Gadling

Times have changed since Chicago's Sears Tower was first built. Upon its completion in 1973, this 110-story Chicago monolith was proclaimed a modern marvel - a building that planted a massive stake in the ground for Chicago's, and arguably America's, architectural and economic dominance. Though the Sears Tower remains an important symbol in 2009, its preeminence in the "World's Tallest Building" category has changed significantly.

Still, the news earlier this week that the building would soon be renamed as the Willis Tower comes as a surprise. Willis Holdings, a London-based insurance group that occupies more than 150,000 square feet of office space, will take over naming rights to the building in late 2009. This is in contrast to Chicago-based retailer Sears, which no longer leases space in the building and frankly, is struggling merely to stay relevant.

How is everyone reacting to the news? Chicago's own Mayor Daley has feigned indifference. But coming from this Chicagoan by birth, I find the name change surprisingly affects me on a personal level, as if it was an affront to the pride of my hometown. Perhaps though the name is less important than what the building represents. To quote the great William Shakespeare, "What's in a name?" Is anyone, tourist or local, likely to start calling the building the Willis Tower? I doubt it. Believe it or not, the Sears Tower is not the first Chicago landmark to be taken over by out-of-towners, and Chicagoans have learned to continue on with their lives.

Maybe it's just a sign of the times - in an increasingly global world, it's harder and harder for something truly "local" to remain that way. Whether it's the authentic Japanese sushi you're eating in New York or the London souvenir hoodie that was made in China. Travel is often more about your expectations of what a destination or landmark should be like, rather than taking it for what it truly is. For me at least, whether it's called the Willis or Sears Tower, the next time I gaze up at that magnificent building I'll see what I want: a landmark that continues to be truly one-of-a-kind.

[Via Buzzfeed]

Welcome back to Gadling's weekly "Picks of the Week" from our friends over at travel site, BootsnAll. Every Friday we'll be bringing you some of our favorite stories this week from the site. Take a look below and click on through if you find something that catches your interest:

• Weird Philippines - the Philippines is already an "out there" destination for many travelers, so it goes without saying that those who visit are privileged with some amazing sights and strange local customs. Marseille Markham tells us about her Top 5 Weirdest Philipines sights. Remember that Filipino prison where they dance to Thriller? You can go see it LIVE. Get me a ticket to Cebu immediately...
• Spanish Lessons in Central America - my first experience abroad was staying with a family in Costa Rica during High School. It was an amazing introduction to the culture and also a great way to wok on my Spanish. Rebecca Brych give us the lowdown on how to study Spanish in Central America for anyone who might be inerested. It's very comprehensive guide of everything from finding a school to picking classes to figuring out where to stay.
• High in the Sky - I always associate mountains with travel. But for many people, mountains mean they're home. Julie Blakley takes a look at the Highest Cities in the World in her latest post. Let me tell you, I'm out of breath just looking the elevations for some of these places. Think Cusco is high? How about La Rinconada, Peru at over 16,000 feet!
• Feisty Female Travelers - you might know Christine Amanpour, the Chief International Correspondent of CNN, as one woman that's really set the bar high for solo female travelers, including trips to Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan. This week Lucy Corne takes a look at six of history's most famous and well-known female travelers, a tribute to all they've done to set a "traveling example" for women everywhere.
• Gondola Gallery - you pretty much know if you visit Venice, one of Italy's most famous cities, you're going to see some gondolas. The iconic boats are pretty much the town's unofficial symbol at this point. BootsnAll's Italy blog features some of their favorite gondola photography in this week's feature.

Hope you enjoyed this week's Gadling and BootsnAll "Picks of the Week." We'll be back next Friday with another week's worth of great content. Stay tuned.

Travelers around the world are waiting for the day when the borders to Russia open wider to visitors. Although the formerly Communist country does and will accept tourists, the application process is long and expensive -- you don't just wander up to the border to Russia, get your passport stamped and mosey down to Red Square, no, before visitors to the Red State are even allowed to apply for a visa they need to be sponsored, a process that isn't difficult but one that takes time, money and most of all, patience.

Now that the Obama administration has the reigns, however, many have high hopes for better relations between the United States and some of her formerly cold neighbors. Cuba, for example, has recently been hinting at, welcoming American citizens back into the island nation and kick starting its economy.

Such is the message that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is taking with her as she circles the globe: Give us some time and space to figure things out and rebuild bridges -- we're not here to fight.

Or at least that's what she thought she was saying to Sergi Lavrov, Russia's Secretary of State and a prominent official with whom she met last week. In an attempt to get relations started off on the right foot, Mrs. Clinton presented Lavrov with a gag "reset button" that was meant to symbolize the resetting of relations between the former Cold War foes.

On the bottom was written RESET, in English, while the top said PEREGRUZKA, in Russian. Which does not mean "reset." It means "OVERLOAD."

Thankfully, Mr. Lavrov took the gaff in stride and the meeting still went well. And with any luck, relations between the east and west will soon become even warmer, making we American tourists one step closer to easy weekend caviar and vodka trips to Moscow.

Just how cold is the water in Nicaragua, I say to myself as I scuttle up to the lapping ocean's edge.

Mike had told me it was going to be colder than I would normally think.

