Top 10 places in 2008 for backpackers

by Jerry Guo on

What I love about all these lists you find online and in print is that they’re great for finding that one nugget you haven’t really come across yet. The truth is, most of the time, almost all of the places on these lists turn out to be duds. But I came across one list of relatively off-the-beaten-path destinations for this year, courtesy of BootsnAll.com, and now many are on my to-do list.

  • Buenos Aires – I’ve recently met several guys who’ve raved about how insanely fun the nightlife here is, and how surprisingly affordable it happens to be (especially when you compare it to its wealthy neighbor to the north, Brazil).
  • Morocco – I was actually choosing between going to Peru or Morocco this winter. Peru won out just because it was closer and the flights were less expensive (a relative term, to be sure). This was a good year for Morocco, with several movies filmed there. Looks like a good place to go for a dose of Islamic culture, without the violence. (Like Turkey)
  • Ethiopia – This one really caught my eye. Any other old list in all likelihoods wouldn’t have included Ethiopia as a must-visit destination, especially with the tensions flaring up in some parts of the countryside earlier this year. But the scenery looks beautiful–could be because of the lack of all those pesky tourists.

The other places include Belize, Nepal, Jordan, Sicily, Queenstown (New Zealand), Chiang Mai (Thailand), and Budapest. Check it out!

Bocce ball: the new bar sport

by Grant Martin on

In case you’re out of the hipster-know, billiards, darts and foosball are over. The new bar game of choice is bocce ball.

Isn’t that an outdoor sport, you say? That’s what I thought too. But those crafty rascals out in Brooklyn have figured out how to replicate a bocce ball court indoors. It comes in the form of a long, clay pathway surrounded by a wooden border surrounded by hundreds of cheering, intoxicated bar patrons. What better venue?

If you’d like to take a gander, there are a few good places to get started. One of the best (and most trafficked) is Union Hall, a long, darkly lit bar lined with books and couches with a fireplace in the center. Another option is Floyd.

Mike Barish and I limped our way through a few games at Union Hall last week and met modest success. We were then housed by a man in an argyle sweater and his friend. Turns out people get pretty into the competition.

If you really get involved though, subscribe to the Brooklyn Bocce Ball Bulletin where you can get the lowdown and happenings-on in the local sporting community. Practice hard — I’ll be perfecting my backspin in preparation for the match.

Times Square and New Year’s Eve, the 100th year

by Jamie Rhein on

Years ago, when I was in undergraduate school I headed to Times Square on New Year’s Eve with friends of mine to watch the ball drop. When you watch the event on TV, you see massive crowds for sure, but going there is not as bad as it looks. Everyone can’t pile in up close. Where you stand depends on how early you get there. As the blocks fill up, they are closed off to more people in order to keep the crunch of people bearable.

Since this is the 100th year of the ball dropping in Times Square, perhaps this is the year to head to the lights in person. The ball is brand new for the occassion.

When we went, we weren’t all that early, so we were not up close. Still, the ball is way up there, and it’s big. It’s not like people can get in your line of vision.

Maybe you’ll even run into someone you know. I did. While I was standing around with my college friends waiting for a new year to start, I heard my name called. Standing two people away from me was one of my friends from high school. He was down in the city like I was visiting friends of his.

If you go, bring noise makers if you have them, but if not, there are plenty of confetti and noise makers without your addition. Just yell “Happy New Year” and hug someone when 2008 lights up. Plus, fireworks are much more impressive in real life than on TV–and there is nothing like a New York City crowd in a partying mood.

Absinthe now legal, no longer cool

by Aaron Hotfelder on

The United States recently approved the sale of absinthe, and many people around the country are just now getting their first experiences with the potent, anise-flavored spirit. Absinthe, famous for supposedly inspiring creativity in the likes of Hemingway, Picasso, and Gaugin, has been banned in the United States since the early 1900s, but a version of the drink was approved for sale earlier this year.

Over at Salon, a new article debunks some myths surrounding absinthe, just as the New York Times did almost a year ago.

From my own limited personal experience in Prague, I can attest that the author of the Salon article is being very kind when she says absinthe is an “acquired taste.” I found that even after following the traditional sugar cube/slotted spoon ritual, it felt like downing a glass of very bitter rubbing alcohol. And no, I didn’t see any green fairies.

I didn’t meet anyone in Prague who drank absinthe on a regular basis (though I’m sure some do), and in general, it seems to be consumed for the sake of novelty (as in my case) more than anything else.

For more first-hand reports of experiences with absinthe, go here.

(Kids, take note: Drugs are inferior to hugs, and stay in school.)

Top 10 New Year’s Eve Destinations

by Aaron Hotfelder on

If it’s the end of the year, that can mean only one thing: a storm of “Top 10” and “Best of…” lists are raining down upon us like so many bits of New Year’s confetti. Add one more to the list.

Yahoo Travel has announced its Top 10 Destinations for New Year’s Eve. Traditional favorites like New York, Las Vegas, and Paris make the list, places where you might need to take out a second mortgage to afford a hotel room. Yahoo’s rationale for choosing Las Vegas reads almost as if they’re trying to keep potential visitors out: “The showrooms are filled with entertainers including magician David Copperfield and The Doobie Brothers while nightclubs are hosting a list of celebrities such as Paris and Nicky Hilton and Britney Spears’ ex-husband Kevin Federline.” Kevin Federline! Where do I sign up!?

Also on the list is the more affordable, but slightly more out of the way, city of Manila, in the Philippines, where New Year’s celebrations are likely to be some of the rowdiest anywhere. As for me, I’ll be partyin’ it up in the world-famous metropolis of St. Louis, Missouri, where I’ll be coming up with my sure-to-be-short-lived New Year’s resolutions, and reflecting on all the ones from last year which were forgotten by January 5th. Anyone want to try to top that?