tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12416155801136842682011-04-21T15:36:45.177-04:00Tourism inspired by movies, TV, and novelsA Bitter New Yorkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07143560981898282509noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241615580113684268.post-7446753677182552902009-04-05T20:04:00.003-04:002009-04-05T20:35:17.289-04:002009-04-05T20:35:17.289-04:00

I'm not sure how I feel about this area of tourism. It's an interesting phenomenon, but also a form of exploitation. I mean, I enjoy watching white people get uncomfortable on The Amazing Race (India always seems to break them), but that doesn't mean I'm necessarily better than them. Maybe it just makes me an asshole. If you willingly go to a place that challenges you, it's probably a good

A Bitter New Yorkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07143560981898282509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241615580113684268.post-30514968825502256632008-12-30T23:00:00.001-05:002008-12-30T23:00:39.697-05:002008-12-30T23:00:39.697-05:00

"Russian Flu" introduced Fleischman's fiancee, Elaine, who sports some truly awesome 80s hair. I'd forgotten that this episode is so early into the series' run. Fifth ep in seems a bit too soon to bring in a piece of Joel's former New York life. It's interesting to me that Joel and Elaine never confront the idea that Joel has already changed as a result of his stay in Cicely (or maybe he

A Bitter New Yorkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07143560981898282509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241615580113684268.post-55636306481346487272008-12-30T18:13:00.001-05:002008-12-30T18:13:36.166-05:002008-12-30T18:13:36.166-05:00

It's kind of interesting to watch these early episodes, but kind of annoying too. The characters are still being formed and there are some inconsistencies that need to be ironed out. Things don't really get cooking until Aurora Borealis. Season 2 was a huge leap, in terms of quality. I'm looking forward to getting to those eps. In episode 4, Holling and Shelly attempt to get married, twice,

A Bitter New Yorkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07143560981898282509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241615580113684268.post-51734537908889030592008-12-30T17:58:00.001-05:002008-12-30T17:58:39.297-05:002008-12-30T17:58:39.297-05:00

The third episode of NE's first season is not a favorite of mine. I think it suffers from the very-special-new-character syndrome. In my opinion, especially in a new show, there's little reason to mine the character of a never-again-discussed person, to the detriment of regulars who still need establishing. I mean, who the hell cares about Soapy Sanderson? I blame Jerry Stahl, who got a

A Bitter New Yorkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07143560981898282509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241615580113684268.post-5588428852155398942008-12-30T00:21:00.002-05:002008-12-30T00:29:58.644-05:002008-12-30T00:29:58.644-05:00

Although it's not strictly related to travel, I'm going to put these entries up on this blog, first because Northern Exposure has a very strong sense of place (making it an ideal pop culture place), and second because it's a fantastically philosophical show that benefits from multiple viewings. I don't want it to become a forgotten 90s relic. So, skipping the pilot and starting with episode 1-2

A Bitter New Yorkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07143560981898282509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241615580113684268.post-75616710188950704202008-12-09T10:09:00.003-05:002008-12-09T10:18:33.384-05:002008-12-09T10:18:33.384-05:00

Hey, it's Pemberley! And it's available for wedding receptions. I wonder if the lake is an attraction of its own.From Enjoy England's North CountryLyme Park is a sparkling Palladian mansion, made famous through its use in the BBC drama Pride and Prejudice. The house is surrounded by 1,300 acres of deer park, and many other period dramas have also been made at this National Trust property,

A Bitter New Yorkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07143560981898282509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241615580113684268.post-24899671103844890122008-11-23T16:30:00.002-05:002008-11-23T16:48:21.169-05:002008-11-23T16:48:21.169-05:00

This is a much bigger topic than just one post, but since the movie opened well (as I knew it would, being on top of this phenomenon, instead of dismissing it, like, say, MTV Films) it warrants a post. Several weeks ago, I read Fandango poll with a statistic stating that a large percentage of fans were interested in traveling to Forks, WA (where the book is set). It surprised and impressed me

A Bitter New Yorkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07143560981898282509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241615580113684268.post-31423139488485659582008-11-22T00:25:00.005-05:002008-11-23T16:49:04.732-05:002008-11-23T16:49:04.732-05:00

One of my major interests in the broad topic of film tourism is what Sue Beeton refers to as "mistaken identity," meaning the tourists visit the sites where the film is set, not the shooting location. I'm particularly into exploring the disconnected between these two spaces, and talking about why people choose to visit either one.Cold Mountain was filmed in Romania. I've read quite a bit

A Bitter New Yorkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07143560981898282509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241615580113684268.post-14223358514408781132008-11-20T18:58:00.004-05:002008-11-20T19:05:29.038-05:002008-11-20T19:05:29.038-05:00

The tourism "boom" in Preston, Idaho (home of Napoleon Dynamite), was well-covered by the media. Since I'm not much of a fan (it was all art direction and faux hipster-skewering), I don't want to dwell on it too much.I did find an interesting bit of info: an official commendation to the filmmakers from the Idaho State Legislature.

