Photo above: matiasjajaja / Feature photo: Zach Klein

When all is going tickety-boo, you don’t have a care in the world and you feel like nothing bad can happen to you. Until it does. There have been some interesting lists published lately covering relatively minor annoyances that can nevertheless turn travel into a frustrating experience.

Top 10 Worst Cities for Pickpockets

I’ve been to nine of these. I’ve never been pickpocketed (knock on wood). Either I’m extremely lucky or I take precautions. Probably both, but probably more of the latter.

Photo above: renaissancechambara

1. Barcelona, Spain
2. Rome, Italy
3. Prague, Czech Republic
4. Madrid, Spain
5. Paris, France
6. Florence, Italy
7. Buenos Aires, Argentina
8. Amsterdam, Netherlands
9. Athens, Greece
10. Hanoi, Vietnam

You always hear about scams when you travel. My personal favourite is one where a supposed mother will toss her baby at you.

Of course, by instinct, you’ll try to save baby Air Jordan, and if you do you’ll be minus a wallet.

But is this just an old traveler’s tale? If you’ve ever been baby-tossed, we’d love to hear about it.

Top Cities Where You Get Hassled

Ben Groundwater, travel blogger for The Age newspaper, posted these cities that are the worst for being hassled in.

Siem Riep, Cambodia

…the boat has barely even come to a stop before the huge crowd of yelling touts starts running on board trying to talk you into staying at their hostel. Rest assured, if you’ve already booked one, it will have mysteriously “closed.”

Hoi An, Vietnam

There are just as many touts on patrol [at the beach, compared to the cloth shops], mostly gnarled old women prowling the sand selling, “mango, baaanana, peeeeeanut!”

Cairo, Egypt

…they’re all hanging out at the pyramids, at once a true wonder of the world, and home to the most annoying people in the entire world.

Jaipur, India

Hands down, the grand champion of hassle.

San Francisco, USA

I was young and naive when I went to San Fran (I’m old and naive now), so that could explain it, but [it] just seemed like there were far more beggars and touts there than anywhere else in the States.

Nairobi, Kenya

No one really wants to sell you anything in Nairobi, except maybe the odd trinket – most have more sinister things in mind.

I would like to toss in Las Vegas and Santorini, as in right when you get off the ferry. Matador’s Sarah Menkedick also delves into the topic, posing the question: is getting hassled in the top travel spots preventable or inevitable?

The World’s Worst Taxi Rides

Forbes Traveler first profiled the World’s 10 Best Taxi Rides. Then they wrote about the worst. Here’s who they picked:

Photo above: Zemzina

Lagos, Nigeria
Naples, Italy
Caracus, Venezuela
Moscow, Russia
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Mexico City, Mexico
Baghdad, Iraq
Bangkok, Thailand
Manila, Philippines
New York City, USA

The complaints were frequent roadblocks, aggressive driving, unregulated taxis, super-mad congestion, unfriendliness, and even getting robbed.

In Ulan Bator, Mongolia, everyone is a taxi; just stick out your hand and whoever stops is your cab.

We once hailed one, agreed on a price, got in, then five minutes down the road he realized he had to be somewhere else. He apologized then promptly kicked us out.

At least he gave us our money back. Here are some tips on How Not to Get Ripped Off by a Cabbie.

Have these lists given you a headache? Take two Aspirins and call me in the morning.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

What annoys you the most? Where have you most been annoyed?

Surely you have a story (or five) to tell. Feel free to get it off your chest below.

Photo above: octal, Feature photo: Joi

Slow to the punch, I was recently directed to an article from The Independent published in April of this year: The dark side of Dubai.

It’s the story of a failed experiment in city/utopia building, where the global economic crisis has emptied malls and hotels and halted nearly all construction — this in a city that gave rise to the oft-repeated (and oft-debunked) factoid that it employees a quarter of the world’s construction cranes.

According to the article, Dubai has failed not only economically, but also socially. Emiratis (who make up just 5% of the population) are educated up to the PhD level at no cost, while armies of impoverished foreign laborers live in bondage and lack clean drinking water. Anyone who raises a critical voice is deported (expats), financially ruined (Emiratis), or imprisoned (foreign workers).

Jaw Dropped

It’s a shocking account. And it’s almost too much to believe.

I’ll admit my immediate reaction leaned toward skepticism. Part of it is that — to me — Johann Hari’s writing comes off scripted, the neatly framed and overly witty words of someone who knew what he wanted to write before he stepped off the plane.

And part of it is that I simply hope the picture he paints isn’t accurate.

Photo: ● Creative Ξye ●● ÂĻŜuЩaίĐί ●

* A slave labor system where South Asian construction workers and East African housekeepers are lured to Dubai by third-party recruiters, only to have their passports confiscated, promised wages halved or withheld, and every waking hour conscripted.

* A body of expats that delight in the hedonism the socioeconomic order allows them, living with a constant buzz on and complaining that there are too many Indians throwing themselves in front of their SUVs in a last-ditch effort to escape the system.

* An ocean — Dubai’s biggest tourist draw — darkened with raw sewage as the delicate, super-arid environment begins to collapse under the weight of forced modernity.

Please tell me these caricatures were lifted from some sci-fi dystopia, not the streets of reality.

Speak Up

Matador Abroad’s Tim Patterson already put out a call for on-the-ground voices from Dubai. I’d like to renew that invitation — though, if The Independent’s article is any indication, those voices will probably need to be “recently-left-the-ground.”

Have you traveled to or lived in Dubai? How does your experience square with The Independent’s exposé of the city’s “dark side“?

Speak up in the comments, or email me directly at hal[at]matadornetwork[dot]com to discuss telling your story in a Trips feature.

Photo: Rodrigo Basaure

1. La Vega

Nowhere in Santiago feels more South American than La Vega. Wander the city centre streets with its uninspiring but earthquake-proof architecture and you feel you could be anywhere.

Not in La Vega.

Santiago’s main market, set in a shady part of town next to the murky Mapocho River, is gloriously, chaotically Latin American.

Photo: lo que percibo

Fruit and veg is piled high inside and out, sellers brag about the size of their plums, housewives are scolded for squeezing the fruit, and flies buzz around the vats of olives and hunks of cheese.

Foreigners may not enjoy the pigs’ heads that look out from the butchers’ stalls, but the stray cats and dogs sure do.

Dirty and oppressively busy at the weekend it may be, but I love it.

2. Lastarria

Barely more than a single street, Barrio Lastarria is home to a fine collection of bars and restaurants frequented by people who wear designer glasses and black polo necks.

There’s a decent art-house cinema, a museum, a theatre, a tiny park, several boutiques, and a book and antique market at the weekends. You might also catch a glimpse of the man in a skirt and headscarf who sells doll heads from a blanket.

However, I like it best first thing in the morning. When the sun glints off the cobblestones and the terracotta walls of the Veracruz church and the smell of fresh bread wafts along the street, it couldn’t be lovelier.

3. Tostaderia Puerto Rico, Calle San Pablo (near the Central Fish Market)

I fell in love with this one the moment I saw it. Santiago is the capital of Nescafe-land, but this little shop sells and grinds beans from Brazil, Columbia, and Costa Rica. It’s worth ordering some for the smell alone (Costa Rican is the best).

Also on sale are herbs and spices, potions and powders, dried fruit, and baking ingredients.

Destinations

Community Connection to Chile

Watch out for the old ladies with sharp elbows.

4. Bar El Ático, Irarrazaval 1060, Ñuñoa

Not only because it reminds me of home and plays the best music in the whole city, but because Bar El Ático is a sanctuary from reggaeton and Latin American pop.

Indie as it comes, I found my people here. The Pixies, Radiohead, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and the like sound all the better when you’ve not heard them played out for a while.

5. The terrace of Emporio La Rosa, Calle Monjitas, Parque Forestal

Two minutes from home is one of Santiago’s most popular ice cream parlours. It’s not my absolute favourite (you can read where is here), but the ice cream is darn good and it’s in a great spot.

My pick: chocolate and chili.

Photo: Diegosaurius Rex

6. The General Cemetery

Yes, once a goth, always a goth, but this is also the place to learn about Santiago’s culture and painful history.

It’s flower-filled and calm, albeit busy with families picnicking around the graves of loved ones at the weekend. I went on the nighttime tour for Revolver back in autumn and paid homage to folk legends Victor Jara and Violeta Parra.

Perfect for history buffs.

7. Mimo’s Hairdressers, Mosqueto, Bellas Artes

High on entertainment value, Mimo’s is an institution. It’s run by a crazy Argentinean named Miguel, and he really knows how to cut hair. Judging by his constant stream of conversation, he seems to know about a lot of other things as well.

He once spent many minutes telling me that the left side of my hair was like the sea and that the stubborn flick of hair above my right ear was the masculine part of my personality expressing itself.

Another time he refused to continue cutting until I’d promised to start a daily mantra that would harness my inner winner.

He often disappears for minutes at a time, returning with a violent sniff and talking ten to the dozen.

The salon itself is full of delightful misfits who smoke like chimneys and nod along to the deafening techno. They play songs that have lyrics in English like ‘suck me hard oh yeah’ and the resident Yorkshire terrier has a purple and green fringe.

As you leave, they all shout out, ‘¡Mira! ¡Que linnnnnnnnda!’ It really is the most marvellous place.

8. Bellavista

By night, Pio Nono (Bellavista’s central street) is like an English wedding gone bad. Like us Brits, Chileans appear to have an amazing capacity for alcohol but no off switch.

But while Pio Nono is full of lurching drunks slopping Escudo over each other, two minutes away on Constitución civilised dining goes on in expensive restaurants.

Bellavista’s as chaotic as Soho, with live folk venues fighting for space alongside neon-lit clubs, hot dog joints, and salsa hangouts.

Photo: garchauro

During the day, it’s great for graffiti spotting. If you’re lucky, you might catch an old crooner singing ballads on the stage behind the Feria at the weekend.

9. Centro Arte Alameda

You just don’t get cinemas like this anymore in England. Independent films in a quirky space that often has design fairs, gigs, and club nights too.

10. The swimming pool on Cerro San Cristóbal

Stupidly expensive and only open for a few months of the year, but by god what a view. Surrounded by the Andes and jaw-dropping vistas of the city on clear days…I’d go every day if I could.

So, those are my favourite places in Santiago. What are yours?

Community Connection

Trips wants to hear your favorite spots from wherever in the world you call home. Compile your list and send it to hal[at]matadornetwork[dot]com.

Photo: mugley

Community Connection

Got a photo that inspires the traveler in us? Would you like to see it up here?

Send me an email at carlo[at]matadornetwork[dot]com.

Photo: pasotraspaso

Mumbai, India

When you add up the equation “cycling” + “urban tourism,” you often assume “= Europe.” After all, the continent is home to many of the world’s most bike friendly cities.

Photo: zedvox

Places like Mumbai are looking to change the equation.

As reported in this New York Times travel blog post, a company called Odati Adventures has put together a “Mumbai City Cycle Ride.”

The focus is on commonly overlooked attractions — fitting, for as any avid cyclist knows, two-wheeled travel opens up all kinds of experiences that get passed over by the car-bound.

Leisure cycling in Mumbai still can’t be considered safe, which is why the tours run early on Sunday mornings, when traffic is most manageable.

But who knows — a successful cycle tour program could rewrite the city’s relationship with the bike.

Blackpool, England

With London set to unveil a monumental Paris-esque bike-hire scheme next summer, you’d expect it to be U.K. bicycle tourism’s front-page news.

Not if Blackpool has anything to say about it.

Also inspired by Paris’s groundbreaking Vélib’ program, this seaside resort town of 140,000 is launching an on-street bicycle rental system that will count 500 bikes by next spring.

Tourists are the primary target of the initiative and will be able to rent for a daily fee of £8.

However, it’s hoped Blackpool residents — who apparently suffer from extremely low rates of adult exercise — will take advantage as well. Swipe cards will be made available to commuters, providing a free half hour’s ride and charging £1/hour after that.

Photo: mrhayata

Tokyo, Japan

The urban mass of greater Tokyo is tied together by one of the city’s busiest subway routes, the circular Yamanote line.

More than 3.5 million passengers use the line each day, and to complete a journey around the loop takes a little over an hour.

What does this have to do with bicycles?

The New York Times recently featured a story by Harris Salat on a wonderfully novel concept: tracing the path of the Yamanote on two wheels.

Salat rented his ride through Cool Bike and made a three-day tour out of the 21-mile route, stopping frequently to experience the teahouses, gardens, tofu shops, sumo parades, riverside paths — in short, the classic Tokyo juxtaposition of tradition and modernity — he passed along the way.

While not an organized cycle tourism “development,” per se, his account makes for a good read, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it inspired copycat tours.

Hey, I’m game.

Community Connection

Matador loves bikes. You could spend a whole day digging through our bicycle-related content. Here’s a start:

10 Long-Distance Bicycle Routes in the U.S.

6 Reasons to Go By Bike

And They Stoned Me: The Joy Of Cycling Ethiopia

How To Be Good (Better) Drivers and Cyclists

8 Quirky Bike Rides across the U.S.

Bicycling the Pacific Coast and into the Great Beyond

Photo: van Ort

Community Connection

If you’re out there wandering around a new city and get lost, don’t panic. This tip and more can be found in 10 Ways to Avoid Getting Lost in a New City.

Photo: colin.brown

A few weeks ago, Matador Trips editor Carlo Alcos posted a healthy reminder for us to keep our common sense about us when on the road.

It’s an important message aimed at travelers worldwide. But Americans might require an additional precaution — for times when they’re not on the road.

Common knowledge has it that many American urban areas are dangerous places, virtual no-gos to anyone who doesn’t have the misfortune of living there. And most frequently when talking about urban crime, we toss around city names: New Orleans, Detroit, St. Louis, Oakland.

But cities are big places. They have their stereotypical dicey areas of pawnshops and abandoned warehouses, but also their Whole Foods yuppie zones, with maybe even a country club thrown in somewhere.

Which is why a list posted on www.walletpop.com is so interesting. It ranks individual neighborhoods by “predicted rates of violent crime.” Here are the top 10:

1. Central Pky./Liberty St., Cincinnati, OH (45210, 45214)
2. State St./Garfield Blvd., Chicago, IL (60609)
3. 7th Ave./North River Dr., Miami, FL (33128, 33130, 33136)
4. Beaver St./Broad St., Jacksonville, FL (32202)
5. North Ave./Belair Rd., Baltimore, MD (21213)
6. Bales Ave./30th St., Kansas City, MO (64127)
7. Warford St./Mount Olive Rd., Memphis, TN (38108)
8. Forest Ave./41st St., Kansas City, MO (64110)
9. Route 352/Scyene Rd., Dallas, TX (75210)
10. Church Hill, Richmond, VA (23223)

You can read about the methodology used in the ranking process here.

Photo: max_trudolubov

Comparing the results to a 2008 list of America’s most dangerous cities brings up a lot of questions.

It seems the country’s most violent neighborhood is located in Cincinnati (in an area known as the “Brewery District”). But Cincinnati doesn’t even show up in the top 20 city rankings.

At the same time, New Orleans, 2008’s most dangerous city, is nowhere to be found on the neighborhood list. And the first mention of Detroit — that favorite whipping child — comes at 23rd.

Which do you think is a more accurate method for measuring location-based danger? And beyond that, do you think lists like this are helpful and informative or nonconstructive and fear mongering? Share your opinion in the comments.

Community Connection

Interested in taking this research one step further? Connect with Matador community members from different parts of the U.S. and see what they’re saying about their home neighborhoods.You can browse a list of locations here.

Photo: advertisingelyse

If the Mall of America — a place that brags of 20,000 parking spots and a dedicated drop-off/pick-up area for motor coaches — doesn’t turn your crank, here are 8 different ways to spend your time.

Lake Calhoun / Photo: twodolla

1. Head to the lakes

Why go to an indoor water park when you’re in the city of lakes? Take your pick of several among the Chain of Lakes.

The largest is Lake Calhoun, a favorite of young people looking to lay on the beaches, bike, roller blade, or jog along the trails that encircle it. Get on the water for some canoeing, kayaking, and windsurfing.

2. Go for a bike ride

Biking is easy in this relatively flat city, and many streets have designated cycling lanes. The most scenic routes will take you over and along the Mississippi River.

Ride down Minnehaha Avenue to get to Minnehaha Falls Park, home of the waterfall that inspired Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “The Song of Hiawatha.”

James J. Hill House / Photo: puroticorico

3. Stroll along Summit Avenue

Garrison Keillor once remarked:

The difference between Minneapolis and St. Paul is the difference between pumpernickel and Wonder Bread.

St. Paul — the state capital — may not have the cultural venues of its more cosmopolitan neighbor, but perhaps Keillor missed the grand stately houses that line Summit Ave. Three residences of note are the Governor’s mansion, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s birthplace, and the James J. Hill House.

4. Go to the theater

The Twin Cities’ theater scene may not compare with Broadway, but Minneapolis’s landmark Guthrie Theater puts on high-quality classic and original productions. If you’re in town this fall, a national engagement of Little House on the Prairie will begin at the Ordway Theatre in St. Paul, with Melissa Gilbert playing Ma.

5. Eat

The Twin Cities aren’t strictly meat-and-potatoes territory and, these days, ethnic food isn’t limited to lutefisk. Although an overwhelmingly white metropolis less than 20 years ago, recent immigration from Southeast Asia, East Africa, and Latin America has added an international array of cuisines to the city’s food scene.

Cafe Latte / Photo: tboard

A global smorgasboard of eating options is available at the Midtown Global Market and along Eat Street, between Grant and 29th Streets.

For more upscale dining and nightlife, head to the Warehouse District near downtown, where your options include a number of sushi joints, an organic cafe, and Pizza Luce, considered to have the best pizza in town. Dessert lovers shouldn’t miss the decadent cakes at Cafe Latte on Grand Ave. in St. Paul.

6. Shop on Grand Avenue

OK, so you will probably break down and need your shopping fix. Grand Ave. in St. Paul is home to numerous independent shops and boutiques, as well as some chain stores.

7. Visit an art gallery or museum

Minneapolis is home to several impressive art collections.

Photo: A.M. Kuchling

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts features one of the most extensive collections of world art in the Midwest, while the Walker Art Center is considered one of the top modern art museums in the country. Across the street from the latter is the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, where you will find Claes Oldenburg’s Spoonbridge and Cherry.

If history is more your thing, the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul is home to changing exhibits about the state’s past. Science geeks will enjoy the Science Museum of Minnesota, which overlooks the Mississippi River and has an exhibit dedicated to it.

8. Attend a fair

State and county fairs are a Minnesota tradition. Each summer, Minnesota’s counties hold their own fairs. The main event is the Minnesota State Fair, which is running from August 27 to September 7 this year.

Known as the “Minnesota State Get-Together,” it’s the event where Minnesotans gather to celebrate their agricultural heritage and show off livestock, like a scene straight out of Charlotte’s Web. Disregard any healthy eating habits you may be following — standard Minnesotan fair food is deep fried and comes on a stick.

