Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Monday, November 5, 2012
Man up, gents! Cigars, booze and 'impish' behavior
Wayne Drash, CNN
Fri September 28, 2012
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/28/travel/mancation-drash/index.html
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Mancations allow guys to "do whatever the hell we want for a couple days," CNN's Wayne Drash writes
Author Craig Heimbuch says the mancation is more of a "mutual desire to not have pressure"
"I feel like as a generation of men ... we're a little bit lost," Heimbuch says
Bear Trap Canyon, Montana (CNN) -- My friend and I crashed 40 feet down the rocky cliff to the edge of the Madison River, fishing poles in hand. Our chins slammed into a giant boulder and the taste of blood swirled in our mouths. We spied a 30-inch brown trout and hid behind a rock.
Yes, we hid from a fish!
We cast into the river for Walter the Lunker -- that glorious, elusive fish immortalized in the 1981 movie "On Golden Pond." At one point, Walter was within arm's reach when I hooted and hollered the ultimate jinx, "I caught Walter!!!" Like most fish, the ole SOB wiggled off my line and swam away.
This is a shout-out to that special fraternity known as mancationers -- when men absolve ourselves of all responsibility, free ourselves from family life and do whatever the hell we want for a couple days.
Beef jerky and Maker's Mark breakfast
Breakfast consists of beef jerky and a shot of Maker's Mark. Urinating in the woods is an exquisite delight, and staring at campfires for hours without speaking is perfectly OK.
"As close as a man can get to 16 years of age, if only for just a few days," one 59-year-old friend boasted. "Sun, booze, water, poker, smokes, impish behavior."
Hollywood has made millions from our antics: "Hangover" comes to mind, and "Deliverance" stands as the epic mancation-gone-wrong. But there's something about mancations that Hollywood doesn't grasp. In author Craig Heimbuch's words, "it is a mutual desire to not have pressure."
"I feel like as a generation of men, as a family guy in my 30s in the suburbs of the Midwest, I feel like we're a little bit lost," says Heimbuch, who documented a search for his Midwestern hunting roots in his soon-to-be released book, "And Now We Shall Do Manly Things."
"What's really important is through our 30s, through our 40s, through our 50s until we get to retirement, we're expected to think on behalf of others. Every once in a while, you have to think on behalf of yourself."
Stepping out of the cubicle for a week
The mancation is less about boorish behavior, Heimbuch says, and more about escaping the daily grind.
"I need to go away to really step out of my routine," says Heimbuch, who was en route to Maine for a fishing and shooting guns trip as he spoke. "You sort of fall into this thing where you're mindlessly sitting in the car for an hour commute every day each way and you go into the office and sit in the same cubicle."
"It's kind of nice to discover something new at this point in life," says Heimbuch, a father of three young kids.
"I go away so that I can be better when I come back."
Mancationers are a motley bunch. We cover the entire socioeconomic spectrum, from mechanic to office manager to CEO. The ones I know are dedicated family men who cut the umbilical cords when children were born. We coach our kids' sports teams. We read to our children and aren't afraid to tell them: "I love you."
Except mancationers need to be cut free once a year. One tip: If you're planning one in May, don't go on Mother's Day, as I once did.
Get your kicks on Route 66
We're not totally selfish. We reciprocate for our wives, freeing them to go on their own journeys with friends. (My wife headed to Italy with her best friend in exchange for my Man-tana outing.)
"I certainly acknowledge my wife needs to get away every once in a while," says Heimbuch, whose wife gets sprung free from family obligations when she wants a break. "We make it work, and then we still do things together."
A good marriage allows for a break
"The best mancations are the ones where you're just acknowledging there's still a part of me that needs to be responsible for me. The good relationships, the good marriages, acknowledge that."
When you're a younger man, professors, financial advisers and bosses will tell you to set goals throughout life, of climbing the corporate ladder, tucking money away and retiring with hordes of cash. That's fine and dandy, all good advice.
But mancationers realize you have to live life, too. For just once a year -- a mere, precious, beautiful four to seven days -- we have to bust out. Being a corporate suck-up only gets you so far.
