News and notes from around the interweb:
- Marriott Luxury Collection property Liberty Hotel in Boston performed gender inspections in women’s restroom (HT: Paul H)
Ansley Baker and her girlfriend, Liz Victor, went to a Kentucky Derby party at the hotel Saturday. The couple, who are both cis women, said their afternoon ended when hotel security searched the women’s restroom and allegedly asked them to show their identification to prove their sex.
…”All of a sudden there was banging on the door,” said Baker. “I pulled my shorts up. I hadn’t even tied them. One of the security guards was there telling me to get out of the bathroom, that I was a man in the women’s bathroom. I said, ‘I’m a woman.'”
- Air France KLM Flying Blue now lets you redeem for Air Tahiti flights the domestic carrier (VT) as opposed to Air Tahiti Nui. Not a phenomenal use of points, but pretty unique. The first time I flew them you could either book direct or on Travelocity, and 20 years ago searching on Travelocity
I discovered that everything originating in French Polynesia was pricing out 90% off due to a currency conversion error. I posted it on FlyerTalk. A day later others turned it into one of the all-time great mistake fares (Air Tahiti Nui to Los Angeles, which forced paper tickets combined with other carriers, turn up at LAX having ripped out that first coupon, then fly anywhere in the world in first class.)
- It looks like GHA’s status match program, which required you to have at least one stay in your account over the past 18 months, was turned off back in mid-December. I don’t know whether it will return.
Of course staying at 3 brands alone is enough to earn Titanium status. You could do that in 3 nights at 3 different hotels in a city like Bangkok!
However, Rotana is joining GHA and their program offers status matches which should transfer to GHA status.
Kempinski Cancun - The American Airlines domestic first class pre-order sliders were apparently pulled early because they were too successful – catering couldn’t keep up with demand. Even before tariffs, there’s a supply chain issue with burgers and buns?
story as one hears it; the reason sliders went away (prematurely even, despite it being a test run) is because it was actually too much of a success- tons of people were preordering it-and some suppliers having difficulty keeping up
Expect it to return at some point once logistics can be figured out— JonNYC (@xjonnyc.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 5:13 PM
- A proposal for $17 billion to bring true high-speed rail to the Northeast Corridor by integrating intercity and commuter service, adopting European standards, and focusing on strategic upgrades rather than megaproject bloat. It aims to cut Boston–New York and New York–Washington travel times to under two hours each, primarily through better scheduling, modernized infrastructure, and upgraded rolling stock.
- “The economy is hurting and we promise to scam you less.”
Sahara is offering 50% off resort fees for a limited time. Possibly the first "resort fee sale" in Vegas history, and we don't know how to feel about it. pic.twitter.com/8WcrE0WWGl
— Las Vegas Locally (@LasVegasLocally) May 6, 2025
Economy? Wars? Climate? No.
THIS is truly the issue of our times.
Focus on nothing else but which toilet to use.
Here’s my ‘hot take’… let’s only have individual restrooms. No more of this shared room nonsense. I don’t care what genitals you have. And you won’t have to care again either. Problem solved. Nirvana.
The easiest solution are single-occupant bathrooms. Many European countries have these.
Frankly, as a man, a biological man, I don’t even use the urinals to pee. I prefer to use a stall and close the door for privacy.
To be completely fair, click on the news story and see the picture of the very mannish looking woman in the red jacket and blue hoodie underneath with a boys haircut. I dont blame the guard in the least for being suspicious but he could have handled it differently, to say the least.
@Nick Thomas — Thank you, my liege.
So far, that’s two votes (you and I) for ‘doing it like they do in Europe.’ Niccce.
Some call it ‘individual’ and others refer to it as ‘single-occupant.’ This is the way, folks!
Causing a problem because a woman has short hair. I wonder how many men were kicked out of men’s bathrooms because of long hair.
@jns — Right on, bruther (or sista).
We should be ‘to arms!’ over this (but, importantly, not each others arms, because, you know, space and privacy, please and thank you). The point remains, shared restrooms are an afront to humanity. I am indeed a ‘rugged individualist’ on this key issue.
I say, down with this communism at the wash room!
And, for those in ‘the commonwealth’… it’s a ‘WC,’ for goodness sake. Have decency.
It’s not an… ‘ICUP.’ *ba dum tss*
I don’t care if the other person in the restroom is a man or a woman. Why does it matter who is in the closed stall next to you? I don’t perv on others when they are performing a normal human function. If we had not become such a puritanical society, none of this would matter.
Leaning into hyperbole and toilet wars a little heavy today Gary. Inciting culture battles does get a little tired after a while. The slider story was fascinating though.
@Christian — Oh, come now, it’s fun to fan the flames of the culture war, some ‘red meat’ for extra clicks and views, all to distract from the very real class war that most of us are losing. So, why not ‘lean in’? Unless, that is, former COO Sheryl Sandberg’s idealism (and book with the same title) actually flopped spectacularly, ironically reinforced patriarchal norms, and contributed to the backlash of this era of toxic masculinity that followed (and eventually brought us #45/47). She’s not fully to blame, nor is Gary here, but it is fun to banter now and again over it all. Too meta?