One of the best aspects of hiking is the escape that it provides from your everyday life. Getting lost – even briefly – in nature allows you to forget that the rest of the world exists. But what happens when you leave the trail and return home? Someone up in Maine decided to plant a remote camera along a trail that cuts through his property. Along with hikers, he recorded footage of moose, deer and even a bear traversing the exact same trail. It’s an eery reminder that while you’re hiking, you’re in animals’ homes.
Cosmopolitan Las Vegas hotel launches “pop up wedding chapel”
We’ve heard of pop up shops and even pop up hotels, but this is the first time we’ve heard of a pop up wedding chapel. Of course, where else would you expect such a thing but Las Vegas – The Cosmopolitan is offering this twist on a Sin City wedding.
“The Cosmopolitan’s new Pop-up Wedding Chapel is a new twist on a Las Vegas tradition, the impromptu wedding,” noted Lisa Marchese, Chief Marketing Officer. “Whether you want to come in and renew your vows, get hitched or even just try marriage on for 24 hours with a faux ceremony – it will undoubtedly be a memorable experience.” Of course, the street level location will encourage passerby interaction too.
When tying the knot, legally or just for fun, there are a number of amenities available for purchase to enhance the wedding experience. The chapel’s retail space includes items such as wedding bands, faux wedding announcements and apparel as well as beer, wine and champagne. Guests are also encouraged to take photographs in the photo booth which will post pictures to Facebook and Twitter. The space will also feature a replica Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign for photos.
Three package options are available at The Wedding Chapel. Ranging from simple to a more elaborate affair, each includes a 20-minute ceremony, champagne poppers and Molla Space eraser rings dispensed from a gumball machine located in the chapel’s retail area. To individualize the ceremony to the couple’s tastes, a variety of add-on amenities such as custom playlists, post-ceremony reception, party favors, bouquets and boutonnieres, marriage certificates and photography packages are available at an additional cost. Packages range from the $80 “Hitched in a Hurry” package which includes a photobooth picture, space eraser rings, champagne cans, wedding ceremony and a gift bag to the luxe “Going to the Chapel” package at $195, which also includes a silk flower bouquet, an additional photobooth picture, party favors, cake tops, logo tee shirts, and a marquee hotel guest list for four people.
Legally-binding ceremonies are going to force you to shell out the big bucks – they’re an additional $90.
The chapel opens December 28, but sadly is only open until 12 AM weekends and 10 PM weeknights, so you’re going to have to go elsewhere for your late-night “gotta get married NOW” fix.
Still, we’re pretty sure we’re going to pull a Britney and have a 55-hour Las Vegas marriage next time we head out West.
6 art classes to try in Bali
There’s no better place in Indonesia to take art classes than in Bali, an island known around the world for its artistic tradition. Indeed, it seems that everywhere you look, you find traces of man-made beauty. From the ornamentation on the temples to the etchings on the sidewalks to the attention and care given to daily offerings set out on the street, art oozes from every crack.
When you’re surrounded by so much beauty, it’s natural that you’ll want to flex your own creative muscles. Thankfully, Bali has an array of art classes intended to give visitors an introduction to traditional craft.
1. Batik making
The Indonesian art of batik involves a complex process of wax application and painting on fabric. Museum Puri Lukisan in Ubud holds private courses for Rp. 450,000 (about $50). Create your own work from scratch, or choose from a number of traditional templates. All materials are included, as well as a delicious Balinese lunch and entrance to the museum, which houses a collection of contemporary art.2. Silversmithing
Learn how to pierce, solder, and shape your own silver ring or pendant at Studio Perak, one of Ubud’s most popular jewelry workshops. Your masterpiece may not turn out as polished as the pieces on display, but they’ll certainly come with a great story. A half-day workshop costs Rp. 350,000 (about $39) and includes 5 grams of silver to play with.
