From Wikitravel

Archive for Wikitravel:Destination of the Month candidates. When an article is selected for DotM, please move its discussion from the root page to this page, so that the root can focus on future DotMs rather than past ones.

[edit] 2009

[edit] July

[edit] Bayreuth (DotM)

I know too little about travel in Germany to judge whether this should be a dotm or an otbp, but I think this article is up to snuff either way. --Peter ^Talk 21:08, 21 March 2009 (EDT)

• Support DOTM during the Wagner festival - definitely! August is taken, so let's make it July--Stefan (sertmann) ^Talk 21:23, 21 March 2009 (EDT)
• Support. Looks great! Jpatokal 02:17, 23 March 2009 (EDT)
• Support One or two more pictures would be nice, though. ChubbyWimbus 21:46, 23 March 2009 (EDT)
• Looks like a good article, I'd Support, but I think it should be more an OTBP. Most of the OTBP are rural areas, how about a small city like this? It isn't overly known, really. edmontonenthusiast [ee] ^.T.A.L.K. 17:13, 22 May 2009 (EDT).

[edit] June

[edit] Vladimir (DotM)

Alexander has done an incredible job with this article, and I think it's easily up to our dotm standards. I'm nominating it as a dotm, because it is one of the main stops on the very popular Golden Ring circuit in Russia. But I think it's a borderline case that could be featured as either a dotm or otbp—whichever is in greater demand. --Peter ^Talk 22:18, 17 February 2009 (EST)

• Support — Seems rather complete and it's a UNESCO heritage site. Given the unclear support for Boracay, Birmingham, & Reykjavik plus the fact Uluru was nominated for OtBP...I'd say this could be fit in as an DotM sometime in the summer (between May-August). My only complaint would be that Bogolyubovo in the "Get out" should be removed and put in a separate article. AHeneen 22:45, 17 February 2009 (EST)

We discussed on the Russian version whether Bogolyubovo should get its own article and decided pro. So Alexander will probably take care of that on the English version as well long before this would be featured. I'd widen the featuring window to May–October—Fall is definitely my favorite time to travel in this area, not yet cold and far less crowded (which also means less touts and other assorted rogues). --Peter ^Talk 23:07, 18 February 2009 (EST)

Bogolyubovo has now been spun out into its own article. --Peter ^Talk 02:32, 24 February 2009 (EST)

I am not eligible to vote here, I guess. So, just a short comment on the season. In my opinion, the best time for travelling in Central Russia is late spring (May) or mid-autumn (end of September, October – Indian summer). Atsirlin 03:15, 24 February 2009 (EST)

• Support, but: I suspect this may be better as OtBP. The Golden Ring is rather overshadowed by Moscow and St. Petersburg, at least to most English-speaking travelers, and treating this article as OtBP would be a good way to introduce it, while having it as DotM may leave most readers (at least most readers of an English-language wiki) saying "Huh?". Either way, the article is excellent, and Alexander, your "vote" counts for just as much as anyone else's! -- Bill-on-the-Hill 18:05, 24 February 2009 (EST)

Sure it's overshadowed by Moscow/St.Petersburg, but the Golden Ring is probably about third after those two in terms of foreign tourists. While it is still little known, I gave my reasons as to why it should be DotM and otherwise, OtBP nominations are a bit full plus Yakutsk was a recent OtBP and I hope to get Kamchatka up to OtBP-quality soon...making 3 Russian OtBP in, let's say, 12 months. As Peter said in nominating, it could be either, but DotM seems like the best place it can fit. AHeneen 19:51, 24 February 2009 (EST)

Yakutsk, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Vladimir, Olkhon - we're going be in darn good shape for Russia, when I also finish my Russian side kicks :) --Stefan (sertmann) ^Talk 20:06, 24 February 2009 (EST)

Foreign English-speaking tourists? What's "on the beaten path" for a Russian or Eastern European may not be for the majority of users of the English-language version of Wikitravel. (And vice versa; I've had some misgivings about some things we've called DotMs on the grounds that, if you're not a resident of an English-speaking country, they're quite definitely off the beaten path.) However, I don't feel strongly about calling it OtBP; the article is good enough that we should feature it somewhere. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 21:16, 24 February 2009 (EST)

Well, like I said, I think it could go either way. But the path here is very well-beaten, and I don't mean in terms of domestic tourism—endless boatloads and busloads of foreign tourists come here, as the Golden Ring circuit (at least parts of it) is included in virtually all "tour Russia packages" for Westerners. Of the sizable cities on the route, I believe that Vladimir is the most visited, since it's easy to combine it with a visit to ever popular Suzdal. Personally, I'd want to avoid coming here during the summer months—in addition to the humidity, I'd worry that my "Russian" experience would turn into a joust for camera space with some hungover Finns, a group of loud Italian women, and a septuagenarian couple from the Detroit suburbs. --Peter ^Talk 14:07, 25 February 2009 (EST)

That's interesting, When I was in Suzdal in May, which I suppose is the top attraction, we basically had the place to ourselves - well everything was booked up, but it was all Russians. You know Russia better than me, but judging from the tourist facilities in Vladimir, I'd personally be surprised if I bumped into anyone from States. But then again, it might be because we were travelling independently, and it was out of season. --Stefan (sertmann) ^Talk 15:22, 25 February 2009 (EST)

[edit] May

[edit] Dalton Highway (OtBP)

I've worked a lot on this article the past couple of days and think its up to OtBP standards. I'm not sure if the template is correct, as it started with a city template and I tried to turn it into an itinerary. As a disclaimer, I was the one to put the "guide" label on the article...but it as come a long way from the outline it started as. It has a few possible MoS violations which I feel can be justified. Please read this list and their justifications on Talk:Dalton Highway before posting your comment here. I think the article would be a great around March-June as the highway is best to travel in July-August. --AHeneen 03:05, 28 November 2008 (EST)

• CloseSupport. I think this is looking like a really interesting article, it could use some proofreading for spelling and the prose could be tightened in areas, but nice work! – cacahuate ^talk 03:26, 28 November 2008 (EST)
• Support. Overall looks good. I'm not a native speaker, so I'll leave others to comment on the prose. --Stefan (sertmann) ^Talk 01:27, 11 December 2008 (EST)
• Support - looks good. edmontonenthusiast [ee] ^.T.A.L.K. 00:57, 13 December 2008 (EST).

[edit] Northern Territory (DotM)

First nominated as: Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. It's always good to feature more articles on Oz, and this one does a fine job with a famously out-of-the-way feature, describing some of the other stuff in the vicinity besides Uluru itself. January/February? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 12:57, 24 July 2008 (EDT)

• Support. However, the article suggest that Dec-Jan is brutal, and July-Sep is the best time to go. Jpatokal 08:05, 24 August 2008 (EDT)

• Support. Great to see that the nearby town is also a nice article. --Peter ^Talk 14:19, 11 November 2008 (EST)

• Support. July-Sept timeframe is good, although anytime other than Nov-Mar is probably fine. I was there in late Oct and the heat was tolerable, although starting to get very warm by mid-day (mid 30s). Shaund 01:02, 20 November 2008 (EST)

• Oppose. 5 star accommodation, tours galore, more coaches with occupants sipping champagne next to them than you can poke a stick at, in massive carparks. Major airport a few kilometres away, with shuttle buses linking the choices of swimming pools, bars and restaurants. On the travel route of most coach tours, retirees, and backpackers. Hard to see what beaten track this is off --Inas 23:15, 3 December 2008 (EST)

That's a valid reason to propose moving this to DotM, but it's not a valid reason to oppose the nomination itself. Jpatokal 07:48, 9 December 2008 (EST)

Prooably true, however it wouldn'r feel right to me to move people's opinions from off the beaten track to DotM. The opinions expressed may be different. If anyone thinks it should still be a DotM it is easy enough for them to move it upwards, and restart a discussion there, and avoid any possibility that people don't know what they are supporting. --Inas 16:16, 9 December 2008 (EST)

• Almost Support It isn't a bad article at first glance, but I think it should be a bit longer before being featured. The "flora/fauna", "climate", "see", & "do" sections need to be lengthened/elaborated. Furthermore, I agree with Inas that this is a MAJOR destination. I'd fathom a guess that a third to half of all tourists to Australia visit Uluru. This should most certainly be a DotM. It would be nice to feature this in May (when it's a bit cooler Down Under) AHeneen 04:58, 1 February 2009 (EST)

One suggestion: feature Australia's Northern Territory instead as a DotM (Uluru is in the Northern Territory). I believe it is Wikitravel's first true guide-level region article, and all the linked destinations, including Uluru, are well developed, with maps. --Peter ^Talk 02:40, 25 February 2009 (EST)

• Support! That's a pretty impressive region. Jpatokal 09:10, 25 February 2009 (EST)
• Support But, are regions able to be featured based on the guidelines? Isn't this like Indiana, which is specifically stated as being not allowed? Doesn't it need to be a city or National Park? Did this change? ChubbyWimbus 10:21, 25 February 2009 (EST)

Good point. I've brought this up on the talk page. --Peter ^Talk 11:27, 25 February 2009 (EST)

There's only 10 days until the next DotM change...should we change it to Northern Teritory? AHeneen 18:22, 20 April 2009 (EDT)

That sounds right to me. --Peter ^Talk 18:24, 20 April 2009 (EDT)

[edit] April

[edit] Boracay (DotM)

The Philippines is comprise of 7,100 and more islands yet none of these had been nominated at least once since 2004 compared to other countries in Southeast Asia (maybe due to lack of promotion or perhaps unnoticed). This country has lots to offer: one of them is the white-sand beach Boracay. I nominate the destination (not because it is one of the few good travel guides here for the Philippines) to be featured on April 2008 because the country is on its hottest summer on that month and is ideal for beach-lovers. Alas 18:59, 3 November 2007 (EDT)

Contentwise the article is good, but the style needs work. Restaurants and hotels should be split into Budget/Mid-range/Splurge, and many if not most of the entries need formatting. Jpatokal 23:39, 3 November 2007 (EDT)

• I'd already nominated this for OtBP (below) but would support it for DotM once the tidying that Jani recommends is done. I'll have a go. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 18:37, 1 January 2008 (EST)

Fascinating article that almost suffers from a TMI problem. There's a lot of stuff here that it would be hard to find in a dead-trees travel guide. Question for discussion: is this place OtBP or DotM? Either way, it looks interesting (in a touristy sort of way...). -- Bill-on-the-Hill 11:34, 27 October 2007 (EDT)

Is this a place where addresses don't matter? It has plenty of listings and descriptions but not much in the way of where places are. Gorilla Jones 20:37, 2 November 2007 (EDT)

Boracay is one of the Phils' top tourist draws, so I think DotM would be more appropriate. Jpatokal 06:26, 15 February 2008 (EST)

So it this ready for February, anyone's input on the address situation? --Stefan (sertmann) ^Talk 20:34, 31 December 2008 (EST)

bump again, is this ready to be tomorrows OTPB? /edit argh mixed up with DOTM, we still need to sort this out though' --Stefan (sertmann) ^Talk 15:00, 14 January 2009 (EST)

Man, this is close, but not quite there yet. The addresses aren't a problem IMHO, they're nonexistent/useless in all Southeast Asian beaches, but the formatting and the lack of a budget/mid-range/splurge split are. The anonymous guy tending the article also has some quirky ideas about extlinks... Jpatokal 21:29, 15 January 2009 (EST)

• Almost support. It is close, but agree that style still needs some work. Needs a good copyedit, sleep and eat need price subdivisions, and if someone has time it would be nice to wt-ify the map and see if listings can't be placed – cacahuate ^talk 10:48, 20 January 2009 (EST)
  • I can try to work on the map when I get some time, hopefully in the next day or two. I'm also not seeing any breadcrumbs on this article; is that just me? LtPowers 18:18, 20 January 2009 (EST)

I see the breadcrumbs...  :) – cacahuate ^talk 20:41, 20 January 2009 (EST)

Support for March 2009, the article is in good shape and i dare to add it in the list with a qustion markjan 05:31, 25 January 2009 (EST)

• Note: I've not had any luck finding a high-enough resolution source from which to make a Wikitravel-style map. Even if I did, there are an awful lot of hotels and restaurants, and don't have a good way of pinpointing them on said map. Any suggestions are welcome. LtPowers 17:00, 31 January 2009 (EST)

What about just wtify-ing this one? Can't help with listing placement though – cacahuate ^talk 03:13, 1 February 2009 (EST)

I could, but the result would be necessarily less detailed than the original. Unless you just mean changing the colors to match our guidelines. LtPowers 08:50, 4 February 2009 (EST)

If you have the time and inclination some more detailed maps are here [1] & here [2], while I suspect they official maps from the local tourist agency (which means public domain by Philippine law) I haven't been able to verify this - could use them for placement though, but that's a lot of work, though the end result would probably make us the best guide for the island, there is also a guidebook looking one here [3] :) --Stefan (sertmann) ^Talk 16:08, 16 March 2009 (EDT)

Did a superquick openstreetmap.org import of Boracay (Image:Boracay.svg) which had surprisingly good coverage, if you want to work with this - I'm sick of maps at the moment after doing a great deal of work on Copenhagen map imports. You can only select elements with the "Edit paths by nodes" tool, and text is imported as paths, but otherwise it works just as a regular svg. --Stefan (sertmann) ^Talk 16:55, 16 March 2009 (EDT)

We've got <1 month until the next DotM change. Boracay has been nominated for the next DotM. Is it or is it not ready? If not, what will we do for March? One thing I might note is that we'd have 2 tropical islands in the Pacific featured for the first half of the month (along with Wake Island as OtBP, which in turn replaces an article for a tropical island). If there is any other article that could work for March, I think this should get bumped a month or two. Uluru isn't bad (although nominated for OtBP, but see discussion below). AHeneen 20:10, 3 February 2009 (EST)

[edit] March

[edit] Basel (DotM)

Influential port city on arguably the most important river in Europe, the Rhine. Stands at the intersection of three nations (Switzerland, Germany, and France) and serves as a cultural center for the region. Great jumping off point for diverse surrounding area. Currently has a very useful "Guide" article that I found especially useful when planning my trip there in 2007. Great city anytime in the year. --AZGSB9 17:46, 09 October 2008 (EST)

• Support. My review was perfunctory, but at first glance it looks like it's up to snuff. --Peter ^Talk 01:22, 17 August 2008 (EDT)

Support. I like this article a lot. It's generally weak on prices and admission fees, though. Gorilla Jones 19:38, 8 December 2008 (EST)

[edit] February

[edit] San Francisco(DotM)

This should be separated from San Diego, to avoid an overload of California sans destinations. But I think it's already up to DotM status, and is improving exponentially. I'd certainly understand, though, if Asterix & John want to wait to feature it until they've finished what they set out to do. I'm guessing winter would be a nice time to feature this one. --Peter ^Talk 00:52, 17 August 2008 (EDT)

• Support, but not until some time in '09. This complex of articles is prime DotM material already. I'd personally suggest spring rather than winter, but in any event, not before February, just to spread Lotus Land out a little. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 15:28, 17 August 2008 (EDT)
• Support. It's a good article for Spring '09. Keep smiling, ee ^talk 18:37, 5 November 2008 (EST).

I'd suggest April or May 2009. Keep smiling, ee ^talk 18:05, 16 November 2008 (EST).

• Support. I hear spring is a lovely time to go to SF...which is when I went, now that I think about it. I can't wait to see the Golden Gate Bridge on Wikitravel's front page. PerryPlanet ^Talk 17:26, 18 November 2008 (EST)
  • It is a good time, but I'd suggest looking for something else to insert between it and DW. Having two US DotMs in a row should be avoided if feasible. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:09, 19 November 2008 (EST)
    • Sounds good - how about May? That would still work just fine. PerryPlanet ^Talk 13:12, 19 November 2008 (EST)

Put in April - good enough. Keep smiling, edmontonenthusiast [ee] ^.T.A.L.K. 13:50, 19 November 2008 (EST).

We have an unspoken rule around here that we try to avoid putting a bunch of destinations from the same country/continent all together in a row, one after the other; instead we try to spread it around a bit, to make things fair. PerryPlanet ^Talk 15:40, 19 November 2008 (EST)

What's that supposed to mean? Keep smiling, edmontonenthusiast [ee] ^.T.A.L.K. 15:56, 19 November 2008 (EST).

Well, let's say you nominated Edmonton and you wanted it for say August, and you nominated, oh say Ontario, and you wanted that for September. Then you nominated Montreal for October, Toronto for November, etc. That would be several months of nothing but Canadian destinations highlighted on our front page, which wouldn't really be fair to other places in the world who we want for a shot at DotM. So we try to spread things around, and avoid having too many places from the same country come one after the other. PerryPlanet ^Talk 16:05, 19 November 2008 (EST)

Yeah, I kind of know that, man. But, if you are directing the thought that I am doing too many nominations to a specific area, please don't discuss it here, leave me a note in my talk and we can discuss it, ok? Thank you love! Keep smiling, edmontonenthusiast [ee] ^.T.A.L.K. 16:11, 19 November 2008 (EST).

• Support. Looks great, also agree about breaking up the North America destinations by at least a month – cacahuate ^talk 20:20, 27 November 2008 (EST)
• Support And me two! --Stefan (sertmann) ^Talk 19:34, 8 December 2008 (EST)
• Support. Yup, a terrific DotM here. Gorilla Jones 19:40, 8 December 2008 (EST)

[edit] Wake Island (OtBP)

Wow, this is a gem!! well written, covering just about everything and indisputably of the beaten path, and it even has a map. I know there is a tiny little but in that fact you can't get there - at all - but we're short in destinations for the winter months, and this article really showcases the strength of wikitravel. Sertmann 20:24, 5 November 2008 (EST)

• Support. I'm a bit surprised this hasn't been featured before—I sort of assumed it had been. The fact that it links to a site actually offering job positions is awesome. If I were a computer technician... --Peter ^Talk 14:01, 8 November 2008 (EST)
• Support, but lukewarm. It's certainly a high-quality article, no doubt about that, and it does show what this project can do with such an out-of-the-way place. However, I'd prefer to give priority to actual destinations, and use this one only as a last resort -- fittingly enough, considering how the "traveler" is most likely to wind up there... -- Bill-on-the-Hill 23:49, 10 November 2008 (EST)
• Support. OtBPs are all about insufferably obscure places (cf. Pitcairn). What matters is that the article is good, and this one is. Jpatokal 02:16, 11 November 2008 (EST)

He, I'm actually scheming on going to Pitcairn :) --Stefan (sertmann) ^Talk 00:09, 31 December 2008 (EST)

• Not sure I agree with Bill-on-the-Hill in that we should give priority to destinations which can actually be reached. The text of the article suggests that you need a private aircraft and a permit "which will probably be denied" to get onto the island. It is a good article, no doubt, but only if there is nothing better. AHeneen 22:49, 3 December 2008 (EST)
• Support. edmontonenthusiast [ee] ^.T.A.L.K. 14:06, 8 December 2008 (EST).
• Almost support. My only concerns are the phone numbers plunked awkwardly at the end of the various sections. It's not entirely clear what you'd be using that phone number to do, who you'd be talking to, or what you should say to them. Gorilla Jones 20:27, 8 December 2008 (EST)
• Changed my opinion - the problem I see with this place is that it isn't open to the general public. While I am fine it being an article - do we really want a Destination for a whole month on something most people will never be allowed to go to? edmontonenthusiast [ee] ^.T.A.L.K. 18:51, 19 December 2008 (EST).
  • We've previously debated whether places closed to the general public are article-worthy at all, and the conclusion was yes, as they're still places, after all. So I don't see why it could not be an OtBP as well. 01:22, 22 December 2008 (EST)

• Don't support! It's HUGE leap from being article worthy to being featured on the front page. Surely we can find a destination instead that you can actually visit? This is a travel guide, and putting a destination that you can't visit on the front page and saying, "hey if you want to get otbp go here", is more than a little strange – cacahuate ^talk 19:31, 15 January 2009 (EST)

Not stubborn about this at all, although I support it, and I didn't put it up on the schedule, but Nako is a bit much the month after Saint Martin, Saba which has outstanding objections, and listings without any info and lack addresses everywhere, which leaves us with, hmmm Putrajaya this time of year. --Stefan (sertmann) ^Talk 20:01, 15 January 2009 (EST)

• Support --but with a caveat. There is nothing more off the beaten path geographically than an island. Eight out of 32 OtBPs feature islands, so far. Do you want to run two islands in a row, with more islands and archipelagoes slated in the not too distant future? Should there be geographical rotation as well as country location, for variety's sake? (as long as the article is up to snuff). Just to spur future articles, how about other kinds of islands, such as ecological (some spots in the Amazon or, say, a unique cave system in a national park) or anthropological, such as an ethnic minority seperated by geography and culture? (perhaps Ainu or the Basques?) Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park fits that description nicely. WineCountryInn 20:05, 15 January 2009 (EST)
• Support. I think that this is exactly the sort of article we want to highlight at Wikitravel - what other travel guide would include information on such a remote, difficult-to-visit place? The article itself is well-done and interesting, and the destination is the kind of place that might inspire someone to try to find a way to visit. Wikitravel is unique for having articles on these sorts of destinations, and I think we should show these articles off whenever we can. -- Ryan • (talk) • 23:20, 15 January 2009 (EST)

Oh my lordy lordy, have any of you read the get in section? ...the atoll is no longer generally open to visitors. The airstrip remains available as an emergency landing site for trans-Pacific flights; if you don't have official business there, that's perhaps the most likely circumstance in which you'll visit the place. In non-emergency situations, a "Prior Permission Request" must be filed to use the airstrip (and will probably be denied). So, we're featuring a place that you can't go to unless your plane gets a bird in both engines mid-flight and needs to make an emergency landing? That's all we can come up with for Feb??? Am I missing something else? Or does the section need an update? How about #Tobacco Caye instead? You can visit it, legally, and without crash landing, I swear, I just did it two weeks ago – cacahuate ^talk 21:11, 16 January 2009 (EST)

Yes, we have, and it says that there are military and civilian contractors actually working on the island. Also, according to the current DOTM guidelines, difficulty of access is not a criterion (see also Talk). Jpatokal 04:15, 17 January 2009 (EST)

"Difficult", even "ridiculously difficult" is not the same as "impossible". Besides, DotM/OtBP are not just used for people considering actual trips, but for people who just like to read about unusual places. I'm not likely to ever go to Japan, but I enjoyed reading our Japan article, for instance. LtPowers 10:29, 17 January 2009 (EST)

Then so it shall be – cacahuate ^talk 03:31, 18 January 2009 (EST)

[edit] January

[edit] Phnom Penh (DotM)

Would be nice to have a cope section, for a notoriously wearing travel destination, but otherwise the article looks great. It's the destination, where you will undoubtedly wind up, in Cambodia, and a great place to try out machine guns & rocket propelled grenades on the cheap. The obvious "get out" destination is Angkor, and that's a previous DotM in its own right. Dry season is November-March, so that's the time to feature it. --Peter ^Talk 01:23, 19 August 2008 (EDT)

• Support. Map would be nice, but the rest is very good. Jpatokal 08:01, 24 August 2008 (EDT)
• Support Map and Cope would be nice...otherwise a well written article!! AHeneen 19:53, 17 October 2008 (EDT)

• Support. Would make a unique DOTM. Keep smiling, ee ^talk 18:08, 16 November 2008 (EST).

