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New bill for canceled flight refunds

It’s hard to pay your rent with a flight voucher.

This, or some version of it, has been the refrain many people have repeated to airlines after their flights are canceled, only to be offered a voucher for a future trip. And despite a stern warning from the federal government in April, and a sizable financial bailout, airlines are still refusing to give refunds when they cancel flights.

The problem is so widespread that the Department of Transportation has gotten over 25,000 complaints over the last two months. And now, Congress is stepping in.

This week, a group of Democratic senators proposed a bill requiring airlines to give full cash refunds on all canceled tickets, regardless of who did the canceling. This differs greatly from the current regulation, which only requires cash compensation if airlines cancel the flights. If this bill passes, anyone feeling a little skittish about flying from New York to LA with a mask on their face can get their money back like they were returning an “unworn” dress to Nordstrom.

The bill, called the Cash Refunds for Coronavirus Cancellations Act of 2020, is sponsored by Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.). It would be retroactive to March 1 and extend 180 days after the end of nationwide COVID-19 emergency declarations.

“Americans need cash in their pockets to pay for food, housing, and prescriptions, not temporary credits toward future travel,” Senator Markey said on his website. “In light of this pressing need, and an unprecedented multi-billion dollar bailout, it’s absolutely unconscionable that the airlines won’t give consumers their money back. Airlines already have a moral responsibility to give cash refunds for all canceled tickets during the coronavirus pandemic.

The bill would also apply to third-party ticket sellers, such as online travel agencies. And it would still allow airlines to offer travel vouchers, so long as those vouchers had clear and conspicuous language informing consumers they are still entitled to cash.

While this bill would only apply to airlines based in the United States, Dutch carrier KLM got ahead of regulators this week shifting its voucher policy to offer cash refunds as well. Previously, it had only been offering vouchers, which could be converted to cash after a year if they went unused.

Of course, anyone who watched Schoolhouse Rock knows it’s a long way from bill to law. And given that the bill was sponsored by senators exclusively from one party, there’s an ever-so-slight chance it may fall into partisan argument and never make it to the Senate floor. Still, if you need cash for a canceled flight, remember the law still dictates airlines give you a refund if they cancel the flight, so don’t give up even if this bill never passes. And if it does, hold onto that travel voucher. It may end up being worth more than the paper it’s printed on.

More like this Financial Savvy Sorry, getting that airline refund might take a while. Here’s what to expect if you try.

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Live drag show etiquette

Once upon a time, the only way to see a drag performance was to go to a gay bar.

Aside from the occasional John Waters film featuring Divine, gown-clown court jesters were relegated to the stages of sacred queer establishments. Spotting a drag queen outside their natural habitat was like spotting an elephant traipsing down Fifth Avenue in New York City.

RuPaul’s Drag Race changed all that. Like a gag-worthy costume reveal, drag transformed from holy queer subculture into secular sensation over the past decade and is now watched on television screens around the world. The only downside to this widespread appeal is that new drag fans aren’t experiencing the art form the way it was intended to be seen — in person.

There is no substitute for the power of a live drag performance at a gay bar. It’s an immersive event that transcends anything viewers can experience while watching a gender-flipping battle royale from their living rooms. If you’ve never been, you’re missing out. But before you go, it’s important to know the rules. Like a religion, drag shows have a set of commandments devoutly followed by fans, and if you want to worship at the altar of a stage queen, you’ve got to do it properly.

Here are the 10 commandments of attending a live drag show.

1. Thou shalt tip the performers, and be considerate when tipping.

Tipping a drag artist during their performance is like tipping a waiter. It’s good manners, and the amount given should be commensurate with the service provided. According to the New York Times, gay bars in NYC pay artists around $50 to $250 per performance, but many queens work solely for tips — which is barely enough to cover drag’s hefty price tag.

On top of money for hair, makeup, and clothing, a drag queen spends countless hours rehearsing an act and getting into costume before audiences see the final product. If you like what you see, honor the performer with cash. It might be the only money they earn for their hard work.

Tipping a drag queen is an art in itself and deserves an equal amount of consideration. Here are some customary rules:

A reasonable tip is one to five dollars, but for performers who go above and beyond the call of duty, it never hurts to throw in some extra sugar.
As Macaulay Culkin once lip-synced, “Keep the change, ya filthy animal.” You probably don’t want hard coins flying at your head, and neither does a performer. Tipping with metal objects is a no-no.
To tip, extend your arm toward the performer while holding out money. Avoid handing over cash while the drag artist is busy. If they’re dancing the house down or lip-syncing to an epic Nicki Minaj verse, wait until they’ve taken a breath before handing over the green goods. Likewise, unless their entrance includes an awe-worthy costume reveal, let the queen take the stage and settle into their performance before offering your dough.
Do not ask for change. A drag queen is a performer, not a bank teller. If you want to give $5 but only have $20, try breaking your bills at the bar.

2. Thou shalt purchase something at the bar.

If you see a live performance at a watering hole, be sure to show the establishment some respect by buying something. The bar doesn’t operate for free, and your patronage ensures a home where drag queens can continue performing in the future.

3. Thou shalt not touch the queen.

Drag queens aren’t llamas at a petting zoo, but they’re liable to spit if you get handsy without consent. A tip is not a ticket to touch a performer, either. These artists spend countless hours getting into drag, and they don’t need strangers messing with their looks. If you’re desperate to squeeze a silicone breastplate or slap a well-padded derriere, buy your own. The queen’s are off-limits.

