While I am on the road right now, I’m heavily dependent on Google Maps to find my way around. Yesterday, I was trying to figure out where the cheapest place was to fill up the rental car. I just saw this tutorial on how to add personalized content, such as real estate listings, transit maps, [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Amsterdam’
The Low Anthem Tour Dates
August 14th, 2009 |
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It’s been a banner year for The Low Anthem. In addition to being JamBase’s New Favorite Artist this month, the Rhode Island trio spent the greater part of the year touring with acts such as Elvis Perkins In Dearland, Joe Pug, Ray LaMontagne, Josh Ritter, and Langhorne Slim in support of their highly praised Nonesuch debut, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, the band is gearing up for yet another stretch on the road, this time with the Portland group Blind Pilot. This run of 21 club and theater dates begins October 15 and continues through November 12 and includes the band’s West coast debut. Additionally, The Low Anthem will return to NYC for a performance at the Bell House at the end of August and travel to Europe for a month-long tour in September, where they’ve already played to much enthusiasm at Glastonbury, sold out a show at Union Chapel in London, and received stellar reviews in Uncut, Q, Mojo, NME, The Guardian, and The Independent.
The very special Avon Cinema in Providence, RI is hosting the first October U.S. tour date. The Cinema is a beautiful old movie theatre, the perfect setting for the band’s anticipated homecoming show and largest performance in Providence to date. The band will also be playing a free show on Block Island, where they recorded Charlie Darwin.
The Low Anthem’s most recent tour has taken them through a number of prestigious festivals, including Bonnaroo, Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, and the recent 50th Anniversary of the Newport Folk Festival, where they had humble beginnings working as recycling crew. This time around they got to share the stage with some of their heroes, including Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, and Gilian Welch during a group sing-along.
THE LOW ANTHEM PRESS:
“Only a band since 2006, the depth of songwriting and ability to cross the dusty Americana landscape from such burdened acoustic folk songs like “To Ohio” to country barnburners, delicate three-part harmonies dripping with reverb, a Tom Waits cover, and soul-saving gospel without loosing continuity makes The Low Anthem worthy of all the hype they are sure to receive…” – JamBase
“Stately… Lyrics contemplating faith, loss, destruction and self-destruction.” – New York Times
“One of the breakthrough albums of 2009… A highly eventful journey into American songcraft, variously echoing Dylan, Springsteen, The Band, and Tom Waits.” – MOJO
“Really beautiful… The great music, it’s not what you play; it’s what you don’t play.” – Billy Bragg (PROJO)
THE LOW ANTHEM ON TOUR:
08.13 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
08.14 Richmond, VA The Canal Club – Downstairs Lounge
08.15 Baltimore, MD Ottobar w/Langhorne Slim
08.16 Philadelphia, PA Philly Folk Festival
08.17 Pittsfield, MA Stage 2 – Word X Word Festival
08.18 Block Island, RI Captain Nick’s
08.27 Fall River, MA Narrows Center For the Arts
08.29 Plymouth, MA Plymouth Waterfront Festival
09.03 Dublin, IRELAND Gaiety Theatre w/Ray LaMontagne
09.04 Dublin, IRELAND Gaiety Theatre w/Ray LaMontagne
09.05 Stradbelly, IRELAND Electric Picnic Festival
09.06 Manchester, UK Deaf Institute
09.08 Newcastle, UK Cluny
09.09 Birmingham, UK Glee Club
09.10 Oxford, UK Bullingdon Arms
09.11 Larmer Tree Gardens, UK End of the Road Festival
09.12 Larmer Tree Gardens, UK End of the Road Festival
09.13 Isle of Wight Bestival
09.15 Munich, GERMANY Atomic Cafe
09.16 Milan, ITALY La Salumeria Della Musica
09.17 Zurich, SWITZERLAND El Lokal
09.18 Frankfurt, GERMANY Broftabrik
09.19 Koln, GERMANY Gebaude 9
09.20 Berlin, GERMANY Lido
09.21 Hamburg, GERMANY Knust
09.23 Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS De Duif
09.24 Brussels, BELGIUM Ancienne Belgique
09.25 Nijmegen, NETHERLANDS Doornroosje
09.26 Paris, FRANCE La Maroquinerie
10.02 Austin, TX Austin City Limits
10.15 Providence, RI Avon Cinema
10.17 Seattle, WA Chop Suey
10.18 Portland, OR Lola’s Room at the Crystal Ballroom
10.19 Eugene, OR WOW Hall*
10.21 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall*
10.23 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour*
10.24 San Diego, CA Casbah*
10.25 Tucson, AZ Plush*
10.27 Austin, TX The Parish*
10.28 Dallas, TX Granada Theater*
10.29 Houston, TX Bronze Peacock at HOB*
10.30 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon*
11.02 Tallahassee, FL Club Downunder*
11.03 Orlando, FL The Social*
11.04 Atlanta, GA The Earl*
11.05 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge*
11.06 Asheville, NC University of North Carolina*
11.07 Norfolk, VA Attucks Theater*
11.09 Carrboro, NC Cats Cradle*
11.11 Washington, D.C. The Black Cat*
11.12 Boston, MA Paradise*
*with Blind Pilot
Alice In Chains & Elton John
August 12th, 2009 |
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Rock Legends Collaborate On Title Track For The Highly Anticipated New Album
Black Gives Way To Blue, Out September 29
 |
Among the many highlights on Black Gives Way To Blue, the highly anticipated new album from Alice In Chains, is a special guest performance by Elton John. The rock legend collaborated on the album’s stunning title track, “Black Gives Way To Blue,” a heart-stirring tribute to Alice In Chains’ late lead singer Layne Staley. The album will arrive in stores September 29.
