There plenty of tacky kitsch things to do in Hollywood and one of the most popular and free is stroll down Hollywood Blvd and check out the Walk of Fame, you will never know who’s name you will come across. The walk dates back to 1960 and is home to the who’s who of the entertainment industry. There’s over 2000 names on the stars many famous ones and quiet a few well not quiet as famous as they would like. The personality actually pays $15,000+ to have their name immortalized on the pavement but not just anyone can put their name on a star, there is a nomination and selection process plus a heap of other conditions. The Walk was originally thought up by an artist Oliver Weismuller who was hired by the City to help give the sleazy and run down Hollywood a bit of a facelift.
If you are a regular reader of Tripandom you have probably noticed we have a soft spot for ‘Big Things’ and we have found another, and guess what it’s in Australia (they seem to have their fair share of big things). This time its a giant Murray Cod it can be found in Swan Hill in North Western Victoria along the mighty Murray River. The fish is 11 metres in length and 6 metres wide, it was actually built as a move prop for a film called ‘Eight Ball’ and the locals liked it so much and found a home for it. Swan Hill is the gateway to inland fishing in Australia and their is no mightier fish to catch than the Murray Cod which lives along the fallen river gums on the Murray.
Plans are underway to build a huge Las Vegas style city in Spain called Gran Escala in the Los Monegros Desert about half way between Madrid and Barcelona. The plan will feature huge resorts with 32 hotel- casinos, a race course, sports stadium, golf courses, equestrian centres and two major theme parks including a water park and spy themed park. Over 17 billion Euros have been committed to the project and over 25 million people are expected to visit a year once this stage is complete over the next decade. Tourism is a huge earner in Spain, it now makes up 12% of the country’s economy. It is hoped this development will further strengthen tourism and threaten France as Europe’s most visited city. We are not sure if there is going to be a Spanish Elvis or the wedding chapels and buffets but there’s every chance.
Well most of us have come to the conclusion the King of Rock and Roll sadly passed away in August of 1977 but there are some die hards who just can’t bring themselves to accept the facts. Well who knows maybe Bill Beeny might be right, he put his Elvis is Alive collection on internet auction site eBay and got him self a cool $8000 from a guy called Key. The Elvis is Still Alive Museum museum is currently housed in a transformed a coin operated laundry an hours drive from St Lois. The new owner hopes to move it to Laurel in Jacksonville or even to Hattiesburg in Mississippi- No one really knows why?. The $8000 got Key a huge collection of photos, books, and memorabilia of the King and even FBI files and DNA reports which support Bill Beeny’s evidence that Elvis still lives. Well we are all hoping that the Elvis will turn up to the opening of this new museum and set us all straight… only time will tell. Read the rest of this entry »
Puroland in Tokyo is an indoor theme park dedicated to the Sanrio characters of whom the most famous is everyone’s favorite cat, Hello Kitty. Hello Kitty is something of a phenonemum in Japan and elsewhere across the world with fans unable to get enough of Kitty and her merchandise. If you are a Hello Kitty tragic you will enjoy the video above of the park’s boat ride, if you cant make it through the whole 7 mins this park may not be for you. Don’t get us wrong we love Kitty but we still have cute overload flashbacks from Disney’s “it’s a small world” ride. Sanrio Puroland is located in the Tama New Town district of Tokyo approx 40 mins by train from Shinjuku station. Read the rest of this entry »
The famous New Frontier Casino in Las Vegas is no more after a spectacular implosion brought down the historic building over night. The New Frontier is most famous for being the first of the Strip’s theme casinos and the first Las Vegas performance of Elvis Presley, the hotel has had other famous performers over the years including ex President Ronald Regan, Wayne Newton and Vegas favorites Siegfried and Roy. The Last Frontier opened in 1942 as a cowboy inspired casino then took on a bit of a space age theme for a while before returning back to the western theme with cheap hotel rooms and bikini bull riding to name a few of its features. In its place will be the most lavish resort and casino on the strip. Developers plan to spend about 5 billion dollars and expect doors to open some time late 2010 early 2011. The strip (as usual) is going through some huge changes with several billion dollar plus projects planned or under construction.
Legendary rock group Kiss will be the star attractions along with the best of Formula One motorsport and the mighty Australian V8 Supercars at the Australian Grand Prix held in Melbourne, March next year. The band has had a long history of playing special concerts in Melbourne, they recorded a television special there a few years back with a one of concert with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with classical music set to their greatest hits. The Melbourne Grand Prix is the first event on the 2008 Grand Prix calendar and promises to be huge with several hundred thousand people attending over the four day event. Held beautiful Albert Park with sweeping views of the city the Grand Prix is regarded one of the world’s best and with next years special guests Kiss it promises to be even better.
We love a Disneyland story and this one is a real bummer, well literally. One of the most memorable rides ‘It’s a small world’ attraction and its closing for a while for a bit of a refit. The boats are going to be made a bit bigger and the water a bit deeper and a few other high tech changes. Disney are quoted as saying the ride is getting a bit out of date and needs some new equipment while others are suggesting that the people riding the attraction are getting a bit heavier and the boats are not quiet coping with the extra weight. The ride opened in 1964 and is one of the most popular boat rides in the park but the boats are starting to bottom out and stopping the ride. Time will tell- and let’s hope they don’t change that can’t get it out of your head song…. it’s a small world after all, it’s a small world after all…
Donkey Kong is one of the most loved of the video games and has survived over quarter of a century. Today the game is celebrated in a huge display at Berlin’s Computer Game Museum or computerspielemuseum. The huge scaffolding covers the front of the museum’s facade complete with barrels, ladders and of course everyone’s favorite ape Donkey Kong.
The museum itself is an amazing display of everything computerized it will keep the geek in you interested for hours, there’s lots of early computers and games from simple ping pong right up to the latest state of the art computer games and gadgets of the present.
Ken Maynard is one of Australia’s best loved cartoonists his favorite characters all feature around the Ettamongah Pub. The pub is a wacky old place and the people and critters in it are just as strange. Two of these hotels have been created in real life on just out of Albury / Wodonga in Southern New South Wales and this one on Queensland’s sunshine coast at Caloundra. Don’t forget to to have a ice cold beer at Bluey’s bar and the meals at the grill are huge and very Aussie.The pub is surrounded by Aussie World another kitsch and over the top Aussie adventure. There’s heaps of rides for the kids including a huge Ferris wheel and plenty of sideshow action.
