I post about travel contests in our Deals, Contests and Promos section when I spy a worthy one, but for travel contest nuts, there’s a blog devoted to the subject. The Travel Contests blog is run by a DC-based travel writer named Barbara Benham, who vowed to win a travel contest this year. To achieve her goal, she’s entering as many as she can and sharing the contest information with you, fair readers.

For years, slow elevators were the bane of the Marriott Marquis New York’s existence. The 49-story Times Square hotel was constantly irking guests with 45-minute waits, over-crowding and interruptions in guest services caused by the long wait times. The problem led some guests to write the hotel off completely. The hotel recently put the finishing touches on an all new, $11 million high-tech elevator system (pictured) designed to efficiently ferry guests from floor to floor in record time. The controversy, of course, is whether or not the new elevator system surpasses the old one.

Listen to what a few TravelPosters said in their reviews of the Marriott Marquis prior to the new elevator system’s installation:

The elevators are bad enough to discourage a return visit.

and

They have the worst elevators I have ever seen in a hotel. 20-30 min. wait is not uncommon. Check-in is on the 8th floor.

and

The facility is nice, but the elevators were a pain - not all of them were working. The wait was considerable at times.

So what’s so great about the new ‘vator? Here’s how it works: the new cars don’t use interior buttons like your average elevator does. Instead, passengers type their destination floor into a keypad outside the elevator. Then the elevator’s computer system decides the most efficient route for meeting guests’ demands.

TravelPosters who’ve stayed at the Marriott Marquis recently report good things about the new system:

The elevators are incredibly fast, and the atrium is larger than life.

and

The elevators were fine, despite all the comments about being slow. Not once did we wait more than five minutes and they were worth the wait for a beautiful view of the lobby.

Some people guests were less unenthused about the new system.

Elevators were a bit slow but worth the ride. They are glass elevators that allow you to overlook the lobby, giving a spectacular view.

and

The elevators are somewhat odd, but tolerable. The 8th floor check in was a little different, but there were people on the first floor to direct us where to go.

While no TravelPosters found the new elevators to be completely crap, some outside the TravelPost.com realm have. In particular, blogger Sandy Hamilton says in April 19, 2006 blog entry Marriott Marquis New York Elevators :

Dude - bring a lawsuit against the technology company that retrofitted the elevators and put floor buttons back in the elevator cars.

He has since sworn off the hotel.

When you visit the Marriott Marquis New York, tell us what you think about this riveting controversy.

Marriott Marquis New York official site

TravelPoster braggy gives a good crash course to Istanbul, Turkey in the blog post Cultural Clashes. He starts with a dash of history:

Back and forwards through history men, gods and empires have vied for control for the gateway of Asia. Even in our modern history, Istanbul has been a politically and strategically import location that every king queen president and despot has sought to control.

Moves on to a little smattering of the current political situation:

Decidedly western, Sultanamet and the european side of the Bosphorous is vocally clamoring for EU membership while just on the side of the river, civil unrest, conservative beliefs and fierce national pride seek to pull turkey towards more conservative social and political policies.

Runs down a list of religious landmarks, including the Blue Mosque and Aye Sophia, before touching on the Topkapi Palace:

This place is my favorite, now Turkey’s national museum. This amazing building showcases the best of the Ottoman sultans, the Romans, the Catholics and the Muslims. Amazing jewels, historical artifacts, not to mention some extremely culturally and religiously significant relics. Footprints, sandals, teeth and hair of the prophet Mohammed.

And finishes with a few suggestions for the younger, nightlife-seeking set:

Anyway for the younger crowd the night life is fantastic, Taxim, Sultanamet and the Bosphous are all great venues if your looking for a good time.

Quite the mini-guide!

The Up Your Budget contest is back for four weeks this summer. The first contest begins today, June 5. You may remember me obsessing about this travel contest/promo from Budget Rent A Car way back when.

Last fall, the contest offered video clues in cities across the U.S. and awarded $10,000 to a weekly winner who successfully used the clues to find a final destination. It was like a citywide scavenger hunt.

This time around, the contest is a little different. The two guys behind Up Your Budget are traveling around the country in a Budget rental car visiting different unusual U.S. destinations. Each week, a first ($25,000), second and third prize will be given to the first contestant who correctly guesses the total mileage of that week’s adventure. Players visit the web site each day for clues to the stops on that week’s route. The idea is to identify the stops using the clues and then add up the total mileage between the stops. There a bunch of little details and rules, but you can read all those by visiting the official site.

Perfect pastime for desk jockeys everywhere who’d rather be travelin’.

Up Your Budget official site

Love this image of Singapore taken by TravelPoster Mr.Anderson. Click on the pic for more about his walk across the country or check out his itinerary Mr. Anderson’s Tour of the World for more on his trip from Equador to South Africa.

I love this pic of the Sydney skyline. Though TravelPoster jolyonc was a bit disappointed in the city, they’ve got tons of great shots from their Round the World & Back Again!… itinerary. My other favorites are the breathtaking landscapes of Te Anau, New Zealand. Check ‘em out!

Traveling and journaling go hand in hand. Nary a backpacker is without his notebook of musings, itineraries, ticket stubs and names of folks he’s met along the way. As an avid journaler myself, traveling or not, Moleskines are near and dear to my heart. So imagine my joy when I saw this post on Gadling about the new city notebooks that Moleskine is making. The notebooks, which cover most major European cities including Barcelona, Paris and Rome, have neighborhood and metro maps, a tabbed archive for organization, loose sheets to share info, an accordion pocket for ephemera and of course blank pages to track your travels and document your memories. Talk about the ultimate travel journal!

Moleskines Expand post on Gadling

This photo of La Rochelle, France looks just like a watercolor painting! With it’s cobblestone streets and historical centre, this town southwest of Bourdeaux probably feels like a throwback to another era. TravelPoster Matthew-DonnaMae stopped here as part of their World Tour 2005/2006. Not a bad way to spend a year.

The only thing more amazing than attempting South America in four months with a two-year old, is TravelPoster mistylee917’s pics of Argentina’s Glacier National Park. This iceberg is unreal! Click on the pic for more info about and amazing photos of the creaking, creeping glaciers.

Wow. I wouldn’t mind spending a few days on this beach. TravelPoster canadianmarsupial snapped it in Cassis, France. Click the pic for more about sleeping under the stars, wild pigs and climbing les calanques.