hemisphere Steak & Seafood Restaurant(Currently closed for renovations until October 2016) and McCoy’s Bar & Grill. If you’re not in the mood for an elegant dining experience, the airport food court is a short walk away.

The Grand Hyatt at Dallas-Fort Worth

Recipient of TripAdvisor’s 2015 Certificate of Excellence.
This hotel is located off of Concourse D with transportation via Skyline or Terminal Link. The hotel offers 298 rooms and has a restaurant, lounge and sushi bar. Sleep on plush Hyatt Grand Beds in a soundproof room with deluxe granite baths. Delicious meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner are available at the Grand Met restaurant. Also, Grand Met Lounge offers cocktails, beer, and casual cuisine, Moka- a coffee cafe, featuring Illy coffee and Sushi bar and specialty rolls. Some exciting features in all rooms of the Grand Hyatt DFW include A 40” flat panel television with interactive entertainment system, wired and wireless internet access and room service ordering capabilities. Two phones: one cordless, one speaker and an in-room safe. Individual climate control, Bedside touchscreen panel controls room’s window shades, temperature, and lighting.
Also, The Grand Hyatt offers a full-service spa, a fitness center, and a roof-top pool. Don’t confuse The Grand Hyatt with the other nearby Hyatt Regency it is not connected to the airport and requires a shuttle from/to the terminal.

Houston Airport Marriott at George Bush Intercontinental

With 567 rooms and six suites
This Marriott hotel connected to the airport by an underground train. In addition to an outdoor saltwater swimming pool and indoor fitness center the hotel has a full-service restaurant and lounge. Rooms at the Houston Airport Marriott feature low-profile platform beds, walk-in showers and wide-open closets. A 24 business center is on the property. Complimentary WiFi access in the common areas, but in room WiFi is $12.95 a day for high speed; $15.95 a day for enhanced high-speed WiFi. Other amenities include ATM, coffee/tea in-room, grab-n-go breakfast $8.00.

Book your trip at BlueOcean Travel

The Westin Hotel At Detroit Airport

This 404-room property has a private security entrance to the main McNamara terminal used by Delta, Air France, and Virgin Atlantic. The Westin also operates a free shuttle to the North Terminal used by other airlines. An interesting feature of this Westin hotel is the private security entrance inside the hotel lobby. Registered hotel guests are allowed access to the shops and restaurants in the McNamara Terminal. Internet access is available in all guest rooms for $9.95 a day. Complimentary internet access is available in the lobby and Executive Club Lounge. This Westin hotel also offers an executive club lounge, an indoor pool, and fitness center and in-room spa services. Open for lunch and dinner is the Reflections restaurant and lounge.

The Philadelphia Airport Marriott

This 414 room and five suites Marriott hotel is connected via a skywalk to the Philadelphia airport terminal “B”. The rooms at this Marriott all feature plush bedding, a flat-screen television, an ergonomic desk, in-room dining and premium bathroom products. If you enjoy watching planes take off, and land (who doesn’t?) ask for a room overlooking the runways. All guest rooms have high-speed internet for $13.95 a day or enhanced high speed for $17.95 a day. Complimentary internet is available in the lobby and public areas. This hotel has express check-in/ check-out.
The Marriott offers a full-service restaurant, The Aviation Grill and an on-site fitness center.

The Hilton at Boston Logan Airport

This 559 room hotel connects to terminals A and E by an enclosed walkway and Terminals B, C, and D by shuttle bus. Downtown Boston is only a short ride away by water taxi. The Hilton has a fitness center with whirlpool, 40 ft indoor heated lap pool, and outdoor walking/running path. Also, this Hilton hotel offers Baggage storage, a concierge desk, foreign currency exchange, room service (until 12 AM) and valet parking. A variety of restaurant is available
The Berkshires features breakfast, Connolly’s Publik House gastro-pub offers beer, wine, and spirits as well as a diverse menu of traditional classics like fish & chips and international fare. The Cafe Presto coffee house offers pastries in the morning and beer, wine and a selection of sandwiches, salads, and grab-n-go lunches in the afternoon. Pick-up a perfect, light meal to take on the plane.

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Web Cam LAX

I saw this link at Johnny Jet.com which shows a webcam  looking runway 25. The camera shows planes landing and taking off . Check it out here.

Webcam 1  at LAX

Webcam 2 at LAX

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I saw a post on Facebook about WOW Airlines. The plane was very colorful and reminded me of Braniff Airlines. The Braniff planes were the most colorful in the air during the 1960’s until the carrier stopped operations in the 1990’s. Here is some brief information from Wikipedia.

Braniff Airways, Inc., doing business as Braniff International Airways, was an American airline that operated from 1928 until 1982. Its routes were primarily in the midwestern and southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America. In the late 1970s, it expanded to Asia and Europe. The airline ceased operations in May 1982 because of high fuel prices, and the Airline Deregulation Act of December 1978 rendered it uncompetitive. Two following airlines used the Braniff name: the Hyatt Hotels-backed Braniff, Inc. in 1984-89, and Braniff International Airlines, Inc. in 1991-92.
New equipment and facilities
Beard led Braniff into the jet age. The first jets were four Boeing 707-227s; a fifth crashed on a test flight when still owned by Boeing. Braniff was the only airline to order the 707-227; in 1971 it sold them to British West Indies Airways (BWIA), an airline based in the Caribbean. Boeing 720s were added in the early 1960s. In 1965 Braniff’s fleet was about half jet, comprising 707s, 720s and British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven jetliners. The long range Boeing 707-320C intercontinental model was then introduced. However, the 707, 720 and One-Eleven would all subsequently be removed from the fleet. Braniff’s last piston schedule was operated with a Convair aircraft in September 1967 and the last Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop service was flown about May 1969.

In February 1958 Braniff opened a new headquarters building at Exchange Park, a high-rise office development within sight of Dallas Love Field. The airline began a Maintenance and Operations Base with over 433,000 square feet on the east side of Dallas Love Field at 7701 Lemmon Avenue in late 1958. The airline would occupy the facility until the end of the 1980s, with the Braniff, Inc. (Braniff II) holding company, Dalfort, remaining there until 2001.
To overhaul the Braniff image, Lawrence hired Jack Tinker and Partners, who assigned advertising executive Mary Wells – later Mary Wells Lawrence after her November 1967 marriage to Harding Lawrence in Paris – as account leader. First on the agenda was to overhaul Braniff’s public image — including the red, white, and blue “El Dorado Super Jet” livery which Wells saw as “staid”. New Mexico architect Alexander Girard, Italian fashion designer Emilio Pucci, and shoe designer Beth Levine were hired, and with this new talent Braniff began the “End of the Plain Plane”campaign.

At Girard’s recommendation, the old livery was dropped in favor of a single color on each plane, selected from a palette of bright hues like “Chocolate Brown” and “Metallic Purple.” He preferred a small “BI” logo and small titles. Braniff engineering and Braniff’s advertising department modified Girard’s colors, enlarged the “BI” logo, and added white wings and tails. This, ironically, was based on the 1930s Braniff “Vega” Schemes, which also carried colorful paint with white wings and tails. The new “jelly bean” fleet took such colors as beige, ochre, orange, turquoise, baby blue, medium blue, lemon yellow, and lavender. Lavender was dropped after a month, due to the similarity in coloration to the Witch Moth (Ascalapha odorata), a sign of bad luck in Mexican mythology.

Fifteen colors were used during the 1960s (Harper & George modified Girard’s original seven colors in 1967), in combination with 57 variations of Herman Miller fabrics. Many of the color schemes were applied to aircraft interiors, gate lounges, ticket offices, and even the corporate headquarters. Art to complement the color schemes was flown in from Mexico, Latin America, and South America. Girard designed an extensive line of furniture for Braniff’s ticket offices and customer lounges. This furniture was made available to the public by Herman Miller, for a year in 1967.

Pucci used a series of nautical themes for crew uniforms. For the hostesses, Pucci used “space age” ideas, including plastic Space Helmets and Bolas (as dubbed by Pucci). These clear plastic bubbles, which resembled Captain Video helmets and which Braniff termed “RainDome”, were to be worn between the terminal and the plane to prevent hairstyles from being disturbed by outside elements. “RainDomes” were dropped after about a month because the helmets cracked quickly, there was no place to store them on the aircraft, and jetways at many airports made them unnecessary. For the footwear, Beth Levine created plastic boots and designed two-tone calfskin boots and shoes. Later uniforms and accessories were composed of interchangeable parts, which could be removed and added as needed.

