Gallery: More travel sketches from BBC’s Tim Baynes

by Meg Nesterov on


We wrote yesterday about Tim Baynes’ delightful travel sketches from around the world on BBC and liked them so much we came back for more. You can (and should!) get lost for hours looking at his drawings on Flickr with fun anecdotes and scribbles bringing depth and humor to his slice-of-life artwork.

Check out some of our favorites in the gallery below, from a look inside the BBC Starbucks to the madness of Dubai immigration during the ash cloud to a quiet barbershop in Tripoli.

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See more of Tim Baynes’ work on the BBC, his personal Flickr stream, or order a copy of his book Doors to Automatic and Cross Check, direct from the artist.



All photos courtesy of Tim Baynes.

Where was Justin Bieber in February?

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Twitter is good for lots of things, among these: encouraging solidarity in the name of toppling governments, publicizing breaking news, finding people with similar obsessions, and tracking the travel predilections of celebrities.

And there are few bigger celebrities at the moment than Canadian singer Justin Bieber. Mr. Bieber, 17 years old as of yesterday, has become an enormous star thanks to marketing brilliance, his actual talent as a performer, and a fair bit of good luck.

So what did the world’s most famous teenager get up to over the course of the month? A huge share of Bieber’s tweets in February were focused on promoting his 3-D feature documentary Never Say Never, which hit theaters on February 11.

And where was Justin Bieber in February? He spent time in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, London, and Paris, though what’s really striking is how few of Bieber’s tweets are about geographic location. Instead, they revolve around sites divorced from geographic specificity: television studios, movie multiplexes, and basketball games.

Below are the most travel-oriented of his tweets for each individual day over the past month. On those days when Bieber didn’t post a location-oriented tweet (see February 7, 20, 22, 25, 27, and 28) I went for whatever came closest.

A hour reviewing a month of tweets from Justin Bieber is instructive. The kid has his eyes on the prize. The spoils of success never materialized. There was no detailing of hotel suites. He attended premieres and award shows, watched the Super Bowl, and retweeted his followers like no one’s business. And he relied on multiple exclamation points along the way.

Mr. Bieber is constantly working. At some point, he should really take a vacation. And tweet about it.

Without further ado, Justin Bieber’s February travel (or travelish) tweets:February 28. im never gonna change…i will always remember…i will always be that kid from stratford…I will always be grateful.

February 27. shoutout to all of Latin America…i got love for all my Latin Girls

February 26. just got some new gear for the #MYWORLDTOUR – we coming to EUROPE next week…after MY BIRTHDAY!!!!

February 25. zero gravity + my stomach = not so good . lol

February 24. heading to zero gravity! #adventure

February 23. Just had a great time with the ladies at The Talk…they surprised me good. Met a hero of mine…

February 22. Rockin out the new #ThatShouldBeMe Video with @RascalFlatts !! EPIC!! #NsNremixes http://yfrog.com/h796zmkj

February 21. great night courtside at the All Star game… @kingjames with the triple double and my guy KOBE with the MVP!! #greatbasketball

February 20. Dream BIG and #NeverSayNever

February 19. we flew 13 hours to make the #allstargame but the French Premiere of #NSN3D was crazy…je t’aime – http://youtu.be/0D6GADVArfI

February 18. Just landed from a 13 hour flight. Rocked #NSNremixes on the plane. @chrisbrown our song is crazy!!

February 17. PARIS Premiere of #NSN3D was INSANE!! vid coming soon!! je t’aime

February 16. In route to the London Premiere! #NeverSayNever3D in the UK! Leggo!!

February 15. Headed to the BRITS!

February 14. 2nite was a great night. I got to perform at the grammys with my mentor @usherraymondiv and I feel like we did u guys proud

February 13. gonna head out and surprise some more theatres for #NSN3D – u support us so it only makes sense we support u. #thatslove

February 12. see! the crew with me to surprise theatres….we are grateful and excited. hope u are enjoying the movie – #NSN3D http://twitpic.com/3yt8er

February 11. Just surprised another theatre.. Midnight showing! That was awesome! #NeverSayNever3D is out Now!!

