Intelligent Travel

Cinematic Road Trip: Connecticut and Rhode Island

Once again, I find myself in a position that may be insulting to some people. At times it’s harsh generalizations. At other times, it’s pointing out a lousy movie or two. But like the Dakotas, and Vermont and New Hampshire, this insult is combining Connecticut together with Rhode Island in one column. Anyone who lives in Connecticut or Rhode Island would be well within their rights to start shouting at me that I shouldn’t be sticking them together solely because of their proximity.

But the point of this article is landscape, scenery, the view. And by those accounts, RI and CT are just not far enough apart for me to justify writing a separate column for each. Both states exhibit that New England charm that is also quintessential to the experience of Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. It’s the red, orange, and yellow leaves of autumn trees. It’s the small town, laid-back feel you get when driving off the beaten path. It’s the colonial architecture. It’s brick buildings and cobblestone roads. It’s things that look and feel antique even though they're being used in the modern day. And it’s the coastline.

Like Massachusetts and Maine, Rhode Island tends to have a rocky coastline dotted with lighthouses to help their adventurous and hard-working fishermen and sailors find their way safely to shore. I’ve enjoyed a few trips to Newport, where you can tour the mansion vacation estates of the Astors and Vanderbilts – you know, to see how poor people used to live. The Cliff Walk around the edge of the city next to the ocean is a beautiful hike.

Although mostly filmed in Jamestown, Dan in Real Life did make some brief stops in Newport. The story revolves around a self-help writer/widower from New Jersey who is struggling to keep his own daughters from rebelling against him. He takes them up to Rhode Island for the annual family vacation with his parents and brothers and sister. You can actually rent the house – Riven Rock - where the movie was shot and spend a week looking out on Narragansett Bay. 

The shoots around Rhode Island tend to center on building locations and exteriors, but you can still spot some of the wonderful natural coastline. Dan (Steve Carell) is pulled over by a cop while speeding along Ocean Avenue in Newport, looking for his daughter. Behind him is the rocky coast of the state and Rhode Island Sound stretching out towards the Atlantic Ocean. Other city/town locations include Westerly, Providence, East Greenwich, and West Greenwich. You should be able to spot the Jamestown and Jamestown-Verrazano Bridges in some aerial views of Dan driving his car over Narragansett Bay. I'm going to conveniently jump over the fact that this is a romantic comedy and pretend that because funnyman Carell is in it, that makes it all ok.

Labor Day's Funky Fests

Labor Day weekend is fast approaching, and for many, it heralds some of the best concert fests of the summer—like the Bumbershoot festival in Seattle or the Jazz Aspen Snowmass concert in Colorado. But don’t let the large, famous celebrations overshadow some of the more quirky festivals that will take place across the country this Labor Day:

Kansas City Irish Fest, Kansas City, Missouri. Who knew that Kansas City was home to one of the country’s biggest Irish celebrations? Irish and non-Irish alike are invited to participate in musical jam sessions, watch Celtic rock performances and traditional dance competitions, and even attend an outdoor mass.

The Irvington Stomp, Irvington, Virginia. The White Fences Vineyard hosts this event, touted as "small town America at its best." Participants can stomp all the grapes they want, and watch the stomping contest between town officials and residents as they vie for the title "King and Queen of the Stomp." An outdoor concert and kite show with a make-your-own-kite workshop will also be featured.

Marshall County Blueberry Festival, Plymouth, Indiana. Last time I checked, Indiana was known more for its race cars than its blueberries. But the Blueberry Festival boasts “the very best in blueberry delights” (think pie, doughnuts, ice-cream...), along with a fun run, baking contest, and a mascot named Blueberry Hank. And what berry-themed fair would be complete without a pie-eating contest? Though I am left to wonder what the “Blueberry Cheerleading Event” might entail…

Hard Crab Derby and Fair, Crisfield, Maryland. Ah, something closer to home. This festival, held on the Eastern Shore in the small crabbing town of Crisfield, offers crab cakes, crab crafts, crab games, and even crab hats. My favorites are the crab picking contest, the crab derby—in which the race participants are actual crabs—and the beauty pageant that ends with the crowning of Miss Crustacean.

