Goodbye Viaduct

This last Saturday, WSDOT opened up the viaduct for one last hurrah before shutting it down for the first part of demolition. Between the hours of 9:30 and 12:30, anyone could come down and walk up and on the viaduct and being a bit of a transit nut, I decided to go down and look at the structure from a new perspective (as well as claim my chunk of the viaduct). It was an appropriately wet Seattle day, but even with that over 3,000 people turned out to say goodbye.

The viaduct may be an ugly, 1950 concrete wall on the Seattle waterfront, but what everyone came out for is this: The view. On a nice day, driving on the viaduct is the best introduction you can give a person to Seattle. On the right, a close up of the city and on the left the ferries, Olympic mountains, and the Sound. In terms of a comprehensive, easy to access, and beautiful scenic drive this is about is good as you can get in the city itself.

After the break, more photos from the event, including the people, their goodbye notes, and the structure itself.

One thing that was clear about this event is that people were actually having fun. There was the first game of Frisbee on the viaduct, cartwheels, and lots of kids, dogs, and photographers. It would be great to be able to do stuff like this more often. Overall, the feel from the crowd here was acceptance that the viaduct was coming down, but there wasn't much love for the deep bore tunnel solution that is proposed to replace it.

Being up close was also a great opportunity to see the details of the structure and the concrete itself. There's a certain beauty in the aggregate they used, which looks like it would be more at home as a decorative patio.   The fifth photo here is actually my new background.

McDonald's Around the World: Stockholm

I like McDonald's. I don't think that the food is great or that the service is top notch, but what I do like is that what we take to be something that is standardized around the world simply isn't. A Big Mac is a Big Mac, except when it isn't. For example, how do you offer a Big Mac when cows are holy and beef is taboo? You make it the Chicken Maharaja Mac (complete with two all chicken patties and tikka masala sauce). I haven't tried that yet, but I'm looking forward to it when I make it to India.

However, today my focus is the frozen north of Stockholm. Given that Sweden doesn't have any dietary restrictions, the menu is fairly similar, but even then local cultural opinions show through. Take a look:

The standard menu is pretty familiar. The classics are all there. The McFeast is essentially a quarter pounder with lettuce and tomato, while the CBO is actually one of their rotating sandwiches. More so than in the US, McDonald's in Sweden likes to swap out sandwiches rather frequently. Some of them are specific to Sweden, while other burgers (like the 1955 below) I've seen in other places, like Germany. 

Some of the  rotating menu is below. The hot wings and cream cheese stars aren't always there. 

After the break, it's a virtual cornucopia of McDonald's. We've got the menu signs for the Happy Meals, the night menu, and the breakfast menu, plus the McToast. Read on for McDonald's, svensk stil. 

The thing I like most about Happy Meals in Sweden is that they actually try to make them somewhat enriching. All of them come with carrots or apples, included and the fries can be swapped out for a salad. They offer up the standard three choices, hamburger, cheeseburger, and chicken nuggets, and then a toy. Sometimes the toys are the standard plastic toys, but every so often they also give out children's books. 

The most interesting thing on the coffee menu is the deserts: Muffins, donuts, and extremely typical Swedish cinnamon buns. Compared with American cinnamon buns there's less goop (which is replaced with pearl sugar) and cardamom baked in. They're fantastic!  

The night menu is a cut down version of their main menu, catering to the late night scene (or people waiting to head to the airport). 

Lastly, and perhaps most interestingly there's the breakfast menu which reflects what Swedes like for breakfast. Virtually gone is are the super greasy options (well, the McMuffin is still there), and in their place, light fresh sandwiches. Also... there's the McToast. 

I had to try one. It's actually two hamburger bun tops, flipped upside down with ham and cheese. Ha!

Hostel Etiquette: Unwritten rules for the road

Hostels can be great places to stay, almost always offering better location, price, and safety than cheap hotels for about same price. In some cases, hostels even out-class hotels twice as expensive but hostels come with a highly social atmosphere that relies on people following some basic unspoken rules. This is my take on hostel etiquette based on my recent trip through Russia and the hostels there.

The basics are simple: Be considerate, clean, and quiet. That means...

