Matador Network's Blog, page 709
February 1, 2021
Amsterdam to relocate brothels
When you think of Amsterdam, two things probably come to mind immediately: cannabis and sex. Well, if you’ve been paying attention to the changes taking place in Amsterdam recently, you know the city is changing dramatically. Earlier this year the city released a plan to ban foreign tourists from visiting coffee shops (cannabis shops). Now it’s moving to shut down the red light district and move the sex workers to an “erotic center” to the city’s outskirts.
Femke Halsema, the city’s mayor, recently put forward a proposal to close brothel windows, and the move is being supported by various political parties. The sex workers will need to move to a purpose-built “erotica center” elsewhere in Amsterdam.
Halsema believes the windows should be closed as the sex workers have become tourist attractions, the subject of gawking and verbal abuse, and draw the wrong type of visitor to the city.
Not all the women are on board, however. Red Light United, a lobby group for the district’s sex workers, said the women generally oppose the move. One member of the group told the local Het Parool newspaper, “Relocating those workplaces is not an option because then the customers will not know where to find the sex workers. Will Halsema also sometimes organise bus trips for them to the Westelijk Havengebied [a district north of the city centre]?”
In the past few years, Amsterdam’s city center has been slowly but surely changing to combat overtourism. The city has put measures in place to prevent new shops aimed at tourists from opening in its historic center, cracked down on Airbnbs in several districts, and banned guided tours of the red-light district. 
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Most interesting national anthems
For Americans, the US national anthem feels almost sacred, woven into our country’s fabric as deeply as the Constitution itself. But “The Star-Spangled Banner” didn’t actually become the official national anthem until well into the 20th century. Inspired by the British bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key wrote a poem called “Defence of Fort M’Henry,” published to the suggested tune of the song “To Anacreon in Heaven,” and it only became our national anthem in 1931. For over 150 years — the majority of American history — US citizens instead belted out “Hail, Columbia!” or “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” to show their patriotic pride. Like nations themselves, anthems are constantly evolving, often reflecting a country’s culture and relationship to its past. Whether it’s China’s anthem, originally written for a movie, or South Africa’s which is sung in five languages, national anthems are a unique window into another nation’s traditions. Here are the nine most fascinating national anthems around the world.
1.Czech Republic and Slovakia
When Czechoslovakia split in 1993, more than just land was divided between the two countries. Czechoslovakia’s anthem, “Where my home is,” was originally written in 1918 by combining verses from a Czech opera and a Slovak folk song. When the country split in two, so did the anthem. The Czech Republic adopted the first verse as its new anthem (also called “Where my home is,” and Slovakia adopted the second verse as its new anthem (now called “Lightning over the Tatras), and added an additional verse to extend the piece.
2. Japan
The lyrics of Japan’s national anthem, “His Imperial Majesty’s Reign,” have the distinction of being the oldest in the world. It was written by an anonymous author between 794 and 1185 with lyrics based on a waka, a form of classic Japanese poetry. The song didn’t officially become the national anthem until 1888, with the original lyrics set to a melody written in the 19th century.
3. Spain
If you find yourself having trouble memorizing all the words to the “Star-Spangled Banner,” a move to Spain might be in your future. Spain’s national anthem, the “Royal March,” is one of very few national anthems with no words at all. It was originally a military marching tune played on trumpets or fifes, and though there have historically been lyrics adopted and changed, since 1970 the anthem has been completely wordless.
4. The Netherlands
Whoever wrote the Netherlands’ national anthem was really trying to one-up every other nation. Whether or not the author was an aspiring poet or just a witty nationalist, the “Wilhelmus” is one of the most uniquely-structured in the world. It’s an acrostic, meaning the first letter of each of the 15 verses spells something of meaning. In this case, the acrostic spells “Willem van Nassov,” a revolutionary hero of the Dutch revolt against Spain.
5. Andorra
Andorra’s national anthem, “The Great Charlemagne” is one of the world’s only first-person anthems. Rather than hail its nation in a general, collective sense, “The Great Charlemagne” refers to the nation as “I,” and makes several allusions to the Carolingian Empire’s role in Andorran history. The second verse, for example, reads, “Princess, born Heiress, Into two nations, in neutrality; I am the only remaining daughter, of the Carolingian empire.” It was adopted as the official national anthem in 1921.
