Gadling http://www.gadling.com Gadling http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.gadling.com/media/feedlogo.gif Gadling http://www.gadling.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Edmonton: Three Boars, Perfect Cocktails]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/08/edmonton-three-boars-perfect-cocktails/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/08/edmonton-three-boars-perfect-cocktails/http://www.gadling.com/2013/03/08/edmonton-three-boars-perfect-cocktails/#commentsFiled under: , ,

edmonton

Before a recent trip to Edmonton I did my standard restaurant research. All trails seemed to lead to a place called Three Boars Eatery, located happily enough just a few blocks from my hotel in the neighborhood of Old Strathcona. I left a message requesting a booking the day before my arrival and two minutes later my phone pulsed. "Hi. You called. We're full upstairs tomorrow night but there's always room in the bar."

The next night, after an airport shuttle ride through snow-choked streets and a quick check-in, I entered Three Boars' bar area. It was populated solely by men, all of whom sported either a beard or a plaid shirt. Some, like me, boasted both. It felt like a homecoming. I overheard talk of poorly-behaved roommates at the far end of the bar, while the two gymrats next to me discussed in very technical terms the effect of steroids on a friend's growth. The Rolling Stones ranted in the background; in the foreground, the service was attentive and nerdy. A revolving cast of three waiters asked questions and probed, made suggestions, and explained that the menu changes several times a week, sometimes daily.

Three Boars is about offal and local provenance. It's full-fat and high protein. Three Boars is relaxed but it is also self-conscious, telling guests where all their food and drinks originate. I sipped local beers (fine, though nothing truly exceptional) and ate several small and very good courses: smoked pork jowls with grainy mustard, smoked steelhead trout, and bacon-wrapped figs stuffed with blue cheese. So far so good.

Then came the truly exceptional part of the evening, the part that made me sit up: a miso-braised pork belly sitting on steel-cut oats cooked in dashi, with scattered pickled mushroom, roe, and seaweed. The flavors were bold and beautifully balanced. The result was a wildly delicious and quite comforting savory breakfast, but for dinner. It entered the upper reaches of my global favorite food items chart with a bang.

Naturally I asked my waiters where else I should eat. "The food community is small in Edmonton, so everyone knows each other," said one. To illustrate, he pointed out a chef sitting at the far end of the bar and then grabbed a fellow who was just leaving. "And this is Tarquin, the best bartender in Edmonton. You should have him make you cocktails."

Continue reading Edmonton: Three Boars, Perfect Cocktails

Edmonton: Three Boars, Perfect Cocktails originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 08 Mar 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>albertacanadaedmontonfood and drinkFoodAndDrinklocavoreNorth AmericaNorthAmericathree boarsThreeBoarsFri, 08 Mar 2013 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: Luang Prabang]]>http://www.gadling.com/2013/01/04/photo-of-the-day-luang-prabang/http://www.gadling.com/2013/01/04/photo-of-the-day-luang-prabang/http://www.gadling.com/2013/01/04/photo-of-the-day-luang-prabang/#commentsluang prabang

Kuang Si waterfall, 15 miles (25 kilometers) south of Luang Prabang in Laos, is one lovely spot.

Photo Of The Day: Luang Prabang originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 04 Jan 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asiaLaosluang prabangLuangPrabangphoto of the dayPhotoOfTheDayFri, 04 Jan 2013 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: Victoria Pier]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/28/photo-of-the-day-victoria-pier/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/28/photo-of-the-day-victoria-pier/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/28/photo-of-the-day-victoria-pier/#commentsFiled under: , ,

victoria pier

This Victoria pier, the Ogden Point Breakwater Pier in James Bay, Victoria, British Columbia, is today's Photo of the Day. Piers are strange metaphors for travel, as they function both as cul-de-sacs and tethers to the familiar, but there can be no question they are great for centering images. This photo was taken by Flickr user `James Wheeler on Christmas Eve. He observes in his image notes that this pier has been deemed dangerous. As a consequence, it will soon feature handrails.

