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Call me Mr. Cool. I just met Elvis.
Alright, so it wasn't that Elvis. But it was the nearest thing to him in the person of Paul Brendan.
Paul, you see, is one of the most popular Elvis impersonators in Las Vegas. And there are a lot of them.
However, I met him in Orlando when the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority had flown him in for a 30-minute gig for international journalists at a major tourism trade show. That's the kind of thing tourism organizations do. And don't start bitching about the use of your tax dollars -- the ROI on promos like this is often tremendous. (Click here if you can"t view the video).
Brendan first started impersonating Presley in his UCLA dorm when he was earning a degree in fine arts. And he's been doing his Elvis gig professionally ever since he arrived in Vegas 15 years ago with $500 in his pocket. In those early days he'd take jobs impersonating Elvis at fees less than others would accept just to be able to pay the bills.
His act has taken him to about 20 countries and almost every US state, although he's cut his travel back considerably to be with his wife and two boys. A few years ago his wife, a former Delta flight attendant from Kentucky, talked him into investing in a wedding chapel and doing Elvis weddings. It made sense, he says, since " I just turned 43 -- older than Elvis when he died -- and I can't do this much longer."
But what kind of life can you really have when so many people recognize you, or at least who you're supposed to be?
"Although it's all my hair, when I walk down the street I mess it up and often wear a baseball cap so I done't look so ‘Elvis-y'," he says. "But I'll never refuse anyone a photo."
Still, there's that unmistakeable resemblance.
"Yes, people come up to me all the time," he confides. "For example, when I got off the plane this morning I heard the attendants say ‘Elvis has left the plane'. But it doesn't bother me since this has afforded a good life for me and my children."
A surprisingly good life. He has, he says, parlayed his Elvis gig into a net worth in the millions.
Nevertheless, you have to ask yourself, is there a down side to all of this?
He contemplates it for a few seconds. "Yes there is," he says, "I haven't been able to change my looks for 15 years."
Jim Ferri
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There are a lot of good smart phone applications, or apps, available for smart phones to help you travel easier.
One really good one is FlightTrack. It lets you track any flight, gives you the exact landing time and gate number and even allows you to see the geographical position of the flight on a map at any time. It's good for traveling but I find it even more useful when I'm picking someone up at the airport -- no more guessing arrival times and which terminal and gate to go to. It's all right there in my palm.
Many airlines such as Southwest, JetBlue and others have launched apps which let you book your tickets, look up schedules and check-in, all on your phone.
A few days ago, however, Virgin Atlantic came out with app called "Jet Lag Fighter" which seems to have a lot of potential for people like me who usually have to go into a meeting not long after flying into an airport. There's just nothing better in London or Frankfurt than feeling hungover in a 2:00pm business conference.
Reading the product's description, it seemed to me that Jet Lag will help combat all the negative effects of flying except for the cost of buying your ticket and getting your luggage lost. But when I saw its claim it was developed using "a clinically proven technique," that nailed the deal for me. I mean who could ask for more than a product made with a clinically proven technique? I dove into iTunes and added another $1.99 to Richard Branson's coffers.
When I launched the app the first thing it did was ask me for my birth date, gender, health status and bedtime, which I guess Virgin Atlantic thinks is good info to have in case they ever start a dating service. It then asked for my travel information.
As a test I told it I wanted to fly from New York to London, taking off at 10:30pm and arriving at 10:30am the following day. This took me to another page which gave the pros and cons of either using light exposure or adjusting my sleeping times on the days before departure. It then provided an interesting day-by-day schedule for each.
But when I touched the "What is the difference" tab -- which explains to non-clinicians the difference between sleep adjustment and light therapy -- it launched an audio lecture by the doctor involved in the development of the app.
It was then I realized a real marketing opportunity has been missed here.
Virgin Atlantic -- if you want to generate a lot of good will and publicity don't charge for the app but instead provide it free on all your flights.
Then just tell passengers to tap the "What is the difference" tab and they'll all be asleep within seconds. And, of course, awake fully refreshed for those meetings.
Jim Ferri
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Ever since I was seriously bitten by the Eurail bug years ago, I've traveled a lot by train all over Europe, which is why I've always wanted to travel by train in the U.S. You know, a nice long-distance journey with sleeper car, dining room, the works.
I was realistic though, since I knew I couldn't compare the civility of European train travel with the hustle and bustle of our American system, the sidings of Newark with the Gare de Lyon, the woods and swamps of the Carolinas with the majesty of the Alps. But I always told myself, some day I was going to take the leap into civility on this side of the Atlantic.
Last week I took it. Traveling from New York to Miami my wife and I decided that instead of flying we'd take a 27-hour Amtrak odyssey -- sleeper car, dining room, the works -- and I hit Amtrak's website with a fervor, booking a Viewliner Roomette on the Silver Meteor.
A few days later we and our dreams headed down to Penn Station. Unfortunately, due to an extended stay in NYC we were also laden down with a unwieldy load of luggage which, halfway across the station, I conservatively estimated to weigh about 32 tons.
While our Roomette looked roomy in Amtrak's online rendition (you can take the virtual tour by clicking here) when our luggage was put into our 4' x 7' compartment things became a bit tight. We had stuff everywhere -- hanging on the walls, crammed in the overhead compartment, even on the little toilet next to my seat. I remember hoping I didn't have to use the loo at 3:00am.
Each car has an attendant to take care of the passengers and ours was Reggie. He was the epitome of Amtrak optimism and, as I soon discovered, Amtrak understatement as well.
Rolling through the Carolinas he mentioned that some of the track ahead -- leased from other railroads -- was not maintained by those other companies as it should be. "After all," he told us, "freight doesn't care about comfort."
Later that evening, after climbing into the top bunk ("those hanging straps are attached so you don't roll out," Reggie told me as he lowered the bunk which was squished up against the ceiling), I had't closed my eyes for three minutes when the train started swaying from side to side. The movement, of course, was greatly accentuated by my being about 10 feet off the ground.
Every half-hour or so throughout the night I was then rolled back and forth like some giant hot dog on a greased grill, bouncing off the wall before rolling back into the straps to be readied for launching once again.
Morning couldn't have come sooner and since the cost of the Roomette included all food, I headed to the dining car to join other passengers, most of who turned out to be Brits on tour following a cruise to New York. All of us were surprised at the quality of the food which, despite the problems the chef must encounter cooking on a carnival ride, was fairly good.
You can see a snippet of the trip by clicking on The Two Minute Train Ride (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuE7RLYFTXk) or on the video above.
Mentally comparing the Amtrak and European train experiences, I assumed these British and Scot travelers would be upset by the cramped accommodations and sometimes uncomfortable ride. To my amazement it was just the opposite -- all of them looked upon it as a great adventure.
Which now, four days later, I do also.
Jim Ferri
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