Steve Ricks: Euro-nerd video

Rick Steves recently posted to his blog this amusing spoof video:

Hostel Review: Santa Cruz HI

The Santa Cruz HI Hostel is a set of bungalows conveniently located in downtown Santa Cruz near the beach and boardwalk. The hostel is a mixed bag with pros and cons that should be weighed before you check-in. The hostel is quaint, nicely furnished, and located on a quiet street. The hostel offers free wifi, a good sized kitchen, and a computer available for $1/10 minutes. The downside to this hostel are the restrictive lock-out and curfew rules, and the cadre of older men staying here. The lock-out rule seems minor, considering on a nice warm day you would probably want to go down to the beach. However, during my stay it mostly rained and number of guests were wondering where to go for 6 hours (11am - 5 pm). Additionally, check-in can only occur after 5 pm, an inconvenient restriction when you just want to drop off your stuff and relax for a little during the day. The 11 pm curfew also seems unnecessary, especially, for travelers wanting to go out for a late night on the weekend. Finally, the most annoying part of this hostel is the older guests who seem creepy, annoying, and snore all night. I had an interesting conversation where a guy thought the electromagnetic field was causing a buzzing in his head.