Homes in the most unusual places

A San Francisco art dealer fled to this desert home, now for sale, in Tucson, Ariz. Photo: Rick Joy

“Location, location, location” has long been a rule of thumb in real estate. Most often it’s a place with access to the water or a spread that sits in proximity to the latest business development. In Walter Cecil’s case, though, a prime spot on which to live wasn’t near a beachfront or close to shopping.

Fed up with the high cost of real estate in San Francisco, Cecil, an art dealer, fled to a secluded 8.3-acre property in the Sonoran desert. His home, a trio of rusted steel cubes linked by gravel paths, isn’t in your typical neighborhood, but that’s its draw, according to Cecil.

“It’s a perfect marriage between good modern architecture and a pristine desert environment,” says Cecil, who after seven years in residence has listed this contemporary version of a yurt home for $875,000.

The desert dwelling’s largest maple-outfitted cube contains the great room and kitchen; the medium cube houses the master bedroom suite and the smallest is a home office and guest room. No need to worry about nighthawks or snakes or other nocturnal “creepy crawly things.” The garden paths are lit at night.

In another unconventional setting, Villa Rockledge, a 5,500-square-foot mansion constructed in 1918, sits perched on a rocky ledge overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The Laguna Beach home is too large to be built today. “According to code, you would have to push it back 20 or 30 feet,” said Rosanne Ramirez-Kline, a sales agent with Surterre Properties in the seaside California town.

Read on for more about these and other unusually situated homes:

Caveland
Location: Festus, Missouri

Caveland has gone from roller rink to concert venue to home. Photo: caveland.us

Fred and Wilma Flintstone, meet the Jetsons. First a sandstone mine and later a roller rink and concert venue where Bob Seger and Ike and Tina Turner performed, the nearly three-acre property known as Caveland was purchased on eBay in 2003.

Its new owners, according to their Web site, transformed the cave into a naturally insulated two-story, three-bedroom home with a gently curving staircase, hardwood floors and 28 salvaged sliding glass doors on the façade. Most of the rock walls are still exposed in their natural state. Once licensed as a bomb shelter, the cave has a natural spring and city water.

Desert Nomad House
Location: Tucson, Arizona
Price: $875,000

For aspiring desert nomads, this home is for sale. Photos: Rick Joy

Where to put a contemporary yurt? Rick Joy’s award-winning, art-filled Desert Nomad House is secluded on 8.3 acres in the Sonoran desert at the base of the Tucson Mountains. You won’t even need to dress up when walking the gravel paths that link the trio of rusted steel cubes in small, medium and large sizes housing the entertaining, sleeping and working spaces. Each cube has a floor-to-ceiling wall of glass with panoramic desert and mountain views and close-ups of Saguaro cacti.

Mountain Chalet
Location: Laguna Beach, California
Price: $26 million

Beneath the mansion's ledge are three rental casitas and a private beach. Photos: Zillow

They can’t build them like this anymore. Set into the bluffs of Laguna Beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Villa Rockledge, a 5,500-square-foot mansion constructed in 1918, is too large for today’s zoning. Valued by Zillow.com at more than $26 million, the historical landmark has a “funky layout,” said sales agent Rosanne Ramirez-Kline, but every room boasts an ocean view. Lower down the bedrock are three rental casitas, a private beach and ocean-filled tide pool. “Some buyers would want to turn it into a hotel,” Kline says.

Stiltsville Houses
Location: Key Biscayne, Florida

Only seven of the original 27 Stiltsville houses remain. Photo: Forbes.com

Sure, there are awesome mansions and amazing waterfront properties on Key Biscayne, once home to President Richard Nixon’s winter White House. But to live in a home with wraparound porches smack in the turquoise waters, trade the glitz for Stiltsville, a neighborhood of wood stilt houses about 10 feet above the shallow water on the edge of Biscayne Bay in Biscayne National Park. In the 1940s and 1950s, Stiltsville was a Miami hotspot, with social clubs among the original 27 cabins. Hurricanes have taken their toll: only seven houses remain.

WW II Ruin
Location: Hamm Westfalen, Germany

A modern German home sits atop a piece of World War II history. Photos: Amort Architektur

A five-story World War II bunker pockmarked by several air attacks but structurally sound provided a vertical, urban plot with great views for a residential penthouse built on top of it in 2008 by Amort Architektur. As a historical landmark, the bunker remains unpainted and unchanged in stark contrast to the contemporary brick, wood and steel dwelling with cantilevered decks on top

The ten slowest sports cars of all time

Take one look at these purpose-built sports cars and you'd expect them to be fast. You would be wrong. Even before we got used to powerful V6 Camrys, these ten rides chosen by Jalopnik readers were the slowest sports cars the world had ever seen.

