Stephen Greenwood
- http://stephengreenwood.com || twitter.com/spgreenwood
Stephen Greenwood is a designer and filmmaker currently living in Hong Kong. He loves talking to strangers, taking pictures, and bargaining in street markets.
Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Exclusive video: inside Virgin America's "Stay Golden" launch
See what it's like to be on the inside of a Virgin America launch event. Full interview with Branson after the break.
Inside Virgin America's "Stay Golden" launch event (photos)
I looked around and tried to absorb what was unfolding before me.
VIP's and Virgin employees mingled on the patio of the beachfront W Fort Lauderdale. Nearby, a reality TV crew set up a shot for a new series about the lives of Virgin America flight attendants. Lights and loud music infiltrated the senses. It was a perfect backdrop for television, even though it didn't quite feel like reality.
And in a sense, it wasn't reality; but merely a splash of Richard Branson's reality.
Then, somewhere between the gold-suited synchronized swimmers, the beverages sprinkled with gold, and the musical performance from Santigold, it hit me: Virgin America is dedicated to (and very good at) one thing. They design brilliant experiences... and in their world, there's no such thing as overindulgence.
And in a sense, it wasn't reality; but merely a splash of Richard Branson's reality.
Then, somewhere between the gold-suited synchronized swimmers, the beverages sprinkled with gold, and the musical performance from Santigold, it hit me: Virgin America is dedicated to (and very good at) one thing. They design brilliant experiences... and in their world, there's no such thing as overindulgence.
Virgin America launches SFO/LAX to Ft. Lauderdale!
Greetings from 35,000 ft! Right now, we're onboard Virgin America's inaugural flight from San Francisco to Ft Lauderdale, which touches down in the Sunshine State at 3:30 PM.
Today's expansion marks the tenth destination for Virgin America and the first connection from the Golden State to the Gold Coast. In celebration, Virgin America has brought along a handful of winners from their "Stay Golden America" competition, and will be donating $1 to budding entrepreneurs for every tweet containing the tag #HelpVirginUnite.
This afternoon, there will be a tarmac reception from Richard Branson and CEO of Virgin America, David Cush. The event will conclude with a launch party hosted at the W Ft. Lauderdale - where Gadling will be posting full event coverage and getting the down-low on Virgin America's expansion plans.
Be sure to track our feed for updates, photos, exclusive interviews, and reviews of the entire Virgin America experience.
Update: Check out our full coverage of the event - Article / Photos & Exclusive Video
Photo of the Day (11.10.09)
While I usually prefer photographs that feature subjects at close distance in great detail, I'm fascinated by the aesthetic quality of this photo by Michael Goldstein. Bright winter light and dramatic shadows frame the worn inscriptions well, with the composition anchored by the battered blue door in the center. It's a unique take on a monument that's been photographed many times.
The photo was taken at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The Arc de Triomphe was designed by Jean Chalgrin in 1806, and finished in 1810 as an honor to the Napoleonic Wars. (Additional fun fact: The Arc is so big, that Charles Godefroy flew his Nieuport biplane through it in 1919, as part of a parade to commemorate the end of World War I)
If you have some great travel shots you'd like to share, be sure to upload them to the Gadling pool on Flickr. We might just pick one as our Photo of the Day!
Dim Sum Dialogues: Kowloon Walled City
Today, it's one of the most peaceful locations in the city. The gardens are beautifully landscaped and connected by long, low archways that are remnant of the Qing Dynasty's architecture. There are ponds, waterfalls, dragonflies; everything you might associate with traditional Chinese gardens.
But just less than two decades ago, the same soil was the foundation to a very different environment; a lawless territory that was born out of Hong Kong's identity crisis and foreign occupation. A 6.5 acre plot of land that was home to nearly 33,000 people and a collection of brothels, opium dens, casinos, cocaine parlors, and secret factories. Kowloon Walled City, or Hak Nam...the City of Darkness.
