Report from L.A. (part two)

I'm just back from L.A.--managed to get home yesterday despite the hideous weather. I'd been to L.A. a few times since the Walt Disney Concert Hall opened in 2003, but I'd never visited it. I went on a tour this trip, and was just blown away. You can't really understand the power of Frank Gehry's building until you stand next to it. (This is probably true of the Guggenheim Bilbao, too, but I have yet to make it there...) Next time I'm in L.A., I'll absolutely go to a concert at the concert hall, but I'd encourage anyone and everyone to take the tour (from $12) even if they don't have performance tickets. Info on tours is available here.

My wife would love to bring our boys, ages 11 months and 3 years, to Europe. That is, until I remind her of how difficult the trip would be. The flight, of course, could be a nightmare. We're normally pretty exhausted chasing the kids around, and jet lag could push everybody over the edge. And then when we got to Spain or Italy or wherever, it would be tough for all of us to stay in a reasonably priced hotel room and actually get some sleep. Figuring out hotels that would be child-friendly is difficult in the U.S., let alone overseas. Until now, that is. A couple of interesting new websites focus on family-friendly hotels and resorts in Europe. CiaoBambino.com specializes in Italy, and also has some recommended properties in France and England. The site, run by a couple in California, lists everything that a mom would want to know -- not only if the place has cribs and highchairs, but also how level the grounds are around the hotel (if it's on a big hill, you'll never be able to put your toddler down), not only if there is a pool, but if there is a gate and a fence for the pool, and how high the fence is. The site also details activities in the area from horseback riding to cooking schools, and what ages the activities are right for. BabyFriendlyBoltHoles.co.uk lists resorts, hotels, and ... ...self-catering cottages, mostly in the U.K., and with a handful of properties in France, Greece, Italy, and Spain. Just about every property has kitchens and extra-big rooms that are perfect for families, and with one click parents will be able to find out if the property offers babysitting, tricycles, sandboxes, trampolines, and more. Of course, you'd be able to find all of these details by hunting on your own (and perhaps e-mailing the owners with your questions), but it sure is nice to have someone else do the homework for you. And while I can't exactly say I'm ready to bring our two sons to Europe just yet, I'm certainly closer than I was before checking out these sites. If you know of similar family-friendly resources for Europe or anywhere else, let us know.--Brad Tuttle, Senior Editor of Budget Travel.

Over at Gridskipper.com you'll find an interesting item about JetBlue. It says that the airline "has stopped taking customer calls -- if you ring JetBlue's toll-free number, an apologetic lady greeter says that they're not accepting new contacts due to high volume..." Read the whole post at Gridskipper. Curious, I called JetBlue just now. I got through to a reservations agent within about eight minutes, which isn't too bad when compared with the hotlines run by other airlines. Perhaps the poor customer service earlier this morning was only a hiccup. Tell us about your customer service experiences with various airlines during this storm and its aftereffects by posting a comment below. One possible lingering problem: JetBlue's website is posting the following message: "Due to an unusually high email volume, you may not receive a reply for 5 - 7 business days." Wow! JetBlue's reservations agents are famous because they work out of their homes instead of call centers. Perhaps the airline's roughly 1,000 agents aren't enough to handle a crisis?

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