Ice caves unsafe
The National Park Service says the extraordinary ice cave formations at the Apostle Island National Lakeshore are less likely to be accessible this year. Warmer temperatures have, so far, created unsafe ice conditions at Wisconsin's Lake Superior shore.
Associated Press
Fighting flight attendants
Passengers endured an unpleasant "Delta Experience" on a recent Los Angeles-to-Minneapolis flight when fighting flight attendants forced the pilot to make an unscheduled landing in Salt Lake City. Attendants on Flight 2598 began sparring over work rules on the Jan. 22 flight, and that escalated into a fistfight at 37,000 feet, the Aviation Herald reported.
Tim Harlow
Travel trend
Airlines restore free snacks and other perks
After 15 years of near austerity, U.S. airlines are restoring some small perks for passengers crammed into coach. Don't expect ample legroom or free checked bags. But some fliers will find improved snacks and a larger selection of free movies. Monday, American Airlines joined United Airlines in announcing the return of free snacks in the economy section and more free entertainment options on some planes. American hasn't offered free snacks since 2003. Delta Air Lines never removed snacks, even during bankruptcy.
American is also expanding its complimentary entertainment on domestic flights with in-seat TVs. Passengers will be able to choose from up to 40 movies, 60 TV shows and 300 music albums. Delta has taken a different path, focusing more on entertainment that passengers can stream to their own devices. It offers about 67 movies and 138 TV shows for free.
Associated Press
Eat here now
A sandwich boom in Dublin
During the weekday lunchtime rush, the tiny brick-paved Montague Street in Dublin becomes a destination unto itself. The Green Bench Cafe (greenbenchcafe.com) is a shoebox-size restaurant that has no servers, tables or chairs, but luscious sandwiches (including a slow-roasted beef brisket creation accented with caramelized onions, grated celeriac and Comté cheese) that are ordered while you are still in line, picked up at the counter after payment, and often eaten on the go. The restaurant is part of a trend toward casual places that have opened within the past few years in the Irish capital that focus on creative, frugally priced sandwiches, many of which sell for about 5 or 6 euros. New York Times
Web buzz
Vurb app is a one-stop activity planner
Get ideas for where to go or what do to, then make suggestions and chat with your friends in order to decide — all with the same app. Vurb combines service apps such as Google Maps, Foursquare, Yelp and Lyft to help you find destinations, restaurants, movie theaters, trending videos and more. Get reviews of the place you want to try, directions and even a ride all with the same app. Vurb turns deciding what to do into a much more efficient and fun process. Our favorite part was the ability to quickly create "decks," or collections of places we wanted to save, and easily share them with friends from our contacts or Facebook list. (Available: iOS, Google Play, Amazon. Free.)
Los Angeles Times