“We were thinking about adding piano to the track and a friend suggested we call Elton,” recalls guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell. “I remember laughing and saying, ‘Yeah, I’ll get right on that.’ But I decided it was worth trying and wrote Elton an email explaining what that song means to us — that it’s a real, raw openhearted song for Layne. We sent him the track and got a call shortly after saying he thought it was beautiful and that he wanted to play on it. We were blown away. Elton John is a huge influence on me as a songwriter and having him on that song is an amazing honor for us.”
Black Gives Way To Blue is Alice In Chains’ first new studio release in more than 10 years. The quartet (guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, bassist Mike Inez and guitarist/vocalist William DuVall) recorded the album with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Foo Fighters) at Studio 606 in Northridge, CA and Henson Studios in Hollywood.
Black Gives Way To Blue track listing:
1. All Secrets Known
2. Check My Brain
3. Last Of My Kind
4. Your Decision
5. A Looking In View
6. When The Sun Rose Again
7. Acid Bubble
8. Lessons Learned
9. Take Her Out
10. Private Hell
11. Black Gives Way To Blue
Tour Dates:
08/12/09 Wed Melkweg Amsterdam, NL
08/22/09 Sat Pomona Fairplex Pomona, CA
09/04/09 Fri 9:30 Club Washington, DC
09/05/09 Sat Theatre of Living Arts (TLA) Philadelphia, PA
09/07/09 Mon Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA
09/08/09 Tue The Fillmore at Irving Plaza New York, NY
09/12/09 Sat Verizon Wireless Music Center Noblesville, IN
09/13/09 Sun Montgomery County Fairgrounds Dayton, OH
09/15/09 Tue The Opera House Toronto, ON
09/16/09 Wed House Of Blues Cleveland, OH
09/17/09 Thu St. Andrews Hall Detroit, MI
09/19/09 Sat House of Blues Chicago, IL
09/20/09 Sun The Rave/Eagles Ballroom Milwaukee, WI
09/21/09 Mon First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
09/26/09 Sat Roseland Theater Portland, OR
09/28/09 Mon The Fillmore San Francisco, CA
Aug. 12, 1883: Quagga’s Extinction a Nasty Surprise
August 12th, 2009 |
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1883: The quagga goes extinct when the last of these South African zebras dies at the Amsterdam Zoo.
It was not immediately recognized, as the mare expired, that she was the last of her kind. Although the name quagga refers specifically to an animal that looked like a common zebra that had run out of stripes [...]
Gerrard pulls out of England game
August 11th, 2009 |
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INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY: Netherlands v England
Venue: Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam Date: Wed, 12 August Kick-off: 2045 BST Coverage: Live on BBC Radio 5 Live and ITV1; Live text commentary on BBC Sport website
Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has withdrawn from the England squad for Wednesday’s friendly against the Netherlands in Amsterdam.
The 26-year-old picked up a knock during Sunday’s FA Community Shield defeat by Chelsea.
Manchester City’s Joe Hart – currently on loan at Birmingham City – has been called up as a replacement.
First-choice goalkeeper David James was left out of the squad by coach Fabio Capello because of a knee injury.
In James’ absence, Capello selected West Ham United’s Robert Green and Blackburn Rovers’ Paul Robinson, who will now compete with Hart to play at the Amsterdam Arena.
Foster has played twice for England, the first in the 1-0 defeat against Spain in February 2007 and the second as a second-half substitute in the 4-0 win over Slovakia in March this year.
606: DEBATE"England has no decent keeper. this is an area of concern for our world cup chances"
RockingTheJoint
He is expected to be first-choice goalkeeper for Manchester United in the absence of regular number one Edwin Van der Sar, who will be sidelined for up to eight weeks after undergoing surgery on a broken finger and bone in his left hand.
