Stamped Magazine Spring 2013 by Stamped Magazine

STAMPED Pennâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Travel Magazine | Spring 2013

the business of adventure Students travel creatively on limited funds

Fifty Shades Of Italy: stories from a summer abroad

Road-Ready Tunes: a playlist for the open road

Inaugural Issue

2 Stamped // Spring 2013

welcome

04 Letter from the Editor 05 Travel Postcard

12 British Virgin Islands: With Your Pledge Class

The winning snaps from our online contest

14 In Search of Zero-Cost Adventure

Adventures and fine dining on the high seas

06 Road Trip, Road Tunes Books to Keep You Company

Students come up with creative ways to criss-cross America

Entertainment on the road

18 Fifty Shades of Italy

07 Sling Dat Slang Colloquial phrases to try in the streets of Singapore and Malaysia

Brief interviews with not-so-hideous men

20 Finding a Bathroom in the City of Light

08 Style Exports

Clichés and realities of Paris, France

Ensembles inspired by Bogotá, Colombia

22 Beer through the Ages Brew of the Month

09 Backpack Light Essentials for any extended adventure

A brief history and a hand-picked favorite

10 Washington, DC: With Your PoliSci-Loving Friend

23 Mexican Brunch Fiesta

Monuments, shopping and good eats all in a weekend’s work

11 Seattle, WA: With Your Significant Other An atypical romantic getaway

Not just pancakes and eggs

24 In the Banana Stand DIY: Frozen Bananas A look at the Los Angeles frozen banana scene and how to create your own treats

25 Silicon Valley Tech Trek Penn computer science students’ pilgrimage to San Francisco, CA

26 Souvenirs: From Tacky to Classy An approval matrix of travel keepsakes stampedmag.com

editor’s letter

Last summer, I was once lost in a small town in Italy. I had no one for company but a few exoticlooking transgender prostitutes. They kept on shouting, “SEX! SEX!” in my face. But in the end, it was one of these “ladies” who pulled out a map from her miniskirt and helped me find my way out of the shady neighborhood. Well, this is a random anecdote, but this is what happens when I travel. I end up at [blank]. I meet [blank]. Nothing is predictable. I often wake up each morning with no concrete plan, just wandering around a foreign city and letting serendipity guide me. Only then can I discover that cute boutique hidden from view, that family-owned restaurant not listed in my guide book, or, that transgender prostitute in the sketchiest town… Sometimes I encounter problems, but still I am not afraid to get lost. I want to get lost. Travelling often starts with audacity, persists with exploration, and concludes with self-discovery. I have experienced this, and I am sure many of you have too. Stamped Magazine wants to share your adventures and encounters along the road. We want to share the song you’ve heard in LA, the dress you’ve seen in Colombia, or the slang words you’ve

This is what happens when I travel. I end up at [blank]. I meet [blank]. Nothing is predictable. learned in Singapore (p. 6-8). This first issue of Stamped is brought to you by three Penn juniors who love to travel. While studying abroad last semester, Grace, Frida and I planned this magazine entirely through email, Google Drive, and Skype calls between Paris, Glasgow, Philly, Beijing and other places across the continents.

Travel is not limited by time or money; it doesn’t have to involve exotic destinations or 5-star hotels. You can travel to Washington, DC with your poli-sci friend over the weekend or couchsurf in Seattle, WA with your significant other (p. 10-11). We want Stamped to be accessible to everyone at Penn: we hope this issue inspires you to make time and save money for your next travel adventure.

Jeanette Sha Editor-in-chief

stamped MAGAZINE Founders: Frida Garza Jeanette Sha Grace Wang Photo Editor: Tim Liu Cover Photo by Evan Robinson Page 3 Photos by Evan Robinson (top right), Jeanette Sha (bottom right) and Grace Wang 4 Stamped // Spring 2013

Contributors: Sam Brodey, Jacqueline Duhl, Alexandra Jaffe, Abigail Koffler, Thomas Ly, Tim Miller, Nanette Nunu, Isa Oliveres, Molly Sprayregen, Franklin Yang and Rachel Zurier. We are Penn’s student-run travel magazine. We believe travel can be affordable and accessible to students. Like travel itself, we aim to be a means for selfdiscovery and exploration. By highlighting novel and formative experiences, we promote cultural exchange within and beyond the Penn community.

Special thanks to the Creative Ventures Fund at the Kelly Writers House for making this first issue possible. In particular, we would like to thank Jessica Lowenthal for her enthusiastic support of Stamped. Thanks also to the Penn Abroad team for their early assistance with marketing and distribution efforts, and Rolf Potts, the 2011-12 ArtsEdge Writer-inResidence. To inquire about advertising or staff positions, contact us at info@stampedmag.com.

Announcing

your best vacation shots

We asked for your best shots from the road, you answered. Here are the top three. Wanna see more? Head to stampedmag.com for honorable mentions.

1st Place:

Photographing Philly in a hurricane. So easily do we equate travel with distance. For reminding us that travelling is just as much about new experiences as it is about new locations, we award the 1st prize to Daniel Khaw.

2nd Place:

For bringing her camera along on a basket ride (and not forgetting composition 101), we award the 2nd prize to Shaye Roseman for this shot taken in Cappadocia,Turkey.

3rd Place:

For making church a little less boring, we award the 3rd prize to Nicole Malick for this shot taken in Orvieto, Italy. stampedmag.com

field notes

Road Trip Road Tunes Life is a highway. Don’t waste it with bad music. By Frida Garza 1. Noah and the Whale – Instrumental 1 The first track of your roadtrip playlist needs to set the right tone. This short but sweeping instrumental piece will open up like the road before you. 2. The Proclaimers – I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) This Scottish rock band knows a thing or two about travel. The iconic declaration of love and infectious drumbeat will make you glad to rack up miles on the odometer. 3. Bruce Springsteen – The Promised Land You would be remiss to leave Bruce off of any road trip playlist. His earnest croons and that bluesy harmonica are requisites for a study of the American heartland. 4. The Mountain Goats – This Year No song better captures the freedom of the open road than this chronicle of teenage escapism. You’re gonna wish you were 17 again. 5. Rilo Kiley – With Arms Outstretched This folk song is bare bones and all soul. The track’s xylophone, acoustic guitar and chorus of friends make it an inevitable singa-long. 6. The Shins – Australia Let The Shins be the indie pop wind beneath your wings. The joyous melody is enough to make you feel invincible on the road (and off). 7. YACHT – Shangri-La West coast bound? YACHT hears you loud and clear, “If I can’t go to heaven/Let me go to LA/Or the far west Texas desert/Or an Oregeon summer day.” 8. Bon Iver – Michicant If you can keep from crying at the wheel, this little number is perfect for long lulls of highway. Save it for stretches of beautiful landscape. 9. Grouplove – Don’t Say Oh Well An all-purpose tonic for difficult goodbyes. This song off Grouplove’s first EP narrates the band’s own beginnings. 10. Otis Redding – Let Me Come Home The title says it all. Otis Redding may sing of the heartache of travel, but the killer horn section will keep your spirits lifted.