Community Connection

If you’re looking to combine a trip to the Minnesota State Fair with a visit to another Midwest city, make sure to check out Chicago on a Budget.

Photo: diametrik

Walking the concrete canyons of Manhattan, it’s easy to forget you’re on an island. And with multi-lane highways encircling the borough, it can be a challenge to enjoy the scenery and history of New York Harbor — unless you take to the water.

The iconic orange Staten Island Ferry isn’t the only way. Here are seven more.

Photo: bettyx1138

1. Governors Island

This patch of green is just a seven minute ferry ride from the southernmost tip of Manhattan and has been a native American fishing ground, U.S. Coast Guard base, site of a meeting between Reagan and Gorbachev and, now, a public park and National Monument administered by the National Park Service.

In addition to military history and blissful quiet — only a handful of vehicles are allowed on Governors Island — you’ll also find special events throughout the season, which this year runs until October 11. The best part about the island? The ferry and admission are free!

2. Statue of Liberty

On July 4, the famed statue’s crown was re-opened to tourists, having been closed since the September 11 attacks. While getting tickets for the 146-step climb is a necessity, it also requires some advance planning, as demand since the opening has been high.

A check on July 15 didn’t turn up space until mid-October. Admission: $12.

3. Water Taxi Beach

New York’s original fake beach is across the East River from Manhattan and, like so many things in Queens, is all about food and drink. Viewing the sunset over the New York skyline is much better with a burger in one hand and a beer in the other.

Water Taxi Beach / Photo: robotpolisher

On Fridays in July and August, you can even score a special BBQ chicken spread. Bring friends. Depending on when you go, ferries to Water Taxi Beach are $4.50, $20 (for a full-day ferry pass) or free.

4. Riverside Park

While most of Manhattan is ringed by highways, urban planner Frederick Law Olmsted designed this section of the Upper West Side to work with the water. Riverside Park stretches from 72nd to 158th Street, drawing bikers, joggers and, boat buffs.

The 79th Street Boat Basin is home to skippers smart enough to avoid NYC rents by living aboard.

5. City Island

Far from the hustle of New York but still part of the city, this New England-y enclave is the last thing you’d think of as metropolitan. But it’s worth the long haul to gorge on seafood while watching yachts cruise by. Take the no. 6 train and then the Bx29 bus to get there.

Photo: calamity_sal

Johnny’s Reef Restaurant at the south of the island has an old-school vibe that makes for great photos…and piles of seafood, of course. Visiting is free, but the fried clams will cost you.

6. Free Kayaking

Sporty locals have been passing around a secret for years: The New York City Downtown Boathouse will loan you a kayak and let you paddle around the Hudson for free. More serious boaters might score a spot on a three-hour tour, but since you can’t sign up ahead of time, availability depends on how many others show up.

7. Sailing school

If the above six seem too easy for you, the Manhattan Sailing School offers ASA basic keelboat certification over three days out of the North Cove in Battery Park City.

You’ll spend the first evening learning what makes sailboats go and the next two days trimming jibs and taking the helm of a J/24 with three other students and an instructor. Reservations are essential. $690.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

For some inspiration for number 7 above, have a read of Jessica Watson, 16, Youngest Person to Sail Around the World Solo.

Need a mini-break from the Big Apple? Here are the 5 Best Hudson River Valley Day Trips.

If you like the water, Matador’s got a slew of great info in these articles: Boating Big Sky: Montana’s Classic River Trips and Take Me to the River: 8 Simple Steps for Getting into Whitewater Paddling.

Photo: Guwashi999

As ambiguous as we may feel over the term “flashpacker,” it’s hard to deny the truth that technology is becoming an ever more important element of travel. Sad as it sounds, without a laptop and hostel wifi, I wouldn’t be able to travel at all.

Trips doesn’t usually take its cues from AskMen.com, but we did notice when they recently published a list of the world’s top 10 tech cities. Factors taken into consideration included the amount of R&D undertaken by national companies, the prevalence of free wifi spots in the country, and the surely difficult to quantify “techiness” of its citizens.

Photo: e-magic

Here’s what they came up with:

1. Tokyo
2. Seoul
3. Singapore
4. Hong Kong
5. San Francisco Bay Area
6. Seattle
7. Helsinki
8. Bangalore
9. Munich
10. Tel Aviv

I can vouch for Seoul, even though I haven’t been back since wifi went big. It’s the home of Samsung and LG, after all, not to mention that 95% of the male population age 2-30 spend their waking hours battling each other in World of Warcraft.

One notable omission would have to be Taipei, where many Gadgets Bonafide Flashpackers Should Carry are manufactured. A few commenters also wondered why the Bay Area wasn’t higher up the list, being the birthplace of “tech” and all.

What do you think? Have you traveled to a city that struck you as particularly techy? How big a role does technology play in your travels? Indulge inquiring minds by leaving a comment below.

Community Connection

Still confused about what exactly a flashpacker is? Read about Matador Nights editor Tom Gates’ identity crisis in From a Flashpacker to a Backpacker, take 2.

Photo above: kevindooley, Feature photo: WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong

Skip the Sears Tower

Chicago’s most iconic building, the Sears Tower, is overrated. Even with the addition of the new glass-bottomed balconies, $15 is a bit much to pay for a view.

Instead, head to the John Hancock Center where you can skip the admission fee by ascending to the 96th-floor Signature Lounge. Drinks are on the pricey side, but the chance to take in the views (which many feel are better than those offered by the Sears Tower anyway) from the comfort of your own seat is worth the cost.

See summer shows on the cheap

Lollapalooza isn’t Chicago’s only music festival. In fact, in summer it seems there’s one or more every week (pick up a copy of Red Eye or Time Out to get the lowdown).

Get your copy of Red Eye here. / Photo: ChiBart

Street fests almost always feature live music, and admission is just a few bucks.

For both big-name and local acts, pack a picnic and head to the lawn at Ravinia. You can bring your own beer and wine and listen to music under the stars for around $10.

Grant Park also hosts free concerts several nights a week.

Bring your own

Chicago’s liquor laws allow restaurants to offer BYO (bring-your-own) service. With hundreds of BYO restaurants to choose from, serving all varieties of cuisine in every corner of the city, there’s no reason not to take advantage and save yourself a few bucks.

Some restaurants charge a nominal “corkage fee” for your beer or wine, but you’ll still save considerably when you bring your own. For more info, check out 10 Spots in Chicago for BYOB Dining.

Ride the El

You can reach most attractions in the downtown area by foot, but to explore Chicago’s many diverse neighborhoods, you’ll need some sort of transportation.

Photo: PhotoDu.de

Cab fares add up and parking is virtually impossible in many areas, so cut costs by riding the El, the city’s elevated train (which actually runs underground in parts). Single rides are $2.25 and day- and week-long passes are a great deal.

Riding the El is not only cheap, but watching the city go by from the elevated tracks is also a quintessential Chicago experience.

Forgo a full dinner

Chicago is home to some of the most celebrated restaurants in the country — many of which require you to order an expensive tasting menu of four to upwards of twelve courses. Save money by skipping the multi-course menu in the dining room and instead ordering a la carte at the bar.

If you’re absolutely committed to dining on fancy fish at L2O, for example, you can opt out of the $110-per person, four-course meal and order small plates for $10-20 each in the lounge.

Likewise, if you can’t splurge on a several hundred dollar meal at Tru, you can try a cheaper sampling of dishes in the bar, or book a “dessert-only” tasting for around $50 per person.

Save your shopping for neighborhood boutiques

Shopping at the designer stores on Michigan Avenue is a dream for many tourists. Paying off the credit card bill afterward, however, will be a nightmare.

Photo: johnnyalive

Add in the fact that the influx of lower-cost chains like Forever 21 and H&M is taking some of the luster away from the experience, and shopping on the “Magnificent Mile” is no longer all that appealing.

For unique and affordable duds, check out the independent boutiques in Wicker Park, Bucktown, Lincoln Park, and Lakeview. You’ll find one-of-a-kind pieces that’ll impress your friends back home — without spending a fortune.

Pay less to ride the river

An architectural cruise along the Chicago River is a great way to learn about the city’s many notable buildings. But it ain’t cheap.

Photo: [[MorphoMir]]

Instead, take a more budget-friendly ride on the water taxi that runs from Michigan Avenue to Chinatown. These go for just two bucks and pass many of the city’s most famous structures.

Score free admission

If you’re planning a visit to one of Chicago’s many museums, check each one’s website for a list of free-admission days scattered throughout the year.

The Chicago Art Institute offers free admission after 5pm on Thursday and Friday, and the Museum of Contemporary Art is free each Tuesday.

The Lincoln Park Zoo is free every day.

Community Connection

Looking for other Matador community members in Chicago to connect with? Search for them in our destination pages.

And for all you cheapies out there, make sure not to miss these guides:

8 Ways to Save Money on a U.S. Cross-Country Road Trip

Seattle on the Cheap: 7 Tips to Save Cash in the Emerald City

Big Sky Country on a Small-Time Budget

The Best of Ireland on a Budget

Berlin on the Cheap

Photo: Or Hiltch

A while back, Trips introduced you to 8 Cities That Burn Through Your Money, a list based largely on last year’s Mercer rankings.

Guess what? That’s all changed. It’s 2009, baby, and not surprisingly there’ve been quite a few shakeups. The Guardian’s already reported on the revised rankings, which show the effects of a sagging world economy.

Here are the two big stories, summarized for travelers:

Spending a year in London? You win! Your city dropped THIRTEEN slots to wind up in an eyebrow-raising 16th place.

Expats in Japan, on the other hand, should heed this warning: Get out now! Seemingly mistaking these rankings as a competition, the Land of the Rising Sun snagged gold and silver with Tokyo and Osaka topping the list.

Less attention-grabbing developments include Moscow dropping from first to third, Geneva ascending to fourth, and New York clawing its way into the top 10.

If you’re curious about exactly which cities were in the running and what economic factors were considered, a Guardian companion article lays it out:

The survey covers 143 cities across six continents and measures the comparative cost of over 200 items in each location, including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment.

Asunción, no longer at the bottom / Photo: alex-s

And which lucky municipality managed to walk away with the coveted “world’s cheapest city” title? That would be Johannesburg, South Africa, who snatched it from Asunción, Paraguay.

My apologies to anyone who already sent in their Paraguayan permanent residency application. But hey, I hear Johannesburg’s lovely this time of year.

Community Connection

Matador is your source for frugal city travel guides. Even if you live in Johannesburg, you’ll want to check out:

Budget Guide to New York City

Singapore on a Shoestring Budget

Seattle on the Cheap: 7 Tips to Save Cash in the Emerald City

A Young Traveler’s Guide To Drinking on the Cheap in Prague

Great American Beer Festival, Denver / Photo: deege@fermentarium.com

Brewery Tours

A brewery tour will show you the care and craft that goes into beer production, and most breweries offer them for free.

Photo: Bernt Rostad

Try the short but informative free tour at Great Divide, often given by one of the brewers themselves.

Afterwards, enjoy free samples of award-winning beers like Saint Bridget’s Porter and Hercules Double IPA in the small tasting room. If your visit coincides with happy hour (4-7pm, Monday-Friday), you’ll also get discounts on pints, which normally cost $4-$5 each.

The smaller city of Boulder sits in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, 35 miles north of Denver, and a tour of father-and-son-run Avery Brewing is worth the short drive. Make sure to toss back an India Pale Ale or Out of Bounds Stout once your tour’s over.

If you need a snack to go with your beer, try a gyro from the Pearl Street Gyro Cart, which sets up shop in the Tap Room. A pint’s just two bucks with any gyro.

The largest of Colorado’s breweries, Coors, is found between Denver and Boulder. For Fat Tire fans, New Belgium Brewing Company lies farther up the road in Fort Collins.

Brew Pubs

With nearly 70 rotating beers on tap and many more in bottles, Denver’s Falling Rock Tap House is the place to sample to your heart’s content.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of taps lining the wall, but the friendly bartenders are happy to make recommendations and offer a taste to help you decide. The diverse menu is categorized by style and includes ales, ambers, lagers, IPAs, stouts, porters, and cask-conditioned beers from both local brewers and producers around the world.

If the 16-ounce curls sap your strength, Falling Rock has you covered with a bar menu featuring standard pub fare like wings and burgers.

Photo: mmckeay

Just off Pearl Street in Boulder is Mountain Sun Pub, offering more pub grub and the perfect beer sampler — six 6-ounces tastes of their award-winning brews for under $10.

For a few more options, head to Walnut Brewery, Boulder’s first brewpub. Indulge in anything from giant soft pretzels and thin-crust pizzas to fajitas and baby-back ribs along with a rotating selection of brewed-onsite beers like Devil’s Thumb Stout and Big Horn Bitter.

After dinner, walk a few blocks down to the Boulder Drafthouse, which hosts a variety of live music every night.

More Good Eats in Denver

Most of Denver’s bars and restaurants offer great happy hour deals on weekday nights and during certain weekend hours.

Photo: ChazWags

One of the best places for cheap happy hour eats is Dazzle, with nightly jazz performances. The $5 food menu includes items like fried calamari and creamy mac-and-cheese, and pulled-pork or salmon sliders are under two bucks each.

If the previous night’s exploits have left you a little rough around the edges, take a drive to Govnr’s Park for some hair of the dog. On Saturdays, brunch is buy one, get one free and mimosas are bottomless from 10am-2pm.

Or, if you’re up early and raring to go, hightail it to Snooze, Denver’s best brunch spot, to beat the crowd. Soak up any leftover alcohol in your system with corned beef hash, steak and eggs benedict, or pineapple upside-down pancakes.

Frothy Festivals

True beer fanatics should plan their Denver visit around the Great American Beer Festival, held every September. Tickets cost around $50 and are good for four hours of sampling some of the 1,800 beers on tap from around the world.

The newer, less-crowded All Colorado Beer Festival goes down in Colorado Springs each November and serves up beers from over 70 Colorado breweries.

Alcohol-Free Exploits

Everyone needs a break from the bottle at some point (c’mon, admit it!). When it’s time for yours, give some of these more “wholesome” activities a go:

Photo: Herkie

* Art perusing at the Denver Art Museum
* Paradisaical bliss at the Denver Botanic Gardens
* Beer calorie management on a hike in Red Rocks Park (located halfway between Denver and Boulder)
* Rock climbing near Boulder at Eldorado Canyon
* More outdoors in Chautauqua Park, at the base of the Flatirons

Practicalities

To explore outside of downtown Denver you’ll need a car (but don’t even think about drinking and driving), so pick one up at the airport.

In town, budget travelers can check into the Melbourne International Hostel for as little as $16 a dorm bed ($39 for a private double). Or, score yourself an eco-friendly suite at the Queen Anne Bed and Breakfast for around $135 a night.

In Boulder, private doubles at the Boulder International Youth Hostel start at $50.

The Bradley Boulder Inn, located right off Pearl Street in downtown Boulder, gets a little swankier, with posh rooms for $200 and up. However, these include a wine and cheese hour, wireless internet, access to a fitness center, and a hearty breakfast. Plus, if you hit every watering hole in this article, you won’t even remember swiping your card at checkout.

Community Connection

Other beer-based content to be had on Matador includes Beer Quest 2008: The Search for America’s Best Microbrew, 20 Best Beer Towns in America, and The Top 20 Microbrews in America.

Also, make sure to check out Katie’s 10 Spots in Chicago for BYOB Dining and How to Drink on the Reykjavik Rúntur.

Photo above: Jen SFO-BCN, Feature photo: Perrimoon

Eats: La Cova Fumada

This nook is easy to miss. But don’t let the cigarette smoke and cooking fat fumes that waft from behind its backstreet brown doors intimidate you. La Cova Fumada is the best seafood tapas bar in Barcelona, where local dock workers and fishermen come to grab a quick snack and hurl good-natured insults at one another.

At lunchtime, the harassed waiter turns a deaf ear to any drink orders that don’t involve red wine and the female kitchen staff (who look as if they’ve been wrestling in olive oil) wipe sweat from their brows with the tea towels.

Photo: loremipsum

From their tiny workspace, they turn out plate after plate of crispy grilled sardines, succulent octopus, bacalao in tomato sauce, and the house specialty of patatas bombas — fried potato balls smothered in a fiery garlic and chili sauce.

There are no frills, no menus, no reservations, no credit cards, and no English-speaking staff. Consequently, prices are about half those charged on La Rambla.

Address: C/ Baluard 56 (no sign)
Tel: +34 932 214 061
Hours: Monday to Friday 9am-3:30pm, Thursday and Friday 6pm-8.30pm, Saturday 9am-1.30pm. Closed Sundays and throughout August.

Green space: Parc de Guinardó

Guess what — Gaudí’s Parc Güell isn’t the finest green space in the city. Okay, so it’s easy on the eye and studded with delightful architectural eccentricities, but unless you’re the first to sprint through the gates at 10am, all your photos will be full of strangers’ elbows.

Instead, take the number 28 bus from Plaza Catalunya and stay on until the last stop — even if helpful pensioners frantically try to shoo you off at Parc Güell. From the bus stop, follow the road to the end and you’ll be in Parc de Guinardó, a sprawling municipal space that hardly anyone uses.

Ascend woodland paths to the top of the hill for a panoramic view of the city all to yourself.

Arriving: Bus 28 stops near the highest part of the park on Carrer de la Gran Vista – Plaça de la Mitja Lluna. The main entrance is at Carrer de Garriga i Roca 62
Tel: +34 934 500 749

Exercise: Montjuïc Municipal Olympic Swimming Pool

Swimming pools don’t get better than this.

Photo: liako

Built to showcase the city during the diving events of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and used by Kylie in her video for “Slow,” you can enjoy a prefect view of the city while doing your laps.

The pool may not have much in the way of amenities, but with a setting this good, it’s hard to care.

Address: Av Miramar 31
Tel: +34 934 430 046
Arriving: Take the Metro to Parallel, then hop on the funicular. At the top, the pool is across the road next to the restaurant El Xalet.
Hours: Open daily between July and mid-September, 11am-6.30pm

Sweets: Caelum

Tucked away in the Barri Gòtic, Caelum is the place to go for a sugar fix when you’re weary of walking. They sell products made by nuns and monks from around the country and the two-floor teashop has a superb collection of cakes.

For any marzipan lovers wondering what heaven looks like, this is it.

Address: C/ de la Palla 8
Tel: +34 933 026 993

Beaches: Get out of town

Only tourists go to the beach in Barcelona.

Sant Pol de Mar / Photo: Antoni

If you spot a Catalan, it’s most likely they just haven’t made it home to bed yet.

Those in the know head farther up the coast. If you’re on a budget, a simple city metro ticket will take you to Montgat, a wide, sandy beach with safe swimming.

Farther north, Sant Pol de Mar is a lovely Catalan fishing village with clear blue water and a shingle beach that’s just an hour’s train ride from the city.

