"Theme Park 2.0" features pricey, high-tech attractions

ORLANDO, Fla (Reuters) - Investment in theme parks and cutting-edge attractions along the lines of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando surged during the recession, leading one developer to suggest the business is entering a new Golden Age.

"It's almost like a Theme Park 2.0, or a re-boot," said Brent Young, co-founder of the Super 78 production studio in Hollywood, California.

"We're really coming into a second Golden Age in theme park development," he said.

The first boom, which peaked in the 1970s, saw extensive construction of theme parks in the United States from the ground up. Development of Walt Disney World, Six Flags, Busch Gardens and numerous regional parks led to a saturation of the U.S. market by the 1980s, according to John Gerner, managing director of Leisure Business Advisors.

The new era is a global phenomenon propelled by technological advances and a growing middle class in Asia and third-world countries, Gerner and Young said.

"In the U.S., we think of a squeeze on the middle class. But in other parts of the world, they've got an expanding middle class," said Gerner, who has consulted on projects for leading attractions worldwide.

Gerner said China is experiencing a theme park construction boom comparable to what occurred in the United States in the 1970s. The coming of a Disney park in Shanghai triggered an expansion of the Chinese regional theme park company Happy Valley, he said. Disney broke ground in Shanghai this year and anticipates a 2015 open.

"In the past when Disney has opened in a region of the world, it has encouraged others to do so. With the Shanghai Disney park, we would expect a similar increase, its own boom," Gerner said.

Young, who specializes in the application of emerging technologies in themed attractions, said the new Golden Age is marked by the additions of highly themed and immersive experiences using state-of-the-art technology.

HELP FROM HARRY POTTER

The huge success of the Harry Potter ride at Universal Orlando, which executives say boosted attendance by 50 percent, has further ignited demand, Young said. Since that attraction opened in June 2010, Universal has been breaking its attendance records.

"Harry Potter was a disrupter and forced everybody to step up their game," Young said. "It became this arms race."

Young said his business took off in 2007, fueled by projects in China and Singapore even as the U.S. economy was hit by the burst of the housing bubble.

Among his entries opened over the past two years is Flight of the Dragon at the Happy Valley theme park in Shanghai. The ride is a 4-D simulated flying experience moving through a curved black box theater with water sprits, scents and wind creating realistic effects.

Spending on new attractions in the United States also is up. Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services, estimates spending rose 30-35 percent over the past two years, following four years of mostly stagnant attendance and deep discounting at parks.

Much of the spending is on redevelopment and additions to existing parks, he said.

He cited several examples of recent investment in the central Florida tourist hub alone, including SeaWorld Orlando's planned overhaul of its penguin exhibit to include state-of-the-art interactive ride technology, and the just-completed revamp of the historic Cypress Gardens ski-show park in Winter Haven into a Legoland.

"It's what the industry needs to do now to ratchet up," Speigel said.

Ride manufacturers who met in Orlando in November for the annual International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions convention have "never been busier," Speigel said.

"Literally, they're almost at capacity for the next couple of years," he said.

Experts said the end is nowhere in sight, thanks to technological advances that will continue to create demand.

Within the next decade, Young said he expects attractions will enable park guests to feel as if they are sharing space with fully rendered 3-D characters and other nearly unimaginable experiences.

"I'm not even sure what this means," Speigel said of expectations for coming attractions, "(but) it's going to be the 5th dimension."

(Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Jerry Norton)

View the original article here

A holiday surprise from the travel industry

Sometimes when you travel, it's the little gestures of compassion that make the biggest difference -- especially during the holidays.

For Becky Brand, it was the bus driver on Washington's L2 line who went out of his way to help her during Thanksgiving week. "While I was struggling with a heavy suitcase in the rain, he made my day by stopping to let me on instead of having me run to the bus stop a block away," says Brand, who works for a legal advocacy group in the capital. "Although a small and random act of kindness, it made my holiday week and definitely gave me something to be thankful for."

Jenny Block remembers the nameless American Airlines employee who answered her plea on Twitter. Her cousin had been left in a coma after a traffic accident, and she needed the airline to bend a flight-change rule. Block, a writer who lives in Dallas, received an immediate reply: Of course, the airline would help her.

