Intelligent Travel

Jenss Family Travels: Americana

This month, Rainer Jenss and his family started their trip around the world, and they'll be sending us dispatches from the road over the course of the next year. Check back each week to keep up with the Jensses and see where they're headed next.

“Jeez Dad . . . It’s not Americana, it’s American!” Tyler barks at me with his typical 11-year-old sarcasm and "know-it-all" attitude.  “Why do you keep saying it wrong?” Looks like we both will be learning a thing or two about the true meaning of this word during the first – and longest – leg of our round-the-world tour.

I can’t seem to remember which incident sparked this reaction during the first half of our seven-week drive across the country, there were so many occasions to have uttered it. Ever since we passed through the border patrol in Port Huron, Michigan after our brief stint in Canada, we’ve encountered one uniquely American experience after another, starting with the food.

Carol will tell you that the biggest adjustment so far to life on the road is the almost incessant need to eat out. When we were offered the opportunity to stay in a house in northern Michigan by a colleague of mine (thank you Karen), little did we realize that perhaps its biggest draw would be the chance to eat home-cooked meals for a few days. Never have I seen my wife more excited to go to a grocery store! 

To deal with the constant quest for appropriate family-friendly dining, our investment in the book Roadfood proved fruitful. Far from a Zagat’s, this book highlights some of the best local eateries along our nation’s most traveled roads, according to Jane and Michael Stern, a husband-and-wife pair who have traversed the country writing about food for 30 years.  If nothing spells America more than M-c-D-o-n-a-l-d-s, perhaps we are doing this country a disservice by not recognizing the likes of Thompson’s Restaurant in Bingham, Maine; Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria in Chicago; Bob’s Café in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and the Sundance Café in Dubois, Wyoming.  For me, these are the places that serve up real "American" cuisine. Sure, most of them offer regular menu of burgers, pizza, and greasy fried food we normally try to avoid, but it’s the atmosphere in which they are served that makes them oh so Americana.

Photo Tip of the Week: Harness the Web

This Flickr photo, by Motoji Kogouchi, captures geisha strolling the Gion district of Kyoto, Japan.

We don't need to tell you that the Web has become an infinite photo gallery. But browsers beware: "A lot of the advice and opinions you get on the Internet is just plain off," says photographer Bob Krist. "Anyone can put up a slick-looking website. I want to take my advice from someone who's making a living making pictures." With that in mind, Traveler asked some two dozen photographers—mostly professionals—to reveal their favorite online hangouts, some of which are revealed below. Read the full story, compiled by senior editor Scott Stuckey, on Traveler's website.

Tactic No. 1: Get Inspired

"To improve my own photography," says Will van Overbeek, photographer and photo instructor, "I look at other photographers' photos and treat them like a puzzle. I ask myself, how was that done? Then I figure it out."

The Web is full of pictures worth scrutinizing. For starters, go to Masters of Photography, a plain-looking site displaying prints by a good sample of photographic greats, such as Ansel Adams, remembered for his large-format black-and-white pictures of Yosemite Valley; Margaret Bourke-White, the first female photojournalist to shoot for Life magazine; and Gordon Parks, a barrier-breaking African-American photographer.

"Before going on a trip, I go to Corbis to see what a place looks like in general," says photographer Catherine Karnow. "That helps me narrow my shooting list." Corbis, founded in 1989 by Bill Gates, has some 70 million images. Other stock houses worth browsing are Getty Images, Magnum Photos, and VII. "For inspiration," says photographer David McLain, "I go to Aurora Photos more than any place else on the Web. It's the photo agency I belong to, and I always like to see the weekly features that are up as well as keep up with what my colleagues are shooting."

More great pockets of online photographic brilliancy, revealed after the jump:  

The Next Great Travel Writer: Genghis Khan at the Disco

Earlier this month, Traveler Editor in Chief Keith Bellows and Suzanne Roberts, winner of the Next Great Travel Writer contest, traveled through Mongolia together and sent us dispatches from their trip. Over the next few days we'll be publishing the last few recollections from their journey. Today Suzanne describes a night out at the Mongolian disco.

One evening during our trip, we are asked to attend a special dinner to celebrate the beginning of Naadam, the national festival celebrated annually in Ulaanbaatar. The event featured the centuries-old tradition of Mongolian throat singing, dancing, and an amazing little girl who ties her body in knots. Girls in Mongolia start training for contortion at the age of five and are ready to compete in international competitions by the age of 12. This little girl could not have been more than about eight or nine years old, and she did things with her body that I would not have thought possible, including supporting herself on a skinny pole by her teeth.

After dinner, I recruit a fellow traveler, Rucker, a wide-eyed 24-year-old aspiring photographer, to check out a disco in Ulaanbaatar. Although Mongolia was Rucker’s first trip outside of the United States, he is game for anything and happy to be dragged off to a disco. But first we have a beer at an Irish pub, a smoky venue full of locals, expats, and foreigners. A Mongolian singer with a sequined top hat sings “Killing Me Softly” in perfect English. The pub closes early for Naadam, so we head off to Metropolis, a super chic discotheque near the Chinggis Khaan Hotel.

