In this edition of “Travel Tidbits”—how to stay at one of the cheapest (and cleanest) places in New York City; learn about a proposed law aimed at cracking down on distracted drivers; and find out how one travel aid is helping Jimi Hendrix fans.
The Pod Hotel, New York. It’s classified as the Big Apple’s “newest budget property.” Allow me to translate: It’s a hotel in the heart of New York where you can find rooms for under $100. Personally, I think it is a saving grace for budget conscious travelers like myself. So, what do you get for less than a hundred bucks ($89 to be exact)?
A tiny-but-clean room (or “pod;” hence the hotel’s name) with a bathroom you share with the guy next door. If the thought of sharing a bathroom with a stranger makes you a bit skittish for $50 more you can get a room with a private bath. The rooms may be small, but they are loaded with amenities to make your stay comfortable. Flat-screen TVs are anchored to the walls of each room and iPod docking stations and free WiFi Internet are also included.
Okay, it’s not the Ritz, but the Pod Hotel does offer something that some much pricier New York hotels don’t—location, location, location. The no-frills property is located on 51st Street just a few blocks from the Museum of Modern Art, Rockefeller Center and Fifth Avenue shopping.
In a previous blog I wrote about the New York lawmaker who is seeking to ban pedestrians from using electronic devices while they travel across city streets. Now, a Vermont legislator wants drivers to change their habits as well.
The Vermont Legislature is currently considering a bill that would ban “eating, drinking, smoking, reading, writing, personal grooming, playing an instrument, interacting with pets or cargo, as well as talking on a cell phone or using any other personal communication device while driving.” (The bill’s author said he added the part about instruments after his wife saw a driver playing the flute.)
The proposal also says that violators could be fined up to $600. If you don’t live in Vermont, don’t think you are out of the woods. According to news reports, other states are also targeting distracted drivers. Similar bills are under consideration in Maryland and Texas. Currently, Connecticut is the only state with a law in place that bans any activity that could interfere with the safe operation of a motor vehicle.
Are you a Jimi Hendrix fan? Do you dream of seeing where he lived? Or, are you more interested in seeing where the Beatles got their start?
Plotting out your plan to do so just got easier with the introduction of a new tourist map of England. The new map aims to help music-loving visitors find landmarks in the country’s musical history. It highlights more than 100 locations, including the Birmingham pub frequented by a young Ozzy Osbourne, and the northern English town of Blackburn, which inspired the lyrics of The Beatles’ song “A Day in the Life” –“4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire.”
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