I dip my toes in, and quickly realize what Mike was talking about. Despite my assumption that everything about Central America is hot, the water is chilly at best – cold to be generous.

"Aw, heck," I shriek before running full throttle, throwing my borrowed surfboard in front of me, and paddling as quickly as possible to the lineup.

Rob, too, the owner of the Hotel Brio where I am staying for a week, jogs into the water and informs us this is the coldest it's been in his recollection. He's been surfing these waters for over five years, so that's saying something

You really have to see this clip to believe it. It shows what appears to be the pilot and one flight attendant smoking pot from a home made bong bottle on their flight.

The description says it is an Aeroflot plane, but I've seen others claim it is "just" a freight plane, which would explain why none of the passengers walked to the galley to ask about the smell (of to see if they could join the fun).

By the end of the clip the 2 are clearly pretty buzzed. I just hope the pilot has a competent first officer up front, or it's going to be a bumpy ride. If anyone has more information on the origin of the clip, feel free to leave us a comment!

Remember that little brouhaha that Ryanair stirred up a few days ago about pay toilets? (Also known as "The Most Ridiculous Thing I've Ever Heard.") Seems as though they're riding that train (or low-fare airline)...and seeing how far they can go.

The latest in their busy week of announcements: a competition. Yes, they're asking travelers to suggest other "ingenious, wacky, and creative ideas" for discretionary charges (if not pay toilets, which the company has admitted it was "only joking" about). Among the ideas listed as examples are charges for using the oxygen masks and emergency exits.

Can I just say: thank goodness we're finally getting to the culmination of what's turned out to be a PR stunt...so we can potentially forget that it was suggested. After the past few years of charges so strange that you'd expect them to be fake, we wouldn't want airlines to get any crazy ideas, right?

But anybody wanting to play along can submit ideas for the contest by March 30th. €1000 cash is the prize for the winning idea.

Stephen Regenold is better know by his pseudonym, The Gear Junkie, which he uses when he writes his nationally syndicated column on outdoor adventure and equipment. Recently he penned a story for Travel+Leisure Magazine listing the ten best spots to go SCUBA diving in the world.

In order to come up with his definitive list, Regenold asked ten veteran divers, each of whom have extensive dive experience around the globe, to name their favorite dive spots. The results were a great mix of classic dives and hidden gems. He then compiled them into a slideshow that highlights each location, with an amazing photo, a description of where the dive spot is located, and an explanation of what makes it unique and special.

Some of the locations that make the list include Cenote Taj Maja and Santa Rosalia, both in Mexico. The former is an impressive spot for cave diving, while the latter is famous for allowing divers to get up close and personal with large Humboldt squid. The famous Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands makes the list for it's abundance of wrecks, with literally dozens of sunken ships in the area, while Utila Island, off the coast of Honduras, is lauded for the twice yearly migration of the whale shark that passes through the surrounding waters.

The list has a little something for everyone, no matter what style of diving you prefer. Each of spots mentioned here offer specatacular waters, amazing sunken sights, and plenty of adventure.

Today's photo of the day comes from Willy Volk at Lake Worth, Florida. So often when I'm browsing through Flickr, I'll see a picture like this and exclaim, "why didn't I think of this?!"

Clicking on the metadata to Willy's picture shows he used the aperture priority mode (as explained by Karen Walrond) which gave him a shutter speed of 1/8th of a second. Just the right amount of time to blur the wave, making it look like it's floating above the sand. He took another picture with a faster shutter speed here so you can see the difference.

As for the bottom right corner... Willy, is that your foot?

Nice shot! Karen also used this picture as an example of why you just might want to shoot some blurred pics.

Are you a Flickr user who'd like to share a travel related picture or two for our consideration? Submit it to Gadling's Flickr group right now! We just might use it for our Photo of the Day!

Before today, I knew of only one other celebration centered on a fish. During the Walleye Drop on New Year's Eve in Port Clinton, Ohio, townsfolk drop a walleye. Not a real walleye--one made out of some sort of fiberglass material. Here's another case of fish frivolity. This Mad Culture video depicts the Burial of the Sardine in Madrid. The celebration, attended by folks of all ages, is connected to the end of Mardi Gras. The mood is fun and festive complete with people dressed in costumes, some carrying images of sardines.

Burial Of The Sardine Madrid from Phillip Stark, Ben Dornan, Justin Metz, and Karina Stenquist of RedHill Media (a new production house in Madrid, Spain specializing in travel videos) on Vimeo.

The sardine burying tradition, according to what I found out here, came about in 19th century when some students in Madrid wanted to recreate a pagan holiday connected to the allegorical characters Don Carnal and Doña Cuaresma. The symbolism has something to do with carnal pleasures over moderation. The festival has since spread throughout Spain, and does indeed involve burying a sardine. The video explains it all.

A man from Chicago is suing American Airlines for $7 million after the airline allegedly revoked his lifetime travel pass back in December.

Steven Rothstein paid $250,000 back in 1987 for lifetime, first class travel aboard AA and a few years later ponied up another $150,000 for the right to bring a companion along.

In December, AA revoked the travel pass, saying Rothstein was fraudulently using his passes to make reservations for his friends.

Why is Rothstein suing for $7 million? He says since AA no longer sells lifetime tickets, the alternative cost for buying first class tickets for the rest of his life would be worth about $7 million.