Photo of the Day (01.29.08)


I’ve always associated maritime culture with hoards of tourists — a sign that when I head to the shore, I tend to visit places that are far too mainstream and popular. So suffice it to say, I’m no expert on coastal communities but to me, this photo captures the essence of maritime life — isolated, gloomy and yet still take-your-breath-away beautiful. It was taken on Holy Island (also called Lindisfarne) off the shore of Northumberland. Thanks to Our Man Where for sharing.

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Watch out for middle-aged British binge-drinkers

Here is the question. Why do British people like to binge-drink so much? Just when you think American college students are bad, go to any British pub at about 10pm and you will probably see more drunks than at an average American fraternity house.

In addition to all the young people in Britain drinking too much, there are the middle-aged folks to worry about. A record number of middle-aged people are drinking themselves to death, according to latest figures published in The Independent. A report shows that 8,758 people died from excessive alcohol intake in 2006, twice the number in 1991. The biggest increase was among people aged 35 to 54 and among women than men.

Binge-drinking was one of the reasons why Britain decided to change their “must-drink-fast” 11pm closing time for pubs and introduced 24-hour licenses for pubs and clubs in 2005. There is no hard evidence whether binge-drinkers have transformed to 24-hour drinkers, although streets of London are still rowdier than normal after the 11pm spill-out-on-the-street tradition.

Beatlemania returns to Liverpool

Since Liverpool is the The European Capital of Culture for 2008, the “Liverpudlians” have scheduled some interesting events–namely concerts–for this year. The local authorities have invited Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to help present Liverpool as the place to be. Liverpool hopes to attract people to come here and celebrate its link with the Beatles.

You can’t escape references to the Beatles in Liverpool, from the moment you arrive at the “John Lennon Airport”, go to the “Cavern Club” on Matthew Street, “Penny Lane”, to the time you brush your teeth at the “Hard Day’s Night” Hotel.

The biggest event of the year will probably be the Liverpool Sound concert Paul McCartney is hosting on June 1 at the Anfield soccer stadium.

Europe has been naming a “European Capital of Culture” every year since 1985. Usually it is actually two cities or regions that get a chance to show off their culture. Last year, it was Sibiu (Romania) and Luxembourg. The European Capital of Culture for 2008 are Stavanger/Sandness (Norway) and Liverpool (UK).

£1 rooms at London’s Hoxton Hotel

Yes, you read it right: from January 24-April 30, the chic Hoxton Hotel in London will offer 5 rooms every night for £1; on normal days rooms here can cost up to £120 a night. You can’t book more than one room for £1 a night, and if you try, your booking will be canceled.

This price offer opens January 24 at 12pm GMT, so sit by your computer ready to book — word is that these rooms go in seconds. If you are not lucky enough to get the £1 rooms, you might be able to get a £29 room, 5 of which are also available every night on the same dates. Follow these instructions if you want to make bookings.

The Hoxton Hotel is a no-smoking hotel located in London City Center and was opened just over a year ago. With the tag line “the no bullshit hotel,” it promises comfort and style without rip-off prices. In the Guardian’s article about its launch, it says that means: “No endless queues at check-in, no £3-a-sip bottles of water in the mini bar, no-sell-your-house-to-call-America telephone charges.”

Sounds too good to be true, and for any sort of luxury being offered on promotion, there has to be a catch. But if you are getting a room in a nice hotel for £1, I guess you can’t really complain, no?

[Via Gridskipper]

Photo of the Day (01.22.08)


I’m not a crazy sports fan or anything, but few things remind me more of my travels in the UK than football. So I love the contrast of dreary old-world architecture and colourful new-world football fanaticism in this photo from Edinburgh, taken by Annie White. Thanks for the photo, Annie!

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