The Baccalau Beast. Photo by Hedonist Cat

A few weeks ago I uncorked a bottle of cheap wine and opened iPhoto. Staring down some gnarly looking pizza photos I’d taken, I decided to rank the five worst I’d encountered this year. The piece was picked up in a few places including The New York Times’ Travel Blog. As I told a friend, I could write a 1,500 word masterpiece that will make nine people weep but if I throw up five goopy pizza pics and suggest that one is masturbating, well, the clicks keep coming.

The article was also translated into Spanish, causing me to become the epicenter of some kind of
food fight that’s been brewing in Buenos Aires. I generalized where I shouldn’t have and have promised that come January, when back in Argentina, I will point my mouth towards whatever pizza is suggested as good. I’ll be happy to eat my words – always have been.

One comment about the piece caught my eye. Pele Omori (of the foodie blog Hedonist Cat) recalled a pizza that she had had in Portugal, which I have since named The Baccalau Beast. One email later, I had a picture of this man-made abomination. I had to admit, it looked worse than anything I’d seen this year.

Taken at Papa Pizza in Evora, Portugal, The Baccalau Beast looks horrifying. For the uninitiated, baccalau is salted cod, a staple in the Portuguese diet. I’ve had two run-ins with this version of the fish and neither of them ended well. It is oily and yellow and almost seems uncooked even when it’s cooked. The texture must be close to that of human flesh. So, when I saw it on pizza I went fetal and started rocking in a corner.

We’ve had some great food pieces on Nights in the past few months, including Rev Dave Ciancio’s drool-able spread on big, beefy burgers. I’d like to throw this out there: If you have pictures and a hunger for food, we’d love to hear about it.

Best, worst, biggest, longest…we’re interested. Pop me an email with any and all ideas for food stories and I’d be more than happy to check it out. As long as it doesn’t involve baccalau and pizza. That’s just gross.

tom@matadornetwork.com

Photo: momguesswhat

Swinging Richards – Atlanta, Georgia, USA

One of the most hilariously named institutions in the world, Swinging Richards is reportedly one of the best male entertainment clubs in the USA. They even offer a bit of pre-gaming online by posting photos and stats of each dancer.

Care to learn a little bit about the guy who’ll be doing the wango tango? Matthew: “I am also an artist!” Parker: “Working ‘hard’ to finish school for an MBA with Finance and Economics. “ And Knight: “Knight doesn’t say much….he doesn’t have to.”

This is primarily a dude-stitution but women are also allowed, although rules state “No skirts above the mid-thigh!! You will be asked to leave or purchase a pair of shorts.”

Photo by: illyjilly

Remington’s – Toronto, Canada

Remington’s has been an institution in Toronto for over fifteen years. Yelp reports varied reviews. One poor soul warns, “If you get a private dance be careful to keep track of the number of songs that play. You are charged $20 PER SONG, not per dance.” One question – does the Grease megamix count as one song or three?

Aspiring Go Go Boys: The club’s website also has an explanation of how to apply, claiming that dancers can earn over $1,000 a week, paid daily in cash. The author may have just found a way to supplement his Matador salary.

Bar Taboo – Montreal, Canada

Bar Taboo is the kind of place where men take off their wedding ring and spend their daughter’s college money on guys working themselves through university or a drug problem. For the love of all that is matrimony, do not let your significant other attend a business conference in Montreal because there is no business conference in Montreal. There is Bar Taboo.

Hulk SMASH fellow stripper. Photo by: thewhitestdogalive

Tawan – Bangkok, Thailand

Tawan is one of the longest running gay clubs in Bangkok, catering specifically to those who like massive roid-monsters. It’s the kind of place that The Hulk or The Thing would strip at.

And just like that, the image is there for the rest of your life.

Escape – Prague, Czech Republic

About.com reports that this is the kind of place where “many – if not most – creatures in this saucy basement nightclub are looking to initiate business relations with you.” Visions of creepy old sex tourists are accentuated by photos on the club’s site, which show dancers in Zorro masks and angel wings.

Dick’s Cabaret – Phoenix, Arizona, USA

A strip club near the airport in Phoenix. No good can come of this. This is the joint where American Idol contestant David Hernandez once worked, reportedly appearing fully nude and performing lap dances. Start googling, perverts.

Photo by: momguesswhat

Silverado Gay – Portland, Oregon, USA

This place looks ridiculously raunchy. Silverado offers one question: “What are men made of? Snips and snails and puppy-dog tails and we got them all 7 nights a week.” This is probably not the career choice the dancers’ mothers were anticipating for their sons.

Arrow Nashville – Nashville, TN

Nashvegas recently opened its very open all-male gentleman’s club (it also allows female patrons). Citysearch gives it five stars, with one reviewer calling it “a great place to forget about the damn economy and have a fun time.”

You can follow Arrow on Twitter on their to learn about special events, like Manhunt Amateur Package Night.

Community Connection

Looking to get hitched? Peruse our Best American Spots For a Same-Sex Wedding. If you’re looking for some good morning-after dirt, check out 8 of the World’s Greatest Sex Scandals.

With their first DVD only out this week, Be-Dom is making a fast name for themselves in Portugal. The six members of this Porto based group mix performance art with music composed entirely on instruments made of found materials. Here’s a peek at three of their frenetic, feel-good performances.

Community Connection

Want to hear about more interesting musicians? Meet Aaron Appleton (currently on a worldwide quest to mix anthropology with world music) and Jamie Catto, one half of the ultimate world music project 1 Giant Leap.

EMI and Apple Corps Ltd have announced the upcoming release of The Beatles digital USB. The device is another strong uppercut to the other Apple, who have yet to land the band’s titles on iTunes. “[Jobs] says that a download is worth 99 cents, and we disagree,” said George Harrison’s son Dhani in an interview with Blender last Spring.

Music retailer Bluebeat has been selling $.25 Beatles track downloads but, as reported in the LA Times this week, EMI has filed copyright infringement charges against that company. It appears that they forgot to ask permission to put the tracks up.

The $279 USB is shaped in the form of an apple (shocker) and contains 14 stereo titles, as well as all of the re-mastered CDs’ visual elements, including 13 mini-documentary films about the studio albums, replicated original UK album art, rare photos and expanded liner notes.

Only 30,000 copies of the USB will be released. It drops December 8th and is available for pre-order at The Beatles’ store.

Community Connection

Have you been following us each #Musicmonday? If not, check out our recent free download picks from We Make It Good and Atlas Sound.

Photo: brymo

(221): I am far too drunk to be making a tuna melt. There’s blood EVERYWHERE.

(314): So I went on a date with this girl…and whos our waitress? My girlfriend got a second job she didn’t tell me about to afford my bday present.

(308): I just walked in on my mom and dad……It wasn’t my dad

(423): two more shots til everyone in this club gets to see my cesarean scars.

(902): and then I told her I was too drunk. She started to cry, and told me this always happens to her and that she thinks shes ugly. I pretended I was asleep and then she farted.

(706): yeah so i didn’t even realize i was on meth until the next morning

(404): I bought a goldfish, named it after my ex-girlfriend, and let it die. It’s really the little things in life.

(703): I was sitting behind this girl in class and she logged out of her facebook, hacked into her boyfriends, and then proceeded to check his inbox. This is why I’m single.

(902): Sharpest. Poop. Ever.

(512): after a few more beers I realized that both my wife and I like Latin men.

(504): You’d think after all these years of evolution that it would be longer than a golf pencil.

(989): did you mean anything you said last night? i just wnna know
(1-989): no

(978): imagine if the morning after your status automatically updated with the name of the person you hooked up with

(410): operation have a gay friend backfired

(813): just once id like to meet someone on craigslist who isnt fat

(770): I just found out why they dont make table-dance tables out of glass.

(225): This unplanned pregnancy thing is really taking all the fun out of football season.

(440): he only lasted 2 minutes. he said it was because i was so pretty. i’m not sure what to feel right now.

Community Connection

Check these two articles out if you’re planning a late one in Prague or Iceland. One for the ladies: The Gutsy Girl’s Guide To Drinking Alone.

Photo by:Matěj Baťha

If you’re a traveler who isn’t In The Know about this talk radio show then do yourself a favor and give it a look-see. What better way to kill four hours on a chicken bus than with subjects like UFO’s, chemtrails, remote viewing, ghosts, conspiracy theories, the occult, psychic predictions and the like?

Having logged over 500 hours of listening time on my worldwide trip in 2009, I thought it might be time for somebody to comment on the good and the bad of one of radio’s most popular syndicated talk shows.

Crop circle or UFO landing? Photo by: Daz Smith

The Good

George Knapp

The king of Sunday Night is absolutely killing it. He doesn’t let anyone off the hook but he also shows kindness and reserve under his cranky façade. His UFO coverage is tops but it’s really his wildcard shows (like the recent ones about a overfishing and wild horses) that show his soul. Can you think of anyone you’d rather take down a Vegas buffet with?

Catherine Austin Fitts

If Catherine told me to invest in oceanfront property on Jupiter I probably would. She’s such a mainstream kind of commentator that she almost seems out of place on Coast. Her assessment of the world financial crisis seems dead-on and her methods for explaining complex issues are unbeatable. This is the best find CTC has had in years.

Linda Moulton Howe

Sure, Howe sounds like she’s going to cry every time she says a sentence, but her 60 Minutes style approach gives Coast some diversity. Her recent coverage of the Rendelsham UFO case has been downright noteworthy. An aside – did you know that she was crowned Miss Idaho in 1963?

Photo by: Demon Baby

George Noory’s Focus On Health

He’s often resisted the urge to over-sensationalize the N1H1 craze, he’s pushed for alternative cures to health issues and he’s been hyper-aware that maimed vets are coming back from Iraq. Other than that obsessive thing with tumeric, we love it all.

Ian Punnet’s Snort

I gather that Ian bugs some folks but I love him. He’s my kind of dweeb. Anybody who buys comic books and admits to being stoned on the air (pain pills for hair plug surgery) is all right by me. And that snort! He laughs like a real person laughs. He doesn’t say “that’s funny”. He just inhales and brings it, mucus and all.

Art Bell

Not many people in radio pause any more. Have you noticed that? A pause is death (watch a reality show and you’ll notice that they actually remove the breaths between words nowadays). Art Bell pauses.

The Bad

Lose The Earthquake Guy

Jim Berkland – just get rid of him. There can’t be a person out there who doesn’t cringe when he comes on the air. The level of narcissism this man delivers is simply too much for a show that’s supposed to be helping the world. If you’re going to cover earthquakes, cover them. Don’t sell us how ‘on’ your predictions are or justify how off they were with sleight of hand. Who plugs a biography about himself? Total weenie.

Richard C Hoagland

How do I say this without taking away from the fact that Richard C Hoagland is a smart man? Oh yeah, he’s an arrogant ass. At least one guest has been on this year who could be a better “science advisor”. I am now at the point where I simply leave the podcast if he is present, even if it’s a subject that would highly intrigue me. You can practically see him straightening his tie in the mirror and telling his reflection that he’s better than everybody else.

Chemtrails? Photo by: AndreaUrsiniCasalena

Blatant Promotion

Media training alert! You can smell savvy publicists telling authors to inject their book title every five minutes. It really wears a listener down. You can almost hear the guest get a doggie biscuit every time they’ve scored another mention. You can also almost hear us thinking it might be time to take a dump and go to bed, rather than listen to the rest of their glorified commercial.

George Noory’s Periodic Napoleon Complex

As genuine and nice a man as he is, somebody’s living a little high on the hog. “Make a note to get that done,” or “I’ll have to get Producer Tom to do that…”. Is there somebody waiting with a roll of toilet paper after he craps in the Premiere building? We know that you’ve done a great job and carry the show, Georgie. Stop acting like it and you’ll be as endearing as you were a year ago.

Community Connection

Sky high for the freaky stuff? Then be sure to check out our photo essay of
The Most Alien Landscapes On Earth, as well as our recent suggestions for How To Travel To Outer Space.

]]> http://matadornights.com/coast-to-coast-am-talk-radio%e2%80%99s-late-night-champ-gets-a-report-card/feed/ 3 http://matadornights.com/amazon-com-is-quietly-becoming-the-best-place-to-buy-cheap-digital-music/ http://matadornights.com/amazon-com-is-quietly-becoming-the-best-place-to-buy-cheap-digital-music/#comments Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:05:24 +0000 Tom Gates http://matadornights.com/?p=4164

The Gaslight Anthem’s album is a fivespot on Amazon.com.

The #1 selling album on Amazon’s digital store right now is the soundtrack to a little-seen film (Away We Go ), by a too-seldom heard artist (Alexi Murdoch). So why’s it selling? At $6.99*, it’s a cheap investment for an album that currently holds a 4 ½ star rating.

The same album goes for $9.99 on iTunes.

Amazon seems to be working hard to get the price down on titles. This is encouraging for those of us who still like to purchase music but find a price point one penny shy of ten bucks to be ridiculous.

Albums currently selling well for five bills include Beastie Boys’ classic Paul’s Boutique , Owl City’s embarrassing Ocean Eyes and the indie-dad-approved Yo Gabba Gabba’s Music Is Awesome .

The disparity between pricing with iTunes is puzzling. Jay Z’s The Blueprint 3 is currently $5.00 on Amazon and $9.99 at iTunes. Same price difference for Tim McGraw, Flight Of The Conchords and Grizzly Bear.

On top of their low-price model, Amazon has been rolling out plenty of free albums over the past few months. Most of the titles are garbage, but it’s a dizzying selection of garbage nonetheless, with 144 titles at last count.

If you’re going to low-dough album, I’d suggest The Gaslight Anthem’s The ’59 Sound . Currently one of the best live acts in the world, they’re about to enter the studio to record what music-folks are whispering could be the album of 2010. At five bucks, this one’s a steal.

*This title was $1.99 when we first posted the article but jumped shortly thereafter.

Photo: anniewong

1. The 12 Coolest Art Instillations In The History Of Burning Man

“Nicknamed the Belgian Waffle, much to the irritation of the Belgian team that constructed it, Uchronia was nearly 200 feet long, 100 feet wide, and 50 feet tall, dominating the Black Rock City skyline.”

2. The 20 Craziest Party Hostels Around The World

“Music gets blasting and four deck games of Kings have been known to break out as people forget there’s a city outside the hostel. If you’re in the 36 bed dorm, bring earplugs as this place does not follow any of the hostel sex rules.”

3. A Guide To Smoking Pot Around The World

“Highly illegal. Possession by Guatemalans in not normally prosecuted for personal use, but tourists are commonly arrested and jailed for several days before being released.”

4. The First Timer’s Guide To Participating At Burning Man

“As a participant, you bring something to offer others — be it an art installation, an open conversation, or a hundred Bloody Marys. The most crucial and basic contribution is to respect and honor all that is around you.”

5. Seven Coffee Shops In Amsterdam That Are Good To Go

“Good drinks and good weed are served here at standard prices. The tables have patterns carved into them. They turn a blind eye to smoking inside-if they don’t see it, it’s not there. A lazy cat sits in the window all day to greet you as you come in.”

6. Inside Japan’s Freaky Themed Bath Houses and Bars

“Themed clubs or Image Clubs are establishments offering a variety of sexual services in a specifically themed setting. For example, chikan densha, or pervert trains are places where the john enters a look-alike subway car, gropes a number of girls for about ten minutes or so and then chooses one with whom to proceed to a private room.”

7. Where To Find The Hottest Girls In The World (Outside Of The USA)

“Anyone who believes that Parisians are the world’s most serious people about their appearance has never been to Croatia. In ads, store fronts, everywhere, there is a sense that fashion is not to be taken lightly–and with a population this hot, it’s hardly surprising.”

8. The Top Ten Parties In The World.

“It’s supposed to be a 7 mile foot race but instead it’s a 7 mile costume party and keg race that goes through downtown San Francisco. It began in 1906 to keep people’s sprits up after the earthquake and locals are still keeping that alive, in force!”

9. The 10 Best Rooftop Bars In The World

“This is an awesome bar in an all-around cool hotel. The Condesa DF is decked out in extraordinary design, from the table cloths to the couches. This super-chic hotel only has 40 rooms so make sure to get a reservation, and make sure to hit its rooftop paradise for some cocktails as the sun goes down over Mexico City.”

10. Mullets – A Worldwide Phenomenon

“It was explained to me once when I laughed at the blue faced, mulleted warriors in Braveheart that the haircut had a practical application. It allowed the wearer to shirk the harmful effects of the sun to the back of his neck while being able wield a weapon with unobstructed vision. Being a diehard utilitarian, I had to take a moment to give the mullet its due before resuming my obnoxious diatribe disparaging the hairdo.”

Community Connection

Check out a few of Matador’s other classic hit-grabbers:
The Fifty Most Inspiring Travel Quotes Of All Time
Hostel Sex: A Practical Guide For Backpackers
What Can 150k Buy In Real Estate Around The World?

Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider. Photo: urbanmixer

Paul Stanley of KISS. Photo: beddiewedder

Ronnie James Dio. Photo: Marek Krajcer

Warrant’s Janie Lane. Photo: beddiwedder

Stephen Pearcy of RATT. Photo: Äppelmos

Tesla’s Brian Wheat and Frank Hannon. Photo: vazzz

W Axl Rose of Guns N Roses. Photo: Cuene Chiste

Night Ranger’s Jack Blades. Photo: zengrrl

Taime Downe of Faster Pussycat. Photo: bantam10

Mike Reno of Loverboy. Photo: michiee

Don Dokken. Photo: beddiwedder

Quiet Riot’s Kevin DuBrow. Photo: BradP

The Scorpions. Photo by Photo Agency

David Coverdale of Whitesnake. Photo: emalaith

Phil Collen of Def Leppard. Photo: kaleid

Lita Ford. Photo: shadowgate

Alice Cooper. Photo: denaflows

Kip Winger. Photo: Rick

Sammy Hagar and, inexplicably, David Hasselhoff. Photo: suzanneandsimon

Van Halen’s David Lee Roth. Photo: anirudhkoul

Launched this year, the 727 Fusealage home in Costa Verde II is a real shocker. Salvaged from a San Jose airplane graveyard, this 1965 Boeing 727 airframe has been converted into a two-bedroom vacation property.

The accommodation was inspired by a Forbes Magazine article about a company offering hurricane-proof living via surplus Boeing 727 airframes. Perched on a 50 foot pedestal, the plane looks like it’s just about to go wheels up.

The inside has been completely gutted and now contains two air-conditioned bedrooms, a kitchenette, a spiral staircase and hand-carved teak furniture from Indonesia. The whole shabang is located on the edge of a national forest, which can be seen from a terrace built around the plane’s entrance.

Check their on site for more details and more neato pics.

Community Connection

Ever jumped naked on a trampoline in your hotel room? That’s some of the craziness people have witnessed outside The Standard Hotel in New York City. Which is nothing compared to what is going on inside Japan’s Freaky Themed Bath Houses and Bars.

Coming around the corner, Berlin’s Bier Bike is a shocker. Heads turn and lips pucker with envy as passengers clank glasses and down foamy pints of suds. Cars nervously skirt by the slowly moving vehicle, tourists point in awe and all the while the bike’s passengers do all that is necessary – pedal and drink.

A bizarre contraption, the Bier Bike has been on the streets of Berlin since this May. It operates on a simple system. Eleven peddlers sitting on barstools move their feet in unison to propel the bike forward. The company’s sober driver sits up front and steers, making sure that the bike stays on course.

No injuries have been recorded as of yet, according to the bike’s driver/manager Ulli. The most common customers tend to be those with celebration in mind, often bachelor parties or sports teams.

I asked Ulli about the most any on group has had to drink. The record currently stands at 50 liters. The question then had to be asked – were they British? “Yes, of course.”

The Bier Bike – which comes stocked with brewskies and a sound system – is available to rent for two hours or more. It (technically) holds up to fifteen passengers and runs around 100 Euros for a two-hour tour and more for longer excursions. Beer is an additional cost, running €3.50 per liter.

The bike runs two routes around, one through Mitte and another towards the north side of Kreuzberg. For more information visit the Bier Bike website.

www.bierbike-berlin.de

Community Connection

Matador is bike happy. If you do nothing else, be sure to check out some of the freakiest bikes on the road in Hal Amen’s photo essay. Also check out Attica! Attica!’s plan to tour the USA by bicycle and raise money for World Bicycle Relief in the process.

Rhode Island’s Scarce was shot out of a cannon in 1994 and became a band that every record label had to sign, only a few months after forming. They recorded a stellar debut and took to the road, following their seemingly pre-destined path to superstardom. The series of events that followed confounds anyone who’s ever been a fan.

You’ve talked to quite a few Scarce fans. Can you describe how people feel about the band and the music they’ve made? I would imagine it’s quite passionate.

Very. Somebody even said that seeing them again after all of these years was like a religious experience. I interviewed an assortment of people, including other musicians like Kristin Hersh (Throwing Muses) and Joe Lally (Fugazi), all of whom said amazing things.

How did you end up choosing this as a documentary subject?

I went to see them when they played a one-off show in London late last year. Joyce gave me a copy of her book and we got talking about making a feature film out of it, which was too expensive of an idea. I’m an independent filmmaker. So I suggested that we make a documentary.

I saw the band on their way up, at the CBGB’s show that landed them a deal. Do you get the impression that, at the time, they were as surprised as anyone by all of the sudden attention?

Yes. They’d only been a band for a couple of months and they recorded The Red Sessions in a week. There was this huge, fast rise to fame.

If you listen to Deadsexy now, it might seem impossible that this is a record which could have a commercial life. But if you put it in the perspective of the time it makes sense; bands like Mudhoney were in Rolling Stone, Smashing Pumpkins had taken distortion mainstream…there was a definite feeling that even if it wasn’t Deadsexy that did it, Scarce would definitely hit it on the next album. Would you agree?

Photo: lfletcher

I would have thought so. Their music was a lot more thoughtful and intelligent than what some bands were chucking out. They always had something that was just a bit different. Even how they dressed – everyone else was in ripped jeans and here they were all dressed up. The album doesn’t sound at all dated now.

Then everything went wrong. For the uninitiated, can you encapsulate what happened to the band around 1995, right as they were about to click?

They got picked up by A&M, after being chased by 24 record labels. Everyone wanted to sign them. Then there was a big holdup of a year because Chick was previously signed to Sire and Sire Records sued him. They couldn’t play, they couldn’t tour – they were just left holding on for a year.

They finally settled for something like $90,000 and then their drummer left. They had to re-record the album with a new drummer. They went through about four or five drummers before Joe and the day after he started Chick had a brain hemmorage.

Chick and Joyce. Photo: lfletcher

He was in hospital for two or three months. They went back on the road even though Chick wasn’t in a good place – his balance was funny and he couldn’t hear properly. They were under pressure from the label. He and Joyce ended up fighting and the band just fell apart.

I’m wondering how you approached all of this in the documentary. It’s a really sad, tragic story. Was it difficult to find some kind of inspirational arc? I mean, essentially, it’s like watching a ship sink.

I was very conscious about this and I wanted to approach it objectively. The beginning is about their rise to fame, then into all of the shit that happened to them. But I have made sure that the end is pretty positive, because they’re back and people seem to be so pleased.

What do they make of all of this?

They can’t believe the reaction they’re getting. I don’t think they planned to make a comeback. They just got back together because they like playing together. They’ve been quite astonished by the reaction they’ve gotten.

Did you talk to the band about their lives post-Scarce?

Yes. Joyce and Joe played together for a little while but that didn’t work out. Chick never stopped playing. He was playing bars in Providence and toured Europe. Joyce got married, had a family and wrote the book. When I interviewed Joe, he said that he’d had a feeling that one day they’d get back together. It took ten years.

I see that there are some shows in the UK. Can you explain how you’re rolling out the movie a bit?

We’re doing four dates in the UK. Each show is a support band who are Scarce fans, then the documentary and then Scarce will do a set. We’ll then go over to The States and do a show in New York and Providence. We’re hoping to do a much bigger US tour next year.

You’ve done a documentary on a band that’s made only one album. I’m not sure that’s ever been done before.

They may only have one album but they probably have one of the greatest stories of any band. It wasn’t just one awful thing that happened to them. It was a whole series of tragedies. But they’ve still come back fighting.

Community Connection

Be sure to check out Nathan Larson of A-Camp’s Five You’ve Never , in which he manages to discuss both Burt Lancaster and falafel. Also, feel free to stroll through Berlin’s Ramones Museum and check out some of the best literal videos ever made.

The massive and astounding marionettes came to Berlin in a program called “The Berlin Reunion”, a series of eight walks set to commemorate German Reunification.

Hauled by cranes and scores of puppeteers, the giants moved about town over four days from October 1-4, following a tale set in motion by Royal de Luxe. The story told over the course of these walks was of two giants being separated by a city torn in two by monsters, eventually reuniting despite epic odds.

