Travel Blog
Alan Bishop on Karaoke, Pop Radio, and the Search for World Music
by Eva Holland | 08.19.08 | 11:08 AM ET
The Believer has an interview with the Sublime Frequencies founder about his global hunt for audio and video music files that “dunk listeners and viewers headfirst into the cultures they document.” Bishop began collecting recordings on his travels in 1983, after he arrived in Morocco and “came across Thriller being shoved down the peoples’ throats half a world away”—the interview covers his methods and outspoken views on the current state of pop music around the globe. It’s a convincing read.
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Yahoo! BuzzTripAdvisor Names London Top Literary Destination
by Jim Benning | 08.19.08 | 10:40 AM ET
Yes, media around the world, from Reuters to the Boston Globe, are reporting the list of top literary destinations according to the editors of TripAdvisor, that bastion of literary excellence.
The Onion: Statue of Liberty Gets A Patriotic Make-Over
by Eva Holland | 08.19.08 | 10:15 AM ET
Good news for tourists tired of the same old New York City photo ops: According to the Onion, Lady Liberty is now sporting a larger-than-life stars ‘n’ stripes lapel pin.
Photo by eschipul via Flickr (Creative Commons)
Site to Watch: Constant Setting
by Michael Yessis | 08.18.08 | 6:47 PM ET
Right now, somewhere in the world, the sun is setting. And right now, on display at Constant Setting, is an image of a sunset in a place where, at this minute, the sun is setting. The makers of the site do it by pulling Creative Commons photos from Flickr, like the one included in this post. Simple idea, beautiful execution.
Looking Back at the Book Passage Travel Writers Conference
by Jim Benning | 08.18.08 | 6:15 PM ET
I’ve received a few emails from writers and readers wondering how the Book Passage Travel Writers & Photographers Conference went. (The four-day gathering ended yesterday and I was on the faculty.) The short answer: It was fantastic. It was my second year there and, as was the case last year, in spite of all the uncertainties in the publishing industry and the grim state of newspapers, I left feeling inspired—by the sharp, ambitious students as well as the accomplished writers and editors on the faculty.
And Who Writes the World’s Worst Descriptive Sentences?
by Michael Yessis | 08.18.08 | 4:53 PM ET
From great descriptive writing to writing that’s so bad it’s great. The winners of the annual Bulwer-Lytton contest, which asks writers to compose “bad opening sentences to imaginary novels,” were announced last week. I love this year’s top entry for its evocation of New York City.
Who Are America’s ‘Best Describers’?
by Michael Yessis | 08.18.08 | 2:23 PM ET
Jon Marshall asks, “Which newspaper writers are the best at describing people and places?” He nominates three terrific writers—Jeffrey Fleishman of the Los Angeles Times, Lane DeGregory of the St. Petersburg Times, and Dan Barry of the New York Times—but not one of them writes for the travel pages. Too bad. Newspaper travel sections are enduring tough times, but there are still some terrific describers toiling around the country. They deserve some shout outs.
Crime in the Casbah
by Julia Ross | 08.18.08 | 11:30 AM ET
We’ve written before that crime novels set in foreign countries can be an enlightening alternative to travel narratives for those looking for vicarious travel thrills. NPR agrees: Its wonderful “Crime in the City” series allows listeners to tag along as crime writers introduce the cities they’ve chosen as settings for murder and intrigue.
Tips on Caribbean Travel During Hurricane Season
by Jim Benning | 08.18.08 | 11:18 AM ET
No, you can’t really reason with hurricane season. But you can still travel in the Caribbean if you plan smartly. Forbes has some fine tips. As we’ve noted before, travel insurance is a good way to go, as long as you don’t wait too long to buy it.
Related on World Hum:
* Three Travel Tips: Planning a Caribbean Vacation in Hurricane Season
French Food Violations: France’s Entire Image ‘At Stake’
by Valerie Conners | 08.18.08 | 11:13 AM ET
Before biting into your escargot in that bistro along the Seine, beware: a report from France’s agriculture ministry reveals that more than a quarter of France’s eateries violate food safety standards. It’s no small embarrassment for a country that has hoped to have its food named a UNESCO world treasure. “The image of France is at stake,” France’s agriculture minister, Michel Barnier, told the Telegraph.
World Hum’s Most Read: Aug 9-15
by World Hum | 08.15.08 | 4:47 PM ET
Our five most popular features and blog posts for the week:
1) ‘The Monster of Florence’: Murder and the Pursuit of Truth
2) Travel Books We Loved in 2007
3) Paul McCartney Does Route 66 (pictured)
4) Seven Reasons to Have a Foreign Fling
5) Hawaii: Too ‘Foreign’ and ‘Exotic’ for a Presidential Vacation?
Photo of Phillips Route 66 sign by Bear69designs, via Flickr (Creative Commons)
What We Loved This Week: ‘Into Africa,’ In-N-Out Burger and ‘A Letter to Daniel’
by World Hum | 08.15.08 | 4:21 PM ET
World Hum contributors share a favorite travel-related experience from the past seven days.
Christopher Vourlias
I loved Martin Dugard’s account of the Stanley-Livingstone story, Into Africa. Dugard follows Livingstone’s last ill-fated journey in search of the Nile’s source, with Stanley—the teetotaling, swashbuckling journalist-cum-adventurer—coming to the explorer’s rescue on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. I’ll be taking a similar journey in the weeks ahead, following the old Arab slave caravan route through the heart of Tanzania. Hopefully I won’t meet the same sorry fate as William Farquhar. The luckless Scotsman, who had met Stanley while sailing to Zanzibar from Bombay, came down with elephantiasis en route to Tanganyika. “Once the swellings began,” writes Dugard, “Farquhar was barely able to walk, and his swollen testicles made riding his donkey an exercise in pain management.”
Disneyland Paris Meets Rome?
by Valerie Conners | 08.15.08 | 4:13 PM ET
If getting getting scammed out of five euros for a photo with a faux gladiator outside Rome’s Coliseum is your cup of tea, hold onto your chariots: Roman officials have announced plans to build an ancient Rome-themed family amusement park. “You would relive scenes from the Colosseum, from ancient Rome, gladiators or maybe Julius Caesar or other things,” a city official told Reuters.
Has the British Pub Jumped the Shark?
by Julia Ross | 08.15.08 | 12:51 PM ET
Sadly, yes, according to this rather depressing essay in the Telegraph. Britain’s smoking ban and drinks promotions run amok “have transformed the average British pub from a haven of smoked glass, polished brass and mahogany into blaring dumps filled from one end to the other with quiz machines, karaoke stages, and drunken teenagers,” laments Andrew O’Hagan.
Elvis Week in Memphis, a ‘City of Losers’
by Eva Holland | 08.15.08 | 11:15 AM ET
It’s been 31 years since the man who elevated white jumpsuits to an art form passed away, and—as in every other year since—the fans are still flocking to Graceland to commemorate his life and death. Yes, it’s Elvis Week again in Memphis. In honor of the event, the Independent’s Alistair McKay offers this short, compelling profile of Memphis, the “city of losers” that produced the King. Said one interviewee: “I don’t think that this music or this city could have existed, separate from each other.”
