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Dublin St. Patrick’s Day canceled

Founded or unfounded, event organizers around the world are taking precautionary measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, canceling major festivals, tournaments, conferences, and other large gatherings. Now coronavirus panic is gripping Ireland. All of the country’s St. Patrick’s Day parades, including the one in Dublin, are being canceled to avoid the risk of further spreading the virus. The five-day festival spans the entire country, with parades in many of Ireland’s cities and villages.

The decision to cancel the parades was made after a Monday meeting of the new cabinet sub-committee on the coronavirus. There are 21 confirmed cases in Ireland, and with the Dublin festival alone attracting around 500,000 people, the risk of spread was simply deemed too high.

But even if the parades had gone forward, it’s likely that they would have seen a sharp decline in attendance. Dalata Hotel Group, Ireland’s largest hotel operator, said that it saw a reduction in bookings and an increase in cancellations last month, as wary travelers try to guard themselves against the unpredictable virus.

In 2001, the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Cork was postponed due to an outbreak of foot and mouth disease, but it’s unclear whether this year’s parades will be rescheduled for a later date. Unfortunately, canceling the festivities will not only have severe economic implications but will also likely deal a blow to the morale of citizens.


More like this: All the major events around the world canceled due to the coronavirus so far

The post Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day parade canceled over coronavirus fears appeared first on Matador Network.

Famous TV house locations

The running joke with Friends is that no 20-somethings in New York could ever afford that apartment. Of course, we’ve got no way to prove that, since the “apartment” was actually a sound stage, and there’s not exactly a Zillow listing for fictional addresses. But many shows shot their exterior shots at real live homes that you can go drive by and annoy the current occupants today. Many of which are valued at a lot more than their fictional occupants could ever afford. HomeAdvisor did some digging and found the locations of 48 of our favorite TV homes that might be worth stopping by for a selfie if you’re in town.

And please, just keep it to a selfie. If the owners of Walter White’s house have to scrape one more pizza off their roof…

Editor’s note: You may see a few other homes marked on the map from The Simpsons, Rick & Morty, Bojack Horseman and Family Guy. We omitted those from the list since, ya know, they’re cartoons.

1. Arrested Development — Bluth home

23155 Dolorosa Street, Woodland Hills, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Though the Bluth Family home at Sudden Valley — the barren Newport Beach subdivision — appeared to be a model home set in the middle of nothing, the actual house is quite the opposite. Set far from the beach in Woodland Hills, this house was used for both exterior and interior shots for the show’s pilot. Interior shots were done on a sound stage for subsequent episodes.

2. Beverly Hillbillies — Beverly Hillbillies mansion

750 Bel Air Road, Los Angeles, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

You would need a whole lot of black gold, Texas tea, or whatever it is Jed and the gang found bubbling up from the ground to buy their fictional house in Bel Air. The Chartwell Mansion, built in the 1930s, is among the most expensive private homes in America, selling for $180 million last December. It sits on 10 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean and downtown Los Angeles

3. Beverly Hills 90210 — Walsh residence

1675 E Altadena Drive, Altadena, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

“Altadena, 91001” just would not have had the same ring to it, we suppose, which is probably part of why producers set this Mediterranean revival home in Beverly Hills instead of its true location. Despite being far from America’s most famous zip code, this four-bedroom, four-bathroom home is still valued at a little over $2 million.

4. Big Little Lies — Mackenzie home

30760 Broad Beach Road, Malibu, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

If you and your crew are Big Little Lies die-hards, perhaps plan your next weekend getaway to Malibu, where you can rent out Madeleine’s fictional Monterey home for $5,000 a night. The show was shot both inside and outside the house, so you can recreate your favorite scenes for the ‘gram. Or just enjoy sweeping ocean views from one of six main-house bedrooms.

5. Black-ish — Johnson residence

4175 Stansbury Lane, Sherman Oaks, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Black-ish is meant to take place in Pennsylvania, but the Johnson home we’ve come to know and love over the course of the show is actually in Sherman Oaks, California. Moreover, the home used in the pilot was in a different location, at 1640 Lombardy Road in Pasadena.

6. Breaking Bad — White residence

3828 Piedmont Drive, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Photo: HomeAdvisor

When the Quintana family got a knock on their door over 15 years ago offering them a nice chunk of cash to film a little AMC show at their home, they had no idea it would completely change the way they’ve lived. Thousands of tourists and dozens of roof-tossed pizzas later, the older couple has built a fence around the property alongside signs asking people to take all pictures from across the street.

7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer — Summers residence

1313 Cota Avenue, Torrance, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

This Southern California bungalow-style craftsman home was the site of many of the show’s most memorable moments. Like so many homes it’s not anywhere near Sunnyvale but rather hundreds of miles away in suburban Torrance.

8. Charmed — Halliwell manor

1329 Carroll Street, Los Angeles, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Though this narrow, bright-red Victorian might seem painfully San Francisco, the home of the Halliwell sisters is actually in Los Angeles, between Echo Park and Dodger Stadium. It’s currently one of three homes in the area held by the LA Conservancy, built in the 1880s for city councilman and real estate developer Daniel Innes and later used in Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

9. Desperate Housewives — Solis house (and Wisteria Lane)

Universal Studios Hollywood

Photo: HomeAdvisor

The seemingly nondescript suburban street that served as the backdrop for the scheming housewives of Wisteria Lane also appeared in The Burbs, The Munsters, Gremlins, Psycho, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Though it’s not an actual city address, you can see it as part of the backlot tour when you visit the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park.

10. Dexter — Dexter’s apartment

1155 103rd St. Apt 10A, Bay Harbor Islands, Florida

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Low-rise, waterfront apartments in Miami are fewer and fewer these days, as older buildings like the one Dexter lived in are torn down for highrises. That said, the Bay Harbor Club just north of Miami Beach is still there, and you can own a piece of TV history for under $200,000.

11. Everybody Loves Raymond — Ray Barrone’s house

135 Margaret Lane, Merrick, New York

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Though it wasn’t in Lynbrook, Ray and Debra Barrone’s house is in another quintessentially Long Island locale in Merrick. It is also, literally, directly across the street from Frank and Marie’s house, one of the better doses of location scouting accuracy in TV history.

