Marisa LaScala: Writer, Editor, and Good Addition to Your Bar Trivia Team

I suggested seven end-of-times destinations for a slideshow tied to theories about a Mayan-predicted apocaylpse.

Where to Go for the Apocalypse, In Case the World Ends Next Month

Go to the Source
The Mayans are the ones causing the end-of-the-world speculation, so learn all you can about Mayan culture to get some perspective on the situation. First order of business: a visit to some Mayan ruins. Why choose just one? Tour D'Afrique, Ltd. is running La Ruta Maya: The Doomsday Ride, a 1,429-mile bicycling trip that'll take you throughout the heart of Mayan country. The full, six-week cycling experience kicked off November 17, but you can join for sections of the route, which traverses Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize. Along the way, you'll visit the Mayan ruins at Tikal, Copan, and Lamani. If you're not interested in all that exertion—the end of the world means you can let yourself go, after all—perhaps you'd prefer to make your Mayan adventure a side trip in an otherwise all-inclusive, screw-it-all-because-the-world-is-ending beach vacation. In that case, Best Day Tours runs trips to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, as well as Tulum and Xel-Ha from Mexico's Riviera Maya.

Live in Denial
Perhaps it'll make you feel better to think about other inaccurate apocalyptic predictions. William Miller, a figure who emerged during the Second Great Awakening in America, studied his "Book of Revelation" and decided that the Second Coming could be nailed to a specific date: October 22, 1844. When the day came and went with no sign of a prophecy fulfilled, it became known as the Great Disappointment. You can visit the William Miller House and Chapel, where he lived in Hampton, New York, close to the border of Vermont. The fact that they're both still standing, despite confident prognostications suggesting otherwise, should provide some comfort.

Head for the Hills
Book a flight to France: Some believe that the 200-person town of Bugarach will be spared when the apocalypse arrives. Why? You'd think its remoteness, being snuggled away in the Pyrénées, would insulate it from any harm. You'd be wrong. According to the Huffington Post, those who seek safety there believe that the aliens who will cause the end of times are storing their spaceships in the 1,230-meter-high Pic de Bugarach mountain, and they're planning to spare the locals when it's time to blast off. The mayor has even banned climbing the peak on December 21, fearing for the safety of apocalypse-minded tourists. The Guardian writes that Bugarach's infamy is because of "a prophecy/internet rumour, which no one has ever quite got to the bottom of," but it's as good a spot as any for bet-hedging.

Click through to read the rest of the slideshow at the Condé Nast Traveler.

Photo Courtesy Tour d'Afrique

This year was my first as executive editor of Westchester/Hudson Valley Weddings. From assigning stories on wedding trends to scouting real weddings, I was involved with every single page. The issue includes:

-a gorgeous wedding gown photo shoot with 11 different dresses, shot at Playland in Rye

-a feature on wedding venues on the Hudson River

-a photo spread comparing traditional and nontraditional bouquets (written by me)

-four twists on the idea of rustic farm tables by local event designers

-six different real weddings, done in different styles and seasons (two of which were written by me)

-mini-features on different wedding trends, including local minimoons, black and white bridesmaid dresses, and, my favorite, ombré-themed weddings

-a front-of-book covering beauty tips, inspiration ideas (written by me), advice about food, and style advice for women and men

-a final inspiration photo for the last page

The issue only comes out once a year, but I also scout weddings for our Wedding of the Month blog.

These are two features included in the 2013 issue of Westchester/Hudson Valley Weddings. I didn't write either of them, but the PDFs look much better than the web versions. I am the executive editor of this annual publication.

Here, the feature "Something Old, Something New," featured in Westchester/Hudson Valley Weddings' 2013 issue. The feature pairs traditional floral bouquets with more modern equivalents made from non-floral materials, such as paper, felt, or brooches. I am the executive editor of this annual publication.

Here, one of the "Real Weddings" featured in the current issue of Westchester/Hudson Valley Weddings. I am the executive editor of this annual publication.

Here, one of the "Real Weddings" featured in the current issue of Westchester/Hudson Valley Weddings. I am the executive editor of this annual publication.

Here, the "Celebrate" page of Westchester/Hudson Valley Weddings, which is meant to provide fun, little bits of wedding inspiration. I am the executive editor of this annual publication.

The Mother/Daughter Drama in 'Brave'

Along with the negative view of princesshood, Brave  is unique in that the mother/daughter bond is the center of the story. Usually, in children’s stories (and animated Disney cartoons in particular), it’s the absence of a mother that’s the character’s defining quality. (You basically have to go all the way back to Dumbo and Bambi to find a Disney cartoon where mothers figure prominently—and it doesn’t work out so well for them.) Yet the relationship between a mother and daughter is one of the most profound, lifelong bonds—and also one of the thorniest—and it’s worthy of examination.

Unfortunately, Brave doesn’t always live up to the potential of its rich subject matter. This is especially disappointing considering that, if anyone could grasp the complexities of the way mothers and daughters relate to each other, it should be the folks at Pixar, whose past movies can be earnest, heartfelt, suspenseful, and hilarious, often simultaneously. This is the company that turned an almost-octogenarian into an action hero in Up. Instead of finding a similarly unexpected angle on its first movie with a female protagonist, Pixar instead falls back on well tread territory, with princesses, angsty teens, and parents and children who just don’t see eye-to-eye.

 

Click through to read the full review at PopMatters.

 

'Chernobyl Diaries' Is Like the Real Chernobyl, in That There's Nothing There

The characters, thin and stock to begin with, keep finding ways to be disappointing. Over and over, they find themselves in situations where they know they should run and find help from outside of Pripyat, but they keep getting distracted from this life-saving mission to rescue friends that have gone missing, to scream and cry about friends they find worse for the wear, or to investigate strange and scary noises coming from somewhere in the distance. Repeatedly, they muster up heroic courage to go charging—unarmed and unprepared—after a strange sound or vision, only to run away again when they discover that, yes, something unsavory was the cause.

Sure, they’re under fire from multiple threats. Before they realize that Pripyat might not be entirely abandoned, they find themselves on guard against hungry wild animals (mostly ravenous dogs but once, hilariously, a wayward bear) and the contamination that still exists in pockets in the site. (The characters carry a Geiger counter to warn them against high levels of radiation.) However, these forces pop in and out of the story at will, and they’re never used to build a feeling of mounting suspense or dread.

By the time the real boogeymen of the movie are introduced, even the location has lost its luster. The characters are lured into underground tunnels, abandoned hallways, and darkened rooms—they really could be anywhere. This is one of the few horror movies where the atmosphere is spookier and more interesting during the daytime, before any of the haunts have come into play.

Click through to read the rest of the review at PopMatters.

The World's Coolest Boat Hotels—And They're Not All on Water

From small and scrappy vessels to big barges, boats of all stripes have inspired unique accommodations—and I did a round-up of some of the most interesting ones for the Condé Nast Traveler.

A Room for London

London, England

Who says that boats have to float on the water? A Room for London's boat is docked on top of London's Queen Elizabeth hall at the Southbank Centre, looking out onto the London Eye, the Thames, Big Ben, and St. Paul's Cathedral. And though the boat—the design of which was inspired by the Roi des Belges from Heart of Darkness, complete with crow's nest—only has one bedroom, it's big enough to house an octagonal library with a huge selection of books. A Room for London was meant to be a temporary installation, but it sold out its initial offering of bookings. Demand was so high that Living Architecture, which created the room, is looking to see if it has a life beyond 2012, possibly in other destinations.

Click through to see the rest of the slideshow at the website of the Condé Nast Traveler.

Photograph by Charles Hosea / Courtesy of Living Architecture