Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Ridiculous or Awesome?

Apparently this was all over the news in September of last year but as I am slow to pick up on some things (and because they showed a segment about it on Attack of the Show the other day) I am arriving late to the party that is the Honda U3-X Personal Mobility Device.

You can view it in action here:



I don't really see the point of this device, no matter how space-agey it may be. It is scarily reminiscent of the humans in Wall-E, plus I'm pretty sure I could out-walk one of these things. The only redeeming feature is that this puppy can go sideways as well as backwards and forwards which brings to mind the features we need to add to cars to make parallel parking easier.

Anyway, my vote on this one is RIDICULOUS!

Another thing I had no idea existed, outside of nature of course, is the saltwater pool. I can't remember how this topic even came up but after doing some research on the subject it ends up that there are in fact saltwater swimming pools and the largest happens to be at the San Alfonso del Mar Resort in Algarrobo, Chile.



This thing covers 19 total acres, is 1,000 meters long and holds the Guiness world record for being the largest outdoor pool. I have no doubt they will hold this record for quite a long while, at least until Dubai decides to give it a go, cuz those guys love to overdo everything. The resort itself seems to be comprised of privately owned condos/vacation properties and the reservation process and additional fees ($78 for sheets and towels, buy your own toilet paper, soap, etc) seems to be a bit weird, but overall that's some crazy big pool and my vote on this one is AWESOME!

And finally, only because I was just thinking about vacation properties, is the Seattle City Rentals 1-bd apartment on Capitol Hill, where you get sheets, towels, toilet paper, etc all included in the price of your stay. The rates for these units are incredibly affordable ($99-$125 a night, depending on season), especially when weighing against the current rates for hotels in the area. No room service of course, but there are enough restaurants in the area to satisfy most appetites, and plenty of delivery, though it is mostly Italian food.


We directed some visiting family to this place when they came out a few years ago and they could not have been more pleased with the experience so I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a cheaper alternative to hotels in the Seattle area. Of course, Broadway is quickly becoming just one huge construction zone, what with light-rail, and soon street-car and mixed-use development projects taking over the spaces previously occupied by actual retail, but if you can get beyond the middle bit where all of that is taking place Elliott Bay will be re-opening in their new location in a few weeks (by the old KFC), Everyday Music is right next door and the Pike/Pine corridor has really filled out with some great new spots. Beyond that, take the bus to where you want to go. My vote for this vacation property is... RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME!