I am completely, unrepentantly addicted to spottedbylocals.com, which is dangerous because I thought I’d gotten Europe out of my system and now this colorful, graphics-heavy and extremely easy to navigate blog is making it waaaay too easy to get my fix. The blog gives a local’s perspective on 22 European Cities, from the biggies (London, Paris, Rome) to less obvious urban getaways like Zagreb and Ljubljana. (If you can name the countries these last two are in off the top of your head, I’ll be seriously impressed. And jealous. And a little sheepish.)

                A handful of local authors in each city give up-to-the-minute info on everything you won’t find in a guidebook. Entries range from helpful tips that get you off the tourist trail and deeper into the fabric of the city -- which Parisian restaurants have fantastic views, for instance, or where to find the best fries in Brussels or the prettiest gardens in Zurich-- to the downright random. For instance, in 20 minutes I found out about the best places to skateboard in Ljubljana, how to bargain at the Chinese market in Budapest, how to play the lottery in Rome and where to buy Mountain Dew in Vienna. (Since I usually travel with Mountain Dew addicted friends, this is very useful information.  And I’m in shock you can actually buy it there – it’s like pulling teeth to find the stuff east of Chicago.)

But I digress –which is pretty much the point of this website, really. It pulls back the curtain and gets you to wander a little, giving you little glimpses into the life of the place. Just poking around the site gave me a new perspective on places I’ve been -- especially Paris and London, where it’s easy to get sucked into the tourist hordes if you’re not careful -- and got me curious about cities I previously had no desire to see. It’s the less sexy cities, the ones that come off as a little dry in guidebooks, that really pop.

Entries are organized by type of activity (Shopping, Music, Art & Culture, Relaxing, etc.) and region of the city the attraction is in, which is handy if you’re just looking for a good coffee shop or record store close to your hotel. And since you can follow the city (or cities) of your choice with an e-mail newsletter, via RSS feed, on facebook or twitter, it’s easy to pass info and get updates wherever you are.

Check it out for yourself at www.spottedbylocals.com.

·         If you’ve been to one of these cities, let us know your best insider tips.

·         And better, yet, if you’ve ever been to Zagreb or Ljubljana let me know – we want to feature your pictures and tips in a Travel Journal!

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