‘Tis the season for lots of vacation talk, and so the Capitol Hill crowd turned its attention to shrinking vacation syndrome this week: First, a British columnist speculated that Americans “find it hard to relax” because of their Puritan heritage. Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein responded : I’d say it’s more closely related to the fact that it’s hard to pass social welfare legislation in the American political... 

Via the MilesLink newsletter , you can earn Delta elite qualifying miles for Hilton stays of 2 nights or more (registration required) between September 1 and December 10. Naturally, you have to select Delta Skymiles as your ‘double dip’ earning partner. If your Hilton HHonors earning selection is ‘Variable Miles’ you will earn 1 bonus mile and 1 Medallion Qualifying Miles per dollar spent. If your Hilton HHonors earning... 

LAN Airlines has an interesting special for those looking to travel in comfort from the US to South America, especially to Argentina, Chile, Peru, or Ecuador: They’re running a strong sale for business class, and throwing in a free (economy) domestic roundtrip ticket. The domestic roundtrip isn’t a connection: it’s a separate ticket that’s valid as long as the dates are embedded between the …  Read More →

Priority Club has a pretty cool custom tailored promotion right now, entitled “ Crack the Case .” Basically, you have to complete certain “challenges” to get a nice points bonus. Some people got insanely generous offers, while others not so much. I’m somewhere in the middle, but sure as heck am not complaining. My “challenge” is as follows: Take a survey Stay 18 room …  Read More →

This week, our household received three credit card offers from Citibank, all for American Airlines AAdvantage credit cards. Each came with a different sum of bonus miles: 30,000, 50,000, and 75,000 miles. (Two of the envelopes were addressed to my wife, one to me.) Talk about mixed messages! The 75K bonus (with $1,500 in purchases within 6 months) and a 100K bonus (with $10,000 in purchases within a year) first hit the inter-tubes about a month... 

This October, an already reinvigorated Dockers is amping things up further by collaborating with venerable New York menswear designer Steven Alan on a capsule collection this Fall. We got an early look at the khaki-centric collection and the wares are modern, tailored, and completely laid-back. Think “bourbon” not “Budweiser”. Well-appointed garb for a frill-free Fall BBQ? Yup, that works. Available at select Steven Alan... 

Album Tacos . Brilliant. Just one example of many:  Read More →

Quincy Jones, a musician who needs little introduction (think: producer behind Thriller and We Are the World ) has partnered with AKG to release a signature line of headphones. Three models make up the lineup: the Q702 ($479, shown above) reference-class premium headphones with flat-wire voice coils, patented Varimotion two-layer diaphragm, and 3D-Form ear pads. The Q460 ($229) portable on-ear mini headphones with a 3D-Axis flat folding design,... 

American Express is back with 50,000 Membership Rewards points after $10,000 in spend on the card within four months for getting the Business Gold Rewards card. The annual fee is waived the first year. You shouldn’t need it, but for future reference the ‘Bonus ID’ is 4729 and the offer suggests applications must be in by November 14, 2010 though they warn they could pull the offer earlier. (HT: Peter )  Read More →

If you hadn’t noticed, we have a penchant for shoes made in the US here at Gear Patrol. So, when Oak Street Bootmakers hit the web with yesterday announcement it was a perfect storm to win our lustful eye. Based out of Chicago, Oak Street was founded by George Vlagos to carry on the shoe making traditions garnered from his father James. Paying homage to that quality focused upbringing, all Oak Street’s offerings are made by hand... 

Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news  Read More →

Golf has for better or worse has been labeled a “fair weather” sport. Many golfers hightail it for the 19th hole at the first hint of precipitation. That’s too bad. With the proper armaments, facing down a rain shower can be easy, dare I say, routine. If you can stay dry your golf game should remain intact. Who knows, you may even have your own Caddyshack moment . Recently we put the Nike Storm-FIT N-Destrukt Jacket ($400)... 

Through the end of the year, Sun Trust is offering 25,000 SkyMiles for a business debit card and 15,000 miles for a personal debit card. Each comes with a $55 annual fee. As far as I can tell, this deal is even easier than the one with Chase, as only a single qualifying purchase is required, and you just need to keep your card open until the bonus posts. Fortunately I have a Sun Trust branch about three feet from my house, so I’ll be heading... 

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Besides winning the “most appalling product name of the month” award, the Sony Bloggie Touch ($179-$199) does pack an impressive bit of hardware for a pocket camcorder. A 3″ touchscreen, 4GB or 8GB of memory, Exmor CMOS sensor, 1080p video, 12.7 megapixel still image capture, and a fast f2.8 lens give the Bloggie some legit muscle to flex in the pocket cam playground (where its name will inevitably be mocked). A USB connector...