Foster started the Community Shield match against Chelsea on Sunday, but was unable to prevent United losing 4-1 on penalties.
Following seven successive qualifying wins, England are on the cusp of qualifying for the World Cup next summer in South Africa, while the Dutch, who have also notched up seven victories, are assured of a place in the 2010 finals.
After playing the Netherlands, Capello’s England face Slovenia in a friendly on 5 September, before facing Croatia in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley on 9 September.
England squad for 12 August friendly against the Netherlands:
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), Robert Green (West Ham United), Paul Robinson (Blackburn Rovers)
Defenders: Wayne Bridge (Manchester City), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Joleon Lescott (Everton), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham United)
Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), David Beckham (LA Galaxy), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Aston Villa), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City), Ashley Young (Aston Villa)
Forwards: Carlton Cole (West Ham United), Jermain Defoe(Tottenham Hotspur), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Porcupine Tree: Incident
July 28th, 2009 |
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Porcupine Tree Unravel New Album The Incident Due September 22
 Porcupine Tree |
Inspired by a flashing road sign that reduced a horrible traffic accident to the antiseptic phrase “POLICE-INCIDENT,” British prog act Porcupine Tree‘s front man Steven Wilson composed the 55 minute, 14-track song cycle as a reflection on other “incidents” reported in the media and news.
The different topics include – the evacuation of teenage girls from a religious cult in Texas, a family terrorizing its neighbors, a body found floating in a river by some people on a fishing trip, and more. Each song is written in the first person and tries to humanize the detached media reportage.
Personal incidents that profoundly affected Wilson, have also been included on the new album include a lost childhood friendship, a seance, his first love, and the day that he decided to give up secure employment to follow his dream of making music.
The new album is in typical Porcupine Tree fashion and as presumed the band ranges effortlessly between art-rock and acoustic psychedelica, prog, and metal. Listen to an album preview medley at the band’s MySpace page.
The Incident will also come with a second CD of four songs that developed from band’s writing sessions last year but which are conceptually independent from the set of songs on the first disc. It will also be released as a 5.1 surround mix and as a limited special edition that comes with two books of artwork related to the album encased in a slipcase.
Tour Dates:
09/15/09 Tue Moore Theatre Seattle, WA
09/16/09 Wed Roseland Theater Portland, OR
09/18/09 Fri The Warfield San Francisco, CA
09/19/09 Sat Club Nokia Los Angeles, CA
09/21/09 Mon House Of Blues Cleveland, OH
09/22/09 Tue The Vic Theatre Chicago, IL
09/24/09 Thu Terminal 5 New York, NY
09/26/09 Sat Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA
09/27/09 Sun House of Blues Boston, MA
09/29/09 Tue Metropolis Montreal, QC
09/30/09 Wed Queen Elizabeth Theatre Toronto, ON
10/08/09 Thu Leeds Academy Leeds, GB
10/09/09 Fri Hammersmith Apollo London, GB
10/10/09 Sat Colston Hall Bristol, GB
10/12/09 Mon Heineken Music Hall Amsterdam, NL
10/13/09 Tue Olympia Paris, FRA
10/14/09 Wed Ancienne Belgique Brussels, BEL
10/15/09 Thu Capitol Hannover, GER
10/17/09 Sat Aladin Bremen, GER
10/18/09 Sun Vega Copenhagen, DK
10/19/09 Mon Stockholm Globe Arena Stockholm, SE
10/21/09 Wed Ice Hall Helsinki, FI
10/23/09 Fri Sentrum Scene Oslo, NO
10/24/09 Sat Mejeriet Lund, SE
10/25/09 Sun Docks Hamburg, GER
10/26/09 Mon Huxley’s Berlin, GER
10/29/09 Thu Haus Auensee Leipzig, GER
10/30/09 Fri Lowensaal Nuremburg, GER
10/31/09 Sat Gasometer Vienna, AUS
11/01/09 Sun Petofi Hall Budapest, HU
11/04/09 Wed Alcatraz Milan, IT
11/06/09 Fri Estragon Bologna, IT
11/21/09 Sat Sa Bandeira Porto, POR
11/22/09 Sun La Riviera Madrid, ES
11/28/09 Sat Tonhalle Munich, GER
12/06/09 Sun Wulfrun Hall Wolverhampton, GB
12/10/09 Thu Manchester Academy Manchester, GB
12/11/09 Fri ABC Glasgow, GB
Ray LaMontagne Fall Tour: Symphony Orchestra & Solo
July 27th, 2009 |
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RAY LAMONTAGNE ANNOUNCES FALL TOUR SCHEDULE
Shows With Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, As Well As Solo Acoustic Performances
 Ray LaMontagne |
Ray LaMontagne announced his North American fall tour schedule today, starting with two dates with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on October 15 in North Bethesda, MD followed by an October 16 show at Meyeroff Symphony Hall. Following the orchestra shows, LaMontagne’s next dates will offer a polar opposite experience in which the Maine singer-songwriter will play stripped-down solo acoustic shows, starting November 1 at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre.