1. Be quiet after 11pm. People are trying to sleep.
2. Be quiet and if you need to leave early, pack up the night before.
3. Plastic bags are especially hated because of the loud noise they make. Do not rustle through your bags in the dorms.
4. Also related to sleep: Leave the light alone if you're coming in late or leaving early. If it's dark and the light is off, don't touch! This is where a small flashlight or mobile phone screen should be used: Keep it pointed down and head straight to your bed. Once you are in bed, turn it off or cover up the light with a blanket.
5. Use your alarm sparingly, and double check to prevent false alarms. No one likes being woken up at 5am because you forgot to turn your alarm off. There are times when we have to wake up early, but in these cases keep the sound down to the minimum and keep your alarm close to you so you can turn it off right away. 
6. Shoes off at the door, especially if it's wet.
7. Keep showers short. The hot water is for everyone and often runs out, especially in more remote places. 5-10 minutes, tops. If you need more time, use it in the afternoon.
8. If there is a public computer, the same rules as with showers apply: If you need to do something lengthy, wait until people have left for the day and use it then.
9. Shower every day. No exceptions.
10. Clean your own dishes. No exceptions.
11. If you make a mess, clean it up. No exceptions.
12. Smelly food and food with allergens, like nuts, should not be consumed in the dorm.
13. Wash your clothes when you get the chance, especially on longer trips. Many hostels offer to let you use their washing machine for a couple bucks. This is not something to skimp on.
14. Ask for fresh sheet every couple of days if you're there for awhile.
15. When you leave, pull the sheets of your bed and make it easy for the staff. Ask them what is best or them. It's just being nice.
16. "Get a room", if appropriate (I hope that doesn't need more explanation).
17. Don't take other people's stuff, period. It's not yours.
18. And a special message for Guitar Guy: No. Unless you are phenomenally good (like Denis, the guy who runs Ulan-Ude Hostel), put it away. We all know you're just using it to pick up girls.

Lastly, a hostel is a cross road for many people heading in many different directions, and with different levels of experience. The last and perhaps most important rule of hostel etiquette is don't brag or boast. One of the least attractive aspects of hostels is the atmosphere of rabid one-upsmanship that can evolve between moderately travelled people. Sharing stories is one thing and part of the hostel experience, but any sentence that starts with, "That sounds nice, but have you been to...." is likely boasting. Don't do it.


Another way to boast is to make people feel stupid about their choices. Being extremely negative about a place you've been to is an easy way to do this. You never know if one of your fellow traveler is about to do what you just did. A common form of this is after someone has mentioned they're going to a popular and easily accessible place, someone will interject with, "...it's just a tourist trap. Now, the REAL thing to do is...", followed up by someplace that is completely inaccessible for the original speaker. This is not helpful and detracts from their experience. If you do offer advice, make sure it's about how to make their experience better while still letting them explore the place for themselves. 


So, what to do if you really didn't like it on some visceral level? What it comes down to is that it's okay to say that you personally didn't enjoy it so long as you avoid phrasing it in absolutes. There is a huge difference between, "That place is horrible, no one should go there" and "It didn't really do anything for me, but I hope that you like it."


In the end, this is just about respecting that other people are on their own journeys. Hostels at their best foster a community of people who can share meaningful stories, observations, and tips to enhance those journeys, but some people take it as an opportunity to prove that they are the alpha traveler. Don't be that person. 

Food Fridays: Stockholm Sampler (Saturnus Cafe, Pelikan, and Soldaten Svejk)

Not many of my posts involve Stockholm, and even fewer involve the restaurants here. The main reason is that eating out here is obscenely expensive and many of the restaurants are only so-so, which makes picking the wrong one a $40-50 mistake. You learn quickly to be very skeptical about places...

...but today I'm going to break that tradition and share a sampler of bites from Stockholm!

Saturnus Cafe: Tucked just north of the busiest part of Stockholm near Stureplan, Saturnus cafe is well known for its immense kanelbullar (cinnamon buns), but also offers up a range of French inspired bites, including the prosciutto, mozzarella and pesto sandwich. The cafe is small and cozy, although it can get very busy and crowded very quickly.