1. Once upon a time, a long time ago, Berlin was a swamp inhabited by giants. They planted roots in the water which slowly grew up into trees, whose trunks they later used to build shelters.

2. In one of these huts lived a Little Giantess together with her uncle, Big Giant. He had given her a wonderful boat in which she could travel across the continent. But one day land and sea monsters tore the city in two: And one of the two pieces was walled up.

3. When this happened the Big Giant and the Little Giantess were separated.

4. He was so angry that he threw himself into the river and from there he wandered through the depths of the oceans looking for the sleeping geyser on the seat floor.

5. Many years passed but eventually he found it.

6. He dragged it underneath the city walls and woke it rudely. The earth shook, the walls crumbled and washed away…

7. …a strong wind made the Little Giantess’ boat start moving and pulled roots of the trees up into the air.

8.When this was all over, the Big Giant climbs out of the river and starts searching.

9. The Little Giantess wakes up beside her boat…

10. …and discovers a sack of letters which were never delivered.

11. She decides she is going to deliver the post and on her way round the city…

12. …she is reunited with her big uncle, the Big Giant.

Photo 1 by Tom Gates. Photos 6 & 7 by Didier. All other photos by SpreePIX. Story by Jean Luc Courcoult, Royal de Luxe.

Community Connection

Matador is full of photo essays. You might start with Twelve Lesser Known Ruins Of The World and then move onto The Most Alien Landscapes On Earth. For a giggle, lend a few minute to 20 Of The Freakiest Bikes On The Road.

Justice’s amazing setup comes to Voodoo. Photo by momaraman

There aren’t many places better to spend Halloween weekend than New Orleans, especially with this year’s lineup at Voodoo Experience.

NIN at Voodoo 2008. Photo: nineinchnails

Now in its eleventh year, the three-day festival has hosted some of the biggest names in music.

The 2009 lineup features quite a diverse pack. Eminem will make his only live appearance in this year, tacked onto a bill that also includes attractions like KISS, Lenny Kravitz, The Flaming Lips, Janes Addiction and Widespread Panic .

It’s the variation of acts that makes Voodoo so cool – you’d be hard-pressed to find a lineup as diverse as this one.

Rock is well represented, with performances by Meat Puppets, Brand New, Silversun Pickups, Wolfmother and Down. Dance fans will find a surprise in the form of a rare appearance by Fischerspooner, not to mention the inclusion of super-duper-hipsters Justice. Alt Country fans will run square into sets by Drive-by Truckers and Shooter Jennings, while a more cerebral set will be happy to catch Alejandro Escovedo and Robert Randolph.

Halloween with The Demon. Photo: mback23

Perhaps most lucky is the eclectic music fan, who can also see artist like Ween, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Gogol Bordello, Squirrel Nut Zippers and The Pogues. All of this is swirled together with New Orleans flavor, from local marching bands to classic Creole sounds.

Voodoo Experience, October 30th – November 1st, New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Hawaiian Bastard.

Pronto Pizza – La Serena, Chile

This creator of this restaurant should be thrown in jail. You’re looking at a picture of what should be called The Hawaiian Bastard.

It arrived half-cooked. I had to dig through a thicket of shredded ham, pineapple and –yes – cherries before finding a bite that seemed reasonable.

Imagine if candy was made out of ham. No, don’t imagine it as delicious. Imagine it as foul! That’s what this pizza tasted like. With additional pieces of uncooked, shredded, part-skim mozzarella.

Oh, and let’s discuss the concept of cherries on pizza: No. End of discussion.

Even the pizza sweats in Argentina.

Te Pizza el Gallo – Buenos Aires, Argentina

For the most part, don’t even bother with pizza in Buenos Aires. It’s about the most disgusting thing ever cooked in a country full of things that are perfectly cooked. Get thee to a meatery and skip this nonsense.

Don’t believe me? Witness big goops of cheese that taste like year-old butter. Add Oregano to cover the sweating fromage, which overpowers any hope for a cohesive taste. Toss on green olives the size of human testicles, just to make the whole thing seem even less palatable than…testicles.

The cheese is the problem here – somehow the Argentines know what to do with the meaty part of the cow but they have no idea what to do with the milky part. It sweats as if masturbating, defending a pie of oozy things that can’t be wiped up with a paper towel (it adheres to the slop and only makes it worse).

If you must eat a pizza in Buenos Aires, I highly recommend that you eat out. Anything delivered will arrive on one side of the box, looking more like a swollen eye than a pizza pie.

Yes, the Italians can make a bad pizza.

San Marco S.R.L., Piazza San Marco, Florence, Italy

It’s one of those In Theory pizzas, kind of like the crazy-combo pies that chains launch and pull before the coupon hits your mailbox. Yes, this is a French Fry Pizza.

What it amounts to is a pile of potatoes cooked in greasy cheese and pizza dough. It doesn’t work – not in the least. I watched another tourist give it a go and she couldn’t figure it out either. She squiggled a little ketcup onto her piece, took a bite, then threw it in the garbage. I assume that she pointed her hunger towards McDonalds shortly thereafter.

Please, put this miserable, suffering beast of a pizza down.

Evil has a name. It’s whatever this pizza is called.

Suba Galaxy Hotel, Mumbai, India

A foul, atrocious pizza awaits anyone staying at The Suba Galaxy.

I broke budget in order to stay in a soundproofed room that blocked out Mumbai’s consistent howl. My stomach growled for something familiar and eventually I gave into the most primal of urges: Room Servive. The tray arrived, the lid came off and I could have cried. This was not my beautiful house. This was not my beautiful wife.

I implore you. DO NOT EVER put onions inside of a pizza, especially ripe and uncooked offenders. I’d also like to suggest that feta doesn’t work in this context and that mystery greens are not generally acceptable in any form.

This pizza was devious, deceptive and evil.

Turn left at the tree. Head west until you hit Italy.

Italian Pizza, Lonely Beach, Koh Chang, Thailand

You’re thinking that it doesn’t look too bad, this one. This is only because you’ve seen the above pizza pictures. It’s relative, sir/mam. Look at it again. It’s awful!

The first thing that most Thai pizza-makers do is start with a pre-made base, kind of like you’d find in aisle six of Stop & Shop. Many times, they’ll take just about any kind of jarred tomato sauce (I’ve seen Ragu) and add it to cheese that tastes a bit of dirty socks and coriander. The pizza pictured is a fine example.

Yes – It serves us Falang tourists right for ordering pizza in Thailand. Yes – we should know better and just order the Pad Thai like every other backpacker. But no, we can’t resist the promise of a real pizza.

It’s the ladyboy of the food world – we know it’s not real but by-gosh, we’re going in anyway.

We want to hear your pizza nightmares! Feel free to comment below and PLEASE link to a picture, if you have one.

Photo: ainudil

“Matador Joselito Ortega will be plugging a club-scene energy beverage called Gay Up and have those words embroidered into his cape in large, red cursive letters.” (AP)

There are moments when being gay is just fine and dandy, and then there are moments when being gay just plain sucks. It was on about the fourth time that the story was forwarded to me that I knew that this was going to be a real El Suck-O day.

Photo courtesy of Gay Up

Look, I’ll leave the whining about product placement to That Guy. He can bemoan the state of the advertising world, about how every square inch of God’s Green Earth is for sale and how great the old days were, when advertising was just subliminally evil.

I guess if anyone should be pissed then it should be the bull, which should at least be able to make a equal buck displaying its own cheeseburger ad before being slayed or slewn or whatever the hell the past participle of ‘slay’ is.

What yanks my crank is that Ortega – who is, by the way, straight – is playing the Gay Card because his career is in the crapper. According to most reports, Ol’ Joselito is not exactly The Bullfighter Of The Year. He’s been gored many times since his tights-wearing career began in 2006, which is hardly a solid start for a newbie Matador. That’s like a school bus driver killing a few hundred kids before he gets the hang of a big steering wheel.

To be surprised that a pink cape and a gay ad would spark his career is unfathomable, yet Ortega seems to stand by his story that he’s simply trying to break down barriers for both the gay and capitalist communities. He told CNN, “I’m glad to be the first person (in bullfighting) whom the gay community will take as an icon.” Girlfriend thinks he’s Madonna and he’s really just Brooke Hogan.

Says Ortega, “I am a bullfighter. That is not going to change. I am going to go out into the ring as I have done until now, to risk my life, and the seven goring wounds on my body prove that.”

As if there wasn’t enough reason to root for the bull already.

Jenny’s Cafe, Hongdae, Seoul

Intimate, funky, homemade. Nothing fancy, just done well. My wife and I used to treat ourselves to this place once a week (well, twice if we felt we really deserved it).

Creamy squash soup, salad, sauteed mushroom sandwich on fresh bread, glass of wine. That’s it. Their other location, tucked away more elusively in a different Hongdae neighborhood, scores points for its gnocchi, but you can’t beat the original. And this in a city where you can get the most delicious Korean food on any corner.

It’s that good.
-Hal Amen, Matador Trips Co-Editor

Gordo Taqueria, San Francisco, CA

I love Gordo because the same people make the burritos every day and they know what they’re doing. It’s the only meal in SF that can fill me up for less than $7 and they’re just so damn good! I eat at least 3-4 of them/week and I can’t think of any other food or restaurant that I could eat so frequently without getting sick of it.

I’ve been eating at Gordo for over 15 years and I’m sure I’ll be eating there for the next 15. www.gordotaqueria.com
-Ross Borden, Founder

Guijie Dajie, Beijing

Photo: preetamrai

On “Ghost Street” in Beijing you can eat meat skewers of all kinds (from your obscure internal organs to straight up beef and chicken), gong bao chicken like you’ve never had it anywhere else, small plates of cucumber salad, thinly fried potatoes, sauteed veggies with garlic, veggie skewers in sichuan pepper paste, sizzling sichuan fish brought to you live in a bag for your approval…and did I mention the 5 yuan tall Tsingdaos?
- Sarah Menkedick, Matador Abroad Co-Editor

Marvin, Washington, DC

Southern comfort classics meet Belgian charm and refinement in this restaurant that’s a tribute to Marvin Gaye’s time spent in self-imposed exile in Ostend, Belgium.

Photo: abbyladybug

A bevy of different moules frites, foie gras and onions, and the best fried chicken and waffles are among the impeccable menu at Marvin, which is located in the historic Shaw Neighborhood on U Street, the heart of jazz and soul in the District.

Add to that an amazing rooftop beer garden and the speakeasy Gibson located around the back, and Marvin will easily be one of the most interesting, unique, and delicious places you’ll ever visit. www.marvindc.com
-Jason Wire,Matador Contributor At-Large

The Ivy, Los Angeles

Photo of The Ivy in all its preppy glory: ChrisYunker

Oh, I know. It’s ridiculous. I’m supposed to be the guy who picks the tin shack in Laos, not the place with a $19 hamburger and valet parking. Somehow, though, I’m charmed by this little faux-house and the celebs that come here to have their paparazzi smeared.

I think that it’s the kind of place I dreamed of as a kid in Wallingford, CT, a place that I surely shouldn’t be allowed into, coming from a town full of townies.www.theivyla.com
-Tom Gates, Matador Nights Co-Editor

Neisha Thai Cuisine, Tyson’s Corner, Virginia

Photo of Pad Thai: closari

Heavily frequented by native Thai customers, a clear indication of its authenticity, its Pad Thai dish is sinfully decadent. Basil and sweet chili aromas wafting out of this joint hypnotizes you before you even step in, and the right amount of oils and spices in every single dish seals the deal.

Be sure to grab a frequent customer card to get some sweet discounts.www.neisha.net
-Lola Akinmade, Matador Goods Editor

La Bodega, San Martin de los Andes, Argentina

In Argentina, a bodega refers to an old-school meal-hall, the kind of place with a set menu of just four or five dishes each day, usually simple and cheap and hearty. The Bodega in San Martin de los Andes is run out of a really cool house–three or four different rooms upstairs and down, most with long tables for family-style dining. Here they serve house red wine out of ceramic penguins.

Photo of Bife de Chorizo: Stella Dauer

Whatever you get will be all-time and the chef and his wife will come check in with to make sure you’ve eaten enough, asking if you want a ‘chapa,’ which is like seconds, thirds, etc. I’ve had some super fat Bife de Chorizo here, Lomo, and also lentil stew. There’s always a vegetarian option, and like nearly everywhere in Patagonia the produce is locally grown–with La Bodega sourcing many of its ingredients from the garden onsite, straight up farm-to-table style.

