TRAVEL MOMENTS.

On a trip to Amsterdam we rented bikes as soon as we landed and rode them around the entire trip. It was the best way to experience the city. Between biking, eating and catching up with friends we became really connected to the pace and energy of Amsterdam. That’s why we recommend renting a bike to anyone traveling to a bike-friendly city. The only setback to renting a city bike is that it can be a tourist badge. That’s where Humble Vintage comes in…

Located in Melbourne, Humble Vintage provides a unique selection of classic and vintage racers, city bikes and lady’s bikes for short term rental and enjoyment. All packages include a helmet, lock, lights, custom maps and guide. You can’t go wrong. Plus the owner is a bike enthusiast who adds an extra touch of personalization. Humble provides pick-up and drop-off service from anywhere in Melbourne’s business district. At a hotel? No problem. A coffee shop perhaps? They’ll meet you there. Next time you travel to Melbourne be sure to check them out. Click Read More for additional information and photos.

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TRAVEL MOMENTS: Shanghai combines light and speed for an entertaining ride underground. In between Pudong and the Bund, subway riders are treated to a short light show. The above image is from the Boston Globe’s big picture. In it the photographer is in the front car and put his camera up to the window as an oncoming train enters. Click Read More for additional information and photos.

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MOMENTS: The brain’s supercomputing abilities should never be underestimated. With the deluge of electronic gadgets in today’s marketplace it’s easy to lose sight of how impressive our own brains are. Need proof? Check out the art work from Stephen Wiltshire. He’s an artist who draws and paints massive panoramic murals of cityscapes. These accurate representations are often done only after seeing the city briefly. Awesome. Click Read More for additional information and photos.

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The New York Times has an interesting article discussing travel and what tourists take away when they visit museums or any cultural resource for that matter. In the age of convenient travel, rapid fire digital cameras and an abundance of travel guides, they wonder if tourism has become more about saying you were there than actually taking in the history.

As the NY Times reports: “Visiting museums has always been about self-improvement. Partly we seem to go to them to find something we already recognize, something that gives us our bearings: think of the scrum of tourists invariably gathered around the Mona Lisa. At one time a highly educated Westerner read perhaps 100 books, all of them closely. Today we read hundreds of books, or maybe none, but rarely any with the same intensity. Travelers who took the Grand Tour across Europe during the 18th century spent months and years learning languages, meeting politicians, philosophers and artists and bore sketchbooks in which to draw and paint — to record their memories and help them see better. Cameras replaced sketching by the last century; convenience trumped engagement, the viewfinder afforded emotional distance and many people no longer felt the same urgency to look.” It’s an interesting article that brushes up against the questions of being present while traveling. Click Read More for additional information.

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Beinghunted, a berlin based magazine, has painted snapshots of its native city for years. We regularly read the site looking for tips, fashion news and inspiration. Last week they posted a piece that smartly summarizes the intangible elements of Berlin’s cool. And they did it based on the above pictured bike.

From Beinghunted: “I really like this bike of a good friend of mine here in Berlin. It’s so unpretentiously cool and, to me, somehow reflects the attitude in this city. Functionality combined with a relaxed sense of style. This bike is dirty, beat up, but cool no matter what. It’ll take you from A to B and you don’t have to worry about it being stolen. When you are used to vintage’d apparel from the Japanese masters Neighborhood or WTAPS, you know how much work goes into crafting a pair of aged jeans or a sweater. Their pieces look just like the real deal, like something someone has worn and (ab)used for years. The above bike has actually been used and aged gracefully: the battered black paint revealing the original white of the frame, the plastic bag to cover the ripped saddle. That half-torn Supreme sticker adds to the aesthetic. It could have been centered, it could have been perfectly applied. But no, quick, dirty, rough – don’t care, just slap it on. Great! Kids spend too much time trying to look cool, to have the right stickers on the right stuff. Well – the less you think about it, the better some stuff looks.” Click Read More for additional information.

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Written by Brittany Kleinman: During summer on the beach in Barcelona, some people sleep, some people play music, and others skate. And if you are one of those people, the park at La Mar Bella is for you. Situated steps from the breaking waves and scantily clad sunbathers, Skaters and Bikers find themselves among friends on the concrete hills. Even if you’re not partaking, it’s a great spot to stop by and enjoy the show. Click Read More for additional information.

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Written by Brittany Kleinman: On a calm pause in the middle of Lago de Atitlán, I found myself surrounded by 4 volcanic mountains with farm land stretching to the waters edge. As we drift in route to Santiago Atitlán, a few fisherman, in wood plank boats, stop by to show us their catch for the day.

In 1955, Lago de Atitlán was mostly unknown to the rest of the world, and Guatemala was seeking ways to increase tourism and boost the local economy. It was suggested by Pan American World Airways that stocking the lake with a fish prized by Westerners, would be a way to put the lake on the map. So, a non-native species, the black bass, was introduced into the lake in 1958 quickly began eating the native inhabitants of the lake. The predatory bass caused the elimination of more than two-thirds of the native fish species in the lake and contributed to the extinction of the giant grebe, a rare bird that lived only around the Lago de Atitlán region.

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