Monday, May 18, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Fresh from the Toronto Convention!
OutAdvisor attended our first IGLTA conference, which was hosted in Toronto, Canada! We had a great time meeting other travel professionals and touring the city. If you haven't visited Toronto, move it to the top of your list! The gayborhood centered around Church St. and Wellesley St. is one of the largest we've seen. West Queen West is another popular neighborhood with galleries and boutique shops. And don't miss the recent expansions at the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario.
We met travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers, and other travel professionals from 21 countries around the world! It was a great time swapping stories and learning about everyone's business. OutAdvisor was new to many of the attendees, and we enjoyed sharing our free Web site services with them. Here are just a few reasons business owners, professionals, and travelers should be using our Web site!
- Free on-line business listings! — It's always free for business owners to add and manage their listing. Travelers who don't find the business they're looking for can always add it too. Join one of the fastest growing gay-owned/friendly business lists on the web—over 6,400 businesses worldwide!
- Ratings and reviews — Travelers want more than your street address; they want reviews raving about your shop's style or the fabulous trips your travel agents plan. You can even add your reviews RSS feed to your Web site! Ask your customers to write a review so others will take notice!
- Social networking tools — OutAdvisor integrates all the latest social networking tools so with a click of the button, members' friends on Facebook, Twitter, Digg, etc. can see your business listing!
--Jeff
Monday, May 11, 2009
Tour d'Italia, Day Three
After the late, late night out at the club (we got in around 3:30 am...) we slept in and missed breakfast at the B&B, so we went out to the square just steps away at the Campo dei Fiori and had pizza at one of the many cafes there. Afterwards, we made our way to the Vatican. We took the metro, but probably could have walked.St. Peter's Square was large and majestic, but lucky for us, there were far fewer tourists than I imagine there usually are. The line to get in was only about 20 mins. long. One thing to note is the free bathrooms outside the basilica. The toilets in Italy were generally a bit disappointing, in that barely any public toilets I found (whether actual public toilets, or in shops or restaurants) had an actual seat (it wasn't that they were built without them, they were simply gone). The irony in the pristine Vatican toilets was, that this was my first experience at a "squat toilet" (I wasn't even familiar with the concept until the past few years, when Alex told me that most of the toilets in Asia would be squat toilets). Well...at least they were clean.
St. Peter's Basilica was incredibly over the top. Having grown up Catholic, I used to dream about seeing the Vatican some day. It didn't disappoint in its grandeur. But I couldn't help but think that this place had to be about as far from what Jesus would have wanted as could be. The man who threw the money changers from the temple and lived a life of poverty, now had the most famous church dedicated to him full of marble and gold. It makes me wonder how the irony has escaped people over the millenia.We were disappointed to find out that the Vatican museums and the Sistene Chapel were closed that day, so of course we'd have to make our way back again the next day. I wasn't going to go all the way to Rome and not see the Sistene Chapel.
After our tour we walked outside the Vatican and had some gelato (I probably had gelato at least twice a day). The place we went to struck me as having especially bad customer service. One thing I can say for the US is that businesses will generally treat you fairly well. Not every single one, of course, and I've had my share of bad customer service experiences in the US, but in Italy, I didn't get the impression that most people were very conscious of customer service in their businesses. Having lived in Europe in the past for several years, I was used to this,
but I look forward to the day when politeness and customer service take over continental Europe.Nearby was the Castel Sant'Angelo, a castle that housed former popes. It did allow a nice view of the city. After touring it (yet another free museum!) it was late afternoon and we made our way back to the B&B to relax for a bit before heading out for dinner.
For dinner, we picked a gay-friendly restaurant in the Trastevere neighborhood, a neighborhood known as being especially gay friendly. The restaurant featured Chinese cuisine, and the food was excellent, check out our review here: http://outadvisor.com/content/view/6806/32/#user_reviews.
Suffice it to say, we had a good, atypical Roman meal. With the late night from before, we were tired, and headed back to the B&B to sleep soon after dinner. The next day would be a long one with a drive to central Italy in the afternoon.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Tour d'Italia, Day Two
I woke up relatively early (8:30am) and r
efreshed on the 2nd day, my first full day in Italy. Even if I hadn't slept about 12 hours, I would have woken up anyway because it was a bit noisy in the hallway, which doubled as the breakfast area. Once I was showered I left the room to meet some of the other people staying at the B&B, always one of the fun things about traveling—the interesting people you meet. After breakfast, I made my way to the Termini train station on foot to meet up with Alex. I brought my hand held GPS unit along with a European map download—it proved to be useful more than once, especially for someone who is so bad with orienting himself in a new place, and even more so in Europe, where the cities grew up organically, rather than being planned like most US cities. No grid of streets in room, signore. It was about a mile and a half from the B&B, so I got some good exercise and saw more of Rome.
