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.

Tequila

A day spent in the town that has given joy and sorrow to millions across the world, Tequila, Mexico.
Just a short hour drive west of Guadalajara, I would recommend a tour for those interested in visiting the area. Our hostel signed us up with "Guatequi Tur", full of interesting facts if you can understand Spanish or if you have a good translator with you.

Welcome to the tour

Our tour guide, Sr. Armando Ramírez León treated us well and can be contacted at asesorarmando@hotmail.com. Highly recommended!

Sunday Wanderings with Tour Guide Karla

Karla contacted me through Couchsurfing, having posted a notice to all those in Guadalajara interested in showing me their favorite parts of the city. We met at Parque Revolucion near my hostel because she said she spends almost every Sunday there. I knew that Juarez had been shut down to car traffic for the day, but I didn't expect to see so many activities as I rounded the corner.

Copenhagen Couchsurfing Host's Tour

I was so fortunate to be hosted by a wonderful couple living near the center of Copenhagen. My timing couldn't have been better, as they were packing up to move to a new location the coming weekend. The morning of my arrival, I was greeted with coffee (brought from the husband's, Thomas, favorite roastery in Southern California) and fresh backed bread. After an overnight bus ride from Berlin, these touches of hospitality were greatly appreciated. The wife, Karina, was full of wonderful ideas that took me to some tourist spots and some spots off the beaten path. She had grabbed a map of the city and we spent about half an hour marking interesting spots to visit. Being a world traveler herself, it was great talking about the differences in culture you see when flying around the world and the things that makes your home feel comfortable to you.

Crafty Copenhagen

Choosing a tour can be difficult when you're looking to see the city outside of the normal tourist destinations. Due to my short stay in the city, I was looking for a tour that would give me a good overview of the city outside of the famous Center.