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The best restaurants for Instagram

There’s a sizable portion of the world out there searching for the best spots to post on Instagram about their beautiful, well-curated life. Picking restaurants to visit based on their aesthetics is no exception. The food industry has been taken over by Instagram-friendly design — enough so that it’s a tough task to narrow down the most Instagrammable restaurants in the world.

To be clear, we’re not talking about the most Instagrammable food in these restaurants, though some do have really good food. But others are locations where food is definitely sold, but no one is going to be talking about it after finishing. Regardless of which side these restaurants fall onto, these are the spots people would still go for the ‘gram even if all that was served was hardtack.

Rules are simple: the place must primarily be where people go for food (which excludes bars that serve food, of which there are many Instagrammable options), and it must have spots that appear to exist primarily for the ‘gram.

1. Panna II Garden in New York City

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A post shared by Vanessa Hudgens (@vanessahudgens) on Nov 30, 2017 at 9:07pm PST

Good lighting is the key to good photography. Panna II might not have exactly what you would call “good” lighting, but there’s lots of it. Strings of multi-colored holiday lights and red chili pepper-shaped lights hang from the ceiling like an over-decorated Florida trailer in December. The Indian food (and the service) is something you should just accept is going to be mediocre at best. Instagram bait comes with a wait here, so expect to spend some time in the line that stretches out the door. Celebrity cred: Vanessa Hudgens has stopped by and Emily Ratajkowski celebrated her 27th birthday here — both posted about it, naturally.

2. Pietro Nolita in New York City

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With Pietro’s dedication to pink, you’d think that the color makes healthy Italian food taste better. But who are we kidding. It’s for the ‘gram. This New York City restaurant is all pink everything, both inside and out. That includes the walls, the tables, the entrance to the door, the chairs, the napkins, the plates — you get it. After waiting to order a coffee to go (if you’re truly not there for the food, at least) you’ll have to then wait in line to snap a shot by the most popular spot: a pink bench next to a mirror next to a black door spray painted with pink hearts.

3. Unicorn in Seattle

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A post shared by Unicorn (@unicornseattle) on Apr 7, 2018 at 12:31am PDT

Admittedly, Unicorn comes close to being more bar than restaurant. Then again, it’s more carnival than either bar or restaurant. Taxidermied animals line the walls, which are painted in a way reminiscent of the inside of a tacky carnival tent. The drinks are bright and colorful to match the decor, and the food is exactly what you’d expect: corn dogs, cheeseburgers, and fried rainbow cheese on a stick. Posting from here is like posting from the county fair, only way, way cooler.

4. Catch in Los Angeles

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfJR8_zAwzG/

LA is all about looking your best and getting caught by the cameras in all the right places. Catch is one of those places. The upscale seafood restaurant has multiple locations in the country, but the LA spot is where you need to go for the photo. First there’s the plant-filled walkway to strut down like you’ve been inducted into the fashion model hall of fame. Then there’s the open-roof dining area with views over the city. Then there’s you, posing like you always eat at expensive restaurants alongside the celebs. Celebrity cred: Recently Kylie Jenner and Zoe Saldana, but you never know who’s going to show up next.

5. Sketch in London

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A post shared by sketch (@sketchlondon) on Nov 17, 2018 at 9:17am PST

Sketch is five places in one, each as Instagrammable as the next. The whole place is like a theme park, but for eating and taking pictures in. Take The Glade, for example, which is designed to look like an enchanted evergreen forest, or The Lecture Room & Library, a Michelin-starred grand hall on the upper floor. Take advantage of the variety as much as you can so that you don’t have to feel guilty when you post six #latergrams from the same day and the same place.

6. Media Noche in San Francisco

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Floors are an underrated part of the dining experience. It’s where you stare after dropping your fork while pretending you didn’t just make a mess. It’s where you look when you’re bored of the conversation. When floors are done right, they’re a total mood setter and the perfect background pattern for photos. That’s the case at Media Noche, which has vintage tiles with a Cuban pattern. The Riddler in San Francisco is a close second, but the most Instagrammable object — a giant Champagne bottle painting — is on the outside of the building so you don’t technically need to eat there to ‘gram it.

7. Urban Farmer in Denver

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Few things attract people with their phones out like neon. Urban Farmer in Denver has one of the best. It’s a David Bowie quote that reads, “I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.” Jack White posted it on Instagram and it blew up, garnering eight to 10 times the number of likes on his photos of his shows that he posted at the time.

