For all you eavesdroppers out there…

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Back in 2005, Gadling wrote about a site called Overheard in New York, in which New Yorkers post the funniest quotes and conversations that they’ve heard in their city. Since that time, the “Overheard” concept has expanded exponentially, and there is now a similar site for just about everyone– for those in the suburbs, at the beach, at the office, in the UK, at college, and everywhere else.

The quotes on the original New York site are still the most entertaining, and they range from simply disturbing to utterly surreal to just plain mean. A couple samples:

White guy: I had a dream about Berlin. It was subtitled.

–JFK

Salesgirl: How’d you get that bruise?
Customer: I was jumproping and I fell.
Salesgirl: Aren’t you a little old to be jumproping?
Customer: Aren’t you a little fat to be working at The Gap?

–The Gap, 48th & 6th

Conductor, as lady’s bag keeps catching on door: One woman is single-handedly holding up the entire New York City transit system.

–F Train

New Yorker (to tourist): …And that’s McDonald’s. They make hamburgers.

–LES

There are also “Overheard” sites for Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland, Pittsburgh, Athens, Georgia, and just about everywhere else. Use your Google to find one near you.

Farecast launches international ticket comparisons; prices still suck

by Grant Martin on

Farecast just unrolled a new feature of their software that lets you compare international ticket prices. You could search for them before, mind you, it’s just that you couldn’t compare and research them.

According to this year’s pile of data, international prices are 11% higher than 2007, with the Chicago–Paris route showing the steepest increase of 23%. Of course this doesn’t factor any sale fares into the equation, which could be outside of the norm and which many bargain hunters will end up booking.

And that’s much of the reason that I’ve been slow to adopt Farecast’s mechanism. So many international tickets that I purchase are booked on sale and last minute fares that the canonical data they provide are useless for me. But if you’d like to get a good ballpark price for how much your tickets are going to cost, give it a go.

Green Map: another great eco-travel tool

by Anna Brones on

Writing an article for Matador Travel about Stockholm last week, I came across a helpful site called Green Map. A US based non-profit, Green Map is a global collaborative committed to sustainable development through map making. To put it simply, the organization works with people around the world to make maps that chart communities’ environmental, cultural and green resources. The end goal is to create sustainable networks that offer healthier and greener choices for both locals and tourists.

Many of the maps are can be downloaded, which is especially useful if you travel with a PDA which would allow you to travel with an electronic version. Need to find an organic cafe in Copenhagen, where to compost in Manhattan, or nature trails to hike in Singapore? Green Map has the answer, making it — in my opinion — one of the most helpful tools for green travel.

Check out the site and take some time to browse around.

Can’t decide where to eat in a city? Urban Spoon to the rescue!

by Abha Malpani on

How many times have you randomly chosen a place to eat and it’s turned out to be a waste of time, taste-buds and money — when you just wished you had read a review or two before walking in? This happens to me ALL the time.

A quick skim through Urban Spoon before you choose where to eat and you might just save yourself from the agony of eating bad food or paying a ridiculous bill. Not only will you be able to find a plethora of options, but all of them have time-critical reviews and ratings pulled from various local news sources like Time Out, New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Post — depending on the city you choose. Alongside media reviews, you can also see reviews and votes from bloggers and friends. And, of course, they have your standard top 10 / top 100 lists.

The search for restaurants is pretty advanced: other than being able to find a place basis price, neighborhood and type of food, you can also pick a place basis whether it’s romantic, open late night, kid-friendly, vegan friendly, has home delivery, if the food is gluten-free, and even if the place has happy hour! Is that cool or is that cool!?

The site reminded me of MetaCritic, but for restaurants. However, unfortunately the site is restricted to cities in the US and Canada, but nevertheless it looks like a useful resource.

More Google tips for travelers: iGoogle

by Anna Brones on

Just like Aaron, I too love Google. Thanks to my roommate, I recently made my most favorite and travel-friendly, Google discovery: iGoogle.

iGoogle is a personalized Google page which accesses your preferences once you log in with your Gmail account. This is basically the page for any Google fiend; the page loads with all of your favorite applications — referred to as “gadgets” — all in one place, and you can even choose an entertaining background to make it visually attractive.

Having a bunch of helpful gadgets all on one page also makes it a traveler’s dream site, especially if you have an Internet compatible cell-phone and can pull up your page whenever and wherever. What kind of gadgets can you get?

Currency Converter – You don’t have to type in “USD to pounds” into the Google search engine anymore, it’s right there on your page.

Google Map Search – Just type in an address and you’re on your way.

French Audio Word of the Day – Need to brush up on your foreign language skills? You can get audio word of the days in several different languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Russian and Italian.

Google Translate – If you need a little more help than just the word of the day, Google can instantly translate your foreign text.

Kayak.com Deal Finder – Ideal if you like to dream about possible travel plans on a daily basis.

World Clocks – Displays multiple clocks so you can keep up with all of your preferred time zones.

Sound good? Those gadgets are only the beginning.