Tired of waiting in line for two hours just to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower? Fret no longer! The company that runs the landmark has just unveiled plans for a 10-year, $267 million makeover.
Among the ideas are timed tickets that you can book online, helping to ease waits. (They do this at the Tower of London, among other places.) The group also wants to put in more shops and restaurants so that visitors will spend more cash--on top of the $19 it costs to ride to the top.
The weather must be good up there: After seven years, the National Park Service is thinking about re-opening the Statue of Liberty's crown to visitors willing to make the climb.
The statue reopened in 2004 after improvements were made to get the monument up to post-9/11 security standards. But the spiral staircase to the crown, most recently replaced in 1986 for Lady Liberty's centennial, isn't up to code and may have to be replaced before it's an option for up to 30 island-bound visitors at a time. A recent Park Service memo leaked by a New York congressman sought bids to make the crown safer.
On our first trip to New York City we walked all the way up to the crown, and the view is incredible. Let's upgrade this lady!
Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away. --P B Shelley, "Ozymandias"
Not even a giant self-portrait in sculpture can assure immortality, as fans of the late president of Turkmenistan are discovering. Saparmurat Niyazov's reign as president for life abruptly ended in 2006 with his death, and now a 246-foot-tall tower with a rotating gold statue of him at the top is facing exile from the center of the capital city of Ashgabat, says Reuters.
The new president's rationale for moving the tower, known as the Arch of Neutrality, is that it belongs on Neutrality Avenue, in the south of the city. But it's hard not to see the symbolism of removing a very prominent statue of the man who called himself "Turkmenbashi," or "Leader of all Turkmen," marking the final chapter of his 21-year reign.
On the shore of the Great Salt Lake, Robert Smithson's "Spiral Jetty" is a huge earth and rock sculpture created in 1970. And as it turns out, it's sitting next to a big stash of oil at Rozel Point.
Art and nature lovers are up in arms about the possible damage to the shoreline that could result if bits go into the ground--even though the work site will be five miles from the sculpture. But others believe the natural (or unnatural) evolution of the site is part of Smithson's artistic vision.
After all, the Spiral Jetty was submerged for decades after its creation thanks to a rise in the lake's water level. Only recently re-revealed, its interaction with the environment is a critical part of the project. Would that make any nearby oil rigs art too?
Think of this week's pick, "Jumper", is like a "Quantum Leap" for this generation--and for the big screen. Hayden Christensen plays a young man, David Rice, who has a genetic anomaly and can be transported anywhere, anytime and be stuck doing anything. Rachel Bilson is along for the ride.
Rice soon discovers that this gift has been around for centuries, and that he's involved in a war between "jumpers" and those who have sworn to kill him.
This one was shot all over the place because that's what you get with being constantly transported. We've chosen to focus on a cool spot: Cairo, Egypt.
Where To Stay:Mena House Oberoi Once a hunting lodge for Khedive Isma'il, the Egyptian ruler, Mena House is the place to stay in Cairo. If you can splurge on a suite, this is the spot to do it; the larger of the 523 rooms feature period furniture and insane views of the Pyramids themselves. Don't miss the stunning gardens and four on-site restaurants. The only drawback? It's about 45 minutes from downtown so plan to stick around for the evening.
Where To Eat (and Be Seen):La Bodega The hot spot in town, La Bodega ain't your corner deli. It's the hipster hangout with elegant high-ceilinged rooms and homemade specialties from the kitchen including gazpacho and glazed duck. If you can't swing dinner, at least spend some time at the bar.
What to See:Pyramids at Giza About 45 minutes by bus from Cairo, you do not miss the pyramids, one of the seven wonders of the world. Revel in their sheer size and age, but be careful with the locals, hawking everything--aggressively--from cold drinks to souvenirs to tours.
South Koreans are still reeling after the nation's number one national treasure burned to its foundation early this week. The tragedy left locals and expats alike heartbroken amid Lunar New Year celebrations, and we're still shaking our heads in disbelief.
The Sungnyemun gate was more than 600 years old and had survived numerous foreign invasions and the Korean War--but it couldn't withstand the wrath of one crazy old man. Chae Mo, 69, apparently lit the wooden structure ablaze to draw attention to a personal land dispute. The kicker? Chae told police he had originally thought about attacking the subway system, but decided against it because he didn't want to hurt anybody--what a nice guy!
After an uproar about the lack of proper protection for the gate, the head of South Korea's cultural heritage administration turned in his resignation. The gate, which is more commonly referred to as Namdaemun, was near one of Korea's most famous open-air markets.
An overnight fire all but destroyed one of Korea's national treasures, the 610-year-old Namdaemun Gate. There's no official word on what caused the fire, but rumors of arson are swirling.
The landmark was off-limits to tourists for nearly a century until the government re-opened it in 2006. We can totally see it being a site for The Amazing Race, set as it is in the center of a roundabout in the heart of modern bustling Seoul.
Ever heard of the city of Vung Tau in Vietnam? We haven't, despite being big fans of the country, but it sounds like it's the up and coming destination of Vietnam tourism.
Situated in the south of the country, just over an hour's ride by hydrofoil from Ho Chi Minh City, Vung Tau is the site of a lot of recent investment, most notably a $300 million resort that's currently under construction. It will include hotels, shopping and sailing facilities, and a large aquarium will be built nearby.
Not yet approved, however, is the plan to build a theme park in Vung Tau that will be modeled on Disneyland. How closely it's going to be modeled on Disneyland--and if the Disney guys are happy about that--is not yet publicly known, but one departure will be a "Wonders of the World" section with replica Eiffel Tower, Golden Gate Bridge and Pyramids. Hopefully not exact replicas, or they might have to pay Egypt royalties.
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