Teen sailor Laura Dekker to complete round-the-world voyage today

by Kraig Becker on

16-year old Dutch sailor Laura Dekker will complete her quest to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world today when she arrives back at the island of St. Maarten in the Caribbean. She is expected to make landfall around 3 PM local time this afternoon, exactly a year and a day after she set out on her voyage.

Dekker gained international attention when she first announced her intent to sail around the world at the age of 13. That sparked a great deal of debate on how young was too young for that kind of endeavor. Officials in the Netherlands even went so far as to step in and block her from sailing while they evaluated her skills and observed her relationship with her divorced parents. Eventually, after months of legal wrangling, she was allowed to sail, and at the age of 14 she hit the open water aboard her ship the Guppy.

Her shakedown cruise of Guppy took her to Portugal and then across the Atlantic to St. Maarten, where she tuned the vessel and prepared it for the long journey ahead. From there, it was through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. Her non-stop crossing of the Atlantic was the final hurdle to overcome before being done.

Now, more than a year and a half after she initially set out, Laura’s about to reach her goal, and break the previous “youngest around” record by eight months. That record was set back in 2010 by Aussie Jessica Watson, who was 17 at the time.

On her blog, Laura says that she is looking forward to being back on land, taking walks and enjoy fresh food, while spending time with her family. They will greet her at a ceremony in her honor upon her arrival today, where a host of journalists are expected to be on hand to interview the teen.

Congratulations to Laura on a job well done. When I was 16 I could barely circumnavigate around the block in a car.

Boombox Party in NYC Saturday

by Elizabeth Seward on

Want to go to a Boombox Party in NYC this Saturday night? Of course you do. I do. I don’t know if a last-minute flight from Austin to NYC will be worth the Boombox Party experience for me or not, but something tells me it just may be. So, suffice it to say that if you’ll already be in New York this weekend because you’re visiting or living there, you should embrace this new kind of impromptu party. What is a Boombox Party? It’s a portable and battery-powered party, basically. Started by two guys out of Vancouver, the parties invite thousands of people to carry boomboxes around and dance. A DJ carrying an FM radio transmitter in a backpack has the boombox carriers tune into his master FM broadcast. The result is a mobile, synchronized sound system. The party can, and probably will, go anywhere and everywhere. Subways, city blocks, parks–who knows. The location for Saturday night is TBA, but it will start at 9pm. The theme is Strictly Business, meaning, of course, you must wear business attire.

Follow the party-throwers on Facebook and find out tonight where the NYC Boombox Party will be held. And if you hear the party outside your window in NYC and you’re annoyed, just remember: you’re in the city that never sleeps.

Interdisciplinary art gallery in New York allows travelers to buy a ticket for a journey unknown

by Jessica Festa on

Calling all free spirits: Have you ever felt the urge to just get on a random train and let it take you to a new place. Do you like the idea of forgoing any trip planning and just letting the journey guide you to where you will go? Well now through mid-April, the Bureau of Unknown Destinations in Brooklyn, New York, is open for business.

Basically, travelers will book a free round-trip train ticket to a destination unknown and will be given an envelope telling them where they can expect to go, a notebook, and a simple yet silly task. The goal of the popup travel agency, which is part of an artist’s residency going on at the Proteus Gowanus interdisciplinary art gallery and reading room, is to “offer temporary displacement to members of the public seeking to experiment with their migratory impulses”.

The Bureau of Unknown Destinations is located at 543 Union Street in Brooklyn, and bookings can be made up to two weeks in advance. Their hours are a bit odd, so I would contact them before going in, although they are open most Saturdays from 1-5PM. You can also make an appointment by emailing Sal Randolph at SalRandolph@gmail.com.

10 places to celebrate Chinese New Year

by Chris Owen on

Chinese New Year occurs in the early months of our calendar year, typically January or February and this year falls on January 23rd. This is the first of 15 days of celebration and the start of the Year of the Dragon.

Chinese New Year (also called the Lunar New Year) is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese calendar and a time to welcome longevity, wealth and prosperity and to eliminate any negative chi from the past.

The origin of Chinese New Year taps several myths and traditions and is officially celebrated in countries and territories such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and also in Chinatowns elsewhere. Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the lunar new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors.

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Chinese New Year is also celebrated just about anywhere there are significant Chinese populations too.

In the UK, many shops, bars and restaurants in London will be participating in the celebrations, with big events held in Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square and most importantly, Chinatown.

In the United States, the San Francisco Chinese New Year celebration is now the largest Asian event in North America as well as the largest general market event in Northern California. The celebration includes two major fairs, the Chinese New Year Flower Fair and Chinatown Community Street Fair. All the festivities culminate with Chinese New Year Parade.

Flickr photo by xiquinhosilva


Travel company to host third annual cycling film festival

by Kraig Becker on

Ciclismo Classico, an adventure travel company that specializes in bike tours, has put out a call for entries for their third annual film festival to be held later this spring. The event gives aspiring filmmakers the chance to show off their skills, while also earning them an opportunity to win a cycling trip of their choice.

The event, which is the only film fest in the U.S. dedicated solely to bike travel, will take place May 17th in the Regent Theater in Arlington, MA. The evening will feature some of the best short, independent films that highlight the joy and adventure of two-wheeled travel, whether that’s around the block or around the globe. The only stipulations are that the film must be between 3 minutes and one hour in length and focuses exclusively on cycling travel.

The entry fee for the competition is just $25, although entries received before February 1st receive a $5 early-bird discount. All submissions are due by March 1st and the selection committee will notify the filmmakers of their inclusion in the festival by early April. The ultimate winner, which will be selected by a grand jury on the night of the festival, will receive a Ciclismo Classico cycling tour valued at $2600. An additional winner will be awarded at the event based on an audience vote as well.

Whether you’re an amateur who enjoys making your own movies, or the next Spielberg looking for your big break, this is a great opportunity. Not only do you have the chance to screen your short film in front of a live audience (other than your mom!), but you could also go home with a free trip too.