Urban Travel, Sustainability & Accessibility

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S -- part 10

2012-01-31T04:00:00.000-08:00

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

I'm not sure if she has a car, but if she does, I think she would have raced me to the ferry dock if my car had been towed...or maybe she would have ridden me there on the back of her bicycle...or arranged a magic carpet ride to the docks -- she's that kind, efficient and accommodating.

To make time, I didn't go back to Silvia's (but knew I could return for that promised shower and change of clothes to ease my trip up the Overseas Highway).

Candidly, I also don't think I wanted to show my humiliated face to the poor airbnb host who I scared the wits out of when I couldn't find my auto!

Bottom line, Silvia's private room in Key West is perfect for every type of traveler.

I can't wait to go back with my wife and we've even invited Silvia out to a meal at one of our quirky haunts in Miami for the next time she ventures north to the big city.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S -- part 9

2012-01-30T03:00:00.000-08:00

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

Poor Silvia rushed back to her complex and was worried to death about me -- even though all I was, was 40-something old dude who got twisted around in the dark and didn't find his trusty Toyota till he hit the panic button and the beeping Corolla's horn guided me back to me sedan in time to drive to the ferry boat dock.

Poor Silvia even called me a couple times as I was boarding the ferry to the Tortugas and kept checking on my wellbeing while salving my embarrassment by telling me her condo complex is large and that people do tend to get twisted around on where they park.

I share this final story only to show what an amazing "innkeeper" Silvia is.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S -- part 8

2012-01-29T02:30:00.000-08:00

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

Turns out I slept as well as I do at home. I went to bed early, thinking maybe more time would help me get at least some quality shut eye. As it turned out, I drifted right off and zonked out for nearly 8 hours of REM sleep before my big journey the next day.

I woke, dressed and quietly left.

I'm embarrassed to admit it, but Silvia's condo complex is very large and in the pre-dawn hours, I got twisted around and feared my car was towed by her homeowners association.

I thought I'd circled the entire complex, come up with no car and phoned her (turns out Silvia had left for her morning run so quietly that I didn't know her condo was unoccupied when I tiptoed out, thinking she was sleeping in her master suite) in a bit of a panic.

It turns out that I had stupidly gotten twisted around in the darkness and on my second sweep of the complex, realized I'd parked by the west wing when I thought I was at the south wing.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S -- part 7

2012-01-28T02:00:00.000-08:00

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

I liked Silvia so much, I even looked her up at the restaurant where she works -- cutting back through to say howdy and to share the details of my roaming.

I knew I'd go directly to bed when I got back to her place and I would leave early in the morning, so I went out of my way to bond with my hostess -- I liked her that much.
When I did get back around 9, Silvia had already gotten home and she again offered snacks, use of all common areas and a healthy stocking up of her bottled water for my daylong ferry journey to a little spit of land 70 miles off Key West.

The shower was clean and the warm water was endless.

The best part was the bed.

I should have asked her what kind of mattress was in my room.

I'm a stickler for comfort and have a pretty expensive bed set in my historic Miami home....but Silvia's guest room bed was dreamy comfortable.

I'm usually one of those people who toss in turn the first night in a strange place.

I could be restless in the presidential suite of the Mexico City St. Regis, so I wondered about how well I'd rest at Silvia's -- no reflection of her, just of who I am when I'm on the road the first night.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S -- part 6

2012-01-27T01:30:00.000-08:00

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

I told her didn't have the heart to drink up her prized stash of gourmet chocolate, but her kind offer showed what kind of super star host she is.

I left my bag of clothes and toiletries in the condo (my room could not be locked from the outside) having zero concerns for safety or security of my belongings.

We chit chatted more about off the beaten path things in Key West (I'm an aficionado of great fish shacks, architecture and taverns not visited by the cruise ship and weekend warrior masses.)

Silvia gave me a key to her entire condo and basically said I could hang out on the balcony, use the kitchen....do just about anything aside from hanging out in her master bedroom instead of napping in my appointed guest room (one of two in her cozy apartment).

When I mentioned that my wife is a wheelchair user who requires a separate bed from mine, Silvia showed me the second guest bedroom and said we should come back down together.

Usually, unique apartments do not serve disabled travelers, but with plenty of disabled-reserved parking at her condo complex, more than one elevator to serve access needs and our simple packing of a portable bath bench for low-sided tub shower, I truly think we could turn Silvia's place into a wheelchair accessible getaway for half to one third the price of a similar-sized hotel room.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S -- part 5

2012-01-26T01:00:00.000-08:00

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

It also had extra linens and a nice TV set.

The full bath was right next door to my room and had a lock for privacy.

The living room in the common area had a huge flat screen with tons of cable channels. Silvia welcomed me to watch the tube at any hour, saying she could sleep through house guest noises.

She also welcomed me to free bottled water and other goodies in her fridge. It really was the my house is your house kind of old European welcome.

Right off the bat, Silvia even said she could let me back into her place on Friday -- many hours after my official check out -- to shower.

Many folks on the ferry like to snorkel in the Tortugas and she knew showering off the salt water and changing clothes would be good for my comfort before my final dinner in the Keys and northward drive back to Miami.

When I joked that I make as good a cup of Spanish hot chocolate as any hillbilly anglo who ever ventured to espana, Silvia opened her cupboard and offered a package of premium chocolate from mother Spain for my stovetop handiwork.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S -- part 4

2012-01-25T00:30:00.000-08:00

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

In very short notice, in very high season for Keys travel, I had a clean and safe room booked at a price point that didn't make me feel guilty for burning the budget on solo, soul-soothing travel.

I emailed Silvia for more details and mentioned I'd like to check in early if possible. She said no problem and also gave me very easy directions to her condo community.

The next morning, I made great time driving from Miami and arrived at the edge of Key West about 10:30 a.m.

I phoned and Silvia was ready to help.

She showed me both the stairs and elevator and welcomed me into her spacious 3rd floor condo.

The place, including common areas, was immaculately clean and featured smart, simple decor.

It turned out Silvia is from Spain, my favorite place on earth, and we shared stories about espana and my so-so ability to speak Spanish (gringos don't worry -- Silvia speaks perfectly English, with just hint of charming Valencia accent.)]

She showed my small, but efficient room.

I could lock the door from the inside for privacy when napping or sleeping and it had enough storage space for 10 times the amount of light luggage that I packed.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S -- part 3

2012-01-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

I quickly found Silvia's add for a room in Key West.

I emailed her and she provided outstanding details -- that she is not in the historic, walkable Old Town area, but that her locale a couple miles from the center allowed her to charge less.

She also reminded me that there is a bus route into Old Town Key West, that the center is quite bikeable from her abode and that there also are shuttle trolleys nearby.
None of that mattered to me as I would be driving down from Miami in my own car and I knew the places to park for a discount near Old Town.

Basically, all I wanted was a very clean and quiet place to be 6 or 7 hours of sleep before rising pre-dawn the next day to catch the ferry to the Dry Tortugas and Fort Jefferson National Park.

Silvia understood and I liked her price point of $120 out the door (including the reasonable $13 airbnb fee).

She even understood that I needed her to hold her room for an hour while I booked the non refundable $169 round trip ferry trip.

I booked the trip for a Friday, booked with Silvia to sleep at her condo the Thursday evening before -- inking all deals the Wednesday before my drive.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S -- part 2

2012-01-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

Naturally, folks in Miami in January think of the fabulous Florida Keys.

The only problem is that half of the Great Lakes, New England and other frigid regions also think of the Keys in general and Key West in specific this time of year.

I knew when I checked the usual booking sites for standard hotels, that I would be looking at paying about $200 a night including taxes for a dump.

If I wanted a nice place, I'd pay upwards of $300 while leaving my poor wife behind to finish a project at her job.

I even checked a zillion standard Bed and Breakfasts for the smallest, windowless, shared bath room and found few options much below $200.

Finally, my thoughts drifted back to airbnb...which I had tried to use for a brief weekend in Manhattan, but found that every person with a room in an area I wanted to stay at was already booked for the Memorial Day 2011 weekend.

I figured the booked out rooms -- some with only air mattress and not a private room -- spoke highly of airbnb.

AN OUTSTANDING & AFFORDABLE PRIVATE ROOM IN KEY WEST AT SILVIA'S

2012-01-22T14:00:00.000-08:00

Air B&B Host Delivers Quiet & Clean Room for Slightly More than $100 in High Season

For an old dog who grew up in a world of cookie cutter Holiday Inns, Marriotts and Hiltons, airbnb was a bit of a leap for me.

On one hand, the idea of saving tons of money and having a non corporate cookie cutter place to sleep sounded great.

On the other, there was that hint of trepidation -- what if the place was loud, or dirty, or far from the having the comfortable bed as advertised?

Like most airbnb devotees, I found zero pitfalls and dozens of positives with my stay in Key West.

My maiden voyage on the good ship airbnb was a better experience than I've had at many of those $300 to $400 per night soulless rooms in chain hotels.

The captain for my voice was Silvia, a delightful host who was more accommodating than many of the full-fledged (not airbnb listed) Bed and Breakfast innkeepers that have hosted me over the years.

I was in a reflective mood in the middle of a week in between leaving a terrible employer and starting with a new, wonderful, understanding employer.

My wife suggested that I take an overnight trip somewhere within driving distance of our Little Havana home.

AMERICAN AIRLINES DOES NOTHING TO STOP ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE - 12

2012-01-21T00:30:00.000-08:00

Editor's Note: A harrowing story about an attack by an abusive American Airlines employee will be told in segments for the next several blog posts. This story was 100% corroborated by several frequesnt flier passengers who also suffered the same attack that I did. These high level executives and leaders in their community also contacted American Airlines and did not have their complaints addressed. I received a half hearted call from an American Airlines customer service representative who refused to confirm the employee worked for American, refused to say what corrective action would be taken and all but laughed at me when I suggested a refund for that flight or a credit for a future flight was in order to compensate me for the abuse I suffered. I got an apology from the Dallas Mayor's office, which also led me to a Dallas Fort Worth Airport executive who confirmed the abusive gate agent indeed worked for American Airlines. That polite DFW employee said he would refer me to American's DFW point person and he was certain that person would contact me. The DFW-based American Airlines person never called. This incident happened nearly 2 months ago and I have still not gotten proper redress from American. Perhaps bankruptcy will shake some sense into this carrier that abuses disabled fliers routinely and even attacked some innocent passengers re-entering the US on an evening flight. I encourage everyone to forward this story, so other abused American customers can unite against this carrier. The blog posts reads exactly like the complaint letter I sent to American.
THIS RUNS THE COMPLAINT IN ITS ENTIRETY. BY THE WAY, THE SOOTHING PHOTOS SET AGAINST THE JARRING TEXT, ARE OF GUANAJUATO MEXICO

I am a longtime, loyal customer of American Airlines writing to complain about a very horrible experience on Monday November 14, 2011.

Flight 3341 from Guanajuato/Leon Mexico to Dallas Fort Worth Airport was professional and tranquil.

The lone flight attendant (he was outstanding and I wish I had taken down his name, but I can only identify him as a bilingual Hispanic male in his late 20s or early 30s) made for a smooth flight for all of us.

When we landed at DFW, the captain announced that we had arrived about 15 minutes early and because of that, it would take at last five minutes to get a gate agent so we could exit the plane.

As promised, about five minutes later, the jet bridge touched the exit door and the very professional male flight attendant told us to hold on for just a moment more.

I happened to be first in line to exit the small jet. The friendly flight attendant motioned for me to exit. Because I am consciences and very aware of 21st century security concerns, I asked the flight attendant directly if it was okay to exit and he said “yes.”

I proceeded onto the jet bridge to pick up my gate-checked carry-on bag. Immediately, a woman (African American, in her late 30s to early 40s, with a radio and wearing a gate agent/crew member windbreaker – I failed to get her name so I only have this basic description to identify her) screamed at me and a couple other passengers who had must exited.

She threateningly yelled "who let you out?, you're not allowed out!…go back!”

The handful of us at the opening of the jet bridge were stunned.

A gentleman who exited with me responded to the woman in a kind, warm tone: “ma’am, what gives you the right to yell at us like this?”

At the top of her lungs, she screamed back something to the effect that she had every right gain yelled at us to get back in the plane (this was impossible, as all passengers were queued up at the front of the plane, though I doubt most of the passengers that had yet to exit had any idea why there was such a commotion after an uneventful flight.)

The woman shrieked something about passengers leaving the plane without permission.

Her hysterics and body language clearly implied that we were about to be detained, arrested, etc.

The man behind me again stated in a very non-threatening tone "ma’am, you can’t talk to us like this. The flight attendant gave us permission to leave the airplane.”

The whole time this gentlemanly man and his traveling companion were trying to reason with this abusive and threatening woman, she continued to shriek something to the effect that we'd exited without permission and that she would send the flight back to Mexico or deny the right to go through Customs to re-enter our native United States.

She kept wailing something about the door (which leads to external stairs down to the tarmac – the stairway that ground crew members use to walk up to deliver strollers, wheelchairs, gate-checked baggage, etc.) not being secured before the plane door opened.

Perhaps some procedure was not followed, but of course no everyday American Airlines passenger would know what she was talking about (and any competent employee would know not to yell at the innocent victims of whatever perceived breach of procedure that she detected and over reacted to.)

But reason did not enter the mind of this crazed and incompetent employee who continued her bombastic attack on confused and frightened passengers.

Finally, the flight attendant (looking bewildered and defeated) made his way to the abusive woman to explain that we passengers had done nothing wrong other than to follow his directions to deplane once the jet door opened to the jet bridge.

I was speechless during the few minutes this confusing, intimidating event blew up in front of me.

In my hundreds of flights, including many international flights, I’ve never encountered such an angry, threatening and out of control employee.

Part of me wanted to use my camera to video tape the incident, but I feared the screaming woman would retaliate against me.

Finally, after conferring with the flight attendant, the woman she stopped her confusing verbal attack and I picked up my gate-checked carry-on.

