Tag Archives: los angeles

Where Americans are Headed on Vacation This Fall

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9809397Travel Leaders Group provides frequent updates on current trends through comprehensive surveys of its travel agents.

A few findings from the most recent outreach:

  • New York City is the most popular domestic destination for the remainder of 2015
  • Caribbean cruises lead the way internationally
  • For clients age 30 and under, the top reasons/destinations for travel are honeymoons, Caribbean and Mexico

Additional details from the survey:

“Based on actual bookings, New York made a remarkable leap over perennial top destinations like Las Vegas and Orlando. It is an incredibly vibrant, world-class city for leisure and business travelers alike. From the fall right through the holidays, it’s nothing short of spectacular,” states Travel Leaders Group CEO Barry Liben. “In addition, the data we have collected indicates travel will continue to be strong for the remainder of the year, which is leading to incredible optimism among our travel agent specialists.”

Following New York, the top domestic destinations being booked were Orlando, Maui, Las Vegas, Alaska cruises (maybe some of these are for 2016 travel), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

Internationally, following cruises are Cancun, London, European cruise, Rome, Paris, Mediterranean cruise, Dominican Republic, Florence and/or Tuscany (Italy) and Montego Bay (Jamaica).

Pet Food Company Offering Different Kind of ‘BOGO’

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We hear often that humans aren’t the only ones suffering in a recession.

Typically, when families can hardly afford to feed themselves, their furry canine friends are often abandoned or given to rescue organizations or shelters. But the animals still need to eat – and the cost of dog food is one of the biggest expenses for these organizations.

California-based FreeHand™ is trying to fill the gap with a new “buy-one-give-one” food donation program called Pound for pound, scoop for scoop, meal for meal™. For every pound of dog food sold, the company will give an equal amount of food to an Indianapolis rescue organization or shelter. Though the company is out of Los Angeles, animals in Indianapolis will benefit from the donations.

The more products it sells, the more dogs’ lives FreeHand and its partners can save. 

FreeHand Managing Director Tom Bagamane stresses that the donated food stays in the local communities where it is purchased. Affiliated resellers designate recipients from a list of local rescue groups and shelters screened and approved by FreeHand.  Online purchasers may select recipient organizations from a pre-approved list provided at checkout.  Importantly, all recipient organizations must adhere to strict criteria established by FreeHand to ensure the respectful treatment of the animals under their care.

To date, Indianapolis area rescue organizations and shelters that have qualified for FreeHand food donations include: Beagle Buddies, Greyhound Pets, Indianapolis Animal Care and Control and Indy Pit Crew.

“We are proud to announce the introduction of FreeHand dog foods in our clinic,” said Dr. Bill Neumann, DVM and medical director at Broad Ripple Animal Clinic and Wellness in Indianapolis. “FreeHand has a noble mission that we support wholeheartedly – to provide dog food donations to local rescue groups and shelters. The FreeHand buy-one-give-one concept is great and unique in that donations are given to local organizations as opposed to programs that send donations someplace around the world.”

Find a list of retailers offering FreeHand products by visiting www.LendaFreeHand.com/store-finder, or call (855) GIVEBAK. You can also learn more about the movement on Facebook and Twitter.

Why Won’t This Traffic Move?

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Trying to get out of town to begin a weekend away? Making a few extra stops to take care of some errands to prepare for Saturday and Sunday at home? Either way, it’s not just perception that those Friday afternoon commutes are a little more difficult than normal.

A new study examines, by metro area, just how tougher it is to get where you want to go after work on Friday compared to the rest of the week. A few of the details from Governing, as reported by traffic research firm Inrix.

The Los Angeles metro area, notorious for its backups, recorded the longest Friday afternoon delays of the 100 areas measured. Average Friday commutes for the region were 44 percent longer than without any congestion, compared to about 34 percent more during peak hours Monday through Thursday. That’s enough to add about 13 minutes to a trip taking 30 minutes without traffic.

Similarly, San Francisco motorists sat in traffic an average of 35 percent longer on Friday afternoons, extending a 30-minute trip by more than 10 minutes.

Morning commutes aren’t as bad because motorists usually head straight to work without making stops on the way.

Areas with many workers living far outside a city can experience significant congestion when all flee the office early. The study cited Bridgeport, Conn., which recorded the nation’s fifth-longest Friday afternoon delays, as an example.

The Washington, D.C., area’s Friday morning commutes are less congested than any other weekday, likely explained by the large number of federal employees who work from home that day. But with many traveling for the weekend, the area’s Friday afternoon commute still ranks among the nation’s worst.