4. Thou shalt be an active audience member.

Drag is a symbiotic relationship. The artist feeds off the audience’s energy just as much as the audience feeds off the artist, so plan on being attentive. Do you love their outfit? Hoot and holler. Did they just serve an Earth-shattering shablam? Give them a resounding, “Yas, Gawd!” Are they digging into the emotional core of a song? Applaud as though Donald Trump just lost the 2020 election. If you give the performer positive energy, they’ll give you a better show. It’s the science of good drag.

5. Thou shalt remember who the performer is (hint: it isn’t you).

While it’s important to remain active in the audience, do not try and out-perform the drag queen. A drag show is not the time to scream your favorite karaoke song or share your Borscht Belt standup routine. If your energy is not helping the performer, it’s probably harming them, so save the funny business for home. And, whatever you do, don’t get on stage unless invited. If you don’t obey this rule, there’s no telling how a queen might respond. Some unlucky folks have been tossed into pools and thrown to the floor. Let their mistakes be a lesson for us all: The queen’s stage is like Buckingham Palace. No one gets access without an invitation.

6. Thou shalt not take thyself too seriously.

If you aren’t familiar with the term “throwing shade,” you need to watch Paris Is Burning. If you are, be prepared. Some drag queens throw enough shade in one performance to blot out the sun for an entire week. Don’t take it personally if you’re the butt of their joke. The queen isn’t throwing shade to offend you — they’re throwing shade for the crowd’s collective enjoyment. Even when done in poor taste, which happens often, a joke’s intent is to make everyone laugh at themselves, not just at you.

If you do get offended, remember that the person poking fun is probably a mammoth-sized man in Payless pumps whose free willy is stuck in purgatory somewhere around his perineum. They aren’t taking themselves too seriously. Drag celebrates difference and often does so through humor. If you can’t take a joke, don’t go to a drag show — or at least sit far from the stage, where a performer is less likely to signal you out.

7. Thou shalt support drag artists who aren’t on RuPaul’s Drag Race.

The girls on Drag Race aren’t necessarily the best drag queens out there — they’re just the ones we see on television. “Drag” is an umbrella term that covers a diverse ecosystem, and RuPaul’s queen coven represents only a portion of the offerings. Whether it’s whacky cabaret artists like Dina Martina, avant-garde look queens like Cheddar Gorgeous, or drag-king comedians like Murray Hill, there’s an endless array of talented drag performers who never stepped foot on Ru’s runway. Give lesser-known performers a chance by going to their shows and supporting their work.

8. Thou shalt not be self-centered.

A drag queen owes you nothing. It doesn’t matter if you’re throwing a bachelorette party, tipping $100, or celebrating a birthday. Drag shows are egalitarian experiences that don’t promise anyone preferential treatment. If you want to feel special, pay a drag celebrity on Cameo to send you a personal message or hire a queen for a private event. Otherwise, enjoy the communal experience of watching the performance with those around you.

9. Thou shalt honor queer spaces as safe havens.

A drag show inherently queers the space in which it is performed. Whether it’s happening in a legitimate theater or a gay bar, the establishment becomes an outlet for members of the LGBTQ community, and everyone present should respect the diversity of the entertainers and audience members alike.

If you’re new to queer spaces, you will see people doing and wearing things you’ve never seen before. Don’t gawk — this isn’t the Camp: Notes on Fashion exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. You will also encounter people playing with definitions of gender or sexuality. Don’t assume — the people you meet don’t want strangers guessing whether they identify as cisgender, transgender, non-binary, gay, straight, bisexual, unicorn, etc. Drag tears gender and sexuality labels to shreds — it doesn’t turn them into name tags. If you want to engage with people at a drag show, do it from a place of love and celebration. Leave negativity and judgment at the door — they don’t belong in these spaces.

10. Thou shalt have fun.

Although following these commandments is critical, it’s most important to seek the joy of your own drag show experience. This isn’t just a court — it’s a royal court. Show up in a ridiculously colorful outfit. Down a couple of drinks. Get a little rowdy. Laugh until your belly hurts. As Lady Gaga taught us all nearly 10 years ago, “Don’t be a drag, just be a queen.” Preach.

More like this LGBTQ Travel The definitive guide to the best and brightest drag shows in the US

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Abu Dhabi luxury travel

Jutting out into the Arabian Gulf, Abu Dhabi is the ultra-modern and sparkling clean capital of the United Arab Emirates. With 1.5 million residents, it is the second-largest urban area in the Emirates, after Dubai, which lies 87 miles to the northeast. Geographically, Abu Dhabi is the largest of the seven emirates, taking up roughly 80 percent of the country’s landmass. Nearly two-thirds of the UAE’s economic activity takes place here, with the majority of tourist attractions dotted along a handful of islands just a stone’s throw from the mainland.

According to global crime indexes, Abu Dhabi is also the world’s safest city, a title it’s held for three years running. This honor stems from its penchant for luxury, expensive lifestyles, and squeaky-clean reputations. For tourists, this makes the UAE capital an increasingly desirable vacation spot. From the extravagant to the austere, here is how you can experience some of Abu Dhabi’s cultural highlights and culinary delights.

Tour the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Photo: trabantos/Shutterstock

Named in honor of the UAE’s first president, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is the largest in the country. The main hall is 5,400 square meters and can hold up to 7,800 worshipers, surrounded by a nearly 30-foot-tall complex that is easily viewed from afar. The mosque’s 82 domes vary in size, with the highest reaching 275 feet. Twenty-two of the complex’s 1,096 white marble pillars project light, and its floor is covered with the world’s largest hand-made carpet.

Photography is allowed with the exception of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s grave. Guided tours start at 10:00 AM and are available every hour until 8:00 PM. Be sure to address your dress before arriving — women are not allowed to expose their arms. Men are, as long as they do not have any tattoos. Entrance is free, including guided tours.