Mancationers live by a different set of goals: Bathe in deer urine; shoot a 45-caliber handgun with a man named Sledge; crawl on all fours across a mountaintop amid 80 mph wind gusts and swig a shot of Macallan; run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. Our motto, "It ain't bragging if you've done it."
We've lived enough to know that, as wonderful as life can be, it can also be a bore. Pink slips arrive without warning. Tragedy strikes in an instant. Parents, mentors, friends die. And when those moments arrive, you'll need a friend to reel you in.
"Mancations give a man the opportunity to live boyhood dreams," said one friend, whose annual ritual is to go to as many football games in a weekend as possible. "From jumping around Camp Randall Stadium in Wisconsin ... and various stadiums in between, mancations are truly unique experiences that last a lifetime."
The mancation runs the gamut, from hunting, golfing, fishing, parachuting, hiking and attending sporting events. Really, it's anything to get you the bleep out of the house.
Yankee Stadium: The perfect mancation
"Men in my family," Heimbuch says, "tend to internalize every little bit of pressure and stress and expectation and anxiety. And (a mancation) is our way of letting go.
"You're not going to get that when you take your family to Disney World. You're not going to get that when you take your wife to a bed and breakfast."
My love for mancations started a couple decades ago, when my father took me to New York City as a senior in high school. We spent most our time in Yankee Stadium. Dad and I took several more over the years to various sporting events. It provided an escape from the monotony of every day life. We talked more freely about life, death, raising kids, everything.
We returned to Yankee Stadium just before the old ballpark was closed in 2008. As we stood there locked arm-in-arm singing "New York, New York," Dad told me, "I'm glad you thought of this." A few months later, my father died of cancer -- 20 years to the day we first walked through the turnstiles of Yankee Stadium.
It's an experience I wouldn't trade for anything.
Plan that mancation, gents. I'll catch you on the road, cigar and flask in hand.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Travel Review of the Month: Little Big Countries
Check out Slate's survey's of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino & Liechenstein, Europe's mini-states:
http://www.slate.com/id/2300852/entry/2300853
http://www.slate.com/id/2300852/entry/2300853
Friday, August 7, 2009
Man v. Food
Robalini's Note: While Richard Metzger was in the last stages of editing season two of Disinfo Nation, I mentioned how I always wanted to do the 72 oz Big Texan Steak Ranch challenge in Amarillo, TX. Metzger, showing his usual savy nature of being ahead of the curve, was tempted to fly me to Texas and film it right there, but time and budget restraints caused him to wait for the never filmed season three.
Had we done it, we not only would've trumped this cool show buy eight years, but we probably would've out-Jackassed Jackass...
Man v. Food - TV Shows - Travel Channel
http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Man_v_Food
In Travel Channel's Man v. Food, our host Adam Richman travels around the United States sampling some of America's best cuisine. He'll take on a few food challenges along the way.
Had we done it, we not only would've trumped this cool show buy eight years, but we probably would've out-Jackassed Jackass...
Man v. Food - TV Shows - Travel Channel
http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Man_v_Food
In Travel Channel's Man v. Food, our host Adam Richman travels around the United States sampling some of America's best cuisine. He'll take on a few food challenges along the way.
Friday, May 9, 2008
True or False: 10 Common Travel Beliefs
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-22859262;_ylc=X3oDMTF1aWZva3I4BF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEX3MDMjcxOTQ4MQRzZWMDZnAtdG9kYXltb2QEc2xrAzEwYmVsaWVmcy0yMDA4LTA0LTMw
True or False: 10 Common Travel Beliefs
Have you heard that New Yorkers are rude, London is rainy, and China is just a shovel away? Here, the truth behind travel rumors
The Rumor: London is always gray and rainy, and the food is terrible.
