A Fangirl's Guide To Traveling

Earlier this year, I shared my film-inspired love for the city of Paris.  While I love traveling just for the sake of traveling, it's even more enjoyable for me when I have a movie-related destination in mind.  In my opinion, films can inspire all kinds of things: new stories, life changes, worldview shifts...and road trips, too.  So, without further ado, here's my Seven Wonders of the Domestic United States: Cinematic Detours Edition.

#7: Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, Vermont  (Connection: The Sound of Music)


It is a widely known fact that I adore The Sound of Music.  (I can explain here.)  It is perhaps less widely known that, after escaping to Switzerland, the real-life Trapp Family Singers decided to immigrate to Vermont.  Today their family "lodge" is a year-round resort. Stepping through the front doors is like stepping into Austria, only instead of the Alps you can enjoy views of the Green Mountains.  For those on a budget, delicious sandwiches are available in the lounge for a reasonable price.  They also offer carriage rides, where I'm assuming one could sing "Do-Re-Mi" without getting any strange looks. 

#6: Mystic Pizza, Mystic Seaport, Connecticut (Connection: Mystic Pizza)


This one makes the list for my mom. Long before I watched the 1980s coming-of-age "classic," I enjoyed pizza at Mystic Pizza. The town itself was one of our family favorites for vacations, offering both a historic seaport and a large aquarium.  After viewing the beluga whales and the tall ships, we'd stop by the now-famous restaurant for dinner.  As a teenager, I finally watched the movie with my mother, and I can report back that both the pizza and the film are satisfyingly cheesy.

#5: The Medbery Inn, Ballston Spa, New York (Connection: The Way We Were)


Some of my more devoted readers may or may not have noted that I enjoy all things Robert Redford.  So, you can imagine how pleased I was to learn that The Way We Were was partially filmed close to my hometown in Ballston Spa, New York.  (I may or may not have screamed.)  The Medbery Inn served as the backdrop for the wonderful scene where Katie crosses the street to share a beer with Hubbell.  (This scene is about 50 times more emotional when you're about to graduate from college.)  While there are currently no tables in front of the Inn, many locals have misty, water-colored memories about the film crew being in town. 

#4: The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado (Connection: The Shining)


I don't do scary movies, as a rule.  (Trying to find the above picture, I encountered enough images of "ghost children" to give me nightmares for a few weeks.)  I've never been able to watch The Shining, but when I visited Estes Park, Colorado, it was hard to miss the looming Stanley Hotel.  I'm a lover of old buildings, but after taking one look at this place I was thankful my family decided to stay at the Holiday Inn.  If you're into horror movies and Jack Nicholson and ghost children, they cater to the creepy at the Stanley.  It's fun to say you've seen it, I guess...and by "seen it" I mean to say that I definitely did not go inside.

#3: Zoom, Park City, Utah (Connection: The Sundance Film Festival)


Because I love him, #3 is also Robert Redford-related.  While the Sundance Film Festival is only in full swing at the end of January, Zoom (like a camera zooms) is a restaurant open year-round.  Redford & Co. purchased the old train station and decorated the walls with pictures from the early festivals. Even if members of your party have no interest in film (gasp), the food is truly delicious and you can eat outside on a warm summer night.  (Though I'd recommend checking out the pictures before you make your way to the patio.) 

#2: Musee Mecanique, San Francisco, California (Connection: The Princess Diaries)


I adore The Princess Diaries.  Especially the scene where Princess Mia and Queen Clarisse (Anne Hathway and Julie Andrews) decide to spend the day getting lost in San Francisco.  When I visited the city, I was overjoyed to find the penny arcade complete with the laughing clown.  As you can see, I even tried to beat the arm-wrestling machine that outsmarts the Queen.  (Alas, I could not.)  Just like in the film, there are plenty of  corn dog stands just outside if you can bear the chill off San Francisco Bay.  If you like novelties, visiting this museum/arcade is a must!

#1: Sundance Resort, Sundance, Utah (Connection: All things Robert Redford)


While you're probably not surprised to see this as my number one, I can't say enough good things about the Sundance Resort.  First and foremost, it's a gorgeous nature preserve.  Secondly, the food is amazing and caters to every budget. Thirdly, the bar I'm sitting at above was once owned by the real Butch Cassidy.  The Sundance Institute is also on the grounds, so you might see aspiring filmmakers running about with camera equipment.  Robert Redford and Sydney Pollack filmed Jeremiah Johnson on the property, and the "Hall of Memories" is a cinematic museum within itself. 

Have a favorite film-related destination?  Share below!

Rom-Com Rodeo

I've been hesitant to dive into this topic, only because my feelings are what could neatly be referred to as "mixed."  For some reason, this genre always receives overwhelming responses whenever someone mentions such a movie at a social gathering.  I used to defend these things from the "haters," arguing for their special place amongst the quirky artist biopics and the family vacation sagas.  Recently, though, I'm not sure how I feel about romantic comedies as a whole. 

What's the definition of a romantic comedy, anyway?  Yes, many are marked by cliches (as evidenced in the video above) but Hollywood has been known to apply the label to a wide spectrum of films that often differ dramatically in tone, style, and content.  How can a film by Woody Allen be placed in the same category as a movie featuring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson running around a European capital?  I'm also not sure how I feel about the term "chick flick," as I know many women who loathe romantic comedies and just as many men who enjoy them.   Imagine, Hollywood selling us gender stereotypes! 