LaMontagne is also working with Tickets-for-Charity® to offer fans a unique opportunity to buy front row seats while supporting leading charities. A portion of each package purchased on www.TicketsforCharity.com will automatically benefit The National Children’s Cancer Society plus up to three partner charities of the fan’s choice. LaMontagne is proud to be collaborating with this charitable platform to provide fans with an easy way to access prime concert seats while supporting the causes they care about in the process.
This will not be the first time LaMontagne has played accompanied by an orchestra; he recently appeared in front of a sold-out crowd earlier in July at the Hollywood Bowl with the Bowl’s Orchestra.
The tour marks LaMontagne’s third tour in North America in support of his top 5 album Gossip In The Grain. Along the way he has also done a tour of the biggest shows on TV including Saturday Night Live, The Late Show With David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, Late Night with Conan O’Brien and most recently The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson. While in L.A. for the Hollywood Bowl, LaMontagne stopped by KCRW’s highly influential “Morning Becomes Eclectic” where he performed and chatted.
Tour Dates
09/03/09 Thu Gaiety Theatre Dublin, IR
09/04/09 Fri Gaiety Theatre Dublin, IR
09/05/09 Sat Gaiety Theatre Dublin, IR
09/06/09 Sun Royal Theatre Castlebar, IR
09/08/09 Tue Usher Hall Edinburgh, GB
09/09/09 Wed Newcastle City Hall Newcastle, GB
09/10/09 Thu Civic Hall Wolverhampton, GB
09/12/09 Sat Sheffield City Hall Sheffield, GB
09/13/09 Sun Manchester Bridgewater Hall Manchester, GB
09/14/09 Mon Portsmouth Guildhall Portsmouth, GB
09/16/09 Wed Royal Albert Hall London, GB
09/17/09 Thu Royal Albert Hall London, GB
09/18/09 Fri Melkweg Amsterdam, NL
09/19/09 Sat La Cigale Paris, FRA
10/15/09 Thu Strathmore North Bethesda, MD
10/16/09 Fri Meyerhoff Symphony Hall Baltimore, MD
11/01/09 Sun Fox Theatre Atlanta, GA
11/04/09 Wed Wang Center Boston, MA
11/07/09 Sat Tower Theater Upper Darby, PA
11/09/09 Mon Beacon Theatre New York, NY
11/12/09 Thu Auditorium Theatre Chicago, IL
11/13/09 Fri State Theatre Minneapolis, MN
11/15/09 Sun Nob Hill Masonic Auditorium San Francisco, CA
11/17/09 Tue Ellie Caulkins Opera House Denver, CO
11/20/09 Fri Orpheum Theatre Los Angeles, CA
For more on Ray LaMontagne check our exclusive feature/interview here.
JitD 2010: Official Announcement
July 27th, 2009 |
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JitD 2010: Official Announcement
Last week we tipped you off to Jam in the Dam 2010, today we got the official announcement, and we’re so excited about the return we wanted to share the “official word” with you. What follows is a note directly from the fine folks who put this event together.
 YMSB :: Jam In The Dam 2007 by Sam Friedman |
WE’RE BACK!! It is SO great to be able to send this to you all and let you
know of our plans for the 5th Anniversary of Jam in the Dam. The
festivities will ensue March 21-22-23, 2010, back ‘home’ at the Melkweg in
Amsterdam.
Our plans for 2009 hit a fairly large bump in the road, when the festival
founder Armand Sadlier finally gave in to his slowly declining lung health.
He was never a cigarette smoker, so even more a cruel blow. Luckily, he was able to go to Duke University Hospital, and received a double-lung
transplant last October. He has done extremely well thus far, and wants to
thank everyone who expressed kind wishes and said prayers. Just four months later, in February, he was able to ski in Vermont with his family. We’d like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to become an organ donor, if you aren’t already. It’s the reason Jam in the Dam still rocks on.
But let’s get back to the music! Of course Armand’s old friends Umphrey’s McGee will be there. Their career has really picked up speed since our
first show in 2005. You couldn’t find a nicer, more talented bunch of
musicians, and they truly deserve it.
Joining them is Yonder Mountain String Band, who appeared in 2007, and were a
big hit with the Europeans, who seem to love their bluegrass. Brendan Bayliss and Jeff Austin, the lead singers of UM and YMSB, have a project called db30. They actually have a recording coming out together, and will play an acoustic set during the festival.
