From 'City by City' to 'Beautiful Places'

On Networks, the Austin-based online TV network that runs a slate of original HD series, is streaming two very different travel shows in its lineup.

In City by City – sponsored by the high-end Swiss watch company, Carl F. Bucherer – a sexy, savvy female host (Manjit Devgun) takes viewers on a virtual journey to some of the trendiest hot spots in 18 different cities worldwide. From Vienna to London to Berlin to Milan, City by City doesn’t travel with the riffraff – you’ll not see trips to the Berlin Zoo or the world’s largest Ferris wheel – but to what they consider the “best-kept-secrets, posh shops, unrivaled local cuisine and lavish accommodations” in some of the world’s most thriving metropolises.

The show has a modern sensibility, accompanied by über-chic mood music – the kind of atmospheric beats you might hear in a swanky yuppie bar or a Diesel store – and the camera always seems to find the most beautiful people in the room.  If the featured venues were located in the US, you might call them “Eurotrash,” but since they’re actually in Europe…well, you get the idea.

A totally different travelogue show (both in style and in content), Beautiful Places strips away the glamor, the modernity, and even the people, to take you through cyberspace to some of the more breathtaking natural wonders in the world.

There are times when the show feels as though it’s about turn into Deep Thoughts with Jack Handey. Farley’s soothing voice, along with the mellow natural landscapes are unlike a lot of web vids made with ADD viewers in mind. To that point, it’ll be interesting to see how Beautiful Places performs, but ON Network boasts that of 130,000 podcasts, it was ranked among iTunes’ top 21 “Best New Video Podcasts of 2007.” So folks are definitely diggin’ the chillax vibe. 

Whether you’re looking for a sweeping mountain vista or hot new boutique hotel, ON’s travel slate should have you covered. But if you want to make the trip (physically or virtually) to the most popular sightseeing destinations around the globe, you still might want to consult your Frommer’s.