12. Family Matters — Winslow house

1516 W Wrightwood Avenue, Chicago, Illinois

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Driving around Chicago it seems like nearly every neighborhood could be home to the Winslows and their charmingly nerdy neighbor Steve. But this home in Lincoln Park actually doesn’t exist anymore, replaced by a condo building and a plaque giving tribute to the show.

13. Fresh Prince of Bel-Air — Banks residence

251 N Bristol Avenue, Los Angeles, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv’s home is one of the more-visited and best-known filming locales in Los Angeles, though it doesn’t actually sit in Bel Air but rather just north of Sunset Blvd. in Brentwood Park. The house is currently valued at $9 million and is a short walk from the Thomas Mann house, among other famous homes.

14. Friday Night Lights — Coach Taylor’s house

6805 De Paul Cove, Austin, Texas

Photo: HomeAdvisor

The fictional small town of Dillon is actually all Austin, including this modest 1967 ranch home that serves as the residence for Coach Taylor. It sits in the University Hills neighborhood and is a perfect example of the types of houses one might find in the area.

15. Full House — Tanner house

1709 Broderick Street, San Francisco, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Imagine, if you will, a single dad who does local news and has three kids owning a house in Pacific Heights. Up there with the apartment from Friends in terms of suspension of disbelief, we know, but Danny Tanner’s house is in one of the most expensive parts of America’s most expensive city, not far from the Painted Ladies in Alamo Park (which you may recognize from the show’s opening sequence). Today, it’s valued at $5.5 million and is constantly mobbed with tourists.

16. Gilmore Girls — Lorelei and Rory’s house

Warner Brothers Studios, Burbank, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Though Gilmore Girls fans flock each spring to Kent, Connecticut, each October for the annual Gilmore Girls Fanfest, Stars Hollow is actually nowhere near there. The homes that served as the exteriors are on the Warner Brothers Studios lot in Burbank, which is open to tours all year round. Better yet, you can also visit other Stars Hollow locales, such as Miss Patty’s dance studio, the exterior of Luke’s, and the famous gazebo.

17. Golden Girls — Blanche’s house

241 N. Saltair Avenue, Los Angeles, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Though this Brentwood home made a solid stand-in for South Florida, the original exterior sits just off Sunset Blvd. in Southern California. It was only used for shots during the first season, however, when producers built a studio replica. That house, which was once part of the Disney Hollywood studios backlot tour, has since been torn down, but the original still stands.

18. How to Get Away with Murder — Keating house

1130 W 27th Street, Los Angeles, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

The late-19th-century Victorian architecture made this a perfect home for a Philadelphia-based show, but in reality, it sits just a few blocks from frat row at the University of Southern California. The massive 3,108-square foot home has five bedrooms and three bathrooms and is currently valued at $1.4 million, a smidge more than the $150,000 the current owner paid in 1994.

19. Jane the Virgin — Villanueva residence

580 N. Beachwood Drive, Hollywood, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

The Art Deco, Spanish Colonial mish-mosh of architecture makes a good facsimile of a Hialeah casita, an ideal locale for multiple generations to cohabitate like so many families in Miami. This house was built in 1923 and lies about half a block south of Sunset Blvd. in the heart of Hollywood.

20. Mad Men — Draper residence

675 Arden Road, Pasadena, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Though Don Draper’s foreboding red door was a shining symbol of his character, in real life the door is actually blue and had to be repainted when shooting each season. If you make a pilgrimage to the Draper home, make sure to look across the street when you get there, and you might recognize Steve Martin’s house from Father of the Bride.

21. Malcolm in the Middle — Wilkerson residence

12334 Cantura Street, Studio City, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Consider the differing fates of Bryan Cranston’s two most famous TV homes: While the folks who owned the Breaking Bad house have had to install iron gates and security cameras, the family who got upwards of $5,000 an episode to shoot Malcolm in the Middle used their profits for major remodels and a new roof. And that was just for shooting exteriors!

22. Married…with Children — Bundy residence

641 Castlewood Lane, Deerfield, Illinois

Photo: HomeAdvisor

There was a meme floating around recently with a picture of this two-story Colonial revival style home captioned, “In 1987, a man working as a shoe salesman could support a family and still own a home like this.” Oh how times have changed, as the old Bundy house is now currently valued at $464,000 and last sold for $320,000 the year after Married…with Children wrapped.

23. Mindhunter — Tench residence

Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Though no specific address was found for Agent Tench’s house, the exteriors were shot in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The TV-show effect apparently hasn’t affected pricing in Mt. Lebanon quite as much as it has elsewhere, either, as another home used in shooting, clocking in at four bedrooms, recently sold for a reasonably $142,900.

24. Modern Family — Dunphy residence

10336 Dunleer Drive, Los Angeles, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Only in Los Angeles can a realtor justify jacking up the price of a house because the new owners will be able to charge TV producers to film there. Such was the case with Phil and Claire’s home went on the market recently for a staggering $2.35 million.

25. Murder, She Wrote — Jessica Fletcher’s house

45110 Little Lake Street, Mendocino, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

It seems only appropriate that one of the most famously quaint New England TV homes is actually a bed and breakfast on Little Lake Street. Cabot Cove’s most famous home is the Blair House, an 1888 Victorian in Mendocino where you can stay for as little as $120 a night. Though if you want to shell out for the two-bedroom Angela’s Suite, it’ll cost you $210 on weekends.

26. Ozark — Byrde residence

6802 Gaines Ferry Road, Flowery Branch, Georgia

Photo: HomeAdvisor

If you were trying to hide from your former life as a money launderer for Mexican drug cartels, you’d likely choose a house with no visible address set on a rural lake surrounded by forest land. That’s exactly this house about an hour from Atlanta, where the address listed is actually the closest known address to the property. That said, the feds and cartels can probably find you anywhere, especially in a house with floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

27. Parenthood — Braverman residence

1956 La France Road, Pasadena, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

It’s a good thing Zeek, Camille, and their four kids didn’t occupy this Pasadena craftsman home that served as the exterior for their Berkeley abode. The original was built in 1910, and though the four-bedroom house sold for $1.28 million in 2012, it has only one bathroom.

28. Parks and Recreation — Leslie Knope’s house

2358 Highland Avenue, Altadena California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Though this 1910 craftsman house looked reasonable for a civil servant in Pawnee, Indiana, we can only assume that a four-bedroom, two-bath, 2,374 square-foot house would have cost less than the $1.2 million the Altadena original sold for in 2006.

29. Party of Five — Salinger residence

2311 Broadway Street, San Francisco, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Five kids fending for themselves could fend pretty well in this house, a three-story home with a greenhouse, solarium, four-car garage, stained-glass windows, and an elevator. Filling the plot holes as to how they’d manage the mortgage on a $6.5 million San Francisco home might be a little difficult though.

30. Pretty Little Liars — Aria’s house

1990 W 19th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Just like on the show, Aria and Alison Delaurentis are across-the-street neighbors in real life, as this Vancouver home sits directly across from the one used as A’s. If you try and visit, though, you’ll find it looks a lot different than it did on the show, as the house has been repainted, the roofline moved, and the windows replaced. More Pretty Little Liars filming locations can be seen on the same Warner Bros. studio tour as the Gilmore Girls locations.

31. Riverdale — Cooper residence

111 Queens Avenue, New Westminster, British Columbia

Photo: HomeAdvisor

The aerial shot of Riverdale you see at the show’s opening is not on a river at all but rather on the shores of Lake Michigan in Harbor Springs, Michigan. Even more deceptive, that’s the only part of the show not filmed in Canada, as the rest was shot in and around Vancouver. This house is in suburban New Westminster, near homes used in Charmed, Supernatural, and The Millionaires Club.

32. Sabrina the Teenage Witch — Spellman manor

64 E Main Street, Freehold, New Jersey

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Freehold, New Jersey, is rich in celebrity lore, as this stunning Victorian home sits only a few blocks away from where Bruce Springsteen grew up. The building used as fictional Westbridge High also has some celeb history: Dwight Morrow High, in Englewood about an hour away, boasts famous alums John Travolta and Sarah Jessica Parker.

33. Shameless — Gallagher residence

2119 Homan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois

Photo: HomeAdvisor

While many houses on this list sit in million-dollar neighborhoods in big, expensive cities, the Gallagher home sits in the southside of Chicago and is neither remarkable nor glamorous. You’ll find a donation jar on the front porch for those looking to take selfies in front.

34. Six Feet Under — Fisher residence

2302 W 25th Street, Los Angeles, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Though the stone columns around the front porch make it look like the ideal home for a family of morticians, this house was originally built in 1904 for Swiss gold baron Auguste Rodolphe Marquis. Its 10 bedrooms span 6,324 square feet, and the building is currently home to the Filipino Federation of America. There is, thankfully, no funeral parlor downstairs.

35. Smallville — Kent farm

843 248th Street, Langley, British Columbia

Photo: HomeAdvisor

The farm where Superman crash-landed on Earth was allegedly somewhere west of Wichita, but the set TV producers chose for Jonathan and Martha Kent’s residence is about 50 minutes southeast of Vancouver. The idyllic country property has also been home to other superheroes too, appearing in Supergirl and The Flash as well.

36. Stranger Things — Hopper’s trailer

Sleepy Hollow Farm, Douglas, Georgia

Photo: HomeAdvisor

The trailer was constructed specifically for the show on this farm outside Atlanta, somewhere around the lake at 2300 Daniel Road SW. Though you can’t really go and see it (yet), there are plenty of other Stranger Things filming locations in and around ATL.

37. The Brady Bunch — Brady residence

11222 Dilling Street, Studio City, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

In one of the grandest cases of life imitating art, in 2018 HGTV purchased this split-level, Studio City three-bedroom for $3.5 million (outbidding Lance Bass), using it as the centerpiece for A Very Brady Renovation. In the show, the actors who played the Brady kids worked with contractors to turn the house into an exact Brady Bunch replica. It’s currently not open for tours or stays, and HGTV has given no specific word on its plans for the home.

38. The Handmaid’s Tale — Waterford house

355 Bay Street S, Hamilton, Ontario

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Dreary, industrial Hamilton seems the perfect setting for the dystopian storyline of The Handmaid’s Tale, full of the sort of intimidating, towering homes used as the Waterford’s home. The real-life version was built in the 1890s for a wealthy banking family, originally named Ingleneuk — an old word for “reading nook.”

39. The Munsters — Munster residence

Universal Studios Hollywood

Photo: HomeAdvisor

It seems almost appropriate that the creepiest TV comedy family in history shared a street with the Desperate Housewives. Though this house wasn’t specifically used in the latter show, it sits on the same street on the Universal backlot tour.

40. The OC — Cohen residence

6205 Ocean Breeze Drive, Malibu, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Possibly to offset the geographic inaccuracy of the Anaheim-based Los Angeles Angels, exteriors and interiors of The OC were shot mostly across two houses in Malibu. Fans can still drive by the Cohen home, which you’ll recognize from exterior shots. But the adjacent house where interiors were shot — 6210 — burned down in the 2018 Malibu fires.

41. The Office — Jim and Pam’s house

13831 Calvert Street, Van Nuys, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

If you’ve ever watched The Office and thought, “Boy, dreary, downtrodden Scranton, Pennsylvania, sure seems to have a lot of sunny days,” that’s because the bulk of the show, like most, was shot in Southern California. This home would have made a short commute for the couple as it’s just a couple miles from the mocked-up Dunder Mifflin business park, which is at Chandler Valley Center Studios.

42. The Sopranos — Soprano residence

14 Aspen Drive, Caldwell, New Jersey

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Much like the owners of the Breaking Bad house have been offered near a million dollars for their home in a neighborhood where similar houses cost half that, so did Tony Soprano’s house command a cult-classic premium when it went on sale last summer for $3.7 million. That’s about twice its estimated value and doesn’t even account for the daily invasion of ducks to the swimming pool.

43. The Walking Dead — Grimes residence

817 Cherokee Avenue SE, Atlanta, Georgia

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Though certainly not a focal point of the show, this 1897 bungalow has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and as far as we know, no undead occupants. It also boasts a charming wraparound porch and a perfectly manicured lawn, though we’d still guess the TV show is why it sold for $713,000, about twice what other nearby houses cost.