6. South Africa
The national anthem of South Africa is the perfect reflection of its complicated history and diverse population. Adopted in 1997, “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika” is a song combining English lyrics with parts of a 19th century hymn and an Afrikkans song called “Die Stem van Suid-Afrika.” This anthem might be one of the most difficult to learn in its entirety, as it incorporates five different languages — Xhosa, Zulu, Sethoto, Afrikaans, and English. All five languages are always sung regardless of the singer’s native tongue.
7. Myanmar
Myanmar’s national anthem sounds like two totally different songs, depending on which verse you listen to. “‘Til the End of the World” has been the national anthem of Myanmar since 1947, and it consists of two parts. It begins as a traditional Burmese folk song, and then transitions into a military march, played alongside orchestral music. It’s tradition for those singing the song to bow at the end, out of respect for the nation.
8. China
It’s easy to think that all national anthems were composed with nationalistic intentions, but China is the perfect example of why that’s not true. The song, called “March of the Volunteers,” was originally composed for a 1935 film called “Children of Troubled Times.” The film was a love story set during the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. The film’s song was so popular that it evolved from a simple movie score into a national anthem in 1949.
9. Nepal
Nepal’s national anthem, “Made of Hundreds of Flowers,” adopted in 2007, sounds like a catchy pop song. Its light, bouncy lyrics, and the fact that it’s the only anthem typically played on a keyboard, make it truly unique. Although some of Nepal’s Maoist leaders preferred a more ceremonial, revolutionary anthem, their efforts proved unsuccessful.
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Viking cruise new cruise on Nile
With winter in full force, the idea of a warm-weather cruise might be top-of-mind right now. But if you can wait until 2022, there’s a new cruise experience hitting the Nile that will surely reward your patience. On January 26, Viking Cruises announced a new ship in its Egyptian fleet called the Viking Aton, a luxury vessel that will sail the Nile. Currently under construction, it will launch in September 2022 following Viking’s Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary.
The itinerary starts off with a three-night stay in Cairo, where guests will visit the Great Pyramids of Giza, the necropolis of Sakkara, and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali. Afterward, they’ll fly to Luxor to visit the temples of Luxor and Karnak before boarding the ship and taking an eight-day cruise on the Nile. The ship will dock for various excursions at tombs and temples along the way, such as the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens and the tomb of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings, among others.
Photo: Viking Cruises
The luxury, state-of-the-art ship can hold 82 guests in 41 rooms and has its own pool and sun deck with 360-degree views. The Aquavit Terrace — an alfresco dining and viewing area for guests to enjoy the beauty of the Nile — will not disappoint.
Photo: Viking Cruises
In a press release, Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking, said, “Egypt remains a top destination for many of our guests who are inspired to discover the rich history and beauty of the region. We will always maintain our commitment to creating meaningful experiences that are focused on the destination. The addition of Viking Aton is a reflection of our continued investment in Egypt; we look forward to introducing the country’s cultural treasures to even more Viking guests in the future.”
Even though 2021 just started, bookings for the cruise are open now so you can already start planning your 2022 vacation.
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New Zealand to keep borders closed
New Zealand is continuing to uphold its reputation for having one of the world’s strictest and most effective approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, January 26 in a press conference, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the country’s borders will remain closed until its citizens are widely vaccinated.
According to Ardern, as reported by The Guardian, “New Zealand will only truly feel like it returns to normal when there is a certain level of morality in the rest of the world too. But given the risks in the world around us and the uncertainty of the global rollout of the vaccine, we can expect our borders to be impacted for much of this year.”
New Zealand’s first vaccine could earn regulatory approval as soon as Wednesday, so the vaccination process is expected to start soon. Unlike other countries, which are vaccinating older citizens first, New Zealand will prioritize border workers.
“For travel to restart,” said Ardern, “we need one of two things: we either need the confidence that being vaccinated means you don’t pass COVID-19 on to others — and we don’t know that yet — or we need enough of our population to be vaccinated and protected that people can safely re-enter New Zealand. Both possibilities will take some time.”
