Gallery: More travel sketches from BBC’s Tim Baynes

by Meg Nesterov on


We wrote yesterday about Tim Baynes’ delightful travel sketches from around the world on BBC and liked them so much we came back for more. You can (and should!) get lost for hours looking at his drawings on Flickr with fun anecdotes and scribbles bringing depth and humor to his slice-of-life artwork.

Check out some of our favorites in the gallery below, from a look inside the BBC Starbucks to the madness of Dubai immigration during the ash cloud to a quiet barbershop in Tripoli.

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See more of Tim Baynes’ work on the BBC, his personal Flickr stream, or order a copy of his book Doors to Automatic and Cross Check, direct from the artist.



All photos courtesy of Tim Baynes.

Photo of the Day: Tofino sunset

by Chris Owen on
Flickr user James Wheeler brings us this photo of a Tofino sunset. On the West Coast of Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Tofino says good night to the Clayoquot Sound region, a world UNESCO biosphere reserve. The area boasts one of British Columbia’s most prized nature reserves, Pacific Rim National Park and offers the best way to experience BC’s pristine wilderness first hand.

Do you have a photo that would make a great Gadling Photo of the Day? Submit it to the Gadling group pool on Flickr and we might pick it to be a future Photo of the Day.


Top North American rodeos to check out this summer

by Laurel Miller on

In honor of the approaching National Day of the American Cowboy, which I wrote about earlier in the week, I wanted to highlight some of the best rodeos North America has to offer.

Even city slickers can enjoy a rodeo; it is, after all, a sporting event. With a lot of beer. And grilled meat. And a lack of giant foam fingers and face-painting (not a bad thing, I might add).

In all seriousness, rodeos are great family fare. There are usually parades and drill team exhibitions, down-to-earth people, great camaraderie, and you can watch some truly amazing human, equine, and bovine athletes perform in independent and team events. At day’s end, you can always count on a big barbecue, live music, and a dance. The below rodeos are all located in places of great historic interest if you love the Old West or Americana. Git boot-scootin’.

Calgary Stampede
It may be surprising to learn that Canada has a cowboy culture, but Alberta does, and is home to this world-famous event, which is an integral part of the community. Critter lovers should note that the Stampede places extreme emphasis on animal welfare, which you can read about here (FYI, the PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) also has strict animal welfare regulations in place, so contrary to belief, livestock are not being tortured for the sake of entertainment). Events ranging from steer wrestling and women’s barrel racing to junior steer riding will be happening July eighth through the 17th.

[Photo credit: bronc, Flicker user Bill Gracey;Sheridan WYO Rodeo
Located in the heart of Yellowstone Country at the foot of the Bighorn Mountains, Sheridan has no shortage of pastoral pleasures to go with its Western heritage. Rodeo Week–July eighth through the 17th–kicks off with a parade, and night rodeos are held the 13-16th. Part of the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour, Sheridan WYO also features events like the Indian Relay Races (Those of you who are offended by the non-PC-ness of the name…remember we are not in Berkeley, and there’s a $25,000 payout prize), and a public Boot Kick-off event featuring live music, food vendors, and more.

Cheyenne Frontier Days
Know as the “Daddy of Em All,” the world’s largest outdoor rodeo has celebrated the American West since 1897. From July 23rd to the 31st, crowds from all over the world gather to watch arena events. You can also visit Cheyenne’s excellent Old West Museum, tour historic homes and “Behind the Chutes(don’t miss if you want to see what goes on before that gate swings open and bulls and broncs cut loose),” and attend Western Art Shows, concerts (Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow headline this year), a carnival midway, an Indian Village handicraft/historic recreation, and more.

Days of ’76 Rodeo
Held in one of the Old West’s most historic and notorious towns, this Deadwood, South Dakota event has been named Best PRCA Small Outdoor Rodeo four times, as well as PRCA Midsize Rodeo of the Year since 2004. This, the 89th year, runs from July 26-30th, and features two parades and lots of local Native American culture. The entire city of Deadwood is a national historic landmark located in the Black Hills Territory, so be sure to plan on an extra day or two for exploring.

Pendleton Roundup
Eastern Oregon is at the heart of the state’s cowboy country, and Pendleton is one of the ten largest rodeos in the world. Have a last-days-of-summer trip September 14-17th, when the weather is hot and sunny (it does happen in the Pacific Northwest, really). Bareback and saddle bronc riding, team roping, bull riding, Indian relay races, wild cow milking, children’s rodeo, and parade: it’s all here. Trivia: Pendleton is one of the first rodeos to have women officially compete. In 1914, Bertha Blanchett came within 12 points of winning the All-Around title.

