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How To Be In A Michigan-made Movie

January 9, 2009 at 9:45 AM | 0 Comments

If you were following our Chasing Michigan series, you know that the Wolverine State is in the midst of a filming boom. Sure, the productions bring funds to the local economy, but they also bring tourists hoping to be a part of cinematic history by becoming an extra. And so one of our readers, Dawn, asked:

How do you go about being an extra or have a small part in all these productions being filmed in Michigan?

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261 Natural Wonders Ain't One Per Country

January 9, 2009 at 9:17 AM | 0 Comments

The bizarrely long-winded 7 Wonders of Nature project has reached the next stage: After voting closed on December 31, they've now got a list of beautiful natural spots around the world that we can vote on until July 7, when the top 77 will continue the journey.

This just-completed round culled the long list to one per country, or so we thought. Turns out it is one per country plus a bunch of places that span two or more countries. Who knew, for example, that the Great Barrier Reef spans Australia and Papua New Guinea? A neat way for Oz to get two bites of the cherry, since they have a nomination in for Uluru, too.

Other famed natural wonders to make the cut include Niagara Falls, the Galapagos Islands and the Danube River, plus a whole host of national parks, lakes and rivers that we're afraid we haven't heard of yet.

If you're tempted to get involved you can pick up to seven sites that you think are wonders of nature from their list of 261. But if you're as lazy as we are, wait until they reduce the list later in the year.

Related Stories:
· New 7 Wonders of Nature [Official Site]
· Two Aussie Natural Wonders Shortlisted [SMH]
· Seven Wonders coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: nosha]

Bride Wars

January 9, 2009 at 9:05 AM | 0 Comments

"Bride Wars" opens nationwide today to remind everyone that getting married isn't always the best idea. The film is about best friends (Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway) who try to sabotage each other's big day after a falling out over the date. The movie was filmed throughout NYC and Boston last spring, so today we offer you inspiration from the movie's locations. Take note brides-to-be.

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Spartans Take Amtrak

January 9, 2009 at 8:45 AM | 1 Comment

More efficient than marching: "300"'s Gerard Butler was spotted yesterday hopping off an Amtrak train at Philadelphia's 30th Street Station. Toting his own rolling bag and laptop, the actor is in town to film a thriller with Michael Gambon and Jamie Foxx called "Law Abiding Citizen."

You don't have to be a celebrity to ride Amtrak, but you may have trouble getting a seat anyway: Amtrak reported in October that nearly 3 million more people climbed aboard in fiscal year 2008, the sixth straight year when ridership went up. The fastest growing train: The Maine-to-Boston Downeaster.

While the stats didn't break down by month, we're guessing the bulk of those riders were over the summer, when soaring gas prices forced Americans to contemplate a life with less driving. Thank goodness we'll never have to worry about that again!

Related Stories:
· Annual Amtrak Ridership Sets All-Time Record; Sixth Straight Year of Increases [Amtrak.com]
· Amtrak Ridership Through the Roof: Time for Some New Ideas in US Train Travel [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Celebrity-Gossip.net]

The Jaunted-HotelChatter Self-Love Fest

January 8, 2009 at 5:00 PM | 0 Comments

We're super-excited: Jaunted could be named the best travel blog of 2008! But we're only going to take the honor if you click over and vote us up. You can vote once every 24 hours, something we know 'cause we've been refreshing like whoa lately. Help us out, would ya?

And while HotelChatter isn't in the running in this particular poll, our sis site did just get a nod from Outside as one of the magazine's must-read internet destinations. Maybe 'cause of great stories like this?

Related Stories:
· Seriously. Tune Hotels Now Selling Rooms for 85 Cents [HC]
· Change We Can Believe In: $44 Off Chicago Kimpton Hotels [HC]
· HC Goes Inside The Standard NYC [HC]
· Which Budget Hotel Chain Has the Best Free Breakfast? [HC]
· Pictured: Hotel Surf Schools [HC]

Police Plan To Close Huge Chunks Of DC For Barry's Party

January 8, 2009 at 4:05 PM | 2 Comments

Every bridge crossing the Potomac and 3.5 square miles of downtown DC will be closed to traffic from January 19 until the morning of January 21, the Secret Service has announced. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says the closures are part of "the most security, as far as I'm aware, that any inauguration has had."

Thanks to the bridge closures, Virginia has decided to close the inside-the-Beltway sections of Interstates 66 and 395. Maryland hasn't yet announced similar measures, though the state's transportation department compared the odds of finding a parking spot on January 20 to those of hitting the Mega Millions.

For those trying to get to the parade route, there will be just 13 walk-up security checkpoints, which seems like not many given that more than 1 million people will likely be in town for the event. In its typically humorless fashion, the Secret Service has this advice on its inaugural security website:

It is expected that lines may be long.

Related Stories:
· US Secret Service Inaugural Plan [Official Site]
· Inauguration to Close Bridges, Streets in DC [AP, via HuffPo]
· Sail To The Chief: Inauguration Transportation Options [Jaunted]
· DC Bikers To Get Special Inauguration Parking [Jaunted]

Craggin' New Zealand

January 8, 2009 at 3:35 PM | 0 Comments

It's climbing lite: Take advantage of the sunshine to go cragging on a small peak or cliff at a park near you!

The sport of cragging is a subset of rock climbing that eschews multi-stage climbs or complicated set-ups, instead preferring a short approach and quick retreat. It's perfect for the intermediate to advanced climber who'd rather do several short climbs than take a bunch of gear on his or her travels. New Zealand offers a ton of cragging opportunities, from roadside hills to back-roads routes with names like "Last Night of the Poms" and "Doing It By Degrees."

