Couchsurfing Pubcrawl in San Francisco

Every year I make a pilgrimage to San Jose for the fabulous Pantheacon Convention and I usually try to take a day before or after to wander around San Francisco. Just a 1.5 hour flight from Seattle, it's a nice place to take a weekend vacation.

This year I decided to join a pub crawl organized by a few hostels near Chinatown, including the Green Tortoise, who's representative made sure we moved along at a steady clip and was a delight to talk to.
Going on 4 years now, the rock-paper-scissors themed event makes it easy to get to know people. This was honestly the most fun bar crawl I'd ever been on. If you find yourself in San Francisco on a Wednesday evening, stop by The Northstar on Green and Powell by 9pm to join in the fun. You'll be happy you did.

A Karaoke Tribute to David Bowie

My home neighborhood in Seattle is Capitol Hill, an historic home for the weirdos and freaks of the world. (Some may argue this is changing, and such is the nature of life, but there are still quite a few of us keeping the faith.)
The death of David Bowie hit us hard and almost immediately, people were organizing gatherings to celebrate the life of a man who shared his life with us. When I saw a call go out on Capitol Hill Seattle for Waking the Alien- David Bowie Singing Celebration at my #1 karaoke bar, The Crescent, I couldn't stay away.

Join us as we give thanks for being alive at the same time as The Great White Duke.

Festival Internaciónal del Globo 2015

An easy 2.5 hour drive from Guadalajara, the ITTO graduating class of Nov 2015 decided to check out the International Balloon Festival held in Leon every November. There are worst ways to spend a weekend than in a park enjoying hot air balloons play in the wind. If you ever make your way to this event, do yourself a favor and camp at the park. There's an ample supply of hammocks for sale for you to enjoy throughout your visit.

Mountain Biking with Couchsurfer Francisco

Oh, does my body hurt, but oh, how much fun I had last night.
Francisco invited me to the Paseo Nocturno en las Montañas that happens every Wednesday, organized by Gdl Bikers/MTB. After outfitting me with the requisite gear, we were off to La Primavera.

Día de Halloween

The party started at dusk and continued for many until late into the next day. Mexicans seem to personify the saying, 'Work to live, don't live to work.'
The holidays of Halloween and Día de los Muertos are starting to blend in the larger cities of Mexico. Some traditionalists are not happy with this, as Halloween is seen as an infection on the true spirit of Day of the Dead, which is supposed to be a time to reflect on and celebrate the life of those departed, not an excuse to dress up and party at a bar.

Couchsurfers at Centro Cultural Breton

Another week, another Thursday Couchsurfing meet-up. This one was at the fabulous Centro Cultural Breton, near the Cathedral, but hidden away on a quiet street.

 

Couchsurfing Día de Muertos Altar

The weekly Couchsurfing meetup took place at a home in the neighboring city of Zapopan. A couple of classmates and I took the 51D bus out to the suburbs to participate in the festivities.

Saturday Night Clubbing

Most towns have a hip area where the kids come out to play, in Guadalajara, this is Chapultepec Avienda. The evening started with the ladies of my class meeting up for a dinner around 7. We walked from the hostel where two of us are staying to the land of restaurants and clubs.

Weekly Guadalajara Couchsurfing Meetup

The Guadalajaran Couchsurfing community is quite an active bunch. There are language groups that meet weekly (one for each I speak), lots of posts about road trips to Tequila or Puerto Vallarta or other destinations close by, and a weekly meet-up to just hang out at a bar in El Centro.

East of L.A.

The greater Los Angeles area is made up of many small cities with their own downtowns and cultural centers. I happen to have family living in one of the towns east of L.A. and spent Friday night and Saturday morning hanging out here.

Monster Ronson's Ichiban Karaoke

Karaoke. A dividing line among friends. Some love the public displays of disaster, others avoid it with every fiber of their being.

I am solidly in the former category.

I am proud to say that I have now sung karaoke in every country I have visited. It's a goal I didn't know I had until now, but it is a goal that will carry me, and perhaps this blog, forward.

Späti-crawl

Berlin has a thriving street culture, promoted in large part by the seeming lax attitude people have about acceptable behavior in public. There are no open container laws, people of all stripes can be seen enjoying an beer while walking down the sidewalk, and Spätkaufs are usually open 20-24 hours a day to grab a bite or drink.