Lee Foster (fostertravel.com)

Death in the Family, Cody's, De Lauer's, and Tax Injustic

Death in the Family, Cody’s and Delauer’s, and Tax Injustice

Those of us who live in the Bay Area of CA, and have a longterm interest in the distribution of travel books and travel magazines,  as well as a general interest in the distribution of all  books and magazines, note with much sadness the commercial passing of two landmarks, Cody’s and Delauer’s.

Cody’s has been one of the leading independent bookstore voices in the U.S. from time immemorial.  Cody’s on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley was a major force in the last half of the 20th century.  But times changed.  Telegraph grew inhospitable, overrun with the homeless, among other issues, and Cody’s morphed to the trendy 4th Ave in Berkeley, and then also branched out to San Francisco, and then retreated from both of these to take a last stand on Shattuck Ave in downtown Berkeley.  The final Cody’s store on Shattuck closed this week.

One aspect of this death is the gross injustice of taxation burden imposed on Cody’s, but not on its Internet competitor, Amazon.   People came into Cody’s or come in Book Passage in Marin County, another major player, and browse.  They love all the author programs.  The love to look at books and sip a cappuccino.  But they don’t buy their books there because they have to pay an additional 8.75% sales tax.  On Amazon, there is no sales tax.  California desperately needs tax revenue for basic services, yet all the books sold on Amazon and shipped to CA generate $0 in tax revenue.  This structural issue also wipes out the local economy, pushing Cody’s in bankruptcy.

A similar adverse tax structure damages my purchases of photo equipment in CA.  My best place to buy a new $1,800 Nikon D300 camera would be at Calumet in San Francisco.  But I have to pay 8.75% sales tax.  I will buy over the Internet from B&H in New York to avoid the sale tax.  This is arbitrary and unjust, and damages the local economy, and deprives CA of the tax revenue needed for basic services.  It is a mystery to me why Internet sale continues to be seen as a sacrosanct area where no sales tax should be collected.

The death this week of De Lauer’s Super Newsstand in Oakland, after 101 years, is a parallel story.  Over the years, I have enjoyed going to De Lauer’s to get magazines, though they also sold books.  They had every magazine in existence.  But the magazine world is changing.  Internet access to specialty magazines has cut into the print versions, which De Lauer’s sold.  Fewer people today actually pick up a magazine in a magazine store, especially where they have to pay an extra sales tax.

Wise governance in the society should have closed this tax loophole a decade ago.  But that didn’t happen.  So we are left to survey the local tragedies. 

Cruise Outlook 2008

Despite the turmoil in travel affecting travel in general, the cruise industry appears to be fairly well positioned to ride out the energy costs storm, at least for awhile.

My colleagues in the cruise world, CLIA, the Cruise Lines International Association, have released their current assessment of the scene, and it is a rosier prognosis than that supplied by some other sectors in travel.

In 2007, 9.57 million Americans took a cruise.

Most of the business continues to go through professional travel agents, especially the 16,000 CLIA affiliates.  A traveler can buy a Southwest airline ticket online, no travel agent needed, but for a multi-thousand dollar cruise purchase, a local travel pro adds a major comfort level to the transaction.

One interesting demographic from this year's report is that the median age of cruisers continues to drop.  The average cruiser is now only 46, down from 49 in 2006.  The old perception that cruising was just for geriatrics is dying.  The number of kids on a typical cruise is also growing.

The Caribbean, followed by Alaska, and then Hawaii, Europe, and the Mediterranean/Greek Islands are the major places to cruise.

Nervousness about travel costs and disgust with the hassles of air travel are also a part of the success of cruising.  With about 30 embarkation points around the US, a lot of cruisers can get to an embarkation in their cars, and they like that freedom.  Once on the ship, of course, there are no more airline-style irritations to absorb during the vacation.

Death in the Forest

I had an unusual experience this past week while visiting the great redwood forest at Muir Woods north of San Francisco.

I went for two mornings to walk in the forest and make some photographs as I work on a new travel book about Northern California.

By the end of the first day, I sensed that something was different in the forest.  It was not as lush and green as I had remembered it.  I seemed to have trouble finding a clean and uncluttered shot, without debris.

As I left at the end of the first morning, I took a closer look.  I noticed that a lot of the trees in the understory, especially the tanoak trees, were actually dead.  Their deadly remains were cluttering up my photos.  It suddenly occurred to me to ask a ranger, "Is this the sudden oak death syndrome that I have heard so much about, but have never seen?"

The ranger confirmed, "You guessed it.  Muir Woods happens to be ground zero for this new plant disease."

When I came back the second day, the full scale of the problem hit me, and I got an information sheet from the Muir Woods ranger.  I also realized that I could be part of the problem, transporting the disease beyond Muir Woods.  I made my photos, but they are not as lush and competitive as photos made a few years ago when the forest was healthy.

Here is what I learned:

Sudden Oak Death (SOD) is a new plant disease killing oak and tanoak trees and adversely affecting 11 additional plant species. 

The disease is caused by the pathogen Phytophtora ramorum, but was given the name Sudden Oak Death becuase the trees change rapidly in appearance from green and healthy looking to brown as leaves dry up and die.

