Hidden Treasures: Chicago’s Annoyance Theater

by Gadling Staff on

Years ago, you could walk into Chicago’s Annoyance Theater with a six-pack of beer and a pack of cigarettes, sit on one of the many battered couches in the one-room theater and enjoy an outrageously silly, sometimes raunchy and totally hilarious stage performance.

The group gained fame with their show entitled “Brady Bunch Live,” during which the actors and actresses did a blow-by-blow reenactment of a Brady Bunch episode, except with an attitude that had you rolling on the floor. Since then, the performance company has gotten a bit more sophisticated with a new location and the addition of a cocktail lounge.

The shows remain ridiculously creative with long-running performances (from back in the BYOB days) such as Co-Ed Prison Sluts and newer shows like Swear Jar. If you are into pushing the limits on comedy, the Annoyance Theater on 4830 N. Broadway is required entertainment.

M. Fuchslock is a Seed.com contributor.

Ayn Rand fanatic travels to send GPS message

by Tom Johansmeyer on

In today’s politically polarized climate, die-hards will do anything to get a leg up in the battle for communication. Larger crowds are sought, along with bigger signs, louder voices and greater media play. The days of slapping bumper stickers on random cars are giving way to more sophisticated stunts, and Nick Newcomen just set the bar higher with an unusual road trip.

Newcomen put 12,328 miles on his car while crossing through 30 states to write “Read Ayn Rand” on Google Earth with his GPS device. Mashable writes:

Newcomen – who explained to Wired that he undertook this mission simply because he is a Rand fan – took more than 30 days to execute this task, using a GPS logger (Qstarz BT-Q1000X) to create the letters. He started in Marshall, Texas, where he began writing out “Rand,” and then drove on (turning off the GPS whilst not writing) until the entire, “Reading Is Fundamental” sentiment was complete.

Ayn Rand’s (rather anemic) philosophy puts forth the primacy of the individual over the group and believes that merit should be the sole arbiter of success. She was also a big fan of keeping the government out of just about everything, which is why many are using her words and works as a rallying cry against the current administration in Washington.

Of course, I’ve always wondered how Rand herself would have felt about the cult of personality that has evolved around her work. She had no shortage of lackeys while she was alive – including Nathaniel Branden and Alan Greenspan – and she seemed to be pretty happy to be lauded. On the other hand, a fairly strict interpretation of her philosophy would result in the criticism of efforts such as Newcomers, as it would encourage people to go accomplish stuff on their own and give up the fanboy fawning.

One final criticism: if he were a real fan, he would have ended his trip to Colorado with a bracelet made from Rearden Metal on his wrist.

[photo via World’s Biggest Writing]

24 hours in Oakland, California

by Gadling Staff on


Over 9.5 million people flew in and out of Oakland International Airport in 2009, but few of them targeted Oakland as their vacation destination. Most folks fly in and drive out as soon as possible, headed toward San Francisco, Napa, or Sonoma.

When friends recently flew from Seattle to Oakland, a TSA agent gently chided them. “Oakland,” he said. “You need to go somewhere nice.”

Later, when they were seated in our Oakland home overlooking the San Francisco Bay and a forest of cypress trees, my friend said, “Oakland is so underrated.”

Blame Gertrude Stein, who famously wrote “There is no there there” in her book Everybody’s Autobiography. No one remembers she was on a return visit looking for her childhood house. Instead it’s become Oakland’s unofficial slogan.

Or blame the earthquake, the fire, and crime typical of a large city. But no large city is all of one thing. Oakland is large, vibrant, full of historical, natural, and culinary wonders.

So let’s pretend the formerly unthinkable happens. You are stuck in Oakland for a layover. Your plane arrives here at 5 pm on a Tuesday and due to airline bungling, you don’t have another flight until 7 am Thursday morning. You spring to action and follow these steps.While waiting in the car rental line, you pull out your iPhone and make reservations for two nights at the Waterfront Hotel in Jack London Square. Drive ten minutes on 880 (yes, not a fabulous freeway, but the trip is short) and there you will be on the water. Ask for a room with a view, and quickly unpack.

