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Manhattan Winter Drinking & Dining Outdoors-ish

post from Gridskipper on 04 November 2009 11:00:00 AM. © Gridskipper

When most restaurant/bar backyards and gardens have pulled in their tables and chairs, there are some that promise a year-round "outdoor" space. Yes, even in Manhattan. After all, we will settle for a car-exhaust fumed, ugly sidewalk cafe seat most any day of the year we can. It comes as no surprise then that backyard gardens are becoming enclosed, heated, and winter-proofed at all costs for the blustery days ahead. Where are these temperature-regulated, vegetation-filled, patio furniture-strewn oases? A guide awaits you, and feel free to comment on malfunctioning heaters or less than waterproof roof coverings.

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http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gridskipper/full/~3/W8OgeF1Wqk0/64190.php

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Collectivo's - Peru's Version of the Carpool

post from Inti Aperture on 04 November 2009 10:43:00 AM. © Inti Aperture

None of us our strangers when it comes to public transportation, there has been a moment in all of our lives where we have had to rely on others to get us from point A to point B. Here in Lima, Peru just like in my hometown of Portland, Oregon the people of this city rely heavily on multiple forms of public transportation. In Lima the most common forms of public transportation that one will encounter include: buses, Micros (small buses), Combi's (name was adopted from the original Volkswagon model), taxi's, mototaxi's (which is a motorcycle that has been converted to carry passengers), and Colectivos (which is a carpoolesque taxi).

This photo was taken from within a Colectivo while traveling along the Costa Verde

All of these forms of transportation have their respective levels of risk and reward along with their varying range of transportation fares. The mode of transportation that I most frequently use are the Colectivo's. Why? There are a number of reasons why I prefer Colectivos the best three being: cheap price in comparison to taxi's, fast travel, and less passenger stops.

The Colectivo as I mentioned earlier can be best described as a public carpool service which is similar to that of a taxi. All Colectivos have their respective routes that they travel much like the buses, Micros, and Combis which, are fairly flexible to work with when trying to reach a destination in the city. The downside of the Colectivo is that there are'nt many routes avialable in Lima, with the most common ones I can think of being: Via Expresa/Chorrillos, La Parada (La Victoria), Chosica, Comas/San Felipe, and Callao (there may be others that I am not familiar). From these routes one may also have to rely on a secondary form of public transportation to reach their actual destination, fortunately for me this is not the case since the Colectivo that I take drops me off within walking distance of my home.

The most you will pay for a Colectivo I believe is 5-10 soles (again, not 100% sure on this figure) to travel to Callao and 4 soles to travel to San Felipe/Comas. I currently pay S/. 3.00 to travel from Chorrillos to Plaza Grau near the Sheraton Hotel and El Palacio de Justicia in Downtown Lima. Another benefit is that they can often be found in the early morning hours which makes it a nice alternative to taking a cab for some (again, depends on whether or not the route is in towards your neck of the woods).

Another downside is the fact that you have to carpool with complete strangers and depending on the time of day at which you decide to travel in one you may find yourself seated next to beligerently drunk guy (who apparently has lost all motor control of his body and collapses in your lap halfway through the trip). Sitting between LARGE individuals is no way to travel and gives literal meaning to the phrase human sandwich.

Lastly public transportation and recklessness are two words in Peru that are seen as synonymous with one another, so it should go as no surprise that by riding in a Colectivo you are putting your life in just as much danger if not more than riding in a taxi or combi. This has more to do with the fact that most Peruvians (YES I AM GENERALIZING, especially since recklessness and total disregard for public safety rules seem to be commonplace in Peru) seem to drive with a feeling of self entitlement (as if they owned the damn road) and could frankly give a damn about their fellow drivers, FORGET about pedestrians they don't even exist, who are they? Life Insurance is a valuable thing here, ARE YOU IN GOOD HANDS? probably not.

So if you ever find yourself with the task of deciding between taking that taxi to Callao or Chorrillos or the Colectivo, try mixing it up and saving a few soles by going with the Colectivo. You might just discover a new found respect for a form of transportation you once denied.

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http://intiaperture.blogspot.com/2009/11/collectivos-perus-version-of-carpool.htm
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Museums open late for fall/winter 2009/10 in NYC

post from NewYorkology on 04 November 2009 10:28:40 AM. © NewYorkology

Many museums stay open late at least one night a week, often in conjunction with free admission hours, live music and cocktails.Here are the New York City museums with late-closing hours listed by day of the week:Mondays New York Transit Museum Gallery[...]

