When I'm Coming Home

April 20, 2012

Dorota - Film Producer - Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

The place I always eat:

The Night Kitchen
The Only Café in Peterborough
The Hippy Chippy
Hot Belly Mamas
The Planet Bakery

Where to stay for the night:

Crash on a local’s couch. Go to The Only Café, The Gordon Best Theater and introduce yourself.

The one place I take everyone:

The Canoe Museum

Best local product you should try:

KLB Raspberry Wheat beer
The Kawartha Dairy Company ice cream
The Publican House Brewery

The 2nd (3rd and 4th) best kept secret:

The trails behind Trent University
The Trent Radio 92.7 CFFF FM

4:54pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZhaDuxJ_amWK

(Notes: 8)

April 3, 2012

Daryl - Graphic Designer - San Diego, CA

The place I always eat:

Nico’s Mexican Food

Where to stay for the night:

Hilton San Diego Bayfront

The one place I take everyone:

La Jolla Cove tidepools

Best local product you should try:

hometown beer

The 2nd best kept secret:

Gotta go to The Hole on Sundays! CHURCH!

10:51am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZhaDuxJ0Uir2

Filed under: submission san diego ca california Nico's Mexican Food Hilton San Diego Bayfront La Jolla Cove tidepools The Hole

April 2, 2012

Liz - Writer and Editor - Chicago, IL

The place I always eat:

Taco Veloz. It’s a bit gnarly-looking in there, but it’s the best real Mexican I’ve found.

Where to stay for the night:

If you can, stay with a friend or a friend of a friend. Chicago is very much about the people, and getting a room for the night in a hotel just isn’t the same.

The one place I take everyone:

The city is more or less split in two, North side and South side. There is a place on each side I never miss on trips back home: the Hideout and Maria’s.

Best local product you should try:

The art! Chicago has so much amazing art—especially music and photography… and graphic design, screenprinting, independent publication, even some local fashion that’s gone actual runway (look up Creatures of the Wind, who’ve stuck it out for YEARS in a city that has no garment district and is not hospitable to high-end ready-to-wear)…actually everything there is fantastic. Reasons why Chicago is so great for art:

1. The constant influx of kids who’ve escaped from their prisons of Middle-America normalcy who’re hungry for the opportunity to get weird in a big city (and believe me, they do).

2. Unlimited resource. There is tons of room, everyday living expenses are reasonable, and people are constantly dreaming and scheming and opening new live/work/play spaces… there is access to materials, to land, to water. There is encouragement from the city to live modestly and sustainably, which, for anyone with imagination and curiosity, activates potential.

3. It’s not wrecked by outside influence. Chicago, ultimately, could care less about celebrity or trend—people are out there on their own trip. And the ingrained sense of blue-collar modesty (which can sometimes be a bit self-defeatist, or even outright hostile to ambitious types, to be honest) means there are no art stars, and it all stays pretty much local. Lots and lots of hidden secrets.

4. The insane weather gives plenty of time for people to hole up, develop a vision, and get stir crazy enough to create something that serves as its own reference point.

The 2nd best kept secret:

Chicago has the best summers in the country. Residents wait so, so long for nice weather—and it’s fleeting—that they absolutely make the most of it. Towards the end of August, watch out—everyone’s blowing off the last bit of “yay! we have hot weather” steam, and it gets wilder and more debaucherous in some circles than you could ever, ever imagine.

8:00am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZhaDuxIyhJZi

(Notes: 2)

Filed under: submission writer editor chicago il Illinois Taco Veloz Hideout Maria's Creatures of the Wind

March 29, 2012

Pavla - oline marketing manager / ‘stache media - Sunnyvale, CA

photo: Libby’s fruit cocktail can water tower - one of the first landmarks you see when you exit off the 101 freeway to Sunnyvale. It’s the water tower from Libby’s cannery - where legend has it the fruit cocktail was invented. The water tower was one of the only things spared from old town Sunnyvale before the dotcoms and corporate park development took over this part of Silicon Valley.

The place I always eat:

In-N-Out - not exactly quintessentially local, but a must-do of the suburban west coast!

Where to stay for the night:

Anywhere on El Camino Real for the best strip malls and Indian food.

The one place I take everyone:

Apple headquarters and the purportedly haunted local Toys R Us.

Best local product you should try:

Olsen’s Cherries

The 2nd best kept secret:

If you go to the Sunnyvale community center during the summer, there’s a great apricot stand with fresh fruit from one of the last local orchards.

8:00am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZhaDuxIkrZmc

Filed under: oline marketing ca california In n Out Olsen's Cherries submission

March 22, 2012

Perrine “La Fraicheur” - DJ / Leonizer Records promo agent / Bike builder / Crafty things maker - Montreal, QC

The place I always eat:

La Carreta on St Zotique corner Drolet. my favorite salvadorian place when i’m broke. great pupusas. the place doesn’t look like anything, but just sit down and order 2 pupusas, al chicharon and al queso. with a fresh tamarin juice. served the traditional way with spicy tomato sauce and curtido, a marinated cabbage salad. you’ll have your belly filled and your soul warmed up for 4$

Where to stay for the night:

no clue. my friend’s i guess?

The one place I take everyone:

Marche St Michel or Montreal’s indoor flea market. only open on weekends, but a good place to walk around even (especially) if you’re not there to buy anything (all-over-town-spring to fall-garage sale are obviously cheaper). lots of tiny stands, most with a particular theme, from old baseball memorabilia to fisherman’s gear, old electronics to music instruments, vintage furniture to grandpa watches. most of them hide some old erotica deep within the junk piles.

Best local product you should try:

obviously poutine and smoked meat. most will argue that the best smoked meat is to be found at Schwartz’s and it’s true it’s the city’s most famous place for it. but if you don’t feel like waiting in line for decades between two loud italian tourists, then you should go to Lester’s on Bernard West corner Durocher. the place will serve you (most of the time without a smile but that’s not what you’re here for) a great smoked meat with poutine the old fashion way, no fanciness, no trying hard, just plain traditional junk food in a basic diner right in the middle of the hasidic neighborhood. and they have a kick ass homemade ice tea.

The 2nd best kept secret:

Le Barbare, St Denis corner Villeneuve. this is my favorite burger place, all continents combined. the walls of this place sport the ugliest “art” in town but the burgers are to die for. the bread is moist and wholewheat, the burger patty is thick and juicy, the bacon is crispy, the veggies actually taste like something and don’t look like it’s just decoration, the fries are the perfect size to be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a bit or paprika on top. served with salad with an actual good homemade vinaigrette. you can go blindly go for any, there all good, but my favorite is the “From’Creme Bacon”. a bacon creme cheese burger.

1:24pm | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZhaDuxIOQ9wJ

(Notes: 4)

Filed under: Promoter bike builder DJ Montreal quebec qc La Carreta Marche St Michel Schwartz's Lester's Le Barbare submission

March 20, 2012

Jacky - Producer - The South Bay*, CA
http://www.waxyjax.com

So I’m claiming an entire sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area as my hometown—that’s because I lived in various cities here throughout my pre-adult years. Plus, it operates as a sprawling yet cohesive unit of cities, somewhat like the Greater Los Angeles Area — except the smog and actors are replaced by fog and nerds.

Regardless, the area—often snubbed by the rest of the Bay—deserves some recognition. I admit taking it for granted, too—but after years of living in New York and traveling around the world, I can confidently tell the world what a great place it is. In fact, I hereby urge the kids riding their shuttles from San Francisco to their dotcom jobs to explore beyond their corporate cafeterias and happy hour joints—they’ll find this richly diverse area with amazing ethnic restaurants and an amiable, down-to-earth vibe has as lot to offer. Seriously, how many suburban areas can boast such a concentration of amazing food: http://g.co/maps/k4sth ?!

The place I always eat:

The Burrito Triangle—it’s an intersection of three burritos joints in an industrial part of Mountain View, CA: La Costena (Guinness record holder for World’s Largest Burrito), Taqueria La Bamba and Los Altos Taqueria. I also try to grab a kebab wrapped in lavash or some kind of stew on basmati rice at Rose Market, a little Persian grocery on the other side of town that makes incredible and cheap food. The freshly pressed pomegranate juice is a steal.

Where to stay for the night:

The Garden Court in Downtown Palo Alto, Hotel Valencia on Santana Row in Santa Clara, or Hotel Los Gatos in Los Gatos.

The one place I take everyone:

On a drive through the hills off I-280 en route to my mom’s beauty salon, For Your Nails in Los Altos, where I hook my friends up with free paraffin treatment (cuz who doesn’t love having supple hands)…or to watch the action at The Top Spin in San Jose, where my parents roll deep in the ping pong scene.