Two years ago, we showed Electric Apricot in the cinema at the Melkweg.
It’s a really funny movie directed by Les Claypool, and we’ve been wanting
to get Les to Amsterdam for three years. Well, we finally got it done, and
the founder of Primus will be joining the fun. This will be the first time
he has been to Europe without Primus, and he is a festival staple here in
the States. We will definitely show the movie again this year.
Rounding out the lineup will be The New Mastersounds and The Bridge. TNM are from Leeds, England and the four-piece, high-energy jazz/fusion funk band are great. We saw them at the All Good Festival last week, and they blew it up. We smell a new favorite band for some folks. The Bridge is an under-the-radar band who is huge in their hometown of Baltimore, and has a real New Orleans feel. Cris Jacobs is a great singer, and when Kenny the mandolin player starts beat-boxing with Cris on lap steel, it’s something you’ve never seen. Mike Gordon from Phish chose them as the opener for his east coast tour last fall.
As always, there will be lots of sit-ins and crazy collaborations. We are
also planning to shoot a new DVD for the 5th Anniversary. Travel packages
will be available through ConsideritDan and CS Travel sometime in August. We will be doing our annual canal boat cruises, which is THE best way to see Amsterdam. More info on those at a later date.
Tickets will go on sale Wednesday, July 29 at noon at http://jaminthedam.com. As a special treat for our most loyal fans, the first 75 people to buy tickets will get a free canal boat cruise on one of the festival days! (A $50 value which includes an open bar.) Tickets for the 2010 show will be $250 for a 3-day pass.
In Europe, http://ticketmaster.nl/ will be selling tickets for 170 euro for the 3-day pass, and 60 euro for single day tickets. Chances are, the Euro-on sale will lag a week or so behind the U.S. Music Today DOES ship tickets internationally, so anyone outside the U.S. can still try to be in the first 75. The demand here in the States is very low for single day tickets, but anyone interested in those should send an email to jitd@visionintl.com
That’s it for now! Anyone unfamiliar with the show format can stop by the
website for ‘The Scoop’ http://jaminthedam.com/Welcome.html and all your questions can be answered by others who have attended at our message board. All bands play all days, in one of the two rooms in the venue. Schedule TBA. We can’t wait to see all your smiling faces in the greatest city on Earth!
Check our coverage of the 2008 JitD here.
Maria Rodale: Top 10 Places I Want to Travel to Before I Die
July 27th, 2009 |
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I am going to share my list of the top 10 places I want to go to before I die (in no particular order, although I hope dying comes last).
Iran accused of ‘Zionist’ tactics
July 25th, 2009 |
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One of the defeated moderate candidates in Iran’s presidential election, Mehdi Karroubi, has accused security forces of using harsher methods than Israel.
"The behaviour of Iran’s security agents is worse than those of the Zionist in occupied Palestine," a statement on his website said.
Hundreds have been arrested following protests against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election last month.
Activists around the world demonstrated against the crackdown on Saturday.
Mr Karroubi and other moderate candidates say the 12 June election was marred by massive fraud.
Iran’s top election body, the Council of Guardians, has said the poll was free and fair. Officials results gave Mr Ahmadinejad more than 62% of the vote.
‘In the gutter’
Days of streets protests against the election results were violently suppressed, drawing international condemnation.
A letter to Intelligence Minister Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei posted on Mr Karroubi’s website says that "women were attacked with clubs and beaten and thrown in the gutters" during the protests.
"This is more painful in comparison to crimes committed by the Zionists against the oppressed people of Palestine… The Zionist aggressors have some reservations when it comes to confronting women."
Meanwhile activists have taken part in a "global day of action" on Iran.
Protests supported by leading groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International were held in many cities – including Sydney, Seoul, Geneva London, Brussels, Berlin, Dublin.
The demonstrators urged the Tehran authorities to free those arrested. Many held pictures of people they say remain in jail.
Some placards showed Neda Agha Soltan, the 27-year-old woman whose death was captured on a video that was posted on the Internet.
In Amsterdam, Iranian Nobel Peace prize laureate Shirin Ebadi called on the international community to reject the outcome of the election.
In Bishkek, the capital of the central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan, nine human rights activists marching towards the Iranian embassy were detained and fined for illegally protesting.