For some cities, the added delay on Fridays may be more noticeable than others. Portland, Ore., had the largest percentage difference in delays of any area measured by Inrix, with a 30-minute trip taking 3 minutes, 13 seconds longer on Fridays than average times recorded for Monday through Thursday rush-hour traffic.

And the Top Manufacturing City is …

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No matter the math, Indiana still generally ranks as the most manufacturing intensive state in the nation. That means we have more manufacturing jobs based on our population/workforce. Wisconsin and North Carolina are typically in the same neighborhood.

Manufacturers News Inc. changed the scope recently and put out a top 50 list of most manufacturing jobs by city. Certainly population is a bigger factor here, but there are still some interesting numbers.

The top 10 (list below), lost more than 95,000 jobs between August 2008 and the end of 2010. Big movers included Detroit (falling from 29th to 45th) and Seattle (moving up to 34th from 46th). Five from California (L.A., San Diego, San Jose, Irvine and Santa Clara) made the top 50.

Top 10 Manufacturing Cities

  1. Houston: 228,226
  2. New York: 139,127
  3. Chicago: 108,692
  4. Los Angeles: 83,719
  5. St. Louis: 83,123
  6. Dallas: 81,626
  7. Cincinnati: 81,364
  8. Indianapolis: 79,566
  9. Phoenix: 77,322
  10. San Diego: 70,709

California License Plates for $ale

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California lawmakers are considering a move that would allow the state to generate revenue by allowing advertising on their license plates. No doubt, some will say this is an ideal merging of the public and private sectors, while others may get the creeps about such a partnership. While the funding source may be unique, the concept really isn’t. Advertising on vehicles is nothing new. Think of the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile, or those Red Bull cars we see in downtown Indy … or that van promoting the re-election of Hill Valley Mayor Goldie Wilson.

Popsci reports:

Like an early, static version of Twitter, license plates have long allowed drivers to stamp a statement right onto their bumpers, as long as that statement is of extremely limited length. But lawmakers in California are deliberating a bill that would allow electronic license plates that would display advertisements and other messages when cars are not in motion, turning every car on the road into a moving billboard.

When cars are moving, the electronic registration would display the usual numbered and lettered identifier. But when parked or stopped for more than four seconds in traffic or at a red light, the plate would display anything from advertising messages to emergency information or Amber Alerts.

For the highly insolvent state of California, such ad-bearing devices could generate a good deal of revenue. For drivers, they could generate a whole new source of distraction on our already media-saturated roadways. But in heavily gridlocked places like California, it could provide a fast means to disseminate important information quickly and even provide emergency instructions to drivers who regularly deal with natural disasters like mudslides, wildfires, and earthquakes. And don’t worry, Los Angelenos: You’ll still be able to advertise your ride as “SMOKN” in between the paid messages.

Muncie Ranks 2nd Nationally in College Town Affordability

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If you want to live in a college town without breaking the bank, you might give Charlie Cardinal a call. Coldwell Banker released its Annual College Town Home Price Affordability Index and Muncie ranked second for the second consecutive year:

For the second year in a row, Muncie, Indiana (home of Ball State University) ranked 2nd in the nation in Coldwell Banker’s “Annual College Town Home Price Affordability Index.” Every fall, college football fans feel nostalgic for the tradition, lifestyle and spirit of their college towns as they cheer on their favorite teams. This year’s Coldwell Banker College Home Price Affordability Index comparison reveals that these school-centric areas also sport very affordable homes, in addition to the culture and economic stability associated with institutions of higher education – making them great areas in which to purchase real estate.

The 2009 Annual College Town Home Price Affordability Index released by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC provides an apples-to-apples comparison of similarly sized 2,200 SF, four-bedroom, two-and-one-a-half bathroom rooms in college markets home to the 120 Football Bowl Subdivision Schools. This year, Akron, Ohio (University of Akron) is ranked as the most affordable college town, where a typical four-bedroom home costs $121,885. Muncie, Indiana (Ball State University) took the No. 2 spot for the second consecutive year at $144,996. Ranked No. 3 was Ann Arbor, Michigan (University of Michigan) with a home price average of $148,000.

