The First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston, Massachusetts

The Christian Science Plaza is a 14-acre site that is home to the headquarters of the Church of Christian Science, founded by Mary Baker Eddy in 1879.

The Plaza holds many buildings, the oldest being the original Mother Church of Christian Science which was built in 1894. The larger extension to the Original Mother Church was built in 1904 and collectively the two buildings are considered the First Church Of Christ, Scientist or simply, "The Mother Church." The Church has daily tours. The extension houses one of the world's largest pipe organs and sometimes there are free concerts. Even if you cannot get inside, a walk around the exterior of the Original Mother Church will show you some wonderful stained glass windows.

The Mary Baker Eddy Library, which houses the archives and a small museum of the founder is also part of the Plaza, as well as the world famous Mapparium. Other buildings that used to be the headquarters of the Christian Science Monitor and other arms of the Christian Science Publishing Society but some of these buildings are now used by other businesses.

The Plaza includes a collonade, a 670-foot reflecting pool and a fountain, the latter is often used by youngsters in the summer to keep cool.

from Atlas Obscura http://atlasobscura.com.feedsportal.com/c/35387/f/665719/s/4123eb2f/sc/10/l/0L0Satlasobscura0N0Cplaces0Cthe0Efirst0Echurch0Eof0Echrist0Escientist/story01.htm

The Sun Sets on the Great Wall

Great Wall BTS Video Here’s a video from one of the first times I visited the Great Wall… an oldie but a goodie! Daily Photo – The Sun Sets on the Great Wall It was an amazing day on this part of the Great Wall. It's my fourth trip to the Wall, and each time […]



from Stuck in Customs http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2014/12/05/the-sun-sets-on-the-great-wall/

AirTran declined my credit card and now I have to buy a new ticket

from Elliott http://elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/airtran-declined-credit-card-now-buy-new-ticket/

You’re More Likely To Buy Food On A Plane If…

The Washington Post published an interesting piece today entitled "People around you control your mind: The latest evidence."

This piece is about a study that was done to test how the actions of those around you impact your decisions. And since it's such a controlled environment, they used buy on board airplane food purchases as the basis for the study:

"After analyzing a confidential database of passenger and time-stamped purchase records, a Stanford professor discovered that if someone next to you buys something on the plane, you’re 30 percent more likely to buy something yourself."

The post You’re More Likely To Buy Food On A Plane If… appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/12/04/youre-more-likely-to-buy-food-on-a-plane-if/

Check it out: The US States Map is here!

WE STARTED OUT BIG with our #Travelstoke World Map, and after the overwhelmingly positive response our Map Team has created an awesome new addition: a map where you can show off your travels within the United States! We’re super pumped about this hot new map, so go ahead and click on the image above, or […]



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/check-us-states-map/

An Airline Runs the Numbers, Shows You Nearly All Customers Lose Out With Revenue-Based Frequent Flyer Programs

Alaska’s strategy is to award high revenue customers, and their most frequent customers, with more miles. That’s because — as the title of one of their slides at this week’s Investor Day made clear — Industry transition to a revenue-based loyalty prorgram provides opportunity in the near term for Alaska. (Alaska was believed to be […]

The post An Airline Runs the Numbers, Shows You Nearly All Customers Lose Out With Revenue-Based Frequent Flyer Programs appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/12/04/airline-runs-numbers-shows-nearly-customers-lose-revenue-based-frequent-flyer-programs/

Alaska Selling Extra Legroom Seats Starting In 2015

Alaska had their Investor Day conference today, and there are some interesting slides in the presentation.

Arguably not as interesting as their Investor Day conference last year, where we learned what percent of Mileage Plan awards are booked on partner airlines. But this year's was interesting nonetheless. ;)

It's worth noting that Alaska will begin selling extra legroom seats in the first half of 2015. No, they're not adding an "extra legroom" section to economy, but rather they'll start monetizing on bulkheads and exit rows. As it stands, these seats are just open to MVP, MVP Gold, and MVP Gold 75K members in advance, though can typically also be selected by non-elite members at the airport.

The post Alaska Selling Extra Legroom Seats Starting In 2015 appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/12/04/alaska-selling-extra-legroom-seats-starting-2015/

Silvercar Offering Free Gifts With Rentals For The Holidays

I've written in the past about Silver, the innovative car rental company that's quickly growing in the US. They have a fleet of A4s with free GPS, wifi, satellite radio, fair toll tracking, and a reasonable fuel plan.

But what makes Silver equally interesting is that as of late they're more or less paying you to rent from them.

I just received the following email from Silvercar:

The post Silvercar Offering Free Gifts With Rentals For The Holidays appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/12/04/silvercar-offering-free-gifts-rentals-holidays/

Free Hilton HHonors Silver Status (and Fast Track to Gold)

euflyer points out that the free Hilton HHonors silver offer I wrote about a little over a year ago is still available. Better to walk into Hilton as a silver than as a base member. First, because of the bonus points and in some cases free bottled water. But second and more importantly is that […]

The post Free Hilton HHonors Silver Status (and Fast Track to Gold) appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2014/12/04/free-hilton-hhonors-silver-status-fast-track-gold/

Australia Part 3: Melbourne to Hobart and Port Arthur, Tasmania

My son Andrew and I crossed off some bucket list items and had some adventures in Australia this summer! Read Part 1 and Part 2. We took the inland route from Warrnambool (on the western edge of the Great Ocean Road) back to Melbourne for our flight to Hobart on the island of Tasmania. It […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/12/australia-part-3-melbourne-to-hobart-and-port-arthur-tasmania.html

Etihad A380 First Class Apartment Award Space

Later this month Etihad will finally begin service with their cutting edge new A380s. The inaugural flight will be from Abu Dhabi to London on December 27, and I can't wait to be on it in the First Class Apartment.

As is often the norm when airlines take delivery of an aircraft with a new type of "product," Etihad is heavily restricting award space on the A380.

They don't seem to be releasing any first or business class saver award space on the A380, and certainly aren't releasing any saver award space in The Residence.

However, reader Carlos notes one oddity -- Etihad has released A380 first class award space between Abu Dhabi and London on October 10, 2015, only.

The post Etihad A380 First Class Apartment Award Space appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/12/04/etihad-a380-first-class-apartment-award-space/

Airfares Expected To Rise Next Year, Despite Fuel Drop

The Department of Justice ignored a flurry of airline mergers, and now passengers are paying the price.



from Travel Feedly http://www.ibtimes.com/did-justice-department-do-enough-protect-american-airline-consumers-1734845

Why I Love London in the Winter

London isn't high on many people's travel lists past early fall, but I happen to love London when it's cold outside. "You get to see the city for what it really is in the winter,” my friend Lauren Bryan Knight told me. “It’s London with her hair down, devoid of anything other than the quiet rhythm of Londoners living out their daily routines." Here’s why the English capital should be on your winter-travel list—and how to make the most of your time while you're there.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2014/12/04/why-i-love-london-in-the-winter/

Footsteps: In Tuscany, Following the Rise and Fall of Machiavelli

Five centuries after “The Prince” was written, visiting spots in and around Florence that track the arc of Machiavelli’s life.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/4121dc32/sc/10/l/0L0Snytimes0N0C20A140C120C0A70Ctravel0Cin0Etuscany0Efollowing0Ethe0Erise0Eand0Efall0Eof0Emachiavelli0Bhtml0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

In Transit Blog: A Revival for Watergate Hotel

The Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C., dormant for seven years, will get a renovation and is scheduled to reopen in the summer.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/4121dc33/sc/10/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A140C120C0A40Ca0Erevival0Efor0Ewatergate0Ehotel0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm