Advice from Barcelonians During Your GSMA Conference Stay

Suzanne Bowen : Monetizing IP Communications
Suzanne Bowen
37 yrs in telecom, teaching, blog & grant writing, biz development, marketing, & PR. Favorite moments in life involve time w/ family & friends, networking, IP communications industry verticals & horizontals, running, traveling, foreign languages
| 1. "Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition..." Barack Obama ..... 2. "One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce, and canonized those who complain." By Thomas Sowell

Advice from Barcelonians During Your GSMA Conference Stay

Social networking online has connected me with some of the coolest people in the world. I even met my business partner and my husband through it. I recently asked many industry friends in Barcelona their advice for me and others who are attending GSMA Mobile World Congress Feb. 15-18, 2010. 

Where to go? Where to stay? What to eat? What do do? And more. I received answers from Barcelonians (or at those who live there or near there) who are the creators or team members of Podcast Generator, OohlalaMobile, XtraTelecom, Solaiemes, and DS2.

The following are excerpts of tips and information from each.

"The Fira is very very close to "Plaça D'Espanya!" tThere you can find the Catalonya Barcelona Plaza Hotel, which is a perfect location for you, but expensive (4 stars)."

"Well, the location of your conference is some meters from a metro stop called Espanya (green and red line): this means that you can reserve any hotel you wish if close to the green or the red metro line (Barcelona public transports are good and metro is open till midnight on working days and sunday, till 2AM on friday and doesn't close on saturday)...

Moreover cabs are not expensive."

"I would recommend you, anyway, to not go too far from the center. Assume Plaza the Catalunya as the real center of the city (reachable by any mean of transport - is the beginning of the famous Rambla boulevard), and look for hotels starting from there. (Check always Google maps to be sure about their location)."

From one young lady I met at the conference: "On Feb 13th I'll go to Italy, where I'll stay one month in order to hold my lectures! That's a pity, we could have met for some tapas!

Well, if you are around the center and want to eat a good paella, I recommend you La Fonda, a restaurant where for 18 euros you have a menu with starter+paella+dessert+water/wine+coffee. In the same area (Barrio Gotico - the old part of BCN, where I live) you should try tapas here:

- Bar Celta (try Octopus from Galicia)
- La plata (Try sardines with a small "porrón" of white wine)

You could also go to La Paradeta to try some fresh fish: you choose it and they cook it for you at the moment!

I'm recommending you restaurants where people here really go and eat well, not high-luxury-restaurants-expensive-and-u-eat-nothing. Let me know if you'll go!"

I can recommend you some places, depending on price

ASADOR DE ARANDA (C/ Pau Claris, 70 08010 Barcelona)
http://www.asadordearanda.com/
It's a very typical Spanish food restaurant. It is very good.
The disadvantage is the price, I think it's about 40-50€/person but call them to make it sure
The location is well explained on the map By tube:
L4 Yellow line (stopping Urquinaona)
L1 Red line (stopping in Catalunya)

LES QUINZE NITS (Plaza Real, 6) Off La Rambla
http://www.lesquinzenits.com/
It's quite nice, and the raltion quality/price is very good.
The name in catalan means "The 25 nights"
It's popular in Barcelona as the other one
The location is well explained on the map By tube:
L3 Green Line (stopping in Liceu)

then the famous TAPAS:

TALLER DE TAPAS (Rambla Catalunya 49-51, 08007 Barcelona)
http://www.tallerdetapas.com/
Nice tapas place. Located in ANOTHER RAMBLAS very nice too, but just above plaça Catalunya. This ramblas are more "posh" than the other ones and I think it's more authentic because there are less foreing people, then you can feel more in an Spanish enviroment :) Residential and famouse shopping area off Passeig de Gràcia.

They are not as crowded as the other La Rambla is.

Google maps (notice where this Rambla Catalunya is):
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rambla%20catalunya%2049-51&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:es-ES:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

By tube:
L2, L3 & L4 Purple, Green & Yellow lines (stoppin in Passeig de Gràcia)

CIUTAT COMTAL (Rambla Catalunya 18, 08007 Barcelona)
Nice Tapas place. More common than the previous one, but authentic too. Maybe I'd recommend this for having a quick beer & tasting some tapas. It's a place quite famous in Barcelona like the previous one. Very close to the previous one, same Street.

By tube:
L2, L3 & L4 Purple, Green & Yellow lines (stoppin in Passeig de Gràcia)

Well, I hope this is useful for you :)

Enjoy your time in Barcelona!

PD: An advice: be carefull with belongings because unfortunately in Barcelona there are many pick pockets... it's very sad, but it's like this... Especially if you look foreigner! So be careful especially in tourist places like La Rambla etc. "

... I'm going to this conference for DIDX business development and as press on behalf of our magazine Techistan. Stay in touch with me while there via Twitter and be sure to use phrases like "Mobile World Congress" and "GSMA Parties." I'm taking many interviews, pictures and videos and am looking for innovations, business opportunities and more to share on my blogs, Techistan, and DIDX podcasts.



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