The Truth: "In terms of rainfall, it's actually low on the list," says Nicole Mitchell, a Weather Channel meteorologist. (The statistics: London gets 23 inches a year, while, on average, supposedly sunny Miami gets a whopping 60 and soggy Seattle gets 39.) "Because London is coastal, it gets drizzly during the winter. But, as with any place, you have to pick the right time to visit," says Mitchell. (She recommends the summer, when it's warmer and sunnier.) And as for the local fare, it has come a long way since the days of ubiquitous bangers and mash. "There was a time when English food was, by definition, bad food, but that reputation is about 10 years out of date," says Tim Zagat, a cofounder of Zagat Survey, a publisher of international restaurant guides. "Now it is one of the best places in the world to eat." (The turnaround is due in part to the increased availability of fresh ingredients.)
The Rumor: It is rude to make eye contact during conversation in Japan.
The Truth: In the Land of the Rising Sun, do not avert your gaze just yet. "That used to be the rule, back in the old days, during the Meiji and Taisho eras (the late 1800s and early 1900s)," explains Robert Whiting, a Japanese-culture expert and the author of "The Samurai Way of Baseball." "It was considered disrespectful, especially when talking to a superior." These days, however, "people in Japan act just like people in the West. Not making eye contact would be considered a bit odd when talking to someone, even the emperor," says Whiting.
The Rumor: Venice is sinking.
The Truth: Not so much, says Fabio Carrera, a native of Venice and a professor of urban studies and planning at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, in Massachusetts. If by sinking you mean that the land is going under and losing elevation, then, no, that is no longer true," says Carrera. Once upon a time — from around 1900 up until the 1970s — Venice did dip deeper into the water, by nearly five inches, because the aquifer beneath it was being drained to provide water to the mainland. "When people realized what was happening, they stopped pumping water out, and Venice rebounded by about half an inch," says Carrera.
Still, the city is not totally out of hot water. Thanks to global warming and rising sea levels, Venice — along with other low-lying locales, like New Orleans — remains vulnerable to flooding. But as long as it stays one step ahead of the problem by incorporating preventive measures, like the underwater floodgates currently being constructed, Venice should be the home of many a piazza (and pigeon) for years to come.
The Rumor: New Yorkers are rude.
The Truth: Fuhgeddaboudit! "It's absolutely false that New Yorkers are unfriendly — they may seem standoffish at first, but that's just concealing a very big heart," insists Ed Koch, a former New York mayor and a quintessential New Yorker. (Hey, someone who appeared in "The Muppets Take Manhattan" should know.) So what is with the gruff exterior, then? Call it a coping mechanism for living in a city of more than 8 million people. "We believe that people want their own space, so we don't intrude unless asked for assistance. But if you're visiting from out of town, just walk over to any New Yorker and he'll immediately help you out," says Koch. And rather than feeling upset about a brusque cab driver or a bagel guy who seems to toss your change at you, remember that they are just trying to keep the wheels in motion. "People here want to help you get on with your day!" says Koch.
The Rumor: Afternoon thunderstorms in Florida always pass within an hour.
The Truth: "This does not always happen, but a lot of storms are pretty quick," says meteorologist Nicole Mitchell. "In the heat of the afternoon, there is enough of a contrast between the slightly cooler ocean air temperature and the warmer air temperature over land to trigger storms," she says. "By late afternoon, there is less of a contrast and you lose the trigger for the storms, so they start dying out." And Florida is not the only place you should keep an umbrella handy. Mitchell says the same conditions exist up and down the Gulf Coast, making the weather in places such as Biloxi, Miss.; Mobile, Ala.; and New Orleans equally erratic.
The Rumor: South of the equator, toilet water swirls in the opposite direction.
The Truth: This one goes straight down the commode. Wondering where that crackpot theory originated? "South of the equator, tornadoes go clockwise, while north of the equator, they go counterclockwise, because of the earth's rotation and something called Coriolis force. In principle, the same would happen to water in a toilet or a bath," explains Michael Goodchild, a professor of geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a 2007 recipient of the field's highest honor, the Prix Vautrin Lud. "But the effect of Coriolis force on a small scale is very weak and outweighed by other forces, like the relative positions of the inlet faucet and the plug hole."
