25 newly-discovered travel destinations from Wanderfly.com

by Meg Nesterov on

If you’ve checked out Wanderfly, the new travel planning and booking service that suggests destinations and activities based on your interests, you know they’ve come up with some unique and untouristy destinations. Now they’ve gone beyond the beaten tourist track with 25 newly-discovered travel destinations. Why just see the Great Wall of China when you could see a whole city full of kittens in China (far greater if you ask us!)?! Fan of Dolly Parton? Thousands go to Dollywood, why not relax on a man-made archipelago in the shape of Dolly and Kenny Rogers at Islands in the Stream in Dubai? Can’t get enough of that rascal Charlie Sheen? Intrepid adventurers can get inside his brain and see what all that tiger’s blood does.

The Wanderfly researchers teamed up with Whim Quarterly to unearth these new places and the best activities to do. The new destinations were chosen for their interactive experiences to give travelers the most authentic experience. “We challenge any traveler to find even a single destination that can compare to these unearthed gems,” says Wanderfly co-founder Christy Liu. “Paris? London? Cleveland? With respect to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, they all pale in comparison to such places as ObeCity, Funkytown, and Your Mom’s House.”

For more on these exciting new discoveries, visit Wanderfly.com and click the crazy kitten on the home page and then Get Going. But hurry, some of these destinations may only be available on April 1st.

Cleveland in 36 hours and some

by Jamie Rhein on

This past Sunday’s New York Times’ article “36 Hours in Cleveland” did the city proud. Writer Brett Sokol captured most of the must-sees of Cleveland’s many faces that range from the down home blue collar to the artsy and highbrow. I was particularly pleased to see a nod to Lilly Handmade Chocolates in the Tremont district. The pink-haired owner is a delight and the chocolates exquisite. Think manna from heaven. Please go there because I so want this upbeat business to succeed.

For anyone planning a few days trip to Cleveland, print off Sokol’s article as a basic guide but add to the itinerary. The places I’d add to round out the mix are top notch and next to the ones that Sokol highlights. You’ll have to add a few hours to fit everything in though, otherwise you’ll be racing through Cleveland without enough time to enjoy the view–or savor the food.

Even if you don’t want to pay admission to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, take time to enjoy the building. The atrium and gift shop are free. The building, an I.M. Pei creation, is one of my Cleveland favorites. Some hotels like the Embassy Suites may have a package deal where tickets to the museum are part of the deal. The view of Lake Erie from inside the museum is wonderful.

Next to Rock and Roll is the walkway that heads down to the lake. This is where artist Spencer Tunick set up his shots of naked people. At the end of the walkway you can catch a trip on the Good Time III, the sightseeing boat that travels up the Cuyahoga River. The tour passes under a series of Cleveland’s movable steel bridges that turn and raise to let tall boats through.

This part of Cleveland that edges Lake Erie is also where the Great Lakes Science Center and the Cleveland Browns Stadium are located. The science center boasts a wide range of hands-on exhibits that suit people of all ages. Along the outside wall of the Browns stadium are bronze relief plaques that pay tribute to Football Hall of Famers who played with the Browns.

Before you head to Lilly’s for a chocolate fix, if it’s a Sunday, go to Lucky’s Cafe for brunch. Lucky’s is also on Starkweather Avenue. Be prepared to hold your ground when it comes to getting a table. It’s first come, first serve. Don’t lose your place in line. If you’re with another person, one of you should stake out a table while the other person orders at the counter. The fruit salad with yogurt is absolutely gorgeous and sublime. Personally, I’d have them go sparingly on the honey.

At Lolita, Iron Chef Michael Symon’s restaurant, one of Sokol’s recommendations I second, order appetizers and a pizza for dinner. It’s one way to cut down on the price of a meal and still be able to savor Symon’s brand of creative cooking paired with a glass of wine.

Sokol’s choice of Sokolowiski’s University Inn as another meal location was a brilliant call as a way to contrast Cleveland’s upscale cutting edge creations with its comfort food and ethnic roots. Here I dug into the pirogies and cabbage rolls . Plus, as Sokol notes, the view of Cleveland from this restaurant encapsulates what makes the city unique.

Another area of the city that Sokol captured in his 36 hour spree is University Circle. Although it was “built on the backs of the working people,” as my husband, the son of an auto worker, is fond of saying, wealthy industrialists did put their money to excellent use. For example, The Cleveland Museum of Art, I think, is the grandest museum in Ohio–and it’s free. Recently renovated, the 1916 building is an architectural gem. October 4- January 18, 2010, Paul Gauguin: Paris features 75 of Gauguin’s paintings. Although the main museum is free, this special exhibit has an admission.

Nearby are the Cleveland Botanical Gardens and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Each are also worth a visit. The glass house at the botanical garden features a wonderful canopy walk that is a chance to pretend that you’ve gone to Costa Rica–the version without the rain as Katie recently experienced.

Another of my Cleveland favorites that garnered a Sokol nod is the Westside Market. Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous place. If you want to see the bounty of Cleveland’s ethnic heritage, it’s clearly evident in the mix of food stalls. Asian food newcomers have found their way here as well. Here you can pick something up to take on the road or chow down on there.

Ohio City, where the Westside Market is located, is a restaurant mecca. Within view from each other–most on West 25th Street are Phnom Penh, Bar Cento, and Nate’s Deli and Restaurant . Around the corner on Market Avenue are Great Lakes Brewing Company and Flying Fig. Each of these are excellent. Take your pick depending upon your mood, time of day, financial situation and appetite. There are more eateries than these, but these are the ones I’ve been to and can give a rousing thumbs up.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Cleveland and how to take part

by Jamie Rhein on

This past week, Cleveland has been a buzz with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony activities. People flock to this city by Lake Erie for such occassions. For that reason, the Hall of Fame has worked hard to get the ceremony back where it belongs.