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[image error]January 29, 2021
Black travel in the US in 2021
We are well into the start of a new year, and for Black Americans, that means reconciling all that the last year put us through. 2020 found us navigating a lot, both within our own homes and in our nation at large. But now, as the clouds begin to clear, we are beginning to look forward to things again, and that includes our travels.
Within the diaspora and otherwise, in order to continue to reap the rewards that we’ve earned in the last year, we should be learning each others’ stories, re-establishing our connections with each other, and supporting each others’ projects as we begin to come back together. While international travel has been mired in restrictions and complications, these limitations also offer us an opportunity to visit some valuable places you may have never considered before. Right now, at the beginning of the year, it’s so much easier to feel hopeful about what we’ll be able to accomplish going forward, so it’s a perfect time to be thoughtfully considering who and where we’re going to make a part of our 2021.
If you’re looking to reconnect with the American Black diaspora this year, here are a few places where you can begin that journey.
1. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Photo: VISIT Milwaukee/Facebook
After being nearly destroyed in the ‘60s from urban renewal projects like roads, freeways, and to make way for other infrastructure, Milwaukee’s Bronzeville neighborhood has, in the years since, retaken its place at the center of the Black community. Since the late ‘90s, a still ongoing revivification project has brought a renewed sense of community to the once ravaged neighborhood. This has been accomplished via a series of community projects that empower existing members of the neighborhood to spearhead new businesses, organizations, and initiatives that will recirculate funds among them rather than funnel them out.
Possibly the cornerstone of the revivification project, the reopening of America’s Black Holocaust Museum is scheduled for 2021, making it the perfect year to visit. The museum originally opened in 1988 in a small space above the Sultan Muhammad Islamic Center by Dr. James Cameron, the only man known to have survived a lynching. After several moves, the museum finally shuttered for what seemed like for good in 2008 due to financial stressors stemming from the stock market crash. Though we lost Dr. Cameron in 2006, reopening the museum became a priority project for community leaders, but for several years they were only exhibiting their collections online.
Photo: America’s Black Holocaust Museum/Facebook
Their new space is on the ground floor of the newly built Griot building, a refurbishment project that turned a former high school into housing and retail space as part of the Historic King Drive Business Improvement project. In the historic tradition of Black-owned businesses in Bronzeville, another huge success of this revivification project is the Bronzeville Collective MKE. A collaborative community project of Tiffany Miller and Lilo Allen, this pop-up turned full-time brick-and-mortar bazaar has become integrally important to Black artists in Milwaukee.
“The Bronzeville Collective MKE features over 25 local brands,” they explain. “We focus on creatives of color — almost everything in our space is either handcrafted or designed by Black and Brown creatives!”
2. Portland, Oregon
Photo: Josemaria Toscano/Shutterstock
Portland is the whitest city in the United States, and you should know that this is by design. When Oregon was granted its statehood, it was predicated on the disenfranchisement of Black people; Black exclusion laws in the new state prevented them from owning property, working, or residing in the state of Oregon. These laws were repealed in 1926, but Portland boasts only a small Black population to this day.
Despite its convoluted history, Portland managed to have one of the most organized, sustained reactions to the murder of George Floyd, with the 100th consecutive day of protests celebrated on September 5, 2020. But the combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and the continued revolution left many businesses shuttered, some for good. The ones that remain have been struggling, and small businesses in Portland, particularly Black-owned businesses, will need your support in 2021 to recover.
Thankfully an initiative of Travel Portland has put together a compilation of all things Black in the city to make planning a visit simple. There you’ll find avenues via which to connect with Black culture and history, as well as event listings and a directory of Black-owned businesses. You may want to pay particular attention to Black-owned restaurants, especially because the region’s large Ethiopian and Eritrean communities are well reflected there. Some standouts that have been around since the ‘90s during a huge influx of East African immigration include Horn of Africa and my personal favorite Queen of Sheba. Also visit Abbey Creek Vineyard, which is run by Bertony Faustin, the first recorded black winemaker in Oregon.
