John M. Edwards rides around into infinity with an amazingly industrious trishaw driver skilled in perpetual motion for a mere pittance (a pocketful of rupiahs) at the Sultan’s Kraton in Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia. At the Sultan’s Kraton in Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia, I stood face to face with “The Great Man”--the Sultan himself! Since I was a known American “oil baron,” not a gas station attendant but part owner of a privately held oil and … [Read more...]
The Bar with no Name – New York City
Coming to loggerheads with an obvious British actor at an anonymous Irish bar in TriBeCa is like slumming it for a short story. . . . “What do you call this place anyway?” I asked over a pint of Harp at an attractive antique bar with no name in TriBeCa on West Broadway below Canal Street. “We haven’t decided on a name yet.” The bartender, who resembled Tom Jones, was drying glasses. His name was “Seamus” (as in Seamus Heaney, translator … [Read more...]
I Left my Box in San Francisco
Chocolate lover John M. Edwards muses over why the travel magazine "trips" went out of business in San Francisco, apparently because of a typo, as well as some other funny ass shit. In Haight-Ashbury, once the center of the 1960s Hippy Flower Power Movement, I came upon a hawker selling unique chicken-claw pipes. I purchased one and held it up in the light as he passed me a tape of Ry Cooder, the famous slide guitarist who taught Keith … [Read more...]
LAX Beach, First Children’s Play Area Opens to Public
New children’s play area by Westfield showcases local scenery, innovative design (Los Angeles, California) Just in time for the busy holiday travel season, a children’s play area named “LAX Beach” has opened in the New Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). LAX Beach celebrated its opening by hosting a “birthday party” for the space, featuring nearly 50 kindergarten children from nearby Playa … [Read more...]
T Up: Thank God for the Oil Companies!
JOHN M. EDWARDS, part owner of a privately held oil and natural gas concern based in Houston and New Orleans, gushes on about one of nature’s most valuable resources: petroleum! You can’t get to a rainforest without any transport to get you there. Luckily most major oil companies like Chevron and Shell have absolutely no interest in damaging the primary rainforests of the Amazon and Congo, although there is always some drilling on the edges … [Read more...]
New Survey Finds Americans Feel They Need Help with Romance
Marriott Caribbean & Mexico Resorts Responds with "Cupid on Call" New Program Designed to Help Guests Say “I Love You” ..or Maybe “I’m Sorry” NEW YORK – According to a new survey of more than 850 Americans conducted by Marriott Caribbean & Mexico Resorts (www.paradisebymarriott.com), a majority feel that, when it comes to love, they are more romantic than their partners but could still use a little help to spark passion in their … [Read more...]
Emirates and Virgin America Launch Frequent Flyer Partnership
International “Airline of the Year” & “Best U.S. Airline” Together Offer Frequent Flyers New Global Reward Opportunities, Award-Winning Guest Service San Francisco – October 21, 2013 – Emirates and Virgin America today announce a frequent flyer partnership that allows members of both airlines’ frequent flyer programs to earn and redeem* points or miles for travel across the networks of two airlines respectively recognized as best-in-class for … [Read more...]
Onward And Upward To Machu Pichu – Part 1
My heart kept beating like a tom-tom drum feverishly signaling an imminent enemy attack. It kept racing, and thudding, and pounding – not allowing me to get a wink of sleep. I recognized the symptoms. I knew what was happening. I had tried to prepare myself for it. It was oxygen deprivation, and it could lead to altitude sickness. Although I wasn’t in any immediate danger of becoming stricken with the illness, I knew that I was … [Read more...]
Onward & Upward To Machu Pichu – Part 2
The morning sun had ascended to its throne in the brilliant sky. The mist had excused itself for the day. Before us lay the grandeur of Machu Pichu swathed in golden sunlight. Everyone whipped out their cameras and started taking photos of the venerable gift that history had unwrapped for us. One by one, we captured the sight that we’d seen only in books. Angle by angle, frame by frame, we sought to imprint the majestic vista into the … [Read more...]
Visit Los Angeles Museums for Free!
Visit LA Museums for Free between October 1 and November 11, 2012 Book a hotel on discoverLosAngeles.com and receive two free adult admissions and store discounts at 30 leading LA museums LOS ANGELES (September 4, 2012)– Many of history’s great masterpieces call Los Angeles museums home and, this fall, the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board (LA Tourism) is turning the spotlight on the destination’s priceless artworks and exhibitions. … [Read more...]