6 Stamped // Spring 2013

Never travel

Alone

Books to keep you company while you roam. By Alexandra Jaffe On the beach and want a quick read: An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley Who said that beach reads have to be trashy? This classic British play is only 72 pages long, but the lessons from a family interrogated about a woman’s suicide will stay with you. It’s perfect to finish in one sitting, knowing you read something remarkable.

If you’d rather look at pictures: The Adventures of Tintin by Hergé This comic is not just for kids; the charming and laugh-out-loud clever stories follow Tintin and his trusty sidekick Snowy the Dog all around the world, and even into space. There are 23 completed graphic albums and each is fantastic (I’ve read them all).

On the beach with tons of time to kill: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett This book is the mother of all historical epic novels. Follett weaves together a masterpiece chronicling the lives of characters in medieval England. Don’t let the length intimidate; it’s engaging the whole way through.

During a layover at airport: 50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James This, friends, is an appropriate time to read 50 Shades of Grey. Don’t Kindle it like a little bitch. Own up and buy a hard copy at Hudson News and then gift it to a bored-looking flight attendant.

On a road trip alone: On the Road by Jack Kerouac The epitome of cliché. But you’re on a road trip alone for god’s sake – if this book didn’t set you off in the first place, then get your hands on a copy ASAP. This semi-autobiographical account of Kerouac and his beatnik friends captures his generation with enough poignancy to render it a classic.

On a safari: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan Only one chapter of this Pulitzer Prize winner is set in the African wild. But that chapter, aptly titled “Safari,” is so good that The New Yorker published it as a fiction feature. The rest of the book is a tour de force as well.

When you’re traveling alone and want to read at dinner: The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury Eating three meals solo doesn’t have to be lonely. Enter Bradbury’s 18 short stories that explore imagination and the realm of plausibility, often dealing with outer space.

If you want to read about travel and laugh: anything Bill Bryson Chock-full of anecdotes that are ridiculous, relatable and touching, Bryson’s eight travel books will have you in hysterics. Bryson is a must-read for anyone with a love for travel and a good reminder not to take even the biggest travel mishap too seriously.

Sling dat Article and photos by Sam Brodey It’s hard to think of a place where slang is more essential than in Singapore. The tiny city-state counts English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil all as its official languages and within this tower of babel, local slang is the linguistic glue that holds everything together. “Singlish” is less slang and more creole – a mix of the grammar and vocabulary of all of Singapore’s official languages – that is at once marvelous and utterly impossible to understand. The intricacies of Singlish would take years to grasp fully (I suspect many speakers don’t totally get it themselves), but to get a small taste, check out this essential glossary.

Slang

LAH

MUGGING

If there’s one word to know in Singlish, this is it. This versatile phrase is reflective of the tongue in general, in that the word means nothing on its own. Mainly, it’s used as an exclamatory accent at the end of a sentence. The ubiquitous example is “can lah” (or its counterpart, “cannot lah”) – found on t-shirts around the city, it’s just the local way of saying yes. A true Singlish speaker might drop “lah” regularly at the end of sentences or even in between words, making it that much more baffling.

Synonymous with “cramming” in the US trying to learn a semester’s worth of material in a few days - mugging is a favorite word among Singaporean students. When finals hit, high school and college students alike will lock themselves in the library, attempting to memorize everything in time for exams. This is prime mugging time. The word will appear on students’ t-shirts, often alongside the unofficial Singaporean motto: “Pain is temporary. GPA is forever.”

KIASU

AUNTIE/UNCLE

Kiasu is a Hokkien Chinese word, literally meaning “fear of failure.” Singaporeans are hyper-competitive about almost everything and eagerly apply kiasu to work and school. But it goes farther than that. Pushing through masses of bodies to be the first person on the subway? That’s kiasu. Waiting for unimaginable stretches of time to be first at the best noodle stall? Also kiasu. Few slang words capture so completely the local way of life like kiasu does.

This is a great one to know if you ever travel to Singapore. To show respect, strangers should refer to older men and women as “uncle” or “auntie” (this is common in Asian cultures). Hop in a cab and call your older driver “uncle” and you’ll instantly score points, same with the older woman who makes your morning coffee or tea. It adds a warm, familial dash to any interaction and will make you seem like a savvy local. Which is the whole point. stampedmag.com

styleexports

field notes

8 Stamped // Spring 2013

After spending a semester abroad in Madrid, I realized I’d made a grave error: the world’s best fashion is not in America. Check out these outfits inspired by the up-and-coming fashion city, Bogotá. By Nanette Nunu With a style that has been described as “lower Manhattan with a cultural twist”, the streets of Bogotá, Colombia have an eccentric vibe that keeps the city lively and the people happy. The city of 9 million is host to the annual Semana Internacional de la Moda de Bogotá, a sign of its thriving textile and design industry. Mix these trends that will keep you hip to the times and allow them to fit in perfectly in the Bogotá scene. Look 1: For running errands For a chic Bogotá-inspired day outfit, keep your color pattern simple with a white lace top and navy blue skirt. Punch it up with patterned tights to add edge. This pair of wedge booties from ASOS will elongate your legs and will be perfect for running errands. To add touches of color, try this Lazy Oaf backpack or jade-toned earrings. Look 2: For the nightclub To match Bogotá’s colorful nightlife, you’ll want an outfit with both sophistication and a little something extra. Nights can be long, so comfort is key. This basic romper is comfortable and chic and the tribal print adds a touch of exoticism. The fringe booties are great for a night of dancing, and the high heel paired with the short romper will elongate your legs. Nights in Bogotá can get chilly, so don a cherry-red blazer like this one from Topshop and stay warm while looking good.

LOok 3: For the guys Don’t worry, we didn’t forget about you. Menswear is equally important, and you guys have to make sure you’re not shown up by your exquisitely dressed ladyfriends. Keep your palette simple but stay close to trends with a printed cardigan from Topman and a pair of chino shorts. Our second tip: fear not the “murse”. Keep your keys, wallet and phone in this number from the Forever 21’s men’s department.

Back pack light The unofficial doctrine for any seasoned traveler. By Thomas Ly Photo by Jeanette Sha When backpacking, the fewer the items, the better. A lighter pack means less weight to carry and fewer things to repack. Ideally use a backpack with good support straps — it’ll distribute the weight across your upper and lower body. Pack for four days; after that, wash on the go. What to bring: Underwear and socks for four days Two pairs of pants Four shirts One lightweight sweater One windbreaker or lightweight jacket One rain poncho — a trash bag will do in a pinch Two towels — one for showering and one for handwashing Comfortable shoes you can walk in for at least 15 miles a day One pair of flip flops Sunglasses and sunscreen, or hat Water bottle

Clothing: Dress in layers and only bring clothes you’ll wear — otherwise, chuck it. Light clothes will dry more quickly and let you move around more freely. A lightweight jacket over a decent sweater and a base layer of clothing should be plenty for any weather above 32o F. Maps: In a world of mobile devices and other gadgets, paper maps may seem backwards, but your smartphone battery may not last the entire trip. Keep one paper map for each place you will visit.

