New Mexico is known for its overlapping identities. It’s an artistic hub (Santa Fe is the third largest art market in the country). It has incredible landscapes (it has 13 national and 33 state parks). And there’s a fair share of technological quirkiness (Roswell’s Area 51 comes to mind). While the state has been busy celebrating these different aspects of its history during its centennial events this year, this week these elements will gel as New Mexico begins looking to the future. That’s thanks to the kickoff of the International Symposium of Electronic Arts, an annual conference and exhibition that celebrates the intersection of art, technology and nature, which is being hosted in the United States for the first time in six years. Over 100 artists and 350 presenters from 29 countries have descended on the city, and are transforming Albuquerque and the surrounding region (which includes Taos, Santa Fe and southern New Mexico) into a “Machine Wilderness,” that looks at how humans, machines and animals will coexist in the future. Their installations, which include lowrider symphonies, robotic animal skeletons, and Navajo tapestries with QR codes woven into them, will be on display through January 2013.
In years past, artists have flocked to ISEA conferences in cultural hubs like Istanbul, Munich, and Paris, but event directors Suzanne Sbarge and Andrea Polli say that Albuquerque was selected in part because its access to wide-open spaces has led to the development of technological marvels one would be hard pressed to find elsewhere. “We have huge swaths of wilderness, but we also have labs like Sandia and the first commercial spaceport,” says Polli. “It’s a strange juxtaposition that’s already here. We’re just bringing it to life.” In preparation for the event, the pair invited over 20 artists to take up residence throughout the area, and many arrived this summer to begin building out site-specific works for the conference.
%Gallery-166216%Both Sbarge and Polli hope that “Machine Wilderness” will help put Albuquerque, long seen as a dusty, pass-through-on-your-way-to-Santa-Fe town, on the map (and yes, they’re looking beyond the annual Balloon Fiesta, which draws tourists but has little cultural heft). “People think about Albuquerque as being the boonies,” says Sbarge. “But here we are, with leading scholars and artists making the journey here. It’s really exciting, and is just going to propel us into a bigger realm. There’s so much here happening, but people don’t really think of Albuquerque as a cultural center. I think this project is going to change that.”
Click through (above) for a slideshow of the ISEA installations that will be on display through January of next year.
Last week, the National Park Service announced that after being closed for renovations for nearly a year, the interior of the Statue of Liberty is set to reopen on October 28. The reopening will allow a limited number of visitors inside for the first time since the renovation project began and it’s timed to coincide with the celebration of the statue’s 126th anniversary.
Changes to the interior include new elevators to whisk visitors to the top of the statue, remodeled restrooms, improved water coolers and safer stairways. A wheelchair lift has been installed for the first time as well, granting better access to the pedestal for those who need a boost. Each of these changes and additions were made to ensure visitors have a safer and more enjoyable experience while in and around the statue.
The renovation project isn’t completely wrapped up just yet and is expected to continue through the end of the year. Because of the ongoing work, access to the interior of the statue will remain limited for the time being. Specific information on availability of tickets will be announced on Lady Liberty’s Facebook page and Twitter feed in the days ahead.
It’s great to see the Statue of Liberty reopening for visitors. One of the most iconic travel experiences when visiting New York City is to drop by to see the statue. It may sound like an overly touristy thing to do, but sometimes when you travel you just have to be a tourist. Definitely worth it in my opinion.
I love Oktoberfest season. Just as the summer heat disappears, men in lederhosen with feathered hats take to the streets, and I can sample all the Oktoberfest beers that arrive in my favorite beer stores. (This year my favorite is the Otter Creek Oktoberfest, which is brewed with real Vermont maple syrup.) Munich’s Oktoberfest starts on Saturday and in the coming weeks, there will be Oktoberfest celebrations in cities and towns all over the U.S. and wherever there are ethnic German communities around the world.
But none are quite like the original Oktoberfest in Munich, which hosted nearly 7 million visitors last year with nary a Budweiser or Miler Lite in sight. To get a better idea of what the original Oktoberfest in Munich is all about, we talked to Isabella Schopp, from the City of Munich Tourism Bureau.
Why is it called Oktoberfest if it starts in September?
It used to be in October in the first years but as the weather was always very rainy, grey and sometimes there was even snow, some of the Munich caterers decided that the Oktoberfest should already end on the first weekend of October. It has started in September since 1872.
The Oktoberfest celebration in Munich is the most famous one but are there others all over Germany?
Almost every city and village in Germany has its own folk festival with beer tents and fun rides, which takes one to two weeks each year. They are not called “Oktoberfest” but have their own names and cannot be compared to the Oktoberfest, as they are much smaller and less well known.
What are the origins of the celebration in Munich?
The Munich Oktoberfest, the largest folk festival in the world, has its origin in the wedding ceremony of Crown Prince Ludwig – later King Ludwig I. of Bavaria – with Princess Therese of Sachsen-Hildburghausen in the year 1810.
How has the celebration changed over the years?
The Oktoberfest still remains the traditional Munich funfair with Munich hospitality and Munich beer. There still are many traditional parts like the parades on the first weekend and some nostalgic rides. However, it has also grown a lot. In the meantime there are 14 large festival halls (“beer tents”), many more rides and games (130 altogether) and the number of visitors has grown a lot.
Tell us a bit about the special Oktoberfest beers that are available during the celebration?