3. Textile appreciation
It’s pretty impossible to be in Bali longer than five minutes and not have have an appreciation for Indonesian textiles. But if you want to dive deeper, try the lectures at Threads of Life, an Ubud non-profit that works to revive traditional textile traditions throughout Indonesia. “Introducing the Textiles of Bali and Indonesia” will teach you about various batik, ikat, and traditional weaving techniques, while “Textiles & Their Place in Indonesian Culture” explores the history and traditional uses of textiles in the region.
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4. Life model drawing
All artists are welcome to Ubud Life Model Sessions, held at Pranato’s Art Gallery in Ubud. For just Rp. 20,000 (about $2), you can join Pranato, his Australian wife Kerry, and a mixed group of ex-pats and visitors for three-hour sketching sessions twice a week. The gallery also features rotating exhibitions and an impressive array of Indonesian and international art.
5. Ceramics
Live out your Ghost fantasy — we know you have one — at Sari Api Ceramics Studio, just outside Ubud. A beautiful open-air space run by a Swiss ex-pat, Sari Api offers half day private ceramics workshops for Rp. 450,000 (about $50) or a more intensive eight-session course for Rp. 1,750,000 (about $192).
6. Painting
The Bali Center for Artistic Creativity in Ubud offers individual art classes as well as longer custom-tailored courses. A single class will run you Rp. 450,000 (about $50) for three hours of instruction and basic materials. The Center also runs university credit courses and art therapy programs.
Ancient Egypt–Art and Magic, opens at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida
Ancient Egypt never ceases to fascinate. Its elaborate religion, art, and ritual make it at once foreign and compelling. Now a new exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida, showcases some of the highlights of this unique culture.
Ancient Egypt–Art and Magic: Treasures of the Fondation Gandur pour l’Art brings to the public eye one of the greatest private collections of Ancient Egyptian art. These 100 choice pieces from the collection of Jean Claude Gandur of Geneva, Switzerland, include mummy cases, statues of pharaohs, papyrus texts, and precious jewels.
Each item emphasizes the skill of the ancient Egyptian artisans and their culture’s deep connection to magic. Alongside the works of art are explanations of how magic played a part in every aspect of Egyptian society, and how these particular objects fit into that belief.
Some of the items have an interesting modern history too. One sarcophagus was owned by the late French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.
It’s rare for so many items from a private collection to go on display all together, so if you’re passing through Florida, be sure to make it to this exhibition. The exhibition runs until April 29, 2012.
This photo shows the lid from a sarcophagus, made of gessoed and painted wood from either the 21st or 22nd dynasty (1080-720 BC), from the Collection of the Fondation Gandur pour l’Art.
SkyMall Monday: Cell Phone Handset Battle
If you’ve used an iPhone, you know that holding it up to your ear for a long period of time can be uncomfortable. If you need to be on a lengthy call, cradling the iPhone in your hand can get tiresome. Speakerphone is not always a viable option and headphones can be unsafe for your ears. Thankfully, SkyMall offers two options for adding a handset to your iPhone. This week, SkyMall Monday pits the iPhone Desktop Handset against the Retro Cell Phone Handset. Two handsets enter; one handset leaves.
Let’s meet our contestants (or, you know, take a look at their product descriptions):
iPhone Desktop Handset
This is the stand that transforms an iPhone into a more comfortable desktop handset phone. With the handset in one hand, your other hand is free to navigate an iPhone’s applications, such as calendars, e-mail, and the Internet.
Sorry, I started giggling after “your other hand is free to navigate.”
Retro Cell Phone Handset
Send your phone back to the 20th century with the vintage styling of the Retro Phone! This must have, mobile phone accessory has classic looks and functionality. Simply connect your cell phone via the 2.5 mm or 3.5 mm audio jack and alleviate erroneous touch-screen or key activation! The Retro Phone will give your phone a new dimension of classic cool while also reducing the effects of harmful radiation from your phone.
Because radiation wasn’t an issue in the 20th century!
Now that we’re familiar with the combatants, let’s dial in.
And there you have it. The iPhone Desktop Handset defeats the Retro Cell Phone Handset 3-1. In the end, though, haven’t we all lost?
Check out all of the previous SkyMall Monday posts HERE.