Where to find cheap beer, hookers, and gay cowboys two-stepping in Austin: I’m contributing to Gridskipper again

If I may be so bold as to quote a blog post I wrote last month about the relaunch of Gridskipper, the site on which I got my start travel writing:

Writing for Gridskipper was one of my favorite gigs; I’m yet to find another travel publication that will let me cover where to score crack, day laborers and tuna tartar.

Last week I returned to Gridskipper as a contributor (which was unexpected when I wished its new editor, Gabe Ulla, well last month). In my first piece back I reviewed venues where attendees at South By Southwest (SXSW) can find cheap booze, tasty tacos, fine wine, straight cowboys doing the two-step, gay cowboys doing the two-step, delicious kebabs, and hookers–so pretty much all of life’s essentials:

Gridskipper: After hours at Austin’s SXSW

Writing and researching the piece (somehow I missed the gay two-stepping cowboys when I was in Austin lat October), was a blast–it’s good to be back contributing regularly to Gridskipper again.

‘So, who do you write for these days?’

I’ve been asked that question a few times recently (and not just by my parents, who I think might be happy if I enrolled in the Bloomingdale’s executive training program).

For blogs, I have regular gigs writing about travel for UpTake and Examiner.com and I contribute to BlackBook, usually about travel and culture. And, there’s that Louisville.com editor-in-chief thing. I also manage the web presence of the Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (I reckoned I should put my blogging and social media power to a good use, beyond giving advice on where to go and what to drink). And, for fun, there’s my new Tumblr blog. I’ll get all meta too and mention this site, which is now eight years old.

[Update March 8, 2010: I'm contributing to Gridskipper again too.]

In print, I contribute to Air Canada’s in-flight magazine, enRoute.

Gridskipper is back

Looks like Gridskipper, the blog formerly owned by Gawker Media where I got my start travel writing, just relaunched with Gabe Ulla as its new editor. Writing for Gridskipper was one of my favorite gigs; I’m yet to find another travel publication that will let me cover where to score crack, day laborers and tuna tartar (to say nothing of recreating The Brady Bunch’s experience in Hawaii).

Best of luck to Gabe and the irreverent travel guide.

(Via Katherine Spiers via John Rambow)

Former editor at Gridskipper, Hunter Walker, goes legit, but not

In 2007-2008, Hunter Walker was an assistant editor at Gridskipper. In that capacity, he was possibly the sole editor I’ve written for who sexed up my work rather than made a few strategic deletions (I had no objections).

So what did the future hold for such a depraved blogger?

He’s now enrolled in Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. And demonstrating that the conflux of old and new media is almost complete, he’s talking about it with The New York Times and blogging about it for Gawker.

Vote for Andrew Evans to be the blogger for Quark Expeditions’ voyage to Antarctica

If you’re the kind of person who does what I tell you to, without asking questions

1. Vote for Andrew Evans to be the official blogger for Quark Expeditions’ voyage to Antarctica in February 2010.
2. Introduce yourself to me, as I’m yet to meet anyone who just does what I ask.

If you need reasons to follow my suggestions (and really you should)


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