Photo of the Day (11.3.09)
There's a certain beauty in simplicity, even in regard to photography. I find this photo by lecercle to be a great example of taking simple subject matter and making it interesting and beautiful through composition & contrast.
"Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity" - Charles Mingus
The photo was taken in Kashid, which is a beach town on the shores of the Northern region of Maharashtra, India. The ocean that the subjects are looking out over is the Arabian Sea. There are a few of small hotels in Kashid, and the rest is privately owned, but it's quickly becoming a surfer's paradise.
Want to have your travel photo considered for Gadling's Photo of the Day? Submit your best shots here.
Photo of the Day (10.27.09)
Today's Photo of the Day comes from longtime contributor Alpha Tango Bravo (aka Adam Baker). I consider great portrait photos to be ones that share the personality and character of the subject - even if they happen to be complete strangers in a foreign land.
Baker writes in the photo's caption that he approached this woman, and asked to take her photo "as a souvenir" - to which she promptly replied "go to the souvenir stand." before finally agreeing. Asking locals for permission to take their picture is no easy task, but one that is often well worth the risk...
The photo was captured in Suzdal, Russia - a town of under 12,000 people situated northeast of Moscow. The town is home to the Open Russian Festival of Animated Film every March.
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!
Baker writes in the photo's caption that he approached this woman, and asked to take her photo "as a souvenir" - to which she promptly replied "go to the souvenir stand." before finally agreeing. Asking locals for permission to take their picture is no easy task, but one that is often well worth the risk...
The photo was captured in Suzdal, Russia - a town of under 12,000 people situated northeast of Moscow. The town is home to the Open Russian Festival of Animated Film every March.
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!
Photo of the Day (10.20.09)
Today's beautiful Photo of the Day comes from Flickr user jrodmanjr. It's an interesting composition - the lush green hills in contrast against icy cliffs and sky, separated by a thin formation of low clouds. Having never been to Switzerland, this is exactly the scene that I visualize when I imagine the stereotypical beauty of the country.
The shot was taken in Grindelwald, Switzerland (pop. 3,760) - which is a popular destination for winter sports and summer hiking. A starting point for ascents of the Eiger (featured in the photo) and Wetterhorn mountains, the town has an elevation of 1,034m. Another reason you might recognize it? It was used as the basis for the view of Alderaan in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
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!
The shot was taken in Grindelwald, Switzerland (pop. 3,760) - which is a popular destination for winter sports and summer hiking. A starting point for ascents of the Eiger (featured in the photo) and Wetterhorn mountains, the town has an elevation of 1,034m. Another reason you might recognize it? It was used as the basis for the view of Alderaan in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
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!
Photo of the Day (10.13.09)
The photo was taken in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York - an area known for its cultural institutions, including the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Brooklyn Music School, The Paul Robeson Theater, The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts.
Do you have great travel photos you'd like to share? Add them to our Gadling group on Flickr. We might just pick one of yours as our Photo of the Day.
Communist China celebrates 60th anniversary
Today, October 1st, marks the 60th anniversary of communist rule in China - an era that has been defined with great success and development for the country.Leaders in Beijing and 30,000 specially invited guests observed the day with an epic celebration that was reported to be larger in scale than the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games.
Visitors and residents of Beijing had limited access to the city's biggest tourist attractions, and Beijing Capital International Airport was closed for over 3 hours.
The event featured a parade of singers, dancers, and soldiers, a fireworks display, and a military procession that flaunted the country's latest surface and missile technology.
President Hu Jintao gave a speech from the same spot that Mao Zedong stood 60 years ago to declare the foundation of the People's Republic of China. "Today a socialist China that faces the future is standing tall and firm in the East," he stated. "The development and progress of the new China over the past 60 years fully proved that only socialism can save China, and only reform and opening up can ensure the development of China,".
No expense was spared for the celebration. Massive cloud-seeding efforts made yesterday proved successful, and Beijing enjoyed clear, blue skies for the day.
For pictures and an impressive video of the event, head over to the BBC for more coverage.