After dinner there’s fresh-picked mint-tea. The sweetest thing about this place though is you can make reservations for dinnner at one of the private upstairs rooms with sofas, bean-bags, and coffee tables plus TV / DVD / VCR and movie selections from the video store. While you’re watching the film the muchachas will just slip in every once in a while to grab your plates, see if you want coffee, dessert, more mint-tea, or just more penguins.
-David Miller, Matador Senior Editor

Mart 130, Melbourne

This small, old cafe used to be a station master’s building on the tram platform. You can sit inside, outside the front which looks onto a serene Albert Park, or outside the back on the actual old platform and watch tram passengers get on and off on the trams’ regular runs.

The portions are healthy and the quality is fantastic. I recommend the pancake stack with mascarpone, berry compote, and authentic Canadian maple syrup (with a side of bacon, if you will) accompanied by a steaming latte.
-Carlo Alcos, Matador Trips Co-Editor

Blind Faith Cafe, Evanston, IL

Photo: swanksalot

As a vegetarian, I end up eating a lot of pasta when I go out to restaurants with friends. Blind Faith Cafe is wonderful because it caters specifically to vegetarians and vegans – the menu’s completely meat-free. While their offering changes pretty frequently, they’re wizards with seitan, and anything that features it is probably worth trying.www.blindfaithcafe.com
- Adam Roy, Matador Sports – Contributing Editor

Montego Bay, Sandton, South Africa

On Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton, South Africa lies this amazing seafood restaurant, Montego Bay. You can sit outside on the square and enjoy some of the best seafood from the land-locked city. While all of the seafood is exquisite, the langoustine was divine and something I had never quite experienced before.

Reasonably priced, great atmosphere, and excellent food makes this one of my favorite restaurant in the world. Montego Bay is certainly going to be on the list of places to dine when I go back for the FIFA World Cup in 2010.http://www.montegobay.co.za
-Lindi Horton, Matador Sports Intern

The Vietnam Kitchen, Louisville, Kentucky

Photo of Vietnamese Spring Roll: stu_spivack

The Vietnam Kitchen in Louisville is frequented by many homesick Vietnamese from the neighborhood and it’s also the haunt of hipsters who trek to the South End of Louisville to gorge themselves on catfish in a clay pot or the perfect, plump spring rolls served with a sweet sauce garnished with peanuts you might want to eat by the spoonful.

Reasonably priced, the atmosphere may leave something to be desired as you’ll be dining under a florescent glow. If you’re there for the food, you won’t be disappointed. I knew a group of guys that got the number of their favorite dishes tattooed on. Hardcore. (Reviews and address here.)
-Kate Sedgwick, Matador Nights Co-Editor

Parker Pie, West Glober, VT

My favorite restaurant is Parker Pie in West Glover, Vermont, a pizza pub in back of an old-time Vermont general store. Parker Pie is miles away from the nearest paved road, but it’s always packed with Northeast Kingdom locals eating pizza or drinking beer around a campfire in the backyard. www.parkerpie.com/
-Tim Patterson, Matador Man At Large

Giovanni’s – London, England

I cannot help it – I love Italian food, and I love this spot. It’s just in Covent Garden, and it’s a wonderful tiny cafe with all the vibrancy of Italy. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that my favourite Italian restaurant is in England, but I have never been disappointed by the wine, food or service here. I also really enjoy Burgoo, located out here in Vancouver BC on Main Street – their French onion soup is worth the wait. (Reviews and address of Giovanni’s here.)
-Alexandra Barrow, Human Resources Director

Astrid y Gastón, Santiago, Chile

I hate it that my favorite restaurant in Chile is both pricey and Peruvian, but if that’s what it takes, so it goes. Astrid and Gastón plays with sweet and sour, textures and delicious ingredients. The quinoa-encrusted giant prawns are delicious, and the for dessert the fried rice pudding served with cinnamon ice cream might just make you cry.www.astridygaston.cl
-Eileen Smith, Community Outreach

Thai Tom, Seattle, WA

Photo of Thai Tom’s durable menu: closari

Line out the door, totally legit, hole in the wall Thai joint. Anyone who has been to Thailand will attest, those that haven’t, Thai Tom gives you a taste. It is hot, crammed, and the cooks work their magic right in front of you. Complete with dingy, Bangkok style bathroom! Fried tofu with peanut sauce is not to be missed.
-Joshua Johnson

Restaurant Salzamt, Vienna, Austria

If you look up gemütlich in the dictionary, this is what you should find. Vienna has some of the best cuisine of any capital city I’ve been to in recent memory, and Salzamt offers a wonderful blend of both the old world and modern Viennese kitchen.

The interior is a cavernous, vaulted space but the best seats are outside, in an old cobblestone courtyard next to one of Vienna’s oldest churches. The atmosphere is almost electric as violins in the distance fill the area. Although every course is fantastic, this is no time to skip dessert as the pastry chef really makes miracles come true. (Frommer’s Review)
-Andy Hayes

Good Earth, Fairfax, CA

Photo: Nikchick

Ok, this may be a cop-out, but considering I’m the queen of needing gluten-free, dairy-free and preferably organic foods, I gotta say my favorite restaurant is actually the Good Earth grocery store in Fairfax, CA. I can almost always eat every single thing on their hot foods bar, including the scrumptious black bean, sweet potato and brown rice croquettes and cooked greens that are to die for.

Plus, they’ve got a bomb-ass curry chicken salad with raisins in the fridge, right up next to some coconut-yes I said coconut-tapioca pudding. When I’m living there, the staff sees me at least twice a day, and the store gets at least half of my yearly income. Good stuff.www.goodearthnaturalfoods.net/l
-Christine Garvin, Co-Editor, BNT

Mama Schnitzel’s, Sihanoukville, Cambodia

This place was a happening little open-air joint that served up simple chicken sandwiches that were shockingly delicious. It was the kind of place were you constantly heard people talking about it and would think “Nah, there’s no way it’s that good,” but then a single bite would transform you into a true believer.

The atmosphere was always chaotic and full of backpackers either coming to or from the beach. The owners also supplied paper and markers free of charge so the notes written in dozens of languages plastered the walls. Some humorous, some lewd, some insightful, it definitely gave it a fun vibe. (Mama Schnitzel’s on facebook)
-Frank Johnson

Horseman’s Haven Café, Santa Fe, NM

Photo of Green Chile Stew: stu_spivack

Favorite Restaurant is of course more of a moment in time than it is a place you can go back to (or recommend to a friend).

Back in the early divergence of Cuban currencies, there was a ropa vieja at a homey paladar overlooking the Malecón, now lost in the notebooks. Locos con mayo at the market in Puerto Montt. Lamb tajine in Ouarzazate. Four courses of goat cheese at the chèvrerie above the sweltering Loire.

But today, for lunch, the way I feel, if I could have a seat anywhere in the world, it’d be in one of the naugahyde booths at Horseman’s Haven, way down on Cerrillos, before a bowl of Level 1 green chile and a pile of warm flour tortillas. And a cold Budweiser. (Reviews and address here.)
-David Page, Contributing Editor

Flo Hayler decided to start a Ramones museum after receiving an ultimatum from his girlfriend – either his empire of memorabilia went or she did. Four years and 10,000 visitors later, The Ramones Museum Berlin is still going strong.

The collection of over 300 pieces runs the gamut. There are photo shrines, t-shirts, gig posters and even a pair of Johnny Ramone’s jeans. Each item is placed with care and precision – a couple of hours in this room and even a non-fan could soak up the fascinating history of one of the most simple (yet complex) bands in rock history.

Inside the museum.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more dedicated fan than Hayler, who describes himself as the “happiest guy on Earth”. Walking through the main gallery, he grins at each item, probably imagining how it came into his care. He admits that some nights he just sits in the main space and stares at the room, imagining how to improve the arrangement of its contents. A bigger fanboy there’s never been.

This is undoubtedly the reason that the museum works so well. It’s less a collection and more a shrine, a labor of love that is easily appreciated by anyone who has ever gone to the dark side of collecting, a world where a lost eBay war might end in tears and tantrums.

Ramones Museum Owner/Obsessed Fan Flo Hayler.

The space also contains Café Mania, which has ended up becoming a hangout for local scenesters. Tourists who stick around for a cup of coffee often find that they leave with more information about Berlin than any guidebook could offer. This is a place to find out every hip event in Berlin for the next month, publicized or not.

The museum also doubles as a performance space, with upcoming shows including Anti-Flag and Jay Reatard. CJ Ramone recently played a set in the space – hundreds of people waited in line for a chance to make it inside and meet a Ramone. Longtime Ramone friend and designer Arturo Vega –the man responsible for The Ramones logo – will make an appearance at the museum’s birthday on October 16th.

Ramones Museum Berlin. Krausnickstr. 23, Berlin, Germany.
www.ramonesmuseum.com

Zad

The reason there is no picture of a falafel here is because I whoofed it in thirteen seconds. Located in the Turkish section of Kreuzberg, Zad makes some of the best food in town. Every item in the display is made fresh each morning and only served after it’s been blessed. Blessed food is still scarfed food.

€2.50 Falafel. Reichenberger Str 84, Kreuzberg

Impression: Food with soul. Mood: Ready to Go.

Kreuzburger

Kreuzburger is where the locals go to beef up. I wasted no time in ordering cheeseburger, which was exactly the size of my fist. Toasted bun, slightly spicy burger sauce, loads of pickles, white cheddar, lettuce and tomato. As close to perfection as you can get in Europe (c’mon, we all know there’s no meat in your meat).

€3.00 Cheeseburger. Oranienstraße 190, Kreuzberg

Impression: Burgers aren’t rocket science. Mood: Digesting.

Curry 36

No foodie tour of Berlin would be complete without a round of currywurst at Curry 36, the most famous wurst stop in town. For the uninitiated, the dish in question looks like an oversized hotdog that’s been dressed in curry ketchup, with a warm bun on the side.

Lines often go around the block but I was lucky, hitting some magical hour where only a few of us whoofed the best wurst. Everyone from bankers to cabbies stood around me, wolfing down some of the best mystery meat ever put to paper plate. I wasn’t the only one who licked mine clean.

€1.70 Currywurst. Mehringdamm 36, Kreuzberg

Impression: Worth the hype. Mood: Gurgly.

Pagode

Berlin is gaga for Thai and so am I. Pagode does it better than any restaurant I’ve been to outside of Thailand, probably because they fly ingredients in twice-weekly from Southeast Asia. Four irritated women whiz through dozens of orders in minutes, barking pickups through a PA system that projects towards the curbside picnic tables.

I’ve went for the Tom Yam Gai, a particularly risky post-currywurst choice. I felt my insides begging for mercy as I ladled big spoonfuls of the spicy soup into my gullet. If you ever find yourself in Berlin, point yourself to this place. It’s incredible.

€3.20 Soup Bergmannstrase 88, Kreuzberg

Impression: It doesn’t get any finer. Mood: Potty?

Solo Pizza

Berlin is filled with these little storefront pizza joints, all displaying massive pizzas that are difficult to walk past without a second or third glance. They’re all pretty much the same and are all frigging delicious.

Knowing that I had to pace myself, I skipped the spicier options (Spicy Potato, Salami) and opted for a Rucola slice – a margherita topped with shaved parmesan, tomatos and rocket leaves. One piece is enough to fill most anyone.

€2.20 Slice. Danziger Str. 7, Prenzlaeur Berg

Impression: On the money. Mood: Burpy

Kadewe

Kadewe’s sixth floor is the most delicious place on earth. This massive food hall is set up so that each counter also serves as a restaurant, where a chef can make most anything that’s in the display case. There’s food from all over the world, including an “American Section” that stocks something for every craving, from Bisquick to Thousand Island to Pop Tarts.

I opted for something German, hitting a booth that sold ten different kinds of Wurst. Dude handed me a plate with a massive sausage, homemade saurkraut and a big dollop of mustard. I wasn’t particularly hungry but I ate it all.

€5.70 Meal, Kadawe “Department Store Of The West”. Tauenzienstrasse 21, Shoneberg

Impression: Pricey but unique. Mood: Broke and ready to barf.

“Shop”

As bloated as I was, I took one for the team and grabbed a pastry-y thing on the way home. Most U-Bahn stations are good for fast food, some of them containing dozens of shops and stores. I was only able to choke down a few bites of this tasty treat.

€1.00 Streuselschnecke, U-Bhf. Kottbusser Tor

Impression: Sweet. Mood: Gone too far.

Hot Dog Man

Unwise. But how often are you going to run into a man with a full hot dog setup resting on his hips? These guys (and girls) make the rounds outside of U-Bahn stations and sport a full grill contraption, ready to serve dogs that are so big they won’t fit in a roll. Two bites later, I called it a day.

