Tennis champ Venus Williams rocks a LeSportsac bag at LAX yesterday, soon after returning triumphant to the States from the Sony Ericcson championship in Doha, Qatar.

Thanksgiving may be your best chance to catch a celebrity in transit: Since they have the same holiday as all of us, they might be forced to buy the same overpriced airport sundries. Happy hunting!

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[Photo: Faded outh Blog]

We know Thanksgiving isn't even here yet, but if you're planning to spend New Year's Eve in San Francisco (where the Union Square may be considerably warmer than its East Coast counterpart), you're going to need to start locking in your hotel room now.

And if the winter blah's get you down every year and you think you might need a little-pick-me-up by the time the 31st rolls around (plan ahead for this! You'll be glad!), Campton Place's "New Year, New You" package will deliver said pick-me-ups in solid and liquid forms: a makeover and booze.

This weekend we thought we spotted a new type of panhandler on Bay Area Rapid Transit, who appeared to be giving things out instead of asking for them. As she got closer we discovered she wanted something even cheaper than our change: Our opinions!

The new survey from BART is aimed at folks who use San Francisco's underground rapid transit system specifically for its airport access, asking the purpose of our trips (Picking up or dropping off? Business or pleasure?) and how we found out about BART. Interestingly, one question asked whether we had been given the opportunity to purchase a BART ticket when booking a flight to or hotel in the Bay Area--which we weren't, but it would have saved us the frustration of trying to make the BART machine at SFO give us a ticket under $20. (Note to security: We didn't really kick it! It was just a tap.)

Anyway, we can't find any information on the BART website about the survey, although it might be related to a proposal last year to drive up ridership along the stops close to SFO by offering special satellite airport parking lots. Cranky riders take note: The survey taker asked once, politely, and then backed off from anyone unwilling to take part.

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· BART Cards: Good For More Than Just BARTing [Jaunted]
· BART Pours Cold Water on Coffee Plan [NBC Bay Area]
· BART to Court SFO Passengers [SF Chronicle, via sanbrunobart.com]

[Photo: blmurch]

The City of Angels undoubtedly is home to the nation's most bemoaned public transit system, and LA's car-only culture has been more than documented. But don't look now: LA is actually getting damn near accessible for wheels-free visitors.

This holiday season, Metro is testing out two extensions that make us much more excited about visiting LA. First up, the red line, which runs from Union Station to North Hollywood, is going to run until the reasonable hour of 3 am, making downtown bar crawls much more of a possibility. Plus, as blogdowntown reports, a number of bars are offering discounts to drinkers who show up with a Metro pass.

And on weekends this winter, Metro is also offering a free shuttle bus that takes visitors from red line stops to central attractions like LA Live, the Music Center and the Fashion District. So here's some advice we never thought we'd utter: Visit LA and leave the car at home!

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· Late-Night Red Line Holiday Service Brings Better Transit, Drink Specials [blogdowntown]
· Get Ready to Ride: Holiday Late Night DASH Coming Friday! a> [blogdowntown]
· LA Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: LWY]

Previously: Heidi got her job back (fake!); Holly started crashing at the Chatheau, and Audrina was happy. Not for long!

Hey, it's a big game of telephone this week! Audrina heard from her friend Dino ("who I've known for, like, two years") that Lauren and JustinBobby hooked up. And, because we're in Hillsland, she believed it.

"I started laughing when she asked me," Lauren told Lo. In fact, she's insulted because Audrina called her "shady" and slutty, and told all their mutual friends like Speak Truth To Power Brody.

Lauren: "Yes, I couldn't resist his charm and his manners and his hygiene. I was under the JustinBobby spell."

Then... hey! Audrina came back to the Chatheau and said, "You need to, like, converse with me." Because Lauren wouldn't deny it again, Audrina turned on her heels and walked out. She still hasn't talked to JustinBobby about it, although she keeps calling him to check on "all the things that people keep putting in my ear." And in the most obvious Hills sound cue since ever, the song that plays right after that message goes "You may have reasons to ignore what you're hearing." And we say: Yes.

When Audrina finally meets with JustinBobby... well, surprise. He gets mad at the fact that she would even believe it and leave him a passel of angry messages. Are we on the same side as HatHead? Oh, how times have changed.

Audrina's sister Casey: "Are you going to apologize?" Audrina: "What's there to apologize about?"