Cragging isn't confined to the Southern Hemisphere--you could even do it in some warmer regions of the US right now--but we'd rather enjoy the climb, as much as we can after the vertigo has subsided, without also having to worry about getting frostbite.

Related Stories:
· Is New Zealand Really Pure? [Jaunted]
· Rock Climbing Tom Sai [Jaunted]
· It's Summer Somewhere coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of a crag on the Banks Peninsula, NZ: funkenclimb]

British Wind Turbine Has Close Encounter

January 8, 2009 at 3:00 PM | 0 Comments

The exceedingly lively, occasionally credible UK tabloid The Sun says a UFO knocked the blade off a wind turbine in Lincolnshire County in England. "Dozens" of witnesses saw flashing orange and yellow lights in the sky the evening before the 290-foot-high structure was mangled, including one woman who lives just a half-mile from the crash site:

The lights were moving across the sky towards the wind farm. Then I saw a low flying object. It was skimming across the sky towards the turbines.

My husband Stephen was woken at 4 am by the bang.

While the Sun had the first report, the Guardian came up with at least an explanation for all the flashing lights:

Those mysterious lights were actually the fireworks [Guardian employee] Emily [Bell]'s brother Tim had bought at the local garden centre for the 80th birthday party of dad Peter Bell.

But what other-worldy creature snatched the still-missing 65-foot turbine blade? British UFOlogists are already working the case; the Ministry of Defense has no explanation. Consider this one added to our UFO Travel Map.

Related Stories:
· UFO Hits Wind Turbine [The Sun]
· Has The Guardian Solved the UFO Mystery? [Guardian]
· British UFO Archives Giving Conspiracy Tourists New Itineraries [Jaunted]

[Photo: The Sun]

Seeing Sydney Without Being In Sydney

January 8, 2009 at 2:30 PM | 0 Comments

Our very own Aussie, Amanda Kendle, just returned from a trip to New South Wales, where the summer fun is in full swing.

If Australia's biggest city is too big for you, we've just discovered a laid-back way to enjoy it. The trick to being in the middle of Sydney without being surrounded by tall buildings and crowds is just a 10-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay to the quite remarkable Cockatoo Island.

Don't be expecting pristine wilderness from Sydney Harbor's largest island--it's been a prison and was a working shipyard until 1992. But now the Sydney Harbour Trust is turning it into a historical site for locals and tourists to enjoy.

We headed out to Cockatoo Island to stay overnight at their campsite. At just A$75 ($50) for two people--much less if you bring your own tent--you get to wave to all the yachties passing by in the evening then wake up to amazing sunrise views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Add exploring the old shipyards with spooky tunnels and eerie warehouses, and we reckon it's one of the best days (and nights) out in Sydney.

Related Stories:
· Cockatoo Island [Official Site]
· Camping Out in Sydney Harbour [Jaunted]
· Sydney Travel coverage [Jaunted]

The Five Best Cheap Eats Spots For Inauguration

January 8, 2009 at 2:00 PM | 2 Comments

After mortgaging your house for that Craigslist apartment an hour outside the District just to attend Barack Obama's Inauguration Festivities, it's unlikely that black truffle tasting dinners will be on the menu for you. But some of the best food in DC is also some of the cheapest. Here are five picks for the best local bargains:

Ben's Chili Bowl: This historic U Street diner opened in 1958, and it's been a late-night hangout for everyone from Miles Davis to Martin Luther King Jr. This year the restaurant celebrated its 50th anniversary and the election of the first black president, who has joined Bill Cosby in gaining the right to unlimited free food. You can get a window into history for the bargain price of $4.95 with their Chili Half-Smoke, a quarter pound half-pork, half-beef sausage on a bun smothered in mustard, onions and spicy chili sauce. 1213 U St. NW

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The 2009 Palm Springs International Film Festival

January 8, 2009 at 1:26 PM | 0 Comments

The Palm Springs International Film Festival has been hiding in the shadows of another famous January fest for nearly 20 years but it looks like some star wattage is helping it come into its own. Tonight the festival officially opens with a screening of "Last Chance Harvey", starring Dustin Hoffman, and ends Jan. 19 with a "best of the fest" star-studded event.

Tuesday night, the PSIFF annual gala honored Sean Penn, Dustin Hoffman, the cast of "Revolutionary Road," and director Gus Van Sant. The gala also drew A-Listers Anne Hathaway, Dakota Fanning, and Amy Adams. But be prepared, if you are going to be surrounded by celebrities, you may be tempted to live like one.

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Over the Top Luxury Still in Fashion at Shanghai's 3 On the Bund

January 8, 2009 at 1:03 PM | 0 Comments

When planning a trip to cultural hotspot Shanghai, you will invariably encounter the the simple yet enigmatic name of the city's most luxurious shopping and dining destination, 3 On the Bund. Occupying the stately Union Building on Shanghai's Bund, a thoroughfare running alongside the Huangpu River, No. 3 began welcoming the moneyed locals and well-heeled tourists back in 2004.

At first, No. 3 was a revolutionary repurposing of one of the Bund buildings, the strip of which had fallen from grace over the years and were rapidly descending into disrepair and vacant space. After the introduction of upscale dining with M on the Bund and the Shanghai Gallery of Art, the Michael Graves-designed spaces filled up with 5-star tenant after 5-star tenant.

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