Other Indiana Division I-A Football School college towns were ranked as follows:

  • 9th Bloomington Indiana University $164,433
  • 23rd South Bend University of Notre Dame $183,938
  • 29th West Lafayette Purdue University $189,000

The top three “most expensive” college towns for the typical 2,200 SF four-bedroom home are Palo Alto, California (Stanford University) at $1,489,726; Los Angeles, California (UCLA and USC) at $1,347,125; and Boston/Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts (Boston College) at $1,337,578. The top ranked “most affordable” conference in the College Town Home Price Affordability Index is the Mid American Conference with a average price of $182,322. Ball State is a member of the MAC Conference. The most expensive conference according to Index is the PAC-10 with a $747,180 average. The PAC-10 features a number of west coast schools as members.

Drew Carey & Reason Analyze Education Revolt in Watts

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Drew Carey, famed comedian and host of Reason Magazine’s Reason.TV, recently featured Locke High School in Watts (Los Angeles) to examine how a charter school was implemented to overturn a status quo that had threatened the education — and safety — of local students. It’s a 10-minute video, but it’s definitely worth your time.

 

California Counties Not Feeling So Golden About Sacramento

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Like all states, Indiana has had its own internal debate recently, namely in dealing with the elimination of township governments. So we’re certainly not being sanctimonious here, but it seems California may be dealing with even more contention these days. In addition to its ongoing budgetary woes, its counties may be plotting a revolt in Sacramento. To put their anger into Hollywood context, pretend the counties are Christian Bale and the state government is a distracting cinematographer:

Counties in California say they’ve had enough – and they aren’t going to take it anymore.

In what amounts to a Boston Tea Party-style revolt against the state Capitol, they’re threatening to withhold money.

Los Angeles is considering such an option. And Colusa County supervisors said they authorized payment delays for February.

"We didn’t vote on it, because I don’t think anybody wants to go to jail," Colusa County Supervisor Kim Vann said. Continue reading →

Bad Business Moves 101

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As Hoosiers bask in the glory of our new, accommodating Indianapolis airport, let’s hope the airport authority makes sure this never happens to any passengers traveling through the Circle City. Turns out people on a flight from San Salvador to Los Angeles were stuck for 9 hours on a stagnant plane due to fog (although I’m still not getting how they ended up in Ontario):

According to the air carrier, authorities at the Ontario airport did not allow the plane’s 193 passengers to disembark. Local authorities, according to the TACA statement, did not want passengers to pass through customs and enter the country.

Airport officials, however, gave a different story.

According to a statement from Los Angeles World Airports, which operates the Ontario facility, TACA never asked that passengers be allowed to exit the aircraft.

The airline planned to take off from the airport soon after it refueled, according to the airport agency. But as the plane waited for fog to clear at LAX, the airline did not request that U.S. Customs and Border Protection process passengers so they could stretch their legs or sit in the terminal.

Although the airport did not have customs staff on hand to process exiting passengers, it could have summoned them, according to the airport agency.

"It is also unknown why, even after suggested, TACA staff did not request clearance to have their passengers deplane for humanitarian reasons," the agency said in a prepared statement.

Water and snacks were provided to passengers about 4 a.m. by airport staff, and emergency responders received "a few reports" of passenger illnesses, airport officials said. No one was hospitalized.

Mmmm, thanks for the water and snacks, guy.

How miserable that must’ve been. I absolutely can’t stand flying, usually because I’m stuck next to a screaming baby or some guy whose breath smells like he ate Keith Richards. And who knows how many times these people had to sit through the on-board screenings of "Whale Rider" or "Big Momma’s House 2."

Had this been me, I’m afraid there would have been a massive freak out, the magnitude of which I’d rather not disclose. But I have visions of being like those wizards on "Cops" who always think they can kick the window out of the police car and escape.

This would have been absolute torture. Sort of like watching Rosie O’Donnell’s variety show. Oooooh, too soon?

Maybe Should’ve Sat This One Out

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Like those in public school districts throughout the nation, Indiana’s superintendents and educators often find themselves being frugal, attempting to get the most out of their budgets. And it’s an effort that Hoosier taxpayers certainly appreciate.

So if you’re one of these folks and are looking for tips toward school budget success, here’s a little hint on what not to do from the Show Me state: You might start by not sending 16 educators to a conference in Los Angeles, thereby costing local taxpayers over $30,000 — especially when it’s well-known you have minimal funds and other local districts only sent one or zero people to said conference.

Worse yet, you might want to be ready to explain some things when a local TV reporter presses you about it. Check out this tough-to-watch educational PR disaster in St. Louis. It’s a piece I like to call, "So You’re Saying A Group of Teachers Attended the Conference."

Hat tip to Ragan’s PR Junkie.