Best local product you should try:

Cinnamon bread from Greenlee’s Bakery, any sandwich on Dutch Crunch or sourdough bread at Le Boulanger, local produce and cheese purchased at Milk Pail Market (my favorite grocery store on the planet), the ramen scene, and…

…Vietnamese food! San Jose has the largest Vietnamese population of any city outside the motherland—obviously, it’s a great place to learn there’s so more to the cuisine than just phở and bánh mì. Go to Vung Tau, where they make amazing bánh khọt, a crispy, savory, coconutty street food from the seaside town for which the restaurant is named..and actually, everything else there is excellent. A food court crawl at Lion Plaza shopping center and Grand Century Mall is always a fun experience. And if you find yourself at a bánh mì shop—ideally, Huong Lan Sandwiches, Thanh Huong or Dakao—you should also try other items like Bánh cuốn and desserts like Vietnamese yogurt. Lastly, for phở: Dac Phuc (pronounced “FOOK”), and Minh’s in Milpitas both do great beef phở (the turmeric fish at Minh’s is also not to be missed). Phở 54 does nice chicken phở, and Phở Kim Long has the best fresh noodles in town (it’ll cost an extra 50¢).

The 2nd best kept secret:

Take a moonlight swim at Felt Lake in the Palo Alto hills. It’s privately owned, and fenced-off, by Stanford University—but swimming among trespassing teens will make you feel young again.

March 8, 2012

Matt - Musician - Lexington, Kentucky

The place I always eat:

Windy Corner: This is an extremely tough call, but Windy Corner just has everything going for it. The menu is diverse, affordable, and without fault, the service is quick, and it’s surrounded by horse farms. Try the shrimp po-boy, barbecue boy, shrimp salad, or whatever the dinner special is. That being said, big ups to Sav’s Grill, Izakaya Yamaguchi, and Red State Barbecue.

Where to stay for the night:

Gratz Park Inn: I hear this place is amazing if you’ve got some money to burn.

The one place I take everyone:

The (Very) Old Taylor Distillery: The bourbon trail is a lot of fun, but it doesn’t include my favorite distillery: the abandoned one just up the road from Woodford Reserve. This is actually closer to Frankfort than Lexington, but it’s worth seeing if you have the time (and if it’s still standing). I’ll never forget stumbling upon this ghostly behemoth during an aimless country drive, a relic of boozy 19th century industry. I still feel like I’m in an episode of Scooby-Doo every time I go there. Just head west on I-64, take exit 58, a left onto 60, a right onto Duncan Road, and a right onto McCracken Pike. You literally can’t miss it.

Best local product you should try:

Ale-8-One: If you have a relatively broad pallet and don’t mind consuming “junk,” this is the most unique regional soft drink I’ve yet discovered. (And my favorite, but I’m partial.) It’s actually made in Winchester, KY, about 20 miles east on I-64, but you will find it in literally every gas station and grocery store in town. It tastes like a fruitier, sweeter version of ginger ale.

The 2nd best kept secret:

The Yatwich: Once upon a time in Lexington, KY, there was a restaurant called Yat’s in the basement of a repurposed tobacco warehouse. It was not so unlike other Cajun/Creole restaurants, but for the Yatwich, a sort of spicy turkey-based sloppy joe served on a giant focaccia roll. Yat’s is long gone, but about a decade later, Gumbo Ya-Ya opened and included this unbelievable, unprecedented sandwich on its menu.

8:00am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZhaDuxHfHmNV

(Notes: 7)

Filed under: Muscian KY Kentucky Lexington Windy Corner Sav's Grill Izakaya Yamaguchi Red State Barbecue Gratz Park Inn Old Taylor Distillery Ale-8-One Yatwich Gumbo Ya-Ya submission

March 6, 2012

Alex - Video Artist & Editor - Los Angeles, California

The place I always eat:

Astroburger (both locations)

Where to stay for the night:

Sunset Tower Hotel (West Hollywood)

The one place I take everyone:

The Kibbitz Room (@ Canter’s) Sunday Nights with Artie Vegas and the Chambers Bros.

Best local product you should try:

Sunshine.

The 2nd best kept secret:

Damon’s Steakhouse (Glendale.)

8:00am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZhaDuxHZGh61

Filed under: submission artist video artist editor los angeles ca california Astroburger Sunset Tower Hotel The Kibbitz Room Damon's Steakhouse

March 5, 2012

Puja - Men’s Buyer for Gilt Groupe/Park & Bond - Hudson, Massachusetts

The place I always eat:

Home. Nothing’s better than a meal by Mum. Or, if you want to dress up and go out: Chloe’s Bistro. Yum.

Where to stay for the night:

Home again! But, if you don’t have a family in town, stay in Orchard Country in neighboring Stow. The Stow Away Inn or Amerscot House in Stow will give you a taste of the rustic life.