Two days ago Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev won a second presidential term in an election criticised by foreign monitors.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Jam in the Dam Returns: UM, YMSB, Claypool, NMS
July 23rd, 2009 |
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Jam in the Dam Returns in 2101 with Umphrey’s McGee, YMSB, Claypool, NMS
 Umphrey’s McGee |
Jam in the Dam is back! After taking 2009 off while founder Armand Sadlier recovered from serious health issues, the 2010 event will return to Amsterdam’s Melkweg from March 21-23. Artists set to perform include: Umphrey’s McGee, Yonder Mountain String Band, Les Claypool, The New Mastersounds, and The Bridge. Brendan Bayliss and Jeff Austin will also perform as an acoustic duo. Travel packages are available through Consider It Dan.
Check our coverage of the 2008 JitD here.
Spotted online
July 21st, 2009 |
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From city walks in Hamburg to a Roman literary cafe, we bring you the latest instalment of insider tips from blog network Spotted by Locals
Amsterdam: Gartine – breakfast from the owner’s garden
By Maarten-Jan Meyer zu Schlochtern
Gartine is one of my favourites for a unique breakfast, excellent lunch and English high tea – all served on antique chinaware, which has been collected by the owners with loving care over the years. The atmosphere is easy and pleasant.
All ingredients come from the owner’s vegetable garden, so the dishes are always super fresh and of good quality. On top of that, Gartine adopted 58 chickens at the foundation ‘Adopt a Chicken’ and these provide farm-fresh eggs. They also use products of the ‘Ark van Smaak’ from Slow Food Netherlands. So when you eat there, you eat ‘eco and green’.
Gartine is in a small alley called ‘Taksteeg’ in the old centre of Amsterdam, between Rokin and Spui.
• Details about this spot: Gartine, Taksteeg 7, +31 3204132. Big breakfast €10.95. Open Tue-Sun 8am-6pm.
Rome: Bar-a-book – drinking while reading
Fabiola is the woman who runs it. She prepares excellent aperitifs served on a large wooden table in the middle of the room, so it feels like being at a friend’s party.
There is a list of wines by the glass – not a great variety, I must admit, but they are good at least. The food is homemade: cous cous, vegetable quiches and pies, tarts and little pizzas, sandwiches (mostly vegetarian) and many other snacks, including cakes at times. I like it here because it is located in one of my neighbourhoods, so it really makes me feel at home.
The furniture is totally random – you are surrounded by shelves of books that you can buy – vintage like the neighbourhood. Post second world war kind of design, just like most of the buildings that have been either rebuilt or restored after the area was completely shelled by US aircraft during the war. Now, it is considered one of the trendy-bohemian areas in town.
If you want to do as the Romans do, this is one of the real Roman places to pick.
• Details about this spot: Bar-à -book: drink including buffet food €10,
via dei Piceni 23, S.Lorenzo & Pigneto; +39 (0)645 443358. Tue-Sun 4pm-1:30am. Brunch on Sun 12-4pm.
Lisbon: Miradouro da Gra̤a Рthe perfect viewpoint
A picture is worth … oh it’s such a cliché I am not even going to finish the sentence, but this is one picture opportunity that shouldn’t be missed. (The photo is looking up towards the tree-canopied viewpoint, not from it.)
From the top of a hillside, hugging the historic and picturesque castle neighbourhood, you can see a maze of red tiled rooftops below, the Baixa district, a river to the south and the red 25th of April bridge beyond that – there is not much that this view doesn’t take in. Just take the 28 tram to one of its end destinations – Graça – and walk left towards the cliff.
A pleasant terrace lined with trees and a small kiosk café serving hot and cold drinks makes it an ideal spot to recharge your batteries. All of Lisbon’s beauty lays below you in her haphazard and slightly dishevelled, but charming, manner. It’s these views that bring the romance to the city.
• Details about this spot: Miradouro da Graca, Alfama & Graça.
Brussels: Recyclart – the sound of the underground
If you’re not interested in spots where you have to be hip and trendy but want something more ‘underground’, then Recyclart is the place for you.
Literally because of its location beneath the railway track, and even more so because this former railway station is an alternative artistic hotspot. Meet your cultural soulmates in the bar, or have a look at the art exhibitions, photography expositions or architecture projects.
Want to move your feet? Go the the frequently organised parties or concerts and shake your body to the rhythms of dubstep, electro, worldbeat or guitar noise. Disko disko partizani!
• Details about this spot: Recyclart, Rue des Ursulines 25; +3225025734
Tue-Fri 11am-5pm (bar), 12pm-3pm (food).
Hamburg: Alsterwanderweg – away from civilisation and back
The “Alsterwanderweg” is a hiking trail that runs along the Alster River for about 56km. The southern section of the trail (22km) leads through the ‘Alstertal’ (Alster valley) with wonderful parks and villas, along the outer and the inner Alster, and terminates directly in the heart of Hamburg: at the harbour where the Alster runs into the Elbe River. The trail is very popular with locals year-round as every season brings its own charm to this scenic route.
