Monthly Archives: February 2012

Exploring Austin during SXSW

Posted on by under Events, Vayable Experiences

by Melissa Brightwell, Vayable Intern

South by Southwest is just around the corner in Austin, and it’s time to start preparing your event schedules! When planning which panels, films, and concerts to attend, make sure to leave some time to explore the beautiful city.

Apart from being the live music capital of the world, Austin is known for its beautiful parks and nature trails around Lady Bird Lake, its eclectic variety of delicious food trailers, its thriving art scene and, most importantly, its unique and quirky city culture. We have found some really amazing local Austinites that are passionate about their hometown and love sharing it with travelers. Here are some of our new Austin Vayable experiences:

Experience Lady Bird Lake with David

David is an outdoor enthusiast and loves to guide people around Lady Bird Lake in canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddle boards. Austin is home to North America’s largest urban bat colony and if you’re lucky you may even get to view Austin’s beloved bats emerging from their home under the Congress Avenue Bridge while on the lake!

Experience Austin Nightlife with Kelsi

For those of you that are 21 and over and are looking to explore Austin’s nightlife with a fun-loving local, be sure to check out Kelsi’s 6th street tour! Kelsi has graduated from the University of Texas and is now going to law school there. During her time at UT, Kelsi has learned all of the best places to go in downtown Austin for good music, cheap drinks and friendly bartenders.

Experience Austin’s Outdoor Art Scene with Dale

Dale is a local artist with many incredible pieces that can be seen around the city. He is extremely knowledgeable and excited to share his experiences and some of his favorite public pieces around Austin with you!

Experience Austin’s Food Trailers on Bike

In addition to managing a non-profit, Irene is a fun and passionate connoisseur of the local food trailers. She even arranged for 3 separate food trailers to be present at her Austin wedding! Join Irene on a delicious biking tour of Austin’s best food trailers, ranging from mom-and-pop shops to 4-star restaurant-sponsored trailers.

Scout for Street Art on Bike

With its quirky personality, Austin is a growing oasis for art and and culture. Mike, a seasoned bike tour guide through Europe and other places around the world, has landed in Austin to bring share his love of bikes with visitors.

Browse Vayable’s other Austin experiences here to start planning your SXSW trips!

Getting to Know London’s Middle Skin

Posted on by under City Handbooks, Guide Stories

by Kathryn Geels, Vayable London guide who is taking a hiatus in Australia for the next few months but still wants to help all the Vayable travelers out there.

Whenever I cross Westminster Bridge or go past Big Ben on the bus, I have one of those ‘tourist in my own city’ moments where I think ‘oh wow, that’s right I live in London’. There’s no denying, that even after 11 years in the capital, postcard perfect sights like the famous clock (or bell inside the clock, to which the name belongs), Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace are awe inspiring and timeless. For most visitors and perhaps for many residents, these are the things that evoke memories of London and all things British.

But what if, for one day, we put the prototypical tourists’ checklist down and literally stepped outside, not so much the box, but the zone. That is namely zone 1 on the tube map. That’s not to say that London’s hypodermis, or inner city, doesn’t offer anything but postcard pinups. Nothing could be further from the truth. However, exploration of its middle and outer skin is something no visitor or resident should dismiss. I liken this city to skin because it’s multifaceted, has a variety of functions, and is the largest ‘organ’ in Britain. In other words, no matter what your interests are or your reasons for being here, you can connect to this city on a completely individual and intimate level.

So where’s a good starting place? Let’s go to a little-known pocket of South West London called West Brompton. Sitting next to posh neighbours, Kensington and Chelsea, West Brompton doesn’t seem to have much pulling power. It has a tube and overground train station. It has a world famous football stadium to its south (Chelsea FC). It has two world-class exhibition venues to its north (which will play host to the volleyball at the London 2012 Olympics). Besides these worldly attributes it also has some other fine places to explore.

The first stop is breakfast, or lunch if you’re a late sleeper, at the Troubadour café. Founded in the early 50s as part of a coffee revolution in London, you only have to step inside to breath in the years of brewing and music history. It’s a place that’s utterly content in itself and welcomes music and history lovers, laptop slaves and coffee addicts alike.

Next, head to Brompton Cemetery, which is one of the ‘magnificent seven’ cemeteries across London. This place isn’t just for people to pay their respects, but it’s a historic ‘park’ which is frequented by dog walkers, cyclists, photographers and film fanatics but to mention a few. You only need to do a search online to realise just how many blockbuster films have showcased the cemetery.

Next on your exploration of West Brompton is…well…if I told you everything about West Brompton then you wouldn’t need to visit the place for yourself!