So their scheduled barside peace summit devolves into a shouting match that culminates in Lauren saying, "I would rather kill myself than hook up with him," and saying Audrina is "way worse than Heidi." Oh, the things we say in anger!

Meanwhile, in Heidiwood, Holly or "Little Miss Traitor" came by to visit, but only Spencer was there. "That's one thing Heidi and I definitely have in common is unloyal sisters," Spencer told her, implying that her own sister wouldn't see her. Hey, is this a test?

So Holly went to see Heidi in the one place Spencer never goes: Work! "I've never felt so unwelcome and unwanted," Holly said, but Heidi is still mad that she took up Lauren's offer. But really, the problem here is Spencer, who "forgot" to tell Heidi that her sister stopped by. And is a huge jerk anyway. And that's all we get from our favorite newlyweds.

Next week: All over but the white flag wavin' as Stephanie and Spencer reunite (is that Grandma Pratt? Let it be so!) and Audrina finds it within herself to apologize.

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Hey, is there a hole in our pocket, or is this year a little bit less fun for shopping than others? Unless you happen to be a major bank, you may be feeling the pinch this holiday season, so why not make it a party? San Francisco's Really Really Free Market on November 29 won't snag you any awesome HDTVs but it's a haven for hidden treasures.

Adbusters' traditional Buy Nothing Day is November 28, the same day Wal-Marts everywhere will be opening while it's still dark for bargain hunters. But stop by Dolores Park to take place in the Really Really Free Market, where you can get secondhand T-shirts, crafts or even a haircut for the low price of free. It's a great excuse to stay away from the mall crowds for the day, especially since the forecast is for mid-60s and sun.

In New York, adrenaline is free with a Union Square dance party between 3 and 5:30 pm, sponsored by anti-consumerist activist Reverend Billy. Show that giant Forever 21 just what you think of it by burning calories instead of dollar bills.

Out of the US for Black Friday? Even in areas of the world that don't have a Thanksgiving around which to orient the post-Thanksgiving consumerist orgy, you can show you have things in your life more important than your stuff. In Newtown, New Zealand, bring the fruits of your garden for a seed and seedling swap (remember, it's spring there!). Check out a free movie and discussion in Bucharest, Romania at Club Upload (Str. Armeneasca Nr. 36) on November 29 at 7 pm. And the Maison Verte coop in Montreal is hiding all its products and hosting day of fun, including a "slow race."

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· Thursdays Are Always Thanksgiving In Key West [Jaunted]
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· Thanksgiving coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo from last year's "Elf Strike" in San Francisco: jym]

Virgin America CEO David Cush speaks before boarding begins on the airline's WiFi demonstration Saturday.

We were so jazzed during our Virgin America in-flight WiFi liveblog, we never really answered the question: So, how was the WiFi anyway? We can safely say: It was great.

Gogo's service runs on the EVDO network delivered through 92 on-the-ground towers, but it was faster than we've ever been able to pick up on our terrestrial cell phones. It has the potential to get faster as well, Tim Maxwell of Aircell told us, with the addition of more towers--but unless you're on a T1 line on the ground, you probably won't notice any need for improvement.

We had no problem connecting and there were no noticeable interruptions or stoppages in the service--something we reflected on ruefully when we were unable to connect to our in-room WiFi at the W San Francisco the next morning.

If there was any blip to the in-flight entertainment, it happened during the YouTube Live portion of the evening.

After teasing us with the prospect of a segment being broadcast from the plane to The Internets, the powers that be decided to shoot it in first class where "30 Rock"'s Keith Powell and Katrina Bowden were sitting. Because everyone in the aisles rushed to the front to get a glimpse of the goings on, we couldn't see a blessed thing--nor did we hear a peep, except for the beginning and end of the shoot. So you'll have to tell us how it went, because despite being there, we have no idea.

Still, it's hard to question that, for tech-savvy travelers, having access to the internet will change the flight experience completely. On the other hand, now there's no escape from the pressures of the office, so make sure to fly non-wired airplanes when you need a chance to kick back on company time.

Somewhere, Richard Branson is laughing at us.

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· Virgin America Inflight Wifi Liveblog [Jaunted]
· Funky Flight Safety Videos and Scenic Flybys on Virgin America's New YouTube Channel [Jaunted]
· Virgin America coverage [Jaunted]