by Anna Breuer

Visitors to New York City have a new playground that is now part of the Manhattan skyline.
Rising above a dozen acres (five hectares) of rail yard in the West 30s Manhattan is Hudson Yards, a shiny new neighborhood and destination in New York City. Indeed, it’s been some 80 years since the city witnessed the birth of a development of this magnitude, when Rockefeller Center opened in the 1930s.
The $25 …

Finland is the World’s Happiest Country (Again), U.S. is No. 19

by Jesse Sokolow

If you think you could be happier living somewhere else, consider a colder climate. That’s the message from the results of the 2019 World Happiness Report, which was released Wednesday in observance of World Happiness Day.
Finland took the number one spot for the second year running.  Three Nordic cousins – Denmark, Norway, and Iceland, followed. Others in the top ten include the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada, and Austria. The United …

Review: Dyson V8 Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner

by Anna Breuer

If you associate cordless vacuums with low battery life and anemic suction, Dyson has news for you: it’s 2019 and the Dyson V8 has greatly improved energy efficiency as well as far greater power.
The Dyson V8 Absolute is the latest in a line of cordless vacs that started in 2007 with the V16. As the product line matured, it gained floor tools, hoses, and wands that effectively turned the line …

Officials Seek Answers from Boeing as CEO Speaks Out

by Paul Riegler

Lawmakers and government officials in both Canada and the United States are seeking answers from Boeing relating to its new 737 Max aircraft.
The investigation into the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 crash found “clear similarities” between that event and the October Lion Air 737 Max 8 crash, following an initial analysis of flight recorder data.
As a result, officials across the globe are seeking answers from Boeing about new safety features …

Theater Review: ‘Daddy’ at Pershing Square Signature Center

by Jonathan Spira

Few plays make as much of a splash on Broadway or Off-Broadway as “Daddy” has, a coproduction of the New Group and the Vineyard Theater.
The reason for the splash isn’t necessarily what one might assume: rather, it’s due to the presence of an aptly-named infinity pool fronting Matt Saunders’ exquisite recreation of a Bel Air mansion. Members of the cast jump in with alarming frequency (alarming to the first three …

Review: ‘Chick Flick the Musical’ and ‘The Other Josh Cohen’ at Westside Theatre

by Jonathan Spira

Two musicals are currently at the Westside Theatre, an historic building that opened in 1889 as the Second German Baptist Church: “Chick Flick the Musical” and “The Other Josh Cohen.”
“Chick Flick the Musical,” the story of four female friends trying to spend a night together watching, well, a chick flick, is making its Off-Broadway debut upstairs at the Westside Theatre. Employing the term used (sometimes in the pejorative) for the …

American, Southwest Work to Fill Gaps After 737 Max is Grounded

by Paul Riegler

The grounding of the Boeing 737 Max, following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 on Sunday, has left dozens of airlines with gaps to fill in their schedules.
The single-aisle Boeing 737, which was introduced in the 1960s, is the most popular commercial airliner in history and the latest version, the 737 Max, is Boeing’s best-selling aircraft ever.
In the United States, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines operate …

The Airlines to Choose for On-Time Arrivals

by Anna Breuer

Few travelers seem to give on-time performance as much weight in choosing an airline as cost and comfort, but on time arrival doesn’t happen four out of five times.
For those who want to have the greatest chance of arriving punctually, Hawaiian Airlines is the way to go. It chalked up its 15th successive year as the nation’s most punctual airline with the release of the Department of Transportation’s Air Travel …