Tripper of the Week Anh N: World Traveler, Foodie & Beach Lover
Anh N is a San Francisco based Tripper who's been to 18 countries, loves to experience the local culture through food and even has his own happy hour website. He's our Tripper of the Week...
What would we find out about you if we sat next to you on a plane? That I almost always sit in the aisle seat and hopefully, we're both heading somewhere tropical. My interests range from technology, food, entrepreneurship, alcohol and of course, I wouldn't be doing this interview if I didn't love to travel. So if we're on a flight together, we'll probably order a few mini bottles and chat about the latest gadgets, startups, interesting places we’ve been/want to go and our favorite eats and drinks.
You're one of the guys behind a cool site called Happy Hour Index. Give us the inside scoop. The Bay Area, and especially San Francisco, has such a going-out culture. Happy hour, networking events, launch parties, festivals, open bars and on and on, there’s a lot to do in the Bay Area. The Happy Hour Index was originally created as more of an online forum for me and my friends to keep track of our favorite happy hour places and events that we like. Truth be told, that’s still very much the case, but now there are more people that find it useful as well. Check it out if you’re looking for some good happy hour places and cool events where you can meet people and drink (most of the time for free).
You love connecting with local people on your travels. What has been your favorite experience so far? All of them. It’s impossible for me to say one person taking time out of their schedule to hang out with me is better than another person doing the same thing. However, I would like to give a special shout-out to my awesome friend, Patricia Acosta, and her wonderful family for the amazing time while I was in the Dominican Republic. It’s pretty hard to beat the daily home-cooked meals and going to the most remote beaches only known to locals.
You've traveled to 18 countries. Which has been your favorite so far? The ones with beaches warm enough to swim in! Of the places I’ve been, that’s Brazil and all along the Caribbean (Bahamas, Dominican Republic, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico). When I travel, I usually prefer to pass on the typical tourist attractions and if I’m with some locals, do what they like to do on the weekends. But above all else, just put me on a nice sandy beach with a bottle of rum and I’m happy.
San Francisco has been your hometown for a few years now. What are some of the places you like to take visitors? On a Wednesday, we would grab some drinks and food at Farmerbrown or Tropisueno during their happy hour and then head over to Johnny Foley’s Dueling Piano Bar. On a Thursday, we would go to Social Kitchen & Brewery for some great microbrews and then head over to the California Academy of Sciences for Nightlife, which is the one evening of the week where you can drink inside a museum. On a Friday, we would head to Fort Mason for Off the Grid, where you can try awesome dishes from 30+ food trucks. For some good views without too much of the crowd, do happy hour at either Palomino or Waterbar and you’ll get to see the new Bay Bridge Lights, or head to Grand View Park to see the city skyline.
If you had to pick any other city to live besides San Francisco, which one would it be and why? Miami solely for the fritas con queso. I could eat that every day. I would love to live in Tokyo because I love the culture. The Japanese place a lot of emphasis on quality and cleanliness that it’s almost impossible to stumble into a bad restaurant or find a piece of trash on the street. Tokyo is one of the top culinary destinations in the world and the sake is always pouring.
Any interesting trips coming up soon? My next international trip will probably be to Japan but only for two weeks at most. Paris in the Fall is a maybe. My bank account will hate me a long time for this but I would love to explore going back to Brazil next year for the World-freaking-Cup! Brazil for the FIFA World Cup sounds amazing, Anh! Can we come too? Trippers, connect with Anh via his Tripping profile for more tips on places to explore in San Francisco, where to eat in Tokyo or off-the-beaten-path beaches in the Dominican Republic.
