玩转城市 谷歌眼镜的旅行体验

WHAT'S THE MOST rewarding way to navigate a city: paging through a guidebook, thrusting your high-school Spanish at passersby or talking to your eyeglasses?

玩转一个城市最好方式是什么？翻阅出行指南，用你高中水平的西班牙语询问路人，还是和你的眼镜对话？

It's not a joke question--not in the era of Google Glass. Technology has changed almost everything about how we travel. But Google seems to be hoping that Glass will be one of the biggest breakthroughs.

不，这不是开玩笑――在有谷歌眼镜(Google Glass)的年代。科技改变了关于旅行方式的几乎一切。但是谷歌似乎在指望谷歌眼镜将成为最大突破之一。

When I first tried Glass, in Google's loft-like showroom in New York, I was both fascinated and freaked out. Smartphones are distracting enough, and I wondered what we would lose by further integrating such gadgets into our lives. As a travel editor, I worried that people would sacrifice the human contact that makes travel experiences richer. Would we all end up staring an inch in front of our faces, consumed by virtual worlds instead of interacting with the real one?

我首次试戴谷歌眼镜时，是在谷歌位于纽约的LOFT式展示厅，我既着迷又害怕。智能手机就够分心的了，我想知道，把这种设备进一步整合到我们的生活中去的话，我们会失去什么。作为一名旅行编辑，我担心人们会牺牲掉与别人的接触，而与人接触是能丰富旅行经历的。我们会不会最后都盯着我们面前的一英寸天地，被虚拟世界耗尽，而不是与真实世界互动？

I decided to take a three-day trip, not to put Glass to the test, but to explore the upsides and downsides of different ways of navigating the world. With my husband, Drew, and our 21-month-old son, Jack, I'd spend one day finding my way using Glass, another relying on a guidebook and a third taking tips from locals. I chose to go to San Juan, Puerto Rico. My goals for each day were simple--to find a fun cultural activity, a great place to eat and a shop where I could buy something interesting and tasteful. Simple, but not necessarily easy.

我决定去旅行三天，不是测试谷歌眼镜，而是探索不同游世界方式的优点和缺点。和我的丈夫德鲁(Drew)、21个月大的儿子杰克(Jack)一起，三天用了三种方法来找路：一天是用谷歌眼镜、一天是靠出行指南，一天则是向当地人求助。我选择波多黎各的圣胡安作为此行的目的地。我每一天的目标都很简单：找到一项有趣的文化活动，一个好吃的地方和一个可以买到有意思和有品位东西的商店。简单，但是未必容易。

The first morning, we stepped out of our rental apartment in Old San Juan, a walled, centuries-old neighborhood on the Atlantic coast. I tapped the side of Glass--half-hidden under my hat--to wake it up, and shifted my focus up to the screen, feeling slightly cross-eyed. I wanted to show off to my tech-savvy husband, but wasn't sure where to start. 'OK Glass,' I said tentatively, using the introduction to most of Glass's voice commands. I settled on 'explore nearby.' Google's Field Trip app began to display attractions in a slideshow of 'cards' I could swipe through by touching the side of Glass. El Yunque National Forest, a spectacular rain forest, was first--and an hour's drive away.

第一天早晨，我们从在圣胡安老城(Old San Juan)租住的公寓出发。圣胡安老城是大西洋海岸一个带有城 的区域，已经有几个世纪的历史。我点击了一下半掩在我的帽子下面的镜架上的触摸板开启了眼镜功能，然后将我的注意力集中在屏幕上，有点像对眼时的感觉。我想在我的“科技通”丈夫面前炫耀一番，但不太确定从哪里开始。于是我试探性地说道：“OK Glass”，这是谷歌眼镜包含多数语音指令菜单的启动语。我选定了“探索附近”一项。这时，谷歌的Field Trip应用开始以幻灯片的形势展示一系列景点的“卡片”，我可以通过轻触镜架上的触摸板来翻看。第一个出现的是埃尔云克国家森林(El Yunque National Forest)，这是一片令人叹为观止的雨林，一小时车程便可抵达。

'How about we just go into this one?' Drew said, indicating Castillo San Cristóbal, a Spanish-built fortification across the street. Standing on its plaza overlooking the ocean, I asked Glass for details about the site. That took a few minutes, thanks to my inexperience and some stuttering on Glass's part (it's still technically in 'advanced beta'). But finally I read aloud some history: 'Construction...finished in 1790, though modifications were made well into the--'

德鲁说：“我们去这里怎么样？”他说的是圣克里斯多巴城堡(Castillo San Cristóbal)，这是街对面的一座由西班牙人修建的堡垒。我站在俯瞰大海的城堡广场向谷歌眼镜询问这一景点的详情。由于操作不够熟练，再加上眼镜有些“结巴”（从技术上说谷歌眼镜仍处在测试版），这一过程多花了几分钟。但最后我还是能够大声读出这个城堡的部分历史：“完工于1790年，但修葺工程一直持续到……”

'18th century,' Drew interrupted.

