For everyone who feels that all the applications (or apps) on smartphones are just so much junk, this is for you.
I have an iPhone and, yes, I agree that a lot of the apps are junk and frivolous -- mugs of beer, xrays of hands, etc., etc. But there are some very good and useful ones, however, which can make life on the road or tarmac a lot more bearable.
I like FlightTrack which tracks flights in real time (also visually on a map, so you can see where a plane is) and provides the departure and landing gates even before the folks at the airport know them. It's saved me a lot of time when I need to pick up people at the airport. There are also apps for transit systems (want to know which subway to take in New York to get to Columbus Circle plus when is the next train and how frequently they run?) and Zagat guides and a thousand others.
What's really interesting though is the development of a new app which shows how ingenious some businesses can be. Out in Sin City Harrah's Entertainment has developed an app with a GPS locator that can follow you through any of the company's Las Vegas properties. And don't let me hear all that whining about Big Brother -- if you're that paranoid about BB don't use the app.
What really makes this a standout -- it's an industry first -- is that since it tracks you it can send special offers to your phone that coincide with attractions in the area where you are.
Think of it: if you're in the area of Paris Las Vegas - voila! -- they could text two free admissions to your phone. If there are tickets left for a show and you're in the area, they could offer you discount tickets to see Bette Midler or Elvis...well Bette Midler, anyway.
It's a good use of technology to enhance customer service and provide an edge over the competition.
If anyone else knows of good apps I'd like to hear about them.
Jim Ferri
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Here's a bit of tourism news you may have missed lately: New York is taking on Las Vegas to become the wedding capital of the U.S.
Apparently, it's been a pet project of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg for some time. The decorator who re-did the mayor's Upper East Side townhouse was hired to redo the new Manhattan Marriage Bureau which recently reopened to the public. The $12.3 million, 24,000-square foot bureau seems to be getting rave reviews from the newlyweds.
According to First Deputy City Clerk Michael McSweeney, "We're taking Las Vegas on -- the city hopes to advance New York not just as a tourist destination, but as a marriage destination."
If that's the case it certainly is a step in the right direction considering that in the old Marriage Bureau women in their elaborate bridal gowns had to pass through metal detectors. And when they wanted to freshen up they were sent off to the public restroom, so perhaps not all the fragrances of that special day came from the bridal bouquet.
Last year New York City issued about 66,000 marriage licenses, and Clark County, Nevada, where Las Vegas is located, over 108,000. So New York has some work to do to catch up, probably made more difficult by the fact that in NYC you must wait 24 hours to get married after getting your license while in Vegas it's immediate.
A bigger hurdle for NYC, however, is that it doesn't yet offer drive-through weddings presided over by Elvis. Then again, according to a very high source in Mayor Bloomberg's office, Vegas can't offer the Rockettes as bridesmaids.
Jim Ferri
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