A Bitter New Yorkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07143560981898282509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241615580113684268.post-59376741807818726432008-11-19T19:05:00.000-05:002008-11-19T19:09:21.965-05:002008-11-19T19:09:21.965-05:00

I have a lot of Deadwood pics to post eventually, but I came across these works of Fan Art on Deadwood's Facebook group. Interesting that they're based on the show characters/actors, as opposed to historical figures. I like these a lot.

A Bitter New Yorkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07143560981898282509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241615580113684268.post-82378233586435477602008-11-19T12:44:00.000-05:002008-11-19T13:13:17.004-05:002008-11-19T13:13:17.004-05:00

I've had my qualms about calling this film "Australia." I have issues with overblown historical epics (I think they're better when they deal with a narrow piece of history) and Australia seems to imply "hey, this is sweeping! This is a CONTINENT!" Also, it looks an awful lot like the inadvertently hilarious Far and Away. Seriously though, whenever these films are named for a huge historic

A Bitter New Yorkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07143560981898282509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241615580113684268.post-58510751990796133612008-11-19T10:40:00.000-05:002008-11-19T10:55:03.782-05:002008-11-19T10:55:03.782-05:00

Interesting article from the Guardian about a paleontology camp in Alberta (who knew Canada was so rich in these strange travel experiences?) Apparently there was a "Great Canadian Dinosaur Rush" in the early part of the century. The Dinosaur Provincial Park offers hikes like this one: Centrosaurus Bone Bed Hike (35 Seats) Difficulty: moderately strenuous, 2.75 hours

A Bitter New Yorkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07143560981898282509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241615580113684268.post-13797692993760520992008-11-18T21:59:00.001-05:002008-11-18T22:14:29.178-05:002008-11-18T22:14:29.178-05:00

It's all in the name. This is one of my favorite tele-tourism stories. Now, I don't pretend to be an expert on Star Trek. I probably know more about the fandom than the show itself, so I can't say whether or not I'd personally be interested in traveling to Vulcan, Alberta if I were a major Trek fan. I'm only interested in traveling there because it appears to be the most shameless town on

A Bitter New Yorkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07143560981898282509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241615580113684268.post-19447146515507064732008-11-18T21:21:00.001-05:002008-11-23T16:48:42.511-05:002008-11-23T16:48:42.511-05:00

This interesting tourism tidbit was actually depicted on an episode of Northern Exposure. But according to this article, fuel prices have slowed the Japanese-Aurora industry in Canada. Interesting that they claim that the NWT is "cleaner and safer" than the Alaska...because of 9/11.Photo by Tomspixels, via Creative Commons

A Bitter New Yorkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07143560981898282509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241615580113684268.post-64802545887875618132008-11-18T19:52:00.000-05:002008-11-18T20:09:07.619-05:002008-11-18T20:09:07.619-05:00

At Quantum of Solace last weekend, I saw the Angels & Demons trailer. Granted, several friends insist that it's better than The Da Vinci Code (wow, way to clear that bar, D.B.). What interests me is that the Vatican famously refused to let those heretics besmirch the holy city. The Times analyzed Rome's tourism gamble earlier this year.Telling quote: Mistakes and leaps of imagination aside,

A Bitter New Yorkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07143560981898282509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241615580113684268.post-18931666530117050152008-11-18T19:43:00.002-05:002009-01-31T13:41:18.221-05:002009-01-31T13:41:18.221-05:00

Devil's Tower, .Spielberg be damned, Devil's Tower is pretty much a wonder and well worth a visit to Wyoming. Judging from the average age of the visitors I saw, most tourists were inspired to travel to Devil's Tower for geological, not cinematical,* reasons.In any case, I now know that it would be virtually impossible for Dreyfuss to scramble up those boulders.Who's there: world's craziest

A Bitter New Yorkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07143560981898282509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1241615580113684268.post-69459124590221644942008-11-18T19:02:00.000-05:002008-11-18T19:29:05.970-05:002008-11-18T19:29:05.970-05:00

Photo by Smudge 9000 via Creative Commons. Prince Edward Island.I'm sure I read Anne of Green Gables at some point, but mostly I remember wearing out a VHS copy (taped off of cable) of the miniseries with Megan Follows, Colleen Dewhurst, and Richard Farnsworth. The CBC was clearly onto something, because they spawned a whole industry around PEI, making it a destination, particularly for

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