玩轉一個城市 谷歌眼鏡的旅行體驗

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?

玩轉一個城市最好方式是什麼？翻閱出行指南，用你高中水平的西班牙語詢問路人，還是和你的眼鏡對話？

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，這不是開玩笑――在有谷歌眼鏡(Google Glass)的年代。科技改變了關於旅行方式的幾乎一切。但是谷歌似乎在指望谷歌眼鏡將成爲最大突破之一。

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?

我首次試戴谷歌眼鏡時，是在谷歌位於紐約的LOFT式展示廳，我既着迷又害怕。智能手機就夠分心的了，我想知道，把這種設備進一步整合到我們的生活中去的話，我們會失去什麼。作爲一名旅行編輯，我擔心人們會犧牲掉與別人的接觸，而與人接觸是能豐富旅行經歷的。我們會不會最後都盯着我們面前的一英寸天地，被虛擬世界耗盡，而不是與真實世界互動？

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.

我決定去旅行三天，不是測試谷歌眼鏡，而是探索不同遊世界方式的優點和缺點。和我的丈夫德魯(Drew)、21個月大的兒子傑克(Jack)一起，三天用了三種方法來找路：一天是用谷歌眼鏡、一天是靠出行指南，一天則是向當地人求助。我選擇波多黎各的聖胡安作爲此行的目的地。我每一天的目標都很簡單：找到一項有趣的文化活動，一個好吃的地方和一個可以買到有意思和有品位東西的商店。簡單，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，我們從在聖胡安老城(Old San Juan)租住的公寓出發。聖胡安老城是大西洋海岸一個帶有城 的區域，已經有幾個世紀的歷史。我點擊了一下半掩在我的帽子下面的鏡架上的觸摸板開啓了眼鏡功能，然後將我的注意力集中在屏幕上，有點像對眼時的感覺。我想在我的“科技通”丈夫面前炫耀一番，但不太確定從哪裏開始。於是我試探性地說道：“OK Glass”，這是谷歌眼鏡包含多數語音指令菜單的啓動語。我選定了“探索附近”一項。這時，谷歌的Field Trip應用開始以幻燈片的形勢展示一系列景點的“卡片”，我可以通過輕觸鏡架上的觸摸板來翻看。第一個出現的是埃爾雲克國家森林(El Yunque National Forest)，這是一片令人歎爲觀止的雨林，一小時車程便可抵達。

'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: 'shed in 1790, though modifications were made well into the--'

德魯說：“我們去這裏怎麼樣？”他說的是聖克里斯多巴城堡(Castillo San Cristóbal)，這是街對面的一座由西班牙人修建的堡壘。我站在俯瞰大海的城堡廣場向谷歌眼鏡詢問這一景點的詳情。由於操作不夠熟練，再加上眼鏡有些“結巴”（從技術上說谷歌眼鏡仍處在測試版），這一過程多花了幾分鐘。但最後我還是能夠大聲讀出這個城堡的部分歷史：“完工於1790年，但修葺工程一直持續到……”

'18th century,' Drew interrupted.

德魯打斷我搶着說：“18世紀。”

'How did you know that?'

“你怎麼知道的？”

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

他歡呼着說：“這邊的說明板上寫着呢，人類得1分，眼鏡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.

城堡遠處的海景美極了，尤其是在石 的包圍下。我又發出指令：“OK Glass，拍照”眼鏡在停頓了一下併發出了一聲響後，拍攝了一張警衛隊炮塔狹小窗戶外大西洋的照片。

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.)

照片有點歪，而且比我預想的更寬。事實上，因爲沒有辦法預覽或對焦，用谷歌眼鏡拍出來的東西往往會有出人意料之處。但瞬間就能拍攝一幅照片或一段視頻的能力仍然讓人感到興奮。不用手忙腳亂地去找相機，也不會錯過拍攝時機。傑克有一個讓人不爽的習慣，那就是一旦相機出現，不管他在幹什麼好玩的事都會停下來，但他對谷歌眼鏡卻完全沒有察覺。（不過，我丈夫卻開始每次我朝他看過去的時候就開始擺造型。）

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.

導遊書完蛋了嗎？我希望沒有，因爲我在做旅行計劃時，嚴重依賴這類書，以及報紙和雜誌文章、網站、以及朋友和其他人的指點。導遊書裏面有很多有用的信息，而且開本比較小，你不必上網就可以通過它瞭解歷史、旅店、戶外活動等種種信息。況且，在Wi-Fi連不上的時候，導遊書是不會讓你手足無措的。

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.

在我們到達聖胡安之前，我就開始收到個人建議了。因爲需要在聖胡安老城找既便宜又舒適的居住之地，我利用Airbnb定了一個公寓，公寓的臥室和廚房都開向優雅通風的客廳。房主豪爾赫(Jorge)通過電子郵件給我發過來一個清單，全都是當地的一些旅行提示，包括Cafe El Punto。這是聖胡安老城一個簡 的餐廳，光靠我們自己的話很可能找不到，更何況這家店的位置比較隱祕，是在一家紀念品商店的後面。錯過El Punto的話會很可惜，因爲這裏提供正宗的波多黎各美食，包括mofongo，這是一種把香蕉打碎後做成的菜品，我們在點這道菜的時候又在上面加了燉雞。

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.

最令人難忘的體驗倒是和谷歌眼鏡無關，也不是因爲導遊書或各種提示。一天晚上，我在老舊的街道上安靜地閒逛，後來街上就不那麼安靜了。在兩家酒吧之間的巷子裏，一羣上了年紀的人手裏拿着樂器和着某種拉丁音樂的節拍演奏“My Way”，一羣當地人一邊搖擺一邊跟唱。有時候，意外發現就是最好的導遊。