• Support Looks good, map is probably going to be hard for a "3rd world" city of this size. --Stefan (sertmann) ^Talk 19:36, 8 December 2008 (EST)

• Support. Glad we're doing this one. It has a good itinerary as well. Gorilla Jones 19:51, 8 December 2008 (EST)

[edit] 2008

[edit] December

[edit] Harbin (DotM)

The growth of this article has been just stellar lately, and it also gets extra brownie points for being a good cold winter destination: the Harbin Ice Festival, held every January, is a major tourism draw. Some formatting nits remain, but User:Rogerhc has been doing a great job whipping this into shape. Jpatokal 02:22, 12 June 2007 (EDT)

• Almost, but not quite. There are still a number of grammar goofs, and any chance of getting a map up? Fix these and I'll support, unequivocally. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:14, 12 June 2007 (EDT)
  • My concerns have been addressed (apart from the map, which would still be nice but we can do without it), so support. January? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 17:02, 26 October 2007 (EDT)
• Almost support. I took a pass at cleaning it up, but it'll need more. It's remarkably comprehensive, but needs hours/prices/locations for the See section. Also, the Russian architectural influence is mentioned in passing, but it's several paragraphs into the article before we hear anything nice about the place (the summer climate). Gorilla Jones 11:19, 14 June 2007 (EDT)

Agree with above comments. It is near the top and just needs a little extra effort to get it onto the peak. Will nominate for COtW. WindHorse 12:12, 14 June 2007 (EDT)

• Support, in a few months. It does need cleaning up!Edmontonenthusiast 14:52, 25 October 2008 (EDT)

One thing, I am wondering why this is nominated for next month? Have everything that has made people say almost etc. been ressolved? Just wondering. Keep smiling, edmontonenthusiast [ee] ^.T.A.L.K. 18:23, 20 November 2008 (EST).

Exactly, why is it listed for Dec? Also, Harbin will host the 2009 Winter Universiade (Olympic-like sports events for universities around the world) Feb 18-28. So how 'bout featuring Harbin in Feb (assuming we will address the issues). AHeneen 07:26, 26 November 2008 (EST)

Like the nomination says, Harbin's top draw the Ice Festival is in January, so December is a good time to feature it. Are there any outstanding issues? Jpatokal 12:27, 26 November 2008 (EST)

Change it quick. edmontonenthusiast [ee] ^.T.A.L.K. 10:34, 26 November 2008 (EST).

[edit] November

[edit] Riyadh (DotM)

Probably the most comprehensive and up-to-date guide out there on a famously "closed" city. Mentally OtBP, but physically DotM-sized, so I'll pip for DotM. Summer in Saudi is brutal, but anything between Oct-Apr or so should be fine. Jpatokal 01:04, 8 May 2008 (EDT)

• I think this is clearly better for OtBP than DotM. We've treated Dalian in OtBP rather than DotM and criticized Baku (also a significant business-travel city) as DotM, and they too have populations in the millions. Raw size is not the key determinant of DotM/OtBP; I thought we'd established that already. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:58, 8 May 2008 (EDT)
• Yes, but I'm not pipping Riyadh as DoTM on size alone. Sure, it's not a tourist destination, but as the capital of the largest and wealthiest state in the Middle East it's a very important business destination that also hosts a sizable expat community, not to mention several million foreign workers. FWIW, I think Baku is also a DotM (c'mon, if you've got direct flights from Heathrow and Frankfurt...), and these days I'd probably put Dalian as DotM as well. Jpatokal 02:35, 9 May 2008 (EDT)

• Support. I could see it going for either dotm or otbp, though the latter is a bit western-centric – cacahuate ^talk 16:52, 21 June 2008 (EDT)

[edit] Virgin Gorda (OtBP)

Another Caribbean OtBP suggestion with a very solid and properly formatted article. The only thing missing at all would be a map, and I'd be happy to take a stab at one if we do decide to feature this article. --Peter ^Talk 16:55, 20 May 2008 (EDT)

• Support, if you can get that map done. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 18:06, 20 May 2008 (EDT)
• Support. Looks good to me. Gorilla Jones 08:30, 20 June 2008 (EDT)
• Support. I'm feeling done with the article for now, it's got a shiny map, and Roger was kind enough to go over it and make sure everything is accurate. AFAIK it's gorgeous year-round, so I say feature it whenever we need to fill a slot. --Peter ^Talk 23:59, 22 June 2008 (EDT)
• Support! Gorgeous map and pics – cacahuate ^talk 00:00, 23 June 2008 (EDT)
• Strong Support. What a wonderful article, for OTB. -98.228.6.230 18:06, 18 August 2008 (EDT)

[edit] October

[edit] San Diego (DotM)

While we've been dithering over some frankly marginal DotMs, this one has been quietly turned into one of the very best huge-city compilations of articles that we have, and it covers an unusually attractive city for the visitor. It's long overdue to be featured. Unlike many US cities, it "works" as a DotM practically year-round; October/November, maybe? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 12:05, 20 June 2008 (EDT)

• Support. Amazing article, and there's a great photo too. Three cheers to PerryPlanet for putting in the elbow grease for this! Jpatokal 04:23, 21 June 2008 (EDT)

• Support. What was once an over-districtified nightmare has gotten a nice makeover and is looking much much nicer... good work planet perry – cacahuate ^talk 16:38, 21 June 2008 (EDT)

• Ah, shucks. I supposed I'm biased, but I'll Support. Hopefully, being the DotM will bring some more much-needed attention to the San Diego articles, cause there's still a whole lot more to do before these guides become truly fantastic. PerryPlanet 13:13, 22 June 2008 (EDT)

[edit] Hitchhiking in Japan (OtBP)

I'm not even going to pretend to be partial about this: this is and continues to be one of my favorite articles, and it's pretty OTBP. Best anytime in spring (Mach-June) or fall (Sep-Nov). Jpatokal 06:49, 15 October 2007 (EDT)

• Support. Put it in April and let travelers hitchhike south to north with the cherry blossoms. Gorilla Jones 20:37, 2 November 2007 (EDT)
• Support, but remember that an "April" OtBP doesn't start until April 15. I suspect it'd be better in March, for exactly Marc's reason. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 22:15, 2 November 2007 (EDT)
• Support. Just wanted to get my support in on this one—along with the Japan article, this was the first Wikitravel article I read! --Peter ^Talk 01:08, 19 June 2008 (EDT)

[edit] September

[edit] Ottawa (DoTM)

Attractive capital of an important country, with a well-composed and -illustrated article. It would be better if the map reflected the geography of the city rather than the mass transit system, but at least it has a map. May, maybe? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 19:33, 22 December 2007 (EST)

Support. Definitely not a winter destination, but September should stil be bearable, or it can be pushed earlier in summer? (Eg. Bandung is good any time of year.) Still needs a few MoS tweaks, but it's pretty good as it is. A nice new OSM map wouldn't hurt though... Jpatokal 03:32, 16 April 2008 (EDT)

Support. It can be a winter destination and has a "Winterlude" festival similar to Quebec or Harbin. However, the best times to go would be either the Tulip Festival in spring or the autumn when leaves are changing. Pashley 19:46, 29 May 2008 (EDT)

Do not Support It can be a winter destination, true, so I would rather give space for summer-mostly destination.

[edit] Jakar (OtBP)

A small village in the mountains of Bhutan. Accessible by road - one full day from the capital Thimphu and two days from the border. There are no addresses in Bhutan, so hotels are just listed by name. Jakar is a summer only destination, and is being offered as an alternative to Windsor (Ontario) as there has been some reservations about featuring this border town. If people prefer to feature Windsor, then this can be slushed until a future summer. I'll add climate info over the next few days. WindHorse 02:50, 17 June 2007 (EDT)

Don't support. Many sections of the article are still too skeletony: there are no real restaurant listings, and the hotel listings are rudimentary. Jpatokal 03:02, 17 June 2007 (EDT)

There aren't any real restaurants or cafes except for those in the hotels. It is a very small village with just one main street. In addition, tours to Bhutan can only be booked through a travel agency, and so guests have no/little say in which hotel they will stay. For them, accommodation is just in an international standard hotel. The important thing for Bhutan is info on attractions. Anyway, I am just pointing out the differences in defining articles for Bhutan than other countries, but agree that the current lack of info about hotels and restaurants/cafes may not look good on an article being show cased on the front page. I'll give it some thought... Anyway, we still need to think of an alternative for Windsor if that is the way consensus flows. I'll nominate Thimphu (later withdrawn), but I think we may run into the same difficulty. 'Drink' is empty, but I can add a few listings. WindHorse 03:13, 17 June 2007 (EDT)

OK, I'll withdraw my objection. Still needs a little cleanup though (eg. removing unused headers). Jpatokal 14:37, 15 March 2008 (EDT)

Up-dated and added info. Jakar is a suitable candidate for any slot from May to October. WindHorse 22:24, 15 March 2008 (EDT)

Support. Nicely written article and seems a good candidate for the vacant September slot - also a first for this Himalayan kingdom. Frequenttrekker 10:18, 3 April 2008 (EDT)

[edit] August

[edit] Bandung (DotM)

Good article. It provides a detail information of the city. Bandung is famous for its beautiful scenery with mountains surrounding the city, nice foods and the cool weather throughout the year. It is definitely one of the great destination for traveller. --Hkurniawan 07:30, 18 March 2008 (EDT).

Support. Excellent maps too. The article's English needs a little polishing (much of it was written by a non-native speaker), but it's pretty close to a star if you ask me. Jpatokal 07:48, 18 March 2008 (EDT)

Support. Brilliant article in a region not ofter featured. --Nick 07:57, 18 March 2008 (EDT)

Support. This article may be a little too detail. Perhaps better with some additional pictures. --DanielK 07:57, 20 March 2008 (EDT)

Support. Fantastic article. --Peter ^Talk 14:17, 19 March 2008 (EDT)

Support. A very comprehensive article. Frequenttrekker 10:23, 3 April 2008 (EDT)

Marginally Oppose, for the time being. The article's strengths are obvious and I agree with the analysis above. However, there are some down sides. Demographically, Bandung qualifies as a "huge city," and the structure of the article is such as to suggest districtifying as is done for other huge cities. It also has a number of MoS issues, particularly in the "Eat" section. I'd rather see it put into the preferred format before it's used; the content is good enough that I'd support it once that's done. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 10:04, 8 May 2008 (EDT)

[edit] Mesa Verde National Park (OtBP)

This is a very interesting locale, located quite far away from any major city. The Ancestral Puebloan ruins are very well-preserved.

Support. The article looks well-preserved, too, and it has a map. Gorilla Jones 10:47, 16 December 2007 (EST)

• Support, but lukewarm. The article is well done, and it's certainly an interesting place. However, there are two concerns. One, the nearest towns (Durango (Colorado) and Cortez) have only rather sketchy articles, and most of the people who visit MVNP will stay in one of those towns rather than in the park. Two, and something to consider broadly when nominating United States National Parks, I'm not sure it's even possible to do an article on this park in wiki form that approaches the content of more traditional guidebooks, etc. Is it really one of our "best" articles in terms of showing why Wikitravel is an improvement on commercial products? All of that said, I do support it on its own merits; July and August are good months there. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 12:15, 16 December 2007 (EST)
• Support. As someone who's made some contributions to this article, I'm delighted to see it get nominated for DoTM. However, as Bill pointed out, the Durango and Cortez articles really need some work. We really must consider these sorts of things when nominating a National Park article for something, instead of thinking of that article in isolation. And yes, July and August are great times for Mesa Verde. After that, just about half the Park shuts down for the season. PerryPlanet 01:04, 14 January 2008 (EST)

[edit] July

[edit] Mount Fuji (DotM)

High-quality article with a decidedly different spin on what the "beaten path" is all about. It's on my lifetime list of things to do, and I'd definitely use this article in doing it. Suggested for August, with Windsor (above) moving to DotM instead. (Note that there is a "beaten path" on Fuji, but that doesn't keep it from being OtBP...) -- Bill-on-the-Hill 14:54, 17 April 2007 (EDT)

Support - very good article. -- -- Tim (writeme!) 16:00, 17 April 2007 (EDT)

• Support – I think the article looks really good. I reorganized a little bit, and removed the external links from the sleep section... there's several more places listed on them, but only 2 in the actual article... is that sufficient, or should we try to pull some more off those sites? Also see Talk:Mount Fuji for another question. Otherwise I think it looks pretty good. – cacahuate ^talk 16:28, 18 April 2007 (EDT)

• Meh – I have nothing against the article (I wrote much of it), but Ashikaga, Japan is OTBP as I write this, and the much linked to Fuji Five Lakes article remains red. So I'd like to push this into 2008, and then schedule it in June/July before the climbing season starts. Jpatokal 17:45, 18 April 2007 (EDT)

• Do not really support. The article in itself is very good, no question about that. However, I am not quite sure that this is a Off the beaten path destination, it is a place most people (including Westerners) have heard of, and know it is possible to climb. It is not a place that people would discover on the top page and say "well, I did not know about that". Previous Japanese features such as Ashikaga or Iya Valley are more representative of an Otbp to me....Tensaibuta 08:49, 14 June 2007 (EDT)
  • So would you support this as a DotM instead? And I agree that it's not very OtBP — it's the only hike I've ever done where I've gotten stuck in a human traffic jam. Jpatokal 09:15, 14 June 2007 (EDT)
    • Personally, I'd still say OtBP. Most people have "heard of" Fuji, but relatively few outside Japan have given serious thought to climbing it. Or are there more gaijin on the mountain than I think? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:28, 14 June 2007 (EDT) OK, I give in. DotM rather than OtBP it is; how about it for early summer 2008? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 22:41, 30 November 2007 (EST)
  • I would strongly support as DotM. As for the gaijins on the mountain... even more than in Roppongi on Saturday night :) Tensaibuta 09:37, 14 June 2007 (EDT)
    • Yeah, it's one of those rites of passage for gaijin staying in Tokyo for even a slightly longer time — and I'd wager that, percentagewise, more gaijin in Tokyo have done the trek than Tokyo natives. Jpatokal 10:05, 14 June 2007 (EDT)
      • Elsewhere, too. Japanese friends have asked me why so many gaijin climb Fuji. I wouldn't object to it being DoTM, but I could still see it as OtBP, given how out-of-the-way Shizuoka is, and how you have to set aside probably three days for it — it's something resident gaijin are more likely to do than traveling gaijin on one or two week itineraries. It's OtBP for the average visitor to Japan. Gorilla Jones 10:22, 14 June 2007 (EDT)
      • Strictly speaking, it's entirely possible to visit Fuji without climbing it, and this option should perhaps be given a little more weight in the article. Jpatokal 14:24, 1 July 2007 (EDT)
        • Support, though I personally consider it to be more a DoTM than OtBP. Although Shizuoka itself is not a destination, it is only a short hop on the shinkansen from Tokyo. And, as Jpatokal states, legging it up Fuji seems to be thing Western travelers in particular see as a feather in their cap of experiences. However, OtBP is also not an unreasonable assessment.... WindHorse 12:48, 14 June 2007 (EDT

• Do not support for July or Aug, Ohrid seems more suitable for then To all supporters: Although this is a great article can we please move it to a later date? I feel strongly that the best time to experience Ohrid is July or possbly August, while Fuji Mountain is equally interesting at latter months of the year. Please consider switching it for Ohrid in July. I do support Mount Fuji for any later months. Thanks.
• Do not support "These are not cast in stone, and the order can be changed if, for example, an excellent guide for a timely event is found." and I agree that in this case for July the timely event is in Ohrid, so I support Ohrid instead for July. * Celia 75.222.59.95 23:31, 19 June 2008 (EDT)

As anyone who has read the article knows, Mount Fuji is only open for climbing in July and August. Hence, no, it's not "equally interesting at latter months of the year". Gorilla Jones 08:10, 20 June 2008 (EDT)

• Not support Ok, seems just a question of timing here, so lets have Mount Fuji in August, and Ohrid in July. I have read the program on the Ohrid Summer Festival and it is a shame not to feature this when a large number of internationally famoust artists is performing there in July. I will try to make some polishing to fit our standards, please join me its mainly technical work, the info is there. I love the Ohrid article and its a good timing... Miko 09:13, 20 June 2008 (EDT)
• Not in July The two destinations are both mountains for July, we need diversity and I quite like the Ohrid suggestion. I have been there few years ago and I know entire Skopje goes to Ohrid in the summer, so it is definitely the beaten path in Macedonia. I am not that good at cleaning up, what exactly needs to be changed in that article so we can do it for July? ElenaJ 16:08, 21 June 2008 (EDT)

[edit] Dharamsala (OtBP)

Needs a bit of MoS work, but almost ready to go. Note that, as usual in India, few places have anything in the way of a street address (although a map would be great...). Best in February-March when the Dalai Lama drops into town. Jpatokal 06:49, 15 October 2007 (EDT)

• Support. It's a cool destination, decent article, and I just uploaded a (shitty) map that needs much improvement, but at least gives some guidance. – cacahuate ^talk 18:08, 15 October 2007 (EDT)
• Marginal. This article has a huge amount of white space (at least as I see it in my browser) that should be eliminated. Also, I take Jani's point about lack of street addresses, but it would be nice to at least give hours on the eating places if possible. Finally, and maybe most important, we don't normally use Usable-level articles in OtBP. Fixing the previous concerns would allow it to be promoted to Guide, but until that happens, I'm not sure I can support this. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 11:33, 16 October 2007 (EDT)
  • My objections have been met. Support, and I'm provisionally scheduling it for March, bumping Cape Maclear to February. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 18:55, 30 November 2007 (EST)
  • Suggest moving it to April or May. March is still quite cold out there. --Wandering 17:21, 9 January 2008 (EST)
• Remember that an OtBP that appears in March will still be featured until mid-April, unlike the DotMs. Your point is valid, but because of that delayed appearance, I think March OtBP should be OK. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 17:36, 9 January 2008 (EST)
  • nw. July is probably the perfect month because of the weather and because of HMDL's birthday but what in this world is perfect anyway!--Wandering 17:51, 9 January 2008 (EST)
    • I've now pushed this into July, because we had an Indian destination as OtBP in Jan already. Jpatokal 06:30, 15 February 2008 (EST)
• Support. The article looks reasonably complete (perhaps a few excursions in the Get out section would be nice). Why isn't it already a 'guide' article?--Wandering 14:43, 26 October 2007 (EDT)

[edit] June

[edit] Chicago (DoTM)

Influential city in the heart of America. It boasts an expansive and informative article complete with many pictures. All times of the year are excellent in Chicago but the summer is most active with many festivals and activities around the city. Best for August or September 2007. AZGSB9 19:50, 27 July 2007 (EDT)

For the whole city, I'd suggest June to coincide with decent weather and Blues Fest, or Jazz Fest at the end of August/beginning of September (with much less decent weather). Chicago/Bronzeville would be a great OtBP for February, since that's Black History Month in the United States. The weather is usually bad in February, though. Gorilla Jones 12:25, 28 July 2007 (EDT)

• Support. This has made enormous strides recently and is now an exceptionally good huge-city compilation of articles. June 2008 looks right. I'd have to take some issue with Marc's assessment, however; it's more accurate to say that all times of year are equally nasty for weather, just in different ways ... climate is not one of Chicago's big attractions! -- Bill-on-the-Hill 10:04, 1 August 2007 (EDT)
• Support. Marc and I have finally finished what we intended to do with these articles, and I think June is a fine month to pick. If we don't have another dotm handy, I think it would also be a good May dotm, so people planning for Blues Fest (which begins right up against the beginning of June) might easily find our guide. --Peter ^Talk 23:51, 8 January 2008 (EST)

[edit] Sligo (OtBP)

User:The.Q has done a fantastic job with this small, historically-significant Irish town. Good for spring, maybe? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 12:30, 30 October 2007 (EDT)

• Support. Great article. Gorilla Jones 20:37, 2 November 2007 (EDT)
• Support. Thanks for the praise *(big grin)*. Obviously I would support this, if my vote counts. --The.Q^(t)(c) 08:21, 11 December 2007 (EST)
  • Hey, your opinion counts just as much as anyone else's! :-) -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:58, 11 December 2007 (EST)
  • Great. I'm working on a map, to help complete this article, but it'll probably take me a while, as I'm not very experienced at cartography! --The.Q^(t)(c) 05:08, 12 December 2007 (EST)

[edit] May

[edit] Gori (OtBP)

Gori makes for a very interesting read, anything in Georgia (the country) is way off the beaten path, and our guide is incomparably better and more comprehensive than any printed guides I've ever seen. I've visited the city three times, but still wasn't even aware of half the information now in the guide. The best times of the year to visit are anywhere from April to October, as it may be harder to visit Uplistsikhe during the winter. --Peter ^Talk 01:09, 2 November 2007 (EDT)

Support. It's a great article, a great new region to feature, and I want a picture of Stalin up there to share Lenin's glory! Jpatokal 06:56, 2 November 2007 (EDT)

• Support. Good article. I just saw a new book about Young Stalin that was Gori heavy. Gorilla Jones 20:37, 2 November 2007 (EDT)
• Support. Well done, and definitely OtBP. I wouldn't object to a one-month slippage to break up destinations in the FSU, however. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 19:05, 30 November 2007 (EST)
• Support. Pashley 05:38, 12 December 2007 (EST)

[edit] Bergen (DotM)

Great article (only needs a map) and, I believe, DOTM's first foray into Norway. Article recommends May-August. Jpatokal 22:57, 9 February 2008 (EST)

• Support. Wow, this is a great article. Could use a headliner image though (in addition to the map). PerryPlanet 23:01, 9 February 2008 (EST)
• Support, to be sure, but some other work is needed -- lots of red links in "Get out" and at least one photo that seems to be on the fritz, in addition to the map. None of these are show stoppers, however. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 23:46, 9 February 2008 (EST)

Photo now off the fritz. 80.202.112.184 17:51, 11 February 2008 (EST)

No red links in the "Get out" section, though the linked articles are pretty thin. 129.177.169.42 11:30, 12 February 2008 (EST)

[edit] April

[edit] Matsuyama (DotM)

Remarkably thorough article, in good MoS shape. It kinda straddles the line between DotM and OtBP, but it's a pretty popular destination for Japanese and not entirely obscure to visitors to Japan, so I'll tip for DotM. Best times are Mar-Jun, Sep-Nov. Jpatokal 00:58, 9 January 2008 (EST)

• Support. Borders on a TMI problem, but if straying from perfection, that's definitely the direction to stray in. How about May? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:56, 14 January 2008 (EST)
• Support. May is fine, but mid-April gets the cherry blossoms. Gorilla Jones 18:50, 14 January 2008 (EST)

[edit] Sihanoukville (OtBP)

Now that the guesthouse edit war has died down... one of those up-and-coming destinations where WT whups the competition. Best in Nov-Feb. Jpatokal 06:49, 15 October 2007 (EDT)

• Wait and see. From the sound of the article, there are some key amenities -- airport, major hotel -- that are in the process of getting reconstructed. Might it be better to wait for those to re-open, and then pounce? The quality of the article is certainly more than adequate for OtBP, but it might be a service to the traveler to list it only when the destination is in good shape. Jani? Sounds like you have experience with the place. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 11:13, 27 October 2007 (EDT)
  • The town is easily accessed from Phnom Penh, the airport already fields flights from Siem Reap and accommodation is not a problem as long as you don't demand five stars. And this is OtbP, after all! Jpatokal 00:08, 28 October 2007 (EDT)
• Support. Agreed that, while more may emerge, transport links are in place and widely advertised throughout the region. Good article, too. Gorilla Jones 20:37, 2 November 2007 (EDT)

[edit] March

[edit] Ho Chi Minh City (DotM)

Nominated with some misgivings -- for one thing, it's a large enough city to possibly justify districting -- but what's there is well written, the city is important and well-known, and we're running short on city-size DotMs. Would it work in the spring? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 18:48, 30 November 2007 (EST)

• Support. Yeah, I like that article. March would be a good time - April, particularly the latter half, will be a bit too hot. Gorilla Jones 19:17, 30 November 2007 (EST)

• Support. March sounds good. Jpatokal 15:34, 15 December 2007 (EST)

[edit] Sheki (OtBP)

This is a great smaller city to explore in Azerbaijan. It has few international tourist every year, but the historical sites from lost civilizations (Caucus Albanians), ancient fortresses, unique food, and friendly atmosphere this is a place that should be visited by more. I have lived here for one year, and it is a pity to see so many ex pats living in Baku, Ganja, and Tbilisi but so few visiting this great place. The Greater Caucus mountains are beautiful no matter if they are covered by snow or by verdant grass and trees. I have been active in writing this part of the guide, and I will continue, but it would be even better to have more contributions and visits. Finally, although Sheki is beautiful all year long, it is best enjoyed from late March to June, when the weather is near perfect every day.Cupcakecommander 09:18, 1 August 2007 (EDT)

• This has the makings of a very good OtBP, but it needs considerable tidying up:
  • The map is almost surely a copyvio and needs to be removed or replaced.
  • WAY too many photos. Pick the 6-8 best and most illustrative (that are consistent with our copyleft policy) and use those.
  • Many listings need to be formatted according to the MoS, and there's a lot of white space to get rid of.

This article has enormous promise as an OtBP, though, so thanks, and once the formatting issues are resolved, let's look at it very seriously for next March or thereabouts. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:52, 1 August 2007 (EDT)

How is the Sheki page looking after the CoTW? What else should be changed to make it a viable OtBP candidate? Cupcakecommander 02:10, 13 August 2007 (EDT)

I'll answer this, for the time being, on the talk page. --Peter ^Talk 02:29, 13 August 2007 (EDT)

Peter just put up a new map of Sheki, so is it ready for OTBP now? I think that it would be great in March or April.. Cupcakecommander 03:03, 13 November 2007 (EST)

Meets my objections entirely. Support, and I'm provisionally scheduling it. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 15:37, 16 November 2007 (EST)

• Support. I think it's up to OtBP standards now, and it is such a lovely place. I'll be sure to run through it once more for extra MoS polish before it gets featured (Chicago's eating up all my wiki-time right now), but I think it's up to snuff as it is. The only downside I can think of to listing it in the spring is that mountain trekking will probably still be too snowy. Summer/fall might be better. --Peter ^Talk 04:11, 13 November 2007 (EST)
• Support. Has lots of interesting details and diversions, perfect for an OtBP. I'd like to see it follow MoS a little closer, but with Peter on the job, I'm sure that won't be a problem. Gorilla Jones 08:06, 13 November 2007 (EST)
• Support. I will help fix any problems that I can to ensure that this will become an OtBP. Just let me know what I can do. Cupcakecommander 02:10, 11 December 2007 (EST)

[edit] February

[edit] Chiang Mai (DotM)

Excellent article, and might be a good substitute for Pattaya if that's deemed unacceptable again. Best season is winter (Nov-Feb or so), and might (barely) also squeeze into OtBP if needed. Jpatokal 06:39, 5 December 2006 (EST)

Support - a good article and a good destination, though I don't know which month is best to feature as all their festivals seem to be in the Winter/early Spring. WindHorse 01:22, 1 February 2007 (EST)

Here's the down load on climate: The hot season is from early March to end of May. Average daytime temperature is 30° Celsius (85° Fahrenheit). The rainy season usually begins early June and reaches to the end of October. Most rain will probably fall in September. So, if Guangzhou is featured in March (see discussion under 'Dubai' above), then feasibly Chiang Mai could be slotted into April in its place. While it is not the best month in terms of temperature (though 30° Celsius day time temps are certainly not unbearable), it is dry, which is probably the most important consideration. WindHorse 04:26, 4 February 2007 (EST)

I wouldn't suggest Chiang Mai for April -- it's not quite as broiling as Bangkok, but it's far less pleasant than winter. Jpatokal 08:28, 4 February 2007 (EST)

OK, I take your word for it. I've only ever been there in the Fall. Anyway, we need somewhere to feature in the April slot. Any ideas? I've nominated Shimla for DoM. Don't know whether it up to standard, but if so, April would be a suitable month weather-wise WindHorse 11:09, 4 February 2007 (EST)

SupportFrom what I remember being there, fall is the best time to visit, good weather and not too crowded!Felixboy 14:41, 21 May 2007 (EDT)

As Chiang-Mai cannot feature until November at earliest, I suggest holding the article until February. It is good time weather wise and also the month when the famous Chiang Mai Flower Festival is held. WindHorse 03:11, 19 June 2007 (EDT)

[edit] Cape Maclear (OtBP)

A small fishing village on Lake Malawi in Southern Malawi that has become a bit of a "traveler's black hole". There are activities to do here, which are described but the pace of life is slow, and beach bumming is apparently the norm. The place is definately off the beaten path, but there are details for hotels etc. Not sure of the best time to visit. -- Tim (writeme!) 08:45, 18 August 2007 (EDT)

• Almost support, but not quite yet. We could always use more Africa articles, and this one is both interesting and very far off the beaten path, which is a good thing. However, it really needs some MoS work. Do that and I'll support it unequivocally. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 19:39, 26 August 2007 (EDT)

I've done a bit of MoS work on it, anything other objections? -- Tim (writeme!) 08:20, 1 September 2007 (EDT)

More could still be done, but yes, this meets my concerns. Support now. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 11:22, 16 October 2007 (EDT)

• Support. For an OTBP article, it's good enough. Map might be nice though. Jpatokal 06:37, 15 October 2007 (EDT)

I'd pip for this in Feb just for geographical variety -- the other alternative, Sihanoukville, is a bit too close to Chiang Mai for comfort. Jpatokal 05:10, 9 February 2008 (EST)

I'd been just about to put something on the talk page pointing out that we need to choose between these two, but I think you're right. I'll make the appropriate change to the schedule table. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 12:15, 9 February 2008 (EST)

[edit] January

[edit] Dubai (DotM)

Important (if weird) destination, and the article is well turned out with good photos and considerable local color. Could use a map, but that's not a show-stopper. Alternative to Yosemite (which, unlike Dubai, could work equally well later in the year) for May? Or Pattaya for February? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 10:57, 24 November 2006 (EST)

• Oppose, not very loudly. Many listings, esp. in Eat, are deficient and/or not in MoS format. Some of the pics are redundant or violate the privacy policy. And May is already blazing hot... Jpatokal 11:26, 24 November 2006 (EST)
  • You're right about the privacy policy; that one needs to be fixed. Simple enough to do, however. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 12:20, 24 November 2006 (EST)
• Well, without looking at the article, I'd say that it makes much more sense to slot it for winter months, when we usually have a shortage. — Ravikiran 12:17, 24 November 2006 (EST)
• I'd like to see this become DotM as it was a CotW earlier this year, and I like it when they become DotM. I'll attack the MoSless bits and sort that picture out now. That makes this a support once I've done a bit of work on it... but could do with a few extra contribs.... -- Tim 18:33, 24 November 2006 (EST)
  • Right, I've given the unMoS bits a once over... But it needs a cope section... -- Tim 19:12, 24 November 2006 (EST)
• Support: would rather have Dubai than Pattaya, although the restaurant listings here need addresses. - DanielC 08:52, 1 December 2006 (EST)

Support - though maybe this is best as a winter feature when those in the northern hemisphere seek sun and warmth. WindHorse 01:28, 1 February 2007 (EST)

There seem to be some objections to using Berlin in March. Could it be slotted then? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 19:42, 2 February 2007 (EST)

Support featuring Dubai for March instead of Berlin. WindHorse 20:02, 2 February 2007 (EST)

I don't think Dubai or Berlin are in DotM shape yet. I mean, look at stuff like this: "The majority of the people using the bus system are lower-class Indians". The article needs a pretty comprehensive rework which I'll be happy to provide — but only in May, when I'll be paying a visit. Jpatokal 23:15, 2 February 2007 (EST)

Yeah, it's not perfect, but got a better idea? March is getting close, there is a shortage of viable candidates, and I do think this one is in better shape than Berlin. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 23:28, 2 February 2007 (EST)

I take Jpatokal's point regarding this article (incidentally, I have removed the specific offending sentence that was referred to). However, as Bill said, there are no other apparent options. Ideas? WindHorse 07:16, 3 February 2007 (EST)

Why not bump up Guangzhou? The article actually says that finding accommodation during the yearly trade fair in April can be difficult, so March would seem better. Yahoo Weather says average March temps are 22/15°C hi/lo with 9cm of rain, which sounds pretty pleasant in my (tropical) book. Jpatokal 08:09, 3 February 2007 (EST)

Yeah, that's certainly a possibility and, as you say, the weather there in March is pretty good. Another option is to slip Dubai in as the next CoW to see whether a group effort can bring it up to standard before the end of this month. Either way is fine with me. WindHorse 08:46, 3 February 2007 (EST)

Dubai makes a great winter destination, so I'd prefer to keep it for a better time. And I'm really not satisfied with the quality of the article, yet. Jpatokal 08:53, 3 February 2007 (EST)

OK, then unless there is any major dissent, bump up Guangzhou. That leaves the question of April - bump up Yosemite National Park or slip in Chaing Mai. I've not been to Chiang Mai in Spring, but I imagine that it is not a bad time to visit. Thoughts? WindHorse 09:02, 3 February 2007 (EST)

If there was a gap for April, that would be a resonable time for Cambridge - it needs little, if any sorting out which I am happy to do (lived there for 3 years). -- DanielC 14:28, 4 February 2007 (EST)

I think that the Museums and Galleries section for Cambridge needs modifying. If that can be a little more MoSed it would probably be a good candiate for the April slot. WindHorse 21:56, 4 February 2007 (EST)

• So have the issues been resolved at least to the point that we could run Dubai in November 07? It's time to come up with something for that month, according to our rolling schedule. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:41, 7 June 2007 (EDT)

I was kinda hoping to hold it until January 2009, when Mr. Cheney goes back to work at Halliburton in their new headquarters. :) The Eat listings still need addresses (or at least phone numbers to get directions), which would be good to have addressed before featuring it. - Todd VerBeek 10:18, 7 June 2007 (EDT)

With regards to phone numbers and addresses for eat listings, most of the mid range and splurge are on the net so it's not going to be hard to get hold of details. It's just been added to my list of things to do! -- Tim (writeme!) 05:49, 17 June 2007 (EDT)

Added the phone numbers and addresses for as many of the eat listings as possible. There were one or two which I couldn't find. -- Tim (writeme!) 13:54, 1 July 2007 (EDT)

• Oppose. Just glancing at the article, parts of it seems to read like an advertisement. Such as "It is a city of superlatives: for the fastest, biggest, tallest, largest and highest, Dubai is the destination." And then a lot of the See/Do listings feel empty and incomplete. I dunno, I understand there's a lack of articles for winter, but I think we should put this one off for a couple of years, to get the article ready for when the Burj Dubai and all those other crazy developments are near completion. :) PerryPlanet 20:59, 10 August 2007 (EDT)
  • That sentence has a very valid point, although it may not come through very well -- practically everything built in Dubai is intended to be the world's tallest tower, the world's most luxurious hotel, the world's largest ski dome, the world's first underwater hotel, yadda yadda. That said, I don't think Dubai is among our best articles and I'm OK with pushing it back in the queue. Jpatokal 05:09, 11 August 2007 (EDT)
    • Oh no, I agree with you, Dubai is certainly becoming a city of superlatives -- I just think there's gotta be a better way to put it than that. Right now it just sounds like some cheesy ad. PerryPlanet 12:04, 11 August 2007 (EDT)
  • Problem is, the queue for DotM is pretty sparse right now, and we're only a week or so away from needing something for January -- where it is currently scheduled. Are you guys willing to swallow your objections and schedule it? If not, got a better idea? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 19:33, 22 December 2007 (EST)

Looks like we are pretty tied up. While I still have some misgivings with the article, I do take back my previous stance. Support. PerryPlanet 17:16, 26 December 2007 (EST)

[edit] Havelock Island (OtBP)

I am going there for my honeymoon and on return, I am fully determined to make this up to scratch. Any ideas on what it lacks will be appreciated. — Ravikiran 14:25, 5 January 2007 (EST)

Bump. We are leaving on the 26th for the place. — Ravikiran 05:58, 22 January 2007 (EST)

• Support – I just cleaned this up more and added several new pictures, and added a map a couple weeks back as well. Having spent a month there, I'd say this article is very much near-complete... the only thing I can think of adding is a drop-dead gorgeous sunset picture at Radhanagar Beach... no offense to the already decent one we've got by Ravikiran, I've seen some nicer sunsets there, and some knockout pics, just not that meet our license requirements, yet. It would probably be best to feature this in February, March or April, though it could also go in September/October/November if we were desperate to fill a slot. – cacahuate ^talk 01:47, 22 May 2007 (EDT)

• I think it needs some telephone numbers for the sleep & eat places if at all possible, plus some "Drink" places. Some of the "Eat" and the "Internet" need addresses. What does "PCO/ISD's" mean? If thse were fixed I would support it. -- DanielC 16:05, 25 May 2007 (EDT)

Most place on the island don't have telephones, which is why there aren't any listed... and the same for addresses, there's just 2 roads on island and no street addresses, so the only way to list them is by saying which beach they're at... believe it or not, this article is pretty darn complete. It covers almost all of the possible things to do and the main places to stay. The only drinking options are to buy beer at the beer shop near the port (that's already listed) or from a few of the guesthouse restaurants (also mentioned), so there's no way to expand that. PCO/ISD's are the phone booths around India... PCO for local, ISD for international, they're all over India and explained in the main guide, and I just added a little clarifying note on the Havelock page too – cacahuate ^talk 04:08, 26 May 2007 (EDT)

• Support. This would be a good winter destination. Jpatokal 07:07, 10 June 2007 (EDT)
• Support. A clear article with good images. Agree that it would make an excellent winter destination. WindHorse 20:11, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

Just a note, Dec and most of Jan can be not so great weather, so better to feature after that, or just before would be second best – cacahuate ^talk 21:39, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

Remember, though, that a "January" OtBP is displayed for as much of February as January, because of our mid-month OtBP change date. Between that and the logistics issues if anyone actually uses the OtBP to plan a trip there, I suspect January may be a better month to feature this article, with the idea that by the time people actually use the information, it'll be later in the winter and the weather will have improved. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 10:55, 26 August 2007 (EDT)

True. Probably fine then for January, and still great for Feb or March if it needs to be bumped to fit other stuff in. – cacahuate ^talk 13:31, 26 August 2007 (EDT)

• Support, although I'd drop the Island Vinnie's tent photo - too dark. How about February, then? Gorilla Jones 10:10, 14 June 2007 (EDT)

[edit] 2007

[edit] December

[edit] Angkor Archaeological Park (DotM)

A good guide article. It's dormitory town, Siem Reap is a guide article too. A few of the temples need fleshing out, which I could do. Article says November to February is the peak season. -- DanielC 14:50, 4 February 2007 (EST)

Support - good, clear and comprehensive guide of a popular tourist destination. WindHorse 21:57, 4 February 2007 (EST)

Comment - At the moment I'd actually support Siem Reap, which just needs to have its map updated, over Angkor, which still has some missing bits. And yes, winter is the best time. Jpatokal 07:07, 29 March 2007 (EDT)

How about December for this? Nothing says Christmas like the lads at Bayon. Gorilla Jones 23:16, 17 June 2007 (EDT)

• Support, although it could do with a bit more "Eat" content. No need for similar upgrades on "Sleep" since Siem Reap is in good shape. I'm taking the liberty of scheduling this for December; Jani, I understand your preference for Siem Reap as the DotM, but the fact that Angkor is so much better known leads me to prefer featuring it, with copious references to the excellent Siem Reap page. (Hm -- have we ever done a "double feature" for DotM? Could we?) -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:55, 20 June 2007 (EDT)
  • There is no more Eat content because there's just one restaurant worthy of the name, the rest are just fly-by-night bamboo shacks sprinkled in among the souvenir stalls. It might make sense to reformat the article using the National Park template? Also, I think Siem Reap stands on its own and could potentially be featured as OtbP/DoTM someday. Jpatokal 04:49, 1 July 2007 (EDT)

[edit] Petra (OtBP)

One of those off-the-beaten-path places that the well-rounded traveler just must see. The article gives an excellent sense of what it's like, and as for the shortage of restaurant listings, you can't list what doesn't exist. Would this work for boreal winter? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 11:08, 27 October 2007 (EDT)

• Support, although it needs a few MoS tweaks. And yes, winter is the best time to go. Jpatokal 00:08, 28 October 2007 (EDT)
• Support. Gorilla Jones 20:37, 2 November 2007 (EDT)

[edit] November

[edit] Hiroshima (DotM)

There's more to the city, and the article, than just nuclear holocaust. As usual in Japan, this would be best in spring (Apr-May) or fall (Sep-Nov). Need a better intro pic tho... Jpatokal 22:20, 1 February 2007 (EST)

Support - and agree that the Fall is probably the best time to feature as the weather in Japan at that time of year is clear and fresh - definitely my personal favorite time to hang out in Japan. WindHorse 22:59, 1 February 2007 (EST)

