21 May 2013

TSA Pre-Check Now Speeds International Travelers Through Airport Security – Forbes.com

The average amount of time, in minutes, it takes me to get through security using TSA Pre-Check. (Photo credit: Andrew Bender)

The average amount of time, in minutes, it takes me to get through security using TSA Pre-Check. (Photo credit: Andrew Bender)

About the best news – OK, about the only good news – for air travelers in the last few years has been TSA Pre-Check, which allows passengers to speed through security at dozens of U.S. airports without removing shoes, laptop bags and light outerwear. Domestic travelers love it, but international travelers were stuck in the slow lane. Thankfully, that’s changed.

Read the rest of the story on my  Forbes Seat 1A column.

03 May 2013

Five Reasons Tequila Is Good For You – Forbes.com

Agave plants growing on highlands and lowlands. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 – “Tequila treats you the same way you treat it,” says Steve Calabro, bartender at Rick Bayless’s Red O in Los Angeles. “If you aggressively slam it back, it will get mad and return the favor.”

Start with a quality tequila. Your first clue is to look for “100% Agave” on the label. Under Mexican law, tequila must be made from only the blue Weber agave plant (pictured) from the Tequila region in the state of Jalisco.

Read more in my Forbes story.

01 May 2013

The Biggest Scam In Vegas May Be Your Taxi Ride – Forbes.com

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Las Vegas Strip (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Las Vegas is famous for shady characters who try to stay under the radar: card counters, bookies and, um, others. But some of the shadiest may be hiding in plain sight: taxi drivers.

“We conservatively estimate airport passengers were overcharged $14.8 million in 2012,” reads an audit report on taxi services in Las Vegas.

Read the full story on my Forbes blog, Seat 1A.

24 Apr 2013

Fashion-Forward Renovation At The InterContinental Chicago – Forbes.com

image: Andrew Bender

Image: Andrew Bender

Historic hotels can be a treasure but can also pose a problem: the fine line between “classic” and “dated.”

The InterContinental Chicago has an elegant solution: two towers with different design concepts.  The hotel’s Historic Tower was built in 1929, and it’s been a landmark ever since. The hotel’s other wing, the Grand Tower, was built in 1961 but paradoxically felt more dated than the Historic Tower – until a renovation completed this month.

Read the full story and see before-and-after pictures on my Forbes Seat 1A blog.

09 Apr 2013

Inside Legoland’s First U.S. Hotel Opening – Forbes.com

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The first Legoland Hotel in the Americas opened this weekend in Carlsbad, Calif., north of San Diego. It’s a fantasy land in primary colors with something to make kids of all ages smile, from clever themed rooms to brick-building contests and a disco elevator.

If one measure of an artist is finding a motif and committing to it, Lego’s designers belong up there with the Old Masters. For starters: 3,500 Lego models fashioned from over 3 million of the Danish bricks, throughout the 250-room hotel. The building is three stories, both in height and the themes of its rooms (kingdom, pirate or adventure), which are executed to the hilt.

Read the full story on my Seat 1A blog on Forbes.com….

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