Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney isn’t the only option

by Jamie Rhein on

Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania has competition. Stiff competition. Phil may have been a star in the movie Groundhog Day but there are other woodchucks who have a following.

There’s Jimmy the Groundhog in Sun Prairie, WI; General Beauregard Lee in Lilburn, GA; Smith Lake Jake in Birmingham, AL; and Sir Walter Wally in Raleigh, N.C. And that’s just for starters. What I discovered when I went poking around is that Groundhog Day is indeed a tourist draw. You have to love the fun of loving a groundhog. Punxsutawney has the festivities down pat. They’ve been going on all week. In Canada, though, Wiarton Willie is the famous one. In 2002, The Wiarton Willie Festival won the distinction as the Greatest Festival on Earth by Festivals.com. One year, when one of the Willies died before the event, a stuffed replica was used as a funeral stand-in. You have to read the story.

All of the groundhogs mentioned are making appearances on February 2 to let us know how long winter will last. For more groundhog fun, check out 123.Holiday.net. There are even some songs to learn. And here are some more groundhog events in other parts of the U.S. to give you more travel options.

Stonehenge: A Neolithic Woodstock

by Erik Olsen on

It is pretty much impossible for me to think about Stonehenge, that magnificent, 4,500 year old rock garden 100 outside of London, without thinking also of a scene from Spinal Tap. If you are not familiar with that scene, well, you either have been living under a stone slab of your own, or perhaps you are tuning in from one of those far-off and distant countries that just got connected to the Internet. If that is the case, then, welcome. Now I urge you to go watch the film Spinal Tap.

And so it is was I listened this story from NPR about all sorts of new revelations about that famous rock clock. While you might have thought that a monument of this size and fame would have been largely studied to death by this point in time, the fact is that enterprising British scientist are still uncovering clues about Stonehenge, and in this report, we learn that the builders of the structure actually lived in a large village around it and, here’s the interesting part, were actually hard-core partiers.

Yes, the grounds around the area are strewn with gnawed animal bones and fire pits and lots of those little drinking hats (made out of granite) with the two tubes (made out of sheep’s intestine) that go right from the beer can to the mouth. OK, I made that last part up, but never underestimate human ingenuity.

Anyhow, I thought the story here was damn fascinating. I listened to it on the subway and despite my mind’s inclination to picture midgets dancing around on a stage, I did manage to learn a lot about a place where I figured all new learning had been exhausted.

BOO! Ghosts of the London Underground

by Justin Glow on

Do you believe in ghosts?

Me? I don’t know… it’s tough to say. Those who have experienced a sighting are sold on it — of course there are! But without having any contact with the “other side,” I only have numerous television specials to go on, and honestly, what’s to say there isn’t a bit of fancy editing or trick photography going on?

Regardless of where you travel, there’s bound to be a haunted this or a haunted that. Hollywood, for instance, has a myriad of hotels, mansions, restaurants and studios rumored to be haunted by film stars long gone. And what’s a trip to New Orleans — known as “America’s most haunted city” — without going on one of the many haunted tours peddled to tourists roaming the French Quarter?

Ghosts are everywhere, apparently — including the London Underground. A post on MetaFilter today alerted me to this website dedicated to tracking the many reported ghost sitings in the Tube, along with bizarre, unexplained photographs and a 47 minute documentary [Google Video] on the subject.

For you ghost lovers, London might be the next stop on a haunted trip around the world.

Lonely Planet’s New New York Guide

by Erik Olsen on

It’s one thing to buy a new travel guide when you head to a far off destination like, say, Vanuatu. You NEED that guide to help you find your way around. The guide book is generally an indispensable component of your travel experience. I mean, how would you know where to eat, where to stay, what to see without a decent guidebook? Not to mention, of course, how the guidebook has become something of a beacon for travelers to identify each other, strike up conversations and find partners on the road. Happens all the time. Has happened to me.

But then, what about the question of having a guidebook for your own city? Does it do any good to heft one of those weighty tomes around in the place you call home? Well, I suppose it depends on where you live, but for me, having lived in an intense, bustling, complex city now for over seven years, the answer is, absolutely.

And I can’t tell you how pleased I was to get my hands on the newest edition of the Lonely Planet New York City guide. Released just a few months ago, the book is a major upgrade to the previous edition, with gobs of new information on sites and restaurants and hotels. The new edition was much needed and much anticipated by New York transplants and born-n-breds alike who enjoy having the LP guides (among numerous others) on the shelf when a quiet Sunday rolls around and you’re in need of some direction on what to do. I was very pleased to see the new guide nails all my favorite spots, like the Spotted Pig and Sapphire and the Abingdon Guest House (yes, I’m partial to the Village), but also takes on the thriving out door scene in the city with hefty mentions of biking (i.e. along the River and to the Hudson Bridge) as well as kayaking (I always recommend you come and paddle in Manhattan and check out the Manhattan Kayak Company. You will never regret this…unless you are crushed by a cruise ship, of course, then you might regret it…but htat almost never happens ;-)).

Another great feature of the new guide is the lovely and detailed pull-out map. If I have one gripe with travel guides it’s that the maps inside are usually lousy, and LP too a much-needed step by including great maps. If you’ve never been to Manhattan or don’t come often, you NEED a good map.

I could go on, but suffice to say that the new edition of Lonely Planet’s New York City guide is a must have for both visitors and locals.

Hispaniola Calling

by Adrienne Wilson on

Sometime in say, the next three months I am planning to escape to the Caribbean and this year’s pick happens to be the island in the West Indies comprised by the two countries we know as the Dominican Republic and Haiti. I want to go to both. As much as I like digging my toes into the sand on the beach while reading the latest top-selling book on all the lists, I also take great fancy in being productive, learning while touring and lending a helping hand. Haiti isn’t a place I got ignited about visiting after watching Pitt & Jolie hang around with Wyclef Jean, I’d always wanted to go. Having a few friends that are from there, but have yet to go back and wish very little to go back has always intrigued me. The political climate is no secret to me and aside from all the negative images there is an enormous amount of culture and beauty to be found. I want to find it. In fact, I’d love to have Wyclef take me on a tour similar to the one the Brad & Angelina received and see what’s happening with Yéle and Haiti combined.

In regards to the Dominican Republic, I’m looking for beach, sun, fun, dance and more importantly Larimar. Ever since my eyes laid sight on the Pectolite it has become my own “precious” of sorts and I must visit the museum and the mines. I’m told a trip to the mines might change my mind about ever owning a piece of Larimar jewelry, but there is no hiding, running, or turning back now. I want to see the mines.

Yes, my agenda seems and sounds quite set right now, but I’ve got some weeks to plan and I’m opening it up for some reader recommendations. Like Neil, before he took off for Albania and pooled for some additional ideas if anyone says “don’t go” I’ll be obliged to ignore.