8. Bananas in Barcelona

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Passengers stranded for 16 hours

While en route from New Jersey to Hong Kong, United Airlines Flight 179 got diverted to Goose Bay Airport in Labrador, Canada, for a medical emergency. But what was supposed to be a short stop turned out to be a 16-hour ordeal because of an ensuing mechanical issue with an exit door. The CBC explains that the door malfunction may have been linked to the spat of extreme cold in Labrador — it was minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit on the military base that night.

Four @united tech ops workers trying to fix the right wing emergency exit door of #UA179. A planeful of people is hoping they have better luck than the last set of mechanics and pilots who tried hours ago @United_179 pic.twitter.com/PlC41Rh7qp

— Steven Lau (@unoslau) January 20, 2019

The plane and its 250 passengers landed in Labrador at 10:00 PM and, despite the length of their layover, were not immediately allowed to leave the aircraft due to the lack of customs officers at that time of day. According to Steven Lau, a passenger on flight UA 179, passengers were later allowed to leave in groups of 15-20 to stretch their legs.

I’m free! I’m making a run for it! Labrador here I come! pic.twitter.com/BuCk3amO9c

— Steven Lau (@unoslau) January 20, 2019

While there were some concerns about food during the layover, officials (a bunch of nice Canadians, for sure) brought Tim Hortons coffee, muffins, doughnuts, and sandwiches to the travelers.

A rescue plane landed at the airport at noon the next day, but it took another two hours for the passengers to be bussed to the aircraft.

Its been a long long long long day pic.twitter.com/5Kz9EZpjPf

— SONJAY (@sonjaydutterson) January 20, 2019

Stepped outside to get on bus. The most painful, blistering cold ever. pic.twitter.com/xtLqDOHoBR

— SONJAY (@sonjaydutterson) January 20, 2019

The rescue plane flew passengers back to New Jersey, arriving around 6:00 PM.

United apologized for the incident, and has pledged to do everything possible to make it right with customers. Upon their arrival back in New Jersey, passengers were offered free meals, hotel accommodations, and compensation.

H/T: USA Today

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The post United Airlines passengers stuck for 16 hours on freezing Canadian military base appeared first on Matador Network.

Book free flights for your friends

Airlines don’t typically offer buy-one-get-one deals, but this Companion Pass from Southwest Airlines is about as close as it gets.

Southwest has just announced that it is offering up to one year of the Companion Pass on all three personal Southwest credit cards: Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card, the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card, or the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card.

This means that if you’re accepted, you will be able to choose one person to fly with you, free of airline charges, throughout the year. While the actual ticket fare may be wavied, you will still be expected to pay the taxes and fees that amount from $5.60 one-way.

To earn this Companion Pass and 30,000 points, however, you’ll have to first spend $4,000 on the card within the first three months of opening it. The pass is also only usable until December 31, 2019, and can only be applied for until February 11, 2019. So if you want to qualify and take advantage of the benefits, you’d better hurry.

Prior to the promotion, the passes were only available to travelers who had completed 100 qualifying flights or earned 110,000 qualifying points with Southwest Airlines in one calendar year, making it nearly impossible to obtain one.

To qualify, you can’t currently hold a personal Southwest credit card, or earned a sign-up bonus from a Southwest card in the past 24 months.

H/T: Travel & Leisure

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The post The Southwest Companion Pass lets your friend fly with you for free appeared first on Matador Network.

International Sweatpants Day travel

Travelers who pine for the days when air travel was a luxury that required passengers to dress up for the occasion have obviously never been on a long-haul flight in coach in a tight dress and nylons. The popularization of air travel may mean that we’ve lost gourmet dinners served on silver platters, amazing customer service, and a considerable amount of legroom, but it’s also brought us the wonderful coziness of sweatpants.

To honor the joys of flying in comfortable, shapeless clothes, Canadian giants Roots and Air Canada have paired up to celebrate International Sweatpants Day in a big way. Lucky passengers onboard Air Canada’s longest flight — a whopping 16.5-hour journey from Vancouver to Melbourne — have been surprised with pairs of Roots’s signature sweatpants, matching hoodies, and even a leather passport holder. They are undoubtedly the comfiest group of passengers in the air and likely the largest group of celebrators ringing in International Sweatpants Day: January 21 comes to Australia first, after all.

Roots clothing is especially popular in Canada, and it’s also their commitment to comfiness that makes their products so appealing for cabin and city cross-functionality. The cute beaver logo probably helps, too.

What International Sweatpants Day truly celebrates is the joy of being comfortable in every way, and that philosophy is at the heart of this campaign. “We believe that wherever your journey takes you, travel in comfort and style,” said Karen Zuccala, Roots Vice President of Marketing. Air travel can be a stressful time for many travelers, especially those with flight anxiety, and physical comfort can make a huge difference in remaining calm.

