Destination: United States
America: One Quote, One Photo
by Sophia Dembling | 06.18.09 | 9:54 AM ET
Photo by Sophia Dembling “Truly the American countryside is the most beautiful I have ever seen, the only one in which one forgets the existence of man.” -Luigi Barzini, 1953
I was going through my bookshelves, trying to thin the herd, and came across a book I didn’t remember owning but that stopped all work for a while. It’s called “America the Quotable” and it’s a collection of quotes about our beloved 50, individually and collectively.
I came across the above Barzini quote—which brought to mind this photo—and thought I’d share. I’m sure many of you also have images that come to mind. Put ‘em on Flickr, post a link in the comments, let’s have a look!
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Yahoo! BuzzAthletes Who Say Idiotic Things About Travel: Brandon Jennings
by Michael Yessis | 06.17.09 | 3:00 PM ET
The quote for this inaugural Athletes Who Say Idiotic Things About Travel post comes from Brandon Jennings, who played basketball in Italy last year and hopes to play in the NBA in the upcoming season. The Washington Post’s Dan Steinberg asked him what he learned during his season in Italy.
Another Morning After: ‘Hangover’ Sequel en Route
by Eva Holland | 06.17.09 | 12:49 PM ET
Lovers of film and travel, fear not: If “The Hangover”—you know, the one about the messy/hilarious aftermath of a Vegas boys’ getaway?—left you wanting more, you don’t have long to wait. A sequel, with star Bradley Cooper signed on, is already in the works. It’s a likely bet for box office success—Cooper’s only concern, apparently, is how they’ll top the first installment. “We’ve gotta go to space or something,” a skeptical Popwrap blogger quotes him as saying.
Sure, Bradley. Logistical issues aside, space certainly tops Vegas. Or you could just go to Macau.
Garrison Keillor on the Joys of the State Fair
by Michael Yessis | 06.17.09 | 11:49 AM ET
Just in time for summer, Mr. Lake Woebegon—have you seen all the words he’s trademarked?—writes about the ten chief joys of the state fair in National Geographic. I like No. 3:
To mingle, merge, mill, jostle gently, and flock together with throngs, swarms, mobs, and multitudes of persons slight or hefty, punky or preppy, young or ancient, wandering through the hubbub and amplified razzmatazz and raw neon and clouds of wiener steam in search of some elusive thing, nobody is sure exactly what.
If you’re a Harper’s subscriber and you haven’t already read it, the archive has more great state fair writing from David Foster Wallace. (via @Marilyn_Res)
Can a Taxi Man Make a Subway Movie?
by Eva Holland | 06.17.09 | 11:04 AM ET
There’s a surprising tidbit in the Slate review of “The Taking of Pelham 123,” the Denzel/Travolta-starring remake of a ’70s subway-thriller classic. Turns out, director Tony Scott never actually rides the New York subway. Or, almost never: “Well, when I say never, I mean maybe once or twice quite drunk at night, when I couldn’t find a taxi.” Right.
Hawaiian for Travelers: It’s About the Vowels
by Pam Mandel | 06.17.09 | 9:28 AM ET
Photo by quinn.anya via Flickr (Creative Commons)
Aloha and mahalo. Those will get you out of the gate in Hawaii, though it’s also handy to get a good grasp on mauka —inland—and makai —towards the sea, just in case you find yourself getting directions from locals.
A few more words might make their way into your vocabulary, especially when it comes to food—there’s poke and poi and ahi and ono. I learned how to say no problem or thanks—a’ole pilikia—from a park ranger and I can read Hawaiian out loud with a halting conviction, but there’s no way I understand it. I still stumble over directions and streets signs—Hi’ilawe and Ali’i and Ala Wai and Kapiolani and Kalakaua—they all start to run together in this haole’s mind. We were going where, now?
James Franco Reads Jack Kerouac
by Michael Yessis | 06.16.09 | 11:23 AM ET
He bites off an excerpt from “On the Road,” which will appear in Lapham’s Quarterly’s summer issue simply titled, “Travel.” It’s a solid reading, but, alas, as you can hear below, he’s no Jack.
Where in the World Are You, Alicia Imbody?
by Alicia Imbody | 06.15.09 | 3:43 PM ET
The subject of our latest up-to-the-minute interview with a traveler somewhere in the world: World Hum’s new intern, Alicia Imbody.
Where in the world are you?
Six Flags Declares Bankruptcy
by Eva Holland | 06.15.09 | 11:42 AM ET
Cue the “end of the ride” references.
Truman and Khrushchev: Gone to Look for America
by Michael Yessis | 06.15.09 | 11:16 AM ET
Some Cold War travel memories bubbled up this weekend in the Washington Post. Christopher Buckley favorably reviews Matthew Algeo’s Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure, a chronicle of Truman’s post-presidency road trip in the summer of 1953. And Peter Carlson follows the journey of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, who accepted an invite from President Eisenhower to “road trip through the wonderland of ’50s America.”
Finding Hawaii on the Mainland
by Pam Mandel | 06.12.09 | 4:01 PM ET
I’m not sure why I’m surprised when, on the mainland in the middle of rural territory, I find a town named “Aloha,” or when a festival in Seattle brings thousands of Hawaiians out to listen to traditional music and see hula. The Hawaiian diaspora is extensive—hey, it reaches all the way to the White House these days.
For Sale: Fabulous Hotel, Needs Work
by Sophia Dembling | 06.12.09 | 11:26 AM ET
Photo by Sophia Dembling While we’re on the subject of kitsch, here’s a story about lottery winnings well-spent: After winning $49 million in the Texas state lottery, Byron and Barbara Woods bought the decrepit Tee Pee Motel in Wharton, Texas, about 50 miles from Houston, and made it crepit with a $1.6 million buff-‘n’-puff.
World Hum Travel Movie Club: ‘Away We Go’
by Eva Holland, Eli Ellison | 06.12.09 | 11:04 AM ET
Publicity still via IGN Eva Holland and Eli Ellison debate the summer's hippest road trip flick
Postcard from Georgia
by Tom Swick | 06.11.09 | 10:54 AM ET
Contemplating and celebrating the world of travel
Signs of Shrinking Vacation Syndrome on Capitol Hill
by Eva Holland | 06.10.09 | 12:45 PM ET
Even our elected representatives aren’t immune—and at least one of them isn’t happy about it. Senator Chuck Grassley told President Obama how he feels in a colorful tweet on Sunday: