The science of Bond
Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry has a new exhibit of James Bond gadgets, James Bond vehicles and Bond-centric lessons in physics, deception and the staging of insanely large explosions. "007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond" is a decent showcase for both the exacting standards it takes to create those films and how prescient James Bond movies have been about future technologies. There's so much everyday tech in this show — pagers, cellphones, bulletproof vests, eyeball scanners — the spy seems to take a place alongside H.G. Wells, who predicted email and A-bombs, and "Star Trek," which imagined flat screens and flip phones. But that Bond ski pole that doubles as a gun? Never caught on. (Timed entry, through Oct. 27; $18-$35, msichicago.org).
Chicago Tribune
Geisha tourist ban
Bad behavior by tourists is leading officials in Kyoto, Japan's popular geisha district, Gion, to ban them from the alleys and streets of the area. According to the Independent, the problem with the female artists being harassed by so-called paparazzi tourists has been going on since 2019. The women were chased down streets and photographed and even touched without consent. Travelers can only photograph a geisha or maiko, a teenage geisha-in-training, with consent and while on public roads. The new ban will begin in April, as the country celebrates its popular spring cherry blossom season. The only people allowed into the area following the ban will be the geisha, residents and the geisha's clients.
TravelPulse
Couples' seat hack
It's a favorite booking hack by couples who hope luck will be on their side: Choose the aisle and the window and cross your fingers that other travelers will be discouraged from picking the remaining seat in the middle. Scott Leazenby, who reviews airlines for a living on his site SANspotter, said he and his wife employ this tactic. On a recent trip to Florida, he said, it worked both ways. "The chances of it working out are better the farther back in the plane you go," he said. "People are more willing to put up with a middle seat if they're closer to the front."
Washington Post
Best beaches
Tripadvisor rolled out its 2024 Travelers' Choice Awards for the "Best of the Best Beaches" around the world. This year, European strands stole the thunder from the usual Caribbean idylls, with Praia da Falésia in Portugal's Algarve nabbing the top spot, thanks to reviews extolling its soft sand, strikingly scarlet cliffs and lapping waves. The tiny Italian island of Lampedusa captured glory with its Spiaggia dei Conigli or Rabbit Beach at No. 2. La Concha Beach on Spain's northern coast took No. 3 honors. Maui's Ka'anapali Beach came in at No. 4 for the second year in a row. And California got a nod on the "best of the U.S." list for La Jolla Cove and Santa Monica State Beach.
Orlando Sentinel