New York State Festival of Balloons, Dansville, New York. Hot air balloons, to be exact, with six balloon ride launches scheduled. Other events include concerts, an international food court, an arts and crafts show, and a roving clown named Rosco.

Albuquerque/Denver Tango Festival, Albequerque, New Mexico. The Denver Tango Festival has been shuttled to Albuquerque this year as hotels fill up for the Democratic National Convention. But that doesn’t make the tango any less vibrant; this celebration attracts some of the country’s best dancers, with classes and workshops offered and evening dances scheduled. But be warned: The high caliber of dancers the event attracts means these lessons are not for beginners.

Photo: New York State Festival of Balloons website.

Plan My Trip: Savannah and Tybee Island

As Labor Day weekend approaches, Traveler staffers are fanning across the country for their end-of-summer getaways. IT editor Janelle Nanos has Georgia on her mind.

I'm meeting up with my extended family in Georgia this weekend, splitting my time between Savannah and Tybee Island, so I'm looking for suggestions on what not to miss. What are the best ways to savor the waning summer days down south? Where are the top dining, shopping, or attractions that stand out? (You know I love your restaurant recommendations.) As always, I'll be bringing my video camera and notebook, and I'm always up for meeting readers, so feel free to email me with your suggestions or leave them in the comments below.

Photo: Walter Bibikow/Getty Images for National Geographic Geographical Information: Georgia

A Metro Mosaic

While browsing the web, I noticed this eye-catching graphic on Prêt à Voyager's blog. Metro logos from around the world make a colorful display, reminiscent of the artistic airport silhouettes we blogged about earlier this year. I recognized at least eight* trains that I have ridden in my travels. Which ones have you been on? You can find each logo's location here.

*Washington, DC; London; Paris; Rome; Barcelona; Sydney; New Jersey; New York

Image via Prêt à Voyager

Mexican Home Cooking

While researching Mexican food for Traveler's "Mexico: 50 Discoveries" supplement, IT blogger Kristen Gunderson not only developed massive enchilada cravings, but she also became smitten with the Mexican Home Cooking school, a place that allows vacationers a true taste of authentic Mexico. Visitors - of any culinary skill level - can spend a week in the home of a Mexican chef and learn to prepare local delicacies while exploring the Puebla region's most outstanding natural features. The school's owner, Chef Estela Silva, has been a kitchen employee from the age of 7 and was even featured in the New York Times for her gastronomic know-how. Recently she paused from her busy cooking schedule for a Q&A with Kristen about Mexican cuisine and what's it's like to stay at her school.

What is the most unique aspect of Mexican cooking?

The cuisine reflects the culture here, in that the simplicity of the ingredients are used to prepare wonderfully complex and sophisticated cuisine. Many times the ingredients of life are very poor here and miracles are produced in the cuisine, buildings, and artwork. Mexicans have produced wonders from what is available at hand for generations.

Take chiles, for example: The school’s first day begins with a lesson on chiles. Yes they are hot, but they are used more for flavor. It is a mistaken belief that Mexican food has to be hot. It has to be delicious and then you create the amount of heat that you want. We use chiles just like you use salt and pepper.

How does learning about the area’s cuisine give your students an authentic “taste” of the local culture?

In the area of Puebla, our cuisine is very important to getting a “sense of place.” We first began with our indigenous cuisine, then the Spanish invasion came, bringing 400 years of Arab influence, with cumin, whole cloves, cinnamon, sesame seeds and many more Arab spices, which merged and enhanced our original kitchen. Then came a special touch to the Puebla area: With the French invasion in the 1860s, our culture changed once more. The indigenous, Spanish (Arab), and French mixture is a unique culinary combination in Mexico and indeed the world.

This influence can be seen in the food “Pipian Verde con Bictec en Relleno” (Green Pipian with Beef Rolls). It is a dish from the area that is very typical and reflects these culinary traditions: The pipian sauce is pre-Hispanic; the addition of cumin is a nod to the Arabs; and along with the paupiette de boeuf from Paris, they produce a classic poblano dish known throughout Mexico.

