Schloss Elmau: The Resort Hosting the G7 Summit – Photo Essay and Review

by Jonathan Spira
Schloss Elmau: The Resort Hosting the G7 Summit – Photo Essay and Review

President Obama, German Chancellor Merkel, and other Group of Seven leaders gathered at a summit in the Bavarian Alps this week to discuss affairs of state that include Greece’s debt and sanctions against Russia.
Nestled at the foot of the Wettersteingebirge, a range of mountains that includes some of Germany’s tallest, including the 9,740-foot (2,969-meter) high Zugspitze, stands Schloss Elmau, a 100-year-old castle turned luxury resort.
Just 62 miles (100 kilometers) from …

‘Fun Home’ and ‘Curious Incident’ Big Winners at Tony Awards

by Paul Riegler
‘Fun Home’ and ‘Curious Incident’ Big Winners at Tony Awards

The 69th Tony Awards took place Sunday night at Radio City Music Hall in New York City with “Fun Home” and “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” each collecting five awards.
“Fun Home,” a story based on Alison Bechdel’s novel memoir about growing up as a lesbian with a closeted gay father, won the Tony Award for best new musical.  The show also won a best director Tony …

Lobby Bar – June 5: People Power, Desserts For Days, Vegetarian Beefeaters, and Anti-Oxygen Airlines

by Jeremy Del Nero

Lobby Bar – A (dis)Honest Summary of FBT News and Views 
Volatile editor. It’s that time of the month when Jesse hops in his time machine and visits June travel events throughout history. Jesse was last seen hanging out with Taft and Coolidge in the LaSalle Hotel (before the big fire), convincing them that he is a president from the future. Jesse now has the nuclear launch codes, so be careful …

Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, Chicago – Hotel Review

by Jonathan Spira
Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, Chicago – Hotel Review

Located on the shore of Lake Michigan, McCormick Place is the largest convention center in North America. The Hyatt Regency McCormick Place is connected via an enclosed sky bridge to the convention center, which allows guests to avoid the elements, something of particular importance in Chicago, where winters are cold and snowy, the sun rarely makes an appearance, and the normal temperature high in January and February is just below …

What’s Doing in Saint Petersburg, Russia

by Jesse Sokolow
What’s Doing in Saint Petersburg, Russia

Saint Petersburg, Russia is a city with many names. It was founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and given its current name. In 1914 it was renamed as Petrograd in an attempt to remove its Germanic roots, in 1924 as Leningrad, and following a period of perestroika, glasnost, and the collapse of the Soviet Union, it returned to being Saint Petersburg. Russians may simply call it Petersburg and, in …

Photo Essay: Behind the Scenes in Transaero’s Imperial Class Kitchens

by Paul Riegler
Photo Essay: Behind the Scenes in Transaero’s Imperial Class Kitchens

Transaero Airlines is the only Russian airline that offers an international first class cabin and service.  Available on flights to over a dozen cities, including Beijing, London, New York, Paris, Toronto, and Vladivostok, Imperial Class offers passengers a standard that is modeled after what Russia’s imperial families’ might practice today.
The meals served in Imperial Class on flights were designed by Dmitry Yeremeev, chef of one of the best restaurants in …

Great Moments in Travel History – June 2015

by Jesse Sokolow
Great Moments in Travel History – June 2015

On June 23, 1905, the Wright Flyer III, piloted by Orville Wright, made its first flight.  The Flyer was the third powered aircraft built by the Wright Brothers and with the modifications they made, it achieved substantially greater performance than their previous two efforts.
The Hotel Utah opened its doors in downtown Salt Lake City on June 9, 1911.  It remained open for 76 years, hosting such notable figures as U.S. …