3 new Airport Guides - Dallas, Detroit, Atlanta

On Saturday, May 28, I spent the entire day in the skies and on the concourses of three of the biggest connecting airports for family travel: Detroit, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and Atlanta, investigating the features that matter most when taking your children along - places to play and cool off, restrooms, ease of getting around, choices of food and shopping.

Finally got back home to Minneapolis at 11:30 pm, and slept like a rock when I made it to bed...

I took hundreds of photos and pages of notes - and have spent the rest of the Memorial Day weekend putting them into order - to create three new pages on weninchina.com:

Detroit: http://www.weninchina.com/Airports/Detroit.html

Dallas/Ft. Worth: http://www.weninchina.com/Airports/Dallas_DFW.html

Atlanta: http://www.weninchina.com/Airports/Atlanta.html

Video - Tram Ride from Central to Kennedy Town

Here's another video we've just edited based on footage from our Hong Kong trip last November.

Hong Kong is a vibrant, multi-layered city with something unique and interesting in every neighborhood. A great way to get to know the place better - for very little money - is to hop on one of the iconic double-decker trams that run across the north side of Hong Kong Island. They're not fast, but that's not the point: the view of everyday street life can't be beat. You can see every class of citizen, every kind of shop, the glossy to the mundane, all from your open window seat.

The trams are crowded in the financial districts but loosen up as you get further away from Central. By the time we reached the end of the line at Kennedy Town, we had the whole upper deck to ourselves. It's a great way to spend a few mid-day hours; you can hop on and hop off if you see something interesting - your Octopus transit card is happily accepted, and there are trams every few minutes.

This Saturday - the Day of Flying

I'll be in the skies all day this Saturday, May 28, scoping out the family-friendly amenities and hidden quiet places of three more Transpacific gateway airports: Detroit, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and Atlanta.

My day will begin in Minneapolis/St. Paul at 6:35 am, where I'll be boarding Delta flight 2240 for Detroit. I'll be at DTW's McNamara Terminal from 9:20 through 12:30, when I'll board Delta 5762 bound for Dallas.

At DFW, I'll be arriving at 2:30 and checking out the new Terminal D, as well as C and E, then boarding Delta 2212 for Atlanta.

At ATL, I'll be arriving at 7:05 and departing at 9:55 back home to MSP on Delta 300, where I'll be landing about 11:30 pm.

If you have suggestions on play areas, restaurants, shopping, good restrooms, and spaces to chill out in, please send a reply here at Blogspot, or through my Twitter feed, @weninchina.

Am I a little nuts? Perhaps, but the fare was amazingly good and I need the segments :)

Video - Hong Kong Stanley Harbour

One of my most favorite places in the entire world - the easygoing town of Stanley, on the southeast tip of Hong Kong Island. A quick and inexpensive bus ride from Central puts you right in the heart of this former fishing village turned artists' colony / shopping center / upscale retreat. Lots of dining choices, plenty of spaces to sit down and watch the world go by, and even playgrounds for the kids - you could easily spend the day here breathing the clean ocean air and listening to the waves.

Updated Flight Options Article

Flying in and out of China is getting progressively easier, and we've never had so many options for adopting families as in this year. We've completely updated our Transpacific Flight Planning page to reflect all the new nonstops and connecting opportunities for Summer 2011. This resource includes links to the major carriers and maps of the different routes available for traveling home.

Hong Kong Airport Guide now posted!

The 70th article at weninchina.com is now up - a handy family-friendly guide to China's front door, Hong Kong International Airport. Like our other guides to North American and Asian airports found in our Travel pages, we'll walk you through the arrival process, finding your way around the airport, talk about food and shopping options, review the restrooms, and point out kid-pleasing features.

HKIA is an amazing facility, and a popular choice for families adopting kids due to its closeness to Guangzhou, convenient flight options, and Hong Kong's Western customs, food, and lodging. With no transit-visa issues, Hong Kong is a great place to spend a couple days with your new child en route back home.

More airport guides are being prepared - watch for notices here and on our Twitter feed!

New Articles for April 2011

Celebrating the return of White Rabbit candy to American store shelves!

Five new articles have been posted in the past week to weninchina.com. In the "Food" section, we add an entry on the dumplings known as jiaozi.  In the "Safety and Health" section, we've added three articles with advice on handling different aspects of China's climate:  "Dealing with Heat & Humidity," "Dealing with Cold & Damp," and "Sandstorms." And in our "People and Culture" section, some tips on getting out of uncomfortable situations without giving insult, at "Saying No."