"You won't believe this part," she told me. "It happened on Thanksgiving morning."

Oh no, that part I would believe.

See, that's the funny thing about the travel industry. For a business that, with a few notable exceptions, thinks nothing of offending its customers most of the year, the short-lived transformation during the holidays is incredible. It's as if someone turned back the clock and made common courtesy and customer service important again.

And it cuts both ways. This is the time of year when you hear about customers committing random acts of kindness, too.

When Natalie Caine, a counselor from Toluca Lake, Calif., saw the woman in front of her at the airport coffee shop come up a few dollars short as she tried to buy snacks for her children, Caine covered her tab. "I know the stress of parenting and travel," she says.

Joellen Freeman, an administrative assistant from Lexington, S.C., was flying from Cleveland to Atlanta when she witnessed a remarkable seat switch. "A gentleman came up to a soldier," she remembers. "He introduced himself and then asked the soldier about his seat assignment. He then traded seats with the soldier -- giving up his first-class seat for one in coach as an expression of his gratitude for the service of the young man. It was very touching."

Not all these gestures are spontaneous, but that doesn't make them any less remarkable.

Jessica Langley, a flight attendant based in Columbus, Ohio, spends the year collecting soaps and shampoos in hotels. She recently drove from her home in Palm Beach, Fla., to Orlando to deliver 55 pounds of toiletries to a charity called Clean the World, which is dedicated to helping stop the spread of fatal diseases worldwide. "To me, it's a no-brainer," she says. "A few extra ounces in my carry-on luggage can have a big impact."

At the Sheraton Kauai, employees donated 1,000 pounds of food to the Hawaii Food Bank for Thanksgiving. Then, for good measure, they threw in the keys to the van. "This effort has led to the resort designating a Food Bank Table in the hotel's restaurant each day where proceeds from that table will be donated to the Hawaii Food Bank," says Jonathan Pappas, a spokesman for the resort.

I don't know about you, but I love hearing about how the travel industry goes out of its way to be charitable year-round. As a consumer advocate who deals with complaints all the time, these stories give me hope. Because charitable giving and good customer service often go hand-in-hand, they make me believe that one day, this industry will again compete on customer service and not just price.

But the niceness can also make me feel a little awkward, particularly when it comes from a place where you'd least expect it. Hearing about an act of compassion from an employee of a discount airline or from an online agency that routes all customer complaints to an overseas call center can be downright jarring.

Or even, from the TSA.

But there I was, just a week after Thanksgiving, waiting curbside for my family to pick me up at the airport. When they arrived, I brought one bag over to the car, and when I turned around, I saw an off-duty Transportation Security Administration agent standing there with my second bag.

I don't think he knew that he'd just assisted one of the agency's most vocal critics with his luggage. It made the gesture all the more meaningful.

I was speechless. All I could manage was a timid, "Thank you."

The agent smiled and said, "Welcome home."

Christopher Elliott is the author of "Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals" (Wiley). He's also the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine and the co-founder of the Consumer Travel Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates for travelers. Read more tips on his blog, elliott.org or e-mail him at chris@elliott.org. Christopher Elliott receives a great deal of reader mail, and though he answers them as quickly as possible, your story may not be published for several months because of a backlog of cases.

View the original article here

When in New Glarus, drink New Glarus beer

NEW GLARUS, Wis. — In this south-central Wisconsin town best known for its namesake brewery, I figured there must be a downtown bar dedicated to late-night sipping of the brew that makes this place a must-stop for Midwestern beer lovers.

There wasn't such a place. There were such places.

In this town of 2,200, all 12 bars — from the pizza place to the Swiss restaurant to the bowling alley — serve New Glarus beer. Most serve it on draft, if not several drafts. What is not on tap is usually in bottles.

Such devotion allows New Glarus Brewing, perched on a hill above town, to be open from just 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The rest of the time, the entire town becomes the brewery's pub. Since Deborah Carey started the brewery in 1993, New Glarus has become, without doubt, a town that loves its beer.

"We're very proud of what Deb has done," said Susie Weiss, director of the town's chamber of commerce. "When we have Polkafest or Oktoberfest, we only serve New Glarus beer. The only way to have another beer is to go into a bar and carry it out."