Snacks: Keep up your energy with fruit (hand or dried), trail mix, energy bars and nuts. Keep and replenish a small reserve before trekking to your next location in case you don’t find a hot meal. Electronics: If you’re going to bring electronics, keep them to a minimum. Most smartphones can second as a decent camera — if you can’t part with your DSLR, only bring your favorite lens. Make sure to bring the appropriate outlet converters.

stampedmag.com

Washington, DC: with your polisci-loving friend Washington, D.C. has a reputation for being a staid city filled with museums, government buildings and little else, but it’s easy to sample good food and entertainment while getting your history fix at the same time. HOW: A 3-hour ride on Megabus (http://us.megabus.com/) and various Chinatown buses (such as New Century Travel, http://www.2001bus.com/) are the most economical ways to get to DC from Philly. Bus fares typically run $30 roundtrip if booked a week in advance. Amtrak is another option, leaving from 30th St Station and arriving at Union Station, and a round-trip ticket is priced starting at $100. WHEN: Any weekend. DC is a good destination year-round, but popular times are during the National Cherry Blossom Festival (typically mid-April), Passport DC (May, embassies open house for two weeks), and the Fourth of July. Keep in mind that DC summertime temperatures may make the nation’s capital feel like a swamp. COST: $200-250, including transportation and lodging.

10 Stamped // Spring 2013

Article and photos by Grace Wang Friday: After arrival, check in to your hostel to ditch your bags. To get in touch with your inner Quaker, consider staying at the William Penn House, which includes breakfast after daily (optional) worship from 7:30-8am. Alternatively, Hostelling International’s DC branch is another centrally located option. You can crash at either place for less than $40 a night. The Newseum, one of the DC museum scene’s newest additions, is a can’t-miss — make it one of your first stops. It’s pricey at $17.95 per head, but the journalism and media museum’s interactive exhibits (which include a section of the Berlin Wall and daily front pages from more than 80 international newspapers) are well worth it. Want to spice up the Urban Outfitters and American Apparel in your wardrobe? Make your way to the Georgetown waterfront for shopping. Once the stomach rumblings set in, take a break at Pizzeria Paradiso, a pizzeria and birrieria (brewery, for you non-beer snobs) rolled in one. Save some room for dessert at the now famous Georgetown Cupcake, just a hop down the block.

Saturday: The area adjoining the National Mall offers up what is probably the nation’s most concentrated area of museums and monuments: the White House, the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, and the U.S. Capitol bookend the Smithsonian’s free museums, including the architecturally stunning Museum of the American Indian. A far cry from cafeteria food, the museum’s Mitsitam Cafe offers up native foods from tribes across the U.S, such as buffalo burgers and corn totopos. If you tire of museums and taking cheesy photos in front of the White House, detour south to the Tidal Basin, where you can stretch your limbs by paddle boating in plain view of the Jefferson Memorial. For late-night dancing, U Street Music Hall (or more simply, U Hall) is a concert club with a consistently good DJ lineup and a kickass speaker system, where you can count on mingling with a music-loving crowd. If the munchies hit afterwards, look no further than Ben’s Chili Bowl, a mainstay of the late night DC food scene since 1958 and at your service until 4am on Friday and Saturday nights. Sunday: Check out DC’s unrivaled flea and food market at Eastern Market, where local artisans and growers gather each Sunday. And if you get there early enough to beat the line, Market Lunch’s blueberry buckwheat pancakes are the perfect way to end your weekend on a sweet note.

Seattle, WA: with your significant other

By Rachel Zurier

Photos by Grace Wang

Seattle is Portland’s less twee, much cooler sister city. There, you’ll find a downright romantic metropolis with unbeatable Asian food and some of the best urban parks in America. HOW: Your only reasonable option is to fly. This is where you need to be a price-sleuth; troll websites like Kayak for cheap flights. Alaskan Airlines flies direct from Philly to Seattle for less than $500 round trip, and their service is unparalleled; enjoy complimentary Starbucks coffee and organic cookies as you ogle the Cascade Mountains! WHEN: Despite its drizzly reputation, Seattle dries off and becomes one of the most beautiful places in the country during the summertime. Go in July or August: temperatures will hover between 60 and 80 °F, making outdoor activities that much more appealing. COST: $500-600, including transportation and lodging.

Friday: First, head to your hostel to check in and shower after that 5-hour flight. Public transit in Seattle is inexpensive, clean and easy to use, so buy an Orca card for $5 and then continue topping up for access to all buses and trains. When it comes to choosing a hostel, Seattle is a popular tourist destination among the poor-collegestudent set, so you’ve got options. For $28 a night, City Hostel Seattle is centrally located and has won numerous awards. And if you’re sharing a bed with somebody, you can split that cost in half. Although it is touristy, your first stop in Seattle should be Pike Place Market. If you’re worried about being swarmed, then go at an odd hour—like between mealtimes—to avoid crowds. The range of goods, from fresh produce to carved wooden keepsakes, will keep you and your boo from arguing over what each of you “feels like.” Bonus: you can eat your haul on the docks whilst gazing at Puget Sound. Your next stop should be the Seattle Central Library, designed by Rem Koolhaas in 2006. It may look like a spaceship, but it’s gorgeous

itineraries inside, and there are sweeping views of the city everywhere you look. It’s wise to stick around the city center that first day. Seattle is a very long, thin city with lots of water boundaries, and travel time can be significant. But that doesn’t mean you’ll be lounging around on Day 1—stroll through Pioneer Square, the historic core of the city, and check out the many art galleries, boutiques and coffee shops. But don’t eat there unless you’re looking to spend some coin. For cheaper food, check out the International District, northeast of the library, for the city’s most densely populated Asian community and the best damn Banh Mi you’ve ever had for $3. Saturday: If you’ve got any outdoorsy bones in your bodies, take advantage of all the nature Seattle has to offer. Discovery Park is particularly stunning. It’s a mix of thick woodland, driftwood-strewn coastline and jagged cliffs. Wear your sneakers for the hiking, but bring extra socks for the beach. The water is much colder than on the east coast, so instead of swimming you can walk hand in hand along the water and completely forget you’re within city limits. If you’re visiting in the summer, line your trip up with the Seafair Torchlight Parade. Seafair is Seattle’s annual celebration of nautical and aerospace history and culture. The Stranger, Seattle’s alt-weekly publication, can provide recommendations for latenight fun thereafter. If you’re up for a trek, Volunteer Park in the super-LGBTfriendly Capitol Hill neighborhood has outdoor Bollywood film screenings on Friday nights in the summer. Sunday: Take the (fairly flat) bike path from the University District to hippie Fremont to edgy Ballard, and you’ll find yourself in the beating heart of Seattle’s hipster core. You’ll want to take your next profile picture with Fremont’s Bridge Troll (delightfully exactly what it sounds like). Then hit up the Fremont Vintage Mall, and keep walking until you hit the Ballard Locks, where you can watch salmon climb “ladders” during their spawning season. Stop by King’s Hardware, a bar in Ballard where craft beer flows endlessly and there’s enough taxidermy for two (or three, or twenty-six). stampedmag.com

Opposite page, clockwise from top: British Virgin Islands, salmon ladders in Seattle, The Stranger, Pike Place Market, Georgetown Cupcake in DC, M Street, cars in Ballard, Seattle, National Museum of the American Indian in DC. Photos by Jacqueline Duhl, Grace Wang and Rachel Zurier

British Virgin Islands:

with your pledge class

Article and photo by Jacqueline Duhl

The British Virgin Islands (BVI), located in the Caribbean east of Puerto Rico, provide the ideal tropical escape from Penn’s midterm season. Setting off on a multi-day cruise from Tortola, the largest island, will not only take care of pesky hotel and meal reservations, but will also provide activities for even the hardto-please: water recreation, sun time and wildlife wonders await you.