Check out the Abu Dhabi Dates Market

Photo: Achim Kietzmann/Shutterstock

The Emirates produce more than a half-million metric tons of dates annually. The Abu Dhabi Dates Market is located at Port Zayed, with many shops opening at 7:00 AM and some remaining open until midnight. Although you’re likely to see several tour vans parked in front of the dozens of shops, the market offers some of the best prices you’ll find in the city. And, unlike many markets in the Middle East and North Africa, visitors are generally able to stroll past the shops free of harassment from the owners.

Once you step inside the compact (and air-conditioned) stores, the famous Arab Hospitality will be on full display. Expect to see dozens of different varieties of dates in every shop, the subtle differences between stores most noticeable when you look at the pre-packaged items, like date jams and date flavored coffee, for example. More than half of the shops are likely to offer you some sort of sample. If they don’t, just point to any, encased behind glass barricades, that you’d like to try and ask. The dates market is also an ideal place to buy dried fruits, nuts, spices, and other sweets.

Unless you plan to visit every single vendor, one hour is enough time to experience the dates market. You can easily spend a half-day in the area if you also want to explore the other nearby markets: Running counterclockwise, the dates market is surrounded by the fruit and vegetable market, flower market, fish market, carpet souk, and cruise terminal. Each Port Zayed attraction is worth a visit, but the dates market is the best local experience.

Window shop and eat around the world in The Galleria

Photo: trabantos/Shutterstock

Shopping is serious business in Abu Dhabi. Even if you don’t buy anything, the city’s massive air-conditioned malls can be a welcome respite in a place where average high temperatures reach in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit for half the year. At The Galleria, sections are lettered from A to E like five lines of the New York City subway, and that’s not the only nod to The Big Apple — in some sections, every other store brand says, “New York.”

If you’re not a shopper, or have been hit by heat-induced hunger, head straight to one of the four food courts. There are two on each side of this mega-mall, which in addition to its plethora of food options has 7,000 free parking spaces (there’s also a Four Seasons Hotel connected to the mall because it wouldn’t be the Emirates if everything weren’t completely over the top). The Galleria oozes luxury, but you can window shop at the higher end brands and admire the 16 different award-winning fine dining restaurants from a distance and instead head one of the 5-plus more affordable cafes and food carts. In this city well known for international fare, you can find dozens of options here, from Peruvian and Mexican to Greek and Italian.

You may be on a different continent, but the UAE is an ideal place to check your thirst for authenticity at the door. After all, at least 85 percent of the country is foreign-born.

Although you can find delicious Arabic food throughout Abu Dhabi, many people who live here speak no Arabic. It has become a cliche to say of heavily touristed countries that “Everyone speaks English,” but in Abu Dhabi, that’s true. If you’re feeling homesick, chances are you’ll find something at The Galleria which will remind you of home.

Spend an afternoon at the Louvre Abu Dhabi

Photo: solkafa/Shutterstock

Though open for fewer than three years, the Louvre is already one of the Emirates’ top tourist attractions. Six hundred pieces of art are spread out among the four wings and 12 galleries. You don’t have to be a connoisseur to appreciate the floating dome-like structure, which juts out into the Arabian Gulf. The building is made up of 7,850 stars and angles which the sun filters through, and that’s before you reach the labyrinth-like museum exit.

Historical artifacts include a 13th-century Hebrew Bible as well as George Washington and Napoleon oil-on-canvas paintings from the early 1800s. The museum is located at the west end of Saadiyat Island’s Cultural District. To the east are luxury hotels like the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, which have beach access, though you can head to Saadiyat Public Beach a little over a mile east if you aren’t throwing down top dollar on lodging.

Play sultan for a day at the Emirates Palace

Photo: Manamana/Shutterstock

The Emirates Palace has a spot on most lists of the world’s top luxury hotels. With marble from 13 different countries and more than 1,000 crystal chandeliers, staying at the Emirates Palace is the closest that most of us will get to living like a sultan. The property is a little over a half-mile long from the east to west wings, and then there are the restaurants and cafes.

At Le Cafe, you can hum along to David Byrne singing “Once in a Lifetime” in your head as you sip cappuccino with 23-karat gold flakes drizzled on top of the foam. If caffeine is not your thing, try a dessert (chocolate cake is a popular one) topped with the same gold flakes. Either way, this will be one of the few opportunities you’ll ever have to hear someone say, “You got some gold flakes on your lips.” According to the staff, people from all over the world come to try this $20 cup of rich espresso topped with milk and gold. Japanese women, in particular, love this drink. And you don’t have to be a guest to enjoy the experience.

You can also dine in one of the other dozen restaurants and cafes. They have fine dining options that specialize in Chinese, Indian, Italian, and Lebanese, but Mezlai offers the best local experience. In Arabic, the term translates to “the old lock of the door.” The interior has the feel of a spacious Bedouin tent. and the extensive menu is heavy enough to do a bicep workout with. If you’ve been yearning to try camel meat (tongue or chop), this is the place to do it.

Just below the main entrance, you’ll find one of the best photo ops for the Etihad Towers.

See where the important decisions are made at Qasr Al Watan

Photo: Veronique De Suerte/Shutterstock

This is the Presidential Palace, or Palace of the Nation. Qasr Al Watan has been open to the public since 2019. The 380,000-squar-meter complex is located across Al Riyadah Street from Emirates Palace. The west wing is dedicated to governance while the east wing is all about knowledge. Its 50,000 book library documents the young nation’s history.

Try to resist the temptation to just gawk at the shiny white marble and limestone facade from the outside, get a few Instagram pics, and move on the next attraction. The inside is worth visiting, as well, especially if you are any kind of architecture geek or history buff. Each interior door, made of maple wood, took 350 hours to build. Palace and garden tickets are about $16 for adults. Guided tours are available upon request. Just don’t embarrass yourself by asking where the president lives — nobody lives here.