A night in New Glarus isn't long enough to hit all the bars or drink all the beer, but one Friday night, my drinking companion and I did our best.

After checking in at the Swiss Aire Motel (cheap, clean and simple personified), we shook off our 21/2-hour drive by strolling to the farthest bar we could find, Flannery's Wilhelm Tell Club, which, in true small-town fashion, was less than a mile away. In any other town, a bar like Flannery's would probably offer six lousy-to-fine draft beers whose identities you could guess without looking at the taps.

But Flannery's only offered two such beers — Coors Light and Stella Artois — alongside four New Glarus brews: Staghorn (an Oktoberfest), Totally Naked (a light lager), Fat Squirrel (a nut brown ale) and Spotted Cow (a farmhouse ale that is the brewery's staple).

Amid a crowd celebrating the start of the weekend, the bartender gladly poured us a short sample of each. For the full pint, I chose Fat Squirrel for its hearty, roasted balance; my companion picked Spotted Cow. I had sipped both those beers many times, but at Flannery's they came alive. Both were fresher and livelier than I knew they could be, especially the Spotted Cow. Out of Flannery's tap, Spotted Cow was a lesson on drinking locally: refreshing, earthy and bright.

Next we were off to Ott Haus, which might be a play on "outhouse," but it is also the name of the family that owns the bar. Unlike family-friendly Flannery's, Ott Haus is the kind of place where locals raise beers deep into the evening. We eyeballed the eight New Glarus bottles lined up beside the bar.

I chose the Black Top black India pale ale, the well-hopped seasonal at the time, and my companion chose Dancing Man, a surprisingly hearty wheat beer thick with banana and spice.

Rather than a second round at Ott Haus, we headed over to Glarner Stube, which is roundly considered the best restaurant in town. Its name translates to "The Living Room of New Glarus," and for good reason. The menu is full of savory Swiss dishes like Schublig ("mild spiced beef sausage … sure to please a true sausage lover"), Geschnetzelets ("tender veal slices sauteed with white wine, cream and mushrooms") and Roesti (potatoes fried with Swiss cheese).

With eight taps, Glarner Stube is home to one of the most comprehensive New Glarus draft lists in town. That night, the offerings included rarities like Chocolate Abbey (a light-bodied beer that walks a deft line between chocolaty and crisp) and Cranbic (a refreshing, light pink beer that's tart and sweet like the fruit from which it is derived).

Squeezing ourselves in at the wood bar bustling with locals and tourists, we ordered one of each. We also never enjoyed a 45-minute wait more. We downed our beers and then kept exploring: a Moon Man, New Glarus' crisp pale ale for me, and the Staghorn Oktoberfest for my drinking partner. Between us, we were up to nine New Glarus beers on the evening without ever setting foot in the brewery (though we got there the next day).

For my dinner of three large, gravy-covered Swiss meatballs, I went back to Chocolate Abbey to pair with the succulent meat. My co-pilot opted for the Fat Squirrel with her plate of tender scallops in a bright red pepper sauce.

Stuffed with beer and Swiss food, we figured a little activity was necessary to down one more New Glarus beer. In Wisconsin, of course, that means bowling.

We walked to Swiss Lanes, an alley stuck gloriously in the 1950s but updated just enough to offer one New Glarus beer on draft: Spotted Cow. We ordered a pint each, got our shoes, grabbed a lane and clinked glasses. Whether we were toasting New Glarus the beer or New Glarus the town, I'm not sure.

If you go

Just south of Madison, Wis., New Glarus is a 21/2- to 3-hour drive northwest of Chicago. Known for its Swiss charm (and beer), the town does brisk tourism business, especially during warmer months and festivals, so it's worth getting a room in advance. One of the great advantages of New Glarus is that almost everything is walkable.

There are several types of accommodations, including large hotels like Chalet Landhaus (608-527-5234, 801 Wisconsin Highway 69, chaletlandhaus.com simple motels like Swiss Aire (608-527-2138, 1200 Highway 69, swissaire.com and rental houses and cabins.

