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Best Portuguese pastries to try

Portugal is on everyone’s European travel itinerary these days, but while travelers focus on Lisbon’s colorful architecture and cool trams, or the amazing beaches with great surfing potential that dot the country’s coast, one of the most underrated features of the country is its cuisine, and more specifically, its pastries. Although France and Italy are the European countries people associate the most with baked goods, Portugal is a serious contender. There are bakeries on just about every block in Portugal, so let yourself be seduced and walk inside to try one of the following seven delicious sweet treats you can find in the country.

1. Pastel de Belém

Photo: Andres Garcia Martin/Shutterstock

Probably the Portuguese food scene’s biggest claim to international fame, the Pastel de Belèm is a custard pie (egg custard poured in a flaky pastry crust and cooked to perfection) originally from the Belém District of Lisbon. The pastry’s secret recipe was created by Catholic monks in 1837 and is still used to this day at the Pastéis de Belèm pastry factory and café in Lisbon. Because the pastry was a hit all over Portugal, copycats came out of the woodworks with Pastel de Nata, but don’t be fooled — if the goodies don’t come from Pastéis de Belém, they’re not the real deal. To enjoy Pastel de Belém like a local, it’s best to have it warm with a cup of strong espresso on the side.

2. Bola de Berlim

Photo: viennetta/Shutterstock

Bola de Berlim is Portugal’s version of a Berliner, a German doughnut without a central hole. But what makes Bola de Berlim really stand out from the regular fried treat we all know is that the dough is rolled in sugar and filled with sweet custard cream. It’s said that the best place in all of Portugal to get a Bola de Berlim is in the town of Viana do Castelo at Pastelaria-Confeitaria Manuel Natário, but you’ll be able to find this tasty treat all over the country.

3. Ovos Moles

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Ovos Moles or “soft eggs” are typically Portuguese treats made of communion wafers filled with a creamy mixture of egg yolks and sugar that drips in your mouth as you bite into it. Created by nuns living in the town of Aveiro (located 45 minutes south of Porto), Ovos Moles hold the title of Protected Geographical Indication, given by the European Union, which ensures the pastry’s authenticity and the quality of its ingredients. Inspired by the Aveiro Lagoon, confectioners traditionally shape the wafers like shells, fish, or clams. If you want to learn how to make this Portuguese treat, several pastry shops in Aveiro organize oficinas do doce (pastry workshops), so you can recreate the flavors of Portugal at home.

4. Salame de Chocolate

Photo: Vincenzo De Bernardo/Shutterstock

Although it looks like black pudding, this long and thin chocolate log is Portuguese kids’ favorite treat. It’s made with cocoa, broken Maria biscuits, eggs, and butter, mixed in a big bowl and shaped like salami. Nuts, such as pistachios, almonds, or hazelnuts, are often added for extra crunch and flavor. It might not seem like a very sophisticated treat, but it’s so darn good that nobody cares about its appearance.

5. Travesseiro de Sintra
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Photo: Sopotnicki/Shutterstock

Travesseiro de Sintra, literally translating as “Sintra’s pillow” is a stick-shaped, dough-based pastry filled with an egg cream and almonds (there’s something else in there as well, but it’s being kept secret). As indicated by its name, this pastry originally hails from the town of Sintra, located 30 minutes west of Lisbon. The pastry shop Casa Piriquita, in Sintra, is said to be the best spot to get your travesseiro fix.

6. Pão de Ló

Photo: Natalia Mylova/Shutterstock

Pão de Ló is a 15th-century sponge cake that is typically served on Catholic holidays (like Christmas and Easter) in Portugal. The ingredients are simple: eggs, flour, and sugar, but the result is quite delicious. Often, Pão de Ló is underbaked to give it a creamy inside that you can eat with a spoon.

7. Pampilho

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The Pampilho is a cake originally from Santarem, a city one hour north of Lisbon. This sweet confection resembles a pampilho, a stick campinos (Portuguese cowboys) used to move their herds through the fields around Santarem, hence its name. This traditional treat is a thin sponge cake rolled into an elongated shape and filled with a sweet mixture of egg yolk, sugar, and cinnamon. Although you can find Pampilhos in Lisbon, the best ones are said to come from Pastelaria Bijou in Santarem. Note that you can also find Pampilhos made of chocolate.


More like this: 14 eye-popping images that will make you fall in love with Portugal

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Best brunch restaurants in Chicago

With over 15,000 restaurants in Chicago, it’s no wonder that it’s often dubbed as the #1 restaurant city in the United States. In the last two decades, Chicago’s diverse communities have added to its culinary scene, driving Chicago to the top of the list of US foodie hotspots. What’s even more exciting is that over a hundred of these restaurants offer brunch. With a changing urban lifestyle, eating out for brunch has become a cornerstone of weekend culture. Regardless of what your taste buds fancy, here’s our selection of the top six trending brunch spots in Chicago.