Websites: www.montgat.net, www.santpol.org

Architecture: Casa Calvet

Photo: ale3andro

Want to check out the interior of a Gaudí building but avoid the queues for tours of La Pedrera? Why not grab dinner in one instead?

Restaurant Casa Calvet opened its doors in 1994, having converted the offices and boardrooms of a building Gaudí designed for a local textile manufacturer into semi-private dining rooms. It isn’t cheap, but then it’s not every day you get to dine inside a work of art.

Main courses can be a bit hit and miss, but the mango tart with pepper ice-cream and yogurt sauce is a sure thing.

Address: Calle Casp 48
Tel: +34 934 124 012
Website: www.casacalvet.es
Kitchen hours: Monday to Saturday 1pm-3:30pm and 8:30pm-11pm. Closed Sundays.

Culture: Palau de la Música

There’s no denying that this world-famous concert hall and bastion of Modernist architecture is a tourist attraction, and deservedly so. To separate yourself from the hordes and see it in all its glory, attend a concert. The building is even more gorgeous inside than out.

Address: C/ de Sant Francesc de Paula 2, Urquinaona
Tel: +34 902 442 882
Website: www.palaumusica.org

Nightlife: Razzmatazz

Photo: itz.

You need stamina for clubbing in this town. If you want to party like a local, take a disco nap in the evening, begin a leisurely dinner around 10pm, and don’t even think about going to a club before 2:00 in the morning.

When you do, head for Razzmatazz.

Housed in an old factory, ‘the Razz’ is massive. Its five different dance floors play everything from indie and rock to electronica and pop.

There are frequent live music offerings as well.

Address: C/Almogàvers 122 – C/Pamplona 88
Tel: +34 933 208 200
Arriving: Take the Metro to Bogatell or Marina.
Website: www.salarazzmatazz.com

Community Connection

For more smart travel tips on the Catalan capital, be sure to check out Matador’s Green Guide to Barcelona and the Top 5 Ferias in Spain.

Destinations

Community Connection to Spain

The Matador community blogs are filled with travelers’ takes on Barcelona. Sample different perspectives with:

Tracing Gaudí around Barcelona

The Washing Machine: Barcelona, Spain

The best place for lunch in Barcelona: Outdoor Markets

LAUGHS AT THE LONDON BAR – Barcelona

La Champagneria: The craziest bar in Barcelona

Photo: th0mi

Here are seven tips on saving cash in the Emerald City:

1. Skip the Space Needle

The Space Needle costs $16 for one adult and, in my opinion, is highly overrated. For $7.50, head up to the observation deck at the Smith Tower in Seattle’s historical Pioneer Square neighborhood instead. You’ll get a great view of Puget Sound, the Cascades, the Olympic Range, Mount Rainier, and downtown Seattle.

For just $5 on weekdays, you can also access the observation deck at Columbia Tower — the tallest building in the Pacific Northwest. There may not be 360-degree views, but it still beats the Needle.

Photo: Foxtongue

2. Travel by bus

With a little extra planning, you can avoid an expensive rental car and exorbitant parking fees. Seattle’s metro buses will get you anywhere you need to go, and they’re (mostly) on time. Prices are $2 for peak hours and $1.75 for other times, although in the downtown core buses are free of charge from 6am to 7pm.

Not sure you can do it? Relax, they’ve made it easy for newbies. First, check out the King County Metro Guide, then use Google Maps or King County’s online Trip Planner to find a route.

You can also use One Bus Away, either online or by phone, to see if your ride is on schedule. Drivers are generally considerate and helpful, so feel free to ask questions or directions.

3. Walk

The best way to save money and get a little exercise is to walk; downtown Seattle is compact and easy to navigate. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes for the hills!

Golden Gardens sunset / Photo: pfly

4. Hike locally

National Parks charge an entrance fee, but Seattle’s urban parks won’t cost you a cent. Puget Sound’s Discovery Park is close to downtown and contains 12 miles of hiking trails, a lighthouse, steep bluffs, beaches, mountain views, sand dunes, forest, streams, and meadows.

If you’re looking for a lazy way to spend a sunset, try Golden Gardens’ beach with views of the Olympics, or Kerry Park’s postcard view of downtown and Mt. Rainier. Buses run regularly to each of the parks.

5. Eat in the International District

For under $10 (and sometimes under $5), you can buy your fill of pho (Vietnamese noodle soup), sweet and sour chicken, bubble tea, or Vietnamese sandwiches in the International District, just south of downtown. Plus, as a true pan-Asian neighborhood, the ID is worth a ramble.

From the teashops to the obligatory Chinatown gate, and on to the dragons climbing the light posts, you can spend an entire afternoon in the district. At Uwajimaya, the giant Asian supermarket, you’ll get lost in the aisles of noodles, sake, and Hello Kitty merchandise.

For a belly full of cheap food, try Ga Ga Loc (Chinese), Green Leaf (Vietnamese), or happy hour at Kaname Izakaya (Japanese).

6. Get into the museums for free

Several Seattle museums are free the first Thursday of every month. Schedule your visit right and you can get into the Experience Music Project, the Museum of Flight, the Seattle Art Museum, and more, all free of charge. For a complete list of museums and their hours, check out this useful Seattle Times article.

Photo: Mie Tigas

7. Tour the landmarks

Seattle’s major points of interest are free. It’s impossible to pass up famous Pike Place Market, where you can sample fresh local food, gaze upon the colorful flower arrangements, browse nearly 200 craft vendors, listen to street performers, and watch the “Fish Guys” toss seafood at the Fish Market.

A few blocks away, explore the neon escalators and bizarre chambers of downtown’s Central Library, in all its geometric glory.

Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood is charming and walkable, with Nordic influences and cozy coffee shops and pubs. The Ballard Locks, where local and Alaskan fishing ships pass and salmon swim the fish ladder, is free to the public.

The neighborhood of Fremont is famous for its public art including the Fremont Troll, an imposing Vladimir Lenin, and the oft-decorated Waiting for the Interurban. Just a short walking distance away is Gas Works Park, where locals fly kites or picnic on the hills with a backdrop of Lake Union’s sailboats and the skyline.

When to go: Locals promise sun-soaked summers from July 4 until Labor Day, but June and September can also be mild and sunny.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

If cheap and free is your kind of price, find out how you can visit Berlin on the Cheap and check out 10 Volunteer Opportunities For Free Travel.

Photo: {meagen}

Photography Lovers

Michigan Central / Photo: country_boy_shane

Dotted with the ruins of abandoned buildings and dilapidated houses covered in colorful graffiti, the landscape of Detroit looks good in the viewscreen.

The city’s gritty feel and faded beauty translates well to film, whether you choose to evoke nostalgia with shots of empty iconic buildings, or to document the slow decay of an industrial city in a post-industrial age with images of factories long forgotten.

Michigan Central Station is one of the city’s most recognizable monuments. It’s illegal, though not unusual, for photographers to slip inside to capture the crumbling opulence of its interior. If you want to join them, hurry. There’s talk of demolition.

Art Lovers

Art in Detroit is everywhere.

In fact, spurred by ridiculously low home prices (the city average was $11,533 in April), artists may actually be the only people moving to Detroit right now.

Both the Detroit Artists Market and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, housed in a converted graffiti-covered warehouse, host internationally acclaimed exhibitions of visual, performing, and multimedia arts.

Detroit Institute of Art / Photo: dana.ocker

The world-class Detroit Institute of Arts has one of the largest collections in the world, with works from Monet, Degas, van Gogh, Matisse, and Picasso, and a series of murals (depicting Detroit factory workers) by Diego Rivera.

Wander an open-air art installation at the Heidelberg Project, a street of abandoned houses covered in polka dots, stuffed animals, and scrap metal that resembles a twisted Wonderland, or just take in a showing at restaurants like Cass Café and The Majestic.

Music Lovers

From Motown greats like Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross (whose careers are among those commemorated at the Hitsville USA Motown Museum) to rock darlings the White Stripes, Detroit has a long tradition of fostering musical talent.

See the next Detroit Cobras or Dirtbombs — before they hit it big — at intimate clubs like the Old Miami, the Magic Stick, the Lager House, and Cadieux Café. The Detroit Electronic Music Fest, held every Memorial Day weekend, features some of the best DJs and electronic music producers in the world.

To indulge more classical tastes, check out a performance at the opera or symphony.

Booze Lovers

Detroit’s a drinking town, and no matter what you fancy you’ll find it here.

Photo: No Trams To Lime Street

Drink with the city’s elite at the bar at the stately Whitney mansion, or rub elbows with war veterans in the casual backyard of the Old Miami.

Sip cocktails and dance in your club couture at Deluxe, or rock out to the jukebox at the dark, divey Bronx Bar.

Or just relax with a microbrew at one of the city’s three breweries, such as Motor City, home of the Ghettoblaster Ale.

Food Lovers

An influx of immigrants from around the world means Detroit is the place to come for some of the most authentic Polish, Mexican, Greek, and Middle Eastern food this side of the Atlantic. Head to Mexican Village, Polish Village, or Greektown for their respective cuisines, or take a short drive to Dearborn for Middle Eastern.

If you’re in the mood for something a little more local, check out Union Street for American comfort food with a twist or head to newcomer Slows, which churns out Detroit’s best barbecue and a killer bourbon lemonade (just come prepared for a long wait).

And of course, no visit would be complete without tasting the ubiquitous Detroit Coney dog.

Bargain Lovers

Economic woes for residents equal rock-bottom prices for visitors. Detroit has always been cheap, but deteriorating financial conditions mean even more discounts and deals.

Dollar drafts and 2-for-1 drinks at happy hour? Check. A filling and delicious meal for under $10? Check. Free museums, no-cover live music clubs, and ample free parking? Check, check, and check.

It’s easy to live large in Detroit on a small budget, and thanks to discount bus company Megabus, low rates on Amtrak, and cheap fares into Northwest’s hub, it doesn’t cost a lot to get here either.

Underdog Lovers

As the butt of countless jokes, it’s easy to kick Detroit while it’s down.

Eastern Market / Photo: ellievanhoutte

But if you’re a sucker for a lost cause, you may just be charmed by the city’s unwavering community pride in the face of such depression.

The people of Detroit understand their city has problems, but many are choosing to rally their neighbors and fight for change rather than sit idly by and watch the city decay further.

Detroit’s refusal to let go of the past is immediately evident, but when you look a little deeper you also see a small — but growing — ray of hope for the future.

Community Connection

For more of Katie’s perspective on her hometown, check out her Matador community blog post My Motor City.

Matador member Pap of Glencoe is another Motown native. Visit her Matador profile to connect.

Photo above and feature photo: Gret@Lorenz

Tasty Cuisine

Rabat and Fez are the best places for serious culinary explorations. While Rabat is the most modern and comfortable Moroccan city, Fez is traditional and fascinating. Both offer perfect moods for culinary adventures and both have attracted some of the best chefs in the country.

Some might argue that Marrakech is also a great culinary destination — and I wouldn’t disagree — but what’s happening in Rabat and Fez goes beyond catering to tourists and is directed at locals as well.

Here are some unique Moroccan culinary experiences worth seeking out:

White truffles

Photo: Gret@Lorenz

You can find these for sale along the road from Rabat to Meknes.

Artfully stacked on overturned buckets, they’re sold near oak trees growing in a special soil that stimulates the symbiotic relationship between the truffle and the oak roots.

Argan oil

A specialty of Morocco. It’s a toasty, nutty oil, traditionally derived from a complex process: the undigested pits of the Argan fruit, after being eaten by tree-climbing goats, are picked from the animals’ dung, then cleaned and toasted.

Next, the pits are ground or pressed and the oil is bottled for culinary uses or further processed for cosmetic creams and ointments.

But worry not, today the oil is produced in a more sanitary way. Its taste is a cross between peanut oil and freshly mashed green olives — an absolutely delicious way to dress a salad.

Saffron

Taliouine — south of Marrakech — offers a unique twist to the more commonly available Spanish and Iranian saffrons. The saffron of Taliouine has its own flavor due to southern Morocco’s soil makeup.

Wine

The Meknes Valley yields the finest Moroccan wine, which has come a long way. While wine grapes have been grown here since Roman times, in the past twenty years the industry has begun to make certain vintages that wine lovers the world over would gladly add to their cellars.

Photo: dominikgolenia

A particular favorite of mine is Château Roslane Premier Cru from A.O.C. Les Coteaux de l’Atlas.

Escargot

Steamed and ladled cups of brothy escargot are a fun snack that you will most likely see on the street at night.

People gather around the snail seller’s cart and sip and nibble on these hot little striped-shell delicacies.

Sacred Experiences

The biggest challenge to travel in Morocco is that non-Muslim visitors are not allowed into mosques and shrines, with the Hassan II mosque in Casablanca being the exception.

Yet, the natural beauty of Morocco more than makes up for this and possesses what my Moroccan friend Saadia would call “the Big Waloo” — the Big Nothing — as in total, pure divine presence.

From ocean vista to mountain pass to the Big Waloo of the rosy-orange desert dunes of the south, the natural world’s sacred is open to all. You can take your pick following your own preferences.

For ocean-lovers, explore the Atlantic coast from Asilah to Essaouira.

Photo: Rosino

If you’re into mountains, anywhere in the interior — from north to south — gives way to great views whose only sign of human habitation comes from the shepherds and their brown-faced sheep, black goats, and sturdy donkeys.

Those who hear the desert’s call should head south to Merzouga and ride on a camel trek into the dunes.

For a rare chance at experiencing Moroccan sacred traditions as a local, come to Fez in June and July for The Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, when sacred spaces otherwise closed to visitors open their doors throughout the city.

Another similar music festival unfolds annually in Essaouira in June: The Gnaoua and World Music Festival.

Romantic Locales

Asilah and Essaouira command a romantic air, with their oceanside settings and well-established art scenes. These are also two cities with an open, international mood that makes them relaxing.

Asilah is smaller and a bit more intimate, while Essaouira has more expansive possibilities. Both have the dramatic backdrop of fortified old towns against the great watery blue of the Atlantic.

Rabat is Morocco’s most mellow and cosmopolitan city, one that invites visitor interaction with the locals. Numerous cafes offer comfortable places for men and women to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee.

Photo: Vibragiel

Seaside Rabat’s medieval neighborhood, the walled medina, is a welcoming place to walk, shop, and talk to artisans carving or painting wood or working silver and gold.

Finally, the Roman ruins of Volubilis, the Roman provincial capital of this part of Africa (and known in Arabic as Walili), is worth a mention.

Its romantic appeal lies in the beautiful Meknes Valley that surrounds it, and in the ancient stones and mosaics of the old city.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Other guides in the Eat, Pray, Love series can be found on Portugal and Spain.

Three more articles that will satiate your food, spirit, and love needs are The World’s Best Cities for Late Night Food, How to Respectfully Visit Holy Places Around the World, and The Romantic’s Cheap Guide to Southern France.

Photo above: left-hand, Feature photo: mandj98

The neon sign, one of Vegas’ most recognizable landmarks, was installed in 1959, back in the casino town’s glory days.

Now, it’s been added to the ranks of the National Register of Historic Places — a fitting designation for a structure that very well could be the city’s oldest. Casinos come and casinos go, but the ultra-retro welcome emblem has managed to survive unaltered. Read more on the story here.

Throughout its five decades, the sign has also been featured in countless photos snapped by Strip-goers.

Do you have a good shot of the famous landmark? Share it with the world by posting a link in the comments.

Community Connection

Visitors with a desire to mix some environmentalism with their gambling should check out Matador’s Green Guide to Las Vegas. Or, to truly get in touch with Sin City, hit up The Top Dive Bars in Las Vegas.

For a local’s perspective on this desert oasis, give Walker Rose’s My Hometown in 500 Words: Las Vegas, NV a read.

Photo: Bernt Rostad

OK. You’ve decided you want to take the world’s longest and most famous train ride. But aside from playing cards, drinking tea (ahem, vodka), and eating noodles on the train, what are you going to do? Unless you really have to be somewhere, I highly recommend at least a few stops along the journey.

Kizhi Island

Hardly a quick side trip, Kizhi Island — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — is a bit off the beaten track. It’s most easily visited from Petrozavodsk, which is an overnight train ride from St. Petersburg. Yes, most people begin their Trans-Siberian journey from Moscow, but I say if you’re going to do it, go all out and start from St. Pete.

Photo: Author

From Petrozavodsk, it’s a quick ferry ride (or snowcat in the winter) to this open-air museum of fantastic wooden architecture.

The Transconfiguration Church, with its 22 domes, is the obvious eye-pleaser. Russia’s oldest wooden church, dating back to the 14th century — the Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus — is also a highlight. It’s crazy to think that these wooden structures use no nails or metal at all.

The reconstructed village of Karelia offers some insight into the traditions and life of peasants in the Karelia region. While there is no overnight accommodation for visitors, there are some residents living on the island.

Kizhi is also accessible as a port of call for cruises between Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Note: Smoking on the island is prohibited!

Suzdal

Photo: Author

You’ll most likely be spending time in Moscow. If you want to get away from the hectic city for a breather, a five-hour bus ride will get you to the little church town of Suzdal. There are more churches than you can shake a stick at, and they are mostly architecturally varied. At one point in time there was one church per every 12 residents.

It’s a beautiful (and I dare say romantic) town to stroll around, with its colourful little houses, green meadows, and peaceful streams. Watch old Ladas sputter past you and chickens peck religiously on front lawns.

Suzdal is part of the Golden Ring, a chain of towns northeast of Moscow. Each one played an important part in Russian history and culture, including a “significant role in the formation of the Russian Orthodox Church,” so you may also want to work more of these into your itinerary.

Krasnoyarsk

Photo: Author

A tick over 4000 kms east of Moscow is the city of Krasnoyarsk. After being on the train for 65 hours you’ll want a chance to give your legs a good, long stretch. This is the perfect place for it.

The Stolby Nature Reserve can be reached by city bus and is home to the famous “pillars.” Scattered throughout the forest are tall and unusually shaped rock structures; they are the object of tradition and folklore to the residents of Krasnoyarsk.

They also make a great base for practicing free climbing — rock climbing without a rope — which we gave a shot on a couple of the smaller rocks. Just be careful; going up is one thing, coming down is a bit tougher.

Olkhon Island

Everyone stops in Irkutsk; it’s just something you do. But not everyone makes the trip to Olkhon Island, a small piece of land in Lake Baikal.

A bus (or van) transports you six hours away from Irkutsk, along both smooth and bumpy roads, and across the water on a small ferry, before unloading you in Kuzhir. Kuzhir is the largest settlement on the island which I heard just got electricity in 2005. Better late than never.

Photo: Cyrille Le Déaut

Nikita’s Homestay is the place to go for accommodation. Try to get into one of the cozy little huts with a wood-burning stove. The costs include all meals, which are wonderful and usually feature the native Baikal fish, omul.

