Abandoned Metro Stations

Paris is known as the City of Lights.  When I visited in 2004, I was at awe at the beauty of the city at night. Not all cities look amazing at night, but Paris is one of those that does. You can feel an energy at night that the city lacks during the day. Most tourists flock to the banks of the Seine at night to experience that vibe.

www.happytouring.com

According to Skift.com, "Paris mayoral candidate Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet announced to earlier this month a plan to turn the city’s 11 deserted metro stations into public spaces. The politician worked with architect Manal Rachdi and urban planner Nicolas Laisné to create renderings of proposed renovations."  

The abandoned metro stations could become nightclubs, art galleries, restaurants, theaters or even a swimming pool.

"The proposal is similar to other urban renewal projects such as New York City’s High Line, which turned an old train track into an urban park and one of the city’s most visited locations."

Here are a few additional renderings from OXO Architectures:

How cool would it be to go to a pool or theater underground?

This is an amazing idea and I fully support it. Turning abandoned metro stations into tourist attractions is a smart idea. It creates "new" tourist attractions and these may bring people back to the city to visit. Rarely do tourists visit a city twice. After seeing an attraction like the Effile Tower once, you don't really need to make a trip a second time. However, if Paris created these underground "hot spots," it could bring back repeat travelers. Personally, I would seriously consider a visit to the City of Lights just to visit these underground treasures. 

      ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                                            Follow us on Twitter @doit4thepoints!

6 Weirdest Ways to Get Your Food Worldwide

Gadling has a list of the 6 Weirdest Ways to Get Your Food Worldwide. The list has some interesting ways to serve food.

1. Coin-operated Belgian Fries

http://www.theguardian.com

If you want a cornet of classic Belgian fries, look no further than a vending machine. A coin-operated machine in Brussels has been specifically developed to produce fries made with beef fat. Customers pay €2.50 (£2.13) for a 90-second fry-up of a 135g portion of chips accompanied by fork, salt and ketchup or mayonnaise, with or without harissa, but definitely without the customary moules.

2. Ice Cream from a Monster Truck

www.carbuzz.com

You've seen food trucks, but have you ever seen a monster food truck? Czech carmaker Skoda turned a 5.5 ton van into an ice cream truck, deeming it the "world's largest ice cream truck."

3. Vending Machine Champagne

http://www.psfk.com

In Berlin you can get your bubbles from a vending machine. The gourmet food vending machine at delicatessen Floris Feinkost not only has pint-sized bottles of champagne available for sale, but also Dutch stroopwaffels and flavored salts. That's what you call one stop shopping.

4. Sparkling Water from a Fountain

EuroCheapo.com

It would seem that only in Paris would you be able to get sparkling water from a fountain (which you can do at three different parks in the city). I am not a fan of Sparkling Water, so I am gonna pass on this one. 

5. Carry-out Bacon Bar

http://www.chicagomag.com

A restaurant isn't such an odd or intriguing thing, but a carry-out bacon bar is. In Chicago you now know exactly where to order your bacon when you're having that random craving thanks to Burke's Bacon Bar which offers up mini sandwiches stuffed with bacon. 

6. The In-Car Rice Maker

http://foodbeast.com

Want food on the go? For those looking for a little more homecooked of a meal while they're traveling, you might want the new Japanese in-car rice cooker. Designed by Japan Professional Network, the TK plugs into any 12-volt electrical car socket and is fitted with special insulation that not only lets the rice cook in just 25 minutes and but also keeps it warmer longer.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Follow us on Twitter @doit4thepoints! Have a question for me? E-mail me at jd@doitforthepoints.com

I finally found oneworld space!!

As you may recall  I have been looking for a trip to take over the week between Christmas and New Years on oneworld. Kelsey and I each have 112,000 AA miles thanks to two flights we have taken on AA as well as the 100,000 points bonus with the two Citi AAdvantage cards.

But, the trick was finding the award space to use these miles! I felt a little like Fry in Futurama when he says "Just Shut-up and Take My (Miles) Money!"

After fruitless searches on trips to Australia and Asia I started looking in Europe. The AA website was showing only BA availability and HUGGGEEE fuel surcharges as usual so I decided to try a bit of a different tactic.

I went to the AA website and pulled up their "where we fly" map. I then took a look at all of their gateway cities (Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami, New York JFK and Chicago) to see what international destinations they flew to direct. I then used that list to look on Expert Flyer for award space. (If you haven't tried Expert Flyer it is worth every penny).

Finally after searching for hours on end I found one itinerary that worked with our schedule. We found two tickets from DC to Milan via JFK in coach and then a return from London to DC via JFK in first. The total damage at the end was 82,500 miles and around $250 in taxes. I called AA and told the agent what I wanted and she was able to see the space and put it on hold instantly.

Our plan is to stay in Milan, Zurich, Paris and London during the trip. So far we have hotels booked (thank you Hyatt) in Milan, Zurich and London...but the Park Hyatt Paris that everyone raves over was booked solid.

So...anyone know of a good hotel in Paris?