Only those breweries that brew within the city limits are allowed to sell their beer at Oktoberfest. There are, at the moment, six different breweries that provide their own Oktoberfest beers. Only Munich beer from the proven traditional Munich breweries – Augustinerbrauerei, Hacker-Pschorrbrauerei, Löwenbrauerei, Paulanerbrauerei, Spatenbrauerei and Staatliches Hofbräuhaus – which satisfy the Munich purity standards of 1487 and the German purity standards of 1906 may be served.
What does a liter of beer cost?
The price of beer in 2012 is €9.10 – €9.50 per liter.
Other than pretzels what other kind of food is traditionally eaten at Oktoberfest?
The beer is best accompanied by Bavarian delicacies such as radishes, obatzda (specially garnished cream cheese), sausages and roast chicken or spicy fish grilled on a skewer. Another Wiesn specialty is the ox roasted on a spit at the Ochsenbraterei. (The Wiesn is the festival area.)
I know it can be difficult to find a room in Munich during Oktoberfest, any advice for travelers who need a place to stay?
It is advisable to reserve rooms as early as possible. Rooms can be booked via München Tourismus: phone +49 89 23396550 or email gaesteservice.tam@muenchen.de.
There are also some camping sites in and around Munich where visitors with a small budget can stay.
How many people take part in Oktoberfest celebrations in Munich each year?
In 2011, 6.9 million people took part in Oktoberfest celebrations. The number of visitors has risen every year.
Other than drinking beer and oom-pah bands, what else happens during the course of the celebration?
The Oktoberfest is much more than drinking beer.
The festive setting for the opening of the Oktoberfest is the entry of the festival hosts and breweries, which has been the same since 1887. During the ceremonial opening of the fest, the families of the festival arrive in coaches adorned with flowers, along with the bands, waitresses on decorated carriages and magnificent horse drawn carts from the Munich breweries. This procession is led off by the “Münchner Kindl” – Munich’s symbolic figure – on horseback, followed by the festival coach of the Lord Mayor.
The procession of folklore and marksmen groups takes place on the first Sunday of the Oktoberfest. Some 9,000 persons from Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Norway, Poland and Switzerland participate in this seven-kilometer long parade. There are people in historical uniforms, marksmen, folklore groups, local bands and thoroughbred horses. This procession was held for the first time in 1835 on the occasion of the silver wedding anniversary of Ludwig I. and Therese of Bavaria.
A big band open-air concert of all Oktoberfest bands with some 300 musicians takes place on the second Sunday of the festival. For the grand finale of the Oktoberfest on the last Sunday, some 60 marksmen give a farewell salute.
Do locals take off from work to take part in this, or do they show up for work hung over the next morning?
Some locals take off from work to take part in the Oktoberfest but usually locals go to work the next morning, some probably a bit later than usual!
Have there been security issues with people getting too drunk and causing problems in previous years?
The security measures have always been good. But there are always some conflicts between drunken visitors that can be solved quickly by the security people. After some critical reviews of security procedures, the taskforce “Security at the Wiesn,” introduced measures that enabled security at the Wiesn to be steadily increased.
What’s your favorite part about Oktoberfest?
What I like best at the Oktoberfest is the procession of folklore and marksmen groups, which takes place on the first Sunday of the Oktoberfest, as well as the special, happy vibe all over the Oktoberfest grounds, as well as in the beer tents.
[Photos courtesy of The German National Tourist Board]
Big game hunters once coined the term “Big 5” in reference to the five toughest animals to hunt on foot in Africa. Today, visitors to that continent still keep their eyes peeled for those iconic creatures, although these days they are more likely to shoot them with their cameras. The animals that make up the Big 5 include lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffaloes, which are amongst the most fearsome creatures found on our planet.
As a salute to the African Big 5, adventure travel company Quark Expeditions, which specializes in excursions to the Arctic and Antarctic, has asked us to help them select the “Polar Big 5.” They’ve narrowed down the selection to nine contenders, each of which inhabit the colder regions of the world. The nominees include the king penguin, walrus, polar bear, reindeer, elephant seal, leopard seal, musk ox, humpback whale and albatross. Quark has even set up a page for us to cast our votes to help bestow this honor on the five eventual recipients.
To entice us all into voting, the company is also giving away a ten-day voyage to the Antarctic, a dream destination for many. One lucky person who submits their vote for the Polar Big 5 will be selected to receive a fantastic trip to the bottom of the world that takes place in November 2013. For more details on the prize, click here.
The Polar Big 5 contest runs through November 30 of this year. To enter, simply head over to PolarBig5.com and make your selections. Any entry that doesn’t include the polar bear should be invalidated automatically.
Did you know Brazil is home to 31 million dogs, making it the country with the second largest canine population after the United States? It’s no wonder then, that you’ll soon be able to find a hotel dedicated to the more hardcore puppy love in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Created by Fabiano Lourdes and his sister Daniela, “Animalle Mundo Pet” is set to open this week in Belo Horizonte. The eight-story building will have an entire floor for dogs to get it on, with dim lighting, red floor cushions and a heart-shaped mirror on the ceiling to set the mood. Not only that, the hotel will also feature a gym and venue for dog birthdays.
And unlike most love motels where you pay by the hour for a love-making space, dog owners can rent their pets a room for $50 per day.
“For many people, the dog is a child who must be well treated,” 26-year-old Fabiano Lourdes explained to the Telegraph. “Our market studies showed that people work all day long and they do not know where to drop their pets for mating.”
One million dollars was invested into the hotel, which has 60 employees, including veterinarians and biologists. Dog owners can also invest in luxury items like $1,000 Swarovski crystal dog collars.