No visit is complete without eating Swiss food at Glarner Stube (608-527-2216, 518 First St., glarnerstube.com which has eight drafts dedicated to New Glarus beer. Other spots to sample the local brew include Flannery's Wilhelm Tell Club (608-527-2618, 114 Second St., flannerysnewglarus.com Ott Haus (608-527-2218, 406 Second St.) and Sportsman's Bar and Grill (608-527-2225, 506 First St.). For bowling, there's Swiss Lanes (608-527-2414; 1019 Highway 69). If you want to get close to nature, check out New Glarus Woods State Park (608-527-2335, W5446 County Highway NN), which has more than seven miles of trails.

Finally, be sure to visit the New Glarus brewery (608-527-5850, 2400 Highway 69, newglarusbrewing.com. Perched on a hill above town, it's part of a relaxing, pastoral scene that is perfect for sipping beer and boasts some varieties you probably can't find elsewhere. Don't miss the self-guided tour (do it with a beer in hand), and be sure to browse the ground-level shop that sells whatever New Glarus beer is available at the moment.

For more information, visit swisstown.com.

jbnoel@tribune.com

View the original article here

A Hyatt boutique

While nowhere as big as its local Hyatt brethren, this upscale boutique hotel oozes cool the moment you step into its dark, mahogany-toned lobby highlighted by an impressive art collection (the "Piazza del Duomo Milan" hanging near the front desk is the original).

King guest rooms offer picturesque views of Lake Michigan to the east and the city to the west. But the room's true beauty lies in the bathroom, which sports an oversized tub, walk-in shower and privacy door that opens into the bedroom and its cityscape.

Even greater are the views from NoMI, the hotel's Michelin-rated seventh-floor restaurant, which offers both eye-pleasing aesthetics, courtesy of its Dale Chihuly chandeliers, and sumptuous tastes from its globally inspired menu.

One added feature: special room filtration for hypo-allergenic and smoking rooms.

Park Hyatt Chicago

Neighborhood: Gold Coast

800 N. Michigan Ave.

Chicago, IL 60611

312-335-1234

parkchicago.hyatt.com

Getting there

Cross streets: Chicago and Michigan

Public transportation: CTA bus: 66-Chicago, 145-Wilson/Michigan Express, 146-Marine/Michigan Exp.; Red Line "L" stop: Chicago

Parking: Self and valet

Wheelchair access

The basics

Prices start at $395 excluding taxes.

Floors: 18

Rooms: 198

Hotel amenities: Ballrooms (one), meeting rooms (six), restaurant and bars/lounges (one), 24-hour business center, 24-hour fitness center, pool, whirlpool, sauna, steam room

Room amenities: Flat-screen television, work desk, mini-bar, coffee maker, in-room safe

Features: Room service, turndown service, pets allowed, Wi-Fi complimentary, shopping nearby

View the original article here

NFL star Lance Briggs unwinds in cozy Costa Rica

NFL linebacker Lance Briggs has always had a love for comic books, and creating his own has been a dream come true for the 31-year-old football player. "Seraph," created by Briggs and co-written with Phil Hester, is one of eight titles in the Top Cow and Image Comics Pilot Season Competition. Throughout December, fans may vote for their favorite title at Topcow.com. "Vote as often as you like," said Briggs, who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., when not playing in Chicago with the Bears. "Just like when you vote for the Pro Bowl."

Q: What is your favorite vacation destination?

A: At the end of the year, I want to go some place warm. There's nothing like going to Costa Rica, where it's beautiful and you get more bang for the buck. We went zip-lining and stayed at this cool little place off the beach. I went to sleep listening to the waves. That, for me, is a vacation paradise.

Q: Have you ever roughed it and gone backpacking?

A: Yes. In 2006, I backpacked around Europe and stayed in hostels. I went to Rome, Venice and Paris. It was a lot of fun. I took a trip to London last year and also went to Ireland. I just spent hours in a pub with some of the locals who were talking about the history of their country and the United States and England and how it all tied together. I didn't backpack on that trip though.

Q: Do people overseas give you a hard time about playing the wrong kind of football?

A: (He laughed.) It depends on where you are. If you go to the Bahamas, you're going to see a lot of football fans. But you're not going to find too many people who're interested in American football in England. When I was in Costa Rica, there was an international soccer match, and one of the teams was from Africa, and they got a lot of attention. No one knew who I was or cared that I played football. Soccer was the main thing. It's kind of nice.

