Richard Branson explains Virgin Mobile FreeFest to Jimmy Fallon

by Jamie Rhein on

We’ve written about Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic before. Recently, as Jeremy wrote, Gadling was on hand to join in a Virgin Atlantic’s 25th anniversary party in New York City. While in the city, Sir Richard took the time to hang out with Jimmy Fallon on Late Night.

It’s not that I was born on another planet, but I didn’t catch who he was a first. Fallon was in a twitter though. The first thing I noticed before I caught Branson’s name was how pleased he is with himself–and life. Very pleased, glowing in fact. Then I connected the dots and thought, well, that explains it.

The celebration Branson and Virgin Mobile is throwing is to help make the hard economic times a little easier for the everyday person. The Virgin Mobile Freefest, being held on August 30th at the Merriweather Post Pavillion in Columbia, Maryland is free. That’s right, free–if you can snag tickets. You need a ticket to get in. Start trying tomorrow, Saturday, June 27 at 10 a.m., you can try for tickets through Ticketmaster or call 1-800-551-SEAT.

There’s more.

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In the vein of it’s great to give back, Branson wants people to donate at least $5 to Youth Homelessness. Also there’s a Karma T-shirt package. For $30 you can get a T-shirt, give your $5 donation and $5 towards delivery. The idea is that you buy a T-shirt and stock up on good karma for yourself. There’s a $5 discount if you order two packages.

Branson mentioned the musical line up and perks to people who have lost their jobs. I haven’t found the details about the perks on the event Web site, but according to what I heard Branson say, there’s some sort of VIP area.

Here’s what I appreciate about the event besides it being free. Kids are welcome. Bringing children is mentioned on the checklist page. So is remembering sunscreen and bringing in two factory sealed bottles of water.

It’s also terrific to have a fundraiser for a change that most everyone can afford. I bet FunFest pulls in a tidy sum for Youth Homelessness. Oprah, have any ideas?

18 unique travel experiences for the well traveled

by Kraig Becker on

So you think you’ve been everywhere and done everything? Is their something missing when you travel these days? Is the sense of adventure gone? Never fear, because the Times Online has compiled an interesting list of 18 unique travel experiences that are designed to give us a special experience on our getaways.

The suggestions on the list run the gamut from adventurous to decadent to down right surreal. For instance, if you’re headed to southern Africa, then you might want to stay with the bushmen of the Kalahari Desert, where you’ll have the opportunity to go on an initiation hunt and spend the night in their village. If that seems like you might be roughing it a bit too much, than perhaps you’d prefer to spend the night on a private island and go sailing off the coast of Croatia. How about taking an exclusive tour of Nefertari’s Tomb in Egypt, where you’ll be one of just 20 visitors in the soon to be closed monument. Or, how about the workout of a lifetime when you’ll be training with the the toughest rugby team on the planet, New Zealand’s All Blacks, , for one very intense week.

Each of the travel experiences comes with a good description of what you can expect on your unique adventure. A link is included to the travel company that is offering the trip, along with expected prices, in this case listed in pounds. But be warned, these one-of-a-kind experiences don’t come cheap, but how do you put a price tag on this kind of excitement?

Ventriloquist museum and convention pays tribute to dummies

by Jamie Rhein on

There’s a museum in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky that is a reminder that if you have a passion about something, collect it. If the Baked Bean Museum of Excellence isn’t proof enough, check out the Vent Haven Museum. Across the Ohio River from Cincinnati is collection of ventriloquist dolls that says if you have hundreds of a particular item, people will come. I found out about the museum in this New York Times article.

As a person who heads to northern Kentucky often, the museum is now on my places to see list. Someone in my mother’s family had a Charlie McCarthy doll that looked similar to the real deal that Edgar Bergen used in his act. The museum pays tribute to Bergen and has Charlie McCarthy as part of the collection.

The collection also pays tribute to creativity and kitsch. Click through the museum’s Featured Figures page on the Web site for a look-see into the breadth of the collection. To visit the museum, contact the curator, Lisa Sweasy. Click here for appointment information. As a note, the museum is only open from May 1 until September 30.

If you’re interested in picking up some ventriloquist tips yourself, head to the Vent Haven ConVENTion July 15-19. Professional and amateurs come here every year to develop skills and share know-how.

Also, Roadside America has a wonderful write up that recounts a visit. One of these days, I’ll have my own version. The lovely photo is of Jerry Mahoney, another dummy great.

Museum Junkie: Hermitage Amsterdam launches grand opening

by Sean McLachlan on

A branch of Russia’s famous Hermitage museum opened to the public last weekend in Amsterdam. The giant Hermitage Amsterdam houses treasures from St. Petersburg including costumes, jewelry, furniture, and art from the time of the Tsars.

The museum’s opening was done with appropriate pomp and circumstance. Fireworks, a full orchestra, and a visit by the Dutch royal family entertained a vast crowd lining the Amstel canal just to the east of downtown Amsterdam.

The museum itself made a more lasting impression. The two wings are dedicated to the Tsars’ court and the exquisite balls for which it was famous. Some of the most sumptuous displays are of court costume, like this red velvet and satin dress embroidered with gold, made for the Tsarina Maria Feodorovna sometime between 1880s and 1890. Other displays included ornate jewelry, gold tableware, thrones, and even musical instruments.

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Some of the most interesting items were the minor ones, like the menus for state banquets, showing images from Russian history printed in brilliant colors. The working toy guns for the Tsar’s children brought a few looks of horror from parents, and a series of early black and white silent films from Russia in the 1910s gathered a large crowd.

What the displays didn’t talk about was as interesting as what they did. There was barely a mention of the Soviet Union, and not a word of how the Romanovs lost power–by being lined up against a wall and shot by the Bolsheviks. With this grandiose display the new Russia is trying to put its unseemly past behind it and highlight its role as a European power in the grand tradition. While museums shouldn’t shy away from inconvenient history, the Hermitage Amsterdam certainly fulfills its objective. Add it to the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum as the artistic highlights of one of Europe’s great art capitals.

A visit to Victoria Falls

by Kraig Becker on

Back in 1855, Scottish explorer David Livingstone was nearing the end of his exploration of the Zambezi River when he came across a sight that was quite unexpected at the time. For days he had heard from the local tribes about a great water fall that lay ahead on his journey, but because the region he was traveling through had no mountains, valleys, or plateaus, he found no reason to believe the reports. That is until he came face to face with the most magnificent and beautiful sight he had ever seen, the 360 foot tall waterfall that he would name Victoria Falls in honor of Queen Victoria of England.

Today, the Falls remain one of the top tourist draws for Zambia, with thousands flocking to the country every year to make the journey to see Livinstone’s wonderous discovery. Victoria Falls is the biggest waterfall in the world, stretching nearly a mile in width, and when combined with its impressive height, it forms the largest sheet of water anywhere in the world.

Recently, David Abel of the Boston Globe, made the journey for himself, and returned to share his experiences with the rest of us. While he was there, Abel discovered first hand why the Zambians call the falls Mosi-oa-Tunya or “the smoke that thunders” when he finally looked upon the falls that measure twice the height of Niagra.

From there, he moved on to the five-star, $900 per night, Royal Livingstone Hotel, where he enjoyed crumpets and tea while monkeys played in the trees overhead. The adventure didn’t stop there however, as he followed it up with other wildlife encounters and an exciting ride down the Zambizi River through Class V rapids.

Clearly Zambia has a lot to offer the adventurous traveler, and it extends beyond just the falls. But a chance to walk in the Livingstones footsteps sounds too goo to be true, and yet 150 years after the famous explorer visited the region, we’re still going back for more.