While you were away: This week’s top travel stories

Twisted Colossus at Six Flags

Myth information
Think airline travel is expensive? Think again. In advance of what is projected to be a very busy Labor Day weekend for travelers, a Yahoo! story this week debunks several major myths about airline travel. For starters, after adjusting for inflation, airline ticket prices have decreased by 50% over the past three decades. Flying is also much safer than it was in the past (2013 was the safest year in modern commercial aviation). The story does not, however, debunk the commonly held belief that the crying baby in 12F caused your migraine.

It’ll be there for you
Remember Friends, the NBC sitcom about six single New Yorkers who hung out at a coffeehouse? According to Entertainment Weekly, this autumn a “pop up” version of Central Perk will make its debut in downtown Manhattan and include the famous orange couch where the gang often relaxed, a backdrop from the show and live appearances from James Michael Tyler, the guy who played barista Gunther. What you won’t likely see are any real New Yorkers since most don’t actually have the time to hang out in a coffee shop and talk about their haircuts.

Rats incredible
The Commonwealth, a high-end hotel located in Boston’s Kenmore Square, is adding a suite in honor of the Rat—but not the furry kind. According to The Boston Globe, the hotel was built on the site that once housed legendary rock club the Rathskeller and is now creating a luxury suite in its namesake that will include memorabilia from the club and cost upwards of $900 a night. Well, it’s certainly a better idea than a just-asking-to-be-trashed Boston Tea Party Suite.

Thrilling news
Six Flags, the brand behind 13 theme parks nationwide, has announced new attractions coming to all of its park in 2015. According to the Los Angeles Times, new roller coasters include Batman: The Ride at Six Flags in San Antonio and Twisted Colossus at Six Flags Los Angeles, which will become the world’s longest hybrid roller coaster and featuring 18 airtime hills, two lift hills, two 80-degree drops and more. If they could only unveil a roller coaster with zero wait time we’d be all in for sure.

Let’s not go there
Yahoo! compileda list this week of the world’s biggest and most expensive travel flops. Included among the failures are the World Islands in Dubai, an archipelago of man made islands constructed in the shape of a world map and largely abandoned and Wonderland Amusement Park, an abandoned theme park in Beijing. To avoid future financial calamities, we’d advise against a Baghdad Dollywood or a Ritz-Carlton Chechnya.

Tagged: California, New York