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Photo by Nigel Young Foster + Partners |
ompeting for more than the Olympic games, Beijing and London have gone head to head to unveil two of the world’s most spectacular airport terminals. Beijing’s just-opened T3 is now the world’s biggest at 14 million square feet. The Norman Foster-designed, dragon-inspired building is more than two miles long and promises to wow more than 43-million passengers a year with 64 restaurants and 84 shops.
Although Heathrow’s new T5 isn’t the biggest, it is likely the most anticipated airport structure on earth; it took 20 years to plan, 18 years to design and seven years and $8.5 billion to build. When it finally opened last March, a luxury complex of elite lounges, champagne bars, art halls, and first-class shopping (Prada, Paul Smith, Tiffany & Co.) were unveiled. But the real story is what T5 doesn’t have; five sunlit floors of steel and glass means there is not a fluorescent light in sight. Neither will you find a McDonalds or Burger King — the closest thing to fast food is the airport outpost of a trendy London café called Apostrophe Sandwich Boutique, which, of course, specializes in organic and wheat-free options. But if you get airside with time to kill (as the airport’s 20 security lanes promise), sit down for a true London meal at Plane Food, Gordon Ramsay’s first airport restaurant.
And In Other Travel News…iGuide
Throw out the guidebooks. You didn’t have room in your suitcase anyway. Now you can download 400-page city guides straight
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Courtesy of Apple |
to your iPod or iPhone. For free. Thanks to software developer Coolgorilla, you’ll not only get maps, listings and recommendations, you’ll eventually get coupons and discounts via barcode. London is available now with Paris, Barcelona, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco on the way. Visit www.londontravelguide.com for more information.
Maya Oh My
For spring break consider a trip to the Yucatan Peninsula, which is fast becoming the most luxurious place to bask in the Mexican sun. Riviera Maya, a 75-mile stretch of sand and sea just south of Cancun, is currently unveiling a clutch of stunning five-star properties including a Fairmont, the just-opened Mandarin Oriental, and the Rosewood (its Greg Norman golf course just hosted Mexico’s first PGA Tour), Coming soon: a brand new Viceroy and Banyan Tree.
