Some current conversation starters…
New York City this week is rolling out a new public transportation option: A bike-share program that brings 6,000 bikes to 330 stations around Manhattan and Brooklyn.
A pet—and controversial—initiative of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the bike-share program will use 350 miles of dedicated bike lanes built around the city. In honor of His Honor, New Yorkers have already dubbed it Mike's Bikes. The program, which was fully funded by a $41 million Citigroup sponsorship, officially is named Citi Bike. It offers bike rentals to purchasers of day passes, which cost $9.95, or weekly passes, which cost $25. Annual members can pay $95 and use the bikes for 45 minutes at a time. More than 15,000 New Yorkers already have signed up. Bloomberg said the program "is going to be great for millions of visitors." New York now joins Paris, London, Shanghai, and Montreal as major cities with bike programs. Chicago, Ann Arbor, and Chattanooga, Tenn., also are planning bike-rental programs.
Sourced from Travelmole
Nuclear missiles aren't the only thing being built in North Korea that have made headlines lately; it seems dictator Kim Jong-un has also ordered construction on a ski resort that will rival the facilities being built in South Korea to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
According to multiple reports citing North Korean state media, the dictator predicts a "skiing wave will seize the country" and has ordered construction on a "world-class" ski resort with beginner, intermediate and advanced tracks, plus a hotel, cable cars, equipment shops and more. He has also ordered the domestic production of ski equipment and clothing. Jong-un's orders came shortly after the 2011 announcement that the South Korean city of Pyeongchang will host of the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Sourced from Gadling
Las Vegas Casino giant Las Vegas Sands Corp. has chosen Madrid for a multi-billion dollar gambling resort project which has been dubbed “EuroVegas” and will be Europe’s biggest casino and conference centre.
The latest plans for this exciting project were revealed by the company’s chairman and chief executive officer Sheldon Adelson at the Jerusalem International Tourism Summit. Having secured the £8.3bn financing needed for EuroVegas, Adelson, has earmarked 12 3,000 room properties with 2,400 meeting facilities, set to transform the three square mile site. The first stage of the project – which includes four separate “resorts” with casino facilities attached – is expected to open in 2017. The final result will be a 72-storey hotel building including six casinos, a convention centre, three golf courses, theatres, shopping malls, bars and restaurants.
Sourced from Breaking Travel news
