Museum Junkie: England’s most unique museum reopens

by Sean McLachlan on

Oxford’s famous Pitt Rivers Museum has reopened this month after more than a year of remodeling.

The famous Victorian displays, a massive collection of diverse anthropological objects in a large gallery and two upper floors, have remained untouched, preserving an almost unique set of displays dating back more than a century.

One of the most popular cases is the one involving death rituals, which has a spooky group of skulls and shrunken heads. A display about smoking contains a Chinese opium pipe with some suspicious-looking resin and a diagram of how to make a pipe by poking a hole through the ground. The museum as an especially good collection of Native American art, such as this woodcut print entitled “Hungry Bear” by Coast Salish artist Jody Wilson, depicting a grizzly bear in the act of catching a salmon.

The collection started with a donation in 1884 of 20,000 objects from Lt.-Gen. Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers. He was interested in the evolution of objects and organized his collection typologically, placing all items of the same use into a single case in order to show the evolution of form within and across cultures. The collection now boasts half a million artifacts from hundreds of cultures. The cases are cluttered with objects, and below them are drawers that can be opened to reveal more artifacts. The staff hand out free flashlights (called torches in England) so visitors and peer into the deeper recesses of the cases where even more treasures are hidden.

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This style of organization, so different from most modern museums, makes for a fascinating visit. For example, the case labeled Animal Forms in Art has dozens of animal representations from various cultures, some stylized, some realistic, some for worship, some for play. There’s an ancient Egyptian ram’s head made of wood, a nineteenth-century Danish piggybank, and a wooden owl carved by the Ainu about 1900 A.D., packed in with dozens of other objects.

An example of how objects can change their meaning over time is shown in drawer 29.3, labeled Amulets, Religious Artifacts, and Offerings. Inside are nine ushabti, little glazed figurines that the ancient Egyptians put in their tombs to act as servants in the afterlife. But these particular ones date from only a hundred years ago and were carried by Egyptian peasant men who went from village to village. Women would place them on the ground and jump over them in order to become fertile. One wonders if the wandering ushabti carriers had anything to do with it.

The whole effect of all the world’s objects crammed together in the same room is somewhat dizzying; even the walls and ceilings are decorated with totem poles, kayaks, and outrigger canoes.

The upper floor containing an immense array of weapons from all periods and cultures won’t be open until spring of 2010, but the two floors that are already open to the public will give any museum junkie several days’ worth of exploration.

Museum Junkie: Met reopens its American wing

by Sean McLachlan on

The American wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York reopened yesterday after two years of construction and renovation. The museum’s excellent collection of American painting, sculpture, and minor arts has taken on new life with a major remodel that includes a reconfigured main courtyard containing thirty pieces of important sculpture. A video of the stunning, light-filled courtyard can be seen here.

The new interior uses generous amounts of glass as well as an airy, open interior to create a beautiful space within which to admire American art. People have often bypassed this section to make a beeline to the more famous medieval and Egyptian galleries, but the American wing has an amazing collection of works that can hold their own with any period of art.

In this museum junkie’s opinion, the most interesting part of this wing has always been the period rooms, two of which are pictured in the gallery below. These are twenty original interiors from all periods of American history, ranging from 1680 to 1914, that really bring you into the feel of the time. New digital interpretation panels help you see beyond the pretty furniture and architecture to understand how these places were actually lived in. It’s all part of the museum’s commitment to make a more visitor-friendly experience and bring American art more into the public’s attention.

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Budget summer vacations from Honolulu: Molokai

by Brenda Yun on


If you made the journey all the way across the Pacific to Honolulu and promptly determined that the hustle and bustle of the busy city is not for you, you might want to consider heading to an outer island. While the more popular islands of the Big Island, Maui, and Kauai offer unique ecological and cultural sights, the island of Molokai is the most laid back and local of the bunch. Its hub, Kaunakakai, is just a lazy little country town that resembles Oahu’s Haleiwa town but is even smaller.

With tons of outdoor exploration to be had and the island’s fascinating history surrounding Father Damien, Molokai is a must-see for adventurers willing to blaze their own path into rarely charted territory.

Getting there

  • By air: There are daily flights out of Honolulu to Molokai’s lazy Hoolehua airport (MKK).
  • By boat: You can also take the ferry over to Maui and back. Ferries leave twice a day between Kaunakakai and Lahaina.


The Sights

  • In Kalaupapa National Historical Park, you can take a memorable three-mile mule ride around the island’s northern peninsula. The seascapes and vistas on the peninsula are absolutely breathtaking. You can also learn about Molokai’s well-documented leprosy colony and visit Father Damien’s gravesite and church.
  • Take a boat along Molokai’s northern shores to view the world’s tallest and most breathtaking cliffs.
  • Drive to the east until you reach the end of the road. There, sacred Halawa Valley awaits you, with hiking paths through lush tropical forests. The impressive, double-tiered Mooula Falls is a perfect place to rest your feet and have lunch.
  • Visit the town of Kaunakakai for a tasty of laid-back town life. Peruse the gift shops and boutiques along the main drag, Ala Malama Avenue, or stroll along the state’s longest pier, where local fishermen and tour boats call home.

