Take the new Gossip Girl Tour of NYC

by Annie Scott on

Remember the Sex and the City Tours? And then the uber expensive, $24,000 Sex and the City Tours? Well, a new show is now stealing the spotlight for Manhattan’s trendiest tourists (oxymoron?) — Gossip Girl.

The Gossip Girl Sites Tour will take you to 40 locations used in filming the Upper East Side’s high school drama Gossip Girl. Naturally, the New York Palace Hotel where the Bass and Van der Woodsen families reside is included, as is the Fifth Avenue building where Blair supposedly lives. You will also get to shop at Henri Bendel (expensive bags not included), and be “spotted” by the anonymous Gossip Girl blogger. The trip will cost you $40 and just a liiiiiitle pride.

What’s next, a 90210 tour of L.A.? Oh. (It’s just virtual.)

[via NewYorkology]

National Poetry Month: Emily Dickinson’s Grave and house museum

by Jamie Rhein on

Cemeteries are fine destinations for gathering poetry fodder. I’m fond of cemeteries myself. To me, they are peaceful places where one can search for the connections between the people who are buried there and our own lives.

No one wrote poetry about death as well as Emily Dickinson. For National Poetry Month, here’s a nod to Dickinson with information about the house where she lived, a tour of of her grave in West Cemetery in Amherst, Massachusetts and one of her poems.

Dickinson was born and lived her entire life in Amherst, where she wrote more than 1,700 poems and lived as a recluse with a few exceptions.

Her house is now a museum, but check the hours as they are seasonal. There are actually two houses that make up the Emily Dickinson Museum. She lived at The Homestead and her brother Austin lived next door at the Evergreens with his wife and children.

The tour of the cemetery and the poem are after the jump. The tour gives you the feeling as if you are following the narrator around the grounds, and the poem alludes to how Dickinson might feel about where she is buried.

Ample Make This Bed

Ample make this bed.
Make this bed with awe;
In it wait till judgment break
Excellent and fair.

Be its mattress straight,
Be its pillow round;
Let no sunrise’ yellow noise
Interrupt this ground.

— Emily Dickinson

Even though I’ve never been to this particular graveyard, after seeing this video, I have a sense of what it might be like. I love the interactions between the person behind the camera and the person in front. The details about the grass around Dickinson’s grave compared to the rest of the cemetery offers insider info, something a person might not notice otherwise.

Where spices come from. A tour of a spice plantation in Goa

by Jamie Rhein on

If you’re in a region of the world where spices are grown, take in a tour of a spice plantation. On last Tuesday’s episode of Bizarre Foods, Andrew Zimmern went to a one in Goa.

Here is a video of a tour of a spice plantation in Goa (there are several) that points out the highlights of the various spices and how they are grown. The text captions tell what you’re seeing. Along with the close-up shots, are views of the entire plants. In the mix, there is a demonstration of how to climb a tree, and the food shots will make you hungry.

Here is a link Goa’s spice plantations. Make sure that food is part of the bargain. You are guaranteed shopping time.

Where to go in Denver and Boulder, Colorado. Two suggestions. Intelligent Travel needs more

by Jamie Rhein on

Over at Intelligent Travel, editor, Janelle Nanos is heading to Colorado this weekend, specifically to Denver (for Friday evening) and Boulder (for the rest of the weekend). She’s looking for suggestions for what she might do and where she might eat. Hiking is one of the things Janelle is interested in doing.

As a person who as been both to Denver and Boulder, I have my ideas, although I haven’t done any hiking at either place. I have one suggestion for Boulder for a thing to do, and one idea for a place to eat. I have more, but for now, I’m highlighting two. ,.,Both are worthy of a post on their own, and I’ve gushed about them to friends and relatives.

A friend told me about Banjo Billy ‘s Bus Tour when she heard I was heading to Boulder. This tour was about the best one I’ve ever taken and I am so fond of tours.

The bus is a restructured school bus that looks a bit like a shack. The seats are horse saddles or living room couches and recliners. The tour takes in the lore of Boulder, like who was murdered in which building, and where the ghosts hang out–that sort of thing. As well as teaching much about Boulder lore and history, it’s a hoot–very funny. My daughter and son loved it too.

For a place to eat, Boulder Dushanbe Tea House is exquisite. My daughter and I ate out on the patio. I can’t remember exactly what we ate, but the the food and atmosphere were fabulous. We had the loveliest drinks. Both of them involved hibiscus. Mine was the version with alcohol.

Those are my two ideas. If you have others let us know, but most importantly, let Janelle know by going to Intelligent Travel and posting a comment on her post. Thanks!

Talking travel with college admissions guru Katherine Cohen (part 2)

by Jerry Guo on

Katherine Cohen is a former reader at Yale’s admissions office, founder of a admissions counseling service, Applywise, and author of two bestsellers about college admissions: The Truth About Getting In and Rock Hard Apps. As the summer season gets into high swing, she’s here to talk about planning college tours as part of a roadtrip.

Read part 1 here.

What are your top five travel itineraries for visits?

Initially, students are interested in a college because of its location or academic offerings-Here are some themed itineraries that cater to those interests.

1. Boston Tour-

If you want a research university, you and your family can easily take the T (don’t call it a train or subway) to visit Harvard, MIT, Boston University, Tufts, Northeastern and Boston College.

