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36 Hours in Silicon Valley

The area south of San Francisco buzzes with cultural spaces, lively restaurants and a hyper-educated workforce that has no problem keeping up.

Next Stop: An Oasis Off London’s Beaten Path

East London feels light years away from central London, and is totally self-sufficient, thanks to a host of enticing restaurants, shops, markets and hotels.

Practical Traveler: When Renting Cars Abroad, It’s Renter Beware

Several kinds of insurance can come into play and it behooves travelers to seek information on driving rules and road conditions in the countries they plan to visit.

A sneak peek at Royal Caribbean's next ship, Allure of the Seas

The 5,400-passenger vessel is a sister ship to the much-ballyhooed, nine-month-old Oasis of the Seas.

Earl weakens as rain, waves whip N.C. islands

Hurricane Earl weakens to a Category 2 storm with rain and 110 mph winds bearing down on North Carolina's Outer Banks and threatening the Eastern Seaboard.

Phoenix airport worker arrested in luggage thefts

A Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport worker was arrested Thursday on suspicion that he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of items from passengers' luggage.

Are JetBlue, Southwest preparing for a showdown over Newark?

JetBlue announced earlier this week that it would new service between Newark Liberty and Boston Logan, where the carrier operates a larger base. ...

Flight attendants face soaring tension in the unfriendly skies

Tensions between fliers and cabin crews are common in today's increasingly unfriendly skies.

Hilton Pittsburgh Loses The Hilton Name

Earlier this week a press release announced that exterior renovations were underway at the Hilton Pittsburgh but that's not the only news from the hotel. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Hilton Hotels & Resorts has terminated its Franchise License Agreement with Shubh Hotels Pittsburgh LLC, the owner of the Downtown hotel, leaving it without the Hilton name. A Hilton spokesperson said that the owner had violated the terms of the franchise agreement.

The hotel is located at the gateway to Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle and has been a Hilton since 1959. The move comes less than two weeks after Shubh changed managers at the hotel, bringing in Prism Hotels and Resorts to replace Crescent Hotels & Resorts after a legal battle. The hotel has been facing problems for years. Workers stopped the plans for the exterior renovations after the contractor walked off the job. The new renovation called for the hotel's gold aluminum to be refreshed. The 712-room hotel already went through a $30 million interior renovation.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review also says that there has also been an ownership change with Tampa cardiologist and philanthropist Kiran Patel taking an 89 percent equity position under the name Black Diamond Hospitality LLC and Shubh Hotels owner Atul Bisaria retaining the other 11 percent share. There is a possibility that the Hilton name could return to the brand once whatever issues Hilton had with the hotel are resolved. Shubh Hotels has blamed the problems on the former managers, accusing Crescent Hotels of working with the property's mortgage holder, BlackRock Inc. to try and take over the property. Crescent has filed lawsuits saying it is owed management fees and a loan totaling $1.2 million.

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Hilton Pittsburgh Loses The Hilton Name originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hotel guests hunker down to ride out Earl

A two-story Comfort Inn has become a makeshift hurricane hostel on North Carolina's Outer Banks for those who want to stay close to their homes but know they need better shelter from the outslaught of Earl.

10 great ziplines across the USA

As leaves begin to change color, it's the perfect time to glide through treetops on a zipline.

More travelers turning to smartphones

Travel suppliers and the online agencies that sell their bookings are targeting a new breed of jet setter who cannot be bothered booking trips in advance.

Manchester, Vt.: Much more than outlets and skiing

Manchester is one of the few Vermont resort towns that caters equally to winter skiers and visitors the rest of the year.

Tourists flee N.C. coast as Earl approaches

Hurricane Earl weakens to a Category 2 storm with rain and 110 mph winds bearing down on North Carolina's Outer Banks and threatening the Eastern Seaboard.

Chapter 11 Filed For Halsey Minor's Landmark Hotel

More bad news for CNET founder Halsey Minor. We've been watching as he has divested himself of some of his art and real estate and now his long-stalled Landmark Hotel project in Charlottesville, Virginia is in major trouble. Minor Family Hotels, LLC, the official owner of the hotel, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in federal bankruptcy court.