Walking up the get bridge, my legs shook and my heart raced. Throughout the 2-hour-plus flight, I was resting comfortably, but the moment I exited the plane, I was face to face with an out of control employee in full meltdown.

10 1-19

While waiting to get through Customs, I still feared that I would be pulled out of line and arrested by federal marshals based on the unreliable and crazed ramblings of the woman who verbally attacked me and a few other first-off-the-plane passengers.

In the wake of the female employee’s irrational outburst, I worried that I would be detained and questioned. I feared I would not make it to my connecting flight to Miami – where my wheelchair-using disabled wife was waiting for me to care for her.

When the other couple (including the gentleman who had politely questioned the abusive worker about her behavior) saw me in the long customs line, they remarked that I was still shaking.
We exchanged contact information so each of us – who had never met before – could confirm this story of worker abuse against confused, innocent passengers.

Less than 48 hours removed from this incident, I am still hesitant to make my complaint. I fear that for pointing out an injustice, I will receive retaliation – possibly being placed on some kind of watch list of do not fly list.

But I feel like the truth must be spoken and I can only hope that I am rewarded, not punished for exposing this abuse by your employee.

AMERICAN AIRLINES DOES NOTHING TO STOP ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE - 11

2012-01-20T04:00:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINE REFUSES TO COMPENSATE WEARY PASSENGERS ATTACKED BY ITS OWN ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE

Editor's Note: A harrowing story about an attack by an abusive American Airlines employee will be told in segments for the next several blog posts. This story was 100% corroborated by several frequesnt flier passengers who also suffered the same attack that I did. These high level executives and leaders in their community also contacted American Airlines and did not have their complaints addressed. I received a half hearted call from an American Airlines customer service representative who refused to confirm the employee worked for American, refused to say what corrective action would be taken and all but laughed at me when I suggested a refund for that flight or a credit for a future flight was in order to compensate me for the abuse I suffered. I got an apology from the Dallas Mayor's office, which also led me to a Dallas Fort Worth Airport executive who confirmed the abusive gate agent indeed worked for American Airlines. That polite DFW employee said he would refer me to American's DFW point person and he was certain that person would contact me. The DFW-based American Airlines person never called. This incident happened nearly 2 months ago and I have still not gotten proper redress from American. Perhaps bankruptcy will shake some sense into this carrier that abuses disabled fliers routinely and even attacked some innocent passengers re-entering the US on an evening flight. I encourage everyone to forward this story, so other abused American customers can unite against this carrier. The blog posts reads exactly like the complaint letter I sent to American.

When the other couple (including the gentleman who had politely questioned the abusive worker about her behavior) saw me in the long customs line, they remarked that I was still shaking.
We exchanged contact information so each of us – who had never met before – could confirm this story of worker abuse against confused, innocent passengers.

Less than 48 hours removed from this incident, I am still hesitant to make my complaint. I fear that for pointing out an injustice, I will receive retaliation – possibly being placed on some kind of watch list of do not fly list.

But I feel like the truth must be spoken and I can only hope that I am rewarded, not punished for exposing this abuse by your employee.

AMERICAN AIRLINES DOES NOTHING TO STOP ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE - 10

2012-01-19T03:00:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINE REFUSES TO COMPENSATE WEARY PASSENGERS ATTACKED BY ITS OWN ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE

Editor's Note: A harrowing story about an attack by an abusive American Airlines employee will be told in segments for the next several blog posts. This story was 100% corroborated by several frequesnt flier passengers who also suffered the same attack that I did. These high level executives and leaders in their community also contacted American Airlines and did not have their complaints addressed. I received a half hearted call from an American Airlines customer service representative who refused to confirm the employee worked for American, refused to say what corrective action would be taken and all but laughed at me when I suggested a refund for that flight or a credit for a future flight was in order to compensate me for the abuse I suffered. I got an apology from the Dallas Mayor's office, which also led me to a Dallas Fort Worth Airport executive who confirmed the abusive gate agent indeed worked for American Airlines. That polite DFW employee said he would refer me to American's DFW point person and he was certain that person would contact me. The DFW-based American Airlines person never called. This incident happened nearly 2 months ago and I have still not gotten proper redress from American. Perhaps bankruptcy will shake some sense into this carrier that abuses disabled fliers routinely and even attacked some innocent passengers re-entering the US on an evening flight. I encourage everyone to forward this story, so other abused American customers can unite against this carrier. The blog posts reads exactly like the complaint letter I sent to American.While waiting to get through Customs, I still feared that I would be pulled out of line and arrested by federal marshals based on the unreliable and crazed ramblings of the woman who verbally attacked me and a few other first-off-the-plane passengers.

In the wake of the female employee’s irrational outburst, I worried that I would be detained and questioned. I feared I would not make it to my connecting flight to Miami – where my wheelchair-using disabled wife was waiting for me to care for her.

AMERICAN AIRLINES DOES NOTHING TO STOP ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE - 9

2012-01-18T02:30:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINE REFUSES TO COMPENSATE WEARY PASSENGERS ATTACKED BY ITS OWN ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE

Editor's Note: A harrowing story about an attack by an abusive American Airlines employee will be told in segments for the next several blog posts. This story was 100% corroborated by several frequesnt flier passengers who also suffered the same attack that I did. These high level executives and leaders in their community also contacted American Airlines and did not have their complaints addressed. I received a half hearted call from an American Airlines customer service representative who refused to confirm the employee worked for American, refused to say what corrective action would be taken and all but laughed at me when I suggested a refund for that flight or a credit for a future flight was in order to compensate me for the abuse I suffered. I got an apology from the Dallas Mayor's office, which also led me to a Dallas Fort Worth Airport executive who confirmed the abusive gate agent indeed worked for American Airlines. That polite DFW employee said he would refer me to American's DFW point person and he was certain that person would contact me. The DFW-based American Airlines person never called. This incident happened nearly 2 months ago and I have still not gotten proper redress from American. Perhaps bankruptcy will shake some sense into this carrier that abuses disabled fliers routinely and even attacked some innocent passengers re-entering the US on an evening flight. I encourage everyone to forward this story, so other abused American customers can unite against this carrier. The blog posts reads exactly like the complaint letter I sent to American.

Finally, after conferring with the flight attendant, the woman she stopped her confusing verbal attack and I picked up my gate-checked carry-on.

Walking up the get bridge, my legs shook and my heart raced. Throughout the 2-hour-plus flight, I was resting comfortably, but the moment I exited the plane, I was face to face with an out of control employee in full meltdown.

AMERICAN AIRLINES DOES NOTHING TO STOP ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE - 8

2012-01-17T02:00:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINE REFUSES TO COMPENSATE WEARY PASSENGERS ATTACKED BY ITS OWN ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE

Editor's Note: A harrowing story about an attack by an abusive American Airlines employee will be told in segments for the next several blog posts. This story was 100% corroborated by several frequesnt flier passengers who also suffered the same attack that I did. These high level executives and leaders in their community also contacted American Airlines and did not have their complaints addressed. I received a half hearted call from an American Airlines customer service representative who refused to confirm the employee worked for American, refused to say what corrective action would be taken and all but laughed at me when I suggested a refund for that flight or a credit for a future flight was in order to compensate me for the abuse I suffered. I got an apology from the Dallas Mayor's office, which also led me to a Dallas Fort Worth Airport executive who confirmed the abusive gate agent indeed worked for American Airlines. That polite DFW employee said he would refer me to American's DFW point person and he was certain that person would contact me. The DFW-based American Airlines person never called. This incident happened nearly 2 months ago and I have still not gotten proper redress from American. Perhaps bankruptcy will shake some sense into this carrier that abuses disabled fliers routinely and even attacked some innocent passengers re-entering the US on an evening flight. I encourage everyone to forward this story, so other abused American customers can unite against this carrier. The blog posts reads exactly like the complaint letter I sent to American.

I was speechless during the few minutes this confusing, intimidating event blew up in front of me.

In my hundreds of flights, including many international flights, I’ve never encountered such an angry, threatening and out of control employee.

Part of me wanted to use my camera to video tape the incident, but I feared the screaming woman would retaliate against me.

AMERICAN AIRLINES DOES NOTHING TO STOP ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE - 7

2012-01-16T01:30:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINE REFUSES TO COMPENSATE WEARY PASSENGERS ATTACKED BY ITS OWN ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE

Editor's Note: A harrowing story about an attack by an abusive American Airlines employee will be told in segments for the next several blog posts. This story was 100% corroborated by several frequesnt flier passengers who also suffered the same attack that I did. These high level executives and leaders in their community also contacted American Airlines and did not have their complaints addressed. I received a half hearted call from an American Airlines customer service representative who refused to confirm the employee worked for American, refused to say what corrective action would be taken and all but laughed at me when I suggested a refund for that flight or a credit for a future flight was in order to compensate me for the abuse I suffered. I got an apology from the Dallas Mayor's office, which also led me to a Dallas Fort Worth Airport executive who confirmed the abusive gate agent indeed worked for American Airlines. That polite DFW employee said he would refer me to American's DFW point person and he was certain that person would contact me. The DFW-based American Airlines person never called. This incident happened nearly 2 months ago and I have still not gotten proper redress from American. Perhaps bankruptcy will shake some sense into this carrier that abuses disabled fliers routinely and even attacked some innocent passengers re-entering the US on an evening flight. I encourage everyone to forward this story, so other abused American customers can unite against this carrier. The blog posts reads exactly like the complaint letter I sent to American.

But reason did not enter the mind of this crazed and incompetent employee who continued her bombastic attack on confused and frightened passengers.

Finally, the flight attendant (looking bewildered and defeated) made his way to the abusive woman to explain that we passengers had done nothing wrong other than to follow his directions to deplane once the jet door opened to the jet bridge.

AMERICAN AIRLINES DOES NOTHING TO STOP ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE - 6

2012-01-15T01:00:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINE REFUSES TO COMPENSATE WEARY PASSENGERS ATTACKED BY ITS OWN ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE

Editor's Note: A harrowing story about an attack by an abusive American Airlines employee will be told in segments for the next several blog posts. This story was 100% corroborated by several frequesnt flier passengers who also suffered the same attack that I did. These high level executives and leaders in their community also contacted American Airlines and did not have their complaints addressed. I received a half hearted call from an American Airlines customer service representative who refused to confirm the employee worked for American, refused to say what corrective action would be taken and all but laughed at me when I suggested a refund for that flight or a credit for a future flight was in order to compensate me for the abuse I suffered. I got an apology from the Dallas Mayor's office, which also led me to a Dallas Fort Worth Airport executive who confirmed the abusive gate agent indeed worked for American Airlines. That polite DFW employee said he would refer me to American's DFW point person and he was certain that person would contact me. The DFW-based American Airlines person never called. This incident happened nearly 2 months ago and I have still not gotten proper redress from American. Perhaps bankruptcy will shake some sense into this carrier that abuses disabled fliers routinely and even attacked some innocent passengers re-entering the US on an evening flight. I encourage everyone to forward this story, so other abused American customers can unite against this carrier. The blog posts reads exactly like the complaint letter I sent to American.

She kept wailing something about the door (which leads to external stairs down to the tarmac – the stairway that ground crew members use to walk up to deliver strollers, wheelchairs, gate-checked baggage, etc.) not being secured before the plane door opened.

Perhaps some procedure was not followed, but of course no everyday American Airlines passenger would know what she was talking about (and any competent employee would know not to yell at the innocent victims of whatever perceived breach of procedure that she detected and over reacted to.)

AMERICAN AIRLINES DOES NOTHING TO STOP ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE - 5

2012-01-14T18:26:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINE REFUSES TO COMPENSATE WEARY PASSENGERS ATTACKED BY ITS OWN ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE

Editor's Note: A harrowing story about an attack by an abusive American Airlines employee will be told in segments for the next several blog posts. This story was 100% corroborated by several frequesnt flier passengers who also suffered the same attack that I did. These high level executives and leaders in their community also contacted American Airlines and did not have their complaints addressed. I received a half hearted call from an American Airlines customer service representative who refused to confirm the employee worked for American, refused to say what corrective action would be taken and all but laughed at me when I suggested a refund for that flight or a credit for a future flight was in order to compensate me for the abuse I suffered. I got an apology from the Dallas Mayor's office, which also led me to a Dallas Fort Worth Airport executive who confirmed the abusive gate agent indeed worked for American Airlines. That polite DFW employee said he would refer me to American's DFW point person and he was certain that person would contact me. The DFW-based American Airlines person never called. This incident happened nearly 2 months ago and I have still not gotten proper redress from American. Perhaps bankruptcy will shake some sense into this carrier that abuses disabled fliers routinely and even attacked some innocent passengers re-entering the US on an evening flight. I encourage everyone to forward this story, so other abused American customers can unite against this carrier. The blog posts reads exactly like the complaint letter I sent to American.

The man behind me again stated in a very non-threatening tone "ma’am, you can’t talk to us like this. The flight attendant gave us permission to leave the airplane.”

The whole time this gentlemanly man and his traveling companion were trying to reason with this abusive and threatening woman, she continued to shriek something to the effect that we'd exited without permission and that she would send the flight back to Mexico or deny the right to go through Customs to re-enter our native United States.

AMERICAN AIRLINES DOES NOTHING TO STOP ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE - 4

2012-01-13T18:25:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINE REFUSES TO COMPENSATE WEARY PASSENGERS ATTACKED BY ITS OWN ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE

Editor's Note: A harrowing story about an attack by an abusive American Airlines employee will be told in segments for the next several blog posts. This story was 100% corroborated by several frequesnt flier passengers who also suffered the same attack that I did. These high level executives and leaders in their community also contacted American Airlines and did not have their complaints addressed. I received a half hearted call from an American Airlines customer service representative who refused to confirm the employee worked for American, refused to say what corrective action would be taken and all but laughed at me when I suggested a refund for that flight or a credit for a future flight was in order to compensate me for the abuse I suffered. I got an apology from the Dallas Mayor's office, which also led me to a Dallas Fort Worth Airport executive who confirmed the abusive gate agent indeed worked for American Airlines. That polite DFW employee said he would refer me to American's DFW point person and he was certain that person would contact me. The DFW-based American Airlines person never called. This incident happened nearly 2 months ago and I have still not gotten proper redress from American. Perhaps bankruptcy will shake some sense into this carrier that abuses disabled fliers routinely and even attacked some innocent passengers re-entering the US on an evening flight. I encourage everyone to forward this story, so other abused American customers can unite against this carrier. The blog posts reads exactly like the complaint letter I sent to American.

