Traveler’s Show & Tell – Neon, Fish Tacos & Gentrification

Traveler’s Show & Tell – 23rd Edition

Welcome to this week’s Traveler’s Show & Tell blog carnival. This week’s blog carnival runs the gamut from light-hearted photo essays to tales of adventure. Read on to discover:

…how Jaemin Yi ignores his gut feelings and winds up getting mugged

…why Jennifer Miner is impressed by a hum-drum-to-happening transformation in San Francisco

…how Sheila Scarborough hunts up tasty grub like a tech-savvy Daniel Boone

…and much more:

This Week’s Photo

I snapped this week’s photo during happy hour in Seattle with my dear pal, Woofmutt, someone I have known for – gosh – more than 30 years. He’s a delightful chap, creative, smart, witty and with a similar appreciation of the absurd as mine. He’s one of those people I talk to in my head even when we are thousands of miles away – such as now. On this particular evening, however, I could talk to Woofmutt right there in person. It was a very happy, happy hour, I must say.

1. “San Francisco’s Ferry Building Marketplace” by Jennifer Miner

Jennifer Miner presents San Francisco’s Ferry Building Marketplace posted at The Vacation Gals, saying,

“San Francisco hosted this year’s International Pow Wow (a hugely important travel trade show)… One pleasant surprise, for me, was learning about the history and modern functions of San Francisco’s Ferry Building Marketplace.”

As a former small business owner and general cheerleader for mom and pop businesses, I loved this:

My favorite thing about the Ferry Building Marketplace is the abundance of local, independently run niche shops on the ground floor. Sure, there are a couple of larger chains represented, but all in all, it’s a pleasure to stroll the Marketplace and examine (and purchase) locally grown artisanal produce. In fact, marketplace niche shops were sought out by the land lord specifically to highlight and give credence to sustainable, special products. There’s also a fantastic little bookstore!

2. “Transforming Public Spaces in Asia” by AsianUrbanist

AsianUrbanist presents Transforming Public Spaces in Asia posted at Asian Urbanist, saying,

“Returned from a trip in Asia and reflects on how public spaces have evolved in that particular contest. Tokyo Midtown is taken as an example and described with images.”

Since moving to Texas, I could sure relate to this part:

Fact is, in Asia, we do not particularly have a park culture, courtesy of the hot and humid climate in some regions…We prefer to pop in malls to enjoy the air conditioning.

3. “The Great Digital Food Hunt” by Sheila Scarborough

Sheila Scarborough presents The Great Digital Food Hunt posted at Perceptive Travel Blog, saying,

“My smartphone is changing how I find places to eat when I travel. Thank you, Yelp, for leading me to divine fish tacos on North Padre Island, Texas (near Corpus Christi.)”

Not only do her photos of fish tacos make my tummy growl, but I’ve picked up a new Texan saying from her post:

While we’re ordering, I always tell the proprietor that, “Hey, we found you through reviews on Yelp (or Gowalla or Foursquare.)” The response is either, “Oh, yes, we get a lot of activity on there. Thank you!” or it’s a blank, quizzical stare – as we say sometimes in Texas – “like a cow looking at a new gate.”

4. “When Karateka Go Hiking, Caribou Mountain NH” by Patty Pittman

Patty Pittman presents When Karateka Go Hiking, Caribou Mountain NH posted at Kihon Wasa, saying,

“Hiking in the White Mountains of NH. Great views and plenty of blueberries at the top.”

I get a kick out of her posed karate photos (get it? har!) and love all the photos of mossy rocks.

5. “Getting Mugged in Colombia” by Jaemin Yi

Jaemin Yi presents Getting Mugged in Colombia posted at Jaemin Yi | Travel, Creativity, and the Pursuit of Awesomeness, saying,

“The full story of how I got mugged by 7 guys at knifepoint in Medellin, Colombia.”

Sure, getting mugged is a scary thing, but Jaemin Yi’s post is fast-paced, fun and full of cultural insights such as:

Fun fact on dating in Colombia: almost every Colombian in their twenties lives at home with their parents. Another fun fact: I was living with a Colombian family and was forbidden to ever bring anyone home. So that’s pretty much how we ended up on Carrera 70 (a big, main street) at 4am looking for a hotel room. Now besides making me feel seedy as hell, there was another problem…

6. “10 Great Canadian Outdoor Summer Adventures” by Boomer

Echo presents 10 Great Canadian Outdoor Summer Adventures posted at Boomer & Echo, saying,

“Tired of hearing about staycations and other frugal ways to travel? Not to worry, there’s still plenty of time to plan your very own epic Canadian adventure this summer.”

From what I can tell, Boomer & Echo are a mother/son blogging duo who write mostly about how to attain financial freedom, but in this post the focus is on travel. Their site has one of those annoying pop-ups asking you to subscribe to their blog before you have even had a chance to check it out (pet peeve!), but I still liked the post, which has interesting suggestions such as:

Drift down an Arctic River, watch a wave of caribou surging across the barrenlands, camp under the midnight sun.

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