Pelikan: Located on Södermalm, the pelikan restaurant offers up a variety of Swedish dishes at prices that are fairly reasonable ($25+) in the Stockholm context. Their Swedish meatballs, pictured here, are very tasty and match the atmosphere of the restaurant, which evokes the a past era. The restaurant itself is a great space to dine in.

Soldaten Svejk: A noisy Czech pub located near Medborgare platsen is also home to some of the best priced meals in Stockholm. The most expensive item on the menu is about 133kr ($21), which is the price of an appetizer in many other places. Eating in will get you a table almost immediately, but if you're just there for beer (and they have a nice selection of Czech beer) you'll be in for a hunt to find a place to stand. Great food and beer is slightly offset by how loud it gets in the bar. If you're looking for a quiet place to talk with friends, this is not it, but if you're out for a hearty meal and celebration this is the perfect spot. 

"Raggmunk" (Potato pancake) and Bacon, with lingon berries. Fantastic!

Pragerschnitzel covering up a potato salad and some saurkraut. Traditional and tasty.

First Kindle (2011) Reviews are Starting to Appear!

The first reviews of the new $79 Kindle are starting to appear. The Kindle Touch hasn't been released yet, which is what I think most people are waiting for (or the Kindle Fire), but the first and least expensive kindle is out and has been combed over by the people over at Engadget.

The new Kindle looks like it's a great basic reader and at $79, it's a really inexpensive device, but the choice to scrap the keyboard in favor of size and leaving out the killer new features found on the Kindle Touch like X-Ray make me wonder if this is the right way to go. For $20 more, the Kindle Touch gets you everything the basic Kindle offers and a more.

Update: Gizmodo now has their review up, with more of the same but slightly less enthusiastic. Their basic conclusion is to wai for the Kindle Touch as well, with a 3/5 rate.

via Engadget
via Gizmodo

Flight Report: Ulaanbaatar to Stockholm (Across Russia, Finale)

It's been more than 3,500 miles by train, plane, and bus from St. Petersburg, across Russia and finally over to Ulaanbaatar. It's been a great trip and now we have to head back to make sure that my mom can catch her flight back to the US.

For this flight, we've gone with Aeroflot. It's not part of my usual alliance and it's reputation is less than sterling, but how would they stack up today? Not that great, unfortunately. From a technical side, Aeroflot has shaken off the older Soviet planes, with the majority of it's fleet being newer airbus planes. In our case, we got an older Boeing 767 and a massive delay. More than 4 hours on the ground with zero explanation.

Lifting off, we're on our way out of Asia and back to Moscow before heading on to Stockholm. With such a late departure, we're going to misconnect in Moscow without a doubt. Will we make it back? What's the in-flight meal like? All this and more photos after the break.

Mongolia rolling under us. Once we were in the air things got better. The orange, hammer and sickle clad stewardesses (yes, the hammer and sickle is still part of their logo and uniform) were alright and soon enough it was time for a bite. Beef with mashed potatoes, plus a ham and chicken salad? Eh. The beef was ok, but the "salad"? I don't know about that.

The in-flight entertainment was a little disappointing. On the A330s, there's audio video on demand, but in the 767 it's still just a single old school screen overhead. The main entertainment was looking through all the options that we would have had if we were on the A330. Comrade Winnie the Pooh? Yup. Nu, Pogodi? Yup. There was a collection of old soviet films and cartoons that looked like they would have been an interesting window into that era, but instead we got some generic American blockbusters.

McMansions in the Moscow Suburbs

Welcome to Moscow, 4 hours past due.

Touch down in Moscow and on to find out our fate. Eventually, we worked our way through the line and were rebooked on a SAS flight leaving in an hour or two, much to our relief. If we had been forced to stay in Moscow, there's a chance that my mom would have missed her flight the next day back to Seattle and that would have been a disaster. As it was, we were just left to fend for ourselves with $8 sandwiches and $4 cokes before we caught our final flight.

Some old Tu-154 on the ground here, plus an Il-62 above with the four engines.

Once in the air, it ended up being a fairly standard flight with SAS. A couple of nice skyscapes and another plane skimming across the clouds. No food service on this flight, unfortunately, but soon enough more familiar landscape was beneath us with the telltale shapes of Swedish cities. This was the end of the trip from Sweden, but soon something new would be starting: The week after, I move back to the United States.