One of the perks of business class on many airlines’ long-haul flights is something of a secret: Free jammies, socks, and even slippers are given out to passengers, allowing them to achieve maximum comfort. With every passenger decked out in comfy sweats, this Air Canada flight may be the first of its kind in terms of comfort equity between the classes.

For those Canadians who don’t happen to be en route to Melbourne while decked out in comfy clothes today, they can enter the Roots x Air Canada contest. Winners can get prizes like two Air Canada round-trip airfares to any destination in Canada or two sets of Roots sweats. It’s only open until January 25, so get on that.


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The post The comfiest flight ever is flying today in honor of International Sweatpants Day appeared first on Matador Network.

Martin Luther King Jr. assassination

Americans, we’re much better with pop music than history.

Which is why the line in U2’s “Pride” that goes, “Shot rings out in the Memphis sky,” is how a lot of people remember where Martin Luther King, Jr., leader of the American Civil Rights movement, was tragically gunned down in 1968.

That’s because most of us don’t really care where it happened. To most Americans, Memphis conjures up images of the neon lights of Beale Street, smoky barbecue, and dirty blues. In the American collective consciousness of Memphis, the King assassination falls somewhere between Elvis Presley and The First 48.

But not in Memphis. Memphis is the kind of hard-nosed, self-aware city that takes these things personally. Every person you strike up a conversation with in a corner bar, barbecue joint, or blues club will talk to you to no end about “Mim-fuss.” And nearly all will bring up the King assassination and how it changed the city forever.

It is, for lack of a better comparison, Memphis’s 9/11.

Early morning, April 4

Photo: Dick DeMarsico/Wikimedia Commons

A brief historical review: In April of 1968, Dr. King had come to Memphis to support a group of striking African-American sanitation workers who were protesting their unfair treatment vis-a-vis their white counterparts. It was the beginning of a new phase of the civil rights movement, fighting issues of race, class, and economic inequity. And it was the first instance of King coming to a city to support a movement rather than start it.

On April 4, he stepped outside his room and the Lorraine Motel to get some air and was shot from a warehouse across the street by James Earl Ray.

“Memphians took it very personally,” says Anasa Johnson, Director of the Clayborne Temple, which served as the striking workers’ headquarters in 1968. “How could you not? You think about the greatest leader of the modern age coming to your city because he believes in what you’re doing, and he comes here and is assassinated. One of most devastating moments in modern history, and it happens in your town.”

Though nobody really blamed Memphis, per se, the local community felt it had let the rest of the nation down.

“It’s a very interesting psychology, and it’s difficult to explain,” says Rachel Knox, a lifelong Memphian and the Program Manager for Thriving Arts and Culture at Hyde Foundation, a local arts funding organization. “There’s just that feeling of culpability, that maybe there was some way we could have stopped it, or it could have happened somewhere else.”

The assassination bred more racial tension, undoing much of the work King had done. Riots raged in downtown, crime rose, and almost a decade later downtown Memphis has turned into an abandoned wasteland.

The music industry that had made its home in Memphis, birthing Sun Records, Elvis, B.B. King, and much of early Rock and Roll, fled north to Nashville. The clubs along Beale Street were boarded up and derelict. A place that was once one of America’s great cultural destinations had become the sort of place you didn’t dare get off the highway.

Not that suburban flight was exclusive to Memphis during the latter part of the 20th century. It’s just that as an impoverished and racially tenuous city, the changing demographics coupled with the assassination hit the city especially hard.

“If it’s happening in the country, it’s true two or three times in the South,” says Johnson. “And the music producers and studio owners who left for Nashville, that was all impacted by the sadness and threat of violence and fear that was happening after the assassination. And that’s just one industry; imagine what else left.”

The hollowing out of downtown perpetuated the already depressed Memphian psyche. And like anyone after an intense trauma, the city found it hard to move on.

“Memphis, for the longest time, was frozen in place as a way to protect us from the horrible tragedy that happened,” says Knox. “But one of the things that happens from trying times, it makes your culture flourish.”

A downtown festival shows the world what Memphis has to offer.

Photo: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

The culture of Memphis is one of grit, plain and simple. It’s a place that’s seen some shit, and they’re proud of it. And it was owning what they were that has allowed Memphis to heal.

“We may not be pretty, but we are the essence of who we are,” says Beverly Robertson, President and CEO of the Memphis Chamber. One thing you can never accuse Memphians of being is fake. “We are not a perfect city, but we are a city with a lot of areas of perfection.”