Mid-to-late September usually sees a typhoon or two in Hiroshima. October or November would be fine, though. Gorilla Jones 09:07, 2 February 2007 (EST)

Comprehensive article. Again, not sure best time, but August would be the anniversary month. -- DanielC 17:37, 25 April 2007 (EDT)

Since this was just accidentally re-nominated for OtBP, I'd have to argue for DotM: everybody on the planet knows the name, and it's pretty big on the Japan tourist trail. Jpatokal 18:37, 25 April 2007 (EDT)

Again, I would discourage using Hiroshima in September. On fine days, the weather is okay, still too hot at the beginning of the month, fine by the end of the month. The key issue, though, is typhoons. Some years, there's only one typhoon in September, and it just means you can't go out for a day or two...but some years, there are more, and they do a lot worse. (Itsukushima in Miyajima was destroyed by a September 2004 typhoon.) Gorilla Jones 10:34, 20 June 2007 (EDT)

OK - got it, but I am wondering how to separate a consecutive run on US destinations. Anyway, based your input, I'll remove Hiroshima for the September nomination. Thanks for the feedback. WindHorse 10:44, 20 June 2007 (EDT)

Can we come to a consensus on whether the typhoons create too much of a problem in September? 'Twould really be nice to break up the US DotMs, and October really is better for Albuquerque, for a number of reasons. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 23:59, 20 June 2007 (EDT)

My personal experience of typhoons is that they are not that disruptive in a major city and are usually gone within half a day (though during the period that they make landfall, travelers obviously would be confined to indoors). However, it has been pointed out that Hiroshima is also pretty hot at the beginning of September, so it seems that October is still the best option for this destination. It would be preferable to have a non-US destination separating the consecutive run of two, but it is only two and the complimentary OtBP for that period are from totally different parts of the world. So, personally, I don't think it is a major issue, though maybe we should not nominate any more destinations from the US until the early Spring. WindHorse 00:21, 21 June 2007 (EDT)

I'm still feeling as though it would be better, all else equal, to flipflop this and Albuquerque in the queue. How far in advance is it possible to guess what the typhoon season is going to be like? Could this exchange be made at the last minute if the season looks to be moderate? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 10:07, 1 August 2007 (EDT)

I'll ask some contacts in the city. I know the whole city shut down for a typhoon last week - businesses closed, everyone went home early, etc (and you know how much it takes for Japanese businesses to send their employees home early), which didn't happen at all last year, but I'm not sure if that's necessarily connected to how things will be in September. Gorilla Jones 10:29, 1 August 2007 (EDT)

Since Chiang Mai has been moved, how about Hiroshima for November? The weather is cool but pleasant, and the fall colors are still there for most of the month. Then we can move Albuquerque to October. That would leave us without a candidate for September, but plenty of places are nice right then, so it shouldn't be hard to find one. Gorilla Jones 20:13, 1 August 2007 (EDT)

OK, Hiroshima for November, Albuquerque for October, and the recently proposed Victoria (British Columbia) for September, then? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 12:45, 9 August 2007 (EDT)

I have to say I'm not too impressed with the current pic. I like my own enough to have a framed copy on the wall, but it's not very representative of the city. There are quite a few options on Flickr, but nothing really striking...? Although we could always go with an A-Bomb Dome shot like this. Jpatokal 22:32, 26 October 2007 (EDT)

Yes, that last one is a far better shot of the Dome. Wanna see if you can get a release? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 23:18, 26 October 2007 (EDT)

It's already CC by 2.0, which is compatible. But using the Dome for Hiroshima is kinda like the Eiffel Tower for Paris... Jpatokal 04:47, 27 October 2007 (EDT)

Which, of course, is precisely what was done when Paris was DotM. Furthermore, I suspect that far more people had an idea of what the Eiffel Tower looks like before putting it on the cover than will have a comparable idea of the Dome. But your call. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 10:38, 27 October 2007 (EDT)

Since the thesis in the introduction of the article is that there's more to the city than the atomic bomb - and, as it says in Understand, some visitors are going to expect smoldering ruins when they step off the train - I think it would run counter to the text to have a dome-alone picture. I like my photo because it places the dome within the context of the city. One of the other Peace Park icons would do well - I don't have a good photo of the mother-shielding-child statue, but that's a good one. I have plenty from around the city that are non-bomb related of course... Gorilla Jones 14:23, 27 October 2007 (EDT)

[edit] Rietvlei Nature Reserve (OtBP)

We can keep this one in reserve in case we ever run short of Off the Beaten Path destinations. Rietvlei is a small reserve with a low number of visitors, facilities are basic, but adequate and well maintained. Will appeal to anyone that feels it is totally wrong to be stuck in a city when visiting "wild" Africa. Given the mild Highveld climate it does not really matter when one visits, but early spring (starting September) probably gives the best balance between number of bird species present and ease of game viewing due to still short winter grass. -- NJR_ZA 09:46, 4 February 2007 (EST)

Looks good, but is a bit bare in some places - why must you bring in your own food etc? If there's no restaurant etc say so... Plus which bit of the reserve is good for seeing a particular animal? Maybe a bit more in the history section as well? I like reading that kind of stuff (although I know we don't want to become wikipedia!) Could do with a few more details in the sleep and get out! -- Tim 10:05, 4 February 2007 (EST)

Thanks for the feedback again, I'll work on those. History in many areas of South Africa is however a bit of a problem; there just is not a lot to go around. The reserves history can be summed up as: someone tried a bit of farming around 1910, nothing much happened for a while, a dam was build in the 1930s, nothing much happened for a while, the area was proclaimed a reserve in 1948, nothing much happened for a while, some tar roads were put down in the 1980s, nothing much happened for a while, you can visit there today and enjoy the fact that nothing much happened to spoil the natural beauty of the area. -- NJR_ZA 12:38, 4 February 2007 (EST)

haha i love that! put it in the article!i should have added that once you've made those changes i mentioned, and maybe generally added a bit more depth, i'll support-- Tim 13:01, 4 February 2007 (EST)

I'm wondering if this article could be moved into the Nov-Dec slot. If so, then I would like to shift Guinsa to Sep-Oct and Namche Bazaar into the Oct-Nov slot. The tourist season in Namche is short, so if it cannot be be destination of the month in the Fall, then it will need to wait until April. Guinsa is also suitable to display in early Fall as it is the best time to view the Fall leaf colors. Thoughts? WindHorse 11:57, 14 June 2007 (EDT)

I was thinking the same thing, and have made the change; let's see what attention it attracts. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 15:32, 15 June 2007 (EDT)

Nov-Dec will be good for this one. Many travelers from the Northern Hemisphere visit South Africa during our summer. Some of the better known destinations can get rather busy during that time and offering an alternative like this will be a good idea. --NJR_ZA 14:05, 16 June 2007 (EDT)

[edit] October

[edit] Albuquerque (DotM)

User:PerryPlanet has done a fantastic job with this. Suggested for September or October, as the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta draws hundreds of thousands of visitors (yes, literally "hundreds of thousands") in early October; use in September if the emphasis is on helping them find lodging (although it'll be tight by then), in October if the goal is to give visitors things to do post-arrival other than get up at 6 a.m. and watch the balloons. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 15:30, 15 March 2007 (EDT)

Support - great article. -- Tim 11:24, 30 March 2007 (EDT)

Support - You flatter me, Bill. :P Another reason to put it in September would be because that's when the State Fair happens, and that's the biggest event in ABQ (behind the Balloon Fiesta, of course). I'll have to write up something on the state fair soon... PerryPlanet 15:47, 20 April 2007 (EDT)

Support - good article, although it could do with more specific "Buy" listings. I am concerned that if we put it in for October, then that would mean 3 USA DOTMs in a row. -- DanielC 17:04, 25 April 2007 (EDT)

Support - September seems decent, but it is really known for the Balloon Fiesta, it seems much more approriate to do it in October with a nice picture of balloons over the city for picture. Ralthor 23:14, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

To accommodate this (I agree with you), I've taken the liberty of inserting Victoria (British Columbia) into the September slot, and slipped this and Hiroshima a month each. Go criticize me. :-) -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:15, 9 August 2007 (EDT)

[edit] Namche Bazaar (OTBP)

Can't get much more OTBP than this little Sherpa village located a six day walk from the nearest road and in the shadow of Mount Everest. Needs a photograph, but locating one shouldn't be too difficult. Only April, October or November are suitable months to feature. Other times are out of season, either because its too cold or the peaks are lost in mist. WindHorse 09:09, 5 February 2007 (EST)

Support A good article given that it's probably a fairly rudimentary place. It must have a photograph though. -- DanielC 17:48, 25 April 2007 (EDT)

It's a well-written article. I've asked a couple of the people who have photos on Wikipedia if they'd consider re-licensing them. Gorilla Jones 14:05, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

W00t! We've got a photo. Gorilla Jones 18:18, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

• Support, but I'd rather see this in October (remember that the November OtBP doesn't get posted until November 15), before the trekking season ends, if Guinsa could be pushed back to November. Otherwise reserve it for the 2008 season -- not much point in running the article at a time when nobody will benefit from it. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 22:05, 13 June 2007 (EDT)

Agree that Mid-Oct - Mid-Nov would be the ideal slot for Namche as that is peak season. Mid-Nov is getting a little late. However, I note that Guinsa is particularly beautiful in the Fall because of the tree colors, so October might be the best time to show case that article also... Wonder whether Rietvlei Nature Reserve could be moved into the Nov slot and Guinsa and Namche moved forward. The intro for Rietvlei states that it is a good all-year destination, though September is better because of an increase in animal numbers.... WindHorse 00:15, 14 June 2007 (EDT)

[edit] September

[edit] Victoria (British Columbia) (DotM)

Every bit as gorgeous as its reputation, and just far enough from Vancouver to count as a separate destination. The article has textbook MoS formatting, excellent (if sparse) photography and two useful maps; some of the prose could use some tidying, but there's time, and I wouldn't consider it a show-stopper just as it is. If Butchart Gardens still looks good in September, this might fill in the missing month we're currently facing. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 16:13, 3 August 2007 (EDT)

• Support. Good find for September. Gorilla Jones 16:32, 3 August 2007 (EDT)
• Drink needs a little MoSing, but otherwise support - but isn't Albuquerque slated for September? WindHorse 23:58, 5 August 2007 (EDT)
  • There has been discussion of slipping both Albuquerque and Hiroshima a month -- there's a vacancy in November, Albuquerque would be better in October because of the Balloon Fiesta, and a slip would break up the DotMs in the USA. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 08:41, 6 August 2007 (EDT)
• It's a great article in all respects except one: both pictures are low-res, overexposed and blurry. Can somebody find a better one to showcase? Jpatokal 13:26, 26 August 2007 (EDT)
  • The Butchart Gardens photo exists in better form on Wikimedia Commons (here). However, it's gigantic there -- something like 2 megabytes -- and even the lower-res version that I put on this page is a pretty big file. If you're more skilled with PhotoShop than I, go ahead and see if an intermediate-resolution version can be created. Otherwise I say go with it; Butchart Gardens is probably the "prettiest" site in Victoria, and the other shots on Commons don't appear to have compatible licensing, unless I'm missing something. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 19:33, 26 August 2007 (EDT)
    • 2 MB isn't gigantic, in fact it's barely enough for printing, and since creating thumbnails is a one-time job it doesn't really matter how big the original is. (I regularly upload ~3 MB 3008x2000 pics.) A quick poke at Flickr turns up hundreds of other pics: I like this one, but I'm not sure how representative it is. Jpatokal 23:20, 26 August 2007 (EDT)
      • That one's plenty representative and would be just fine, if the CC-SA 2.0 can be addressed. If you feel strongly enough about upgrading the photo to take that on, go for it; I certainly won't object to the superior photo. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 00:28, 27 August 2007 (EDT)

[edit] Guinsa (OTBP)

So far off the beaten track that I'm positive the article I wrote today is far and away the most complete guide in English available online or offline — which is a shame, because this place is stunning. And hey, how many guides do we have with useful snippets of info like "All things are both absolutely unreal and provisionally real at once"? Open all year around, but the area is best known for its fall colors. Jpatokal 08:05, 2 July 2006 (EDT)

• I have several comments/questions before I'll vote in favor.

1. If someone wanted tea where would they go?
2. Is hiking the only thing that people can do? What about attending religious services or equivalent?
3. What about contacting the outside world? Are there telephones or can someone use the internet there?
4. Lastly, how did you hear about the place? -- Andrew Haggard (Sapphire) 08:23, 2 July 2006 (EDT)

• Good questions, I'll add in the following: Tea and coffee are available in vending machines throughout the site, as is fresh water. There are religious services, field hoeing, kimchi preparation etc aplenty, but they're all in Korean which kinda limits the accessibility. There were public telephones at the post office (I remember this because we almost used them). And I heard about the place because LP deigns to grant it one paragraph on the last page (!) of the Korea guide, and then got intrigued when I googled it and a) saw this guy's photos and b) that there was practically no info available on it. Jpatokal 08:40, 2 July 2006 (EDT)

• Support. Jpatokal, I was in a book store today and saw a LP Korea guide book. I went to the last page of the S. Korea section and have to admit you are correct on your article probably being the most informative guide available. -- Andrew Haggard (Sapphire) 16:21, 3 July 2006 (EDT)

• Support, with distinct reservations. Content is excellent as regards attractions, but something useful and practical is needed for the "Sleep" section. If you can't sleep there, (1) is it really a destination and (2) where can you sleep? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 11:59, 28 October 2006 (EDT)
  • The article currently points to Danyang, which has a few sleep listings. Jpatokal 13:06, 28 October 2006 (EDT)

I don't mind the lack of accommodations inside the town because Jani does point us to the another destination that does have accommodation. Jani did such a great job on this article it would be foolish not to showcase it in some manner. This article proves that the paper guide books will have nothing on us. -- Andrew H. (Sapphire) 13:18, 28 October 2006 (EDT)

[edit] August

[edit] Zion National Park (DotM)

The scenery here is simply breathtaking, and it's a favorite park for many. Best times to go are in spring and fall, when the temperatures are more moderate. PerryPlanet 14:51, 29 December 2006 (EST)

• Support, but: Might this be better as OtBP? National park or not, few people know where it is, and one must go to some lengths to get there. There's been some really tremendous work on this article lately, however, and it would be reasonable to feature it somewhere, somehow. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 16:06, 31 December 2006 (EST)

I don't think so. Zion is Utah's most popular National Park, it gets millions of visitors a year. It's well-known even outside of the Southwest. "Off the beaten path" doesn't describe Zion at all. PerryPlanet 18:38, 31 December 2006 (EST)

• Support for OTBP. As this is a world travel guide and it's not really known of outside the USA, I'd call it OTBP. Very good article though. -- DanielC 16:24, 2 February 2007 (EST)
• Support for DotM. I don't think "not world famous" is sufficient reason to declare something OtBP. After all, Guangzhou, Dubai, Chiang Mai, Shimla, and Angkor Archaeological Park aren't exactly household names inside the USA. And although it isn't as famous as Yellowstone or Yosemite or the Everglades, Zion made MSN Encarta's "15 Most Popular National Parks" article (at #15). Over 2.5 million visitors every year Beat a pretty good Path. :) - Todd VerBeek 15:39, 4 February 2007 (EST)

Yes, with those visitor numbers I don't think it is really OTBP. However I am not sure that I agree with some of TVerBeek's examples above. See discussion at Wikitravel_talk:Destination_of_the_Month_candidates#Criteria_for_OTBP_v_DOTM. -- DanielC 08:32, 7 February 2007 (EST)

• Support. 2.5 million visitors per year would definitely disqualify it for OFTBP. WindHorse 00:22, 6 February 2007 (EST)
• As Yosemite is featuring in the Spring, I'm wondering whether this should be moved to the Fall. It is certainly a Fall-like destination with the tree colors etc. Will enter Shimla as an alternative for June as it is traditionally a summer escape for those living in the sweltering plains, which are at their hottest in May/June. Hiroshima is also a possibility for May, though Japan is usually at its best in the Fall also. WindHorse 22:08, 7 February 2007 (EST)
  • Agree with Shimla instead of Zion for June. I wouldn't recommend Hiroshima though, as it's the rainy season in Japan then. Jpatokal 23:55, 7 February 2007 (EST)

[edit] Tampere (OtBP)

It's got the Lenin Museum, a library full of Moomins, sausages made from pig blood, 20,000 hard-drinking students and a fairly decent article. What more do you need? Definitely a summer (June-August) destination, and while Finland's 2nd largest city this is still pretty obscure by world standards, so I'd go for OtBP over DotM. Jpatokal 22:03, 1 February 2007 (EST)

• Support. A really good article. -- DanielC 08:07, 2 February 2007 (EST)
• Support. Good article, and as a connoisseur of Lenin statues, I feel qualified to say that's an excellent photo. Gorilla Jones 14:08, 13 June 2007 (EDT)
• Problem -- Tampere has no Drink section! I moved one brewery-pub into it from Eat, but some more places are needed. I think I need to drop a line to my locally resident party-animal cousin... Jpatokal 22:13, 1 August 2007 (EDT)

[edit] July

[edit] Swansea (DotM)

Possibly the most diverse "Do" section I've ever seen in an article for a city this size. Well suited to the latter part of (boreal) summer. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 13:20, 20 January 2007 (EST)

• Wow there is a lot there! It's gonna need a bit of a MoS touch up and a bit more info on some of the listings before I support it though. -- Tim 18:50, 20 January 2007 (EST)

• Support - and July seems the best month to feature as there is an international rock and indie festival being held there around the middle of that month. WindHorse 01:25, 1 February 2007 (EST)

• Support, although I think it's more OTBP and the "eat" listings could do with more description. -- DanielC 08:15, 2 February 2007 (EST)
• According the UK government stats, the city gets between 3-4 million tourists (not visitors, but tourists) per annum. In my book, that definitely qualifies it for DotM. WindHorse 00:22, 6 February 2007 (EST)

You are right - I forgot about all the tourists staying for the Gower Penisular. -- DanielC 08:17, 7 February 2007 (EST)

• Given that it's the next DOTM, this article desperately needs a better picture -- the current washed-out scan of a cheap print, complete with visible dent, is terri-biba-ble. Jpatokal 02:11, 1 June 2007 (EDT)

Agree - just had a quick search through Flickr/wikipedia/wikimedia commons and there's nothing that jumps out as being a good leading picture with the appropriate license. I'm not really sure of any other good image sites that are likely to have the right license. I'll check Zooomr when that comes online again sometime today (hopefully.....) Is it worth while having a rough deadline in about two weeks for when we want to have a new image by, so that if we can't get one we can start to think about a possible replacement for DotM - we can't really have an article without a good descriptive picture as DotM... -- Tim (writeme!) 07:57, 1 June 2007 (EDT)

I found a CC-BY image on Flickr (taken about 10 days ago!) that I like, which I've added. (And I've done a little Photoshop clean-up and adjustment work on the previous lead image to make it more presentable as a supporting image.) - Todd VerBeek 08:17, 1 June 2007 (EDT)

Sorry guys for the bad quality of the original image. Usually, I concentrate on B&W, but on the day I was in Swansea many years ago there was a rare moment of clear weather (it had rained the whole month I was traveling in the UK), and so I borrowed a cheap camera to take two souvenir shots - to remind me of both the UK and the sole clear day! That was on of the images, and to make it worse, it somehow got bashed in the interim years. Anyway, glad Todd saved the day, and I agree that is a nice image - lots of interesting, sharp contrasts of shape and a wide variety of color - a good catch. WindHorse 08:34, 1 June 2007 (EDT)

[edit] Sado Island (OTBP)

Possibly a July alternative to Windsor? Sounds interesting, and though I know nothing about it, the article looks well written and if I was in the area I'd be up for going there and would use our article to do it. Says it's a great summer destination. – cacahuate ^talk 03:49, 17 June 2007 (EDT)

Support and withdraw Thimphu (which like Jakar isn't really up to scratch yet - I'll work on them both). Sado also needs some editing, but I think it can make the grade, and it is certainly a more interesting destination than Windsor (appears to be). I have not been to Sado itself, but have visited Niigata prefecture, which is just across from Sado on the mainland, and can vouch that late summer early fall are good seasons. The winters are bitingly cold there and early summer is characterized by cloud and rain. WindHorse 04:01, 17 June 2007 (EDT)

Support. However, I'd pip for August over July, because that's when Sado's biggest event, Earth Celebration, is held. Although you could argue that it needs to be showcased in July so people can still get tickets...! Jpatokal 04:21, 17 June 2007 (EDT)

Support very much, because (a) I spent some countless time on that article (b) it makes for a great summer destination, and (c) I love the place. But the main event is indeed the Earth Celebration, at the beginning of August. I will let you decide whether to use it for July or August Tensaibuta 04:28, 17 June 2007 (EDT)

If the Earth celebration is in early August, then the July slot will fit perfectly as the OtBP for that month will run from mid-July to mid-August. In this way, it will give people sufficient advance notice for buying tickets and also supply info for people on Sado attending the festival. WindHorse 04:51, 17 June 2007 (EDT)

Support. Great article! Gorilla Jones 23:20, 17 June 2007 (EDT)

• I'd say August, rather than July since Windsor (Ontario) will play host to the huge Fourth of July/Canada Day celebration. Basically, it's a festival to celebrate international cooperation, America's Independence (July 4th) and Canada Day (July 1). Kind of sucks that we didn't show it for this month... -- Sapphire • (Talk) • 17:10, 18 June 2007 (EDT)

Sado was offered as an alternative to Windsor (Ontario) (see comments above under Windsor) due to the perception that the city lacked any significant attractions. There was no objection to Tampere, the candidate for August. So, it is either July or nothing. Incidentally, Windsor would not feature until July 15 (remember OtBT articles run from the 15th of ever month), so it would feature too late for these festivals anyway...WindHorse 03:26, 19 June 2007 (EDT)

Oh yeah, I forgot about staggering OtBP. Oh well, doesn't really matter which is spotlighted. -- Sapphire • (Talk) • 03:31, 19 June 2007 (EDT)

Ok, I slotted it in for July and attempted a blurb on "next change"... improve as needed :) – cacahuate ^talk 01:44, 20 June 2007 (EDT)

Agree that this is a better July OtBP than Windsor. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:44, 20 June 2007 (EDT)

Yeah, support. (I never bought the argument that one of the world's busiest border crossings was off the beaten path.) Though I do think we ought to declare a moratorium on Japanese OTBP places for a while after this; this will make 1/4 of the past year's. - Todd VerBeek 23:07, 20 June 2007 (EDT)

I do not know how things work... is it supposed to switch automatically ? or does an admin do it ? Tensaibuta 09:51, 2 July 2007 (EDT)

Oh, ok, it supposed to switch on the 15th... Tensaibuta 09:53, 2 July 2007 (EDT)

[edit] June

[edit] Shimla (DotM)

Needs some polishing, but all the ingredients are there, and it would be a first for a city on the sub continent. Weather is best in the Fall. WindHorse 08:43, 4 February 2007 (EST)

Support. I came here to nominate and I find that it is already here. — Ravikiran 07:42, 5 February 2007 (EST)

Support. I agree with WindHorse.—The preceding comment was added by Upamanyuwikitravel (talk • contribs) .