Minor made around $100 million from the sale of his technology company CNET in 2000 but he has spent quite a bit since then. In 2006 he bought a home in the Bel Air area for $20 million. In 2008 he put the home on the market for just $12.9 million and rumors were that much of the home was in disrepair. He eventually cut down the price to $11.4 million. It appears to be still owned by Minor and is not on the market. In 2007 he bought the Koshland mansion in San Francisco, an eight-bedroom mansion built to resemble Marie Antoinette's Le Petit Trianon and was reported to be spending $15 million to fix it up. Fox Ridge Farm, his 205-acre farm near Charlottesville, Virginia faced foreclosure twice but Minor eventually brought the mortgage current avoiding a second public auction in February 2010. The stalled Landmark Hotel project has remained in a state of partial construction for years.

In a press release Minor Family Hotels stated that it filed Chapter 11 "in order to more quickly resolve the burdensome lawsuits that have prevented it from completing construction and putting people back to work." Minor is fighting off a total of eight lawsuits involving the Landmark Hotel, in Georgia and Virginia courts. In the release, Minor says that he remains committed to seeing the project through.

A trial involving Minor, former Landmark developer Lee Danielson, the FDIC and Specialty Finance Group, the real estate financing company that was supposed to lend Minor $23.6 million for the construction of the hotel in 2008 was scheduled for November. Specialty Finance Group's parent company, Atlanta-based Silverton Bank failed in May of last year and was taken over by the FDIC. The Chapter 11 filing means that the trial is on hold. The loan for the Landmark is divided among multiple banks. Documents in the bankruptcy suit show 20 creditors. Some have criticized the Chapter 11 filing as just a stalling tactic and question whether the 100-room boutique hotel project will ever be completed.

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Chapter 11 Filed For Halsey Minor's Landmark Hotel originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Halsey Minor - San Francisco - Virginia - Marie Antoinette - CNET Networks

Road Trip: Aberdeen, Miss.

By Blake Guthrie For the AJC Born near Aberdeen in the early 1900s, Bukka White is the blues legend most closely associated with this small Mississippi town, so much so that the annual blues festival is named after him.

The James Hotel Opens Second Outpost in SoHo

Long beloved by residents of the Windy City, The James Hotel brings its unique blend of residential cool to SoHo with the opening of its first New York City property. Anchoring the southwest corner of Soho at Grand and Thompson Streets, The James is currently accepting reservations at its 114 guestrooms and suites.

"The stylish and culturally rich neighborhood of Soho is the ideal home for The James New York," said Brooke Barrett, co-CEO of Denihan Hospitality Group, owners and operators of The James brand.

In homage to the creative neighborhood it calls home, The James New York will feature a mix of local and international artists, both prominent and up-and-coming. In an effort to be both child and pet-friendly, the hotel will offer both pajama sets and Paul Frank coloring sheets. Dog beds and doggy bowls will be provided by Soho-based pet retail shop Doggystyle, along with a specially-created amenity treat bag.

Continue reading The James Hotel Opens Second Outpost in SoHo

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The James Hotel Opens Second Outpost in SoHo originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Slide away at Singapore's airport

Filed under: Asia, Singapore, Airports

Airports are always looking for ways to make their visitor's travel time experience more enjoyable. And travelers to SIngapore's Changi Airport now have a new way to pass the time: On a super-long indoor slide.

The Slide in Singapore Airports Terminal 3 is considered the longest slide in Singapor, topping out at 40 feet tall, and reaching speeds of around 19 miles per hour. (Scary!). The airport also contains an outdoor butterfly sanctuary, rooftop swimming pool and spa. Can we move in?

Rides cost a pretty penny -- each swish down the slide is around $11. It may not be as practical as the dental services offered at Sao Paulo -Guarulhos International Airport, or as time-consuming as the free Sony Playstation consoles at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport, but we'll take it.

Slide away at Singapore's airport originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Labor Day holiday travel should be up from last year

Americans will take to the roads and skies for the Labor Day holiday in greater numbers than a year ago, thanks to low gas prices and pent-up ...

Lanvin Ouloulou Satin Pouchette, Handbag of the Day

The Lanvin Ouloulou Satin Pouchette makes us say "Ooh la la!"

There's nothing like peach satin to give an outfit vintage appeal. This pretty pouchette has a hammered satin flap front, a delicate chain-link strap and a grosgrain pompom detail. The button covers a magnetic closure and adds shape to this lovely, peaches-and-cream purse.