44. The Wonder Years — Arnold residence

516 University Avenue, Burbank, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

It’s pretty amazing that mid-century suburban architecture can look almost identical whether it’s in Long Island; Washington, DC; or Southern California. The home that housed Kevin Arnold as he grew up in the late ‘60s was supposed to look like a hybrid of Huntington, Long Island, and Silver Spring, Maryland, but in fact was built in 1949 in Burbank. It’s currently valued at nearly a million dollars, not bad for a manager at NORCOM.

45. This Is Us — Pearson residence

5223 Shearin Avenue, Los Angeles, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Though not as egregious an oversight as, say, a Starbucks cup in medieval Westeros, fans of This is Us have pointed out that the house number on the Pearson’s home changes from episode to episode. The real house, not far from Occidental College in Los Angeles, has had the same number since it was built in 1910. The four-bedroom house has only one bathroom and is valued at over $1.2 million.

46. True Blood — Sookie’s house

1199 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

This house, meant to be deep in Louisiana, is at the entrance to Malibu State Park and was actually built by the studio for the purpose of filming and has no actual residents. Seems appropriate for a house from a show about vampires where someone died every season. Unfortunately, the area is gated.

47. Twin Peaks — Laura Palmer’s house

708 33rd Street, Everett, Washington

Photo: HomeAdvisor

Though most Twin Peaks devotees will make their pilgrimage to North Bend, Washington, about 45 minutes east of Seattle, Laura Palmer’s house sits roughly the same distance north of the city in Everett. So while you might be inclined to hit up Twede’s Café to get Agent Cooper’s favorite cherry pie, to see the show’s most famous house you’ll need to go to another county altogether.

48. Weeds — Botwin residence

26885 Chaucer Place, Stevenson Ranch, California

Photo: HomeAdvisor

The purposefully vague setting for Weeds as somewhere nondescript with pleasant weather led producers to film in the Stevenson Ranch area of Santa Clarita. It also served as the backdrop for the painfully suburban Pleasantville, though this specific house wasn’t built until 2001.


More like this: Irish shows to watch if you can’t make it to Dublin this St. Patrick’s Day

The post Here’s where 48 of your favorite TV homes were actually filmed appeared first on Matador Network.

The best hiking trails in cities

As the weather begins to warm, those hiking boots tucked in the back of your closet may begin to call your name. Hiking season is fast approaching, and after a long winter, a good long walk is in order. In many cases, you don’t even need to leave city limits. These urban hikes offer both exercise and skyline views, without a long commute to the trailhead.

1. Crosstown Trail — San Francisco, California

Photo: Margaret.W/Shutterstock

San Francisco is a compact city, and you can walk 17 miles across some of its best attributes on the new Crosstown Trail, which we’ve described in detail. Starting from Sunrise Point, you’ll pass through the Community Gardens and McLaren Park in the first segment. Segment Two highlights include the farm animals of the Virginia Leishman Farm and a nearly three-mile stretch along the Laguna Honda Community Trail. Segment Three hits the Sunset District and includes a rather steep climb up a staircase to the Rocky Outcrop garden area and the Hidden Garden Tiled Steps, one of the city’s more unique viewpoints.

2. Arthur’s Seat — Edinburgh, Scotland

Photo: Tomas Wolfschlager/Shutterstock

Edinburgh’s urban trail offers both city views and the chance to summit a volcano right from the heart of town. The 800-foot climb begins at the end of the Royal Mile, where you’ll hike up through Holyrood Park to the “seat,” the highest accessible point, and look out over the city. The volcano last erupted 340 million years ago, so there’s no worry of being spewed upon at the summit. The hike itself is quick — allow 45 minutes up, 30 down, and 15 to enjoy the views at the top.

3. Lakefront Trail — Chicago, Illinois

Photo: Maciej Bledowski/Shutterstock

Stretching 18.2 miles from Calumet Park to Rogers Park, Chicago’s Lakefront Trail offers coastal vibes to The Windy City — at least in summer. While the entire length is a multi-day effort, build your hike(s) around specific sites along the way — the bird sanctuary at Montrose, the famed Navy Pier in the heart of the city, or the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Catch some rays at Hollywood Beach, or hop a rentable Divvy Bike and see how many miles you can squeeze into one day.

4. Elliot Bay Trail — Seattle, Washington

Photo: jamse photographe/Shutterstock

Few US cities are as photogenic as Seattle, and you’ll see the city from its best angles along the five-mile Elliot Bay Trail that stretches along the waterfront. Along the way, you can grab a coffee or snack at Pike Place Market, stop for a walkthrough of the Seattle Art Museum, or visit the marine life at the Seattle Aquarium. The trail is often busy even on Seattle’s notoriously rainy days, but don’t let weather deter you. Even when it’s gray outside, the skyline looking out over the bay is somehow still amazingly beautiful.

5. Victoria Peak and Pok Fu Lam Country Park — Hong Kong

Photo: Luciano Mortula – LGM/Shutterstock

Hong Kong contains vast, unexpectedly wild areas that make for spectacular hiking and even camping. Public transit accesses the region’s trail-heavy Country Parks, and much of the urban core on Hong Kong Island is encircled in trails you can reach on foot from the Mid-Levels and even Centro — if you’re up for a good climb. In fact, Victoria Peak and Pok Fu Lam Country Park are directly above the Mid-Levels. Best ascended in the morning, before the oppressive afternoon heat sets in, they offer sweeping vistas over the city to Victoria Harbor on one side and the surrounding islands across the straight on the other. To access the Pok Fu Lam trailhead, head to the top of Victoria Peak and walk down the backside towards the coast.

6. The High Line — New York, New York

Photo: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

New York City’s High Line will transport you from the bustle of the city. It’s understandably popular, so you won’t necessarily leave behind the crowds of the street below you, but you will leave behind the cars and honking yellow cabs and embrace the trees, shrubs, and even flowers that have been thoughtfully planted along the High Line’s 1.5-mile length. The former elevated railway runs from Manhattan’s Gansevoort and Washington streets to 34th Street, cutting out just past 11th Avenue. In the years since its development, more buildings built alongside it have begun to crowd out the sunlight, but the views of the surrounding public art installations and the Chelsea neighborhood are photo-worthy. The High Line is definitely worth going out of your way for should you find yourself visiting the Whitney Museum of Art or the Chelsea Market.

