First bar made of glacial ice opens in Patagonia, Argentina

by Jessica Festa on

The first ice bar in Patagonia, Argentina, opened last week, which also happens to be the first bar in the world created out of glacial ice, according to Paola Singer of The New York Times. Located just outside El Calafate, Glaciobar is the newest addition to Glaciarium, a new science museum focusing on the region’s hundreds of glaciers.

Glaciobar will provide patrons with gloves, hooded capes, and boots for warmth. For health and safety reasons, however, the maximum time allowed in the bar is 20 minutes. During this time, most people choose to sip on the house cocktail, a mixture of Fernet con Coca and Coca Cola.

Want to see for yourself what Glaciobar is like? Check out this video:


Great destinations inspire great authors: hotels to explore during National Book Month

by McLean Robbins on


It’s no secret that the world’s most well known literary figures’ finest works were often inspired through their travels. In honor of National Book Month, why not take a trip to visit a historic destination that also ties in to a literary legend?

Stephen King, Estes Park, Colorado

Master thriller Stephen King was inspired by the surroundings of Estes Park and his stay at the area’s Stanley Hotel. While exploring the Georgian Architecture of the grand hotel, guests can also take advantage of ample wildlife and rugged peaks that surround the area.

The Stanley Hotel, (seen above) listed on the National Register of Historic Places, shows the Stanley Kubrick version of The Shining on a continuous loop for guests in rooms. We’re going to go with … terrifying. Stephen King’s idea for The Shining came while he was staying in room 217, and it was during a time when the hotel was nearly empty as it was closing for an extended time during off-season. We’d perhaps not suggest doing this over Halloween weekend – unless that’s your idea of fun.

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Jack Kerouac, Denver, Colorado

Denver is one of three biggest geographic influencers in Jack Kerouac’s work On the Road. Kerouac’s companion Neal Cassady (Dean Moriarty in the novel) grew up in Denver, and in the book the two spent considerable time around Larimer Street, and the downtown Denver area.

Visit The Brown Palace Hotel, one of the remaining historic hotel properties where travelers and can stay and follow in the steps of Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady. Other spots to visit include My Brother’s Bar, one of Kerouac’s favorite Denver hangouts, and Charlie Brown’s, another frequent Kerouac, Cassady and Ginsberg haunt.

Washington Irving, Westchester (Hudson Valley), New York

In 1835, after spending much of his adult life living out of a suitcase, Washington Irving returned to the area made famous by his The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and purchased a small Dutch farmhouse beside the Hudson River.

The Tarrytown House Estate & Conference Center sits adjacent to Washington Irving’s Sunnyside, Tarrytown, which was the home of the noted mid-nineteenth century author. Sunnyside is a favorite destination for guests of the Tarrytown House Estate & Conference Center. It’s also where Irving spent the last decade of his life devoted to what he considered his greatest triumph: a five-volume biography of George Washington.

Mark Twain, Lake Tahoe, California

Mark Twain famously depicted the Lake Tahoe area in his book Roughing It. A quote from the book describes the Tahoe area: “At last the lake burst upon us – a noble sheet of blue water lifted six thousand three hundred feet above the level of the sea, and walled in by a rim of snow-clad mountain peaks that towered aloft three thousand feet higher still!”

The Resort at Squaw Creek – Tahoe is the perfect spot to experience Lake Tahoe as Mark Twain envisioned – albeit in a slightly less ‘rough’ setting. The Resort at Squaw Creek is also conveniently located near the recently opened Mark Twain Cultural Center in Incline Village at Lake Tahoe.

Dorothy Parker, New York City

Author Dorothy Parker’s famed “Round Table” met at The Algonquin Hotel. She patronized New York City landmark for several years, beginning in 1919. In addition to hosting a number of famous authors for literary discussions and events, the hotel also holds the claim of being the founding site of The New Yorker magazine.

If you’re still keen to explore, hop down to the Hotel Chelsea (closed as of August 1), to marvel at the famed facade that housed Sir Arthur Clarke while he wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey and was also the place where Dylan Thomas was staying when he passed away in 1953.

Food Week: Reader submissions

by Grant Martin on


Urban legend often attributes Marie Antoinette with saying, “let them eat cake” a phrase with associates the French with expensive taste in dining. Yet one of the best and most flavorful French dining experiences is a budget luxury- a Ladurée petit macaron priced at an affordable €1.65. — Jen Pollack Bianco, mylifesatrip.com

It’s been a wild and wonderful food week here at Gadling, complete with food stories from all corners of the world and a lifetime of pictures and inspiration. If you missed the highlights, make sure you check out David Farley’s piece on a chance encounter in Calcatta, Italy, Laurel Miller’s discussion on the overuse of the term “foodie” or Kyle Ellison’s introspective on why we take pictures of food.

Things come to a close and return to normal publishing at the end of today, and to celebrate our wonderful week we’re featuring a gallery of user submissions over its course. So with further ado, please find some of the best pictures (and captions if available) below. Thanks for playing a part. — Grant Martin, Editor in Chief

The finished bowl of ramen stares up at me, a mountain of noodles in a swirling sea of golden yellow miso; a forest of bamboo shoots next to minced pork beneath crispy fresh bean sprouts. A ceramic spoon floats at the edge but I dive in with wooden chopsticks while Sakae slurps up his ramen using both utensils at once. — Andrew Evans, National Geographic’s Digital Nomad

Fresh warm spring rolls filled with mushrooms and spiced pork, folded and topped with fried garlic. From the street stalls of Luang Prabang, Laos. — [From our favorite Legal Nomad –ed] Jodi Ettenberg, legalnomads.com

Fernando’s in Macau has some really amazing pork — Gary Leff, View from the Wing.


