There are exactly two entries in Jaunted's Hipsters category, one about gelato and the other with the word "irritating." Neither are particularly complimentary. This article from the New York Times, which describes how Williamsburg hipsters have taken to ostentatiously sipping juice out of coconuts as they saunter down the street, is an excellent illustration as to why.

Hipsters, it turns out, are prone to eyeroll-inducing trends of "look at me not caring that you're looking at me for being ridiculous" obnoxiousness:

In the last few months, retailers in hipster hot spots like Williamsburg and the Lower East Side say they have sold unprecedented amounts of the fruit for streetside consumption. 'I think it’s stylish, it’s pretty,' said Zarifeh Saleh... 'You feel like you’re on the beach, but you’re not on the beach.' Some say the public ritual is part of the drink’s allure. 'I don’t ever go and buy a bunch of coconuts and stock them and drink them at home,' said Jennifer Verdon.

]]> Omri 2009-09-28T16:23:50-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/3/30/64443/6468 This month's Conde Nast Traveler has a fascinating backgrounder on Google Earth and Google Maps by Mike DiPaola. It turns out that the ability to visualize every part of an increasingly interconnected planet might have a few consequences for tourists:

So, will the new technology relegate paper maps and bound atlases to eBay and Antiques Roadshow? Since ancient times, maps have included only what was deemed important by the mapmaker, with scads of other stuff left on the cutting-room floor. Now all of it can be stored and accessed, and a map can be customized not just by a cartographer but by you. A map can never fully be the territory it purports to represent, but as layer upon layer of information becomes available, the screen inches ever closer to reality.

]]> Omri 2009-04-01T09:16:31-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/16/81748/0918

Did you hear a plane crashed in the Hudson River? All 155 people on US Airways Flight 1549 Thursday survived, though a flight attendant suffered a broken leg. Without overlooking the extraordinary efforts of the crew and the fact that the airline is out one very expensive Airbus jet, we're calling this the trendiest air disaster in recent memory. Let us count the ways:

Everyone Lived: Can we just repeat that? A jet crashed into a river full of icy water and everyone made it out alive. Maybe we shouldn't be so surprised, given that US-based carriers are setting impossible-to-believe safety records.

You Heard about the Crash on Twitter: What Boing Boing called "a fantastic, iconic shot" didn't come from a news outlet or TV channel, it came from a Twitter user who snapped passengers huddling on a wing and floating on a raft from his ferry. We've said that the future will be microblogged, and the photo so far has garnered more than 140,000 views.

Banks Are Toxic: Turns out more than 20 of the 150 passengers on Flight 1549 worked for Bank of America, which has its headquarters in Charlotte. Most employees probably figured it couldn't get worse than a momentous drop in the value of their own stock or trying to wiggle bailout money from Congress. That was before an A320 ditched in a river!

Related Stores:
· Plane Crashes In Hudson River [Jaunted]

[Photo via Janis Krums]]]> pbb 2009-01-16T09:02:24-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/15/1490/14204

We've been hyping all manner of deals these first couple weeks of 2009, with an eye to both the economy and the fact that no matter how bad it gets we'll still be flashing our passports. But now we want to know: What's the latest travel deal you've scored?

Whether you booked one of our five airfare sales of the moment, noticed a must-visit hotel that popped up on HotelChatter's room rate drop watch or you're planning to take advantage of bargains in the cut-throat rental car market, how are you saving cash while still seeing the world?

The Jaunted crew has tried a couple strategies lately, including hitting up Whistler in the dead zone between New Year's and MLK Jr. Day, visiting a South American country where the exchange rate is quite favorable and hopping cheap buses.

Fill us in on your latest travel deal triumph in the comments!

Related Stories:
· Our Top Five International Airfare Sales Of The Moment [Jaunted]
· 2008's Best Travel Newcomer Is BoltBus [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2009-01-15T14:30:49-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/1/14/143934/141

We've recently commenced detente with the cruise industry, mostly because of its ability to churn out celebrity cruises with such alarming facility. But while travel booking websites are quaking with fear and airline bankruptcies seem more common than a free upgrade, the number of people taking cruises is actually growing.

Granted, we're getting those numbers from the Cruise Lines International Association, which has a vested interest in hyping the trend. But the organization also points out some reasons besides bandwagon jumping that might motivate travelers to take a boat-bound trip in 2009.

New Destinations: One of the things that turns us off about cruising is the relatively snoozy ports of call. (Really? Ft. Lauderdale to Cancun? We'll be dozing by the shuffleboard court.) But the CLIA reports lots of action at "emerging ports" like Bahrain, Dubai, Hvar, Ischia, Mumbai and Sihanoukville. Now we're talking.]]> pbb 2009-01-14T15:00:48-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/23/122137/52

By now, you've probably heard that @2drinksbehind was onboard Continental Flight 1404 when it skidded off the runway in Denver Saturday night. Shortly after he leapt to safety, he started Twittering like mad about the experience. Since then, he's been on TV news shows and picked up tons of followers.

But we're wondering what the plane incident X-factor is because Pam from Nerd's Eye View Twittered her own off-the-runway accident in September and didn't get a call from Brian Williams. Maybe it's because her plane didn't catch on fire? Or maybe it's because she didn't use the words "Holy fucking shit" to introduce her live-from-the-tarmac reporting?

We're expecting even more Twittering of plane crashes and bad seatmate encounters now that airlines are getting in-flight WiFi--and even painfully ordinary flights are already being liveblogged. Used to be all you could do in midair was watch the major news networks report on your beleaguered Airbus. In the future, CNN will be DMing you to ask for a report on the situation live from. Terrific.

Related Stories:
· Terrifying Restaurateurs in 140 Characters or Less [Jaunted]
· 2drinksbehind [Twitter]
· Jaunted [Twitter]]]> pbb 2008-12-23T12:30:36-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/18/23729/538

We're gonna go ahead and call this trend before it even really gets going. Cheesy tropical island-themed parties are totally making a comeback this winter. Yep, grass skirts, calypso music, drinks in coconuts and even the limbo are in.

The whole thing may sound a little 1970s-office party right now, but let's remember the only reason the Caribbean theme became cheesy is that actually going to the Caribbean became cheap. Now that none of us can afford to jet away for winter weekends anymore, we think we're gonna see an awful lot of cold, cold people starting to sing "the Banana Boat" come January.

DC gets a head start this weekend with a holiday party that we might have turned our nose up at in years past, but we think the fiesta at the Embassy of Barbados is the hot ticket tonight. Curried shrimp, tropical décor, and rum galore... what could be better? (Aside from actually flying to Barbados, that is.) So if your poor office canceled the holiday fun, this sounds like the party to check out. Dress is "smart casual," which we assume means throw on a grass skirt over your suit.

Related Stories:
· Holiday Party in Barbados [WaPo]
· Barbados Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: teesha b]]]> BS 2008-12-19T12:35:34-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/