Raising the Dead...Sea

Do a quick Google Images search of “Dead Sea.” The results will likely yield plenty of pictures of the sea’s signature blue waters, a few maps, and, of course, snapshots of people just sitting around – sitting around effortlessly on top of the water, that is. This environmental oddity – the lowest and the saltiest body of water on earth – sustains no life, yet it is a source of intrigue, inspiration, and income for people around the world. Many think the sea (with its buoyant, salty splendor) and the surrounding mud have healing powers. Some value it for its religious or historical significance. Others look at the sea as a means to an end; they extract the sea’s mineral-rich sediment and sell its byproducts for fertilizer, pesticides, water treatment chemicals and more.

All the things that make the Dead Sea the stuff of legend, science, and tourism are at risk – from the both current situation and possibly from the proposed solution.

The Dead Sea is dying. It relies on many small tributaries, but its main supplier of water is the Jordan River. Population growth in the region means more and more water is being diverted from its path towards the Dead Sea to other uses such as irrigation and drinking water. Evaporation, which makes the sea special by keeping salinity high, is also putting the Sea at risk, and the hot, arid climate and practices such as mineral extraction only exacerbate the rate of evaporation. Without an ample supply of water from the Jordan, the water level is dropping at an alarming rate (an estimated 1 meter per year).   

NYC Hearts Bike Parking

Returning from a great weekend in the Big Apple, I heart NYC even more for the fabulous new bike racks located throughout the city designed by David Byrne – former front-man of the Talking Heads, musician and designer extraordinare, and avid cyclist. Byrne was serving as a juror on the CityRacks Design Competition put on by the NYC Department of Transportation when he came up with his own simple, graphic designs for bike racks to be placed in clever contexts. The dollar sign is located on Wall Street, the high heel on 5th Avenue, get it? Take a look at a map located here for different locations and designs, including the curvaceous lady seen in the photo above.

Byrne's racks will remain up for less than a year, after which the gallery Pace Wildenstein, which fronted the costs of his project, will be selling the usable art.  As for the international CityRacks design competition, ten finalists have been chosen and new racks will be installed on New York streets in late September. 

Kudos to NYC DOT for holding an international design competition to inspire a fresh take on the ever-practical bicycle rack and increases awareness for bicycling in general. I think many DOTs could learn a thing or two....it just might keep my bike off of parking meters and street signs!

Photo by Krista Rossow

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Tomatina Time

Intelligent Travel friend Megan Sneddon, who last wrote about Fiesta week in Santa Barbara, sends us this fond recollection of La Tomatina, the annual tomato brawl in  Buñol, Spain, which takes place Wednesday, August 27.  You just have time to book a flight!

Voices carried, the echoes resounding through narrow, white-plaster alleys, which were soon to be splattered red. As they reached a crescendo, my friends and I stretched our arms into the brilliant Spanish sky in celebration. Above us, families tossed buckets of water off their balconies; the liquid separated through gray nets that guarded their houses, creating huge droplets which came cascading down. We screamed savagely, proud to have ditched our Education Abroad Program’s discipline lecture to attend the world’s largest food fight (we figured we wouldn’t get reprimanded if we weren’t present to learn the rules).

“Ole, ole ole!” We cheered with the crowd as we jumped up and down, and the hot August winds threw dust in our eyes in cadence with the melody of our chants. I chanced a smile at the Spanish strangers who affably rested their arms on my shoulders... just before they ripped my friend James’ shirt off. All is fair in love and war I suppose.

We skipped class to attend La Tomatina, an hour-long, tomato-flinging extravaganza that joins both tourists and locals in innocuous warfare – one fought with edible artillery.

A culturally diverse crowd of 20,000 flocks to Buñol, Spain — a tiny town just outside Valencia — the last Wednesday of August each year to heave 90,000 pounds of tomatoes at each other for one hour (this year’s Tomatina will take place August 27). Before the festival begins, tradition mandates that the town's most valiant must ascend a grease-covered wood pole erected in the square, Plaza del Pueblo, and retrieve the dangling ham leg on top.