If your visit to Qasr Al Watan piques your interest in local history, check out the nearby Heritage Village, which is a reconstructed desert village run by the Emirates Heritage Club.

Take a side trip to the Rubʿal-Khali desert

Photo: Simone Gramegna/Shutterstock

As you head south out of Abu Dhabi city along E65, ultra-modern skyscrapers and world-class architecture give way to desert. Located two hours south of the city and just 25 miles from the Saudi border, the Qasr al Sarab Desert Resort has been called the world’s most Instagrammable hotel. It takes up a measly 26 square miles in the roughly 251,000 square mile Rub’ al Khali desert, which is also known as the Empty Quarter. The small, village-like resort is shaped like a crescent and employs 350 people from 32 different countries. And no matter where you are, there always seems to be someone ready to help. All rooms have a sunrise view, and each villa has its own pool. Golf cart drivers transport guests around the property.

Guests can ride one of the 28 Arabian camels on site or watch Greyhounds race, and falcons fly through the Middle East’s largest sand desert. The falcon is the UAE’s national bird. It’s also the world’s fastest. Falcons can see up to a mile away and fly up to 250 kph. In the UAE, falcons get special treatment. They have their own passports and when they travel bereft of their own efforts, they fly either first or business class.

Dining at this resort is a unique activity by itself. You can have an immersive Bedouin-style late evening dinner in the desert with your own personal chef, or you can watch the sunset from the rooftop Suhail grill as you eat steak and lamb, which is aged for 21 days in the restaurant’s visible meat cooler. Al Waha offers daily breakfast and lunch with different themed buffets each evening. There are also afternoon cooking classes available by appointment.

Practical tips for visiting Abu Dhabi

Photo: anderm/Shutterstock

Abu Dhabi is not the ideal place for budget travelers. This is one of the world’s richest capital cities, and luxury is ingrained into the fabric of the urban area’s culture. You won’t find youth hostels dotted throughout the tourist areas, and there is no metro. With that said, if you plan ahead, you can spend a night or two in a luxury hotel like the St. Regis and then move on to more affordable accommodation for the rest of your stay. If you do your research ahead of time, you can find clean rooms in convenient locations, starting at $30 per night. So, if you’re on a budget, spend the majority of your nights in a budget hotel and splurge for a night or two at Qasr al Sarab, Emirates Palace, the St. Regis, or one of the other famous luxury hotels.

There are affordable dining options as well. You can splurge once or twice and then take in the rest of your necessary calories at one of the many mall food courts or a reasonably priced sidewalk cafe. Renting a car for your entire trip is preferable, but if you can’t, then consider staying in an area where the necessities are within walking distance. Taxis are available, but fares add up fast if you need to hail a cab just to get a cup of tea. And if you do rent a car, please do not spend your entire time in the tourist area. Allow at least one or two days for side trips. Ideally, one to the desert and one to nearby Dubai (unless you are planning a separate trip to Dubai). Most hotels and malls offer free parking. Some tourist attractions do as well.

More like this Food + Drink 4 Middle East breweries that define the region’s burgeoning craft beer scene

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Pub Lisboeta in Lisbon

Life in Lisbon’s Príncipe Real neighborhood congregates on Rua Dom Pedro V.

Afternoon shoppers ricochet between sleek concept stores. Weekend diners swarm Portuguese-Peruvian restaurant A Cevicheria ready to splurge. A few doors down, passersby slip behind the red door out front Pavilhão Chinês, an old grocery store that’s now the city’s least-secret speakeasy.

Wedged between an antique shop and women’s boutique on one end of the street is Pub Lisboeta, a bar that’s hardly wider than its doorframe. The door stays open, weather permitting, revealing interior decor with no discernible theme: There’s a red neon sign scrawled across the back wall with “Lucilia” spelled out in cursive. The tiling is forest green. Nearly matching lamps hang overhead, and an elaborate chalkboard menu makes a fresco out of standard fare.

Pub Lisboeta stands out on Rua Dom Pedro V because it doesn’t stand out at all. It’s the sort of place that feels homey, even to newcomers, yet manages to stay local in an area of Lisbon that feels increasingly lost to Lisboetas. It’s Príncipe Real’s very own Cheers bar, where everybody knows everybody’s name.

A sign above the door announces the bar’s presence in bright white letters, yet you might walk by if you did not know to look for it. In fact, this traveler did exactly that, twice, even after it had been recommended.

Photo: Pub Lisboeta/Facebook + Pub Lisboeta/Facebook

I’d booked an Airbnb in the neighborhood for a month. A friend flew in from London the weekend I arrived, and we decided to celebrate at A Cevicheria, where steel doors laser cut with an Escher print open to polished white walls and a lifelike orange octopus hanging above the bar like something on loan from the Smithsonian.

The wait would be 40 minutes, a mid-20s host with a German accent and messy blond topknot told us, suggesting a nearby pub whose name we missed for pre-dinner drinks. We walked a few blocks before deciding we’d gone too far, settling for watered-down mojitos at a terrace bar overlooking the Tagus before heading back. Dinner was long: We tried Portuguese takes on ceviche and pisco sours until midnight, when our servers invited us to join the staff’s post-work drinks ritual at the now-mythic pub on the corner.

Noticing the sign for the first time as we trailed the A Cevicheria crew, I realized that what the host had recommended was not actually a pub, or even the pub as we’d heard, but simply “Pub.”