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NewyorkologyANewYorkTravelGuide/~3/r0L8D80Qx4U/mus
eums_open_la_1.php

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Wheels Up: Dubai, Coco's France & Ace Hotel

post from Gridskipper on 04 November 2009 09:30:00 AM. © Gridskipper

Dubai [Photo by fatboyke/Flickr]

·Ace Hotel lets BUTT mag curate homoerotic movies for guests [NYT]
·Dubai to debut world's biggest town early 2010 [AP]
·Three northeastern weekend escapes [CNN]
·Colorado town votes to legalize marijuana [MSNBC]
·A Coco Chanel tour of France [T+L]

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http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gridskipper/full/~3/RAU5amJwdeM/221454.php

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Two Of My Photos Recognized On Peruvian
Musician's Website

post from Inti Aperture on 04 November 2009 09:19:00 AM. © Inti Aperture

Okay, so the title was a mouthful but it gets the point across. A few days ago I was on my Flickr account uploading more photos when I saw that I had an email. The email was from a Peruvian Violinist by the name of Daniel Zamalloa who was born in Cuzco, Peru. He had seen some of my photos on my Flickr page and wanted to know if he could post two of my photos on his website, I of course agreed and now the two following photos are currently on display with many others on his site:

In case the photos don't appear use this link to check them out: http://www.danielzamalloa.com/photos.html

These two photos were taken back in May when I went to Comas to visit my grandmother for Mother's day. The photos depict what went down when I travelled with my father and a friend to Comas's Cementary that day. If you want to read about what CRAZY events took place that day CLICK HERE!

For those of you who are not familiar with Daniel Zamalloa's work I highly recommend checking out his website. Here is a little snippet that I took from his bio page:

"Daniel Zamalloa was born in Cusco, Peru, the ancient capital of the Inca civilization, and grew up in the old neighborhood of San Blas, renowned for its craftspeople and musicians. He began performing in a violin orchestra at the age of 7 and learned folk fiddle playing from master Eliseo Yare."

I also managed to find a few YouTube videos from some of his performances for those who might be curious or interested in watching. He plays the violin beautifully and I love his interpretations of Peruvian Folkloric music. Enjoy!

video details and more

video details and more

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http://intiaperture.blogspot.com/2009/11/two-of-my-photos-recognized-on-peruvian.
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Miss Earth 2009 pageant to promote Boracay Island
in 90 countries

post from Philippine Travel Blog on 04 November 2009 08:37:04 AM. © Philippine Travel Blog

The Miss Earth Foundation is set to promote this resort island in 90 countries, as it is the venue for the international pageant to be held on November 22.Catherine Untalan, Miss Earth Philippines executive director, said that they have been urging several stakeholders in this resort island to ensure that Boracay is clean once the [...]

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PhilippinesTravelBlog/~3/zJby2XDk0VI/

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Natural Works Of Art

post from Lanzarote Magazine on 04 November 2009 07:27:00 AM. © Lanzarote Magazine

Catch the work of Pepe Dámaso this month - the most prolific contemporary Canarian artist –[...]

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http://www.lanzarotemagazine.co.uk/2009/11/natural-works-of-art/

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Public holidays in China

Trivia of the Day.

China is ranked 7th in the world for the most number of public holidays with 22 days. They share the position with Iraq and Bangladesh.

Iran has the most public holidays in the world with 30 days.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.madaboutshanghai.com/2009/11/fac-of-the-day-public-holidays-in-china.h
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Can I afford a gap year

Much has been written recently about the cost of university, and the increasing number of young people put off by higher education due to the thought of so much debt after graduation. However, as the new term kicks off this month, it is clear that the recession has made the application process even more competitive as more mature students enrol, at the same time as jobs are cut, pay is frozen and more people find themselves without work. So what are the other options after college or sixth form?

Of course, a gap year has long been an acceptable way to spend time after secondary school in order to build up your ?life experience? and to enjoy some well-deserved freedom. But with so much concern about debt, can you really afford one? The easy answer is probably yes, but you must plan and budget carefully.

Whether you decide to volunteer close to home, or want to fly to the east coast of Australia, it is likely that you will need to save up some money for the experience. Of course, earning is one thing, but saving is quite another and it is important that you are taking enough money from your monthly pay and putting it somewhere safe. The more research you can do on this at the moment the better as the best savings accounts available tend to be fixed term ? meaning you are more likely to get good returns if you leave your savings alone for a certain amount of time.

Another positive boon to your funding could come from tax. If you are only working for a few months before leaving and not working for the rest of the year, you may be eligible for tax back. If you earn £6,475 or less over a year you do not need to pay tax.

Once your funds are in place you need to estimate how you want to access it, and the currency (or currencies) you are likely to use. Internet banking is a great way for travellers because it is free and is available 24 hours a day. After you know what currency you will need and where, it may also be worth considering a prepaid credit card ? despite the bad reputation there are certain credit card options available that are free of debt risk and allow you to take out foreign currencies abroad for no charge.

The next plan is to budget the trip. If you are travelling abroad it is becoming increasingly important to take out travel insurance ? and it is a good idea to research specialist gap year cover. If you are planning any special activities such as extreme sports, ensure that these are included on your policy also.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.alifeofluxury.co.uk/2009/11/can-i-afford-gap-year.html

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Japanese government PSA: A mask is the only way
to cover your cough

The Japanese government has created this PSA to warn people about proper coughing etiquette:Apparently proper coughing etiquette only means wearing a mask to cover your mouth. Those without masks are given no proper advice on how to cover their coughs.Public service announcements in other countries usually don’t assume that everyone has masks, so people [...]

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/JapanProbe/~3/OrcQbWTJFp0/

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