Though it's a little pinker in person, this Italian-made bag exudes charm and innocence. The pouchette itself is 6" x 9.5" x 2" and lined in satin, ensuring only the very best treatment for the goodies you put inside it. While this would be difficult to pull off with a contrasting color, we'd love to see this with a little black dress, a little white dress or maybe, maybe a black-and-white pattern.

One extra thing to love about this purse: shiny satin transitions perfectly into the holiday season, and you'll definitely be able to carry this from now until the company holiday party.

The Lanvin Ouloulou Satin Pouchette is available from Barneys for $990.

Filed under: Handbags

Lanvin Ouloulou Satin Pouchette, Handbag of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Handbag - Shopping - Accessories - Clothing - Barneys New York

Photo of the day (9.2.10)

Filed under: Festivals and Events, Photos, Europe, United Kingdom, Photo of the Day, Caribbean

Each year around American Labor Day, the elaborate costumes and street partying associated with pre-Lenten Mardi Gras or Carnival celebrations are taken outside in several cities too cold to parade in February. Brooklyn's West Indian Day Parade is one of the largest in the world, drawing several million spectators, with a population of local West Indian residents to rival that of the Caribbean. This photo by Flickr user Luke Robinson taken at West London's Notting Hill Carnival in England (the largest street festival in Europe) captures a father and son who look like they've enjoyed the revelry but might be ready to call it a day. With 20 miles of parading, music, and food to cover, it's no wonder the little boy looks a bit tuckered out. I just hope that's not a vuvuzela he's carrying. Other Caribbean Carnival events take place throughout the US, Canada, and UK this fall.

Take any great festival photos? Upload them to our Flickr pool and we just might choose one for another Photo of the Day.

Photo of the day (9.2.10) originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Agent Provocateur Unveils Feisty Fall Collection [video]

Luxe British lingerie designer Agent Provocateur has unveiled its "lavish and luxurious" collections for fall, designed to inspire desire. Some pieces like the "Maddy" model above are interlaced with eye-catching fuchsia silk while others are finished in a leopard print. Several designs are inspired by the 1950s while others evoke the glamor of 1930s Hollywood. The promotional campaign for the collections has a voyeuristic theme and features several steamy "homemade" stag film-type video clips. In fact, they were shot by music video director Johan Renck, the man behind Kylie's "Love At First Sight" and Beyoncé's "Me, Myself And I", British GQ reports. Nightdresses, slips, corsets, kimonos, garter belts and even a barely-there "playsuit" comprise the rest of the eye-popping offerings. Check out one of the racy video clips after the jump.

Continue reading Agent Provocateur Unveils Feisty Fall Collection [video]

Filed under: Apparel, Video

Agent Provocateur Unveils Feisty Fall Collection [video] originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Agent Provocateur - Johan Renck - Music video - Kylie Minogue - Shopping

Delta plans to cut premium seats on planes

Delta Air Lines Inc. plans to upgrade the seats on its Boeing 747s next summer, while cutting the number of seats in the plane's most expensive cabin.

Daily Pampering: World's most expensive hot dog and sundae make a $1,069 meal

Filed under: Food and Drink, North America, United States

When it comes to food and luxury the options are simply endless. There's the diamond-encrusted sushi and the $20,000 bottle of scotch and now, there's the world's most expensive hot dog, found in none other than New York City.

That's right food lovers -- feast your eyes (and mouth) on the most expensive wiener in the world, found at New York's Serendipity 3. Cashing it a cool $69, the haute hot dog is prepared by head chef Joe Calderone, and is topped with truffle oil, truffle butter, duck foie gras, Dijon mustard, Vidalia onions and ketchup and is wrapped in a salted pretzel bun.

This isn't the first 'most expensive' title held by the New York favorite delicacies joint. The restaurant also holds the record for the most expensive ice-cream sundae, called the Golden Opulence Sundae checking out at a $1,000. You'll have to make a reservation at least 48 hours in advance if you want this chocolaty treat.

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

[via New York Daily News]

Daily Pampering: World's most expensive hot dog and sundae make a $1,069 meal originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plans sought for new S.C. passenger cruise terminal

The top executive of the South Carolina State Ports Authority said Thursday he has asked architects to submit design proposals for a new cruise ship passenger terminal to open within two years in Charleston.