At the top of her lungs, she screamed back something to the effect that she had every right gain yelled at us to get back in the plane (this was impossible, as all passengers were queued up at the front of the plane, though I doubt most of the passengers that had yet to exit had any idea why there was such a commotion after an uneventful flight.)

The woman shrieked something about passengers leaving the plane without permission.

Her hysterics and body language clearly implied that we were about to be detained, arrested, etc.

AMERICAN AIRLINES DOES NOTHING TO STOP ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE - 3

2012-01-12T18:24:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINE REFUSES TO COMPENSATE WEARY PASSENGERS ATTACKED BY ITS OWN ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE

Editor's Note: A harrowing story about an attack by an abusive American Airlines employee will be told in segments for the next several blog posts. This story was 100% corroborated by several frequesnt flier passengers who also suffered the same attack that I did. These high level executives and leaders in their community also contacted American Airlines and did not have their complaints addressed. I received a half hearted call from an American Airlines customer service representative who refused to confirm the employee worked for American, refused to say what corrective action would be taken and all but laughed at me when I suggested a refund for that flight or a credit for a future flight was in order to compensate me for the abuse I suffered. I got an apology from the Dallas Mayor's office, which also led me to a Dallas Fort Worth Airport executive who confirmed the abusive gate agent indeed worked for American Airlines. That polite DFW employee said he would refer me to American's DFW point person and he was certain that person would contact me. The DFW-based American Airlines person never called. This incident happened nearly 2 months ago and I have still not gotten proper redress from American. Perhaps bankruptcy will shake some sense into this carrier that abuses disabled fliers routinely and even attacked some innocent passengers re-entering the US on an evening flight. I encourage everyone to forward this story, so other abused American customers can unite against this carrier. The blog posts reads exactly like the complaint letter I sent to American.

She threateningly yelled "who let you out?, you're not allowed out!…go back!”

The handful of us at the opening of the jet bridge were stunned.

A gentleman who exited with me responded to the woman in a kind, warm tone: “ma’am, what gives you the right to yell at us like this?”

AMERICAN AIRLINES DOES NOTHING TO STOP ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE - 2

2012-01-11T18:23:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINE REFUSES TO COMPENSATE WEARY PASSENGERS ATTACKED BY ITS OWN ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE

Editor's Note: A harrowing story about an attack by an abusive American Airlines employee will be told in segments for the next several blog posts. This story was 100% corroborated by several frequesnt flier passengers who also suffered the same attack that I did. These high level executives and leaders in their community also contacted American Airlines and did not have their complaints addressed. I received a half hearted call from an American Airlines customer service representative who refused to confirm the employee worked for American, refused to say what corrective action would be taken and all but laughed at me when I suggested a refund for that flight or a credit for a future flight was in order to compensate me for the abuse I suffered. I got an apology from the Dallas Mayor's office, which also led me to a Dallas Fort Worth Airport executive who confirmed the abusive gate agent indeed worked for American Airlines. That polite DFW employee said he would refer me to American's DFW point person and he was certain that person would contact me. The DFW-based American Airlines person never called. This incident happened nearly 2 months ago and I have still not gotten proper redress from American. Perhaps bankruptcy will shake some sense into this carrier that abuses disabled fliers routinely and even attacked some innocent passengers re-entering the US on an evening flight. I encourage everyone to forward this story, so other abused American customers can unite against this carrier. The blog posts reads exactly like the complaint letter I sent to American.

As promised, about five minutes later, the jet bridge touched the exit door and the very professional male flight attendant told us to hold on for just a moment more.

I happened to be first in line to exit the small jet. The friendly flight attendant motioned for me to exit. Because I am consciences and very aware of 21st century security concerns, I asked the flight attendant directly if it was okay to exit and he said “yes.”

I proceeded onto the jet bridge to pick up my gate-checked carry-on bag. Immediately, a woman (African American, in her late 30s to early 40s, with a radio and wearing a gate agent/crew member windbreaker – I failed to get her name so I only have this basic description to identify her) screamed at me and a couple other passengers who had must exited.

AMERICAN AIRLINES DOES NOTHING TO STOP ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE - 1

2012-01-10T18:13:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINE REFUSES TO COMPENSATE WEARY PASSENGERS ATTACKED BY ITS OWN ABUSIVE EMPLOYEE

Editor's Note: A harrowing story about an attack by an abusive American Airlines employee will be told in segments for the next several blog posts. This story was 100% corroborated by several frequesnt flier passengers who also suffered the same attack that I did. These high level executives and leaders in their community also contacted American Airlines and did not have their complaints addressed. I received a half hearted call from an American Airlines customer service representative who refused to confirm the employee worked for American, refused to say what corrective action would be taken and all but laughed at me when I suggested a refund for that flight or a credit for a future flight was in order to compensate me for the abuse I suffered. I got an apology from the Dallas Mayor's office, which also led me to a Dallas Fort Worth Airport executive who confirmed the abusive gate agent indeed worked for American Airlines. That polite DFW employee said he would refer me to American's DFW point person and he was certain that person would contact me. The DFW-based American Airlines person never called. This incident happened nearly 2 months ago and I have still not gotten proper redress from American. Perhaps bankruptcy will shake some sense into this carrier that abuses disabled fliers routinely and even attacked some innocent passengers re-entering the US on an evening flight. I encourage everyone to forward this story, so other abused American customers can unite against this carrier. The blog posts reads exactly like the complaint letter I sent to American.

I am a longtime, loyal customer of American Airlines writing to complain about a very horrible experience on Monday November 14, 2011.

Flight 3341 from Guanajuato/Leon Mexico to Dallas Fort Worth Airport was professional and tranquil.

The lone flight attendant (he was outstanding and I wish I had taken down his name, but I can only identify him as a bilingual Hispanic male in his late 20s or early 30s) made for a smooth flight for all of us.

When we landed at DFW, the captain announced that we had arrived about 15 minutes early and because of that, it would take at last five minutes to get a gate agent so we could exit the plane.

AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT CREW'S SELFISHNESS HURTS DISABLED TRAVELER - 10

2012-01-09T11:07:00.000-08:00

WHEELCHAIR SEVERELY DAMAGED BY UNCARING GROUND CREW AFTER AMERICN AIRLINES FLIGHT CREW REFUSES TO MOVE ITS LUGGAGE TO ACCOMMODATE ONBOARD WHEELCHAIR STORAGE

Editor's note: We arrived home on Dec. 31 from a week in Mexico City. The City was great, our Hotel -- the St.Regis -- was spectacular but the flight getting there was a nightmare caused by American Airlines employees who are abusive toward the needs of disabled travelers. It is no wonder why this carrier is in banktruptcy. We will share our tale of disability discrimination during the next several days. This final posting, combinging the previous serialized postins, is in the form of a letter to American Airlines, which has not even been addressed -- despite the urgency of our complaints.

I am writing to make American Airlines aware of a terrible situation for disabled travelers -- one that very negatively impacted my wife and me. My wife, an attorney and the American with Disabilities Act coordinator for one of the largest counties in America, has flown dozens of AA flights with me.
She uses a super-lightweight manual wheelchair that folds in half and can be further reduced in size with easy removal of the foot rests and wheels. We learned more than two decades ago that when we gate check her wheelchair, it often gets broken either by a careless ground crew or by other items in the cargo hold. That is why we invested in a very expensive lightweight, collapsible wheelchair -- because the disassembled chair readily fits in the closet area entry of aircraft.

We also prearrange AA disability services so my wife has assistance at the jet bridge, while boarding the plane and with stowage of her wheelchair in the onboard closet. We are aware that crew members like to stow their baggage in the same closet that provides space for passengers’ wheelchairs and other mobility devices. In most cases, crew members kindly relocate their bags to clear space for the wheelchair.
On Christmas Day 2011, we flew from Miami International Airport to Mexico City on flight 2199, departing at 7:30 a.m. The folks at the AA check-in counter understood our needs and said the wheelchair could be stored in the closet (not gate checked where it can get damaged). The gate crew that checks boarding passes and escorts us down the jet bridge also confirmed this. But when we arrived at the door of the plane, it was obvious that the flight crew had a large amount of luggage stored in the closet. It also became clear that the brand new plane had a smaller than usual closet, a dreadful design flaw that negatively impacts wheelchair-using passengers.

I pleaded with the flight crew, but they refused to move their bags. (I must note that this 12-25-11 flight was less than half full and had more than enough room in empty first class bins to store crew luggage near the front of the plane.) I told them we'll arrive in Mexico City on Christmas Day, when no shops will be open to repair my wife's wheelchair, with her chair very likely damaged by being gate checked into the cargo area. I tried to take the wheels off my wife's wheelchair to show how easily it can be stowed, but the unyielding flight crew refused to move its baggage. I was told to take my seat or there would be consequences.

Upon arrival in Mexico City, the crew brought up a broken chair. My wife’s lightweight chair has a canvas seat that folds. There are metal rods inside that hold the seat in place. Plastic caps on the outside of the metal tubes hold the rods inside. The plastic cap had been knocked off while my wife’s chair was stored. Because of this, the rod that holds the seat in place slid out, rendering the wheelchair unusable– on Christmas Day upon arrival in a foreign country.
Anguished, I chided the crew for being so selfish as to not move a couple bags into empty overhead bins for the sake of a disabled traveler. I did not curse, but I’m sure my voice was raised, considering how upset I was. I was told the chair was fine, but when I placed my hand where she sits, it fell right through. If my wife had believed this line of lies and tested the chair, she would have fallen and broken her leg. I complained more – emphatically but not threatening in any way – and was told I would be taken into custody if I didn’t accept the chair as-is.

Finally, the ground crew appeared with the metal rod that holds the chair in place. This was only a half solution, because the plastic piece that holds the rod in place was never located. By now the plane was empty, the flight crew were heading toward the jet bridge and customs was waiting for us. I crumpled some napkins to stuff in place of the plastic piece and pushed my wife’s wheelchair toward Mexican customs.
I asked the AA gate agent where we could make a complaint, but she said it was Christmas Day and no one was around and if they were, we’d have to make our damage complaint in Spanish. Thankfully, at customs, an airport employee saw how upset we were and my wife, in her primitive Spanish, explained our plight and pointed to the missing plastic piece and the rod now jutting dangerously out the side of the seat. The kind man helped us Scotch tape over the napkins to try to hold the rod in place.

We caught a cab to the St. Regis Hotel and by the time we got there, the chair was broken again and my wife was almost falling out of it. Because the St. Regis is a 5-star property, it called a member of its engineering staff to try to make a substitute plastic cap out of materials on hand. The hotel assistant manager could not believe that we were treated so poorly by American. Finally, we got a decent substitute cap. But it continually fell out during our week-long visit and we had to borrow duct and electrical tape to try to hold the cap in place to keep the rod from falling out.

We not only lost time waiting for the makeshift repairs at the hotel, but my wife also had to head back to the hotel at 6 p.m. most days because her arthritic hips were aching from the poor condition of her wheelchair seat. This painful condition was caused directly by the wheelchair damaged by American Airlines. On the couple evenings that we went out for dinner, my wife stayed back at the hotel from noon to 6 p.m. – missing out on the sights and culture of Mexico City to be rested enough to be able to stand the pain of being in a wheelchair seat damaged by American Airlines.
When we returned to Miami on Dec. 30, we went to the Mexico City airport 3.5 hours prior to our flight. The person who printed our boarding passes was polite. But when I told her we wanted to file a complaint about the wheelchair damage, she wasn’t sure what to do – even though we had several hours to speak with an airline representative. Her best guess was to go to baggage claim in Miami when we arrived, which would be less than two hours before midnight on New Year’s Eve.

Thankfully, the crew on the return Flight 2188 (Dec. 31, 2011) heard our pleas and allowed me to take my wife’s wheelchair apart and store it in the front closet. The closet was full of crew luggage, but they quickly moved their stuff to some very nearby vacant overhead bins in first class. I thanked the crew profusely and they were shocked. They said “this is what we do for disabled people. This is the right thing to do and that’s what we do.” I politely explained that the crew on Dec. 25 did the opposite and we suffered greatly because of it.
Upon return to Miami, we did not have to go to baggage claim because we carried on our two small bags. We went to the baggage claim area, but saw no one capable of handing a complaint about a wheelchair damaged on a flight. Besides, my wife was in pain, we were exhausted and wanted to get home.

We both have been swamped with work upon our return, but I have now taken the time to write this letter. Not only am I asking American Airlines to repair my wife’s wheelchair (she uses a power wheelchair in Miami, so we have yet to take the manual chair for travel in to the shop for a damage estimate), but I also am asking American to refund the entire amount we paid for the Dec 25/Dec 31 flights. That cost is $676.82.
American’s behavior was shameful and we are owed an apology and financial redress for the extreme pain and suffering we were forced to deal with because of the Dec. 25 flight crew’s negligence.
I expect a response from a high-level decision maker within 48 hour of receipt of this complaint.

AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT CREW'S SELFISHNESS HURTS DISABLED TRAVELER - 9

2012-01-08T11:05:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT CREW'S SELFISHNESS HURTS DISABLED TRAVELER - 8

2012-01-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT CREW'S SELFISHNESS HURTS DISABLED TRAVELER - 7

2012-01-06T08:03:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT CREW'S SELFISHNESS HURTS DISABLED TRAVELER - 6

2012-01-05T11:01:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT CREW'S SELFISHNESS HURTS DISABLED TRAVELER - 5

2012-01-04T07:58:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT CREW'S SELFISHNESS HURTS DISABLED TRAVELER - 4

2012-01-03T10:55:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT CREW'S SELFISHNESS HURTS DISABLED TRAVELER - 3

2012-01-02T10:54:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT CREW'S SELFISHNESS HURTS DISABLED TRAVELER - 2

2012-01-01T10:51:00.000-08:00

AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT CREW'S SELFISHNESS HURTS DISABLED TRAVELER - 1

2011-12-31T10:43:00.000-08:00

OUR FAVORITE TOUR GUIDE THAT WE'VE NEVER MET -- part 2

2011-12-30T10:29:00.000-08:00

Hector Guillermo Gerardo Barraza Ugalde

Outanding ideas for wheelchair-accessible walking tours in Mexico City from our Hermano Hector:

a) A Downtown tour. We could arrive to the Zocalo by car and visit the Cathedral which is easily accessible, then we could stroll along Madero street which is a pedestrian street visiting the Profesa church and the Casino Español, then another accessible building would be Iturbide Palace, Count of Valle de Orizaba Palace and the old cloister of the ex convent of San Francisco, we could see from the outside Fine Arts Opera House and after it the Franz Mayer Museum, if your wife and you are in the mood we could finally see the Rivera Mural on the alameda park.

All of the above are easy access buildings, if i don´t mention i.e. the National Palace is because they could be very cumbersome to visit.

b) Coyoacan, could be very nice to explore, there is only a small area with cobbled stone streets that could be not entirely accessible, but the rest is flat, shady and with very interesting buildings to see, the Blue House (Frida Museum has too many stairs)

c) San Angel. This area is full of cobbled stone streets and very hilly, but very nice, it could be a bit up hill, but I can always help you, it is the area where you will find the Old church of Chimalistac, el Carmen or San Jacinto, with lovely squares and the beatiful San angel Inn Restaurant.

d) Chapultepec park. The Castle is a must see, we could visit the ground floor, with most of the rooms dedicated to Emperor Maximillian and Empress Charlotte, with a great view of Reforma avenue and the surrounding areas, after it, the anthropology Museum of very easy access (two or three rooms).

Cost. Downtown and Chapultepec park, US$130 (4 to 4.30 hours)

Coyoacan and San Angel, US$150 (4 to 5 hours)

Transportation, we could hire a cab by hour, some US$12 per hour or to take taxis from one place to the other, I always take with me a Taxi stand phone number and we can call the cab, once we are done with the walking.

http://mexicocityelitetours.com/aboutusEN.html

OUR FAVORITE TOUR GUIDE THAT WE'VE NEVER MET

2011-12-29T10:20:00.000-08:00

MEXICO CITY ELITE TOURS

As we count down the final days of 2011, our theme this week is to give thanks to exceptional people who we have "met" via the interet.

Héctor Barraza is a sucha person.

He's helping us plan a trip to Mexico City for sometime in 2012.

From his bio:

I am a lawyer with more than twenty years of experience in private international
banking. I am a native of Mexico City, but I have also lived and worked in Los
Angeles, Houston, and London. My passions are the history, art, and architecture of
Mexico, and I have now chosen to spend my time sharing my knowledge with
visitors. I approach Mexico City and its surroundings from the perspective of social
history, establishing a link between the stones you see and the stories of the men and
women who built and lived in these places.

I provide customized tours for visitors eager to know about the history and culture of
Mexico. I have had the privilege of working for the American Comparative Literature
Association, Johnson & Johnson, Dartmouth College, the University of Houston, the
Houston Seminar, the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), the University of
Ottawa, and many wonderful individuals and families from around the world.

We sent a simple email to Héctor, explaing that one of us uses a wheelchair for mobility.

Tomorrow, we'll share the wealth of information he kindly and rapidly responded with:

Check out his site at:

http://mexicocityelitetours.com/aboutusEN.html

OUR FAVORITE PLACE IN MEXICO CITY THAT WE'VE NEVER BEEN TO

2011-12-28T04:00:00.000-08:00

THE ST. REGIS MEXICO CITY

We are not rich people.

We need to pinch pennies and travel cheaply.

We are famed for flying out of town at 6 a.m. on a holiday because it's way cheaper than flying out late afternoon on the day before.

We subsribe to countless services that send updates on discounted hotel rooms, flights, etc.

If we could get half off by washing the dishes at a 4 star restaurant, we'd probably think about doing it for the savings.

Like everybody who is prudent, but not dirt poor, we sometimes toast our victories or drown our sorrows with a little splurge.

Someday, the St. Regis Mexico City will be such a splurge.

Normally way to rich for our blood -- rooms come with a butler that unpacks your clothes for you & the building was designed by famed architect Cesar Pelli -- the St. Regis recently advertised some great deals.

While we were unable to pull the trigger on the pending deal, we were incredibly impressed with the service the St. Regis delivered to a pair of would-be guests simply doing research.

Heidi uses a wheelchair for her mobility, so we found the email of the St. Regis Manager and zapped some messages asking about roll-in showers, common area access and bed configuration in the barrier-free rooms.

Soon, we not only had replies from the Manager, but we also got a phone call from the person in charge of rooms.

In her imperfect English (which we very much appreciated because folks in Miami forgive our imperfect Spanish), she explained all the amenities for people with disabilities.

The person even memorialized our conversation in an email and followed up the next morning with customized photos taken for us to show the bathroom accessibility.

Soon, the concierge was advising us on a driver for accessible transport and filling in details about which museums are best set up with ramps and elevators to serve wheelchair-using visitors.

Wwe could go on and on about the St. Regis' committment to serving a potential booking by a pair of people who would be paying an internet rate nearly half off the usual cost of a luxury room.

Someday, we shall splurge at the St. Regis and get to give our face-to-face thank yous to all the people there who are committeed to serving ALL guests, inlcuding those with mobility needs.

http://www.stregishotelmexicocity.com/

OUR FAVORITE MEXICO FACEBOOK PAGE

2011-12-27T04:00:00.000-08:00

MEXICO TODAY

Mexico. Oft-maligned, today it conjures up every ugly American's nightmare of a place where you walk out for coffee and wake up with one of your vital organs harvested.

While there certainly are many places with crime problems inflicting unspeakable horribles on the locals and scaring off cultural visitors aplenty, there are many places that are just as safe as home.

Guanajuato is one of them.

Even in Mexico City, choked with traffic, smog and more than 20 million people trying to feed their families, has dozens of safe places to wander -- from Condesa to Reforma, Chapultapec Park to Polanco, the Zocalo to the Alameda Central, Coyacan to San Angel to many other historic and significant urban sites.

Mexico Today is a government-sponsored site to get out all the good stories (and to obviously combat the US Media image of violence in the pround aned historic nation).

The writing is top notch.

This is no press release and propoganda site.

We highly recommend you visit:

http://www.facebook.com/MexicoToday

OUR FAVORITE MEXICO CITY BLOG

2011-12-26T03:30:00.000-08:00

MEXICO CITY: AN OPINOINATED GUIDE

Observations, news and Travel Tips by Jim Johnston

On this lazy holiday day off, we'd like to refer our nearly 20,000 readers to our favorite blogger in Mexico City.

Jim Johnston, author of exico City: An Opinionated Guide for the Curious Traveler, shares his vivid writing about the magical Condesa neighborhood, murals and dozens of other cool things in the historic and bustling Distrito Federal and its 20 million-plus inhabitants.

Since this is a lazy day, we'll simply lift Jim's bio right from his blog:

Born in New York City, Jim Johnston grew up in the woods of New Hampshire.

After studying architecture at the University of Virginia and graphic design at the School of Visual Arts, he worked as a professional artist and potter in New York City for 27 years.

He moved to Mexico in 1997, where he continues working as an artist and writer.

For more information visit the website: www.jimjohnstonart.com.

For Jim's outstanding blog, visit:

http://mexicocitydf.blogspot.com/

Warm Season’s Greetings from Our Family to Yours

2011-12-25T02:00:00.000-08:00

We wish you peace, happiness & prosperity and invite you to mark this special time of year by:

• Embracing family and friendship.

• Empowering yourself to make positive changes.

• Celebrating the holidays by sharing with those who are less fortunate.

• Relaxing with loved ones and entering the New Year renewed and refreshed.

GUANAJUATO, MEXICO -- 8

2011-12-24T03:00:00.000-08:00

CASA ZUNIGA

As our story on Casa Zuniga draws to a close, we have to note a few things.

First off, Casa Zuniga is not wheelchair accessible.

Perhaps it is odd to heap such praise on such a place in a blog dedicated to barrier-free access and urban walkability/rollability.

The thing is, most of Guanajuato is not wheelchair accessible.

It's pure topography.

Guanajuato makes San Francisco look like the flat filled swamplands of Florida by comparison.

GTO also is a very old place.

Some callejones (alleyways -- there are nearly 4,000 of them in this village) are barely two feet wide.

All of them are series of steep sidewalks and stairs.

GTO was a caregiver's respite for me.

Casa Zuniga is built on a hillside.

You have to walk maybe 50 steps down from Pipila and equal amount within the Casa Z property just to get to your room.

It's that kind of city -- buildings have multiple levels....people just keep building up and out on the hillside until they run out of land held by their family.

I'm sure if he could acquire a site downtown -- where GTO is moderately wheelchair-accessible at the very best -- he would do so.

His raw energy and ingenuity would surely serve wheelers.

The other thing worth noting is that Rick is a bit of an iconoclast and certainly and character.

To 99% of us who love travel and the quirky things you find on the road, that makes him an ideal host.

But I can see where Senor Zuniga's strong personality and opinions could rub somebody the wrong way.

But he's truly a saint. Most innkeepers would do well to offer one tenth of Casa Zuniga's hospitality.

Check them out at:

http://www.casazunigagto.com

casazuniga@yahoo.com

dial 011-52-(473) 732-8546

GUANAJUATO, MEXICO -- 7

2011-12-23T02:30:00.000-08:00

CASA ZUNINGA

Rick's tours also include the mines.

Guanajuato was built on silver.

The Spaniards funded their nation on minerals plucked from the rich mines in the hills around Guanajuato.

The silver created a beautiful city lined with plazas, colonial buildings, cathedrals, museums, theaters and more.

The silver also came out on the backs of enslaved indigenous peoples.

Padre Hidalgo, from a nearby town, grew greatly concerned about the plight of such peoples and with others -- who paid for their revolutionary activities with their lives -- rebelled against mother Spain on the very streets of Guanajuato.

The couple in this photo is Bob and Lucy.

They're from New York City and they joined me on a trip down Boca Mina.

The trip is a bit claustrophobic, even though you don't go very far down the mine.

Everybody at the mine -- and every other historic site in town -- knows Rick.

He should run for mayor of GTO.

GUANAJUATO, MEXICO -- 6

2011-12-22T02:00:00.000-08:00

CASA ZUNIGA

Rick's tours are another added bonus of staying at the heavenly Casa Zuniga.

You would pay a good $25 US or more for a comparable tour.

Rick does 'em for fee.

By the by, Rick is in his 60s and has a post-polio condition that leaves him in a lot of pain after walking.

But he's in better shape than most 30 year olds and he simply needs a day before head's up to do some stretching and he's ready to walk you to death (in a good way).

My first tour was a tag along with a young couple traveling through Central Mexico. She's from London and he's a Dubliner -- they're in the photo above.

We took off on foot, down those narrow, twisting, historic craggy steps and sidewalks filled with history.

My pausing to take photos robbed me of some of Rick's fabulous storytelling.

His love of all things GTO is obvious.

He lives and breathes the history of one of the most important cities in all of Mexico.

He loves to wander along the callejones and point out the amazing things that have taken place -- from floods to the start of the revolution against Spain.

GUANAJUATO, MEXICO -- 5

2011-12-21T01:30:00.000-08:00

CASA ZUNINGA

Casa Zuniga has another super-duper bonus.

Its located footsteps from the only funicular in town.

Folks who grew up in Pittsburgh or other hilly towns will know that a funicular is a sort of loving elevator or inclined rail car.

It allows lazy, portly folks like this writer to avoid walking what seems like a quarter mile up twisting, endless steps and passageways to make it from downtown up the hill to Casa Z.

The funicular runs from about 7 a.m. to about 10 p.m. and its costs little more than a dollar US.

But you don't even have to pay!

Rick buys tons of punch cards for you!

The cards have about 10 rides on them and the funicular attendants take out a hole punch and literally punch your ticket once for each ride down or up.

If you run low, Rick's around to give out more cards.

So if you're afraid of practicing your Spanish, you don't even have to worry about buying a funicular ticket en espanol.

For the record, you should try out your Spanish -- don't be an ugly American.

For the record, part II -- Rick speaks perfect English, as does his wife Carmen.

The live in the San Francisco Bay area, so any gringos worried about language barrier need not.

And because it's their home, Rick and Carm are always around to help.

The City itself is pretty espanol-dominated.

San Miguel de Allende is the gringo town about an hour's drive away.

Guanajuato -- or GTO as the locals abbreviate it -- is full of students and visitors.

Many of the visitors are professionals from Mexico City or other areas.

So the shops, restaurants and museums function in Spanish.

Picking up some lingo on the streets of Miami equipped me perfectly for conducting all tourism matters in town.

GUANAJUATO, MEXICO -- 4

2011-12-20T00:30:00.000-08:00

CASA ZUNIGA

The view from Casa Zuniga is so perfect, they could charge $10 bucks to outsiders just to watch the sunrise and sunset over the magnificent colonial city of Guanajuato...which covers every hillside and rolls down into the valley below Casa Z.

Just about every room at the Casa features a window with a million dollar view. The ones that cost a few bucks more have fabulous patios -- but the grounds have lots of common areas for spectacular viewing, so even a piker can take pictures like a pro from many vantage points.