The Food

  • The Saturday market in Kaunakakai (8 a.m. – noon) is a surprisingly lively affair for food lovers and souvenir shoppers.
  • If you’re looking for some tasty bakery delights, head to the famous Kanemitsu Bakery in Kaunakakai. Its onion-and-cheese bread will fill any void in your belly.
  • The Kualapu’u Cook House (at 102 Farrington Avenue) is a charming little local eatery in Ho’olehua. Customers continue to rave about its brunches and all around hospitable hosts.

Where to Stay

  • Camping is popular at various sites on Molokai, but all require either a permit or minimal entry fee. The most popular site is the Palaau State Park in the central part of the island (call #808-567-6618 to obtain a camping permit). Papohaku Beach Park (which fronts Hawaii’s longest white sand beach) and One Alii Park on Molokai’s west side has restrooms, drinking water, outdoor showers, grills and picnic facilities (call #808-553-3204 for $3 permits per person, per night).
  • The Pu’u O Hoku Ranch near Kaunakakai is an old-style Hawaiian lodge with a separate cottage and grove house. The entire ranch sits atop a hill with breathtaking ocean views and is surrounded by lush forest and tropical gardens. Rooms start at $120 per night.
  • The Castle Kaluakai Villas on Molokai’s Maunaloa coast offer more resort-like accomodations that start at just $110 per night.

Check out more budget summer vacations here!

Travel Bookshelf: free guidebook to “Angels and Demons” Rome

by Sean McLachlan on

Small press guidebook publisher Roaring Forties Press has released a free guidebook in downloadable PDF format titled Rome’s Angels and Demons: The Insider’s Guide to the Locations Featured in the Book and Movie. Author Angela K. Nickerson covers all the sites mentioned in the bestselling book, and then delves into the historical background of the real characters mentioned in the plot, such as Galileo and Raphael, highlighting sites associated with these famous figures that can still be seen today.

Dan Brown fans and visitors to Rome can learn a lot from this book. For example, the Vatican Secret Archives really exist, and they really do contain the files on Galileo’s trial. There are sections on the Swiss Guard, the Pantheon, and much more. The text is livened up with images by accomplished travel photographer Christine Cantera.

Nickerson is the author of another book on Rome (pictured here) titled A Journey into Michelangelo’s Rome, part of the ArtPlace series by Roaring Forties Press. The Artplace series are lavishly illustrated books that link a city to a famous resident, and Nickerson’s book examines the life and work of one of Renaissance Italy’s greatest artists. I reviewed that book on my own blog. Other destinations include Normandy, Ireland, the south of France, New York, California, and New England.

Adventure Destination: Easter Island

by Kraig Becker on

Easter Island has always been a place of great mystery. Everyone is aware of the iconic stone faces that number more than 800 and stand as much as 10 meters in height and weighing in at nearly 75 tons. The figures were carved by inhabitants of the island between 1250 and 1500 AD, and their construction and transportation to various parts of the island, is still considered a remarkable feat.

The inhabitants who built the statues are a bit of a mystery themselves, and add to the mystique of Easter Island. They were a Polynesian tribe that immigrated to the island by boat across the Pacific Ocean, and over hundreds of years built up a substantial society before nearly disappearing from the place completely. What exactly happened to their society is still openly debated amongst historians and anthropologists. Many believe that the remote nature of island was their eventual undoing, as they deforested the entire place, leaving them with no natural resources. Some see it as a parable for what could happen to the planet as a whole.

Over the past few years, the island has become quite the adventure destination. It is widely considered the most remote, inhabited place on Earth, with its nearest neighbor being a tiny island called Pitcairn, which is home to just a few dozen people, and lies 1240 miles away. Easter Island falls under the jurisdiction of Chile and there are flights most days of the week.
Visitors are drawn to the stone faces of course, and they come to learn more about how they were built and eventually moved to their final resting spots. Travelers also enjoy the fact that they are actually stepping foot on a place that has its own legend and the remoteness of the island is also a huge draw. But there are also other activities for adventure travelers to enjoy. For instance, the island has earned a reputation as quite a good mountain biking destination and there are trekking trails that wander in and around the the archeological sites. Snorkeling, SCUBA diving, and horseback riding also offer interesting experiences for the adventurous.

At one time, it was nearly impossible to go to Easter Island. Its isolation kept tourists away and its mysteries intact. But now, a five hour flight from the mainland will take you to one of the most unique and remote places on Earth. A place that offers up archeological delights and plenty of outdoor adventure as well.