Notre Dame Reveals New Spire And Golden Rooster As Scaffolding Removed

The remaining process of removing all of the scaffolding could take weeks if not months.

The scaffolding surrounding the top of Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral was taken down on Monday, nearly five years into the reconstruction process.

Notre Dame Cathedral, ravaged by fire in April 2019, draws closer to its renaissance.

Giant cranes, removing sections of scaffolding, unveiled the cathedral's recently installed spire along with the new golden rooster and a cross that crown it.

While much of the cathedral remains surrounded by scaffolding, the clearing of the structures around its peak offers both the general public and the devout a glimpse into the future appearance of Notre Dame once the restoration is complete.

The last few months have seen remarkable progress on the cathedral’s rebuilding putting it well on track for a December 8 reopening, a date eagerly awaited by Paris residents and millions of tourists who normally visit the cathedral every year.

Although the cathedral will not be open to the public during Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, when millions of visitors flock to the French capital for the Games starting July 26, the rebuilt spire and roof should be complete, giving the cathedral a finished look from outside.

https://www.euronews.com/

Freed Developments Announces 5-Star Luxury Hotel And Residences Project, An $800M Skyscraper Set To Transform The Toronto Skyline

Visionary real estate developer Peter Freed of Freed Developments announces first-ever Freed Hotel and Residences tower located at Adelaide and Duncan, just west of University. This $800M skyscraper will bring both Katsuya by Sam Nazarian's Disruptive Group by sbe and artwork by renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami to Toronto. Designed by Chicago-based tall building experts Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, renowned for the next world's tallest and most luxurious skyscraper Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, as well as Central Park Tower in New York, the project will feature 100 five star luxury hotel rooms and 400 luxury condominiums with a world class Skybar/restaurant on the 63rd floor, boutique spa, and a 10,000 sq ft Katsuya Restaurant on the 2nd floor. .

Sam Nazarian's sbe, the leading lifestyle hospitality company that develops, manages and operates world-class restaurants, lounges and nightclubs, is proud to announce the much-anticipated upcoming opening of the very first Katsuya restaurant in Canada on the second floor of the Freed Hotel and Residences, expected to launch in Fall 2028. This announcement follows Nazarian's 2020 sale of Nazarian's hospitality brand and management platform which included over 100 hotels (SLS, Delano, Mondrian and Hyde, among others), more than 150 restaurants and lounges, and over $4 billion of luxury residential sales. sbe's Katsuya is a groundbreaking fusion that ignited a new sushi trend that swiftly spread throughout the culinary industry with locations in Dubai, Miami, Los Angeles, New York, and The Bahamas. This restaurant will mark the first location in Canada and the 12th globally. The menu, curated by Master Sushi Chef Katsuya Uechi, who merges the elegance of Japanese cuisine with modern techniques and flavors, will feature staples from the 20-year tradition of excellence that has brought Katsuya international acclaim, and new dishes imagined specially for Toronto.

Sam Nazarian, Founder and CEO, sbe stated, "We are so thrilled to be bringing the iconic Katsuya brand to Canada for the first time with Peter Freed and his best-in-class team at Freed Developments. Katsuya is going to be a destination for locals, hotel guests and residents alike, and we cannot wait to share Chef Katsuya's contemporary Japanese culinary experience with the discerning people of Toronto."

In addition, artist Takashi Murakami's captivating artwork Together with the Flower Parent and Child will be featured prominently in the lobby of the first-ever Freed Hotel and Residences launching in Toronto. Artist Takashi Murakami is celebrated globally for his groundbreaking contributions to contemporary visual culture. Murakami's most iconic motif, the flower, takes on the role of a parent and child holding hands and standing in synchronicity.

"As the largest owner and operator of the Ontario hotel and resorts portfolio, this project is a testament to my profound love for Toronto. Freed Hotel and Residences represents a groundbreaking moment for Freed Developments with the opportunity to merge art, culture, and sophistication through hotel-style living," says Peter Freed, Founder and CEO, Freed Developments. "Building on Freed's 30 year legacy of best-in-class projects, Freed Hotel and Residences will proudly display a captivating piece of artwork by Takashi Murakami, adding a unique cultural dimension to this venture, while also bringing forward the first-ever Katsuya Restaurant to Canada which will further enhance the city's culinary landscape, and best-in-class hotel experiences for both residences and guests."