Guanajuato gets rain in the summer, but the rest of the year it is pretty dry.

The summer is like Los Angeles, but without the traffic and smog.

I went in November and the days were in the mid 70s and the nights got down around 40 degrees.

That was cold to my Miami bones, but perfect weather for those from just about anywhere else in North America.

Casa Zuniga has fans, not air conditioners.

With all the breezes that blow through it, I can't imagine it getting too hot even midday in the summer when the temps could reach the high 80s.

Casa Z does not have central or individual heating. No place in Guanajuato does.

My room had about 6 layers of sheets, blankets, comforters, etc., so I never got cold.

But Rick, remembering my trepidation about near freezing night temps in an email I zapped a month before booking.

I came back up town to Casa Z one frigid evening to find a space heater purchased just for me and set up in the room.

Would a Ritz Carlton go to this length for a guest paying 10 times what I did at Casa Z?

I doubt it.

GUANAJUATO, MEXICO -- 3

2011-12-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

CASA ZUNINGA

Casa Zuniga rooms start as low as about $60 US per night.

But rather than a low-ball hidden cost that has hidden extras, Casa Zuniga rooms are the opposite -- they come with so many extras that you would darn near pay $60 US just for those bonuses that don't include a quiet, huge, beautiful room to sleep in.

First off, the taxes are included in the price.

The biggest room is maybe $100 US per night.

When you wake up, you see the kitchen going 100 miles an hour, working at least 90 minutes to make your breakfast from scratch.

Breakfast at Casa Zuniga features foods that most gringos think of as dinner food -- enchiladas, pieces of beef, chicken, huge bowls of beans, guacamole and tons of other gut busting but perfect food stuffs.

There are some eggs, fruits, juices, coffees and breads for those who crave more familiar breakfast-type grub.

They even fried up some bacon for this homesick gringo on his next to last day of a 6-day, 5-night stay.

Right off the bat, Rick asked about food allergies, likes, dislikes....I told him it's not like they kill me, but onions flip flop on my belly and eggs really give me tummy troubles.

Just like that, I had chilies rellenos without the customary egg batter outside.

Each day, the wonderful gals in the kitchen made me my own little sin cebolla (without onions) guacamole.

I felt guilty about such kindness and luxury visited on lazy old me.

GUANAJUATO, MEXICO -- 2

2011-12-18T00:30:00.000-08:00

CASA ZUNIGA

When you approach the outskirts of Guanajuato, tell your cabbie you want to be dropped off at Pipila (pee-pee-lah) a huge stone statue that everyone knows.

Pipila, whether myth or real man, was a local hero of the independence.

Next from the towering, lit monument to Pipila, is Casa Zuniga -- where proprietor Rick Zuniga is a hero to all travelers.

Casa Zuniga is an inn that is sort of like a large house...but each room has its own bathroom, shower, lockable door, etc.

So you get the best of both worlds -- hotel class accommodations with B&B charm and friendliness.

Rick is a no nonsense guy.

If you start emailing him questions that sound like you're more inclined to want to stay at a Holiday Inn, he has no trouble directing you to such accommodations.

Carmen, Rick's wife, is the other half of the Casa Zuniga team.

She is a quiet, steadying force to Rick's Energizer Bunny-like movements, enthusiasm and constantly running deadpan commentary.

GUANAJUATO, MEXICO -- 1

2011-12-17T02:00:00.000-08:00

CASA ZUNIGA

Mexico. Oft-maligned, today it conjures up every ugly American's nightmare of a place where you walk out for coffee and wake up with one of your vital organs harvested.

While there certainly are many places with crime problems inflicting unspeakable horribles on the locals and scaring off cultural visitors aplenty, Guanajuato is NOT one of them.

From the States, you fly into Leon airport -- a very small, no nonsense place with clean shops, good security and helpful staff -- and catch a taxi to Guanajuato.

There's a taxi stand where you prepay...so you don't get the price hiked and you get a pre-screened driver for safety.

The cabbie may push the speed limit, but that is the only lawlessness you'll see on the way to Guanajuato.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 11

2011-12-16T00:30:00.000-08:00

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(10) Le Meridien, 250 Franklin St., in Boston.

Sixteen of its 326 rooms are wheelchair-accessible units with two double beds an extremely well-designed roll-in showers.

Housed in a former Federal Reserve Bank, a national architectural landmark building, the hotel earns high marks for being within walking and rolling distance of Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

Phone: 617-423-2844.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 10

2011-12-15T02:00:00.000-08:00

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(9) Atheneum Suite Hotel, 1000 Brush St. in Detroit.

Twelve of its 174 rooms at this all-suite property are barrier-free, with large transfer benches that provide access to spacious shower-baths.

The huge accessible suites feature two beds, a separate sitting room and plenty of space everywhere for wheelchair maneuverability.

The huge restroom has elegant glass block around it.

The commode has grab bars and raised seat.

The sink has room for a wheelchair to roll up to it.

The architecturally restored Atheneum is within the Greektown district, downtown Detroit’s vibrant area of restaurants, coffee houses, bakeries and more.

Phone: 313-962-2323.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 9

2011-12-14T00:30:00.000-08:00

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(8) Beverly Hilton, 9876 Wilshire Blvd., in Beverly Hills.

Ten of its 581 rooms are accessible, with bath benches in the tub showers.

It also is home to Trader Vic's (though we didn't spot a werewolf driking a pina colada -- guess they only hung out at the London Vic's).

The Beverly Hilton’s barrier-free room was more than adequate with features such as wider doorways and grab bars.

In fact, when Christopher Reeve made his dramatic appearance at the 1996 Academy Awards, he chose to stay at the Hilton because of its accessibility.

Phone: 310-274-7777.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 8

2011-12-13T02:00:00.000-08:00

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(7) Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino, 129 E. Fremont St. in Las Vegas.

Thirty-five of its 1,907 rooms are wheelchair accessible – half roll-in showers, half with bath benches.

The Nugget, with its glittering gold and fine Grecian marble decor, is by far the most opulent of the downtown Las Vegas hotels.

Rooms are large, accessible and extremely quiet -- which is of utmost importance when the ears cannot take another assault from a clanging slot payoff or lounge singer’s howling solo.

Disabled travelers will also love the simply efficient lift that provides easy access into the property’s Olympic-size outdoor pool.

The Nugget’s small, cabaret-size showroom can be reached by elevator and it offers an accessible seating area with good, unobstructed views of the stage.

All restaurants on the property are barrier-free.

Phone: 702-385-7171.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 7

2011-12-12T00:30:00.000-08:00

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(6) Zion Park Inn, 1215 Zion Park Boulevard in Springdale, Utah.

Five of its 120 rooms are wheelchair-accessible – two with roll-in showers, three with bath benches.

Located just a couple miles from Zion National Park’s gates, the inn has barrier-free rooms and elevator access to all parts of the property, including a fabulous cathedral-ceilinged great room overlooking a 1,300-foot sandstone wall.

The inn also has wheelchair-accessible facilities such as a laundry, convenience store, gift shop and restaurant on site.

The Switchback Grill serves a great fill-you-up breakfast buffet plus southwestern-accented lunches and dinners amid airy, ski lodge-like decor.

Phone: 435-772-3200.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 6

2011-12-11T01:00:00.000-08:00

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(5) Queen and Crescent Hotel, 344 Camp St. in New Orleans.

Eleven of its 196 rooms are wheelchair-accessible and equipped with roll-in showers.

The European-style boutique hotel is in a renovated building that used to be a railroad office tower.

The best thing about its location in the Central Business District is that it is close enough – about two and a half blocks – to the French Quarter, but far enough from its noisy partying scene to make for a good night’s sleep.

Phone: 504-587-0700.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 5

2011-12-10T00:30:00.000-08:00

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(4) The Benjamin, 125 E. 50th St. in New York.

Twenty of its 209 rooms are wheelchair-accessible one-bedroom suites, which have barrier-free bathrooms to serve disabled guests.

The suites are huge by Manhattan standards and have baths equipped with grab bars, bath benches and shower wands for accessibility.

The ornate rooms also are equipped with galley kitchens, a fax and spacious sitting room.

The location, in a classic 1927 skyscraper at Lexington Avenue in Midtown, is perfect.

We noted the small lobby is easy for wheelchair users to negotiate and the doormen are quick to do their duties.

Phone: 212-715-2500.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 4

2011-12-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(3) Inn at Cedar Falls, 21190 State Rt. 374 in Logan, Ohio.

One of its six house-size cabins is barrier-free.

Guests can access RedBud, the wheelchair-accessible cabin, via a smooth wooden ramp that blends seamlessly with the huge sitting porch.

The first floor includes a bedroom, roomy bathroom with roll-in shower, full kitchen with stove, refrigerator and dining table and two beautifully furnished sitting rooms.

The second story -- accessible only by stairs, but perfectly suited as separate quarters for an opposite sex personal care attendant traveling with a disabled person -- is a sunny loft with a bed and a full bathroom.

The Inn at Cedar Falls is located within the Hocking Hills, a recreational area about 60 miles from Columbus, Ohio.

Within the area are a number of state parks, including a few with paved, wheelchair-accessible trails.

The inn’s main dining room is in a house-like building accessible via a ramp.

Accommodations include breakfast.

Phone 740-385-7489.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 3

2011-12-08T01:00:00.000-08:00

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(2) Casa Grande, 834 Ocean Dr. in Miami Beach.

Two of its 34 rooms are wheelchair-accessible with large, roll-in showers with built-in seats.

The exterior of Casa Grande is an inviting, subdued Mediterranean style.

The inside offers pure luxury in a quiet oasis off bustling Ocean Drive.

Suites are spacious, with full kitchens, two bathrooms, huge bedrooms and roomy living rooms.

Staying at Casa Grande is like having use of a wealthy friend’s hip South Beach condo – one with plenty of room for maneuvering a wheelchair.

As far as access, the bathroom was the highlight.

It was huge with a raised commode grab bars and, best of all, the tiled roll-in shower with hand-held wand.

The suite’s gorgeous wood furniture and tile floor give it the feel of a tropical villa.

Best of all, the villa is only steps from the beach.

Phone 305-672-7003.

WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS -- part 2

2011-12-07T01:00:00.000-08:00

ACCESSIBLE GEMS

(1) Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, off Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway on the Kona Kohala coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.

Fourteen of its 243 rooms are barrier-free suites with large roll-in showers and plenty of room for wheelchair maneuvering.

The rooms are spectacular, airy and gorgeous.

Think slate floors, a generous sitting room, functional patio furniture and dreamily comfortable beds.

The luxury resort has a portable pool lift for each of its five pools.

The lift and beach boy attendants gently placed Heidi in the fabulous waters of the oceanside Sea Shell infinity pool.

The granddaddy of all the pools is the King’s Pond, which has 2.5 million gallons of saltwater contained by lava rock and stocked with 3,500 fish representing 40 species.

With the assistance of a beach boy, Heidi was able to float among all sorts of sea creatures

A network of paved, wheelchair-accessible paths cover the lush and expertly-tended grounds. Phone: 808-325-8000.

ACCESSIBLE GEMS: WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS

2011-12-06T00:30:00.000-08:00

ACCESSIBLE GEMS: WHEELCHAIR-FRIENDLY AMERICAN HOTELS

By Steve Wright

They are on the beach, or at the mouth of a canyon.

They are in the center of the city that never sleeps, or in the middle of nowhere.

They are boutique properties, sprawling casino resorts and best of all, wonderfully accessible to people who use wheelchairs for their mobility.

They are members of our top 10 list of hotels that combine location, charm, luxury and down-home comforts with barrier-free features which go far above and beyond the typical standard of wheelchair accessibility.

They are in 10 different states and represent everything from members of huge chains to mom and pop operations.

Accessibility at a hotel, or inn is crucial for my wife, who has used a wheelchair for her mobility -- because of severe rheumatoid arthritis -- for four decades.

Our accessible top 10, ranked and rated, will be posted over the next 10 days.

BROOKLYN BY WHEELCHAIR -- PART 11

2011-12-05T01:30:00.000-08:00

BROOKLYN

IF YOU GO:

New York Water Taxi, with several accessible stops in Manhattan, 212-742-1969. www.nywatertaxi.com

Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, corner of Old Fulton and Water streets, 718-246-3963.

Patsy Grimaldi’s Pizza, 19 Old Fulton Street, 718-858-4300.

Brooklyn Heights Promenade, Columbia Heights between Montague and Middagh streets.

Junior’s, 386 Flatbush Avenue Extension at Dekalb Avenue, 718-852-5257. www.juniorscheesecake.com

Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Ave., 718-623-7200. www.bbg.org

Deno’s Wonder Wheel, 3059 Denos Vourderis Place (formerly West 12th Street) 718-372-2592. www.wonderwheel.com

Nathan’s Famous, Surf and Stillwell avenues, 718-946-2202. www.nathansfamous.com/nathans/index.html

BROOKLYN BY WHEELCHAIR -- PART 10

2011-12-04T03:30:00.000-08:00

BROOKLYN

If you go:

Brooklyn is not a hotel town. Being a place to live, work and play, it isn’t lined with upscale hotels like Manhattan. But you have to sleep somewhere and one of the best locations is the Upper East Side of Manhattan at Lyden Gardens.

Lyden is tranquil and the rooms are apartment-sized. Lyden, at 215 E. 64th Street, specializes in accommodating people with disabilities. Because it is located near several major medical centers, it also has a renown aftercare program for people recovering from surgery. The staff understands mobility issues.

The property has a ramped entrance, an automatic door and several accessible rooms on the first floor.

The amazingly quiet first floor rooms have huge roll-in showers, full kitchens, large living rooms, bedrooms with plenty of space for a wheeler to maneuver around in and large barrier-free bathrooms

Lyden Gardens doesn’t have a restaurant, but it has room service deals with several nearby cafes that will deliver food hot to your door. Room Rates start at $200; phone 212-355-1230 for reservations.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority has more than 4,300 lift-equipped buses on the road. Drivers are well-trained when it comes to assisting with tie- and lock-down devices and making sure to stop at a good location for accessibility. For information, phone 718-330-1234. To view extensive transit maps, visit: http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us For information on accessibility, visit: www.mta.info/mta/ada

BROOKLYN BY WHEELCHAIR -- PART 9

2011-12-03T02:30:00.000-08:00

BROOKLYN

Where else can you can you touch, feel and experience such a famous part of New York? – and do it all for free!

One could traverse John Roebling’s steel cable suspension bridge a thousand times and discover something new every 1,600-foot journey.

Rolling west into Manhattan an hour before sunset, one can gaze north for dazzling perspectives of the Chrysler and Empire State buildings illuminated by the low-hanging sun.

But the bridge itself is a work of art, the awesome cables so artistic in the way they spiral upward into the sky.

The fellow bridge walkers are pure New York street theater – fat, skinny, loud, private, friendly, hurried, strange, local, immigrant, tourist, banker, pauper.

The pedestrians on the 1883 bridge prove that Brooklyn truly is America’s Old Country.

Wright is an award-winning travel writer-photographer. Johnson-Wright is an Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator. They live in a restored house in Miami’s Little Havana. Email them at: stevewright64@yahoo.com

BROOKLYN BY WHEELCHAIR -- PART 8

2011-12-02T01:30:00.000-08:00

BROOKLYN

The westward journey on Surf should include a stop at the corner of Stillwell Avenue for a final taste of Brooklyn.

Since 1916, Nathan’s Famous has sold hot dogs at Stillwell and Surf.

Modern restrooms in the historic building are completely accessible and the stands are low enough for ordering from a wheelchair.

Downing mustard-slathered all-beef dogs and fabulous crinkle cut fries on a warm summer evening under Nathan’s neon-lit sign is a truly American experience.

For the grand finale, how better to exit the ballyhooed borough than via the Brooklyn Bridge?

The minute you start your ascent up the pedestrian pathway (100 percent barrier-free), your heart skips a beat.

BROOKLYN BY WHEELCHAIR -- PART 7

2011-12-01T03:00:00.000-08:00

BROOKLYN

The fabled Wonder Wheel is at Denos Vourderis Place (formerly W. 12th.) The 150-foot, Bethlehem Steel wheel has a level entrance and can accommodate wheelers, but the smallish cars might be best used by those who can transfer from their chairs.
The family-owned and operated landmark gets high marks for its low key approach to accommodating people with disabilities.

Visitors who roll another 10 blocks east will find they’ve wandered very east – as in a place with so many Soviet immigrants, the area is known as Little Odessa.
The barrier-free Boardwalk continues through the neighborhood, which is better known as Brighton Beach.
Brighton’s brightly-colored Russian restaurants and beautiful art deco apartment buildings create a grand sense of place.

Next, head west on Surf Avenue, the first street north of the Boardwalk. Surf has manageable curbcuts, slow-moving traffic and sidewalks just wide enough to squeeze past the masses.

BROOKLYN BY WHEELCHAIR -- PART 6

2011-11-30T00:30:00.000-08:00

BROOKLYN

No barrier-free visit to Brooklyn would be complete without visiting one of the most mythical seaside destinations on earth.

Coney Island is a sensory overload of roaring roller coasters (the Cyclone, world renown, but not accessible), towering Ferris Wheels (Deno’s Wonder Wheel, a landmark that has towered over the Boardwalk since 1920, is accessible) and a world-famous strand (totally barrier-free), forever immortalized on black and white postcards displaying hordes of humanity assembled at the Atlantic in a by-gone era.

Heading toward the ocean on W. 16th Street, visitors come upon an iconic figure used in many movies.

The old Parachute Jump, a part of Steeplechase Park’s heyday, rocks gently in the summer breeze.

The landmark ride entertained Coney Island visitors from 1941 until ’65. It’s been repainted and shored up, but chances are slim that funseekers will ever again ride its parachutes to the ground.

The Boardwalk is plenty wide to accommodate wheelers, Rollerbladers, walkers and all other visitors to the beach.

An eastward stroll and roll on the Boardwalk takes visitors past the ocean on one side and the old time shooting galleries and various amusements on the opposite side.

BROOKLYN BY WHEELCHAIR -- PART 5

2011-11-29T02:00:00.000-08:00

BROOKLYNTo walk off the calories from Junior’s, stop at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a verdant oasis in this dense, urban, stickball-playing-in-the-streets borough. Roll among wide paved paths. Explore the Steinhardt Conservatory -- a series of glass structures so beautiful that wedding parties seem to be perpetually posing among its palms and perfect leafy backdrops. The conservatory is very accessible and there’s an elevator down to barrier-free restrooms.The Japanese Hill and Pond Garden is one of the oldest outside of the land of the rising sun. The looping, gently sloped roll around the pond is so peaceful, one completely forgets about the frenetic cacophony of the surrounding city.In the summer, the Lily Pool Terrace delights with tropical water lilies blended with elegant lotuses and other aquatic plants displayed in large ponds. The beauty can be viewed easily from wheelchair height – there are no rails or obstructions. The pool attracts dozens of photographers -- pro and amateur -- spellbound by the floral delights and the magnificent reflections they cast into the water.

BROOKLYN BY WHEELCHAIR -- part 4

2011-11-28T01:30:00.000-08:00

BROOKLYNIf the Grimaldi’s pizza was shared and the belly is ready for some late afternoon refueling, pop in to Junior’s -- a true Brooklyn legend.The neighborhood is a little rough around the edges, so the urban safety-conscious wheeler might want to visit before sundown. Those of are more “devil may care” will visit the diner-like deli from 7 in the morning till past midnight.Who knows if Junior’s has the best corned beef and pastrami? Let the hundreds of New York delis battle that one out. What Junior’s does have is nostalgia, a true living, breathing slice of old Brooklyn. Brooklyn lost cityhood around the turn of the century, the Dodgers in the fifties and Steeplechase Park in the sixties, but Junior’s lives on.Enter through a stately art deco building using a wide, level entrance off an extension of fabled Flatbush Avenue. You will find people who have been coming for more than half a century for deli fare, along with lots and lots of barbecued chicken dinners.The cheesecakes are huge, fabulous and consistently voted the best in New York by critics and everyday diners alike. And a hint to those in need of an accessible restroom: steps are required for the old facilities but there’s a big, new, accessible restroom by the kitchen.

BROOKLYN BY WHEELCHAIR -- PART 3

2011-11-27T00:30:00.000-08:00

BROOKLYNIf chocolate ice cream isn’t your thing, then roll a few paces away from Fulton Landing to Grimaldi’s Pizza. Roll through the level entrance door and the aroma of coal oven pizza convinces you to ignore any diet you’re on and contemplate downing an entire pie by yourself. The décor is red-checkered tablecloths and autographed photos of Frank, Dino, Tony and lots of other famous Italian singers on the walls. The place is old, so clearance around tables is tight and the restroom isn’t up to ADA standards. One other note of caution: you will succumb to temptation and burn your mouth while rushing to eat a molten slice. Don’t worry; the pleasure far outweighs the pain.Brooklyn Heights Promenade is just up the hill from Fulton Landing. This level and accessible strip of scenic parkland rises above the East River and provides a panoramic view of Gotham's steel and stone skyscrapers. The serenity of the park epitomizes the beauty of the neighborhood's exquisite old apartment buildings, corner markets and mature tree lines. The walkway is one of the most special places in the city, where one can gaze off into New York Harbor and look at the Staten Island Ferry, and at Lady Liberty herself. Walkers, joggers and wheelers of every age congregate on the Promenade to take in the western sunset over Manhattan – or to just sit and read a book in one of New York’s most picturesque settings.

BROOKLYN BY WHEELCHAIR -- part 2

2011-11-26T00:30:00.000-08:00

BROOKLYNThe Fulton Ferry Landing is completely accessible. Water Taxi captains and conductors are quite adept at easing up to the pier and assisting with a ramp, depending on the water level.The Water Taxi can be boarded at one of seven piers in Manhattan. The ride is not for the faint of heart, because the little watercraft bobs like a cork along the Hudson and East rivers until you reach the Fulton Landing. But the view is well worth it and we (Heidi has used a wheelchair for more than 25 years) vouch for the safety and accessibility. When exiting the Water Taxi, you can’t help but look up at the hulking Brooklyn Bridge.The landing site is the perfect place to gawk at the massive bridge from below and to take spectacular photos of lower Manhattan on the horizon. The Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, with its inexpensive cups of creamy traditional flavors, is within spitting distance of the Water Taxi station. The sweet tooth nirvana is ramp-equipped for access.

ACCESSIBLE BROOKLYN

2011-11-25T01:00:00.000-08:00

ACCESSIBLE BROOKLYN

Brooklyn. Is there any other word in the American vocabulary that conjures up so many images?

Hearing the word “Brooklyn” instantly paints pictures of a spectacular and famous bridge, a much-parodied accent, a world of Italian pizza houses and Jewish delis and the home of Coney Island.

Brooklyn is the stuff of movies and stand-up comic routines and teary-eyed nostalgia for the Dodgers, who packed up for LA in the fifties.

Brooklyn has so much art, architecture, ethnicity, history, culture, neighborhood character and unique dining, it would take more than a month to explore it.

Fortunately, the mystical place over the bridge from Manhattan can be explored and experienced quite well by wheelchair. To meander freely about without freezing, it’s best to visit between mid-May to mid-October.

Brooklyn can be reached from a Manhattan hotel by rolling over the completely accessible Brooklyn Bridge walkway or taking a taxi or lift-equipped bus on the famed bridge’s roads. Nothing, however, beats the drama of arriving by water.

ROMPING THROUGH WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE MANHATTAN -- part 5

2011-11-24T01:30:00.000-08:00

WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE MANHATTANWe watched a play from our wheelchair-accessible seats at the John Golden Theater, then taxied it to the Beekman, where an express elevator provided easy wheelchair access to the Top of the Tower.We were weary from packing so much into one day, but the Beekman’s ethereal charms set the stage for the most atmospheric of all our New York moments.Vodka martinis in hand and a stunning starlit view of the metropolis before us, we knew we had taken Manhattan.Author Steve Wright has published more than 2,500 travel stories. His spouse, an ADA expert, has used a wheelchair for four decades.

ROMPING THROUGH WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE MANHATTAN -- part 4

2011-11-23T02:30:00.000-08:00

WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE MANHATTAN The world’s most famous skyscraper, on Fifth Avenue between W. 33rd and 34th streets, is 102 stories tall, plus a 16-story mooring mast. Tours of the Empire are wheelchair accessible. Elevators reach the breathtaking open-air observation deck, which has lowered telescopes and lowered viewing areas to serve wheelchair users.We decided it was time to head back for the hotel, but that we’d trek home via Sixth Avenue, so we would see the Midtown deco landmark -- Rockefeller Center. The expansive complex covers West 48th to 51st Streets between Fifth and Sixth avenues and includes Radio City Music Hall. Cutting down W. 50th Street, we admired buildings adorned in art deco medallions.Back at the Benjamin, a classic 1927 skyscraper, we noted the small lobby is easy for wheelchair users to negotiate and the doormen are quick to do their duties. Twenty of its 209 rooms are wheelchair-accessible one-bedroom suites, which have barrier-free bathrooms to serve disabled guests. The suites are huge by Manhattan standards and have baths equipped with grab bars, bath benches and shower wands for accessibility.

ROMPING THROUGH WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE MANHATTAN -- part 3

2011-11-22T00:30:00.000-08:00

WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE MANHATTANWe were drawn to the granddaddy of all deco skyscrapers. The observation deck closed nearly two decades ago and the building is not set up for tourists like the taller Empire State Building, but the Chrysler is our favorite by far.In daylight, its stainless steel-clad spire dazzles in the morning sun. At night, the Chrysler’s illuminated upper windows make it the most sumptuous siren of all the Manhattan skyline. The 77-story masterpiece at Lexington Avenue and E. 42nd Street also is replete with deco-styled automotive imagery.Nearby at 220 E. 42nd St., the Daily News Building is another deco treasure of the same era. Almost next door to the Chrysler, the structure tells its own story in a large frieze over its entrance.As soon as we saw the long lines at the Empire, we were glad we had CityPass tickets in hand. Not only does the pass booklet offer admission to top attractions, it also allows its holders to skip past long ticket-buying lines.

ROMPING THROUGH WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE MANHATTAN -- part 2

2011-11-20T04:00:00.000-08:00

WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE MANHATTAN We loosely mapped out an art deco lover’s tour covering dozens of city blocks. First up was the General Electric Building, at Lexington Avenue and E. 51st Street, which is across the street from our hotel -- the Benjamin.The lavishly-decorated 51-story art deco tower is highlighted with stylized lightning bolts. From the same spot, the view to the south shows off the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and Waldorf Towers -- an entire block of art deco covering E. 49th to 50th streets between Lexington and Park avenues. The twin structures are noteworthy outside and the luxurious deco interiors are worth a visit inside.We eaded over to the Beekman Tower at the corner of E. 49th Avenue and 1st Street. We admired its classic art deco friezes and made a note to return at night to check out the deco bar on the top floor.We headed south, finding ample curbcuts at the cross streets. Looking west in the morning sun, we gasped every time the steely, shiny crown of the Chrysler Building revealed itself through the canyon of buildings.