Q: Where are your favorite weekend getaways?

A: Miami's always nice. Going back home to Sacramento and Elk Grove, Calif., is fun. And I love taking a nice road trip because you can find a lot of peace.

Q: What are some of your favorite cities?

A: In Europe, London and Venice are right up there; in the United States, Miami, Scottsdale, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and San Diego.

Q: Where have you visited where you didn't feel particularly welcome?

A: People in Paris were pretty unfriendly, which was kind of surprising because people were so nice in other places — Amsterdam, Rome, London. Maybe we just ran into the wrong folks in France. I don't hold a grudge though. I don't speak French, so I'm sure that was part of it. I speak a little Spanish, so that helps when I visit Costa Rica.

Q: What have you learned from traveling?

A: I've visited quite a few places where the people aren't as concerned about material things, like a lot of Americans are, and they lead kind of a simple but extremely fulfilling life. And they're happy. I have a lot of respect for that.

For more from the reporter, visit jaehakim.com.

View the original article here

Ski resorts around the world use artist's hand-painted panoramas in their trail maps

LOVELAND, Colo. (AP) — If you've ever gone skiing at an unfamiliar resort without getting lost, chances are you have James Niehues to thank.

Niehues, 65, is the man behind the trail map. His hand-painted panoramas have been reproduced into millions of pocket-sized maps handed out by ski resorts in North America, Japan, Korea, China, New Zealand, Australia, Chile and Serbia.

"His trail maps are as much a part of the sport as snow," said Greg Ditrinco, executive editor of Ski Magazine.

That's high praise for a fellow whose formal art training consisted of a "learn to draw" mail-order course, taken in ninth grade while home sick from school.

Niehues always wanted to find a job that "had a little art." After the Army, he worked as an offset pressman, an ad layout artist and a designer before contacting Bill Brown, who painted the majority of the ski maps in the 1970s and 1980s.

Niehues went to Brown looking for some encouragement, but left with a commission. Brown was moving away from maps and into video, and asked Niehues to take over painting an inset for a Winter Park, Colo., trail map.

From his start in 1987 until today, Niehues has painted about 300 panoramas, mostly of ski resorts, but also of golf courses, hiking trails, resort property and tourist regions.

His style is distinctive. He paints from an aerial perspective, distorted if necessary to bring a labyrinth of runs and mountain faces into a single plane.

"That's why I've lasted so long doing what I do," explained Niehues. "Every ski slope is a puzzle to me; to turn all those slopes so you can get the best view. "

Niehues works out of a well-organized basement studio in the modest house he shares in Loveland, Colo., with his wife, Dora, who handles the business end of things.

To craft a map, Niehues researches his subject, checking satellite images on Google Earth, existing maps, blueprints and photographs. Then, whenever possible, he visits the resort, taking photographs from the air while being flown over at various altitudes.

"By the time I get down from the flight I know what perspective I can get to represent the mountain," he said. If he can't make the flight personally, he asks the resort to supply aerial photographs.

Niehues starts by providing the client with a couple of small sketches, followed by a large pencil on vellum drawing. The sketch time can take from a day to a week, depending on the size of the resort.

Once he gets the client's approval, he begins painting in gouache, an opaque watercolor, on a 30-by-40 inch prepared illustration board. This method allows him to lift the color and update sections as resorts change over the years.

Small ski areas might require three days of painting, while large resorts require 10, depending on the number of trees. Regional representations can take up to three weeks.

Niehues licenses the image to the client, but he maintains the copyright. His most lucrative job was $13,500 for a regional map, six years ago.

"If there were two really good artists in this business, we'd both starve," he said.

Niehues will sketch one resort while painting another, but he only paints one at a time.

"I tried doing several at a time in my early career. It was OK but they would end up looking similar and I didn't like that," he explained.

View the original article here

A grand place on the North Shore of Lake Superior

GRAND MARAIS, Minn. — Sandwiched between the magnificence of Lake Superior and the Sawtooth Mountains, Grand Marais seems ho-hum. But don't let its disheveled downtown deceive. This is one of the best bases for exploring the North Shore. Stay in a hotel overlooking the lake, stroll to a gourmet dinner, shop at an art gallery or a classic five-and-dime, and explore the outdoors. The town may not have the charm of Lutsen's clapboard lodge or the flash of Naniboujou Lodge's painted dining room, but in the end it wows as much as the surrounding scenery.

