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Tags: Willis Tower / Sears Tower / Skyscrapers / Architectural Travel / Observation Decks / Chicago Travel / Tourist Traps / → All Tags

We Lived On The Edge And Visited Willis Tower's New Ledge

The Willis Tower installed "The Ledge," these new glass boxes that jut out 4.3 feet from the skyscraper to give you that standing-on-the-edge feeling in the pit of your stomach, on the west side of the building's Skydeck on the 103rd floor.

With a name like that, you'd think it was an amusement park ride. Adding to the amusement park novelty are shirts, mugs and other paraphernalia for sale that boast "Dare to Stand Out" and professional photographers on hand to take a souvenir snapshot of you in the floating box that will be printed and framed by the time you leave the building.

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Tags: Literary Travel / Tourist Traps / YouTube / Amsterdam Travel / → All Tags

The Anne Frank House Joins YouTube With New Footage

A museum's newest treasure has become an international sensation thanks to the magic of Web 2.0. The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam has already strengthened its international profile in 2009 by sending a traveling exhibit called "Anne Frank - A History For Today" all around the world, from San Antonio to Soweto.

Last week, the museum—commemorating the teenage girl whose wartime diary chronicled her family's attempts to avoid the Nazis by hiding in the attic of an office building—took its subject to your home. Yes, you, sitting right there in front of that computer; the museum launched its own YouTube channel. The centerpiece is not a chat with Nelson Mandela or the testimony of diary finder Miep Gies, but instead a recently discovered bit of footage of Anne herself, the only such known moving image of her in the world.

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Tags: Television Travel / New York Travel / Honeymoon Travel / Tourist Traps / Tourism / → All Tags

Pams And Jims Have Been Coming To Niagara Falls For Years

Last week's episode of "The Office" featured two timeless romances: the marriage of Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly (played by John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer), and the long infatuation between tourists and Niagara Falls. Pam mentioned in an earlier episode that she and Jim picked the border city because of its distance from Scranton -- which didn't deter their coworker from attending as she'd hoped—but the city's history as a tourist destination dates back to the 18th century.

Visits to the geological wonder picked up after the Civil War when railroad officials capitalized on it as a destination. Back in the day, couples didn't come to (spoiler!) get married on the Maid of the Mist boat ride; they enjoyed it on their honeymoon. While still several days' journey from many East Coast cities, the falls allowed newlyweds -- from the upper classes first, but later middle and working-class spouses too—to get away and enjoy each other's company, sort of like a latter day Hawaii. Its attractions changed with the times: After World War I, motels sprung up so couples could take their cars on vacation with them.

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Tags: Beijing Field Trip / Forbidden City / Tourist Traps / → All Tags

Seizing the Forbidden City

With the 60th anniversary of China becoming a communist republic approaching October 1, Claire Duffett took a jaunt around the country for the month of September, starting with Beijing. Nowhere does old and new China collide than in its Capital, and for the next five days, we'll share with you the most up-to-date tidbits on what to see and do, and how many yuan it will set you back.

The Forbidden City shows that Chinese penchant for the grandiose began centuries ago. From 1420 to 1624, 24 successive emperors surrounded themselves with concubines and eunuchs, thus populating the grounds of what is really a city in and unto itself with 980 buildings still standing.

On first inspection, it becomes evident how the Ming Dynasty got wrapped up in its self-made cocoon and lost track of what was going on outside those 26-foot-high, red walls, allowing enemy forces to eventually seize power in the 17th century.

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Tags: Tourist Traps / Minnesota Travel / Weird Travel / → All Tags

A Minnesota Roadside Tourist Trap To Get Full Fish-Lift

For 16 years, the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota has released a list of the ten most endangered historic places in the state. On this year’s list are obvious choices like historic hotels, classic ballparks, old buildings, and bridges. However, there’s one endangered species on the list as well, and it’s The Big Fish in Bena, Minnesota. Don’t worry if you haven’t seen it, because with a little love, and probably a lot of worms, local residents are bringing it back to its original beauty.

The giant critter was created back in the 1950s, and is made up of wood and roofing material—no taking the easy way and using fiberglass here. Originally designed to be an ice cream and hamburger stand, the 65-foot long fish has just been hanging out on the side of US Highway 2 ever since. Fans of the National Lampoon's Vacation film may recognize the structure, as it appeared in the postcard photo montage to start the comedy classic.

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Tags: Beijing Field Trip / The Great Wall / Tourist Traps / → All Tags

Crowds and Grandeur at the Great Wall

With the 60th anniversary of China becoming a communist republic approaching October 1, Claire Duffett took a jaunt around the country for the month of September, starting with Beijing. Nowhere does old and new China collide than in its Capital, and for the next five days, we'll share with you the most up-to-date tidbits on what to see and do, and how many yuan it will set you back.

Just 50 miles north of Beijing is the most visited portion of The Great Wall, Badaling. The hordes of tourists on this part of the wall have become almost as recognized as the long, brick barrier itself.