Once I found Alex in the train station, we hit the McDonalds there for a quick lunch. (Oh, I know, what a terrible travel faux pas! But I like McDonalds, and if I am going to be some place for more than a week with ample food sampling opps, I like to see if Mickey D's tastes like home; plus I'd rather save the time and see more sites than spend a few hours on lunch, which can often be the case in Europe. Just getting the check can take an hour alone...). We then made our way immediately to the Colosseum and Forum. I had visited the outsides of both the day before, but wanted to save the actual tours till I could do them with Alex. As it turned out, we got totally lucky on the week we chose to visit Italy. It was their National Cultural Week in which admission to most museums is completely free, and there are many additional cultural events. The Roma Pass people were nice enough to give us a full refund, since we had purchased the tickets (it gives discounted museum entrances) well in advance and hadn't known about the cultural week until just before the trip.
Both the Colosseum (aka the Flavian Amphiteater) and the Forum are as impressive, if not more so, than I had imagined. I imagined the horror of what went on in the Colosseum (so named because a Colossus statue once stood there, but it has completely disappeared). And I also tried to imagine the maritime events that occurred there when they filled the bottom with water—legend says they actually had naval battles there! The Forum is more of a widespread area with tons of temples and ruins, and is almost completely outdoors. Both are high up on the list of things one should see in Rome, even if they are fairly touristy.
Another famous spot is the Spanish Steps, and we made our
way towards them via the Rome metro. The metro was fairly easy to figure out, though not very extensive. We made our way from the back/top of the steps down to the bottom. It was an interesting view from the top. The area was one of the most crowded I saw in Rome, with people going up and down the steps and also milling about at the bottom. It was a great place for people watching.
At this point it was starting to get dark, but we made our way to the nearby Pantheon but just took a look from the outside, intending to visit again in the near future. Afterwards, we were pretty hungry, so we found a cute little cafe with outdoor seating in one of the narrow streets and had our first Italian dinner. Though neither of us are big drinkers, we had to have a glass of wine with our pasta, which was delicious. One friend told us beforehand "it's hard to find a bad meal in Italy" and he was right.
We headed back to the B&B to rest up a bit before hitting the Roman
club scene that night. It was 1am by the time we made it to the club (OK, we slept in a little too long, then had trouble finding the place). We went to Gorgeous http://outadvisor.com/content/view/5736/82/ which was the most happenin' nightclub in Rome. There were mostly gay men there, but it was a mix of lesbians and straight people as well (in fact, there was a room there that was for ladies only). They had go-go boyz (all pretty hot), and room after room of music and shows, and the place was jam packed. We made our way back via the bus (the only thing running) at 3am to finish our first day together in Rome.
efreshed on the 2nd day, my first full day in Italy. Even if I hadn't slept about 12 hours, I would have woken up anyway because it was a bit noisy in the hallway, which doubled as the breakfast area. Once I was showered I left the room to meet some of the other people staying at the B&B, always one of the fun things about traveling—the interesting people you meet. After breakfast, I made my way to the Termini train station on foot to meet up with Alex. I brought my hand held GPS unit along with a European map download—it proved to be useful more than once, especially for someone who is so bad with orienting himself in a new place, and even more so in Europe, where the cities grew up organically, rather than being planned like most US cities. No grid of streets in room, signore. It was about a mile and a half from the B&B, so I got some good exercise and saw more of Rome.
