Yesterday, we told you that Rue de Rivoli was a tourist trap, what with the Mona Lisa condoms and other schlock, but the street does have a few things worth peeking into.

For starters, there's the cool as ice Hotel Le Meurice which has a restaurant and a sexy bar designed by Philippe Starck. There's also the Westin Paris which might seem too "American" but it did host some Paris Fashion Week events earlier this month.

Yet those who are unabashedly missing the States or Great Britain can pop into a McDonald's which has a special emporter entrance, like a drive-through for pedestrians. Additionally, there's a H.W. Smith English book store which celebrates Fashion Week by standing mannequinns on book stacks decked in the latest gear--this may have been the giddiest we got all trip.]]> juliana 2008-10-16T14:29:30-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/15/115812/00

Does touring the Louvre make you horny? If it does, don't waste your money on preservatifs at a French pharmacy.

Instead just skip down to Rue de Rivoli, a tourist trap with blocks upon blocks of stores selling anything you could ever want with Paris, the Eiffel Tower or the Mona Lisa emblazoned on it.

We spotted these condoms in the window of one such store, nestled next to some Santa Claus ornaments, and had to stop and take a picture. If you really want to be romantic, choose the Mona Lisa condom. But the "I Love Paris" one could easily describe a vacation hookup as well.

Not sure if you are going to get lucky in the City of Light? These condoms double as magnets, so they'd make a great souvenir for your mom--or your fraternity brother.

Related Stories:
· Condom Bar Opens in Chandigarh, India [Jaunted]
· Condom Tourism Craze Continues in Thailand [Jaunted]]]> juliana 2008-10-15T12:30:45-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/29/894/93986

Can't afford a trip to India to see the Taj Mahal? Don't worry: Now you can have a staycation and make the Taj Mahal in your own living room, thanks to the geniuses at LEGO.

Everybody's favorite building toy now comes in the biggest ever model kit with almost 6,000 pieces of LEGO and a plan to build a replica of the Taj Mahal. Clear a big space because the finished version comes out about three feet wide and two feet high, or .9 percent of the original height and width.

And make sure you take a long enough home vacation to finish your Indian odyssey--apparently it's so tricky that they're advising it only for over-14s, and it's only for "very experienced enthusiasts." Kind of like a trip to India, really.

Related Stories:
· Lego Launch Taj Mahal [Ananova]
· On Holiday with Lego Blocks [Jaunted]

[Photo: Ananova]
]]> amandak 2008-08-29T09:00:19-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/25/7343/43958

A few months back we we speculated about just how unnecessary the London Ripley's Believe It or Not museum was going to be. Last week it officially opened so now we are all invited to spend a whopping £17.95 (over US$33) to see the latest collection of the weird and wonderful.

The stats say that this Ripley's has just 500 artifacts, which doesn't sound like much, but they do spread over four floors and include such local specialties as a replica of the Tower Bridge made out of matchsticks. Gotta see that (not).

We're also not sure we need to see the two-headed cow (apparently not much of a rarity--the Ripley's company has 80 of 'em) or the graphic of singer Ray Charles created out of 8,000 Post-It notes. Yes, there'll be tourists who visit this new museum, but no, we won't be among them. We have enough weird and wonderful stuff on our desk.

Related Stories:
· Ripley's London [Official Site]
· Welcome to a Weird Old World [This is London]
· Ripley's Believe It or Not Coming to London in August [Jaunted]

[Photo of non-matchstick Tower Bridge: wallyg]
]]> amandak 2008-08-25T09:33:16-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/21/74111/4048

You've probably seen people with a shirt from Hilton Head's Salty Dog Cafe: It's the one with a dog wearing a yellow hat. The place certainly is a top tourist spot--and maybe even a tourist trap--but the island *is* for tourists. The cafe's just playing to the market.

Located within the Sea Pines Resort, it will cost you $5 for a day pass just to visit the place. Once inside Sea Pines you'll want to see the Hilton Head Island lighthouse in Harbour Town. The lighthouse was actually built as an attraction and just holds a shop inside; there's no boat protection here. Oh, if you want to go to the top, that's going to be $3.

Once you finally make it to the actual cafe at the South Beach Marina, you'll be greeted with waterfront seating. There's usually someone playing covers of popular beach tunes with people shouting out requests for their favorite Jimmy Buffet song. As the summer winds down so do the crowds, but if you want to visit when it's busy, go on October 4 and participate in the 13th Annual Oyster Roast. They're going to crack open more than a ton of oysters and cook 'em on the grill. The first ten customers even get one of those shirts.

Related Stories:
· Salty Dog Cafe [Official Site]
· Tourist Traps coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: kjb]]]> kjb 2008-08-21T11:30:13-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/6/4/112639/5534

Ripley's Believe It or Not chain of "museums" will open a location in London later this summer in August. UPI reports that the exhibits will include:

A $1 million Swarovski crystal-covered Mini Cooper, a genuine 16th-century iron maiden, a trio of shrunken human heads from Ecuador and a 13-foot-long Tower Bridge made of wooden matchsticks.

The only place fitting for such exhibit is, obviously, Piccadilly Circus. More odd exhibits will include a portrait of Princess Diana made entirely from laundry lint, the famous sweater worn by Marilyn Monroe during her last photo shoot on the beaches of Malibu, a mummified man, a genuine moon rock and a copy of "The Last Supper" painted on a grain of rice.

There are already 30 Ripley's Believe It or Not "museums" across the world. Have you been to one of these places? Are they worth your time and money? (We doubt it!)

Related Stories:
· Ripley's Believe It or Not [Official Site]
· London to Get Ripley's Museum [UPI]
· (Actual) Museums coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of Piccadilly Circus: Floyd Nello]]]> juliana 2008-06-05T17:00:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/12/6/42914/2848

Not that long ago we warned that some groups of Chinese tourists were still learning how to be tourists. But today we want to applaud them for catching on faster than most of us to the reality of organized tours.

This week in Macau, a group of 100 Chinese tourists loudly protested their guided tour when it didn't live up to their expectations. The tourists complained that they were being pressured into buying souvenirs; they wanted to see more historical sites instead. The conflict came to a head when their tour guides refused to allow them back on the coach to get their sweaters when they were taken to a windy beach (presumably to buy more stuff they didn't need).

Riot police had to be called in to calm the tourists down. Nobody knows what happened next, but we can only assume the guides got revenge by taking the group to the most boring historical site available.

Related Stories:
· Tourists Riot Over Shopping Trip [NYT]
· World's Worst Tourists: Chinese in Third Place [Jaunted]
· Macau Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Rache's Photos]]]> amandak 2007-12-06T09:45:02-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/