Top tips and other West Brompton insider knowledge:

  • Take the number 11 bus from Fulham Road, at the southern end of the cemetery, towards Liverpool Street. If you are really determined to see postcard pinup sights, this route covers a good number of them and is far cheaper than a hop-on-hop-off tourist bus
  • Visit www.myearlscourt.com to find out more about the area’s heritage and future developments
  • Book tickets for a production at the award-winning Finborough Theatre

Getting to Know Your Own City with the Help of Vayable

Posted on by under Explorer Perspectives

by Etan Berkowitz, Vayable ambassador who recently moved to San Francisco

About two months into living in San Francisco, I had done all the touristy things I was supposed to from biking on the Golden Gate Bridge to talking with the sea lions at Fisherman’s Wharf. The problem was that I still felt like a tourist, alienated by the fact that I’ve been following the signposts that TripAdvisor, TimeOut, Frommers and some desperate Google searching had laid down for me.

At my very first San Francisco house party, I met a rarity: the city dwelling native. I wasn’t talking to someone of East coast or Northwest descent, but a Folsom blooded local who advised me to check out Tourettes Without Regrets which is a monthly collaborative performance art/freestyle/dance/comedy/music fest.

From beat boxers flowing with guitarists to B-Boy battles to slam poets, there was no end to the creativity on stage. The lovely MC of the night actually threw a real pig heart at an obnoxious audience member. It was Oakland’s version of vaudeville and it was raunchy and entertaining. How else would I have found such a ridiculous event besides from the mouth of a local San Franciscan?

I serendipitously found my guide through a chance meeting at a house party. Vayable is collecting the world’s most unique guides (can I tell you how excited I am for Anarchy for Creative Nerds?) and putting them at your fingertips. By all means, come to San Francisco and meet the sea lions and gawk at the Golden Gate Bridge, why don’t you get an intimate tour of San Francisco’s jazz world? Or go on a spiritual ice-cream bike trip with a local San Franciscan?

The world is your oyster, and let Vayable be your shuck.

A Living Museum in Caballito, Buenos Aires

Posted on by under Guide Stories, Vayable Experiences

by Elisa Diodato, Vayable guide shares one of her favorite places to take travelers to in Caballito, a neighborhood in Buenos Aires, that is richly woven with the stories of its community.

If you wish to make a trip back in time, I know a special place in the ancient neighborhood of Caballito. What makes this place so special? It is home to an incredible old barbershop and gaucho’s bar (gauchos= Argentine cowboys).

Besides offering traditional services, the barbershop is also a living museum; and the only living one of this type on this hemisphere! At this barbershop there are over 10,000 collectibles and historical items. The collection includes a 1910 English phone booth, which is still in operation, and the first barber’s chair used in Argentina. Many of the antiques were donated by the shop’s neighbors, while others were rescued from basements and antique shops. Some of these unusual items are more than a hundred years old, making it difficult to guess which is the most valuable or most antique item in the exhibit.

Miguel, the owner of the place, confessed to me: “The piece that cost me the most to get was the basin, the first symbol of our profession. It took me almost nine years to find it. Barbers used to place this kind of metal plate under the neck of the customer when they perform teeth extractions (because the barbers were the first teeth-pullers).”

Those wishing to use the services sit on an armchair from 1905 and dress in old-fashioned clothing. Miguel invites everybody to enjoy his “cultural salon” to develop cultural and social proposals for charity. This is the chosen place in Caballito for the organization of cultural events: from celebrations of national holidays to shows with musicians and guest artists: tango dance shows, and folk and jazz music. All these events serve to help hospitals, homes or schools who need it.

Next to the barbershop there is another invitation to the past: an incredible “pulperia” or gauchos’ bar. Is the only one in the city of Buenos Aires and it is also a museum. Pulperias also provided the gauchos with the possibility to socialize, joining other gauchos to: drink, chat, dance, gamble or play “Payadas.” Payadas was the name of a sort of “duel of words” between two or more gauchos. One of them, accompanying his words with a guitar, would share his misfortunes and reflections with another, creating rhymed verses as he went along.

Payadas are one of the several elements that gave rise to the Argentine Tango creation. Some historians claim that tango was originated in a “pulperia” like this one, and if you join me on this adventure you might find that you agree with them too.

Most Romantic Moments on Vayable

Posted on by under Guide Stories, Vayable Experiences

One of our favorite things about traveling is taking in the sights, sounds, and feel of a completely new place. The promise of surprises around every street corner re-creates the excitement of that feeling of first falling in love with someone. Since Valentine’s day is just around the corner, we want to celebrate the most romantic moments in Vayable history!

