I’m delighted to be the host for the first Carnival of Cities of 2008. I only had one submission in my chosen theme of cities “off the beaten track”.

Berkley and Oakland in California are highlighted as Local Favorites for Kids in the East Bay by Patricia Jenkins of the Kango Blog who believes that they are not fully appreciated by locals who automatically head south to San Francisco. It can a problem living in the shadow of an illustrious neighbour.

Gatlinburg Tennessee – Gateway to the Smokies posted at GoGirlfriend is the antithesis of my “off the beaten track” theme. With the hordes of visitors, traffic jams and 450 gift stores, my personal preference would be to get through the gateway of Gatlinburg as quickly as possible to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Entertainment, whether that be food, drink, music, museums, galleries, festivals or movies is a hot topic with this weeks bloggers. I’m not surprised as vast array of all types of entertainment is a feature of most cities.

Naomi Stevens writes about Liverpool Hottest Travel Destination posted at Diary From England. Liverpool is getting a lot of publicity these days as it’s the European City of Culture 2008.

Chicago has some New Restaurant Openings highlighted by Go Chicago Card to tempt your tastebuds.

Tip Diva offer Top Ten Tips – Eat Chinese Food Like A Pro posted at Tip Diva. I certainly subscribe to tip 3 to eat at a Chinese Buffet. It’s great to be able to try several different dishes.

The Seattle Traveler tells you where can Create Your Own Home Brew in a microbrewery but you’ll be staggering out with your 12 and a half gallons when you return two weeks later to pick up your fermented brew.

In the Washington DC Traveller the amazing array of musical talent appearing at at just one venue is listed with video clips and links to purchase tickets in Birchmere January Highlights.

If you’re in the New York area on Saturday nights during January and a lover of indie films you’re in a for a treat in January with Reel 13 showcasing underexposed indie films. The Production Blog gives details of the weekly triple bill line up consisting of a classic film, a short “Viewers Choice” indie film concluding with an underexposed indie film.

Oslo, Norway was the location for New Year celebrations for Kristie Dugan of An American in Oslo. In her post Happy 2008 she relates how her group of friends and co-workers were (thankfully temporarily) left out in the cold when the office key was broken opening some champagne to bring in the New Year while watching a firework display at the harbour.

Coqui presents San Sebastián Street Festival Honors Ricky Martin posted at Visit The Coqui. The San Sebastián Street Festival, taking place 18 – 21 January 2008, is one of the biggest festivals in Puerto Rico. By day the street is filled with local artists and artisans and at night the street turns into a massive street party filled with a carnival atmosphere.

Alex G presents Who says Brisbane has no cultural events? posted at Life in Brisbane – Queensland – Australia. If you thought Brisbane was bereft of interesting museums and galleries, have a look at this list.

On a more practical note, the Seattle Team Reba Real Estate blog touches on the subject of how uncared for properties in a street can depress the price of adjacent homes and how the local authority is poised to enforce neglectful householder to clean up their act in It looks like Lakeland has it’s New Year’s resolution in place.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Money, Dot-Com Bubbles, Startups: The Business Of Silicon Valley (Here Comes Another Bubble) posted at The Digerati Life describes life in the modern gold rush. Living expenses are high, fortunes are made and/or lost but hope springs eternal.

Grace writes about the World’s richest marathon to take place in Dubai posted at Sandier Pastures.  If you’re superfit and can get to Dubai for January 18 2008, you could share in the one million dollar prize fund.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed your whirlwind tour of cities and continents. Remember to keep your submissions coming in for the weekly Carnival of Cities and if you’d like to host the carnival please contact Jon Symons.

The next Carnival of Cities is hosted by Mexican Pop Spot on 14 January 2008.