Travel Pictures...

[JustinHolt]

I was looking through some pictures a bit ago and I came across this one that I took about a year ago this week. It was a landmark moment in my life, as cheesy and craptastic as that sounds. But it got me thinking, is there anyone else out there who has seen, or wants to see a sight that, though not historically significant in the non-fiction sense of things, is still uber-important to you?

[Flash]

I suppose yes, in the same sense that a city would continue to maintain a statue of a fictional character from a second sequel. . . heh heh. But seriously, the stories behind photos are usually interesting, but ultimately they must stand on their own without them so that the viewer can create his own. Guess that's why people started making motion pictures (sequences of these things all stitched together with sound), for context. But sure, yeah, why not.

[JasonKane]

I don't think it's craptastic-- I would love to see this.

Though I can't think of anyplace offhand that strikes me as a must-see (in the fictional sense anyway), I, like many, have been to Disney World, and taken the tour; on the tour, there is one street you come to where lined up is the actual exterior of pretty much every sitcom there was at the time. I was fairly young, and I remember thinking, whoa: Disney World is like the nexus of the universe.

Not that the exterior of The Golden Girls house was a landmark location in my life, but it did sort of explode some illusions as to what was happening on television, and how exactly all these things get created, and how...inbred all of it was. I know that there are some locations like the on you mention Justin that I would love to see that are actually inspirational as opposed to deflating, and once it occurs to me I will post.

[JustinHolt]

All of this got me thinking to other places I've seen that, in some way or another, felt "cool".

• FAO Schwartz that first time, and the giant piano from Big
• Passing by the Bada-Bing from The Sopranos on my way to work one day in Jersey
• Last week, while driving back from where I was working, I veered off the expressway and sought out the original site of Woodstock, in Bethel, NY.

Some others that, though I wouldn't actively seek out, would also be "cool" to see:

• the house from The Goonies
• the office from The Godfather
• Helltrack from Rad

[Flash]

Originally Posted by JustinHolt

the house from The Goonies

In town on a video shoot in Portland a few years ago, we actually hopped in the car and headed for Astoria, just to see it, vaguely inspired by that movie.

A few special visitations for me:
• Jamestown, VA (first successful American colony)
• Wrigleyville (district surrounding Wrigley stadium)
• Central Park, NYC (Cafe Wha? in the Village was a highlight as well)
• the empty streets of Tijuana at 8 am
• Poitiers, France (just a small, midwestern town, but I could happily retire there)
• Muir Woods, San Francisco (the redwood forest)

Never been:
• Playboy Mansion
• Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, Canton
• Amsterdam red-light district

[JustinHolt]

Originally Posted by Flash

In town on a video shoot in Portland a few years ago, we actually hopped in the car and headed for Astoria, just to see it, vaguely inspired by that movie.

A few special visitations for me:
• Jamestown, VA (first successful American colony)
• Wrigleyville (district surrounding Wrigley stadium)
• Central Park, NYC (Cafe Wha? in the Village was a highlight as well)
• the empty streets of Tijuana at 8 am
• Poitiers, France (just a small, midwestern town, but I could happily retire there)
• Muir Woods, San Francisco (the redwood forest)

Never been:
• Playboy Mansion
• Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, Canton
• Amsterdam red-light district

I really want to get to Wrigley. And Chicago for that matter. I've passed by it on my way to Milwaukee and the skyline looked majestic. I know I'd love that city.

Greenwich Village is a neat walk, and I agree, seeing those beneath coffee houses and bars where so much brilliance was born, it's awesome.

The Rock N Roll HOF is fun the way a flea market is. There's so many random finds that it's easy to feel giddy. A personal highlight is always Michael Jackson's glove. Haha.

I've told Jason this a few times, but if you ever find yourself in Western NY, and moreover Rochester, you have to check out the House of Guitars. It's been around since the 60's and looks like it hasn't been cleaned since it opened. There are autographs of just about every famous and not famous musician on the walls, there are t-shirts from tours from the 80's on through now that, for better or worse, never got sold, but are available to purchase. There are piles (literally piles) of music everywhere. And yeah, lots of guitars.

And yeah, the Playboy Mansion would be beyond reproach.