Upload your favorite images to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. We choose our favorites from the pool as Photos of the Day.

Photo Of The Day: Victoria Pier originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bcbritish columbiaBritishColumbiacanadaphoto of the dayPhotoOfTheDayvictoriavictoria pierVictoriaPierFri, 28 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: Puerto Rico Vista]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/21/photo-of-the-day-puerto-rico-vista/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/21/photo-of-the-day-puerto-rico-vista/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/21/photo-of-the-day-puerto-rico-vista/#commentsFiled under: , ,

puerto rico vista

This beautiful Puerto Rico vista, snapped by Flickr user trishhartmann, was taken in Guzmán Arriba, Río Grande, toward the eastern end of the Commonwealth territory.

With temperatures dipping and daylight at a premium in the north temperate zone, this image is a reminder of the near-magical appeal of the Caribbean, and the tropics in general over the winter. If you don't sort of want to jump into this canopy of green now, you surely will by February.

Upload photos of your favorite vistas and vantage points to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. We choose our favorites from the group pool to be Photos of the Day.

[Image: Flickr | trishhartmann]

Photo Of The Day: Puerto Rico Vista originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 21 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>caribbeanphoto of the dayPhotoOfTheDaypuerto ricopuerto rico vistaPuertoRicoPuertoRicoVistaFri, 21 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Cocos (Keeling) Islands: Australia's Indian Ocean Idyll]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/19/cocos-keeling-islands-australias-indian-ocean-idyll/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/19/cocos-keeling-islands-australias-indian-ocean-idyll/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/19/cocos-keeling-islands-australias-indian-ocean-idyll/#commentsFiled under: ,

cocos (keeling) islands

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands are possibly the most beautiful place I have ever been.

This is strange to admit, even embarrassing. Travel writers are not supposed to make such claims. We're supposed to give information, provide historical context and show how our readers might make the journey we're sketching. We're not supposed to lose our cool and submit to the sheer gorgeousness of a particular place.

But the fact is that the Cocos Islands, an Australian external territory, are exquisite. The beaches are damn near close to perfect and the lagoon is full of exotic marine life. For anyone who has gone out of his or her way to visit deserted beaches, the Cocos Islands are the Holy Grail. And for those who have waited for hours to witness a single sea turtle clamber ashore on one or another Caribbean beach, the thousands of sea turtles simply hanging out in the Cocos lagoon will come as a revelation. The same goes for the reef sharks, of which there are an impressive number.

It's also hard to beat these islands for their remoteness. They're 1700 miles and two time zones to the west of Perth, the most practical launching pad for the islands. (It's also possible to book a charter flight to the Cocos Islands from Kuala Lumpur via Christmas Island on a Malaysian airline called Firefly, but most visitors fly from Perth with Virgin Australia.) It takes over six hours to reach Cocos Islands from Perth, with a 50-minute refueling stop on Christmas Island.

Continue reading Cocos (Keeling) Islands: Australia's Indian Ocean Idyll

Cocos (Keeling) Islands: Australia's Indian Ocean Idyll originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 19 Dec 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>australiaaustralian exernal territoriesAustralianExernalTerritoriescocos keeling islandsCocosKeelingIslandsindian oceanIndianOceanWed, 19 Dec 2012 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: Hampi]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/14/photo-of-the-day-hampi/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/14/photo-of-the-day-hampi/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/14/photo-of-the-day-hampi/#commentsFiled under: , ,

hampi

Hampi is a village in the southwestern Indian state of Karnataka, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an important religious place. It is photographed here at sunset by Flickr user arunchs, who has captured a glorious fragment of time at the most poetic time of day.

We like sunsets. They're beautiful and they allow us to imagine that we're on the road. So upload your best sunset images to the Gadling Group Pool. We pick our favorites from the pool as Photos of the Day.

