All stories about "Chris Mohney"

Hey, it's Gridskipper's last day at the parent company! Who knows what will happen at our shiny new home. I, for one, will be bowing out of my relatively specious remaining duties, and for all we know, Adam's housecat will be in charge after sundown. But there's been lots of speculation -- OK, some occasional speculation -- regarding who or what might have tried to pry Gridskipper out of Gawker Media's warm, supple, sticky tentacles. Here's the exclusive behind-the-chiffarobe report on what really went down in Nick Denton's smoke-filled lavatory.

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I received a review copy of Thomas Kohnstamm's Do Travel Writers Go to Hell? last week. You may recall that Kohnstamm's wild & woolly memoir concerns his questionable practices and enjoyably self-abusive lifestyle as a Lonely Planet guidebook writer. I fully intended to join the fray of the indignant travel-industrial complex, though of course my review would have been particularly witty, incisive, cutting, and revelatory. More importantly, I'd focus on the book itself, not on the lathered-up controversy regarding Kohnstamm's fictionalizing or plagiarizing his travel guide facts. Unfortunately, I lost my review copy on the train, so instead I'm just going to make it all up.

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Some travel blogs are all attitude and no original research, seemingly typed by hung-over media manqués whose idea of reporting is to tumble out of bed late each morning and desperately scan the newspapers for items to make sarcastic comments about.

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Now that the Open Skies agreement has been in effect for a week, international travelers are enjoying drastically slashed airfares, huge increases in route options, more variety in carrier choice, better customer service from a range of competing airlines, and ... oh forget it, of course I'm joking. In fact, Open Skies -- which allows European carriers to fly to and from the US and any European city, rather than only the carrier's home country -- hasn't substantively affected prices because of soaring (har!) fuel costs. But there are so many more planes flying around, surely volume will exceed demand and depress prices? Supposedly, London's Heathrow Airport alone is already seeing an additional 100 trans-Atlantic flights per week. Barring discovery of a giant oil reserve in Arkansas or Belgium, fuel prices won't seasonably drop until fall 2008, if then. Fuel surcharges will compensate for most volume savings. And don't forget that airlines knew exactly how this would play out, and they planned it quite carefully to avoid long-term price reductions. They will most certainly screw you. And by "they," I mean Europe, and by "you," I mean everyone.

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Travel blogs are one of the most common blog types . . . right behind high school sex fantasy diaries. And one would think travel blogs would be insanely popular, given that most everyone travels to some degree. But just like travel writing in general, there's a huge gulf between the number of people who travel and the number of people who care to read about travel. Even Gridskipper, a veritable colossus of travel blog traffic, is easily outmatched by blogs about cat pictures, salad recipes, or, say, knitting. On top of this handicap, the sad truth is that many, many travel blogs (amateur and professional alike) are shit. They wouldn't be readworthy if their subject concerned daily giveaways of gold bars. Fortunately, the reasons why travel blogs suck are very easy -- often painfully easy -- to comprehend.

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When the weather turns warm, New Yorkers demand open-air nightlife. Sidewalk tables and back gardens get packed quickly and stay that way till the wee hours. The most aspirational lounge lizards head upwards to the city's rooftops, and with the inevitability of the season comes the roundup of New York rooftop bars. So let's kick it off pro-actively rather than waiting for someone else's version. This list is moderately selective, avoiding the exclusive (i.e. Soho House) and requiring a certain minimum altitude (sorry, cabanas at the Maritime Hotel). Also trying to vary a bit by geography and type. More suggestions welcome in the comments and tips.

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So JetBlue has announced they'll start charging extra for four more inches of legroom -- $10 to $20 more (depending on length of flight) for rows 2-5 and exit rows 10-11. But why stop there? "Even More Legroom" is nice, but now that airlines are breaking free of their decades-long insistence on fascist conformity, I suggest an entire suite of value-addeds to help defray spiraling costs. If I can choose from an a la carte menu of extra services and bennies to customize my flight experience, I'll be a much happier though poorer consumer. For example!

