AIRLINES HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO TO TRULY SERVE WHEELCHAIR USERS

AIRPORTS MUST ACCOMMODATE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Gratified to see well-displayed disability services hubs in each terminal at Orly Airport Paris.

I have seen the same, as well as very accessible restrooms at Charles de Gaulle airport Paris.

Kudos.

PUBLIC TRANSIT IS A GAME CHANGER FOR MOBILITY, HOUSING, EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, RECREATION AND QUALITY OF LIFE METRO SYSTEMS MUST ACCOMMODATE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

METRO SYSTEMS MUST ACCOMMODATE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES 

Glad to see poster (on Paris M14 line to Orly Airport) supporting wheelchair access on train transit.

Sadly, a tiny fraction of other Metro lines have elevator access. I hope transit operator/authority RATP and IDFmobiilites improve this.

MIAMI "CAR BRAIN" SELFISHNESS KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES

MORE THAN A HALF DOZEN CARS ILLEGALLY PARK ON THE SIDEWALK AT HISTORIC WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN PARK.

THIS HOSTILE ACT PUSHES DISABLED, ELDERLY AND YOUNG PEDESTRIANS INTO DANGEROUS TRAFFIC

The staff at the City Of Miami Bryan Park in Shenandoah is blatantly failing people with disabilities and children.

They do nothing to make people stop blocking the sidewalk with their vehicle vehicles.

Precious police resources are used because of this neglect.

District 4 Commissioner Ralph "Rafael" Rosado and Coral Way Police Commander Manuel Abreu try to quell the endless lawlessness.

The car brain/ableist stupid pushback from evilly selfish drivers:

“They are only blocking half the sidewalk.”

Which is enough to destroy mobility for a wheelchair user.

“They have nowhere else to park.”

That would be as foolhardy as saying, I could steal my neighbor’s car because mine is in the shop.

Miami’s Bryan Park is a tiny treasure.

People who hostilely endanger pedestrians by blocking the sidewalk are:

1) neighbors who live less than a half dozen blocks and could easily walk for exercise instead of driving.

2) people who live far away and are abusing the Shenandoah neighborhood.

HOTEL SOFT PARIS 10TH ARRONDISSIMENT

CONVENIENT QUARTERS IN AN AUTHENTIC NEIGHBORHOOD

I requested a quiet room at Hotel Soft Paris and was accommodated with a dwelling away from street sounds and separated from the elevator from by said soundproofed door.

The desk was great about getting my requested extra flat bed sheet -- then going on a long hunt for real coffee (room only had decaf packets) the first morning.

There is a great supermarket a couple blocks away and hundreds of wonderful restaurants, many with outdoor space, in the 10th.

La Petite Rose des Sables -- an ultra-intimate, highly rated neighborhood gem – is a 10 minute walk from the hotel.

I enjoyed an aperitif, salad, frites, chicken roti, sangria, sweets and hugs for €14.

HOTEL SOFT PARIS 10TH ARRONDISSIMENT

CONVENIENT QUARTERS IN AN AUTHENTIC NEIGHBORHOOD

My Hotel Soft Paris room was clean, efficient and tiny.

I paid just under $150 (fully loaded with taxes) and got what I paid for -- a room with almost no space around the bed, a tiny bathroom (with a troublesome shower tube that was so high up off the ground that I hung onto the adjacent sink for dear life to prevent a dangerous fall during the huge step up/step down.)

Thankfully, the no frills property has an elevator.

It gets huge credit for having a door between the elevator and rooms -- which tamps down noise from people departing the lift at all hours.

The hotel also has many signs reminding guests to be quiet.

 

 

 

 

HOTEL SOFT PARIS 10TH ARRONDISSIMENT

CONVENIENT QUARTERS IN AN AUTHENTIC NEIGHBORHOOD

I arrived at L'Est and walked to Hotel Soft Paris in less than 10 minutes.

I departed Paris at Gare du Nord and it was less than 15 minutes to walk there from the hotel.

The hotel is located a side street, so it is quiet at night.

My room overlooked a pleasant rear courtyard shared with other buildings.

Hotel Soft also is the perfect distance from the two major rail stations -- as in close enough to walk without paying high taxi rates, and far enough away to avoid the seedy element that populates the surroundings of major transit hubs -- even in this most elegant of cities.

HOTEL SOFT PARIS 10TH ARRONDISSIMENT

CONVENIENT QUARTERS IN AN AUTHENTIC NEIGHBORHOOD

When I was asking a question to the front desk clerk at Hotel Soft Paris the next morning, a fellow traveler checking out also complained about poor sleep due to loud thuds from the room above.

I confess I am a light sleeper and this was the first night adjusting to the 6 hour time difference -- but since a similar solo traveler on my floor had the same experience, I have to share this noise concern.