"Freed Hotel and Residences will bring an unprecedented sophistication and luxury that is a signature of Freed Developments in Toronto. Located at the corner of Adelaide and Duncan Streets, the tower will offer residents and visitors spectacular views of the city and Lake Ontario. The tower shines against the city's already impressive skyline, becoming an instant icon." says AS+GG Partner Gordon Gill, FAIA. "The formal geometry of the tower is defined by both its arrival and skyline expressions. Diamond shaped facets create a distinctive arrival and retail experience at street level, while the complimentary faceted silhouette of the tower's top creates an iconic identity within the Toronto skyline. The tower boasts luxurious hotel and residential functions with abundant amenities including terraced, outdoor garden spaces."

Toronto's DesignAgency leads the interior design of Freed Hotel and Residences. In harmony with the contemporary architecture and landmark Murakami sculpture, the interiors will bring together a creative collection of spaces and amenities that transport residents and hotel guests into magical, fun, and exciting worlds of design. Melding moments of poetic simplicity and dramatic juxtapositions of colour, mood and scale, the identity-defining interiors will express a feeling of transformational luxury that embodies the project's iconic aspirations.

"Freed Hotel and Residences is already an iconic project. By assembling a world-class creative team, Peter Freed has set the stage for innovation and imagination on a grand scale. Together with these exceptional collaborators, DesignAgency is excited to explore new realms of possibility to create immersive interiors that exude great wonder and style," says Anwar Mekhayech, Founding Partner, DesignAgency.

For over 30 years, Freed Developments has been changing the face of Toronto with its unique brand of experience-based developments, with over $10B of developed projects completed. Freed's portfolio includes luxurious modern condominium projects, F&B ventures, resort communities, and commercial spaces, led by the Founder and CEO Peter Freed. Freed Developments has been recognized for some of the most successful and iconic buildings in Toronto, including the Art Shoppe Lofts and Condos in collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld, Seventy5 Portland with globally renowned designer Philippe Starck, Fashion House on King Street West, and the iconic Thompson Hotel. In addition, Freed Hotel & Resorts is now the largest owner and operator of hotel and resort communities in Canada, which includes properties at Muskoka Bay Resort, Deerhurst Resort, Horseshoe Resort, and Blue Mountain Resort. Stay tuned for further updates here as Freed at Blue Mountain will be coming soon to The Village at Blue Mountain

The Freed Hotel and Residences is scheduled to begin sales in March 2024 and will be located at 240 Adelaide Street West. Potential buyers can expect a diverse range of units ranging from 270 sq.ft. to over 9,800 sq.ft. For further information on Freed Developments, head to: https://www.freeddevelopments.com/

Floats At Germany’s Carnival Parades Satirize Leading Political Figures

Throngs of revelers took to the streets of Germany’s Carnival strongholds on Monday, accompanied by floats that satirized the Ukrainian and Russian presidents, German politicians, former U.S. President Donald Trump and many others.

Shrove Monday parades are a traditional high point of Carnival celebrations in Cologne, Duesseldorf, Mainz and other places in western Germany, drawing large crowds of locals and visitors.

Every year, floats address current national and global political issues with biting sarcasm.

This year, a larger-than-life Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy progressed through the streets of Cologne with a sign reading “To be or NATO be.” Zelenskyy wants Ukraine to be able to join the Western military alliance.

In Duesseldorf, a float depicted Trump stabbing a Ukrainian soldier in the back — a reference to opposition among Republicans to aid for Ukraine. Another had the ex-president and 2024 presidential candidate carrying scissors and a U.S. flag cut into the shape of a swastika.

In Mainz, a “Barbies and Ken” pink car float featured Russian President Vladimir Putin behind the co-leaders of two German political parties, the far-right Alternative for Germany and the new Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, that criticize sanctions against Russia and oppose weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

The war between Israel and Hamas was also a theme. A float in Duesseldorf depicted a figure in military garb labeled “Hamas” pushing what appeared to be a family toward an Israeli tank.

Germany’s unpopular government came in for lampooning, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz portrayed as a sloth and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock as an elephant in a porcelain shop, the German equivalent of a bull in a china shop.

AP

As The Olympics Loom, Parisians Ask: Should We Skip Town? Games Organizers Work To Win Their Hearts

Before the Paris Olympics open and upend the French capital’s usual rhythms, retiree Pierre Schapira plans to hire a car and quit town.

But with the intense Olympic security measures and traffic disruptions they’ll cause, will that even be doable? For his answer, Schapira went straight to the top — popping the question this week to chief of police Laurent Nunez himself.