They’ll even pack up your lunch in a take-away bag if you want to go off and explore the island. There are sandy beaches, rolling hills, and taiga to keep you busy. And when you’re out there, stop and listen to the silence. It’s golden.

The only way to shower at Nikita’s is banya style. These are Russian saunas, where you sweat yourself silly for a while, then pour cool water from a barrel over yourself (or your partner) with a big ladle. Soap up, rinse, repeat. This is best done late in the evening because you will want to sleep right after. If only I could build one of these in my flat.

More options

10 minutes outside Omsk / Photo: Bernt Rostad

Of course, there are numerous other stops you can make along the way to break up your trip. If the thought of three days on the train between Moscow and Krasnoyarsk has you feeling claustrophobic already, you may want to consider overnighting at Ekatinerinburg, Omsk, and/or Novosibirsk.

Don’t overstay your visa

Be very careful of your visa situation. A Finnish couple we hosted received their Russian visa, valid for a week. Even though the embassy assured them it was alright before they left, they were detained and extorted for ridiculous sums of money as they tried to exit Russia after their visas expired.

Don’t make the same mistake. Make sure your visa is good for a month and get out of dodge before it expires. It’s not a game worth playing.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

Don’t think you can do this independently, with not one single agent’s help? Think again: Why You Should Travel Independently on the Trans-Siberian Railway.

For detailed blog entries about my trip in late 2007, the first post is here.

Photo above: Mossaiq, Feature photo: laverrue

Tourists, rejoice!

Matador subscribers have likely already heard the buzz surrounding the reopening of the Statue of Liberty’s crown to visitors.

Photo: Lori Greig

Shortly after President Obama took office, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar visited the national monument and expressed his desire to do away with the post-9/11 restriction — pending a full safety review, of course.

That review has been completed, and last Friday Salazar announced that, starting July 4, the crown will receive its first visitors in nearly eight years.

To commemorate the event, NPR followed up with a list of facts about the iconic American landmark…some of which may surprise you.

Statue of Liberty fun facts

Flesh and bone: Our fair lady’s form is rendered in copper, supported by a framework of steel and a 27,000-ton concrete foundation. Her torch (which unfortunately will remain inaccessible to tourists) reaches 305 feet above the ground.

Photo: Oquendo

A room with a view: Visitors will be able to gaze from the 25 windows cut into the crown, giving a unique perspective on the New York skyline across the harbor.

Steady now!: On a blustery day, concentrate hard and you might be able to feel the statue sway. It shifts as much as three inches when hit with 50 mph gusts.

Beacon of hope?: Despite the uplifting symbolism of the statue, at least three people have committed suicide by throwing themselves from its heights. Hopefully the safety improvements that have been made took this into consideration.

Don’t forget France: A well-known fact that bears repeating. The statue came as a gift from France in 1886 to honor the success of U.S. democracy. Merci!

Community Connection:

For the scoop on seeing this and other NYC attractions during these economically questionable times, check out our Budget Guide to New York City.

Photo above: Señor Codo, Feature photo: Robert S. Donovan

Down, but not out.

After the Great Fire of 1871 leveled it, Chicago took the opportunity to reinvent itself, setting off a campaign of reconstruction that saw the city welcome some of the biggest names in architecture to the Midwest. Over the decades that followed, Chicago became a proving ground for innovative new designs and techniques.

Today, downtown Chicago is one of the world’s great open-air museums, showcasing masterworks by luminaries like Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe. In a city famous for its buildings, these are some of the best:

1. Sears Tower

Photo: Señor Codo

Wacker Dr. & Jackson Blvd.
Oct-April: Daily, 10am-8pm
May-Sept: Daily, 10am-10pm

Despite the controversy over its upcoming name change, the Western Hemisphere’s tallest building remains as impressive as ever.

When it was completed in 1973, the 1,450-foot Sears Tower was the world’s tallest building, a title it would hold until the Petronas Towers surpassed it in 1998. With its blocky, glass-and-steel aesthetic, the office building continues to be one of Chicago’s most recognizable symbols.

The main attractions for visitors are the 99th- and 103rd-floor skydecks, which look out over Lake Michigan and four different states; visibility tops 50 miles on clear days. Admission is $12.95 for a full-price adult ticket.

2. Rookery Building

Photo: swanksalot

209 S. Lasalle St.
Mon-Fri: 9am-8pm
Sat: 9am-4pm

Named for the giant flocks of pigeons that once roosted onsite, the Rookery is really two buildings in one.

Viewed from the street, the red marble and Romanesque adornments of the Rookery’s facade are echoes of the grandeur of the 19th century.

Inside, the vaulted ceiling and bold geometric metalwork of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed lobby are pure Prairie School.

While the Rookery is privately owned, the lobby is open to the public during business hours.

3. Chicago Board of Trade

141 W. Jackson Blvd.
Mon-Fri: 8am-4:30pm

Looming over the LaSalle St. “canyon,” this Art Deco-era skyscraper has a way with the imagination. The tower is a favorite destination of moviemakers, most recently gracing screens as the backdrop for a high-speed showdown between Batman and the Joker in The Dark Knight.

When it’s not hosting superheroes, the building is home to the less thrilling but equally important Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The visitor’s center, located in the lobby, offers information and exhibits on the history of the building and its tenants.

Photo: mcclouds

4. Chicago Cultural Center

Washington St. and Michigan Ave.
Monday-Thursday: 8am-7pm
Friday: 8am-6pm
Saturday: 9am-6pm
Sunday: 10am-6pm

Photo: rpongsaj

Dedicated in 1897 as Chicago’s first public library, the Chicago Cultural Center’s scholarly opulence more than fits in on Michigan Avenue.

On an architectural level, the Beaux Arts-influenced design is as ornate as they come, complete with grand, red-carpeted staircases, Romanesque arches, and the largest Tiffany glass dome in the world, measuring 38 feet across.

In addition to its intrinsic attraction, the center is one of Chicago’s most visited museums and features an eclectic array of art exhibits, live music, and dance performances.

Admission is free.

5. Illinois Institute of Technology – Bronzeville Campus

3201 S. State St.

Spread over ten city blocks in Chicago’s Douglas neighborhood, IIT’s main campus contains the world’s largest concentration of buildings designed by Modernist pioneer Mies van der Rohe, who served as director of the university’s architectural school for nearly two decades.

More recent additions include the Rem Koolhaas-designed McCormick Tribune Campus Center, a slinky, futuristic structure built under and around the elevated train tracks. The campus is easily accessible by public transportation via the Green Line’s Bronzeville stop.

Community Connection:

Intrigued? Admit it — architecture’s interesting. To further your knowledge, why not visit these Top 10 Places to Study Architecture?

Want to network with some Chicagoans? jshugs and jrblues are just two members of the Matador community that currently call the Windy City home.

She’d be happier in a boutique hostel. / Photo: Mart_Moppel Feature photo: Kivanc Nis

The term boutique hostel is so new that you can’t even find it in Wikipedia. Go on. Try it. In fact, boutique hostel may even be an oxymoron, and I’m sure backpackers of the world will not be taking a particular shine to this phrase.

Nonetheless, something that seems to fall between a regular hostel, B&B, guesthouse, and boutique hotel has cropped up. Of course, it’s all marketing — they’re really just “very nice hostels.”

What’s going on?

According to Benji Ladyano at the Guardian, vacationers are looking for more budget accommodations in these difficult economic times, and the entrepreneurial spirit of hostel owners is leading to better and increased services in the typical hostel.

It seems the backpackers and flashpackers are going to have to move over to make room.

So where can you can find one?

Guardian.co.uk has started an interactive directory of worldwide boutique hostels. Categorized by continent, there are already boutique hostels listed in Ghana, Morocco, Thailand, Germany, Portugal, Peru, Canada, and Australia, among many other countries.

A room at El Diablo Tranquilo / Photo: Seth Anderson

If you’ve stayed in one and want to share it with others, pop in a review and they’ll consider adding it to the growing list.

Of special note, the boutique hostel El Diablo Tranquilo is owned and operated by our very own Matador Community member Brian Meissner. The hostel in Punta del Diablo, Uruguay is found under L. America in the World’s Best Boutique Hostels list.

Brian has his own take on why we’re starting to see boutique hostels emerging:

Boutique hostels let you sleep comfortably, enjoy creative design ideas in interesting locations, give you all the services of a specialty hotel, yet still allow for that impromptu drinking game in the lobby and the liberating idea that the guy next to you at breakfast might be a doctor from Germany or a student from Chile, but he’s also left his friends and his home and is right in the same boat you are, ready for anything and looking for people to share it with.

Whatever the reason, if it leads to more Internet, less hair in the drain, and a smilier host, I’m all for it.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

Whether or not you stay in a boutique hostel or a more traditional one, you may find some useful ideas here: Hostel Sex: A Practical Guide for Backpackers.

Can’t afford the boutique hostel? That’s alright. Matador editor Tom Gates has some solid tips on How to Make Your Hostel Less Hostile.

Photo above: *spud*, Feature photo: pfala

Life.com has uncovered the world’s 10 most photographed cities. Or, at least, they’ve conducted a search of Flickr photos and determined which 10 cities are tagged most often by site users.

You can check out the list at the source, but here’s what made the cut:

10. Toronto
9. Barcelona
8. Berlin
7. Seattle
6. Tokyo
5. Chicago
4. San Francisco
3. Paris
2. New York City
1. London

It’s impossible to know which cities are actually photographed most frequently (I’d wager Beijing), but a quick perusal through my own electronic album seems to put me in the company of the Flickr aficionados — I have around 1,000 shots of London, taken during a quick 10-day visit last September.

What does this list say about the cities on it? Are they more attractive than others, or do they simply host more tourists (or more Flickr members)?

Do you agree with the results? What cities feature most prominently in your collection? Create your own top 10 in the comments!

Community Connection:

For tips on how to bust out killer travel photos, read up on Ryan Libre’s Studies in Travel Photography: Perspective, Timing, and Themes.

We can’t all get the perfect shot all the time. For the post-processors out there, here’s a rundown of Free Photo Editing Software to Enhance Your Travel Photography.

Photo above: earcos, Feature photo: moriza

Europe

Amsterdam

The “bicycling capital of Europe” tops many lists—including this one, it seems—as the most bike friendly city anywhere. Safe and extensive route networks, serious governmental promotion, and a bike culture that transcends class boundaries are all reasons why 40% of the city’s traffic moves on two wheels.

Barcelona

Barcelona’s Bicing program, one of many mass bike rental systems that have popped up recently in Europe and beyond, debuted two years ago, and the Catalan capital hasn’t looked back. An annual Bike Week is held in late May to spread the word.

Berlin

Photo: tandemracer

Commuting Berliners are never lonely—400,000 of them pedal to work each day. City leaders still aren’t satisfied with this figure, and millions of euros have been allocated to encourage more cyclists to take to the streets. There’s even a website that helps you map out bike-specific routes.

Copenhagen

In the Danish capital, nearly a third of the workforce gets to the office by bike. By some estimates, that’s more than 1 million kilometers pedaled every day!

For a truly alternative urban experience, check out Christiania, a neighborhood of 850 that, in addition to setting up a semi-independent government and decriminalizing trade in cannabis, has banned cars.

Paris

Paris gets a nod here for its creation of Vélib’, the world’s largest public bicycle rental program. Twenty thousand stylish three-speeds are distributed among 1,450 rental stations throughout the city, available to subscribers at variable rates (rides under 30 minutes are free).

North America

Boulder

Denver’s little hippy bro to the north dedicates 15% of its transportation budget to improving and promoting bicycle travel. Nearly every major roadway has a designated cycling area, and they’ve even instituted a pilot program to get kids biking to school. This guy has created a very cool color-coded route map, complete with local attractions.

Chicago

Photo: mugley

Mayor Richard Daley is set on turning Chicago into “the most bicycle-friendly city in the United States.” It doesn’t appear to be all talk, either, as more bike lanes pop up all the time, and last year the city passed laws to protect cyclists’ safety.

All you could ever want to know about Chicago’s bicycle initiatives—and much more—can be found here.

Davis

It’s said that there are more bikes than cars in this small, northern California city of 62,000. Not only that, but its official motto is “Most bicycle friendly town in the world.” Davis has no school buses—kids are encouraged to ride to class instead. The entire month of May is dedicated to Cyclebration…and the list goes on.

Ottawa

The States may have its bright spots, but the fact remains that Canada’s capital claims the highest percentage of bike commuters on the continent. Its 170 km worth of paths make it easy to get from point A to B, though two-wheeled traffic is sure to drop between December and March. Further info is available here.

Photo: MaximeF

Portland

You were worried there for a second, weren’t you? No, I haven’t forgotten what most people consider the bike capital of the U.S. The only thing as impressive as Portland’s bicycle infrastructure (including a 260-mile network) and commuter stats (almost 10%, the highest in the country) is the camaraderie of its cyclist community.

San Francisco

The founding city of the Critical Mass bicycle demonstration can’t be overlooked. Over the past decade, bicycle collisions have declined while the number of bike commuters has nearly doubled.

Photo: Charles Haynes

Add San Francisco’s constant activities like removing car parking to make room for bike parking, distributing Watch for Bikes stickers (to be placed on driver’s side rearview mirrors), and its pending Bike Share program and you get one of the world’s bike-friendliest cities.

Elsewhere

Photo: Dan Zen

Beijing

Debatable? Sure. But the city with probably the most bicycles of any in the world can’t be considered bike unfriendly, can it?

The sheer number of cyclists necessitates some pretty sophisticated infrastructure for the travel, storage, and repair of two-wheeled vehicles.

Cape Town

African cities might not be the first you think of for bike friendliness, but Cape Town is doing its best to change that.

The South African capital is in the process of beefing up its pedal-power credentials with the creation of cycling lanes, dedicated bike parking, and public commuter showers.

Bogotá

Bogotá’s transportation initiatives have been a model for change throughout Latin America, and its treatment of bicycles is no exception. Miles of safe, segregated bike paths and Sunday Ciclovía events (where main throughways are closed to cars) make Colombian cyclists very happy.

Perth

With more than 700 km of bike routes and plenty to see along them, Australia’s fourth largest city is where it’s at for Down Under saddle jockeys. For maps, recommended rides, and other cycling goodies, this site has what you need.

Community Connection:

If you’re looking for some inspiration to make the switch to bike commuting, check out this article.

In the interest of geographical diversity, this list includes picks from across the globe. Did we get some wrong? Leave any out? Let us know in the comments!

And the bigger questions… What is it that makes a place “bike friendly” anyway, and how can you encourage your city, town, or village to fall in line?

Photo: gomattolson

The Sears Tower, Chicago

While the Sears Tower is not a building renowned for its beauty, the SkyDeck on the 103rd floor (412 meters) looks out over one of the United States’ most beautiful cities and, on a clear day, as far as 50 miles across Illinois and Lake Michigan into Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

Photo: respres

Top of the Rock, New York

Re-opened in 2005 after a 19-year and $75 million renovation, the 259-meter high observation platform on the top floors of Rockefeller Center gives sweeping views of the city, highlighted by a close-up of the Empire State Building.

Photo: Ralph Hockens

Stratosphere Tower, Las Vegas

The tallest freestanding observation tower in the USA offers views over Sin City and the surrounding desert. For adrenaline junkies, three of the world’s highest thrill rides are at the top: Big Shot, XSCREAM, and Insanity: The Ride.

Photo: mandj98

Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai

Arguably the most recognizable building in the ever-expanding business district of Pudong in Shanghai, the 468-meter tower provides visitors the chance to gaze out on one of China’s most rapidly growing cities.

Photo: Alex Buhrmann

Sky Tower, Auckland

If you don’t go up for the views, you can visit one of the world’s highest casinos, or attach yourself to a wire and plummet 192 meters toward the ground below on the famous SkyJump.

Photo: johnlillnz

The London Eye, London

Otherwise known as the Millennium Wheel, this attraction is the most popular in the UK. Just across the Thames from the Houses of Parliament, the 135-meter high wheel takes 30 minutes to complete a full rotation, giving you plenty of time to soak up the London scene.

Photo: nedrichards

Eiffel Tower, Paris

The Eiffel Tower was the world’s first structure built simply for the pleasurable viewing from atop. At 325 meters, it was once the world’s tallest building. The tower still welcomes over 6 million visitors a year, making it the most popular monument in the world.

Photo: sho33y

The Singapore Flyer, Singapore

Having beaten London and Nanchang in China, Singapore now boasts the world’s largest observation wheel at 165 meters, a height which allows you to look over the entire country and parts of Indonesia and Malaysia.

Photo: Jarnojii

Taipei 101, Taipei

Since its completion in 2004, this 509-meter building is the world’s highest and boasts the loftiest outdoor observation platform on the 91st floor. The Burji Dubai is already taller than Taipei 101, but can’t claim the height title until construction is finished at the end of 2009.

Photo: orange tuesday

CN Tower, Toronto

Boasting the record of the tallest completed freestanding structure on land, the CN Tower reaches over 553 meters. The tower contains a revolving restaurant, three observation decks, and the world’s highest glass floor elevators.

Photo: PoYang

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

If this list doesn’t satisfy your desire to get high, check out our picks for the world’s 10 best rooftop bars.

Photo by James.

In Brussels, I went overboard on a $90 cab ride (it was a Mercedes– I’d never ridden in one before). The ride was worth every penny.

When traveling to a pricey destination, preparing mentally (and increasing your credit limit) can lessen the shock. A 2008 Mercer survey listed the following as the world’s most expensive cities:

1. Moscow

Moscow has been number one on Mercer’s list for the last three years. Home to the most billionaires in the world (74), Moscow’s cost of living is 42% higher than New York’s. On Tretyakovsky Proezd, you can stroll past upscale boutiques like Bulgari, Tiffany & Co., Armani, and Prada.

You can put your nose to the window on Tverskaya Street (Gorky Street), the nighttime playground of the nouveau riche Russians.

Thankfully, walking through Red Square is still free. And the Moscow Metro, with its famous architecture and artwork, only costs 19R ($US 0.70).

2. Tokyo

Photo by Anna Pearson

Along with New York and London, Tokyo is one of the world’s three financial command centers. In Tokyo, you can go overboard at the Aragawa Steakhouse, number one in 2006 and 2007 on Forbes Most Expensive Restaurants in the World list.

At Aragawa, you’ll pay upwards of $400 for the sake-fed Wagyu beef.

Luckily, Tokyo’s subway is cheap: 160 yen ($US 1.80) to 300 yen ($US 3.40). And a springtime picnic under the sakura (cherry blossoms) in Shinjuku Gyoen National Gardens won’t break the bank.

3. Oslo

Norway’s recent oil boom spurred a massive infusion of wealth. The maritime sector also remains strong, with many of the world’s largest shipping companies based here.

Prices on goods and services are among the highest of any city. A beer at a pub costs up to 87 NOK ($12). Hearing the fat ladies sing at the Norwegian National Opera will drain you of 160-400NOK ($US23-$US57).

