No Really – Go To Northern Ireland

Leave a reply

I am a Norn Iron (Northern Ireland for those who like to pronounce all their syllables) local – and over the years, my sneaky fondness for it has developed into full-on love, compounded even more by the fact that I don’t live there anymore. I was fortunate enough to be able to return recently and was delighted to see that the North, and Belfast in particular, was continuing along its path of charming gentrification. I was less fortunate to be exposed to Titanic Fever – columns and columns of newspaper space were saturated with Titanic trivia, century-old reports documenting the sinking, bemused tourists being asked to give their verdict on the brand new Titanic Experience building – ‘great for the city, sure it is!’. I still had to go and visit it, though – that night, rainbow-coloured lights, like refracted prism beams, were projected onto the building’s imposing aluminum walls. They were dazzling.

 The Titanic Belfast – glorious at nighttime

That wasn’t all that was new for me in Belfast. I like to eat my way around cities so while I was determined to visit old favourites, I sought out new haunts. The Barge, a former canal barge, is moored at the back of the Waterfront Hall and has been lovingly restored into a museum and a café. The food was excellent, and the sunlit, almost Scandanivian setting encouraged even the most hungover of us to start to think about beer again.

The Barge

I never need to be asked twice if I want some cake, so a friend took me to Cakes By James, a tiny cake shop that is literally hidden in a building that it shares with art shops, jewellers and galleries (you have to ring a doorbell to get in, and it’s up three flights of stairs). James Watson, a local who curated his talents at bakeries around the world before returning to Belfast, is a magic cake alchemist; when my friend recommended I try the stout and ginger cake, I looked warily at him. When I took a tiny bite, ringed by cream cheese frosting, I was forced to eat my words. Then more cake.

 Cakes By James

If you’re interested in both food AND history, St. George’s Market  is the obvious weekend destination. Built in the late 19th Century, it is frequently cited as one of the best markets in the UK and Ireland and I would not be inclined to disagree. On Saturdays in particular, there is a broad array of stalls – you can buy a pair of Lego earrings while trying to balance a coffee in one hand, and a Finn MacCool-sized breakfast bap in the other. Continue reading →

I Want to Go to There: A history nerd’s look at London museums

Leave a reply

It’s no shock that history nerds love museums. And when said history nerd is also an Anglophile, a trip to London is not just a vacation, but a pilgrimage. Having been to London several times, there are some museums I never get tired of no matter how much time I spend there, or how little it changes from year to year. As any true history nerd can attest, some things are just too awesome to only see once.

British Museum

Of all the museums in Europe, the is usually in every sightseer’s Top Five. It’s a no-brainer, and for very good reason. It’s amazing. One of my former college professors once described it as “a staggering assemblage of pillaged artifacts from all over the world.” There are too many awe-inspiring relics to even mention. One of my favorite galleries features what’s known in Britain as the Elgin Marbles and known to the rest of the world as “Pieces of the Parthenon that Greece wants bluehost back.” It’s an incredible gallery that I never tire of, no matter how much time I spend there. Truly, you can’t go wrong in the British Museum, but if you need some suggestions on where to start, check out the BBC series which traces the development of human society through the museum’s collection. I will leave you with one tip though. The first time I went, I completely missed the Rosetta Stone because of the crowd of people surrounding it, so if you want a decent view and are short like me, use your elbows.

Pillaged statuary in the Enlightenment Gallery

Some of the famed Elgin Marbles

National Gallery

Admittedly, this wasn’t originally on my list of must-see museums, since my “interest in paintings” threshold is relatively low. However, it was a rainy day in and I really needed a restroom so I thought, “why not?” features art from 1250-1900 by everyone from Da Vinci to Van Gogh. Like most major London museums, the building is incredibly beautiful, with architecture from the Late Georgian and Victorian periods. All in all, even if classical art isn’t high on your priority list, the National Gallery is a lovely way to spend an afternoon. Continue reading →

On the Road to NYC

Leave a reply

When I planned my four-month stay in San Francisco as an editorial intern at cityseekr, I knew exactly how I would end my time in the states: with a road trip across the whole country–all the way from California to New York City! This was a dream that I had for years prior to my internship here in the Bay Area, and now that dream is coming true…I can’t wait for it to start! After my internship ends I will have just one month to take everything in before my visa expires–so we better get a move on!

San Francisco. Photo by BG Photo, CC BY 2.0

Two of my friends from Germany and I will start our trip here in San Francisco. I’m very excited to show them the beautiful city where I’ve spent the last four months. From here we want to rent a car and make our way to Yosemite National Park. To be honest, this is not my favorite planned destination on our itinerary. I guess I’m not so much of an outdoorsman and more a friend of the big city. “Big trees…? Big deal…!” However, maybe we’ll get to see some bears…yes…I would definitely like that!

After Yosemite we want to come back to San Francisco, just to be able to take scenic Highway 1 to Los Angeles the next day. We’ve been told it is one of the most beautiful roads to travel by car. Also, many people I’ve met have had lots of things to say about LA and I must also admit that I’m quite excited to see it. Venice Beach, Downtown, Hollywood–so many places to see in so little time! Most of all I’m excited to go to Universal Studios, as well as checking out some of the fancy LA nightclubs. Continue reading →

Wine for the Weekend, Vol II: Bogle Simply Boggles

If you happened to read and enjoy our first article in this series, then you already know that we here at cityseekr are tasting our way through various inexpensive wines that can be found at your local grocer, often for less than $10. This installment of “Wine for the Weekend” highlights two wines from the Sacramento-based Bogle Vineyards.

Bogle Vineyards is a family-owned and operated group of vineyards, a winery and a tasting room that is located on the Sacramento River delta in Clarksburg, California. With over ten vineyards along the delta and nine more throughout the rest of the state, Bogle is indeed a California wine maker to be reckoned with.

However, the good thing about most family-run vineyards is that their wines tend to take on a flavor and substance that reflects, in some cases, several generations of honing the family’s own unique wine making craft. Truly, in the wine trade, age and tradition are of the utmost importance when producing wine of tremendous quality. Bogle Vineyards exemplifies this traditional ideal in wine making, at a price that most can afford.

This time we will explore two wines of both the zinfandel and chardonnay variety: Continue reading →

How to be a Tourist in San Francisco

1 Reply

Hi everybody! My name is Hannes Huebener and I’m from from Leipzig, Germany. The other day I faced an urgent problem when my parents came to visit me in San Francisco: what should I do with them?

So far, I’ve spent four months as an editorial intern for cityseekr. When my parents decided to fly into the city a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to make sure the time we spent here together was worthwhile. I also wanted to show them everything this beautiful city has to offer.

So, what to do? Instead of walking to every major sight on our own, my parents convinced me to go on one of those super touristy hop-on, hop-off bus city tours. At first, thinking about boarding one of those buses and being degraded to a bloody tourist once again didn’t really appeal to me. I very much wanted to think of myself as a “local” during my last month here. Ultimately though, I decided to leave those silly resentments behind, and, since my parents were buying the $35 ticket, I agreed to become a real tourist once more and jumped onto the open-top bus.


Photo courtesy of Open Top Sightseeing

And what can I say, it was actually a great experience! You can hop on the Open Top Sightseeing tour buses at any of the 20 stops that are spread out all over downtown and west San Francisco. With the ticket, which you can buy at any stop, you earn a 24-hour pass to get on and off the buses that come by every 20 minutes. Also, on each bus there is a tour guide that will supply you with entertaining stories and information concerning the area and the surrounding sights. Continue reading →