As he’s already done at other town hall meetings, did so again at this one, and will do at more to come, Nunez ever-so-patiently explained that Parisians are going to have to adapt to the July 26-Aug. 11 extravaganza but that it’s not going to put their lives and livelihoods on hold.

“It’s not going to stop you from entering or leaving Paris,” Nunez said Thursday to the audience of about 200 people, including some watching via video link in an overflow room next door.

Holding the Games in the bustling heart of such a compact city, rather than in a purpose-built Olympic park in the outskirts like Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and other previous hosts, was always going to rile and worry some Parisians who can be cantankerous at the best of times. Nunez, Games organizers and City Hall officials are finding that out for themselves as they embark on a concerted campaign to win Parisian hearts and minds and get people in the Olympic mood or, at least, get ready.

“We laugh about it ... because we are spending nearly all of our evenings together,” Deputy Paris Mayor Pierre Rabadan said after he, Nunez and other organizers spent more than two hours at the meeting detailing Games preparations and responding to questions.

“It’s quite time consuming but necessary,” Rabadan said. One of their aims, he added, is “to go against the talk at the moment that it’s better to leave, that being in Paris is going to be a catastrophe and whatnot. You get that at every Games and obviously we knew that because of our concept, we’d hear that, too.”

By mostly using existing sports venues as well as temporary ones that will be erected in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower and at other iconic sites before being dismantled again, Paris’ goal is to avoid the legacy of waste and vast cost generated by other Games and reduce the mega-event’s environmental impact. Images of Olympians competing amid the architectural beauty of central Paris should, organizers and the government hope, make France shine.

But for the 2.1 million people who live within the city limits and hundreds of thousands of others who commute in from the suburbs, the consequences of 10,500 athletes competing in their midst are going to be considerable. Traffic restrictions, special permits for this and that, police checkpoints, road and Metro station closures, millions of visitors from elsewhere in France and around the world. The list goes on.

“It’s a fantastic gamble but it’s going to be quite disruptive for residents,” said 79-year-old Schapira after hearing Nunez and the other speakers.

Jean-Pierre Rollin, who owns two souvenir stores near Notre Dame Cathedral on its island in the River Seine, wanted to know whether tourists will be able to get past police checkpoints before and during the July 26 opening ceremony. It is being held on the river and a security cordon will be in place along both banks.

“If we have no customers, there’s no point staying open,” Rollin told Nunez. The police chief acknowledged the security that day is going to make getting around more complicated.

Other questions also focused on the impacts of security measures. One man asked whether there’ll still be fireworks for France’s July 14 national holiday and was told there will.

Only once, when a retailer said he’d heard that daytime deliveries would be banned, did the police chief lose patience, puffing out his cheeks.

Not true, he insisted.

“I can’t repeat things 50,000 times,” he said. “I don’t want to hear things like that.”

The work of preparing people clearly has a way to go. A government website, “Plan for the Games,” offers tips. Among them: avoid Olympic crowds on public transport by riding bikes or walking.

Schapira, the retired dentist and former politician, came out of the meeting thinking that “it is indeed extraordinary to have the Games inside Paris.”

But he was nevertheless grateful that he’ll be in the Alps by then, on holiday.

“I prefer to watch them on the television,” he said. “I’m not enough of a sports fan to stay. I am happy to be leaving.”

BY JOHN LEICESTER, AP

Frontier To Take On American Airlines In This Key Market

Every couple of months, an airline will announce a burst of new flights to a given destination.

This depends a lot on flying data and whatever destination is particularly popular at a given moment. Both U.S.-based and European airlines have been setting major sights on Austin, Texas, in 2021 (this strategy later proved to be overly optimistic) while JetBlue Airways and Frontier followed each other with launching several routes to different parts of Puerto Rico in the spring of 2024.

The budget carrier Frontier is once again adding a spate of flights to a single destination. By May 2024, the airline will launch 10 new flights between Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) from different parts of the country.

Airline CEO says 'new routes span much of the country'

This marks a 47% increase in the airline's service to the city and includes flights from Chicago's O'Hare Airport, Tennessee's Knoxville, Ohio's Columbus, Maine's Portland and Florida's Pensacola.

"From the Midwest to the East Coast and from Maine to Florida, these new routes span much of the country and represent our continued commitment to growth from PHL," Frontier CEO Barry Biffle said in a press statement. "In fact, PHL will see the second largest increase in daily departures on Frontier this summer among our major operational bases."

The routes predicted to be the most popular, including those between Philadelphia and Chicago and Detroit, will run every day while the less in-demand ones will operate three times a week. Other cities to which Frontier will start flying from Philadelphia include St. Louis, Kansas City and Indianapolis.

