Now at tikichris.wordpress.com

Hi. I’ve decided to consolidate my personal blogging activities and have started a wordpress blog, tikichris.wordpress.com. Anything that I might have posted here at ontoTravel will now be posted there. Same goes for content that I might have published at ontoLondon or the The Adventures of Tiki Chris: it will now be posted on the new site. I'm not doing away with these old sites - just not actively posting on them anymore. Indeed, I may find some need to publish content through them in the future.

To be sure, there will be plenty of travel related content on the new blog. In fact, I have a feeling there may be even more of it in the next year! For off-the-cuff mobile blogging, I’m keeping my Tumblr blog, tikichris-to-go. If you haven’t checked it out yet. I hope you will, I have a lot of fun with it.

Thanks so much to regular followers of this blog. It means a great deal to me to have had you “tuning in” these past few years. I look forward to continuing the journey with you!

Sincerely,
Chris
- Facebook - Flickr - LinkedIn - Tumblr - Wordpress -

London, I’m Coming Home (Qype does London)

London, I’m Coming Home
Chris Osburn
Qype does London
January 11th 2009

I’m sitting here at Hartsfield International Airport (ick) in Atlanta waiting for my flight back to Heathrow (double ick). Despite the prospect of an especially sinister case of jetlag and an ever increasing pile of work waiting to gang up on me across The Pond, I’m more than ready to return. Three weeks is a long time to be away. I miss my wife, my kitties, my daily routine and the city I call home.

Read the complete London, I’m Coming Home post at Qype does London.

Pub Quiz Winner! (Qype does London)

Pub Quiz Winner!
Chris Osburn
Qype does London
January 7th 2009



To be honest, this was my first pub quiz, something I’ve always associated with London. Maybe they used to have them back when I lived here, but I don’t remember ever hearing about pub quizzes then or on any past visits. Anyway, our team won ...

Read the complete Pub Quiz Winner! post at Qype does London.

Berliner December

I spent the weekend in Berlin catching up with a good friend from grad school, and I have to say that visiting Berlin during the run up to Christmas is well worth considering. The city glows with equal parts urban cool and winter wonder and there are a gazillion and one things to do - Christmas-y or otherwise. April in Paris? New York in June? Sure! But don't count out a Berliner December.

This wasn't my first time in Berlin (and I sincerely hope it won't be my last!), but it was my first during December. With pretty winter lights strung along trees, streets, homes and shop windows, and Weihnachtsmarkts (Christmas Markets) scattered throughout the city (erm, sorry, I don't think Berliners scatter anything; strategically placed at optimal locations might be a better way to put it), the festive season was in full swing.

Of course, the highlight of the trip was getting to spend some quality time with my old classmate, but I loved munching and sipping my way through the markets and sampling all sorts of yummy German treats. It was also an opportunity to try out my new Nikon D700 (which moving to it from the D70s is like hopping from the driver's seat of a VW to a Porsche). I've still a ways to go climbing the learning curve to operate this camera but I'm pretty happy with my results so far. See what you think:


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR. Can't see the above pics? Click here to view them on Flickr.

---

Read more about my weekend in Berlin ...

Berlin!
Chris Osburn
Qype does London
December 16th 2008



Our line of attack planned, we set out Saturday morning to do Berlin in grand style. A mix of the sobering (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and nearby Memorial to Homosexuals persecuted under Nazism) with the delightfully festive (Christmas markets at Charlottenburg and Gendarmenmarkt) and the historic (Brandenburg Gate, the remnants of the Berlin Wall) made for a perfect weekend, with plenty of glüwein and würst and all sorts of yummies (I loved the seasonal grünkohl with ribs!!!) rounding out the tour.

Read the complete Berlin! post at Qype does London.

Le Eurostar weekend (Qype does London)

Le Eurostar weekend
by Chris Osburn

Qype does London
August 3rd 2008










I’m sure the Eurostar has its share of imperfections (one time about a year ago, my Paris-London train was delayed for what seemed an excruciatingly long couple of hours), but for the most part I’ve had pleasant experiences zipping through the Chunnel. Taking the Eurostar to/from any of its destinations is certainly more civilized and a lot more logistically sensible than getting to/from any airports these days!

Read the complete Eurostar weekend post.

Whitstable Weekend (Qype does London)

Whitstable Weekend
by Chris Osburn

Qype does London
July 14th 2008










While there, I was really blown away by the seafood. Whitstable is famous for its oysters and early into my stay I found out why: there’re delicious!

Click here for complete post.

Photographing China (PhotoBox)

Photographing China
Chris Osburn, PhotoBox blogger
PhotoBox
June 24th, 2008










A recent three week trip to China (mostly for fun but with a little business thrown in for good measure) provided an overabundance of photo opportunities and a range of fascinating experiences to impart with readers of the PhotoBox blog. With the Olympics soon to commence in Beijing and unprecedented economic growth stimulating a building boom the likes of which the world has never seen, the difficulty wasn’t deciding when to snap a photo but having the wherewithal to put the camera away at all!