Once I found Alex in the train station, we hit the McDonalds there for a quick lunch. (Oh, I know, what a terrible travel faux pas! But I like McDonalds, and if I am going to be some place for more than a week with ample food sampling opps, I like to see if Mickey D's tastes like home; plus I'd rather save the time and see more sites than spend a few hours on lunch, which can often be the case in Europe. Just getting the check can take an hour alone...). We then made our way immediately to the Colosseum and Forum. I had visited the outsides of both the day before, but wanted to save the actual tours till I could do them with Alex. As it turned out, we got totally lucky on the week we chose to visit Italy. It was their National Cultural Week in which admission to most museums is completely free, and there are many additional cultural events. The Roma Pass people were nice enough to give us a full refund, since we had purchased the tickets (it gives discounted museum entrances) well in advance and hadn't known about the cultural week until just before the trip.Both the Colosseum (aka the Flavian Amphiteater) and the Forum are as impressive, if not more so, than I had imagined. I imagined the horror of what went on in the Colosseum (so named because a Colossus statue once stood there, but it has completely disappeared). And I also tried to imagine the maritime events that occurred there when they filled the bottom with water—legend says they actually had naval battles there! The Forum is more of a widespread area with tons of temples and ruins, and is almost completely outdoors. Both are high up on the list of things one should see in Rome, even if they are fairly touristy.
Another famous spot is the Spanish Steps, and we made our
way towards them via the Rome metro. The metro was fairly easy to figure out, though not very extensive. We made our way from the back/top of the steps down to the bottom. It was an interesting view from the top. The area was one of the most crowded I saw in Rome, with people going up and down the steps and also milling about at the bottom. It was a great place for people watching.At this point it was starting to get dark, but we made our way to the nearby Pantheon but just took a look from the outside, intending to visit again in the near future. Afterwards, we were pretty hungry, so we found a cute little cafe with outdoor seating in one of the narrow streets and had our first Italian dinner. Though neither of us are big drinkers, we had to have a glass of wine with our pasta, which was delicious. One friend told us beforehand "it's hard to find a bad meal in Italy" and he was right.
We headed back to the B&B to rest up a bit before hitting the Roman
club scene that night. It was 1am by the time we made it to the club (OK, we slept in a little too long, then had trouble finding the place). We went to Gorgeous http://outadvisor.com/content/view/5736/82/ which was the most happenin' nightclub in Rome. There were mostly gay men there, but it was a mix of lesbians and straight people as well (in fact, there was a room there that was for ladies only). They had go-go boyz (all pretty hot), and room after room of music and shows, and the place was jam packed. We made our way back via the bus (the only thing running) at 3am to finish our first day together in Rome.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Tour d'Italia, Day One
Alex and I did a small tour of Italy this past week to see the sites and do some reviews for OutAdvisor.com. We traveled separately, and I left Thursday evening from DC. I was using airline miles and nearly didn't make my flight, despite being two hours early (this is why I am overly cautious in arriving super early when I travel! :) ). As it turned out, USAirways messed up the ticketing process on the flight with their partner, United, for the non-stop flight to Rome. I had tried to check in online the night before (always a good idea), but couldn't. I just figured this was a quirk of theirs for international travel, since they generally want someone to see a passport before you board the plane. When I got to the United counter after about a 20 min. wait, they said they could see the reservation, but that it had not been ticketed, and sent me to USAirways (which, of course, was at the opposite corner of the airport). I was only mildly worried at this point with an hour and a half to go. The USAirways ticket agent was less than helpful. She said there was nothing that she could do, and that I'd have to call the USAirways miles number. I was slightly panicked at this point, since I only had about an hour to go. Luckily, I had my iPhone and could look up the number. I told the woman on the other end what the agents had told me, and that I was completely panicked at this point, and I was on the phone with her for about 15 mins. trying to get it straightened out. At this point, I was getting close to the 45 minute limit on checking into the flight at all, so I dashed over to United once again in the hopes I'd be able to check in while still on the phone. Sure enough, once I got there, there was another line for the agents, so I tried a kiosk, and it worked. The USAirways woman on the phone wasn't sure it would still let me check it, but bless it's heart, it did. I wasn't checking luggage so I quickly make my way to the security area, which also had a decent line. I made it through smoothly and got on the plane with about 10 minutes to spare. Phew! I really thought my entire first day in Italy was going to be flushed down the drain. So, bad USAirways for messing up the ticketing process, but bless the USAirways woman who helped me out in a tight spot and was super sympathetic.
I sat next to a Sicilian woman who turned out to be one of the most interesting air travel companions I've ever had. She had lived in Ohio the past 20 years and worked as a caterer and food designer, and was on the trip to research medieval Sicilian cuisine for a forthcoming book. We had some really fascinating conversations about her and her family's lives and I told her my story as well.
