Category Archives: Andrew Rivkin the Traveler

Andrew Rivkin Reflects on Space Shuttle Discovery

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Space Shuttle Discovery made its final voyage last week to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. bringing an end to a space era. Andrew Rivkin watched on with anticipation as the space shuttle made several fly-overs the Washington area piggybacking on a specially designed Boeing 747 aircraft. After the scenic route over the Washington airspace, the Boeing 747 landed at Washington’s Dulles International Airport before being transported to the Smithsonian Museum.

The United States space agency, NASA, retired its space shuttles last year following the completion of the construction of the $100 billion International Space Station, a project of 15 countries. Andrew Rivkin notes that the end of the space shuttle program, opens a new chapter for NASA. The space agency is now focusing on creating spaceships that can carry astronauts to destinations beyond the stations 384-km-high orbit.

Discovery, which first flew in August 1984, will replace Enterprise, a prototype orbiter on display at the museum that was used for atmospheric test flights in the 1970s. According to Andrew Rivkin, Enterprise is being transferred to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City later this month. Sisterships Endeavour and Atlantis will go on exhibit at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, and at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, respectively, later this year.

Andrew Rivkin, who was extremely intrigued when the current fleet of space shuttles launched for the first time in the late 1970s and early 80s, is excited to see what the next generation of space shuttles will allow NASA to accomplish.

Check out some amazing pictures of Space Shuttle Discovery’s scenic route over Washington D.C.:

Andrew Rivkin: Space Shuttle Discovery

The space shuttle Discovery, riding atop a NASA 747 does a fly-by over Washington

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew Rivkin: Space Shuttle Discovery 1

Discovery flies past the US Capitol

 

 

 

 

Andrew Rivkin: Space Shuttle Discovery 2

Space Shuttle Discovery arrives at Washington Dulles International Airport ontop a Boeing 747 aircraft

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoying the Sun in Las Vegas with Andrew Rivkin

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One of the most exciting and unique places in the world, home of iconic buildings and memorable sights, is Las Vegas. It is truly a place like any other, and a place that Andrew Rivkin has always enjoyed visiting.

Part of the excitement is finding a place to stay. A hotel in Vegas is unlike a hotel in any other city. While finding one on a regular vacation is secondary to deciding where to go, finding the right hotel in Vegas is essential to the success of the trip. The best are simply not just hotels, but restaurants, bars, and of course casinos. Whereas in other cities you often don’t expect or want to spend lots of time in the hotel; in Vegas, it’s part of the fun.

Andrew Rivkin: Wynn Las Vegas

The magnificent exterior of the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas

Andrew’s favourite place to stay is undoubtedly the Wynn Resort. It is not simply a place to sleep at night, but a place to spend nearly your entire trip. The Wynn is a five-star hotel and five diamond resort in the heart of Las Vegas, offering world class dining, entertainment, and relaxation. The resort has a giant casino offering a wide selection of table games including Baccarat, Roulette, Pai Gow, and even Casino War. Moreover, there is always a place to sit down at one of the 1,900 slots, as well as at the 26-table poker room.

A night at the Wynn continues with plenty of entertainment in the resort with musicals and concerts featuring some of the best talents around the world. If sitting down watching a show isn’t for you, Andrew recommends checking out the club scene where you can dance to the hottest hits and meet equally sociable people.

While the nightlife can be chaotic, in the day time the weather is warm, and thus relaxing, and maybe even recovering, is necessary. It’s important to find a hotel that can help you ease into your day with a quiet and peaceful afternoon. The Wynn is just that place according to Rivkin.

The heated pools are located in the heart of the resort, surrounded by perfectly manicured gardens, and offering poolside refreshments. There is also a secluded, European-style pool adjacent to the main for a quieter, more adult atmosphere. When you’re done with the pool, relax at a private cabana, featuring plasma televisions, sofas, ceiling fans, and misting systems.

For an even more relaxing stay, the Spa at Wynn Las Vegas offers 45 treatment rooms for massage, body treatment, and facials for both men and women. Moreover, steam rooms, saunas, and hot and cold plunges make the stay complete.

At the Wynn, you really don’t need to travel far for anything. Rivkin likes to take in an early game of golf, and the greens couldn’t be located any closer. The 18-hole course is surrounded by a landscape of waterfalls, streams, and forests in which you forget that you are actually in Las Vegas. If golf isn’t your thing, there are plenty of boutiques and shops to occupy your time during the day located in and around the luxurious resort.

Andrew Rivkin loves every trip to Vegas for the entertainment and the relaxation. And the great thing about Vegas is that you never know when you will instantly win big and suddenly you have yourself a free trip out west.

For Andrew Rivkin, the Choice is Air Canada

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Traveling with Air Canada is a truly enjoyable experience. When given the option to fly with them Andrew Rivkin says the choice is clear. From their interactive website to their inflight entertainment system, Air Canada is at the technological forefront of North America’s largest airlines.

The airlines loyalty program, Aeroplan, is what positions it over its rivals. Air Canada is also a member of Star Alliance, the world’s first and largest airline alliance. Passengers are able to use their Aeroplan points to book tickets on Star Alliance member airlines including United and Lufthansa. This gives Canadian’s the ability to travel on reward points to destinations around the world.

