Category: Travel

Cramped | Photo by Gerrie van der Walt on Unsplash

Squeezed to Death

“On every airline flight, a crew member talks to passengers in the exit rows to see whether they can, as Federal Aviation Administration regulations specify, “pass expeditiously through the emergency exit” if needed. Given how passengers have grown in inverse proportion to the spaciousness of airliner seats, anything like “expeditious” evacuation of an entire airliner seems doubtful.”

Image of a plane crashing

Shuttling Between Failures

The story is sordid and long, but the details were made clear by Matt Viser’s excellent Globe piece. To wit: Lorenzo sold the Donald the Eastern Shuttle for an overvalued $365 million (if DT had created a brand-new shuttle from the ground up with brand-new planes, not old worn-out 727s, estimates were that he could have done it for $300 million.) Of course, the money was all borrowed. It was 1989; Eastern (and Continental) were already almost dead from Lorenzo’s sledgehammer and the economy was tanking. Pan Am 103 was bombed, the first Gulf War was about to begin. It was incredibly bad judgement to overpay a bunch of other peoples’ money for something that was guaranteed to tank.

Almost Home

I knew I was close to home when I encountered a truck carrying Brad Paisley's "Life Amplified" Tour headed for

Tennessee River Rolling On

The Tennessee River flowing out of Kentucky Lake and dam rolling on to its meeting place with the Ohio. That

MLK Bridge Structure

Structure of the MLK Bridge. Posted by Steve Pollock on Monday, August 8, 2016

Seeing Things

Frank didn't tell me he's running for governor of Missouri. I might be like Bill Clinton, First Gentleman of Missouri!

Pokemon Going

I found four Pokemons. What'll I get for 'em? They're not Pokemons? No? Shoot. Posted by Steve Pollock on Sunday, August

Choo Choo

Finally, some excitement! A train! (US 36 in northern Missouri is great and immensely less stressful thab the hellish I70

Illinois!

Illinois! Posted by Steve Pollock on Thursday, August 4, 2016

Kentucky!

Kentucky! Posted by Steve Pollock on Thursday, August 4, 2016

Off I Go

Off I go! Road trip to Falls City, NE, to speak in honor of victims of Braniff flight 250, crashed

The Displeasure of Hounds

Posted by Steve Pollock on Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Cookeville?

Is it Cookeville? … YES! … but why?! Posted by Steve Pollock on Saturday, March 26, 2016

Baxter?

Is it Baxter? Noooooo … Posted by Steve Pollock on Saturday, March 26, 2016

Smithville?

Is it Smithville? McMinnville throughthat very dirty windshield? Nooooooo … Posted by Steve Pollock on Saturday, March 26, 2016

Carthage?

Is it Carthage? Nooooooooo … Posted by Steve Pollock on Saturday, March 26, 2016

Lebanon?

Is it Lebanon? Nooooooo … Posted by Steve Pollock on Saturday, March 26, 2016

Gallatin?

Is it Gallatin? Nooooooo … Posted by Steve Pollock on Saturday, March 26, 2016

Surprise Road Trip

Us? On a road trip? On a Saturday morning?! Now what's up with this? <Shhhhhh! It's a surprise! His Majesty

East Bound and Down

One week from tonight, we will have begun our journey out of California … for the third, and hopefully last,

Heading West — Day Five

« Photos from Day Five » Last Long Leg Written @ 08:35 MST | Saturday 15-Jul-06 | Salt Lake City,

Heading West — Day Four

« Photos from Day Four » Wyoming is Almost Done Written @ 12:00 MST | Friday 14-Jul-06 | Little America,

Heading West — Day Three

« Photos from Day Three » Rainy Again Written @ 11:42 CST | Thursday 13-Jul-06 | Gothenberg, NE We hit

Heading West — Day Two

« Photos from Day Two » Field of Opportunity Written @ 12:44 CST | Wednesday 12-Jul-06 | West Des Moines,

Where's My Reference Librarian?

Frank usually handles these things and does a far, far better job of it. I’m pretty stream-of-consciousness on my trip

Heading West — Day One

« Photos from Day One » The Very Rough Last Night in A2 Written @ 13:30 EST | Tuesday, 11-Jul-06

On Restless Beagles and Night-Before-Road-Trip Insomnia

Okay, so I thought the next post would be from Davenport, IA, but, thanks to one of the most wonderful

Countdown Begins

No, not of the shuttle Discovery, of my final week in Ann Arbor. It now seems like an amazingly fast

Traffic Nightmare

I get homesick for the Bay Area every now and then, but not on days like this: Officials are continuing

Your Travel Guide to Baghdad-By-The-Bay (2002)

‘I sat in the Delhi airport and watched the big electric clock in the departure hall that tells passengers when