Welcome back to Answers of the Day — the daily Jalopnik feature where editors take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by and for the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!

10) 1980 Ferrari Mondial

Suggested By: unhcampus

0-60: 9.4

1/4 Mile: 16.9

Why we want one anyway: The Mondial had the V8 from the sporty 308, but in a bigger, heavier, floppier body. In its first two years in the US, the Mondial had 180 horsepower and was over two seconds slower to 60 than even the crappy Corvettes of the time. Even though the back seats are for people without legs, it's a real Ferrari, with all the poise and panache you'd expect from the brand. And it's about a thousand times cooler than a chintzy 360 Modena.

Photo Credit: storem

9) 1973 Porsche 914

Suggested By: dogisbadob

0-60: 12.5

1/4 Mile: 18.1 (at 74mph)

Why we want one anyway: "The 914 is no sports car. Not enough power." This wasn't written by some jaded auto journalist, spoiled by the speed of modern family cars. This was written by Motor Magazine in 1973. It meant something to be underpowered back then.

Regardless of its lack of oomph, these little mid-engined ‘70s Porsches look like nothing else on the road, they're affordable, and they'll keep you entertained on a twisting road, just so long as there isn't too steep an incline.

Photo Credit: Alden Jewell

8) 1980 California Corvette

Suggested By: Cloud81918

0-60: 8.0

1/4 Mile: 16.3

Why we want one anyway: Instead of the regularly pathetic 5.7 liter, 190 horsepower car, the one-year, one-state-only California Corvette got a unique, smog-choked 5.0L V8 with a mere 180 horses. There were slower Corvettes in the ‘50s and the mid—70s, but by 1980, regular cars were catching up with Mr. Plastic Fantastic and his 3-speed automatic. Does it still look badass? Yes. Would we still buy one? Of course!

Photo Credit: Chevrolet

7) 1946 Triumph 1800

Suggested By: P161911 finally got a new password, and still hates the new layout

0-60: 34.4

1/4 Mile: Unknown

Why we want one anyway: You wouldn't expect a Triumph from the late 1940s to be fast, but you don't understand just how slow these things are. With 63 horsepower from their 1.8 liter engines, they were over a dozen seconds slower to 60 than even a rival MG. A half-starved WWII refugee on a Vespa could take it on in a drag race.

With its bosomy, wood-framed aluminum body and top-down charms, going fast isn't really the point anymore. We'd love to take one out to the country for some true motoring. Like a sir.

Photo Credit: Chris Sampson

6) 1990 Mazda Miata

Suggested By: Viperfan1

0-60: 9.0

1/4 Mile: 16.5.

Why we want one anyway: To put the Miata in context, you could buy a Ford Escort GT that was faster than a Miata to 60 mph. Even your creepy uncle's Chevy Beretta GT could out-drag an MX-5. Through the corners, though, the Miata is several orders of magnitude more fun than any of its contemporaries, and it's genuinely more desirable than most sports cars built since.

Photo Credit: Aidan Cavanagh

5) 1984 Pontiac Fiero

Suggested By: ForzaFanatic3

0-60: 10.6

1/4 Mile: 17.5

Why we want one anyway: Pontiac actually pitched the Fiero SE with its 98-horsepower "Iron Duke" 2.5 liter engine as a fuel-saving commuter before owning up to the fact that it was just a horribly slow sports car. Anyone with half a brain looking for a cheap, mid-engined ‘80smobile would buy an MR-2, but they'd be missing out on the orphaned car cool factor that you only get with the Fiero.

Photo Credit: Alden Jewell

4) 1958 Berkeley Sports

Suggested By: smalleyxb122

0-50: 30.6

1/4 Mile: Unknown

Why we want one anyway: Britain's Berkeley sports cars, from the SE322 of the 1950s to the B60 of the ‘60s, were an attempt at making an affordable sports car. How'd they do it? They gave their cars one of the smallest engines of all time, a 0.32 liter two-stroke, two cylinder. It put 18 horsepower to the front wheels in the early years, but a later three-cylinder bumped that up to 30hp. They're a joy to drive, unbelievably weird, and impossibly rare. We don't care that it chuffs out blue smoke and can't make it to 100 miles an hour. We love it.