Pub is a bar with a modest kitchen, simple wine list, and small selection of craft beer, which can be hard to come by in Lisbon, where almost everyone is loyal to Sagres or Super Bock. The menu leaves no overwhelming impression, but the thin, crispy pizzas that get sent out periodically could pass for something you’d get at a restaurant a few countries over in Italy.

Photo: Pub Lisboeta/Facebook + Pub Lisboeta/Facebook

It’s run by a pair of guys named Bruno who everyone knows by name, if not when they arrive then by the time they leave. The Bruno with the trademark beard, whom you’ll often overhear sharing grooming tips with admirers, mans the bar. He’s the sort of bartender every patron secretly wants to know, the kind who gives you license to say, “I’m friends with the bartender,” even after meeting him once, and who’ll just as readily claim you as a friend.

The night we met, upon learning that it was not only my first time at Pub but in Portugal, he improvised a tasting of ginjinha, a local cherry liquor, and moscatel, a fortified wine, in the middle of the bar’s busy hours, which fall somewhere between post-work and pre-dawn.

On slow days, the kitchen staff has been known to go off-menu, breaking out from the back of house to share bites among themselves and whomever else is around. On one afternoon visit, it was grilled sardines and roasted green peppers on garlic-rubbed toast. Between mouthfuls, the cook, Maria, and a concierge from the hotel across the street, Felipe, who, like many of his colleagues, dropped by Pub on his lunch breaks, taught me how to pronounce the words I’d picked up in Portuguese with the bounce and roundness from their native Brazil.

Another day it was paper-thin presunto shavings with a music producer from Vancouver who’d been returning to Lisbon, and Pub, every summer for years.

Photo: Pub Lisboeta/Facebook

This was how I came to know Pub Lisboeta over my month in Príncipe Real, as a sort of Room of Requirement for anyone in the neighborhood, be it locals, expats, or summer tourists eager to fit in without taking over. I saw passersby caught in a rainstorm trickle in for shelter, one by one forgetting what brought them there in favor of a long happy hour. I saw soccer fans crowd around the postage stamp of a TV by the door to cheer on Sporting or Benfica, despite the many bars in neighboring Bairro Alto that would have been a better option.

And, sure enough, I ran into the A Cevicheria crew enjoying after-work drinks every time I lost track of the hour, along with those who made the late-night commute on their days off.

I may have only borrowed Pub during my travels, but it’s the closest I’ve come to finding my very own Cheers bar. And that’s after having lived in Boston, not far from the actual Cheers bar.

Anyone would be lucky to call Pub Lisboeta their local bar, if only for a short time while on vacation. And you better believe that, as a regular, at least the Brunos will know your name.

More like this Food + Drink The coolest restaurants in Lisbon’s Príncipe Real neighborhood

The post In Lisbon, living like a local starts at Pub Lisboeta appeared first on Matador Network.

Best places to camp on the beach

You know what sounds great right about now? A beach. Some nice, calming, lapping waves and a soft patch of sand to lay your head down and forget about all the problems of the world. If you can imagine yourself there, it’s not so far away. It’s right in this country, which, with 88,000 miles of coastline and countless inland lakes, has an abundance of places you can spend the night next to the water. Here are 15 of our favorite beachfront campgrounds, from the deserts of New Mexico to the shores of Alaska.

1. Sea Camp Campground — Georgia

Photo: William Silver/Shutterstock

Cumberland Island National Seashore is some of the most remote, pristine wilderness in the South. And as the island is only reachable by ferry, the best way to see all of it is by spending the night. Camping here isn’t abundant, with only five spots island-wide, but the most popular is Sea Camp. After the last ferry leaves at 4:30 PM, you’ll have most of this woodsy island to yourself, with miles of hiking trails going deep into the forest. Just remember to bring your bug spray and prepare for all kinds of weather if you go in the summer. The island’s isolation is nice, but it also means you won’t have anywhere to buy supplies once you’re there.

2. Isla Culebra — Puerto Rico

Photo: ARENA Creative/Shutterstock

While much of Puerto Rico has been developed with hotels, resorts, and fancy restaurants, the little island of Culebra not far from St. Thomas still feels like an unspoiled tropical paradise. The only place to camp here is at Flamenco Beach, where you can literally pitch a tent on the sand and grill up whatever you like on one of the pit barbecues provided. Don’t have a tent? No problem. Flamenco is cool with you stringing a hammock between palm trees and being your best beach bum self. And though it’s only steps to restaurants, shops, and bars, look towards the water and you’ll feel miles from the real world.

3. Patrick’s Point State Park — California

Photo: randy andy/Shutterstock

Just south of Redwood State and National Parks is this one square mile of Northern California paradise, a little peninsula jutting out into the Pacific where you can hike through deep forests down to tidepools rich with marine life. Patrick’s Point is also home to a fully reconstructed Native American village from the Yurok tribe if you’d like some cultural education during your camping trip. The campsites aren’t right on the ocean, and given the violent surf in this very northern part of the state, that’s probably a good thing. But they’re only a short walk to the coastline and offer hot, coin-op showers and fresh drinking water.

4. Beachside State Recreation Site — Oregon

Photo: Jamie Hooper/Shutterstock

You’ll find no shortage of camping sites along Oregon’s wild coastline. But this park between the town of Waldport and Yachats State Park is almost smack in the center of the state, and every campsite is just steps from the Pacific. Wake up to the crashing waves, then head to the marine tidepools to catch a morning breeze before venturing down to the Heceta Head Lighthouse. You can also take a short walk along the Yachats Ocean Road State Natural Site, a one-mile loop off the main highway that winds past some of the state’s top spots for whale watching.