The one place I take everyone:

Ferjulian’s Farmer’s Market or Gates Pond.

Best local product you should try:

Arrow Moccasins, a dynastic business producing hand-made leather mocs.

The 2nd best kept secret:

The Reading Room on the third floor of the Hudson Public Library. Like sitting in your grandfather’s library… if your grandfather was Andrew Carnegie.

8:02am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZhaDuxHVuwhL

Filed under: submission men's buyer hudson ma Massachusetts Chloe's Bistro The Stow Away Inn Amerscot House Ferjulian's Farmer's Market Gates Pond Arrow Moccasins Hudson Public Library

March 2, 2012

Maritza - Creative Director - Vestal, NY

The place I always eat:

Lupo’s: The birthplace of the Chicken Spiedie!

Where to stay for the night:

Quality Inn: they have a pool, fun after a night out.

The one place I take everyone:

The Cider Mill: In season you can watch them make Apple Cider, Candy Apples and (literally) the best donuts EVER. There’s a Playhouse in the back where they put on shows, too.

Best local product you should try:

Chicken Spiedies: They’re essentially chicken Shish Kabobs, but marinated in special “Lupo’s Spiedie” sauce. The town’s claim to fame, they’re pretty amazing. The above photo was taken at the annual Spiedie Festival.

The 2nd best kept secret:

Brozzetti’s Pizza: ‘nuff said.

8:02am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZhaDuxHKvQoc

Filed under: vestal new york ny creative director Lupo's The Cider Mill Chicken Spiedies Brozzetti's Pizza submission

March 1, 2012

Jane - Preschool Special Ed Teacher - Eugene, Oregon

The place I always eat:

Cafe Yumm

Where to stay for the night:

At my parents’ house. They’ll probably let you put a sleeping bag on the floor. Failing that, all I know about Eugene hotels is that the Red Lion has karaoke and the Hilton is across the street from the Hult Center.

The one place I take everyone:

This is a tie between Spencer’s Butte on the north side of town and the Saturday Market in the summer. If you’re an outdoorsy sort who’s willing to make a little hike before sunrise, bring a thermos of coffee up the butte. I took this photo from the top. If you’d rather wander among the tie-dye and the dreadlocks in the early afternoon with some pauses at hippie food stalls, Saturday Market is the place for you.

Best local product you should try:

I say the vegan pizza at the Pizza Research Institute or anything made with espresso at the Wandering Goat Coffee Company. There are a lot of choices here, though, and the Saturday Market has many of the more, ah, colorful.

The 2nd best kept secret:

Eugene doesn’t keep secrets very well. The best place for (expensive) groceries is Capella on Willamette— is that a secret?

8:02am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZhaDuxHHdaRX

Filed under: eugene oregon or teacher preschool special ed teacher Cafe Yumm Red Lion Spencer's Butte Pizza Research Institute Wandering Goat Coffee Company Capella submission

February 29, 2012

Marie - Artist - Stockholm, Sweden

The place I always eat:

I’m not keen on restaurants in Stockholm, but I do love the Cafés. Swedish coffée with a traditional Swedish item of bakery, either if it’s a “Kanelbulle”, “Wienerbröd” or a “Semla”, it’s definitely what makes the Swedish people survive the cold and brutal dark winter. I recommend the hidden and aristocratic place “Sturekatten” on Riddargatan 4. You feel like you’re back in the 17th century surrounded by candlelight’s, paintings of 17^th century women and a golden decor touch on every furniture, as you’re sitting on a dark red velvet antique sofa.

Where to stay for the night:

My mother’s house.

The one place I take everyone:

Cajsa von Zeipel, Anna Uddenberg and Linnéa Sjöberg’s art-studios. They are the best upcoming artists in my opinion.

Best local product you should try:

Sweden has the best product for dry skin; “Miniderm” is cheap and always handy, you can get it at any pharmacy, and “Galltvål” it’s a soap made of ox bile and can remove any possible stains.

The 2nd best kept secret:

Skeppsbro, it’s a small archipelago, you just walk over a bridge from inner-city Stockholm and all of a sudden you’re on the country side, the only difference is that you’ll find the modern museum of art next to you.

