New York’s Tavern on the Green restaurant bites the dust

Tavern on the Green, once America’s highest-grossing restaurant, is singing its culinary swan song. The former sheepfold at the edge of Central Park, now ringed by twinkling lights and fake topiary animals, is preparing for New Year’s Eve, when it will serve its last meal. Just three years ago, it was plating more than 700,000 [...]

Graceland Too attracts offbeat tourism in Mississippi

Paul MacLeod is a perpetually caffeinated Elvis fanatic who’s taking care of business 24-7-365 at the antebellum home he calls “Graceland Too.” Pound on the door at any hour — seriously, it’s OK to arrive at 4 in the morning — and the 67-year-old former auto worker will escort you through his discombobulating, floor-to-ceiling collection [...]

‘Best Job’ winner stung by dangerous jellyfish

Trouble struck paradise this week when a British man who has the “Best Job in the World” as the caretaker of a tropical Australian island was stung by a potentially lethal jellyfish. Ben Southall — who won a contest to blog for six months about life on Australia’s Hamilton Island to promote tourism — wrote [...]

Dutch to use full body scanners for US flights

The Netherlands announced Wednesday it will immediately begin using full body scanners for flights heading to the United States, issuing a report that called the failed Christmas Day airline bombing a “professional” al-Qaida terror attack. A top Dutch official said a scanner of that type may have stopped Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab from boarding Northwest Airlines [...]

Fantastic New Year’s Eve destinations

A couple million people will hit Brazil’s Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro as the final minutes of 2009 are counted down, ready for a mix of spiritual observances, fireworks and full-tilt partying. Thousands of miles away, a much more low-key style of New Year’s revelry will be happening on a tiny island off the [...]

Canada limits carry-on baggage on flights into U.S

Canada is immediately limiting carry-on items for flights to the United States in the aftermath of a failed terror attack on a Northwest Airlines flight. “Effective immediately, U.S.-bound passengers are not allowed to bring carry-on bags into the cabin of the aircraft, with some exceptions,” said a statement from Transport Canada. According to the agency, [...]

Barack Obama’s Hawaii holiday may boost tourism

Tourism officials hope images of a president celebrating a warm Christmas in Hawaii will remind mainlanders that a sunny getaway awaits them if they’d just hop on a plane and leave the frigid temperatures and mounds of snow behind. While officials don’t expect President Barack Obama’s visit to attract tourists immediately, they hope it will [...]