Fly into Tortola – upon landing, the plane will seem to skim the surface of the turquoise water. After a short drive to the marina, you will be greeted by your captain, who will lead you across the dock to a catamaran sailboat: yours for the week. Unload your bathing suits, shorts, t-shirts and sundresses into cozy cabins before digging into a welcome meal, prepared by the in-boat chef. Then whip out the sunglasses as the captain announces takeoff, and glide out into the big blue. HOW: Fly into Tortola—a roundtrip flight Wake up on your first morning to the will cost you around $600. To get around smell of fresh Caribbean fruit, omelettes, the islands, charter a catamaran sailboat with French toast and a salty wind. Over a captain and a chef from The Moorings breakfast, ponder over a difficult question: (http://www.moorings.com/). Prices range snorkeling or scuba diving? from $3,725 for a 6-person catamaran to If you decide on snorkeling, you’ll have $8,950 for a 12-person catamaran. the pleasure of doing so in the Indians, a set of jutting, chestnut-colored rocks that are WHEN: March 3 to March 9 home to schools of vibrantly pigmented fish. Bring along a disposable underwater camera COST: $4,000-$10,000 to capture snapshots of the fish swimming

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by in shades of magenta, yellow and royal blue. Among the other wildlife you’ll spy are brilliant green eels, poking their heads out of crevices with curiosity, and deep lavender sea urchins swaying with the currents. For those of you in the scuba diving camp, you’re lucky enough to have a master scuba diver on board – he also happens to be your chef. He’s packed enough gear and oxygen tanks for you and your certified friends, so you’re all set to descend to the wreck of the Rhone, a packet ship that sank in 1867. 55 feet down, the visibility is perfect: you’ll get the chance to observe stingrays disturbing the seemingly flat benthos, while fish with eyes as big as your fist school around the various underwater cabins. Looking up, you see your best friend snorkeling in the clear water near the surface. “They all laughed at Christopher Columbus / When he said the world was round.” See the truth for yourself on another day at sea, as you sail towards Anegada. As you approach the island, the blue sea horizon will slowly transform into a lush oasis with pink flamingos clustered in the inlets. Hike through natural grasses and trees to reach the opposite side of the island, where you can walk along the beach to collect heart-shaped white corals, formed from thousands of years of tides. Before leaving Anegada, make sure to visit the Baths; water flows through these caves that are formed by huge stones. Feel the sand between your toes and stare in awe at these rock formations that reflect light off the walls in beautiful tones. Spend your last day at the Bitter End Yacht Club on the beach, doing water sports and eating one last delicious meal prepared by your chef. Sail back to Tortola, accompanied by dolphins that jump by the sides of your catamaran.

stampedmag.com

In Search of Zero-Cost Adventure By Frida Garza

14 Stamped // Spring 2013

Photos by Evan Robinson

How student travelers find innovative ways to scrimp on gas, housing and food — and in some cases, even make money.

anhandling was not a part of the original plan. Max Hansen, SAS ’14, and his girlfriend-at-the-time Anna had arrived in Chicago at the start of their two-week cross-country trip. While there, they wanted to visit Max’s childhood home in Duluth, Minnesota. So, feeling scrappy and daring, Max and Anna made cardboard signs—“HELP ME GET A BUS TICKET HOME TO MINNESOTA”—and stood on two separate street corners for roughly one hour. The two didn’t need to ask for money—they wanted to. A scrupulous saver, Max had budgeted his and Anna’s collective funds so they would have just enough for the entire trip. This budget included a pit stop in Duluth. Necessity didn’t drive them to panhandle; Max says it was “something we did more for the experience”. He admits that the total money they made — Max: less than $2; Anna: $45 — did give them some “breathing room.” But the experience of panhandling gave them more than a night’s dinner. It represented their greater journey: a chunk of time they’d given themselves to do nothing but travel and explore a crosssection of the US. Asking for money, like the trip itself, wasn’t strictly necessary. They were after adventure. The idea of self-motivated travel is simple, and well known. Alex Evanczuk, W ’14, describes his wanderlust as one of the reasons he planned his own journey across the US after freshman year. “I’ve always had some sort of faraway dream to do a cross-country trip,” Alex explains. The other reason was unemployment. It was the summer after his freshman

year, and he didn’t have any internship offers. With little money and zero business opportunities, he realized he did have time—and he didn’t want to waste it. The opportunity cost of staying home became too high. If he couldn’t boost his resume, then he would add value to his free time—with low-cost, self-reliant travel. “It seemed like it’d be a good adventure, you know?” Alex told me. But even in the business of adventure, capital is needed. So what happens when students can’t afford the adventure? As it turns out, there are more than a few ways to plan a virtually zero-cost road trip.

If you’re going to cut expenses on the road, start with transportation. When Max decided to do his trip, he knew that he and Anna could count on no more than $500 after his last paycheck of the semester. That didn’t leave him with many options. He told me they “punted around the idea of getting a shitty car” but the cost of gas and insurance quickly eliminated that idea. Greyhound was the next option, but the couple couldn’t stand the idea of spending days on a small, crowded bus. That’s where a little research and a sweet deal saved their trip. Amtrak, a cross-country railroad service, has a multiple-leg journey policy that allows customers to book one trip with various stops along the way. That meant that Max could buy a bus ticket from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco with an eight-day pit stop in Chicago and another stop in Salt Lake City. They would get to see

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more of the American landscape, for the same price as a non-stop trip between the two coasts. While Amtrak is an obvious and appealing solution for travelers on a budget, Alex already knew how he wanted to make his journey. As a personal challenge, he would bike. Biking encapsulates the spirit of self reliance behind his trip. It’s also cheaper. Requiring only basic maintenance, it is cost and energy-effective. He didn’t need money or gas to power his physical journey. The only thing necessary, according to him, was to “sit upright” and pedal. “I’ve seen people who are much older and younger than me do it,” Alex said. He also didn’t believe that any training was necessary. “I’ve never biked that much. You can’t really train for this sort of thing,” he said, citing his minimal pre-trip workouts. His motto was, “You train on the way.”