1. Brunch

Photo: Brunch/Facebook

Brunch (yes, that’s the actual name of it) is located in Near North Side and is well-known for its epic breakfast nachos. You can reserve a table online from bed and enjoy a hassle-free experience. If you feel like having something sweet, order their Flintstone French Toast which comes with fruity pebbles, frosting, and fresh maple syrup, or opt for savory with their croissant-egg sandwich with maple mayo. Just don’t leave without trying one of their rich cinnamon rolls.

2. Estrella Negra

Photo: Estrella Negra/Facebook

Estrella Negra is a new-wave Mexican restaurant that has a handful of experimental gourmet street food-inspired items on their brunch menu, and a welcoming interior with colorful paintings that set the good weekend vibes. Order La Jaras goat cheese chilaquiles which come with Mexican crispy corn tortilla strips topped with two over-easy eggs, green salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and goat cheese. Don’t pass on their chocolate chip tamale topped with organic agave nectar, or their strawberry-coconut tequila cocktail.

3. Nana

Photo: nana/Facebook

You’ll need to get here early to snag a table at this organic local favorite in Bridgeport. The owner, Omar, has worked hard to bring healthy, organic produce into Chicago’s South Side. The menu is seasonal and changes quarterly. We recommend ordering the homemade English muffins, avocado fries, and the signature Nanadict.

4. Azul 18

Photo: Azul 18

This Latin-American fusion restaurant is one of the rare places where you can try homemade turkey chorizo. Brunch specials vary every week, so you can be sure to find something new and exciting. But a standby favorite is the Garbage Omelet, a blend of bell pepper, onions, jalapeños, mushrooms, pork sausage, bacon, and cheese. If you want to go a little upmarket, order the house lobster benedict which is served on an English muffin, with two poached eggs and house chipotle hollandaise sauce. Another must-try is their delicious tortilla soup and their warm beignets for dessert.

5. 90 Miles Cuban Cafe

Photo: 90 Miles Cuban Cafe/Facebook

90 Miles Cuban Cafe is a Taste of Chicago winner and has three locations in the city. Brunches are served every day from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, so there’s no need to fight the Sunday crowds. Their food, music, and decor combine to generate an atmosphere that will transport you from windy Chicago to sunny Cuba. Empanadas are made from scratch every morning and their avocado toast with sriracha aioli, white rice, black beans, and maduros can’t be beat.

6. Hash

Photo: HASH/Facebook

Wicker Park’s Hash is cheap but packs a punch. Their corned beef hash with deep fried bacon is worth getting out of bed for. Its self-serve, no fuss, cozy atmosphere makes it a popular weekend hangout, so you may have to wait a little bit for a spot. The menu changes seasonally so don’t get too attached to a serving of brussel sprout hash. It’s also a perfect spot for people watching and their hash creations will undoubtedly end up on your Instagram account.

More like this: The 6 best outdoor bars in Chicago

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Things Philadelphians do better

Special skills are required to navigate through the 1.5 million people in Philadelphia. Over the years of living in Philly, the people have acquired special talents honed from their unique environment, and those have shaped their culture. Here are seven abilities Philadelphians have over everyone else.

1. Spontaneously erupting into Eagles chants.

Get a large group of Philadelphians together and odds are that you’ll hear, “E-A-G-L-E-S” at least once, whether it be at concerts, a restaurant, or a Red Sox game.

2. Being incredibly patient.

Any city that must rely on SEPTA must possess a considerable dose of patience. Rain, sleet, snow, fallen leaves, heat, they all interrupt a less-than-perfect system. It’s okay to scream, but sometimes it’s better to laugh about the ineptness.

3. Avoiding health food.

With trends like organic foods and veganism showing no signs of disappearing, commitment to soft pretzels, Wawa, cheesesteaks, and Tastykake can be difficult to maintain, but we try our best.

4. Being completely irrational about sports.

Little evidence is required to make bold, definitive statements on sports radio. Win one pre-season game and we’re already repeating our Superbowl win. A player is facing an injury and suddenly, the team will never amount to anything. It’s perpetual optimism and pessimism wrapped into one fun, irrational package.

5. Knowing and appreciating our local craft beers.

In a place where a week out of every year is dedicated to beer, appreciating a good local brew such as Victory, Yards, and Dogfish Head is a right of passage. Our gastropubs have amazing selections, and renowned stops like Monk’s Cafe offer a “Beer Bible” to feature all of the national and international delights on hand. Yes, we love our Yuengling but also love finding new favorites.

6. Shining bright in the limelight.

Celebrities who hail from Philly are uniquely fabulous. Exceptional at what they do, yet down-to-earth, stars like Pink, Questlove, and Kevin Hart are our A-listers who keep it real.

7. Hustling.

Philadelphians have a heavy dose of creativity combined with grit and survival skills. We hustle to start a business, to grow a business, or string together a bunch of side businesses. The collective push to have a better life and survive makes one strong culture.


More like this: 6 things the rest of the US can learn from Philadelphia

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Book lover's job in Maldives

If there’s one place to really escape the harsh reality that physical booksellers are on the decline, it’s this luxury eco resort in the Maldives. A bookshop near the Soneva Fushi resort is looking for someone to fill a three-month role, in what is possibly the most unique bookseller position of all time. Philip Blackwell, of the famous bookseller family that operates the shop, admitted to The Guardian, “The pay is derisory but the fringe benefits unparallelled. It’s a dream job for many people. If I was 25 again I would do it.”

In addition to having a passion for books, the successful applicant should be prepared to write a blog that captures the life of a desert island bookseller, and be able to engages guests of all ages — including, most likely, a few celebrities. The bookseller may also be expected to host creative writing courses for guests.

Perhaps the biggest perk of the job is getting to live near the exclusive resort, on a beautiful white sand beach. Neill Denny, joint editor of BookBrunch, where the job was originally posted, described the position as “very much a niche in a niche, selling quality books to the super-rich, but they are starting to appreciate the discreet charm of a good book. And of course they have the money to pursue it, building entire libraries from scratch.”

The bookshop, which will stock books reflective of the local environment, as well as the interests of wealthy tourists, is a new experiment for Blackwell. He gave up running his bookstore chain in the UK in 2006, and now creates library collections for resort hotels. “It’s a gap year project that’s still going on,” Blackwell said, adding that the Maldives isn’t exactly oversaturated with bookshops.

H/T: The Guardian

More like this: These companies are hiring employees to travel the world

The post This bookseller job in the Maldives is every book nerd’s dream appeared first on Matador Network.

Most amazing French cooking classes

A visit to France is not complete without devoting much of your time in the country to savoring its cuisine, which gifted to the world such gastronomic joys as croissants, camembert, saucisson, and macarons. Indulging in France’s culinary offerings is one thing, but diving into the process of creating these specialties from scratch and having a hand in their success from start to finish is an entirely different experience. Here are seven ways to immerse yourself in the tastes and smells of fine French food by becoming a baker, butcher, or fromager for the day — and then maybe a lifetime.

1. Learn to make macarons.

Photo: Nitr/Shutterstock

Macarons may seem simple, but it takes quite a bit more time to make them than it does to eat them. At Cook’n with Class in Paris — one of the city’s most popular cooking schools — aspiring bakers will participate in the painstaking process of making macarons, whipping up three different flavor varieties through the multi-step process. The hands-on, three-hour workshop will deepen anybody’s appreciation for the work that goes into each pillowy sandwich. (My main takeaway from this class was that the hefty price on macarons is completely justifiable.) Classes take place year-round and are priced at 109 EUR ($124) per adult.

2. Create a traditional Provençal lunch.

Photo: Isabella Pfenninger/Shutterstock

At Provence Gourmet in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Francophile foodies get a chance to explore the culinary traditions of Provence. Over the course of the day, students will visit a local market, chat with regional farmers, and create a typical Provençal lunch using fresh, seasonal ingredients. Taking place in a countryside mas — a traditional farmhouse of the region — this class is a full immersion into the south of France. This cooking class takes place on Wednesdays and Fridays almost all year long and costs 165 EUR ($187) per person.

3. Slave over a soufflé.

Photo: margouillat photo/Shutterstock

Mastering the art of the French soufflé is a skill every chef longs to conquer. The egg-based dish is notoriously hard to get right; creating a successful soufflé requires precision, patience, and perfect timing, or else the dish collapses into a dramatically unimpressive heap. If you’re interested in taking on the challenge of creating a light, airy, and perfectly puffed soufflé, enroll in the two-hour soufflé school at La Cuisine Paris. The soufflé class takes place a few times per month and costs 69 EUR ($78) per person.