7. Mount Royal — Montreal, Canada

Photo: Denis Roger/Shutterstock

Mount Royal is as quintessentially Montreal as poutine, and the 45-minute trail to the top is the first thing you should do in the city. (It’s easier to do before you gorge on that poutine and Montreal bagels.) Multiple viewpoints await, none more epic than the lookout over downtown from the top. This is the best place in the city for people-watching at any point throughout the year, particularly on weekend mornings, and in winter you’ll see snowshoers and the occasional dog-pulled cross-country skier.

8. Schuylkill River Trail — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Photo: Spiroview Inc/Shutterstock

Philly’s Schuylkill River Trail runs 26.5 miles from the city to Phoenixville, taking you through Valley Forge National Historical Park. But without leaving city limits, you can hike the waterfront and take in a unique view of the city’s skyline. Pop off for easy access to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a round of disc golf at the Sedgley Woods course, and the Strawberry Mansion in Fairmount Park. The trail is paved through the city, though beyond it leads to a network of hiking trails in the surrounding countryside en route to Phoenixville.

9. Indianapolis Cultural Trail — Indianapolis, Indiana

Photo: KYPhua/Shutterstock

Were you to go on a sightseeing tour of Indiana’s largest city, you’d undoubtedly spend time on the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. It leads from downtown right to the Indianapolis City Market, the Indiana State Museum, and nearly a dozen separate art installations. The trail is made up of multiple paths that run along the city’s inner canal, where you also have the option to hop aboard a kayak or pedal boat should you get the urge to hit the water. Get on the trail at the corner of Capitol Avenue and Walnut Street, and see where the day takes you — though be sure to hit the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library and end with a pint at TwoDEEP Brewing.


More like this: The 8 most epic US cities for urban hiking

The post The world’s best urban hiking trails inside city limits appeared first on Matador Network.

Yes you should visit Venice

Venice’s overtourism plight has been making headlines over the past years, but rather than avoid the beleaguered city, tourists are encouraged to visit provided they do so in a sustainable and responsible way. Disastrous flooding in November decimated tourist numbers, and the coronavirus outbreak will be another huge blow to Italy’s tourism. But once everything calms down, the city will be determined to entice visitors back.

We talked to Valeria Duflot, co-founder of Venezia Autentica, a social enterprise aiming to generate a kind of tourism that benefits both visitors and residents of the city. She gives me some tips on how to visit the floating city without experiencing traveler’s guilt.

Photo: Sebastian Fagarazzi/Venezia Autentica

Duflot begins by giving me the current prognosis of the city: “Mass tourism is destroying the city where we live and travel. Venice is one of the most famous examples of the negative impact of tourism. The city is shrinking. Seventy percent of residents have left the community in the past 70 years.” Duflot explains that the current model of tourism provides little economic benefit to impoverished residents, while simultaneously “threatening their culture, identity, heritage, and environment.”

The changes required are monumental, but Duflot remains positive: “The great thing about it is that traveling in a sustainable, responsible, and ethical way is easier than people usually think and is also the best way to have a quality experience of Venice.” She calls this type of travel a “true win-win” for tourists and locals.

Here are a few tips on how to visit Venice responsibly.

Avoid cruises and big tour groups.

Photo: Alexandre Rotenberg/Shutterstock

Cruise ships have long been a thorn in the side of locals. They deposit thousands of tourists into the already congested streets to bask in Venice’s beauty for a few hours. In doing so, cruise ships pollute the lagoon environment, damage fragile building foundations, and put a strain on infrastructure, all with little money invested in local businesses in the process. Instead, Duflot explains, “To support the local economy and preserve the Venetian quality of life, it is important to stay away from standard pre-packaged holidays, big tours, and avoid day-tripping.”

Duflot goes on to say that visitors should try to stay overnight and “book a room in a small family-run hotel in Venice itself.” This way, she says, a valuable contribution is being made to a local business while, as a visitor, you “have the opportunity to live in Venice when we, locals, like it most: before and after the crowd is gone.”

Photo: Andrew Angelov/Shutterstock

Avoiding cruises also reduces your environmental footprint. Venice’s air quality is astonishingly poor for a city with no cars. Scientists have shown toxic fumes from cruise ships that have engines running even when docked in the port are a significant health hazard. Public authorities recently announced that ships will be redirected from the Giudecca Canal that runs through the city and past St Mark’s Square. The move means ships will have less of an impact on building foundations and they will no longer be an eyesore towering over the historic city. But once docked in port, their environmental impact is unchanged. Duflot explains that by using the train instead of a plane or cruise, “you’ll cut your carbon footprint by at least a factor of three to seven times.”

Once you’ve arrived, “walking and taking public transportation or hopping on a rowing boat are great ways to explore,” Duflot enthuses. She emphasizes the pleasure of meandering around a city with no cars, though she reminds visitors that its many bridges call for comfortable footwear.

Support local restaurants and bars.

Photo: Catarina Belova/Shutterstock

Patronizing local businesses instead of supermarkets or chains for your refreshments goes a long way. Duflot explains that it supports the Venetian economy, particularly “small businesses who are providing unique high-quality products and services, respecting sustainable practices, providing jobs to the local community, and keeping local traditions and culture alive.” She reminds visitors that buying from such businesses “guarantees you both that your money will stay in the community and that you will have a truly authentic experience.” Thankfully, there is a huge number of small businesses throughout the city so you won’t be lacking options. Skip places with a long wait time in favor of something less well-known.

In the same vein, Duflot points out that you can also support the environment with your beverage choices. “A simple habit to develop everywhere you go,” she says, “is to carry a refillable bottle of water to stay hydrated and cut on plastic. In Venice, there are many free fountains around the city where you can refill your bottle with one of the best quality water in Italy, coming from the mountain!”

Buy Venetian-made souvenirs.