The final cost of Max’s train ticket was $350, a bargain compared to every other alternative. The trick, then, was to spend less than $200 over the course of the following two weeks. Max, who prides himself in his penny-pinching, was determined to do so. Once aboard Amtrak, he and Anna only had to take care of food and housing. One of those expenses took care of itself: long stretches of road (including the 49-hour leg from Chicago to San Francisco) meant sleeping would take place on the train. And with friends, family and future roommates living in Chicago, Salt Lake City and San Francisco, Max and Anna could always stampedmag.com

feature

“Even if I had the money, I wouldn’t have gone to a hotel.”

rely on free room and board (even when room and board meant a pull-out couch). When Alex wasn’t setting up camp under the stars, he also slept on couches. But these couches were usually in the homes of strangers. “Couchsurfing” put Alex in touch with these strangers. It’s a website that helps connect travelers with people who are willing to host them for a few nights. As a service that’s more focused on facilitating cultural exchange and social interaction than on free housing, it’s become an extremely popular alternative to hotels and hostels. There’s no fee to participate in the community, but travelers never know what will be like to spend the night in a strange home. For Alex, this was part of the adventure he sought. “I never felt intimidated,” he said, although he admits the online messaging aspect of Couchsurfing was “kind of scary.” Through Couchsurfing, he stayed with a vegan New England judo instructor, a Mexican businessman in Pennsylvania and an all-American housewife in Indiana (“She had portraits of her kids in front of the American flag”). “Even if I had the money, I wouldn’t have gone to a hotel,” he said. The stories he was gathering were part of the experience. He wanted the unconventional homestays; he craved the surprise. As another aspect to his adventure, Alex maintained a modest dining schedule. His diet on the road consisted of bagels, tuna, trail mix and peanut butter, mostly purchased from gas stations. He didn’t want to spend much, and he needed to stay lean. His expenses amounted to about $6 or $7 a day, with the exception of a few “victory lunches.” In total, Alex spent less than $500 going from New England to California. Although the couchsurfing and lean diet

16 Stamped // Spring 2013

could be perceived as spartan by some, they embodied his commitment to pushing himself out of his comfort zone and refusal to self-indulge. These were the reasons he made the trip in the first place.

In terms of budgeting money for recreation, Max was in luck. The most fun he had on his trip came free of charge. During an eight-day layover in Chicago, Max and Anna spent many a day riding bikes. Borrowed from a friend whom they were staying with, the bikes were a nocost way to explore more of the city than they could by foot or metro. They biked through the city’s scenic suburbs, lakeside coasts and inner streets. They saw parts of Chicago that Max—who was born in Evanston—had never seen before. One of these urban pockets is a place called South Lawnsdale—or “Little Village.” Known as the “Mexico of the Midwest,” Little Village is Chicago’s Latino neighborhood. The night that they stumbled upon this enclave, the pair ate everything from tacos to “weird Mexican sandwiches … to queso-flavored ice cream.” When they walked through a nearby neighborhood, a family celebrating a child’s first communion in their backyard ushered Max and Anna in—“Pasen, pasen!”—for beers and dancing. Max, who doesn’t drink, still cites that night as “one of those memories that stands out in my mind as unambiguously happy.” Alex too remembers a simple pleasure as one of the highlights of his biking expedition. In Colorado, he first caught sight of the Rocky Mountains in the distance from the top of an incline. As he sped downhill, a “totally epic” song played in his headphones. What song came on? He asked me if I’d

heard of Sigur Ros, the ambient Icelandic pop band. The group’s lead singer and his boyfriend started a side project. The track that came on his iPhone is called “Stokkseyri” and is off of Riceboy Sleeps, the project’s debut studio album. What stands out about this memory to Alex is that he didn’t schedule it. He didn’t incorporate it into his route and then allot time and money—it just happened. And, like Max’s night in Little Village, Alex didn’t have to pay for his favorite part of the trip. With the right mindset, fun doesn’t have to cost a thing.

Of course, sometimes a trip requires certain initial costs. Evan Robinson, SAS ‘14, had only one choice for transportation when he planned his cross-country road trip. As a freelance photographer in the Philly area, Evan needed a car to haul his equipment from gig to gig. The way he’d survived so far was renting a U-Haul and driving it through downtown Philadelphia (which Evan describes as “a total nightmare”). So last summer, he made plans to bring his car back to campus—by driving it from Los Angeles, California. That decision alone would rack up significant costs. Gas would be a constant and expensive need, and the trip could not happen without the necessary insurance coverage. Instead of eliminating costs, he decided to distribute them. Evan told his friends about the trip, in hopes that a few would join him and split the costs. Three friends signed on, excited to take part in his Great American Road Trip. They weren’t the only ones. At the end of the summer, Evan was in the middle of a bidding war for a photo gig based out of New York. A high-end menswear fashion start-up was looking for a photographer,

Rainstorm in Las Vegas, Nevada

and Evan had to pitch an idea that would make him stand out against tons of other portfolios. So he ran with the road trip idea: he told the start-up’s founders that he would photograph their leather bags on the road. “I needed to show them something no one else could offer,” Evan said. He thought that if he could show people the bag plus the thing they’d always wanted to do (travel the country), that bag would become the thing the customers had always wanted. His idea worked—the founders loved it and hired him. The allure of his trip seemed to appeal to his bosses in the same way Evan hoped it would appeal to their customers. The guys agreed to let Evan take their bags on the road and quickly shipped some to his home in LA. The night before he left, Evan still didn’t know if he’d be able to pull it off. That’s what made his first shoot his favorite. Evan and his crew found themselves in Las Vegas after a thunderstorm. They pulled over to the side of the highway and shot an impromptu photoshoot, using the desert sky and the roadside puddles as a backdrop. Evan says he was impressed with how well the photos came out, and from that point on, he knew the trip would be a success—wherever it ended up taking him. “I knew I would be able to find things in the country over the following eight days,” he told me, “without knowing exactly where it was I was going.” The group shot everywhere they went, with Evan’s friend Arthur serving as a model and always keeping a pressed men’s suit in the trunk of the car. They weren’t able to cut many costs on the road (Evan says they “ate well and slept cheap”) and were never in one city for more than twelve hours. But thanks to his assignment, Evan says he ended up making money from the trip. Most students have to eliminate expenses on the road. Evan found a way to make a profit. He declined to say just how much. stampedmag.com

impressions

Fifty Shades of Italy By Jacqueline Duhl Photos by Jacqueline Duhl and Jeanette Sha

iao, Bella. Listen to the accent, the inflections. See if the words form from an overflowing smile or contain a hesitant mispronunciation. Ciao, Bella. They said it when they thought I was an American, a Frenchwoman, a mother, a nanny, a dream seeker, a girl on a train gazing out at a fifty-hued landscape of love. In reality, I spent the summer as a nanny for a two-year-old in Italy. Upon arrival, my host father, a British archeologist, warned me, “There are never murders or kidnappings here. Just don’t fall for an Italian man, because you will leave your heart here to be dug up among the fallen Roman empires.” I fell for fifty.

“Ciao, Bella!” I looked over at the man whom I would be sitting next to for the upcoming nine-hour flight. “American,” I said as I shoved my carry-on under my already cramped coach seat. “Chilean,” he replied with an over-confident grin. “Javier.” “Jackie.” I put my headphones into my ears, where they would stay until the plane touched down at Fiumicino, Rome’s airport. People always say they want to impulsively become expatriates and experience foreign cultures. Well, hell, I actually acted on the idea — my pre-major advisor’s offer to nanny for her son had come at the perfect time. As I made my way to baggage claim, I heard a voice call, “Jackie.” “Did I leave something on the plane, Javier?” We hadn’t exchanged more than a few words during the flight, but I had learned of his talent for jewelry design, which was taking him to Milan for a conference. He was something of a modern blacksmith. “Only this,” he replied as he placed a bracelet in my hand. On the leather cord was a single silver bead, engraved with squiggles and dots that resembled an ancient Mayan code. I looked at the bracelet, a slightly confused grin on my face. “Why?” Javier was already pulling his bag off the belt towards the taxi station. “Your smile. Ciao, Bella.”