4. Become a fromager.

Photo: Premier Photo/Shutterstock

Cheese connoisseurs won’t want to miss the chance to taste a wide variety of fine cheeses in France, a country renowned for its incredible selection and quality. Paris by Mouth‘s French cheese-tasting workshop will answer all the questions you’ve never thought to ask about the significance of cheese in France, plus leave you with best practices for pairing cheese with the perfect glass of vin. The three-hour cheese-and-wine-tasting workshop will give you the opportunity to try around 10 different cheeses and five different wines and is priced at 110 EUR ($125) per person.

5. Live your best Remy life and learn to make ratatouille.

Photo: Vorontsova Anastasiia/Shutterstock

Laying claim to famous dishes like ratatouille, Mediterranean-influenced Niçoise cuisine puts a healthier, fresher twist on traditional French food. At this hands-on cooking school in Nice, ingredients supplied by local markets form the basis of each dish. Niçoise cuisine workshops at Les Petits Farcis take place monthly and always focus on a different theme, from fresh pasta to stuffed winter vegetables. Classes are taught in French, with English translation available, and are priced at 90 EUR ($102) per person.

6. Bake flaky croissants and other fresh bread.

Photo: alekseigl/Shutterstock

Taking a croissant class in Paris is perhaps the ultimate way to spend an afternoon during your visit. The croissant and breakfast-pastry class at La Cuisine Paris will show carboholics the art of the buttery croissant, from the creation of the rising dough base to practicing the proper way to shape the iconic French pastry. Students will also learn to bake pain au chocolat — a pastry that hides pieces of dark chocolate in its center — and snail-shaped pain aux raisins. Croissant classes take place twice daily and cost 99 EUR ($112) per person.

7. Take a week-long black-truffle workshop

Photo: Mahony/Shutterstock

This black-truffle workshop in Provence is a week-long dive into the world of the black truffle, a rare French ingredient found only in specific tree roots. Students of At Home with Patricia Wells spend a week with the journalist, author, and cooking instructor to learn all things truffle, from participating in a truffle hunt to visiting a major artisanal truffle supplier and learning new recipes to incorporate the fungus. This annual event is only offered mid-winter and costs $6000 per person.


More like this: 7 adorable French villages that will make you skip Paris completely

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Are rental-car companies doomed?

There are certain products that people born now will have no concept of ever existing. Fax machines. VCRs. Landlines. But rental cars? Rental cars have long been a stable, integral part of the travel experience, and almost every traveler alive has rented a car at some point. But in the age of ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft, and peer-to-peer car-sharing services, conventional wisdom says that rental cars may soon go the way of Blockbuster and become obsolete. But has the sharing economy really hurt rental-car companies that much, and if so, how are the established giants going to stay relevant? Here, Matador investigates the future of the industry and whether or not rental cars can, in fact, survive.

Rental car companies are still making money. For now.

Though one might think technology has done a number on rental companies, it’s not time to hit the panic button quite yet. “We’re lucky not to be impacted too much by Uber or Lyft,” says Daniel Florence, CEO of North American operations for Sixt, a European car rental company that’s become a major player in America. “You’re not going to come with your wife or husband and four kids and Uber everywhere. So there’s always a need.”

And revenues aren’t exactly plummeting. Hertz, which includes Dollar and Thrifty, brought in about $8.8 billion in 2017, pretty much the same as 2016. Avis, still trying harder, saw revenues up two percent to $8.8 billion in 2017. Enterprise self-reported over $16 billion in revenue last year, up nearly $900 million. So car-rental companies aren’t exactly hemorrhaging cash. But that doesn’t mean they can ignore the changing tides.

Photo: Tupungato/Shutterstock

Peer-to-peer sharing could put a dent in the budget market.

Though Uber and Lyft aren’t crippling car-rental companies the way people think, peer-to-peer car sharing might creep in and take some of the budget-rental segment.

Turo is probably the best-known of the new options. The service allows private parties to rent their cars with full insurance for however much they’d like to through other private parties, all through a convenient smartphone app. Often this allows travelers — or those needing just a short trip — the flexibility to rent an older, cheaper car when a newer model isn’t required. Or to rent someone’s Tesla for the day for a lot less than Exotic Car Rental agencies charge. It’s billed itself as the Airbnb of rental cars, but it hasn’t quite put the scare into the rental-car industry that its lodging counterpart did into hotels.

Beyond Turo, there is also TravelCar, a company that offers the double advantage of free parking and free money for people traveling out of town — and cheaper, nicer rental cars for visitors. Essentially, TravelCar lets you park for free in its lot then rents your car out to someone else while you’re away. It takes a cut of that fee, gases up your car and washes it, and has it ready for you when you return. For renters, the prices average about $17 a day, which makes it appealing for budget-conscious travelers.

“Anyone who wants a few extra bucks for an activity, or that’s just excited to save so much on a rental car, that’s who we’re hearing the most from,” says TravelCar Marketing Director Kimberly Wanson. TravelCar is only in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orlando, and Chicago for now but may expand as demand rises.

Short-term car-sharing services like Zipcar have been around for a while, but even that segment is seeing some sexier new alternatives. In Seattle, BMW offers by-the-minute rentals of 700 BMWs and minis for people needing cars for a short time through its ReachNow service. The app offers an upscale alternative to companies like Car2Go and Zipcar (plus free admission to local state parks), which have also taken some of the single-day rental market away from the traditional heavyweights.

Again, the numbers say none of these new entrants have put too much of a crunch on rental-car companies, but the smart ones are already looking to adapt.

Photo: Tupungato/Shutterstock

Big companies find their niche and enter into new markets.

Perhaps the best example of a rental-car company positioning itself for the 21st century is Sixt, the sleek, sexy, bright orange booth renting exotic and luxury cars. Where rental cars have traditionally been a commodity, Sixt is taking a cue from countless “marketing to millennials” articles and focusing on experiential travel.

“Our adaptation has been to make renting a car experiential and different,” says Sixt’s Florence. “We’re trying to be a brand and not just a commodity and bring something a little different to the market. We’re giving you a chance to drive a car you wouldn’t normally be able to drive, under six months old, under 25,000 miles. It’s creating an experience where people become fans of the brand.”

Sixt has waiting areas a little reminiscent of Virgin’s boarding lounges with calming music, water, coffee, and soothing lighting to make the sometimes-infuriating line process enjoyable. These sorts of differentiators have not only allowed the company to charge a premium but made it different enough in customers’ eyes that they’ll continue to rent from Sixt even when other options exist. The attitude recently garnered Sixt 14 World Travel Awards and an award from Trazee as the top brand for millennials.

But bigger, more traditional companies with different brand images are finding ways to adapt, too.

Enterprise, now far-and-away the industry leader, has branched into everything from ride sharing to vanpooling to increase revenues. Its vansharing program, aimed at carpooling commuters, takes an estimated 100,000 passengers a day and has been in operation since 1994. In 2013, Enterprise also purchased Zimride, an online ride-matching and carpooling service. And its CarShare and CarClub programs are helping Enterprise maintain a presence in the short-term rental market as people move away from its once-convenient “We’ll pick you up” program.

Avis, for its part, quietly purchased the car-sharing company Zipcar in 2013. It hired a new head of fleet ventures this year who is looking for ways to help the company stay relevant. Sixt already has a ride-hailing app in Europe called myDriver. Hertz, the onetime industry titan, seems to be the slowest to adapt and hasn’t done a whole lot to differentiate its services. Though that may change as automated cars begin to hit the road.

Photo: Ken Wolter/Shutterstock

Maintenance may be the key to keeping traditional rental-car companies alive.

The same conventional wisdom that says Uber and Lyft are destroying car rentals also says automated cars are the wave of the ride-hailing future. So take that for what it’s worth. But assuming massive fleets of self-driving cars become the vehicle for both Uber and Lyft, those cars will require large-scale washing, repairs, and maintenance.

And if there’s one thing big rental-car companies know how to do, it’s take care of hundreds of thousands of cars. In its most innovative move, Hertz reached an agreement with Apple, providing cars to test its automated vehicle ventures. Avis reached a similar agreement with Alphabet’s Waymo, and Enterprise says it has already been contacted by several companies looking to leverage its expertise in fleet maintenance. This seemingly puts all of them in the proverbial drivers’ seat for maintenance contracts when they become needed.

This expertise may well be how big car-rental companies stay relevant as newer, easier alternatives come to market — though demand will probably never disappear.

“I don’t see the rental-car business ever completely going away,” says Sixt’s Florence. “It’s an essential part of travel and tourism. But it will morph into something that’s more about experiential things when it’s about travel.”

That means that as long as people still want to experience a new destination from behind the wheel, rental-car companies will still have a function. While budget-conscious travelers will likely look to peer-sharing like Turo or TravelCar, and short-term renters will use car shares, big companies will survive by diving into those markets, as well. They’ll also survive by using the processes they’ve perfected in maintenance and fleet management to service automated cars. Uber and Lyft might not have taken the toll on rental cars that everyone thinks, but it’s hard to deny that the industry is smack in a wave of disruption. And if nothing else, it will be fascinating to see what’s left when that wave finally recedes.


More like this: Is it cheaper to rent a car or take an Uber? Everything you need to know.