德鲁打断我抢着说：“18世纪。”

'How did you know that?'

“你怎么知道的？”

'It's on the plaque over here. Humans 1, Glass 0!' he crowed.

他欢呼着说：“这边的说明板上写着呢，人类得1分，眼镜0分！”

The view of the water beyond the fort was gorgeous, especially framed by its stone walls. 'OK Glass,' I commanded. 'Take a picture.' After a pause and a tone, I had a shot of the Atlantic through the tiny window of a guard turret. Wowza.

城堡远处的海景美极了，尤其是在石 的包围下。我又发出指令：“OK Glass，拍照”眼镜在停顿了一下并发出了一声响后，拍摄了一张警卫队炮塔狭小窗户外大西洋的照片。

The picture was a little crooked, and wider than I'd expected. In fact, with no way to preview or focus, the results with Glass were always a bit of a surprise. But the ability to take a photo or video in an instant was thrilling. No scrambling for a camera, no missing the moment. Jack, who has a frustrating habit of stopping whatever cute thing he's doing when a camera appears, was oblivious to Glass. (My husband, however, started posing whenever I glanced his way.)

照片有点歪，而且比我预想的更宽。事实上，因为没有办法预览或对焦，用谷歌眼镜拍出来的东西往往会有出人意料之处。但瞬间就能拍摄一幅照片或一段视频的能力仍然让人感到兴奋。不用手忙脚乱地去找相机，也不会错过拍摄时机。杰克有一个让人不爽的习惯，那就是一旦相机出现，不管他在干什么好玩的事都会停下来，但他对谷歌眼镜却完全没有察觉。（不过，我丈夫却开始每次我朝他看过去的时候就开始摆造型。）

Are guidebooks dead? I hope not, since I rely heavily on them--as well as newspaper and magazine articles, websites and tips from friends and others--to plan my travels. Guidebooks pack a lot of useful information into a small (or smallish) package. You can learn about history, hotels, outdoor activities and more without visiting a dozen websites. Plus, a guidebook doesn't flinch if the Wi-Fi fails.

导游书完蛋了吗？我希望没有，因为我在做旅行计划时，严重依赖这类书，以及报纸和杂志文章、网站、以及朋友和其他人的指点。导游书里面有很多有用的信息，而且开本比较小，你不必上网就可以通过它了解历史、旅店、户外活动等种种信息。况且，在Wi-Fi连不上的时候，导游书是不会让你手足无措的。

I started getting personal advice before we reached San Juan. Seeking affordable and comfortable lodging in Old San Juan, I used Airbnb to book an apartment whose bedrooms and kitchen opened onto an elegant open-air living room. The owner, Jorge, emailed me a list of local tips, including Café El Punto, a simple restaurant in Old San Juan that we probably wouldn't have found on our own--especially since it's at the back of a souvenir shop. It would have been a shame to miss El Punto, since it serves authentic Puerto Rican food, includingmofongo, a mashed plantain dish that we ordered with chicken stew piled on top.

在我们到达圣胡安之前，我就开始收到个人建议了。因为需要在圣胡安老城找既便宜又舒适的居住之地，我利用Airbnb定了一个公寓，公寓的卧室和厨房都开向优雅通风的客厅。房主豪尔赫(Jorge)通过电子邮件给我发过来一个清单，全都是当地的一些旅行提示，包括Cafe El Punto。这是圣胡安老城一个简 的餐厅，光靠我们自己的话很可能找不到，更何况这家店的位置比较隐秘，是在一家纪念品商店的后面。错过El Punto的话会很可惜，因为这里提供正宗的波多黎各美食，包括mofongo，这是一种把香蕉打碎后做成的菜品，我们在点这道菜的时候又在上面加了炖鸡。

The most memorable experience did not come thanks to Glass, books or advice. One night I wandered quiet old streets until they became less quiet. In the alley between two bars, a group of older men with a few instruments performed 'My Way,' to a Latin beat as a crowd of locals swayed and sang along. Sometimes, serendipity is the best guide.

最令人难忘的体验倒是和谷歌眼镜无关，也不是因为导游书或各种提示。一天晚上，我在老旧的街道上安静地闲逛，后来街上就不那么安静了。在两家酒吧之间的巷子里，一群上了年纪的人手里拿着乐器和着某种拉丁音乐的节拍演奏“My Way”，一群当地人一边摇摆一边跟唱。有时候，意外发现就是最好的导游。