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“Il bambino è bellissimo, your baby is beautiful, bella madre, beautiful mother!” I stopped explaining after the first day in Giove, Umbria, that I was not the mother of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed two-year-old who loved to throw tantrums at the perfectly wrong times. The village where I was spending my first two weeks as a full-time nanny was solely composed of men and women over the age of 60. The men passed their days on decrepit benches outside of the local café, calling to any women who made the mistake of walking by. Their wives remained in the medieval castle, hanging laundry in the sun to dry and washing dishes by hand. “Rafi, say ‘buon giorno’ to the nice men!” I coaxed, only to endure another outburst of tears from my little one. I didn’t blame him; I didn’t want the old men petting my hair either. “Bellissimo, bellissimo!” The men cooed as I pushed the stroller towards the castle to let my “bellissimo bambino” become distracted with the kitty that lived in the nooks of the cobblestone streets. It was going to be a long, hot summer. “I’m sorry for my friend,” the navy-eyed bartender said to me with a deep Italian vibrato, as he handed me my iced caramel macchiato, laced with chocolate-filled raspberries. “Excuse me?” I questioned, looking up from the Nook I had been reading at the marble countertop of the Café Scudieri, Firenze. “Sandro will not stop staring. I don’t blame him, bella.” It was noon and every church bell in Florence was clanging twelve times. I waited five minutes for the cacophony to stop before responding. “Actually, my name is Jacqueline,” I replied, hiding my embarrassed smile. “Ah, a beautiful name. Jacqueline, from where have you come to our beautiful city of Florence?” Sandro had finally spoken up. “I’m French,” I lied, stealing a view of the Duomo behind my Italian suitor’s head. “I’m meeting friends later this evening,” a truth. “Club Space, Via Palazzuolo, we will find you there.” “Grazie. I may see you, but I trust my

Below: Rome, Italy Opposite: Venice, Italy

friends will show me where to go,” I laughed as I took a bite of a strawberry encrusted fruit tart. “You can help me by telling me where these espresso cups are from.” The bartender reached behind the bar and produced a white and gold-laced cup with a missing handle. “It broke earlier today, we don’t need it anymore. Don’t tell anybody where you got it from.” He placed the china in my hand and brushed my thumb softly. This gift was unexpected — a small but meaningful gesture. “Thank you,” I smiled up as he winked a dark navy eye. Those heels look pretty good on your legs, but what were you thinking wearing them in Positano?” I turned around, surprised to hear perfect English on the Amalfi Coast. “You know you’ve climbed over 200 steps so far?” the Brit asked with a sly smile. “I did know that, thank you. How do you know where I started climbing?” “I’m staying in Albergo Miramare as well, and heard Rosita recommend Ristorante Chez Black to you. You do know you passed it 100 steps ago…” “I did know that as well. You Brits can be such know-it-alls.” I continued up the seemingly never-ending steps. “So where are you going?” Another sly smile. “Why, do you want to come with me?” I retorted sarcastically. “Thought you’d never ask,” he walked up a few steps and took my hand. “Ladies first.”

I had to admit, the guy had game. I didn’t see myself getting out of this situation, so I relented. “You had a point with the heels. I didn’t think Ristorante Lo Guarracino would be much past Chez Black. I wasn’t in the mood for drunk tourists and I guess you didn’t eavesdrop early enough to hear Rosita say this place has the best seafood.” “I did know that,” he mocked me. “My sister is having her rehearsal dinner there in about ten minutes, so you better move those legs of yours a little faster.” “You’re here for a wedding?” I asked, surprised and a bit embarrassed that I had accused him of following me. “Yes, and I don’t have a date. Lucky for you, my sister is a redhead too. She’ll love you.” He started running, pulling my hand along. We reached the restaurant, flushed and both surprised by our overconfident banter. “I don’t even know your name, and you’re taking me to your sister’s wedding?” “I don’t know yours, either. I also don’t think you are going to tell me.” His aqua eyes challenged me. “Jackie,” I answered, taken aback by this forward stranger. “James,” he smiled. “Want to share a plate of mussels and crawfish with me, Jackie?” I laughed out loud. “I would love to.” James’ family adopted me for the night and invited me to the wedding the next day. They left me feeling wonderstruck. People can have a way of surprising you, but you have to let them.

“Sex on the beach?” “Excuse me?” I turned to see a scruffy, blue-eyed man in his 20s offering me a straw. He held a pitcher of what I could only assume was “sex on the beach.” “I’m Jake,” the blue-eyed man introduced himself. “You girls have got to be American.” “How could you tell?” I laughed, rolling my eyes at my friend Sarah. We had managed to find the Drunken Ship, Rome’s one bar with a beer pong table and red solo cups at the bar. What a way to spend my last night in Italy. “What brings you to the only American bar in Rome, beautiful girl whose name I don’t know?” Jake flashed me a winning smile. “I’m Jackie,” I yelled in his ear over the music and chatter, “And I’ve been a nanny here all summer for my professor’s son.” I gave him the straightforward answer, the answer that made the most sense. “And yourself?” He looked a bit unsure. “I needed to find myself. I’m a huge cliché.” Jake shrugged, embarrassed. I was floored. My brief encounter with Jake made me realize that I was not the only soul searching for escape from everyday life. People travel to find others willing to take risks and to stray from patterns. I was determined to find more of them. As Sarah and I made our way back down the Roman roads, the sky turned the finest shade of indigo, and I realized I had yet to meet an acquaintance with that eye color. Maybe in Australia, next summer.

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Finding a Bathroom

in the city of light By Molly Sprayregen Photo by Jeanette Sha

ll we wanted was to feel lost. We picnicked beside the Seine at dusk, drinking straight from our two-euro wine bottles and eating baguettes. The water wrinkled as dinner and tour boats floated past, the passengers waving at us like we were their long-lost brothers. When we waved back, they smiled as if our approval was all they’d ever sought. I didn’t understand how someone could be so happy when a stranger waved back at him, but I liked it. We came to the river every night during the month we spent in Paris learning to write at the American Academy. We hadn’t met until then, my friends and I. We were writers, and we came to act like writers, to sip café au lait at Le Select and wonder if Hemingway and Hadley ever sat in the same spot. We basked in the light of the Notre Dame and knew that if we wanted to, we could transform that light into literature. I thought that if I let my mind swirl with the lights of the Eiffel Tower and disappear into the nighttime glow of the Tuileries, then maybe I could be another great. Like Hemingway and Fitzgerald, I could use this city to make words come alive. But every night, all I felt after finishing my bottle of wine was the urgent need for a bathroom. It’s one of those oversights, the kind of thing I never thought about when I pictured myself sauntering along the Seine. Owen Wilson never had to go during his long walks through the city. Bathroom breaks mean missing the car that may pull up at any moment to whisk us away to decades past. And that girl biking down Rue Saint Jacques with perfect posture and a baguette in her basket—the only stop she’s supposed to make is at the fromagerie owned by her lover who spends his days crafting artisan cheese and his nights reciting poetry. A mustached moon sings in French outside their window.