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Best street food in NYC

There’s no one cuisine that New York is known for. Italy’s known for pasta and France for bread, but NYC is a melting pot — as cliché as it sounds. Because people of so many cultures make their home here, it’s highly likely that you’ll find multiple restaurants serving completely different cuisines within the same block. The same goes for the many food carts scattered throughout our city. If you don’t want to be in a formal sit-down setting, or simply need to down a quick meal before jumping on the subway, you’re in luck because there is no shortage of street food in NYC — you’ll find it literally wherever you go. Here are the best seven places for street food and where to find them.

1. The Halal Guys, Midtown

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Beginning as a hot-dog cart back in 1990, the Halal Guys has now expanded its business across the US. It has physical storefront locations further downtown and in other cities like Los Angeles, but nothing compares to its original food cart on the corner of 53rd Street and 6th Avenue. You’ll find it at its midtown location every day without fail, from early morning into the late night hours. One of the most popular dishes offered is the chicken and gyro over rice platter. Other menu items include sandwiches, chicken, beef gyros, and falafel. You can mix and match your toppings, but be sure to try the savory white and hot sauce — it’s famous for a reason.

2. Delicioso Coco Helado, Bronx

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The sight of a green-and-white-striped umbrella with the words “Catch the Flava” means one thing for most born-and-bred New Yorkers: warm weather has finally arrived after a long winter and rainy spring. Delicioso Coco Helado is an ice-cream brand, and you’ll find it in street carts in the summertime. While the name literally translates to “delicious coconut ice cream,” there are plenty of other flavors to choose from such as rainbow, mango, cherry, and lemon. (For real though, the coconut is where it’s at.) It is reminiscent of Italian ices, but the creamy texture and natural taste are completely different. You’ll find these roaming carts all over the five boroughs, but venture into the Bronx (to areas like Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse) for the standard pricing of $1 to $2 depending on what size you want. (It’s marked up in the city.)

3. Nuts 4 Nuts, Manhattan

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A New York staple, the Nuts 4 Nuts carts have been around since 1993. Alejandro Rad, having come from Argentina, began working as a honey-roasted nuts vendor and grew his brand from there. He was influenced by the French introduction of roasted pralines to Buenos Aires in the 1920s and their experimentation with various types of nuts. These push carts are just about everywhere — just follow their intoxicating smell — but your best bet is going to highly populated areas in Manhattan like Columbus Circle or Herald Square. You can get different honey-roasted nuts like peanuts, cashews, almonds, and pecans, as well as coconut. You can get a singular type for $3 or a mix for $5.

4. Wafels & Dinges, Herald Square

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The waffle made its debut in the US at the 1964 World Fair in Queens, but it wasn’t until April 2007 that Wafels & Dinges came into being. With your waffle, you can get a variety of dinges (toppings) like strawberries, whipped cream, fudge, and syrup. The Wafels & Dinges trucks are ever-moving. Some locations are lucky enough to see a yellow truck every day, but there’s also a handy online tracker to help you find them. There are also several sit-down locations, as well as kiosks. Visit the kiosk in Herald Square, an ideal spot where you can nab an outdoor seat to eat — it’s going to get messy.

5. Street festivals

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Much to the chagrin of drivers and excitement of passersby, street festivals are a common occurrence in NYC. Whether it’s a celebration of culture, life, or just a party, the street-closing events are chock-full of different foods. The Feast of San Gennaro, for example, is a multi-day festival that happens every September in New York and takes place all throughout Little Italy. Besides religious processions, there are parades and live entertainment. But for the food lovers out there, there’s also a wide array of food — all types of desserts, arepas, sausages, and creative sandwiches like steak on garlic bread with melted cheese. Unfortunately, there’s no official way to track the festivals, but some websites like New Yorkled do their best to list most of them. The best way to find them, though, is to simply walk around the city on weekends.

6. The food trucks on 6th Avenue, particularly near Rockefeller Center

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While the food trucks on this avenue may differ day to day, there are always a number of them parked by the sidewalks. The area is populated by tourists visiting sights like Rockefeller Center, but it’s also a great location because many companies have their buildings along it, so around lunchtime, there are a plethora of workers looking for grub. Some regulars are Phil’s Steaks, boasting authentic Philadelphia cheesesteaks; Coney Shack, with Southeast Asian-style tacos; and Desi Food Truck, serving Indian fare. To find out what truck’s going to be where, check Roaming Hunger.