[Image: Flickr | arunchs]

Photo Of The Day: Hampi originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 14 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>hampiIndiaphoto of the dayPhotoOfTheDayFri, 14 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Caucasus, Central Asia And British Airways]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/14/the-caucasus-central-asia-and-british-airways/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/14/the-caucasus-central-asia-and-british-airways/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/14/the-caucasus-central-asia-and-british-airways/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

caucasus and central asia

I traveled to Beirut earlier this year with bmi (British Midland International), the East Midlands-based airline partially absorbed into British Airways in the spring. My Beirut trip was meant to be the third installment in an ongoing series called "Far Europe and Beyond," which reached a premature end in the lead-up to the airline's sale to International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent of British Airways and Iberia.

"Far Europe and Beyond" was, as its title suggests, focused on several cities along on Europe's margins and just beyond. I visited Tbilisi and Yerevan last year, Beirut earlier this year, and had hoped to carry on to three additional cities, one (Baku) within Europe and Almaty and Bishkek (see above), both indisputably outside of Europe.

BA has absorbed many bmi routes and withdrawn others. I did a little cursory research and discovered that two of the cities I originally proposed for the series (Bishkek and Yerevan) have been dropped - as has Tehran, where the Yerevan-London bmi flight I took last October originated.

Last week, in response to an email query, a helpful British Airways spokesperson confirmed that the above destinations have indeed not been included in BA's winter schedule. When I asked whether or not BA had any intention to initiate new routes to the Caucasus and Central Asia, she told me that there were no immediate plans to do so, and added that she suspected that future route development would focus on destinations further east. She also pointed out that the airline has just begun to fly nonstop between London and Seoul, an exciting development in light of the ascendance of Korean popular culture and the recent debut of a Seoul-based correspondent at Gadling.

Here's a little plea to British Airways: please bring these cities back, perhaps looped into other routes on a once-a-week basis. What about a stop in Bishkek coming back from Almaty or a stop in Yerevan en route to Tbilisi?

Continue reading The Caucasus, Central Asia And British Airways

The Caucasus, Central Asia And British Airways originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 14 Dec 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AlmatyArmeniaAzerbaijanbakubatumibishkekbmibritish airwaysBritishAirwayscaucasus and central asiaCaucasusAndCentralAsiaEkaterinburgfar europe and beyondFarEuropeAndBeyondgeorgiaIrankazakhstanKyrgyzstanrussiasochisochi 2014Sochi2014TbilisiTehranuralskYekaterinburgYerevanFri, 14 Dec 2012 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Tawlet: Lebanese Locavore Love]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/11/tawlet-lebanese-locavore-love/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/11/tawlet-lebanese-locavore-love/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/11/tawlet-lebanese-locavore-love/#commentsFiled under: , ,

tawlet

On my first visit to Beirut's Tawlet, I stopped to ask a shopkeeper directions. "Tawlet?" she verified. I nodded. "C'est très bon," with a delicate flutter of the fingers accompanying her très, before she pointed me in the right direction. I'd heard great things about Tawlet for quite some time. The shopkeeper's gesture was the icing on the cake. I knew the way I know my own name that this meal was going to be exceptional.

I found Tawlet at the rather inauspicious end of an industrial cul-de-sac in Mar Mikhael, an up-and-coming neighborhood with an exciting slate of new shops, some of them quite innovative.

It was still on the early side but I couldn't wait. I walked into Tawlet before the restaurant opened for lunch and sat patiently for the wait staff to finish setting things up. A Saudi television crew was taping interviews of the day's chefs. Just when my hunger had reached epic proportions, just when I thought I wouldn't be able to wait any longer, a distinguished looking man approached me in English and told me I could begin to eat. He carried himself like a proprietor. And as it turned out, he was Kamal Mouzawak, the head honcho. I introduced myself and we chatted briefly.

Mouzawak has pioneered and tended a food revolution in Lebanon. Souk El Tayeb is the umbrella organization behind his efforts. It has spawned the Beirut Farmers Market, founded in 2004, Dekenet, a farmers shop, established in 2006 and regional food festivals, which followed in 2007. Tawlet, interwoven into the other Souk El Tayeb endeavors, opened its doors in 2009.