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According to Menupages, there are over 800 Italian restaurants in Manhattan alone. Walking around any random neighborhood -- oh, let's just say Yorkville on the Upper East Side -- one may encounter 13 Italian restos in a representative five-block stretch of Second Avenue. This includes what was once my beloved home coffee shop DTUT, which has transformed into Caffe Notte ("Whoever changed it is the biggest fucker in the world," opines one gentle Yelper). That didn't stop Notte from getting in New York mag's best-of issue, despite the few customers I ever see there. But aside from that lamentable case, why are there so many bad to mediocre Italian restaurants in Manhattan?

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With last week's announcement of Busch's four-park deal in Dubai -- they'll be running a Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, Discovery Cove, and Aquatica water park -- it's worth revisiting what's been going on with all the developments we've covered in Dubai before. And there are plenty of new schemes in the offing as well. Someone somewhere really should maintain an obsessive blog about what's popping in Dubai real estate (hello Curbed?), but failing that, here's a roundup of some of the biggest, weirdest, and most expensive skyscrapers and manufactured metropoli in Dubai and environs. Not comprehensive by any means, because I have a life, you know?

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Today marks my last day as editor of Gridskipper. (Again.) Because I am a vain creature, I considered crafting an elaborately clever, insightful, novel, amusing, biting, nostalgic, and really just spectacular farewell post. But the fact is I've already done a trio of these (one, two, three). Who wants to endure another litany of thanks and self-congratulation? Oh wait, you do? Great, here we go!

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If I don't get around to creating a roundup of photos from Milan Fashion Week, I just wanted to say: I love this hat.

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The violence and unrest and crime in Belgrade are serious. Even as I type this, Serbian protesters and UN police are clashing with tear gas vs. rocks and bottles. But let's return to the innocent age of last night, when two giggling young blonde hotties happily looted a series of stores, stealing heaps of chocolate, designer bags, shoes, clothing, and anything else that wasn't nailed down. The cameraman follows them around, sarcastically mocking the girls as they ineffectually yell at him to stop taping. Calibrate your own funny/shame index on this one. [Reuters]

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OK, fine -- Serbian protesters torched the unoccupied American embassy in Belgrade. Along with the American flag, we almost expect the odd embassy burning overseas these days. But then the protesters went too far. They started attacking McDonald's. Yes, at least one local branch of the Golden Arches was burned, while others had their windows smashed out. This aggression against our national pride must not stand. Dispatch the Hamburglar's black ops squad. Robble robble this, motherfuckers. [AP / Getty]

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Abbe Diaz, noted NYC ex-maître d', posts a long forum screed about getting thrown out of Jean Georges, the high-end resto where she once worked and has since mocked online and in print. Moderate amusement, much insincere self-effacement, and ultimately a rather gentle defenestration, all things considered. [PXThis]

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Since two = trend, perhaps someone can explain why foreigners seem drawn to defile the Freedom Monument in Riga, Latvia -- a national treasure meant to commemorate the nation's resistance to foreign rule. Last year, "a man wearing a kilt uncovered his genitals at the monument," somehow communicating the heretofore unsuspected Scottish disdain for Latvian independence. And now, a British fellow will spend five days in jail for pissing on the monument. The locals are understandably displeased with this literal shower of disrespect. [Reuters]

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In case you missed it from earlier in the week: more on the pro-Barack frenzy in Obama, Japan. Regarding the city's namesake, a local enthusiast quoth:

He put up a good fight on Super Tuesday and then won seven consecutive contests, so I think our support did him no harm and, in fact, carried him in the right direction ... That happens sometimes. You enter a restaurant and there's no one inside, but the moment you sit down and order something, customers start coming in one after the other.