HOTEL SOFT PARIS 10TH ARRONDISSIMENT

CONVENIENT QUARTERS IN AN AUTHENTIC NEIGHBORHOOD

The first night at Hotel Soft Paris, I slept chaotically.

There was a thumping noise from the room above from at least 11 p.m. till past 1 a.m.

It sound like people dropping luggage over and over -- or a large dog leaping off the bed.

A bit more soundproofing should be added.

Because the phone in the room doesn't work, I did not contact the front desk to investigate the noise.

HOTEL SOFT PARIS 10TH ARRONDISSIMENT

CONVENIENT QUARTERS IN AN AUTHENTIC NEIGHBORHOOD

Hotel Soft Paris provides low cost rooms with just enough space to sleep and bathe, great location in authentic 10th Arrondissement

Its excellent location is footsteps from Canal St. Martin -- the beautiful waterway with elegant bridges over it and thousands of spots to sit with a picnic lunch and bottle of wine in one of the greatest outdoor urban settings in all of Europe.

The hotel also is within easy walking distance of Paris' large Gare de L'Est and Gare du Nord railroad stations.

CONNECT RECORD SHOP (VINYL PARADISE)

THE CROWN JEWEL OF FORT LAUDERDALE’S THRIVE ART DISTRICT 

The New Times described South Florida’s best record shop: “Connect Record Shop immediately made a splash on the regional record shop scene thanks to its fantastic curation and socially oriented space.”

Connect is in Fort Lauderdale’s Thrive Art District – worth a 90 minute roundtrip drive from the center of Miami.

A recent visit took me back 4+ decades with posters of Devo, The Velvet Underground and more.

Connect is a throwback with old school (and fresh) vinyl in a clean, wheelchair accessible, inclusive setting.

It earns a 5 star review with wall art of bands I saw in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s in my native Ohio.

https://connectrecordshop.com/

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort is not in the town center, but around Dampoort station, there are a half dozen or so Turkish and Middle Eastern pita shops, restaurants and bakeries.

Some reviewers have said the neighborhood looks seedy.

It is not polished, but it is growing area and I never felt like I needed to take anything but public transit and foot power – even when I arrived around 11 p.m.

Buying tickets for local buses and intercity trains is very easy online.

You can go to famous Bruges or the Flanders part of northern France for less than $10 one way, when you buy a 6 euro plus pass and book off times (basically not rush hour).

The areas around the fabled towers and historic monuments of Gent can be a bit noisy, so I found the Dampoort location to be quiet and peaceful.

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

The main street where Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort is located is a bit gritty.

It’s a dockland area that clearly soon will be a hipster area, as a hip office building has been built nearby, condos are going up and some older buildings are prime for renovation.

The walk along the waterfront feels safe.

It is well lit.

You walk past live aboard moored boats, open fields ready for redevelopment on them, then some preserved heavy dock equipment, an urban skate park and ultimately a pedestrian bridge that leads to a food hall and retail – about 20 minutes from the hotel.

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort had tons of amenities – work out area, games to play, warm lobby, outdoor patio and a full restaurant and bar.

The lobby featured the famous Adagio offering of tons of things to buy for the room – from Belgian beer to microwave dishes to snacks to toothpaste and other items. 

All items are priced more than a store, but not at a gouging rate.

 

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort is about a 5 minute walk from a bus terminal next to Dampoort station

Theses buses will take you very close to the town center as well as other interesting parts of Gent.

I used this as a base for nearly a week in Belgium and I would highly recommend it for that.

I slept like a baby.

The room was well soundproofed and my request to have a unit away from the very busy 4-lane road that the hotel sits on was honored.

 

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

The nights at Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort were quiet, the bed was comfy, the bathroom was luxurious and the shower had lots of warm water.

A beer on the waterfront patio from the Hotel’s Eat In restaurant was great and one day I fueled up on the breakfast buffet.

It is a 10 minute walk to restaurants and shops and only a 20 minute walk to the center of lively and historic Gent.

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort is a fabulous property.

It is well managed – I asked for extra bed sheets, help with the non-functioning AC and dead battery room safe and go help in less than 30 minutes.

The property is 10 minutes from Dampoort Rail Station – I used it for low cost, high speed rail connections to Antwerp, Mechelen, Brussels, Bruges and Lille, France.

There is a large Carrefour  grocery store very close to Dampoort Station and I used it to buy breakfast and snack food foods for the full kitchen in the aparthotel.

OCTOBER IS NATIONAL PEDESTRIAN SAFETY MONTH

YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW IT IN MIAMI, WHERE ANTI-SOCIAL PEOPLE PARK ON THE SIDEWALK BY THE HUNDREDS – DESTROYING SAFE MOBILITY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

October is National Pedestrian Safety Month.

Anti-social "car brain" Miami drivers 'celebrate' by blocking sidewalks which destroys safe mobility for people with disabilities.

Cars MUST be ticketed and towed.

Don't tell me people might not know any better.

A 10 year old on a bike knows not to park on the sidewalk.

Don't say a wheelchair user can just "go around in the street."

Miami streets are dangerous, even the side streets.

Ask the family that lost a good man who was killed by a vehicle on the side street next to Miami’s Shenandoah Park.

But Steve, maybe there was nowhere else to park.

Even in lawless, selfish Miami -- lack of convenience is NOT an excuse for illegal behavior.

HÔTEL DU PRINCE EUGÈNE PARIS 11TH ARRONDISSEMENT

COSY 3 STAR PROPERTY IN THE PERFECT LOCATION WITH A GREAT STAFF

The Hotel Du Prince Eugene Paris value is incredible.

I stayed for less than $150 fully loaded with tax, etc.

There is a shutter and blackout drapes, but the view was so beautiful, I kept the shades open and fell asleep to clouds passing over moonlight in Paris!

This is THE place to rest and base your visit in Paris.

HÔTEL DU PRINCE EUGÈNE PARIS 11TH ARRONDISSEMENT

COSY 3 STAR PROPERTY IN THE PERFECT LOCATION WITH A GREAT STAFF

I can't wait to return to Hotel Du Prince Eugene Paris.

It feels like staying with family.

The room is not huge, but it is perfect.

I walked to sites and attractions in the 3rd, 4th, 9th, 8th and 10th arrondissements.

Marche Aligre is a short walk away and my all-time favorite Marché Bastille (aka Marché Richard-Lenoir) is a spirited 30 minute walk away through the authentic Faubourg St. Antoine.

 

 

HÔTEL DU PRINCE EUGÈNE PARIS 11TH ARRONDISSEMENT

COSY 3 STAR PROPERTY IN THE PERFECT LOCATION WITH A GREAT STAFF

The family operated Hotel Du Prince Eugene Paris is a little more than five minute walk to Charonne area that is packed with Michelin starred and local restaurants plus plenty of bars and quaint cafes.

The neighborhood is safe, quiet and filled with locals.

You will feel like a Parisian.

Saime Voltaire Boulangerie, Au petit Panisse, and Boucherie John Gillot were excellent local foodie places very close to the hotel.

HÔTEL DU PRINCE EUGÈNE PARIS 11TH ARRONDISSEMENT

COSY 3 STAR PROPERTY IN THE PERFECT LOCATION WITH A GREAT STAFF

The Hotel Du Prince Eugene Paris front desk staff spoke excellent English and was very helpful and professional.

The location is perfect.

It’s about a five minute walk from Nation station that takes you everywhere in Paris via Metro and RER trains.

HÔTEL DU PRINCE EUGÈNE PARIS 11TH ARRONDISSEMENT

COSY 3 STAR PROPERTY IN THE PERFECT LOCATION WITH A GREAT STAFF

My bed at Hotel Du Prince Eugene Paris was large and comfy.

There is a small elevator.

The bathroom was large, modern and the shower had endless warm water.

There were nightstands on each side with plugs for my white noise machine and charging phone.

A small desk with coffee maker was space enough for morning pastries and a final day lunch in my room.

HÔTEL DU PRINCE EUGÈNE PARIS 11TH ARRONDISSEMENT

COSY 3 STAR PROPERTY IN THE PERFECT LOCATION WITH A GREAT STAFF

Hotel Du Prince Eugene Paris is incredible.

My room was so quiet.

I got a 6th floor room -- the top floor -- despite a discount booking.

It is a typical Haussmann building with garret style apartment with gabled wall and tilt out window.

The views over the Pairs rooftops were dreamlike.

IF YOU ADVERTISE YOUR ATTRACTION AS “FULLY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE”

YOU CANNOT HAVE TWO MAJOR PARTS OF YOUR EXHIBIT ACCESSIBLE ONLY VIA STAIRS. WHAT GIVES, SUPERBLUE?

Dear Superblue Miami.

I visited your immersive art experience.

In return for nearly $40 per ticket, please improve wayfinding.

The continuation of the exhibit (virtual spray painting) is upstairs.

No signage to wheelchair accessible entrance.

Quoting your website: "Superblue Miami (1101 NW 23rd St) is fully wheelchair accessible.

All exhibition areas, pathways and surfaces are navigable by wheelchair.

But only stairs (we asked) lead to 2nd level of Es Devlin Forest of Us.

DIVERSITY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IS UNDER ATTACK — BUT THESE EXPERTS SAY IT’S MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER

MINORITY-OWNED PLANNING FIRMS ARE AS ESSENTIAL AS THEY EVER WERE, THESE FOUR TOP EXPERTS ARGUE — NO MATTER WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS

“Our approach is, ‘how do you help people take back their power?’” said Cecilia V. Estolano, who leads the Los Angeles-based Estolano Advisors. 