The desire to highlight those areas led a group of local business leaders to start the Memphis in May festival at the bottom of the city’s decline in 1977. The festival combined a blues festival with a barbecue competition along the banks of the Mississippi River in the shadow of historic downtown, effectively showcasing the music, food, nature and architecture the city still did so well.

“We wanted to show the world we had these great assets,” says Robert Griffin, the festival’s Marketing Director. “We wanted something to bring people back to these bluffs over the widest part of the Mississippi River and see all these great historic buildings downtown. Here we are 42 years later, and Beale Street is booming.”

Indeed, 41 years later the festival had a record attendance of 200,000 last year, accounting for $138 million in economic impact. The festival didn’t single-handedly bring the city out of its slump, but it did alert Memphians, and the world, to all the great things the city had. And that pride became infectious.

It spurred a new interest in the beautiful relics the city had, and much like its northern brothers-in-decay Buffalo and Cleveland, the city began to look at its run-down buildings and envision them as an asset.

“Memphis has succeeded in preserving older sites that have character you don’t find in other places,” says Terri Freeman, director of the National Civil Rights Museum, headquartered in the old Lorraine Motel, which was nearly torn town before being transformed in 1991. “We’ve been creative enough to use this space to draw people in for a collective experience. Where someone can take something that looks to be pretty rundown and say, ‘Here’s the vision,’ and see how it impacts the community around it.”

Several other projects have helped turned the city into a model of restoration.

The Clayborne Temple is in the midst of a long-term restoration to return this 19th-century church to its former splendor. It will serve as a community center for the once-blighted area south of downtown Memphis, just blocks from the FedEx forum and the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.

Downtown you can get an apartment at the Tennessee Brewery, a marvelous 1890 red brick brewery reminiscent of Guinness in Dublin or Miller in Milwaukee. Or you can stay at the Springhill Suites situated in the Kress Building, a Five and Dime that opened in 1896.

Of course you can hop through the bars and blues clubs along Beale Street, once again booming, stopping at Silky O’Sullivan’s, which was a 24-hour saloon when it was constructed in 1891.

Photo: Crosstown Concourse/Facebook

But perhaps the greatest testament to Memphis’s reinvention is the Crosstown Concourse, a former Sears warehouse and distribution center that’s now what developers call a “vertical village.” It houses the requisite loft-style apartments, yes, but also an artists’ collective, a small business incubator, a health center complete with sprawling gym, and Kimba Musk’s Next Door American Eatery. The old brick façade has been updated but maintains its true Memphian grit, still a little beat up on the outside even though great things are brewing on the inside.

“I’ve seen pictures of downtown prior to the assassination. You saw it was bustling,” says Freeman. “It had department stores, retail, lots of business. There was a movement away from the city, but the city has begun to recover and there’s so much more vibrancy there now.”

That’s been bolstered by the arrival of two huge new downtown anchor tenants — a large support company for Memphis-based FedEx, and Indigo Ag, a bio-medical related food company that located its North American headquarters in Memphis; the starting average salary there is $90,000.

A new generation propels Memphis into the future.

Photo: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

“You have to look to the people who claim this city as their own but don’t have [the assassination] as part of their personal narrative,” says Clayborne’s Johnson. “People who were not alive 50 years ago, they see the impact and they say, ‘We don’t have to live in this way. We can acknowledge the moment for what it was and hope for more at the same time.’”

The newer, younger Memphis was on display on a misty January night at the High Cotton brewery near Beale Street. An entrepreneurial “mash-up” was taking over the brewery’s taproom, where bright-eyed young entrepreneurs stood at tables explaining their Memphis-based startups to beer-happy attendees.

A young man representing Code Crew touted his business’s plan to teach coding to at-risk and underprivileged youth as a way out of their current situations. An attractive, well-dressed young woman explained her employer Front Door, a flat-rate, streamlined home selling service that will list and sell any home for $3,500. Another man broke down how his company, SweetBio, makes medical devices and treatments using honey. The startups aren’t the usual glut of apps and inventions you never knew you needed. They also seem to be doing some social good.

The event, if nothing else, showed a side of Memphis few ever see: a young, multicultural city full of young people with big ideas — in a city small enough to have them heard and big enough to make them happen.

A city in recovery, not quite yet recovered

Photo: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

The city, though much improved, still has a long way to go. Memphis still struggles with crime, and though it’s not something you see in tourist areas or would really encounter on a visit, violent crime is still slightly higher here than it was a decade ago.

