Upright & Stowed

Aeroflot Un-Bloc'd

In 1997 I went to Russia for the first (and only, so far) time.  It was a fantastic and memorable trip.  The country was in its early stages of post-Communist transformation, and the many stages of visible history were fascinating to behold.  Halfway through, we flew from St. Petersburg to Moscow on former state carrier Aeroflot.  Here I am, just prior to boarding.  The interior of the plane was indeed worthy of a good knuckle-bite, but we made it through the trip safely.  A fun adventure.  Today's New York Times reports that Aeroflot will soon complete its makeover with a 100% US/EU-made fleet.  So long Tupolev.  Sayonnara Ilyushin.  And here's hoping the reprehensible 757 joins you in the junk pile soon.

Loving London

Smack in the middle of what has been an amazing and productive work trip to London, I got to have ... a weekend!  The highest of highlights was disco roller skating on Friday night at a club in Vauxhaul.  But there have been many others, including the Tate Modern, The London Eye, and the fantastic energy on the streets.  With the pound lower than 1.5 to the dollar, I've even managed some shopping success.  Wait till you see my smoking hot new Adidas.  Some images ...

Atop the London Eye.  Does London get any more majestic than this?

 

Skaters on the southern embankment.

My first visit to the amazing Tate Modern.  Here's the turbine hall.

Also at the Tate Modern.  I made it out with my head intact.

London Notes

I’m in London for a week of meetings.  My notes so far.

• I took the day flight from JFK to LHR.  What an eye-opener.  The flight leaves at 8:30 am and lands in London at 8:30 pm.  So rather than arriving wiped out from a too-short night of airplane sleeping, you arrive feeling fresh (sort of), having completed a day’s work and needing only a minor sleeping aid to get to bed.  A flying revelation.
• The British pound has plummeted so quickly in the past few months, it’s staggering.  You can now get a cup of coffee for under $10 and bangers and mash for under $20.
• It appears that the British embrace of Billy Elliot, The Musical was not a fluke.  My disdain for it was.  I seem to be a minority of one in hating the show (see Ben Brantley’s review in today’s NY Times).  Alas, you can’t be with the crowd every time.
• They’re as Obama-crazy here as we are at home.  A very good – and satisfying – thing.

Jolly Old England.   I’m glad I came.

Image: MSNBC, from this summer.

Look What They Erected ...

... in the 12 years since I last visited London.  The Eye is just one of the amazing ways London has evolved into a 21st Century city.  Special thanks to my hosts Cedric and Preston for bringing me up to date in my short 36 hour visit.

Next up:  Nairobi.

Me Want...

... to stay in this hotel.  It was designed by Frank Gehry.  It's part of Starwood's Luxury Collection.  It's in Elciego, in the Spanish Basque country.  And it's called the Hôtel Marques de Riscal.

London Calling: But, Oh, What A Price

A recent article in Business Week notes that London is experiencing its latest moment as one of the most happening places on earth.  But at $2 to the pound, it's also one of the most expensive.   I love London.  And I want to visit soon, even for just a long weekend.  I even have some old friends who live there.  But I don't want to obligate myself to them while visiting.

Which leads to today's question:  What is a poor American craving a London fix to do?  Or more specifically, have you stayed at or heard about a lodging establishment in London – basic or better – that won't break the bank?  As a benchmark, let's say no more than $350 a night?  Do tell.    Photo credit.

Europe's Low-Cost Airlines

If you are traveling to Europe this summer, you should become familiar with the new low-cost airlines that can get you from A to Zed cheap(er) than ever.

These carriers have sprouted up like mushrooms lately, and they make it easier – if a tad less storied – to travel around the continent.

The best source I've found for an overview of your options is this article on Wikitravel.

The Santorini Connection

This is me in Santorini in 2004.  My hair was much shorter then.  The image of Dolly Parton on my T-shirt was less faded then.  And there was definitely not a 1200-passenger Sea Diamond cruise ship freshly sunk off the island then.

If you didn't see the video footage of the ship's final moments before going under, check it out here.  It's really freaky.

My inspiration for this post is as follows:  My host on this particular trip to Greece (who I will not name) informed me yesterday that I need to get out and travel more if I want to continue writing a blog about travel.  He suggested Upright & Stowed has become too much about NYC and too much about me. 

Actually, it's kind of true.  But since I'm too busy starting a new business to do much good travel, I'm doing my best to inspire with stories and musings that I hope will inspire you to travel.  I'm not holding a grudge against the unmentionable person who told me to Hit the Road.  Because that very same person turned me on to AAdvantage Shopping, which lets me earn airline miles while I sit on my ass shopping at home!  Thanks for the tip, B---y.

Answer: Selinunte, Sicily

The answer to last week's "Where Am I?" contest is this:  I am sitting on the ruins of Selinunte, on the island of Sicily, within the Republic of Italy.

Though no one "officially" answered the question correctly, I did receive a wonderfully surprising e-mail from a former colleague – actually, the woman who hired me at American Express in 1987 – who found her way to Upright & Stowed.  Alexandra, like most ex-Amex employees, is very well traveled.   She correctly identified  the location, but since she didn't use the Comments tool, she cannot be declared the contest winner (rules are rules, people).  Go, Alex!

I've been to Italy 6 times.  If someone forced me to pick one country as the only place I could ever visit again, I would choose Italy.   Why?   Simple.  The food.  The people.  The history.  The fashion.  The architecture.  The countryside.  The cities.  The beaches.  The men.  The women.  The energy.  The sexiness.  And, because it bears repeating, the food.   And the men.   Ciao, bello. 

Turkey on TV

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that Turkey is high on my list of places I want to go next.  In honor of that aspiration,  today I post my first video (!!!) on Upright & Stowed. 

This is a TV commercial for a Turkish Bank called Akbank, and it's fantastic.  I have no idea what it means, but I love it.  I'm already planning to make all of my cash transactions at Akbank when I visit.  Enjoy, and thanks to Koray – a very sexy Turk – for the video tip-off.