5. Anastasia State Park — Florida

Photo: Sean Board/Shutterstock

Northeast Florida is often overlooked in terms of Sunshine State beaches, forgotten behind the white sands of the Gulf Coast and towering condos in South Florida. But that’s precisely why this park outside St. Augustine is such an ideal camping spot, with golden sands and rolling dunes from which to watch the sunrise and fewer people than you’ll find in the rest of the state. Inside the park you can hike through the dunes and natural hammocks, as well as back to a coral quarry dating to the 1700s. Then you can retreat to one of 139 campsites under swaying palm trees.

6. Wai’anapanapa State Park — Hawaii

Photo: Abbie Warnock-Matthews/Shutterstock

Maui’s reputation as Hawaii’s quieter, rural island can sometimes overshadow the impressive volcanic features on the eastern coastline. They’re on full display at Wai’anapanapa State Park, full of natural arches, blowholes, caves, and black sandy beaches. Here you can camp next to the Pacific surf by night, and hike along an ancient trail leading to Hana by day. Or venture deeper into the park through the hala forest to anchialine pools, which connect underground to the ocean.

7. Elephant Butte State Park — New Mexico

Photo: Jon Manjeot/Shutterstock

The vast red rock deserts of New Mexico aren’t automatically where you’d expect to find first-rate beach camping, but thanks to a dam built along the Rio Grande in 1916 you can now find it on the shores of Elephant Butte Lake. Beach camping in the desert seems a little surreal, but once you’re out on the lake fishing, waterskiing, or just generally cooling off from the heat of the Chihuahuan desert it feels completely natural. The two major campgrounds — Lions Beach and Desert Cove — both have electrical hookups too. So while you may feel isolated in the desert, you’re never far from civilization.

8. Kalaloch Campground — Washington

Photo: Kenneth Sponsler/Shutterstock

Along the southwest coast of Olympic National Park, you’ll find this campground set between Highway 101 and a cliff atop the Pacific Ocean. The campsites at Kalaloch sit on said cliff, where you’re only a short staircase walk to the beach, and will have a much better view and a lot less ocean mist. That said, if you’re hellbent on camping by the water, hike the short trail to Second Beach. You’ll need a wilderness permit and a bear canister to spend the night there, but for the best ocean camping in Washington, it’s worth the extra shopping.

9. Horseneck Beach State Park — Massachusetts

Photo: Psalm25/Shutterstock

This two-mile, soft-sand beach just across a causeway from Gooseberry Island is a massively popular summer destination for New Englanders, drawing almost 100,000 visitors a year to its lush 800 acres. The park, which among other things was a casino and a coastal defense base, is popular with windsurfers for its strong breezes and offers 96 campsites as well as hook-ups for most RVs.

10. Assateague State Park — Maryland

Photo: Scenic Corner/Shutterstock

Get as close to being an old cowboy as you possibly can in 2020 on the Maryland side of Assateague Island, where from October to April you can ride right along the beach, hitch your horse to the appropriate posts, and camp right near the ocean. The sites are across a small dune line from the actual sea, but they afford a nice barrier to ensure you don’t wake up to ocean water in your tent. If you’d rather go during warmer months, you can still walk in or car camp as well. And if you take the time to hike around, you might meet one of the park’s famous wild horses.

11. Bahia Honda State Park — Florida

Photo: Simon Dannhauer/Shutterstock

Dubbed America’s Best Beach by the esteemed Dr. Beach in the ‘90s, Bahia Honda’s white sands and aquamarine waters are the picture of a tropical Florida vacation. The most scenic campground is on Sandspur Beach, which offers nine sites a stone’s throw from the ocean. Even if you don’t have a front-row seat to the water, it’s only a short walk anywhere in the park’s 500 acres to the shore. Once in those inviting seas, you’ll find some of the best snorkeling in Florida, as well as warm currents to calm you after a long drive down.

12. Homer Spit — Alaska

Photo: Anapalana/Shutterstock

We wouldn’t go so far as to call Homer Spit “glamping,” but as far as waterfront camping with a direct mountain view in Alaska goes, this is about as nice as it gets. This campground, set right on the shores of Kachemak Bay, offers 122 RV sites with full hook-ups, a gift shop, hot showers, and free WiFi. It’s also just a short walk to bustling downtown Homer, where charming shops and the Salty Dawg Saloon await. And if you feel like getting out into nature, the campground serves as a perfect launching point for kayak trips into the bay or one of the dozens of hiking trails in the area.

13. Juniper Lake — California

Photo: MightyPix/Shutterstock

Sometimes forgotten after the waterfalls, rock faces, redwoods, and sequoias of California’s big name national parks is the volcanic wonderland at Lassen. A little over an hour from Redding, Lassen Volcanic National Park offers eerie lavascapes and treks up to the top of Lassen Peak. It also boasts the best inland campground in the state, where the bright blue waters of Juniper Lake reflect the surrounding trees and snow-capped mountain. Though the views are spectacular, the accommodations are spartan, as you won’t find any potable water or flush toilets. Still, if you don’t mind bringing all your stuff with you, you’ll find one of the most peaceful escapes in California.

14. Navajo State Park — Colorado

Photo: Brenda Landdeck/Shutterstock

Colorado has no shortage of mountain lakes by which to camp, but the state’s ultimate beach camping experience will be along the shores of Navajo Lake near the New Mexico border. Here you can plop yourself and your family on the primitive sites at Windsurf Beach. Or, if you want electricity and water, make your home at the Rosa Campground, which overlooks the lake. During the day, you can partake in all varieties of watersports, from fishing to boating to lake-long swimming. Or just post up on the sand and work on your not-so-mountainous mountain tan.

