Ever wondered what a giant container ship passing through the Panama Canal might look like? Well, it just so happens we were visiting down there last week, and managed to stop by the Miraflores Locks, on the Pacific side, to witness a giant Dole container ship—full of pineapples, we assume—ease its way into the canal.

The entire process involves three sets of locks (Miraflores, Pedro Miguel and Gatun) and takes about 8-10 hours (though they allow multiple ships to travel along the canal at once) from one ocean to the other. But worry not. We've gone ahead and sped up the process to cram a 45-minute Miraflores Locks crossing into an easy-to-swallow two-and-a-half minute video clip. See below! ]]> ASchechter 2012-02-02T09:22:00-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/23/92139/5562

We know, we know; it's freaking cold in Boston right now and it's not exactly your winter dream destination. Still, Boston has something up its sleeve during these slow months—the opening of a new wing to the Isabella Stewart Garnder Museum. The $114 million dollar addition designed by architect Renzo Piano houses 5,000 priceless objects, plus an interior garden courtyard and a cafe.

Potential art thieves will think twice about hitting here now, as a new entrance means beefed-up security. Lest we forget the curious case of the missing paintings, as Bloomberg refresh our memory: "in one of America’s most brazen art thefts, more than a dozen works were stolen from the Gardner in 1990, including three Rembrandts and a Vermeer. None have been recovered."

Of course, that's not what the Gardner Museum wants you to focus on as you tour the new wing's tapestry room, 300-seat recital hall and, of course, the galleries of paintings by the masters. If you'd like to see it all for yourself, tickets run $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $5 for students. If you're under 18, you're for free, and the same goes for anyone named "Isabella."

[Photo: ] ]]> JetSetCD 2012-01-23T12:57:43-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/1/2/223029/1952

· Carsten Höller: Experience at the New Museum

Closes; January 22.

Admission: $16 Adults / $14 Seniors / $12 students

Not gonna lie—a few years back when Höller exhibited at the Tate Modern, we nearly flew to London just for the exhibit. Alas he's now finally mounted a grand show in NYC, complete with his famous multi-story flume slides (and yes, you may ride down them). Also to be seen (and experienced) are a sensory-deprivation tank and goggles that turn everything upside-down. The exhibit has been so popular that the museum raised admission, but still—go. ]]> JetSetCD 2012-01-03T14:56:56-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/12/22/63127/631

Nintendo’s Game Boy has finally hit the big time, as the latest version of the handheld video game is getting a spot at the Louvre in Paris, but not in the way you'd think. The portable game system has evolved into a 3D version known as the Nintendo 3DS, and the museum is starting to hand out a few of them to visitors. Mario and Luigi aren’t exactly getting displayed next to creations from other Italian masters, but the Nintendo 3DS is being utilized as a sort of guide and map for the bigger than big art museum.

The museum wants to keep up with the technology demands of the 21st century, so beginning in March they’re getting rid of the traditional audio tour thingers in favor of the video game system. Nintendo has teamed up with the museum to start this program—they’re saying it’s the first in the world—and they’ll be like 5,000 of the devices available for use once things start up early next year. ]]> kjb 2011-12-22T09:30:15-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/12/14/62459/074

The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago has been celebrating the season since the 1940s, and this year is no different. The museum has pushed some of its smarty-pants stuff out of the way—don’t worry there’s still plenty of learning to be had—and they’ve installed plenty of Christmas spirit.

The main attraction is the 45-foot Grand Tree which towers toward the ceiling of the building’s rotunda. There’s about 30,000 lights and 1,000 ornaments covering the tree, and it’s surrounded by like 50 more smaller trees all decorated to represent different cultures and countries. That’s just the beginning of the Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light exhibit, as there are plenty of events and other displays that keep visitors shuffling through the museum after a long day of holiday shopping. ]]> kjb 2011-12-14T09:53:50-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/12/9/6341/34729

Unfortunately Santa doesn’t open up the North Pole in the offseason for a behind-the-scenes look at what takes place in his workshop, but we might have found the next best thing. If the holiday stress and shopping is taking a toll on you this season, just consider taking a holiday timeout to visit the National Christmas Center. There’s no official museum all about Christmas, but this is pretty darn close.

Located in Paradise, Pennsylvania—right in the heart of Amish country—the place is dedicated to preserving and sharing memories of Christmas present and past. We don’t think there's exhibits dedicated to embarrassing holiday sweaters or home movies, but there are 15 different galleries and exhibits—along with a handful of smaller displays. In total there’s like 20,000 square feet of stuff to see and displays to wander through. ]]> kjb 2011-12-09T09:55:08-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2011/12/7/22628/0385

This Thursday, December 8, marks the 31st anniversary of the day John Lennon was shot and killed outside his apartment in New York City. While fans of Lennon and The Beatles will come together at Central Park's Strawberry Fields to remember him, we'll spend this week focusing on other places to visit to dip into Beatles history.

Today: Liverpool's "The Beatles Story" Museum.

Love The Beatles' music, but not up on your Beatles history? This is where to come for something like Beatles 101, with a dash of Liverpool's own music past. The museum is divided into two buildings, one with a 4D film and the other with the bulk of the experience, which takes visitors from the start of The Beatles' fame with mock-ups of the clubs they played and the radio stations that played them, clear through to John Lennon's white piano.]]> JetSetCD 2011-12-07T17:34:42-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/