Though the city has done an exemplary job of preserving and restoring some dilapidated old structures, you’ll still find yourself passing multiple abandoned housing projects while driving from downtown to the Crosstown Concourse. The city is on its way up, but it’s also well aware there’s a lot of work to do. But nobody in Memphis will deny that.

On the 50th anniversary of the MLK assassination last year, a massive crowd assembled outside the National Civil Rights Museum where Dr. King’s motel room sits just as it did the last morning of his life. On a cold, clear Memphis morning, people of all races gathered to pay tribute to the greatest advocate for human rights America ever knew. For one afternoon in April 2018, the eyes of the world were on Memphis, checking back to see how it was faring 50 years later.

The museum’s poet-in-residence Ed Mabry took the stage, reading a poem written to chronicle the black experience in America but ending in words that sounded like a call for the city to keep fighting on its long road back.

“We go now towards the morning light of work,” the poem finished. “Ready to roll up our sleeves and do what needs to be done for all people to succeed. The bell rung is not the end, it’s the signal to clock in, to come out of your corner swinging. To get on your mark, to get yourself set, in the name of peace, justice and faith, today we go, we go, and we go.”

Bono wishes he could write like that.


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The post How the MLK assassination broke Memphis, and why it’s taken decades to crawl back appeared first on Matador Network.

Best European cities on a budget

With expensive flights (assuming you don’t want to be a sardine in a rickety budget carrier) and even more expensive cities, a big European vacation isn’t always cheap. There is, however, good news for those who feel they can’t afford to go short of hitting the lotto. Don’t let money keep you from an amazing European trip. The trick is to avoid major tourist cities like Paris or London, and instead visit places where your dollar will go much further. In these cities, you might even be able to achieve baller status and stay in a four or five-star hotel for under $100 per night. Here are five such places.

1. Prague, Czech Republic

Photo: Oleksiy Mark/Shutterstock

Eastern Europe is home to some of the most gorgeous and affordable cities on the continent. Despite being among the best-known cities in the region, Prague can be quite affordable for visitors. Case in point: $100 is 2251.21 Czech koruna. You can eat a full three-course meal for under $20 at many restaurants across the city. Four- to five-star accommodations are equally affordable. A five-star room at the Carlo IV, from Autograph Marriot, in Prague’s city center often runs for under $100 per night, with the bonus of being within walking distance of many top attractions. You can find rates as low as $90 throughout the city, and some locations in Prague take both the koruna and the euro, which make conversions simple even for American travelers. If you stay in the heart of the city, you’re a quick walk from the oldest astronomical clock; the gorgeous Charles Bridge; and, if it’s Christmas, the city’s celebrated holiday markets.

2. Budapest, Hungary

Photo: ZGPhotography/Shutterstock

Some will argue that Budapest surpasses Prague in terms of beauty and awesome stuff to do. Fortunately, you’ll have enough cash left over when you leave Prague to decide for yourself. The capital city of Hungary is set in two parts and is uniquely affordable for a big city. A room at the five-star New York Palace hotel runs about $96 a night. On one side of the Danube River is Buda; on the other side is Pest. It is home to the gorgeous Hungarian Parliament, as well as Fishermans Bastion, which looks like a set straight out of Hogwarts. Summer is a great time to take river cruises through the Danube and Rhine, rivers and the city is home to amazing markets at Christmas time. While Budapest has amazing food and sightseeing any time of year, it’s important to understand that the city is home to some sobering history, and we’d recommend visiting these historical sites meant to honor those lost during WWII. For example, the Shoes on the Danube Bank are cast-iron replicas of those worn by the Jewish people who were killed there during the Holocaust.

3. Bucharest, Romania

Photo: Balate Dorin/Shutterstock

The capital of Romania is home to amazing medieval architecture including the 1,100-room Palatul Parlamentului, built under Communist rule and opened in 1997. You can find three-star accommodations in Bucharest for as low as $46 per night and five stars in the ballpark of $113. Outside of the capital, Romania’s old towns are like stepping back in time — we won’t blame you if you feel lost in the amazing history of this country. Plus, its home to Transylvania, and it’s not a visit to Romania without a visit to the castle that inspired Dracula. It was once home to Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad The Impaler. With amazing countryside, you can find yourself in Brașov skiing during the winter months.