15. Sea Rim State Park — Texas

Photo: Ricardo Medina C/Shutterstock

About half an hour south of Port Arthur you’ll find this peaceful, bird-filled marshland park right on the Gulf of Mexico. The 4,000-acre park is one of the top kayaking destinations in Texas, with trails running up to 10 miles for those looking for an all-day paddling challenge. Even for recreational paddlers the park is fantastic, where serene trips through the marsh can be followed by quick jumps in the gulf. You’ll find plenty of places to set up camp on the five miles of shoreline, or you can opt for the lone cabin in the park. For a real adventure, head two miles down the kayaking trails to the primitive floating dock sites, where the only way in or out is by boat.

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Marriott 20 percent off gift cards

Planning a vacation in advance is a bit tricky these days. Since the global health situation is changing on a daily basis, almost no one is comfortable booking a hotel stay multiple weeks in advance. To give travelers some peace of mind, Mariott is issuing gift cards at a 20 percent discount, good for hotel stays at any Marriott location around the world, including partner brands like EDITION, Moxy, Ritz Carlton, St. Regis, Aloft, and JW Marriott.

The best part about the promotion is that you don’t have to make any commitment to date or location. Purchasing a gift card means you can use it at any Marriott property, at a moment’s notice, without the requirement of an advance reservation. This allows travelers to be flexible with their hotel plans in a time when flexibility is essential.

Marriott is also offering 10 percent off its HVMI premium home rentals on May 18 and 19. These include private beach houses and mountainside cabins around the world, with all the amenities you’d find in a typical Marriott hotel. Reservations booked at these properties between now and August 31 can be canceled up to 10 days before arrival for a full refund, minus a $75 credit card processing fee.

Marriott is offering the discounted gift cards through May 17 via the Marriott website.

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Sanitation booth in South Africa

After the disinfection booth trial at Hong Kong International Airport, it’s now the turn of residents of South Africa to be sprayed clean before they enter public transportation.

Positioned at the entrance to several bus stations and a taxi rank in Soweto, as well as a train station in Pretoria, the booths spray incoming passengers with a plant-based sanitizing solution meant to kill the coronavirus. People go through the tunnel one by one in a single-file line, and are sprayed with a mist containing a disinfectant.

Bright Shabani, a 34-year-old merchandiser who regularly commutes via the train station, told Reuters, “I’m happy as long as they are trying to sanitize it, it shows…they are doing something.”

Thursday was the first day of the booth’s trial run at the Thokoza and Orlando bus stations in Soweto. Similar installations are currently being used at other locations, however, including at Gautrain Station in Hatfield and the Bara Taxi Rank in Soweto. According to Real African Works Industries, which makes the booths, the plant-based spray has proven to be 99.9 percent effective against bacteria and other pathogens, including a virus similar to the coronavirus.

While disinfection booths may give people peace of mind when entering public places, scientists aren’t convinced of the method’s effectiveness. Kerrin Begg and Nandi Siegfried, of South Africa’s College of Public Health Medicine, offered a less rosy perspective. “Any individual who walks through a tunnel who is infectious,” they said, “remains infectious on the other side of the tunnel.”

Social distancing, washing your hands, sneezing and coughing into your elbow, and not touching your face are still the most effective methods to limit the virus’ spread.

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New Jersey beaches reopening

New Jersey, one of the states hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, is taking a monumental step by deciding to open its beaches in time for Memorial Day weekend. While it probably won’t look like a typical summer beach season, with some new restrictions and limitations in place, it’ll surely be a relief for the people of New Jersey who have been under stay-at-home orders since March 21.

According to governor Phil Murphy, “We are living through unprecedented times, but we have confidence that residents and out-of-state visitors, alike, can take in a day at the beach safely, so long as the measures we are announcing today…are followed. Every beach will be required to establish capacity limitations, but we will leave it to local leaders to determine the method that would be best for their community.”

BREAKING: The Jersey Shore will be open in time for Memorial Day Weekend, with social distancing guidelines in place. The Shore is central to our Jersey identity and we want to ensure that families can safely enjoy it this summer. pic.twitter.com/BojwAZKih5

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) May 14, 2020

These restrictions will likely limit the number of beach tags issued to visitors, while those from different households will be asked to remain six feet apart. Lifeguards will be present and swimming will be allowed. While boardwalk and restaurants will be open, the latter will remain limited to takeout and delivery. Rides, arcades, and playgrounds will remain closed.

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Post-lockdown life in Naples, FL

On Saturday, I took a vacation back to the real world. You remember that place, where we walked down crowded streets on a Saturday night, ate at crowded restaurants, and cruised in bumper-to-bumper traffic down the main drag? A place where we only wore masks if it was Halloween or Mardi Gras, and the only fear we had was the fear of missing out.

It wasn’t some far-off fantasy I had while laying on my couch during day 62 of quarantine, nor did I jump in a souped-up Delorean and ride a hoverboard into 2015. It was just Saturday night in Naples, Florida, one of the many cities in the Sunshine State that opened its businesses and beaches last week in an attempt to get back to the way things were.

And if Naples was any indication, many of the things we’ve read about the future of restaurants, socializing, travel, and everything else are over-estimating the demand for change. Because what many of those commentators vastly discount is the collective human desire to return to the life we know, risks or not. It would seem, so far, that the majority of people aren’t going to base decisions on potential exposure, and that businesses won’t need to adapt all that much to make customers happy, even if there are government mandates. And whether you think this is great news or a terrifying revelation, most Americans’ main priority seems to be getting right back to the world we knew.

It’ll take roughly 10 minutes to feel like none of this ever happened.

At first, walking down South Fifth Avenue — effectively Naples’ Main Street — was a little surreal. People walked four or five across, restaurants had customers sitting outside, retail shops were open, and police were directing the street-clogging traffic. It all seemed strangely foreign but still comfortingly familiar, kind of like going back to your parents’ house after your first semester of college.