Taipei, Taiwan – Me eating my pork filet out of my toilet. — Calvin Lee


Here’s room service at the Fairmont Vancouver. Fresh & delish. — Kim Lowe, Bing Travel

The village of Njegusi, Montenegro has two important claims to fame. This was the hometown of the House of Petrovic-Njegos, the dynasty that ruled Montenegro for much of its history (1696-1918).
Njegusi is also famous for producing its own special type of air-dried ham, called Njeguski prsut. Locals explain that, because this meadow overlooks the sea on one side, and the mountains on the other, the wind changes direction 10 times each day, alternating between dry mountain breeze and salty sea air, perfect for seasoning and drying ham hocks. For good measure, the prsut is also smoked with beech wood.
Our guide took us into this local restaurant and we sampled prsut, homemade cheese and bread. — Sandra Mathewson

This is a shot of my brother enjoying a scorpion on a stick on Beijing’s famed Wangfujing Street (snack street). It is a great place to sample the oddities of Chinese cuisine (starfish, sheep penis, etc) … or watch others do it. The scorpions are well-salted and taste like popcorn. — Trent, myinvertedworld.com

Food from a Viennese coffee house – up front is a cup of delicious hot chocolate made the right way, hence with milk. As well as a slice of Bananenschnitte, which is a banana cream dessert topped with a fine layer of chocolate. In the background is a traditional Viennese coffee with more than likely a poppy seed roll. Yum! — Kat Shoebox

Here’s a photo of an exotic food I would like to share. Here’s a piece of man shaped sponge cake bathing in chocolate syrup that I’ve ate in Tokyo. I hope you like it! — Patience Lee

Meet the “mitraillette” or its English translation of “submachine gun.” I discovered it in Brussels and yes, it’s a baguette covered in a meat of your choosing, the famous twice-fried Belgium fries and cheese sauce. — Ethan Adeland, tastesbetterwithfriends.com


Mom’s dinner on the coast of the English Channel, Brittany, France — Mike Martin (My dad)

Ski season is officially open!

by Kraig Becker on

It may be hard to believe, considering its only the middle of October, but ski season has officially begun in Colorado. Yesterday, the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area opened for business and today skiers will hit the slopes at Loveland for the first time as well.

Early fall snowfalls have already been dumping fresh powder across the Rocky Mountains, and when combined with the artificial snow-making machines, both ski areas have a good base for the start of the season. Loveland began the week with roughly six inches of snow already on the ground, and more has fallen over the past few days, and when A-Basin kicked off the season yesterday, it was covered in 18 inches of powder.

Last year’s ski season was one for the record books, with heavy snows falling across much of the western United States. Those snowfalls continued well into the spring, which extended the season into July. That has made for a very short off-season for Arapahoe, which was closed for just 100 days this year. Long term forecasts are predicting similar weather patterns for this winter, which is good news for skiers and snowboarders.

Over the course of the next few weeks, other ski resorts will begin to open throughout the U.S. as the new season gets into full swing. For now, those of us not lucky enough to live close enough to one of these hills, is going to have to sit and wait.

5 best fast food chains around the world

by Jessica Festa on

While fast food often gets a bad rep, you can’t expect to eat all of your meals sitting in down in slow food restaurants. And, when traveling abroad, you will sometimes find that fast food doesn’t always necessarily mean greasy fries and fattening burgers. Travelers can make their quick dining experiences worthwhile by visiting these five delicious and budget-friendly fast food restaurants, located all over the world.

Giraffas
Brazil

This chain has over 350 restaurants spread across the country and over 30 years of experience. It’s no wonder then that they’re considered one of the best, even handing out steel knives and forks for guests as well as open plates instead of cardboard boxes for those not taking their food to go. And, have you ever heard of ordering Filet Mignon from a fast food joint? Now you have.

Mr.Lee
China

Unlike the greasy Chinese fast food restaurants that many Westerners are used to, Mr.Lee serves lighter options, such as California Chicken, a cold meal drizzled with red and green sauce, and Beef Noodle Soup, made with a unique recipe that can be customized with various spices and sauces according to the customer’s tastes. If you’re having your soup to stay, you can expect to be served in a ceramic bowl instead of styrofoam or plastic.

Nordsee
Germany (and other European locations)

If you look at their website, this certainly doesn’t look like a fast-food restaurant. With an emphasis on sustainable, healthy cuisine, you can expect dishes such as Alaska pollack, grilled salmon, and sushi, all with drink recommendations to accompany your meal. For example, ordering a salmon fillet should be accompanied by a glass of light red wine.

Teremok
Russia

This chain has 111 restaurants and 80 street stalls in Russia, featuring items you wouldn’t normally see on a fast-food menu. According to Sean O’Neill at BudgetTravel.com, you can get salads, soups, and porridges, as well as their most popular item, blinis. If you’ve never heard of a blini, it’s a thin pancake shaped like a triangle and wrapped around the customer’s choice of a sweet or savory filling. For example, salmon roe and red caviar are two filling favorites at this eatery. Teremok also features a low-alcoholic beverage known as kvass, which is prepared using rye flour with malt or sometimes honey beer.

Steers
South Africa

While their feature items may be burgers, these are unlike the burgers that are served at most fast food restaurants. In fact, when McDonald’s first arrived in South Africa in 1995, locals scoffed at the puny 3 ounce meat patties. In South Africa, where red meat is a food favorite, they have Steers, which offers a delicious and filling 7 ounce burger made of 100% pure beef. If you’re still hungry, you can order triple stacker burgers with fresh toppings and full racks of ribs.