Baghdad Eye On The Tourist Coin

In a show of extreme optimism, Iraq’s tourism board has announced its plan to build a 650 foot tall Ferris wheel in Baghdad. The London Eye (pictured above) is a mere 443 feet tall. Iraq’s version would feature air-conditioned compartments large enough to carry 30 passengers each. Insurgents are readying their rocket launchers.

The Baghdad Eye, as it’s been dubbed, will provide sweeping views of the capital city. Those who make the complete revolution will be offered the opportunity purchase a souvenir photo. The families of the others, will receive complimentary Zip-loc baggies.

Iraq’s tourism board is also looking for bids on a proposed resort island on the beautiful Tigris River, which would feature a six-star hotel, spa, 18-hole golf course and country club. Start packing, bargain travelers.

Smells Like Nirvana

If you want to soothe away just about any aggravation, stress or injustice, gin will work, but breathing in the scent of lavender is a lot easier on your liver. You can get your fix in a hundred different ways, lotions, aromatherapy, candles, lavender pillows, lavender slippers, you name it, but I discovered the very best way last weekend in Sonoma. It’s a beautiful, hidden gem of a place called Matanzas Creek Winery in Bennett Valley where, for the small price of free (wine tasting is extra), you can spend the afternoon in blissful serenity listening to the happy hum of a hundred thousand or so bees, feeling the pleasant touch of valley heat on your skin, and inhaling the sweet smell of over 4500 lavender shrubs.

If not for a helpful concierge, we would certainly have missed this place. It’s about ten miles out on a winding two-lane farm road well off Sonoma’s beaten wine path Highway 12. If you're coming from the North, it’s about five miles south of Santa Rosa on a smoother stretch of highway. Either way, it’s worth the drive. We spent most of our time in the lavender garden, but it’s best to start in the tasting room and gift shop then linger in the garden until the last moment possible. Pause for a moment to watch the blue dragonflies buzz the koi pond as you walk up hill to the tasting room, which is housed in an understated aged wood building that feels a bit like a tree house.

It smells like a spa inside with all the lavender gift and goody items. The deck overlooks the valley and there’s a nice spot there to sip some wine. You can also take a picnic and some wine to a shady oak grove where they provide tables and a view of a small lake, which is actually their wastewater pond, but you don’t need to know that. BYOP (bring your own picnic) as they offer only the occasional cheese and fruit plate, which they were out of on our visit. Finally, walk the gravel path lined with native grasses and wildflowers out into the fields, quiet your head, watch the bees, smell the lavender, and forget all the stuff that winds you up. This is bliss at its purest.

You Won't See This On Staycation

Thanks to historic gas prices and a tanking economy, this summer’s buzzword is “staycation.” Taking a vacation right in your own backyard. Everyone from the "Today Show" to CNN to Home Depot are pushing it as the hottest travel trend. A Google search yields more than 216,000 references. In true American fashion, we’ve taken a negative, “you can’t afford a vacation,” and turned it into a positive. Turn that frown upside down, America. You’re going on a fabulous “staycation.” That’s right, a whole week camped out in your living room with a bucket of KFC (extra crispy), a liter of diet Dr. Pepper and a stack of DVDs.

It's not the economic meltdown that's making it tough to get away this year. It's just that there are plenty of ways to spend that stimulus check right in your own neighborhood, right? If they really want to sell the American public on a stay-at-home vacation, give it some appeal. Where’s the sizzle? The word “staycation” sounds more like a kennel for obedience-challenged dogs. Why do I want a “staycation”? A moratorium on chores, or “choreatorium” as it's been dubbed, hardly stacks up against maid service, breakfast in bed and poolside umbrella drinks arriving at my bidding. Choreatorium is just a really weird way of saying I’m staying at home in a dirty house with dishes piling up. Sweet. Bring me another “Cheaparita.” Oh yeah, I have to get it myself.

Since we stayed at home over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, I guess one could say we indulged in a staycation. As staycations go, it was pretty freaking awesome. We attended an outdoor San Francisco symphony concert and fireworks extravaganza, lounged by the pool, ate at some nice restaurants, went kayaking, took a bayside stroll, saw “Get Smart” and “Wall-E,” breakfasted on the patio. I cheated and did a little laundry, but still a pretty good non-get-away. Next weekend, I’m thinking about dragging a mattress out onto the deck and sleeping under the stars for a staycation camp-out. We can make hibachi s’mores.

Will all this staycationing be good for the economy? You bet. With all the money you're saving on airfare and hotels, you can go ahead and get movie candy for the whole family, buy that tricked out backyard grill, and pick up a whole slew of travel DVDs so you can plan your next paycation.

You might not see great works of art, or broaden your awareness of other cultures while on staycation, but you will discover the intricacies of your own neighborhood and, if you're lucky, find out who's been letting their dog crap on your lawn.

Ride the Eye, or end world hunger? Tough call

With the current exchange rate, it cost a ridiculous ninety bucks for two of us to "fast-track" to the front of the line for a fifteen minute cruise above the London skyline. I could feed a starving Somali family for a month on that money, but at the end of the month, they'd be hungry again and I'd have missed this super cool view.


When that bit of dark humor came to me, it caused me to Google world hunger to look for ways to help. Here’s a link to Save The Children where you can find plenty of opportunities. Don’t let the fact that Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson are on their home page frighten you off.

Naomi Should Have Waited A Week

One week into the grand opening of Heathrow’s much vaunted and equally vilified Terminal 5, my husband, son and I were scheduled to fly to London. I watched the news reports with growing concern, trying to figure out how I could cram a week’s worth of clothing into a carry-on. Ultimately, I was too lazy to attempt the Rubik’s Cube packing job and checked everything but my laptop. When we arrived in T5, we sailed through immigration and straight on to baggage claim where, within minutes, our bags appeared on the gleaming carousel. It was too good to be true. We enjoyed a coffee in the four-story tall architectural confectionary of glass and steel framing, and marveled at the details before walking about fifty yards to a taxi. No queue.

We had a similarly stress-free experience on the flight home, now two weeks into British Airways’ public relations nightmare. Our wait time at check in was less than five minutes. Security was a streamlined affair with zero wait time. And there was a sleek and modern coffee lounge within a few feet of our gate with an electronic screen giving up to the minute departure and boarding information. As an added bonus, when we got to San Francisco, our bags were there too.

Maybe the bugs are worked out, or maybe we just got lucky. I was just happy not to have to go "Naomi" on anyone.

Kryptomania

If all you’re missing to complete your collection of superhero paraphernalia is an Aquaman action figure in the original box, you are probably already waxing your back and packing your bags for this month’s New York Comic Con. The nation’s second largest pop culture convention is going down in Gotham City April 18-20. In case you’re wondering what to pack, check the FAQs under “Can I Bring My Sword?” The complete Costume Weapon Policy is there.

Make Mime A Double

It’s fall, which means not only is it time to start bulking up for the long winter months, but it’s is also the end of the official season of the Mime. If you were not lucky enough to be in Périgueux, France during August for the International Contemporary Mime Festival, you may still be feeling the jones for some classic “trapped in a glass box” action. Though the deck chairs and iced lollies have been packed away, cold weather won’t be keeping the silent thesps from donning their tights when the 30th Annual London International Mime Festival kicks off January 12, 2008. Legendary master of the silent art Marcel Marceau, who died in September fearing for the future of the craft, would be relieved to know that there is a mime festival happening somewhere in the world just about every month of the year. Go mimers, go.