4. Nice, France

Photo: LiliGraphie/Shutterstock

There are actually affordable cities outside of Eastern Europe, even near popular tourist centers. If you want to be closer to the ocean, Nice, France, is a strong option. A huge port city right on the ocean, Nice is easily accessed from many other locations in the south of France. The best time of year to visit is from the spring to early summer when you’ll beat most of the crowds and have amazing weather. Accommodations here at a three-star hotel will run you as low as $117 a night, and if you’re particularly flexible, you can snag a room at the four-star Windsor Hotel for about $81. Not as cheap as the previous destinations but still much better than Paris. With amazing pizza and gelato, you can also eat great without breaking the bank. Meals are typically under $10 for lunch and $20 for dinner in a typical restaurant.

5. Rome, Italy

Photo: cge2010/Shutterstock

This may come as a surprise given that Italy is not always known to be cheap. But eating in Rome — among the most celebrated capital cities anywhere in the world — is actually more affordable than you might think. Coffee runs about $1.40 per cup. A takeaway meal is between $6 and $10, and a plate of pasta at a decent joint isn’t much more than that. If history is your biggest fancy, then Rome is the place for you. Many of the city’s most famous attractions are free. With countless things to see and do, it is a high bucket-list item, and by utilizing their great public transportation or walking you can see all the big-ticket items on the cheap. Home to Trevi Fountain, the Coliseum, Vatican City, and amazing pizza, you won’t run out of things to do. Although you may end up crashing in a hostel (around $30 per night) as hotels in the city do cost a pretty penny.


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Visiting Chile’s Route of the Parks

Patagonia awes all who visit — whether they’ve come for the famous Torres del Paine route or another wild trek, to stay at an estancia and ride horses or explore the region’s glacier-fed lakes. Now, Chile has taken the Patagonia experience to the next level with the opening of a new route of epic proportions. Officially named La Ruta de los Parques, the Route of the Parks blazes a trail through the pristine and remote landscapes of Chilean Patagonia that have never been accessible before. Whether you tackle it on foot or by car, here’s why it’s hands down the best way to see Patagonia.

Joining 17 stunning national parks

Photo: Stephanie Frias

The Route of the Parks was opened at the end of 2018. It loops through 1,700 miles and 17 national parks, with roads and hiking trails that take explorers on a previously unprecedented trip through the towering Andes down to the southern tip of the continent. Until recently, these expanses were only accessible to hardcore offroaders and extreme trekking enthusiasts. But now, anyone with the will for remote travel can reach places where selfies have never been taken before.

Included in the 17 national parks is a staggering range of long-standing parks like the Los Alerces National Park, with its ancient 3,000-year-old forest and brand-spanking-new parks like Pumalin Park and Patagonia Park. Accessibility to the parks varies, though. Roadways run straight through the middle of some parks while parks like Corcovado National Park can only be reached on foot. Torres del Paine is likely one of the most recognizable park names while Laguna San Rafael National Park is one you may have never heard of.

How it happened

Photo: Stephanie Frias

What some are calling the most beautiful scenic route in the world is part of a vision for Chile to become the top eco-destination on the planet. The project has come together over several decades in large part thanks to the not-for-profit Tompkins Conservation. Tompkins Conversation is the hand-nurtured project of the late Douglas Tompkins (founder of The North Face) and his wife, Kris.

Their passion for restoring and preserving the landscapes of Patagonia has resulted in the expansion and creation of eight national parks. These national parks are the links that allow each of the 17 parks to be seamlessly connected from Puerto Montt at the foot of the Andes all the way down to the islands of Cape Horn, which are at Chile’s southern tip and are the closest islands to Antarctica.

Driving the Route of the Parks

Photo: Stephanie Frias

The route traverses one of the most remote places on the planet with over 11.5 million acres encompassing 24 protected ecosystems, including mountains and forests, fjords and glaciers, lakes and rivers. The Chilean roadways — a mix of dirt roads, gravel paths, paved highways, and ferry transfers — trace the path closely, allowing for land roamers to navigate the route by road while having easy access to many trailheads and campsites within the network of national parks. Driving this route by land could take anywhere from several weeks to several months to complete.

Hiking the Route of the Parks

Photo: Stephanie Frias

Inside this new route, three pre-existing hiking trails — the Southern Way, the End of the World Route, and the Patagonian Channels — have now been bridged together to make the journey passable as a single long-distance hiking excursion. Adventure trekkers can tackle this feat with the help of detailed information on the website, including 50 GPS mapped routes. The route is making quite the stir, being compared to other legendary long-distance treks like the Appalachian Trail and the Great Himalayan Trail.

See wild animals and stunning vistas

Photo: Stephanie Frias

The Route of the Parks offers the unique opportunity to glimpse dozens of regionally endemic plants and animals, many of which are endangered. Hidden in the impossibly blue glacial waterways, beneath the cover of temperate rainforests, and from the tops of snowy pine-covered mountains, explorers have the chance to see at least 46 animal and 140 bird species. Among those that call the Patagonian habitat their home are pumas, deer, whales, penguins, otters, flamingos, elephant seals, and so many more.