Continue reading Tawlet: Lebanese Locavore Love

Tawlet: Lebanese Locavore Love originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 11 Dec 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>beirutfoodfood and drinkFoodAndDrinklebanonlocal foodLocalFoodlocavoremiddle eastMiddleEasttawletTue, 11 Dec 2012 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hayete: Beautiful Budget-Friendly Beirut Guesthouse]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/09/hayete-beautiful-budget-friendly-beirut-guesthouse/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/09/hayete-beautiful-budget-friendly-beirut-guesthouse/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/09/hayete-beautiful-budget-friendly-beirut-guesthouse/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Hayete

Hayete, a budget-friendly guesthouse in Beirut, is a rare bird: stylish, in a fantastic location, and relatively inexpensive.

Budget-minded travelers who also enjoy a bit of style are usually out of luck when it comes to accommodations. Budget-friendly options generally consist of hostels, folksy guesthouses, smarmy bed & breakfasts and budget hotel chains - all honorable and fine, but only rarely stylish.

There are very few super stylish rooms in in-demand cities with rates in the $100 per night territory. Boutique and art hotels charge several times this amount in most buzzing cities. Budget hunters usually have to rely on the occasional off-season rate dip to enjoy anything approaching boutique style.

hayete Hayete, located in Beirut's exciting, intrigue-drenched Achrafieh neighborhood, provides an exception to the rule. The place looks and feels like the setting for a photo shoot in an underground European style magazine. It occupies an old classic building, built in the early 20th century, with original detailing intact. The tiled floor is particularly beautiful.

On the walls here are several huge photographs of color-saturated Russian landscapes by Liza Faktor. The design template is clever and very contemporary, capturing several impressions at once. There is the breezy feel of the carefree 1970s in several pieces alongside a fussy mid-century sitting room aesthetic, itself unsettled by contemporary upholstery. Throughout, there's a strong sense of place.

hayeteThe location is right in the thick of the Achrafieh action. Guests breakfast on a communal balcony that sits above a lively intersection, just beyond the main lounge's enormous antique aviary with its live, singing inhabitants. From the balcony, guests can spy morning traffic extending through narrow streets, old mansions, and the noises and sights of construction and renovation projects. The Lebanese breakfast (labneh, pita bread, juice) provides a pleasant, if light, start to the day.

Hayete has just four rooms. Two, with shared bathrooms, run $105 per night for a double (or $75 for single occupancy.) Two en suite rooms start at $125 (or $95 for a single). The rate includes breakfast, tax, coffee and tea from a shared bar, Wi-Fi and use of a communal refrigerator.

These nightly rates are particularly impressive in light of Beirut's hotel rate index, which is not generally easy on the wallet. While Hayete is not an extreme budget pick, its nightly rates put it in an all-too-slim category of reasonable, stylish hotels. For this alone it deserves to be championed.

[Images: Alex Robertson Textor]

Hayete: Beautiful Budget-Friendly Beirut Guesthouse originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 09 Dec 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accommodationsachrafiehbeirutbudget travelbudget-travelBudgetTravelguesthouseshayetelebanonSun, 09 Dec 2012 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: What's In Your Bag?]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/07/photo-of-the-day-whats-in-your-bag/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/07/photo-of-the-day-whats-in-your-bag/http://www.gadling.com/2012/12/07/photo-of-the-day-whats-in-your-bag/#commentsFiled under: , ,

what's in your bag

What's in your bag? Mine contains my laptop, several notebooks, a folder with tickets and research notes and a beat-up middling digital camera. Flickr user nan palmero's bag, as you can see above, is rather more technologically with it.

There's nothing I like more than nerdy connoisseurship. (If you'd like an item-by-item run down of these objects, check out the photographer's own site.) I love it so much that I chose an image from the same photographer whose work I featured in last Friday's Photo of the Day.

Upload your best images to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. We choose our favorites from the bunch as Photos of the Day.

[Image: Flickr | nan palmero]

Photo Of The Day: What's In Your Bag? originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 07 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>photo of the dayPhotoOfTheDaysan antonioSanAntoniotexasunited statesUnitedStateswhats in your bagWhatsInYourBagFri, 07 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: St. Pancras]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/30/photo-of-the-day-st-pancras/http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/30/photo-of-the-day-st-pancras/http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/30/photo-of-the-day-st-pancras/#commentsFiled under: , ,

st. pancras

It's five years this month since the Eurostar began its run from the renovated St. Pancras train station. The station remains a tour-de-force of a hub. This may be the only train station in the UK that feels truly European, and not only because it connects to the European train grid. St. Pancras is densely useable and grand, with a real buzz - like a train station of yesteryear, the sort of place you might have read about as a child. Flickr user nan palmero captures some of the station's buzz in the above image.

Upload your best images to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. We choose our favorites from the pool to be Photos of the Day.

[Image: nan palmero | Flickr]

Photo Of The Day: St. Pancras originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 30 Nov 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>europeEurostarlondonphoto of the dayPhotoOfTheDaySt PancrasSt. PancrasSt.PancrasStPancrastraintrain stationTrainStationFri, 30 Nov 2012 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: Wing In Flight]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/23/photo-of-the-day-wing-in-flight/http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/23/photo-of-the-day-wing-in-flight/http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/23/photo-of-the-day-wing-in-flight/#commentsFiled under: , ,

wing in flight

A wing in flight can be a gorgeous thing to behold. Last Sunday I flew from Sydney to Los Angeles on board a Qantas Airbus A380. I spent some time simply gazing at one of the airplane's enormous wings, which struck me as a triumph of engineering and design. Flickr user pkorsmok might have been similarly struck earlier this month when he snapped this image of a wing of a new United Airlines 787.

Upload your favorite images to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. We choose our favorites from the pool to be Photos of the Day.

[Image: Flickr | pkorsmok]

Photo Of The Day: Wing In Flight originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 23 Nov 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>787photo of the dayPhotoOfTheDayunited statesUnitedStateswing in flightWingInFlightFri, 23 Nov 2012 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: Paris Jogger]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/16/photo-of-the-day-paris-jogger/http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/16/photo-of-the-day-paris-jogger/http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/16/photo-of-the-day-paris-jogger/#commentsFiled under: , ,

paris jogger

This Paris jogger is slender and polished even in motion, looking for all the world like he hasn't even broken a sweat. (That hair!) Captured by Flickr user Cosmic Smudge, he comes across as about two million times more stylish than most of his fellow joggers around the world. Then again, he is in Paris, and, we can only assume, is a Parisian.

Upload your best images of perfectly coiffed joggers and other cultural anomalies to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. We choose our favorites from the pool as Photos of the Day.

[Image: Cosmic Smudge on Flickr]

Photo Of The Day: Paris Jogger originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>franceparisparis joggerParisJoggerphoto of the dayPhotoOfTheDayFri, 16 Nov 2012 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[View From The Shard In London: Pre-Opening Glimpses]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/06/view-from-the-shard-pre-opening-glimpses/http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/06/view-from-the-shard-pre-opening-glimpses/http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/06/view-from-the-shard-pre-opening-glimpses/#commentsFiled under: ,



View from the Shard, which comprises three observatory floors at the top of the Shard, London's tallest building, is not yet open for business. The new tourist attraction will open on February 1, 2013. This week, in conjunction with World Travel Market 2012, View from the Shard has been open for advance viewing by travel media.

The 72nd floor, the View from the Shard's top observation point, is 800 feet high, an altitude that makes it the highest vantage point of any building in Western Europe. Twelve interactive high-tech Tell:scopes telescopes will provide information about scores of London landmarks. The top floor of the View from the Shard is actually open air, allowing visitors unnervingly direct access to the elements.

Renzo Piano's sharply edged building has been controversial from the start. Now 95 percent owned by Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, the building has caused great division among Londoners. In addition to the View from the Shard observatory levels, the building will accommodate restaurants, a Shangri-La hotel, residences (which, according to the Guardian, will be priced from £30 million [$48 million]) and many floors of office space.

The View from the Shard will not be cheap to visit. Adult tickets will cost £24.95 ($40); children's tickets will run £18.95 ($30).

[Images: Alex Robertson Textor]

Gallery: Shard images

The ShardAnother view of the ShardThe Thames looking westPre-Opening ViewsCity of London

View From The Shard In London: Pre-Opening Glimpses originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 06 Nov 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>londonThe ShardTheShardunited kingdomUnitedKingdomview from the shardViewFromTheShardTue, 06 Nov 2012 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: Taiwanese Temple]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/02/photo-of-the-day-taiwanese-temple/http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/02/photo-of-the-day-taiwanese-temple/http://www.gadling.com/2012/11/02/photo-of-the-day-taiwanese-temple/#commentsFiled under: , ,

taiwanese temple

This Taiwanese temple is enmeshed in a field of silver grass, completely dwarfed by the surrounding foliage. Snapped by Flickr user Pamcy.com, it seemed like an appropriately peaceful, contemplative image for today's Photo of the Day. This has been a difficult and draining week for many Gadling writers (and readers) living in U.S. Northeast.

Upload your best images to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. We choose our favorites from the pool as Photos of the Day.

[Image: Flickr | Pamcy.com]

Photo Of The Day: Taiwanese Temple originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>asiaphoto of the dayPhotoOfTheDaysilver grassSilverGrasstaiwantaiwanese templeTaiwaneseTempleFri, 02 Nov 2012 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: Rainy San Francisco]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/10/26/photo-of-the-day-rainy-san-francisco/http://www.gadling.com/2012/10/26/photo-of-the-day-rainy-san-francisco/http://www.gadling.com/2012/10/26/photo-of-the-day-rainy-san-francisco/#commentsFiled under: , ,

rainy san francisco

Rainy San Francisco is the City by the Bay at its most atmospheric. When San Francisco becomes fully waterlogged and gray it lodges itself most deeply in wistful sentiment. This image, taken by Flickr user Cosmic Smudge on Jones Street in Nob Hill, is made all the more dreamily nostalgic thanks to the ghostly impression left by the Transamerica Pyramid in the background.

Upload your best images, dreamily sentimental or otherwise, to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. Several times a week we choose our favorites from the pool to be Photos of the Day.

[Image: Flickr | Cosmic Smudge]

Photo Of The Day: Rainy San Francisco originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>californiaphoto of the dayPhotoOfTheDayrainy san franciscoRainySanFranciscosan franciscoSanFranciscoFri, 26 Oct 2012 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: Frozen Lake]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/10/19/photo-of-the-day-frozen-lake/http://www.gadling.com/2012/10/19/photo-of-the-day-frozen-lake/http://www.gadling.com/2012/10/19/photo-of-the-day-frozen-lake/#commentsFiled under: , ,

frozen lake

This frozen lake in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District in British Columbia was shot last February by Flickr user `James Wheeler. I like its black-and-white moodiness, its starkness, and the way that it demands respect for winter. The image notes mention that the photographer's daughter slept in a sled crossing over the frozen lake. This detail adds an extra stillness to the image.

Upload your extreme seasonal images (or any other beautiful snaps) to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. Our favorites in the pool are chosen as Photos of the Day.

[Photo: Flickr | `James Wheeler]

Photo Of The Day: Frozen Lake originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>british columbiaBritishColumbiacanadafrozen lakeFrozenLakephoto of the dayPhotoOfTheDaywinterFri, 19 Oct 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Totnes: South Devon's Alternative Village]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/10/13/totnes-south-devon-s-alternative-village/http://www.gadling.com/2012/10/13/totnes-south-devon-s-alternative-village/http://www.gadling.com/2012/10/13/totnes-south-devon-s-alternative-village/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Totnes

Totnes, an Elizabethan town in the South West English county of Devon, isn't your average West Country village. Totnes is what is increasingly known as a Transition Town - in fact, it is a model Transition Town.