No effective treatment is now known.

SOD is now active in 12 counties in Northern CA, virtually all the counties in the greater Bay Area.

Though tanoak, black oak, and coast live oak are among the most obvious victims, there are actually 16 plants known to be affected, and this includes bay laurel, madrone, manzanita, coast redwood, toyon, and buckeye, among others.

The consequences of Sudden Oak Death include increased risk of wildfires, risk of trees falling over and endangering people and property, visual degradation of the California landscape, and impacts on wildlife dependent on the oaks.

There is a California Oak Mortality Task Force (COMTF) and an active website at

http://www.suddenoakdeath.org

Moreover, I was part of the potential problem in spreading the oak illness.  I was advised to wash soil off my shoes, car tires, and tools (such as my tripod) after walking through this infected area, Muir Woods.

One wonders if and when Sudden Oak Death will be resolved.  Meanwhile, the forest has a pervasive look of death with many leafless skeletons of oak trees, especially the tanoak.

Travel, Earthquakes, and Northern California

A traveler to Northern California needs to factor in some risk of earthquakes, whether you are a visitor to the region or someone living here, as I am, and traveling about.

The massive recent quake in China brought this again to top of mind. 

I also traveled this past weekend on the 880 freeway between my home in Berkeley and San Jose.

This was the freeway that collapsed in the Loma Prieta quake of 1989, crushing all the people who happened to be traveling by in their cars at that moment.  I was not driving by at that moment.  My good friend Robert Black, a sculptor, was also not driving by at that time, though that was the usual time of his commute.  He was distracted that day and stayed at his studio an hour later.

If you are traveling in the San Francisco region 2008 and beyond, your chances of surviving an earthquake are better than ever.  Of course, there are earthquakes and then there are earthquakes.  Go up one point on the Richter Scale, from 5 to 6, for example, and you are going up exponentially in earthquake force.  That's why Californians have a special concern when we hear that the China quake was 7 plus.

California is making a huge, quiet investment in infrastructure to make this a safe place.  This, in itself, is a controversial matter.  If there never is another major quake, then this is wasted money.  It should have gone into social services. 

But responsible citizens have determined that the investment needs to be made.  We can't have schools collapsing on our kids.  We can't have freeways collapsing on drivers.  The Bay Bridge is being redone at a mega cost.  Brick buildings, the likes of the Coffee Roasting Company in Santa Cruz, which collapsed and crushed people to death, are being replaced or retrofitted.  Some major historic structures, such as the brick Cooper House in Santa Cruz, are gone forever, but that needs to be accepted for safety's sake.

Downtown San Francisco is going through a building boom, with high rises higher than ever before.  The engineering appears to be there to support the risk.  Let's hope the calculations are correct if there is another major quake within the foreseeable future.

Many of those of us who live here have our own earthquake emergency supplies system.  It's time for me to renew mine.  The foods grow old.  That is another cost, the renewing of earthquake preparedness systems in the average home.  It is an investment that many of us choose to make.   

Gas Prices and Travel

I doubt that we comprehend at all the vast implications of much higher gas prices on travel.

When an American family begins to realize that a gallon of gas costs $4, and that the car might get 20 mpg, costing 20 cents a mile for gas alone, meaning $1 for every five miles the car is driven, then I think there will be less driving.  One wonders how long and how far the rubber tire travel scene will persist.

The gap between the haves/have mores and the have nots will continue to grow.  Travel will become only a vicarious and virtual experience for most of the have nots. 

One wonders how the long haul and long flight destinations will do, such as Hawaii.  With Aloha and ATA dropping into bankruptcy, there will be fewer flights going to Hawaii, and prices will probably rise.  Gas costs will also raise the fares.  At what point will the consumer simply drop out of purchasing the product?

This past month I went to two travel public relations meetings in which the promoters remained bullish.  I went to Maui HI and CA Tourism meetings in San Francisco.  Maui remains confident.  CA tourism overall is thriving.  But how long will this optimism last?

The rising gas prices will affect every aspect of the travel product that a consumer experiences.  For example, the restaurant that wants to bring in the local boutique goat cheese for its menu now will be paying more for transportation.  Every commodity that becomes part of the travel experience will have a higher energy cost.

One wonders if the golden age of travel in behind us, and the more strained era of ever more restricted travel is before us.

Travel and Hunger

The world will be a slightly edgier place this year for people who travel abroad.

There is an invisible stress on the faces of everyone.

The issue is world food prices, up perhaps 40% in the last year.  Some analysts put the figure higher, perhaps 55%.  The figures are for basics, such as grain, dairy, and cooking oil.

People are rioting, from Egypt to Haiti.  In other places the level of resentment, basic insecurity, and fear grows higher.

The factors behind the increase in food prices are difficult to control.

First, more basic grains are going into energy production, rather than food.  This is true of corn.

Second, it is said that the wealthy of India now want to eat meat, not grain, so a larger part of the huge grain production there is being diverted to meat production.

Third, transportation costs are rising, affecting all food prices, especially if the distribution chain is long distance and much freight is required.

