November 21st, 2011
09:32 AM ET
Anthony Bourdain: 'Layover' is actually usefulIf the décor at your local mall hasn't given it away, the long lines at the airport certainly will. Yes, the holiday season is upon us. Thankfully "No Reservations'" Anthony Bourdain, who has spent a fair amount of time with the TSA, is willing to share his airport strategy: “I’m very good at going through security,” he said. “I don’t get cranky. I’m ready for the worst. I always wear a particular set of shoes. By the time I’m even near the machine I’ve got my belt off, my wristwatch in my pocket. I’m not approaching that thing with any liquids or gels. I’ve got my [expletive] together. I don’t want to be that guy.” And the advice doesn’t stop there. Having taken viewers around the globe with “No Reservations” since 2005, Bourdain says he’s finally giving fans something they can use. The new Travel Channel show “The Layover” follows Bourdain through some of the major hubs a traveler might touch down in during a layover. “Unlike ‘No Reservations,’ it is our hope that this will be actually useful,” Bourdain said. “‘No Reservations’ is all about me, me, me … and less about whether anyone in the audience will be able to replicate the experience.” “It’s not about the museums or the Eiffel Tower or the major sightseeing spots,” he added. “We assume that you know about those things already.” Instead, “The Layover” features local joints that make each major city unique. And with only 24 to 48 hours to spend, Bourdain’s got you covered. “I hate the idea of changing planes in Hong Kong and not running in to town and grabbing some roast goose,” says Bourdain, noting that he deliberately plans layovers when he travels. “The Layover” premieres today at 9 p.m. ET.
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Tony, your watch should be on the conveyer belt like everyone else;s– not in your pocket.
I travel a lot and see things first hand. The last thing I want to see when I get home is someone traveling on a TV show. I hate any layover no mater where it is. If you plan to stay a while, it is no longer a layover.
WHO IS THIS GUY?
He's Tony great writer, good chef, makes good tv my opinion is the layover is good but hope he still makes no reservations I love that show.
I always plan 24 layovers in Amsterdam for the, uh... local flare!
great show he visits all parts of the world, and get to see great food being served also you see life the way it is in different countries and cultures, keep shows like this on tv compaired to the other garbage you see.
Bourdain is great. speaks his mind and holds back nothing. i could watch reruns of No Reservations day after day. arguably my favorite semi-recent episodes is when he and Jose Andres visit the famous, and now regrettably nonexistent, El Bulli in Costa Brava, Spain. The things Ferran Adria was doing there were beyond what most can imagine food to be. I'll never have the opportunity to eat there, but that episode gave me a brief glimpse as to what that experience would have been like.
great idea for a show – i like how no reservations evolved into a travel show more than a foodie show.
SPEAKING OF LAYOVERS! CAN REALLY DISCOVER ONES SELF
Its a good idea. i have been traveling all over Asia for more then two decades and i will always stop between cities. For example you are going from Los Angeles to Bangkok with a layover in Tokyo Narita. I will always get out and book the connecting flight the following day then go and explore. For two reasons #1 you get to see more cities #2 You are so tired from the first flight there is no reason to torture yourself anymore then you have too. So i have been doing this for many years weather its a scheduled layover or not.
I had a layover in Philly once. I took a dump there and left.
that's too bad – it's super-easy to get into the downtown area from the airport and see a few of the sights, like the liberty bell and independence hall.
Bourdain is one of the last on TV worth watching. He's witty and interesting. Some of us are sick up to here of the PC white bread crap that we're being fed.
Love this guy, huge fan! Just finished his book "The Nasty Bits" – good read. Thanks Anthony for making my life more bearable, I love your writing. Can't wait for the new show – though my layover's are usually not long enough to leave the airport, I can still make mental notes of the cool local joints you will showcase.
Should be a good show. His old show was also good and gave the viewer a chance to see the world thru food. Its great...
This is the kind of stuff I wish he had been teaching from the beginning. I love travel immensely but these guys get access to spot the average Joe can never see. I want everybody to travel and I wish there was a show to demystify just how to travel abroad or within this great nation.
I'm not sure if it's the cigarette smoking or if he actually needs a shower, but Bourdain always looks dirty.
He gave up smoking years agao, when his daughter was born. Keep up.
He quit years ago. You must be watching old re-runs 🙂
Quit you complaining and demonizing smokers, we pay more taxes than you do. One pack of cigs $10, most of it is taxes.
Thank you for smoking, Paul.