Everyone on the Subway Stared in Shock at the Sneeze

When I was traveling down to New York on Sunday, a man on the subway suddenly sneezed--he yelled in a high-pitched wail as he did so--so loud that the entire car looked over at him with shock. It was funny, such a loud noise popping out of someone all of a sudden, and at the next stop he left with a red face. Most of the people on the No. 1 train downtown had just run the New York City marathon, one guy had a medal around his neck, and others wore sponsor-issued ponchos and held bags of runner's swag.

Sneezing has become the new faux pas, as we enter an early flu season with lurid tales of Swine flu deaths and schools closed due to so many cases. I was chastised by a fellow travel webmaster when I coughed uncovered in a meeting; now I am careful to use my elbow and worry about leaking out germs even with this precaution.

I've spent the past few weeks in a house with tiny sick kids, and I'm sure I've shared way too many germs traveling in airplanes, buses and subways. Last night I bundled up with a thick sweatshirt and sweatpants to ward off chills; I feared for the worst today but so far...not that bad. I hope to avoid the worst of it all and am on the hunt for a flu shot to keep the really bad stuff at bay.

Southwest's Green Plane Saves Fuel and More

The Green Plane is Southwest's newest initiative in a company-wide effort to save money and fuel.

OUr friend Johnny Jet flies about 150,000 miles a year and takes fastidious notes of every mile in the air. He recently wrote about Southwest Airlines media day where they unveiled a new plane that will clean up the way airlines do business.

From the nose to the tail, this 737, the airlines only model, will be much greener.It starts with the little things: they've replaced those awful styrofoam cups with eco-friendly paper ones with built-in sleeves to keep the cup from burning passenger's hands..

The plane is equipped with NextGen satellite-based navigation, which means flying more direct routes and emitting less CO2.

The plane's carpet is made of recycled materials, they have lighter fake-leather seats which save 2 pounds per seat.They even use smaller lifejackets to save weight.

They use Pratt and Whitney's eco wash system which removes grime from the engines in an environmentally safe way that saves fuel and makes the engines last longer.

In other news, the conpany's CEO told him flat-out that Southwest won't be charging for bags this year, or even for a second bag. Let's keep our fingers crossed on that.

We're Not Worthy....Ok, I Guess We Are

When I stepped into our two-connected-rooms-with-a-living-room-in-between here at the Kimberly Hotel, I thought, why, we're mere travel editors...are we worthy of these luxe New York City digs? Of course we are, I said again, quickly coming to my senses.

It's tough being a travel writer, especially having to spend the night at such sumptous hotels as this, but hey, we're here to share cool lodgings with our readers and so, I point to exhibit A as the first piece of evidence. That would be this beautiful terrace that has a bird's eye view of the iconic pointed windows atop the Chrysler Building. Boy that's beautiful.

I discovered another pretty cool little part of this suite...a tiny kitchenette tucked away in the side of our living room. In the bedroom there is a Sony Dream Machine where I popped down my iPhone and began playing my tunes right away. We're off tonight to a penthouse apartment where our dear pals from a tourism board have invited us to come and have Chinese.

We met with a bunch of old friends at today's Visit Europe media exchange, and firmed up connections and plans for many travels throughout 2010.

As usual, the city has quickened my pulse and made me feel as alive as I can be...glad to be here at the Kimberly and glad to be in the most exciting city in the world, the Big Apple.

Random Thoughts on a Soggy Saturday

A soggy day; a day that I wished I didn't have to deal with all of my wet leaves. Then I go out and put together my cleverly designed, yet maddeningly frail outdoor tent. It had flown over in a fierce September gust of wind, now the thing is broken and the gay 10 x 10 tent's legs bow like an old cowboy's. Going to have to replace it for the New York Times and Boston Globe Travel shows where we are exhibiting in February. Drat!

Kate has invited 24, yes 24 tiny tots over to have a Halloween Party. Is it only me that feels very, very already sick of this holiday and wants no part in wearing a costume or greeting kids at the door? Go away!

The cafe always provides a refuge...and isn't it too cool to be able to order a tuna bacon lettuce and tomato and sit in my favorite window and try out another cup of Dave's Blend, the coffee we've just added to the menu. It's from our friend who owns Positronic Design, and holds the best parties Holyoke has ever been treated to. Thanks Dave!

Mama Cat Appreciation Day

I read a book about hobos that said they liked to keep puppies because they warm up their sleeping bags so well. Though my cat doesn't warm up the bottom of my bed, she does provide a valuable snuggle. Having her soft fur at hand level is a treat.

Having a cat in your bed is a luxury, it's better than a pillow or even a down comforter. This faithful pal stays the whole night too.

Strange Maps: A Free-form Cartographic Journey

I love maps. I spend a lot of time looking at them, and always enjoy taking a spin around the globe we keep at the cafe, seeing where places are and checking out their relative size.

I was sent a book the other day that is a map-lover's fantasy. Frank Jacobs has compiled a huge collection of what he calls Strange Maps: An Atlas of Cartographic curiosities.

Among the maps I've enjoyed poring over is a map that goes way back to my childhood: L. Frank Baum's map of the Marvelous Land of Oz. I used to work out on Martha's Vineyard and I often thought of that place as much like Oz...there is the land of the Winkies, to the west, and Quadling Country to the South. In the very center is the Emerald City, and all around the square shaped mythical land are the great sands, impassable and deadly deserts.

This is a fun book to flip through, Jacobs has found so many old maps from so many points of view. Another page shows how Antarctica is divided up into 47 different slices, even little Togo gets a tiny slice and the USA gets the biggest (why is that?)

Jacobs has found other wonderful maps in this volume, like the 'island of California,' which goes back to a romantic novel written in 1510 that showed the Baja Peninsula attached to an island of California. Another page has an illustration of fifty different shapes drawn from memory by teenagers, who tried to replicate that unique shape of the United States. They somehow remind me of cows.

The Waitress Stiffened When the Tourist Spat Out the Meat

Sarah Wang recently spent four days in North Korea. Her account, published on Slate, is depressing, thinking that people have to live with little food, no internet, no cellphones, and a government that spends millions on propaganda and enforcing the cult of personality.

"While the guards ate their meals or watched the children's shows that were staged for us foreigners, I twice managed to wander into the streets and was able to explore for about 10 minutes each time. Once I walked into a grocery store on the ground floor of a residential building. The store was empty except for three 10-foot-tall heaps on the ground—one of cabbage, one of tomatoes, and one of turnips.

There were no price tags and no customers. A middle-aged woman in a black uniform stood behind the counter, which held small piles of peanuts and pine seeds that looked as though they had been there for a long time.

Our guides repeatedly reassured us that the people had enough food and that each Pyongyang resident receives a ration of vegetables and rice every day. They didn't mention meat or fruit. When a member of the tour group spat out the tasteless meat that was a rare treat at one of our meals, the waitress standing behind him visibly stiffened.

On one occasion, I drew a banana on a piece of paper and showed it to a waitress; she had never seen one. She knew about apples, but she had never eaten one. I brought 150 Kit-Kat bars into the country, and I always took several out of my bag when I was alone with a North Korean. They would hesitate for a few seconds, look around to make sure that no one else was watching, and then stuff the Kit-Kats into their pockets.