Top 10 travel destinations for Twilight fans

by Katie Hammel on

New Moon, the second installment of the Twilight saga, will be hitting theaters on November 20th.

That’s like, just over a month until we get to see Edward in all his sparkly, “dazzling” glory! Plus Jacob, shirtless and “fur-sploding” into his werewolf form! O-M-Geeeeee!!

Okay, now that I’ve let the 13-year old girl in me have her say. . . To satiate your thirst for teen vampire angst until the movie’s premiere, why not take a trip to one of these destinations perfect for the Twilight-obsessed?

Forks, Washington
Forks is where the love story of Edward and Bella began, and where most of the action in the four Twilight books takes place. Stephanie Meyer chose the small town for the setting of her book because days here are usually cloudy, making it the perfect place for a clan of vampires (who sparkle in the sun) to settle. The tiny Welcome Center now offers maps of Twilight landmarks and “Dazzled by Twilight’, a store devoted entirely to the saga, offers tours to surrounding locations from the books (or at least, sites that resemble places in the books – “Bella’s house” isn’t actually the house used in the movie). A few local inns, including the Dew Drop Inn and the Pacific Inn Motel, have designed Twilight-themed rooms, and are of course, charging a premium for them.

Port Angeles, Washington
Port Angeles was a resort town even before Twilight put it on the radar of teenage girls, but now it proudly boasts its role in the story. There are several tours that show visitors to the Twilight landmarks around town, including Odyssey Books and Bella Italia, the restaurant where Bella and Edward had their first date after Edward rescued Bella from some unsavory characters in an alley. Guests who dine at Bella Italia can even order “Bella’s mushroom ravioli” and eat the same dish Bella did on her date. There’s no Edward dish; he of course didn’t eat.

Portland, Oregon
No part of the story takes place in Portland, but many of the movie’s scenes were filmed here. Go See Portland has put together a handy map of filming locations. The scene where Edward saves Bella in the alley took place in Port Angeles, but was actually filmed in Portland. You can visit that alley and see the store (really a hair salon) where Bella’s friends tried on prom dresses on this self-guided tour. The owner still has Catherine Hardwick’s director’s chair sitting in a corner of the shop. Chief Swan’s house is located in Portland, the hilltop location of the prom was The Viewpoint Inn in Corbett, and the beach that stands in for La Push in some scenes was actually Cannon Beach on Oregon’s coast.

Vancouver, Canada
While many of Twilight’s scenes were shot in and around Portland, much of New Moon’s filming was done in Vancouver. On Location Tours will take fans to not only the spots where scenes were shot, but also to favorite hangouts of the cast and crew. The 6-hour tours cost $119 for kids and $149 for adults. One of the main locations used in Vancouver was the David Thompson Secondary School, which stood in for Forks High School, and some of the woodland scenes were shot around Tofino.

Hoh Rainforest, Washington
Several scenes in the Twilight saga take place in the Hoh rainforest in Washington. It’s one of the few temperate rainforests in the US and one of the largest in the world. It’s densely populated with towering moss-covered trees, many of which are thousands of years old. It has become a very popular destination for those seeking the Twilight experience, but it is still large enough that you can find a place to escape the crowds. There are campgrounds in the Rainforest and hiking trails where you can spot birds and wildlife.

Quileute Reservation, Washington
The Quileute tribe of Native Americans have lived on the land that is now Washington state for thousands of years. Members of the tribe still reside on the reservation and control the town and beach of La Push and its harbor. The area is known for its whale watching, surfing, fishing, and beautiful, rugged beaches. Twilight’s beach scenes, including the one in which Jacob tells Bella about the ancient “cold ones”, take place on First Beach at La Push. The Quileute tribe operates a beach resort at La Push where cabin rentals start at $100 per night. The resort also runs a waterfront Twilight tour.

Syracuse, Utah
Syracuse has absolutely nothing to do with the Twilight books or movies, but it does have two corn mazes that depict the saga’s two hunks, Edward and Jacob. If you can’t make it to any of these other locations to immerse yourself in scenes from the movies or books, you can at least wander around in a big field of corn cut to look like a vampire or a werewolf.

Volterra, Italy
In the New Moon book, Bella tracks Edward to Volterra, Italy, where he is about to reveal himself to the Volturri, a clan of ancient vampires. Volterra is a real town in Italy, located in the Tuscany region with massive walls that surround the medieval town. The town has capitalized on its Twilight fame, offering Twilight-themed tours to the obsessed.

