Da Vinci Code Tours

by Neil Woodburn on

Another bestseller, another literary tour. 

It really shouldn’t come as a great surprise that tour companies have already jumped on The Da Vinci
Code bandwagon.  The bestselling book practically reads as a travel guide, taking readers deep into
historical sites, churches, and museums across Europe.  And now, for just €20, you can do the same in
person. 

Having just finished the book, but not yet seen the movie, British journalist Ginny McGrath recently embarked on
the two-hour tour which began at the
Place Vendôme just outside the Ritz Hotel in Paris—the same place the book began.  Although, I
won’t bore you with the locations visited (anyone who has read the book can figure out where such a tour might
visit) I will tell you that McGrath seemed to have enjoyed the tour and her witty
guide—although McGrath does express some disdain and mockery for the slightly obnoxious American tourists in the
group. 

I found it interesting to learn that some of the locations, such as St. Sulpice, have posted notices discrediting
the accuracy of the popular book and correcting some of its misguided “facts.” 

McGrath also mentions similar tours and locations that can
be visited in London.  Go and check them out before the 5% of this planet who haven’t read the book, watch
the movie and decide to join the literary tour themselves. 

Dire Bering Straits

by Erik Olsen on

There you are, having the time of your life, in the
middle of an epic trip, and you get busted. I hate it when that happens. And it’s particularly bad when you’re busted by
the Russian cops because you know they aren’t going to treat you very nice.

And so it went with this
pair of trekkers an American and a Brit, who were venturing in the far east and got arrested after making a
"rare" crossing by foot of a frozen 56-mile stretch of the Bering Strait. Now, to me that is the more
interesting part of the story, but the article here focuses more on the whole arrest thing. To get the more intriguing
details about the crossing, you have to go to the Web site of the Brit Karl
Bushby, where there is much more information, photos and so on. In fact, I’ll be checking back on this site at some
point in the near future and will give you a heads up on the status of these guys.

West Side Story with Meat

by Erik Olsen on

And
hey, while we’re talking about the convergence of Los Angeles and food, let me direct you to an article about a topic
very dear to my heart: the Southern
California burger scene. Perhaps you were unaware there was such a thing as a burger scene in LA. Well, let me
assure you there is, and the followers of the various burger cults there are quite particular about which burgers rule
and which ones suck.

I’m actually surprised no one out there, one of the gazillion would-be movie writers
out there, has yet penned a screenplay about the conflicts between LA burger cults.

For example, I picture
two gangs like the Jets and the Sharks facing off in an elaborate dance number…the opening scene reveals a gang
of hooded riff-raff from Tommy’s; they are holding dripping Tommy’s burgers, hands drenched in Chili as they face off
against the more preppy In-N-Outs, whose Double Doubles catch the moonlight. They break into song:

When
you love Tommy’s you love the night
Always ready for a fight
That glorious chili that gets on your
shirt
Anyone touches you, they’re gonna get hurt

The In-N-Outs then stalk forward, clenching
their burgers, pink lemonade dripping from their greedy maws:

Tommys is crap, there’s only one
meat
That’s out on the street and cannot be beat
A Double Double is the only way
To top of the
night or to start the day

And so on.

Now, did I get carried away there? Perhaps. But all to
point out this site here about LA’s burger culture. Read it enjoy it. And from one In-N-Out to another, savor its
sweet, greasy juices.

Literary Hudson Valley

by Erik Olsen on

When I took a sweet, long drive up the Hudson River
valley last fall, I remarked to my wife how deep the literary history of the place seemed to be. From Washington Irving
to Gore Vidal and Edna St. Vincent Millay, the voices of some of our great literary heroes still echo in the woods and
over the cold tombstones of this well-known, but not oft celebrated region. So it was nice to see the Sunday Times of London takes a look at the
Hudson River Valley and to do so with a decidedly literary bent. We
experience the valley through a woman named Sarah Anderson, who ran the Travel Bookshop in west London for 25 years.
From the favorite haunts of literary heroes to bookstores that remind you why people used to shop for books off-line,
the article here is a nice little dose of history and art.

One for the Road: Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors

by Erik Olsen on

Those who caught on (and let’s face it ,it wasn’t too difficult)
to our April Fools series, might remember the faux review I did of the book: Foot Odor: A History, that poked fun
at the trend towards single-topic esoterica in today’s non-fiction literary landscape. Well, here’s one
that’s no joke. A new book out called Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors, the book takes a deep, spicy look at this wonderful spice,
which has made its way into popular dishes from India to Thailand.

From chicken tikka masala to chicken
vindaloo and Thai Red/Green/Masala curry, this is a book that foodies will probably find perfect for building up your
repertoire of food trivia that is sure to amaze friends at parties and bars. Written by Lizzie
Collingham, the book examines the history and use of curry in all your favorite dishes, and of course, explains the
cultural significance of the spice and how it has found its place in cities like New York and London.