€1.20 Most U-Bahn stops, especially Alexanderplatz.

Impression: Processed meat is scary. Mood: Done. Totally done.

All Photos: Tom Gates

More Food On Matador

Not full? Be sure to check Tom’s binge in Bangkok. Feel free to also indulge your inner foodie by eyeballing Anatomy of a Smörgåsbord and Matador Nights’ ongoing obsession with carbonated beverages.

The floor at The Overstay. All photos by Greg Goodman

“Please Do Overstay!” exclaims the website for one of the cheapest guest houses we’ve seen in a while. A tour around their site makes this seem like the smartest spot in BKK, a real find for people who are “into exchanging ideas, languages, music, art and love.” The space includes a bar, a music studio, free language classes and nightly dinners. The catch?

“People sleep anywhere they can.”

It turns out that the dormitory, according to The Overstay site, “has the feel of a hippie refugee camp with mosquito nets and big backpack brought by people from all around the world.” Photos from past guests would suggest that it’s more of a pigsty than anything else.

Turning up at The Overstay could be a shock for anyone booking on hostelworld, who make no mention of the dorm conditions.

Mariaborland6641: “Ended up on the floor of a dirty and windowless cell on an unwashed sheet…lay awake sweating profusely. Also no running water anywhere.” (7/7/09, Hostelworld)

“The cleanest at The Overstay.”

Ariana From Canada: “We did not stay at The Overstay because when we arrived there were only drunk men in the ‘lobby’ if that’s what you would even call it and no reception area to check in… I would not recommend any females to stay there and i really do not think it should even be on hostels.com as the check in counter was a bar and they didn’t even have our reservation when we got there.” (9/13/09, hostels.com)

These two wouldn’t be the first to turn up at a guesthouse that has glossed over some of its flaws. But it also doesn’t sound like a fair shake for these guests, who might have looked at The Overstay’s website and expected to enter “Bangkok’s number one chillout spot”, which they further describe as a “six tiered cake of fun and living.”

The question raised is not a new one. Just how much credence should you give booking sites? What does it mean that The Overstay is listed on Lonely Planet’s site, via a re-run of the Hostelworld review?

The same page suggests that booking with LP gives “expert advice from Lonely Planet authors.” Would Lonely Planet list The Overstay if they sent someone to see it? Or is re-running another site’s review simply enough for them, since they’ll pick up a commission on bookings? Either way, somebody’s daughter is spending the night in a squat.

A room. A room?

To be fair, many people seem to dig the bohemian squat space, presumably because they’re sure of what they are getting into. For the right person, The Overstay may be heaven.

Juanluckey writes on The Overstay’s site, “I encourage this place to promote positivity, love, and if you have some creative art talent, that is even better.” TheLostNY describes it as a “diamond in the rough.”

So, we ask. When does spin become mistruth? Do booking sites have the responsibility to do any investigating, beyond what information the hostel provides them? Or does a person expecting clean sheets for $0.62 per night have it coming to them?

The Overstay. Charan Sanit Wong, Number 80-82 next to the Soi 40 in Pinklao, Bangkok. Phone : 028834836

Matador Is Hostel Happy

For a Bangkok hostel of different ilk, check out our review of the badly-named (but nevertheless-blissful) Lub*d. Our ever-popular guide to hostel sex is also out there, waiting for you to take it into a quiet corner. For some completely different crash-space, lend an eyeball to some of the coolest campers around.

I moved to Edinburgh for the month of August and couldn’t escape this distinctly orange soda, which Scots seem to down in pints or liters. It’s so pervasive that a past commercial even showed a midwife trying to talk a baby out of its mother’s womb by offering one to the unborn child.

No good has ever come of anything this orange.

What does it taste like? A bit like carbonated bubble gum, so sickeningly sweet that I found it difficult to drink more than three gulps. The drink’s bite is so alarming that it is no surprise to find that Irn-Bru is rumored to have thirty-two flavoring agents in its recipe.

The recipe itself is closely guarded. According to Wikipedia, “The ingredients in Irn-Bru are a secret and known only to Robin Barr, the Chairman, and one unnamed person (who are not allowed to travel on the same plane together). A copy of the recipe is kept in a bank vault in Switzerland. Robin Barr himself mixes the essences of the drink in a sealed room at their headquarters in Cumbernauld once a month.”

Creepy? Creepy.

The Irn-Bru website contains a bevy of information about the soft drink, including past advertisements. The company is quite famous for its button-pushing ads, like the one featuring a gorilla and the tag line “Give Me Irn-Bru Or I’ll Shuffle My Nuts In Front Of Your Mother.”

Perhaps the world’s weirdest drink. If you don’t agree already, just check out the advert below.

You Gonna Drink That?

Fascinated by beverages? Be sure to check out strange discovery in Argentina, as well as some of the world’s other strangest libations.

Burning Man sets up for another year. Photo: naturalturn

Over 50,000 people made their way to Burning Man last year. Are you on your way to this year’s event? If so, be sure to connect with the writing foursome from this year’s Roads Scholarship.

These writers have been blogging about their trip across America for the entire summer and will finally converge in Nevada this week. A graduation ceremony is planned for Thursday night, from 7pm to 9pm. All vagabonds and nomads are invited to come meet the class of 2009 and party with the Digital Vagabond tribe.

Instructions are very, um, Burning Man. Track the crew down in Bat Country by looking for the van that reads Digital Vagabonding.com.

Kyle, Joanna, Marina, and Allana will be sharing photos and video from their trips, following a “whimsical ceremony”.

Full details are available at Digital Vagabonding’s site.

Metallica – “Battery”

This is the mighty Metallica before they pussed out, complete with one of their best and should-be-patented intros. Injury awaits anyone who can bang their head along to one of the best riffs ever put on tape (at about 1:10). This song turns humans into animals.

Metallica – Battery MP3

Judas Priest – “Electric Eye”

A Priest song where Halford isn’t secretly talking about S&M, dudes or…dudes. During the 80’s, about a million kids with oddly shaped Ibanez guitars tried to learn this riff, then cried when they couldn’t make their fingers move fast enough and pinch a harmonic at the same time.

Judas Priest – Electric Eye MP3

Iron Maiden – “The Number Of The Beast”

I was drunk in cab in Buenos Aires when this last came on. The driver eyed me in the mirror as he goosed the volume a bit, testing me. His hands tapped the wheel in time with the opening riff. I mumbled along with the first verse, enough to make his eyes dart into the mirror again and check my phrasing. He completed a few lines lines under his breath, at which point we came to the chorus and both started screaming.

Your mom is so pissed. Photo: cadwallader

You’ve never seen anything like it. Two men in a cab barreling through La Boca, shifting between first and fifth gear (it’s Buenos Aires), windows down, wailing about sixes, beasts and Hell.

Drug dealers ran screaming. Priests genuflected. Mothers scooped up their children, fearful that the demon-car would abduct their spawn and indoctrinate them into this sick cult.

Go ahead. Listen to it. See if it doesn’t do the same to you.

Iron Maiden – The Number Of The Beast (Live) MP3

Pantera – “Primal Concrete Sledge”

How Pantera went from a wimpy hair-metal band to something this sinister, heavy and incredible always puzzled me. Many tracks on Cowboys From Hell haven’t held up over the years (“Cowboys From Hell”…are you scared?) but this one has. Bigtime heaviness and a double-kick combine to blow out your woofers.

Pantera – Primal Concrete Sledge MP3

Black Sabbath – “Paranoid”

This song is 38 years old. No kidding. Recorded in 1970, “Paranoid” was a last-minute track added to Black Sabbath’s second album. It was intended simply as filler, to hold together the album that also contained classics like “War Pigs” and “Iron Man”. Classic.

Black Sabbath – Paranoid MP3

Suicidal Tendencies – Institutionalized

Oh, how we all wanted to say these lyrics as fast as Mike Muir did. And oh, how we all got sent to the same therapist that he did.

It’s a really weird thing, when a catch phrase takes hold of a subculture that hasn’t busted yet. That’s what happened with this song. From skate parks to detention rooms, everyone was offering the same line to their friends, who smiled because they knew where it came from. Anyone who didn’t know was a poseur or a dick. It hardly seems like the rally call for a generation raging against Reagan and teachers and Ritalin, but it was.

“All I want is a Pepsi, and she wouldn’t give it to me. Just a Pepsi.”

Suicidal Tendencies – Institutionalized MP3

Dio – Rainbow In The Dark

Look, it’s a great song. But this is really just a fantastic opportunity to point out that Dio is a complete mental patient.

Ronnie James Dio is the original JK Rowling, seemingly able to sing only about dragons, witches, mysticism and anything…mwah-ha-ha. The man regularly dresses in medieval garb, speaks with a Shakespearean accent and performs with so many erratic hand gestures that it could easily be assumed he has Parkinson’s Disease. Just watch the video.

Which is exactly why we love him.

Dio – Rainbow In the Dark MP3

Motorhead – “Ace Of Spades”

It’s one of those songs that everybody should have. Just broke up with your girlfriend? “Ace Of Spades”. Hate your father? “Ace of Spades”. Feel like doing meth for the first time? “Ace of Spades”. It’s a catch-all for the moments in life when you simply need to throw and break things.

Motorhead – Ace of Spades MP3

Motorhead’s Lemmy turned 63 this year. Photo: bundabergtim

Megadeth – “Peace Sells”

Anyone over 30 will remember the bass riff from this song, which doubled as the theme for MTV News. The track features Dave Mustaine at his snarly-est, bitching and growling his way through every word. It harkens back to a time when Megadeth had something to prove, constantly trying to sneak out of the shadow of Mustaine’s former band.

Megadeth – Peace Sells MP3

Slayer – “Angel Of Death”

This band was just plain scary when they started releasing music. I spent the better part of my first Slayer concert pinned under a soundboard at L’Amour in Brooklyn, trying to make my way out from underneath 500 pairs of Doc Martins, all of which seemed to be intent on kicking me in the face. The only thing I could see through feet were the two flashing upside-down crosses on stage.

“Angel Of Death” chronicles the life of Josef Mangele, the infamous Nazi doctor who conducted grizzly experiments on humans during WWII. As controversial as the song was, bear in mind it was also used in Gremlins 2.

Slayer – Angel Of Death MP3

Say What Now?

Looking for more metal? Be sure to check out our article about the Black Metal scene that’s coming out of developing countries, as well as our tips for surviving your first European metal festival.

Ready for the taking. Piles of programs at Fringe’s HQ on High Street.

Idiots Of Ants

Idiots Of Ants wobbled through their first preview show but managed to stay on their feet, ultimately charming the audience by being smart, if not often funny. This Is War runs through over 20 sketches, covering subject matter from penis size to Nazis.

The four members did a fantastic job of moving things along. It was great fun to watch as they sometimes fell prey to their own jokes, breaking character and cracking up. Placed perhaps a bit late, a hilarious live-action video game sketch proved to be the big laugh that the group needed to kick things through.

This one’s sure to liven up after previews and tinkering.

Tickets £9.00, 8:15pm, Pleasance Courtyard, Over The Road 2.

Garofalo at The Gilded Balloon. Normally very funny.

Janeane Garofalo

It was incredibly difficult to watch Janeane Garofalo struggle, if not bomb, during her first night at the Fringe. As veteran of dozens of Garofalo shows, I’d never seen anyone walk out until this gig. Her act seemed a bit too loose for the crowd and The Debating Hall definitely outsized the intimate (and sometimes desperate) performance that she gave.

Normally Garofalo’s strong point, the first 20 minutes of her off-the-cuff riffing fell dangerously flat. The rest of her show was spent unsuccessfully trying to woo the audience back from crossed arms and head scratching. While I always find her schizo approach hilarious and sincere, it remains to be seen if the Fringe audience will come around to Garofalism. Her attempt to cover UK politics missed by a mile, as did much of her ranting about targets as easy as Republicans and customs officials.

It’s not good when a comic ends the night by saying “Thank you for not leaving during the show.” Especially a funny one.

Tickets £12, 8:30pm, Debating Hall, Gilded Balloon Teviot.

Die Roten Punkte

Die Roten Punkte’s Robot/Lion Tour is sure to be a justifiably buzzy show as it builds during The Fringe. The duo took the stage with a setup similar to The White Stripes, instead using miniature sized drums and guitars. They blazed through several hilarious numbers, cutting the music with German-accented banter and a great deal of crowd interaction.

