Triangle Trip

Ever been on the road and wanted to check out a restaurant’s menu before actually physically going in?  Of course you could do some research online beforehand but what if you just left the client site or hotel and was looking for a place to eat with decent selection and prices?

Well if you have an iPhone you are in luck!  I recently checked out a new app for the iPhone called Unimenu.  It’s main goal is to be able to look up menus for restaurants in an easy manner.  You can view a restaurant’s location/address, look at what items they offer with prices, and directly call the restaurant from the app.  Additionally, it has some neat features as well.

Let’s say I’m craving some Japanese food in LA.  I can filter by cuisine in LA (it locates the metro area I’m in automatically) and select the “Near Me” button.  It then lists out the closest 10 restaurants near me serving Japanese cuisine, which then I can look at each menu and restaurant information accordingly.

Also, if ever you find yourself ordering from the same restaurant frequently, you can add that restaurant’s menu to your favorites and you’ll always have it handy, even if you don’t get any reception from crappy AT&T (or T-Mobile).

Lastly, I think the most creative feature of the app is the ability to add specific items from a menu or menus to a list, afterwards which you can email out if need be.  This is particular handy if you are ordering for a big group of people: you can just pass around your iPhone and have people select what they want.  Of course, you may want to wipe down your iPhone after you get it back.  One day I hope they come up with an iPhone app that de-sanitizes the phone.

Right now the app supports New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Chicago (the app also allows you to filter by neighborhoods specific to those cities).  I do most of my traveling between New York (city of blinding lights), SF (I left my heart there), LA (California dreamin’), and Chicago (my kind of town) so this app is perfect for me (who’d wanna go anywhere else anyhow?).  They also have a corresponding website at www.unimenu.com for those without iPhones. So for all of you who have ever walked into an unknown restaurant and been caught off guard by the prices or selection of the menu, check this app out.

Pet Airways, a pet-only airline dedicated to pet-friendly travel.

You now have the ability to send your pet to a number of national locations via “first class” from $199+. This is for the ultra pet-enthusiast who can’t bear the thought of sending their pet in cargo and would rather skip a mortgage payment.

Sending a pet one way is more expensive than sending a human to Chicago if you look at their rates on the site ($199 for NY to Chicago one way). You could probably get a round trip ticket for a human for under $199 from LGA to ORD (although you would probably take a lot of  abuse from American Airlines, Delta or United).

So this pets only airline… Is there any hope for this business model?

Pet Airways is probably on the same track as Fly Clear (see Captain G’s post).

Recently I lost my wallet one night (during a drunken stupor but that’s another story). The next day I had to book car service, a hotel, and take a flight out. But even without my wallet I was able to do all of these because I had a lost wallet contingency plan. Here are a couple steps I always take:

1) Keep your cash and credit cards separate. I always keep my cash in a money clip and my credit cards in a wallet. The reason being is if I lose one I’ll still have the other.

2) Always have a backup credit card and a backup bank account debit card. I always keep a backup credit card with no annual fee at home. I also have a backup bank account that I keep $100 in with a debit card I leave at home. This way I always have access to cash and credit in case I lost my wallet.

3) Always have your passport handy at home or in your bag even while traveling domestically. Your passport is probably going to the best candidate for a backup government issued ID. Also, if you lose your license while traveling you might face difficulties going through airport security without a backup ID handy.

And in case you lose your cell phone, always remember your username and password to your cell phone carrier’s website. That way you can lookup phone numbers you frequently dial on your online cell phone statement when you don’t have anyone’s phone number.

Lastly, for those of you who are looking to save money on accessories during this recession, I’ve found that this can replace the functionality of a money clip at a very low cost: the binder clip.