What is a Transition Town, you ask? A Transition Town is a municipality focused on sustainable local economic growth by encouraging the use of local resources and local businesses. One expression of this philosophy is the circulation of a superlocal currency, the Totnes Pound, which is accepted by scores of shops in Totnes. This currency is an impressive innovation for a town of just 8,000 residents.

totnesNot surprisingly, Totnes can be said to possess a definite crunchiness, especially in the form of new age shops and the Friday and Saturday markets at the town's Civic Hall Square. But if visitors come expecting Santa Cruz in the English countryside, they'll be terribly disappointed. Totnes feels like a typical English market town, albeit one with a particularly dynamic local retail environment.

There are many ways to gauge this retail dynamism. The sheer range of shops and relative lack of empty storefronts is one. Here's another: Aromatika, a highly respected, organic, vegan-friendly skin care products company, is headquartered in Totnes. Clearly, the town is a good motor for at least some sorts of entrepreneurial activity.

It is the plethora of small shops selling crafts, niche products and home furnishings that really help the town make a claim to retail excitement. Several home furnishings shops sell a range of well-curated products, both new and vintage. My favorite of these is a place called Inspired Buys (see above), whimsically stocked with a number of beautifully upcycled items, including old maps, hand-painted posters and signage. During my visit last week I fell in love with an old vintage canvas school map of Britain on sale there, the chalk markings of a teacher still visible. At £40 ($64) the map might not have been cheap, but it is also easy to imagine the vast mark-up that the map would command at a big city hipster design den.

There are other reasons to visit Totnes: the magnificent East Gate Arch on Fore Street, which makes the town feel cozy and contained, its 16th-century wooden houses, Totnes Castle, its rambling lanes, its many cafes (of which the best is probably The Curator Cafe and Store), and the South Devon countryside all around. But the retail is a serious draw, and not just for people who like to shop. Totnes is trailblazing a kind of economic future for towns focused on nurturing small local businesses.

Totnes is three hours from London by train. The least expensive advance roundtrip fare found during recent research: £43.50 ($70).

[Images: Alex Robertson Textor]

Totnes: South Devon's Alternative Village originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 13 Oct 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>devonenglandeuropegreat britainGreatBritainretailsouth devonSouthDevontotnestransition townTransitionTownukunited kingdomUnitedKingdomupcyclingSat, 13 Oct 2012 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: Eleuthera]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/10/12/photo-of-the-day-eleuthera/http://www.gadling.com/2012/10/12/photo-of-the-day-eleuthera/http://www.gadling.com/2012/10/12/photo-of-the-day-eleuthera/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

eleuthera

Eleuthera is a long slender snake of an island, about 110 miles long and an average of two miles wide. It has an embarrassment of beaches, which are notable not just for their number but also for their variety: a long pale strand here; a deep beach backed by reeds there; pretty pink sands elsewhere.

Flickr user trishhartmann captured this particularly dramatic Eleuthera beach, Tippy's Beach near Governor's Harbour, in June of this year. The clouds, the milky green waters, and the perfect sand all contribute to making this image especially compelling.

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Photo Of The Day: Eleuthera originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bahamasbeachescaribbeaneleutheraphoto of the dayPhotoOfTheDayFri, 12 Oct 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Photo Of The Day: BART Blur]]>http://www.gadling.com/2012/10/05/photo-of-the-day-bart-blur/http://www.gadling.com/2012/10/05/photo-of-the-day-bart-blur/http://www.gadling.com/2012/10/05/photo-of-the-day-bart-blur/#commentsFiled under: , ,

BART Blur

The blur of public transportation is an atmospheric, if possibly overplayed, representation of travel itself. This particular blur, of a BART train and station, owes much to the yellow floor safety line, which grounds the image.

This blur was snapped by Flickr user kiddie1997. For me, it prompts memories of living in San Francisco, an association I was feeling particularly keenly today to begin with thanks to the slow, insistent rain outside, so reminiscent of a San Francisco winter.

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Photo Of The Day: BART Blur originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bartbay areaBayAreacaliforniaphoto of the dayPhotoOfTheDaysan franciscoSanFranciscounited statesUnitedStatesFri, 05 Oct 2012 18:00:00 EST