It’s the kind of show that you can either give the finger (there were walkouts) or completely surrender to (everyone else). There’s no question that as they build an audience of full-fledged fans, they’ll have the whole room singing along. Many were already.

Die Roten Punkte take a bow at Fringe 2009.

The two have ideal chemistry and pull the gig off with ease, making none of it feel staged or planned.

This one’s gonna be big.

Tickets £10, 11:11pm, Pleasance Courtyard, Over The Road 2

Anna and Katy

In retrospect, I would have rather spent an hour in a foxhole. The show (whose flyers offer the amusing tagline, “So Funny You’d Think They Were Men!”) fails to be funny beyond its advertisement.

The sold out house saw 11 walkouts and two worried performers, both very aware that things weren’t going well during their hour. Impossibly likeable and certainly a team that the audience wanted to guffaw for, it’s a shame that their jokes fell so far out of bounds. A sketch about two South Africans with large arms was not funny the first time – it was even less funny when the duo brought the characters back in the second act.

There was a flash of brilliance when the two pretended to be dimwitted housewives explaining television shows and popular events. If the entire hour had been filled with material like this, Anna and Katy would be stars.

Until then, it would appear that they’re just another sketch group renting space at The Pleasance.

Tickets £9.50, 6:40pm, Pleasance Courtyard, Over The Road 2

Orphans

As good as it gets. A psycho-thriller dressed as a drama, Orphans moves like few things I’ve ever seen on stage. Dennis Kelly, the playwright, seems to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue this year as word goes around that Orphans can actually back up the hype with riveting performances, a fantastic (yet sparse) set and superior writing.

Fringe’s most recognizable venue: The Underbelly Pasture.

Set entirely in a kitchen, the play begins with a couple having dinner, only to be interrupted by a visitor covered in blood. Yet it’s not gore that ends up shaking the audience’s nerves; it’s absolutely the words that come from these characters’ mouths as they tackle the subjects of life and death in a way that remains gripping even after you’ve left the theatre.

Tickets £16, (times vary), Traverse Theatre, Traverse 1

Bourgeois & Maurice

Bourgeois and Maurice’s Social Work is an hour of camp cabaret at its best…but probably not in its best setting. The steep theatre in Over The Road 2 sucked some of the life out of what is probably an electric performance in nightclubs. Still, the act is strong enough to stand up and remain funny, witty and engaging for the full hour.

The pair entered the stage dressed to the nines and performed piano-based songs about Ritalin, celebrities and the perils of being gay. Bourgeois, who favors extravagant outfits and prowls through the audience, leads the show with the fearless ease of somebody who could eat hecklers for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Maurice plays the smart fool, often carrying the show with just the bat of two extraordinarily large eyelashes.

Probably even better after a few pints of lager.

Tickets £12, 9:45pm, Pleasance Courtyard, Across the Road 2

Kate and I have been co-editing nights from outside of the USA. Kate’s in Buenos Aires and I’ve been taking a pretty long traipse around Earth. Neither one of us thought that we’d be editing a travel blog and we are both amazed that we get to do it every day.

The fact that we’re in charge is probably good evidence that you could be doing anything, anywhere. Neither one of us has a slew of experience and we’re happily winging it. It’s making me wonder how many people out there are strapped into the cubicle, daydreaming about doing the same thing.

The past few weeks I’ve been traveling with an old friend, a teacher from DC. She’s been doing week-long vacations for years and I coaxed her to come to Spain for a month. That thing happened – the thing that changes lives forever. At one point she looked at me and said, “Whoa. I can do this whenever I want. I can…do this.”

She’s now back home enduring the postpartum that must always come with travel – it’s made even worse by the new realization that she no longer has a tether.

The author has been looking for an excuse to use this photo.

Fear evaporates when you realize that you can do your thing almost anywhere in the world. It’s empowerment on a whole other level, usually one that nobody in your family can understand. But look around and you’ll find like-minded people, especially here at Matador. Folks who get the glaze in your eyes when you talk about obscure trails in Malaysia, or drool a bit when the subject of Mexican street food comes up.

It’s in this state that we edit MatadorNights. We’re most excited when we meet writers who are clamoring for a chance or have a whackjob idea for an article. It doesn’t matter to us if you’re in Peoria or Russia. We want to hear your ideas about your experiences, or even things that you’d like to research and explore.

Possibly – possibly – this is what makes the whole thing at Nights work. Kate and I function incredibly well in our underwear and are happy to code articles in bed. We’ll read just about anything submitted to the section, even if the author has disregarded basic principles of the English language, yet has a voice and a story to tell. We like the odd, the eccentric and the loose-lipped.

We’re seeking writers who are in the same boat as we are, captains who aren’t even sure what the hell a knot or a league is. We’d like to take this opportunity to remind you that you’re all welcome on board.

Tom (Edinburgh, 8/2/09)

Home Of The Hits: Motown. Photo: lizwade

The Marvelettes – Please Mr. Postman

Photo (and Feature Photo): dwhartwig

This was Motown’s first #1 pop single. The Marvelettes would follow with ten more hits, becoming the girl group archetype of all time. The track features the legendary backing band The Funk Brothers (with Marvin Gaye on drums here).

“Please Mr. Postman” tells the tale of a girl waiting for a letter from her boyfriend. For those born after 1985, a letter is a physical piece of mail that is delivered directly to your house by a ‘postman’, a person who is the conduit for the delivery of this letter (sort of a human Tweet).

MP3: Please Mr. Postman

The Contours – Do You Love Me?

Originally written for The Temptations, The Contours were in the right place at the right time. As the story goes, Berry Gordy became frustrated that The Temps weren’t in the studio after he penned the track and handed it to this lucky act (they were hit-less at the time).

“Do You Love Me” took on a second life after it was featured in “Dirty Dancing” but don’t hold that against it. It’s an impossibly hooky hit.

MP3: Do You Love Me

The Supremes – You Can’t Hurry Love

That bass line. Diana Ross. The Supremes’ 7th #1 hit . It’s impossible to replicate, although Phil Collins tried in 1982 and ended up with a #1 of his own (you can still hear it on the speakers in Walmart). This single finds The Supremes at their peak, when they rivaled The Beatles in popularity.

Photo: ClevelandSGS

MP3: You Can’t Hurry Love

Martha Reeves & The Vandellas – (Love Is Like A) Heat Wave

Dress it up as a song about love but I think that it’s really a song about being horny. Martha & The Vandellas hit paydirt with this single and followed with twenty-four charting songs, including “Dancing In The Street” and “Jimmy Mack”.

MP3: Heat Wave

The Jackson 5 – I Want You Back

This song is impossible to dislike – I dare you. “I Want You Back” was the big hit from their first album, Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5.

It’s argued that Ross didn’t discover the band at all, rather that Motown knew it had a fantastic marketing angle by putting it forward that she had. Indeed sweet and juicy, “Bubblegum Soul” became the internal term used for music that The Jackson 5 made.

MP3: I Want You Back

Stevie Wonder – For Once In My Life

The song, written by Motown staff writer Ron Miller, is a great example of just how valuable Motown’s in-house writers were to the company’s success.

This up-tempo version by Wonder proved to be the biggest chart success (#2) but it has also taken on my many other lives, having since been recorded by The Temptations, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennet and Frank Sinatra.

MP3: For Once In My Life

Brenda Holloway – Every Little Bit Hurts

Photo: murkredi

One hell of a breakup song. Considered by many a “lost” Motown artist, Holloway had relatively modest success beyond this single.

Favoring songs that she had written herself and living on the West Coast did not help Holloway, who many say could have been a bigger star had she not been on the label.

Many people have re-recorded this song, including a surprising take by The Clash.

MP3: Every Little Bit Hurts

The Four Tops – Reach Out, I’ll Be There

Another classic written in-house by Holland-Dozier-Holland, the team who largely defined The Motown Sound in the 1960’s.

Singer Levi Stubbs’ sing/shouting on this track is almost punk rock, given the times in which it was recorded.

You can practically see the levels ping to the right as he brings it to the chorus.

MP3: Reach Out, I’ll Be There

The Velvelettes – He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin’

The Velvelettes never made an album, instead releasing singles and never quite getting a big break. It must have been wildly frustrating to the members, who found themselves waiting in line as other Motown artists grabbed and recorded the big hits.

“He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin’” is one of the Motown greats from an act that could have had much more success, were they just a stitch luckier.

MP3: He Was Really Sayin’ Something

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – I Second That Emotion

The Miracles were Motown’s first breakout artist, which came in part because Smokey Robinson was vice-president of the company.

This song switches up many of the romantic notions of the time; it revolves around woman who strings men along and just likes a little bit of nookie now and then.

Robinson, theoretically, is there waiting if she should change her mind and want a committed relationship.

MP3: I Second That Emotion

NOTE: Your best bet for a collection of Motown’s best is the stellar boxed set Hitsville USA, Vol. 1: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971

Community Connection:

Dig music lists? Be sure to check out Ten Songs By Musicians Who Died Too Soon. Our recent article on the best music blogs will also help keep your your iPod fresh!

What a flipping kitchen! Salmon dinner for under seven Euros? Score.

The guy in the TKA shirt lands his beer pong toss (“Take that mother…”) as the girl with curly hair is tongue-jamming her conquest, an Aussi guy who told me earlier that he was “gonna get that, mate.” A nineteen year old Canadian boy sits at the bar, downing shots of bottom-shelf rum.

He’s trying to keep up with the goopy-eyed girl from Portland who seems unable to discuss anything other than her boyfriend (“He totally lets me put eyeshadow on him.”). Somebody drops a glass. A pregnant pause. Then the whole place whoops as the party shifts into fifth gear.

The Villa Saint Exupery in Nice, France – recognized wordwide as classy dorm digs – is filled tonight with the same energy you’d feel at a Megadeth concert. This “relaxing” and “extraordinary” place is jammed with howling patrons who have a seemingly common purpose. Chaos.

It’s a real pity for the owners, who would probably be happier to have a clientele of calm, snifter-whiffing women in their thirties. There’s nothing that can disqualify soothing adjectives faster than a backpacker on the drink.

Still, there’s good reason that the hostel is sold out tonight – it does everything right. The staff is abundant, easily handling the 100+ residents in this converted monastery. They hand out maps and directions with less disdain than I’ve ever witnessed, answering the most routine questions with genuine smiles.

Forget your tampons? Rubbers? Pasta with sauce? No worries.

Two shuttle vans make nonstop runs to town and the airport. Laundry is washed and folded for five Euros. Vending machines sell anything that you could have forgotten back home, from shaving cream to condoms (mate).

Views of the Chapel which features an internet lab, an in-tune Piano and a rad fireplace.

A big, stainless steel kitchen gives plenty of room to move but few people make their own meals because the in-house chef (yes) is just so damned good. Eyes bulge at the heaping €6.50 dinner. On one occasion I was served roast veal with rosemary potatoes, ratatouille and green beans. The next night was some salmon concoction that looked straight a good episode of Top Chef. I caressed every piece of food with my fork before I ate it, just to make sure it was real and not some kind of too-long-on-the-road mirage.

The Chapel is the hostel’s star attraction. A massive room wrapped in a stained glass wall, it also features a balcony full of free, high-speed-charged computers. Strewn about are couches, a grand piano (in tune) and a wide-screen television. Outside of The Chapel are three sitting areas, one complete with a fireplace.

Instant Party and Disappearing Brownies

The bar is, as mentioned, quite alive. House beer and wine only relieve patrons of one Euro and late-night drinkers can always grab a brewskie from the vending machine. Plates of brick-sized brownies are also available at the bar, scarfed down as fast as they can be made. It’s the kind of room that is impossible to be lonely in.

The dorm rooms are a bit cramped, holding as many as thirteen beds. The designers realized that they weren’t going to win any prizes with the room space afforded to them, so they wisely opted to make the common areas so attractive that nobody would bother with beds, other than to sleep. Any complaints about the dorm rooms would seem common for most hostels – more showers, toilet paper, less inexperienced drinkers.

Chillout space? Check. A perfect place for a bottle of wine or a smoke.

The Villa Saint Exupery’s only downfall might not be its own doing. Reviews and articles about the hostel are so glowing that many people booking might not take into account that this is, after all, a playpen for backpackers.

Sadly, a dorm room is only as clean as its inhabitants.

It doesn’t matter how big the beds are – they’re still littered with empty peanut butter jars and Stephanie Meyer books.

The reviews give Saint Expupery a grand air – which it has in many ways – but no matter how you dress a hostel up, there’s still going to be the Australian dude slapping me on the back, talking about how he’ll get the girl who smells like Garniere Fructis.

A hostel is, still, just a hostel.