Air Canada Boeing 777-300
Air Canada Boeing 777-300 Landing in Toronto

Air Canada’s fleet consists of over 340 airplanes. The most recent addition to the airline’s fleet is the 350 passenger Boeing 777-300. The airline also operates smaller, propellor-driven, aircraft. These airplanes are used for the airlines regional routes. As the airline continues to expand and modernize its fleet they have placed an order for fourteen Boeing 787’s to be delivered in 2013.

Air Canada provides the most frequent service between Canada’s largest municipalities. Through a service called Rapidair, Air Canada operates a flight between Toronto and Montreal every hour. Andrew Rivkin enjoys the frequent service, as he sometimes has to fly on very short notice. Air Canada allows you to travel worry-free. If a flight is canceled, you know there is one an hour later.

Andrew Rivkin points out the recent upgrades to the interior of Air Canada’s fleet. When traveling to Frankfurt, Germany last month I noticed a significant improvement to the interior of the Boeing 777-300. Every seat in both economy and business class have personal televisions that offer an array of recent and classic movies along with hours of television shows. With this new feature, the flight goes by that much faster. In business class, each seat is designed as a pod, giving you the utmost privacy. All the seats in business class are lie-flat seats, allowing you to enjoy a good sleep. When traveling overseas this should be a requirement!

The cuisine offered on the flight to Frankfurt was much better than what I would have expected on a flight. It was prepared right on the plane so you know its fresh. If you are not a fan of airline food, you can grab some food and drinks in Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge before the flight. These lounges are located at the primary airports Air Canada flies to. If you are traveling in business class or have an American Express credit card this service is included. If traveling in economy class, you can purchase a pass to gain access to the lounge.

Air Canada’s continued success and the reason why Andrew Rivkin enjoys flying with them is their high level of service and their modern fleet of aircraft.

Andrew Rivkin and Atlanta’s International Airport

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Being the ninth largest metropolitan area in the U.S. with a population of 5.2 million people, it is surprising that Atlanta is home to the world’s busiest airport. Andrew Rivkin notes that the international airport is not only the busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic, but is also the busiest in terms of number of takeoffs and landings. Officially known as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, it has held both titles since 2005. Andrew Rivkin conducted a bit of research into the name of the airport and discovered that it is named for former Atlanta mayor William Berry Hartsfield.

Recently merged with Northwest Airlines, Delta Airlines is the primary operator at the airport flying 60% of the 89 million passengers that fly in and out of Hartsfield International every year. Delta’s hub at the airport is the world’s largest airline hub. A large percentage of the 89 million passengers traversing Hartsfield International annually use the airport as a connection point between their origin and final destination.

With 200 gates being constantly operated at the airport, the layout of the land plays a critical part in ensuring smooth travel for the 89 million passengers that pass through the airport each year. All passengers departing the airport check-in at a primary concourse and from there travel to one of five parallel concourses that are connected by an underground “Transportation Mall”.

Andrew Rivkin: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

One of the five concourses at Atlanta's International Airport

In terms of the taxiway and runway layout of the airport, there are five parallel east-west runways that are in constant, simultaneous, use to ensure minimal delays. Andrew Rivkin points out the efficient use of the runways at Hartsfield International. The outer two runways are used for arrivals while the inner two are used for departures and the fifth runway alternates between arrivals and departures depending on current air traffic demand.

It is almost inevitable that Andrew Rivkin will find himself either connecting through or reaching his final destination in Atlanta in his travels in the near future.

Andrew Rivkin Travels Through Toronto’s Pearson Airport

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Living in Toronto means that Andrew Rivkin travels through Pearson Airport more than any other airport. Handling over 32 million passengers last year, Pearson airport is the busiest out of any Canadian airport. The airport is the 18th busiest in terms of aircraft movements per year.

Over 75 airlines fly into and out of Pearson airport. Andrew Rivkin has had the privilege of travelling on several of them including Lufthansa, British Airways and American Airlines. Being situated on acres of land allows for the operation of multiple runways at once to minimize delays. Andrew Rivkin has rarely had to sit on the tarmac waiting to depart due to airport congestion.

Andrew Rivkin: Toronto Pearson International Airport

An aerial view of Toronto Pearson International Airport

The Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) has been working on a project to update the terminal layout. In April of 2004 the airport authority opened a new Terminal to replace the original Terminal 1. When it opened in 2004 the newly constructed Terminal 1 had one pier. Since then, Terminal 2 has been demolished and two new piers have been built off of Terminal 1. Currently the Terminal has 58 gates. These gates are used primarily by Air Canada and it’s Star Alliance affiliate airlines.

The second terminal, Terminal 3 has 39 gates. These gates are operated primarily by WestJet, Canada’s second largest airline. Other airlines operating out of Terminal 3 include American Airlines and British Airways. Terminal 3 is older than Terminal 1 and is not as spread-out. For those early-morning flights it is nice to not have to walk that far to get to the gate. When departing early in the morning Andrew Rivkin prefers flying out of Terminal 3.

Pearson airport has the largest central de-icing facility out of any airport in the world.
The airport was also one of the first to be certified to accommodate the Airbus 380 aircraft. Emirates airline currently operates their A380 between Toronto and Dubai.
Andrew Rivkin can’t wait to travel on this double-decker plane!