The National Transportation Safety Board is recommending that all passengers -- kids under the age of 2 included -- have their own seats on planes. That'd mean infants would no longer be allowed to sit in their parents laps, and they would no longer fly for free.
The NTSB released its official recommendation to FAA earlier this week, listing numerous occasions when airplane passenger injuries and fatalities could have been minimized by the use of restraint devices (i.e. seatbelts). Oddly enough, many of the examples listed involve passengers over the age of 2, who would not qualify as lapchildren.
This is not the first time the NTSB has made such a recommendation to the FAA, yet, as the New York Times noted, the FAA:
has rejected the recommendation several times, saying that parents unable to afford tickets for their young children would opt to drive rather than fly, resulting in more highway fatalities.
What do you think? For the safety of everyone, should the lapchild be banned? Should parents be required to buy seats for infants and toddlers, and secure them either in car seats (which often don't fit in a cramped plane), or in an over-the-shoulder CARES restraint device (which are designed for kids weighing 22 to 44 pounds)? Should the airlines be forced to make some provisions for the safety of kids, perhaps even by offering special seatbelts for tiny travelers?
New York City: Why you should visit the High Line
The High Line, built in the '30s, was a freight rail line originally designed to help deliver meat to the Meatpacking District of New York City. Since then, the High Line fell into disuse. In 1999, Joshua David and Robert Hammond formed the Friends of the High Line and worked with the City Council and Mayor Michael Bloomberg to halt the railway's demolition. Since then, the elevated train line has been turned into a beautiful public park. The first stretch opened last year and spans from Gansevoort Street to West 20th Street, or about a half-mile. Section 2, set to open in 2011, will add another mile, extending the park another 10 blocks north to 30th Street. The High Line was mobbed with crowds when it opened last year. But now it's much, much easier to find a seat on one of the benches designed to match the park's railroad theme. Drop into Chelsea Market halfway (home to dozens of top-notch bakeries, coffeeshops, and the Food Network studios). Then watch the sun set over the Hudson River. City-dwellers constantly seem to fight the nature around them. The High Line, however, serves as a haven for plants—guests are asked to "keep it wild" by keeping on the path. Be sure to keep an eye out for an interesting sculpture residing at the northern end of the nearly 1.5-mile park. If you look through it just right, you'll see (or not see) sections of the buildings behind it. In fact, it's an abstract art installation by Richard Galpin, called Viewing Station. The High Line can be reached using a number of means: By subway, you can take the L or A, C, E to West 14th Street and 8th Avenue, and walk two blocks west. If you're closer to a 7th Avenue 1, 2, 3 train, take it to West 14th and 7th Ave., and just walk an extra block over. (The 1 train also stops at 18th and 23rd Sts., if you want to enter the park from either of those cross streets.) Plan your trip at thehighline.org. —Max Behrman
San Francisco: 5 best August values
SF Street Food Festival San Francisco's second annual Street Food Festival is a chance to sample must-taste food from 44 different restaurants and food carts, all in one place. Featuring some of the city's best, like Delfina, the Slanted Door, Bi-Rite Ice Cream, Chez Papa, and 4505 Meats, this day-long block party in the Mission should definitely be on a visiting foodie's to-do list. Additionally, there will be creative cocktails from Beretta and Rye on the Road, plus games for kids. August 21, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., along Folsom and Treat streets, and in the adjacent Garfield Park. Painted Ladies house tour Located on Alamo Square, the colorful Queen Anne Victorian homes, also known as the Painted Ladies or Postcard Row, are much-photographed icons of the city. The view with the modern downtown skyline in the background, is a dramatic sight (maybe you recognize it from the opening credits of Full House). Currently, the oldest, largest, and most ornate of these homes is up for sale and open to the public for house tours—if you're willing to act interested in buying the $4 million home, of course! The beautifully restored interior features gas-lamp fixtures, fireplaces, and a large turret window. It has been 35 years since one of the houses was available for public viewing, so consider this a rare chance for a peek inside. 722 Steiner St. The Oakland Museum The Oakland Museum of California features exhibits on art, history, and natural science, and the recently completed $53 million renovation makes it worth a trip across the bridge. Now through January, the 25 Years of Pixar exhibit provides an insider's view of the creative process behind the Bay Area animation studio. See drawings and sculptures from computer-animated favorites including Ratatouille, Up, and Toy Story 3, plus screenings of Pixar's feature and short films. 1000 Oak St., one block from the Lake Merritt BART station. 510/238-2200, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday; 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays (closed Monday and Tuesdays). $12 per person admission, and the Pixar exhibit is an additional $12 per person. Free Film Nights This month, Free Film Night in the Park is hosted right downtown at Union Square. The film, Alfred Hitchcock's classic Jimmy Stewart-Grace Kelly vehicle Rear Window, has the perfect level of suspense for the dramatic setting. August 28, 8 p.m., Union Square. DIY Printing The new Levi's Workshop is a hands-on community print shop that's free and open to the public. Print anything from T-shirts to posters to notecards. Through August, visitors can sign up for classes on letterpress, screenprinting, and type-setting, and see posters by local artists and "pioneers"&mash; people like chef Alice Waters and skateboarder Tommy Guerro. If this social experiment goes well, Levi's plans to roll out similar workshops across the country. Sign up one week in advance either online or in person for DIY screen-printing. 580 Valencia Street, 415/522-0877, Tuesdays 12-5 p.m., Wednesdays-Fridays: 12-7 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Closed Mondays.