Click here for complete post

Emiana's China Photos on Flickr

How does she do it? I'm still Photoshoppin' around with my pics from our trip to China and my better half, Emiana, has already posted a whole China set on Flickr. In fact, she's already been contacted by a Chinese blogger who posted one of her pics as part of a fulue.com post about the similarities of cinnamon and the Beijing Olympic torch. Neat.

Click here to view Emiana's China set on Flickr.

Photography by Emiana © 2008

Easter Weekend in Marrakech (PhotoBox)

Here's a post I wrote for PhotoBox about my trip to Morocco. Enjoy!

Easter weekend in Marrakech
Chris Osburn, PhotoBox Blogger
PhotoBox Blog
April 9, 2008


The long Easter weekend found me in Marrakech and Morocco’s Atlas Mountains with my better half, Emiana. Most of the time she was in charge of our ‘main’ camera, a Nikon D70S (a few years old and we still love it!) ... However, I actually found myself in control of the Nikon while Emiana haggled with a snake charmer in Marrakech’s famous Place Jemaa el Fna.

Click here for complete post.

Don't Mess with Disney!

As American as Disney and Motherhood
Attack the nation's icons at your peril.
Compiled by Moira Redmond
Slate
Posted Tuesday, April 1, 2008, at 10:28 AM ET

"I found mini-France [at Disney World] a lot more enjoyable than actual France" and "Real life is over-rated."

Click here for complete article.

---

Adult Disney Fans Have No Idea How Ridiculous They Are
By Hunter Walker
Gridskipper
6:07 PM on Tue Apr 1 2008

Slate has gotten a ton of reader feedback following their trip to Disney World last month. Most of the angry readers are pissed off that Slate would dare disrespect the "Disney Experience." One Disney zealot chimed in to say that they felt Slate piece was a major injustice on the order of the Iraq War ...

Click here for complete post.

TSA blogs about security and how to cope with airport security checks

Fight Or Flight
On the Media
NPR
February 15, 2008

Frustrated with the liquid ban while flying? Too bad. Wondering why the Transportation Security Administration can strip search you? Good luck with that. That is, until now. The TSA has started a blog and security expert and TSA critic Bruce Schneier thinks it may usher in a new era of understanding between the government and the jet set.


























Click here to visit the On the Media website.
Click here to visit Evolution of Security, the TSA's blog.

Londonist Shortlisted for 2008 Bloggies (Please Vote!)

As some of you may know, I became Londonist's Food & Drink Editor a few weeks ago. The cool thing is, I accepted the position just as Londonist got shortlisted for the 2008 Bloggies in the category of Best European Weblog category!

Click here to read the original Londonist post about the nomination.

Voting will close at 10:00 PM EST on Thursday, January 31. The winners will be posted on Monday, March 10.

Click here to cast your vote (please).

Honolulu Food Blog: Too Cruel!

Tasty Island is an extensive and thorough blog about "the wonderful food of Hawaii, with a focus on Honolulu on the island of Oahu" - and just in case you didn't know, Hawaii is one of the yummiest places on this planet. The site includes reviews "of eateries ranging from the neighborhood plate lunch stand to fine dining restaurants," along with recipes and some decadently tempting photography of some of Hawaii's most onolicious grinds!

An informal, and rather kind, Spam Musubi Rating System is used for reviews with one musubi being "average" and a rating of five being "superb." Here's the breakdown:

(1) Average. (She Go)
(2) Good. I’m glad I tried it. (Ono)
(3) Very Good. Considerable of another visit or purchase. (Supah’ Ono!)
(4) Excellent. Worth another visit or purchase. (Winnahz!)
(5) Superb. Worthy of repeat visits or purchases. (Broke Da’ Mout’!)

Drooling and pangs of hunger aside, Tasty Island is a sweet lil' blog full of aloha for and info about one of the world's most unique places to eat. Mahalo!

Movin' to Kauai

Aloha Kauai
by Chongolio
Barefoot Bloggin'
Wednesday, May 16, 2007

My first priority once I get over to Kauai is to jump in the water and then lay on the beach and bask in the Hawaiian sunshine for a few hours. Then I am gonna get busy scouring the local paper, bulletin boards and craigslist for rooms or commercial space where I can get my studio set up.

Click here for complete post.

The world's laundry online

Laundry on a London Line is photo blog dedicated to sharing photographs of laundry drying on a clothesline. Hey, why not? Despite the blog's title, the site features laundry from Australia, Scotland, Turkey and more.

According to the blog's administrator:

While we're living our globalized lives on our multinational planet, I think it's important to stop and see the laundry drying on the line. If you send me a picture of your laundry (or someone else's for that matter), I promise to post it.

Click here to visit Laundry on a London Line.

Recent volcanic activity in Guatemala

Here are two posts from El Blog Diablogico with info about the recent rumblings of Volcán de Fuego near Antigua, Guatemala. Check out the phenomenal photograph!

Al rojo vivo!
posted by El Blogador
El Blog Diablogico
Friday, March 16, 2007










The noise is like constant thunder she reports, (I could hear it down the line) and with her bincoulars she can see firey rocks being hurled out of the burbling, incandescent crater.

Click here for complete post.

