Bits by Slavito

The idea of the artificial urban beach is not entirely new. It’s been a good decade since Parisians were first able to disrobe and flop their sunscreen-lathered selves on the moderately hot sand of Paris-Plages. There are similar projects elsewhere - in Brussels, Shanghai, and Chicago, among other places. For most of the 20th century, though, the sorry state of the waterfronts in major North American cities kind of rendered the whole concept of sunbathing anywhere near them a stunt falling somewhere between the eccentric and the absurd. Fortunately, things are changing... More»

Quito’s new international airport is scheduled to open in October of this year. Located in Tababela, northeast of the city, this new airport is being constructed using earthquake-resistant techniques and materials. The government is pinning its hopes on the airport’s ability to turn Quito and, by extension, Ecuador, into a regional tourism and commerce hub. The mildly odd part about all this is that the airport is still not named... More»

Almost 30 years in the making, not even exactly finished, actually, and drawing out not much more than a collective yawn from the local press for its architectural qualities, the new Montreal Symphony Hall (la Maison symphonique de Montréal) nevertheless opened its doors to a select group of invitees and hosted the inaugural concert on Wednesday... More»

As we have previously mentioned in these pages, the city of Paris is readying a car equivalent of the hugely popular bike rental service, Vélib’. The new service, predictably named Autolib’, will allow renting small 4-seat electric cars for short trips in the city and environs. The vehicles can be dropped off at the most convenient docking station (not necessarily where they were picked up). Pricing is by the minute (a 20-minute minimum), with the rate beyond one hour increasing (to encourage customers to take shorter trips). More»