Cliff Claven fans unite. If
you are a fan of the Cheers actor John Ratzenberger, then perhaps you’ve tuned in to his Travel Channel Show Made in America. Part of me wants to shudder in
revulsion from this show, as it sometimes feels like a gaudy display of patriotism the likes of which post-9/11 I
sometimes feel cloys the culture. But the reality is that I enjoy the show. I love to see factories at work, to see how
stuff is made, to hear the stories behind, say, Smarties Candy or Sam Adams beer. And Cliff, well, he’s not half bad. He
can be a bit over-folksy at times, but he’s generally pretty funny and seems passionate about the gig he’s got, which,
let’s face it, is a pretty good one. I mean, traveling the country checking out how stuff is made? Pretty cool. And all
of this is to say that if you’re a fan of the show, or even if you’re not but are curious about it, you can watch bit of it online.
The bits are too short IMHO, but I guess we’re not supposed to expect a lot for free. Maybe they’ll make them available
on iTunes or something.
Shanghai Destination Guide
One of the most intensely interesting places in the world
right now is China, and in that country the most energetic, rapidly changing place is its main industrial city
Shanghai. I have long wanted to head to Shanghai, but have not been able to muster the time, but if I went, I would
likely check out this speical series and guide from
Concierge.com. I spent some time clicking through this and found it very in-depth, very useful.
Kenya's Masai Mara
CNN’s travel site is
featuring a really great
personal account of safari in Kenya’s Masai Mara. The author, Leigh Murray, was lucky enough to visit Kenya
during the Great Migration, when more than a million wildebeest, zebras and other animals cross from the Serengeti into
the Masai Mara in search of fresh grass.
It’s a great read, especially when you read of the author’s up-close
encounter with a cheetah. Kenya is a country I’ve always wanted to visit (a desire made more potent recently by my
two-year-old’s sudden obsession with "The Lion King") — this article has me ready to call my travel agent
now.
More on Ugly Americans
Lots of folks are
atwitter over the release of the "World Citizens
Guide" – which we posted about – that
seeks to help reduce the amount of ugliness Americans export within themselves when they head abroad. Only you can know
xactly what your "AUE" (American Ugliness Export) quotient is, but my guess, esp. if you like fast food and
Hawaiian shirts, is that it’s pretty high.
The guide was underwritten/assembled by the Business for
Diplomatic Action (BDA), a non-profit group funded by big American companies, who are saying the anti-Americanism is
bad for business. It features some 16 etiquette tips on how Americans can help the country by not fulfilling
stereotypes of themselves as brash, loud, annoying, fat, stupid, bossy philistines. Ed Gomez over at SF Gate
examines the subject and finds many of these stereotypes sadly accurate. While, over at the UK Telegraph, Philip Sherwell
probably has the best take on the subject, as he makes the point that it’s not really American tourists who are the
problem, it’s more often the perceptions of American policy…although loud fat Americans don’t help themselves much
either.
So let me put the question out there? Are we fat, loud, bossy, annoying, etc.? Or is it just that
people like to pick on the big guy? Or more, are people in general becoming more like us? I mean, have you ever seen
German travelers? Let’s get the debate started.
New York's Smaller Museums
After you’ve visited New York numerous times and have seen all the big league tourist sites the city has to
offer, spare a moment for the oft-overlooked, lesser known, more manageable slew of “boutique” museums that
few have heard of and even less have visited.
Recently, The New York Times ran a brief article highlighting four such museums which
are great in their own respect, but overshadowed by behemoths like the Met.
Dahesh Museum – European academic art from the 19th-
and 20th-century, with a heavy focus on Middle East pieces.
Swiss Institute-Contemporary Art – A very
small, one-room venue specializing in, you guessed it, art from Switzerland!
Fashion Institute of Technology
Museum – Not for me, but right up your alley if the thought of 50,000 articles of clothing and 4,000
shoes gets your heart pumping.
Museum of
Chinese in the Americas – Um, this one is also a bit self-explanatory. Just two-rooms large,
the other MOCA covers the experience of Chinese-American immigrants.
Nicholas Roerich Museum – Nicholas Roerich painted scenes of the
Himalayas. Lots of them. Come to the Nicholas Roerich Museum and you will witness the product of 20
years of living in this beautiful mountain range.