In addition to doing the trip to review gay Italy for OutAdvisor, we were doing a side trip to my ancestral hometown in central Italy, not far from where the earthquake recently struck. I had been planning the trip for a few years to research my great-grandparents' stories. It had originally been planned as a big family trip, but my uncle ended up having heart surgery recently, and everyone else bailed out since he couldn't make the trip but Alex and me (we had already booked flights and hotels that were non-refundable; traveling alone also gave us more time to check out and review venues of interest to GLBT travelers; and my uncle is doing fine, thanks :) ).
I ended up getting a little bit of sleep and was excited to spend my first whole day in Rome, which I had never before visited. Alex would be arriving a day later, spending his first day in Florence. I checked into B&B InandOut http://outadvisor.com/content/view/3608/74/ in the morning after making my way to the Termini train station via the airport express train. Loved the B&B (see my full review here: http://outadvisor.com/content/view/3608/74/#user_reviews). Small room, and a bit noisy outside, but well-run and a can't-beat location by the Campo dei Fiori with non-stop day- and night-life. Its proximity to many of the major sites was also key, plus it is owned by a lesbian couple, and we always do our best when traveling to patronize not just gay-friendly, but gay owned and run businesses. After checking in and relaxing for a bit, I went out to discover some of Rome for myself.
I found my way around the outside of the famed Forum (nothing especially funny happened on the way). It was a pretty incredible site to see ruins that aren't just hundreds but thousands of years old. Past the Forum, I made my way to the Colosseum, which was even more impressive than I had always imagined it would be. I held off actually entering any of them, since I wanted to wait till Alex arrived, but that didn't stop me from taking plenty of pictures.
Afterwards, I got a gelato (how couldn't you? it was a spring day in Rome, plus you couldn't throw a little crunchy thingy without hitting a gelato stand, pretty much anywhere in Rome) and made my way back to the hotel. It was already early evening by now, and I had intended to nap and then go out for dinner, though I ended up pretty much sleeping straight through till the next morning, when it was time to meet up with Alex at the train station.
All in all, a great first day, but I was looking forward to more fun and adventure once Alex arrived. And I wouldn't be disappointed!
—Scott
I sat next to a Sicilian woman who turned out to be one of the most interesting air travel companions I've ever had. She had lived in Ohio the past 20 years and worked as a caterer and food designer, and was on the trip to research medieval Sicilian cuisine for a forthcoming book. We had some really fascinating conversations about her and her family's lives and I told her my story as well.
In addition to doing the trip to review gay Italy for OutAdvisor, we were doing a side trip to my ancestral hometown in central Italy, not far from where the earthquake recently struck. I had been planning the trip for a few years to research my great-grandparents' stories. It had originally been planned as a big family trip, but my uncle ended up having heart surgery recently, and everyone else bailed out since he couldn't make the trip but Alex and me (we had already booked flights and hotels that were non-refundable; traveling alone also gave us more time to check out and review venues of interest to GLBT travelers; and my uncle is doing fine, thanks :) ).
I ended up getting a little bit of sleep and was excited to spend my first whole day in Rome, which I had never before visited. Alex would be arriving a day later, spending his first day in Florence. I checked into B&B InandOut http://outadvisor.com/content/view/3608/74/ in the morning after making my way to the Termini train station via the airport express train. Loved the B&B (see my full review here: http://outadvisor.com/content/view/3608/74/#user_reviews). Small room, and a bit noisy outside, but well-run and a can't-beat location by the Campo dei Fiori with non-stop day- and night-life. Its proximity to many of the major sites was also key, plus it is owned by a lesbian couple, and we always do our best when traveling to patronize not just gay-friendly, but gay owned and run businesses. After checking in and relaxing for a bit, I went out to discover some of Rome for myself.
I found my way around the outside of the famed Forum (nothing especially funny happened on the way). It was a pretty incredible site to see ruins that aren't just hundreds but thousands of years old. Past the Forum, I made my way to the Colosseum, which was even more impressive than I had always imagined it would be. I held off actually entering any of them, since I wanted to wait till Alex arrived, but that didn't stop me from taking plenty of pictures.Afterwards, I got a gelato (how couldn't you? it was a spring day in Rome, plus you couldn't throw a little crunchy thingy without hitting a gelato stand, pretty much anywhere in Rome) and made my way back to the hotel. It was already early evening by now, and I had intended to nap and then go out for dinner, though I ended up pretty much sleeping straight through till the next morning, when it was time to meet up with Alex at the train station.
All in all, a great first day, but I was looking forward to more fun and adventure once Alex arrived. And I wouldn't be disappointed!