4. London

Photo by Paul Bence

With English as the native tongue of business, London is another one of the world’s top financial centers. According to a recent Zagat survey, London is the priciest city in the world for dining. An average dinner here sets you back 58 GBP ($US 79).

Fortunately, a ride on London’s famous Tube starts at 1.60 GBP with an Oyster card, or 4.00 GBP in cash ($US 2.25-6.00), while the iconic double decker buses cost just 1.00-2.00 GBP ($US 1.50-3.00).

5. Seoul

Seoul is sixth in the world with respect to the number of Fortune Global 500 transnational companies headquartered here. The affluent Gangnam district will suck you dry.

But sampling kimchi at the Kimchi Field Museum only costs 3000 SKW ($US 2.20). Vices also come cheap in Seoul. A pack of Marlboro’s costs 1900 SKW ($US 1.40), and a pint of local Korean draft beer costs 2500 SKW ($US 1.80).

6. Copenhagen

Much of Copenhagen’s recent wealth stems from the Medicon Valley on its outskirts, one of the strongest pharmaceutical and biotech clusters in Europe.

According to British lifestyle magazine Monocle, Copenhagen was the best city for quality of life in 2008 and the World’s Best Design City 2008. A recent boom in modern architecture led to a profusion of buildings by Hadid, Liebeskind, Foster, and others. Thankfully, viewing the buildings is free.

7. Geneva

Here, the cost of living index is 50% higher than in Chicago or San Francisco. With a historically strong private banking tradition, Geneva remains the world’s sixth most important banking center.

Watchmaking also remains a stalwart, with Rolex, Patek Philippe, Raymond Weil, and Omega all headquartered here. Chocoholics beware: a twelve ounce assortment of Teuscher truffles sets you back SFr 44 ($US 38)!

8. Hong Kong

Photo: Steve Webel

Hong Kong is nearly 20% more expensive than NYC. With one of the freest capitalist economies in the world, Hong Kong has the greatest concentration of corporate headquarters in the Asian Pacific region.

Indulgences gouge you here. A superior room at the landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel costs HKD 3200 ($412) a night, and a 60 minute Chinese massage at the Mandarin’s spa costs HKD 900 ($116).

Luckily, the funicular that climbs the 373 meters between central Hong Kong and the Peak only costs HKD 22 ($US 2.84, one way).

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

With the economic recession spreading around the world, it’s unlikely that any of these expensive cities will be on budget travelers’ 2009 itineraries. If you’re looking for some shoestring itineraries, be sure to check out Matador’s budget guides, which cover Berlin, New York City, Paris, and Singapore, among others!

DUMBO. Photo by _Imaji_

New York City’s most populous borough for almost a century, Brooklyn has also recently become, by many accounts, the hippest.

It’s not just artists and young people who are fleeing across the East River. New York’s preeminent publishers, bankers, and advertising executives, as well as numerous other professionals who could afford to live anywhere, are snatching up luxury condos and historic brownstones throughout the borough.

Photo by Jeky

There’s only one group of people who haven’t discovered Brooklyn yet: visitors.

Be ahead of the curve. On your next trip to New York, set aside some time to explore a few of Brooklyn’s interesting neighborhoods.

Williamsburg

Favored by artists and hipsters, Williamsburg is the place to go if you’re craving a cold beer and a live show. Popular venues include Pete’s Candy Store, the Music Hall of Williamsburg and Warsaw.

A stroll down Bedford Avenue will introduce you to the neighborhood’s flavor. If visiting on Friday night or Saturday afternoon, venture behind the ropes at the Brooklyn Brewery.

Or explore South Williamsburg, home to a large population of Hasidic Jews who migrated from the Lower East Side after the Williamsburg Bridge was built in 1903.

DUMBO

A walk across the Brooklyn Bridge lands you in this artsy area, an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass.

Primarily industrial until the 1970s, and then home to artists who turned abandoned factories in studios and lofts, today’s DUMBO is home to Brooklyn’s most expensive real estate. Artists long ago fled to cheaper areas, but their influence remains. See the art galleries and theaters that inhabit old warehouses.

Photo by Josh Derr

Peek in at the Jacques Torres Chocolate factory before relaxing at the waterfront Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park, with unrivaled Manhattan views.

Brooklyn Heights

South of DUMBO is Brooklyn Heights, whose brownstones and churches, many of which date to the 19th century, give it a distinctive small town feel.

Walk along the Promenade for great city views, or past the regal residences of Columbia Heights to see where luminaries like Norman Mailer once lived. Stop in at the Brooklyn Historical Society to learn more about the borough’s past.

Montague Street offers many restaurants and shops, and a short walk takes you to the New York Transit Museum, where you can trace the history of New York’s subway system and step inside dozens of decommissioned train cars.

Red Hook

Recently settled by IKEA and MTV’s The Real World, Red Hook is on the rise. Get there via the free water taxi from Pier 11 in lower Manhattan, courtesy of IKEA, and then wander among the unique amalgamation of bland industrial buildings and hip restaurants and bars.

Explore the New York Harbor’s interesting history at the Waterfront Museum, housed on a retrofitted railroad barge.

The Waterfront Museum. Photo by Pro-zak

See works by up-and-coming artists at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artist Coalition, located in an antebellum warehouse with a spectacular front-facing view of the Statue of Liberty.

Park Slope

A neighborhood of tree-lined streets and townhouses, Park Slope is popular with young families. Prepare to dodge strollers as you browse the trendy boutiques along Seventh and Fifth Avenues.

Park Slope Brownstones. Photo by David Berkowitz

Meander through Prospect Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted after he completed Central Park in Manhattan. It boasts a zoo, ice skating rink, boathouse, and band shell. Also check out the impressive botanical gardens and art museum on the park’s northern edge.

Prospect Park in Autumn. Photo by ajagendorf25

Coney Island

Located at the southern tip of the borough, Coney Island is an hour’s subway ride from midtown Manhattan, but it’s worth the trip. Once home to a major resort and amusement parks, Coney Island takes you back to another era.

Coney Island. Photo by blhphotography

Sunbathe at the small beach (summer only!) or learn about the history of the neighborhood at the Coney Island Museum. Stroll down the boardwalk to the New York Aquarium. There are always events happening like the annual Mermaid Parade and Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

The New York Aquarium. Photo by je_roen

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

What’s your favorite NYC borough and why? Share your neighborhood secrets in the comments below!

The hustle and bustle of San Francisco’s Chinatown during the Autumn Moon Festival. Above photo by Dawn Endico. Feature photo by Bala.

Singapore

Singapore’s Chinatown, once home to the first Chinese settlers in what’s now a heavily Westernized city-state, is one of its few distinctly Asian neighborhoods.

The Grand Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. Above photo by Riza.

The enclave was home to the area’s earliest Chinese settlers. Several of its institutions, such as the Heritage Centre, Food Street, and Night Market, preserve the culture of its original inhabitants, while some areas of the district are designated national heritage sites.

Many historic buildings remain as relics of the past, as well as to complement the otherwise modern landscape.

Melbourne

Melbourne boasts the oldest Chinatown in the world, established during Victoria’s Gold Rush in 1854.

Yum Cha Cafe serves up some delicious, dainty egg tarts. Photo by Avlxyz.

Catch the world’s longest Chinese dragon– the Millennium Dai Loong Dragon tops 100 meters — in action as it is brought to life by 200 people during the Chinese New Year parade.

Kuala Lumpur

The capital of Malaysia was actually founded by Chinese tin prospectors in the 1850s, who played a pivotal role in the city’s transformation from a jungle settlement to a center for the tin mining industry. The Chinese remain the city’s dominant ethnic group and control a large proportion of the country’s commerce.

Photo by Jason Weemin.

Chinatown, known locally as Petaling Street or Jalan Petaling, is famous for its food stalls and night market, where shoppers can load up on fresh produce and counterfeit DVDs, watches and purses (don’t forget to haggle).

Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia

Arriving in Georgetown, Penang, off the west coast of Malaysia after a long journey from Thailand, you may almost think that you accidentally traveled all the way to China. The city’s Chinatown is one of the largest and best preserved in the world, with everyday sights and sounds reminiscent of a small city in China.

Offerings at a local shrine. Photo by Sam Sherratt.

Most residents are descended from Chinese immigrants who arrived in Penang during the colonial era and made their fortunes as traders and shopkeepers. Many of their original shops are still intact today.

Toronto

In the most ethnically diverse city in the world, residents have their pick of seven Chinatowns. The city’s main Chinatown was formed in the late 1960s, when many businesses in the original Chinatown were forced to move.

Vending mangoes off of Spadina Avenue. Photo by High Limitzz.

Since the 1980s, the Greater Toronto Area’s Chinese community has migrated to the suburbs of Scarborough, Mississauga, Richmond Hill, Markham, and North York, where shopping centers are reminiscent of Hong Kong’s malls and street stalls.

New York

New York’s first Chinese residents began arriving in Manhattan’s Lower East Side in the late 19th century to escape discriminatory measures on the West Coast. In the 1980s, the neighborhood eclipsed San Francisco’s as the largest Chinatown outside Asia.

Getting ready for the Chinese New Year’s parade in NYC. Photo by Bob Jagendorf.

But don’t overlook the city’s other Chinese enclaves – in Elmhurst and Flushing in Queens, and along Avenue U and 8th Avenue in Brooklyn. In fact, Flushing’s Chinatown has now surpassed Manhattan’s in size.

Vancouver

There’s a reason this city has been nicknamed “Hongcouver.” In the years leading up to Hong Kong’s 1997 handover to China, waves of wealthy immigrants flooded the city. The mayor, Sam Sullivan, even speaks Cantonese.

Discount DVDs at the night market. Photo by Dave O.

Vancouver’s Chinatown dates back to the early 20th century, although recent arrivals have headed for the suburb of Richmond, where many of the Chinese restaurants are considered the best outside of Hong Kong.

San Francisco

The city’s Chinese New Year parade, an annual event since the 1860s, is the largest Asian cultural celebration outside of Asia. Chinatown may seem like a tacky tourist trap, but one cannot ignore the history and significance of one of the world’s best-known Chinese quarters, once the stomping grounds of Sun Yat-Sen and Amy Tan.

Try a tea demonstration next time you find yourself on Grant Street. Photo by Ben Mason.

The original enclave, built in the 1850s by settlers who had arrived during the gold rush and railroad days, would be the world’s oldest had it not been destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. Since the 1960s, much of the city’s Chinese community has moved into the Sunset and Richmond districts, while newer immigrants often settle in the suburbs around the Bay Area.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

To read about a Chinatown really off the beaten path–in Havana, Cuba–check out Julie Schwietert’s blog, “Ni hao, companera.”

Some of the world’s Chinatowns are the perfect spots for you to practice your bargaining skills — brush up before you go, with our guide to haggling. And check out Matador community member Hal Amen’s recent blog post from London: Your Friendly Neighborhood Chinatown.

The country produces more varieties than there are days in a year, and many come with personalized glasses in which only that type may be served.

But beer isn’t all the country has to offer. On your next trip to Brussels, Belgium’s capital, sober up with some of these other activities.

1. Ascend the Atomium.

Built in 1958 when Brussels hosted the World’s Fair, the Atomium is a cross between sculpture and architecture.

It’s modeled after a crystallized molecule of iron magnified 150 thousand million times.

Escalators take visitors to expositions in the various spheres, and the upper sphere houses a restaurant, Chez Adrienne.

2. Experience Mini Europe.

At the foot of the Atomium is Mini Europe, the only place where touring the continent takes just a few hours. Roughly 80 cities and 350 buildings are represented.

Marvel at impressive reproductions of Europe’s most attractive monuments, watch Mount Vesuvius erupt, and see a Finnish girl dive into icy waters.

3. Discover Old Town.

The crown jewel of Brussels’ Old Town is the Grand Place, built as a merchants’ market in the 13th century. Tour the striking Gothic town hall or people watch from a café. Then, wander the surrounding cobblestone streets.

Stroll through the Galeries St. Hubert, a glass roofed arcade lined with cafes, theaters, and luxury shops. Also be sure to see the Manneken Pis, the famous bronze sculpture of a boy peeing in a fountain.

4. Sample world-famous chocolate.

Learn about Belgian chocolate at the Chocolate Museum, then visit some of the Brussels’ most celebrated chocolate shops.

Wittamer, in the heart of the city, is a family-owned chocolatier that’s been in business since 1910. It’s the official chocolate supplier to the Belgian Court.

Pierre Marcolini, whose flagship store is located near the Grand Place, is a newer but welcome addition to the Belgian chocolate scene.

Marcolini opened his first store in 1995, the same year he was named the World Champion of Pastry.

5. Revisit the comic strips of your youth.

Did you know that Tintin was created by a Belgian artist? You would if you visited Brussels’ Comic Strip Museum. See original pages of comic artwork, sketches and memorabilia.

Learn how the Smurfs, also of Belgian origin, got their start. (Hint: They’re a spin-off!)

6. Savor moules frites.

When Bruxellois devour this unofficial national dish, they eat the first mussel with their fingers and then scoop up the rest using the empty shell as a utensil.

And what about the fries? They dip those in mayonnaise.

Moules frites can be found at most restaurants, but if you’re near the Grand Place, try the mid-range and delicious L’Estaminet du Kelderke.

7. See a puppet performance.

Nestled at the end of a cobblestone alley in Old Town is Café Toone, whose cozy building dates from 1696.

Enjoy a drink with locals downstairs, then head up to the attic for a show like no other: marionettes perform Shakespeare and other classics.

8. Take a tour.

<>

Hop-on, hop-off bus tours, offered by Brussels City Tours, give a good overview of the city’s most famous sights. Catch the bus outside Central Station.

For do-it-yourselfers, take a walking tour of Brussels’ most upscale designers, explore the city’s antique and flea markets, or experience its beautiful green spaces.

9. Visit the EU.

As the European capital, Brussels is home to the European Union headquarters. Take an audio-guided tour of the European Parliament, the elected body of the EU.

During sessions, you can even attend a parliamentary sitting. Check for session dates here.

10. Okay, a little bit of beer…

Near the South train station, which connects Brussels to other cities in Europe, is one of the last traditional breweries, Cantillon.

Almost nothing has changed since the brewery opened in 1900.

See the open vats where their signature Lambic beer is cooled, and the oak wood barrels where it’s aged for up to three years.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

If Brussels is but one stop on your trip around Europe and you’re on a budget, check out Matador’s list of Top 10 Free Things to Do in Europe.

All photos by author.

Photo: Hessam

Travelers who are also wine enthusiasts know that California is their North American mecca. With more than 2,000 vineyards and wineries, California produces over 90% of the wine made in the U.S. An entire segment of the tourism industry has grown up around wine-based itineraries.

Photo: coba

Napa Valley, Sonoma, and the Central Coast offer the oeno-traveler the most wineries per square mile, and became only more popular after the release of the 2004 film, “Sideways.” Capitalizing on travelers’ interest, vineyards and wineries opened up their operations like never before.

In addition to the usual field and cellar tours, all sorts of new experiences were offered to tourists: wine hikes, bird’s eye vineyard tours from the perspective of a hot air balloon, and tours by train and bike.

The wide range of offerings paid off: 14.2 million international travelers visited California in 2006, and at least 11% enjoyed activities that were specifically geared to California’s wine and food industries.

Not all the fun’s in Napa, Sonoma, or the Central Coast, though. In fact, some of California’s most interesting destinations for wine-loving travelers are in totally unexpected places… like Los Angeles.

Photo: Rob

A bit off the well-beaten path of California’s wine trail is the San Antonio Winery, located in the heart of the city. San Antonio, named for Saint Anthony, was established in 1917 by Santo Cambianica, an Italian immigrant who was but one of many vintners in L.A. at that time.

Just three years later, though, the majority of his competitors had shuttered their wineries in the wake of Prohibition. Cambianica wasn’t one to give up. He worked his way around Prohibition by seeking permission to make wine of religious services rather than general consumption, and it was this creative intervention that kept his business afloat.

Today, the San Antonio Winery continues to make sacramental wine but also makes wine for the public, and it’s the only working winery in L.A. Guests can tour the cellar, participate in a wine seminar, sample wines during an artisan tasting, or enjoy Italian-inspired meals at the winery’s own restaurant, which was built in what was formerly the fermentation cellar.

Located five minutes from downtown, the San Antonio Winery is an ideal option for wine enthusiasts who don’t want to stray into the countryside or have no plans to make it to the coast.

The fact that the winery is family owned and has been for four generations will guarantee the personal touch of some of the more remote wineries, and the fact that it’s tucked into the city means that you’re likely to enjoy a winery that’s not overrun with wine trail tourists.

Community Connection

Matador member and frequent contributor Craig Martin is a traveling wine aficionado. Read more about his recommendations in How to Drink Wine Like a Pro.

New York City – Central Park

The credit for Central Park belongs to many individuals. Evening Post editor William Cullen Bryant called for its creation in 1844. Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux provided the plan – winning a public design competition.

The project took 20 years to complete. Live concerts, boating, running, cycling, museums, restaurants – Central Park has so many things to do that you will find it hard to make time for the rest of the city. Check out the Central Park Conservancy for free walking tours.

Dublin – Phoenix Park

When in Dublin, tear yourself away from the Guinness factory to visit Phoenix Park and its gardens, monuments, and wildlife. This enclosed urban park (the largest in Europe) is a former royal hunting ground with a large herd of wild deer.

It was enclosed to keep the wildlife on the hunting grounds. It has been open to the public since 1745.

Chapultepec Park / photo by Leonardo, easthastings

Mexico City – Chapultepec Park

Located in the same spot as a former summer residence for Aztec rulers, Chapultepec Park is a popular spot, with 1800 acres, several lakes, forested land, museums, and the residence of the President of Mexico. This park also includes Chapultepec Castle, which serves as the National History Museum.

South Mountain Park / photo by John-Morgan

Phoenix, Arizona – South Mountain Park

With 16,283 acres, this is the largest city park in the United States. The land making up South Mountain Park was purchased and developed throughout the 20’s and 30’s.

South Mountain Park is part of the Sonoran desert, with 58 miles of trails available to hikers and bikers. Look for petroglyphs throughout the park. A trail guide is available online.

Santiago, Chile – Metropolitan Park

In downtown Santiago there is a 1785 acre park with tiered gardens, swimming pools, a zoo, a 45 feet tall statue of the the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, and panoramic views of the city. Metropolitan Park is also called San Cristobal Hill – named by conquistadors for St. Christopher.

Bitsevsky Park / photo by kygp

Moscow – Bitsevsky Park

This park offers a huge open area to get away from the city. It is the place in Moscow to go cycling in the summer and skiing in the winter. Don’t be put off by stories of a serial killer who used the park for his amusement from 2001 to 2006.

Philadelphia – Fairmount Park

Claiming to be within walking distance of every Philadelphia resident, Fairmount Park is a park system with 63 different sections. The largest chunk is along the Schuylkill River, offering fishing and paddling opportunities in addition to the usual park activities.