Photo Credit: Brian Snelson

3) 1981 Delorean DMC-12

Suggested By: Ravey Mayvey Slurpee 

0-60: 10.5

1/4 Mile: 18.0

Why we want one anyway: There's a reason why it took Marty McFly so long to get to 88 miles an hour. The Delorean shared an engine with a Volvo. The DMC-12 had every right to be a fast car – it had the looks, the engineering, and it was built by the guy who got the GTO off the ground. It just wasn't fast, and though that was a problem for buyers in the early ‘80s, it's not a problem for anyone now who just wants to cruise around with the gullwing doors open on the highway, soaking up its impossible cool.

Photo Credit: pyntofmyld

2) 1979 MG Midget

Suggested By: minardi

0-60: 14.3

1/4 Mile: 20.3 (at 70mph)

Why we want one anyway: For a few years in the mid-‘70s, the featherweight Midget was actually a bit faster than its brother the MGB. However, at the end of its 18-year production run, the Midget just couldn't keep up with the rest of traffic.

If somebody in '79 drove a Detroit land yacht off the lot, like a Ford LTD, and found you in a Midget at the stop light, they would absolutely dust you. When the road got twisty, the Midget would be hilariously fun, while the LTD would squeal its tires until you gave up or plowed into a tree.

Photo Credit: Laser Burners

1) 1950 Crosley Hot Shot

Suggested By: DannyBN - Same price as 4 Mustang V6's

0-60: 26.3

1/4 Mile: 23.4

Why we want one anyway: If I told you there was a small, light American sports car built from 1949-1952 that won the Index of Performance at the 12 Hours of Sebring, you'd think it was fast. The 26 horsepower, four-cylinder Crosley Hot Shot, aiming to be an affordable, fun sports car, was anything but. It tops out at 74. It takes longer to get to 60 than it takes to run a quarter mile. A standard Ford V8 would get to 60 ten seconds before the Hot Shot.

For all of you out there who might lust after a Caterham or any other lightweight trackday special, you should know that the Crosley was so bare-bones, so lightweight (1,175lbs), that it didn't actually come with doors as standard. We want one so bad it hurts.

Best fast-food chains in the world

Fast food may conjure up those Golden Arches, but the concept has come a long way from frozen burgers. The best fast-food chains around the world are getting serious about quality, offering up bowls of pork ramen, freshly baked baguette sandwiches, and sustainably caught fish for the masses.

For travelers, fast-food chains represent a convenient, inexpensive taste of how everyday residents in far-flung cities eat. Some menus are more traditional than others: Teremok in Russia serves cooked-to-order blini; while Goli Vada Pav No. 1 in India adds modern twists like cheddar cheese to vada pav, the fried potato patty sandwich that’s an Indian street food staple.

Granted, fast-food chains aren’t exactly hidden gems. But they have their own quirky appeal and dish out a quick fix of local culture and cuisine. Forget Mickey D’s and seek out the following fast-food chains instead.  


Pret a Manger (Photo: Mandi Coleman)England: Pret a Manger

Nearly all 230 locations of this quick-service sandwich shop have an on-site kitchen where food is made fresh daily, using all-natural ingredients that change seasonally. Rather than being kept overnight or thrown out, unsold products are donated daily to homeless shelters. This winning concept is spreading; look for Pret locations in Paris, New York, D.C., Chicago, andHong Kong.

What to Order: Chicken and avocado sandwich on malted wholegrain bread with yogurt dressing and fresh basil. 

pret.com

Jollibee (Photo: Scion Cho)Philippines: Jollibee

Fast food gets a Filipino twist at this quick-serve chain, which is so beloved that its mascots star in their own children’s television show. There are more than 700 locations across the country, serving everything from fried chicken and hamburgers to local favorites like palabok, rice noodles with meat sauce, shrimp, and hard-boiled egg. 

What to Order: Spicy Chickenjoy, fried chicken coated with chili powder.

jollibee.com.ph

Teremok (Photo: Aries Liang)Russia: Teremok

It’s easy to spot Teremok’s 175 orange-and-red kiosks and restaurants that have sprung up in St. Petersburg and Moscow (the name is Russian for “fairy-tale cottage”). The main item is cooked-to-order blini, essentially Russian crêpes—perfect for eating on the go. Fillings run both savory (ham, cheese, smoked salmon) and sweet (chocolate, fruit, jam).

