Stunning Aerial Shots Of Cities From Around The World

by Jessica Festa on

Experiencing an unknown city is always exciting. That’s the great thing about travel – it allows you to try new things and explore new places. While wandering through a city on the ground is interesting, it’s also worthwhile to see a destination from a unique perspective you normally wouldn’t get to view.

Below, you’ll find beautiful aerial shots taken above some of your favorite cities. The lit up Las Vegas skyline twinkling various colors against a nighttime backdrop, the grey and intimidating buildings of the Big Apple as seen from above and the glossy and luxurious architecture of Dubai from a bird’s-eye view, are some of the stunning shots captured by photographers.

To see some of the best aerial views of cities from around the world, check out the gallery below.

[photos via Big Stock]

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Hippie-Inspired Pop-Up Hits Vancouver, Canada

by Jessica Festa on

Swallow Tail Secret Supper Club is well known for hosting lavish and unusual pop-ups. And to help welcome the warm weather, they are hosting a “Summer of Love” pop-up restaurant on June 3.

The hippie-inspired event will feature a multi-course feast of Persian delicacies, and guests are asked to wear pieces like flowing skirts, flowers in their hair, wooden beads, linen and sandals. When you arrive to the designated park, you can relax on your blanket in the sun until you hear the music beckoning you to the hidden lounge. Follow it, and you’ll be greeted with soft silk pillows for a Roman dining experience, and spiked tea made with elderflower, fir tip and arbutus bark. There will also be a wine pairing upon request.

“The energy of spring is a perfect match for the lively flavours of the Middle East,” says Robin Kort, owner of Swallow Tail Secret Supper Club. “There are so many exciting flavours: tart, spicy, refreshing, floral and sweet.”

As usual, the location of the pop-up will not be disclosed until after the booking is made.

Tickets are $79 per person. Email robin@swallowtailtours.com for more information or to book.

Photo Of The Day: Hidden Rock Wall

by Chris Owen on

This Photo of the Day comes from Gadling Flickr pool member James Wheeler who captured the image using a Nikon D5000. The image is titled “Hidden Rock Wall.”

James add this caption to the image: “These days, the mountains to the North of Vancouver are mainly used for hiking and recreation but these mountains have a long history of logging. There are many remnants of the old days of logging, not just stumps of the massive trees that used to line British Columbia’s coast but also rubble from the buildings used during the logging.

I noticed this rubble of an old building overgrown while doing the brothers creek hike just north of West Vancouver.”

Upload your best shots to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. Several times a week we choose our favorite images from the pool as Photos of the Day.

Tips for getting featured: In your Flickr account, check “Privacy and Permissions,” and check “yes” on “Allow others to share your stuff.” Adding information about your image does not hurt your chances either.

VIA Rail Canada Debuts Mouthwatering New Train Menu

by Jessica Marati on

On most rail systems in the U.S. and Europe, chips and cookies count as “train cuisine.” But Canada‘s VIA Rail system is kicking it up a notch (boom!) with a new gourmet train menu on its legendary trans-continental Canadian route between Toronto and Vancouver.

The menu will include 78 brand-new dishes, which will be made to order with fresh ingredients and prepared on board by VIA Rail chefs. Certain menu items will be regional in nature, befitting the trans-continental voyage. Think dishes like French toast stuffed with cheesecake, roast beef ravioli sautéed with crispy bacon, and scallops and goat cheese sacchetti with truffles served a la nage in lobster bisque.

Sound inventive? The dishes were cooked up during a two-day Menu Creation Challenge, which roped in eight chefs to develop new dishes under the direction of Chef Martin Gemme. The results blow away the honey-roasted peanuts on Amtrak, that’s for sure.

The menu upgrade is part of a larger overhaul of VIA Rail‘s offerings, which include new packages spotlighting specific regions, like the Wonders of Eastern Canada and Rocky Mountain Coastal Circle, as well as improvements to more than 50 rail stations across the country.

Photo Of The Day: Ordinary Day

by Chris Owen on

This Photo of the Day comes from Gadling Flickr pool member James Wheeler who captured the image using a Nikon D5000 and is titled “Ordinary Day.”

James describes the image as, “Yet another ‘ordinary’ sunrise from a dock near Jericho beach along the shore of Vancouver.”

To end up with this image, James used a Tokina 12-24mm f/4 lens on his Nikon D5000 mounted on a Slik Sprint Pro Tripod then worked it through Adobe Photoshop and Nik Color Efex Pro.

Upload your best shots to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. Several times a week we choose our favorite images from the pool as Photos of the Day.

Tip for getting featured: In your Flickr account, check “Privacy and Permissions,” and check “yes” on “Allow others to share your stuff.” Adding information about your image does not hurt your chances either.