THE BASICS:

Tucked against Lake Superior, Grand Marais, population 1,351, was once a sleepy fishing village. All that's changed, in part because it occupies one of the most scenic spots along the Arrowhead. At the edge of town, a windblown spit of land juts out into the lake, helping to form a big bay and a calm harbor, so the town looks embraced by Superior.

Get tourist information at http://www.grandmarais.com.

WHAT TO DO:

The Gunflint Trail — which cuts inland to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and where moose sometimes wander onto the road — begins its winding way in Grand Marais, but you don't really need to drive along that road to feel lost among the elements. Instead, take a walk along the bay beach to Artists' Point, the peninsula of rock and pine trees that juts out into Superior. It's the locals' go-to hike.

If you want more miles, not to mention views, of the lake, head just outside of town to Pincushion Mountain Trail System (www.pincushion trails.org). Or pop onto the Superior Hiking Trail (www.shta .org) from a number of entry points near Grand Marais.

Perhaps you'd rather hike from store to store downtown. The Sivertson Gallery (www.sivertson.com) offers warm tea for sipping while browsing its collection of works from Inuit, Alaskan and regional artists. The locally made jewelry is nice eye candy, too.

Joynes Ben Franklin Department Store can hook you up with everything from Uggs and Carhartts to Barbie dolls and Norwegian sweaters (joynesbenfranklin.com).

With its diminutive size and purple shutters next to the beach, Drury Lane Books looks like a fairytale house (www.drurylanebooks.com). That's appropriate given its small but spellbinding collection of books for children and adults.

Around the harbor bend from downtown is the North House Folk School, a collection of clapboard buildings where artisans preserve northern crafts by teaching hands-on classes (www.northhouse.org). Subjects include knitting, kayak-making and surprises such as "deer processing for carnivorous locavores." Visitors are welcome to explore the campus and stop by the gift shop.

HIDDEN TREASURE:

If you're in need of gear — or inspiration — check out Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply (www.stoneharborws.com) on the bay. The hot spot for outdoor sports opened in June 2010 and has been selling and renting essential supplies — and some unusual cool outdoor toys — ever since.

In the summer, there are kayaks, canoes and paddleboards. But when snow flies, this place becomes the cutting edge of winter fun. You can rent the usual cross-country skis and snowshoes. But you can also rent — or buy — Wintergreen clothing (beyond warm and pricey to own), Snowtrekker winter tents and the wood-burning stoves to keep them cozy, and Marquette skis, a sort of ski-snowshoe hybrid that lets you hike up a snowy trail and ski down the other side. Want some tips for your first time? Snow Harbor offers guided outings.

The place also sells nordic skates, which are specialized blades that attach to cross-country ski boots and are made for gliding over the bumps and cracks of frozen rivers and lakes. It's your route to explore the Boundary Waters by skate.

WHERE TO EAT:

Judi Barsness not only cooks exceptional meals at her sophisticated harborside restaurant, Chez Jude, she also teaches others how to do the same by offering cooking classes (www.chezjude.com; closed in November and April). At Crooked Spoon Cafe, inventive, delicious dinners include Lake Superior fish with cucumber-corn relish (www.crooked spooncafe.com; closed after today until Dec. 27). For live music and chili with a micro-brew beer, head to Gun Flint Tavern (www.gunflinttavern.com). Breakfasts are divine at the Pie Place (www.northshorepieplace.com); don't miss the maple sausage.

WHERE TO SLEEP:

Only in Grand Marais' website (www.grandmarais.com) offers links to a variety of lodging options, from cabins to B&Bs. I've enjoyed East Bay Suites, with luxury units that have sleek kitchens, stone fireplaces and expansive views of the lake just beyond the balcony (www.eastbaysuites.com).

GETTING THERE:

Grand Marais is northeast of Duluth, Minn., on Lake Superior, along Hwy. 61. The drive from the Minneapolis/ St. Paul takes about 4 12/2 hours.

View the original article here