This swanky disco is known for attracting the “children of diplomats.” A round bar occupies the center of the first room. Past the bar, a larger space with leather couches, a glowing neon bar, a dance floor, and a “VIP only” upstairs balcony full of scantily-clad women in stilettos glitters with strobe lights and vibrates with the beat of “trance” music. The space-aged theme reminds me of the queue area of Disneyland’s Space Mountain roller coaster. After being told to move from a couch that was reserved for “one man,” we find another couch, and strike up a conversation with a Mongolian man called Ivan.

Santa Barbara Fiesta

Intelligent Travel pal Megan Sneddon contributes a tip about annual Santa Barbara Fiesta, which starts today and continues throughout the week:

Arriving with just as much folklórico dancing as fanfare, Santa Barbara, California’s Old Spanish Days Fiesta will be in full swing over the next few days, and kicks off today on the steps of the historic Old Mission. This year’s theme: Viva La Comunidad, or long live the community!

In its 84-year history, Fiesta has become a cultural celebration highly anticipated by local and international spectators alike, perhaps because it is the only time of year when it is acceptable to wear oversized sombreros in public and chant, “Ole, Ole Ole!” without receiving a disdainful glare. The first official Fiesta was held in 1924 with the opening of the Lobero Theatre which was named in honor of Guiseppe "José" Lobero, a famed Italian trombonist and singer. Both the celebration and the theater remain lofty manifestations of the modern-day town.

Crabcakes and ... Buggy Rides

My mom grew up in Pennsylvania, so when my boyfriend and I spent some quality time with my parents a few weekends ago, it only seemed right that the setting was a verified Amish market.

Just outside historic Annapolis, in a little shopping center called Annapolis Harbour, we found hordes of Marylanders taking a break from crab cakes and football to indulge in shoofly pies, handmade pretzels, and more varieties of salad (potato, shrimp, pasta, cucumber, egg, jello…) than seem necessary.

Open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, the PA Dutch Market is as traditional and authentic as any I've seen in Pennsylvania (aside from the patrons clad in Baltimore Ravens jerseys, of course). According to the market's website, all the merchants are from Lancaster County, PA, and the prepared dishes are made from heirloom Amish recipes.

Walking into the store, you run into wooden furniture, but after that nearly everything is edible. Fresh-baked breads crowd the counter next to the ovens where they were baked. Bags of grains, tubs of candy-colored sugars, and jars of fruit preserves line the shelves. The mix-and-match whoopie pies—any combination of six varieties for $5.95—means you can bring home this classic Amish treat in a range of novel flavors: peanut butter, mint, and banana, in addition to the standard chocolate and cream.

Save a Bird, Kill an Island?

IT friend Roger Hamilton just returned from a trip to North Carolina's Outer Banks, where a battle between birds and beachgoers is brewing...

Driving down Highway 12 on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, I sense that something is wrong. “Save a bird, kill an island,” someone had scrawled across an SUV rear window. “Piping plover tastes like chix,” advertises a restaurant on its menu marquee. 

Pretty strong stuff. Better find out what’s up.

My first stop was the legendary Red Drum Tackle Shop, in the village of Buxton. “They” have closed down miles of beaches to off-road vehicles and everything else, says Bob, the owner. All for the sake of three little birds: the piping plover (pictured, above), the least tern, and the American oystercatcher. “They” are conservation groups, a U.S. district judge, and the National Park Service. The conservationists contend that people and vehicles on the beaches prevent the birds from nesting.   

Hot Time, Summer in the City

National Geographic Books editorial assistant Hunter Braithwaite offers up some beach alternatives for urban dwellers.

It’s funny, if not outright inspiring, to think of how something as dreary as an international energy crisis can result in a widespread sea change in how we think about leisure activities. For a variety of reasons, ranging from high gas prices to pure laziness, people are opting to stay in town for the summer. And in some cities, the coast is being imported. Enter the fake beach, which is popping up in different incarnations across the globe.

First, there was the Paris Plage. Initiated in 2002 under Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë, the plage (French for beach) has occurred every August, each time trying to outdo itself with true Parisian grandeur. Initially, it was just some sand (around 2,000 tons) dumped along the banks of the Seine, but then came the palm trees, the boardwalk, and the swimming pools (you don’t want to take a dip in the river itself). While the beach was initially met with criticism, it has since become a roaring success. Because it is in downtown Paris, the enveloping traffic noise will keep fantasies of the Riviera at bay, but there’s something to be said for tanning underneath Notre Dame. But keep your clothes on. Those going nude, topless, or in thongs will be slapped with a 38 euro fine. Where do you think you are, Europe?

