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October 24th, 2018

10/24/2018

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News and Notes for November 2018

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PHOTO: COURTESY JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT
Our airport is better than theirs

John Wayne Airport ranks as the No. 1 airport in America in terms of customer satisfaction, according to the latest J.D. Power Satisfaction Survey. JWA earned 815 points on J.D. Power’s 1,000-point scale, taking the No. 1 spot in the large airport category, and also had the highest point total overall. John Wayne just beat out Buffalo/Niagara International Airport, which had the second-highest overall score (814) of all airports in the survey and was first in the medium airport rankings. Las Vegas McCarran International and Orlando International tied for the highest scoring mega airport with 781 points apiece.

Mega airports were defined as those handling more than 32.5 million annual passengers. The large category includes airports with 10 million to 32.4 million passengers, while the medium category includes airports with between 3 million and 9.9 million passengers.

The study takes into consideration six factors — in order of importance — 1) terminal facilities, 2) airport accessibility, 3) security check, 4) baggage claim, 5) check-in/baggage check, and 6) food, beverage, and retail. Overall traveler satisfaction climbed to a score of 761 on J.D. Power’s 1,000-point scale. That marked an all-time high for the survey, up 12 points from the previous record set just last year and up 30 points from 2016. The J.D. Power survey calculated responses from more than 40,000 travelers who had used at least one airport from September 2017 to September 2018.


Cat hotel comes to Irvine

 Local residents and travelers to Irvine have a growing selection of hotels to stay at while in town—but what about their feline friends? Not to worry, entrepreneur Shana Martin is opening Club Cat later this year, a luxury boutique “hotel” just for cats. Located just two miles from John Wayne Airport, Club Cat will provide peace-of-mind to cat owners who travel for business or pleasure. Said to be a high-end alternative to traditional cat boarding, Club Cat promises a five-star customer service experience for both cat and cat owner. While in Club Cat’s care, cat patrons receive the type of authentic care and attention they’re used to at home – and much more. The cat suites are eight-feet tall and at least three and a half feet wide with enclosed balconies. Other features and amenities include live webcasts for cat owners who want to check in on their kitty cats 24/7, “Nightly paw-down service,” calming therapy, “pawi-cures” and “derrière trims.” Try to order that from room service at your human hotel!


Tech for toddlers

 UCI researchers have confirmed what many tech-savvy parents already know: many educational apps designed for preschoolers aren’t very educational at all.

As part of a doctoral dissertation in UCI’s School of Education – Melissa Callaghan and Stephanie Reich, co-author and UCI associate professor of education, selected the top 10 paid and free children’s math and literacy apps from the Apple, Amazon and Google Play stores. Each app was evaluated for such design elements as feedback, increasing complexity, guided play, developmental appropriateness and instructive value. Preschoolers process information differently from older learners (i.e., shorter attention spans), so app designs should be guided by developmental science. The researchers found that while most of the apps provided clear goals, moderate instructions and positive feedback, few supplied in-play guidance on how to complete tasks, rephrased instructions if the initial ones were not understood or offered rewards that advanced learning. 
“Without well-structured feedback or leveling of difficulty, children may end up relying on trial and error or playing simple games that drill the same skills with no progression,” says Professor Reich. 
​

A few tips from the research for parents evaluating apps for preschoolers: Features facilitating physical interaction, including large icon sizes and simplified touch-screen motions, can help preschoolers successfully play the game, boosting learning. Instead of just earning badges or stickers for completing tasks, unlocking skills or advanced levels of the game can make learning more intrinsically motivating. That makes learning the fun part, rather than the sticker. Or how about this novel idea: parents can read to their kids from actual books, the original app! 

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Irvine News and Notes: October 2018

10/1/2018

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Irvine News and Notes: October 2018

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IRVINE HAS BEEN RANKED THE SECOND-BEST CITY IN THE UNITED STATES IN WHICH TO RAISE A FAMILY

Compiled by Irvine City News staff
Top two for families
Irvine is the second-best city in which to raise a family in the United States, according to rankings released by WalletHub. The financial website compared more than 182 of the largest U.S. cities based on 46 key metrics that consider essential family dynamics, such as the cost of housing, the quality of local school and health-care systems, and the opportunities for fun and recreation. The rankings include five key dimensions: 1) Family Fun, 2) Health & Safety, 3) Education & Child Care, 4) Affordability and 5) Socio-economics. Irvine ranked third for overall health and safety, and third for Education and Child Care. The city came in 28th for fun and 49th for affordability. The city that ranked above Irvine overall, Overland Park, Kansas, was No. 2 for affordability, likely keeping Irvine from the top spot. Irvine ranked first for lowest violent crime rate, and also had the third-lowest divorce rate. The top 10 most family-friendly cities were Overland Park, Kansas; Irvine; Fremont, Calif.; South Burlington, Vermont; Bismarck, North Dakota; Plano, Texas; Fargo, North Dakota; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Huntington Beach; and Gilbert, Ariz. The three worst were Miami, Detroit and Newark, N.J.


Nightlife reprieve
 In a prior WalletHub study ranking the most fun cities in the country, Irvine didn’t do as well. One of the key categories was Nightlife & Parties, so perhaps it’s no surprise Irvine came in at 106. But honestly, wouldn’t we rather rank high on best place to raise a family rather than best place to party? Still, we’re happy to know that one of Irvine’s coolest (and tiniest) nightlife spots, YNK at the Irvine Marriott, that was scheduled to close this month will extend through the end of the year. YNK stands for «You Never Know,” and one of the things that would change at the 12-seat speakeasy is the drink menu. The recent Tiki cocktail menu was a huge success. The last iteration at YNK is an homage to its California home. The California Dreaming design vibe will be reminiscent of a Beach Boys music video, complete with surfboards, skateboards, and flat screens featuring beach movies from the 1960s. Upon arrival, each guest will receive a printed menu and be able to customize their cocktail depending on their choice of liquor, preferred flavor profile, and more. YNK will offer cocktails made with ingredients including freshly squeezed juices, kombucha, and pistachio milk through the end of 2018 for one last hurrah. So if you haven’t been to YNK, now you know. ynk-irvine.com/about


Montage in Big Sky Country
 Something that is definitely fun (and financially rewarding) about Irvine is the city’s concentration of hospitality, travel and tourism companies, including Montage Hotels & Resorts and its parent company Montage International. Irvine-based Montage just announced the groundbreaking for construction of the $400 million Montage Big Sky resort in Montana, set to open in 2021. In development as a partnership with CrossHarbor Capital Partners LLC based in Boston, the Montage-managed resort will be 150 rooms and will include 39 Montage-branded residences, and a Spa Montage. The resort will offer ski-in, ski-out access to Big Sky Resort’s 5,800 skiable acres, the second largest ski resort in the United States by acreage. Other outdoor amenities include access to Spanish Peaks Mountain Club’s 18-hole Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course located just steps from the resort, hiking, biking, Nordic skiing and snowshoeing trails, plus three world-renowned fly-fishing rivers. Founded by Alan Fuerstman in 2002, the company’s first property was Montage Laguna Beach. It now has about a dozen properties in various stages of development and operation, including the recently opened Montage Los Cabos and Montage Healdsburg in Sonoma County, scheduled to open in 2020. 
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