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That kind of perfection doesn’t require bathroom breaks. Excessive amounts of wine do. But there aren’t any bathrooms along the Seine, so at night I got what I wanted: I felt lost. I felt lost as I sprinted to streets above the river, searching for a way to relieve my pounding bladder. My go-to plan was to duck past an unsuspecting waiter and use the restaurant bathroom. Guys have it easy; they go in the tunnels that pop up every few hundred feet along the river. That’s why any lovely stroll along the Seine is interrupted every ten minutes or so by an overwhelming stench of urine. I always held it for as long as possible. I wanted to protest the lack of available bathrooms along the river by making

myself as miserable as possible. But even more, I was determined to pretend that this feeling did not—could not—exist because, well, it’s Paris. The time would always come when my idealism didn’t matter anymore. I would race up the closest stone staircase, forgetting to note where my friends sat along the river. I scanned the cafés and restaurants lining the streets, calculating which would be the easiest target. Extremely crowded? Perfect. Multiple rooms? Even better. The waiters would be too busy to know the difference. This was my Bond moment, my version of snaking between crisscrossed red laser beams without tripping the alarm. Waiting for the outdoor waiter to turn

his back, I slinked in—feeling far stealthier than I could have possibly been. I always made sure to peruse the room as if searching for friends who had already sat down. No one ever noticed. I relished my victory as I slammed the bathroom door shut and finally felt relief. Paris is the City of Light, but it’s also a city. It’s easy to forget that. They call it Paris Syndrome when people arrive and realize it’s not quite the picture book that films like Amelie paint it to be. Some experience simple disappointment, but for others, it’s severe—anxiety, sweating, nervous breakdowns. It’s worst for the Japanese: every year, the embassy sends back a dozen tourists who could not handle the shock of rude waiters or garbage on the streets.

But here’s the thing about Paris. The garbage and urine smells are real, but so is the light. The river and the gooey nutella crepes and the purple and green macaroon towers that look like fairy tale castles in bakery windows are all real. Mona is a lot smaller than people expect her to be, but her smile still sucks you in and the never-ending passageways of the Louvre really feel like they hold the world’s darkest secrets. And when you sip wine at the edge of the Seine, basking in the glow of the Notre Dame, and a little girl on a boat beams at her father because you waved at her, you will feel that strangers do not exist in this city. Now if I could only remember where I left my friends. stampedmag.com

food + drink

Beer Through the Ages By Tim Miller

Travelling is about meeting new people and collecting new stories. It’s diving into a culture and coming out with a better understanding of people and the world they come from. Beer is about the same things: it brings people together, it unites cultures, and it defines countries. What would a Manchester United game be without a pint? What would Bavaria be without Hefeweizen? What could be more iconic of America than Budweiser? This versatile libation, just as at home at a Super Bowl party as at an upscale bar, has been an integral part of human culture for millennia. The first “beer” ever brewed can be traced back to the very roots of humanity, in Sumeria circa early 6000 BC. Since then, it has spread to nearly every corner of the earth, adapting and evolving just as much as the cultures that drink it. In ancient Egypt, beer served as a form of compensation and as a common bartering agent. Babylonian king Hammurabi wrote laws that allocated two liters per day to laborers, three to civil servants and five to high priests. And although beer existed secondary to wine during Greek and Roman dominance, centuries later the concoction saw a resurgence that paralleled the rise of Christianity. During the Middle Ages, beer was a common drink consumed daily by all social classes. It was especially popular in the northern or eastern regions of Europe, which had climates unsuitable for grape cultivation (the division between wine and beer-drinking countries persists to this day). Brewing advanced under the wing of the Catholic Church as a means of financing its activities. By the fifteenth century, brewers had started to use hops in Flemish beers and the modern beer surfaced. This addition was an enormous development; since hops act as a natural preservative, it meant beer could keep longer and survive the long ocean voyages of European explorers. Today, hundreds if not thousands of beers are each representative of a long, rich brewing history. These beers are often deeply embedded into the culture of a region; join us each month as we sample a new brew.

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brew

of the

Month from Ichtegem, Belgium Article and photo by Franklin Yang Ichtegem’s “Grand Cru” Flemish Red Ale delivers a very bubbly punch to your mouth: drinking the beer comes just short of eating a sour apple warhead. The Grand Cru is phenomenal when paired with salty foods, like sausage or sharp cheddar cheese. The nose of the beer is tart, with strong undertones of green apple. The taste, characteristic of Flemish Red Ales, is upfront and sour. There’s a definite fruitiness from the apple, but after a sip you’re left with a slight chocolaty finish. Overall, the Grand Cru is a surprisingly refreshing beer. Try it for yourself—pick up a bottle from Local 44’s Bottle Shop for $5.

Mexican Brunch Fiesta Forget tequila shots and chips and salsa: Invite your friends over for some mid-morning fun that will expand their food (and drink) horizons. ¡Buen provecho! Article and photo by Isa Oliveres Huevos a la Mexicana egg tacos ½ onion, chopped 3 plum tomatoes, chopped 1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped 8-10 large eggs Tortillas (ideally real tortillas, like those from Tortilleria San Roman) Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet and add the onion. Sauté until it is translucent and add the tomatoes and the jalapeño. While the tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños cook for a minute, beat the eggs with salt and pepper. Add to the vegetables. Scramble the eggs until they’re cooked to your liking. Serve over hot, fresh tortillas. Have some sliced avocado on the side for some extra umph.

Papas con Chorizo The other half of the onion, chopped 1 lb baby potatoes, quartered ½ lb. chorizo (or spicy Italian sausage), cut into small pieces 2 chipotle peppers (optional) Put the potatoes in a pot of cold water and bring them to a boil. Cook until fork tender, about 20 mins. Once the potatoes are almost cooked, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet and add the onion. Once it is translucent, add the chorizo and let it fry and render its juices. Drain the potatoes and add to the skillet. Sauté until they are golden brown and have absorbed the delicious chorizo juice. For an extra kick, mix in the chipotle peppers and some of the adobo sauce they come in. “Crepas” de cajeta Flour tortillas Cajeta (or dulce de leche) (or even caramel) Go to a Mexican grocery store in the Italian Market…I swear it’s worth it. Heat the tortillas in a skillet until warm and a tiny bit crisp. Cover with cajeta. Roll into a spiral and cut in half.

Irish Sangría These are just guidelines. Any proportion of leftover box wine and cheap whiskey works remarkably well. 4 cups Franzia (or any other sickly sweet alcoholic beverage with wine-aspirations) 1 cup whiskey (or more…just sayin’) 2 green apples, thinly sliced 2 peaches, thinly sliced 6 clementines, peeled and divided ½ orange juice or grapefruit juice Ginger Ale Mix everything except the ginger ale in a big bowl or pitcher and chill as long as you can wait. Once temptation beats you, pour into a glass with ice and add a splash of gingerale. Noon never tasted so delicious. Michelada Some swear by this as a hangover cure. Everyone swears it’s the best thing to happen to beer since, well, beer. Salt Juice of 3 limes 1 bottle Mexican pilsner style beer — I love Pacifico Salt the rim of a pint glass and fill it with ice. Add the lime juice, then the beer. Refill as necessary. stampedmag.com

In the Banana Stand By Abigail Koffler

There are two choices for frozen treats on Balboa Island’s Marine Avenue. With only two craft stores and a church separating them, Dad’s Frozen Banana and Sugar n’ Spice compete for dollars and loyalty. Each store has a wooden banana raised above a blue sign, listing its offerings: donuts, frozen bananas, and balboa bars —square blocks of vanilla ice cream coated in chocolate and dipped in all the sugary and spicy toppings you desire. Dad’s loves donuts — you can tell by the donut mural on the store’s side — while Sugar n’ Spice touts its 1945 founding. To order a frozen banana, go up to the window and tell them what size you want. Going inside the shop is unnecessary unless you’re getting a milkshake or something formal. The cashier grabs a popsicle-stick-punctured banana from the partitioned freezer and dunks it in a vat of chocolate, freezing it on contact. A roll in a tin full of walnuts, sprinkles, chocolate chips, Oreo pieces and Heath Bar pieces completes the order. It’s handed over in a cardboard trough which catches any extraneous candy bits. And like in the Pat’s-Geno’s cheesesteak rivalry, when it comes to choosing a frozen banana purveyor, tradition trumps all. The ritual is a religion is these parts; the choice, simple. All it takes is a few locals saying, “I’ve been going here for decades” to make you turn left and choose Dad’s as your banana of choice. Dad’s Frozen Banana 318 Marine Ave Newport Beach, CA 92662

DIY:

Frozen Bananas If you can’t make the trip to sample these gourmet pops, try ‘em at home. By Frida Garza Photos by Jeanette Sha Ingredients: 3 ripe but firm bananas 9 ounces dark chocolate 2 tablespoons vegetable oil ¾ cup granola, chopped pecans and walnuts or sprinkles Peel the bananas and stick a Popsicle stick in each one. Place the bananas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for 15 minutes. Combine chocolate and oil in a microwavable container. Melt chocolate by microwaving as needed (check every 30 seconds for progress). When your bananas are frozen, dip each one in chocolate and then quickly sprinkle with toppings. Freeze until chocolate sets (usually 30 minutes). Bite into one and rejoice.

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spotlight

Tech Trek Pulak Mittal, Wharton and Engineering junior, is the president of the Dining Philosophers (DP), the general-interest undergraduate computer science club at Penn. In addition to recruiting events, social events and tech talks, the club organizes ‘Tech Treks’ to technology hubs around the country. Last fall break, DP members flew out to Silicon Valley to mix with top startups, investors, and Penn alumni. In December, the club made another trip to New York City, home to a quickly growing east coast startup scene. By Grace Wang Photo by Pulak Mittal Q: What inspired you to start the ‘Tech Trek’ series? A: Silicon Valley is the world capital of technology. In no other place is there such a density of amazing individuals and companies working hard to reinvent our world through tech. While many students at Penn do get great summer internships at companies in the area, they rarely get to see what happens outside their company. Thus we saw the trek as a way to expose a diverse group of students to all the amazing opportunities that exist in the Valley. Q: What was the best moment of the trip? A: We all went to YCombinator’s Startup School, a daylong event where some of the coolest people in Silicon Valley, including Mark Zuckerberg, Ben Silberman (Founder of Pinterest), and Ben Horowitz (from Andreessen Horowitz) gave talks about starting companies. At the end of the day, we got a group picture with Paul Graham, founder of YCombinator.

Q: What differences were evident between the Silicon Valley and NYC tech scenes? A: To be honest, the tech scenes are fairly similar: you have extremely intelligent people working really hard to solve challenging problems. However, the NYC tech scene is more close-knit as it is clearly far smaller than that of the Valley. In New York, the startup scene is almost a startup in itself, whereas in the Valley the tech scene is very well established. Q: 80% (or some crazy stat like that) of our graduating class will end up in NYC, but what about San Francisco? Run into any alums? A: We actually met with a lot of Penn alums in the Bay Area who are doing exciting work in tech. For example, we met Ted Schlein, who is a Partner at KPCB, Jeff Fluhr, who was the founder of Stubhub, as well as other alums working in venture capital, startups, and big tech companies. In all cases, it was great to see them so successful in the careers.

Q: Coolest startup you saw? A: Probably Addepar. It is a somewhat lesser known Valley startup, yet the mission of the company is unreal. Using the power of big data and visualization, they aim to help private wealth managers, as well as pension funds and other financial institutions, track their diverse portfolios. The goal is fundamentally to increase transparency in the world’s financial system. The employees of the company are absolutely brilliant and it was really cool to hear about their work. Q: Will there be another trip next year? A: Absolutely! And we are aiming to have at least two more NYC tech treks in the spring semester! Q: Can we sign up? A: Sign-ups for the next NYC trek will open in March! Stay tuned!

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thank you

souvenirs: From Tacky to Classy By Grace Wang

Graphic by Jeanette Sha

The word “souvenir,” literally meaning “to remember” in French, connotes much more than just a keepsake. A whiff of the sandalwood bookmarks you got while trekking through India, a sip of the Twinings Earl Grey brought back from London or even a glance at a beloved wall print can bring along a whirlwind of associated memories. Here’s our take on a few classic souvenirs:

Classy

Toss

5. Beijing, China: This ObaMao poster is a win-win item: not only will your liberal friends love it, your conservative friends probably will too.

6. Brussels, Belgium: Le Mannekin Pis may be Europe’s most underwhelming tourist attraction. Alleviate your disappointment at the tiny-inreal-life statue by obtaining one of these, um, creatively designed bottle openers.

Treasure

2 4

7 6 Tacky

1. Istanbul, Turkey: Originally created for an Ottoman sultan who tired of hard candy, Turkish Delight is an affordable gift that is sure to be happily received. In fact, no matter where you travel, have no qualms about using the local grocery store as your one-stop shop for souvenirs. Turkish Delight, Le Petit Ecolier (France) and Tim Tams (Australia) are just a few examples of local favorites that are difficult to find stateside. 2. Moscow, Russia: These intricately painted Russian dolls are a classic childhood favorite. Score extra points for each

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additional layer that your set includes. 3. Sydney, Australia: No trip down under is complete without bringing back your very own toy version of everyone’s favorite marsupial. Bonus points if you manage to sneak back a real one. 4. Cape Town, South Africa: This eye-catching beaded mug will add a pop of color to those mornings when you have 9 AM class. For smaller, more lightweight souvenirs, consider a beaded keychain or magnet instead.

7. New York, USA: The iconic “I NY” has spawned scores of imitations by cities that try to match New York’s cool. We can’t promise that sporting this will make you cool, but it’s a mustpurchase item for your first visit to the Big Apple (and really, if they’re three for $10, why not?). 8. Paris, France: We all think it’s great that you mounted Paris’ 1000-foot phallic symbol, but please don’t make your friends and family think they’re worth “10 for 1 euro.” A postcard sent from the first level of the monument, postmarked “Eiffel Tower”, will serve you much better.

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