We’re throwing a big party during SXSW week. A house party. March 17th. 3pm-2am. We’ll be giving away eco-friendly TAT drawstring backpacks to our Facebook fans, so make sure you LIKE our Facebook page to get on the list for a free bag: The Anti Tourist Facebook page.

I stumbled across Thai Paradise in Ridgway, Colorado while en route to the Grand Junction airport after an amazing weekend spent at Telluride Blues and Brews 2010. Ridgway is tiny with just a handful of businesses, among them being an incredibly authentic Thai kitchen and a liquor store. Good enough for me. It’s an incredibly local roadside gem with an old Thai couple cooking typical Thai dishes behind the beautiful counter adorned with chopsticks and seashells and pillow-covered seating areas in the back. Colorful and friendly and delicious.

I had a traditional spicy green curried chicken dish and a lemongrass and coconut soup that they kindly and graciously served even though they’d closed just minutes before I parked under an approaching storm. Being a lover of Thai, I can make claim that this was one of the best Thai meals I’ve ever had- all tucked away off of a quiet Colorado highway. There is no website for this magical little place, but if driving between Telluride and Grand Junction, make time to stop into this charming and promising hole-in-the wall just off of Colorado Highway 62. You won’t be disappointed.

By: Ashley Halligan

Herman Produce Stand in Palisade, Colorado; Autumn 2010

Some of Herman Produce’s amazing autumn offerings. Peaches and pear butter were among my favorite finds.

By: Ashley Halligan

-Elizabeth

A lot of hotel rooms and vacation homes are equipped with maps and brochures that point out all places that play a role in the movies. You can go visit Wallander’s house in the Mariagatan, the train station that serves as his office building. Or drink coffee in the “Hotell Continental” where Wallander takes his coffee, or even go to the beaches in the “Hagestad Naturreservat” east of Ystad where Wallander retreats to to think about his current cases.

But even if everything seems to be about Swedish movies, and especially Henning Mankell’s crime stories, this region, called southern Skane, has so much more to offer. Coffee is indeed a pretty serious thing here—not only is there a cafe in almost every other house in the town but it is also very good, very strong, and very tasty.

Sweden’s most beautiful beaches (voted for by some Swedish magazine in 2009) along the Baltic sea attract thousands of visitors over the summer. In the fall, they are deserted and are an inviting place to take a walk. An important prehistoric site, alnes stener, (which translates to something like ale’s stones) is just a few miles along the coast east of Ystad. built by the Vikings some 1000-1500 years ago it is a bunch of big stones erected in the shape of a viking’s ship. It is probably comparable to Stonehenge in a way, I didn’t dare ask, though, for fear of offending Vikings.

The roaring green hills of the inland is full of old castles and big mansions that sit in the midst of rich farmland and forests. Some of them, like Marsvinsholm, allow visitors to stride through their big parks, sculpture gardens, and orchards, and they even host summer festivals and concerts. A few natural reserves close to Ystad are also worth visiting. I have never seen more wild birds of prey than here.

By: Christoph Sahle

Check out the view from here.

I was standing on the top of a hill overlooking San José, Costa Rica, a little travel-worn and stressed about a frank exchange of opinions (about Obama’s healthcare plan…how blasé) I’d had with another, wealthier American I had met there. It happened at Tiquicia, a nice, though tourist-focused restaurant serving traditional Costa Rican fare.

There’s a full bar, live music and dancing on weekends—but the real attraction is the view, which, as you’ve already seen, is breathtaking.

It was a foggy night that was beginning to clear as I shot the view. From there, from that distance, perspective was forced into my brain with a jolt, forcing me to recalibrate. San José had transformed from a manic whirlwind of cars and dogs to a sea of twinkling lights and orange-illuminated clouds far beneath me. And, the inevitable analogy: that even my most deeply held beliefs are, in the long run, silly preoccupations. I didn’t even care, as it turned out, about that asshole’s position on healthcare, and I can’t change his mind for him. Proselytizing is pointless. Just, focus on one point, breathe, and enjoy the view.

 
By: Ben Britz

Droves of people visit the Canaan Valley area in West Virginia area during all four seasons for scenic hiking, mountain biking, skiing, and other general outdoor pleasures. Many of these visitors also take time to explore the tiny adjacent mountain town of Davis, WV–population 600ish–with it’s single grocery store and bank, wonderful places to eat (a.k.a. Hellbenders; more on that later) and even more wonderful residents and passers-through. What many people don’t know is that if they continued on just a few more miles to the next tiny mountain town, Thomas, W.V.–population 400ish–they would stumble upon a rare gem called The Purple Fiddle Café, Brews and Stage.

My best friend’s parents (Editor’s Note: Coincidentally, I know these people. And they are fantastic. This should, perhaps, be indicative of the kinds of people here) are some of the few permanent residents of the Canaan area and so we have a summer tradition of visiting the area for long and relaxing getaways. Every summer we hike, eat, drink, and repeat on a daily basis. In our minds those few days are what we live for. The only thing that breaks our routine is The Purple Fiddle, or the peak of Thomas, W.V. night life. Despite its remote and sparse permanent population, Tucker County has a ridiculously active music scene that draws professional and nationally touring musicians from across the state and beyond.

The Purple Fiddle is a restaurant and music venue that offers more than your standard country and bluegrass fare. Rock, reggae, blues, folk–you name it, it’s been played here. It’s even a family-friendly place, so feel free to bring the rug-rats as long as you can keep them quiet. Kidding. This is a place where kids can feel free to be loud and crazy along with the adults.

Once the music starts, the atmosphere is contagious. People dance and drink and laugh and bond over the music and the small town camaraderie. There are dozens of brew choices on the menu–and you can never try just one. If you decide to retreat for some fresh air, there is an attached outdoor area stage-left though on a typical Friday or Saturday night it’s probably more crowded than the interior. Some bands draw big enough crowds that it feels like the whole town is there at once… so wear some deodorant for god’s sake.

John and Kate Bright, the extremely kind and friendly owners of The Purple Fiddle, live in the upstairs portion of the building and work hard to maintain a welcoming and entertaining environment for everyone. Along with the eclectic décor, there is a bit of a country store feel too, as they offer some local novelty items in addition to the band merchandise being sold.

The word on the street is the staff affiliated with the The Purple Fiddle may start recording and producing some of its many traveling artists so if you are already a fan keep an eye out. The Purple Fiddle is easily the heart of this artsy mountain community and every trip I take to Canaan will be punctuated with a stop at the Fiddle.

By: Megan Longfellow

The unfortunate thing is that it took me the better part of a decade to blink an eye at the city of Columbus again. After a recent thorough touring of Columbus’ culinary delights, however, I now know there was plenty else to eat. Plenty.

Read the rest of the piece on the National Geographic blog. Read it, comment on it, let the folks over there know you like it when The Anti Tourist’s voice is heard.

Be back soon with content.

By: Elizabeth Seward