This week’s broadcast of Eye on Travel comes from the Ritz-Carlton Boston. We’ve got reporting on the Delta Airlines Boeing 777 that dumped fuel during an emergency landing at LAX and the latest on the 737 Max investigation. Airline Weekly Editor, Madhu Unnikrishnan, has an update on the failures of both Wow Air and Thomas Cook last year and what it means for 2020. George Hobica, Founder. of airfarewatchdog.com stops by with an update on what airline ticket prices will look like this year (some good news). We’ll have a report from the incredible Boston Museum of Fine Arts. And Catherine Allgor, from the Massachusetts Historical Society, on the key documents of American history that are free — and accessible — to everyone. Plus, the important stuff: Rachel Blumenthal, from Eater Boston, gives her top spots for pizza in the city. There’s all of this and more as Eye on Travel broadcasts from the Ritz-Carlton Boston.
Click here to listen to the show streaming live from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 18, 2020.
Have a travel question? Then ask Peter. E-mail him at peter@petergreenberg.com, or tweet your questions to @petersgreenberg (include #AskPeter).
George Hobica, Travel Expert & Journalist and Founder of Airfare Watchdog, gives his predictions on air travel in 2020. This summer, he anticipates airfares from the U.S. to Europe to remain similar to 2019 prices. You will probably see prices around $1,100 for peak travel for a roundtrip U.S. to Europe ticket, but that is not nearly as high as prices used to be. The issues surrounding the 737 Max have changed a lot of airlines’ plans. The Max coming back into regular operation is not about the FAA, but rather foreign regulators not letting it fly in their space until it’s certified to.
Madhu Unnikrishnan, Editor at Airline Weekly, speaks about Thomas Cook’s failure last year. On a similar note, he looks at the collapse of Wow Air and how the routes it was serving didn’t have the market and expanded too quickly. Norweigan got saved by the bell with Wow Air leaving the market. Many people were predicting its demise last year. Norwegian bases a lot of its business off of the summer and it had a great year. He also predicts the era of the jumbo jet is probably going to be ending and most likely won’t be coming back in our lifetime.
Christine Reich, Senior Vice President of Exhibits and Research at the Museum of Science, Boston, explains that the museum tries to be a place for everyone. One of the biggest surprises about the museum is that it’s also an accredited zoo with animal ambassadors. The animals can be seen in the exhibit halls and in presentations. The museum is open seven days a week with many overnight and late night events. Thanks to the accessibility, the museum welcomes 1.5 million visitors a year.
Dr. Nathaniel Sheidley, President & CEO of Revolutionary Spaces, explains how it tries to bring the past to life for people. One of the best ways is through performances that help people understand the human aspects of history. We tend to see the pieces of history that relate most to what we are experiencing now. Then, he speaks about the Boston Massacre and the escalating tensions that led to British soldiers firing on civilians.
Shane Cooprider, Ritz-Carlton Boston Executive Chef, describes his ideal clam chowder, which has double the amount of clam to potatoes. In New England, his dishes are very seafood forward. He’s not a fan of the swordfish though, because it was overfished for so long. He has no trouble getting lobster here and tries to work with local fishmongers as much as possible.
Catherine Allgor, President of the Massachusetts Historical Society, talks about how it was the first historical society in the United States. She shares some standout pieces of its collection, including the Adams family’s paper project. The museum is also home to half of the papers of Thomas Jefferson. Many of the artifacts are about ordinary people, with items such as their diaries. Although she’s only been President for two years, Algor came to the Historical Society in 1996 as a part of her research. The society is free and open to the public, and she is surprised more people don’t come and experience the historical items in its library first-hand.
Nancy S. Seasholes, Historian & Editor of The Atlas of Boston History, speaks about some of the more historical aspects of Boston. There’s the Freedom Trail, where you can walk around and see all the historical sites from the time of the Revolution. But there is a long history here past the Revolutionary era. Then, she speaks about the development of sports organizations. Although now a Harvard staple, when rowing clubs started, they were mainly made up of immigrants. It was actually very late that Harvard even incorporated sports, especially rowing because it was seen as a working man’s activity.
Rachel Blumenthal, Editor at Eater Boston, Cambridge, gives her top spots for pizza in the city. New York and New Haven styles are her favorites. Area 4 has some of the best woodfired pizza. Then, there’s New Town Grill, which she thinks has some of the best pizza in the city. She says that fine dining is fading and that people want a more casual experience. Restaurants that are fine dining are finding ways to diversify, like late night bite options or opening more casual versions of the fine dining experiences.
