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Abu Dhabi Sneaking Out Of Dubai’s (Big) Shadow

November 10, 2008 at 9:00 AM | 0 Comments

Playing little brother to international city of the moment Dubai would definitely suck, but tourism officials are keen to make the UAE’s second city Abu Dhabi famous for something other than bizarre morphing skyscrapers. Abu Dhabi is proudly striving to become the cultural capital of the Middle East instead.

And while we scoffed a bit at first, on closer investigation it seems like Abu Dhabi does know something about culture. There’s going to be a Guggenheim Abu Dhabi by 2012, and in keeping with the UAE's penchant for world records, it'll be the world's biggest Guggenheim museum.

They've also got a bunch of national cultural buildings in Abu Dhabi like the National Theater and the main national library. Perhaps we’ll soon be able to skip the skyscrapers of Dubai and spend our layover soaking up the museum culture of Abu Dhabi. Pity the shopping will probably never be as good.

Related Stories:
· Oil’s Well in Abu Dhabi [The Age]
· The Incredible Morphing Skyscraper [Jaunted]

[Photo: Ioan Barbulescu]

Two Reasons to Get to Berlin Fast

October 28, 2008 at 9:20 AM | 0 Comments

We love the German capital Berlin so much that we don’t really need a reason to go there. But here are two anyway.

First up, from October 31 through November 3, Art Forum Berlin 2008 will be the place to see what’s new in the contemporary art scene. It’s the lucky thirteenth time the Art Forum will be held, and if you’re wondering just what kind of work you’ll see, know that organizers say it’ll be art "with freshness, actuality and a certain cool roughness." Sounds like they're describing the crowd.

In the following week, the JazzFest Berlin starts on November 5 and will finish up late in the evening of November 9. Jazz musicians from the world over will set up in a bunch of Berlin venues, including the jazz clubs A-Trane and Quasimodo.

--AmandaK

Related Stories:
· Art Forum Berlin 2008 [Official Site]
· JazzFest Berlin 08 [Official Site]
· Berlin Travel coverage [Jaunted]

Dust Off Your Top Hats and Capes: The Opera is Coming to Brooklyn

October 25, 2008 at 2:30 PM | 0 Comments

Everybody likes to make fun of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with its insufferably ironic scenesters and their asymmetrical haircuts, but it's still one of the best neighborhoods in New York to find bold new ideas in music and art. Case in point: the 'burg will host the borough's first opera in years this November when OperaOggiNY stages a performance of Franco Leoni's one-act verisimo opera L'Oracolo. The company is renovating the 600-seat McCaddin Memorial Hall Theater on Berry Street between South 2nd and South 3rd Streets, and will welcome city opera buffs to its grand opening performances on November 6, 7, and 8. Admission is only $20, which seems like a bargain for a "real" opera, and there are dozens of great bars and restaurants nearby - Dressler comes to mind - where patrons can discuss the tenor's register over drinks and snacks. It will be interesting to see what kind of crowd is drawn to these classical performances in the midst of hipsterville.

[Photo: nag-brooklyn.org]

Related Stories:
· OperaOggiNY [Official Site]
· OperaOggiNy to re-open McCaddin Memorial Hall Theater on Berry Street [nag-brooklyn.org]
· Opera Comes to the Burg [Gothamist]
· Opera Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

Iceland Cultural Travel: New York Edition

October 16, 2008 at 10:30 AM | 0 Comments

If you're considering taking advantage of Iceland's cash-starved economy with a jaunt there this fall, you can get a head start on the country's beyond-Bjork culture scene at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Through Saturday, BAM is staging Woyzeck, an otherworldly interpretation of the classic German drama, as conceived by hotshot Icelandic director Gísli Örn Gardarsson and his team of acrobatic actors and aerial ballerinas. The show comes complete with underwater scenes staged in a giant Plexiglass tank and an original score from cult rocker Nick Cave.

Tickets start at $20, which, as New York theater goes, is definitely recession-era pricing.