But in about 10 minutes, none of it seemed the least bit odd. As soon as the novelty of seeing hundreds of other people wore off it felt like… Saturday night. Fear dissipates pretty quickly when you’re back in the real world, and when everyone around you seems fearless too, that collective feeling of safety puts us all at ease. And as I sat eating a plate of overpriced pad thai, it seemed the last two months had been some sort of weird dream, and life was carrying on like nothing ever happened.

People are not scared to be in large crowds.

One friend asked me if I felt safe when she saw me posting pictures of the busy streets on Instagram. And for some segment of the population, I suppose there will be lingering worry about being in crowds. But if Naples was any indication, that segment is a vocal minority. Which means, barring regulation, things like bar partitions and restaurant bubbles will act as stronger deterrents to business than keeping everything free and clear.

We could also extrapolate that to other things — hotels, airplanes, sports stadiums. People seem to be more concerned with the quality of the experience than with being too close to crowds. And if businesses want to be profitable, they’ll likely weigh the customers they’ll lose by diminishing the experience versus those they’ll lose to potential exposure.

Even with regulations, restaurants are going to seat as many people as they can.

Florida, technically, allowed restaurants to open at 25 percent capacity. And though Florida has never been the best state at counting, not one restaurant limited itself to a quarter the number of people it could hold. Nearly every restaurant along Fifth Avenue was full, and the only thing stopping people from going inside were the prices on the menus.

You can get upset with restaurants for disregarding the regulation, but think about it: Imagine you had literally no income over the past two months and were all of the sudden allowed to make as much as you could until someone told you to stop. It’s called desperation, and it’s where a lot of people are right now. Though I didn’t talk to any restaurateurs on the record, the collective attitude seemed to be “do it until you’re told not to.” And nobody was telling them not to.

Police are not going to enforce social distancing.

Police were out in force Saturday night in Naples, but they were busy enforcing the laws they usually enforce — directing traffic, telling cars to turn their music down, yelling at jaywalkers. Remember, this is Naples, not New York City.

What they were not doing was forcing people six feet apart or telling people to wear masks. They were not walking into restaurants and handing out fines for seating too many people. Naples is relatively small, too. So you might imagine the priority social distancing will have in large cities where police are already stretched thin.

Masks are not going to be part of our daily lives for long.

I could count on one hand the number of people I saw wearing masks on Saturday night, aside from restaurant staff. They didn’t look like oddballs, per se, but in our collective desire to get back to normal, the hassle of wearing a face covering on a humid Florida night just wasn’t happening for most people. Like putting our laptops away when the flight attendant comes by, wearing masks will be a rule we only follow when someone in authority tells us we have to, and will immediately stop following as soon as they’re not looking.

For their part, restaurant servers wore masks. Until they started to hinder their job. So after my waiter had to repeat a special to me twice because I couldn’t understand him, he pulled his mask down and explained so I could hear. Gloves were also commonplace among restaurant staff, but as soon as people figure out there’s not much difference between a server who wears the same gloves all night and one who washes their bare hands, my guess is those will go by the wayside soon too.

Like it or not, Florida’s not the only place speeding back to normal.

Some may roll their eyes and say, “Yeah, but that’s FLORIDA! Aren’t you the same people who walk alligators down the street and misspell your face tattoos?” Yes, we do have our share of less-than-Rhodes-scholars down here. But look no further than the parks of New York City or the beaches of Los Angeles to see that we’re far from the only people who are ready to go out, en masse, right now. Surveys show people can’t wait to travel again. Cruise bookings are way up. We’ll be back a lot sooner than people think.

This isn’t to say there won’t be lasting effects from COVID-19. The tattered economy and massive government debt are still there. Many have lost loved ones, or jobs, or businesses, and those lives will still be considerably different once this two-month cloud has lifted. And for the responsible folk who choose to wear masks and avoid crowds moving forward, their lives won’t look the same either. It’s worth noting that Naples closed its beaches the next day after all of South Florida showed up. But in terms of how we dine out, drink, socialize, and walk down the street, not much will look that different.

You may see this as a horrifying commentary on America’s blatant disregard for COVID-19. Or you may find it an encouraging sign that our world is not as permanently altered as we may have thought. Either way, much like how you might have felt about the world shutting down, it ultimately doesn’t matter. This is what’s happening on the streets of Naples, and soon every city in America. And whether we’re better or worse for it is anyone’s guess.

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Uber face mask requirement

If you’re planning to hail an Uber anytime soon, you’d better make sure you’ve got a face mask ready. Starting on May 18, Uber is rolling out new requirements for drivers and riders prompted by the coronavirus crisis. The changes are intended to reassure passengers that riding with Uber is safe, and conversely, to assure drivers that they aren’t taking a health risk by continuing to pick up passengers.

The changes include a limitation on the number of passengers in vehicles, face mask requirements for drivers (with a mobile verification feature that involves the driver taking a selfie), and a user checklist that will ask both passengers and drivers to confirm certain health precautions — like mask-wearing — before entering the vehicle.

Sachin Kansal, senior director of product management at Uber, said during a webinar, “This is not a problem that can only be solved by the drivers or only can be solved by the riders, it is everyone’s responsibility. These feedback loops between all the parties are extremely important for us to maintain safety.”

The new measures rely heavily on user policing. That means riders and drivers will be responsible for holding each other accountable. If drivers aren’t wearing a mask, passengers will have the ability to report them via the app — and vice versa. The same is true of Uber Eats delivery drivers interacting with restaurant employees.

The policies are expected to remain in place for several months and are subject to change as the global health situation evolves.

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