Gay.com’s Travel Gaydar: Top 10 Destinations

by Iva Skoch on

Apparently, San Francisco, Key West and New Orleans’ glory has long passed. Now, if you are a) gay and b) hip, you head over to Buenos Aires to party.

“Fed up with following the well-trod lavender road to the end of that boring old rainbow?” Gay.com asks. Here is a list of Top 10 destinations:

  1. Buenos Aires, Argentina
  2. Melbourne, Australia
  3. Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA
  4. Hong Kong, China
  5. Cape Town, South Africa
  6. New York, NY, USA
  7. Berlin, Germany
  8. San Diego, CA, USA
  9. Philadelphia, PA, USA
  10. Toronto, Canada

And a few extra on their “gaydar”: Toronto, Rio de Janeiro, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Lisbon.

If travel is anything like real estate, I say follow the gays!

One for the Road: Hedonist Guide to Buenos Aires

by Kelly Amabile on

This sexy guidebook is one you want to be seen holding if luxury travel is your style. It’s fresh, fashionable and smart in both design and content. The Hedonist Guides package the very best of “independent advice for intelligent travelers” in sleek black books accented in soothing colors — as cool as the travelers holding them. The latest in the Hg2 series is a guide to Buenos Aires that is available this month.

Maps in the front introduce the city and each neighborhood, followed by sections that cover where to sleep, eat, drink, snack, party, play and shop. The emphasis here is on pampering and indulgence — travelers who prefer gourmet dining, chic bars, stylish clubs and elegant hotels will find Hedonist guides to serve as indispensable traveling companions. They distinguish themselves further by offering post-production online access to listing updates, keeping sophisticated travelers in the know at all times.

In 2006 Hedonist Guides (published by Filmer Ltd.) released a bunch of titles in this series, including Istanbul, Berlin, Marrakesh and Moscow. Buenos Aires is their first new title in 2007, although they have done some creative online launches of mini-guides for London, Rome, Paris and most recently, Barcelona. Other new hard-copy titles to be released later this year include New York and Prague.

The Craziest Drivers in the World Are…

by Iva Skoch on

How does one define a “bad driver”? In a good portion of the civilized world, we tend to think of it as someone who drives fast, passes without seeing what’s ahead, doesn’t stop for pedestrians, honks impatiently … and frequently breaks the law.

This definition does not apply in other places. Take Eastern Europe: Bad driver is typically seen as someone without the skills to drive a bad car 100mph on icy roads, someone who frequently slows down traffic by driving the speed limit or someone who doesn’t take off within exactly one second of the light changing. This school of thought automatically makes every person above 55 and 95 percent of women bad drivers. Really, the only “good drivers” would be single, childless men between 18 and 30. And, according to some, good drivers would definitely not be Australians.

Some say that the people of Rome are the world’s worst; others think Buenos Aires is crazier. Several sites are dedicated to the awful drivers of the Arabian Gulf (aka Persian Gulf). A few Mexico Cities, LAs, Rios. And finally, one study shows that Russians are the worst in Europe, with 25 percent admitting to having sex while driving.

I cast my vote for the drivers in Egypt, the world’s most enthusiastic honkers.

Shrink is Located in Terminal A

by Iva Skoch on

Fear of flying on an airplane is one of those things: you understand it is completely irrational–and all those helpful statistics tell you that it is bazillion times safer than driving–but you just can’t help it. According to Harris Poll, 35% of all adults Americans are somewhat afraid of flying, while 14% are very afraid. The number has been going up, especially rapidly since 9/11.

According to Friday’s USA Today, Buenos Aires responded to the trend by opening a psychiatric clinic called “Poder Volar” (Able to Fly) right at the airport. It is almost too brilliant, a textbook example of demand and supply. Psychiatrist Claudio Pla has 11 years of experience treating aviophobia and charges $70/hour or $200 for an eight-hour therapy.

Is this the end of Xanax?