To celebrate its first anniversary as a travel inspiration site, Wanderfly is asking travelers to submit their best travel photos from the past year to be included in a video on WanderflyTV. “1 Year, 1 Minute” will be a stop-motion montage of travelers’ photos from around the world organized to take viewers through the seasons from fall 2010, when Wanderfly launched, to this autumn.
If Wanderfly’s anniversary video is anything like “Move,” “Eat,” and “Learn,” the recent trio of videos by STA Travel Australia, then its sure to become an Internet sensation. Don’t you want to be part of that? If the answer is yes, then head on over to Wanderfly to find out how you can contribute to “1 Year, 1 Minute.” And hurry up – Wanderfly needs your photos by October 12. “1 Year, 1 Minute” is set to air on October 19.
Open Skies, the all business class airline, is canceling their Washington to Paris (Orly) route as of October 28, and that means good news for last-minute travelers.
With no minimum purchase, enjoy fares of $750 round trip, including all fees and taxes, for departures from Washington (Dulles) for travel completed before October 28.
This is by far the best business class fare we’ve ever seen for this route, and isn’t being matched – so far as we can tell – for other airlines. We priced out departures and it seems like you could even leave tonight for a whirlwind weekend in the City of Love.
Many visitors to New York City come for the shopping. What to do with all those bargains and souvenirs when it’s time for dinner? You could stow them at your hotel or use a left luggage desk at a transportation center like Port Authority, but what if your day takes you different places?
Cubby is a new bag check and luggage storage service on Manhattan’s Park Avenue South and 23rd Street (perfect location for a post-shopping lunch at Shake Shack) that will not only watch your bag but also send them via bicycle courier to the destination of your choice. The shop is open daily from 8am to midnight and has an iPhone and Android app you can use to make a reservation and get a discount on storage. Cubby charges $5-8 for the first bag with lower rates for additional bags and $10 for courier service.
The current Gramercy location is a pop-up until October 31, but they are working on making it a permanent store and looking to expand to further downtown locations.
Hat tip to Jeanine Barone for the find. Photo courtesy Cubby.
I’m often skeptical when Hollywood forays into the realm of ‘travel films’.
Don’t get me wrong; there have been some wonderful movies in recent years that capture the true essence of the world of travel & the beauty of venturing on a grand journey: Lost in Translation, Into the Wild, L’Auberge Espagnole, Before Sunrise, Up in the Air, and The Beach (did you really think I wouldn’t mention it?) are just a few examples of travel narratives done right.
But those successes aren’t enough to stop the certain feeling of dread I get whenever I learn that Hollywood has again attempted to tackle the travel theme. Perhaps certain blasphemies like Sex & the City 2 or the recent rendition of Gulliver’s Travels keep this fear alive every time I shell out $11 to go on a two-hour cinematic adventure.
That being so, when I first heard about The Way; a film directed and developed by Emilio Estevez and starring his father, Martin Sheen, I expected the worst. An adventure film produced on the magical wings of nepotism? Sounded like the perfect storm.
But Wednesday night’s New York City premiere in partnership with the Walkabout Foundation promised a dazzling list of A-listers (Former President Bill Clinton, Ivanka Trump, Dhani Jones, Wyclef Jean, & the Sheens, among others) and promised to benefit a good cause, so I packed my cynicism away for a few hours and decided to see the film.
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So, is it worth the trek to the theater? Click on through to find out.
The Way is the story of a Tom (Martin Sheen), a father that loses his intrepid son, Daniel (Emilio Estevez) as Daniel sets out in the French Pyrenees on a solo journey along the historic Camino De Santiago. Devastated by the loss and desperate for a way to reconcile their distanced relationship, Sheen’s character decides to embark on the Camino himself, carrying his son’s ashes every step of the way.
In brief, the Camino De Santiago (or the Way of St. James) is a 500-mile trail that starts in France and ends near the Northwest tip of Spain. It was first trekked in the 9th Century by pilgrims hoping to visit the remains of the Apostle St. James upon their initial discovery. In the early days, it was an arduous undertaking; weather, meager provisions, and difficult terrain all took their toll on the dedicated peregrinos. But by the 14th Century, it’s estimated that 25% of all Europeans walked the Camino and today, over 200,000 hikers complete the pilgrimage every year; for many different reasons.
Through Tom’s journey and the friends he makes on the trail, a very poignant illustration of the Camino De Santiago is presented; the beauty of the environment is vivid, the community among pilgrims is familiar to anyone that’s bonded with strangers on the road, and over the course of the film, the mood of sun drenched afternoons walking, eating, and drinking through the Spanish countryside is tangible. The characters all feel genuine and there’s enough clever humor throughout to make the film a fun adventure to be a part of.
One of the best parts of the film is that the story feels real; from a traveler’s perspective, it’s relatable and stays true to its roots of telling the story of the Camino. It strays from the typical over-dramatized treatment that Hollywood loves and instead tells a very real story that will resonate with many people who have trekked the Camino & anyone that’s ever ventured on a journey to cope with a personal battle. For this reason, I think it joins some of the other great travel narratives as a movie that’s definitely worth seeing for those interested in adventure.
The Way succeedsin staying true as a travel story partially because of how it was produced; Estevez insisted that the crew was never larger than 50 people (including actors), a large part of the film was shot on the go using a versatile Super 16mm setup, and the actors actually hiked a good portion of the Camino throughout the course of production.
In all, I give The Way 4 out of 5 St. James’s Shells. It opens for a limited release in theaters today and a wide release on October 21st. So long as you don’t have to make a pilgrimage of your own to go see it, give The Way a second look this weekend.
One of the most eagerly anticipated events in New York (well, at least by me) is happening during the weekend of October 15 and 16. Open House New York, now in its ninth year, offers public admission to city sites normally off-limits. Hundreds of venues across the five boroughs, representing locations of historical, cultural, architectural, or religious significance, will throw open their doors and provide admittance and tours to curious visitors.
Some of the participating venues are normally open to the public, but on this weekend will provide specially-tailored tours and behind-the-scenes access. For example, you can walk along a closed-off section of tourist favorite elevated park the High Line; explore the Chrysler Building’s art deco lobby with an architectural historian; or peek behind the curtains at Lincoln Center with the design team responsible for transforming the performance space.
Other opportunities will unlock doors to venues never seen by the public. Check out, among many, many other listings, a blacksmithing forge in Brooklyn, a wooden shipbuilding studio in the Bronx, a Freemasons’ lodge, artist studios, and private homes.
Visit their web site to see how you can pack your weekend poking around unexplored corners of the city. Many venues anticipate crowds and long lines, and some require on-line reservations, so be sure to plan ahead.