Video Of The Day: Times Square In The 1980s

by Sean McLachlan on


Here’s a bit of nostalgia for all you old-time New Yorkers out there.

This mini-documentary on Times Square really captures my memories of it from the 1980s. Walking around there with my friends at night was a gritty, sleazy, surreal experience. Touts tried to sell you stolen watches or draw you into shell games or strip shows. Street preachers screamed at the crowd and were totally ignored. Lights flashed. Cars honked. People swore at one another or offered you drugs labeled under a bewildering variety of street names (anybody know what “rust” was?).

Despite this footage being a quarter of a century old, I recognize some of these places. The theater marquees are unforgettable, of course. There was one place where you could see a Kung Fu double feature for a dollar. That video arcade in the film was a favorite hangout of ours. We knew about the pickpockets and always watched out for one another. Still, it’s amazing we survived all those trips without ever having any serious trouble.

I haven’t been back to New York for 15 years. From what I’ve heard, it’s changed too much. Times Square has been turned into a touristy shopping mall, and throughout Manhattan many of the small shops, like those wonderful indie bookstores, have disappeared. I have lots of friends and fellow bloggers in New York who are always inviting me to come over. I’m not sure I ever will. I think I’ll just keep my memories of the trashy yet vibrant New York of my teens.

The Bacon Barter Team Visits Gadling In Chicago

by Grant Martin on

Midway through their journey across the country, the Bacon Barter team pulled into Chicago last week for a visit to Gadling Labs. Led by funny man Josh Sankey, the travelers aim to voyage across the entire United States using only bacon as currency. That’s for food, gas, lodging and any other necessity on the road.

We met up with Josh and his chase car on the streets of Lakeview and bartered away for the rights to a rooftop barbecue overlooking the city. The deal? Twenty-five packages of thick, delicious bacon for a steak barbecue and a floor to sleep on that evening. A real bargain as far as we’re concerned.

Keep tabs on Josh and his cured-meat-loving compadres as they travel across the country here.

Video Of The Day: Switzerland By Train

by Libby Zay on

Without a doubt, Switzerland has some of the most scenic railways in the world. Not only do trains send travelers past the snow-covered Swiss Alps and vast valleys covered in green, but these systems are also a modern engineering marvel. The video above shows the variety of rail traffic passing through the country. Filmed throughout the Canton of Ticino, it is so artfully done is almost looks like a model railway.

If the name Gotthard sounds familiar, it might be because of current construction projects in the country. Currently, Gotthard Base Tunnel, which will be the world’s longest rail tunnel upon its completion in 2016, is being built beneath the Swiss Alps. The ambitious endeavor runs 35 miles through the mountains, and will have taken 22 years to complete. It will cut off more than a third of the travel time between Zürich and Milan, shortening the trip from 3.5 to 2.5 hours.

For now, take our advice and hop on a train in Switzerland. It truly is an unrivaled way to get around the country.

Marriage Traditions Of Morocco’s Berber Tribes

by Jessica Festa on




Every fall the indigenous Berber people of northern Morocco gather in the mountain village of Imilchil, about four hours from Fez, for the traditional Imilchil Marriage Festival. While the dates shift based on the lunar calendar, the three-day event will take place this year September 23 to 25.

At the Imilchil Marriage Festival, youths from different tribes get the opportunity to meet potential spouses. Hosted by the Ait Hdiddou tribe, families from neighboring villages and their children of marrying age will meet to socialize around traditional rituals including singing, storytelling and dancing. Twenty-five thousand people participate in the festival, which includes an engagement ceremony followed by up to 40 marriages that take place around the tomb of a patron saint.

The reason the Imilchil Marriage Festival came to be is an interesting but sad story. Two young lovers from enemy Berber tribes killed themselves after their families prevented them from marrying because inter-tribal marriage was forbidden. Following this tragedy, the families granted freedom of choice to their children to marry whom they choose.

If you’re interested in attending yourself, you can fly to Casablanca and take a connecting flight to Fez. From there, you’ll take a four-hour drive to Imilchil. Sarah Discoveries and Journey Beyond Travel also offer tours.

For a more visual idea of the festival, check out the video above.

Video Of The Day: Pong Traffic Light

by Meg Nesterov on


What do you do when you’re waiting to cross the street? Do you people watch, run through your mental to-do list, or count cars? If you’re in Germany, you might get to play a little Pong while you wait for the little green man to flash. A recent video on YouTube uploaded by Caburaska shows a German demonstrating the Pong traffic light game, played with a willing stranger (and potential love connection, judging from his face after their high-five) at a busy intersection. According to the video comments, the game might be just part of a project rather than a city-sanctioned installation, but it’s still pretty cool. I’d like to see Frogger at stoplights next.

Seen any cool games on your travels? Post a video link below or on the Gadling Facebook page for a future Video of the Day.