7. Sabrett hot dogs in Central Park

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No list of street food in NYC would be complete without Sabrett hot dogs, found under the iconic blue-and-yellow umbrellas. They’re universally loved by New Yorkers, even if we all call them “dirty water dogs.” The water is probably not actually that dirty, but even if it was, they taste so darn good that we turn a blind eye. You’ll find these everywhere throughout the city, but they’re found particularly easily in Central Park. After traversing the Great Lawn and taking photos in front of the Alice in Wonderland statue, eating warm meat inside of a fluffy bun is the perfect way to replenish your energy. Just don’t pay more than $3 for one.


More like this: The top 6 places for street food in Chicago

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World's oldest cheese discovered

Cheese enthusiasts take their hobby pretty seriously. That’s why when the world’s oldest cheese was found in an Egyptian tomb this week, people started proclaiming en masse that they wanted to try it, which of course led experts to come out and advise something you would never think necessary: don’t.

Researchers are warning that the 3,200-year-old cheese could be poisonous. Made either of cow or goat milk, the cheese may contain a fatal infectious disease called brucellosis. According to the CDC, it’s an infection spread by eating unpasteurized or raw dairy products and infected animals.

The cheese was discovered in the tomb of Ptahmes, who was the mayor of Memphis, Egypt, during the 13th-century BC. And before your FOMO gets too bad, it might make you feel better to know that this cheese probably won’t taste anything like modern cheese. Enrico Greco, the research lead from Italy’s University of Catania, told ABC, “I’m Italian. I love cheese and I know how much they can change in flavor and appearance even with very few differences in ingredients and process.”

Disregarding the experts’ warnings, cheese lovers still took to Twitter to express their desires to try the potentially fatal cheese anyway. Some couldn’t seem to care less about eating the diseased cheese while others are curious about pairing it with the red liquid found in the nearby sarcophagus.

Let us eat the disease cheese https://t.co/4q7mmFEqzj

— Eliza Berlage (@verbaliza) August 17, 2018

Don’t care. Still eating it. https://t.co/XOs2sEPBjk

— Jake Vig (@Jake_Vig) August 17, 2018

LET US PAIR IT WITH A GLASS OF SARCOPHAGUS RED AND FEEL WHAT IT IS TO TRULY LIVE FOR ONCE YOU COWARDS https://t.co/w10rECTP5d

— Johnny Chiodini (@johnneh) August 17, 2018

dip it in the fucking sarcophagus juice https://t.co/wFmQrnTaXs

— Emily Hughes

Earn miles with United's sweepstakes

Normally, racking up a million air miles would probably take you a few years of traveling around the world — maybe even a decade. Now, you can earn a million air miles in a matter of seconds, without ever setting foot on a plane because United Airlines is giving away a million MileagePlus free miles to three fliers. To win, all they have to do is enter the sweepstakes by August 28th.

Entering is simple. Before the deadline, submit a photo or video of your favorite travel memory with a message explaining why you chose it and what you’d do with those one million miles. Submit the photo or video on either Instagram or Twitter with the #UnitedJourneyContest hashtag. If social media’s not your thing, just use the official contest website. Note that you can only enter the contest once. One video entry and two photo entries will be selected, and the winners will be announced around September 19th.

The contest judges are MileagePlus travelers from around the world, including an art teacher, fencer, and photographer. And in case you were wondering about the reason behind United’s sudden show of generosity, the giveaway is an attempt to raise awareness for their new travel-themed content site.

H/T: Condé Nast Traveler

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Best bathrooms in America

Going to the bathroom in public is usually, at best, an uneventful occurrence. You get up, you do your business, and unless you’re a family-values-toting congressman in Florida, you return without much excitement. But some places around the country put a little extra effort into their restrooms by using art, design, and sensory experiences to make using the bathroom as much a part of your visit as anything else. The business products wizards at Cintas give an annual award for best restroom in America, and just released their nominees for 2018. You can take a look and vote for your favorite right here. But before you do, take a look at the nominees and see which one you’d most like to stay in a little longer than you should.

1. Barrio — Chicago, Illinois

Photo: Barrio

Love shoes? Hate stopping the party just because you need to use the bathroom? Well this Chi-town Mexican joint has the bathroom of your dreams. Never ones to let the magic of tequila go — literally — down the drain, restaurant designers put a big, shiny disco ball right over the sink area in the ladies’ room, so your agave-soaked eyes can marvel at the reflections. The upper parts of the walls are also covered in a loud pattern of high-heeled shoes. So if watching the shiny lights gets old, you can still do a little aspirational shopping.