Conventional Wisdom: Denver

Now that the Democratic Convention is in full swing, Denver, the mile-high city, is in the spotlight. So we're going back through our archives to offer up the city's best bets. In our July/August issue of Traveler, contributing writer Andrew Nelson offered a selection of local picks in each of the convention cities. But since many of you may not have brought your old issues with you to the convention, we re-purpose his list here, free of charge. Check back next week for more tips on Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Square Meal Deal
Pick up political gossip and tamales at La Casita. The Mexican restaurant is owned by local mover and shaker Paul Sandoval. “People hold political meetings here to strategize on who should run for what,” says Rocky Mountain News political reporter Lynn Bartels. “The food’s great, and it’s got a New Mexico flair, with more emphasis on chilis and less on cheese.”

Dome Alone
Colorado’s State Capitol is one of five in the country that allow visitors to go into its dome. The rest of the building can be seen on a free 45-minute tour. Two-week advance reservations recommended.

Endorsing a Party
LoDo, short for Lower Downtown Historic District, is the spot for fun. Filled with “everything from fancy restaurants to beer joints,” says Bartels, the 23-square-block neighborhood is the home of urban professionals and hip shopping. Landmarks include Union Station and Coors Baseball Field.

The People’s House
Like some candidates, Molly Brown proved “unsinkable.” A survivor of the Titanic, Brown had a sumptuous Victorian mansion in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Today, it’s a museum devoted to her life.

Art Now
The Denver Art Museum is known for its Native American art collection. An edgy addition opened in 2006. Says Bartels of the Daniel Libeskind–designed annex: “It looks like a tornado hit it and they glued the pieces back together.” The museum is next to Civic Center Park, which may be the focal point for protesters during the convention.

Mayor’s Choice
“The Cruise Room is where Denverites celebrated the end of Prohibition and is said to be modeled after one of the lounges on the Queen Mary, so it’s got this amazing vibe,” says Mayor John W. Hickenlooper. “And it’s the perfect spot for a pre- or post-game toast to the Colorado Rockies team.”

Read More: For more advice on navigating Denver, check out our Destination Guide. And for reader picks on what to do in Denver (and in nearby Boulder) look to a recent IT "Plan My Trip!" post. IT editor Janelle Nanos followed reader's advice and checked out one fantastic Denver restaurant, and writes about it here.

Photo: Joanna B. Pinneo

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Getting Lost in Nauset

Friend of IT Roger Hamilton sends us this dispatch from the mysterious marshes of Nauset, Cape Cod.

My paddling companion pulled his canoe out of Cape Cod’s Salt Pond and jokingly remarked, "Good paddle, lousy guide."

The canoeist was Jonathan Tourtellot, director of National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations and international expert on authentic travel experiences.

He was right. It was indeed a good paddle. Elsewhere on the Cape, roads were jammed and the big sign on Route 6 flashed that all of the beach parking lots were full. Lines of weary people spilled out of fried clam shacks and ice cream parlors. Together with Jonathan's wife Sally, we had spent the morning in beautiful, serene Nauset Marsh, one of Cape Cod's hidden treasures. 

But lousy guide? After some digging, I think I now can explain how an experienced marsh-hound (me) could get tricked into taking a wrong turn up a dead end channel in these 800 acres of twisting waterways, grass, mudflats, sandbars and beach.

Our first stop that day was the nearby Eastham Aquaculture Center. I opened the door and called out, “hello,” and a building full of big plastic tanks gurgled back. Then out stepped Nat Goddard, deputy natural resources officer (“clam cop,” as he puts it).

“That tank next you contains ten million scallop larvae,” this former teacher told me. I tried to multiply that by all the other tubs and tanks in the building, containing oysters and soft shell clams and that at other times contain sea clams, razor clams, and quahogs. After spending their larval lives here then at the Eastham Salt Pond, most will end up in Nauset Marsh, where only a few will avoid a quick Darwinian demise.