Related Stories:
· Woyzeck [Official Site]
· Iceland Invites You to Take Advantage of Its Economic Misfortune [Jaunted]
· Kaboom! Manhattan Project Opera Hits New York [Jaunted]

[Photo: BAM]

South Africa Field Trip: St. Lucia and a Cultural Tour Gone Wrong

October 3, 2008 at 3:00 PM | 0 Comments

Our Southern Africa embed Jill Nawrocki recently ducked out of Namibia for a field trip to South Africa.

Our final destination before crossing the border into rural Swaziland was the resort town of St. Lucia. Another volunteer had called it one of the most beautiful places on earth, and Coast to Coast said the village was seated at the heart of a World Heritage Site, amidst five different ecosystems. It sounded promising, and when we read that crocodiles, monkeys and even hippos roamed the streets, we knew it was a place that deserved a closer look.

While the "resort" part of the town was pretty desolate (again, we reasoned, because it was off season) Bib's International Backpackers (our hostel of choice) was busy with travelers from all over the world. In addition to your average dorm-style rooms and self-catering accommodations (all for about R100, or $12, a night), Bib's offers travelers a laundry list of tours, safaris and outdoor escapes to insure visitors experience all that St. Lucia has to offer.

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All Night Culture: Not Quite All Night in Dublin

September 10, 2008 at 9:45 AM | 0 Comments

The White Nights of culture are sweeping across Europe and while the Madrid version might see museums open all the way through to 6 am, over in Dublin they're a bit tamer.

At the upcoming Dublin Culture Night on September 19, the museums and galleries involved will extend their opening hours, but only until 11 pm--which makes it more a culture evening than a culture night, we think.

But it's still worth checking out. They're putting on free buses and there'll be live performances on Temple Bar. And we're guessing plenty of Guinness to quench the thirst that comes from engaging with all that culture.

Related Stories:
· Dublin Culture Night [Official Site]
· White Night Travel: Madrid's La Noche en Blanco on Saturday [Jaunted]

[Photo: hippydream]

Labor Day Travel: Missouri Japanese Festival

August 22, 2008 at 12:00 PM | 0 Comments

When you think about hotbeds of Japanese-American culture, St. Louis probably doesn't spring to mind. But it should, because the Gateway City is home to one of the largest Japanese gardens in America, the 14-acre expanse at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

And every Labor Day weekend for the last 32 years, the garden has hosted one of the premier Japanese festivals in the US.

The three-day Missouri Botanical Garden Japanese Festival, August 30-September 1, features a wide array of Japanese cultural activities, including martial arts demos, Zen enlightenment workshops and everybody's favorite, sumo wrestling. Ten bucks gets you admission to everything.

Related Stories:
· Missouri Botanical Garden Japanese Festival [Official Site]
· Labor Day Travel Coverage [Jaunted]
· Culture Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Ryan Rumberger, Missouri Botanical Garden]

Amusement Park Travel: Rome Plans Gladiatorland

August 18, 2008 at 1:05 PM | 0 Comments

A holy water log flume? God's Hand Antigravity Spinner? Officials in Rome have announced plans to open a theme park in the Eternal City, and we're praising the Lord for the opportunity for jokes it presents, even though the park won't draw on the nearby Vatican for inspiration.

Instead, the as yet unnamed amusement park will depict life in Rome 2,000 years ago, from the open-air forum to the raucous Colosseum. Deputy Mayor Mauro Cutrufo says Euro Disney is the model for the new attraction, which is curious considering the very negative reaction Walt's first foray into European tourism received when it opened.

Some regional officials have already come out against the "Americanization" of Roman history. But with millions of Americans visiting the city every year, hasn't that battle already been fought?

Related Stories:
· Pirates of the Colosseum? Rome Plans Theme Park [Reuters]
· Theme Park Travel: Who's Feeding Shamu? [Jaunted]
· Theme Parks coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: wtlphotos]

Fringe Festival Travel: Our Picks for New York Fringe '08

August 15, 2008 at 2:02 PM | 1 Comment

Off-off-Broadway fanatics know we're already a week into the New York Fringe Festival, so it's high time we separated the thespians from the players. If you don't know where to start, balance your Fringe diet with our handy five categories of festival shows and recommendations for each. Hey, maybe you'll spot the next "Urinetown"!

