Bierfest brings the spirit of Oktoberfest to London

by Jessica Festa on

While not everyone can find time in their busy schedule to make it over to Germany for Oktoberfest, those in London from October 5-7, 2011, can still experience the spirit of the festival. London will host their annual Bierfest at Old Billingsgate Market, which will be transformed into an authentic-style Oktoberfest celebration with traditional German food, unlimited steins of beer, live music, and servers dressed in costume.

Bitburger will be the official beer supplier for the event, featuring brews such as:

  • Bitgburger Premium Beer, a hoppy beer with a dry-finish that is made in accordance with Germany purity law.
  • Bitburger Drive, an alcohol free, fully-fermented, low calorie beer option.
  • Licher-Weizen (Light Wheat Beer), a refreshing beer brewed out of wheat and “blessed by the sun”
  • Kostritzer Schwarzbier (Black Beer), a barley malt with a mild-hop flavor.

As for food fare, expect options like Bavarian spiced chicken, cold meat & cheese platters, salted pretzels, mini Gherkins, BBQ ribs, and more.

Tickets must be purchased in tables of 10, so get your closest friends together and experience the spirit of Oktoberfest in London.

I (sometimes) love New York. New app invites New Yorkers to complain about their hometown

by McLean Robbins on

Tourists wear it, New Yorkers live it. Most Big Apple dwellers will tell you that they love New York – and if the choose to complain, well, it’s their city to complain about. But for the first time, New Yorkers are asked to weigh in on the question, “Does New York Love You Back?”

DOES NY LOVE U BACK? is a website and iPhone app where New Yorkers can submit praises or complaints about life in the Big Apple. These expressions are then plotted onto an interactive map of New York City.

“This app isn’t about namedropping places, like other services,” said creator Erik Trinidad, (no shock here) a Brooklyn resident. “The good or bad experiences of New York don’t always happen in specific places. They happen on the street or on the subway – anywhere. This project is merely an experimental interactive sounding board for New Yorkers wherever they are in the five boroughs.”

“It’s easy to love the city, but it’s also easy to hate this city. Being able to express any emotion at any time is necessary. And that’s what this app does. It’s the voice of NYC,” saids Jon Darren, an East Village resident.

The voice of NYC seems small so far – there are only a few dozen comments posted on the site, ranging from loving to only-in-nyc style moments such as Chris from Midtown who says “Gangstarr blasting at Num Pang and all the suits don’t know what to do,” and E from Brooklyn who “is watching an old man refuse to get out of the shot, as the neighborhood has turned into a film set yet again.” Another favorite comes from Judy from Gramercy who says that “Unattractive guys should not be wearing daisy dukes and flip flops.” We’re with you, Julie. Although we’re pretty sure no guy should ever sport daisy dukes.

The website also links to an on-line store where t-shirts, amongst other things, can be purchased. The t-shirts are modeled in a gallery section, which expresses thoughts from the five boroughs of NYC – the mostly cynical ones.

So feel free – tweet, shout or wear your love and hate with abandon. Or use the app to figure out where the love (or hate) propels you to visit (or not) on your next trip to the city.

Tour operator Gap Adventures forced to change name after losing lawsuit to The Gap

by Ori Epstein on

Since 1990, Toronto-based Gap Adventures has been known for their adventurous, active, and immersive group tours, as well as their commitment to sustainable tourism and contributing back to the community. One thing Gap Adventures will no longer be known as, however, is, well, Gap Adventures.

American clothes retailing behemoth The Gap filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against the Canadian outfitters, claiming they unfairly made use of the word “gap,” thereby confusing consumers and achieving an undeserved level of success. Unfortunately for Gap Adventures, Judge Alvin Hellerstein of the United States District Court in Manhattan agreed. Rather than appeal this decision, and thus spend millions in legal fees and years tied up in court, Gap Adventures’ CEO Bruce Poon Tip relented and accepted the lower court’s ruling. So from now on Gap Adventures will now be known as G Adventures.


Gap Adventures, sorry, G Adventures has long been a favorite among backpackers and other independent-minded travellers who would normally never consider booking an organized trip. Similar to Australia-based Intrepid Travel, they eschew the tour buses and cattle herd-like trappings of the traditional package tour, instead relying on local transportation, homestays, and authentic experiences. G Adventures will continue to offer trips dedicated to off the beaten path and responsible travel, albeit now under a much more generic moniker. Poon Tip hopes that along with the new name will come a renewed effort to market the company’s offerings to U.S.-based travelers.

So if you ever sought out to purchase a pair of cargo shorts and instead ended up on a river boat down the Amazon, I guess you now know who you can blame.

Yosemite climber rescued after losing his thumb

by Kraig Becker on

Earlier this week, search and rescue teams in Yosemite National Park were called into action, when a rock climber on El Capitan became stranded on the mountain after severing his thumb. Following the freak accident, the unnamed climber from Austria was unable to finish his ascent, and had to be removed from the rock face in a difficult helicopter rescue.

The man, and his partner, were climbing “The Nose” route on El Capitan, one of the most iconic and challenging climbs in the world. At one point, the Austrian was the lead climber when he slipped and fell about a thousand feet from the top, narrowly avoiding death thanks to his safety lines and climbing harness.

Unfortunately, during the fall, his thumb became tangled in the rope, and when it pulled tight, it completely removing the digit in the process. The severed thumb tumbled 80 feet to land on a small ledge below, and the injured man’s climbing partner had to descend to retrieve it. After plucking it from the ledge, they called for help, and the SAR team arrived on the scene shortly there after.

The drama wasn’t done there however, as they still had to get both climbers down from the mountain. Rescuers knew that they had a limited window to complete that operation and still get the man to a hospital soon enough to reattach his thumb. Fortunately, Richard Shatto, the pilot of the rescue helicopter, was able to maneuver close enough to the rock wall so that the two climbers could be saved. Immediately following that dramatic rescue, they were whisked off to a nearby hospital, where surgery was successfully performed to repair the hand.

This story is yet another that demonstrates how professional and organized these search and rescue squads really are. Not only were they able to get both men safely off of El Cap, they were able to do it quickly enough to save the thumb as well. Amazing work out of these courageous men.

[Photo credit: Mike Murphy via WikiMedia]