Photo: Abbey Creek Vineyard & Winery/Facebook
“Truly, if there ever were a blues song created about being black in Oregon,” says S. Renee Mitchell for Travel Oregon, “it would include lyrics about fitting in, sometimes fighting back, but always staking claim.” This year is a perfect opportunity to support those trying to maintain Black communities in Portland.
3. Miami, Florida
Photo: Southeast Overtown:Park West Community Redevelopment Agency/Facebook
Just south of Wynwood, mainland Miami’s famed arts district is the often overlooked but bustling and historic district of Overtown. The neighborhood was founded to house Black railroad and domestic workers, and by the ‘50s it had become a hotspot for Black arts and culture. But the construction of I95 in the ‘60s split the neighborhood in two, razing hundreds of homes and businesses in the process. Overtown has never recovered fully, but an ongoing revitalization project aims to bring the neighborhood back to its former glory.
Overtown is anchored, both historically and today, by the Black Archives Lyric Theater, an arts and performance space. After hosting some of the greatest Black performers in America — like Josephine Baker, Ethel Waters, Aretha Franklin, and Ella Fitzgerald — it was shuttered in the late 1960s after the construction of the freeway. It sat vacant until it was restored and reopened in 2000, which unofficially began Overtown’s return as the hub of culture it once was.
Since then, scores of new businesses, community centers, pop-ups, and events have secured a new future for Overtown, but none so prophetic for tourism to the neighborhood than the opening of the Copper Door in 2018.
Photo: Copper Door B&B/Facebook
Opened in the vein of the famed Mary Elizabeth and The Sir John Hotels — both former Overtown guest houses that hosted Black luminaries like Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. Dubois, and Zora Neale Hurston — this bed and breakfast aims to revive the tradition of Overtown as a tourist destination while incorporating the soul and hospitality that Miami’s Black community has long been famous for.
During your stay, owners Jamila Ross and Akino West can help you navigate cultural events curated by Art of Black Miami, help direct you to the Folklife Fridays or the Roots Black Marketplace — if you’ve made it to town on the right Friday of the month — or simply make you breakfast. Their communal dining hall is famed for harboring new friendships, so in addition to connecting with the members of Black Miami, you’ll get a chance to meet other travelers, too.
4. Tulsa, Oklahoma
Photo: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
In possibly the most explosive and arresting introduction of a television series that has ever been committed to film, the first eight minutes of the pilot of 2019’s Watchmen gave us a visceral and exceptional portrayal of what we now call the Tulsa Race Massacre. The slaughter occurred in the summer of 1921 against the wealthiest Black community in the United States at the hands of vigilante white terrorists in concert with the US government. For many, seeing the recreated portrayal of the massacre was their first introduction to this piece of American history, even though it remains one of the worst terrorist attacks that have ever occurred on US soil.
2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the massacre, and the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission seeks to honor the legacy of the Greenwood district and Black Wall Street with the inauguration of a brand new historical center dedicated to preserving this previously obscured piece of American history. Called Greenwood Rising, the center is imagined to be a permanent hub to “remember the victims and survivors and create an environment conducive to fostering sustainable entrepreneurship and heritage tourism within the Greenwood District specifically, and North Tulsa,” according to the commission’s chair, Senator Kevin L Matthews.
In addition to the grand opening of the historical center, the Centennial Commission is also heralding a series of events and productions throughout the year, including the Greenwood Film Festival and the Black Wall Street Memorial Run. But likely the most anticipated event will be Tulsa’s 2021 Juneteenth celebrations; this year promises to be particularly poignant as municipalities and states around the nation consider making Juneteenth an official holiday.
5. Richmond, Virginia
Photo: Visit Richmond VA/Facebook
As the former capital of the confederacy, the external face of Richmond can feel overwhelmingly white, but it also has a long and storied legacy as a Black stronghold in the United States. As the primary endpoint for the transatlantic slave trade, it has some of the most longstanding Black communities in the country. Nationwide, as many as one in four Black Americans have histories linking them to Richmond, yet it is rarely on itineraries for domestic travel.