—Scott
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Tourist in Your Own Town
We all would like to fit more travel into our busy schedules, but time and money limits when we can take a getaway. So why not spend the weekend exploring the places you love in your town or city? There are always museums, restaurants, parks, and other places we wish we had more time to revisit.I'm fortunate to live in Washington, D.C. where there is never a shortage of something cultural to do, and I don't know of any other place that has as many free museums. Here are some things I did this weekend when summery weather hit, and some other options in case you want to visit!
No matter where you live, I'm sure there are great places in your city or town to plan a weekend itinerary.
Sunny and 85 degree weather was enough to make me brave the tourist crowds on the National Mall. I visited the East Wing of the National Gallery to check out some modern and contemporary art. The architecture of the building is as enjoyable as the art, and the huge Calder mobile never disappoints. The Philip Guston exhibit in the tower gallery has a handful of paintings spanning his career.The most enjoyable exhibit was installed in the underground passageway leading from the East Gallery to the West Gallery. The metal ceiling and walls were covered in 41,000 LEDs that changed patterns as you rode along the moving sidewalk. Very cool! At the end of the walkway is the museum's cafeteria, gelato and espresso cafe, and probably one of the best museum bookstores I've seen.
After leaving the museum, I grabbed an iced coffee and walked up to the Gallery Place neighborhood. This revitalized neighborhood also includes Chinatown, and is a popular destination for its many restaurants surrounding the Verizon Center, where the Washington Capitals play hockey and many concerts are held. The central focus are the conjoined buildings housing the Museum of American Art and the National Portrait Gallery. The newly-completed courtyard should not be missed.From there I took a long walk through Metro Center, where a lot of downtown shopping is located, and past the White House. I walked up 17th St. to the Dupont Circle neighborhood, which is still the center of the GLBT community. 17th between P and T streets has many restaurants and bars. JR's and Dupont Italian Kitchen are old standbys. We opted for dinner at a mexican restaurant off the circle and drinks late that night at Nellie's Sports Bar.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Why travel?
You know how the memory of our last trip fades before we are ready to forget about the great time we had? There's always a To-Do list waiting for us upon our return, and we're pressed to jump back into our busy lives. Just a few weeks back, my boyfriend and I and a good friend were wandering the wondeful streets of Madrid, but it seems like months ago. Today I got to daydream a little about our recent trip.
This afternoon at work, I grabbed a coffee and stepped outside to enjoy the misty weather and the last of the white petals dropping from the pear trees. While I was sipping my coffee I thought of Jose, a friend-of-a-friend who showed us around the Gran Via and Chueca neighborhoods for an afternoon. "How do you spot an American in Europe?" he asked. "They've got a coffee in their hand and are walking down the street." Jose laughed and proudly said he needs a chair, at least 30 minutes, and conversation with a few good friends to enjoy a coffee!
Jose's joke was telling. Americans, in my opinion, are accustomed to being on the run and seek instant gratification. We want it cheap, fast, and preferably in large quantities. This appears different from many European cultures where the focus is on fine ingredients (or other qualities) and true enjoyment of the experience. Is it too harsh to generalize and say that Europeans are living for the moment and Americans are living for the future? Surely, a balance is best.
And this is why we travel...to step outside our daily box, to gain a little perspective, and to see how the other 6 billion people in this world live. I bet they might know something I don't. Geez, deep thoughts. And all I wanted was a quick cup of coffee.
This afternoon at work, I grabbed a coffee and stepped outside to enjoy the misty weather and the last of the white petals dropping from the pear trees. While I was sipping my coffee I thought of Jose, a friend-of-a-friend who showed us around the Gran Via and Chueca neighborhoods for an afternoon. "How do you spot an American in Europe?" he asked. "They've got a coffee in their hand and are walking down the street." Jose laughed and proudly said he needs a chair, at least 30 minutes, and conversation with a few good friends to enjoy a coffee!
Jose's joke was telling. Americans, in my opinion, are accustomed to being on the run and seek instant gratification. We want it cheap, fast, and preferably in large quantities. This appears different from many European cultures where the focus is on fine ingredients (or other qualities) and true enjoyment of the experience. Is it too harsh to generalize and say that Europeans are living for the moment and Americans are living for the future? Surely, a balance is best.
And this is why we travel...to step outside our daily box, to gain a little perspective, and to see how the other 6 billion people in this world live. I bet they might know something I don't. Geez, deep thoughts. And all I wanted was a quick cup of coffee.
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