Cool Subways

by Erik Olsen on

I ride the New York subway nearly ever day and you know what? I’m not that impressed by it. In a artistic, aesthetically pleasing way, I mean. Sure, there are a few lovely stations around the city. The 79th Street A/C station is amazing. It sits right outside the Museum of Natural History and the interior of the station is decorated with tile mosaic art of various animals, fish and extinct lifeforms. It’s very cool. But take a look around the rest of the city and there’s only a handful where the city has really taken the time to do anything interesting (another cool station is 14th street where the artists Tom Otterness has installed several hundred little brass cartoony statuettes).

But this art-spartan attitude is not the case in other stations around the globe, as in evidence by this post over at coolhunter that shows off some of the more artistically-inspired subways around the world. I have to say in taking a look at these photos that I am most intrigued by Moscow, Munich and Stockholm, none of which I have visited personally…much to my dismay.

Wedding Travel a.k.a. Personal Bankruptcy

by Iva Skoch on

The average wedding in the US costs around $30,000. According to CNN, the number of destination weddings has increased 400 percent in the last 10 years. So, I am certain, has the cost for guests.

Is it just me or has wedding-related travel gotten out of control? I like weddings, but…

If you are in the 25-40 year category, chances are that you have to go to a wedding-related event practically every other weekend in the summer. Events include engagement, bachelor and bachelorette parties, bridal showers (and if you are really unfortunate, they are followed closely by baby showers). Guests are, of course, encouraged to not only come, but also bring a gift, buy a new outfit, etc. This stuff adds up.

Lately, it has become customary to travel for similar events to distant, exotic places, which adds additional cost. It is nice if the destination is to your liking and you can make a trip out of it. Unless, of course, you are required to be “on wedding-service duty” 24-7 by a controlling bridezilla or a perfectionist-groom. You never know, there might be an emergency of colossal kind – what if the candles don’t match the flowers perfectly?

Umm, whatever happened to people eloping?

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of September 10

by Adrienne Wilson on

Kick back, relax and get ready for your weekly highlights of some Gadling’s favorites. There were dozens this week, but I managed to narrow it down to these five. Hope you enjoy!

5. BT Blogger Blab Post Mortem:
Sure this one isn’t really going to help you in making your next big trip plans, but I liked it. Our very own Erik Olsen had the opportunity to hang out and better yet be apart of a panel for the Budget Travel Blogger Conference. This posts highlights some of his thoughts and gives the low-down on the event. I just think it’s awesome that he went! Hi-five!

4. Theater: Dress Up (or Not):
Why something like this has never made the Gadling tops before I haven’t a clue, but I’m sure happy we have Iva writing pieces like this one. You’re on the road backpacking and all when you want to go some place fancy, like the theater. The questions now is to dress up or not? I’m with Iva on this one (dress it up a bit), but what’s your take?

3. I Eat Cannibals:
Cannibalism is beyond me. In fact, making plans to travel to places where the locals might be practicing such things blows me away, but would I be tempted. Heck yeah, so long as I’m not on the menu. Neil leads us to a fascinating find from the Smithsonian Magazine which follows Paul Raffaele in Indonesian New Guinea. Very cool read.

2. Burning Man Photo Results, Sort Of:
While it sadden me none of the Gadling readers were compelled to enter the Burning Man Photo Contest or just didn’t go I’m delighted to find these brilliant photos from elsewhere posted by Neil. I admit, I hope to head to Burning man one day and even if you think you don’t or won’t one look at these photos and I’m sure you’ll have a slight change of heart. They are…spectacular!

1. Reverse Culture Shock: Teaching the Somalians About America:
Every American should read this or maybe just everyone in general. This funny piece looks at the culture shock someone from let’s say Somalia might have when entering America and the classes they have to take before embarking into the “Promised Land.” It makes you think about how much we take for granted over here.

Place Project

by Erik Olsen on

This is a rather interesting project that mixes art and travel in a cool, Webby way. Called the Place project ,the conceit is rather simple: there is a box, a book and a camera, and designers from around Latin America and North America got to contribute their ideas and designs. The result nicely laid out here in a site called Place Project, reveals a delightfully eclectic mix of cultural perception and vagabonding.

The Mancation

by Erik Olsen on

Always on the lookout for the next great travel trend, I now offer you a link to a story with a term you may not have heard before: The Mancation. No, this is not the newest movie-related travel fad…not the Brokeback Mountain version on Da Vinci Code Tours, in other words. The idea here is that men sometimes like to take vacations with one another, and there is a cottage industry emerging that helps them do so by coordinating specific manly activities for them to enjoy.

Like what, you ask (as if you really had to ask)? Well, according to the article over at CNN they’re talking about trips that include a panoply of testosterone-laden features like hand-rolled cigars, fast cars, penthouse rooms, wet bars, and round-the-clock butler service. Conspicuously, there is no mentin of strippers. But hey, that doesn’t sound too bad. The Mancation concept appears geared towards bringing old college friends together to spend a few days away from the old ball and chain, as it were. To clarify further what needs no further clarification, the “Urban Dictionary” says that mancations include masculine activities such as sports, camping, gambling, chasing women and drinking, without the presence of wives, mistresses or girlfriends. In other words, they are basically saying bachelor parties are no longer for bachelors any more. Personally, I like the idea, very Robert Bly meets Vince Vaughn.