2. Bryant Park — New York City, New York

Photo: Bryant Park

The words “New York City public bathroom” have actually been known to cause spontaneous vomiting in some people. But those folks obviously haven’t been over to the much-ballyhooed new baños at Bryant Park. The historic old stone structure underwent a $270,000 renovation and has transformed itself from septic tank to an eco-friendly rose garden. The bathroom is filled with fresh flowers and classical music, like you’ve transported yourself from a public park to a VIP suite. There are also full-time attendants there to hand you towels after you wash your hands in the ceramic sinks set under glass mosaic walls. The whole thing uses energy created by running water to power itself, with LED lights and a water-efficient apparatus making this one of the greenest bathrooms in the world.

3. Dream Hollywood Hotel — Los Angeles, California

Photo: Dream Hollywood Hotel

Usually taking pictures in an LA bathroom is reserved for paparazzi and Instagram “models.” But now pretty much anyone hitting the head at the Dream Hotel will want to snap some pictures with the views out over Hollywood Hills and Griffith Observatory. The floor-to-ceiling windows are in the common faucet area, so you won’t look any weirder than your run of the mill fashion influencer taking selfies here. The sexy dark tiles and long oval mirrors won’t hurt your photo composition much either.

4. Green Bay Botanical Garden — Green Bay, Wisconsin

Photo: Green Bay Botanical Garden

Though we never thought too hard about how Bilbo Baggins did his business, but if we did we probably would have imagined something like the bathroom at the Green Bay Botanical Garden. This adorable little washroom is built into a garden hillside, almost hiding under the scenic walkway that runs above. The bathroom is done up in classic brick, with sunshine mosaics on the wall and bright colors throughout. Though it’s not as sleek as some of the other nominees, its exterior looks like something straight out of a fairytale.

5. Hotel La Jolla — La Jolla, California

Photo: Hotel La Jolla

You’ll never have to justify extended bathroom trips if you’re excusing yourself at Curio Collection by Hilton’s new San Diego digs. The bathroom has floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over glorious hills and the Pacific Ocean, with its own balcony to step out on and get some fresh Pacific air. Whether you’re in a stressful business meeting or just one of those happy hours that begs for intermittent escapes, this bathroom provides your moment of Zen to recharge so you can face the rest of the afternoon.

6. J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge — Sanibel, Florida

Photo: J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge

Between the stories of people walking alligators through liquor stores and the aforementioned politicians, sometimes it’s easy to forget what a naturally beautiful place Florida is. These bathrooms immerse you in Sunshine State beauty with life-sized sculptures of some of the state’s trademark animals (no, Pitbull is not an animal), as well as murals of mangroves, beaches, and marine life all over the walls. Stalls are decorated in stunning Florida wildlife photography, with educational blurbs on the backs of the doors. So you can learn more than you ever thought you’d know about pelicans while doing your business.

7. MI VIDA — Washington, D.C.

Photo: MI VIDA

This Mexican restaurant in the nation’s capital takes visitors from its lively cantina setting into what can best be described as a subway station from Total Recall. Chrome and metal are the name of the game here, where penny-tile walls and bright, industrial-chic sinks are illuminated with a seductive blue glow that feels very 2084. The neon-pink doors and fancy prison urinals confuse your mind a little more than it should be when doing something as simple as taking a bathroom break. But for a restaurant bathroom unlike anything you’ve ever seen before, stopping for a margarita here is worth the trip.

8. Morgan Manufacturing — Chicago, Illinois

Photo: Morgan Manufacturing

This event space in Chicago’s West Loop is one of the great examples of an old industrial space transformed into a marvel of 21st-century cool. Nowhere is this more apparent than the bathrooms, where the walls are made of mirrored subway tiles, and light fixtures are a dangling menagerie of repurposed pipe and bright crystal. The space feels about four times as big as it is, with elevated ceilings and exposed grating running a vertical path over a wide sink area with a leather ottoman in the middle. And Jenny’s phone number will be extra easy to read when 867-5309 is scrawled on pristine white marble stall doors.

9. The Mud House — St. Louis, Missouri

Photo: The Mud House

Who says classic board games are dead? Instead of paying Candy Crush Saga as you kill time in the bathroom at this St. Louis café, relive your childhood of Sorry! and Monopoly while gazing at old game boards plastered on the walls. Trying to actually play them might prove difficult, since metal top hats don’t stick so well to the ceiling, but this bathroom does nostalgia better than any new wash closet on the list, and certainly will be an education of sorts for anyone born in the smartphone era.

10. The Progress — San Francisco, California

Photo: The Progress

Imagine you took the inside of Kesha’s brain and turned it into a bathroom. That’s more or less what the owners of this SF eatery did when designing their gender-neutral bathroom, where 250 pounds of glitter cover the walls, floor, and ceiling. The good news is the glitter is sealed to the surfaces, so you won’t go back to the table looking like you got a lapdance while you were away.


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