It takes about two hours to drive there by public bus from the city, and costs only 12 yuan (about US$2, entrance to the wall is another US$7 or so) per person, while a tour out to the site can cost upward of US$100—and you’ll be part of a horde of Chinese tourists in matching red hats led by a guide equipped with a colored flag and a megaphone.

One piece of advice however, is to pack a lunch. Whereas 95 percent of the visitors at the wall will be part of a tour that comes with packed lunch, the remainder are left to fend for themselves, and survive off $5 bags of seaweed-flavored potato chips.

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Tags: Dublin Field Trip / Tourist Traps / Cliffs of Moher / Shannon / Lahinch / Galway / → All Tags

Don't Jump! Surviving The Steep Irish Cliffs of Moher

All this week, Jaunted contributor CMB will be giving us notes on her Dublin Field Trip. Any questions or suggestions? Let us know.

Right up there with the Guinness Store and the Blarney Stone when it comes to must-see tourist traps in Ireland are The Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs, located on a four-mile stretch of the western coast between Shannon and Galway, are over seven hundred feet high at their topmost point, from the ramparts to the sea level of Liscannor Bay.

Photo ops of the area include O'Brien’s tower, built at the highest point by Sir Cornelius O'Brien, a descendant of Ireland's High King Brian Boruin in 1835. On the rare clear day at The Cliffs you can see all the way to the Aran Islands and Galway Bay from the tower. There is also a paved path with a safety wall to walk along part of the cliffs, but brave souls can enjoy a worn walking path beyond that.

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Tags: Dublin Field Trip / Castles / Spa Travel / Tourist Traps / Ireland Travel / → All Tags

Why Just Visit An Irish Castle When You Can Stay In One?

All this week, Jaunted contributor CMB will be giving us notes on her Dublin Field Trip. Any questions or suggestions? Let us know.

If touring a castle in Ireland just isn't enough and leaves you wanting more, then why not sleep in a castle? it's the easiest way to live out your fantasy of being a royal, and you're in luck because there are plenty regal Irish castles that have been turned into luxury hotels.

One of the best castles-turned-hotels is the Dromoland Castle in Co Claire, just a few minutes from Shannon, making it easily accessible via the Shannon International Airport. It's also an excellent home base for visiting tourist traps in western Ireland, like the Cliffs of Moher and of course the Blarney Stone.

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Tags: Tourist Traps / Tall Ships / Nautical Travel / → All Tags

NYC's South Street Seaport: Touristy, but the Ships are Cool

Searching for something outdoorsy to do last Sunday, we opted for a place we generally avoid as New Yorkers, South Street Seaport. It's not that the seaport isn't charming, but as one of the busiest tourist centers in the city, it has the same chain stores and lackluster restaurants you can find in beach towns up and down the east coast, and you can do a lot better in this city. Still, Zachary (our two-year old) wanted to see some real ships, so we took the subway to Fulton Street and headed to the South Street Seaport Museum.

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Tags: Michael Jackson / Neverland Ranch / Tourist Traps / Celebrities / → All Tags

Will MJ’s Neverland Ranch Become a Tourist Trap?

If any celebrity’s home seems ripe to be turned into a post-mortem tourist attraction, it’s Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. With the roller coasters, chimpanzees, and all the rest of the circus-y stuff, Neverland has drawn gawking onlookers for years, even though the notoriously reclusive MJ never let many past the gates.

The future of the 2,500-acre property has actually been in question since the financially ailing Jackson parted with it last fall. The owners, real estate firm Capital Colony, have stayed mum on what they plan to do with the estate, but have fueled speculation that it will become some kind of tourist trap by hosting 150 prominent residents for dinners at the ranch and handing out caps that say "Neverland 2009."

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Tags: Monuments / Tourist Traps / Liberty Bell / History / Philadelphia / → All Tags

Jaunted How-To Guide: The Liberty Bell

If you ever find yourself visiting Philadelphia for the first time, the Liberty Bell is going to definitely fall into that category of "I've got to see it once, but OMFG there are way too many people here!" Fortunately, Jaunted has your how-to guide for checking this must-do tourist trap off your list.

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Tags: Madame Tussauds / Hollywood Travel / Tourist Traps / Wax Museums / → All Tags

Hollywood To Get Another Wacky And Original Wax Museum

How many times have you walked down Hollywood Boulevard and thought to yourself "you know, this place is classy and all, but what it could really use is another shticky tourist attraction filled with zany wax figures." If you've mused thusly - and we've lost count of how many times we have - then Madame Tussauds Wax Museum is here to help. The international wax museum chain, which has locations sprinkled from Shanghai to London, is finally opening a Hollywood location. Doors are scheduled to open on August 1.

The new $55 million museum will sit next to the Grauman's Theatre, along the Walk of Fame and it should not be confused with the already established, Hollywood Wax Museum. Arriving guests walk in on a red carpet and will be greeted by a wax Joan Rivers rasping something about their clothes. Any guests who get past that part will eventually rewarded with a Jamie Foxx wax figure, one of many that are spread over 3 floors and 18 themed zones. Magic.

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