Architecture can be a beautiful thing. It can capture the wonder, the beautify, and the complexity of creation. On the other hand, it can also be used to create hideous monstrosities that don’t deserve to see the light of day. In this list, those are the buildings we’ll be examining. The offensive, the hideous, and the ridiculous. This is the world’s ugliest buildings. By Keith David Langston BOSTON CITY HALL Some people argue that brutalism is a beautiful architectural style. I think that Boston City Hall is the perfect example to prove them wrong. Look at this barbarian savage of…
Author: Keith Langston
Landing can be one of the coolest parts of flying. I always loved flying into LAX back when I lived in LA. You pass downtown LA and the Hollywood sign upon your descent. This week, private jet website PrivateFly released 2019’s list of the most scenic airports in the world. These airports are so beautiful that they make my LAX memories seem more like a mundane trip through the car wash. In the survey, over 7,000 people were interviewed and 129 airports were named in total. The 10 airports with the most votes are… By Keith David Langston 10.)…
Auckland, New Zealand is one of the most beautiful and dynamic cities I have ever had the privilege to live in. It’s like if you mixed San Francisco with Hawaii. Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city (though not its capital). In fact, Auckland has about 1/4 of the entire population of the county, causing Kiwis to nickname Aucklanders as JAFAs (Just Another F****** Aucklander). Much like America’s New York/Los Angeles debate, or Australia’s Sydney/Melbourne debate, Auckland is always in contention with Wellington as to which city is truly the cultural hub of New Zealand coolness. Personally, I vote for Auckland. And…
Some people want their vacations to be breezy and relaxing. Others would like it to be fun and exciting, but what everyone can agree upon is that they don’t want their vacation to be stressful. And what better way to reduce stress than to ditch the car? No rental fees, no parking fees, and no need to buy gas. Vacationing without a car can be a wonderful thing…if you’re in the right spots. Assuming that everyone here already knows that places like New York City and Boston are easy to navigate without a car because of their subway systems, I…
Spring break season has arrived! Students, teachers, professors, and administrators around the country are anxious for their week of no worries. Many will be heading to popular places like Cancun, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami Beach. But what if you want to try some place different this year? Then you need to head to these unexpected spring break locations in the USA. By Keith David Langston NAPLES & MARCO ISLAND, FLORIDA For the traveler who wants to go to Florida. Ok, so you want to avoid the crowds, but you still want to go to Florida. Florida is America’s spring break…
Your grandma probably liked to pull the dandelions out of her garden, saying they were weeds. She probably also told you to eat your spinach, saying it’s good for you, but what would your grandma say if you asked her about a corpse plant? I’ve compiled a list of the craziest, most bizarre plants from around the world. These flora specimens are so insane (and sometimes downright terrifying) that you’ll be forever thankful that the worst thing growing in your yard is crab grass. By Keith David Langston ATTENBOROUGH’S PITCHER PLANT Native Location: The Philippines Pitcher plants can be…
Your vacation doesn’t have to wreck the environment. In fact, with a few small and easy tips, you can have the trip of a lifetime while also minimizing your carbon footprint. Here are five extremely easy ways to make your vacation more green. Remember, Mother Earth will thank you! By Keith David Langston STAY IN LEED HOTELS Travelers who care about the environment have many options when it comes to their accommodations. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an agency that helps with the design of new buildings and the environmental renovation of old…
Stoli Vodka has partnered with the Key West Business Guild to announce the return of the world’s largest annual LGBTQ bartender competition, the Stoli Key West Cocktail Classic. The competition kicked off on Wednesday, March 6, in Dallas. From there, the competition criss-crosses the country, going everywhere from Dayton, Ohio, to Washington D.C. to find America’s best LGBT bartenders. This year’s theme will be “Visibility: Making It Loud and Clear,” aligning with Stoli’s new brand campaign. To make everything even more interesting, the participants will be judged not only on their Stoli-based cocktails, but each bartender must also use an element of…
It’s time to start planning your summer vacation, and if you love theme parks then we have some amazing thrills in store for you. Sure, you could take a thoughtful trip to the Gettysburg battlefield, or spend your summer enrolled in an enriching pottery class…Or, you could live on the wild side! That’s right. Load up that fanny-pack with sunscreen, make sure not to eat too big of a breakfast, and get ready to fight the crowds. Because this is the summer of theme parks. You don’t want the Smithsonian museum. You want speed! Corkscrews! Launched lift hills! Vertical loops!…
Modern technology may have destroyed newspapers, cable, CD’s, and DVD’s, but one industry that seems to be indestructible is the book industry. Readers love their books. And we love them to be physical, tangible things that we can touch, things we can read on airplanes (even during take-off and landing), and things we can put on the shelf afterwards to keep as mementos of the journeys we’ve taken. This is a list of some of America’s coolest independent bookstores. This list by no means complete, as there are wonderful bookstores all over the USA. If you love a bookstore that…