From every corner, each sight is more stunning the last, leaving travelers transfixed by the scenery. Expect to see blue icebergs jutting out of glacial lakes, seafoam green rivers with rapids as clear as glass, cold weather rainforests full of pine trees and ferns, and hanging glaciers dripping into gushing waterfalls.

Beyond hiking, camping, and mountaineering, other ways to appreciate the breathtaking scenery include river rafting, kayaking, and ice trekking. You can take boat rides through berg-filled lakes, as well as jet boat tours, helicopter, or biplane rides.

When to go

Photo: Stephanie Frias

Depending on a traveler’s level of expertise, the route can be navigated year round. To go in Chile’s winter months of June through August, though, requires the skill and knowledge to navigate snow, extreme cold, and wind. Also, the winter seasons lack a lot of the tourism infrastructure that exists in the high season, as some of the parks and many hotels are closed then.

The most ideal time to travel in Patagonia is during the late spring, summer, and early fall — essentially between October to May. During this part of the year, the snowfall is usually only found above tree level, and daytime temperatures average between 45 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Considering going in the spring or fall seasons, which offer relief from the heavy flow of tourists that travel in the high summer between December and February. The spring season in October and November offers a dazzling scene of blooming trees and shrubs against vibrant green foliage. Meanwhile, fall in Patagonia, from March to May, showcases one of the most stunning displays of autumn foliage in the Americas.


More like this: Why Chile is the perfect gateway trip to South America

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Massive great white shark in Hawaii

Divers in Hawaii found themselves in a very mellow, real-life version of The Meg this week. While monitoring a rotting sperm whale carcass off the shore of Oahu, the divers encountered a huge great white shark that had come for a bite and to relieve an itch, apparently. Ocean Ramsey, a shark and marine biologist, as well as the diver who came face-to-face with the 20-foot-long, eight-foot-wide, possibly pregnant female shark, said, “She was just this beautiful gentle giant wanting to use our boat as a scratching post… she stayed with us pretty much throughout the day.”

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A post shared by Ocean Ramsey #OceanRamsey (@oceanramsey) on Jan 16, 2019 at 1:51am PST

It’s rare for great whites to appear in Hawaii’s waters, as it’s generally too warm. Ramsey thinks that this shark was attracted to this part of the world by hunger and the need for extra nutrients during pregnancy. The beautiful animal is thought to be at least 50 years old and weigh about 2.5 tonnes. With such measurements, the shark is believed to be the famous Deep Blue — the largest white shark ever recorded. Ramsey previously swam with the shark on a research trip to Guadalupe Island in Mexico.

Contrary to popular belief, great whites do not consistently attack people. They usually only bite when they are curious or mistake people for their natural prey. “Big pregnant females are actually the safest ones to be with,” said Ramsey, “because they’ve seen it all, including us. That’s why I kind of call her, like, a grandma shark.”

Despite the gentleness of the encounter between Ramsey and the majestic creature, we do not encourage people to seel out sharks to swim with, especially around a feeding spot.

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A post shared by Ocean Ramsey #OceanRamsey (@oceanramsey) on Jan 16, 2019 at 6:57am PST

According to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, the decomposing whale carcass had drifted about eight miles south of Pearl Harbor and was regularly attracting tiger sharks. Given the increased shark presence in the area, swimmers are being advised to stay out of the water around the dead whale.

H/T: Insider

More like this: The best places in the world to dive with sharks

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SUPing around Sicily narrative

Mentions of the Mediterranean Sea may bring to mind images of sunshine and calm waters, but in October 2018, when I was attempting to become the first person to circumnavigate Sicily by stand-up paddleboard, solo and unsupported, I had to battle through thunder and wind storms about twice a week. That said, come rain, wind, swell, thunder, or lightning, I always paddled — I had some motivation to take me through the rough days.

Photo: Daniel Wynn

My project was to SUP around Sicily, a distance of about 620 miles, in 45 days. I was undertaking this expedition called “My Memory Paddle” to pay tribute to my grandmother who passed away with dementia in 2012 and to raise money for Alzheimer’s Research UK ($819 in total). My project was supported by Bluefin SUP, Aquapac, and Hydroflask who provided the paddleboard, waterproof bags, and water bottles for this journey.