“How do you help communities to become places where they can actualize all their abilities? Diversity as a perspective makes our profession better.” 

When it comes to sustainability, Estolano emphasized that firms owned by people of color can frame issues of climate justice, pollution, the clean energy transition, and water quality in terms that reflect the direct experience of the communities that have been most impacted.

“We had our neighborhoods bulldozed to build freeways that caused more air pollution that seared our lungs,” she added. 

“We understand what it means to live within the evacuation zone of an oil refinery and can appreciate what clean cars and renewable energy can mean for our kids and their kids.”

DIVERSITY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IS UNDER ATTACK — BUT THESE EXPERTS SAY IT’S MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER

MINORITY-OWNED PLANNING FIRMS ARE AS ESSENTIAL AS THEY EVER WERE, THESE FOUR TOP EXPERTS ARGUE — NO MATTER WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS

To generate incremental, sustainable development, Cecilia V. Estolano, who leads the Los Angeles-based Estolano Advisors, said cities often have to overcome cynicism and mistrust in working class communities of color — because those communities have been misled, disappointed and underestimated in past failed planning processes.

“We work closely with communities on changing the things that result from poor planning and poor policy,” she added. 

Estolano’s firm is currently leading the planning process for the future of a state-owned site in LA’s Crenshaw district that’s been shuttered for more than a decade. 

Served by light rail, it could be redeveloped with housing, job training and other community services.

 

 

DIVERSITY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IS UNDER ATTACK — BUT THESE EXPERTS SAY IT’S MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER

MINORITY-OWNED PLANNING FIRMS ARE AS ESSENTIAL AS THEY EVER WERE, THESE FOUR TOP EXPERTS ARGUE — NO MATTER WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS

Cecilia V. Estolano has been working on redevelopment and economic development issues for over three decades. 

Her experience leading the Los Angeles-based Estolano Advisors has made her skeptical of strategies that call for luring large firms into a community with big subsidies and tax breaks without asking much in return.

Estolano said most consistent growth comes from home-grown small businesses. 

“This is how we build wealth in this country, particularly when so many folks are locked out of home ownership in high cost cities,” she added.

“We need to invest in infrastructure because it is the foundation for our quality of life and for business growth. 

And we have to work directly with businesses to design workforce training programs tailored to their needs, but only if they can deliver jobs and careers that pay enough to support a family.”

 

DIVERSITY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IS UNDER ATTACK — BUT THESE EXPERTS SAY IT’S MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER

MINORITY-OWNED PLANNING FIRMS ARE AS ESSENTIAL AS THEY EVER WERE, THESE FOUR TOP EXPERTS ARGUE — NO MATTER WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS

The resulting COTA plan didn’t simply look at sourcing environmentally friendly materials as part of the transit authority’s resilience effort.

It also charted ways of sustaining economic justice by ensuring small, diverse businesses could become contractors for the transit agency, balancing social impact with economic growth. 

“Our only shareholders are the community,” said Charnelle Hicks, who serves as principal at Philadelphia-based CHPlanning.

“[If the plan lacks an element of diversity, we need] to ask the question:

‘So you’re good with not including this consideration for the community?’” 

 

 

 

 

DIVERSITY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IS UNDER ATTACK — BUT THESE EXPERTS SAY IT’S MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER

MINORITY-OWNED PLANNING FIRMS ARE AS ESSENTIAL AS THEY EVER WERE, THESE FOUR TOP EXPERTS ARGUE — NO MATTER WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS

“Whether the community is Amish or Muslim, unique perspectives exist,” said Charnelle Hicks, who serves as principal at Philadelphia-based CHPlanning.

“You must think about [questions like,] ‘What are the things they care about?,’ and ask, ‘What are their priorities?’

At some point, we all will have disabilities. So we must design for accessibility.”

Hicks cited a plan for the Central Ohio Transit Authority that looked at sustainability not just in terms of the environment, but also in terms of how the transit system of greater Columbus, Ohio could be more inclusive.

DIVERSITY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IS UNDER ATTACK — BUT THESE EXPERTS SAY IT’S MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER

MINORITY-OWNED PLANNING FIRMS ARE AS ESSENTIAL AS THEY EVER WERE, THESE FOUR TOP EXPERTS ARGUE — NO MATTER WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS

Experts such as Charnelle Hicks note that minority communities help foot the bill for public projects — even though hiring minority-led firms is the exception to rule. And that imbalance leads to unfair outcomes for travelers on the ground.

“In the public sector, taxes are paid by everyone – so you would think the plan would be for everyone, but we all know it doesn’t always turn out that way,” said Hicks, who serves as principal at Philadelphia-based CHPlanning.

If different people with different backgrounds are not considered from the beginning of the planning process, Hicks argues that projects will fail.