Emilio Pucci designed the Pucci Pant Dress Collection for the intro of Braniff’s first new Boeing 747 dubbed “747 Braniff Place” (1971). The collection was debuted at the Dallas Hilton by Pucci himself, in 1970. Today, all of the vintage Pucci attire designed for Braniff is valuable. Besides the 1965 and 1971 Collections, Pucci designed new Braniff uniform Collections in 1966, 1968, 1972, and 1974.

Alexander Calder

Waverly Labs has done something great for communication. A small device will fit in your ear and translate foreign language (French, Italian, Spanish and English) to your native language. A small app controlled on your smart phone will allow you to select the language you want to translate. The excellent idea of all this is that it is an instant translation. As the person speaks in his native tongue you hear the translation in your ear. What a great way to break down the language barrier. Watch the video below for a demonstration.

Overseas Power Converter

Charging Your Life to the Best

• BESTEK 200W travel adapter & power converter is your ideal companion for your international travel.
• Converts overseas voltage from 90-220V to 110-120V and powers up your US electronic device safely.
• Boasts 3 AC outlets and 4 USB charging ports and charges at least 6 devices simultaneously.
• 3 plug adapters included support outlets in North America, United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Australia, Japan, China etc., covering more than 150 countries over the world.

Best Laptop Computers for the traveler

What is your favorite computer when you travel? Something light and small but with a good screen size. If you are thinking of replacing an old computer here are a few things you might consider when shopping for a compatible travel laptop.

Thin and light is what you want, it’s a no-brainer, but why not find an HD touch screen? I was not keen on a touch screen of any sort until I got an Android tablet. I love the easy way to navigate with my finger. It is a joy to use. Consider an auto-illuminated keyboard allows you to type in dim light. Enhanced illumination is very handy in the dim light of an airplane cabin. Fan noise may not be noticeable in most situations but may sound like a 777 taking off when you are in a quiet area. I believe battery life is second only to screen size regarding must-haves in a small, portable computer. One of the reasons you have a computer is to keep up with email, social media, tracking your travel itinerary, etc. I want to make sure any computer or tablet has an SD card slot. I want to download my photos and video, and the SD card makes this task simple.

This item: Acer Aspire S7-392-9890 13.3-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook (1.8 GHz Intel Core i7-4500U Processor, 8GB DDR3L, 256GB SSD, Windows 8) Crystal White	ASUS Zenbook UX305LA 13.3-Inch Laptop (5th Generation Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, Windows 10), Titanium Gold	Acer Aspire S7-392-9439 13.3-inch WQHD Touchscreen Ultrabook, i7-4500U Processor, 8GB RAM, 256SSD Drive (Crystal White)	Acer Aspire S7-393-7451 13.3-Inch Full HD Touchscreen Ultrabook (Crystal White)
Customer Rating	3 out of 5 stars (225)	4 out of 5 stars (393)	3 out of 5 stars (69)	3 out of 5 stars (16)
Price	$999.99	$759.99	$1,100.00	$1,199.99
Shipping	FREE Shipping	FREE Shipping	FREE Shipping	FREE Shipping
Sold By	uShopMall (USA Tax Free)	Amazon.com	Discounted Tech Store	Amazon.com
Item Weight	2.87 pounds	2.87 pounds	2.87 pounds	2.87 pounds
Processors	core i7 1.8 GHz	core i5 5200u 2.2 GHz	Intel Core i7 4500U 1.8 GHz	core i7 2.4 GHz
Operating System	Windows 8;	Windows 10	Windows 8	Windows 8
Memory	8 GB DDR3	8 GB DDR3	8 GB DDR3L-RS	8 GB DDR3L SDRAM
Storage	256 GB	256 GB	256 GB	0 GB
Graphics Coprocessor	Intel HD Graphics 4400	Information not provided	Intel HD Graphics 4400	Intel HD Graphics 5500