Orange alert
posted by El Blogador
El Blog Diablogico
Saturday, March 17, 2007

" ... According to reports reaching here, the eruption spewed ash 500 meters into the air, and triggered 20 to 30 small earthquakes a minute."

Click here for complete post.

Where to get a slice in New York!

Slice is a group blog about "America's favorite crusty, saucy, cheesy meal—pizza." It's New York based - with a "special affinity" for New York–style pies - but strives to be open-mined and is "even warming up to the idea of deep dish."

The site has a handy-dandy Pizza Map of New York City.

On The Road Travel: Airport Food

On The Road Travel is an online resource for independent travelers in South and Central America. This Weblog is a description of the development of the website as well as a discussion of other relevant travel issues. Here's a sample post about airport food:

Airport Food
by Veronica Montero
On The Road Travel
January 26, 2007

Finding a nutritious meal at airports can be a challenge. Not only do you know you’re getting ripped off but also you know your body is cringing at what you’re feeding it.

Click here for complete post.

Chattanooga Foodie Tour

Recently, this blog's administrator spent several days in the Chattanooga area, where down home cooking (BBQ, soul food, southern cuisine, and more) was a highlight of my visit. What follows is a brief report of some of the scrummier meals I had while there. All the restaurants are extremely low budget options, except for the upscale (yet understated) Canyon Grill, which is still reasonably priced and very good value for money.










By no means is this an exhaustive list of good eats in the Chattanooga area. However, it must be said that getting beyond the Cracker Barrel curtain to some authentic, local cuisine can be a bit of a challenge. One great resource that I used to get beyond the mega-chain restaurants was Chowhound co-founder Jim Leff's CHOW Tour Dispatch #25: "I Heart Chattanooga".

Bon appétit y'all!

Old Plantation BBQ
1515 Dodson Ave
Chattanooga,TN 37406
(423) 624-8105

Wow! Despite a tight schedule and a full agenda, I luckily managed to eat here twice during my visit. Some of the best BBQ I've ever tasted - the pulled pork almost melted in my mouth. I highly recommend a visit to this popular, humble take-out joint (there are a couple of concrete tables in the parking lot). Get stuffed here for under $10 (the pulled pork sandwich costs $5 and will keep you satiated for hours).















Pitmaster Eatery
2004 Dodds Avenue (at East 19th Street?)
Chattanooga Tennessee 37404

Heading home from Old Plantation, I drove by Pitmaster Eatery and made a mental note to return the next day for lunch. I'm so glad I did. This friendly, homey place served me up some of the best fried okra and hot wings I've ever had. Unfortunately, they were closed for the holidays during the rest of my visit. Otherwise, I would have gone back to sample more of their menu. To spend more than, say, $7 per person here would require Herculean effort!
















Southern Star
1206 Market St
Chattanooga, TN 37402
(423) 267-8899
http://southernstarrestaurant.com/

Clean airy dining space, efficient friendly service, simple fresh home-style cooking with quality ingredients - all at a decent price. Southern Star is a no brainer. Approximately $10 per person will get starters, mains, drinks and dessert for lunch!



La Altena
314 W Main St
Chattanooga, TN 37408
(423) 266-7595

Regretfully, I don't have any pics of this great Mexican restaurant. I've been a fan of this taqueria for years now, and I'm glad to report that their food's gotten better! Seemingly tired of burrito slinging to gringos, our waiter was delighted when my wife and I ordered the chicken mole and the homemade tamales. He actually thanked us for ordering them! We were equally pleased to discover that they served orchata even though it wasn't on the menu. Great food at reasonable prices. Some of the best Mexican food I've had on the East Coast. $10 is plenty for a hearty appetite.

Canyon Grill
28 Scenic Hwy.
Rising Fawn, Ga. 30738
(706) 398-9510
http://canyongrill.com/

This unassuming restaurant atop Lookout Mountain (about 20 miles from Chattanooga) is a wonderful place for high quality dining in a casual setting and is also a great spot to keep in mind should you need to impress others (drive up around sunset for a spectacular show).

For $30, the Slash N Burn Catfish (a whole 3 pound farm-raised catfish crispy fried with black bean sauce served with one side) is feast enough to two. A great side is the crispy squash.




Battlefield BBQ
1006 Lafayette Rd
Chickamauga, GA
706-375-1111

Battlefield BBQ is a great dining option for folks passing through Chickamauga or visiting the National Military Park. I'm hesitant to place this take out restaurant in the same league as Old Plantation and Pitmaster Eatery, but I was more than pleased by the quality of the BBQ and the long list of available sides and veggies.













Photography by Emiana and Tiki Chris © 2006

Coop's La Carrera adventure

Think you're living life in the fast lane - having one adventure after the next and that life couldn't be much more fun? Me neither. That's why I like reading Positive Ape Index, a blog by artist Coop, which has been especially juicy reading since his coverage of his participation in the renowned vintage auto racing event La Carrera Panamericana 2006.

















What is perhaps more amazing than the amount of fun Coop has is the fact that he takes the time to share his experiences with his fans. Click here to get started viewing his image-heavy La Carrera blog posts.

Click here to visit La Carrera Panamericana's official site.