The Rumor: The Leaning Tower of Pisa will eventually topple over.
The Truth: It seems inevitable that the tilting medieval bell tower will take a dive someday. But the structure, which developed its famous wonky posture when its foundation settled into the soft ground beneath it, is actually on surprisingly solid footing. About 10 years ago, the base of the tower was reinforced with a combination of concrete and other bracing methods, decreasing the lean by 17 inches to 13 feet 6 inches. "It was the culmination of years of work and planning — the new foundation will last indefinitely," says Donald Friedman, a structural engineer at Old Structures Engineering, in New York City. "It is not going to tip. Now it has the heaviest foundation of anything in that whole city!"
The Rumor: In Russia, locally made vodka is cheaper than water.
The Truth: The answer is a flat-out nyet, says Paul Richardson, who has visited the country more than 20 times and is the publisher of Russian Life magazine. While locally made vodka can be nearly half as cheap in Russia as the imported stuff we buy here — prices start at around $2 a bottle in Moscow — it still outprices water by a long shot.
The Rumor: If you dug a hole straight through the Earth, you would probably make it to China.
The Truth: "It depends on where you start out," says author Michael Goodchild. "If you dug through the center of the Earth, you would emerge at a point opposite to where you started," he says. "Most of the time, if you started from land, you would end in water. But you would end up in China if you started digging in northern Chile." Oh yeah, there is one more little catch. Says Goodchild, "You would need a machine that could form a tunnel through liquid metal at a temperature of around 5,000 degrees." Um, try eBay?
The Rumor: There is a top-secret city beneath Disneyland.
The Truth: Legend has it that there's a top-secret command center under the theme park in Anaheim, Calif., but, alas, not even a wave of Tinker Bell's wand could make this a reality. "There is not much under there — certainly not a city," says Bob Sehlinger, who has visited the park hundreds of times over the past 20 years and recently wrote "The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2008." It is very likely that this rumor stems from a case of mistaken identity. As it turns out, sister amusement park Disney World, in Orlando, Fla., does have a subterranean setup of sorts, though it is not quite a metropolis. "In Disney World, there is something called utilidors — Disney-speak for a huge system of tunnels under the park, which allow costumed cast members to scurry underneath the property," explains Sehlinger.
True or False: 10 Common Travel Beliefs
Have you heard that New Yorkers are rude, London is rainy, and China is just a shovel away? Here, the truth behind travel rumors
The Rumor: London is always gray and rainy, and the food is terrible.
The Truth: "In terms of rainfall, it's actually low on the list," says Nicole Mitchell, a Weather Channel meteorologist. (The statistics: London gets 23 inches a year, while, on average, supposedly sunny Miami gets a whopping 60 and soggy Seattle gets 39.) "Because London is coastal, it gets drizzly during the winter. But, as with any place, you have to pick the right time to visit," says Mitchell. (She recommends the summer, when it's warmer and sunnier.) And as for the local fare, it has come a long way since the days of ubiquitous bangers and mash. "There was a time when English food was, by definition, bad food, but that reputation is about 10 years out of date," says Tim Zagat, a cofounder of Zagat Survey, a publisher of international restaurant guides. "Now it is one of the best places in the world to eat." (The turnaround is due in part to the increased availability of fresh ingredients.)
The Rumor: It is rude to make eye contact during conversation in Japan.
The Truth: In the Land of the Rising Sun, do not avert your gaze just yet. "That used to be the rule, back in the old days, during the Meiji and Taisho eras (the late 1800s and early 1900s)," explains Robert Whiting, a Japanese-culture expert and the author of "The Samurai Way of Baseball." "It was considered disrespectful, especially when talking to a superior." These days, however, "people in Japan act just like people in the West. Not making eye contact would be considered a bit odd when talking to someone, even the emperor," says Whiting.
The Rumor: Venice is sinking.