ROMPING THROUGH WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE MANHATTAN -- part 1

2011-11-19T01:30:00.000-08:00

ROMPING THROUGH WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE MANHATTAN

By Steve Wright and Heidi Johnson-Wright

NEW YORK -- Millions of Manhattan city lights twinkled to the left of us while the East River and its magnificent bridges beckoned to the right.We were 23 stories above the city, sipping martinis, listening to live jazz standards on the piano and soaking up the sights at the Top of the Tower lounge.From our lofty perch amid art deco splendor in the peak of the Beekman Tower, we’d reached that magical time when traveler’s exhaustion gives way to a kind of devil-may-care euphoria that justifies every dollar spent on toney restaurants, skyrocketing hotel rates and rising air fares.The Beekman, a deco-drenched gem and a landmark in the city since its 1928 opening, earns our triple-A rating: scoring high marks in architecture, atmosphere and access for people with disabilities.We did our best to combine our love of design and need for accessibility with our third must -- an endless quest for a sense of place, that intangible thing we call atmosphere.

LEED-ND: NEW RATING SYSTEMS FOR GREEN NEIGHBORHOODS IS INAUGURATED -- part 11

2011-11-18T03:00:00.000-08:00

LEED-NDJust as hundreds of municipalities have required LEED standards for building and created incentives for LEED construction, Norquist expects regulatory agencies to eventually adopt LEED-ND standards for zoning and development permits.“We cannot sustain the sprawl created by zoning requirements for huge setbacks, big streets, minimum lot sizes, minimum parking requirements, separation of uses,” Norquist said. “A lot of the current regulatory structure promotes sprawl. “LEED-ND really tries to work with developers and real estate investors to create value. “People like to live in a green environment. It is more and more important to people -- both in a public relations sense and in the reality of the market.”Wright frequently writes about Smart Growth and sustainable communities. He and his wife live in a restored historic home in the heart of Miami’s Little Havana. Contact him at: stevewright64@yahoo.com

LEED-ND: NEW RATING SYSTEMS FOR GREEN NEIGHBORHOODS IS INAUGURATED -- part 10

2011-11-17T00:30:00.000-08:00

LEED-ND“People should not look at it as some kind of radical environmental movement, LEED-ND is very consistent with real estate trends,” CNU’s Norquist said. “Studies have shown greater price collapses in the housing market that is far remote from job sites. In many areas, the far-flung sprawl is doing worse than the old city center neighborhoods. Areas with convenience to shopping, jobs and activities are performing better in the market.”Norquist noted that gasoline is no longer cheap and governments can no longer afford to pay for superhighways and the entire infrastructure needed to support sprawl.“If grade separated highways were the answer to economic vitality, Detroit would be the richest city in the world,” Norquist observed.

LEED-ND: NEW RATING SYSTEMS FOR GREEN NEIGHBORHOODS IS INAUGURATED -- part 9

2011-11-16T02:00:00.000-08:00

LEED-NDThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) convened a panel to study the benefits of LEED-ND and found the green neighborhood rating system can:• Reduce the risk of obesity, heart disease and hypertension by making physical activities a part of people’s daily lives by designing walkable, bikeable communities with open spaces and parks close to work and home.• Reduce the risk of asthma and other respiratory diseases, reduce air pollution and injuries from vehicle crashes by building compact communities where people can move about via walking, biking and public transit – rather than being dependent on the automobile.• Improve mental health by reducing the amount of time spent commuting to work and increasing the amount of free time that can be spent with family and exercising in open spaces built into the development.• Encourage healthier diets by making fresh fruits and vegetables more accessible because the rating system rewards points to developments that create space for community gardens and other means of local food production.

LEED-ND: NEW RATING SYSTEMS FOR GREEN NEIGHBORHOODS IS INAUGURATED - part 8

2011-11-15T02:30:00.000-08:00

LEED-NDThe Town of Truckee’s leadership and involvement has been key to the process, which also includes a collective of partners and the general public. Analysis of historic land use and block patterns, the creation of distinct character areas, a regulating plan and place-making drawings for the extended downtown, form-based code and building types study have all been used in the redevelopment process. Together, they facilitate the logical and orderly expansion of the downtown on this former 75-acre lumber mill site and railyard. With Americans dealing with soaring health care costs and illnesses directly related to obesity, LEED-ND also aims to create healthy communities through smart development patterns.“Research has shown that living in a mixed-use environment within walking distance of shops and services results in increased walking and biking, which improve human cardiovascular and respiratory health and reduce the risk of hypertension and obesity,” according to the USGBC’s website detailing the benefits of the new LEED-ND rating system.

LEED-ND: NEW RATING SYSTEMS FOR GREEN NEIGHBORHOODS IS INAUGURATED -- part 7

2011-11-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

LEED-NDSophie Lambert, Director of LEED for Neighborhood Development with the USGBC, agrees that LEED-ND can help address many of the concerns people have with new development.“Community groups who sometimes oppose new development due to concerns about traffic and the like could see the environmental, health, and social benefits of a LEED-ND project.In addition, LEED-ND is the first national rating system for green neighborhood development in smart growth locations with compact, walkable form, and energy- and water-efficient buildings and infrastructure.Getting the community involved has proven successful for a pilot LEED-ND project in northern California.Working through the LEED-ND process helped to educate both the community and development team about the benefits of sustainable site design," said Darin Dinsmore, Professional Planner and Sustainability Consultant about the Truckee Railyard Master Plan. The railyard redevelopment area is located at the eastern end of the city’s historic downtown and will serve as an extension by strengthening the downtown core and local businesses. Plans include a mix of recreational facilities, commercial shops, restaurants, lodging, and civic uses, plus a variety of residential unit types, including live/work units, work/live units, and multifamily residential units incorporated in a mixed-use development. The redevelopment will incorporate affordable and workforce housing for locals such as artisans, entrepreneurs, and tradesmen.

LEED-ND: NEW RATING SYSTEMS FOR GREEN NEIGHBORHOODS IS INAUGURATED -- part 6

2011-11-13T03:00:00.000-08:00

LEED-NDJustin Horner, Transportation Policy Analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said LEED-ND works for small villages as well as big cities.“A major misconception about smart growth is that it will transform our neighborhoods into Manhattan. Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. “We need density to create markets for local businesses and to make transit feasible, but most people would be surprised at how modest that density threshold is. What LEED-ND does is give us a concrete image of what smart growth actually is -- and we think people will like what they see.”Horner points out that in a relatively short period of time, LEED accreditation became a respected national standard for sustainable building development. He said LEED-ND will take LEED’s market cache and apply it to entire neighborhoods, so consumers can “separate real sustainable development from the pretenders.”“LEED-ND is the first systematic attempt to really define what smart growth is. The system’s measures and metrics not only provide guidance on how to minimize the environmental impacts of development, they also reflect the latest in cutting-edge urban design,” he explained. “These are the places people will want to live.“Historically, environmentalists have been great at saying `no’ to development, but we can no longer ignore the environmental consequences of where we live and how we live,” Horner continued. “LEED-ND opens the door for environmentalists to say `yes.’”

LEED-ND: NEW RATING SYSTEMS FOR GREEN NEIGHBORHOODS IS INAUGURATED -- part 5

2011-11-12T01:30:00.000-08:00

LEED-ND“In exurbia, we find that there is often one car provided per adult, sometimes resulting in three or four cars per household. The benefit of living in a LEED-ND community is that the family can downsize their number of cars -- AAA estimates an $8,000 cost per year per auto, including insurance, gas, etc. -- and avail themselves of some walking to meet needs, along with bike and transit options plus car share options,” he said. “Car share is cars placed in public locations, available for rental by mile or hour. So a family that needs a car once a week for a regular activity or outing can reserve a shared car for a couple hours, say, every Thursday evening. In an economic downturn, such options are looking increasingly attractive.”Farr said a decade of working with LEED building standards has shown that a premium green building might cost three percent more than one built with conventional materials, but the structure may see up to a 16 percent increase in appraised value, plus it will be cheaper to operate.“We want to apply those same principles of cost/benefit to an entire neighborhood,” Farr said of LEED-ND. “The benefits to the homeowner are profound; the benefits to society are huge. For generations, we have subsidized the wrong stuff. LEED-ND may help in a national debate to redirect scarce resources to long-term, lasting value.”

LEED-ND: NEW RATING SYSTEMS FOR GREEN NEIGHBORHOODS IS INAUGURATED -- part 4

2011-11-11T00:30:00.000-08:00

LEED-ND“CNU is composed mostly of architects, planners and real estate investors and it played an important role in connecting the rating system to market realities,” he said of the mom and pop benefits of LEED-ND. “There is a whole cascade of benefits that come with compact development: transportation options, walkability, improved real estate value -- it makes the economy more efficient.”Chicago-based architect Doug Farr, one of the fathers of LEED building certification and author of Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design With Nature, said LEED-ND has created first-ever certification standards for entire communities and master planned developments.He explained that LEED-ND projects earn points by addressing principles of smart growth applied to the development of virgin lands, sensitive lands, and infill developments. It also incorporates CNU’s charter that urges the creation of walkable communities and coherent urban places with: a mix of uses, choices in types of housing and options for how one gets around, with walking being the most reliable mode of transportation -- plus biking and public transit.“There is a strong argument that this is about choice and giving people rich communities and their ability to find their place in them, not dictating solutions,” he said.Farr said LEED-ND’s sprawl-busting standards can make life much more economical in tough times.

LEED-ND: NEW RATING SYSTEMS FOR GREEN NEIGHBORHOODS IS INAUGURATED - part 3

2011-11-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

LEED-ND“The old headquarters was on a transit line, but the new one was built so far away that everybody who worked there had to drive. People who used to take transit had to buy a car,’’ he said. “The energy spent on commuting to the new building blew out the energy savings in the LEED-certified building.”“The Bank of America Tower on Sixth Avenue between 42nd and 43rd streets in Manhattan is a perfect example of a building that was built to meet LEED platinum building standards, but would also meet LEED neighborhood standards because it is an infill site with something like a half dozen major transit lines reached by elevators right underneath it,” Norquist said of the 54-story skyscraper on Bryant Park. “Not every place is like Manhattan, so the (LEED-ND) system is calibrated to deal with smaller communities and smaller projects.While filled with complex calculations for everything from number of streets per block (small streets and lots of them earn high points) to ways of conserving topsoil and wetlands on-site, Norquist stresses that LEED-ND’s bottom line is market-friendly.

LEED-ND: NEW RATING SYSTEMS FOR GREEN NEIGHBORHOODS IS INAUGURATED -- part 2

2011-11-09T02:30:00.000-08:00

LEED-NDAn exhaustive 100-plus page document creates a checklist for every conceivable element to promote sustainable neighborhood design. Points are given for: connectivity to existing development, water and land conservation, developing with a strong grid of streets, building near transit, creating affordable housing, using infill sites, facilitating a mix of uses, integrating universal design to accommodate people with disabilities, and dozens of other measures of compact, efficient neighborhood design that promotes healthy walkability while reducing automobile dependency. “The LEED building program was limited in that a building could get a platinum (the highest standard of building sustainability), gold or silver certification, but be in a location where the employees or residents would be driving unnecessarily long drives to get to work, shopping or home,” said John Norquist, CNU President and CEO.Norquist said that very example happened in the Chicago area when a major bank headquarters moved to a new location in a highly-efficient building that earned a high LEED rating, but was isolated far from public transit.

LEED-ND: NEW RATING SYSTEMS FOR GREEN NEIGHBORHOODS IS INAUGURATED

2011-11-08T02:00:00.000-08:00

NEW RATING SYSTEMS FOR GREEN NEIGHBORHOODS IS INAUGURATED

By Steve Wright

In a short decade, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) has become the standard for measuring the sustainability of a building.With everyday people fighting soaring energy costs and striving to spend their dollars efficiently in a bad economy, LEED has gone from an obscure movement to a clear concept in the vocabulary of mom and pop consumers.But a number of leading urbanists began to realize that if applying LEED standards to a building is good, developing a system of LEED standards for every aspect of neighborhood development would be great.And that is exactly what a herculean effort by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) and the Natural Resources Defense Council has achieved.Born of a balloting process among planning and sustainability experts, the LEED for Neighborhood Development Rating System (LEED-ND) integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism and green building into the first national system for neighborhood design.

ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR -- part 9

2011-11-07T02:00:00.000-08:00

ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR Ojen, situated in the El Juanar Valley and surrounded by orchards, welcomed its first human settlers during the Stone Age. Casares is picture postcard village with a population of just three thousand and the view from the approach that is more breathtaking than the vista of Gibraltar one sees on the costal road on the way.Jubrique is a place where one might spot a working burro or an old building adorned with a colorful bullfight poster that captivates the traveler, its bright colors almost as beautiful as the wild poppies in the nearby valley.Steve Wright is quite enchanted by Spanish-speaking destinations from Central and South America, the Caribbean and of course, mother Spain. His wife is an Americans with Disabilities Act expert who has used a wheelchair for 35 years.

ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR -- part 8

2011-11-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR Zahara de la Sierra is arguably the crown jewel of Andalucia’s white towns situated on mountainsides. Even from a distance, the remains of its 13th century Moorish fortress hypnotically draw one’s gaze. Explore the town’s narrow streets, then relax with a cold Cruzcampo at cafe in a plaza by the cathedral.Istan, founded in 1448 as a Moorish outpost, boasts winding streets and whitewashed houses that reflect its colorful history, which was rich with viniculture and silk production. Yet to be overrun by tourism, it lends itself to quiet exploration.Gaucin is where a castle’s origins date to Roman times and eagles are drawn to the structure, frequently riding the up-draughts above the towers. Visit this charming town on a clear day and you’ll be treated to views of the Rif Mountains of Northern Africa.

ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR -- part 7

2011-11-05T03:00:00.000-07:00

ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR To get a true taste of Andalucia, jump in the rental car and follow any one of the dozens of looping trails that take you through the pueblos blancos, the white cities so named because of the postcard-perfect whitewashed walls.Every guidebook has a map, so don’t worry if you get lost. Getting lost takes you off the beaten track to towns devoid of tourists but rich in local flavor with traditional casas with iron windows overflowing with fresh flowers. Sample fresh game meat, jamon, queso and gazpacho washed down with sherry or fino from nearby Jerez.Most white towns are terraced, with the streets between one level or the other too steep for wheelers. But be patient and drive around the charming towns until you find the perfect plaza to park in and roll out among the tiny sun drenched outdoor cafes. Favorite pueblos blancos include:TOMORROW -- Zahara de la Sierra, Istan & Guacin

ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR -- part 6

2011-11-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR Malaga doesn’t get the fanfare of its sister cities, but it has much more than the largest airport and supply of rental cars with automatic transmission in Southern Spain. Spend at least a day in the birthplace of Picasso strolling the streets, exploring the plazas and savoring fresh grilled fish at a beachside chiringuito.Located in the heart of the old port city, the Picasso Museum is a work of art itself – a 16th century building with a stunning architectural mix of Mudejar and Renaissance elements. An accessible walkway also takes visitors through an archaeological roll past Phoenician, Roman and Moorish remains dating back to the seventh century B.C.The museum itself provides a glimpse into the private life of the master artist, with more than 200 paintings, drawings, sculpture, ceramics, and graphics that were given to family members – many never on public view before. The museum is completely barrier-free.Near the Picasso Museum, in Plaza Obisbo, is the 16th-century Renaissance Malaga cathedral. Some crude but functional ramps provide access into the awe-inspiring grand cathedral that survived damage during the Spanish Civil War.Down by the beach, the paseo maritimo has miles of accessible walkways, with plenty of access ramps down to the beach. Be sure to eat fresh fish – be it deep fried are grilled over charcoal right on sand – at a chiringuito. These little beachside bars are an integral part of life on the Costa del Sol.

ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR -- part 5

2011-11-03T02:30:00.000-07:00

ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR Christopher Columbus rests here in an ornate tomb held high by four giant figures. The beautiful Giralda Tower, not really accessible because the ramps inside were built for horses and are incredibly steep, shines bright day and night.Along the banks of the Rio Guadalquivir, one can see the simple 13th century Moorish beauty of the Torre del Oro – so named because it once was clad in golden tiles. Further up the east bank of the river lies the Corrida de Toros, Sevilla’s historic bull ring and perpetual rival to Ronda’s as the true home of Andalucia’s most famous sport. Here, the ghosts of matadors Manolete and Joselito still thrill to the cheers of the crowds.Whether you think the pastime cruel or culturally iconic, an inexpensive tour cuts a wheelchair-accessible pathway through a fascinating small museum and onto the hard packed dirt surface of the ring itself.For a stroll free of crumbling sidewalks and maniacal motorcyclists, enjoy the pedestrian mallway that is Calle Sierpes – named so because it meanders slightly like the body of a serpent. Colorful awnings help calm the sun high above and the street is lined with book stores and places to get a good cup of coffee or sweet treat.

ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR -- part 4

2011-11-02T02:00:00.000-07:00

ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR Sevilla, to many a poet, priest and pedestrian, IS Andalucia. Speaking of the pedestrian experience, it can be a bit challenging for wheelers because of narrow sidewalks favored by speeding motorcyclists and teeth-rattling cobblestones in the pleasant Santa Cruz district.Four of Sevilla’s crown jewels – The Real Alcazar, the Cathedral, the bull ring and Calle Sierpes are very accessible.The Real Alcazar has elevators that allow disabled visitors to explore its corridors. Listen carefully and you can hear the many stories this royal palace has to tell. Tales of its origin as a Moorish fortress centuries before the first millennia, of its transformation into an opulent palace by Pedro the Cruel, of its reincarnation through Gothic elements added in the Middle Ages.Sevilla’s Cathedral is bigger than St Peter’s in Rome, with five lofty naves and a staggering main altar nearly 120 feet tall. Follow the signs to the accessible entrance and take advantage of the barrier-free restroom and gift shop filled with photo books in English. Once inside, marvel at the altar covered in carved statues and entirely coated in gold – a remnant of a nearly two century monopoly that Sevilla enjoyed in trading with the New World for precious metals and other goods. TOMORROW -- SEVILLA PART 2

ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR -- part 3

2011-11-01T01:30:00.000-07:00

ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR To know Cadiz, you must roll through the streets in this city, the oldest in Western Christendom. Peer into courtyards ornamented with Arabic tiles and you can almost picture Phoenician merchants, Berber spice traders, and sailors readying for ocean voyages to the New World.Despite its age, Cadiz is an amazingly compact and accessible city. The key is finding centrally located underground parking – Plaza San Antonio has a great one -- with accessible spaces and an elevator up to the grand plaza where it is located. Cadiz is a city of plazas where you can walk and roll from port to beach to fortress in a town surrounded by water on three sides. Cadiz is a civilized place with flower markets and an old world pace that means most shops close on Sunday.

ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR -- part 2

2011-10-31T01:00:00.000-07:00

ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIRWe found a fabulous accessible villa near the sleepy village of San Pedro de Alcantara, the glitzy yacht hub of Puerto Banus and the two main east-west roads.Ronda, with its famous bull ring and bridge, was just up the hill. Actually, the journey to Ronda is up a twisting, turning, spectacular serpentine road.Perched in the mountains over the River Guadalevín, Ronda enchants like a town from an ancient fairytale. Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles fell under its spell, marveling at the natural beauty as well as the captivating ruins of Celtish, Roman and Moorish origin.Right next to the fabled bull ring, a city-operated surface parking lot is convenient and accessible, if not beautiful. Bull ring tours are cheap and the ground level is wheelchair-accessible – we even wheeled out onto the playing field.The Parador, an historic inn, has an outstanding accessible restroom. The pathway around it provides unparalleled barrier-free views of the valley, the gorge and the stunning old bridge that spans it.Be sure to look at all the houses that hug the rim and spill over and into the gorge with terrace after whitewashed terrace of dining and living space.

ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR

2011-10-30T08:17:00.000-07:00

By Steve Wright

Andalucia is at once cool mountain air and steamy Mediterranean Sea, fabled landmark cities and little towns you’ve never heard of, home of both ancient Islamic architecture and endless modern faux villa compounds.Southern Spain, the land of stunning vistas that Moors and Christians fought over through the ages, is now being taken over by the working class British vacation package and the upper middle class Brit. second home in the sun craze.While its sprawl is consuming the land, the British golf course and condo invasion may be the best thing that ever happened to Andalusian accessibility. All that modern building might not be pretty, but it is providing thousands of rental units with level entrances, wide hallways, large showers, accessible patios and a wealth of other wheelchair accommodations not found in centuries-old dwellings.Because one could spend a year exploring Spain’s largest autonomous region and not be bored of its rich culture and contrasts, it’s best to plan a stay of at least two weeks.It’s also best to find one very accessible place to sleep and focus on an area east or west of Malaga. Otherwise, your 16-hour daytrip will involve eight hours of driving.

DREAMING OF ISTÁN -- part 7

2011-10-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

DREAMING OF ISTÁN Now it is near nightfall. On a weeknight, Istán’s few restaurants are not so full. But look up into the wrought iron-ornamented windows and quaint balconies of the apartments and townhouses.Families are sitting down to a traditional home-cooked Andalusian meal at the traditionally later than any American visitor can imagine hour. The odds are 10-to-1 that whatever they are eating is more simple, authentic and flavorful than anything you will taste from the most exclusive restaurant.Wander around in quietude listening to those delightful fountains that comforted Istán inhabitants for centuries.Happen upon a hub of activity. It’s a little well-lit joint with a few barstools and a couple tables. The specialty is piping hot pizza with local olives, chorizo, and peppers. Maybe a pizza joint seems out of place in a centuries-old village Spanish village founded by Muslims, but the shop fits in with Istán like cheese and tomato sauce on a six-slice pie. With stars twinkling over the mountains and valleys, make one last sweep through a village of colorful potted plants hanging everywhere and very fortunate Istán inhabitants readying for bed under southern Spain’s enchanted moonlight.Wright is based in Miami. Contact him at stevewright64@yahoo.com

DREAMING OF ISTÁN -- part 6

2011-10-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

DREAMING OF ISTÁN

Walk up the steep streets. Notice so many old people walking that the early evening hours look like a retirement village outing. Or maybe there are so many healthy seniors out and about because they stay fit walking instead of driving, downing fresh mountain water instead of high fructose corn syrup sodas.Look up at the Sierra Blanca Mountains or out across the Rio Verde valley. Watch how different the greens and purples and other hues become as the sun softens after 7 p.m. Marvel at that Andalusian sun. In late May/early June, it trades midday intensity for a warm, glowing, photographer’s dream light from sevenish till total sundown about 10 p.m.Wonder along the streets. They are now full of children, families. Many are gathered around the little kiosk selling snacks by the beloved Mirador del Peñón, a lookout point. The air is cool, crisp, fresh and more pure than the auto exhaust fume-choked winds off the sea below.Walk back up the hill and a cathedral bell rings. It’s the real thing, coming from the beautiful Baroque-steepled Iglesia de San Miguel – a parish church built in the 16th century on orders of the archbishop of Sevilla and named for the village’s patron saint (not the popular on-tap cerveza of the same name).

DREAMING OF ISTÁN -- part 5

2011-10-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

DREAMING OF ISTÁNBack at the bar, have a little piece of bread with some meat and cheese. Rejoice in the fact that the no-name place has just a few tapas to offer. A Chinese menu-length list of offerings would be suspect, no?Settle up with the barkeep and walk over to Fuente y Lavadero El Chorro, an historic water fountain and washing area that has become the emblem of Istán. Study the large number of irrigation channels that flow through the town. They date back to the ingenious Moors who used them as a watering system for domestic and agricultural use.Stop and look everywhere you go. The terraced nature of the Andalusian hillside village means that there often is a street one level above you and more on the levels below.Gaze up at the rooftops. There is laundry hanging on a line and it isn’t something from a movie set, it’s the real deal. Check out all those TV antennas.Look the other direction, at the street overhead. Kids are playing some kind of game created on the spot that involves a soccer ball and apartment walls in a sunlit crook of a dead end street.

DREAMING OF ISTÁN -- part 4

2011-10-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

DREAMING OF ISTÁNLeave the rental car at the informal car park where route MA-427 deposits motorists near the center of town.Walk in late in the afternoon and join the villagers in a meandering pilgrimage to one of the handful of small bares (bars). The summer sun is still hot, so seek comfort in a little corner place that serves delightful cañas – little six ounce beers – of the ever-present Cruzcampo or the equally popular San Miguel.If you want to visit the post office, or buy some dry goods or visit a bakery – do so early. Nearly all the shops and services in Istán shut down at a very early and civilized hour.While the strip mall and ‘round the clock convenience store world predominates less than a half hour’s drive away, Istán remains magically insulated from the modern-day horrors of traffic jams leading in and out of soulless places.If there is a store, restaurant or service connected with any national or multinational brand, it must have hidden itself well – because Istán is a small scale place where mom and pop shops rule the roost.

DREAMING OF ISTÁN -- part 3

2011-10-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

DREAMING OF ISTÁNThere is a nice inn on the outskirts of town, a few named restaurants within, a 500-year-old church and some famous fountains all about – but Istán isn’t the kind of place with “must see” sights.For those who like to explore via checklist, who like to pinball from Point A to Point Z with a set itinerary of famous places and memorized addresses, Istán isn’t worth the 15 kilometer drive from the N-340 main road.If tapas bars with printed menus – in English – are a must, head to Mijas – a beautiful place nearly destroyed by hundreds of look-alike souvenir shops, restaurants shamefully serving British grub instead of local seafood and the endless roar of custom coaches disgorging hordes of folks on guided tour holiday.Istán is for people who see streets too narrow for cars and jump for joy. Istán is for those who stroll into town with barely a toddler’s command of Spanish and look forward to a short conversation with the local’s en español. Istán is for those who like steep hills and dead end streets and the thrill of getting lost – though you can’t lose your way for very long in a town with only a few dozen streets.

DREAMING OF ISTÁN -- part 2

2011-10-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

DREAMING OF ISTANAfter a mid-16th century rebellion by the Moriscos – Muslim converts to Christianity – was quashed by the Castille Crown, King Felipe II repopulated Istán with settlers from Murcia who spoke the panocho dialect. Inhabitants of Istán are still known as panochos.While leaving the sprawling and overpopulated greater Marbella, the curving road to Istán passes farm too many cranes building far too many English-designed, yet supposedly Spanish-style villas. Eventually, the twisting ribbon of roadway outdistances urbanization and gives way to the open spaces that characterize the entranceway to the Sierra de las Nieves natural park. The pristine park serves as both a Spain-designated hunting reserve and a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve.Tension eases and blood pressure calms as your pocket-sized European rental car makes its final spiraling journey into Istán and its stunning vistas.Everywhere in the city, the sound of soothing water can be heard. Translators of languages used in pre-Roman times say the word Istán meant “spring,” or “pass of the waters.”Natural springs feed the city and fountains flow with ice cold, pure mountain water all about. Even with a nearby reservoir supplying modern-era piped in water, many locals can be seen filling up water jugs at public fountains adorned in colorful Andalusian tiles.

DREAMING OF ISTÁN -- part 1

2011-10-23T03:30:00.000-07:00

DREAMING OF ISTÁN

By Steve Wright

Your friends will not believe you.You will tell them that there is an unspoiled piece of Andalusian charm left in the Malaga province.They will scoff. Costa del Sol has been ruined by gray apartment towers, ex-pat pubs, retailed-to-death roads and faux villas on every terraced hillside, they will tell you.The coast has been corrupted and even the famed whitewashed villages in the hills have traded tradition for tour buses, they will remind you.But there is a place where old people still gather to watch the sun set over the mountains. There is a village that proudly has a population well under 2,000.There is a village where locals still outnumber tourists by a large margin, where the taverns don’t even have signs, where the streets are so narrow that nearly all the cars are parked on the outskirts.Istán is the last holdout of tranquility in an area ridiculed for pompous Puerto Banus and paunchy, over the hill Marbella. Founded in the 1448 by Muslims taking refuge from a defeat at the hands of a Christian Army, Istán still boasts whitewashed houses, Arabic roof tiling and narrow streets of its beginnings more than 500 years ago.