Stanley Park / photo by SqueakyMarmot

Vancouver – Stanley Park

Linked to downtown Vancouver by a series of biking and pedestrian routes, Stanley Park is easily accessible. It contains the Vancouver Aquarium, formal gardens, forest, beaches, and numerous sculptures and monuments scattered over 1000 acres. Start by renting a bicycle near the entrance and riding along the 10 km perimeter seawall. The seawall is a stone wall built to prevent erosion along the shore. Now it is the park’s most used facility.

Denver

With over 200 parks within the city, Denver has the largest park system within the United States. And with 300 days of sunshine each year, there is no bad time to visit. Start with Washington Park, City Park, and Cheesman Park.

Kings Park / photo by g-hat

Perth, Australia – Kings Park

Kings Park is my best memory from my visit to Perth. Many others probably feel the same, since it is the most popular visitor destination in Western Australia. Go walk among the treetops on the Lotterywest Federation Walkway, then just wander towards whatever catches your eye.

In the comments below, share the best city parks you’ve visited!

Feature photo by oNico®. Photo above by oNico®.

“How are you affording Paris?” my mother, in her overly-motherly way, wanted to know.

“Well,” I said, with a twinge of desperation. “We’re not, really.”

My partner and I didn’t have a hotel booked and we didn’t know what we would do when we got to Paris, except avoid spending as many Euros as possible.

We packed solemnly, listening to a barrage of radio reports on the desolate state of the world economy and wondering how long we could avoid paying this month’s rent.

Photo by Bryce Edwards.

Youthful Fortune

By lucky, youthful fortune, a friend of ours turned out to have a crumbling apartment in the Latin Quarter that we could stay in, as long as we were out by the end of the weekend—he’d recently sold the place and new ownership was soon to take effect.

On our last evening, we were having a meal on the mattress–cheese, pâté, wine–when a girl came into the apartment to take away all of the furniture.

It was embarrassing—our friend had forgotten to tell us she would be coming, and had forgotten to tell her that we would be there—but in broken language we all apologized until we were weary of apologizing, and then helped her unhook the washing machine from the wall.

We slept without a mattress that night, sweating profusely in the late August heat, but it was okay, somehow—and it was free.

Photo by oNico®.

Slow down to appreciate the rich detail

Mostly we walked around the city, but because my partner had recently sprained his ankle, we had to take it easy, and most of our walks were slow, aimless strolls. It turns out that this was good for me.

I had only been to Paris only once before, a year previous, on my own. I was poor, then, too, but less so; more than that I was lonely, for Paris is a strange place to be without a companion.

To combat the loneliness, I walked the walk of someone with a purpose, although I had none. I walked from the Place de Republique to the Notre Dame, from where I followed the curve of the Seine to the Eiffel Tower; then I crossed the water and hiked up to the top of Montmartre, where I lingered only for a coffee before climbing back down the mountain.

My feet hurt, and I had seen more of Paris than most weekend tourists, but none of it meant anything.

This time, I was reading The Flaneur by Edmund White. A flâneur is a kind of loiterer, a watcher in the city—and Paris, White writes, “is a world meant to be seen by the walker alone, for only the pace of strolling can take in all the rich (if muted) detail.”

Photo by baraka27.

Hungry In Paris

White also reminded me that Ernest Hemingway, a onetime writing hero of mine, was hungry and poor in Paris, too. There is a passage in A Moveable Feast that I had forgotten until I read The Flâneur; it starts thus:

“You got very hungry when you did not eat enough in Paris because all the bakery shops had such good things in the windows and people ate outside at tables on the sidewalk so that you saw and smelled the food”.

Then Hemingway describes how he used to wind his way around the city avoiding all the places that made him hungry and tempted to spend money.

My partner and I ate meals out of supermarkets and bakeries. Our favorite dinner was in a park near the Louvre, facing a trio of naked statues, finishing our €2 red and gorging ourselves on fresh bread and soft cheese.

We determined not to be hungry by carrying chocolate in our bags, sucking bittersweet squares while we passed handsome couples posed over elegantly arranged plates at streetside cafés.

The Occasional Splurge

Occasionally, we splurged, but even our splurges seemed austere. On Montmartre, we found a cafe my partner had been at years ago, a quiet place in a quiet square were we were the only ones speaking English.

We each ordered the special, a huge salad with fresh lettuce and beetroots and meat and cheese, and shared half a bottle of crisp white wine. We watched a pair of leathery middle-aged men doze in the red-and-yellow striped deck chairs outside the sign: Le Botak Café.

Photo by Damien Roué.

In search of a private moment

Of that enviable creature, the flâneur, Edmund White writes:

“He (or she) is not a foreign tourist tracing down the Major Sights and ticking them off a list of standard wonders. He (or she) is…in search of a private moment, not a lesson, and whereas wonders can lead to edification, they are not likely to give the viewer gooseflesh. No, it is the private Proustian touchstone—the madeleine, the tilting paving stone—that the flâneur is tracking down.”

My partner and I sought no major sights, initially because we could not afford to, but eventually because we had found a greater pleasure in the intimate, a curious thrill in our ability to watch.

We drank café au lait facing the street so we could see all the people. Our biggest expense was coffee, not accommodation or food.

Once, for the sheer poetry of it, we had a kir at Sartre’s café, Café de Flore, across from the Brasserie Lipp where Hemingway eats one hungry afternoon in A Moveable Feast. Because the drinks were so expensive we sipped slowly, enjoying being able to rest our feet while other people walked on by.

The waiter brought us a plate of green olives and we sucked them from a toothpick and picked the pits out from our teeth. As we were sitting there a sudden horde of rollerbladers came sweeping down the street, flanked by police cars. Beside me a svelte black-haired woman read Elle and drank a €5 coke through a straw, tapping her high-heeled feet.

Photo by ralphunden.

The rich poverty of youth and idealism

The Paris we found in our state of poverty—which is not, I should add, any true or cruel poverty, but rather the relative poverty of youth, and of idealism—is perhaps a more powerful Paris than we could ever have discovered if, flush with cash, we stayed in a glittering hotel, wandered the halls of the Louvre, dined at cafés along the Champs-Élysées, kissed at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

As it happened, we kissed instead at the top of the Institut Du Monde Arabe, which boasts free entry and sweeping views of the Seine, of Notre Dame, of countless rooftops.

On our last evening in Paris, we went to the Caveau des Oubliettes, around the corner from our (now mattress-less) apartment, to hear some blues. There is no cover charge, only a requirement that you buy a drink, so over a few pints of beer, we listened to the frenzied jams of various swaying musicians until the wee hours, when, dizzy and grinning, we emerged onto the street like two people transformed.

Hemingway may have written about hunger, about the stern beauty of a city that he was mostly always poor and cold in. But also he writes this:

“We ate well and cheaply and drank well and cheaply and slept well and warm together and loved each other.”

That’s something–and a far nicer something, in fact, than being able to afford a fancy hotel with a mattress or to enter every museum or shop for souvenirs.

The touch of a single tile

It is as Walter Benjamin, quoted in Edmund White, writes:

“The flâneur is the creation of Paris…he would be happy to trade all his knowledge of artists’ quarters, birthplaces, and princely palaces for the scent of a single weathered threshold or the touch of a single tile—that which any old dog carries away”

It is only when we are stripped of resource—penniless, young, lacking a full understanding of the language of the place—that we finally have the courage to adopt this philosophy of travel.

It is when we have nothing but our own wits, and perhaps the company of an intimate acquaintance, that we finally lose the pressure we have felt for so long, as travelers, to see this, and do that—we destroy our to-do lists and pursue, instead, “the touch of a single tile”.

And what we find along the way is sacred.

Your book purchases support Matador:

A Moveable Feast
The Flaneur

Photo above by judepics. Photo above by Emma and Michael’s Excellent Adventures.

Imagine doing yoga in the great outdoors, surrounded by some of Spain’s tallest mountains. Imagine clean, pine-scented Alpine air mingling with a sultry sea salt breeze infused with orange blossom each time you inhale.

This heady mix exists in Órgiva, 52 kilometers south of Granada, 29 kilometers north of the Mediterranean coast, and set deep in the Alpujarras mountains of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in southern Spain.

Photo by judepics.

Órgiva is a mountain town that, like its Alpine-Mediterranean air, mixes traditional Andalusian and New Age international cultures. The blend is like green tea and mint, olives and sherry, churros and chocolate.

Best of all, Órgiva is home to one of the most earthy and beautifully offered yoga retreats I’ve encountered in my travels, Yoga Under the Sky.

In the heart of such a diverse, New Age, and organic farming scene and town, Yoga Under the Sky is in the perfect setting to offer organized or tailor-made retreat options for one person, couples, or groups.

Set near the Chico River that flows through town, Yoga Under the Sky offers many modalities of yoga styles and a terrific roster of talented, compassionate, and certified yoga teachers and massage therapists.

You can contact Yoga Under the Sky to arrange for an organized retreat (such retreats are on their website) or to create a retreat of your own that will address your and your partner’s particular needs. The staff also suggest great lodging and dining options.

Essentially, Órgiva is the retreat setting and within it are several rural and village houses for week-long stays as well as several all organic, local produce, and regional wine-serving eateries. The town has a vibrant energy and there is a lot happening any day of the week throughout the year.

Photo by diluvi.

Lodging

My favorite place to stay is Casa Rural Jazmin. Though “casa rural” means “rural house,” it is a lovely old stone farmhouse in town that is surrounded by a garden filled with fruit-bearing trees, such as pomegranate and lemon, and a refreshing swimming pool.

Casa Jazmin has four rooms, each with a private bath. The two proprietors are warm and welcoming and every morning they get up early to create a unique, healthy, and homemade breakfast that is often served in the garden.

Rooms for two people, including that breakfast for two, are between 48-70 euros. Given that you are in the heart of town and everything is central, in spite of the wonderful rural feel of the place, you don’t need your own wheels to get here or to stay here.

It’s an easy downhill saunter to yoga sessions, to the bus stop for buses to Granada, Malaga, Motril, or to other Alpujarran destinations, and shops and markets are all within a few hundred yards away in the town center.

Photo by Joi

Organic Dining Out in Órgiva

For such a small town, Órgiva has terrific dining out options that won’t kill your budget. Here you’ll find places where organic, Slow Food, and Buy Local, Buy Fresh drive the standard meal.

Three favorites are Café Libertad, El Limonero, and Café-Tetería Baraka. The latter is a fun hangout run by local Sufis that offers diverse vegetarian cuisine, a variety of tea, as well as other non-alcoholic beverages, including natural fruit juices and smoothies.

Organic Food Markets in Órgiva

Everyday is market day if you go to the central covered market near the Plaza de la Alpujarra in the heart of town. Therein you’ll find the organic farmers, wine makers, bakers, and cheesemakers.

But the highlight is the weekly open-air market on Thursday mornings, on the long, narrow plaza on the northern end of town (the uphill end, near Casa Jazmin).

It’s a riotous and colorful gathering of farmers, clothes-sellers, and craftspeople. Dogs, guitars, and long-haired and short-haired folks alike mingle and embrace their hybrid traditional and alternative ways of living and eating.

Photo by judepics.

Getting There

Getting to Órgiva is easy.

It is 52 kilometers south of Granada. By car, take the A-44/E-902 south of Granada and after 34 kilometers exit east for Lanjarón. Follow signs to Órgiva. Or, just get on a bus in Granada destined for Órgiva, costing fewer than 5 euros one way.

Alternately, Yoga Under the Sky can arrange for a taxi to pick you up at Granada’s airport and deliver you to Órgiva for 50 euros. While this might sound like a lot, it’s a bargain for a private driver and no car rental. Still, the bus is pretty easy.

Adventures Beyond Yoga

Hiking Options:

Take the local bus from Órgiva to Pampaneira, a twenty-minute ride, and hike from the mountain village of Pampaneira to Bubión and on to Capileira. You can either hike back to Pampaneira for the bus, or take the bus from Capileira to Órgiva. In all places, you will find ample cafes for a tapa and refreshment. Beer or chilled fino sherry are favorites. Drink lots of water, too.

Tibetan Retreat:

Consider a silent meditation retreat at the O Sel Ling Tibetan Buddhist retreat, between Órgiva and Pampaneira. If you go as a couple, you will need to do this stint in separate huts and in silence.

Visit Granada:

Photo by pasotraspaso.

Granada is an easy 45-minute bus ride away from Órgiva, so you can make a fun day-trip to the city and soak up the magical Alhambra fortress-palace complex and hit the streets in the old neighborhood of the Albaicin.

Albaicin is filled with vegetarian and organic restaurants, especially along Calle Nueva Calderería, the center of Granada’s alternative, progressive, New Age, Bohemian scene. A day trip can be a boon if you are traveling during the peak summer season, when finding lodging in Granada can be stressful.

Relax, secure a week or two at the Casa Jazmin in Órgiva, do some yoga, eat locally, and unpack just once in your peaceful mountain retreat.

Community Connection!

The author of this article, Beebe, was recently featured in 50 Inspirational Travelers. If you liked Beebe’s guide to Orgiva Yoga, please be sure to read her surf guide to Asturias, a lovely rural section of the Spanish coast.

Photo above bykalleboo.

1. Trains, Trains, and Trains

Tokyo Station is a major hub of local trains, subway stops, and the famous high speed shinkansen. This train, if operated from the northernmost point in Japan (Cape Soya) to the southernmost cape (Sata), could take you across the length of the country in a little over ten hours, running at 200 km per hour.

Take advantage of trains by visiting the old capital of Kyoto, only two and a half hours away. The route cuts through the countryside, in and out of endless tunnels, with the occasional view of Mt. Fuji. Tourists have the opportunity to purchase the Japan Rail Pass, a ticket that provides unlimited access to nearly all trains within a given time.

If you stay within city limits, don’t fear – in Tokyo, you’ll never tire of watching people boarding the local lines for their morning commutes. If you think you’ve been on a crowded bus, or in a jam-packed rock concert, you have never seen anything quite like Japan Railways in the morning; staff are actually hired to be “pushers” – people whose sole purpose is to shove passengers into trains that are already at what westerners might consider full capacity.

Words just can’t do this justice:

With the exception of occasional suicides as people toss themselves on the tracks–a phenomenon that is actually quite common in Tokyo– this form of transportation is punctual to a fault: an 8:32 arrival means an 8:32:00 arrival, not one second wasted.

In the next 10 years, Tokyo and Osaka will be linked by one of the world’s few maglev (magnetic levitation) trains. East to central Japan in one hour. The speed? 581 kph. The price? One can only imagine.

2. Love Hotels

Japan, although conservative on many faces, maintains a very open-minded attitude about sex, whether this includes desensitizing youth to violent sexual activity in manga (Japanese comic stories), or creating a specific place for two young lovers to escape their parents and friends for an intimate rendezvous.

Love hotels provide quick, cheap, and sometimes automated love nests. Guests can choose to buy a “short rest” for a few hours, or book the room until 10 AM the next morning.

A variety of themes are available: the otaku (roughly translated… nerd) who wants a sci-fi adventure in the bedroom, the animal lover who might prefer to be surrounded by leopard skin, or vain couples who like to have mirrors covering 360 degrees of motion.

The largest concentration of love hotels is located just west of Shibuya Station, next to many less reputable shops… and upscale fashion outlets.

Photo by thecameo.

3. The Lights of Shinjuku

Impressive and monumental. The area surrounding Shinjuku Station exposes you to more square footage of advertising and media than anywhere else in the world. Just be careful not to cave to your consumer side!

4. A Sunday in the Park

You look around at all the things one might expect to see in a well-populated Japanese city – the schoolgirl in a tailored Prussian uniform, a no-smiles salaryman who is never in anything but a hurry… all this has vanished. In its stead, what you see in Yoyogi Park in Harajuku is nothing less than an outcry for expression, a shrugging-off of the rules and everything they stand for.

Every Sunday, and often, other days of the week, this area north of Shibuya is inundated with amateur musicians, street acts, starving artists, girls in Gothic makeup and black clothes, and jugglers, all joining young lovers looking for a quiet walk in a patch of green, and fathers tired from 18-hour weekdays but still able to enjoy playing catch with their sons.

Spend the day here, or stay for the afternoon – how many countries can say they have KISS cover bands performing on Sunday?

Photo by wili_hybrid.

5. Various Views

One reason the movie “Lost in Translation” was such an effective example of the loneliness of being abroad (in addition to having Bill Murray’s charming demeanor and Scarlett Johansson’s stunning visage) was the recurring view of the Tokyo skyline.

From the Park Hyatt Hotel in Shinjuku (location of most of the movie), one does get a sense of waking up in a strange place in a different world, and, from that height, no one can fool himself into believing home is just around the corner.

Although the city doesn’t exactly come across as having any major architectural sensations, the grey boxes that are the offices and homes of the multitudes of salarymen are quite the sight at night, or at sunset, or when Mt. Fuji can be seen to the west.

Try the expensive drinks at the New York Bar in the Park Hyatt, or check out the art exhibits perched atop Roppongi Hills. Although you may not find meaning in the expanse of lights that is the heart of Japan, it’s still enjoyable to share over a cup of coffee with a new friend.

6. The Attire

Even with the continued influence of Hollywood celebrity endorsements on brand-name clothes (Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt are some of the more well-known sellouts in Japan), I’ve discovered Japanese keep their own standards on fashion and… ugh… what’s “hot.”

Photo by globetrotterl.

You might see a girl from Tokyo University decked out in high-heeled leather boots, short dark jean shorts, topped off with a leather metal-link belt, a white long-sleeve shirt with an interesting Engrish (see below) phrase, and necklace upon necklace upon necklace.

On the other hand, there are those who prefer to don makeup until their faces seem as though plastic, wearing a simple dress with white lace… living dolls.

Men are no exception, some a close second to the ladyboys of Thailand, others “selling” themselves at host bars in seedy areas of this great metropolis. In Japan, men and women play the roles of hosts and hostesses for those customers who wish to pay for conversation. Talking, drinks, and perhaps karaoke. Nothing more. For a more detailed look at this life, you might want to check out Lea Jacobson’s Bar Flower.

7. The Homeless of Ueno Park

The homeless problem in Japan is completely ignored by those in any position of authority. In Ueno Park, location of one of the larger homeless populations, you might find yourself surprised.

If I could say one thing about the homeless in Japan, it would be: I believe they keep their dignity. These are not people begging on the streets, scrounging for one yen coins in a pile of garbage; often you will see them clean, reasonably well fed, and no different than any other Japanese citizen.

Why? Public baths for one: cheap, efficient ways to get clean. And the value the Japanese place on the freshness of food; convenience stores and supermarkets will usually toss out bento (ready-made meals) in less than a day, and might accommodate any homeless person who is willing to consume such “spoiled” goods.

Housing is not exactly cheap in the heart of Tokyo, and cardboard or sheet metal shanties can be seen in Ueno. Dignity triumphs over adversity, though; the owners typically remove their shoes at the threshold of the makeshift house, just as they would entering any other respectable establishment.