Photo: Venezia Autentica

Busy thoroughfares and squares throughout the city are full of souvenir stands and shops, but their products are just as foreign to the city as the tourists that buy them. Instead, by buying souvenirs that are locally and sustainably made, Duflot explains that you can contribute to “incentivizing the right kind of productions.” Duflot also points out that in doing so you are contributing to wider environmental change. “If we all do it,” she says, “there will be much fewer containers sailing on our precious seas and oceans.”

Aiding visitors to identify local businesses is Duflot’s website, Venezia Autentica, where vetted shops, bars, and restaurants are listed. When meandering the streets, Duflot also encourages visitors to “look for our sticker on their window or door. When you spot it you know that you will be guaranteed quality, authenticity, and impact!”

Venture to less crowded areas.

Photo: Venezia Autentica

Congested streets have recently caused Venetian authorities to introduce a camera system to monitor crowds, and at peak tourist season walking to famous sites can be quite a battle. To avoid the crush, Duflot says, “During the day, we encourage you to venture off the beaten path, walking and or using the water buses.” She suggests that if you’re not sure how to go about it then “trying private and authentic activities is a great way to connect deeper with the city and to be loved by locals as you are learning more about their beloved home and do not contribute to the big groups creating so much frustration in town.”

Photo: fotoliza/Shutterstock

Duflot reminds visitors, however, of the importance of making sure that your tour or activity is run by locals in possession of all the due licenses and permits. She affirms that this is “the only way you will be sure to have a quality experience and to make a positive impact as you will not, involuntarily, be encouraging an activity which is causing damages to the city by creating unfair competition to the people who are struggling but doing things by the book.” Again, the Venezia Autentica website lists reliable companies and businesses for tours and boating activities.

Brush up on local knowledge and language.

Finally, Duflot asserts that a little bit of local knowledge can be a great advantage when you’re in the city. She notes that if you read up on attractions before you arrive, you can “discover what aspect of Venice excites you most and know where to spend your time and money when you are here so you can maximize your fun and positive impact.”

She also suggests learning a few words of Italian, so that you can greet people you meet. While walking around, “remind the people you are traveling with to walk to the right side of the street and not to stop on bridges,” she says. “These are small things that greatly improve the quality of life in Venice and you would be surprised how many people do not do them.” It’s worth remembering that the number of tourists flocking to the city each day can often outnumber the residents. Tourists who disrespect local customs or treat Venice like a theme park rather than an inhabited city are a daily headache for residents.

Duflot parting message is, “If we all pay attention to our choices when we travel, we can really build a better world. So, go ahead, start with Venice, make local friends and enjoy your travel knowing that you were, even temporarily, a positive member of the local community.”


More like this: Venice experiences worst flooding in 50 years

The post How to visit Venice responsibly appeared first on Matador Network.

National park posters of bad reviews

Bad reviews can be depressing but designer and illustrator Amber Share knows how to put a positive spin on even the most negative criticisms out there. Share looks at sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google, and Facebook to find complaints about US national parks, and then combines those negative reviews with beautiful illustrations. She calls the series “Subpar Parks,” and its Instagram account already has over 56,000 followers.

The finished product is a humorous and clever way of exposing the ridiculousness of people’s national park complaints.

The image for Yosemite, for example, reads, “Trees block view and there are too many gray rocks.”

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A post shared by Subpar Parks (@subparparks) on Jan 29, 2020 at 8:07am PST

Indeed, there’s nothing worse than when trees block your view of the great outdoors.

One review left for Saguaro National Park in Arizona read, “Ok if you like cactus.” Because we all know that visitors to Arizona are constantly surprised and annoyed by how many cactuses there are.

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A post shared by Subpar Parks (@subparparks) on Feb 5, 2020 at 10:07am PST

Other instant classics include White Sands National Park, which is “Literally miles of white sand.”

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A post shared by Subpar Parks (@subparparks) on Mar 6, 2020 at 7:07am PST

And, of course, the biggest mythbuster of them all — the Grand Canyon. Defying all expectations, this wonder of the world is, in fact, “a hole. A very, very large hole.”

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A post shared by Subpar Parks (@subparparks) on Dec 18, 2019 at 6:44am PST

More like this: The 10 least-visited national parks in the US, and why you should go

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Best Irish bars and pubs in Boston

Saying that Boston has the best Irish pubs in the country might be stating the obvious. But finding a truly exceptional Irish pub experience in Boston is actually a trickier proposition than it sounds. Dim watering holes with mahogany aesthetics and shamrock adornments wait around pretty much every corner, but in a city where Irish pride is more ubiquitous than Red Sox jerseys (and that’s saying a lot), choosing the best pub can prove difficult. Whether you end up at one of the oldest Irish bars in the country or a venue famous for its traditional live music, there are a few places you should definitely keep on your radar the next time you visit Boston. If you’re seeking a true Irish experience in Beantown, put these pubs at the top of your list.

1. J.J. Foley’s Cafe

Photo: JJ Foleys Cafe/Facebook

J.J. Foley’s Cafe, in Boston’s South End, is the oldest Irish pub in the city, continuously operating since 1909. This impressive statistic alone makes it worth a visit, but in addition to its veteran status, the pub is also known for its extensive menu, including delicious Irish classics like bangers and mash. It’s also known for its pilsners, porters, lagers, and bitter and mild ales. The place is always packed, and it’s one of the best pubs in the city for watching sports.

Where: 117 E Berkeley St, Boston, MA 02118

2. The Burren

Compared to J.J. Foley’s, The Burren is a relative newcomer to the Boston scene, opening in 1996. It quickly made its mark on the city, however, by featuring traditional Irish musicians during the week and larger bands on the weekends. Whether you’re just looking to relax with a pint on a casual Wednesday and listen to some fiddle playing, or party with your friends on a Saturday night while hearing yet another cover band’s rendition of “What’s My Age Again?”, The Burren has you covered. Speaking of covered, if you’re going on a weekend, expect to pay $5 to $10 to get in. It’s located in Davis Square in Somerville, just northwest of downtown Boston, but it’s worth the 15-minute Uber ride.