Montepulciano, Italy
The movie didn’t shoot in Volterra, but in nearby Montepulciano. If you want to see the fountain that Bella runs across to stop Edward before he steps into the sun in all his sparkly glory, you’re out of luck. The town square in Montepulciano does not have a fountain, one was constructed specifically for the movie shoot. But you can see other locations from the filming when you book the “New Moon” package at The Albergo Dumo, located right near the town square.

Los Angeles, California
Unless you get extremely lucky, your chances of getting into the New Moon premiere on November 16th are very slim. But you can still camp out at the Village Theatre and Bruin Theatre in Los Angeles in the hopes that you’ll catch a glimpse of your favorite supernatural being. Or you could stalk R-Patz and try to casually bump into him at an after-party in LA.

Undiscovered New York: Modern art in Long Island City

by Jeremy Kressmann on

It’s no secret New York is downright spoiled by a world-class modern art scene. Art lovers flock to great museums like MoMA, galleries in Chelsea and the famous annual Armory Show. With all this great creativity so close at hand, it’s hard to believe that one of New York’s best neighborhoods for modern art isn’t in Manhattan – it actually lies just across the East River in Long Island City.

Long Island City is a neighborhood on the rebound. Thanks to the nearby Queensboro Bridge, which dumps a steady stream of traffic into the area, this industrial neighborhood was long bypassed by visitors headed toward other points beyond in Manhattan and Long Island. Yet this feeling of a gritty zone time forgot is exactly what attracted the area’s first artists back in the 70’s and 80’s. Slowly, Long Island City began a remarkable transformation, replaced by an influx of artist studios, top-notch museums and monuments to New York’s influential role in street art.

Today, Long Island City is an art lover’s paradise. Ready to check out a less crowded version of Manhattan’s MoMA in Queens and dance at one of the city’s best outdoor dance parties? Or perhaps an outdoor sculpture park with views of the NYC skyline is more your style? It’s time to investigate one of New York’s best (and lesser known) neighborhoods for art. This week Undiscovered New York visits Long Island City. Click below for more.
P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
Just off the 23rd St – Ely Avenue Subway stop, the first stop from Manhattan, lies P.S.1, one of Long Island City’s best museums and a mecca for up-and-coming artists. First opened in 1976 in a formerly deserted public school building, P.S.1 focuses on the shows of cutting edge art, resulting in an often delightful and eyebrow-raising mixture of works across all types and mediums from sculpture to painting to photography and beyond.

One of the most enjoyable parts of P.S.1 is the museum’s outdoor courtyard, where during the summer it plays host to Warm-Up, a series of outdoor weekend dance parties featuring DJ’s and live music. The backdrop for the party is a colossal ever-changing outdoor sculpture (see left) that is updated each Summer.

Socrates Sculpture Park
Another great reminder of Long Island City’s gritty industrial past is the Socrates Sculpture Park, located along the neighborhood’s East River waterfront. Named in honor of the area’s historically Greek residents, the sculpture park was built on the site of what was once an illegal dumping ground. Today the trash is long gone, having been replaced by large-scale sculptures, outdoor movies and art workshops.

Museum of the Moving Image
Just last week, we told you about New York’s long history with television. But we actually left one great museum out – the Museum of the Moving Image in Long Island City. In addition to galleries of movie and TV equipment, the museum features screenings of landmark movies, and has an extensive collection of costumes, photos and fan magazines. Museum-haters and those with ADD take note: it even has its own video game arcade as part of the exhibitions.

Hollywood Roosevelt pool comes alive at night

by Mike Barish on

When is a pool more than just a pool? When you’re staying at the Hollywood Roosevelt in Los Angeles. Continuing Gadling’s Hotel Month coverage, I’m here to tell you about how the Hollywood Roosevelt has taken their gorgeous pool space and turned it into a hot spot for evening activities. Since most hotels don’t allow for night swimming, I was confused when I was told about the Hollywood Roosevelt’s rich schedule of events by the pool. But silly me, I assumed that all you can do at the pool is swim. One should never assume, and the Hollywood Roosevelt’s calendar of events taught me that lesson.

Perhaps the coolest event at the Hollywood Roosevelt’s pool is Movie Monday. Every week, a different celebrity or filmmaker hosts a viewing. A large screen is set up poolside and, after the sun sets, the fun starts. The featured host shares explains to the attendees why they have selected that movie and why its so special to them. Then everyone cozies up enjoys the film. Something about having the sky above and palm trees all around you makes a multiplex seem unnecessary.