Photo by leadenhall.

8. Store Fronts

In addition to being one of the more English-friendly countries, Japan makes it easy even for non-native speakers to find their way through the cuisine; whether you’re examining menus at sushi restaurants near Tokyo Station in or in one of the more obscure corners of Ueno, take note of the great care cafes will take to ensure you eat with them.

Wax models of some of the more popular dishes are available for viewing in glass cases at the entrance of these restaurants. It’s become such a standard around Japan that artists who create some of the better food sculptures can make a decent living.

And, just as you’d expect with places serving seafood, there might be tanks of live fish, which will shortly be sliced and served with wasabi; freshness is nothing less than a virtue in Japan (some fish are served cut, but with heart still beating to ensure the best possible flavor).

Of particular interest are the blowfish tanks, containing the expensive delicacy fugu, a fish known for its high concentration of poison in the internal organs. Although the dish is more of a novelty for tourists–it doesn’t really have too much flavor raw– the emperor remains the only Japanese forbidden to indulge.

9. Engrish

Photo by gilgongo

10. Pachinko

It’s like a drug – total oblivion, dissolution from reality, drowning in a mixture of red lights and deafening sounds. And, personally, I don’t think it’s all that fun, either.

Pachinko is the most widespread video game in Japan, available from almost any corner in Tokyo to the southern island of Yakushima. What is it? Technically, it’s a computerized version of pinball; a player launches multiple metal balls and maneuvers them into holes on the board, which, if they find their marks or achieve a certain sequence, activate a video screen slot game.

More winnings equal more metal balls. Metal balls equal prizes. Prizes equal money.

As one might expect, laws on gambling have simple loopholes. Just like in Vegas, there are 24/7 slot jockeys who spend entire days waiting for that one big payout to buy their next meal.

Stop by a nearby parlor for the experience (and maybe pick up a little cash), but be prepared to have your senses totally overwhelmed: flashing lights, painfully loud sounds, stale cigarette smoke…

Electro-rock duo Vive la Fête play a free show at La Flèche d’Or. Photo courtesy of Benoît.

1. Couscous at Le Grenier

The couscous is complimentary for drinking patrons. Enjoy it all while listening to jazz or manouche in this lovable dive bar. Its location in the lively Oberkampf neighborhood makes it a good starting point for checking out the local scene.

152 rue Oberkampf, 11e. Tel. +33 [0]1 48 05 13 52

Photo courtesy of Alessandra Kim.

2. Student concerts at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris

One of the most prestigious music conservatories in Europe, its students stage free concerts throughout the year.

209 avenue Jean-Jaurès, 19e. Tel: +33 (0)1 40 40 46 47

3. Organ concert at the Saint-Eustache Church

Housing one of the largest organs in the world, Saint-Eustache is where Mozart held the funeral for his mother. Free concerts every Sunday at 5:30 pm.

2, rue du Jour, 1e.

Photo courtesy of Weingarten.

4. Musée Carnavalet

Housed in two mansions in the trendy Marais district, this gorgeous museum chronicles the history of Paris from its founding to modern day. Admission to the permanent collection is always free.

23, rue de Sévigné, 3e. Tel: +33 (0)1 44 59 58 58

5. Rock and Electro Concerts at La Flèche d’Or

This bar/restaurant/club is in an old train station with windows overlooking the defunct tracks. One of the first venues to open in the Ménilmontant neighborhood, it still may be the coolest. Free admission from 8:00pm to 2:00am.

102 bis, rue de Bagnolet, 20e. Tel: +33 (0)1 44 64 01 02

6. Place des Vosges

The oldest square in Paris, you can lounge on the grass, listen to the street musicians, browse the art galleries and even visit the home of Victor Hugo where he wrote many of his works, including Les Misérables. Admission is always free.

6, place des Vosges, 4e. Tel. +33 (0)1 42 72 10 16

Photo courtesy of Felipe Bachomo.

7. Le Showcase

A hot new nightspot with live jazz and rock is in the unexpected location under the stunning Alexandre III bridge. President Sarkozy has reportedly already had a few parties there. Admission is free before midnight.

Pont Alexandre III, Port des Champs Élysées, 82. Tel: +33 (0)1 45 61 25 43

8. Fashion shows at Galleries Lafayette

To many, Paris is synonymous with fashion and the quintessential Paris departmen store, Galleries Lafayette has a free fashion show every Friday at 3:00pm on the 7th floor.

Reservations are a must: email welcome@galerieslafayette.com or call +33 (0)1 42 82 36 40. 40, boulevard Haussmann, 9e.

Photo courtesy of Claude.

9. Père-Lachaise Cemetery

Wander around the grounds of the most famous cemetery in the world and pay your respects to Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Chopin, Colette, Molière, Modigliani, Georges Seurat, Sarah Bernhardt, Gertrude Stein, Jim Morrison and many, many more.

16 rue du Repos, 20e. Tel: +33 (0)1 55 25 82 10

10. Radio France Concerts

Radio France presents free classical concerts on Sunday afternoons at the Petit Palais auditorium. Tickets are distributed 30 minutes before concerts.

116 av. du Président Wilson, 16e. Tel: +33 [0]1 56 40 15 16

community connection

For more on France, including travelers, local experts, organizations and volunteer opportunities, blogs, articles, and more, check out the France Page at Matador.

Feature photo (Bilbao) by fabiovenni. Riga, Photo above by normis

Looking for hot, affordable Europe this summer? Avoid the traditional centres and check out these great cities.

Bilbao

From the twisted metal of the Guggenheim Museum to the quiet courtyards nestled amongst apartment blocks, this Basque city in Northern Spain is a compact architectural gem: .

Relax in the city and munch down tapas and seafood accompanied by local wine; but if you feel like a spot of exercise Bilbao is also a great entry point for the lesser-known Northern route of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.

Tallinn

Even in the middle of summer this northern-most Baltic city is not going to give you a hot reception, but its city walls encompass something unique.

Estonia is the only country in the world to deem internet access a basic human right and it is this aggressively forward-looking mindset that’s transforming the cityscapes into a fusion of medieval stone with steel and glass.

Bike tours of the city are recommended while the close of day is best enjoyed with a few shots of local spirit Vana Tallinn.

Riga

Popular with pre-wedding stag and hen parties arriving from Britain, it can be hard to look beyond Riga’s pub-crawl nightlife. The quiet hours of the morning, however, are perfect for wandering through riverbank parks, exploring the old town and admiring the Art Nouveau architecture which seems to rear at every turn.

The sun sets late during summer, so there’s still a stain of light at midnight. It’s a brilliant time to be at the stylish Skyline bar atop the Reval Hotel.

If you’re more at home in the forests than the bars, some of Latvia’s best hiking can be found in the Sigulda Forest Park just hours from the capital.

For more on Latvia, listen to the author’s podcast, Top 5 European Destinations for the Falling US Dollar.

Vilnius

Photo by txd

Walking through Vilnius is an experience not to be missed: it’s easy to happily lose yourself for quite some time. Turn one corner to find yourself on a riverside beach-front; another to be in an ex-KGB prison converted into an Occupation museum.

Perhaps the most disorientating moment is when you cross into Uzupis — the breakaway republic within the capital city. Or is it when you cross a street to see the world’s only Frank Zappa statue? I don’t know!

One thing for sure is that the view from the Cathedral spire helps you take in the city even if it doesn’t help you come to grips with its quirks.

Krakow

Photo by soylentgreen23

Leafy parks surround Europe’s largest town square: relax in a cafe, take in the churches and boutiques, then take a pleasant half-hour stroll to find yourself in Poland’s newest shopping centre.

Krakow is, in my mind, the best city Poland has to offer short-term tourists: relaxed yet energetic, it’s the perfect place to guzzle pierogi and beer. Krakow boasts a good number of hostels and railway “hostel finders” during the peak season to ensure no one has to miss out.

An important day trip from Krakow is the the WWII concentration camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau. Go by public bus rather than coach to save yourself enough money for a night’s accommodation.

Brasov

Coming to Romania? Do yourself a favour and head for the hills. Bus or train north of Bucharest into Brasov and you’ll find yourself in the heart of the Transylvanian countryside.

Visit imposing castles, walk leafy forests and scream as your driver slams on the brakes to avoid the horse and cart that’s just pulled out in front of you.

Brasov has modern cafes dotting its high street but explore further to find local restaurants where three course meals cost under €10. Kismet Dao hostel organizes independent castle tours for a great price.

Istanbul

Photo by whatcouldgowrong

From a street vendor’s pilaf to a carpet-seller’s tea this city is a sensory indulgence. Within Sultanahmet — the tourist district — you’ll find the Blue Mosque, Aya Sofia, Basilica cisterns, Topikapi palace and more ancient ruins than you can shake a stick at.

Combine that with the constant clamour of touts and the heady mix of shopping in the Grand Bazaar for a winning formula. Take the time to speak with touts — make it clear you’re not going to buy anything and have a conversation: they have fascinating insights into people and places.

Vienna

Photo by nonanet

A city of culture, street art and coffee with a smaller financial footprint than Paris or Rome. Have a picnic in the grounds of Schönbrunn Palace, watch The Third Man before going to find the filming locations (or cheat and do a tour), or get cultural in the Museumsquartier.

There’s fantastic food from all over the world — including some of Europe’s best sushi in the Naschmarkt — but who’s going to leave the city without a Wiener schnitzel?

Budapest

Home of hot baths and hot clubs, this is a beautiful city with wonderful support for independent travelers. Whether you’re researching the history or discovering the nightlife, Budapest will meet your needs.

A myriad of bridges cross the river dividing Buda from Pest, while Margaret Island is home to lovely parks and relaxing bars. Under the streets lie kilometers of wine cellars to be explored: Hungary makes some terrific wines at great cost-to-taste ratios.

Cesky Krumlov

Perhaps the best place in this list is little-known Cesky Krumlov; and you couldn’t ask for a finer medieval town to appear out of your fairy tales. The river swings through the cobbled streets while the castle looks down on art galleries and cafes.

Whether you prefer exploring the castle and gardens or rafting down the Vlatava, make sure you stop for a local beer along with live music in the Gypsy Bar or, even better, a warm mead in the Two Marys during the cool of the evening.

Community Connection

Ready to hit the cities of Europe? Come on over! When planning flights within Europe I’d recommend looking at skyscanner, for train timetables the German Rail website.

Also, if you’re planning to travel at all by Eurail, check out or download my audio guide Everything You Need to Know About Traveling By Eurail Pass.

Finally, for direct connections to hundreds of travelers and local experts as well as organizations, volunteer opportunities and more on Europe, check out our destination Europe pages here at Matador

Feature photo by goulao Photo by rhoadeecha

Contrary to Pulp Fiction lore, there’s more to Amsterdam than hash bars.

Coffeeshops are the shit for many an Amsterdam virgin, yet locals view them as tourist traps lacking in “gezelligheid,” or coziness, the cornerstone of Dutch culture. Smoking yourself into a coma at the Bulldog is just fine, but you’re going to miss out.

Follow these ten tips and you’ll do Amsterdam like a local.

1) Immerse yourself in art.

From Spui take tram 2 or 5 to Museumplein, where the Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum keep you occupied for hours.

View Van Gogh’s life through art, from the Potato Eaters up through the last two months of his life in France.

Holland’s Golden Age is the highlight of the Rijksmuseum. Don’t miss Vermeer’s Milkmaid.

2) Day trip it.

For an excursion, the 15-minute train ride to Haarlem is worth the trip.

Browse fashionable boutiques, visit the Gothic St. Bavo church, and walk to the Frans Hals art museum.

For eats, kick back at the spacious Café Brinkman (grandcafebrinkman.nl) on the square, and to top off the day, have drinks at Café 1900 (Barteljorisstraat 10) on the way back to the train station.

Photo by goulao

3) Drink up.

With more than 1200 intriguing pubs to crawl you’ll have more than your fill.

Start at the Heineken brewery (Stadshouderkade 78) to see how famous beer is produced. Check out Café Belgique to taste smooth Belgian brews like La Chouffe and La Trappe Dubbel.

Other standouts: gallery/bar Schuim (Spuistraat 189), Gollem, and In De Wildeman.

4) Night bike it.

Amsterdam is most romantic at night, when the city is aglow from lit up bridges and canals.

Start at Leidseplein and bike down Kerkstraat to the Amstel River, where you’ll find the Skinny Bridge in all its glory.

Cut across Waterlooplein to Jodenbreestraat, which takes you into Nieuwmarkt. Pay a visit to the Waag, a pub/restaurant that once formed the city wall, or brown bar Café ‘t Loosje (Nieuwmarkt 32-34).

Photo by katielips

5) Club it.

For pre-partying, head to Lux (Marnixstraat 403) Bitterzoet (Spuistraat 2), or Seymour Likely (Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 250) for live DJs.

Join the dance crowd at Mazzo (Rozengracht 114), Club More (Rozengracht 133), and Paradiso (Weteringschans 6-8). For a laid-back vibe, check out Café Alto (Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 115) for local jazz acts.

Photo by tylerdurden

6) Shop for treasures.

Walk the famous 9 streets (theninestreets.com), to pick up cutting edge fashion and eclectic wares.

Don’t miss Lady Day, which sells vintage and secondhand European fashion for a steal. Browse for a designer fragrance like Creed at Skins Cosmetics, investigate the Paul Frank Store , and get pampered at Spoiled, where you’ll be custom matched to a designer pair of jeans.

Photo by earcos

7) Do it like the Dutch.

Nothing says typically Dutch better than a hunk of Gouda stuffed in a fresh bread roll.

Savor this ritual by picking up a sandwich at Broodje van Kootje (Spui 28). Grab a newspaper at the Athenaeum bookstore across the way, and plunk yourself down on a bench in the square.

For another Dutch favorite, visit the Pannekoekenhuis, a tiny upstairs restaurant on the second floor of a narrow canal house. Dive into big pancakes, served sweet or savory.

8 ) Indulge, Indonesian style.

A former colony of the Netherlands, Indonesia now occupies Amsterdam, in terms of cuisine.

The rice table (a smorgasbord of dishes) is the name of the game but you can opt for the Nasi Goreng (fried rice) at Sie Joe.

For something more upscale, consider Tempoe Doloe, on the boutique-lined street, Utrechtsestraat or Puri Mas, located in the entertainment district of Leidseplein.

9) While the day away in a café.

At Café Zeezicht (Hoofdweg 456), people watch on the outdoor terrace, sipping a Dutch style latte and nibbling on the best apple tart in town. Brown cafes, named for their wooden interiors, are good for mingling with the locals.

Cafes not to miss: De Balie, Café De Tuin (Tweede Tuindwarsstraat 13), and Café ‘t Smalle (Egelantiersgracht 12).

10) Walk it.

Start at the eastern end of the Albert Cuyp street market in the ethnically diverse neighborhood De Pijp.

Peruse Dutch treats like fish, cheese, and chocolate among 300 stalls. Take a right on Ferdinand Bolstraat, then a left on Stadshouderkade.

Take a right at Spiegelgracht for a stroll in the antique district. Turn left onto Herengracht to see splendid 17th century canal houses. Make a right at Leidsestraat and go up to Singel.

Hit the Singel lunch Café (Singel 404) for homemade soups and baguette sandwiches.

Malbec and Mountains. Photo by Nicole Heyman

After a week in Buenos Aires dancing the tango and discovering just how delicious a malbec can be, it’s time to head to Mendoza to visit Argentina wine country.

Mendoza produces what is widely considered the best malbec in the world. Even though tons of foreign investment has poured in over the last few years, the commercialization of wine tourism has not yet caught up with the newfound popularity.

Visiting wineries in Mendoza is still an adventure, with the possibility of getting up close and personal with the winemaking process. Walk through the madness of crush during the peak of the harvest and you can see, touch, and taste the grapes as they make their transformation into wine.

Arriving In Wine Country

An overnight bus or quick 1 1/2 hour plane ride from B.A. will leave you face to face with the dramatic snow capped Andes. This towering mountain range protects the vines, while the runoff from its peaks irrigates the arid land.

Head straight to Aristedes Villanueva, the nexus of happening hostels and outdoor restaurants. Damajuana Hostel is a good pick for its clean, bright rooms; nice sized pool with adjoining ping pong table; attentive and friendly staff; and overall festive atmosphere (50 pesos/ $15 USD per night). Other guesthouses to consider are Break Point and Itaka House.

Wine Tasting Time

Start your wine education at Vines of Mendoza in the center of town, where you can sample a selection of the region’s best. The tasting room here gives a solid introduction to the Mendoza wine scene through guided pours.

I opted for ¨Los Malbec,¨ (45 pesos) a side-by-side tasting of the region’s infamous grape produced in 5 different styles. Continue tasting at Winery, a cooperative chain wine store, started in Buenos Aires.

Located just off the main plaza in a charming colonial building, one of the few that survived the devastating 1861 earthquake, Winery has a hip restaurant and a new center called ¨wine point¨ which focuses on tastings and seminars.

Further Afield

Photo by longhorndave

The route around Mendoza to visit wineries can be large and overwhelming, but with the right map and a bit of planning, it is easily navigable.

Splurge on the wine map, ¨caminos de las bodegas,¨ (30 pesos) found at any main wine store to begin planning your tour. You´ll find a set of 3 maps conveniently breaking down the three main wine destination areas: Lujan de Cuyo, Maipu, and Valle de Uco.

Plan on fitting 3 to 4 wineries into a day’s visit, since each bodega tour lasts an hour to an hour and a half. Many wineries are open to the public without reservation, but it’s best to call at least a day ahead to secure a booking.

You don´t want to make the same mistake I did, showing up to a winery ready for a day of fun only to be rejected by a gun-toting guard at the front gate.

Lujan de Cuyo

Begin your wine tour in Lujan, the closest region to Mendoza city, and the one with the highest concentration of quality wineries, not to mention the sunniest climate.

Wake up early to watch the clouds part over your first vineyard stop of the day, perhaps a traditional style adobe winery like Hacienda de la Plata or Lagarde. These historic buildings are rare since most were demolished in the earthquake, and new regulations don´t permit building with adobe.

For a stellar tour make your way to the larger production Tapiz winery. After a horse-drawn carriage ride through the vines, veteran tour guide Caroline will bring you into the vineyard to taste the difference between the ripe berries of malbec, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, and merlot; show you how their leaves vary in shape and color.

The tour ends with tank samples of juice that is in the process of being fermented into wine.

After two wine tours and an early morning buzz, it’s time for lunch, and several bodegas offer a sumptuous feast. My favorite, Ruça Malen, serves a 5 course gourmet interpretation of traditional fare, paired with their line of malbec, in the middle of the vineyards. Only a glass wall separates diners from the surrounding vines (90 pesos).

The Best Wine In Mendoza?

The author working in a Mendoza winery. Nicole Heyman

Achaval Ferrer produces the region’s highest scoring wine, and is also regarded by tourists and locals alike as the crème de la crème.

