In addition to a feature story in the October issue, I have a few fun, smaller items, including:
There's Always Room for Jellio
I was able to interview two co-creators of Fox's Sleepy Hollow. You can download the PDF, or read it online here.
I contributed three destination reviews for our annual cover story on fall getaways. You can download the PDF, or read it online here.
My annual Fall Arts Preview covers all of the arts and entertainment events taking place in the area in September, October, and Novmber—plus all the best movies and book release for the fall. You can download the PDF, or read it online here.
This article was posted last year, but updated this year with a couple of Midwest destinations sprinkled in.
When to go: Second week of October
Why go: In general, leaf-peepers in the Midwest don't have to
contend with the same kinds of crowds that they do in the Northeast. "I
tend to think that the entire region is rather underrated," says Marek
D. Rzonca of the Foliage Network.
"Historically, when people think of fall foliage, they think of the
Northeast and New England. That thinking is not without merit, as the
displays in much of the Northeast are spectacular, but the Midwest has
its gems as well. Wisconsin has grown in popularity, at least on our
site." Danielle Johnson, from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, calls
the small resort town of Lake Geneva a "hidden gem for fall color" in
Wisconsin. "Crowds die down in the fall," she says, "making it the
perfect time to visit."
Where to get the best view: The Lake Geneva Shorepath Walk.
The 21-mile trek gives you plenty of opportunities to see the fall
colors set against the lake—and, as a bonus, it'll also take you through
the backyards of historic mansions. Johnson says the town owes its
popularity to the Chicago fire. "Wealthy Chicagoans fled to their second
homes in Lake Geneva after the fire and made them their new homes," she
says. This includes a number of properties that once belonged to the
prominent Wrigley family. (Black Point Estate is the only one currently open to tours.)
Insider tip: Not content to look at those leaves from the ground? Lake Geneva Canopy Tours can take you much, much closer on a 2.5-hour tour through ziplines in the trees.
Click through to see the full slideshow at the Condé Nast Traveler.
Photo Credit: Clint Farlinger / Alamy
'Brooklyn Nine-Nine': Cops and Recreation
The only thing that Brooklyn Nine-Nine doesn’t try to cram into the pilot is any sense of place. Sure, plenty of cop shows are located in New York City. That Brooklyn Nine-Nine zeroes on Brooklyn specifically seems like it should be significant, but the locations used in the pilot—a generic electronics store, an empty storage center—could be found in any city in America. (I fully admit that, as a Brooklyn resident, I might be overly sensitive.)
It’s not that the borough doesn’t have comedic or even scenic potential. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
may have even attempted a joke at its expense in the pilot, one of the
items stolen during a theft is, of all things, a really expensive ham.
That seems like a crack at foodie culture and the proliferation of yuppy
grocery stores in Brooklyn, but to make the parody land, the show could
have pushed it further; the sham could have been an artisanally cured,
hand-butchered ham meant for some kind of farm-to-table, nose-to-tail
dining experience. And the thug who rips it off is your run-of-the-mill
TV criminal, which leaves you wondering if he really has connections to
the black market that would be interested in such a very expensive ham.
That said, even without exploring Brooklyn’s gentrification growing pains, the premiere covers a fair amount of ground in its half hour, however superficially. You get the basic outline of how the precinct works, some jokes, an open-and-shut case, and introductions to the main players delivered as Holt gets a rundown on each of the detectives from Sergeant Jeffords (Terry Crews, sadly underused in the first episode).
Click through to read the full review at PopMatters.
Why the Museum of the Moving Image is the Coolest Museum Ever
From its Breaking Bad exhibit to its vintage arcade and console games, the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, is one of the coolest museums in New York City. Here's why you need to visit ASAP.
REASON ONE: THE BREAKING BAD EXHIBITION
Admit it. While worrying about how the saga of Walter White will play out in its final season, you've pored over every frame of old Breaking Bad episodes, looking for clues to how it will all end. MoMI understands—and celebrates—your attention to detail. In its Breaking Bad-centric exhibition, the Museum lets you get a closer look at the props, costumes, color schemes, and other behind-the-scenes material that show White's narrative arc. "Our exhibition is all about process," says David Schwartz, the museum's chief curator. "We want to show what they do physically to bring about the transformation in Walter White."
Click through to see the full slideshow on the website of the Condé Nast Traveler.
Photo by Sam Suddaby/Museum of the Moving Image
For the website of the Condé Nast Traveler, I put together a slideshow of the free, public art on view this summer in NYC.
Artist: Orly Genger
Location: Madison Square Park, Madison Ave at 23rd St
On view until: September 8
Undulating swirls of primary colors envelop the trees of Madison Square Park, courtesy of local artist Orly Genger and Madison Square Park Conservancy's Mad. Sq. Art program. Genger used 1.4 million feet of knotted rope for the project, some of it collected by lobster fishermen along the East Coast for reuse. When the installation has finished its run in Madison Square Park in early September, it will be shipped off and reassembled at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Massachusetts.
Click through to see the full slideshow on the website of the Condé Nast Traveler.
Photo by James Ewing