When I was in junior high, I loved romantic comedies for their zany situations and risque romantic moments.  I assumed that many of the films I watched were actually windows into the adult world, and that one day I, too, would be wholly consumed by the desire to find Mr. Right.  And throughout junior high and high school, I guess I was.  Not Having A Boyfriend was the ultimate embarrassment.   I saw how Hollywood viewed single women and figured my chronic state of solitude was somehow a foreshadowing of the future.  But in college I quickly discovered that it isn't always roses and love montages though your Facebook status might reflect being "in a relationship."  Now that I've reached the ripe old age of twenty-one, many of my peers from high school are getting engaged and starting families.  According to most romantic comedies, this should make me very anxious, and I should probably set up some kind of online dating profile because the clock has begun to tick! 


But do I feel this way?  Not yet, at least.  In fact, I'm glad I'm single.  (Go ahead and gasp!)  At this point in my life, I can't really relate to the desperate loneliness that romantic comedies say women endure when they live alone.  In fact, I enjoy living alone.  And while it'd be wonderful to meet a great guy, I'm much more excited about starting graduate school.  So until Hollywood decides to make a movie about surviving on Spaghettios in New Hampshire, I might take some time off from the world of romantic comedies.

That being said, here's a few rom-coms I'll always adore:

Roman Holiday (1953) - Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck set the standard for romantic comedies set abroad.  For those who love traveling it's a must-see: Rome is just as important as the resulting romance.

Barefoot in the Park (1967) - I couldn't make a list without having at least one Robert Redford movie, and this Neil Simon classic takes a look at the post-honeymoon life of a quirky couple in 1960s New York. 

You've Got Mail (1998) - A classic story, updated for the digital age.  There are a lot of bookstore scenes in this, and bookstore scenes are always a good thing.  Also makes multiple references to both Joni Mitchell and Pride and Prejudice. 

Scoop (2006) - Murder mystery meets romantic comedy meets Woody Allen dialogue.  Hugh Jackman owns an English estate in this.  Scarlett Johansson plays a student reporter.  Woody plays an anxious magician.  Need I say more?


Do you have a favorite romantic comedy? Comment away!

Pass the Tissues, Please

At the age of twelve, I convinced my mother to rent a copy of Titanic.  This was a major turning point for several reasons.  My parents were a bit puritanical when it came to movie ratings, and Titanic is decidedly PG-13.  Secondly, my young self approached the film with a bizarre predisposition to hate Leonardo DiCaprio.  This lasted about thirty seconds into the movie, whereupon I decided that I was in fact madly in love with Leonardo DiCaprio.  Lastly, Titanic was my first example of how cinematic destruction works on all levels: disturbing imagery, emotional heartbreak, and that horrible empty feeling as you hear the first strains of “My Heart Will Go On.”  I don’t want to ruin the film for anyone, but: the ship sinks and a lot of people die. I sat on the couch with my mother, who was sobbing, and willed myself not to cry.  My twelve-year-old self thought crying was embarrassing, especially at the end of a movie.  I went to bed that night incredibly upset but with dry eyes. 

At the age of twenty, Titanic was rereleased in theaters much to thrill of myself and a few friends.  Our group dined at Azteca before the film, reminiscing on our individual puritanical upbringings: how one parent had insisted on fast forwarding through the “drawing scene,” and how another had not clearly explained the hand in the “car scene.”  At the theater we donned our 3D glasses and proceeded to embark on an emotional rollercoaster that we still discuss to this day.  The film started—Irish music, a shot of the sea—and we watched as if we’d never seen any of it before.  Titanic is so immortalized in pop culture, yet we watched with the terror we’d all felt as children on couches.  Only this time, I cried.  I cried until my glasses fogged like the windows in the “car scene.”  I cried until the bottom of my chin felt wet from the waterworks, cried even harder when I realized my friends were also crying, and continued to cry as we drove back to campus.  And I went to bed that night deeply sad…but satisfied.

At the age of twenty-one, I can now admit my need for an occasional “good cry.”   For me, movies provide access to that strange need, and if you’re looking to either cry or emotionally torture yourself this weekend, you might consider one of these suggestions.  (Or Titanic, of course.)

Out of Africa (1985)—Visually gorgeous but emotionally devastating, this movie makes me want to book a Kenyan safari but makes me actually crawl into bed with a box of tissues.  The story is centered around Karen Blixen’s (Meryl Streep) efforts at running a coffee plantation in Africa but eventually shifts to her love affair with a mysteriously handsome hunter/safari guide named Denys.  (And if you guessed that the handsome hunter/safari guide is played by Robert Redford, you are absolutely right!) 

Les Miserables (2012)—My father, who understands much less French than his French Canadian background suggests, informed me that this title translates to The Miserables.  Honestly, I think that might be an understatement.  Unlike most depressing movies which pack a punch at the end, this one slaps the emotions from start to finish.  If you’d like to take the depressing experience with you on the go, you can now download the complete soundtrack for your iPod.  (Yes, I spend a lot of time listening to Anne Hathaway singing “I Dreamed A Dream.”  Plus, a guy who looks a lot like my boyfriend Wolverine is in this!)

Doctor Zhivago (1965)—If this epic Russian adaptation doesn’t make you cry due to its winding plotlines, you might just cry due to the fact that everything looks so barren and cold.  Another love story, of course, but this one is set against the Bolshevik revolution.  Characters don’t merely long for each other: they trek across great sheets of ice in blizzard conditions, much like students in upstate New York walk to class.  (If you want more depressing love stories involving that particular Soviet brand of communism, try Reds (1981) with Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton.)  
 


What about you—do you have a favorite tearjerker?  Comment below!