Smithsonian Global Sound

by Erik Olsen on

If you’re a fan of folk music…and I suppose I am…sort of. Yeah, pretty much if you include Dylan, Crosby, Stills and
Nash and so on. Well, go check out what the, um, folks at the
Smithsonian Folkways label are doing. They’ve got themselves a
brand, spankin new digital music store called Smithsonian Global
Sound.

The site is quite well done…elegant and easy to navigate. And the music is all there for the download. It may come
as a surprise how vast the Folkways’ collection is…and all for 99 cents a track.

Happy on the Appy

by Erik Olsen on

Bill Bryson made it famous for those who didn’t already know much
about one of America’s finest trails. Since his book about the Appalachian Trail (which I understand might be made into
a movie with Robert Redford and Paul Newman), there have been lots of stories about the AT, many of them feeble efforts
to recreate the Bryson trek, but many of them providing eye-opening history and first-person experience hiking the
trail. Well, here a story on
CNN about the Appalachian
Trail that focuses exclusively on it’s passage through Massachusetts. The trip takes you through the Berkshires,
past Mount Greylock and through downtown Dalton, Massachusetts.

A nice place to stop for a cheeseburger.

Ski Trailer

by Erik Olsen on

Give a quick look at this great video
trailer for a film called Spirit of Snow. It’s short but sweet, and a great way to waste a minute of your
time…maybe during lunch. The full film can be purchased on DVD from Lenticular Pictures, a small production company
that has done several films on outdoor topics.

Many of the films can be sampled on the site and make for decent, albeit brief, enjoyment.

Cecilia’s Travel Tips

by Erik Olsen on

Every so often as you’re cruising around the Web you stumble upon a site that really impresses you. Often it’s
because of design or Flash or something whiz-bangy. But sometimes it’s simplicity, and the robustness of
information.

Take a look at this site, called Cecilia’s Amazing Travel
Tips. It’s just text and links, but if you are planning a trip, this site could be very useful.

Cecilia has put a lot of time into organizing information for travelers and providing links to useful sites. I think
this single page may be better than most guidebooks I’ve seen online.

Portland’s Hotel Lucia

by Adrienne Wilson on

Anyone Portland bound and looking for a room might want to consider some of the fabulous picks
USA Today lists in their great
‘Where to Stay’
article.  My interest perked up when I saw the list merely because I tend to forget about Portland (shame on me),
but being filled with cool historic hotel rec’s, the list proves it could be a nice time to start
planning a trip out west.  Click into the Hotel Lucia, only one of the
unique renovated historic spots in downtown Portland to get away form the city hum.