A Vayable Proposal

At the origins of Paris, we had our first ever Vayable proposal! With some creativity and clever timing, our traveler from the Bay Area traveled to Paris to see his girlfriend and proposed to her in the Rodin Museum after closing time at the end of the tour.

A Surprise Trip to Paris

Our second most romantic experience occurred during a surprise trip to the city of love. Learning about wine and cheese in a cozy castle is sure to result in some sort of deliciousness, and this time, the happy couple ended up coming back engaged as well.

A Birthday Gift that Reminds You of Childhood

Vayable experiences make the best gifts for every occasion! In the lovely city by the Bay, one journalist took his wife on a horseback riding expedition on the beach for her birthday because he knew that she had a childhood love for horses.

This Valentine’s Day, we’re celebrating love. Whether it’s love for that special someone, your friends and family, or even yourself, treat the ones you love to a memorable experience! Check out some romantic suggestions here.

Vayable Valentine’s Day Guide

Posted on by under Vayable Experiences

by Whitney Eden, contributing writer

Stressed about what do for your sweetheart? Tired of giving the generic dozen red rose and box of waxy Whitman’s chocolates? Let Vayable take the guesswork out of your romantic gesture this Valentine’s Day. Whether you want to sail the Hudson River or make sweet treats together, Vayable offers experiences that will fit every budget and palate.

Dine and Sail the Hudson, around New York City

Feel the wind whipping through your hair, as water placidly laps the hull of the Second Wind. You just ate a delicious 3-course meal with your sweetheart, watching the sun set over the Catskills. As you sip coffee and eat tiramisu, the boat sails back to the marina. You step ashore, feeling transcendent and peaceful. Within two hours, you find yourself back on the New York City streets, wondering if it was just a dream.

Chocolatiering with Friends, San Francisco

Sure, you can walk to your local market, pick out a box of the finest, overpriced artisnal chocolates and call it a day—but where’s the fun in that? Join Ben, a San Francisco foodie and entrepreneur, to learn how to make your own chocolate. He’ll provide the ingredients (local and healthy, of course) and in-depth instructions, and you’ll be left with a batch of tasty treats. Better yet, you’ll never have to spend $5 on local, organic chocolate again.

Movie Still Photo Shoot, Los Angeles

If you think you and your honey could give Brangelina a run for their money, take them on a cinematographic photo shoot. Recreate photo stills of your favorite movie scenes, whether your tastes lean towards the action-packed or something a little more Hitchcockian. You’ll receive one-on-one direction from Anousha, as well as retouched images that are more than worthy of your mantle place. Just bring your own costumes and an adventurous attitude.

Wine & Cheese Tasting, Paris

Love drinking wine with your beau, but clueless about the difference between a Crozes-Hermitage and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, or which cheese to pair with either? Join Oliver at O Chateau for a crash course on French wines and fromage. You’ll learn all about France’s diverse appellations, as well as how to decode wine labels. Who doesn’t love sipping Champagne and calling it “educational”?

Gay BFF Castro Bar Crawl, San Francisco

For those of you romantically unattached, we recommend enlisting the services of Jeremy, your new gay BFF. Round up a gaggle of your girlfriends and hit the Castro district in style. Drinks, dancing and a good time are guaranteed. And who knows? You may start out the evening single, but anything can happen…

So be creative in showing your love this year with Vayable!

Vayable in Buenos Aires

Posted on by under Vayable Experiences, Vayateam

by Adriani León, Vayable Intern

Porteños love Vayable! For those that don’t know, Porteño is the Spanish word for people who live in port towns, specifically Buenos Aires. Vayable has reached out to our community there, and the feedback was amazing. In our talks with our new guides we were blown away by how open people were to this idea and excited to be part of something so fresh.

Meet some of our new guides!

Aigul is a Russian ex-pat who loves blogging and street art. In her tour, she will lead you through Buenos Aires getting lost and discovering street art together. According to Aigul, “Painted walls say more about the personality of Buenos Aires than museums and books.” Check out her tour here.

Sebastian is a Porteno who believes “Futbol is religion,” and he is equally excited to take you sailing on the River Plate. Sebastian also offers an architecture tour, showing you parts of the city he knows intimately as he works for the city’s tunnels and bridges.

Escaping the Egyptian riots, Ezzat, a professional tour guide who wants to show his city from his perspective, has migrated to Argentina with his girlfriend who is a local. Ezzat now has two loves, finding himself in complete admiration of the beautiful port city and its history. Check out his walking tour here.

To check out everything we have in Buenos Aires, you can go to the page here. City pages and many other great changes coming soon!