• Added as an alternative to Zion National Park for June as the city was traditionally a place to seek respite from the oppressive summers on the Plains. Furthemore, Zion would make a good Fall destination due to the abundance of deciduous trees there. WindHorse 02:19, 8 February 2007 (EST)
• Support. However: Two of the images on this article violate Wikitravel:Privacy rights and will have to be removed, which leaves it a bit sparse on photos. - Todd VerBeek 15:08, 3 May 2007 (EDT)

[edit] Dalian (OtBP)

It's a Star and the maps alone are extraordinary, so it definitely should be showcased, and while a large city, it's pretty much off the Western tourist trail, so I'll pip over OtBP. Article says "best visited between June and October". Jpatokal 01:09, 17 December 2006 (EST)

• Support; looks like a good summer OtBP. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 01:17, 17 December 2006 (EST)
• Support; maybe we should think about putting some of the other stars as dotm/otbp's? Tim 06:27, 22 January 2007 (EST)
• Support. You can't get much better. -- DanielC 08:12, 2 February 2007 (EST)

[edit] May

[edit] Cambridge (England) (DotM)

Very good article, with plenty of information, photographs and a good infobox on architecture. Suitable for almost any time of year (except perhaps deep in Winter). -- DanielC 13:19, 28 August 2006 (EDT)

• Support - Was thinking about nominating this the other day. It is a very good article, but as with all British places, it's gonna have to be a summer DotM I think! Tim 13:28, 29 August 2006 (EDT)
  • Withdraw support - on rechecking, MoS needs work. Have put forward for CotW. -- Tim 07:32, 26 November 2006 (EST)
• Do not support -- yet. This article is very uneven, with many topics covered incredibly exhaustively (to the point of TMI problems) while others are covered only in bare-bones outline. It could probably be put into DotM shape easily by a ruthless editor working with someone who knows some of the missing material, but until that happens, close but no cigar. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 22:17, 3 December 2006 (EST)
  • Bill, I don't agree - I think that all the main areas are well covered, especially for what is quite a small city. Can you be more specific on the topics that need improving? -- DanielC 08:05, 2 February 2007 (EST)
    • The TMI problems are mainly in the "See" heading, where some entries are quite long and disrupt the flow of the article. A little editing would help. "Sleep," on the other hand, could use expansion, and I'm rather surprised that there aren't more "Eat" entries. A population of 100,000+ isn't that small and I would expect a few more restaurants of adequate quality and variety than are shown. The article also sorely needs a map. All of that said, there have been improvements, so I guess I reluctantly support this now; we're in something of a lull in satisfactory articles at the moment, and it's better than most of the alternatives. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 11:11, 6 February 2007 (EST)
• Whether or not we support this, it is definitely not (as mentioned below!) a candidate for the April slot... has anyone heard the phrase April showers? We get a lot of rain in Spring in England! This has got to be an early summer DotM - we would have to shift Yosemite forward to April and have this as May if we're going to have it... potentially could work for August/September, but again the weather is going to be against you in late Sep. -- Tim 18:15, 5 February 2007 (EST)

Ah yes, I'd forgotten about April showers in the UK, though I guess as Cambridge's attractions are mostly architectural, tourists would be less affected by sudden down pours there than in places where the attractions are natural (beaches, national parks etc). Still, as you say, it is not the best month. Looking at the climate info for London, it shows May to be the driest month. So, that is a possibility if Yosemite is shifted forward a month. Anyway, just throwing out some ideas. As I have only ever made one very brief visit to Cambridge, I certainly cannot claim to be an authority on the city. However, from a 'guide reader' perspective, I still maintain that the the Museums and Galleries section needs modifying before it makes the grade...WindHorse 22:30, 5 February 2007 (EST)

Tim, you should know better - April showers is really just a saying rather than a fact. BBC Weather [4] shows that April actually has the lowest rainfall of the year in London (nearby), and at 40mm it isn't much. From my experience April onwards is very pleasant in Cambridge - daffodils, tulips etc. Anyway, I will sort out the minor issues with MoS. On Museums & Galleries, I think that the present indented paragraphs looks better than one long paragraph, but I'll try and condense the text. -- DanielC 09:20, 6 February 2007 (EST)

I'm not convinced... I live just the other side of London from Cambridge, and I'd say its best to shift it back a month to be on the safe side! -- Tim 10:03, 6 February 2007 (EST)

I've sorted out the museums, done some MoS and added some "Buy" items. Any more suggestions? (I wouldn't normally be so keen, but I can't see many other good alternatives at the moment). -- DanielC 17:50, 7 February 2007 (EST)

Support - the amendments make the article read more more smoothly. Good work. 'Learn' could possibly do with a little more meat...but anyway support. I'll tentatively enter it for May and move Yosemite to April to avoid having two US parks featuring on successive months, but will keep the question mark for now. WindHorse 21:57, 7 February 2007 (EST)

[edit] Berneray (OTBP)

A decade ago, flying home from my last visit to Europe, I looked down and squeezed one last partial exposure out of my last roll of film, of the Outer Hebrides, a remote and quintessentially Scots region I hadn't managed to get to. Berneray is one of the islands visible in that picture, and (I just discovered by chance) the subject of a well-done article with nice photos. The primary author (a resident, no doubt) says it's good any time of year, but I think it'd be most generally appealing in the April-October range. - Todd VerBeek 15:15, 10 June 2006 (EDT)

• Support. - Andrew Haggard (Sapphire) 15:23, 10 June 2006 (EDT)
• Support. Gorgeous pics, esp. this one. It'd be nice to have other colors than blue and green in the destination pics for once... Jpatokal 00:50, 11 June 2006 (EDT)
• Support. Really interesting and I would like to go their! Jc8136 02:59, 8 August 2006 (EDT)
• I've (provisionally) slotted this in for April (which of course queues it up for visits in May), but a question: would the midgies devour May/June visitors alive? If so, then either make it later in the summer, or turn the article into an advertisement for Skin-So-Soft ... -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:47, 1 November 2006 (EST)
• Support. No, May is a good time because it is before the midges come out in June/July. -- DanielC 08:22, 2 November 2006 (EST)
• Support - though disclosure: I live there. The midges are much later here and less ferocious than on Harris, Lewis or Barra; last year they were for about a week in August. Avoid seaweed areas when there is no wind and you are usually okay here, even then. If there are any changes on Berneray e.g. new accommodation opening soon, will put said changes on the article to keep it up to date. Most people here think April through to June are the best months to visit Berneray. -- Jkirriemuir 19 December 2006
• Support' - great pictures.

[edit] April

[edit] Yosemite National Park (DOTM)

One of America's most famous national parks. Good any time of year, but would be best from April/May through September when the park is most accessible.

• Nominated by Ryan 03:53, 1 Aug 2005 (EDT)
• Support. It would be nice to upgrade the first image (of Yosemite falls) -- it was originally contributed in the era before MediaWiki had auto-thumbnail support. Either a Ryan image or one of the Daniel Mayer's dual-licensed images would be good. Ryan selected one of Daniel's images. -- Colin 11:52, 1 Aug 2005 (EDT)
• It's already in the queue for next month, but: Support. I like the idea of slotting the 4th-most-popular USNP as DOTM next to one of the least-visited USNPs for OTBP. Shows that there are parks for all kinds. - Todd VerBeek 08:36, 1 May 2006 (EDT)
  • Not a bad idea: it might be neat to make of point of high-contrast pairs (ie tropical beach & alpine ski for winter, etc). Majnoona 11:24, 5 May 2006 (EDT)
• Don't support. No real objection, except that World Cup 2006 starts next month and Hanover should get the nod. This aritcle should be a DoTM, but not for June 2006. I like the current order of DoTMs so I'd suggest renominating this again next year? or is there any slight chance this would be a great place to visit late fall/ early winter? - Andrew Haggard (Sapphire) 00:32, 18 May 2006 (EDT)
  • Uh, it's not May 2006 any more. Andrew, is there any reason why this shouldn't be slotted for May 2007? I don't think so (World Cup has come and gone), and propose it for then. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 12:01, 28 October 2006 (EDT)
  • I'm unable to think of any reasons why it shouldn't be slotted for that period. -- Andrew H. (Sapphire)

• Don't support. World Cup 2006 is the biggest event after the Olympic Games in this world. A lot of travellers will arrive in Germany and it would be good that we recognise that. Jan 04:50, 18 May 2006 (EDT)
  • Your point is valid, but I suggest using some language other than "Don't support" -- unless you see something wrong with the article itself. (Do you? I don't. Please clarify.) I've added commentary to the talk page, under the heading "Gradations of 'Do not support'", to address this. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:32, 18 May 2006 (EDT)

[edit] Ashikaga (OTBP)

I lived in Tokyo for four years and didn't even realize this place existed — and after reading the article I'm kicking myself for not going (yet). As usual in Japan, I'd presume Sept-Nov and Mar-May or so are the best times to go. Jpatokal 02:18, 10 June 2006 (EDT)

• Support. - Andrew Haggard (Sapphire) 15:22, 10 June 2006 (EDT)
• Support. - Todd VerBeek 18:28, 10 June 2006 (EDT)
• Support. May 2007, maybe? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 22:00, 19 November 2006 (EST)
• Support
• Support. Nice small place, I'll see if I can have a map in place for it, before it hits the main page. --NJR_ZA 13:27, 10 April 2007 (EDT)

[edit] March

[edit] Guangzhou (DOTM)

Article is quite good and has evolved a lot during this year. I am still in progress of making a street map of the city. It also needs maybe a couple of good photos more and some MoSing (and a good writer to make it less dry!), but otherwise I can't find too much wrong with the article. October-November would be good months, but this nomination is already late for that. However, according to the article April and May are good as well. -- Trsqr 04:33, 23 October 2006 (EDT)

• Support. About the only thing missing is a city map. However, this pic [5] may violate privacy rights and should probably go. Jpatokal 05:40, 23 October 2006 (EDT)
• Support - and suggest April as the month to feature - not only is the weather dry and not too hot then, but also April is one of the two months (October being the other) that the international Canton Fair is held, so a lot of overseas vistors will be in the city at that time. WindHorse 06:22, 23 October 2006 (EDT)
• Support, with reservations -- not sure the "Warning" box is entirely appropriate, and the photo issue that Jani identifies needs to get resolved. Pluses outweight minuses, however. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 11:44, 28 October 2006 (EDT)
• Support. Good, comprehensive guide. -- DanielC 08:20, 30 October 2006 (EST)
• Support. Pashley 03:22, 7 November 2006 (EST)

[edit] Route 66 (OtBP)

This was proposed a year or so ago, but wound up in the slush pile owing to lack of pictures. I think this has been adequately addressed -- for example, the Cadillac Ranch photo strikes me as ideal (if weird) OTBP-style front-page material -- and it would be nice to feature a CotW. Suggested for spring 2007. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:04, 20 June 2006 (EDT)

• Definite support. This one will probably always have more that could be added to it, but it's a great article as-is, and one that really is a guide - it tells people where to go, but leaves plenty of room for exploring. If it is going to be featured we can probably do a bit of cleanup for readability prior to featuring, but that's not really a reason to slush-pile it again. -- Ryan 13:08, 20 June 2006 (EDT)
• Support, but it cries out for a map. Sure, everyone one knows that it goes through Saint Louie, Amarillo, and Barstow, but they probably don't know where all of these places are.

I'll get a map started. - Andrew Haggard (Sapphire) 22:29, 27 June 2006 (EDT)

• What would people say to putting this up in March? The period March 15-April 15 covers spring break for a lot of schools in North America, and featuring it then might be useful to college students on the road and families doing a quick escape. Weather along the eastern part of the itinerary is still marginal at the beginning of this interval, but improves rapidly as one gets into April. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 10:32, 16 September 2006 (EDT)

• After having a couple of months to think about it I kind of undecided to Route 66 as a OTBP destination of the month for the reason that it's not exactly a destination, but more of an itinerary. I'm kind of debating the two sides of the argument that it can be a destination because some people want to follow the route, but I also have a strong argument for the other camp (probably the left side of my brain) that it's really just an itinerary. Anyone have thoughts about that or which camp I should wholeheartedly put my faith in? -- Andrew H. (Sapphire) 20:56, 30 October 2006 (EST)
  • What's wrong with choosing an itinerary for DotM/OtbP? This is off the beaten path after all... Jpatokal 23:23, 30 October 2006 (EST)
  • I'd be a little uncomfortable with an itinerary for a DotM, but a good back-roads itinerary (and this is one) covers all sorts of ground that is "off the beaten path" at the same time. Can't get much more OTBP-ish than that. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 08:49, 31 October 2006 (EST)
  • Bill sold me. Support. -- Andrew H. (Sapphire) 14:54, 31 October 2006 (EST)
    • Great. So, you gonna work on that map, like you said above? ;-) -- Bill-on-the-Hill 19:26, 31 October 2006 (EST)

Oh yeah, kind of forgot about that. I guess I can afford some time to finish it since I quit my job a while ago. -- Andrew H. (Sapphire) 19:46, 31 October 2006 (EST)

[edit] February

[edit] Pattaya (DOTM)

Love it or hate it, it's still a major tourist destination and the article is exceedingly informative. Jpatokal 23:05, 26 Dec 2005 (EST)

• Support. The page looks good and long and looks like a winter tourist place.Kingjeff 23:23, 26 Dec 2005 (EST)
• Support. I would be a good winter/spring destination, but I'm not quite sure when... Majnoona 11:53, 15 Feb 2006 (EST)
• Support. I would love to see this article as a destination of the month. This is a great article deserving recognition 70.127.34.98 13:21, 10 May 2006 (EDT)
• Support. A long page but a very popular travel destination by any standards. 70.127.34.98 15:48, 1 May 2006 (EDT)
• Don't support. At least not until it is tamed. I threw it up on the CoTW list for the first week in May 2006. Andrew Haggard 05:36, 30 April 2006 (EDT)
  • So has the CotW work "tamed" it to a point that satisfies you? It'd be nice to get one of the CotWs into DotM status, to show people that CotW is worth the effort, and we still need something for November. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 21:54, 7 May 2006 (EDT)

:Not as happy with it as I could be, but I support. I'm still going to work on the districts. Andrew Haggard (Sapphire) 17:44, 17 May 2006 (EDT)

OK, then I've taken the liberty of scheduling it for November. No reason why work to improve it can't continue, of course. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 21:41, 17 May 2006 (EDT)

Should it possibly be scheduled for a later month like December or January as it seems to be a get-away-from-the-cold-destination? - Andrew Haggard (Sapphire) 00:33, 18 May 2006 (EDT)

No objections, as long as something satisfactory for November can be found. That's why there's a question mark there ... -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:45, 18 May 2006 (EDT)

• Strong Support. A good article, one of the most informative articles I have ever seen. A good Early winter spot Oct-Dec. would be good choices. Felixboy 16:25, 30 May 2006 (EDT)
• Support. It might be scheduled for January or February, because it is a popular destination for Asian tourists, especially residents of chilly Northern China, at Chinese New Year China#Holidays Pashley 01:15, 17 June 2006 (EDT)
• Object. I originally nominated this, but the half-assed districting currently in place needs to be made a fully-assed object of beauty (think Beyonce Knowles) before it can be exposed to adoring crowds. Jpatokal 06:05, 10 July 2006 (EDT)
  • I'm actually going to strike out my previous objection and say that the undistricting was rather successful and article is, still, pretty good contentwise. The formatting is not very MoS though, but if the lists (esp. in Do) can be whipped into something a little more readable I'd be all for it. If I venture down to Pattaya in Oct, which is entirely possible, I might take a stab at it. Jpatokal 08:16, 16 September 2006 (EDT)
• Oppose. It's just too long. Many of the section need to be editted down to the key points. Also there is too much Wikipedia style linking, especially the first paragraph. I think it needs some more work before we could highlight it as one of our best. -- DanielC 15:22, 18 August 2006 (EDT)
• Oppose, again. The half-assed districts that I, as a foreigner, created were vfd'd and deleted. The deletion has again made the Pattaya article too long. This is the perfect example of someone combing through the Thai Yellow Pages and listing every single business. -- Sapphire 20:04, 14 September 2006 (EDT)
• We seem to be at the point of slush-piling this one. Any defenders want to be heard before that's done? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 21:09, 14 September 2006 (EDT) On looking at this more carefully, it looks like there are really only two people (Daniel and Andrew) objecting to it, and rather a larger number supporting it. (For the record: Support, if somewhat hesitantly.) Given that Kruger isn't ripening into something usable the way we'd hoped, can we go ahead and schedule this one, at least provisionally, instead of Kruger? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 22:06, 19 November 2006 (EST)
• Support. Today I had some time and had a closer look on that controversial article. I think it would be interesting to show that Pattaya not entirely is a brothel and that all kind of tourist can visit it. The Dubai article is from much lower quality and should be in my view better of at the end 0f 2007 than now. Jc8136 13:52, 1 January 2007 (EST)
• Support for February 2007. We are now in the unprecedented situation of being 7 days away from the changeover and not having decided the next DoTM, precisely the situation the six-month queue was supposed to avoid. Unless someone loudly objects, it will be Pattaya for the next month. — Ravikiran 08:25, 23 January 2007 (EST)
  • We've got half a dozen supports and a few half-hearted objections, so Pattaya it is. Let's get to work on polishing it. Jpatokal 09:13, 23 January 2007 (EST)

[edit] Hoi An (OTBP)

A good (Northern Hemisphere) Winter destination. Good article & pictures, with good information in all the main sections. -- DanielC 08:10, 4 August 2006 (EDT)

• The shirt I'm wearing right now is from Hoi An... great destination, good guide. My only comment would be that I recall a lot more bars / restaurants worth mentioning... I'll try and add some details where I can. Maj 11:00, 4 August 2006 (EDT)
• Support, but is it an OTBP destination? — Ravikiran 11:46, 4 August 2006 (EDT)
• Support as an OTBP destination because it's really small and until today rarely known Jan 12:51, 7 August 2006 (EDT)
• Support. I agree that this should be under OTBP, it is touristy but it's not exactly world-famous. Jpatokal 12:57, 7 August 2006 (EDT)
• Support, but with some misgivings. Contact information is sparse for some things that should be comprehensively documented, notably the "Splurge" hotels (which are exactly the ones where you want some advance reservations, if possible). It's also a bit short on "Do". Maybe make it a CotW some time before it appears? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:38, 10 August 2006 (EDT)

I put it on the list as CotW and so it should be CotW before end of 2006. Jc8136 10:15, 10 August 2006 (EDT)

OK kids, it's now the current CotW, make it shine... Cacahuate 12:56, 19 December 2006 (EST)

[edit] January

[edit] Taipei (DOTM)

I have no idea why this hasn't been nominated before, but now it is. Remarkably thorough, but could perhaps use an additional picture or two. Spring would be the best time to feature this, although winter should also be OK. Summers are hot and the fall is typhoony. Jpatokal 05:53, 10 July 2006 (EDT)

• Support. It's an good article and maybe interesting for a lot of people because it is more as a business destination rather than for travellers. Jan 05:48, 10 July 2006 (EDT)
  • Support, but actually October to January are the best times to visit Taipei. From February to June there is persistant rain and cloud. Please check BBC climate chart: [6] WindHorse 4 Aug 06
• Support, but we're getting a bit saturated with Asian DotMs for the (boreal) winter months. How does this compare to the other Asian articles we're considering? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 08:48, 15 August 2006 (EDT)

[edit] Panmunjeom (OTBP)

One of the strangest tourist destinations on the planet, equally weird no matter when you visit. I'd really really like to get that soldier pic in there though, see Talk:Panmunjeom. Jpatokal 02:32, 28 April 2006 (EDT)