Whip out that iPhone and make reservations at The Lake Chalet for dinner. Before getting back in that rental car or taking the cab to the restaurant, saunter down the waterfront, making sure to see Jack London’s Klondike cabin, a perfect replica of where London wrote White Fang. While admiring the relic, listen to the gulls, hear the water, and checkout passing Coast Guard cutters.

Drive the 1.4 miles to The Lake Chalet and do the smart thing and let the valet park you. The restaurant is situated on Lake Merritt. Once upon a time, the lake was actually a tidal estuary formed by several creeks. In 1868, Mayor Samuel Merritt proposed to dam and clean up the estuary, and the jewel of Oakland was born. Lit at night by a necklace of lights and surrounded by the city, it is a lovely sight.

Drive back to the hotel, park, but don’t go into your room just yet. Cross the street and head to Yoshi’s Jazz Club for some music. Occupying 17,000 feet of performance space and sushi bar, Yoshi’s offers live performances almost every night of the week and has hosted the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Williams, Diana Krall, Branford Marsalis, McCoy Tyner, Harry Connick Jr., and Oscar Peterson.

You’ve had a long day. Time for a lovely sleep in your king-sized bed. But in the morning after a cup of coffee, skip the gym and take the hotel shuttle back to Lake Merritt. Walk (or run) the 3.4 miles around the lake, stopping and heading up Lakeshore Avenue to get some freshly baked brioche or muffins at Arizmendi Bakery. Stroll up and down Lakeshore and Grand Avenues, making sure to appreciate the Grand Lake Theatre, one of the few functioning art deco theatres left in the area. If you get peckish, stop for a light lunch at Cafè DiBartolo on Grand Avenue.

At 1 pm, head to the Camron-Stanford House located on Lakeside Drive for your docent tour of one of the few remaining Victorian houses in Oakland and the first site of the Oakland Public Museum. The docent tour will provide you with a look at a grand house but also with colorful information about Oakland’s past.

Back to the hotel with you. You need to rest. You’ve walked for miles. And there’s more to do. Take a shower, put on some comfortable shoes, and get back in that rental car. It’s time for nature. Drive the 12 or so miles up into the hills to Joaquin Miller Park and the Sequoia-Bayview Trail, a flat and wide trail that winds in and out of a canopy of Redwoods. Yes, you are in the forest. Lovely views of downtown Oakland, the Bay and the San Francisco skyline.

That’s enough. It’s time for a drink. You have to fly out tomorrow, and you’ve walked and learned quite a bit today. Head back down to the Rockridge District. Park in the BART parking lot, and walk down College Avenue to A Cote, tasty small plates establishment that serves up a wicked margarita and has a wine list that makes a layover worth it. One small plate to order: the French fries.

Saunter back up College Avenue, stopping into some of the wonderful stores like Itsy Bitsy, and then it’s time to go back to the hotel. Sure, you could go to Yoshi’s again (Diana Krall might be there) but you have to pack.

Thursday morning, you are at the airport by 6, all checked in and ready to go. You’ve just spent a full day in Oakland, and while you are looking forward to being in Bali, you’ve had a good time. There is a there there. Nothing untoward happened. Water, history, forest, and food. Who knew?

Jessica Barksdale Inclan is a novelist who teaches literature and creative writing for Diablo Valley College. Visit her at Red Room to read more of her work, including her latest supernatural romance novel, The Beautiful Being.

[Photos: Flickr | Eric Fischer; darinmarshall; hitchster; Allan Ferguson; www.bluewaikiki.com]

Solo women’s travel surges in popularity

by Laurel Miller on

Despite what the much over-hyped film (not the book) Eat Pray Love would have us think, solo female travelers did exist before Elizabeth Gilbert. The difference, I think, is that now that Julia Roberts is starring in a movie about it, it’s suddenly viewed by mainstream America as “okay.”

And that’s okay. I may be a bit annoyed by the fact that Hollywood is responsible, but at the end of the day, who cares? It’s just great that experienced independent travelers will get less grief, and women who might not otherwise attempt a solo trip are now inspired to do so. The sheer volume of women-oriented travel companies has been steadily rising over the last five or so years, and now it looks like we’re hitting the tipping point.