What to Order: Blini with red caviar, of course.

teremok.ru







Nando’s (Photo: Rachel Bartlett)South Africa: Nando’s

Chicken, basted in one of four consecutively spicier piri-piri chili sauces and flame-grilled to order, is the star at this casual sit-down Portuguese-Mozambique chain. Cheeky advertisements and a welcoming, woodsy aesthetic have propelled Nando’s into 30 countries worldwide.

What to Order: 1/2 grilled chicken with hot piri-piri sauce and French fries. 

nandos.co.za


Ippudo (Photo: Raymond Kan)Japan: Ippudo

It’s all about ramen at this stylish chain, which features an open kitchen and bar and table-style seating. Most bowls start with the chain’s signature slow-simmered pork bone broth and thin, chewy noodles. Toppings range from the traditional (roasted pork) to the more inventive (a Spanish-inspired bouillon cube).

What to Order: Akamaru Ramen with miso paste and roasted garlic oil. 

ippudo.com







St. Hubert (Photo: Adam P. Fagen)Canada (mainly Quebec): St. Hubert

With both quick-serve and slightly more upscale sit-down operations, family-friendly St. Hubert is known for its rotisserie chicken doused with a tangy brown sauce—so habit-forming that it’s sold by the jar in Canadian grocery stores.

What to Order: Quarter chicken leg with bun, coleslaw, and French fries. 

st-hubert.com




Chocolateria San Churro (Photo: Jennifer Lam)Australia: Chocolateria San Churro

As the name implies, chocolate is the focus at this bohemian-chic dessert chain, and the menu has a Spanish accent. Freshly fried churros and spice-laced hot chocolates are on offer alongside organic, fair-trade coffee and milkshakes.

What to Order: Churros with an individual pot of melted couverture chocolate. 

sanchurro.com




El Meson Sandwiches (Photo: El Meson)Puerto Rico: El Meson Sandwiches

The combinations are nearly endless at this Caribbean sandwich spot. Most sandwiches start with a base of mayo, margarine, cabbage, and tomato, then get piled high with juicy fillings and griddled on both sides.

What to Order: The Midnight sandwich: roasted pork, Virginia ham, pickles, mayo, and margarine on sweet, eggy bread. 

elmesonsandwiches.com








Din Tai Fung (Photo: Robyn Lee)Taiwan: Din Tai Fung

Yes, there will be a line at this well-known dim sum destination, whose dumplings are so popular the chain has spread across 10 countries. But you’ll be glad you waited, and once you’re inside, you can take your time in the comfortable, if crowded, dining room.

What to Order: Xiao long bao, steamed soup-filled pork dumplings with a thin, delicate skin. 

dintaifung.com.tw


Giraffas (Photo: Giraffas)Brazil: Giraffas

The Brazilian steakhouse concept goes casual at this meat-centric chain that turns out both burgers and grilled steaks with that national staple, a side of rice and beans. 

What to Order: Flame-grilled picanha (top sirloin), a juicy and tender cut that’s one of Brazil's most beloved steaks. 

giraffas.com

Top 5 gaming smartphones

Smartphones have become portable gaming powerhouses with ever increasing graphics muscle. Every year, high-end smartphones are being launched by various companies with even better graphics playing capability than their predecessors. Also, the qualities of mobile games have been raised to match up the core hardware power. Here is a list of such powerful gaming smartphones worth possessing.

In last couple of months, two new devices - HTC One X and Sony Xperia S have been introduced in India. We would have included the Galaxy Nexus but unfortunately it still has not been launched in India.

Apple iPhone 4S

The latest Apple iPhone 4S smartphone packs a new dual-core 1 GHz A5 mobile processor. Apart from that, its graphics chip - PowerVR SGX543MP2, which comes with two cores is considered as the best. This dual-core graphics chip offers seven times more performance than its predecessor chip while playing games and also loads apps faster, though the RAM configuration remains unchanged. The faster performance is further aided by the inclusion of the OpenGL ES 2.0 engine support in the iOS operating system.

In terms of basic hardware, the Apple iPhone 4S packs a great graphics muscle but the 3.7-inch Retina Display is simply great to enjoy high-quality 3D visuals. This display may look small when compared to the 4-inch or higher display of some Android OS based smartphones. Physically, the iPhone 4S may look similar to its predecessor but when it comes to quality of graphics and smoother game performance with games like Infinity Blade 2, the iPhone 4S simply takes away the cake.

Apple iPhone 4S is available in India at a price starting Rs 44, 500 for 16 GB model. You can find it for cheaper online or in gray market in India but do note that there won't be any warranty offered on that by Apple India

HTC One X

HTC's new high-end smartphone under the new brand name One series is the One X. The One X also is the first quad-core smartphone to be made available in India. Sporting a large 4.7-inch Super-LCD 2 touchscreen display, the HTC One X supports 1280x720 pixel resolution. Under the 8.9 mm slim and 130 gram light chassis, the One X houses a powerful quad-core 1.5 GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 mobile processor coupled with 1 GB RAM. Coming in the 4-Plus-1 Cores configuration, its Nvidia Tegra 3 mobile processor uses low power GeForce GPU that has up to 12 graphics cores packed inside it to power great quality graphics. The Tegra 3 promises three times the performance than the Tegra 2 processor.

The Android Market has special Nvidia Tegra Zone that contains a list of Games specially optimised to make the best of the Tegra 2 and Tegra 3 mobile architecture. Of course, when it comes to making the best of the hardware, only few games fare well. Overall, the 4.7-inch touchscreen display of this smartphone is big and crisp to enjoy most of the Android games.

By default, this smartphone comes with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC Sense 4.0 user interface. Currently the HTC One X retails in the market for Rs 37,500.

Sony Xperia S

The closest contender to the first quad-core smartphone is the new Sony Xperia X featuring a totally new line of mono-block style design. Flaunting the 4.3-inch touchscreen display with 342 pixels per inch density, the Xperia S also supports 1280x720 pixel resolution. That means, the visuals and text on this smartphone would appear slightly crisper, only if you pay close attention to spot it.

Packing 1 GB RAM, this smartphone has a dual-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon S4 family mobile processor. This processor is coupled with Adreno 220 graphics which is capable of competing with Samsung's Mali-400MP based smartphones. Qualcomm also has a list of games specifically optimised for the Adreno family processors. Along with the great screen with Mobile Bravia Engine, the smartphone comes with a 1750 mAh battery to provide longer run time than its competitors.

The Sony Xperia S retails for Rs 32, 500 approximately in the Indian market.

Samsung Galaxy Note

Samsung slots the Galaxy Note between a tablet and a smartphone. With one of the largest touchscreen display amongst smartphones - 5.3-inch, the Galaxy Note has a dual core processor clocked at 1.4 GHz. The massive 5.3 inch HD Super Amoled display of Galaxy Note supports 1280x800 pixel resolution, the wider real-estate and higher resolution support makes it real interesting. The Galaxy Note features a gyroscope sensor and accelerometer that fuels up the gaming experience.

The Galaxy Note packs the same Mali-400MP mobile graphics chip as the one used in the Galaxy S II smartphone. Though it runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread, Samsung is almost ready with the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for the same. Samsung Galaxy Note also comes with 16 GB of internal memory that takes care of the storage for this device. Biggest advantage of this device is its massive battery that can promise longer mobile gaming experience.

Considering the bigger real-estate, amazing HD Super Amoled display and top of the line graphics power, the Galaxy Note is thus a great choice for casual and semi-casual mobile gamers and comes for Rs 32,700 approximately.

Sony Xperia Play

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play did not immediately become popular after launch despite its extensive gaming capabilities and controls, but it has gradually grown strong in the market. The Xperia Play is an officially certified PlayStation device with PSP-like controls including slide out track pads, which are capacitive.

In terms of hardware, Xperia Play features a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with dedicated Adreno 205 graphics engine, which ensures smoother and faster graphics performance - a must for a gaming device. In total, it has 400 MB of internal storage that doubles up as ROM. Besides, 512 MB of RAM has been added to this device as well to keep the performance speedy and zippy.

Although the device now has a smaller (4 inch) screen as compared to most smartphones, it's been compensated by the resolution (480 x 854 pixels) and by colour reproduction. Besides, its stereo sound output perfectly complements the gaming experience. The Xperia Play runs on Google Android that has hundreds of free and paid games. Also, Sony Ericsson continually releases free premium games especially for Xperia Play.

For more content users can use PlayStation suite, a dedicated store for PlayStation certified devices. Now, with the ICS update announced, the new age operating system will soon be making its way for the device and will hopefully bring some new and exciting features with it.