Tuesdays are swim nights. Yes, one night a week the hotel allows night swimming. Resident and guest DJs provide the soundtrack while people frolic in the romantically lit pool.

On Thursday, guests can scope out the scene at Hollywoodland: the hotel’s weekly homage to old Hollywood. As you drink poolside, music plays and synchronized swimmers perform. While the rest of LA attempts to be trendy, the Hollywood Roosevelt harkens back to a classier time in the town’s history.

On the weekends, the pool provides the scenery for patrons at the Tropicana, the hotel’s outdoor bar. Wednesday’s are left open for events and private parties.

It seems as if there’s always something going on at the Hollywood Roosevelt’s pool. You could start your day basking in the sun and end it watching a movie, taking a dip or just drinking the night away. The next morning you’ll realize that you never left the pool. And you’ll be OK with that.

Human Rights International Film Festival

by Jamie Rhein on

A few years ago, in the audience of the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center watching A Closer Walk, a wonderful documentary about the global struggle caused by AIDS, I felt tuned into something bigger than myself. Reading New York Times film critic Steven Holden’s article about the Human Rights International Film Festival going on at the Walter Reade Theater through June 25, reminded me about that night, as well as, my day at the Cleveland International Film Festival this past March.

A film festival is an opportunity to view the world through a variety of lenses. In a summer of blockbusters where the popular theme seems to be horror and sci-fi—again, breaking up the fiction action with action that is real may give you that bigger than yourself feeling. If nothing else, seeing such films is an opportunity to see the work of passionate people who are like dogs with bones when it comes to getting a movie made about a cause they care about.

Besides, for people who are world travelers, heading to a film may shed light on some of the issues of the countries where one visits. Although one may visit a country, there may not be the opportunity to really find out what goes on behind closed doors, literally and figuratively.

Holden gave an overview of some of the films in his articlem and indicates that there is much worthwhile to see. You may have heard of some of the offerings. They are a mix of films that are new and others have been previously viewed elsewhere.

Because the films take in a range of slices of life in Afganistan, Ecuador, Pakistan, India and more–and often are about subjects that are not what one would think they might be about, they hold details well outside the sound bite version of the nightly news.

Here is a link to the films that will be featured and a link to the calendar to see when each will be screened.

Since I’m going to be in New York City next Wednesday, I have my eye on Regret to Inform, the award-winning documentary by Barbara Sonneborn. The film, nominated for an Academy Award in 1998 is about Sonneborn’s journey to Vietnam twenty years after her husband was killed there during the war. She set out to see where he was killed and along the way developed relationships with Vietnam war widows from the other side. Sonneborn will be at the showing and will give a talk as part of the venue.

If you do have a chance to head to the Walter Reade Theatre, take time to stop in the adjacent Furman Gallery to see the exhibit “Long Story Bit By Bit: Liberia Retold” by Tim Hetherington. Through photographs and writing, Hetherington has aimed to make sense of Liberia’s complicated past and present. The exhibit is another avenue to experience another person’s passion.

An artist is thrilled when people heading to a movie duck into a gallery to see his or her work as part of an event. The gallery is not open at night, so if you do want to see the exhibit, stop in before 5 p.m.

Museum Junkie: Smithsonian offers real “Night at the Museum”

by Sean McLachlan on

The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., is offering a special weekend tour to coincide with the sure-to-be-hit movie “Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian”.

Visitors will learn the real story behind the sites and artifacts featured in the film during the Smithsonian’s “Family Weekend in Washington, D.C.”, on July 24-26. The weekend starts with a dinner with Amelia Earhart at the National Air and Space Museum, followed the next day by a viewing of the film at the the museum’s Imax theater and a special tour of the museum. The second day of the tour includes visits to sites in Washington, D.C. that feature in the movie such as the National Mall and the Lincoln Memorial.

The weekend is part of the Smithsonian Journeys series that takes people on informative trips around the world, whether it’s the early Christian sites of Greece and Turkey or the coastal wilderness of Alaska. For those wanting to stay closer to home, “Celebrate Smithsonian!” offers a behind-the-scenes tour of America’s greatest museum, including the newly reopened National Museum of American History. The tour is on September 9-12, but it’s best to book ahead.