If you are looking for a smaller school or one with a unique academic focus, you’ll find the following schools in the Boston area appealing: Lesley University, Emerson College, Wheelock College, Simmons College (for women) Wentworth Institute of Technology and Suffolk University.
2. “Training” through the Ivy League

Many colleges do not let students have cars on campus, so visiting these campuses by public transportation is a great way to travel as students do. You’ll save money on gas and tolls as well as the headache of being stuck in traffic if you take Amtrak to and from Boston to Philadelphia. On this route, you can visit Harvard, Brown, Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania quite easily.

3. The Virginia Vacation Road Trip

Families who are looking to combine vacation time and visiting colleges will love this itinerary. You can start or end in either Appalachian Mountains or Virginia Beach–the choice is yours. Take I-64 to visit Washington and Lee University (Lexington,) University of Virginia (Charlottesville,) University of Richmond, and the College of William & Mary (Williamsburg) and Old Dominion University (Norfolk).

4. Midwest Swing

This itinerary gives you the opportunity to see the differences between public and private, urban and rural, and parochial and non-sectarian colleges. Start in Chicago, where you can visit the University of Chicago, DePaul, and Northwestern. Then, head north to visit Marquette in Milwaukee. Go west to the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and on your way back to Chicago, visit Beloit in Wisconsin, or Wheaton College in Chicago’s western suburbs. After this visit, you’ll know what type of college best meets your academic and social needs.

5. Pennsylvania Liberal Arts College Tour

Although New England is known for its small colleges, liberal arts institutions in eastern Pennsylvania are closer to one another, ideal for visiting multiple, similar campuses. All these schools are less than an hour and a half drive from Philadelphia. Do your research when choosing which liberal arts college you want to visit. You could easily spend a week (or more) finding the distinctions between these campuses: Swarthmore, Haverford, Bryn Mawr (for women) Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, Dickinson, Ursinus, Muhlenberg, Lehigh, Moravian, and Lafayette.

What are your favorite colleges in terms of “travel destinations”?

Water and mountains really win me over. Pepperdine University in Malibu and the University of California in Santa Barbara have beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean. The University of Colorado at Boulder is set on the backdrop of the Flatirons of the Rocky Mountains-there is great skiing and snowboarding nearby. Finally, I love visiting Vermont, not only for the winter sports. You can tour Middlebury, the University of Vermont, Bennington and the Ben and Jerry’s Factory. Vermont is bucolic and beautiful in all seasons.

What’s the ideal one-day itinerary to catch in some sights of New York and see its colleges?

Columbia, NYU, The Cooper Union, The New School. Four very different universities located in one very happening city.

Begin your day at 116th Street and Broadway with a tour of Columbia’s neoclassical campus, shockingly green and neatly enclosed within Morningside Heights, a neighbor to one of the city’s most vibrant communities, Harlem. As one of the oldest universities in the country, Columbia is full of history, so be sure to interrogate your tour guide with questions on the Manhattan Project and the school’s Core Curriculum. Student discounts are available for Broadway shows or Carnegie Hall performances. But if you want a greener afternoon, picnic on a modest piece of Central Park’s 843 acres before taking a stroll by 5th Avenue’s shopping landmarks, such as FAO Schwartz and Tiffany’s.

Now that you’ve had your uptown fun, travel downtown to Washington Square within Greenwich Village, a neighborhood teaming with NYU students. Unlike Columbia, this campus has no distinct border; the best clue you’ll have to distinguish between NYU buildings and the Gap next door (besides the mannequins in the storefront) is a violet flag with a white torch perched outside the university’s buildings. Be sure to visit the school of your choice. The Stern School of Business and the Tisch School of the Arts, both among the very best in their respective fields, couldn’t be more different. Before you rest your weary bones on the Washington Square fountain, swing by Mamoun’s for the very best falafel in the city. If you’re in need of an energy boost, grab some bubble tea in Chinatown or stop by a cafe sandwiched between the many boutiques of SoHo’s side streets.

NYU’s great size masks two other worthwhile schools in lower Manhattan: The Cooper Union and The New School. The Cooper Union begins just east of Greenwich Village at Astor Place. If you have a difficult time finding the place, look for the large Tony Rosenthal sculpture popularly referred to as “The Cube” and its strategic placement between three Starbucks cafes. If you just can’t decide between the three, try a local favorite, The Mud Truck.

To the north of NYU, you’ll find The New School. Much like NYU, The New School is a conglomerate of colleges scattered throughout Manhattan. Just south of Union Square at 5th Avenue and 13th, you’ll find The Parsons’ School of Design, home of Project Runway. But if it’s a small liberal arts environment you want, check out Eugene Lang College (on 13th between 5th and 6th Avenue). Virtuosi, however, must visit Mannes School for Music (uptown at West 85th) for a glimpse at the university’s top notch classical training.

You’re bound to be starving after all this walking, so round the corner onto 6th Avenue and pick up some dollar hot dogs at Grey’s Papaya. If you don’t mind walking a few steps further, wander down Bleeker Street to John’s pizza. There’s nothing finer than treating yourself to the best pizza in New York, promptly followed by the best cupcakes – which you’ll find a few blocks down at Magnolia Bakery. If you’re still college hungry, The Fashi
on Institute of Technology and Julliard are certainly worth investigating.

What resources would you recommend to learn more about visiting colleges on a budget?

The cost of applying and visiting colleges can really add up. Go to www.applywise.com/budget to sit down and plan your expenses (you can also download a free tour checklist). Secondly, do your research. Talk to your teachers, counselors, friends and relatives and find out if they are planning trips to areas of the country where you want to visit colleges. You can carpool or find ways that your parents do not need to take a day off to accompany you on college visits. Finally, ask an admissions officer. Some colleges are able to subsidize your campus visit if you meet certain criteria. It certainly doesn’t hurt to ask.