Where: 247 Elm St. Davis Sq. Somerville MA 02144

3. Mr. Dooley’s

Photo: Mr. Dooleys Boston Tavern/Facebook

Mr. Dooley’s is as classic an Irish experience as it gets. Offering live music seven nights a week, often consisting of fiddlers and whistlers, Dooley’s is also known for its extensive menu of comfort classics, including corned beef sandwiches, meatloaf, shepherd’s pie, Irish curry, Irish breakfast, and most famously, its fish and chips. It’s not uncommon for unscheduled entertainment to break out at Dooley’s, with local musicians frequently bringing their instruments for impromptu jam sessions. Located in Boston’s Financial District, this pub has been a staple of the community since 1991.

Where: 77 Broad St, Boston, MA 02109

4. The Druid

The first thing you’ll notice about The Druid is that it doesn’t look like any other Irish pub you’ve ever been to. The bar is housed in the oldest wooden mercantile building in Cambridge, and banshee fixtures hovering above the bar lend the place a unique, eerie vibe. Every Tuesday and Saturday The Druid hosts traditional Irish music sessions. A classic Irish breakfast is offered on weekends, and if you want the full Druid experience, you can even rent a three-bedroom apartment above the bar via Airbnb.

Where: 1357 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139

5. The Banshee

Photo: BansheeBar Boston/Facebook

Sports enthusiasts, particularly those intrigued by Gaelic sport, will feel right at home in The Banshee. One of the best sports pubs in Boston, The Banshee shows a variety of both North American and European sporting events, particularly when it comes to international soccer. So if you wander in there hoping to catch the Bruins game and are greeted by dozens of people screaming about the Derry vs. Cork game, don’t be surprised. To really round out your international sporting education, other Gaelic sports like rugby and hurling are also shown there. As the bar confidently states on its website, “If your game is being broadcast in North America then you can rest assured that the Banshee will be showing it.”

Where: 934 Dorchester Ave, Dorchester, MA, 02125

6. The Squealing Pig

When you walk into the Squealing Pig, you might at first think you stepped into the wrong bar. Its aesthetic is more modern than the typical Irish pub, and the menu is certainly non-traditional, but that’s what makes it worth a visit. Sure, you can order fish and chips, but you can also get flatbreads, whitefish tacos, and inventive sandwiches like the pig cubano. If you’re really adventurous, it also offers a Mars bar toastie — a deep-fried Mars bar with a Belgian waffle.

Where: 134 Smith Street, Boston, MA 02120

7. The Brendan Behan Pub

Photo: The Behan/Facebook

It would almost be a travesty to end your trip to Boston without a healthy dose of Irish literary culture. Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean you have to write a literary analysis of James Joyce’s Ulysses. The Brendan Behan Pub in Jamaica Plain, about 15 minutes south of the city, is a tribute to great Irish authors. Portraits of Irish authors cover the walls of the establishment, most prominently featuring playwright Brendan Behan. But the pub isn’t just for highbrow literary types. It has live music throughout the week, outdoor patio parties in the summer, and a variety of craft beers, wines, and cocktails. Be aware, however, that the pub does not serve food, so you’ll need to go elsewhere to soak up the alcohol.

Where: 378 Center Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130


More like this: The 7 best Boston bars for St. Patrick’s Day to escape the crowds

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Second supermoon of 2020 on March 9

Take a peek skyward tonight and you may be treated to the second supermoon of the year. The moon will look its fullest at 1:48 PM ET, but you’ll have to wait until early evening, when the sky darkens, to actually see it. That means looking skyward around 7:01 PM on the East Coast, 6:59 PM in the Midwest, and 7:12 PM on the West Coast.

A supermoon is when a new or full moon is within 90 percent of its closest approach to Earth, making it appear larger and brighter than usual.

Four supermoons are scheduled in 2020 between February and May: February 9, March 9, April 7, and May 7. The biggest and brightest of them all will happen on April 7.

According to NASA, this full moon is also sometimes called Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sap Moon, Sugar Moon, Worm Moon, and Lenten Moon. The names all refer to the warming and the arrival of spring. In the case of the Lenten Moon, it occurs during Lent, the period of fasting between Ash Wednesday and Easter.


More like this: 12 stargazing events you don’t want to miss in 2020

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Red Mountain ski resort in BC

One of the most historic ski areas in British Columbia has gotten a breath of new life through a crowd-funding campaign that’s attracted hundreds of eager participants. Red Mountain Resort is rocking not just some fresh terrain but also a few hundred proud new owners. And if the first image that fills your head upon seeing the words “crowd-funded ski area” is a DIY bunny hill with a pulley rope lift system and a handful of skiers wearing 1970s-era onesies, you’d better scrap that picture. Replace it with the polar opposite, except the handful of skiers part. Red is a prime example of how a large ski area can buck the norm of its contemporaries and instead embrace the love — and quirkiness — of its locals.

Red Mountain Resort’s history reflects the origins of skiing in Canada

Photo: Ashley Voykin

Situated in the Kootenay Rockies along BC’s famed Powder Highway, Red Mountain Resort is, size-wise, one of the 10 largest ski areas in North America. It’s also been around — and owned by locals — long before 2017’s “Fight The Man. Own The Mountain” campaign that sought to raise funds for growth while also putting the mountain into the hands of the people who ski it.

Red Mountain is, in fact, one of the continent’s oldest ski areas. Gold seekers, trappers, and miners have been skiing on Red since the late 1800s. Evidence of this remains in the form of nine small, simple cabins — a couple dating back to well before the resort’s first chairlift — tucked into the woods within the ski area boundaries, which spread across four peaks and 4,200 skiable acres. Red’s very first lift, a gas-fueled rope tow, was built in the 1930s.

Its first actual chairlift — the first in all of Western Canada, actually — appeared in 1947. Historically owned and operated by a local ski club, Red Mountain hosted Canada’s first World Cup ski race in 1968, won by local Nancy Greene from the nearby town of Rossland. In the 1980s, the mountain was sold to a group of private investors. Later, rumors that the mountain would be shut down spurred current CEO Howard Katkov and fellow investors to purchase the ski area in 2004.

It was from that point that the resort really began to expand and flourish, but the California-based businessman has deliberately averted the fate that has befallen a few other large ski resorts: mega-development that whitewashes the area’s quirky characteristics and prices out the locals. Instead, he’s focused on maintaining Red Mountain and Rossland’s authenticity and independent spirit. But that authenticity came at the expense of the big bucks that corporate resorts enjoyed through their increased conglomeration over the past decade.

