YOU Can be Indiana Jones!

by Iva Skoch on

Have some extra time and a wad of cash to spend? Become a treasure hunter. There’s a fun article in WSJ’s Weekend Journal about “Seven Missing Wonders of the World,” plus a treasure map to get you started.

  • The Holy Grail: Apparently, this wasn’t mentioned anywhere until around 1190 in a poem about something (undescribed) seen by the knight Perceval. But, obviously undergoing a recent surge of interest, and you’ve probably already started your search. Quite possibly being hidden along with the Holy Hand Grenade.
  • Genghis Khan’s Tomb: Maury Kravitz, retired trader and attorney, has spent over $3m and 15 yrs searching Mongolia for the resting place of this conqueror. Don’t let him beat you to it. Follow him around, and interview locals to see where he’s dug already and don’t dig there.
  • Amelia Earhart’s Plane: She was lost July 2, 1937, heading from Papua New Guinea to Howland Island. Some think she assumed the identity of NJ banker and pilot Irene Bolam, but I think traipsing around the South Pacific looking is a little sexier.
  • Nefertiti’s Tomb: Seeing as how Egyptian royalty were usually hidden when buried (because of the nasty habits of grave-robbers), she could be anywhere from the Valley of Kings, to somewhere in New Jersey.
  • The Shipwreck The San Jose: This Spanish galleon was sunk by the English in 1708, taking gold and silver, estimated to be worth between $150m and $10B, to the bottom of the ocean off Columbia. A 20-yr legal battle with the government of Columbia ended this year, promising the finder would split the loot with the government.
  • Peter the Great’s The Amber Room: This masterpiece of Baroque art was actually a room given by the king of Prussia to Peter the Great in 1716. It disappeared some time after the Nazi armies carted it off. I’m guessing it is with the Arc of the Covenant.
  • Leonardo da Vinci’s Mural The Battle of Anghiari: Thought to be his greatest work of art, this mural decorated a hall in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, was copied by other artists, was lost, and now some think it was covered by another mural by Giorgio Vasari in the 16th century. If you can’t find it, at least have a replica of the mural tattooed on your back.

In case you don’t have the time or cash to do any of this yourself, you can at least buy shares of the most prominent treasure hunter company, Odyssey Marine. Boo-ya!

I see another Hollywood blockbuster or bestseller in the making…

Vintage train stations: Where have all the trains gone?

by Jamie Rhein on

My art car friend, Greg Phelps knows a lot about funky travel. He still talks about that crane hotel in the Netherlands that he and his girlfriend stayed in earlier this year after Gadling’s suggestion. Today he sent me a travel tidbit that led me to train stations. Here is a Web page link that takes visitors around the U.S. via a combination of vintage postcards and photographs to the train stations with art deco architecture. There is an historical overview of each place, including what became of them all.

For example, Union Terminal in Cincinnati, a truly wonderful building now houses several vibrant museums, including the Museum of Natural History. Figuring out just the right use for this gem took patience. It failed as a shopping mall. My favorite part of the building is the front. Doesn’t it look like a huge 1930s radio? Inside, there are large mosaics that depict various scenes of American work life. Here’s a bit of film trivia: in the movie “Rain Man” a scene was shot here. It is after Tom Cruise picked up Dustin Hoffman from the institution and was figuring out how to take him to California. They went to Union Terminal in hopes of catching a train. You can briefly see the mosaics in the background. Amtrak does use a portion of the building, but from what I recall, the few trains that do pass through here do so at night.

Some of these art deco stations no longer exist since they have been taken down to make room for “progress.” Browsing the stations is an interesting look at how travel in the U.S. has changed.

Virtual gaming within the Tower of London

by Neil Woodburn on

Sometimes historical locations need a little modern twist to make them more interesting for tourists.

Take the case of the Tower of London. I visited this landmark about ten years ago and wasn’t terribly impressed. Sure, it was sort of cool and certainly had some interesting history about it, but, for the most part, it lacked the excitement and sense of adventure that such a storied structure deserves.

Dragging the Tower of London into the 21st century and making it interesting has fallen upon the shoulders of Historic Royal Palaces, the charity group that manages the site. Its docents have worked in conjunction with Hewlett-Packard to create a GPS-driven Tower of London game that is played with a PDA and a radio transmitter.

The concept is simple and brilliant. As visitors walk around the Tower of London, the GPS unit activates various audio feeds which virtually insert the user into historical events which occurred at the location, such as prison escapes. Aided by the PDA flashing images of the past, gamers are fully engaged in the unfolding stories as voices from their headphones cry for help, shout out directions, and navigate them through the historical twists and turns of the ancient structure.

Wow. This is a very cool example of active learning and a perfect way to really educate students without it seeming like a chore.

Yet, another reason to hit South Dakota: George McGovern

by Jamie Rhein on

With the presidential elections heating up, it’s difficult to gain the perspective of time. Depending on how old you are, there is a fuzzy recollection of some elections, and no memory of others. I do remember the name George McGovern. Both my parents liked him. Regardless of political parties, he seemed like an upstanding fellow and his running certainly must have put South Dakota on the map.

He was born in Avon, South Dakota in 1922 and kept his roots there. Last year The McGovern Center for Leadership and Public Service opened in Mitchell, South Dakota. It includes a The Legacy Museum that highlights main points in McGovern’s life. When you think about someone who could remember the Depression, served as a in WWII and ran for president during the Vietnam War and also served in the U.N.– plus a whole lot of other things, that’s some career. The center also has the McGovern Library that is connected to Dakota Wesleyan University, McGovern’s alma matter and the site of The McGovern Center.

Part of the purpose of the center is to educate others to become stellar leaders. That’s not a bad idea. We kind of need those. By the way, McGovern is 85.

Jail Hotels: bunking like an inmate

by Abha Malpani on


Call me weird, but there is something sickly exciting about living in a hotel that used to be a jail. I prefer hostels, bed and breakfast inns and motels to hotels — with a special dislike towards 5-star luxury — but should I have the opportunity to stay at the new Boston jail hotel, I’d take it.

Smartly called “Liberty Hotel”, the once notorious Charles Street Jail celled Boston Mayor James Michael Curley and Frank Abagnale Jr., the con artist played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie “Catch Me If You Can.” After a $150 million refurbishment, it is now a 4-star hotel that seems to have succeeded in making something once squalid into something luxurious. Opened only in August, the likes of Meg Ryan and Mick Jagger have already been guests.

Less luxurious and more prison-like is the “Jail Hotel” in Switzerland, and the Liepaja prison in Latvia that takes your ‘lock-up’ experience to different heights. At the Liepaja, you are photographed and given a prison passport; you are given a medical test, a ‘do’s and don’ts’ list, and you have to make your own bed to strict army codes; a gun shot is fired if they see you smirking!

Any takers?

[Via ABC News]

Photo: Travelblog.org — Downpour30, Justin and Lauren