Here’s a travel factoid for the day: Did you know that it was 32 years ago today that three members of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd were killed in the crash of a chartered plane near McComb, Mississippi?
…But don’t let that fact prevent you from traveling and experiencing the world!
It’s time to look at the festivals and events happening around the world, and this week has a particularly international selection of happenings. If you’re close and have time, then you have no excuse to get out and go!
Montreal – The Travel and Adventure Film Festival begins Wednesday, October 21 and continues until the 24th. The festival celebrates both short and long films.
Brisbane – The Caloudra Music Festival will take place at King Beach Bark in Caloundra, near Brisbane, on Thursday, October 22. This is a family-friendly event aimed at celebrating diversity in the local community and will continue until October 25th.
Kyoto – Kurama Himatsuri, Japan’s legendary fire festival, will see boys carrying torches through the streets of Kyoto, eventually converging at the Yuki-jinja Shrine, this Thursday, October 22.
Montego Bay – Wata Rose Hall Health and Wellness Festival begins Friday, October 23, and culminates with a triathlon on October 26.
Boston – Harry Potter: The Exhibition opens at Boston’s Museum or Science this Sunday, October 25. The exhibition showcases the supreme artistry and craftsmanship that went into the making of the ever-popular film series.
If you make it to one of these events, let us know how it was, or if you know of an event that’s coming up, please let us know and we’ll be sure to include it in the next “Get out and go” round-up.
In Mike’s post on he brought up the conflict one can experience in cultural tourism. He was prompted to write down his thoughts after visiting the Tiwi Islands in Australia. In the photo essay and interview in the New York Times, “Behind the Scenes and Still Wounded” Aaron Huey, who found himself drawn into the terrible beauty of the Lakota tribe of the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, Huey alludes to similar ideas.
It is impossible for people to develop an accurate impression of a culture in one visit.
Huey has spent the past five years photographing the Lakota who live in Manderson, one of Pine Ridge’s most impoverished towns. This process that has developed friendships that are as close as family and an understanding of the Lakota that few have been able to attain. But, even then, Huey’s experience has not brought him any closer to knowing the answer, “‘Who are the Lakota?'”
As he writes: In many ways, I feel like it is not my question to answer. The Lakota are a people who have been wronged many times over. Coming from the dominant society and attempting to define them is a guaranteed failure for a white journalist. I have no right to define them.
Huey’s photos and essay, along with Mike’s musings, are a reminder that as we travel, we’re merely picking up tidbits of what a place is about.
What I think happens is that as we travel, we’re mostly finding out about who we are by looking through a lens of the “other.” If we arrive back home with a better understanding of who we are through our interactions and experiences, we’ve done well. To really know a place and what a particular culture is about takes years–and even then, it may not make us an expert.
Reading the interview with Huey and looking at the images he captured in Manderson is one place to start on a journey of trying to understand the complexities of the Lakota. It certainly gives an insight into Huey.
(The Hamner Photos image was taken on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Click here for more of them. From what I can tell, they were taken as part of a work camp to build houses on the reservation, just a Band-aid to the poverty problem, according to Huey.)
Manhattan has a lot of great parks – but a handful tends to hog all the attention. Central Park is what it is; there’s just now way to compare it to anything else. Bryant Park has live performances and exhibitions (not to mention a starring role in Fashion Week) and is only a block from Times Square. And, there are others that would come to mind before you work your way down the list to one of my favorite open spaces in the city: Madison Square Park.
Don’t be misled – this park is nowhere near the “garden” of the same name. It sits between East 23d Street and East 26th Street and between Madison Avenue and Fifth Avenue, in a small pocket of New York that most visitors tend to skip. So, catch the R or W train to the East 23d Street stop, and get ready to enjoy Madison Square Park in six different ways.
1. Take care of two buildings at once The uniquely shaped Flatiron Building is right across the intersection from the southwest corner of the park, where Fifth Avenue and Broadway meet. What you may not realize, though, is that the northwest corner of the park (East 26th Street and Fifth Avenue) provides a great view of the Empire State Building. Crowds tend to form, for some reason, during morning rush hour (which sucks for the locals). Also, avoid lunch hour and evenings, as people who work nearby will get in the way of your shot.
3. Go to the bathroom If you aren’t fortunate enough to spot a celeb, drink some water. This will have the predictable effect and send you to one of only a handful of self-cleaning public toilets in the New York City. It’s on the southeast corner of Madison Square Park, and a quarter buys you 15 minutes. That should be plenty of time to take interior photos of the device that guest-starred on CSI:NY.
4. Enjoy some art There’s always a public art display of some kind in Madison Square Park. Right now, it’s Markers, an installation by Mel Kendrick, a Boston-born artist who’s now a resident of New York. This project consists of five pieces reflect the “rippling surfaces contain the fossil memory of the actions taken over time.” Like almost all the public art in Madison Square Park, Kendrick’s installation is definitely worth a look.
5. Grab a bite Sure, it’s tempting to head over to the storied Shake Shack in the southeast corner of Madison Square Park (near the toilet/TV star/murderer). But, if you’re looking for a substantial, enjoyable sit-down meal, go up to Ben & Jack’s Steakhouse, a few blocks north on East 28th Street and Fifth Avenue. Definitely make the ribeye your meal (it was amazing), but you’d be nuts not to start with the seafood platter. Take your time, and rest your feet for a bit, especially if you’ve been wandering around the city all day. The staff is attentive and accommodating, and they will not rush you. This is a great alternative to the long waits and hope-you-can-pull-it-off reservation situations at the steakhouses in mid-town. And, the dark-wooded interior drives home the insider feel that makes any steak dinner in Manhattan complete.
Welcome to another week of Gadlinks! There are plenty of cool travel reads on tap today. Have a seat and enjoy!
Bummer! Just when I thought I’d seen everything in Colombia, I find the Cano Cristales river, which based on these photos, does look like an awfully beautiful place. [via Been-Seen]
Medellin, in Colombia, used to be the murder capital of the world — but no longer! Check out five of the most dangerous cities in the world. [via Open Travel]
I’m heading to the Middle East in January, and after reading this article I have every intention of visiting Jaffa, on the southern edge of Tel Aviv. [via NY Times Travel]
In Utah, Edward and Jacob, the two guy hotties in Twilight, have found corn maze fame. At Connors Farm in Danvers, Massachusetts, Brian and Stewie from Family Guy are representing pop culture in an elaboratelyy, mowed cornstalk design.
The presence of both of these mazes is an indication of how many family-owned farms have stayed in business over the years. To stay afloat, keeping up with the times through ingenuity, multi-tasking and hard work is a must. Connors Farm is a perfect example of how many farms have changed.
Back in 1904, when the farm was established, the family took the produce by truck to Boston to sell the goods wholesale. This worked out fine until the price of sweet corn fell in the 1950s. Opening a small, roadside stand became the best option for making money. That move has developed into a family-fun, farm produce fresh gold mine.
Over the years, the stand has expanded to include fresh baked goods, gourmet pastas, jars of jams, jellies and sauces and the farm’s own products. The farm also partially operates as a U-pick establishment where visitors pick what’s in season. The annual Strawberry Festival, pony rides, hay rides, and autumn corn maze have made Connors Farm a multi-purpose, multi-age destination most of the year.
The Family Guy corn maze has turned out to be a brilliant choice. It’s attracted serious, media attention, for one thing. The video after the jump is a fun trip through the maze blended with Family Guy footage from FOX25NEWS in Boston.
There are two weeks left for this corn maze. The last night is October 31.