Community Connection:

Check out another one of our hostel raves, as well as our picks for best party hostels around the world. Our recent post about ’boutique hostels’ might also catch your eye, especially if you want to search for other hostels like Villa Saint Exupery.

Photo: Wreckeddeco

With 447 injuries reported and one death (the first since 2003), San Fermin’s bull-running event has come to a close for 2009. The event, which runs for a week every July, is still a lifetime highlight for many looking to drink excessively, wear cute red kerchiefs and haul ass with livestock.

The run itself spans 840 meters and winds through cobble-stone streets, which trip many of the bulls and make them quite cross. A 27 year old Spanish native was gored to death this year at a section called “Telefonica” just before entering the bullring.

Graham Kingaby, Insurance Director at WorldNomads.com, reports that no bull-related injuries have turned up this year within their system. As for whether or not runners are covered, he says that it all depends on the scenario. Innocent bystanders who have been hurt, if standing behind barricades, will probably be seen as simply unlucky and should not have any problems with claims.

Bull Recognizes Photo Opportunity. Photo: enekajimenez1977

As for those juiced up and unprepared for a ‘sport’ that requires impeccable balance and timing, Kingaby comments, “Most sane people would agree that being smashed out of your head on the Bull Run is probably going to result in a trip to the hospital or in the worst case a trip to the morgue. If you’re doing something ultra dangerous, like this, there’s a good chance you won’t be covered by your travel insurance provider, so check your policy.”

He adds wisely, “Don’t make any decisions after nine shots of Jack Daniels, least of all any that involve many tons of upset cattle with sharp horns.”

Community Connection:

Be sure to check out our armchair travel guide to bull running, as well as our primer on how to make the run.

Photo (and feature photo): Tseandwyer

Frenz Frenzy. Osaka, Japan.

The only gay bar in Osaka run by a foreigner, Frenz Frenzy looks better designed for a Sid & Marty Krofft show than it does for drinking. Dubbed “rainbow heaven”, the venue looks like some kind of twisted first grade glassroom. You’re definitely going to have nightmares after you finish that crantini.

Real. Almaty, Kazakstan

Yes, a gay bar in Kazakstan. Believe it or not, many people say that Christian influence in this part of the world is what’s softening up Muslim attitudes toward gay life. Trip on that for a minute. A website for the area turns up a few bars, including Real, which seems to be the dandy of the scene. Friday nights prove the worldwide ubiquity of the Drag Show.

Beyonce? We think not. Photo: Babasu

Ying Di Jiu Ba. Xian, China

You’ll have to work hard to find this spot, marked only by its telephone number (8762-6676). Once inside “Indy” you’ll find a packed house. Prize night is very popular – simply pay Y$10 to open one of ninety sealed boxes and find out what’s inside. Terrifying.

The Blue Light. Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA

The Blue Light is host to the Mr. and Miss Lakeshore contest, although it would appear from photos that the winner in each category may have a penis.

Linga Bar. Siem Reap, Cambodia

If a day of exploring Angkor Wat has made you long for some dude love then this is the place for you. Linga Bar serves all kinds of fruity cocktails. Featured in the January 2009 Travel & Leisure, we’re wondering if the author was aware that many of the patrons (who are quick to sit on your lap) seem to be interested in a little bit of side work.

The Linga Bartenders. Photo:Asiax89

Flamingos. Hobart, Tasmania

Open on Friday and Saturday nights, Flamingos has been a mainstay in the Greater Hobart Area. They’re currently in the middle of a little facelift and will re-open later this summer. Google alerts, people!

Ko Ko. Yangon, Myanmar

While not listed as a gay venue, this cafe is owned by a renowned hairstylist. That’s code where we come from. Not surprisingly, reports say that the crowd tends to be hip and stylish. It’s a bit hard to find, so go armed with the address: 9 Sayar San Rd (near Mr. Guitar).

Q Bar. Reykjavik, Iceland

The self-proclaimed “hottest gay bar in Iceland” is in Reykjavik. This is one of those multi-faceted bars with a night for everyone, from the kind of (elderly, drunk) folks who like pub quizzes, to the (tweaked, drunk) folks who like to dance to bad house music. June 2nd was Speedo Night and we’re not asking for pictures.

Q Bar in Reykjavic, before doors open. Photo: Wendycrockett

Pegs N Pints. Delhi, India

A blog about this place gives a real sense of how difficult it is to be gay in India. Pegs N Pints seems to be Delhi’s sole outpost and is only open on Tuesday nights. Things change fast for gay establishments in this country, so make sure that it’s still open if you plan to attend.

Acid. Beirut, Lebanon

Acid is renowned as the first gay bar in the Middle East. It’s as weird to type as it is to read. Not surprisingly, very little information is available online about the outlet, however a website makes sure to point out that “Excessive same sex affections and body contacts are not tolerated.”

Editor’s Note: The author has several lesbian friends, knows the drill and wishes to head off many tirades by saying that there is a planned follow-up to this article just for girls. Chill, please.

St. Christopher’s. Photo: Skrivanet

St Christopher’s Inn Hostel at London Bridge has flipped on a few webcams, hoping to shed light on what really goes on inside of a dorm room. The thing is, most of us already know what happens – not much. Here are ten things that we expect to see on the hostel’s live cam:

1. The dazed glee of a person who has the room to themselves from 8:22-8:34pm and their sigh as three girls from Bakersfield show up at 8:35, like, ready to p-a-r-t-y.

2. People realizing that they left their toothbrush at the last hostel – again.

3. BIG fights between traveling couples on such exciting topics as the amount of time spent together, differing sightseeing agendas, Irish guys, why one bag is so damned heavy and who has to carry it, PMS – who has it and who’s a jerk for stooping to mention it, lost items and lack of funds.

4. A girl named Roberta furiously highlighting her Lonely Planet but never leaving the room.

There’s always one. Photo: Hollyswayne

5. The silent, unspoken struggle for electrical outlets, wherein an absent boarder has his iPod unplugged from the wall.

6. Young people vomiting cider, too inexperienced to know that it’s way too sweet to consume nine pints in one evening.

7. The tossing and turning that comes when the room has an early riser, most likely somebody in a panic because their flight leaves from Heathrow in sixty minutes (no chance).

8. Just exactly what the cleaning staff takes out of the garbage and keeps for themselves.

9. A condom accidentally flying onto the floor as a dude digs through his shower kit for something else, then the scramble that ensues to cover it up before anyone notices.

10. The solo sulking that happens when everyone in the room bonds with the exception of one traveler, who will be half-heartedly invited for drinks and not accept. This person will sit alone and read The Memory Keeper’s Daughter for three hours, then go to sleep.

Community Connection:

Matador is oozing with material about hostels. Check out our everlasting guide for hostel sex, as well as a take on how to make your hostel less hostile.

Hoping to see something more nefarious on St. Christopher’s webcam? Let’s hear about it in the comments below!

Feature photo by Bitchcakes. Bill Callahan of Smog plays Music Hall Of Williamsburg on June 14th. Photo by Kirstiecat.

The Northside Festival will celebrate four days of art and music in Brooklyn, starting June 11th. It’s exactly the kind of festival that Brooklyn’rs have talked about for years but have been a too busy to take beyond the brainstorming process, due to all of the waiting for the damned F train.

The schedule is hot shit. It invades big joints (The Hold Steady @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg) and many smaller, cultish rooms (Henry Wolfe @ Coco 66). Much like South By Southwest or CMJ, rooms have been taken over by hipster imprints, zines and radio stations. The talent that comes as a result is on the edge of something – we won’t know of what until next year, or until some blogger gives it a cutesy name.

Northside has also taken care to include the best of Brooklyn’s blowing-up art scene. As with anything in the borough, tastes about what is ‘art’ and what is not will differ.

Photo of Schipper’s “The Slow Inevitable
Death of American Muscle” by libbyrosof

Like, for example, Jonathan Schipper’s “The Slow Inevitable Death of American Muscle”, described as a “live, head-on collision which takes place in slow motion over the course of the exhibition.”

Be sure to check out Northside’s schedule for a full list of shows and events.

The magic is not only in the video’s star, however. Take a peak at the clip and see some other excellent performers, as well as an NYU student/director who is sure to be getting offers to make bigger and better videos.

Nyle “Let The Beat Build” from Nyle on Vimeo.

Sure, there are great flight attendants.   The kind of men and women who do the job effortlessly, not panicking at the$10 bill you just handed them for a $5 bottle of wine.  Winkers who toss you a second bag of Doritos, on the house.   We all love and appreciate them, especially when they can miraculously stop a baby from crying, throwing up or any combination thereof.

Paul Westerberg sings the song in 2002 at the Warsaw Room, NYC

Then there are the son-of-a-B’s.  This song tackles them.  You can easily imagine Westerberg writing the lyrics on the back of a napkin, seeking revenge against the stewardess (it was 1985) who became the lightening rod for every woman who’d ever turned her back to him. 

Throughout the song, you get the sense that she sort of deserved it.  It was the decade when the shine wore off of air travel, yet a good ten years before budget travel that didn’t crash regularly (when it became completely appropriate to be rude to customers). 

Having flown some of Europe’s gnarliest cheapos, I too have thought evil about the people who are supposed to keep me alive, in the event of a water landing. “A sanitation expert and a maintenance engineer.  A garbage man, a janitor and you, my dear.”  

Sit back, relax, drink a nipper and toss it back to The Replacements (as I am, right now, at Singapore Airport), and to all of the son-of-a-B’s.

Feature Photo by Giorgio Montersino

Design

This is the big shocker, the amount of time that went into laying the hostel out.  Its nouveau-industrial look gives off the feeling of a white-hot advertising agency rather than a bunk bed emporium.  High ceilings, distressed wood, blasted concrete and wide stairs all work exceedingly well together.

 Rooms

Not the hugest but certainly the neatest.  Big, thick mattresses and bedding that feels like it comes from The Martha Stewart Collection.  Couple that with unbelievably efficient air conditioning and that new-hotel smell…it’s a winner.

Safety

Lub*d is smartly located away from the Koh San Road glut, a safe walk from the Chong Nonsi BTS/Skytrain.  A digital room card taps open your room, as well as the main entrance.   Each room has a big safe.

 Bathrooms

A girl staying here told me that let out a moan when she saw them for the first time.  A huge sink, with actual mirrors, sits dead in the middle of the room.  It’s surrounded by sizeable showers, each with overhead spray-age and honest-to-Jesus hot water.  

 Computer Friendly

Nine laptops sit in the lobby, with free use for all guests.  Speedy WiFi is available in all of the rooms, free of charge.   Bigger plus – all rooms have oodles of electrical outlets.

 Touches

 The little things add up, from the way that the electrical outlets match items in the room, to the fun atmosphere of the lobby (which stocks board games showing no sign of disrepair, as well as a bar).

 The Only Downside

 Lub*d isn’t cheap, compared what you can find at guesthouses.  650 Baht will swing you a dorm bed.  A better bet is splitting a “twin rail room” with a friend, which ran two of us $1,200 Baht.  I felt that paying an extra 200 Baht was worth it, just so that I could go a whole night without seeing bamboo.

 Lub*d. 4 Decho (pronounced “Day-Show”) Road, Bangkok.  +66 (0) 2 634 7999  www.lubd.com

I’d been craving pasta for two months and was not going to give my re-virginized self to just anyone.

I’m glad I saved it La Buca in Sukhumvit–ten tables, a wall of imported wine, and Mr. Oreste, a dude from Tuscany who can motherf’ing cook.

Tucked down Soi One, La Buca is a genuine find. It’s not as cheap as the dives on the main strip, but it’s just…real. Oreste listed two specials when I walked in, then pondered a minute and threw out two more, both that he had definitely made up on the fly, given the ingredients in back.

I went for a simple salad and spaghetti aglio/olio but…eh…how do I explain this?

It’s almost a greater achievement when a restaurant can cook something simple perfectly, without over-doing it or taking for granted how easy it is. My eyes did the rolling-up thing after each bit– just the right amount of everything.

La Buca has an old-school dumbwaiter that comes from the kitchen, delivering goodness with ring of a bell that must have been created 30 years ago (zrriiiiiiiiing). Oreste grabbed a chair after I was done chowing, telling me his story as I pumped him for details.

He had been a cook for 30 years in Europe, scraping together enough money to start a restaurant somewhere. He opened here seven years ago, with his best friend telling him that he’d be closed within six months. He’s since given that guy the big Ba Fongule and kept a stream of steady customers.

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2007 was a big year but he admits things have fallen off over the past 12 months. Japanese businessmen aren’t walking in with credit cards as often and people have begun sharing appetizers.