Is there any other city on this planet that’s making a bigger boom than Melbourne is right now? It’s already the cultural hub of Australia. It’s already got taller buildings than Sydney, and is expected to overtake Sydney’s population in the near future. The city is known globally for it’s coffee scene, and Americans have probably noticed that Aussie terms like flat white and long black have invaded coffeeshops around the country. Add to this the fact that Melbourne is consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in the world. So, why not take a trip down under?…
We’ve somehow survived the dreaded winter, and spring is on the way. And to celebrate the changing of the seasons, I always turn to one of my favorite travel songs, Kokomo by The Beach Boys. Few songs better capture the spirit of what it’s like to arrive at a tropical destination. Did you know that this song, which clocks in at about 3 minutes and 30 seconds, manages to mention numerous destinations in and around the Caribbean? It’s part-song, part-itinerary for your next trip. So, let’s take a little romp around these fabled locales… how many have you been to? …
The world-renowned LGBT resort chain, Axel Hotels, is headed to the floating city, and we couldn’t be more excited to get a chance to check it out! For those who don’t know, Axel Hotels is famous for their exquisite service, upscale facilities, and most importantly, their unique take on what an LGBT hotel is. Axel Hotels is all about embracing travel and experience.          View from Axel’s Hotel Venezia Axel’s Hotel Venezia has spent two years in the renovation process, meticulously perfecting every moment of your stay. The goal of the Axel Hotel…
Layovers, delays, cancellations…these can all lead to hellish airport experiences. Especially if that airport is a sad, depressing place like the Phoenix Sky Harbor (the name alone makes me angry). Sky Harbor sounds so cool, so futuristic…It sounds like the type of place a spaceship would land. But no. It’s just a brown box in the desert.) What if I told you there were airports around the world that you’d actually want to get stranded in? Places that would completely change your idea of what an airport is? Well guess what, there are. So if you’re taking a flight sometime soon,…
With American, Delta, Air Canada, and even West Jet getting in on the fun, it appears that Premium Economy has finally made its way to North American airlines. And now that it’s here it has a lot of people asking, what is it? The confusion is only made worse with many US airlines acting like their economy seats with extra legroom is a form of Premium Economy, because it is a “premium” version of an economy seat…but it isn’t Premium Economy. Premium Economy (abbreviated as PE) is its own separate class of aircraft cabin found on international flights. It was originated…
If you’re like me, you don’t eat to live, you live to eat. I need so much food it’s insane, I honestly don’t know where it all goes. My old boss used to say that I probably have a tape worm, but as far as I’m concerned that just means I get to eat more. woohoo!  There’s no meal that I look forward to more than breakfast. That glorious king of meals. When I wake up in the morning, I’m always starving. I go to bed fantasizing about what i’m going to eat the next morning. Visions of pancakes, waffles, and omelettes…
Travel doesn’t have to send you to the poorhouse. In fact, there are lots of ways to travel for really cheap! Or…who cares about cheap, you can literally travel for free. Don’t believe me? Well, then this next one is really gonna throw you… Why travel for free when you can get paid to travel? That’s right, I’m talkin’ about going overseas and walking home with a paycheck. Before you click that little x and decide to read something else, let me prove it to you. Below are the best ways to travel cheaply, for free, or even get paid.…
There are lots of places you can travel to, but don’t you want to go somewhere meaningful? The history and culture of the gay community is one that a lot of the world is still discovering. What better ways to educate ourselves and be stewards to others than to go and visit the important places where LGBTQ history was made? Below is a list of 4 places that are an integral part of what it means to be gay in the world today. How many have you been to? By Keith David Langston The Stonewall Inn, New York City…
Some would argue that few places on this planet beat Southeast Asia for its beauty, its culture, and its cuisines. Others would claim that no place could possibly top Southeast Asia (abbreviated by some as S.E.A). What everyone agrees upon is that this exciting part of the world is a must to experience. One of the most notable reasons why people love traveling to this region is the food. Hailed by many as the best in the world, the cuisines of Southeast Asia all have their unique touches, but they share the use of tropical herbs and produce, the mixing…
Before jet planes there were cars, and before cars there were…trains. Since their inception over two-hundred years ago, trains have been an integral part of human history, carrying everyone from all walks of life, from orphans to presidents. Taking a train journey isn’t just about the destination, it’s about the adventure along the way. And while flying might get you there quicker, you miss out not only on seeing the landscapes around you, but actually being in them as well. Here is a list of five international train journeys that every traveler will want to experience. By Keith David Langston TranzAlpine,…