The Truth: Not so much, says Fabio Carrera, a native of Venice and a professor of urban studies and planning at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, in Massachusetts. If by sinking you mean that the land is going under and losing elevation, then, no, that is no longer true," says Carrera. Once upon a time — from around 1900 up until the 1970s — Venice did dip deeper into the water, by nearly five inches, because the aquifer beneath it was being drained to provide water to the mainland. "When people realized what was happening, they stopped pumping water out, and Venice rebounded by about half an inch," says Carrera.
Still, the city is not totally out of hot water. Thanks to global warming and rising sea levels, Venice — along with other low-lying locales, like New Orleans — remains vulnerable to flooding. But as long as it stays one step ahead of the problem by incorporating preventive measures, like the underwater floodgates currently being constructed, Venice should be the home of many a piazza (and pigeon) for years to come.
The Rumor: New Yorkers are rude.
The Truth: Fuhgeddaboudit! "It's absolutely false that New Yorkers are unfriendly — they may seem standoffish at first, but that's just concealing a very big heart," insists Ed Koch, a former New York mayor and a quintessential New Yorker. (Hey, someone who appeared in "The Muppets Take Manhattan" should know.) So what is with the gruff exterior, then? Call it a coping mechanism for living in a city of more than 8 million people. "We believe that people want their own space, so we don't intrude unless asked for assistance. But if you're visiting from out of town, just walk over to any New Yorker and he'll immediately help you out," says Koch. And rather than feeling upset about a brusque cab driver or a bagel guy who seems to toss your change at you, remember that they are just trying to keep the wheels in motion. "People here want to help you get on with your day!" says Koch.
The Rumor: Afternoon thunderstorms in Florida always pass within an hour.
The Truth: "This does not always happen, but a lot of storms are pretty quick," says meteorologist Nicole Mitchell. "In the heat of the afternoon, there is enough of a contrast between the slightly cooler ocean air temperature and the warmer air temperature over land to trigger storms," she says. "By late afternoon, there is less of a contrast and you lose the trigger for the storms, so they start dying out." And Florida is not the only place you should keep an umbrella handy. Mitchell says the same conditions exist up and down the Gulf Coast, making the weather in places such as Biloxi, Miss.; Mobile, Ala.; and New Orleans equally erratic.
The Rumor: South of the equator, toilet water swirls in the opposite direction.
The Truth: This one goes straight down the commode. Wondering where that crackpot theory originated? "South of the equator, tornadoes go clockwise, while north of the equator, they go counterclockwise, because of the earth's rotation and something called Coriolis force. In principle, the same would happen to water in a toilet or a bath," explains Michael Goodchild, a professor of geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a 2007 recipient of the field's highest honor, the Prix Vautrin Lud. "But the effect of Coriolis force on a small scale is very weak and outweighed by other forces, like the relative positions of the inlet faucet and the plug hole."
The Rumor: The Leaning Tower of Pisa will eventually topple over.
The Truth: It seems inevitable that the tilting medieval bell tower will take a dive someday. But the structure, which developed its famous wonky posture when its foundation settled into the soft ground beneath it, is actually on surprisingly solid footing. About 10 years ago, the base of the tower was reinforced with a combination of concrete and other bracing methods, decreasing the lean by 17 inches to 13 feet 6 inches. "It was the culmination of years of work and planning — the new foundation will last indefinitely," says Donald Friedman, a structural engineer at Old Structures Engineering, in New York City. "It is not going to tip. Now it has the heaviest foundation of anything in that whole city!"
The Rumor: In Russia, locally made vodka is cheaper than water.
The Truth: The answer is a flat-out nyet, says Paul Richardson, who has visited the country more than 20 times and is the publisher of Russian Life magazine. While locally made vodka can be nearly half as cheap in Russia as the imported stuff we buy here — prices start at around $2 a bottle in Moscow — it still outprices water by a long shot.
The Rumor: If you dug a hole straight through the Earth, you would probably make it to China.
The Truth: "It depends on where you start out," says author Michael Goodchild. "If you dug through the center of the Earth, you would emerge at a point opposite to where you started," he says. "Most of the time, if you started from land, you would end in water. But you would end up in China if you started digging in northern Chile." Oh yeah, there is one more little catch. Says Goodchild, "You would need a machine that could form a tunnel through liquid metal at a temperature of around 5,000 degrees." Um, try eBay?