To promote the sale, Frontier is offering customers these super-low fares

At the moment, American Airlines (AAL) is the carrier that has the biggest hub in the City of Brotherly Love. It runs over 110 flights out of the city to different destinations across the country and, in August 2023, added three new international routes to Copenhagen, Nice and Naples.

When announcing the new routes last year, American executives called it an “incredible opportunity” to expand its network of flights to the city before the sports fans start descending upon it for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game and FIFA World Cup matches taking place in 2026. The latter, in particular, will bring large crowds of European fans to Philadelphia.

While its only international destinations so far are to nearby tropical countries, Frontier will also reach a peak of 44 daily departures from Philadelphia by the summer of 2024. To promote the new routes and stand out from competitors like American, the budget airline is offering $19 fares on the new routes for those who book their tickets early.

One will be able to find the low rates by going directly to the airline's website and searching by destination and travel date — the lowest rates are generally between the nearest cities and for flights leaving on weekdays but promotional fares will apply to all the new flights before they start running in the coming months.

In the past, Frontier has done such a route expansion in cities including Cleveland and Chicago's smaller but more central Midway Airport (MDW).

Source: https://www.thestreet.com/author/veronika-bondarenko

Italy Takes Aim At Tourists With Airbnb Crackdown And Loudspeaker Bans

Italy's fight against overtourism now includes stopping tourists from lingering on bridges.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, in 2022, nearly 50 million people visited Italy, a nearly one-for-one match on the nation's total population of locals. As a result, Italy has strengthened its stance against overtourism, with new entry fees and group size restrictions in Venice for 2024 being the latest in a slew of new regulations. Additionally, a few recent events have led the European nation to propose policies to combat transgressions by ill-behaved visitors.

Take, for example, in 2023 when a tourist took a swim in the centuries-old Trevi Fountain, one of Rome's most iconic sites. The occurrence was so dramatic that local officials contemplated limiting access to the historic monument. However, like previous calls to erect a glass barrier around the fountain to protect it from unruly travellers, this notion was shut down after experts said it would impede the view of the fountain, with one expert telling La Repubblica the idea was “really silly”. (Just around the corner at the Spanish Steps, though, officials enacted a rule back in 2019 stating that neither locals nor tourists can sit on the steps, even for a photo opp. If caught taking a seat, tourists risk a €250 (£214) fine.)

But it’s not just bad behaviour Italy is contending with. It’s sheer overtourism too.

"When I first moved to Rome, I couldn't wrap my mind around the number of tourists wandering the streets regardless of the time of the day. But when the high season finished, the number of tourists didn't change," said Viktoriia Khutorna, a communications specialist who has been living in Rome for nearly two years. "In October, reality kicked in harshly – I realised that there is no such thing as 'off season' for Italy. People come to the country regardless of the month of the year thanks to the good weather."

Khutorna acknowledges that tourism is a major contributor to the Italian economy. In fact, it accounts for more than 10% of Italy's gross domestic product, with one out of every nine jobs in the country coming from hospitality. Nonetheless, "overtourism is a problem in Italy," she said. "For instance, the sidewalks in Rome are very narrow, so with so many tourists, it's impossible to walk comfortably in the streets. Another challenging thing is public transportation. People are squished in autobuses and metro trains sardines in a can. And don't even let me start on the litter problem."

The effects of overtourism across Italy

Starting this June, tour groups in Venice will be capped at 25 people per group, officials announced in December. And tour leaders will no longer be allowed to use loudspeakers to communicate with their flocks as this "can generate confusion and disturbances". The devices will be banned in the city and on nearby islands, officials said in a statement. And, as part of the new rules, tourists are also asked to no longer pause while traversing the city's bridges.

"It is an important measure aimed at improving the management of groups in the historic centre and on the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello," said Elisabetta Pesce, the official in charge of security in Venice. "It's about promoting sustainable tourism and guaranteeing the protection and safety of the city."

Venice and Rome aren’t the only destinations in Italy enacting regulations to both encourage better traveller etiquette and curb overcrowding issues.

In Portofino, tourists can get fined for "lingering" too long while taking a selfie. In Alto Adige, a region in Northern Italy, overnight tourism is capped to 2019 levels to prevent overcrowding. In the summer, visitors to Sardinia must book a reservation to use the beach via the app Cuore di Sardegna. And all over Italy, short-term rentals are being heavily regulated, including in Florence, where new short-term licenses have been completely banned in the city's centre to help free up housing for locals, which could in turn lessen the overtourism issue as people will have fewer places to stay.

BBC Travel reached out to Airbnb for comment and a brand rep responded that Airbnb wants to "work with Florence to create a way forward that protects local families who rely on the income they make from hosting. Airbnb is an economic lifeline for many Italians; one in three Hosts say the extra income helps them afford their homes and rising living costs. We recognize the challenges facing historical cities and welcome progress from the Italian government on new national rules, which will help support the policy goals of cities like Florence."

Still, will all these rules be effective in paring down visits to Italy?

"Italy has been experiencing overtourism, but [it's also happening in] many cities in Europe and countries around the world," said Simone Amorico, CEO of the destination management company Access Italy. Amorico says the best solution may be to get off the beaten path and, unsurprisingly, invest in a tour guide. "It is important to be advised by a travel advisor... For us, it is not only about the popular bridges, but we can show the insider Venice – the neighbourhoods that are less known and more authentic, to see where local artisans restore and build gondolas, for example. Or visit the Doge Palace after hours when it is less crowded, or a cooking class in a private home."

“We are putting a simple ban in the UNESCO area to meet our responsibilities of protecting the cultural and material identity of the centro storico, and to dampen the effect of rent increases across the entire city – which are directly linked to the boom of short-term tourist rentals,” Dario Nardella, the mayor of Florence, told reporters in 2023.

BBC Travel reached out to Airbnb for comment and a brand rep responded that Airbnb wants to "work with Florence to create a way forward that protects local families who rely on the income they make from hosting. Airbnb is an economic lifeline for many Italians; one in three Hosts say the extra income helps them afford their homes and rising living costs. We recognize the challenges facing historical cities and welcome progress from the Italian government on new national rules, which will help support the policy goals of cities like Florence."

Still, will all these rules be effective in paring down visits to Italy?

"Italy has been experiencing overtourism, but [it's also happening in] many cities in Europe and countries around the world," said Simone Amorico, CEO of the destination management company Access Italy. Amorico says the best solution may be to get off the beaten path and, unsurprisingly, invest in a tour guide. "It is important to be advised by a travel advisor... For us, it is not only about the popular bridges, but we can show the insider Venice – the neighbourhoods that are less known and more authentic, to see where local artisans restore and build gondolas, for example. Or visit the Doge Palace after hours when it is less crowded, or a cooking class in a private home."

As for destinations limiting the number of short-term rentals, Amorico doesn't see that as a problem. As he says, "There are so many amazing family-owned hotels" to check into instead.

By Stacey Leasca, https://www.bbc.com/

Southwest Airlines Reveals Thinner Seats To Cram More People Onboard

Southwest's new Recaro seats will debut on the carrier's new Boeing 737 Max 8 planes in 2025

Southwest Airlines unveiled a redesigned cabin featuring new Recaro seats, and while they have a clean modern look, they’re as thin as an ironing board. The seat manufacturer claims the shape of the backrest foam is “a callback to the automotive expertise of Recaro.” However, there’s an ongoing trend of introducing thinner seats to maximize cabin space and squeeze more paying passengers onboard. These new Southwest cabins are set to debut in early 2025 on the carrier’s new Boeing 737 Max 8 planes.

The Recaro BL3710 seats that will be fitted onto Southwest aircraft are designed to take up as little space as possible. The chairs, clad in artificial leather, feature a thin foam cushion in the front. As with most modern economy seating, the inflight entertainment system has been ripped out of the back and replaced with a “personal device holder.” The holder is just a higher tray to put a smartphone or tablet. Also, the three-abreast rows are essentially bench seating to maximize width, an increase from 17 inches up to 17.8 inches. Very little bit counts when you’re the one stuck in that chair for a couple of hours.

Legroom on passenger planes is typically measured using seat pitch, the distance from a point on one seat to the same point on the seat behind it. For economy class, 32 inches was the standard pitch for the country’s major carriers (Delta, American, United). Thinner seats mean more legroom — or extra cabin room to cram into an additional row. Several carriers have opted to offer “premium economy” offerings with additional legroom. Delta Air Lines has its Comfort+ section with extra legroom, a 34-inch seat pitch to be exact. Every inch matters.

The Federal Aviation Administration considered mandating seat sizes in 2022, but nothing came of it. Airlines are going to continue pushing for thinner and lighter seats to generate as much revenue per flight as possible.

Source: https://jalopnik.com/author/ryanerikking