I carried all my provisions with me, including a tent, water, and food. The SUP was an inflatable, 14-foot racing paddleboard. I slept in a small, two-person tent, cooked my food on a portable gas stove, and carried my equipment in large waterproof duffel bags. To minimize my impact on the environment, I filtered river water to make it drinkable and carried my waste with me.

Photo: Daniel Wynn

I knew this adventure was going to be a hard one, but I was not expecting the hardship to happen so early in my journey. I had to be rescued from a nasty thunderstorm and 25-mph winds by the Guardia Costiera on my very first day — not the best way to get cracking on breaking a world record.

My ego was bruised, but I was not defeated — I knew that my tenacity could triumph over my fears and take me through the difficulties. I was taking on this challenge to fight a disease of the mind with the powers of the mind: fortitude, resolve, and willpower.

On day two, I set off at sunrise to re-paddle that section and head further into Palermo Bay. Thankfully, things improved for a spell after that eventful first day.

On average, I paddled for eight hours a day achieving between 20 and 25 miles per day, in spite of the frequent dangerous currents and winds. Every night, I camped on isolated and remote beaches and took in the beauties of small Sicilian hill towns, volcanic cliffs, and Mount Etna — these were moments of safety and rest that I cherished for I knew what I would have to face in the morning.

Photo: Daniel Wynn

I was making very good progress. I’m not an athlete, yet by day 30, I had paddled almost 430 miles in just 23 days. My mental strength and my wish to honor my grandmother, much more than my physical abilities, were helping me achieve my goal, and I was well on schedule to complete my journey within my allotted 45-day period.

Unfortunately, fate, or Poseidon, had other plans.

On day 31, I landed at Licata to buy food from a local supermarket in preparation for the next week of paddling. Resupply points were few and far between so I had to carry with me enough food for at least one week — a considerable amount of weight.

As I was paddling out of the beach I got hit by a three-foot wave that capsized the board. I was trapped about 600 feet from the beach in breaking waves trying to recover my board and stop any of my gear from floating off — not an ideal place to find yourself when you have a 41-pound SUP attached to your foot.

Another wave hit and my face met the seafloor. The tug of my leash pulled me to the surface, and I managed to recover the board. I scrambled back on the board but was unable to set off to shore. Every attempt to close my fist around my paddle was met with searing pain.

The distance to shore felt like an ultra-marathon. After what seemed like ages, I landed at Licata. In that moment I felt only sadness, frustration, and anger. I suspected what had happened and knew it meant the end of my adventure — I had broken my right hand. Continuing was impossible.

I had paddled over 440 miles, traveling from Terrasini in the north to Licata in the south heading clockwise around the island. I had just under 180 miles to complete my lap of Sicily — one week of paddling.

Determination is very powerful and can help a sunburned, chaffed, exhausted man overcome pain to reach success, but it can’t override broken bones. The frustration I felt towards my injured body is nothing compared to the frustration an Alzheimer’s sufferer experiences when the illness takes over, but I certainly understand the helplessness one feels when they are betrayed by their bodies a lot better.

I also understand better the power of support to sooth that frustration and helplessness. Without help from loved ones, I would not have been able to overcome the disappointment and accept that me not being able to accomplish my feat was not a failure. This journey wasn’t about me or the end goal. It was about honouring my grandmother’s memory and creating memories that will stay with me forever, no matter what.


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Winter Storm Harper travel effects

The Northeast has escaped the winter weather for this long, but the region is long overdue for a storm. Winter Storm Harper is barrelling toward New England this weekend, and it’s projected to bring snow and ice from Friday to Monday. The storm has been progressing through the central states toward the Northeast, and it’s expected to hit the Plains, New England, Pennsylvania, and New York particularly hard.

The Northeast will see most of the snowfall on late Saturday, with heavy snow also expected in some areas of the Plains and the Midwest. In parts of New York State and New England, snow totals are expected to exceed two feet. New York City will see the most brutal conditions on Sunday. Residents of the Northeast should also prepare for exceptionally windy conditions, which may create dangerous snow drifts in addition to sleet and freezing rain along the coast.

If you have travel plans lined up this weekend, make sure you’re tracking the storm so you can stay safe. If possible, avoid traveling on Saturday night and Sunday. If you have a flight to catch this weekend, expect cancellations and delays, and exercise caution getting to the airport. Widespread flight cancellations have already begun, with over 300 flights already cancelled on Friday and another 1,990 delayed. Southwest Airlines alone has already canceled 120 Friday flights and 50 for Saturday. Some airlines, including Spirit, Jetblue, and Alaska, are making these inconveniences more manageable by waiving change fees.

H/T: Travel & Leisure

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