Travel Blog
Travel Movie Watch: ‘Weekend at Bernie’s,’ Redux
by Eva Holland | 01.27.10 | 3:19 PM ET
Yup, there’s a remake of the weekend-with-a-corpse beach getaway comedy in the works. Get the Big Picture predicts: “There’s no way this attracts any real talent, and only a slightly larger chance that it attracts an audience.”
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Yahoo! BuzzHaggis Ban Lifted After 21 Years*
by Eva Holland | 01.26.10 | 1:32 PM ET
The sheep offal delight had been banned in the United States since the ‘80s due to BSE fears, but now Scotland’s most famous dish is back on the American dinner table. (Via Andrew Sullivan)
Update 3:01 p.m. PT: Sorry, haggis fans. A representative from the Department of Agriculture writes, “At this time, haggis is still banned in the U.S. The APHIS rule covers all ruminant imports, which includes haggis. It is currently being reviewed to incorporate the current risk and latest science related to these regulations. There is no specific time frame for the completion of this review.”
Where Should Conan O’Brien Go Now?
by Eva Holland | 01.25.10 | 5:20 PM ET
World Hum contributor Mike Barish has some vacation ideas for the newly unemployed comedian.
Video: ‘Please Arrive Three Days Prior to Your Flight’
by Eva Holland | 01.25.10 | 11:48 AM ET
A message from Transport Canada:
(Via @Gadling)
What We Loved This Week: Bermuda, ‘The Wire’ and ‘The Way of the World’
by World Hum | 01.22.10 | 4:48 PM ET
Larry Bleiberg
I indulged my inner geography nerd this week, flipping through Mark Stein’s oddly compelling book, How the States Got Their Shapes. So why does Oklahoma have that panhandle? What’s up with New Jersey’s tilted northern border? And isn’t California a little greedy taking up most of the West Coast? In almost every state the explanations range from politics to topography to an occasional surveying error.
Video You Must See: Ice, Water and Steam in Iceland
by Eva Holland | 01.22.10 | 11:18 AM ET
New ‘World’s Highest Airport’ Planned for Tibet
by Eva Holland | 01.21.10 | 12:32 PM ET
The AFP reports that the new facility will be built in the Nagqu prefecture, at 4,436 meters (14,554 feet) above sea level—102 meters, or 335 feet, higher than the current record holder, also in Tibet. (Via @alisonbrick)
Michael Bay for TSA Chief?
by Eva Holland | 01.21.10 | 11:05 AM ET
As the hunt for a new agency head continues, Jeffrey Goldberg tosses the “Transformers” director’s name into the ring, noting that Bay “would fully embrace the fantastical, security theater aspect of TSA’s mission.” Cue the Megan Fox/full-body scanner jokes.
‘Fly Girls’: Reality TV at 37,000 Feet
by Eva Holland | 01.20.10 | 5:56 PM ET
Yup, a slice of Airworld is coming to prime time. The CW has picked up eight episodes of the new reality show, which follows five Virgin America flight attendants from the air to their Los Angeles “crash pad” and beyond. The Los Angeles Times describes “Fly Girls” as having “a ‘Gossip Girl’-meets- ‘The Hills’-vibe”—which, I’ll admit, doesn’t have me rushing to write the air dates in my calendar. The same story offers some interesting points about the intersection of infomercial and entertainment on the show.
Orwell Birthplace Museum in the Works
by Eva Holland | 01.20.10 | 4:28 PM ET
The New York Times looks at the development plans for a remote Indian location where the author was born, and rounds up a few other visit-worthy writers’ residences too. (Via The Book Bench)
Reviewed: The Matteo Ricci World Map
by Michael Yessis | 01.20.10 | 3:39 PM ET
Commissioned in 1602, the Matteo Ricci World Map is the first written in Chinese to show the Americas. It’s currently on display at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Edward Rothstein reviews the exhibition:
Ricci created two earlier versions, beginning in 1584, drawing on atlases and materials he took with him on his journey from Italy. But this third version is the earliest to survive and the first to have combined information from both eastern and western cartography. It is also the oldest surviving map to have given the Chinese a larger vision of the earth.
Even the sturdiest of wall maps tend to have limited life spans, but this large, segmented map is so rare that for centuries it was uncertain if this copy even existed, which is why it has been nicknamed the “impossible black tulip” of maps. It is one of six known copies.
Travel Movies Win Big at the Golden Globes
by Eva Holland | 01.19.10 | 3:23 PM ET
There were some surprises at Sunday night’s Golden Globes ceremony—for one, early favorite “Up in the Air” landed only one win, for Best Screenplay, from its six nominations—but a few of the travel movies we’ve had our eye on all year still came away with awards.
The big news? Vegas boys’ getaway flick “The Hangover” won for Best Picture (Musical/Comedy), while, more predictably, Meryl Streep won the Golden Globe for Best Actress (Musical/Comedy) for her role as Julia Child in “Julie and Julia.” Pixar’s South American adventure, “Up,” also took home the awards for Best Animated Film and Best Original Score. Get the Big Picture has a complete list of winners.
Slate Goes to Vancouver
by Eva Holland | 01.19.10 | 12:40 PM ET
With the Vancouver Olympics just three weeks away, the latest “Well-Traveled” series sees World Hum contributor Elisabeth Eaves returning to the city of her youth. It’s a good read.
What We Loved This Week: ‘The Remains of the Day,’ ‘Viva Las Vegas’ and ‘Telluride on Acid’
by World Hum | 01.15.10 | 6:17 PM ET
Eva Holland
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. The subtle, funny and very sad story of an aging butler looking back on his life’s work as he travels around England’s West Country reminded me, among other things, that it’s been far too long since I’ve visited the U.K.
Video You Must See: Summer Solstice on the Arctic Ocean
by Eva Holland | 01.15.10 | 10:29 AM ET