• Do not support. The idea of having something this seriously weird as an OTBP is appealing, but one should at least be able to sleep there... -- Bill-on-the-Hill 20:28, 29 April 2006 (EDT)
  • Well, some people can sleep at at Camp Bonifas... but Panmunjeom is definitely a destination, as evidenced by the number of tour buses that traipse there daily, and due to the border in the middle it's not possible to lump it into Seoul or Kaesong (the nearest major cities). Jpatokal 23:56, 29 April 2006 (EDT)
    • Sorry, but to me the tour buses mark it as an attraction, not a destination. Is that sufficient for OTBP? I don't think so. We try to be careful elsewhere about drawing that distinction; we should be similarly careful for OTBP. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 18:11, 30 April 2006 (EDT)
      • If you're objecting on this basis, then this should imply that Panmunjeom is not an article and should be VfD'd and rolled into the appropriate destination. What, pray tell, would this destination be? Jpatokal 21:56, 30 April 2006 (EDT)
• Support. I understand the objection, and I'd definitely apply it to a DOTM candidate, but as long as the place qualifies to be the subject of a guide article (despite the "can you sleep there?" test being a bit nebulous) like this one does, I don't think we should disqualify it from OTBP. By its very nature, OTBP is going to include some places that don't readily accommodate tourism.
• Support. I think any valid destination article should be eligible for either category of featuring. This is a valid article per the exceptions listed in Wikitravel:What is an article?. And it's delightfully insane. -- Colin 02:43, 30 April 2006 (EDT)

[edit] 2006

[edit] December

[edit] La Paz (Bolivia) (DOTM)

This was slush-piled earlier, but I believe the slush-pile issues have been addressed; the article has expanded quite a bit, although yet more expansion wouldn't hurt. Suggested for some time in early boreal winter. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 10:36, 2 July 2006 (EDT)

• Support. I like the article. It's more or less complete and Bolivia would be an interesting DotM. Jan 12:15, 4 July 2006 (EDT)
• Support. Is a good article and we haven't had a Latin American destination for a long time. -- DanielC 13:28, 4 July 2006 (EDT)
  • Provisionally slotted for December, then? There's still time for dissent/alternatives. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 16:38, 4 July 2006 (EDT)
• Is it time to take that question mark off La Paz? Speak now or forever hold your peace. — Ravikiran 15:47, 15 November 2006 (EST)

[edit] Pitcairn Islands (OTBP)

You won't find an inhabited island farther from the "beaten paths" of the mainland, it has a singularly colorful history, and it'd be an OTBP destination where the weather's actually nice, any time of year. - Todd VerBeek 17:13, 30 April 2006 (EDT)

• Support. Compare the "you can sleep there" qualification of this one to that for Panmunjeom above -- here we have something that any traveler (with a bit of money, to be sure) can achieve that will allow lodging to be obtained. Well-written article, too. (At the same time, I don't really think a destination has to be that out of the way to qualify for OTBP...) -- Bill-on-the-Hill 17:49, 30 April 2006 (EDT)
  • Of course not. In fact, I hope OTBP doesn't become just a freak show, and continues to feature accommodating destinations like Penticton that are merely not-well-known. (I have a couple articles of that sort planned.) But being in the bleedin' middle of the South Pacific certainly helps. :) - Todd VerBeek 18:07, 30 April 2006 (EDT)
• Support, with a little hesitation. The article is a bit short, although given the tiny size of the island and its population I'm not sure there's much else to write; and the pictures aren't very good, although this just looks like they've been badly scanned from cheap prints, and some Photoshop tweaking would probably help. Jpatokal 21:46, 4 May 2006 (EDT)
  • I've just received permission from one of the Pitcairn residents to license some of his photos, which I've substituted. The copies I have aren't as high-res as the old photos, but they're much better images, and dress up the article nicely. - Todd VerBeek 14:28, 10 June 2006 (EDT)

[edit] November

[edit] Singapore (DOTM)

• Singapore. Good any time of the year.
  • Nominated by Jpatokal 11:49, 15 Mar 2005 (EST)
  • One of the most complete articles on the site, and the pictures are great. Asia seems to get featured a lot though, so perhaps wait a few months until maybe August for this one? -- Ryan 14:57, 24 Apr 2005 (EDT)
    • Singapore for September? -- Ryan 03:37, 1 Aug 2005 (EDT)
  • Support. -- Colin 20:49, 31 May 2005 (EDT)
  • I'd suggest waiting until fall/winter for this, Singapore's good any time of year but most of the rest of the world isn't. Jpatokal 21:24, 31 May 2005 (EDT)
    • It sure is nice having a backlog of DoM-worthy articles. -- Colin 21:26, 31 May 2005 (EDT)
  • Support. Having used this excellent article for travel, I highly recommend it. --Evan 08:06, 28 Jul 2005 (EDT)
  • This is a little unusual, but — I'd like to withdraw my nomination and hold off on having Singapore DotM'd for another 6 months or so. The reasons why will become apparent in due course... Jpatokal 04:13, 1 Aug 2005 (EDT)

Wikitravel's best guide has never been DotM'd because Jpatokal withdrew it "for six months" a year back with the mysterious remark that the "reasons why will become apparent in due course". Now he says that he has no objection to it being featured in six months or so. So I suggest we slot it for Feb 2007. — Ravikiran 14:51, 27 August 2006 (EDT)

• Support. This is long overdue. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 15:33, 27 August 2006 (EDT)
• Support, I am surprised that arguably the best article on here hasn't been DotM already! -- Tim 16:46, 27 August 2006 (EDT)
• Support, very good article and should be featured sooner than later! Jc8136 17:48, 29 August 2006 (EDT)
  • There seems to be some objections to using Pattaya in November (see discussion above). Could we fast-forward Singapore to November instead? How's November as a month to visit? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 19:42, 14 September 2006 (EDT)
  • Great idea. I was going to raise my original objections to Pattaya again and this is a good solution. -- Sapphire 19:56, 14 September 2006 (EDT)
• Support, Per Tim. Felixboy 14:27, 3 October 2006 (EDT)

[edit] Iya Valley (OTBP)

It's not just off the beaten path, it's officially one of Japan's Top 3 off-the-beaten-pathest places! Best times of year to visit are spring (Mar-Apr) and fall (Sep-Nov). Jpatokal 22:40, 30 April 2006 (EDT)

• Support. This strikes me as just the kind of place that OTBP was created for. Nice article too. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:53, 2 May 2006 (EDT)
• Support -- Colin 16:36, 4 May 2006 (EDT)
• Support. - Todd VerBeek 18:28, 10 June 2006 (EDT)

[edit] October

[edit] Yogyakarta (DOTM)

Excellent article for an interesting place, now with a gorgeous map too. Fine any time of year. The language needs a little copyediting, but contentwise it's pretty much all there. Jpatokal 23:12, 4 Feb 2006 (EST)

• Support. Because of the "fine any time of year" argument, this would do well as a "utility" DotM, to be slotted into a month that's otherwise short on candidates. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 10:21, 15 Feb 2006 (EST)
• Support. Really well done! Only nit-pick I can find is the listing addresses include "Yogyakarta, Indonesia" which is sort-of repetative. I'll try and do a bit of copy-editing. Majnoona 11:53, 15 Feb 2006 (EST)
• The "DOTM-disaster" correlation strikes again (cf. New Orleans) — fairly substantial parts of the city took a hit in May's earthquake. The city is still there and still a destination, but it'd be good to give it a once-over and check that eg. all hotels and restaurants listed are operational. Jpatokal 04:18, 28 July 2006 (EDT)

[edit] Cairns Hinchinbrook Island (OTBP)

I think it's sufficiently off the beaten path, Hypatia's concern notwithstanding. Well-composed article, and proximity to the Great Barrier Reef makes the town well worth featuring even if it's a bit touristy. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 21:53, 8 June 2006 (EDT)

I have to concur with Hypatia here, Cairns is an extremely touristy city and not OtBP by any reasonable measure (should we figure out one?). There's a huge backpacker district by the seafront and half a dozen tax-free shopping malls devoted to the Japanese hordes that descend during holiday season. No objections to scheduling it as a DotM though... and Hinchinbrook Island would be a good OtBP nearby. Jpatokal 22:33, 8 June 2006 (EDT)

I'm more than happy to modify the nomination to make it Hinchinbrook instead; see edit of the header. In general the Hinchinbrook article looks in better, or at least equal, shape, and I defer to you two as regards being more OtBP. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 10:06, 9 June 2006 (EDT)

• Support for Hinchinbrook. But as an austral winter destination, it'll have to contend with all the boreal summer destinations in scheduling. - Todd VerBeek 11:22, 9 June 2006 (EDT)
  • A possible solution is to schedule it in October (one of its "good" months, according to the article) and delay Iya Valley until November (also still a "good" month for it, according to Jpatokal above). Does that work? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 19:30, 9 June 2006 (EDT)
    • No objections, although I'm not sure a month either way makes a huge difference... Jpatokal 00:50, 11 June 2006 (EDT)

[edit] September

[edit] Cincinnati (DOTM)

I realized today that Cincinnati will be hosting Tall Stacks [7] in October of this year and this is simply an amazing festival, which captures all the spirit of Cincinnati and I've decided that I would much rather see Cincinnati take the place for September or October, since Tall Stacks will take place in the first week of October. Thevlast time Tall Stacks was held (2003) the even drew over 900,000 visitors and the festival will not only revolve around the historical steamboats, but also music. In '03 legends like B.B. King played here. Plus, the Cincinnati article is pretty good, and I've started a few articles for the suburbs. Sapphire 00:01, 14 May 2006 (EDT)

I thought of yet another reason why this should be the DoTM for September we have the second biggest Oktoberfest (Munich of course beating us out). We draw over 500,000 visitors in the two or three days we hold it, which is of course held in September. Maybe we should say screw Munich. Sapphire 00:43, 14 May 2006 (EDT)

• Support. "Eat" should be split into Budget/Mid-range/Splurge though, and "Sleep" and some other listings need MoSing. Jpatokal 00:41, 14 May 2006 (EDT)

Will work on that. Sapphire 00:43, 14 May 2006 (EDT)

• Support. Could be more MoSie, but it definitely should be commended for the amount of info filled out into each entry. -- Colin 01:12, 14 May 2006 (EDT)

• I certainly support the idea of this very nice article eventually becoming a DotM, but piling on yet another US destination this summer/fall seems a bit much. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 23:29, 14 May 2006 (EDT)

It seems to me that the OTBPDoTM is the perfect opportunity to counter this trend. Let's face it, but North American and European articles are normally better. This point is proven if you look back on the DoTM list. There are a few Asian, and one or two African DoTMs, but there are no South American ones. I've seen the trend where OTBP articles on different continents are often better than articles for the more popular destinations on Africa, Asia, and SA. How about replacing Santa Fe with Kyoto? or an Australian, New Zealand article? I think Cincinnati should stay here, because the three huge festivals- WEBN/Toyota Labor Day Fireworks, Oktoberfest, and Tall Stacks. Additionally, anyone visiting during this period will be given the chance to see the Reds play at Great American Ball Park or the Bengals crush Cleveland Browns or NE Patriots at Paul Brown Stadium. This is the perfect time to have Cincinnati up, otherwise I'd recommend renominating Cincinnati for September 2009 or 2010 when the next Tall Stacks festival is held. The amount of activities and festivals alone will make Cincinnati the place to visit this summer. Forget Flordia or the beaches - its the Ohio River. Sapphire 15:21, 15 May 2006 (EDT)

• I agree with Bill that Cincinnati would give us too many US desitnations - 4 each of DoTM & OTBP already. We obviuosly have lot of very good US destinations, but I think it is worth trying to achieve a bit more diversity of featured articles. This looks like a good article, but to use it couldn't we find a replacement for one of the other US articles as well. -- DanielC 08:44, 15 May 2006 (EDT)
  • Possibly, but is it stronger than the other US articles? I don't see it. Or does it discuss a destination that is more interesting to non-US readers? I definitely don't see that, rather the contrary. It would be interesting to get views from outside the US on this part. (P.S. Folks, please do sign your contributions here; I assume the long paragraph above is from User:Sapphire based on the change log.) -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:37, 15 May 2006 (EDT)
    • Personally, I'd be happy with Hanover for June, then putting Cincinnati instead of Munich. The current queue has a double whammy of the US for July but 6/6 non-US destinations after, so I don't think it's a major problem to sneak one more US destination in before winter. Jpatokal 11:49, 15 May 2006 (EDT)

• I agree with Jpatokal's suggestion - nix Munich for September and give Hanover the title for June to get a World Cup 2006 host city the nod.

Also, I'd like to contest the notion that non-Americans would not want to visit the Cincinnati during this period. There will be several thousand foreigners living and working in Cincinnati during this period. Most foreigners visiting will be here on the J-1 visa, which allows them to work in the U.S. during the summer. This was how I was introduced to Poland. I worked with many, many Poles at Paramount's Kings Island. Furthermore, aside from the foreigners working at PKI thousands more will be working the hotels and restaurants in N. KY and the Greater Cincinnati area.

To recap why Cincinnati is among the major destinations:

Tall Stacks - 2003 Tall Stacks saw over 900,000 visitors

Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati - "North America's largest Oktoberfest with over 500,000 people attending each year." [8]

Toyota/ WEBN Labor Day Weekend Fireworks draws several hundred thousand.

I nominated Munich which had been queued for September over a year ago. I had intended Munich for 2005, but now as it is 2006 I believe Cincinnati is the better option. Of course Munich will see 3 million more visitors than Cincinnati, but that is only attributed to the number of Oktoberfest goers who in their drunken glory forget to go home. Cincinnati's Oktoberfest is family friendly - ever hear of the chicken dance? Also, Tall Stacks though in October having the Nati as the DoTM for September allows families to plan for that event. Sorry for the length of my paragraphs, but I'm trying to defend my position as to why Cincinnati is currently the best choice for DoTM in September. Sapphire 15:21, 15 May 2006 (EDT)

[edit] South Luangwa National Park (OTBP)

One of Africa's most spectacular national parks. May to October is the best time to go. Jpatokal 09:14, 3 May 2006 (EDT)

• Support. Another good example of an OTBP destination. Could use just a little touch-up (map) but is essentially ready to go. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 14:53, 3 May 2006 (EDT)
• Support. Nice article & pictures. -- DanielC 08:30, 4 May 2006 (EDT)
• Support. - Todd VerBeek 18:28, 10 June 2006 (EDT)

[edit] August

[edit] Budapest (DOTM)

Good article, with plenty of pictures and we haven't had anywhere in Central Europe yet. Late Summer? DanielC 17:17, 20 Feb 2006 (EST)

• Have the Slush Pile issues been addressed? -- Ryan 17:26, 20 Feb 2006 (EST)
• Actually, it is puzzling why it was slushpiled in the first place. The only objection I can see was that it was not the right time to go, not an objection to the article. --Ravikiran 17:44, 20 Feb 2006 (EST)
  • There was a non-specific objection by kingjeff, but I can't see anything obviously missing. DanielC 08:08, 21 Feb 2006 (EST)
• There are no listings at all in either Eat or Drink. This needs to be fixed, and badly before we can call this a DOM. -- Mark 08:44, 21 Feb 2006 (EST)
  • That's because they are in the district articles! --Ravikiran 09:14, 21 Feb 2006 (EST)]
    • I see, just as they should be. OK, I have no objections to this in late summer say. Still we're going to have to clean the listings up to match the manual of style. -- Mark 09:43, 21 Feb 2006 (EST)
• Considering I may very well be in Budapest in September, it gets my thumbs-up. Though: There are still MoS issues, particularly in the Buda and Pest sub-pages (do they even count here?). These could be cleaned up very quickly however. Also, there are pictures duplicated on the main page and the two sub-pages, is this all right? -- bulliver 04:13, 2 March 2006 (EST)
  • A huge city should be entirely in MoS'ed shape before it gets DotM'd. Jpatokal 04:41, 2 March 2006 (EST)
    • I can't see that much wrong with the districts. I'll have a go at them at the weekend. DanielC 08:12, 2 March 2006 (EST)

[edit] Penticton (OTBP)

Outline to almost-star in less than a week, with a good pic and a great map. Summer-only destination though. Jpatokal 03:04, 2 March 2006 (EST)

• Support. Really nice job on this. Maybe an alternative to Oxford for June? June looks like the right month, on the grounds that late June is when the festivals start. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 16:55, 4 March 2006 (EST)
• Support. A really good article. -- DanielC 08:27, 10 March 2006 (EST)
• Support. This is where I live, and I have a lot of personal investment in both the article, and Penticton itself. - bulliver 00:19, 18 March 2006 (EST)
  • Though: I am not real happy with the main photo. It is overcast, and makes the area look smoggy. I think I will go take some photos on a bluebird day later in spring. I would like to snap something like this photo: [9], but with the city in the background. -- bulliver 20:14, 20 March 2006 (EST)
• Support. Good less-known destination. -- Colin 18:17, 20 March 2006 (EST)
• Unebelivable amount of progress and it is a good choice. 70.127.34.98 13:27, 10 May 2006 (EDT)
• Support. A nice article. I belive the photo should be changed but, this is a good destination Felixboy 09:18, 23 May 2006 (EDT)

[edit] July

[edit] Santa Fe (DOTM)

A very in-depth article with tons of great info, and now also passes the "pretty picture" test. Might be good for September during the Fiesta, although Bill-on-the-Hill could speak better as to what are the best months to visit. -- Ryan 21:09, 9 Dec 2005 (EST)

• Thanks for the kind words. I'd suggest July myself; that's when the opera starts, the weather is fantastic from then through September, and some advance planning is required as regards lodging, event reservations, etc. Any of the summer months would work, however, and it's also a great place to visit in January and February if you ski. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 00:16, 10 Dec 2005 (EST)
• How about January? We're running low on winter destinations, and the Amazing DotM Race hasn't been to the US for a while (poor New Orleans in Feb 2005). Jpatokal 12:25, 11 Dec 2005 (EST)
  • Hey, if nomination as a US DotM leads to natural calamity a few months later, I'm not sure I want Santa Fe to be one! :-) Still, I've made just a couple of changes since Ryan put the nomination up; hope they're for the better. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 18:42, 11 Dec 2005 (EST)
  • Update: New Mexico is experiencing an extremely warm and dry winter that has severely impacted the skiing. Accordingly, I'm not sure that Santa Fe would be a good DotM for January, since the skiing is the main justification for featuring it then. Recommend July 2006 instead -- great time to be there. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 12:50, 24 Dec 2005 (EST)
• Support. Great guide! Majnoona 11:53, 15 Feb 2006 (EST)
• One thing to discuss before this goes up this weekend: what photo to use? Personally, I am very fond of the Kateri Tekakwitha photo that's currently on the "headline" of the article; a statue of an American Indian saint-to-be of the Catholic church, sculpted by an Anglo artist and standing in front of a cathedral with Spanish origins, captures the essence of Santa Fe about as concisely as possible. (Plus, I think it's a cool picture, but then again I'm biased!) However, some feel that the Main Page photos should be oriented as "landscapes" rather than as "portraits" to fit better with the text and fend off asymmetry in the page (horrors...). There are "landscape" photos in the article, but I don't think they're quite as distinctive. Opinions? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 22:12, 29 June 2006 (EDT)
• (So sue me for being such an art-school geek. :p) We could do a lot worse than that St.Francis Cathedral photo, but the solution used for the Hanover image was to crop it, and the Kateri photo would also work well as a landscape-format head-and-torso shot. - Todd VerBeek 22:34, 29 June 2006 (EDT)
  • That looks just fine. Case closed, as far as I'm concerned; thanks for the edit. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 10:34, 30 June 2006 (EDT)

[edit] Denali National Park (OTBP)

Suggested for August 2006, if that's not piling on too much US stuff at the same time; it's a good time to go, and some things that occur at the park in September have action dates in August. Well-designed and complete article, good photographs, and it would be nice to have another DotM or two that aren't cities. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 20:17, 31 Jan 2006 (EST)

Support. -- Colin 20:42, 31 Jan 2006 (EST) Support, although it might be nice not to do US destinations back-to-back. Anytime from May through September would be good for Denali, with June - August being the high season. -- Ryan 21:13, 31 Jan 2006 (EST) Well, if September is still a viable time to go there, then let it be so, with somewhere Eurasian for August, like maybe the next nominee. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 08:59, 1 Feb 2006 (EST)

[edit] June

[edit] Hanover (DOTM)

Comprehensive and well MoSed, largely thanks to User:Sixzilly. One of the World Cup 2006 hosts, so this would be good for June. Needs a little copyediting and template tweaking though. Jpatokal 04:03, 3 May 2006 (EDT)