And fourth, there are some climate changes that are adversely affecting former patterns of food production, especially drought where there has rarely been drought before.

There are few indicators that the situation will get better.  Probably it will get worse.  People are stressed in the wealthy countries, such as the US, about rising food prices.  Image the countries where the average person is getting by on $2/day.

The outlook is grim.  Many travelers will glimpse it, especially those wandering in the Third World.

The Challenges of Kenya Travel

The ongoing tribal struggles in Kenya have had a devastating effect on Kenyans and on potential world travelers because safari travel has slowed.  One can only hope that the situation will improve.

I went in today and touched up my major Kenya coverage, titled Kenya's Wildlife Heritage, which may be the longest and most thorough of all my 200 worldwide coverages on my website.

Travel to Kenya to see the magnificent wildlife was one of the the major and most satisfying  experiences in my entire life of travel.  Take a look at the article.

I touched up the article to put in more warnings: when tribal struggles rise, safari travel needs to be postponed until it is safe.

However, when a major tour operator says it is safe, do go.  They tend to know their business and headlines in the news may not reflect the safari experience in the field

It is said that about five million Kenyans depend on safari visitors for their livelihoods.  The safari visitor can postpone a visit, but the local Kenyan will starve, meanwhile.

Suppressing tribal and ethnic passions has been one of the great achievements of modern Kenya.  However, when those passions erupt, it is a tragic day for all parties.   

Maui For Romance

I recently attended a press briefing in San Francisco regarding Maui and its immediate neighbor, Molokai, in Hawaii.

Maui is an important place in the Hawaii travel picture.  I have a robust article on Maui.  My most recent article on Hawaii is about the lovely and little visited Molokai.

So, what is Maui emphasizing for 2008? The theme is Romance Me Maui.  This is partly because Maui is the most popular of all the Hawaiian Islands for marriages.  An estimated 43 percent of the marriages by out-of-staters in Hawaii occur on Maui.   A sunset ceremony on the beach is the single most desired request for a Maui wedding.

There are many venues in Maui, from the upscale Wailea to the hidden Hana, accessible only after a long drive.

I have enjoyed a drive all the way around the island, which is a full day excursion, but lets you see the back side of the volcano and the rustic cattle grazing terrain that few people see.

Maui can accommodate a lot of visitors--some 2.3 million a year.  Even if the numbers drop slightly due to the declining economy, Maui won't be hurting.  It may amount to a little "right-sizing" to keep the island's balance between its own identity and what it presents to a visitor.

The representative from Molokai relayed to me her biggest challenge, which is when visitors drop into this remote island with no plan for lodging.  Rooms are limited on Molokai, so plan in advance.  The Lodge at Molokai Ranch was a good choice, but it has gone out of business.  Hotel Molokai would now be my choice.  The wonderful mule trip down the leper colony and a hike into a remote taro-growing valley with a guide are highlights of a Molokai trip. 

Hong Kong Continues To Flourish

Hong Kong continues to flourish in the worldwide travel scene, as part of its special relationship with China.

When the Beijing 2008 Olympics realized that Mao had not been focused historically on equestrian emphases, and that Hong Kong, with its sinful colonialism, had a world class Jockey Club legacy, it was determined, wisely, that Hong Kong would be the site of the 2008 Olympics equestrian events.  This was a smart decision.

When Hong Kong, ever the attentive Chinese merchant, determined that its prices were a little high for 2008, the movers and shakers decided that all major hotel taxes should be eliminated.  Another smart decision, making Hong Kong affordable for some 28 million people who choose to go there this year.

I took some time today and had some pleasure in updating my own extensive Hong Kong writing/photo article at

www.fostertravel.com/temp-HONGKO.html.

I learned these matters recently in San Francisco while talking to some Hong Kong Folks at a restaurant known as Yank Sing, in the lovely restored art deco Rincon Center at 101 Spear Street.  Some at my table insisted that this was the finest Chinese restaurant in The City, and when the ninth course in the festive Chinese New Year dinner arrived, which was a tasty Beijing duck, I was not prepared to argue.   

Kennedy Space Center Thrills

The experience a traveler can expect to have at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida continues to improve.

I had a chance to venture back a couple of weeks ago after a few years' absence.

It was thrilling to see the Atlantis on the shuttle launch platform, just a few days before the actual recent launch.

The bus tour I took, called the NASA Up Close Tour, took me to an observation hill about a half mile from the Atlantis.

Another tremendously intriguing experience now is seeing the actual work being done on the International Space Station.  From an elevated and enclosed public viewing area in a large warehouse-like building, you can gaze down at the actual workers assembling various parts of the projected space station. 

Another exhibit that wasn't there during my last visit is the Saturn V/Apollo display, showing the largest rocket ever made.  A lot of memorabilia in the exhibit refers to various moon walks, including a training vehicle for the moon rover efforts.

When you enter the space complex, there still is the famous Rocket Garden, where the entire rocket history of US space exploration is on display.

A sobering exhibit, of course, is the black granite slab with names etched on it honoring all those who have lost their lives in the space program, most notably from the two shuttles that failed.

If you find yourself headed to Orlando, spending a day at this space exploration site east and north from the city is highly recommended.