Thus came the “Fight The Man. Own The Mountain” campaign, inviting any interested party to share ownership of the resort for a minimum investment of $1,000. The campaign launched in August of 2016, and in the three years that followed, more than 700 investors ponied up a total of $2,556,250. The mountain’s new owners include numerous locals and visitors who have shredded Red for years, as well as, perhaps more surprisingly, a couple hundred individuals who have never even skied but believed in the campaign’s mission.

“It seemed like a no-brainer to invest,” says Andrew Keenan, a local who fell in love with Red in 2003, bought a place at the base of the mountain, and skis more than 100 days a season. “There’s really no ski resort like this.” Investment is still available, and higher tiers include perks such as a custom snowboard or pair of skis, a season pass, and stays in on-mountain cabins.

Putting that investment to work

Photo: Ryan Flett + Red Mountain Resort

Red Mountain is home to a T-Bar and six chairlifts, the newest of which arrived this season thanks to the crowd-funding dollars. Topping Chair, as the new lift was named, serves a bounty of serene intermediate trails. The Resort’s terrain includes 360-degree descents on Granite Mountain, the majority traveling through widely spaced glades. For $10, you can catch a SnoCat ride from Grey Mountain to Mount Kirkup and choose from a series of pristine, gladed trails where you are all but guaranteed to find untouched snow and wind drifts to launch off of. Or, hike outside of a gate for a knee-knocking backcountry adventure.

In spite of the place’s seemingly endless range of trails — its 119 marked trails are 17 percent beginner, 34 percent intermediate, and 49 percent advanced/expert — there are only ever a handful of skiers spread across the entire place. Even on a busy day, there’s scarcely a lift line and what feels like (and probably is) about 30 acres to yourself wherever you go.

Once you do encounter other human beings, the vibe is unmistakably convivial. The guy who grabs a lunch tray behind you at Paradise Lodge will tell you where to dry your wet gloves (on a cage over a wood-burning stove amid dozens of other drying accessories) and then later ask if you’re going to eat the rest of your potato salad.

Meanwhile, at Rafters Bar, the boisterous group at the end of your table might offer to share the world’s most mountainous plate of nachos. Rafters is the long-standing après hotspot on the mountain, packed with revelry, live music, and a great local beer selection as well as other delectable (slightly less mountainous) pub grub ranging from truffle fries to wings to buffalo cauliflower bites. The ambiance is rustic but the fare surprisingly upscale, proving that a crowd-funded ski area can be both wild and well-appointed.

Catching the local vibes in Rossland

Photo: Dave Heath + Red Mountain Resort

The epitome of the latter can be found about 20 steps from the base area, in the form of the brand new Josie Hotel. While not forged through crowd-funding — it’s part of the Noble House collection — the classy, 106-unit boutique property maintains the area’s native character. Inside the hotel, the fresh, French-inspired menu at The Velvet features as many locally sourced ingredients as possible, from the crunchy, seed-laden beet salad to the perfectly sauced lamb shank, not to mention the list of superb, and only regionally available, BC wines. Also, the tastefully designed rooms feature the largest, deepest bathtubs you’ve ever seen and in the lobby there is a smiling, wagging welcome from a four-legged Bernese named Russell.

Down the road, Rossland holds the heart of the area’s historic charm. Its indoor-outdoor Rossland Museum & Discovery Center is worth a visit for a sense of the area’s adventurous and enterprising roots, as is The Flying Steamshovel, a pub named after a helicopter-like apparatus that crashed nearby and where you can enjoy a round of the nail-in-the-stump game Neglin as long as the bartender can locate the hammer and nails. So popular that it sometimes necessitates a rope at the door indicating it has reached capacity, Rossland Beer Company is the place for local award-winning suds and, even when at capacity, a laid-back, friendly crowd.


More like this: Why an all-inclusive ski resort in the Alps might be worth it for you

The post Canada’s Red Mountain is crowd-funded, quirky, and really, really big appeared first on Matador Network.

Largest asteroid to pass Earth 2020

Next month, brace yourself for the closest encounter with an asteroid we’ll experience all year. A two-mile-wide asteroid called (52768) 1998 OR2 will pass just four million miles from Earth at nearly 20,000 miles per hour.

Luckily, the asteroid poses no actual threat, with experts believing that its closest approach, on April 16, 2079, will bring it one million miles from Earth. This time around, it’s projected to get closer to Mars than to Earth, so if there are indeed any lifeforms on Mars, they’re the ones who should be worried.

Photo: NASA

There are over 20,000 Near-Earth Objects (NEOs), including asteroids or comets, that can come within 30 million miles of Earth, though only a small number of these pose a real risk of impact. NASA carefully tracks the most dangerous NEOs — recording their size, mass, composition, and other qualities — to help engineers determine how to potentially deflect them from colliding with Earth.


More like this: 12 stargazing events you don’t want to miss in 2020

The post A two-mile-wide asteroid will pass by Earth next month appeared first on Matador Network.

South by Southwest 2020 canceled

As a string of major events continues to be canceled all around the world due to the coronavirus, Austin has just made the difficult decision to cancel South by Southwest (SXSW), one of its largest tourism and economic draws. Government officials made the announcement on Friday that they would be canceling the annual tech, film, and music conference after Mayor Steve Adler declared a local disaster in the city. There are, as of right now, zero confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Austin.

SXSW organizers wrote on the official event website, “We are devastated to share this news with you. ‘The show must go on’ is in our DNA, and this is the first time in 34 years that the March event will not take place. We are now working through the ramifications of this unprecedented situation.”

The conference was scheduled to take place on March 13-22 and was ultimately canceled due to mounting pressure on organizers. Facebook, Intel, Twitter, and TikTok had already pulled out of the conference, and a Change.org petition called holding the event “irresponsible,” gathering over 40,000 signatures.

Last year, the conference drew 73,700 people from all over the world, 19,000 of whom came from outside the US. Although there aren’t yet any confirmed cases in Austin, as confirmed global cases exceed 100,000, officials are taking extra precautions to prevent the virus from spreading to their city.


More like this: All the major events around the world canceled due to the coronavirus so far

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