Super 8 is getting a lot of buzz this weekend as it finally opens in theaters, but so is the small town in West Virginia where it was filmed.
Weirton, West Virginia, where J.J. Abrams shot the movie last fall, was recently named one of the top five summer movie location-destinations movie-goers would most want to visit in the U.S. And, the former steel town is planning to take full advantage of its 15 minutes of fame by launching its own Super 8 movie location tour later this summer. ]]>
Forget the wilds of Africa, the far extents of the Outback, and the weirder side of Asia. This week, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern went where it's really, truly bizarre—America—or, as Sarah Palin might say, "the real America" of Appalachia.
Brave Andrew sampled the trashy (chicken-fried squirrel), the classy (squirrel au vin), and the scary (squirrel brains). Along the way, he managed to fit in some less kitschy, freshly killed treats like brook trout, venison stew and mushroom coffee—the next foodie trend?
For the record, we should state that most people in West Virginia don't regularly chow down on roadkill. In fact, when we checked out the menu at Ember, the Snowshoe Mountain eatery where Andrew tried all that squirrel, we didn't see one furry critter on the regular menu. It was all the usual down-home trendy options like "lamb chop 3-way" and plum-roasted duck. What gives? Nonetheless, we will be having some of that lamb chop, thank you very much.
Related Stories:
· Appalachia Travel Guide [Travel Channel]
· West Virginia travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Drinking Dirt Soup and Banana Beer in Tanzania [Jaunted]
[Photo: Travel Channel] ]]>
It's a fact of life: some places get unfairly picked on. For years, places like Poland, New Jersey, and West Virginia have been the butt of cruel jokes based on negative stereotypes. Poland and New Jersey generally shrug off the criticism and get on with their lives, but West Virginia is mad as hell, and isn't going to take it anymore. Fed up with derisive attitudes from northerners and even some southern neighbors, the state is launching a new marketing campaign to shift its image from one of toothless hillbillies to one of savvy, 21st century business people. ]]>