Over the past several years–as in more than 20, the power house people who organize the inductions have opted for New York City instead of Cleveland, the city accredited to the birth of Rock and Roll when 1950s DJ Alan Freed coined the term during his Cleveland broadcasts.

I guess those who are New York prone have decided that Cleveland’s not a “Mistake on the Lake” after all. The induction festivities will be in Cleveland once every three years starting this year. That was the buzz a couple years ago, and I heard yesterday on the news that this is a done deal. This is great news for Cleveland because the ceremony brings in millions of dollars and will hopefully create a renewed interest in the museum. For the public, it’s great. Today, for example, admission to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is free. Several Cleveland restaurants have been offering special drinks and dishes and there have been special concerts. Plus, Cleveland is sure cheaper than Manhattan.

According to the events page on the Hall of Fame website, if you want to watch the simulcast of the three hour ceremony, you can buy a $5 ticket at Ticketmaster outlets or online. You can also call 1-800-745-3000. Or, if you’re in Cleveland, head to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There will be broadcasts throughout the museum and on the huge screen on the Main Stage.

Starting at 6 pm tonight you can also watch the induction ceremony hoopla including the red carpet arrivals and backstage interview buzz at Public Hall via live streaming video at www.cleveland.com.

Who is getting inducted this year?

Performers

  • Jeff Beck
  • Metallica
  • Little Anthony and the Imperials
  • Run-D.M.C
  • Bobby Womack

Early Influence

  • Wanda Jackson

Sideman Category

  • Bill Black
  • DJ Fontana
  • Spooner Oldman

I.M. Pei creations: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Museum of Islamic Art

by Jamie Rhein on

When I was recently visiting my friend in Denmark, she remembered going to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum when she visited me 10 years ago. The day we headed inside this I.M. Pei designed building, we didn’t have time to see the museum’s exhibits and films, but I wanted her see Lake Erie from the building’s unique perspective and to enjoy the angles, light and concept of I.M. Pei’s design.

I am a bit of a building nut. A city’s buildings can be one of a city’s selling points. Cleveland has several, but the Hall of Fame is one of my favorites. It’s worth visiting for the architecture alone.

The building juts out onto Lake Erie affording a gorgeous view, creating the sense that the lake is part of the design because of the lobby and atrium. The atrium reaches upwards in a stunning span of glass past each floor’s balcony.

To get the full effect, take the escalator down from the lobby to the ground floor. Although, there’s an admission fee to see the exhibits, you can enjoy aspects of the building and the gift shop for free.

In this New York Times article, Nicolai Ouroussoff waxes poetic about the new Museum of Islamic Art, the latest I.M. Pei creation. The museum located in Doha, Qatar sits on a man-made island.

The way the water is part of the building’s design, reminds me of the Hall of Fame’s positioning. This past November, the art museum opened with fanfare and a plan to be the site of the first Tribeca Film Festival in Doha thanks to plans by actor Robert De Niro.

After reading both Ouroussoff’s article and this Al Arabiya New Channel article about the museum, I felt refreshed.

What both articles point out through their explanation of I.M. Pei’s work and the creation of this museum is that, despite the steady drone of what is horrible in the world, when it comes to conflicts and people’s penchant for not getting along, there’s a whole different side to humanity that gets far too little press. The collection and the building are one way to show the endurance of people’s humanity and vision.

For Doha, the museum offers a broader look at the vastness and scope of Islamic culture. The collection certainly interests me. Because of I.M. Pei’s connection to the building and the vision he describes in the article, Qatar has made it on my list of places to go one day.

* The photo of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is courtesy of the museum’s Web site.

Spencer Tunick: Nudes, landscapes and global warming

by Jamie Rhein on

At a recent trip to my son’s dentist, I was flipping through the latest issue of Time Magazine and came across a photo of hundreds of nude people standing on Aletsch Glacier in Switzerland. The photo was taken by Spencer Tunick on August 18 as Tunick’s effort to show the vulnerability of people and the planet due to global warming–an interesting, and certainly eye catching approach.

(The photo here is of participants walking up the glacier before their clothes came off. It’s on the Aletsch Glacier page of the Spencer Tunick Experience Web site. Yes, there’s a nude photo there as well.)

I find Tunick’s work tasteful and compelling, perhaps because I grew up in a house filled with art and surrounded by artists. Perhaps, I find Tunick’s work intriguing because there are so many people of all shapes, sizes and skin tones represented that the individual becomes part of the whole. As a person with a sociology background, people in groups draw me into the idea of the bigger picture of life and relationships. This is perhaps part of Tunick’s point. Seeing the photo in Time Magazine reminded me of my own missed Tunick opportunity.

A few years ago, a friend emailed me about participating in a Spencer Tunick photo shoot outside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Sure, I’m game, I thought, and registered. The photo shoot date was switched, however, and I had a conflict, so I was unable to participate after all. I wasn’t sure that I would have anyway, but it was a gleeful thought. My friend did show up along with hundreds of other people, for the event and thought the experience was wonderful and liberating. She ended up with a limited edition of the official photograph for her efforts and an interesting story to tell. She did mention how cold the ground was at that time in the morning.

Tunick’s most recent shoot was in Miami, Florida this past October. The photographs are on exhibit through the end of this month at the Sagmore Art Hotel in Miami. The one here is from the exhibit. If you can’t tell, it’s of men on rafts.

If you have a hankering to have a travel experience you won’t likely repeat elsewhere, register to participate in a future Spencer Tunick photography event. I’m sure he’s not done yet, so who knows where such an endeavor might take you.