For the business traveler who’s all about efficiency: check out these hotels that will get you in and out with a minimum trouble.

When you’re pressed for time on a business trip, nothing can annoy you more than a slow hotel check-in process. On your next trip, try these hotels that offer a speedier check-in process.

Another option for business travelers in a hurry: Marriott is rolling out its mobile check-in app to 325 hotels this year, including the Marriott Detroit Airport hotel. (I’ve tested the app itself but not for a real visit quite yet.) here is the basic idea: you download the iPhone or Android app. The night before, you can “check-in” virtually. When you arrive, you get an alert that the room is ready and your key, which is already tied to your reservation, is waiting for you at the desk.

I happened to stay at this hotel recently and liked how fast the kiosk check-in works. The kiosk asks you to insert your credit card, similar to an airport terminal. The whole process took about 3 minutes. When I left, I was equally impressed with the fast check-out: An agent meets you in the lobby with, an iPad and asks for an email to use for a receipt. The big advantage: you never have to wait in line.

The Radisson is trying to make the kiosk process even faster. At a few select hotels like the Radisson Lacrosse in Wisconsin，you use a mobile app to register and then receive a barcode by email or text. When you get to the kiosk, you can scan the barcode to get your key without any other steps required. It’s super fast. You can find this new check-in system at the Radisson hotels in Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Phoenix as well.

Estimated to have appeared around 200m years after the events of the big bang, the first stars of the universe suddenly came into being, shedding light in the darkness. These stars produced the essential building blocks for entire galaxies (银河系), for planets, and for the creation of life in the universe.

In this fascinating masterclass with Dr Emma Chapman, the author of First Light: Switching on Stars at the Dawn of Time, she will attempt to fill in the missing first one billion years from the timeline of the universe, by revealing more about the earliest stars — how they were formed and why they were so unusual.

Emma will also discuss recent discoveries in astrophysics，including what the James Webb space telescope is revealing to us about the origins of the universe, and what the next big missions in space exploration will be.

Course content

• How the universe began: the big bang and the first stars

• How stars created the building blocks for our universe

• Finding the first stars: the latest research in stellar archaeology

• The future of looking back: space exploration and the next big space missions

• Q&A

Course Details

Thursday 26 October 2023,6.30pm-8.30pm BST

£65 plus £3.56 booking fee

This ticket includes your online class plus access to a 14 day catch up recording. If you live in the UK, you can purchase a ticket with a copy of First Light: Switching on Stars at the Dawn of Time at checkout for the combined price of £74.52 including postage and packing.

Urban Tree Connection Youth Apprenticeship Program

About the organization: Urban Tree Connection (UTC) is an organization that works with those living in urban communities to transform abandoned open spaces into safe and functional places that inspire and promote positive human interaction. We focus on developing community - driven urban fanning and gardening projects within the Haddington neighborhood of West Philadelphia to improve health and develop a local sustainable food system.

Program overview: UTC'S Youth Apprenticeship Program (YAP) seeks teen apprentices each season for a 4-month paid apprenticeship that runs from June 8th to October 8th. It is a hands-on learning experience in urban farming and gardening that trains the next generation of professionals in urban agriculture and community development. Teens are taught by UTC staff in each of our organizational departments which include ： sustainable farming, farm management and community education.

Requirements:

* Youth are aged 14-18 years old and high school students.

* Youth participate for 8—10 hours in the spring and fall and 20 hours per week during the summer.

* Youth ride their own bicycle to Haddington gardening/farming sites since there's no public transport.

We highly value our current & past apprentices and have a high number of students that return each year to the program. We also give preference to students that live in the Haddington neighborhood. With that said, UTC'S YAP has accepted students from all over the city of Philadelphia. Selected students will be informed on May 15th, and will attend a training session. Apprenticeships will begin in June.

Want to learn more? Come to an information session:

April 10th, 9—11 a. m. and 3—5 p. m.

1445 N. 52nd Street (52nd & Media)

Ready to sign up? Bring the following with you:

* Work permit

* School or state ID

* Social security card

* Birth certificate or passport