Brewmasters and industry insiders weigh in on how to pour, store, and judge a fine beer—and survive a long night at the pub—in our Web-only story Drink Beer Better.
(Happy St. Patrick's Day!)
Photo, from Sandy Hook, N.J., titled "They Got One Lock Open and Then They Read the Sign," courtesy of Sister72 on Flickr.
A NYC hotel room for a cool $1000/night
New York City’s storied Plaza Hotel, which was under construction for two years, is scheduled to reopen as a ‘condo-hotel’ on March 1, 2008. The new Plaza will have 282 rentable rooms, 152 of which will be sold to part-time owners for ungodly sums. Buyers of these 152 pied-à-terre residences can live in the building for 120 days a year, with the remaining days set aside for hotel guests. For about $1000, then, one of the Plaza’s rooms is all yours—for one night. My calculator is telling me that comes to about $42 per hour of use, if you stay sequestered for a full 24 hours and never even think of leaving. For kicks, you can play around with the Plaza’s online booking and pricing engine here. You might want to stay (far) away from the ‘confirm reservations’ tab. The Plaza, which opened in 1907 and celebrated its 100th anniversary with a star-studded extravaganza last year, was originally constructed for $12.5m—a huge sum at the time—and was conceived in the style of a French Renaissance château. Rooms originally booked for about $2.50 a night. The hotel was recently designated one of the top 150 architectural structures in the U.S. in a poll conducted by the American Institute of Architects, and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1986. The Plaza has played host to such cross-era luminaries as Mark Twain (yep!), Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Salvador Dali, the Beatles, Truman Capote, and Jackie Onassis. The hotel is set to reopen with all the frivolous trappings of a modern Gilded Age: There’s a butler on every floor (and a butler’s pantry, thank heavens!), a wireless computer system capable of changing the room temperature, and opulent bathroom faucets plated with 24-karat gold. The hotel seems particularly proud of its faucets, which it mentions at the drop of a hat and has photographed from countless, lovingly-detailed angles. Ok, so you probably can't afford the rooms, but you might want to drop into the Oak Bar (photos are here) or the newly-added Champagne Bar for an (expensive) drink, and take a look around the historic hotel's public spaces. The bars will open later in March. For more photos of The Plaza, check here. Near the Plaza Hotel: The hotel is on the southeast corner of Central Park, near the horse and buggy rides, and only a few blocks from the Central Park Zoo, which is a fantastic and often-overlooked venue. Zoo tickets are $8 for adults and $3 for children 3-12 years old. There’s also a vast Apple store just across Fifth Avenue— the store is a renowned building in its own right. In fact, the same AIA poll that lists the Plaza Hotel as 81st amongst the 150 national architectural treasures, lists this Apple store at number 53. Related Story: Think you know New York City? Prove it and take our quiz. Image: Plaza Hotel (Anthony Falcone)
"I'm Not Apologizing Until *You* Apologize"
"I'm Not Apologizing Until You Apologize" from sancastlematt via Flickr via Creative Commons.
Max out your vacation fund effortlessly
If you plan ahead, you can afford a great summer vacation without going into debt or raiding your long-term savings. Consider opening a vacation fund now. Set aside a small sum every month to pay for the trip of a lifetime—and avoid credit card debt. You probably already have your paycheck deposited into your checking account electronically. Why not put your vacation fund on autopilot, too? Each month, have an amount of money moved from your checking into a money-market or other fund. You'll be more likely to stockpile enough cash if you don't have to think about the process. How much should you set aside? Here's a benchmark: You only need to move $310 per month in a savings account paying 2 percent to end up with $5,000 for a trip abroad in summer 2010. Consider opening a savings account with an online bank, which may offer a higher interest rate than your current accounts do. Today's online-only savings accounts often come with debit cards you can use to withdraw cash at ATMs worldwide. A case in point is ING Direct's Electric Orange account. To find the best money-market account (paying approximately 3 to 4 percent a year), visit kiplinger.com/money/credit/. To compare higher-yield certificates of deposits, visit bankrate.com. In the meantime, while you're waiting to take your next big overseas trip, you may want to take a more affordable road trip in your region. You'll find a list of suggested road trips at BudgetTravel.com/roadtrip. Photo courtesy of James Jordan, via Flickr & Creative Commons ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB Get your finances in order in 31 days by reading the blog The Simple Dollar. Are you nearly broke? You can still travel. Read the tips at the blog Less Than a Shoestring.
One of the world's most isolated countries courts tourists
Ruled by a repressive military junta, Myanmar (traditionally known as Burma) is taking baby steps to promote tourism, after ruthlessly squashing protests led by Buddhist monks back in September. As Ethical Traveler reports, the Ministry of Culture has reopened Thiri Zeya Bumi Bagan Golden Palace, one of four recently restored sites. The 1,000-year-old Golden Palace was built by King Anawrahta in what was then the capital city of Bagan (also called Pagan). Thousands of ancient temples still crowd the skyline. Making the choice to visit Myanmar—or any country with a bleak human rights record—can gnaw at your conscience. Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist Aung San Suu Kyi and groups like UK-based Tourism Concern have urged travelers to avoid Myanmar while its regime remains in place. Some tour operators refuse to run trips there. G.A.P Adventures, however, offers a guided 14-day tour of Myanmar from $945 and states that "...travelers should have an opportunity to experience this country firsthand, meet its people, and potentially return home as ambassadors for positive change." Journeys Within also covers Myanmar, and co-founder Andrea Ross raved to Budget Travel about the little-known resort area of Ngwe Saung. The State Department's consular sheet on Myanmar has information on what to expect and how to prepare for the trip. One tip: Bring cash as local businesses typically don't accept traveler's checks or credit cards, and ATMs are nonexistent. Are you intrigued or put off by the idea of visiting Myanmar? Can boycotting a country do more harm than good? Voice your opinion by posting a comment below. RELATED To Boycott or Not to Boycott and Mr. Bush, Let Us Go to Cuba! PHOTO of balloons over Bagan courtesy of Sara Heinrichs via Flickr.