February 10. grammy rehearsals with @usherraymondiv – we are gettin it in

February 9. Just surprised the entire audience at @theellenshow – everyone is coming to the Premiere!!! Leggo!!

February 8. LA PREMIERE DAY!! #NEVERSAYNEVER3D !!!

February 7. 1 more quarter. game is getting serious. #superbowl #greenandyellow #blackandyellow – who do u got?

February 6. Thanks to everyone at SNL for having me. Had a blast. #5Days

February 5. in NYC causing a ruckus with @itsryanbutler and @chazsom3rs

February 4. IN THE BUILDING at @MTV !! GET READY FOR @thesevenmtv LIVE!! LEGGO!! #7DAYS

February 3. about to head over to @106andPark and show love. #8Days #Feb11th

February 2. now getting ready for NYC Premiere for #NEVERSAYNEVER3D ….my guy LA REID told me he is bringing a special guest.

February 1. And the secret Toronto Premiere for #NeverSayNever3D is at…. Dundas Square AMC!! Leggo #Canada !!! #ProudCanadian

[Image: Flickr | Snow DQ]

The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto opens its doors, streams it all live on Facebook

by Darren Murph on

It’s been a long, long road for The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto. If you’ll recall, we actually were led to believe that it would open its doors in the fall of last year, but after a few setbacks and delays, the day has finally come for the elusive property to welcome its first guests. No longer will Ritz-Carlton execs have to answer questions related to the infiltration into Canada, as this new Toronto property most certainly puts the company on the map here in the Great White North. This particular hotel is situated in the heart of the downtown area, providing views of the city or Lake Ontario, as well as extravagances that Ritz-Carlton is known for. All told, the 53-story monolith will feature 267 guestrooms, featuring 56 Corner Suits, a pair of Deluxe Suites and “The Ritz-Carlton Suite” at over 2,400 square feet.

Toronto sure feels like the perfect next location for this brand to tackle, with many calling it the most ‘international’ city on the planet. Those who pop by will be treated to floor-to-ceiling windows with heated perimeters, rich African Anigre wood and Portuguese Estremoz marble, not to mention heated marble flooring, dual vanities (with embedded 22-inch HDTVs), private rain showers and soaker tubs when it comes to the bathroom. There’s a 13,000 square foot spa, a natural light-filled Urban Sanctuary and its own signature eatery: TOCA by Tom Brodi. Those interested in being one of the first to book a room can visit the property’s website, and if you’ve ever wondered what all was involved in the ribbon cutting ceremony that happens as a Ritz-Carlton hotel is opened, today’s your lucky day. The whole thing will be livestreamed on the company’s Facebook page starting at 11:30am EST, so be sure to set your alarms and add yourself a bookmark. Too bad Facebook’s ‘Teleportation’ feature is still on the drawing board.

P.S. – If you missed our Toronto-based episode of Travel Talk, catch up here!

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World’s highest restaurant opens in Dubai

by McLean Robbins on

Want to get high? It won’t be illegal if you do it at Burj Khalifa’s At.mosphere, which surpasses Toronto’s 360 Restaurant as the world’s highest restaurant. The downtown Dubai restaurant strands at 1,350 feet high (that’s level 123, for those who care).

The restaurant seats 210 guests and offers both a dining and bar area. Both emphasize fresh products and healthy, simple cooking – all food is availalbe grilled, broiled or baked.

Adorned in mahogany walls and ceilings, Adam Tihany furnishings, and floors of cafe au lait limestone and hand-tufted carpet, At.mosphere reflects Dubai’s position as a luxury destination in the Middle East.

Want to know more? Check out what our friends over at Luxist have to say.

Hot coffee hijacks United Airlines plane?!

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Drinking and driving is a problem … and drinking and flying is no different. A United Airlines pilot found this out the hard way: he spilled his coffee, which triggered a hijacking alert. So, United Flight 940, which was set to go from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany, had to dash across the border to Canada for an unscheduled stop.

A hijacking alert can have that effect, you know.

The plane landed safely in Toronto, an emergency was declared and the defense department in Canada was notified. In the end, everything was sorted out

Hey, buddy: ever heard of a travel mug?

[photo by dimnikolov via Flickr]