Photo: Visit BLK RVA/Facebook
In collaboration with Richmond Region Tourism and several Black community leaders, BLK RVA was launched in August of 2019 to bring Black tourism back to the city and has focused its efforts on creating clear avenues to connect with Black Richmonders of today. BLK RVA asked Melody Short, native Richmonder and the director of marketing and business development for the largest chain of Black-owned bed and breakfasts in the United States, Akwaaba Bed & Breakfast Inns, for her own personal recommendations for visitors.
“It is a must that tourists visit the Jackson Ward neighborhood,” she extolls, offering up as examples of destinations like the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site, and the historic Hippodrome Theater. BLK RVA also partners with plenty of tour operators that focus on Black history in the region if you’re unsure where to start.
6. Houston, Texas
Photo: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
It’s the largest city in Texas, but you may be pressed to name a tourist attraction in Houston if you’ve never been. Floridian comedian and part-time nomad Josh Pray might say it best: “I would strongly encourage everybody to visit Houston. Reality checks are everywhere.”
Don’t get me wrong, you can certainly visit the zoo or even touch a moon rock at the Space Center, but the best trips to Houston are about getting a dose of real Americana. Houston is a hyper-diverse city; almost half of its population identifies as Hispanic while over 20 percent is Black, almost 10 percent over the national average. It’s a city where minorities, collectively, aren’t the minority. And Houstonians are notoriously friendly, so don’t be dissuaded if it’s your first time visiting, you’ll be sure to make friends.
Photo: BLCK Market/Facebook
For solo and budget Black travelers, Houston is an ideal city to visit thanks to the hard work of Deidre Mathis, the only Black hostel owner in the United States. Already an author and world traveler, she opened Wanderstay in central Houston in 2018 and caters to budget travelers who don’t want to sacrifice quality, particularly those in the digital nomad sphere.
Wanderstay is super centrally located, within walking distance of Museum Park and Midtown, so you won’t feel isolated without a car. Nearby you’ll find Black-owned restaurants, businesses, and if you plan your trip to coincide with the first Friday or second Saturday of the month, the nation’s largest Black-owned business pop-up. At BLCK Market Houston you’ll find 50+ Black-owned vendors selling everything from skincare, to handmade fashions, to services, and they have food trucks outside if you’re craving a bite.
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89 tourists arrested in Thailand
Those COVID-19 rules are there for a reason, and Thailand is not messing around. Eighty-nine foreign tourists have been arrested at the 360 Bar on Koh Phangan for having a massive party in violation of COVID-19 restrictions. Both guests and organizers are now facing charges of violating an emergency decree, which has been in place since March to prevent COVID-19 transmission.
Police learned about the party when they saw tickets being sold online (not the most subtle way to host an illegal party), and party-goers now face a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a potential fine of up to $1,330. The organizers face additional charges of serving alcohol in an area of Thailand where alcohol in restaurants is currently banned.
Police Col. Panya Nirattimanon told CNN, “They are stranded tourists who can’t leave Thailand due to COVID. They may think it is OK to gather in large groups and I think they may want to relax and have some fun.”
All of those arrested have been swabbed for COVID-19, but so far none have tested positive. Thailand has largely avoided massive outbreaks of the virus thanks to its strict quarantine rule, which mandates a 14-day quarantine for all international arrivals. Its strict enforcement of social distancing and capacity rules — exemplified by these arrests — has also contributed to the country’s low infection numbers.
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What are pickle roll ups
It’s a snack known by many names: pickle roll ups, pickle and ham pinwheels, prairie sushi, even Lutheran sushi. But if you’re not from the Midwest, you probably don’t know it by any name. Pickle roll ups might be ubiquitous at family gatherings and cocktail parties from Illinois to Wisconsin, yet as one viral tweet this past November revealed, most people outside of the region haven’t heard of them. As Kari Paul, the tweet’s author, points out, two kinds of people populate the ensuing thread: Midwesterners who are devoted to the snack and people from the rest of the country who are skeptical of it at best, or downright insult the dish at worst. One user even calls it an “abomination.”
