Visiting America’s Most Endangered Places

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Here's an avant-garde idea for a vacation: travel the National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of the "11 Most Endangered Historic Places." According to The New York Times, it takes more than perilous looks to make the list. Instead, "the trust selects what it considers important examples of the nation’s architectural, cultural and natural heritage that are at risk of being destroyed or irreparably damaged," Robin Pogrebin writes. This year's list includes a special emphasis on the threat to Modernist buildings. In alphabetical order, this year's most endangered historic places are: Ames Shovel Shops, Easton, MA Cast-Iron Architecture of Galveston, TX Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles, CA Dorchester Academy, Midway, GA Human Services Center, Yankton, SD Lāna‘i City, HI The Manhattan Project’s Enola Gay Hangar, Wendover Airfield, UT Memorial Bridge,…
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United Airlines’ Controversial New Policy

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Last week, United Airlines introduced a controversial new policy that requires passengers who need more than one seat-belt extender and who cannot put their seat's armrests down when seated to purchase an extra seat. If no empty seat is available on the flight, the passenger must wait for the next flight or forgo his or her travel plans with United. While United is not the only airline to enforce such a policy, it has come under fire from the Association for Airline Passenger Rights (AAPR) for shelving its customer service standards in favor of profit and irresponsibly packing in passengers in coach too tightly. Could the new rule do further damage to the flagging airline industry? A 2008 survey showed that airline customer satisfaction had reached its lowest level since…
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Hot Spots: Adelaide, South Australia

Australia & New Zealand, Featured, Hot Spots
Flocked by parklands and vineyards and peppered with churches, Adelaide enjoys a slower pace of life than some of the other state capitals, calling up its German and English history (Adelaide is the only capital settled by English free settlers, though it was originally inhabited by the Kaurna people) while also edging towards a more cosmopolitan flair. Adelaide tends to get overshadowed by cities like Sydney and Melbourne, but it has many pleasures in store for lovers of wine, food, art, and coastal life. Adelaide, with a population of 1.1 million, claims the distinction of having more restaurants per person than any other city in the country, as well as the distinction of producing about half of all Australian wine. For the epicure or just the foodie, this is a…
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