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Nice roundup of ethnic groceries in Manhattan in the New York Times today. Topped with a brilliant photo too, just for the glaring, impossible yellow of that stack of Indian sweetcake things. [NYT]

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Yes, this Bangladesh hairdresser named his shop after MacGyver. And yes, he will give you "the MacGyver" hairstyle on request. Seems the man has something of an established Bangladeshi cult following, as seen in a dedicated song and an impressive portfolio of media clippings. [via]

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Well not really, but it could. If you plotted it. I rarely mention neat toys that don't yet have the depth of data to make them fun yet, but the Time Space Map is pretty ingenious. Really it's just a wiki-fueled Google Map that adds a third axis of data -- that being time. So you can not only search for a geographical place or keyword, but also for a year. Events or places or situations placed on the map have a date range that will let them show up, depending on your search parameters. Like I said, just a couple hundred map points so far means the coverage is very thin. But a great concept. [via]

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Outside of our usual beat, but too good not to share. Patrons who complained about poor service at a restaurant in Staffordshire, England -- one Joe Delucci's -- received a bonus free item on their bill. That item was a message reading "SUCK MY DICK FUCK FACE." By way of inadequate explanation/apology, the restaurant owner claimed " the message had been meant to be seen only by kitchen staff." [BBC]

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Just because it's been awhile since the last one -- time for a new clip of Flocke, the polar bear cub at the Nuremberg Zoo. In this episode: brushing, rubbing, palpating, aggressive cuddling, suckling, tongue, German. Goes without saying it will blow your brains out with cuteness, as per usual.

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Friday's the deadline for Australia's Archibald Prize, a contest to determine the best portrait of the year. Though not a favorite, the submission by artist Tim Patch -- a.k.a. "Pricasso" -- has at least generated some buzz (or "excitement" perhaps). That's because Patch paints with his dick. He admits that he also uses his ass to paint backgrounds though, so please, don't typecast him as some kind of novelty act. Man's got range. [SMH]

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Innnaresting bit in today's New York Times about Rose, India's newest (and only) transgender talk show host. Based out of Chennai, Rose's show will cover a wide variety of topics -- but it's inevitable that a main point of discussion will be the country's socially invisible class of hijras, or transsexuals. Perhaps amusingly (or tellingly?), the channel that will produce and broadcast Rose's show is owned by Rupert Murdoch. [NYT]

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Famous people die just like regular folk, it turns out. And quite a few have shuffled off this mortal coil right here in New York City. Here's a few of my favorite locales for notorious expiration, based on a shifting selection criteria that considers fame, status, variety, and the sordid or macabre nature of the particular demise. No natural causes here -- it's all sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, murder, misadventure, and the occasional helicopter decapitation. And of course not even slightly comprehensive, as no list could be. Feel free to recommend your own favorites in the comments or tips.

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The famed Naked Cowboy of Times Square might finally be able to afford something besides his trademark hat, boots, and tightie whities. The M&M Store in the Square has pulled their Jumbotron ad clip of an anthropomorphic M&M dolled up like the Cowboy, complete with underwear. The Cowboy's suit requested the clip come down, but also demands $6 million for use of the Naked Cowboy's likeness. Enjoy the Cowboy's video rant on the subject here. [WSJ]

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Actress Bai Ling's not looking so hot in her mugshot after Wednesday's shoplifting arrest at LAX. But she still found time to update her blog (sic on all): "Right now I just walked from the set to My trailer, cold, but the evening brightness on the sky is just so beautiful in Albuquerque, so beautiful, it takes my breath away like a bralliant lover, nature is my gift, no matter what happens it always there to confort me give me wisdom and love, how lucky I am to have it and recognise its beauty and power."

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The city of Copenhagen endured a fifth night of moderate rioting with a high chance of car-torching in various immigrant-heavy neighborhoods. Six youngsters have been arrested, which seems relatively lenient considering 11 autos were burned last night, and local police enjoyed regular hails of rocks from enthusiastic residents. The cause of the unrest is presumed to be the reprinting of the cartoons that depict and/or mock the prophet Muhammad, which originally caused a stir in 2006; authorities uncovered a plot to assassinate the cartoonist this week, which led to the reprint. [AFP]

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Here's a cool interview with Adrian Holovaty, the creator of urban data agglomerator EveryBlock. Some tech-speak to wade through, but lots of nuggets no doubt interesting to city nerds. [Fimoculous]

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