The Rumor: There is a top-secret city beneath Disneyland.
The Truth: Legend has it that there's a top-secret command center under the theme park in Anaheim, Calif., but, alas, not even a wave of Tinker Bell's wand could make this a reality. "There is not much under there — certainly not a city," says Bob Sehlinger, who has visited the park hundreds of times over the past 20 years and recently wrote "The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2008." It is very likely that this rumor stems from a case of mistaken identity. As it turns out, sister amusement park Disney World, in Orlando, Fla., does have a subterranean setup of sorts, though it is not quite a metropolis. "In Disney World, there is something called utilidors — Disney-speak for a huge system of tunnels under the park, which allow costumed cast members to scurry underneath the property," explains Sehlinger.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Eight Hotels You Won't Believe
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-22206656;_ylc=X3oDMTIwcjJycDZlBFNlYwNmcC10b2RheW1vZARTbGsDd2VpcmRob3RlbHMtMjAwOC0wMy0xMQRfUwMyNzE2MTQ5BF9zAzI3MTk0ODE-
Eight Hotels You Won't Believe
By Jason Cochran
From the annals of the wacky, the odd, and the inspired – these unusual lodgings will make you look twice.
Meet the giraffes
Without sacrificing its estate-in-the-country dignity—or all of it, anyway—Giraffe Manor in Langata, Kenya, is arranged so that roaming giraffes can poke their heads into any open window or doorway with impunity and lather guests with their sticky, prehensile tongues. Your guesthouse is their guesthouse, so the silly creatures pop up everywhere, including over the breakfast table, in the lobby, and through the curtains of the five guest rooms for adults. Regrettably, as of this writing, the U.S. government had issued a travel warning for Kenya. For the latest info, visit the State Department website. 011-254/20-890-948, off-hours: 011-254/20-891-078, giraffemanor.com.
Hang out like a Teamster
For savoring the windswept Dutch landscape, nothing will lift you higher than the Harbour Crane, which for almost 30 years toiled at unloading timber at Harlingen, a port city an hour outside of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Since 2003, the massive crane has housed a luxury hotel room for two, roughly 60 feet above the harbor docks. Don't expect to sleep in an oily industrial hutch—the hotel's lighting system is touch-screen operated, the chairs are Eames Lounges, and the spindle of structural steel around you has a certain sculptural elegance. But the big payoff: You and your guest can jump into the cockpit and seize the controls, swinging the 143,000-pound crane a full 360 degrees. 011-31/517-414-410, vuurtoren-harlingen.nl.
Gone to the dogs
After years of selling dog sculptures that they chainsawed out of wood, Dennis Sullivan and Frances Conklin sank their considerable profits into constructing Dog Bark Park Inn, a two-story, beagle-shaped B&B in Cottonwood, Idaho. Guests enter the structure from the deck that lines one side of the pup's rib cage. The main quarters are in the belly of the beast; the sleeping loft is in the pooch's head. And, yes, pets are allowed. 208/962-3647, dogbarkparkinn.com, open April through October.
A trailer with a view
Hotel Everland is a one-room portable inn created by Switzerland-based installation artists Sabina Lang and Daniel Baumann. It's mobile, like a trailer home, but it's fancy, too, with pastel walls that swirl and swoop. The artists are moving the inn around Europe; through 2008, it will reside in Paris on the rooftop of the Palais de Tokyo museum, with its heart-swelling views of the Seine, 100 feet below, and the Eiffel Tower, in the near distance. Unfortunately, Hotel Everland becomes a contemporary art exhibit by day. So you can only stay for one night, and you have to be cleared out before the museum opens for business—or risk becoming part of the exhibit yourself. everland.ch, reservations online only.
Take this hotel for a spin
Those of us who miss the Carter administration-era craze for revolving rooftop cocktail lounges will no doubt be pleased to learn that in certain parts of Turkey, it's still 1977. In sunny Antalya, Turkey's version of Miami Beach, you'll find the world's first hotel that has a rotating annex: the Marmara Antalya. Two dozen of the hotel's rooms are built atop a foundation that spins, completing a full rotation every seven hours; guests are rewarded with shifting views of the Mediterranean Sea. 011-90/242-249-3600, themarmarahotels.com.
Hobbit habitats for humanity
If you queued up for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, you'd probably feel right at home in the Hobbit Motel, in Otorohanga, New Zealand. The motel's two hillside burrows are faithful replicas of the fictional hobbit dwellings— right down to the circular windows and doorways, red-and-beige walls, and camouflaged exteriors. The real-life rooms are scaled to human proportions, though, so actual hobbits might find them disagreeable.
The Hobbit Motel is only one part of Woodlyn Park, a bizarre collection of lodgings that includes a 1950s railway car, a dry-docked patrol boat, and a grounded airplane from the Vietnam War. As if that weren't eccentric enough, the complex caters to visitors of the nearby Waitomo Caves, where the star attraction is a colony of glowworms. 011-64/7-878-6666, woodlynpark.co.nz.
Up a tree
Human beings spent millions of years evolving to the point where they wouldn't have to sleep in the trees. That job done, there's just one direction for them to go: back up. The owners of Out 'n' About Treesort & Treehouse Institute, just outside of Cave Junction, Ore., fought nervous zoning authorities to permit the construction of their 18 unorthodox treehouses—some enclosed, some open to the bugs, and some perched in oaks and Douglas firs more than 35 feet above the ground. The Swiss Family unit, for instance, is connected by a suspension bridge to a special kids' area. The Treeloon unit looks like an Old West saloon, complete with swinging doors. And the Cavaltree, a duplex in the branches, feels like a pioneer fort.
Most of the rooms are equipped with modern conveniences, like sinks and refrigerators, but bathrooms are in a cabin on the ground. Given all the spiral staircases at the 36-acre complex, you have to pity the chambermaids. 541/592-2208, treehouses.com.
Pioneer wagons get an upgrade
In Christchurch, New Zealand, the two-year-old Wagon Stays company has come up with a marketing slogan for its tricked-out, ecofriendly, mock Conestogas: "Where luxury meets history." The settlers of New Zealand would have considered themselves lucky to bunk down in these bad boys, which feature queen-size beds, computer-controlled showers, flush toilets, fully equipped kitchens, and satellite TV. Most absurdly, the carriages have glass doors that open to balconies, which are perfect for kicking back with a pint of ale after a long day of going absolutely nowhere. 011-64/3-322-8277, wagonstays.co.nz.
Eight Hotels You Won't Believe
By Jason Cochran
From the annals of the wacky, the odd, and the inspired – these unusual lodgings will make you look twice.
Meet the giraffes
Without sacrificing its estate-in-the-country dignity—or all of it, anyway—Giraffe Manor in Langata, Kenya, is arranged so that roaming giraffes can poke their heads into any open window or doorway with impunity and lather guests with their sticky, prehensile tongues. Your guesthouse is their guesthouse, so the silly creatures pop up everywhere, including over the breakfast table, in the lobby, and through the curtains of the five guest rooms for adults. Regrettably, as of this writing, the U.S. government had issued a travel warning for Kenya. For the latest info, visit the State Department website. 011-254/20-890-948, off-hours: 011-254/20-891-078, giraffemanor.com.
Hang out like a Teamster
For savoring the windswept Dutch landscape, nothing will lift you higher than the Harbour Crane, which for almost 30 years toiled at unloading timber at Harlingen, a port city an hour outside of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Since 2003, the massive crane has housed a luxury hotel room for two, roughly 60 feet above the harbor docks. Don't expect to sleep in an oily industrial hutch—the hotel's lighting system is touch-screen operated, the chairs are Eames Lounges, and the spindle of structural steel around you has a certain sculptural elegance. But the big payoff: You and your guest can jump into the cockpit and seize the controls, swinging the 143,000-pound crane a full 360 degrees. 011-31/517-414-410, vuurtoren-harlingen.nl.
Gone to the dogs
After years of selling dog sculptures that they chainsawed out of wood, Dennis Sullivan and Frances Conklin sank their considerable profits into constructing Dog Bark Park Inn, a two-story, beagle-shaped B&B in Cottonwood, Idaho. Guests enter the structure from the deck that lines one side of the pup's rib cage. The main quarters are in the belly of the beast; the sleeping loft is in the pooch's head. And, yes, pets are allowed. 208/962-3647, dogbarkparkinn.com, open April through October.
A trailer with a view
Hotel Everland is a one-room portable inn created by Switzerland-based installation artists Sabina Lang and Daniel Baumann. It's mobile, like a trailer home, but it's fancy, too, with pastel walls that swirl and swoop. The artists are moving the inn around Europe; through 2008, it will reside in Paris on the rooftop of the Palais de Tokyo museum, with its heart-swelling views of the Seine, 100 feet below, and the Eiffel Tower, in the near distance. Unfortunately, Hotel Everland becomes a contemporary art exhibit by day. So you can only stay for one night, and you have to be cleared out before the museum opens for business—or risk becoming part of the exhibit yourself. everland.ch, reservations online only.
Take this hotel for a spin
Those of us who miss the Carter administration-era craze for revolving rooftop cocktail lounges will no doubt be pleased to learn that in certain parts of Turkey, it's still 1977. In sunny Antalya, Turkey's version of Miami Beach, you'll find the world's first hotel that has a rotating annex: the Marmara Antalya. Two dozen of the hotel's rooms are built atop a foundation that spins, completing a full rotation every seven hours; guests are rewarded with shifting views of the Mediterranean Sea. 011-90/242-249-3600, themarmarahotels.com.
Hobbit habitats for humanity
If you queued up for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, you'd probably feel right at home in the Hobbit Motel, in Otorohanga, New Zealand. The motel's two hillside burrows are faithful replicas of the fictional hobbit dwellings— right down to the circular windows and doorways, red-and-beige walls, and camouflaged exteriors. The real-life rooms are scaled to human proportions, though, so actual hobbits might find them disagreeable.
The Hobbit Motel is only one part of Woodlyn Park, a bizarre collection of lodgings that includes a 1950s railway car, a dry-docked patrol boat, and a grounded airplane from the Vietnam War. As if that weren't eccentric enough, the complex caters to visitors of the nearby Waitomo Caves, where the star attraction is a colony of glowworms. 011-64/7-878-6666, woodlynpark.co.nz.
Up a tree
Human beings spent millions of years evolving to the point where they wouldn't have to sleep in the trees. That job done, there's just one direction for them to go: back up. The owners of Out 'n' About Treesort & Treehouse Institute, just outside of Cave Junction, Ore., fought nervous zoning authorities to permit the construction of their 18 unorthodox treehouses—some enclosed, some open to the bugs, and some perched in oaks and Douglas firs more than 35 feet above the ground. The Swiss Family unit, for instance, is connected by a suspension bridge to a special kids' area. The Treeloon unit looks like an Old West saloon, complete with swinging doors. And the Cavaltree, a duplex in the branches, feels like a pioneer fort.
Most of the rooms are equipped with modern conveniences, like sinks and refrigerators, but bathrooms are in a cabin on the ground. Given all the spiral staircases at the 36-acre complex, you have to pity the chambermaids. 541/592-2208, treehouses.com.
Pioneer wagons get an upgrade
In Christchurch, New Zealand, the two-year-old Wagon Stays company has come up with a marketing slogan for its tricked-out, ecofriendly, mock Conestogas: "Where luxury meets history." The settlers of New Zealand would have considered themselves lucky to bunk down in these bad boys, which feature queen-size beds, computer-controlled showers, flush toilets, fully equipped kitchens, and satellite TV. Most absurdly, the carriages have glass doors that open to balconies, which are perfect for kicking back with a pint of ale after a long day of going absolutely nowhere. 011-64/3-322-8277, wagonstays.co.nz.
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