Deadwood Trips

by Erik Olsen on

I try my best not to begin watching new TV shows, especially those on HBO. This is not because I am some kind of snooty anti-TV elitist (although I am, sort of. I mean, most of what’s on TV these days is garbage and a colossal WOT). But then you stumble on a show like the Sopranos or 24 and you’re hooked.

Well, I’ve been hooked for a couple of years now on the HBO show Deadwood. What can I say? I think it is one of the most clever, brutally entertaining programs I can remember. It’s been a wild hit for the company and, like all wild hits…i.e. Sex and the City…it has spawned its own cottage travel industry. To wit: there are now ample outfitters and touring companies offering trips to the real Deadwood, in Wyoming South Dakota.

Nevermind they don’t even shoot the program there. But the town has spruced itself up real nice-like, put on some lipstick and taken a bath, and now brings in tourists by the bus load.

Now, I’m not advocating you go to Deadwood, but as you will read in this piece over at Sunset magazine, there is an allure to doing so. Some of the places in the show are real places. Some are obviously there because of the show (I wonder if you can buy a Swearengen doll that says c*cksucker when you pull the string?). There is, for example, a Bullock Hotel. You can also see where Wild Bill’s body lies, which happens to be right next to Calamity Jane’s grave at the Mt. Moriah Cemetery above Deadwood. Whether you can visit Trixie at the Gem Saloon, well, the article doesn’t say.

Mexico By Train…With Money

by Erik Olsen on

We’re big on Mexico by train. Why, just a few days ago Adrienne posted about doing Copper Canyon by rail. I have it on good authority that this is a MUST DO trip, that the canyon is gorgeous and the ride, while at times perilous, offers a wonderful mixture of comfort, luxury and adventure.

And for those willing to pay out a bit more, you can enhance that luxury quotient by several-fold. The folks over at Luxist have posted about a company offering uber-luxurious trips in Mexico. called GrandLuxe Rail Journeys they offer a nine-day package that takes you on a meandering tour down from Texas to Mexico City. You will chug and choo-choo through Copper Canyon and then to Guadalajara and Tequila (where you will need to disembark and do a shot..sorry, it’s the law), then you are headed to the historic town on San Miguel de Allende and over to the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon at the ancient city of Teotihuacán.

But such fun doesn’t come cheap. The trip starts in October and a Presidential Suite costs $6,190.

Understanding Soccer

by Erik Olsen on

Well, we are now moving swiftly towards the finals of the World Cup and, oh my, how exciting it has been. The Brits English got beat, the Brazilians got beat and it looks like it might be WWIII with the Germans and the French going at it. French and Italians going head to head. But who knows? I do know one thing, however. I know that I understand very little about soccer strategy. And it is my guess that the average American knows very little also.

So in the spirit of goodwill towards all, and in an effort to help my own countrymen feel a little more a part of the bigger world, I offer you a very fine little Wiki-lesson on understanding soccer strategy.

Yes, some of the “tips” might seem very obvious (i.e. “Learn how counter attacks can lead to goal scoring opportunities. ” Yeah, OK.), but much of what’s here might just help you better enjoy the next game you watch. 

You are watching the World Cup, right? 

Pursuit of Happiness

by Erik Olsen on

What does happiness mean to you? Well, it appears to mean different things to different people. Although it never seems to mean, “having a hot poker stuck in my eye”. So there is some commonality.

But over at the Philly Inquirer, they ask that simple question and get a lot of different answers. One person says happiness is: “The struggle to live for something outside yourself.”  Another writes: “Being satisfied in the present while envisioning and working towards a better world.”

You are asked to provide your own. So go ahead. Go over and say: Traveling the world, seeing new things, meeting new people, helping out where you can. Oh, and then something about Swedish models.

Happy 4th of July From Saratoga

by Erik Olsen on

I was thinking about the very best place I could be this Fourth of July to celebrate our country’s birthday. Boston? Sure, but too crowded. Philadelphia? Yeah, but so obvious. Also, I didn’t want to travel very far. I thought Brooklyn was a good idea, especially since David McCullough’s book 1776 talks so much about it. The Battle of Brooklyn was one of those pivotal events in the history of the nation that’s gone largely unheralded.

But what else? How about the place where it all really started? No, not Plymouth Rock. I’m talking about the place where the fight for independence really started. OK, give up? Well, I am in Saratoga Springs this weekend, and I just got back moments ago from the Saratoga Battlefield, the location of one of the most pivotal battles in all of American history.

 I’ll spare you the history lesson and merely point you to the Wikipedia site to get your fix, but suffice it to say that it was because we proved our mettle here on these very fields that the French thought us worthy of their support. We took on the superior British forces of General John Burgoyne and forced him to surrender to a ragtag group of pissed off colonists. And it was that battle that made the French decide to throw a little succor our way, enough help to propel us on our way to nationhood. In fact, many historians say that without that support, we might never have won the war.

So here I am on the very ground where this whole independence thing really took off. Pretty damn cool. And  hey, if you haven’t already noticed by the photos here…it’s kinda pretty.