Take public transport up north to Poppenbüttel to begin your five-hour adventure, either on foot or by bicycle. As you head south, you’ll sometimes follow the meandering river on its right then on its left again.
There are some sections where you’ll need to cross or walk along a street. Some of the many rowing clubs and locks on your way down to Winterhude have restaurants with gorgeous views of the river.
After passing through Eppendorf, you’ll reach the spacious Alsterpark on the outer Alster, a very wide section of the river with a beautiful view of the inner city’s skyline. Finally, you’ll know you’re on the last stretch of the path when you pass under Kennedy – and Lombardsbrücke to arrive at the inner Alster and the city centre.
Leave the Alsterarkaden behind you and terminate this exciting hike at the “Baumwall” or “Landungsbrücken” metro stop. Although the direction of trail is marked by signs, be sure to bring a map with you.
• Details about this spot: Alsterwanderweg, Hamburger Wanderverein e.V, Spaldingstrasse 160; +49 40230086.
• These are edited extracts from spottedbylocals.com.
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Bristol adopts Paris-style bike scheme
July 21st, 2009 |
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On a rainy morning, few takers for country’s first citywide ride-and-go plan
It’s a miserable morning in the centre of Bristol. The rain is tipping down and only a halfwit would think of hiring a bike in this weather. So count me in.
Ride-and-go cycle schemes are a familiar part of the cityscape on mainland Europe. Barcelona, Amsterdam, Paris and Berlin all have well-established cycle networks, but somehow Britain has always rather lagged behind.
There are small local schemes in Southport, Cardiff, Hammersmith and Fulham, in London, and only yesterday Blackpool’s opened for business. But the closest we have to a whole-city scheme is in Bristol – Britain’s first designated Cycle City – where Hourbike operates with some support from the council.
The deal is straightforward. You register for a one-off fee of £10 and for that you get a code that lets you turn up to one of the cycle hubs and ride a bike. The first half-hour is free, any time over that works out at about £1 a hour (the idea is to undercut local car parking charges) and you can return the bike to any of the hubs dotted around the city.
Through the drizzle, I punch in the code, the electromagnetic lock is released and I have control of Daniel. The bikes all have names which are cuter than the cycles themselves because they are on the streets 24/7 and the idea is to make them solid and anonymous so that people don’t nick them.
So Daniel and I are ready but where to go for a test cycle? There are three other hubs in the centre and a couple more on the edge of the city near the University of the West of England, but I’ve no idea exactly where as there isn’t a map. Never mind. Andy, the street cleaner, should be able to help out. “There’s one outside the Royal Infirmary,” he says, “but I can’t say I’ve seen anyone using the bikes at either place.” Are you round this way often? “Every day”.
So I head off to hospital and soon discover another reason – apart from the weather – why no else is on a hire bike: it’s almost impossible to go anywhere in Bristol without going up a hill (I wonder if I’ll see any locals with colossal Tour de France-style muscled thighs). At the infirmary there’s a couple of bikes corralled at the hub, but still no sign of riders. Jim, a hospital technician, says he has never seen one.
There’s a bus stop next to the hub and no sign of a bus. Jo has been waiting for at least 10 minutes. Would she fancy a go on a bike? “It sounds like a good idea,” she says, “but I don’t think so.”
But it’s all downhill from here. “Maybe another time.”
I cycle round aimlessly for a while longer looking for another Hourbike but then reckon enough’s enough and tie Danny up for the day and head home.
It’s still early days. There are large parts of the city that still aren’t covered, though the bigger problem is winning punters’ hearts and minds. Tim Caswell, the managing director of Hourbike, which started the Bristol scheme earlier this year, refuses to be discouraged. “We’ve got about 300 people registered so far,” he says. “And with the help of the council we’re looking to increase the number of hubs and bikes so we’ve got most of the city covered. This is the way forward and we are committed to it.”
Getting it right is easier said than done. You can’t really pilot them by sticking a couple of bikes in the centre of town and hoping for the best, because people won’t see the point. It’s only when the full infrastructure is in place that it works. So you’ve got to be prepared to invest – and so far, especially with local government feeling the pinch, councils have tended to play safe by doing nothing.
“There’s a tendency to think there’s only one model,” said Phillip Darnton, who chairs Cycling England, an independent body set up by the government to promote pedal power. “Not everything has to be on the scale of the Paris Velib or TfL’s proposals for London. These are both large schemes aimed at significantly reducing commuter congestion: towns such as Southport, which has also just opened a cycle-hire scheme, are looking more to recreate the ambience of the seaside town, so they need something much less intensive.”