Berlin has its own versions of the fake beach. The Berlin Strand is a group of tiki bars that define beach culture in terms of Germany’s twin passions–drinking and volleyball. A while ago, I passed the afternoon at the Bundespressestrand with my friend who’s spent the past couple years in the city. Literally translated as “National Press Beach,” the “beach” is made up of thoroughly unindigenous palm trees, volleyball courts, and a lot of sand. (In case you were wondering about the name, it was started by an unemployed journalist in 2003.) Admission is free, drinks are reasonably priced, and the volleyball courts cost 12 euro, unless you can grab one for free before 5pm. We had both grown up in Virginia Beach, so the idea of a beach ohne wasser seemed somewhat odd. To be fair, the beach was close to a rippling canal across from Kapelle-Ufer strasse, and even if there were water suitable for swimming, it’d be too cold anyway.

G-Men and Journalists at the Newseum

Contributing writer Cathy Healy has the scoop on a new museum exhibit in Washington, D.C., that appeals to her (and, let's be honest, all of our) lurid fascination with FBI agents and the journalists who chase after them...

Let’s confess: While the Newseum’s exhibit, "G-Men and Journalists," appeals to the luridly curious, like me, it might not be catnip for all.

“UGH,” said one pal when I excitedly told him about seeing the mock-up of the D.C. Sniper's car, which was used for the trial; the Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski's actual cabin from northern Montana; and the high-backed wooden chair used to electrocute the man convicted of killing the Lindbergh baby.

I felt extremely uncomfortable watching the Lindbergh video about Bruno Richard Hauptmann’s capture and conviction, which indicated he may have been railroaded by public hysteria, and I averted my eyes from the electric chair—though I can close my eyes right now and picture it anyway.

"G-Men and Journalists" features a dozen main sections, each examining a major case or an aspect of the FBI’s first 100 years, a history that touches many of our most highly charged memories: Waco, the Oklahoma bombings, FBI spy Robert Hanssen (remember the 2007 movie, Breach?), gangsters, the Mafia, and Patty Hearst (the kidnapped newspaper heiress).

Hearst looked larger than life in the famous 1974 photo of her and her captors robbing a bank. In fact, Hearst was a petite woman, judging by the stylish, short coat on display, along with the gun she used. Patty must have been as slim and pretty as her blonde sister, Gina Hearst, who worked at the LA Herald Examiner years later when I was a reporter there. Gina parked in a guarded, fenced, well-lighted area behind the building, and we all understood why.

Give yourself plenty of time to see the videos, and watch the push-pull of agents and journalists—sometimes using one another, sometimes as adversaries. In all, you exit G-Men with much to ponder about the ripple-effects of riveting news on our own personal lives.

G-Men remains on exhibit until June 2009, and a number of lectures are scheduled: Check “Events and Education” on Newseum.org for the latest listings.

The Newseum is the newest museum in Washington, D.C. The 250,000-square-foot building stands at Sixth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., between the Capitol and the White House. It is across the street from the National Gallery of Art. Entrance fees range from free (6 and under) to $20.

Read more: IT covered the April grand opening of the Newseum. Can't wait to fulfill your lurid fascination? Check out the Newseum's online interactive features of the D.C. Sniper, the Unabomber, spies, and much more...

Photo: "The Washington Daily News" Ten Most Wanted page, courtesy of the Newseum

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Extreme Staycations

Many have bemoaned the rise of the so-called staycation—if not in concept, than certainly in lexicon. (Disclaimer: Whether the fledgling economy deletes your vacation or not, I fully support treating your hometown as a destination.) Even so, my eyebrows are sufficiently cocked at what the Wall Street Journal recently proposed as an extreme iteration of the trend, a term I’d like to unofficially coin as the “fake-ation.”

The WSJ reports:

While more hard-pressed Americans are spending their vacation time at home lately, not everyone is happy about it. Barbecues and reruns don't match the thrill of travel. So some are going to great lengths to foster the illusion of a wayfaring vacation. They'll sample foreign tourism, wilderness camping, hotel living, and beach-going without ever leaving their living rooms.

Lonely Planet Starts Talkin'

A lot has been happening Down Under in the past few weeks. Pope Benedict XVI soaked up the Australian sun (hopefully with a little SPF) during a ten-day tour, and travel giant Lonely Planet has branched out beyond its guidebooks. In 2009, LP plans to open its first retail store in the Sydney Airport. According to LP, "The store will also feature new media systems such as online interactive portals showcasing Lonely Planet’s digital content, and staff will have specialist travel knowledge—taking the store beyond a typical retail experience and providing an information hub for travellers."

In case you can't wait 'til 2009 to get your LP fix, the company also just announced its new Audio Phrasebook series, available for sale at the Apple App Store. The phrasebooks (available in ten languages) will have some 600 phrases and will work on both the iTouch and iPhone. They sell for $9.99 each.

And, if you're one of the lucky few who are proud owners of the new iPhone 3G AND happen to want to brush up on your Mandarin for the Beijing Olympics,  Mandarin phrasebooks are free until August 24.

Photo courtesy Lonely Planet Publications

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