8:02am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZhaDuxHEEjcN

(Notes: 2)

Filed under: submission artist stockholm sweden Sturekatten Cajsa von Zeipel Linnéa Sjöberg Miniderm Galltvål Skeppsbro

February 22, 2012

John - Publisher, VICE Magazine - Cumberland Center, Maine*

The place I always eat:

Food Stop. The perfect burger. It cost $2.00 when I was a kid and is maybe $3.25 now. Beats the shit out of $18 burger + $2 cheese + $2 lettuce and tomato + $2 bacon + $2 locavore humanely raised NYC bullshit.

Where to stay for the night:

My parent’s house. There’s no hotels in my town.

The one place I take everyone:

Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster Company in Freeport. Perfect lobster shack on the water. Just take a right before the BFI (Big Fucking Indian).

Best local product you should try:

Mulled cider from Sweetser’s Apple Barrel. I used to work here in high school picking apples. The regular cider is unpasteurized and when it ‘turns’ you’re in for a real treat. The apples are, of course, perfect.

The 2nd best kept secret:

Spring Brook Farm stand. Meats, eggs, milk, and whoopee pies that are all heaven sent.

*Everything in this piece is a lie. Maine is smelly and bad and there’s no good food and nothing there so why would you ever come. Stay away.

8:02am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZhaDuxGqw-nL

(Notes: 3)

Filed under: submission publisher maine me food stop Harraseeket Lunch BFI Sweetser's Apple Barrel Spring Brook Farm

February 14, 2012

Vivan - Producer - Saigon, Vietnam

The place I always eat:

When in Saigon, I like to grab my favorite Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich) from Ngoc Sang Bakery (199 Ly Tu Trong) and walk a few blocks over to Saigon’s Tao Dan Park and sit in one of its outdoor cafés. I order a Nuoc Da Ua (Vietnamese iced yogurt drink), a Café Sua Da (Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk) and enjoy my Banh Mi alongside the locals watching lovers giggle on benches, teenagers practice their Hip-Hop dance routines and middle-aged women doing synchronized aerobics.

Where to stay for the night:

When I am fortunate enough to stay at friends’ homes during my visits to Saigon, I do of course! If that is not the case, I have found a home away from home at the Ava Hotel Saigon (51 Thu Khoa Huan). It’s a simple, no frills, clean, inexpensive and centrally located hotel right by Cho Ben Thanh (Ben Thanh Market) where I find myself surrounded by many of my favorite places to eat.

The one place I take everyone:

The Lunch Lady, Nguyen Thi Thanh, is a jolly lady who offers one type of noodle soup each day and it goes quickly so I always arrive well before noon. Anthony Bourdain is a fan of her and since discovering her myself, she never fails. She is tucked away down a street off the river so she is a bit of a hidden gem. Her warm personality and delicious soups always make for a fun visit!

Best local product you should try:
My favorite local drink is Nuoc Rau Ma which is Pennywort Juice. It isn’t commonly made with Coconut Juice but that is my preferred. Otherwise, it’s made with a lot of sugar as many juice drinks are in Asia, but it can be ordered with less sugar. The Pennywort plant is known to aid with overall mental and memory sharpness as well as a detoxifier for the blood and the skin.

The 2nd best kept secret:

Ngoc Anh Spa (31 Nguyen Binh Khiem) is essentially a massage factory. The foot massages are better than the full body ones. There are loads of workers ready to rub you down so you can come with a crew and all get sorted. You are greeted with dried ginger candy and iced tea. The foot massage room is dark and the chairs comfortably recline. A 75-minute foot rub is $8usd! Admittedly, I visit often and during a heavy rainfall once, I indulged in 2.5 hours of bliss… to avoid getting soaked… of course…

8:02am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZhaDuxGPM363

(Notes: 2)

Filed under: producer Vietnam saigon Ngoc Sang Bakery Tao Dan Park Ava Hotel Cho Ben Thanh Nuoc Rau Ma Ngoc Anh Spa submission

February 13, 2012

Stephanie - Event Coordinator - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The place I always eat:

laffa in Ipanema - best falafel sandwich ever!

Where to stay for the night:

someone’s couch , lemon spirit hostel (low budget) or fasano hotel (if you have money to spare).

The one place I take everyone:

city center : best museums, cheap shops, chaos and a lovely/odd park.

Best local product you should try:

Biscoito Globo (to eat) and cold Mate (to drink).

The 2nd best kept secret:

Arco do Teles - tiny little streets that makes you feel like you’re in 19th century with tons bars right next to the coolest museums.

8:02am | URL: http://tmblr.co/ZhaDuxGM1fiR

Filed under: event coordinator brazil Rio de Janeiro laffa Lemon Spirit Hostel fansano hotel Biscoito Globo Arco do Teles submission

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