by Paul Riegler

A whopping 99.5% of frequent flyers surveyed said they were aware of recent highly publicized incidents involving several major U.S. airlines and almost half said the incident or incidents did affect their feelings about flying with the airline involved.
According to a Frequent Business Traveler GlobeRunner Insights survey, conducted in partnership with FlyerTalk.com, the world’s largest online travel community, and LoungeBuddy, an airport lounge resource app, emotions ran high on the matter.
Clearly, …

Lobby Bar – August 19: Doctoring Your Passport, Let’s Get Postal, and Yabba Dabba Doo!

by Jeremy Del Nero

Lobby Bar – A Now Available as a Once-Weekly Dietary Supplement
Bikeway. Jonathan Spira heads back to catch another performance of “Spamilton,” this time at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre. As its name implies, the theatre is one wheeled, and slowly makes its way down Broadway by collective force of the audience using bicycle pedals built into the seats in front of them. It makes for an amazing experience and the …

After Numerous False Starts, the New Penn Station Begins to Take Shape on Eighth Avenue

by Jonathan Spira

NEW YORK—The much ballyhooed $1.6 billion project of turning Manhattan’s James A. Farley Post Office Building into a reimagined Penn Station is about to begin, after a quarter century of planning, bold announcements, and false starts.
Soon to be known as Moynihan Station, the new train hall will include a skylighted atrium approximately the size of the Main Hall at Grand Central Terminal, a new Metropolitan Lounge for Acela passengers, shops, …

Review: ‘Spamilton’ at 47th Street Theatre

by Jonathan Spira

Unlike its not quite homophone, “Hamilton,” the spoof “Spamilton” doesn’t stand still. Not only did the show, which opened at the Triad in the Upper West Side last summer, recently move a block away from the Richard Rodgers Theater that “Hamilton” calls home, but it regularly updates its own material, making it fun to revisit.
Now at the 199-seat 47th Street Theatre, also known as the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, “Spamilton” …

Your Papers, Please! How to Renew Your Passport in 4 Hours Without Any Stress

by Paul Riegler

Most countries require visitors to have a passport valid for at least six months following the date of entry, but renewing your passport when you travel multiple times a month, such as I do for work, can be tricky.
With four months remaining on my U.S. passport (like several others at FBT, I’m a dual citizen so I also have an EU passport, in my case from Germany), I decided it …

Restaurant Review: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Stamford, Connecticut

by Paul Riegler

My journey to Stamford, Connecticut to have my U.S. passport renewed left me with approximately two to three hours to occupy me between the initial application process and the scheduled pick-up time at 2:30 p.m. Fortunately, as several of the helpful agents at the passport office pointed out, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que was just across the street.
What they didn’t tell me is that this may very well be one of the best …

Lobby Bar – August 11: Trusting the Internet’s Strangers, Electricity is Trendy, and How to Fold Your Electronics

by Jeremy Del Nero

Lobby Bar – A Non-Habit Forming Opiate, FDA Approval Pending
Island friends. Hawaiian Airlines will be introducing a new communications channel for customer service: two-way texting. This service will be a great way to check in with the airline regarding your upcoming flight, or if you’re out at dinner with somebody popular and want to make it seem like you’re texting a friend. It was confirmed at the same time that plans …

Review: ‘Miss Saigon’ at Broadway Theatre

by Jonathan Spira

Never before had the planned arrival of a new musical on Broadway angered as many people and caused as many protests as “Miss Saigon” did when it arrived from the West End in 1991. It brought with it two stars, English actor Jonathan Pryce, who in London wore prosthetics to alter the shape of his eyes and makeup to change the color of his skin, and Filipino actress Lea Salonga, …