Even so, Britain does not have the best track record when it comes to promoting cycling. A bike hire scheme in Cheltenham has just closed and the London mayor, Boris Johnson, has managed to get on the wrong side of several councils with his plan to tear up several of their car parking bays to install cycle hubs and rob them of some revenue – so there’s still a lot of politicking to be done before London comes on stream.
So how come we’re so rubbish at cycle schemes and mainland Europe has been so successful? “It’s partly cultural,” said Marie, a Paris resident. “Cycling is seen as normal in France, whereas in Britain it’s often more about macho types in Lycra. But it’s also because people are less afraid of cycling in Paris because our drivers are so much better than yours.” Now there’s a thought.
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Renaissance for the Renaissance
July 18th, 2009 |
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The first in a summer series on hidden-gem museums
PARIS, London, Amsterdam and New York are only some of the cities that house treasure-filled museums that deserve to be higher up on any “must see” list. Over the course of the summer, this column will highlight more of these gems, beginning with one of France’s best-kept secrets: the National Museum of the Renaissance at the Chateau d’Ecouen.
The museum is only 20 minutes from the Gare du Nord in Paris; entry is included in that city’s museum pass. Even so, it remains obscure, as attendance figures suggest: in 2005, Ecouen had only 5,000 visitors. The number last year reached 85,000, but this remains a low figure for a museum of Ecouen’s calibre. The Musee de Cluny in Paris, for example, which is France’s National Museum of the Middle Ages, had almost 400,000 last year. (New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art drew 4m.) …
Driving costs
July 15th, 2009 |
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Which cities charge most for parking?
PARKING rates are holding firm despite the economic downturn, according to Colliers International, a property company. European cities have some of the highest daily parking rates, with Amsterdam and London coming out on top. Tokyo is the most expensive place to leave your car outside Europe. Honolulu is second behind New York among America’s cities. Drivers in London fork out the most for a monthly unreserved space. The cheapest parking in the survey is in India, where a spot in Chennai costs 96 cents a day.
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Magnolia Electric Co. Album/Tour
July 10th, 2009 |
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Includes Free Digital Download For Exclusive 7-inch
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Now is the time to stake your claim on a copy of Josephine, the first LP from Magnolia Electric Co. in three years. Pre-orders of the album will come with a free, digital download of the 2009 limited-pressing 7-inch, It’s Made Me Cry. The 7-inch is a bit of an interlude into It’s Made Me Cry.
Like on the 7-inch, Josephine is also an experiment in Molina’s songcraft, introducing some real lessons in brevity as he whittles a handful of tracks into well-under three minutes, all while taking cues from great songsmiths like Willie Nelson and Warren Zevon.
Next week, Magnolia Electric Co. will set off on a North American tour with San Diego’s The Donkeys, a tour that includes a two-night stand in Molina’s beloved Chicago.
MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO. TOUR DATES:
07/11/09 Sat Schubas Chicago, IL
07/12/09 Sun The Hideout Chicago, IL
07/14/09 Tue Southgate House Newport, KY
07/15/09 Wed Andy Warhol Museum Pittsburgh, PA
07/16/09 Thu Mohawk Place Buffalo, NY
07/17/09 Fri The Middle East Cambridge, MA
07/18/09 Sat Iron Horse Music Hall Northampton, MA
07/19/09 Sun East River State Park Brooklyn, NY
07/20/09 Mon Black Cat Washington, DC
07/21/09 Tue Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC
07/22/09 Wed 40 Watt Club Athens, GA
07/23/09 Thu Hi Tone Memphis, TN
07/24/09 Fri Rubber Gloves Denton, TX
07/25/09 Sat The Mohawk Austin, TX
07/27/09 Mon Solar Culture Tucson, AZ
07/28/09 Tue Echo Los Angeles, CA
07/29/09 Wed Bottom of the Hill San Francisco, CA
07/31/09 Fri Doug Fir Portland, OR
08/01/09 Sat Crocodile Cafe Seattle, WA
08/03/09 Mon Urban Lounge Salt Lake City, UT
08/04/09 Tue Hi Dive Denver, CO
08/05/09 Wed The Record Bar Kansas City, MO
08/06/09 Thu The Waiting Room Omaha, NE
08/07/09 Fri 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN
08/08/09 Sat The Busted Lift Dubuque, IA
08/27/09 Thu The Paradiso Amsterdam, NL
09/02/09 Wed Bush Hall London, GB
09/03/09 Thu Duke Of Yorks Brighton, GB
09/04/09 Fri Brudenell Social Club Leeds, GB
09/05/09 Sat Electric Picnic Festival Stradbally, IR
09/10/09 Thu El Lokal Zurich, SWI
09/11/09 Fri Le Romandie Lausanne, SWI
09/13/09 Sun End of the Road Festival Wiltshire, GB