It also doesn’t help that pedestrian traffic on this Soi is rather subdued, on account of there not being any chicks throwing their boobs in your face and offering massages.

I’m going back tomorrow, unable to control myself. Other guys may be headed for hand jobs around the corner but me, I’m drooling at the prospect of the eggplant parmigiana– Mr. Oreste promised me that he’d go hunting for the ingredients in the morning, excited to deliver something off-menu and requested.

I left just as a guy from Brooklyn walked in with his 22 year old Thai girlfriend. He sat down quickly and started ordering, not even looking at the menu. “I don’t care. Just give me some fuckin’ pasta.”

(La Buca. 220/4 Sukhumvit Soi 1. 089-2166514 or casorest@truemail.co.th)

Siam Paragon:

The food court here was massive, spotless and buzzing with life. I grabbed a lemon iced tea, a bbq chicken stick and a spicy chicken noodle curry (which I immediately spilled on my lap). The stalls ran the Asian gamut, from steamed buns to bird knuckle. There’s something for everyone. Might be the best in BKK. Ignore the McDonalds.

Impression: Dreamy. Mood: Homer Simpson after a beer.

MBK Center:

Known best for its 4th floor bootleg phone orgy, this is a great place to grab a coffee and watch as tourists get taken for Very Special Price. I couldn’t resist picking up a dessert that resembled a taco with white fluff and stringy squash. Delicious, despite a crunchy consistency.

I then followed employees into a tiny alcove with a vat of bubbling meat parts. I pointed. “That please.” I’m happy to pretend what I ate was chicken with rice. Woof. Ignore the Burger King.

Impression: Dizzying activity with tasty snacks. Mood: Spiked on sugar.

Siam Discovery:

This one was a bit of an up-scaler, with few food options. I did my writer’s duty and hit Starbucks, jacked myself on caffeine and scribbled bad coffee-shop verse. Overpriced muffins still taste like over-priced muffins here. Ignore the Starbucks.

Impression: Good for furniture, bad for food. Mood: Perturbed.

Siam Center:

A mall that could just as easily be in Hartford, complete with a building-wide system that blared JT bitching about having 15 minutes to save the world. I did a very brave thing and tried a green tea and grape jelly shake at Mr Shake, wishing that I hadn’t after one sip.

I hightailed up to the Food For Fun floor, preparing for (their words) a fast, funky, flirty (?) feast. Imagine my surprise when I saw that they served stewed ox genitals with chinese herbs. I could only think of one F for that – f’d up. Instead I ordered some undeniably amazing mango sticky rice. Avoid the Sizzler.

Impression: Manageable and full of options. Mood: Close to hurling.

Centralworld:

“Get yourself ready for Kiehl’s!” announced a sign at the entrance. I stopped, unsure how exactly to get myself ready for the arrival of boutique moisturizer. This mall had the best AC and I sat on a bench for thirty minutes, just soaking up the icy air.

Sadly, the food court was jammed behind frozen foods on the top floor. I instead opted for a grilled cheese at The American Restaurant, completely falling for their slogan (”Hey dude, come in and taste for yourself.”). I also have to admit that also bought a shirt at a store called Trendytown. Ignore the Dunkin Donuts.

Impression: Biggest mall I have ever seen. Mood: Fat.

The Gaysorn:

I wasn’t even hungry but I rolled myself into this place because a) it had “gay” in the name and I’m really eleven years old b) it looked pricey. Inside I found about nine people shopping. It would appear that now is not the best time to treat yourself to a Tiffany watch.

I was able to find some green tea for $3 US, hoping that it would somehow digest everything gurgling down below. It only made my gurgle more green. Ignore everything.

Impression: How could one city substantiate so much shopping? Mood: Glad to be finished.

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All Photos: Tom Gates

Rolling Stone’s article about the death of David Foster Wallace collided in my head during last week’s CMJ Music Marathon, five nights of non-stop newish bands playing at NYC’s best and worst venues.

I kept coming home and wondering what was going on under the hood of these bands; if I had just seen the singer who would come unhinged at 25, or if that same singer’s band might never even make it onto more than forty hard drives.

Predicting the fickle nature of the music business is impossible. Predicting the demise of a person’s life isn’t that easy either. Sitting on my living room floor in my dumb blue gym shorts, surrounded by piles of CD’s and cassettes, I came up with the following list of people who made great music for too short of a time. Please add your additions to the replies.

Elliot Smith “Needle In The Hay”

It wasn’t even subtle. It was right there. The problem.

I’m taking the cure so I can be quiet whenever I want…you ought to be proud that I’m getting good marks.

Elliot Smith photo by PatCastaldo

It was terrible to hear as a fan. You’d learn the words, sing them, maybe finger your guitar on the right frets, then realize what they meant. And what was coming, no matter how much you wished it wouldn’t. If you don’t own XO, please do.

(Steven Paul Smith, 1969-2003) – Needle In The Hay

Metallica “(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth”

The fifth song on their first album is a bass solo. With no wimpy “Enter Sandman” in the realm of possibility, Cliff Burton whipped his hair and played this in ways that just plain confused me.

It certainly wasn’t the metal that I had been hearing – there was no lipstick clogging the distortion. Seeing Cliff live made me realize that it was probably going to be the puzzling things in life that might be the most indelible.

(Clifford Lee Burton, 1962-1986) – (Anesthesia)-Pulling Teeth (LP Version)

Jeff Buckley “Halleluja (live at Sin-e)”

A cover, “Halleluja” has somehow become Jeff’s hallowed moment on tape. His version has been bastardized to the point where it’s almost become damaged, were it not for this recording.

At 9:15 and full of tuning issues, this reminds me why his take was better than anyone’s will ever be. For those of us sitting at Sine-E, his performances were a triumph for the cute little guy who washed clothes in the machine next to ours. “Let’s go drink and sleep!” he says at the end.

We were going wherever he went.

(Jeffrey Scott Buckley, 1966-1997) – Hallelujah

Photo by pinkbelt

Nirvana “Drain You (live in Seattle, WA, October 31, 1991)”

What a fucking mess. Missed words, chords almost disregarded, the bridge never quite filling out. It’s gorgeous.

This was the real Nirvana, the one that decked us. This wasn’t the song about deodorant that made fratboys scream and woot. Their stage presence was a turbulent ride between apathetic and aggressive, in a way I hadn’t seen since the Ramones.

(Kurt Donald Cobain, 1967-1994) – Drain You

Buddy Holly “Everyday”

Impossible to replicate, no matter how many have ripped him off. This was a guy who was supposed to write songs for the rest of a very long life.

It has been sad to see musicians like Roy Orbison or George Harrison pass away, but at least we were allowed to watch their genius progress. Holly had so much more in him.

(Charles Hardin Holly, 1936-1959) – Everyday/Peggy Sue

Photo by 90p

Chris Bell “I Am The Cosmos”

Chris Bell’s original band (Big Star) had something that so many musicians have chased since. His posthumous collection was the stuff of whispered legend, sitting unreleased for almost 15 years after his death.

This song, however, found its way into the public just before his tragic car crash and is the kind of song that bigtime musicians play alone, backstage, with nobody watching. And oh, Sweet Jesus. This song.

(Chris Bell, 1951-1978) – I Am the Cosmos

Matthew Jay “Please Don’t Send Me Away”

Most people don’t know Matthew – I had to dig through boxes to find this disc. For me, he represents all of the kids who take a shot at making it every year, yet watch as much less talented artists lap them.

Jay fell out of a building in 2002, leaving behind a hatful of magic that is being rediscovered by younger artists. An October 10th show in London saw members of Starsailor and Squeeze (among others) playing Matthew’s songs at Shepard’s Empire Bush. I wish I’d been there.

(Matthew Jay, 1978-2003) – Please Don’t Send Me Away

AC/DC “Let There Be Rock (Live)”

Bon Scott died about half-way through the rock/roll process, only to be brilliantly replicated by Brian Johnson in this same band. As AC/DC scrapped, scratched, and clawed their way to success, he passed away just before it all paid off with Back In Black.

This recording shows a man who had learned to turn each member of the crowd into a fan, building a base that still sells more records per year than almost any other rock band, dead or alive.

(Ronald Belford Scott, 1946-1980) – Black Ice

Joy Division “Love Will Tear Us Apart”

Ian Curtis went to hell and back, before finally hanging himself in 1980. Anton Corbin’s biopic Control does a fantastic job of covering his brief, difficult life.

Joy Division, a band which almost defines the term “seminal,” would only release one album while Curtis was living. He would kill himself on the eve of the band’s first American tour.

(Ian Kevin Curtis, 1956-1980) – Love Will Tear Us Apart

Robert Johnson “Sweet Home Chicago”

The legend and lore of Robert Johnson sometimes overshadows his talent and influence. Did he sell his soul to the devil? Was he killed by a bottle of whiskey laced with strychnine?

He also seems to have originated the “27 Club”, a term that’s become widely used for musicians who have moved on at that exact age (Check it out. It’s fascinating). Listening to this track, it’s obvious that he has influenced some of the most influential singers and guitar players of the last century.

(Robert Leroy Johnson, 1911-1938) – Sweet Home Chicago

Photo above by bikoy. Feature photo by ianqui.

I think it’s the walking that is doing me in. Taking me beyond the normal New Yorker stress. Getting me close to going Pacino With A Gun.

It’s not just the tourists, eyes perpetually pointed skyward at the pretty buildings, aiming their bodies towards my blazing, efficient path. These folks are merely the impala of my urban animal kingdom; cheap eats for oncoming trucks, for eight-inch curbs.

It’s fun to watch Betsy from Columbus, proudly displaying her minus-ten body from a summer program at Curves, trouncing blindly into a Don’t Walk. Nobody yells “Betsy, look out! It’s a big one! The double-decker kind!”. We New Yorkers know to weave down another avenue, because soon it will be all crowds and sirens. And police reports.

This kind of foot traffic is du jour for me, easily elbowed and knocked aside. Lately though, it’s the Fucking Blackberry People who are making my blood boil. New York, a town of born walkers, is crazy with pedestrians looking at their hands, typing messages into one device or another.

Basic motor skills (look where you’re going) have been lost on a Darwinian scale, bred out in just one generation, now as important as a third nipple. Everywhere – and I mean everywhere –dipshits are headed straight for other bodies, fingers blistering urgent messages. “B rt there!” “WAS, did we jst brk up!?”

Photo by holly_northrop

On top of this, there is now The Hawker Thing. The streets are filled with pay-by-the-hour workers, trying to sell ridiculous concepts like Cranberry Yogurt and votes for McCain. It’s not like in Southeast Asia, with blissfully blatant demands (”You Come Here Eat Now!”). Instead, ad company execs are hurling their sly ideas directly towards the streets, vying for a buzz that will never come for Hefty’s new panty liner.

Most lead with a forced-smile line, one that that screams for pity. “Do you have a minute for World Peace?” Four more blocks, “Do you like stand up comedy?” Two more, “Have you tried Domino’s new oven baked sandwiches?” The messages blend together and by the time I’ve reached home, I don’t know whether to adopt a child or eat a Pop Tart.

Take this image of our streets and now factor in cabbies from Grand Theft Auto School, delivery guys rushing orders for big tips and ditzy broads. Add daytime drunks, joggers and assholes like me. It’s getting ugly.

It’s shocking for me to discuss my growing loathe for the bustle of Manhattan, a place that I used to praise like a zealot on an eight-ball. But lately – and maybe finally – it’s just become too much. Guliani swept the dirt under the rug and somehow allowed in a bit too much sunshine.

Now all that I can see are the parts where the molding doesn’t meet the door frame. I find myself actually wondering if Paul Theroux might be right, if New York has become an example of what he dislikes about cities, places that are “vertiginous, threatening, monochromatic, isolating, exhausting, germ-laden, bristling with busy shadows and ambiguous odors.”

Photo by Mannequin-

All of this business with the people walking into one another – it somehow makes the sirens seem louder, the garbage trucks come earlier and the homeless more zombie-like. It makes me want to put on my iPod and not interact. To shut my windows and make love to Tivo. The City That Never Sleeps is beginning to make me a shut-in and it’s scaring the living hell out of me.

If there was one thing I was certain of it was that New York City was my home, that I am of a breed that is impervious to all of this commotion. I think maybe that this city now belongs to a new model, a 2.0 that I don’t want to become, or simply can’t upload. New York City, quite possibly, does not compute.

Editor’s note: This was the winning blog in our Not For Tourists Guide to NYC blog contest.