(USA Today – Travel)

ABOARD THE BOEING 787 DREAMLINER – Boeing’s much-ballyhooed but long-delayed 787 Dreamliner finally entered commercial service this week, flying paying passengers for the first time on an All Nippon Airways flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong on Wednesday.

By John Froschauer, AP The inside of a Boeing 787 at the assembly plant in Everett, Wash., prior to its delivery to All Nippon Airways.

The ultramodern 787 is being hailed in the aviation industry for its technological innovations, including the carbon fiber construction that makes it the first jetliner not made of traditional aluminum and steel.

But while the 787 is drawing acclaim from industry observers, how will it go over with ordinary passengers?

The Dreamliner — which Boeing designed with passenger comfort as a priority — drew nearly unanimous positive reviews from the roughly 240 passengers lucky enough to secure a seat on its inaugural flight…Read more about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

(tnooz.com)

TLabs Showcase on travel startups, featuring Singapore-based 3rd Planet, a 3D interactive travel guide platform for tourism boards and destinations. Terence Mak, CEO and founder of 3rd Planet, brings 20 years of experience in technology application and new media experience…Read more about Virtual Travel

Photo by Scott Suchman - Sommelier Kathryn Bangs pours wine for patrons at Komi Restaurant in Washington, D.C.

It’s the red snapper with raspberry chipotle sauce and lump crab meat that makes business trips to Galveston, Texas, special for Greg Newell.  Newell, who works in the software industry and travels frequently, says the red snapper at Rudy & Paco restaurant is one of his favorite dishes.

“I always look forward to a trip to Galveston, so I can stop in for that snapper dish as well as a breakfast stop at The Donut Shoppe, home to the Bronco Burrito,” says Newell, of Riverview, Fla. “Yum.”

Good food and top-quality restaurants mean a lot to many business travelers. They provide a memorable dining experience and a welcome break from the stresses of constant travel. They’re also great places to impress or bond with a client.

Business travelers looking for the best of the best may want to heed the findings of Zagat Survey, which today announces the country’s top restaurants, in its view…Read more about Zagat restaurant picks on a business trip.

What does English sound like to a foreigner? [VID]

[MatadorNetwork.com]

Hearing English

GLOTTAL STOPS, LILTS, PITCH – there’s a lot more to hearing a language than just the words. Do you speak German? If not, do you know when you hear someone speaking German? Probably so.

And what about English? More than once, I’ve attempted to hear English through the ears of a non-speaker by eavesdropping on a conversation and going into an almost meditative state, focusing on the sounds and not the words. It only lasts for a few seconds at a time…