Destination: California
New Snag for L.A.-San Francisco Bullet Train
by Jim Benning | 06.05.08 | 10:55 AM ET
No! Just months before Californians are scheduled to vote on a $10 billion bond measure for a bullet train, the Los Angeles Times reports that “an old-guard railroad is declining to share its right of way space” with the fast trains, citing safety and operational concerns. Somebody please resolve this problem now. Otherwise we’re all doomed to more scenes like the one pictured, aptly titled “Stuck on the 5.” Still not convinced? Check out the cool promo videos here.
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Yahoo! BuzzUniversal Studios Hollywood to Open Today, Despite Fire
by Jim Benning | 06.02.08 | 12:42 PM ET
The popular theme park will open on time, officials said, despite a fire yesterday that destroyed part of the King Kong attraction and various back-lot film sets.
San Diego’s Newest Tourist Attraction?
by Eva Holland | 05.20.08 | 4:01 PM ET
A recent cost-saving merger has resulted in the creation of an all-new tourist attraction in Southern California: the San Diego Maximum Security Zoological & Convict Reserve. According to its directer, the new facility constitutes “one of the largest collections of migratory birds, hoofed mammals, and hardened inmates in all of North America.” The Onion has all the details.
Photo by peasap via Flickr (Creative Commons)
American Beer: Beyond Bud Light
by Eva Holland | 05.19.08 | 10:45 AM ET
I’m not sure I agree with the Toronto Star’s theory that the rise of quality craft beer in the United States is a new trend. It seems to me that anyone who’s been paying attention has known there’s more to the American brewing scene than the Silver Bullet and the King of Beers for quite some time. Still, I enjoyed Josh Rubin’s take on the state of the beer nation and, among things, its “hop-heads.” Whlle we’re on the subject, if you’re headed to Denver, Portland or San Francisco this summer, Fodor’s suggests beer-related tours, festivals, brewpubs and day trips in those “hoppy cities.”
Related on World Hum:
* Rural Pubs in Ireland Becoming ‘So Yesterday’
Photo by spcummings via Flickr (Creative Commons)
The International Banana Club: One Appealing Museum
by Joanna Kakissis | 05.16.08 | 3:40 AM ET
James Frey may have redeemed his fake-memoir self with his latest book, at least according to a rave review by Janet Maslin of The New York Times. But I’m more interested in Frey’s (random?) nod to an L.A.-area museum devoted entirely to bananas.
‘It’s My Life’s Ambition Not to be the Subject of a Krakauer Book’
by Jim Benning | 05.05.08 | 1:00 PM ET
You and the rest of us, Dan. Los Angeles Times Pulitzer winner Dan Neil embarked on a solo backpacking trip across Joshua Tree National Park recently armed with a satellite phone, a GPS unit and a personal locator beacon. “It’s my life’s ambition not to be the subject of a Krakauer book,” he writes, referring, of course, to Jon Krakauer’s “Into the Wild” and “Into Thin Air.” He continues: “I have kids, a wife, a cat who’d miss me terribly. But sometimes, I want to be alone too. Why? Because I have kids, a wife, a cat etc.”
In Los Angeles, ‘Carne Asada is Not a Crime’
by Jim Benning | 05.05.08 | 11:13 AM ET
Have more profound words ever been uttered? That’s one of the rallying cries of Save Our Taco Trucks, a movement opposing a new law that restricts taco trucks in Los Angeles County. The law requires the trucks to change locations every hour, with violators “facing fines, misdemeanor charges and, possibly, jail time,” the New York Times reports.
Talking Surf Writing in Los Angeles
by Jim Benning | 04.24.08 | 12:42 PM ET
Nice to see surf writing getting some well-deserved attention. The annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books takes place this weekend on the campus of UCLA, and among the many scheduled panels is one entitled “Surf Culture: Shooting the Tube.” Panelists include author and former Surfer magazine editor Steve Hawk and novelist Kem Nunn. Today’s Los Angeles Times has a story that (oddly) speculates on what they might discuss. Also of interest at the festival: “Nonfiction: Blurring Boundaries,” a panel featuring, among others, travel writers and festival regulars Pico Iyer and Tony Cohan. A complete schedule can be found here.
Related on World Hum:
* The Enduring Appeal of ‘The Endless Summer’
Photo by colmsurf via Flickr, (Creative Commons)
Will Mr. Newsham Go to Washington?
by Jim Benning | 04.24.08 | 10:49 AM ET
Perhaps. Brad Newsham, author of the travel memoir Take Me With You, announced via email that he’s collecting signatures to become a write-in candidate to represent California’s 9th District, now represented by Democrat (and National Passport Month supporter) Barbara Lee. Newsham explained that he disagrees with her on only one issue, “but it’s a fundamental issue for me, and perhaps for you: the impeachment of Bush and Cheney. For me, this issue is so important that it eclipses all others.” Newsham, pictured here running naked on a Hawaiian beach, has been rallying for the pair’s impeachment.
‘Strange Travel Suggestions’ and the Art of Telling a Good Tale
by Jim Benning | 03.31.08 | 12:38 PM ET
Travel stories are usually told in writing, or on film, or over a meal. But Jeff Greenwald is the rare travel writer who has turned his tales into a one-man stage show. It’s called “Strange Travel Suggestions,” and I caught it at last year’s Book Passage travel writing conference. I found it funny, fast-moving and surprisingly compelling. Judging by the enthusiastic response from others in the audience, I wasn’t the only one. In the show, Greenwald celebrates adventures in far-flung places. Even better, with audience input, he captures that addictive (and often elusive) sense about travel that anything can happen around your next turn.
‘¡Ask a Mexican!’ Columnist Says ‘Adios’*
by Michael Yessis | 03.28.08 | 1:23 PM ET
Gustavo Arellano has retired his informative and, in some quarters, controversial ‘¡Ask a Mexican!’ column in the OC Weekly. “It’s no longer necessary to explain Mexicans to Americans because Mexicans are Americans,” he writes in his farewell note.
Update: April 2, 10:27 ET: Not so fast. Looks like Arellano was just playing an April Fool’s Day joke—five days early. I bit, and so did everyone else, Arellano says, except his best friend and one blogger.
The Saints of Los Angeles
by Michael Yessis | 03.12.08 | 9:59 AM ET
There are 103 streets in Los Angeles named after saints, and artist J. Michael Walker has completed “an obsessive quest to locate, research and artistically interpret” all of them, from the iconic (Santa Monica Boulevard) to the private (St. Moritz Drive) to the immortalized in rock music (St. Andrews). It took Walker seven years to complete the project, which is currently on display at the Autry National Center.
R.I.P. Dutton’s Books
by Jim Benning | 02.26.08 | 1:36 PM ET
Sadly, Los Angeles’ beloved literary bookstore, located in Brentwood, plans to close April 30.
High-Speed Train From Southern California to Las Vegas ‘Picking up Steam’
by Michael Yessis | 02.26.08 | 10:13 AM ET
The plans for a high-speed link between Los Angeles to San Francisco make more sense to me. Alas, they’re stalled. So are the plans for a Disneyland to Las Vegas MagLev train. That has given an opening to the DesertXpress, a privately funded high-speed project that seeks to connect Las Vegas with Victorville, California, perhaps best known as the place where, when you’re driving from Los Angeles to Sin City, you can stop off for a Double-Double at In-N-Out.
Promised Land Closed
by Doug Lansky | 02.26.08 | 8:53 AM ET
And other odd and unlikely signs from around the world. Aficionado Doug Lansky, editor of the book "Signspotting," recounts his 10 favorites.
See the full audio slideshow: »