One of the best things about living in New York City is that you can experience the foods from all over the world without ever leaving town. And one of our favorite ways to do that is by heading to Chinatown. There’s one problem with selecting a place to eat in Chinatown, however: how do you choose from the hundreds of restaurants? It’s easy to be paralyzed by choice as you see block after block of ducks hanging in windows, dumplings steaming and dim sum carts rolling along. While there are several websites and mobile apps out there that provide restaurant reviews and assist with the selection process, none specialize solely in Chinatown. Given the incredible number of restaurants focusing on various types of Chinese cooking, we were in need of an expert to help us navigate through the organized chaos of this Chinatown. That’s why we had high hopes when we heard about Chinatown Chow Down. The brainchild of Craig Nelson, an editor at Not For Tourists, the app has some serious credentials behind it. We put it to the test to see if it truly can help us make sense of Chinatown.

Read the entire Chinatown Chow Down review on Gadling.

If you’re like me, you only turn on the Travel Channel when No Reservations is on.  Let’s face it: Anthony Bourdain is the only redeeming personality on that network, and they can’t even take credit for him or his show, as he had cultivated his brand long before joining the network. Beyond No Reservations, the network is a barren sea of top 10 countdowns, eating sideshows and mindless bikini filler.  Last night, however, the eyes of many of my friends were glued (nervously) to the Travel Channel as we watched the pilot episode of Confessions of a Travel Writer. Sadly, we were mortified.  Thankfully, it was followed by a new episode of No Reservations.

The host, Charles Runnette, uses the show as a forum to showcase his skills as a professional curmudgeon. He complains about his accommodations, his airline seat, his fellow writers, his host, the itinerary and just about anything else that isn’t Charles Runnette.

Perhaps the bigger issue, though, is the topic itself. Is travel writing in and of itself fascinating? Good travel writing, television and film are captivating. But is the act if travel writing worth watching?

I could go on, but I already have over at Gadling, where I have posted a full review.  Please check it out, leave a comment and let me know what you thought of the show.

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.