Like raw meat sandwiches and dessert salad, this Midwestern delicacy is quickly and unfairly maligned just because of its appearance and concept. But pickle roll ups are simple and straightforward in assembly and unite a trio of complementary ingredients: A layer of cream cheese is spread over a thick slice of crisp dill pickle, and is then wrapped in a sheet of ham. The combination of flavors, while perhaps not intuitive, work surprisingly well together.
“What makes pickle wraps great is the combination of textures,” explains Leah Beyer, the Indiana native and recipe blogger behind Beyer Beware. “Refrigerator pickles are best for these because they are the crunchiest pickles. The sweet creaminess of the cream cheese marries the tanginess of the dill pickle with the smoky and salt flavors from the ham or dried beef lunch meat.”
There are a couple of variations of the snack. Some people add an extra layer to the pickle roll up by wrapping the ham in a tortilla. Others blend the ingredients into a dip and serve it with crackers. Snacks like this one tend to appear at family gatherings, where it’s necessary to feed a crowd something satisfying and convenient to eat that can be made in bulk (here again, you might recall the appeal of Jell-O salad).
“I spent most of my childhood growing up in rural Minnesota,” Celine, a New York City-based wine writer, wrote to me in an email. “I remember seeing pickle roll-ups at potluck events, birthday parties, and graduation celebrations, things of that nature — I think I tried one once and just couldn’t handle the texture (I’m not a huge pickle fan to begin with) [but] I see the appeal, especially because cream cheese makes everything better.”
In other families, pickle roll ups only appeared on holidays. Beyer remembers seeing them at “holiday dinners as a snack before the dinner was done.”
“We would have a smorgasbord of items like pickle wraps, meatballs, and cheese and crackers. They were definitely something that we would only have when guests were over,” she adds. “It was not something we would make for just a snack for ourselves. People who are new to them would always hesitate. But they would be and still are the first thing we run out of during gatherings.”
Jen Koellmann, who runs the recipe blog Whole Lotta Yum, agrees that pickle rolls up were generally reserved for the holidays, in particular Christmas.
“There’s quite a bit of nostalgia when I think about pickle rolls, I can’t make them without thinking of grandma and her big plate of them that always got devoured at Christmas,” Koellmann says. “When I was a young child, [she] used to serve them as an appetizer sliced into bitesize pinwheels for family gatherings, sometimes with ham, cream cheese, and pickles and other times without the pickle but with ham, cream cheese, and horseradish sauce.”
Today, she makes me her own version with rosemary ham from Trader Joe’s, whipped cream cheese, and baby dill pickles, sometimes switching out ham for roast beef, salami, or turkey slices.
The origins of pickle roll ups aren’t easy to pin down, but it’s probably safe to assume that German immigration to the region is at the root of its enduring popularity. Darcy Maulsby, a lifelong Iowan and Midwest food historian, told the Des Moines Register that, “Anytime you have a German community or a place with a strong German heritage, you got pickles and red meat and that is two-thirds of a pickle wrap right there.” (Maulsby also declared that Iowa should claim the pickle roll up as their own, though clearly people from Minnesota would disagree.) Similarly, raw meat sandwiches (also known as “wildcat”) eaten by German immigrants in Michigan are an adaptation of the German dish mettbrötchen.
“Since my family has strong German roots, this [wouldn’t] surprise me at all,” says Beyer. “I am sure it was my German grandparents who introduced us to this amazing snack and appetizer.”
Koellmann has a slightly different perspective on the origins of pickle roll ups though.
“Another nickname I’ve heard for pickle roll ups is ‘Lutheran sushi,’ which makes me wonder if these were a common appetizer served at Lutheran church gatherings,” Koellmann explains. “Being that many families of Scandinavian origin attended the Lutheran church (including my family), this was my assumption, but many Germans are Lutheran as well. Since the Midwest had many Scandinavian and German immigrants, either could be the originator of the pickle roll up.”
Why the region’s delicacies are so maligned by the rest of the country remains unclear. It strikes me that the Midwestern tendency to combine ingredients that seem, at first blush, like strange bedfellows but when combined turn out to be iconic pairings (see: the myriad casseroles popular in the region) is industrious, clever, and creative.