While traveling alone is never easy for a woman, it’s comparatively a piece of cake now, compared to what women of even my mother’s generation must have endured. Yet, as a 41-year-old American female, I’m often amazed by how concerned other people are about my marital status (or lack thereof), my plans for my uterus (or lack thereof), and how I can afford to travel/who’s going to take care of me when I’m older/when am I going to grow up? I can handle these questions when there are cultural differences involved (sometimes with gritted teeth, like when I was 32, and a young Israeli male told me I’d better “find someone to marry quickly,” before I was “too old and ugly.” Sweet.).

I’ve never been one to give much of a hang about what others think, or else I wouldn’t have been able to put up with the comments denigrating my lifestyle. I hear them less now that I’m somewhat older (read: approaching end of child-bearing years), and because travel writing is now my profession. Unlike countries such as Australia or New Zealand, where a “gap year” of travel before university is a rite of passage, most Americans still tend to be constrained by what they view as adult, or gender-related, responsibilities.

Things are changing, of course. But the release of a book-turned-movie appears to have done more for the advocacy of independent women’s travel in one summer than I’ve experienced in a decade of travel journalism. A recent CNN article citing Eat Pray Love as inspiration profiles two women: a widow taking an early retirement, and a 32-year-old, now-frequent traveler who bit the travel bullet after being laid off in her late twenties.

I should hasten to add that I don’t consider myself a feminist (for a multitude of reasons that have no place on a travel blog), and I’m fond of describing myself as “spiritually bankrupt.” I don’t travel to be a “strong” woman, or find enlightenment. Travel is a highly personal thing, and everyone has their own reasons for doing, or not doing, it. I don’t care why other people travel; I just applaud the fact that they do, as long as they’re respectful of other cultures and the environment. I travel because it’s the thing I love most: it’s what motivates and inspires me, both personally and professionally, and I find it endlessly fascinating, even when things are going awry. I love learning about different cultures, trying new foods, seeing new landscapes. I love riding a bus for 24 hours, because it’s part of the experience. And yes, I prefer to travel alone.

Am I running away from something? I don’t know. I don’t think so. Will I ever settle down and stop traveling? Um, no. Am I ditching adult responsibilities? Nope. I have a home base, pay my bills on time, work a couple of “stationary” jobs, because travel writing isn’t lucrative. I’m in a long-term, committed relationship, I have plants. Sometimes I get burned out on travel, or have a disastrous trip. But within a day or two of arriving home, I’m always ready to plan the next adventure, and get on the road again as soon as possible. I do gain confidence from traveling alone, and thrive on its challenges. It’s a reminder that I can accomplish the goals I set for myself, For some, that might be called self-empowerment. For me, it’s just a lifestyle choice.

Not everyone is programmed to live the life society dictates, and plenty of people living so-called conventional lives, including mothers, find ways to make travel a part of their lives. Here’s to a national cultural shift that supports the exploration of the world outside our own bubble. Whatever set of gonads you happen to possess.

Use Facebook or Twitter, win a trip to Iceland!

by Kraig Becker on

Adventure travel company Overland Experts (OEX) is dipping their toe in the social media waters, and to celebrate, their giving away a free trip to Iceland – and winning couldn’t be much easier. The company has launched efforts on both Facebook and Twitter, and they’re hoping to reach 3000 followers on one or the other of those social networks by the end of the month. If they do, on September 1st they’ll pick one of their followers on either network to head off on an exciting adventure.

To enter, simply go to the OEX Facebook page, which can be found by clicking here, and “Like” them or follow them on Twitter at @OverlandExperts and Tweet out the following: “Want to win a free trip to Iceland with Overland Experts? RT this and follow @overlandexperts. Details: http://bit.ly/OEXgiveaway #OEX” That’s it! Do one or the other, or both of those things, and you’ll be automatically entered to win the trip. For more specific information on the contest, check out the Iceland Trip Giveaway page here.

Overland Experts specializes in off-road driving training, but they are also a travel company that focuses on small group adventures, by 4×4, to remote corners of the planet. They offer excursions to Peru, Chile, Kenya, Egypt, Mongolia, and more. Their trips are an interesting mix of cultural immersion and exploration of the natural environment and they use their four-wheel drive vehicles to reach places that most people will never have the opportunity to see. Check out their website for more information and to find a trip that is right for you.

[Photo credit: Overland Experts]