One for the Road: More Words of Worldly Wisdom

by Kelly Amabile on

‘Tis the season of giving, and since I still have a plethora of interesting links to share, here’s another round of travel-related reading possibilities. These lit-minded travel topics have been gathered from the usual suspects, as well as some less traditional and slightly obscure sources. Have at it if any of these tickle your fancy:

A sleuth-fiction travel guide to a world of crime from the folks at New York magazine. This collection of tales stretches from Havana to the Gaza Strip.

Duke University Press plugs its 2005 book about tourism in Bulgaria, in response to today’s NYT article about the country’s ski resorts. A more recent travel title from this press is Femininity in Flight, about sexism that early “stewardesses” faced.

The Island Studies Journal offers up loads of academic content related to land surrounded by water. Bookforum links to a piece on Second Home Tourism in Small Island Communities, and reviews of various island literature, like Empire Islands: Castaways, Cannibals and Fantasies of Conquest.

The Center for Faulkner Studies announces the acquisition of records relating to the foreign travels of the renowned writer. The collection includes letters and photographs from his 1950’s trips to Japan, Greece, Italy, France and Venezuela.

World Hum recently suggested 12 books to read before traveling to China, and three picks about Antarctica.

And finally, Rick Steves has recently shared insider info about his company. If you follow news from the travel publishing industry closely, you may be interested to read his take on running a travel business and the future of the guidebook.

New Maps and Subway Sketches in New York

by Kelly Amabile on

Two new travel-related items out of New York this week, that I discovered over at the always resourceful NewYorkology:

First up, a new map that charts Jewish New York, the result of a collaboration between the New York Board of Rabbis, Jewish New York History & Heritage Project and grants from the City of New York. Locations plotted on the map include NYU, Temple Emanu-El and spots associated with folks like Woody Allen, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Marx Brothers, Simon & Garfunkel and Dr. Ruth Westheimer. The map is on sale for $6.95 at the Brooklyn Tourism and Visitors Center and will eventually be available online as well.

And an artistic travel-inspired exhibit to check out later this month:The Transit Museum will display the subway-inspired sketches of Marvin Franklin, a former track worker who was killed in an on-the-job accident in April. Franklin’s watercolors, oil paintings and etchings will be showcased through the end of March at the museum’s Brooklyn location, which is housed in a former subway station.

One for the Road: Journey Overload

by Kelly Amabile on

My December 1st gift to you, dear readers, is a plethora of journey-related reading to welcome the new month. Instead of suggesting just one book today, I’ll start off the month with a whole bunch. So many of the links I come across on a daily basis simply disappear into the web’s oblivion…but not these special gems. In an attempt to connect wanderers with words, here is a collection of links that can take you places:

First up, a variety of travel-minded Lit Lists: a collection of books that celebrate the the spirit of Scotland, and five best books about journeys of discovery, and exploration.

A pseudo Seuss book, There’s a Map on My Lap, is mentioned at a wonderful new blog I discovered called Cartophila. (I can’t quite recall how I arrived at the URL, but no maps were used :)

And also for the kiddies: Wind the World Over, a unique book about two siblings who travel the world learning about how different cultures use wind as a resource.

The Written Nerd reviews Gentleman of the Road, and shares this favorite snippit from the book, which I love as well: “All adventure happens in that damned and magical space, wherever it may be found or chanced upon, which least resembles one’s home.”

And a bonus for future travels: from Bozeman to Milan, more bookstores to get lost in. Happy reading…wherever you are!

Ode to Evel Knievel

by Jamie Rhein on

My 5 year-old told me Evel Knievel died. He and his dad, (yes, my husband) were watching videos of Eve’s stunts at the time. Hearing of his death prompted them to turn to the Web to watch Eve’s antics.

This summer we went to our 2nd Evel Knievel Days in Butte, Montana. Evel is from there, and the town has taken that to heart. Good for Butte that someone with some pizazz is from there. Some celebrities sort of fade away, and whatever festival occurred when they were alive peter out. Not so for Evel Knievel Days. I expect next year’s crowd could even get bigger.

There are some events that take a person by surprise. This was one of them. Okay, so my kids got all wired up on Monster Energy, that new drink that debuted sometime in June or July. They were gulping it down, one can after another since one booth was handing it out free, and the weather was hotter than the blazes. My husband finally read the label’s warning against giving it to kids, particularly young ones. It’s LOADED with caffeine. I’ve nixed Mountain Dew awhile back for the same reason. My son was a jabbering nut case (not really, this is an exaggeration, but it did seem he was talking faster than usual, and he’s a talker.)

But, back to Evel Knieval Days. (see previous post) This is much more of a high brow event than I expected. I thought it would be a tough- talking crowd, and dicey with the family fare aspect. Nope. Not so. Bring the gang. Grandma and Grandpa included. Of course, I only went during the day, so I can’t vouch for the night crowd. I expect it’s fairly tame, although with a bit more drinking–not Monster Energy drink, but beer.

This summer we did see Evel. He pulled up in his chauffeured car to address the crowd waiting for one of the dare devil stunts to happen. One of the things I liked was the flash. He was not a big guy, but he sure had a presence that still has a huge following. The daredevils out there are not diminishing.

This summer my son asked if he could be a daredevil. He’s still asking. Just last Wednesday when I picked him up at his school bus stopped, the first thing he said when he got in the car was, “Can I be a daredevil when I grow up.”

My response? “Maybe.”

Thanks, Evel.

Independence days and elephants

by Jamie Rhein on

I’ve whipped out my International Calendar to see what might be left to tell about November before it slips away from Eastern Standard Time in a few hours. What I see is a whole lot of independence days and a slew of other politically geared occasions.

  • Nov. 1–Antigua-Barbuda gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1980.
  • Nov. 3–Dominica gained independence from the UK in 1978. Panama gained Independence from Colombia in 1903 and Micronesia gained independence from the U.S. in 1980.
  • Nov. 9–Cambodia gained independence from France in 1953.
  • Nov. 11–Poland gained independence in 1918; Angola gained independence from Portugal in 1975.
  • Nov. 18–Latvia gained independence from Russia in 1918; Morocco from France in 1956.
  • Nov. 25–Suriname gained independence
  • Nov. 28–Mauritania gained Independence from France in 1968 and Albania gained Independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, Panama gained independence from Spain in 1821 and East Timor gained independence from Portugal in 1975.
  • Nov. 30-Barbados gained independence from the U.K. in 1966

Other than these, Tonga has had Constitution Day (Nov. 4); Russia, Revolution Day (Nov. 7); Brazil, Republic Day (Nov. 15); and Vanuatu has had National Unity Day, (Nov. 29)

My favorite happening of the bunch of events that occurred this month, though, is the Surin Elephant Round-Up in Thailand.