• Support. Most of its issues can be easily addressed. - Todd VerBeek 09:31, 3 May 2006 (EDT)
• One issue though is that Munich already queued for September, so that's two German cities within a few months of each other. Munich's consensus is a little wobbly though, I think Hanover is the stronger of the two if push comes to shove. Jpatokal 09:35, 3 May 2006 (EDT)
• Support. Nix Munich in the queue and make Cincinnati DoTM in place of Munich. Sapphire 15:23, 15 May 2006 (EDT)
  • I don't see a problem with having both cities in the queue. After all, Germany hasn't shown up at all in DotM to this point. Fluctuations like this will happen. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 22:04, 3 May 2006 (EDT)
• Not a show-stopper, but to fit neatly on the Main Page, we'll need a landscape-format photo to feature. I love the rathaus image at the top of the article, but it's the wrong shape. And none of the other photos in the article really say "Hanover". A copy of the rathaus photo could be cropped without destroying most of what makes it so nice, but does anyone (Sixzilly?) have something else we can use? - Todd VerBeek 17:04, 18 May 2006 (EDT)
  • Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see why the photo must be landscape format. A portrait-style photo has been used several times before and the world didn't end. :-) Yes, it creates a little more space to fill with text, but is that so bad? And the Rathaus picture is so good that room should be made for it. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 22:34, 18 May 2006 (EDT)
    • With the new page layout, we'd either have to scale the picture down so it's about the same height as the corresponding OTBP photo – in which case it's about the size of a postage stamp – or we make it about the same area – creating space to fill on both sides. And the mismatched photo shapes offend my delicate graphic design sensibilities. :) But if I'm the only one bothered by this, I'll just go and quietly poke out my eyes. ;) - Todd VerBeek 23:02, 18 May 2006 (EDT)
      • Why not use portrait pictures for both Hanover and Isle Royale? Eg. [10] or [11]. Jpatokal 23:24, 18 May 2006 (EDT)
        • Yeah, that'd work. But if we use a trail photo, I'd rather use the one I just uploaded (never really loved the first one) or I have a vertical, wider version of the IR headline photo. - Todd VerBeek 14:26, 19 May 2006 (EDT)

Support. Kingjeff 15:41, 22 May 2006 (EDT)

• If the use of images are still a problem why not consider using some of the ones available on Commons? [12] (Available under CC-SA 2.5)

[edit] Isle Royale National Park (OTBP)

Has a map, a destination that's off the beaten trail, and TVerBeek has nearly single-handedly brought it from nothing to one of the finer guides to this park available anywhere. Should be featured between April and October (park is closed the rest of the year). -- Ryan 18:05, 20 March 2006 (EST)

• Ferry service schedules are pretty sparse before Memorial Day or after Labor Day (and non-existent in April and October), so I'd suggest limiting its feature-eligible season to May thru August. I'm not trying to hog the summer spotlight, but most campers really won't want to go there in April (25-45°F with snow) {smile} - Todd VerBeek 12:59, 24 March 2006 (EST)
• This one is so well done that to me, the question isn't "If" but "When." The 2006 queue already has several United States destinations, and adding another strikes me as piling on. However, this article is so good that we might think about bumping one of the others. Denali National Park, maybe? It's the other park in the queue. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 10:32, 2 April 2006 (EDT)
  • I've swapped this one for Denali in the queue since it's a superior article. Denali is a great desination, but this article is definitely one that we want to feature. -- Ryan 15:11, 2 April 2006 (EDT)
    • I assume you intended to swap it for both Denali options, right? I've made the obvious change. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 15:37, 2 April 2006 (EDT)
      • It doesn't make sense as a September destination though. That's when the hotel closes, and the plane and most of the ferry crossings are discontinued. By the end of the month there's just one small boat going there twice a week with the mail and groceries for the rangers. - Todd VerBeek 17:40, 2 April 2006 (EDT)

[edit] May

[edit] Oxford (DOTM)

Ancient and contemporary university city closely located to national capital with a huge variety of things to see and do.... Good coverage in the article. Pjamescowie 04:34, 7 Jun 2005 (EDT)

• Support - quite comprehensive. Could do with another couple of photographs as well though. -- DanielC 17:02, 9 Jun 2005 (EDT)
• Nice article. Has a few non-standard headers & external links should be trimmed, but otherwise worthy. When is a good month to visit? -- Ryan 03:37, 1 Aug 2005 (EDT)
• Too much listings inconsistentency in the use of italics for addresses, the placement of web links, and telephone number formatting. -- Colin 18:32, 20 March 2006 (EST)
  • I believe most of these have been resolved now. - Todd VerBeek 17:09, 27 April 2006 (EDT)
    • I think it's acceptible now -- it's not MoS but at least it's not wildly different now. Thanks for taking on the work. -- Colin 17:41, 27 April 2006 (EDT)

[edit] Svalbard (OTBP)

Extreme Arctic tourism at its strangest. Jpatokal 02:47, 20 Sep 2005 (EDT)

• Looks good to me. When's a good time? -- Wrh2 16:48, 22 Oct 2005 (EDT)
• Not mid-winter, that's for sure... but quoting the article: The high travel season is during Svalbard's brief summer, from June to August, when it's light and not too cold outside. However, the so-called "light winter" (March-May), when there is both sunlight and snow, is also increasingly popular for winter sports. Jpatokal 23:40, 22 Oct 2005 (EDT)
• On looking more carefully at this article, I am having some misgivings about it. The absence of actionable information on lodging is a real shortcoming. At the very least, the article should include contact info for such hotels, etc., as exist. Can this be fixed before May, or should we look for an alternative? A fix would be nice, as the place definitely looks cool (yeah, I know...). -- Bill-on-the-Hill 21:30, 1 Feb 2006 (EST)
• Svalbard is a region, not a single destination. You will find lodging info in both Longyearbyen and Barentsburg, the two top Svalbard destinations by far, and these are both already linked to from the main Svalbard page. Jpatokal 23:56, 1 Feb 2006 (EST)
  • Thanks. I had simply missed that. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:24, 2 Feb 2006 (EST)

[edit] April

[edit] Chattanooga

Very complete and thorough article. Needs some editorial passes but should probably wiggle its way up this list. --Evan 08:06, 28 Jul 2005 (EDT)

• Thanks for the nod Evan! My formatting errors are starting to show up, and I'm diving in to fix them. More fleshing out will be done. -- Ilkirk 00:00, 29 Jul 2005 (EDT)
• Support. When is a good month to go? And it would be good if one of the pictures was moved to the top of the article, preferably a good one that really captures something unique about the city. -- Ryan 01:36, 17 Nov 2005 (EST)
  • I've been stewing on your question of what month and simply can't decide. The fall is great for the "color cruises" to see the leaves change colors, plus the weather is really great. On the other hand, though, summer is good too because you've got the big music festival, Riverbend, as well as good sunny weather almost continually. But then over all that, if it were me, I'd kind of want to go when it was quiet and I didn't have to deal with crowds, but thats just me I think and it knocks out some big stuff. -- Ilkirk 12:46, 19 Jan 2006 (EST)
    • I slotted Chattanooga into April on the "planning ahead" straw man that Jpatokal then incorporated into this page, on the grounds that the weather is pleasant then (I would not call summer weather in Tennessee pleasant), things are just busting loose for spring in terms of flowers and such, and it would give advance-planning time for Riverbend. Of course that is only a straw man and is by no means fixed in concrete. Any chance of getting a map in place by then? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 10:34, 20 Jan 2006 (EST)
      • I've been a little absent lately - can anyone suggest resources for a map? I found Wikitravel:How_to_draw_a_map and recruited some locals to help me out. We hope to have it before the end of March. The First second draft of the map is on the page. -- Ilkirk 18:23, 19 March 2006 (EST)
• Support. The article looks great and the map is fantastic. -- bulliver 20:04, 20 March 2006 (EST)

[edit] March

• Yonaguni, or the entire Yaeyama Islands. One of those articles where Wikitravel just completely whups the butt of any mainstream travel guide, and written by three separate contributors to boot. Jpatokal 03:53, 29 Jul 2005 (EDT)
  • Support. Another great article. When is a good time to visit? -- Ryan 03:37, 1 Aug 2005 (EDT)
  • Knew I forgot something... so it's typhoon season in Aug-Oct, but November to December is good. Or, barring that, March-April after winter is over. Jpatokal 04:17, 1 Aug 2005 (EDT)
  • This appears to be headed toward DotM for March 2006, and justly so; it's well done and distinctive. However, the lead lighthouses photograph is unexceptional. Can a better one be found? Alternatively, some copyediting to make the underwater-ruins photo the lead could be done, but an improved photo of the lighthouses might be best. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 23:53, 24 February 2006 (EST)
  • You're welcome to mash up any of my pictures on [13]; unfortunately, it was gloomy and rainy for the entire three days I was there, so all the pictures more or less suck. I'd suggest this (already on Wikitravel) as the image, although for sheer weirdness this is by far my favorite. Jpatokal 04:48, 26 February 2006 (EST)
  • I like the "jump".... That's funny! I did some post processing on the light house photo, you can see it here http://www.tom-holland.com/yonaguni.htm I am not real good at this, but I think it helps the photo. Don't have time this morning to do any others, but if you want I can take a shot at it later. BTW, I think your shots on the gloomy days look good! -- Tom Holland (xltel) 09:12, 26 February 2006 (EST)
  • The post processing thoroughly addresses my concern; thanks. Can this become the cover photo? -- Bill-on-the-Hill 10:39, 26 February 2006 (EST)
  • Feel free to upload it on top of my original. Jpatokal 23:52, 27 February 2006 (EST)

[edit] February

• Hangzhou. Very thorough article about China's most popular tourist destination (for the locals at least). Jpatokal 02:47, 20 Sep 2005 (EDT)
  • Support. Very thorough, and a cool photo as well. -- Wrh2 00:10, 24 Oct 2005 (EDT)
  • Support. The city is really great, offers a lot of different activities, very lovely, especially in late winter. -- Fabius 06:20, 27 Dec 2005 (EDT)
  • Stuff that should be done before February 1st: Jpatokal 10:09, 15 Jan 2006 (EST)
    • Add in Chinese characters and pinyin tone marks
    • Finishing cleaning up & MoSing the entries
    • Merge duplicate info in Get in and Get out
  • Support, but does it need to be Feb? (see Torino) Neat guide, but I'd like to see a few more sleeps and maybe a once-over format-wise on the Get Out and Dos... is there anyway we can get a map in there as well? Majnoona 14:39, 29 Jan 2006 (EST)
  • I've plunged forward and picked it. Just noticed a minor concern, however: is the main photo legit for use here? If not, one could retreat to the panda photo, although it's less well composed. I'll move this to the Archive as soon as this question is resolved. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:42, 1 Feb 2006 (EST)
    • What's the issue? It's PD by the creator, which is CC by-sa compatible (and anything-compatible). Jpatokal 11:00, 1 Feb 2006 (EST)
      • We're OK, then. I'd missed the PD part. Discussion about to be archived. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 21:22, 1 Feb 2006 (EST)

[edit] January

• Kuala Lumpur for January 2006. At its best in the "winter" (a very relative concept in the tropics, mind you). Jpatokal 21:30, 18 Dec 2005 (EST)
  • Support. Good article & a good time for it. DanielC 08:13, 21 Dec 2005 (EST)
  • Support. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 12:50, 24 Dec 2005 (EST) Support withdrawn for the moment. I didn't see the absence of stuff in "Do." I'd still support this over Santa Fe if someone can populate the "Do" section. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 22:17, 26 Dec 2005 (EST)
  • Support, but the "Do" section should probably have a few items added. -- Ryan 03:03, 26 Dec 2005 (EST)
  • I've added in the Cosmo's World theme park. Can't really think of much else to Do in the city, it's more of a Buy, Eat and Drink kinda town... Jpatokal 23:05, 26 Dec 2005 (EST)

Ok. Looks like no more votes are coming. When will the DOTM will be picked? Kingjeff 14:52, 30 Dec 2005 (EST)

Looks like a win by default for Kuala Lumpur, so I've now picked it. Jpatokal 04:47, 31 Dec 2005 (EST)

[edit] 2005

[edit] December

• Edinburgh for December. Good article. Great time to visit (Hogmanay). Article needs some more places to stay, which I could do, plus remove the list of airlines flying there. DanielC 08:07, 11 Nov 2005 (EST)
  • Contentwise OK, but formatting is not MoS and the Sleep section is indeed too short. Jpatokal 02:31, 16 Nov 2005 (EST)
  • This would indeed be a great December article in the run up to Hogmanay.... I'm there just after New Year, so I'll try to make it a personal project to improve the article beyond what's there already....Paul James Cowie 03:41, 16 Nov 2005 (EST)
    • Time's a ticking. The article's in better shape now thanks to Paul's work, but the pictures are also, frankly, pretty bad — this one is CC and suitably wintry, but it's still vertical and thus not very suitable for the main page. This is better yet (if cropped in half), but it's a summer shot. Jpatokal 03:39, 23 Nov 2005 (EST)
  • Support - Isn't it time it gets selected? --Ravikiran 12:37, 28 Nov 2005 (EST)

I'd love to see one of the Island nations such as the Caribbean or more South / Central America for [b]December[/b]. Any suggestions from there? Hawaii is the most developed of the islands (needs some work and an image). Majnoona 08:35, 24 Oct 2005 (EDT)

Aren't the Falkland Islands already South American enough, at least in terms of geography? Jpatokal 11:09, 24 Oct 2005 (EDT)

[edit] November

• Falkland Islands. Amazingly detailed article about an obscure destination. Great pictures too.
  • Nominated by Jpatokal 01:34, 24 Feb 2005 (EST).
  • It's an interesting, remote destination and Ryan Holliday has got lots of other really good photos on his personal site mountaininterval.org that he could add in. The travel season there is probably November to February though - so it would either have to be March, wait for 9 months or be "out of season" (not a problem surely - getting there takes some planning). DanielC 12:45 26 Feb 2005 (GMT)
  • Thanks for the nomination :) Travel season in the Falklands runs from October through March, so if it was to be featured it will be out of season for the next six months. As Daniel says, it does take some planning to get there, so perhaps featuring it a few months early wouldn't hurt. I'll continue to make updates as I find time and new info, but probably won't be adding any new pictures until after I visit again, which won't be until next January. -- Ryan 20:55, 10 Mar 2005 (EST)
  • I think this is ready. Since there's no rush on this one, if any other articles are more timely, they should go first. -- Colin 21:33, 10 Mar 2005 (EST)
  • So is this the DOTM for November? -- Wrh2 16:48, 22 Oct 2005 (EDT)
  • Yes! Jpatokal 23:40, 22 Oct 2005 (EDT)

Our guide to the Falkland Islands is absurdly good. There are a couple outlines in the dozen or so articles covered here, but the rest are as complete as they could be within reason. Anyway, it's way off the beaten path, and I think it shows off what we do here pretty well. --Peter ^Talk 03:17, 5 August 2008 (EDT)

• Been done, unfortunately. Back before OtBP was a separate item, the Falklands were a DotM, in November 2005. -- Bill-on-the-Hill 09:41, 5 August 2008 (EDT)

[edit] October

• Lausanne. More amazing work by Mark, who seems to DotM every destination he touches. And it would be nice to showcase a non-huge city for a change (even if Geneva next door did make to DotM earlier). Jpatokal 04:59, 3 Jun 2005 (EDT)
  • Support. -- Colin 14:24, 3 Jun 2005 (EDT)
  • Thanks for the kind words, Jpatokal. Of course I'd love to see Lausanne featured as DotM. -- Mark 04:43, 4 Jun 2005 (EDT)
  • Support, very complete & well-written article. -- Ryan 04:22, 28 Jun 2005 (EDT)
  • Support. Another great one. --Evan 08:06, 28 Jul 2005 (EDT)

So there are a couple of weeks remaining until we need to declare a DOTM for October. Lausanne & the Falkland Islands currently look like they have the most support of the destinations that haven't been withdrawn or that don't require additional work. That said, there are apparently events happening in Swansea that would make it a good choice for October. And who knows what other articles are out there that might be DOTM-worthy but haven't been nominated. So I'd like to ask/beg/plead for the following:

• Please vote! Everyone!
• If there is an article that you feel is complete, and is for a destination that is interesting for travelers, and that is not listed in the slush pile, please nominate it!

Please put your votes and discussions about the candidations on the Wikitravel:Destination of the Month candidates page. -- Ryan 14:12, 10 Sep 2005 (EDT)

Ten days left in September. Since Swansea is apparently timely for October, would anyone be opposed to declaring Swansea DOTM for October, with the Falkland Islands to follow in November? We should really have a choice made at least five days before the end of the month to allow time for cleanup, so anyone who is interested, please add your vote and comments to the Wikitravel:Destination of the Month candidates page. -- Ryan 23:55, 19 Sep 2005 (EDT)

As outlined on the main page, it's a bit early for the UK to go again (Winchester was DotM in July), and the pictures are just not up to snuff. The barrage of events this month is pretty convincing though, so if a good PD/CC picture can be sourced I can change my mind. Otherwise I'd suggest Falkland Islands or Lausanne, and Swansea can try again in Oct 2006. Jpatokal 00:24, 20 Sep 2005 (EDT)

Fair enough - I wasn't sure how big of a deal the events in Swansea actually are. We've been barraged with European destinations lately, so my vote would go to the Falklands for October unless we get a rash of support for another destination. -- Ryan 00:47, 20 Sep 2005 (EDT)

I hate to be contrarian again, but actually Winchester and Helsinki are the only European DotMs we've had during all of 2005... and the tourist season in Europe is rapidly drawing to a close. But I'm of course fine with the Falklands. Jpatokal 02:01, 20 Sep 2005 (EDT)

I was sure you were wrong about only two European DOTMs this year, and had to re-check; having done so, I guess Europe is still in play. Anyhow, DOTM is your baby, so I'm quite happy to defer judgement as long as someone makes the call as to what goes on the front page ten days from now (are you still on your round the world tour?), and with the amazing job Mark did with Lausanne we can't really go wrong. -- Wrh2 02:12, 20 Sep 2005 (EDT)

Just came back, but the story is still being written, and I fly again tomorrow for work for a change. Anyway, I think DotM's a big baby now and it's time for it to be weaned, so I'll let somebody else cast the tiebreaker. Jpatokal 02:31, 20 Sep 2005 (EDT)

So given the lack of objection, let's declare Lausanne DOTM for October. Unless something else comes along, the Falkland Islands then look like the leading contender for November. -- Wrh2 15:56, 24 Sep 2005 (EDT)

[edit] September

• Cape Town
  • Nominated by Majnoona with the caveat that the Eat, Drink, and Sleep sections are filled out. Maybe more photos? Is it a good time of year to visit?
  • That's a pretty big caveat. Sleep is OK for starters, but there's not a single Eat or Drink destination. Formatting also needs some work. Jpatokal 08:31, 14 May 2005 (EDT)
  • This is a really good article. Eat & Drink could use a bit of filling out, but everything else is solid and Africa has never been featured, so I would vote for this one for June or July. -- Ryan 02:00, 19 May 2005 (EDT)
    • Eat & Drink have been filled out. Possibly a few minor copyedits are needed (Gay & Lesbian probably shouldn't be its own section, eat & drink could use some sub-headings), but otherwise seems good. It would also be nice to see a DOTM from Africa. Cape Town for October or November? -- Ryan 03:37, 1 Aug 2005 (EDT)
  • You will always have my vote for Cape Town... Felix 10:36 (GMT), 19/May/2005
    • I'm going to be a spoilsport and insist on at least one or two restaurants/nightspots before this can be DotM. Felix, the fate of Cape Town rests in your capable hands :) Jpatokal 05:50, 19 May 2005 (EDT)
    • Agreed. --Evan 07:28, 19 May 2005 (EDT)
      • Added a few Eat and Drink locations and some other things. There will be some more little additions within the next days. So get ready to have it as Destination of the Month... ;-)) Felix - 10:39 (GMT), 20/May/2005
        • For a destination of the month the eat and drink listings really need to be done according to the Wikitravel:Manual of style right now they read like just a passing mention. -- Mark 08:28, 20 May 2005 (EDT)
          • Well, I could try to get all adresses and phone numbers of the restaurants and bars... Felix
            • Yes, please. For Paris I just sat down one evening with a phonebook and went through all of them. It doesn't take that long. You can usually find the data online as well. If you really want to acheive DOM quality you should write a couple of sentences about each place as well. Try to be a little cheeky about it. -- Mark 02:56, 22 May 2005 (EDT)
              • So I sat down on my bump and tried to get the info together. Hope its okay now... Also added a section regarding homosexuals. Cheers, Felix - 15:41 (GMT), 26/May/2005
    • Wouldn't a good time for this be Autumn (Fall), when there are less places that are good to visit?? There might even be space for somewhere else in South Africa (one of Fluglotse2000's good looking articles) then. :) DanielC 16:31, 20 May 2005 (EDT)
      • It could also fit in around November, when the South African summer begins... Felix 16:53 (GMT), 21/May/2005

September is less than two weeks off, and in an effort to save Jpatokal from having to do it yet again, here's a request, perhaps even a plea, for people to add their opinions to the list of destination of the month candidates. From a quick glance it looks like Lausanne, Cape Town and the Falkland Islands are the three leading contenders, although there may be some as-yet un-nominated gems hiding out there. The clock is ticking -- if anyone has any preferences, now would be a good time to speak up. -- Ryan 01:18, 19 Aug 2005 (EDT)

I'll cast my vote for Cape Town — it's about time we featured Africa. September's a teeny bit early for Falkland Islands, but I'd be all for it in October. Lausanne can wait, because it's just a little too close to previous July 2004 DotM Geneva...

And somebody else can do the honors for Sept also, because I'll probably be offline at the time. Jpatokal 01:42, 19 Aug 2005 (EDT)

You're right, the Falkland Islands might still be a bit chilly at this time of year, so Cape Town would be my choice as well -- Lausanne is a great article, but Europe has been featured for the past two months. Hopefully Munich will be in good shape for October (very timely), although if not then the Falkland Islands, Lausanne and Swansea seem to be viable options. -- Ryan 02:02, 19 Aug 2005 (EDT)

One week to go. Cape Town seems to be the leading contender at the moment, so it would be nice if anyone who has an objection to Cape Town could state what that objection is, and if anyone prefers a different destination could vote for that alternative. -- Wrh2 02:28, 23 Aug 2005 (EDT)

I always thought Cape Town was already set for this month ages ago? Felix 19:05, 23 Aug 2005 (GMZ)

Maybe I missed it, but I couldn't find any discussion about what the DOTM for September would be, and the fact that the Wikitravel:Destination of the Month candidates page doesn't list anything for September indicates that a final decision still needs to be made. That said, with no one objecting and September fast approaching, Cape Town is looking like it will be the choice -- give it a couple more days, and if no one objects I think we can safely declare it DOTM. -- Wrh2 14:16, 23 Aug 2005 (EDT)

Since it's very nearly September, and since Cape Town remains the leading candidate with no objections, and also since Jpatokal is off herding elephants and choking down malaria pills in the jungles of Asia, let's declare Cape Town the DOTM for September. If people could give it a once over and make any necessary cleanups that would be tremendously helpful. -- Wrh2 13:26, 27 Aug 2005 (EDT)

[edit] August

• Helsinki. Best in the summer months (June-August).
  • Nominated by Jpatokal 11:49, 15 Mar 2005 (EST)
  • Nominated by Majnoona Maybe for June or July or is it warm enough in May? Looks great though! Majnoona 14:14, 6 Apr 2005 (EDT)
  • May is still a bit dodgy. June or later is usually pretty nice. Jpatokal 21:37, 6 Apr 2005 (EDT)
    • OK, lets revisit this in June & July Majnoona 10:12, 10 Apr 2005 (EDT)
    • Looks really good. DanielC 16:19, 20 May 2005 (EDT)
    • Hmm -- the IAAF World Championships in Athletics (the biggest sporting event of 2005) will be held in Helsinki in mid-August, so that would be a natural time to showcase the guide. Jpatokal 05:40, 1 Jun 2005 (EDT)

From above notes and elsewhere, I think it might be a good idea if someone besides Jpatokal posts the August 2005 DotM. I think we all really appreciate this great feature of the site, and I think a good way to show that appreciation is to participate in its implementation. --Evan 08:11, 28 Jul 2005 (EDT)

Cjensen kindly condescended to do the honours. I'd object to his assertion of being slow though, as the Japanese DotM was changed by yours truly at 1 AM. :P Jpatokal 03:27, 1 Aug 2005 (EDT)

You've spoiled us by doing it within minutes each time :-). -- Colin 11:54, 1 Aug 2005 (EDT)

[edit] July

• Winchester, England
  • Nominated by TheForester 11:20, 19 Aug 2004 (EDT)
  • Not bad (and definitely not a stub any more). I'd like to see a new continent though... Jpatokal 12:02, 19 Aug 2004 (EDT)
  • This has been sitting here for almost a year now and it's still a good article. How's July/August in the UK? Jpatokal 08:31, 14 May 2005 (EDT)
  • Any time from now until September would be fine. DanielC 16:37, 20 May 2005 (EDT)

Barring loud objections I shall use the power of Wikitravel consensus (read: administrative fiat) to declare Winchester as DotM for July and Helsinki as DotM for August — both have long since passed the qualification thresholds. Speak up now or forever hold your peace. Jpatokal 03:47, 8 Jun 2005 (EDT)

FYI: I think you're mistaking Wikitraveler fiat for administrative fiat. Administrators have no special priviledge in this or any other sort of fiat. Consensus is what we call it if nobody objects. -- Mark 04:40, 8 Jun 2005 (EDT)

That was a joke, son. =P At least mostly. Consensus is nice but it doesn't actually make anything happen, somebody has to say enough is enough and dub them DotMs. And more often than not that somebody seems to be me. Jpatokal 04:46, 8 Jun 2005 (EDT)

I think I understood that that was what you meant, but I wanted to make the point for any Wikitraveler reading this in the future that you get to make these moves because you are a contributor to the site and that it has nothing to do with the admin bit being set in your account. -- Mark 04:48, 8 Jun 2005 (EDT)

Very true. Jpatokal 05:00, 8 Jun 2005 (EDT)

It's been said before, but it bears repeating: you've made a really important part of Wikitravel with the DotM, and I really appreciate it. I realize that you find the decision-making process here frustrating, but I think DotM is a great example of how informal, "lite" processes can lead to comfortable and reasonable results. --Evan 13:53, 27 Jun 2005 (EDT)

[edit] June

• Vancouver
  • Nominated by Majnoona
    • I'm going to adjust my nomination and say this would be a good one for June or July. Majnoona 10:12, 10 Apr 2005 (EDT)
  • Support. Jpatokal 08:31, 14 May 2005 (EDT)
  • Another good one for June or July. -- Wrh2 02:00, 19 May 2005 (EDT)
  • Yes. -- Paul Richter 01:20, 31 May 2005 (EDT)
  • Support. June would be nice because it's the start of the right time of year for it. Could use some style updates, but since the content is there we can do trival style updates after it's up. -- Colin 20:49, 31 May 2005 (EDT)

It's May 30th as I type and June's DotM is still undecided. Helsinki, Vancouver and Winchester seem to be the strongest candidates, with Cape Town being pushed towards the autumn. So which one wins? Jpatokal 10:27, 30 May 2005 (EDT)

Right now each article has three votes in favor and none against, so we need one more to break the tie... Jpatokal 22:16, 30 May 2005 (EDT)

And the winner is Vancouver (thanks Paul & Colin). Can we choose July from one of the two leftovers while we're at it? Jpatokal 21:26, 31 May 2005 (EDT)

[edit] May

• (Japan)
  • nominated by JensANDMarian13:20 , 23 Sep 2004 (EDT)
  • Pretty great article! The first two images are smooched together in my brower (Firefox) but otherwise a perfect example of a country article. I'm not sure how I feel about featuring countries, though I guess that's just my idea-- "Japan" is a big place as a concept. Is there some reason it should be featured over a more specific destination (besides being really well done)? Is there a good month for it? Majnoona 01:48, 30 Oct 2004 (EDT)
  • Definitely cherry blossom time (March/April). But I agree that a country of 125 million is a pretty big place to feature and would suggest smaller bits of Japan (say Iya Valley, Shimokita Peninsula or the island of Shikoku) instead. Jpatokal 02:29, 30 Oct 2004 (EDT)
    • Them cherry blossoms are a-comin'... now to pick a spot to showcase. Is Tokyo there yet? There's even a gratuitous cherry blossom picture in Tokyo/Kichijoji. Jpatokal 00:53, 10 Feb 2005 (EST)

• Expo 2005
  • This is both extremely timely (now is a good time to visit and the show ends in October) and insanely cool to boot. I, personally, think this page is the best English-language guide to the Expo on the net and it needs more exposure. Plus we've never had a Japan article before, so it's about time! Jpatokal 06:15, 10 Apr 2005 (EDT)
    • I'll buy that argument-- it is a great looking guide and it would be something a little new & different for the DoM. It gets my vote. Majnoona 10:09, 10 Apr 2005 (EDT)
    • It's a really good article, plus it shows off the USP of Wikitravel - the guide is right up to date - how many printed guides will have an article on Expo 2005? DanielC 19:57, 10 Apr 2005 (BST)
    • So, should it be selected for May maybe? --JanSlupski 04:50, 12 Apr 2005 (EDT)
      • Up for a week or so, several votes in favor, none against — I hereby declared it selected. Jpatokal 19:32, 16 Apr 2005 (EDT)

[edit] April

• Hong Kong
  • Nominated by tuifai 17:04 October 24, 2004 (EDT)
  • Really nice start-- I'd like to see more actual listings under Sleep and Eat before it's featured. Also, is there a special month for HK? Majnoona 01:45, 30 Oct 2004 (EDT)
    • Seems now things are added. Shall we make HK a candidiate for Dec 2004? 0:06, 7 Dec 2004 (HKT)
      • I also nominate Hong Kong for December. 21:33 22 Nov 2004 (HKT)
  • Just missed the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Chinese New Year is not a good time for a tourist. Jpatokal 02:29, 30 Oct 2004 (EDT)
  • Now travel information and accomodation is added. 17:09 4 Nov 2004 (HKT)
  • We still have not yet decided the article for December. Shall we make Hong Kong as the destination? 20:11 29 Nov 2004 HKT
  • My friend(s), please create accounts so we know how many of you there are. But I think the current consensus is leaning towards Paris. Jpatokal 07:27, 29 Nov 2004 (EST)
  • So do we have a decision on DoM of March 2005? If no, I would vote forHong Kong. Markkp 18:16, 26 Feb 2004 (HKT)
  • I'd vote for HK in April, it's been passed by enough times already and spring is a good time to go. Some cleanup needed though, this is also a linkitis victim. Jpatokal 11:49, 15 Mar 2005 (EST)
    • Agree! Would be nice if there were more sleep entries (seems like right now there are a few luxury ones, plus pointers to gov't directories of guest houses) but let's get it on the front page anyway. -- Colin 14:02, 15 Mar 2005 (EST)

[edit] March

• Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It's a good article with tons of practical information. It's got a nice photo, and it's in good Wikitravel:Manual of style format. Considering that December and January are peak summer season in this Southern Hemisphere city, I think it'd make a great January DotM. And that gives us some time to get it in tip-top shape. --Evan 02:49, 1 Dec 2004 (EST)
  • Support. It's nearly worthy of huge city status (in terms of the amount of content we have for it) but it might be better to initiate such a change after it's DoM. Unfortunately the city festivals aren't held in summer. -- Hypatia 03:35, 1 Dec 2004 (EST)
  • I think Melbourne needs some work. Some sections (eg. Drink, Buy, Learn, Work) are empty or nearly empty and some (eg. Eat) need formatting. The 'districts-in-a-page' style used for See and Sleep is also un-MoS and hard to read. Jpatokal 03:07, 31 Dec 2004 (EST)

Last day of February and the DotM is unchosen as usual. (sigh) The Falkland Islands and Hong Kong seem to be the top contenders this month...? Jpatokal 07:25, 28 Feb 2005 (EST)

I'd say Melbourne. It's got tons of practical information, is on a continent we haven't had a DotM for before, and it's a good time to visit. --Evan 08:36, 28 Feb 2005 (EST)

I'd vote for Hong Kong or Melbourne (for now). There is more information that can be added to the various island pages and country page for the Falklands that should allow that section to fill out a bit more. -- Wrh2 12:57, 28 Feb 2005 (EST)

Yes. Melbourne. -- Mark 08:37, 28 Feb 2005 (EST)

Melbourne. I wish we could work in more asian spots (since Jpatokal is rather prolific at generating them) but Hong Kong seems to be sleep deficient. Falkland Islands is great, but since it's progressing so fast, maybe not yet. -- Colin 13:04, 28 Feb 2005 (EST)

[edit] February

• New Orleans (United States)
  • Nominated by Jpatokal 10:06, 18 Jul 2004 (EDT)
  • The "See" section is a little too minimal. -- Nils 08:09, 23 Jul 2004 (EDT)
  • It's getting to be a great article, so I hesitate to say no, but... No. I think New Orleans has such a natural DoM time -- spring, before Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest -- that we should do it then. --Evan 08:45, 23 Jul 2004 (EDT)

Thanks for the nomination. Featuring it around either Carnival or French Quarter Fest/Jazzfest time makes sence to me. I'll add info on those other festivals well in advance (unless someone else beats me to it). -- Infrogmation 14:45, 24 Jul 2004 (EDT)

Mardi Gras is February 8th next year, so any objections to February 2005? Jpatokal 09:38, 11 Oct 2004 (EDT)

I guess that means no, so chosen it is =) Jpatokal 06:52, 24 Oct 2004 (EDT)

New Orleans will become DotM Feb 2005 in less than a week. Time to start shifting through with a fine sieve, looking for bugs... Jpatokal

[edit] January

• Bangkok (Thailand)
  • self-nominated by Jpatokal 12:37, 5 Sep 2004 (EDT)
  • Looks like an excellent candidate. A bit too close to the Perhentian Islands for October's edition though. We have had Europe, America and Asia; it would be nice to have something from Africa next. -- Chris j wood 21:08, 5 Sep 2004 (EDT)
  • If Kathmandu doesn't cut it for November, I'd throw my vote for Bangkok. It's still a wee bit too close to the Perhentians and it would be nice to have something outside of Southeast Asia, but it's really great and November is a nice time to be there, though I don't know if it's a specially nice time, just when I always happen to be there... Majnoona 01:50, 30 Oct 2004 (EDT)
  • I'd suggest Bangkok for Dec/Jan, but maybe it's time for a break from Asia for December. Any good articles for places which are not horrible in Nov? (This rules out much of Europe...) Jpatokal 04:28, 16 Nov 2004 (EST)
  • So is it Bangkok for January? Hong Kong the article is good, but the time of year is not. Jpatokal 02:22, 15 Dec 2004 (EST)
    • Due to complete lack of comments and a ticking clock I hereby select Bangkok as DotM 2005. Objectors, speak now, or forever hold your peace. Jpatokal 03:02, 28 Dec 2004 (EST)
      • Does the timing seem really right for this, considering the disaster and all? -- Mark 05:43, 31 Dec 2004 (EST)
        • We're not nominating Phi Phi here, the tsunami has nothing to do with Bangkok. It's a big country. Jpatokal 08:42, 1 Jan 2005 (EST)

[edit] 2004

[edit] December

Gawd, now that we're *finally* back on the air, who wants to pick a December destination? We've got a couple of good articles ready to go: Paris, London, Hong Kong... too bad no North Pole. I'm going to throw my vote at Paris cause it just sounds like it would be cool for the holidays... others?

One more vote for Paris. Not sure November is the best month, but it's probably better than London and a destination outside Asia would be good for a change. Jpatokal 01:47, 26 Nov 2004 (EST)

OK, but only if somebody can provide a photo of the Christmas decorations in the St. Germain/Odeon area. I'll try to buckle down on the 5th and 6th in the meanwhile. -- Mark 02:41, 26 Nov 2004 (EST)

I guess I'd really rather wait a while longer though, as many listings outside of the 1st are still stub listings, and I'm still only up to the 5th in mapping. I figure we should at least have the Eiffel Tower (7th) on the map. Of course popular demand prevails here. -- Mark 08:47, 26 Nov 2004 (EST)

On a third thought, it might be good to have Paris as DOM while it's undergoing serious work, as an illustration to our visitors as to how an article grows. I'll try to keep up the changes on the maps through the Holidays if I can. -- Mark 10:26, 26 Nov 2004 (EST)

Here's another idea: How about Paris/1st arrondissement, that page is actually complete, and of course it leads to all of the others. -- Mark 10:28, 26 Nov 2004 (EST)

• Paris
  • Nominated by Jpatokal 23:15, 10 Oct 2004 (EDT); this article is simply amazing!
  • Concur. There are probably better times of year to have Paris the featured destination, but this article is so good, it's worth jumping out of season for it. --Evan 23:20, 10 Oct 2004 (EDT)
  • Mark suggested April or May for Paris. So while I'm fine with it anytime since it's gotten to be such a prime example of good work, maybe if Mark continues to want it, we should hold off on it more. After all, at the current rate of improvement, just think what it might look like by then. -- Colin 23:30, 10 Oct 2004 (EDT)
  • Paris is really nice in the Fall-- it's one of _The_ great off-season destinations... and I can think of a lot of places that could content for Spring,, so if there's no Big Reason to go for something else Paris is a really good pick for November... Only thing that may need work is the Get Out articles-- most are blanks... Majnoona 00:29, 11 Oct 2004 (EDT)
    • For what it's worth, the fall is actually high season in Paris, as this is when all of the theater and fashion stuff is going on. Spring on the other hand is cheap, but the weather can be variable. Of course I'm still thrilled that you want to feature it as DOM regardless of when, I was just hoping to be a bit further along with the maps and the sleep listings first. -- Mark 04:23, 11 Oct 2004 (EDT)
  • Certainly one of the best articles in Wikitravel, with a lot of nice pictures that show landmarks and internationally recognized buildings. Well done. I wonder whether the eat section could be a little more detailed it simply does not represent the French culture and is to short for such a gastronomic heavyweight as Paris. Jens 15:41, 11 Oct 2004 (EDT).
  • So, I think we all agree that Paris is ready to be a DotM, the question is November or later? Do we have other very viable candidates?
  • Kathmandu gets the nod for November, but Mark, Paris is yours anytime you want. Jpatokal 02:29, 30 Oct 2004 (EDT)
    • So, lacking another candidate that had the momentum of Paris, I went ahead and made it DotM. I hope I didn't step on too many toes. --Evan 02:44, 1 Dec 2004 (EST)

[edit] November

• Kathmandu
  • November is the unoffical start of the tourist and trekking season (ie-- post Monsoon and pre-Winter) for Nepal and the Kathmandu article is as good a guide as I've seen. There are also a number of Hindu festivals in November (such as Devali) that can be highlighted (so-to-speak: it's all about fireworks and candles!) Majnoona 00:33, 11 Oct 2004 (EDT)
  • I have some picts and more details to add btw... Majnoona
  • Concur. Looks ready to me, and if it's timely, then all the better. -- Colin 02:47, 11 Oct 2004 (EDT)
  • I think November would be a very good month for this article. Here in the UK the BBC is screening 'Himalya' by Michael Palin (he of Monte Python fame, for those of you with long memories) and IMHO it is his best travelogue yet, with some absolutely stunning mountain photograhy. Some critics are saying it is the best program currently airing, and it is exciting lots of interest in that part of the world, even after the bit where the Maoist guerrillas come calling. -- Chris j wood 11:33, 25 Oct 2004 (EDT)
  • I'll have to cast a dissenting vote for this. The "Get around" section is missing, the temples in "See" are just unadorned lists of names, no prices in "Eat/Drink", very few addresses or directions, much less maps... many articles on this page are in better shape. Jpatokal 13:16, 25 Oct 2004 (EDT)
    • Thanks for noticing the missing "Get around." I've added some info there and started adding more details to the Dubar square sights. Directions are trickey because there really aren't street names or numbers, everyone just sort-of asks directions... Anyway, I'd like to keep working on this over the next few days to see if it can get pulled together for Nov 1st. Anyone want to try a map? Majnoona 22:55, 27 Oct 2004 (EDT)
      • I'll take a swing at it. I've got a public domain map from U. Texas to work from, so I can get the big stuff like the palace and the river, but I'm going to need help placing everything else. -- Mark 03:48, 28 Oct 2004 (EDT)
  • Oh yeah, shouldn't we have a Stay Safe section what with the Maoist rebellion going on and all. -- Mark 03:48, 28 Oct 2004 (EDT)
  • October and November are the best times to visit this Himalayan kingdom. The temperatures are perfect for getting around and the air quality is at its best. In addition, the Kathmandu article is complete and offers a good example for new pages starting up. My vote is for Kathmandu as destination of the month for November. Steve
  • Any other comments on Kathmandu? I'm going to crank out the details on the Dubar Square temples tomorrow, and a Kathmandu-specific "Stay Safe" section-- are there any other outstand issues? I wish we had this kind of "push" for all the articles-- I love how this has come along in the last few weeks! I know there are a lot of great articles out there, but November is really a good month to feature KMD. If it's not agreed on for this year, I suggest shelving it until next Oct/November... Majnoona 01:39, 30 Oct 2004 (EDT)
  • After the changes above plus Mark's excellent map I withdraw my objection. This means we're unanimous now and Kathmandu is DotM for November 2004. Jpatokal 02:29, 30 Oct 2004 (EDT)

[edit] October

• Guatemala City
  • nominated by Mark 04:41, 30 Aug 2004 (EDT)
    • Should have some minor cleanup. Will leave comments on city talk page. -- Nils
  • This is a really good article, as good as any I've seen. Only trouble is that it starts out rather negative about the place. I've never visited, but if it is true that Guatemala City isn't a particularly good place to visit, do we want it as the DoM?. -- Chris j wood 21:55, 5 Sep 2004 (EDT)
  • If the initial puff can be spun a little, I'd be happy with this as the October DOM. Jpatokal 01:24, 6 Sep 2004 (EDT)
    • Fine, so I edited it. Is this now the October DoM?

[edit] September

Only one week left until September, isn't it time to start thinking about next month's Destination? Jpatokal 01:20, 24 Aug 2004 (EDT)

Only two days and still few ideas... Jpatokal 00:56, 30 Aug 2004 (EDT)

Looks like Perhentian Islands and Frankfurt are the only viable candidates, and I personally would vote for Perhentian not just because I wrote half of it =), but because we already had a boring European city featured before. =) =) Comments? Jpatokal 11:22, 31 Aug 2004 (EDT)

• Perhentian Islands (Malaysia)
  • Self-nomination by Jpatokal 10:06, 18 Jul 2004 (EDT)
  • It needs a lot of work to get in manual of style format. Most of the listings are off, for example. So, I don't think it's a good article to showcase. --Evan 15:35, 24 Aug 2004 (EDT)
    • Listings such as...? Please understand that eg. none of the restaurants listed have such a thing as a "phone number" or "address"...! Jpatokal 05:10, 25 Aug 2004 (EDT)
    • I like the article. Nobody said DoM must be long. -- Nils

[edit] August

• Black Rock City
  • The Burning Man festival is at the end of August, and it might make this a good topical article. --Evan 20:06, 18 Jul 2004 (EDT)
  • Agree. That's a good and topical article (unless the Athens article suddenly improves). -- Colin 20:18, 18 Jul 2004 (EDT)
  • Needs a "Do" section. Otherwise, this would be a good Article for August. --Nils 01:33, 19 Jul 2004 (EDT)
  • One day left until August! Does somebody want to fill in the blank? Jpatokal 13:27, 30 Jul 2004 (EDT)
    • Arg, that's a hard job... but I'll add a few. Majnoona 14:14, 30 Jul 2004 (EDT)