“Now my kids are equally obsessed with them and help in the making,” Beyer says. “They are so good. Plain pickles are great snacks, but wrap them in cream cheese and meat and you practically have a complete meal.”
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Virgin Hyperloop concept video
The futuristic Virgin Hyperloop just got one step closer to feeling like reality. The ultra-high-speed transit system was inspired by Elon Musk’s concept for a vacuum-sealed pod transportation system that can move passengers at speeds exceeding 700 mph released in 2013. This week, Virgin shared new conceptual footage of how the passenger experience might look in their hyperloop.
The video shows someone booking a seat for their trip, moving through an oval-shaped hall to their gate, and boarding a pod. Each pod is expected to hold 28 passengers. Despite the high speed, seemingly white-knuckle experience of a 700 mph trip, passengers will have a very similar experience as they would on a train. The video shows people being able to sit back and relax, use wireless phone chargers, and chat with other passengers. The one thing they can’t do, however, is gaze out the window because the pods are windowless.
Unlike train cars, the pods from the hyperloop will be able to peel off in different directions throughout the journey. This allows each pod to reach different destinations without stops or transfers along the way.
It’s unclear when exactly the first hyperloop may actually come into existence, but the company is aiming for its first safety certification by 2025 and is hopeful to begin commercial operations by 2030.
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SpaceX’s first spaceflight tourists
Going to space has long been an experience reserved only for people who are highly trained in specialized scientific fields. And even then, getting to actually take a ride in a spaceship required being employed by a space agency. Now, that’s about to change. The Crew Dragon from SpaceX is getting ready to take the first private citizens into space. They’re living proof that you don’t have to be trained astronauts to visit space, but you do need a thirst for adventure and really, really deep pockets.
This week, Axiom Space revealed the four crew members it has chosen for its AX-1 mission, the first ever to fly a crew entirely composed of private citizens to the International Space Station. The eight-day mission will take place in January 2022 at the earliest.
The crew will be led by Michael Lopez-Algeria, a former NASA astronaut who has been to the International Space Station four times and is now vice president of Axiom Space. He will be the mission commander, and the first person to ever command a civil and commercial human spaceflight. Larry Connor is a real estate and technology entrepreneur, with a history of racing, rafting, flying, and mountain climbing. He will be the pilot aboard the spacecraft. Mike Pathy is an investor and philanthropist, and CEO of an investment firm. Etyan Stibbe is a founding partner at an investment fund and has served in the Israelo Air Force.
These private citizens are still well versed in flying and spacecraft, as you can tell. Some will complete work duties on the journey, though it’s less of a work trip and more of a proof of concept that people who aren’t actively employed by a space agency can still travel past Earth’s atmosphere. Still, this is a big moment in the mission to making space travel an option for tourists.
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Puerto Rico vacation giveaway
Puerto Rico is taking the National Plan for Vacation Day seriously this year. The day is designed to encourage people to take time to plan their vacations for the year and ensure that they actually use their hard-earned PTO days. The “holiday” itself took place on January 26, but Puerto Rico is teaming up with JetBlue to give you even more time to score a Puerto Rico vacation.
Elizabeth Windram, the vice president of marketing at JetBlue, said, “we’re excited to launch a partnership with Discover Puerto Rico encouraging travelers to choose days for a future vacation to the island. With so much pent up travel demand, we look forward to welcoming customers whenever they are ready to Fly JetBlue to Puerto Rico, knowing they can count on us to deliver a safe travel experience and an award-winning service.”
Discover Puerto Rico, JetBlue, and the San Juan Marriort are inviting travelers to enter a sweepstakes that will give them a chance to win round-trip travel and lodging to Puerto Rico. From now to February 10, travelers are encouraged to block off time on their calendars for an upcoming trip later this year. All you have to do is choose any week in 2021, create a calendar event with “Fly JetBlue to Puerto Rico” as the subject line, make “Vacation@DiscoverPuertoRico.com” a participant in the calendar entry, and press send.
Three grand prize winners will win two roundtrip flights each to Puerto Rico and a six-day, five-night stay at the San Juan Marriott. One hundred entrants who miss out on the grand prize will receive a goodie bag with some travel swag that they can use on their next vacation.
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