[Photo credit: team roping, Flickr user Al_HikesAZ]

Japadog: The hot dog of choice in Vancouver

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Fortunately, this delicacy isn’t far from the convention center. So if you’re in Vancouver on business, you can duck out easily for the best hot dog the city has to offer. Japadog, lauded by Anthony Bourdain, has no walls or roof. Rather, it consists of two hot dog stands – each with different menu items – on Burrard Street. I visited both stands, on Smythe and W Pender – and ultimately decided to dine at the latter. After all, the location on Burrard and Smythe didn’t have hotdogs made from the laziest animal known to man.

Kobe beef is interesting. If you order a hamburger made from it, you’re probably getting scammed. The fat, which is what makes the difference, burns off in the process, and you’re eating a burger that might as well have come from an athletic cow. I generally approach a kobe beef hot dog with this healthy skepticism, but time an again, I find that it just doesn’t fit with dogs the way it does with burgers. At minibar in Boston, I had a fantastic kobe beef hot dog, and the one I downed at Japadog in Vancouver just confirms it.

%Gallery-122843%The difference is flavor. These beef hot dogs don’t have the same snap as the pork-based dogs you find at places like Crif Dogs and Grays Papaya, but the explosion of flavor more than compensates. Tasty and rich, these thick hot dogs, served on sesame seed buns, are nothing short of delightful – and they live up to the $10.25 price tag. I was a bit concerned to let Japadog adorn my hot dog with spicy mustard and ketchup, as I didn’t want to bury the flavor of the dog itself, but everything came together perfectly. When you visit, don’t modify the menu items!


Though the Japanese influence is obvious, Japadog makes a concerted effort to connect with its Canadian home. Before munching on your hot dog, take a look at the decorations atop it. The kobe beef dog comes with three Canadian maple leaf shapes on it … a unique touch on an already unique hot dog.

Getting ready to try @japadog #hotdogs in #vancouver #fbless than a minute ago via ÜberSocial Favorite Retweet ReplyTom Johansmeyer
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The Japadog kobe beef dog was the perfect break from the conference I was attending with Corporate Secretary magazine. Even with plenty of free food available, as is always the case at a conference, it seems, it’s definitely worth walking a few blocks up the street for a memorable hot dog.

So, that’s the top hot dog in Vancover. Take a look at the best dogs in Montreal, below.

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Conference and Meeting Travel: Five ways it differs from other business travel

by Tom Johansmeyer on

As I write this, I’m en route to Chicago from New York, the first leg of a trip that will bring me to Vancouver where I’ll be when this story runs. For the first time in a few years, I’m headed to a professional conference, and the preparation process, it has occurred to me, is different from other forms of business travel. From the packing list to the mindset, it’s unlike the other business trips I’ve taken this year.

So, how is conference and meeting travel different? Here are five ways that came to mind pretty quickly:

1. The packing list: my bag is a lot lighter than it usually is (I’ll write more about this later in the week). Convention and meeting travel usually translates to a lighter load (unless you’re stuck toting last-minute items that weren’t shipped in advance)2. The intent is focused: when I go to a conference or event, I usually don’t have a lot of ancillary business scheduled … unlike a routine trip to see my team in London, in which case I try to lump in both business and travel stuff with friends, contacts and former colleagues. On a conference trip, I’m only thinking about the conference – nothing else.

3. The schedule and priorities shift: on a normal business trip, I try to have a return flight later on my final day in town. This gives me the maximum amount of time on the ground relative to cost, ultimately making my trip more productive (better return on investment). On a convention/conference trip, you can wind up stuck in town for a final morning, in order to maximize the value of the last night of the event – and the day after becomes a total flush.

4. The pace and agenda are wacky: client visits, regular visits with my team and even sales calls tend to be predictable. Even if I can tack on recreational travel or additional business, I tend to know what’s going on before I hit the ground, and not much changes once I arrive. Sure, crazy stuff arises from time to time, but most trips are predictable. One conference trips, you wind up hoping to score meetings, drum up some new contacts and just “see what’s out there.” This means that a lot can change quickly, and you have to be ready for anything!

5. The end is much more welcome: at the end of a convention, I usually just want to get home. I’m tired from walking around, making contacts, meeting people I know and generally being “on.” Even trips to meet with clients aren’t this exhausting, because the agenda is usually set and the objectives are so specific. On the last day of a conference, I actually find myself looking forward to getting on a plane … for a change.