The Necessary Political Slot: "Meanwhile, in Baghdad..." Combat news fatigue with this neatly inverted look at the residents of a besieged nation. Aug. 16 at 9 pm, Aug. 21 at 7:30 pm and Aug. 23 at 2:15 pm.

The Wacky Solo Slot: "My Salvation Has A First Name: A Wienermobile Journey." Comedian Robin Gelfenbien tells the real-life story of her year driving a giant hot dog. Aug. 17 at 2:30 pm and Aug. 21 at 3:30 pm.

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Due On Broadway Travel: "Shrek" Opens In Seattle

August 14, 2008 at 12:00 PM | 0 Comments

And your ogre can sing: "Shrek: The Musical" takes the next giant, flatulent step towards Broadway tonight with its out-of-town world premiere in Seattle.

The adaptation of the DreamWorks children's movie stars Broadway vets Brian D'Arcy James ("Sweet Smell of Success," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels") and Sutton Foster ("Young Frankenstein" and the VH-1 show "Flight of the Conchords"), with a book by David Lindsay-Abaire, is expected to siphon tourist dollars away from "The Little Mermaid" and other family faves, even if it falls flat on its green face. But the out-of-town tryout is crucial to developing the buzz that will fuel ticket sales--something "Young Frankenstein" never built last fall in its previews in Chicago.

"Shrek" runs through September 21 in the Emerald City and opens in New York in November. If you happen to be a Washingtonian who can get there, won't you drop us a line?

Related Stories:
· Seattle Goes Green: Shrek the Musical Makes Premiere [Playbill]
· Can Shrek Sing? Broadway Finds Out This Fall [Jaunted]
· Broadway coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: TonZ]

Labor Day Travel: Join the Joy of Jazz

August 12, 2008 at 2:00 PM | 0 Comments

This Labor Day, jazz lovers won't be gassing up the family SUV or "staycationing" on their couches with a sack of Cheetos and "Kind of Blue" on repeat. They'll be at the Joy of Jazz Festival, a relatively new South African concert series taking place in Johannesburg August 28-30.

The location of the festival makes it a promising spot to host artists from both East and West, from Japanese pianist Keiko Matsui to Spanish-Afro-Cuban outfit Seda Jazz. If you've never heard Xhosa-language songs, the August 30 concert by local talent Camagwini is a must--and a relative steal at R250 (about $32).

If you can arrive and shake off the jet lag by the 28, you can even sit in on a performance workshop hosted by one of the featured musicians!

Related Stories:
· Joy of Jazz [Official Site]
· Vanity Fair's Boutique South Africa [HC]
· Google Earth Travel: South Africa Tourism Goes Virtual [Jaunted]

[Photo of George Duke and Stanley Clarke at last year's festival: begapixel]

Philadelphia Travel: Latino Festivals for the Fall

August 12, 2008 at 10:00 AM | 2 Comments

Don't tell the people of Philadelphia that summer is winding down--they're moving full force into September. The city, and its approximately 650,000 Latino residents, is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and has a couple events to get things going.

Up first is Taller Puertorriqueño's 25th Annual Feria del Barrio. The free festival on September 7 includes activities for all ages and brings headliners Marlon (from Objectivo Fama) and Hector Tricoche to town.

Next is another family friendly event. Rosita's Hispanic Heritage Celebration at Sesame Place is celebrating heritage month by throwing a huge fiesta in cooperation with the local Univision network affiliate. Running September 13-14, this event celebrates Hispanic culture with the help of Sonia Manzano, who's played Maria on Sesame Street since 1973! The kid-orientated theme park will run shows with Maria and her puppet pal Rosita throughout the day, and all the usual characters will be floating around, too.

Related Stories:
· Taller Puertorriqueño [Official Site]
· Sesame Place [Official Site]
· Fall Festivals coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of Feria 2007: G. Widman, via GPTMC]