Commando Catalina

by Neil Woodburn on

Whereas much of Europe is littered with historic World War II sites, America has almost none.  This is, of
course, due to the fact that Pearl Harbor was the only true battle site on American soil.  But, the war effort
didn’t end there. 

As Cecilia Rasmussen reports in
the LA Times, pretty little Santa Catalina Island, just 26 miles off the coast of Los Angeles, was the site of another
major World War II effort; protecting the California Coast. 

Known primarily today as a quick getaway from the big city, Catalina has always offered a wonderful, quiet respite
for yachtsmen and day trippers.  But in World War II, its harbors served as a base for the Merchant Marine and its
deep valleys and secluded landscape proved ample training grounds for commandos preparing for the European
theater.  The military also loaded the island with antiaircraft batteries and observation towers while gigantic
blimps plied the island’s airspace, protecting the important shipping lanes into Long Beach Harbor. 

Today, the island is as quaint and beautiful as ever; simply nothing remains of the leisurely playground’s
dark sabbatical into war.

 

Hot New Prague

by Erik Olsen on

We’ve blogged here
about Prague on several occasions, and the city without a doubt remains one of our favorites. I was there a few years
ago for a friend’s wedding and was reminded what an interesting and exciting place it is. It was also the first time
I’ve ever consumed a Red Bull and Vodka, and realized how mixing alcohol and caffeine can make for a rather heady mix
that can help get you through the night and make the morning more difficult. Alas.

Well, keeping with the
Prague theme, I urge you to head over the
epicurious.com where writer David Farley talks about many
of the hot, hip, new, happening places in Prague. Farley should know. He was the man behind the Travelers’ Tales Prague book. A couple of the key places he
mentions are the Eva Jiricna-redesigned Maximilian Hotel, which is rich in amenities like huge plasma-screen TVs,
complimentary high-speed Internet access, and DVD players. Also, he says, check out Kolkovna, a well-known pub and
restaurant on the Old Town/Josefov border, and the James Bond Café where you can treat your inner James Bond to
a martini, served shaken, not stirred…and hopefully without nerve toxins.

Red Corner: Cheap Moscow Digs Disappearing

by Neil Woodburn on

The chance to sleep in one of Moscow’s most famous buildings may soon go the way of the Hammer and Sickle.

The Ukraina Hotel is one of Moscow’s famous Seven Sisters-seven skyscrapers Joseph Stalin built in the 1950s to anchor his Albert Speerian attempt to rebuild Moscow as the modern throne of communism. All seven buildings share the same wedding-cake style of layered architecture that continues to cast an eerie, Gothic sense of oppression over Moscow long after the death of communism.

The Ukraina Hotel offers cheap accommodations for less than $100 a night-a good bargain in a very expensive hotel market. When I stayed there, I found it a decent, functional place that was worth more than $100 for the historical buzz, but worth less than a kopek for the foul bathroom which accompanied my room.

This may all change, however.

The Russian government, who owned the hotel, has just sold it to a private company for $274 million. There is no word yet on future plans for the hotel, but based upon the current state of accommodations in Moscow, my guess is that the Hotel Ukraina will be upscaled and placed far out of reach of proletariats such as myself.

But that’s not all. There is other bad news for affordable accommodations in Moscow. The decision was just made to knock down Europe’s largest hotel – the 3,000 room Rossiya Hotel on the edge of Red Square. Although this was another source of cheap accommodations in the Russian capital, the hotel was despised and few will shed tears over the loss of this monstrous, rat infested dive.

Getty Villa Reopens

by Neil Woodburn on

Before the current Getty Center Museum opened a few years ago atop a mountain in Brentwood overlooking Los
Angeles, the collection had originally been held in an Italian villa just off Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. 
The villa, however, has been closed since 1997 while it underwent a $275 million renovation. 

Yesterday, it finally reopened. 

The museum now holds an impressive collection of ancient Greek, Roman and Etruscan artwork, statuary
and antiquities.  With the largest museum endowment in the world, it’s no surprise that the Getty Foundation
inspires and delights with
their new Getty Villa venture where 1,200 pieces are spread across 48,000 square
feet of jaw-dropping villa-extravagancia.  Indeed, even for those not interested in antiquities, the beautifully
restored complex with its marvelous gardens and ocean
view is still very much worth a trip on its own. 

But don’t just show up in LA expecting to get right in.  Admission is free, but reservations are
required.  This is actually a problem; the museum is already fully booked until July 31.  Museum officials
are so concerned that they will be
overrun by people without reservations they’ve bought full page ads in the LA Times reminding visitors to stay
away unless they already have reservations. 

The opening comes at an awkward time, however, as the Getty is unfortunately dealing with accusations of smuggled and
stolen artwork.  Get your reservations now before some of it is sent back to Italy. 

 

New Seven Wonders?

by Erik Olsen on

There were a few stories out about this group, but I
figured I’d take a closer look, because the topic here is fascinating. Now, you’ve all heard of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, right? How many can you name?
Maybe three? OK, perhaps you’re a classics professor, a master of Trivial Pursuit and you get all 7. Whatever. I got
three. But, hey. Mr Trivia Wiz, did you know that the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, all man-made monuments, were
selected by Philon of Byzantium in 200 BC? He basically made these choices for fellow Athenians, as all the sites were
located around the Med. Here is the list of SAW2:
 

    * The Lighthouse of Alexandria
    * The Temple of Artemis
    * The Statue of Zeus
    * The Colossus of Rhodes
    * The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
    * The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
    * The
Pyramids of Egypt

Now, only a few of these still remain…or just one, um,
right? Well a new group is out to change all this and to create a
newer, more modern version of the World’s Greatest sites. From the Acropolis, to the Eiffel Tower to
the great Wall of China and more, he says that the list seriously needs to be updated. And what’s more YOU can go and vote for the places you believe deserve being given the N7W
distinction. Now, the voting scheme here is really kooky, and I honestly don’t quite get it. You may have to PAY to make
a phone call to vote. And they say the money goes to help the organization doing this… so I am totally dubious. But I
am  posting about the idea just because I think it’s interesting.