Here you will see the specially selected grapes gravity-fed into all-cement tanks. Their philosophy is that cement gives the most consistent temperature control, where open fermentation is conducted to bring out all of the flavors of the wine.

Even though they are in the heart of an area subject to hailstorms, the Achaval Ferrer team would rather risk losing all of their crop one year, than reduce the amount of sunshine — and therefore potentially the quality of the grape — by installing protective netting.

High standards and an excellent tour complete with barrel tasting of their exclusive wines make this winery an absolute must visit.

Round off the day with another version of ultra modern at Pulenta Estate. Here they employ all three methods of fermentation–barrel, tank, and cement—depending on the desired style and vintage.

Although once inside you might feel like you are on a space ship surrounded by aliens instead of in a tasting room surrounded by barrels, a sip of their ripe and clean sauvignon blanc will bring you right back down to earth.

Alta Vista, Vistalba, and Catena Zapata are other noteworthy wineries to visit in Lujan de Cuyo for their architecture and tasting rooms.

Maipu

For day two of wine touring, change the pace by throwing a bicycle into the equation. This is easy in Maipu where vendors have created bike and wine tours.

Since the wineries in Maipu are fewer and the area to cover less vast, biking is an ideal way to get around. The roads are scenic, especially those just off the main drag of Urquiza, lined with trees that once acted as a shady cover for the grapes being transported to and from the winery.

The streets can get a bit dusty — after all this is the desert — so go prepared with lots of water, sunscreen, and sunglasses.

A smart plan of attack for the day is to rent your bikes at the beginning of town where the bus lets you off (a 45 minute ride on #10 from city center), then head straight to the far end of Maipu. This way you limit your mileage the more you drink.

Start at Carinae, a quaint boutique winery owned by a French couple, and named after a constellation only visible during grape harvest. From here, it’s only a short journey down the road to Tempus Alba, where you can sit outside and enjoy some artisanal cheese and wine perched atop the vines at their outdoor terrace wine bar.

Many bikers dine at the gourmet Almacen del Sur, conveniently located in the middle of the bike route. I opted for Casa de Campo, a small country style restaurant serving home-made local fare like wild rabbit and suckling pig.

If you´re thirsting for more, La Rural is a grand old winery back at the beginning of Maipu with an extensive wine museum, where you can witness the revolution in technology and winemaking from a century ago.

Valle de Uco

Photo by ANOXLOU

Valle de Uco is about an hour south of Mendoza by direct bus, and is considered the up and coming wine region. The valley is known for greater temperature variation between day and night, creating thicker grape skins and in turn more complexity in the wine.

Many wineries have vineyards in all three regions, as a sort of security against hail and poor vintages. It’s common to create a blend from the different regions, although estate-single vineyard wines are also coming into fashion, catering to a discerning clientele.

Three state of the art wineries worth visiting for their striking architecture and wine are Andeluna, O´Fournier, and Salentein. Keep in mind that the distances between these wineries are great, so you´ll need a car or taxi to get around even if you bus it down to the Valle.

The perfect marriage between food and wine always discussed in culinary circles is brought to life at O´Fournier where the owner of the bodega is married to the chef of the restaurant. Needless to say, the food and wine pairing here is harmonious.

Salentein also boasts an excellent restaurant. Once you’ve completed a day in the Valle de Uco, you’ve covered the best of Mendoza wine country. You can return to wherever you came from full and buzzed, with back vintages of wine that would never show up at a wine store back home.

Community Connection!

For more on sipping vino in Mendoza, check out Christian Denes’ article on MatadorTravel, Mendoza’s Secret or for a comical take on Maipu’s ‘wine and bike’ tours, check out this blog. Mendoza is also the jump-off place for big adventures such as rapelling, climbing Mt. Aconcagua or skiing in nearby Las Leñas.

For the very latest on Matador in Argentina, check out our Destinations section.

photo by Eve Hyman

Buenos Aires, city of faded elegance and resurgent culture. You couldn’t be more thrilled to plunge into the place everyone is talking about, but there’s one problem:

You only have 5 days.

Never fear, hit and run traveler. Here’s the crash course to a city with some of the world’s greatest nightlife, cafes and dining.

Day 1:

You’ve been traveling for hours. You almost broke the door of the flimsy taxi that dropped you at your short-term rental apartment in Palermo. You’re exhausted, hungry, and Delta misplaced one of your bags.

But tonight is your first night in Buenos Aires. You grab a nap and a shower and order a steak at the café next door. You’re itching to experience some of the best in Latin American nightlife.

It’s Wednesday and you’ve read about a notorious global hip hop party across the railroad tracks in Palermo Hollywood. You make your way to Niceto and hit the line at the door.

By midnight and you like what you see. There are hipsters in converse and skinny jeans, but they’re so much better looking here.

Beautiful People

By the time you graduate to the club entrance, you decide the stereotypes were all too true – Buenos Aires is full of beautiful people.

Inside, there’s a cumbia / emcee duo rapping along to a dubby, hip-hop version of the indigenous rhythm. They play toy keyboards with mouthpieces and employ masked disguises.

They’re followed by a female rapper, Princesa, who also rhymes to cumbia-infused beats. Then it’s Villa Diamante on the ones and twos and you’re intrigued by his choices, vowing to locate a mixtape online.

Niceto has a brilliant sound system and your friend who’s been living in Buenos Aires for the past couple of months convinces you to order a Fernet and Coke, a medicinal sort of herbal concoction.

The drink wakes you up and gives you a happy buzz.

At 3 am you hop in a cab to Recoleta. Rumi is good on Wednesdays and shows off a different side of Buenos Aires than what you experienced at Zizek. Bottle service and Brazilian models make for a nice contrast with the cumbia underground kids.

You last until about 4:30 at Rumi and, with the party in full swing, bow out for a well-deserved rest.

Day 2:

photo by Eve Hyman

You sleep in and make your way to Plaza Serrano for breakfast – fresh squeezed orange juice, a cappuccino and three croissants for the equivalent of $2.50 USD. You like it here already.

The plaza is more traffic circle than anything else, but it manages to afford some awesome people watching. There are cafes on every corner and crafts and clothing sold in the plaza and on the sidewalks.

There’s an easy sort of hustle to the area and it’s fun to walk around and try to get your bearings.

You’re in Palermo Viejo, on the Soho side of the train tracks, east of downtown. It’s said to be the hippest part of town and by the looks of the indie designer boutiques and the Diesel store on the corner, you agree.

You make your way down Gurruchaga to El Salvador street and then head to Plaza Armenia and the park – where there’s another outdoor fair with local artisans selling jewelry, pottery, and art.

You’re tempted by restaurants on every block and make a mental note to come back for as many meals as you can handle. By now it’s nearly noon – lunchtime for much of the world but not by Argentine standards.

Evita!

You still have a good couple of hours so you walk down Armenia toward the Botanic Gardens in Palermo Park. Nearby is the Evita museum and you’d like to cross that one off your list before you get completely immersed in the weekend.

You learn a lot about the feminine rights movement in Argentina, about Juan and Eva Peron’s particular brand of fascism, and about fashion. The new museum is an interesting combination of politics and show business, reminiscent of Ronald and Nancy Reagan, minus the greed.

You’re glad to erase the Madonna version from your consciousness and replace it with the country’s national heroine whose rags to riches legacy includes women’s suffrage, the national mobilization of workers, foreign diplomacy, and a post-mortem kidnapping.

Eating Well

All this learning has made you hungry. You hop in a cab and head back into Soho to Freud and Fahler for lunch.

Freud and Fahler is a charming, European café on Gurruchaga that has an amazing lunch special paired with the best white wine you’ve ever had. It’s a blend of Chenin and Chardonney and it tastes like cool, melted citrus.

You’re at a sidewalk table munching on bakery breads and some kind of spread that tastes healthy and rich at the same time.

After your organic greens and a risotto, the bill comes in just under $12 USD. You make your way back to the apartment for a siesta.

At 10pm you enter La Cabrera on Niceto and Serrano. You’ve been told it’s the best parilla in Palermo and you are ready to see what all the fuss is about.

The steak comes out on a chopping board with an array of vegetable accessories including marinated peppers, olives, pureed pumpkin, eggplant in olive oil, and baby red potatoes.

The caprese salad that seemed like such a good idea as a starter is now an obstacle for the task ahead of you. You do your best and are thankful your friends were smart enough to suggest you share entrees.

Latin Elegance, Bohemian Charm, Trashy Sex

The people at the table next to you were really friendly and suggest you join them for a drink. From La Cabrera, your group makes its way to Milion, a mansion-turned-bar in Barrio Norte.

Milion is elegant and exclusive. The drinks are impressive and you hang out on a balcony overlooking a large garden. From the street you never would have guessed this place could look the way it does – straight out of a 19th century Louisiana plantation.

The polo players and European expatriots are chatty, but after two rounds you decide to try Cocoliche, the downtown alternative to Milion.

A taxi drops you on a residential street and you have to ring a bell to get in.

It feels like trespassing as you make your way upstairs to the parlor where there’s an art exhibit by a local photographer. Then you head into the main room and the bar and you’re glad you left Milion.

This is what you came to South America for. Cocoliche is Bohemian and eclectic, in a European squat meets New York City’s Lower East Side kind of way. It’s random and entertaining in the bar where cool locals drink cans of Quilmes or Fernet-Cokes.

Downstairs a deejay plays to a dark room as the dance floor fills up.

Cocoliche is the perfect transition from Milion to the last stop for the night: Kim y Novak. A local recommends the spot as “fantastic trash” and claims it rivals London or New York for dirty chic.

At Kim y, a crowd similar to the one at Cocoliche and at Niceto spills out the door onto the sidewalk, drinks in hand.

You immediately notice the colorful, vinyl booths and artsy décor and the transvestite clique that occupies the middle of the bar. Downstairs in the cave there are deejays and action on the dance floor, despite signs that prohibit dancing.

There’s also plenty of action in the bathroom, apparently, from the long lines and socializing going on in front of the unisex doors. The entire place is sexually ambiguous and chaotic – it’s an entertaining end to a fun-filled night on the town.

It’s dawn when you realize you’re very close to your apartment. You stumble home and take your drink to go.

Day 3:

It’s Friday and you’ve decided to leave Palermo and explore old Buenos Aires. You’ve scheduled a walking tour of downtown and San Telmo. You meet your guide at Cafe Tortoni in Microcentro (downtown).

Alan Patrick is English and has been giving historic tours of downtown for the past couple of years. He shows you La Casa Rosada (Argentina’s White House) in Plaza de Mayo, site of the meetings of the Madres de Plaza de Mayo every Thursday afternoon.

The Madres organized a resistance and an official reckoning in response to the 30,000 disappearances by the Argentine dictatorship of the late seventies and early eighties.

They continue their work of searching for the remains of lost family members and their abducted children, and of holding members of the military regime responsible for their crimes.

Next, Alan leads you into the grand Cathedral of Buenos Aires off the plaza, then down Peru street past a number of milongas. The milongas are where tango shows take place, and some nearby murals depict the history of the tango.

Other murals tell of social protest and the rise of the labor unions that continue to hold influence over national politics.

You learn that Argentina has the second highest education rate of Latin America, just under Cuba. You pass a restaurant called Rey Castro and are surprised to learn that Fidel enjoys popularity in Argentina, alongside his compadre, national hero Che Guevara.

San Telmo

In San Telmo, you learn about the history of the conventillos. They are mansions that became tenement houses after yellow fever caused the city’s wealthy class to move to higher ground in Recoleta and Belgrano.

The aristocracy abandoned their property in the 19th century and newly arriving Italian and Spanish immigrants took over the large French homes and converted them to apartments.

You take a tour of El Zajon, the most famous conventillo, that includes secret passageways. Finally, you end up in Plaza Dorrego, the heart of San Telmo, where you peruse crafts and watch live candombe drummers accompanied by dancers.

More Deliciousness

Alan Patrick is a fan of the artisanal beer available at one of the cafes so you enjoy a stout brew with him before heading over to meet friends for a late lunch at Desnivel.

Rather than discouraging your stomach, last night’s meal has only made your craving for Argentine carne that much stronger. Desnivel is a world away from the formality of La Cabrera.

It’s a meeting hall sort of restaurant with a butcher’s case at the entrance and sausage links and other cuts of meet hanging from the ceiling.

You start the meal with the traditional chorizo appetizer and find it totally different from the Mexican chorizo you know. It’s more like the beef blend version of an Italian sausage. It comes with chimichurri, Argentina’s only use of spice, but you don’t need it.

This is the most flavorful piece of meat you’ve ever encountered and you understand why choripan, chorizo in a half baguette, is the man-on-the-street’s lunch of choice.

Your entrée, or plato principal, has a similar name but is an entirely different dish. A bife de chorizo is a great cut of steak. You’ve ordered the mini and it’s plenty along with the pure mixto, mashed potatoes and mashed pumpkin, plus a salad.

Lopez is the popular red wine blend of Malbec and Cabernet found in most restaurants in town. It is surprisingly good at $7 USD a bottle.

Strolling the Cobblestones

You have to walk off lunch so you wander through San Telmo peering in the windows of the antiques shops and walking through the Mercado de Antiguedades where stands and stores of collectibles include leather bags, vintage movie posters, chandeliers, jewelry, and rare books.

You pass the historic Bar Britanico, its utilitarian interior is night and day from the elegant Tortoni but rich in history.

You cross Brazil street and enter Parque Lezama just in time for a free concert in the park. There’s a local rock band and their fans join neighborhood families and couples seated in the open air ampitheater.

The sound is surprisingly good and the place is the perfect precursor for your plans for the night. You have tickets to see a band you like at a rock venue in Palermo. You head back to your apartment to freshen up before an 11pm dinner reservation in Palermo Hollywood.

Green Bamboo is a hip, Vietnamese-fusion restaurant and bar in the heart of Palermo Hollywood, a neighborhood named for the recent proliferation of TV studios on its streets.

The Belgian bartender at Green Bamboo makes you a fresh papaya and ginger vodka smoothie that sets the tone for the meal. You enjoy a seafood curry in a pop art setting that is just the counterpoint to your afternoon in San Telmo.

From Green Bamboo you hop a cab to Salon Pueyrredon to see Los Peyotes, a Buenos Aires, sixties style, garage rock band. The space is another old frenchie mansion but the walls have been painted red and the bar is legitimately punk rock.

The band hits the stage in fake fur vests and false saber-tooth necklaces with bowl-cut hairdos. They are amazing and the room is packed with pogo-ing Argentines. Deejays follow the band and the party goes until 6am when the crowd moves to the choripan stands on Sante Fe.

You aren’t able to pass up the choripan.

Day 4:

photo by Eve Hyman

You only have two more full days in the city but you’re a little run down from all you’ve been jamming in to your visit so you opt for a spa package. For $85 you spend over four hours being pampered and then sleeping in the sun.

You treat yourself to an hour and a half massage, a facial, and enjoy the sauna, pool, and rooftop solarium.

Afterwards, you walk over to the nearby Recoleta fair where you browse books and gifts in the ritzy part of town. It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon – perfect for ice cream. Your tiramisu/lemon chocolate mousse cone is surprisingly like Italian gelato. This is a great day.

A Secret Restaurant

A month ago you made reservations for an underground restaurant you read about in the travel section of the New York Times. Casa Salt Shaker is one of the puertas cerradas, secret dining experiences available in Buenos Aires.

Chef and sommelier Dan Perlman and Host Henry Tapia open their home on weekend evenings to diners who choose to experience their themed, five course meals.

Tonight’s dinner is in homage to Henry’s hometown of Lima and to Veracruz, Mexico. It’s entitled “Aztec-Inca Face-Off” with dishes that might have been served in the respective empires. You opt for the additional wine pairing and learn about regional wines of Mendoza.

Ciudad Konex is your party destination following dinner. From Barrio Norte, it’s a ten-minute taxi ride to Abasto, home of the factory turned night club.

There’s a Balkan themed party tonight with the band “Kosovo Ska” and a tango/ baile funk orchestra performing live.

The main space is a converted parking lot with a stage, dance floor and bar. There are probably over a thousand people in attendance including the outdoor courtyard that has swings, a stairway and stage, and paper mache mushrooms.

Like in the other boliches and bars you’ve visited, the party at Konex goes until past dawn and includes deejays, projections, and friendly partygoers. The fiesta tonight is like an underground party or a rave, minus the heavy drug usage.

It’s a happy celebration and it’s hard to leave but you have one last place you want to try out before you go to bed.

Guevara, named for Che, is just off Plaza Dorrego in San Telmo. There’s no sign but the mask and angel wings in the window is a dead giveaway. This ramshackle bar has an awesome crowd and draft pitchers for $1 USD.

There are two floors in a small space full of locals and travelers. You can order over the balcony of the second floor and the bartender hands your drinks up to you. It’s grimy and popular and you find the sidewalk in front of Guevara is a perfect place to watch the sunrise, urban Argentina style.

Day 5:

It’s your last real night out so you decide to go big and stay up in San Telmo for the morning Feria de Antiguedades. Your new friends from Guevara keep you company as your beers become morning coffee in the square.

Vendors set up stands in every inch of space and there are antique cameras, furnishings, hats, jewelry, and Peron memorabilia as far as the eye can see. Tango bands play in the street and tourists flock from every angle.

By noon, you’ve maxed out your capacity for people watching and souvenir shopping.

You get a cab to nearby La Boca to see the port and the neighborhood famous for its brightly colored houses along El Caminito. After lunch and more tango music, a taxi brings you to your apartment where you sleep for hours.

T-T-T-Tango!

You get up just in time to make it to La Viruta down the street in the basement of the Armenian Cultural Center. There, you enter the rec-room-like space that is the epicenter of Argentina’s tango circuit.

A group lesson at 8pm lasts nearly two hours while you pick up the basics and watch pairs of professionals in a skating rink-like setting. The time flies by while you’ve been mesmerized by the intimate performances in this casual setting full of singles and couples of every age and nationality.

You’ve never cared about any kind of ballroom dancing but at La Viruta you come to understand the hype and surprisingly, you’ve become inducted and emerge a tango fan.

Day 6:

Brazil is calling and you have to leave Argentina. On the way to the airport you have your last breakfast in Plaza Serrano and say goodbye to Buenos Aires, vowing to return for more steak, tango, culture, and nightlife.

The people you’ve met have made a lasting impression in a very short time. They really are beautiful, inside and out, and you’re sure you’ll be back soon for another visit.

Matador offers one stop shopping for planning your trip to Buenos Aires. Maybe shopping isn't the best term though, because all of our information is free. Here are some resources to get you started:

The 10 Best Places to Stay in Buenos Aires

Guide to Getting Laid in Buenos Aires

Top 10 Bars in Palermo, Buenos Aires

The Best Of The Buenos Aires Dance Scene

Best Trips: Argentina / Uruguay

Or feel free to get in touch with one of the many Matador members living in Buenos Aires right now.

Don't have a profile of your own yet? Join today. Matador is blossoming...

]]>