VIDEO: The Best New York City Timelapse Yet

by Libby Zay on

Timelapse videos are a dime a dozen these days, but there’s something inescapably cool about this energetic look at New York City. Maybe it’s the mesmerizing way people and lights make the city come alive, or perhaps it’s the driving mix of dubstep and ambient noises.

To created the video, DC-based production company District 7 Media traveled back-and-forth to New York for six months in order to shoot more than 50,000 still frames. Getting all this footage wasn’t easy, as Drew Geraci, owner and director of photography for the company, explains:

There were multiple times during this shoot that we were chased off, either by cops or the cold. The subway shots were particularly difficult to get, especially in the wake of the Boston bombings. We were led out and in some cases followed by police officers or MTA officials who seemed intent on getting us for using tripods.

With or without permits, District 7 Media was still able to get some great subway shots, plus they captured a handful of other New York landmarks. If the work looks familiar, that’s because Geraci also created the opening sequence timelapse for Netflix’s “House of Cards.”

Roller Coaster Fanatic Has Spent $50K On Theme Parks

by Libby Zay on

Marcus Gaines is so obsessed with riding roller coasters he has spent more than $50,000 for the thrill of trying out new rides. The 39-year-old television cameraman says he spends about a month each year at amusement parks, and has so far ridden 1,099 coasters at 251 parks across 19 countries.

“Nothing give me as much of a thrill as a rollercoaster,” Gaines told the Daily Mail. The fanatic rides an average of 100 coasters a year, sometimes traveling abroad alone to try out new rides. On a recent three-week trip to China, he took on 70 coasters in 26 parks.

And at home in England, his obsession doesn’t stop. Gaines has ridden Nemesis at Alton Towers (the theme park that famously banned Speedos to “protect children”) in Staffordshire approximately 350 times.

Of course, Gaines has some competition out there if he’s going to try to take the crown for theme park king. Stefan Zwanzger, a man known as “The Theme Park Guy,” has traveled to 44 countries, including North Korea, in his quest to study different cultures and their playgrounds.

Is The ‘Bed Bug Epidemic’ Just A Bunch Of Hype?

by Libby Zay on

Hotels infested with bedbugs have been a topic of conversation for some time now. The mere mention of the insects in news stories or user reviews can send a hotel into a public relations (or legal) nightmare, and whole cities have been blacklisted by some travelers afraid of becoming a victim of the bedbug plague.

But is it just public awareness around bedbugs that has gone up in recent years? In a recent piece for National Geographic, travel writer Christopher Elliot bravely tries to “exterminate” some misconceptions about the little buggers. He points out that bedbugs have been occupying hotels and inns for thousands of years and that if one room of a hotel is infested, it doesn’t mean the entire building has been taken over. He also says that most people who are bitten don’t even realize it, and quotes a leading bedbug expert as saying the bites are “no worse than a mosquito.”

Sure, nobody wants to get bitten, or worse, transfer bedbugs to their own home. But if travelers simply know where to look for bedbugs in the first place and take some simple precautions — like not putting their luggage on the bed or the floors — odds are they’ll be safe.

So travelers, relax. You don’t need a bedbug sleeping cocoon to stay safe from these pesky (but disease-free) insects. Don’t be naive, but certainly don’t let the idea of bedbugs ruin your next vacation.

Would You Get A ‘Wanderlust’ Tattoo?

by Libby Zay on

“Sometimes the best souvenirs are the ones you keep with you always,” writes BuzzFeed on a recent roundup of travel tattoos. Some of the tattoos pictured are simplistic, like a tiny outline of a paper airplane, while others are more elaborate, like a colorful, traditional-style compass.

While some of the tattoos seem to have a lot of thought behind them (as tattoos should), others are downright generic: someone with the word “traveler” on the back of their neck and lots of map outlines. There’s even one person with a world map who is filling in colors for countries they’ve visited. It’s kind of like having something to brag about permanently etched into your back (actually, he or she better get to Russia soon, cause the tattoo is looking a little sparse!).

Does anyone out there have a travel tattoo with a story behind it, or are you considering getting one? Maybe you and your friends got matching tattoos after a cross-country road trip, or you got permanently inked after a life-changing experience in India? Let’s hear about it in the comments below.

Fox To Open Amusement Park In Malaysia

by Libby Zay on

It looks like Twentieth Century Fox will be opening a new 25-acre theme park in Malaysia. The studio plans to have up to 30 film-themed attractions, including rides based on both “Rio” and “Alien.” So far, we can only guess what the $125 million overhaul of the Malaysian park (pictured above) will look like, but here are some ideas:

  • An “Independence Day” ride that looks like a UFO or flying saucer
  • “Dude, Where’s My Car?” bumper cars
  • A “Cast Away” water park
  • “Glee”- and “Moulin Rouge!”-themed stage shows
  • A “Die Hard” freefall drop
  • An “Avatar”-themed rainforest attraction
  • “Alvin and the Chipmunks” kiddie park

Anything related to “Star Wars” and “X-Men” would also be pretty amazing, as would something related to “The Simpsons,” but Universal Studios already has that covered. I guess we’ll just have to wait until 2016, when the park is slated to open, to see what Fox comes up with.