TV Tourism

by Erik Olsen on

The smog-spewing buses park along Manhattan’s narrow side streets and hordes of camera-toting tourists waddle out and snap photos of the familiar building facades they know so well from their favorite TV show. The expressions on their faces suggest a suppressed excitement as if they are hopeful that Carrie or Jerry or Chandler will somehow appear from behind the door and walk past them uttering a witty observation on life in the Big Apple. I see these tours ALL THE TIME, and while a part of me is filled with loathing that they a) exist b) cause horrible traffic in the streets and c) further our celebrity-obsession, I have to say each time I walk past, say John Lennon’s apartment on Bank Street, I feel a slight tremor of delight, wondering whether my favorite Beatle, nay my favorite artist of all time may have tread the very sidewalk where I am walking. And so it goes. We all have our own secret fantasies of living among our cultural heroes or seeing the places — real or fake — where they themselves live.

This piece in the Sydney morning Herald takes a brief, and somewhat thoughtful, or at least more historical, look at TV tourism, making note not just of familiar NYC-themed shows like Friends and Sex and the City, but of some rather more obscure ones like Neighbors (an Australian TV show with the worst theme music ever written), Blake’s 7 (a BBC space series) as well as Dr. Who. But perhaps the best advice the article offers is that instead of visiting places like the West Village apartment in Friends (the interior of which was never used in the show itself) you pay a visit to the Museum of Television and Radio, which offers an expansive look at the history of the medium that has so captivated (and some say diminished) modern society. At least there you can actually learn something interesting … and you don’t hold up traffic.

North Dakota Heritage Center

by Adrienne Wilson on


Before hitting Bismarck, ND we were told by the hotel staff to keep moving towards South Dakota (our next stop). The river boat tour, also the main attraction in Bismarck, was closed for the season and the only thing of interest for the locals was hitting up a bar at night. Not the type of thing we were going for and to piggy-back on what the locals have to say – they are very correct when stating there isn’t a whole lot to do. We managed to spend around four hours in the area after our night stay checking out the North Dakota Heritage Center and the Capitol building though. If you’re into North Dakota history you’ve just found two of the best spots to soak it all in and the best part is they are both FREE! The North Dakota Heritage Center sits on the State Capitol grounds and reflects all areas of the state history in addition to housing permanent collections: North Dakota Remembers World War II and Emigrants from the Empires.

Take a stroll outside on the grounds and you’ll discover flower gardens and sculptures. One of the most notable finds includes a large bronze of Sacajawea and her son just outside of the Heritage Center. In short it’s a very, very cool large place for both children and adults to learn a lot of information about the state.

The North Dakota Heritage Center is located at 612 E Boulevard Ave, Bismarck, ND 58505. Ph. 701.328.2666. Hours are 8 AM-5 PM, Mon-Fri., 9 AM-5 PM Sat., and 11 AM-5 PM Sun. Summer hours, May 16 to Sept. 15, are 8 AM-5 PM daily.

Best American Travel Essays

by Erik Olsen on

I blogged a bit about a story in this book the other day, but realized the entire book itself is worthy of a quick post. I haven’t actually got my hands on it yet, but every year I do, and always I find it the most wonderful reading. I am talking about the series called Best American Travel stories. It is part of a much wider series of Best American books that cover essays on everything from science to mystery to crime and sports. In the case of the Best American Travel Stories, it is basically a hand-picked compendium of what the editor decides are the travel essays published in a particular year.

Last year’s book was edited by Jamaica Kincaid and featured contributions from luminary scribes like Jim Harrison, Madison Smartt Bell, Pam Houston, Simon Winchester, and John McPhee. This year’s promises to be a real treat. It was released just a week or so ago.

Edited by the always entertaining (and talented) Tim Cahill, the book features wanderlustful tales by the likes of Gary Shteyngart, George Saunders, Alain de Botton and (always funny) P.J. O’Rourke. The 2006 edition also seems to place special emphasis on food with an essay by Chitrita Banerji’s about a Calcutta wedding feast and Calvin Trillin’s New Yorker piece about spending a week in Ecuador indulging his love for “thick and hearty” fanesca soup.

I recall reading a couple of these stories over the year in mainstream rags like the New Yorker, but the cool thing about the Best American series is that they usually select a number of essays from spunky little literary mags that you’ve never heard of. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to get my hands on it ASAP.

Google Mapping Kerouac

by Erik Olsen on

It is regarded as the seminal book about exploring the American road. I’ve read it three times, and most people I know have read it. I for one can say it was supremely inspirational as a source of both adventure and literary aspiration. I am tracking about On The Road, Jack Kerouac’s magnum opus featuring the character Sal Paradise and his scruffy, incandescent-spirited iconoclast friend Dean Moriarty. It is a wonderful book, but it is still, well, a book. So what about taking On the Road into the Internet age? How might one do that, exactly?

Michael Yessis of Worldhum fame has got an interview with a guy named Michael Hess who has done just that, basically by retracing Sal Paradise’s steps (or stops, as the case may be, since he was, after all, in a car much of the time) during a cross-country roadtrip from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Los Angeles. Hess did the trip with his wife, and launched a project called Littourati in May 2006. And here’s the modern angle: he then decided to plot their (and Paradise’s) westward progress on Google Maps. The project is the product of Hess’s self-professed interest in literature, maps and programming.

It is a cool project, particularly if you are a Kerouac fan (or fanatic), and could serve as a rather cool template for other epic and famous roadtrips (Animal House anyone?).

Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Center

by Adrienne Wilson on

Fargo may not be the world’s center for ragin’ night life or amusement parks for the kiddies, but there is one place for both children and adults I recommend visiting if staying in the North Dakota town. However, depending on where you are in the area you’ll probably need to drive a few miles, maybe 3-5 to get to the Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Center which is actually located across the state line in neighboring city, Moorhead, MN. I found the place when I put in a search online for Fargo attractions. I’d never heard of it, but it seemed worth investigating.

It was noted that a man by the name of Robert Asp from Moorhead had dreamed of building a replica Viking ship and sailing it to Norway, the land of his ancestors. Asp started on his rather outlandish task back in the early 1970’s and naturally people thought him crazy and out of his mind. He completed building his Viking ship and test sailed it the same year he died in 1980 of lukemia, just short of sailing his ship the long haul, but his family members saw his dream through and made the voyage in 1982 to Norway where they were welcomed greatly. During a visit to the center you’ll see a video about Asp and his ship. It’s a very touching and inspiring piece and really shaped our entire visit. When we arrived we found out that the ship was having some work done on it and we wouldn’t be able to view it, which was a complete bummer. Yet, the video, our fantastic tour guide, John, and a trip to the Norwegian style church located in the back of the center saved all. Plus they gave us a discounted rate. The ship should be available to view by late November according to John and if you have the opportunity I say check it out!

Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Center is located at 202 First Avenue North, Moorhead, MN 56561. Ph 218.299.5511