Super Bowl XLVI will go down in Indianapolis in just over a week.  And with the New York Giants facing the New England Patriots, we’ve got a matchup of two of the most prominent cities in America.

So in the spirit of good competition, I’ve broken down some statistics for New York, Boston, and the host city, Indianapolis.  Which city will… go… all… the… way…?!

Claim to fame:

New York:  Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Times Square

Boston:  The Freedom Trail, MIT and Harvard, Sam Adams

Indianapolis:  Peyton Manning

Where they rank on the list of America’s most populous cities:

New York:  1st

Boston:  22nd

Indianapolis:  12th

Price of a 16-ounce beer at the stadium:

New York:  $8.75

Boston:  $6.00

Indianapolis:  $9.25

Most attractive cheerleaders (according to BleacherReport.com):

New York:  Doesn’t have cheerleaders

Boston:  27th out of 32

Indianapolis:  24th out of 32

Most attractive quarterback (according to me):

New York Giants:  Eli Manning – 18th out of 32

Boston:  Tom Brady – 1st out of 32

Indianapolis:  Dan Orlovsky – 24th out of 32

Famous TV shows set in the city:

New York:  Saturday Night Live, I Love Lucy, The Jeffersons, The Cosby Show, NYPD Blue, Friends, Sex and the City, Law & Order, 30 Rock, Gossip Girl

Boston:  Cheers, Boston Legal and/or Public, Ally McBeal, The Practice

Indianapolis:  One Day at a Time

Largest Airport:

New York:  JFK International Airport with over 46 million passengers a year

Boston:  Logan International Airport with over 27 million passengers a year

Indianapolis:  Indianapolis International Airport with over 7 million passengers a year

Price of a gallon of gas:

New York:  $3.73

Boston:  $3.45

Indianapolis:  $3.15

Median household income:

New York:  $48,743

Boston:  $49,893

Indianapolis:  $38,502

National Average:  $50,046

Median home value:

New York:  $504,500

Boston:  $369,600

Indianapolis:  $118,100

National Average:  $179,900

Percentage of residents 25 and older who had a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2010:

New York:  33.4%

Boston:  44.3%

Indianapolis:  26.7%

National Average:  28.2%

Average amount of time it takes residents to get to work:

New York:  38.7 minutes

Boston:  28.4 minutes

Indianapolis:  22.2 minutes

National Average:  25.3 minutes

Percentage of residents age 5 and older who speak a language other than English at home:

New York:  49.2%

Boston:  35.5%

Indianapolis:  12.7%

National Average:  20%

So, now that you’ve got all the facts, who will YOU be rooting for on February 5th?

When I got the chance to spend a week in South Africa’s “mother city” I was extremely excited at the prospect of all the amazing animals and bird life I’d see.

My first port of call was to see those elegant little birds in tuxedos.  Who doesn’t love penguins?

And Cape Town’s Boulders Beach is one of the best places to find them.

Slightly nervous that these cute little water birds would be shy, I was assured that my concerns were unnecessary and I would certainly see some on my day out.

I shouldn’t have worried at all.

There I was, lounging on the beach beneath the warm African sun and looking out at the glittering Indian Ocean when two short shadows fell across my legs. When I looked over, expecting to see perhaps a couple of small children playing near my towel, I found a pair of penguins just meandering towards the ocean for a dip.

While there are some 27 locations where these little guys live along the cape coast, they are still endangered. But don’t let that stop you from popping along to swim alongside them in the ocean at Boulders Bay.

Next was a day with the Big 5.

I headed out with a friend with a car through the stunning wine lands to Sanbona Wildlife Reserve.  The drive is some 3.5 hours so an overnight stay is certainly worth the effort.

This park has everything, and the afternoon game drive we caught after our arrival was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I’ve always loved photography and thank goodness for the invention of the digital camera, because there wouldn’t have been enough film in an entire suitcase to cover the amount of pictures I took while riding in the back of that Jeep.

Lions, giraffes, elephants, springboks, steenboks, even a white rhino, to name a few, graced us with their presence.

Best of all for me were the cheetahs, which brings me to my last stop.

Statuesque when still and so elegant and sleek as they athletically run over the plains, and I defy anyone not to melt when they look at a cheetah’s warm sad face with their black tear stripes running down from the eyes.

Not satisfied with seeing them from a distance, I wanted to get up close.

As we drove back towards Cape Town we took a minor detour to the Spier Wine Farm near Stellenbosch, home to an outreach Cheetah Sanctuary. Not only did we enjoy the most incredible meal at the winery, but I actually got to play with a 6-month old cub – definitely the highlight of an utterly animaltasic week.

You can see more photos from Cape Town on this page.

Liah S Thorley is a travel writer for MyDestination.com/CapeTown and novelist from the UK. She has travelled extensively and particularly enjoys history and the arts.

Welcome to the first edition of 2012′s “Where To Travel In…” series, where we tell you about the best places to travel each month.  Get the New Year started off right by attending to one of these famous, interesting or downright weird events…

Tournament of Roses – Pasadena, California

January 2

You’re obligated to watch one parade each year, so you might as well get it over with early in the year. Fortunately, this parade is the best. The Rose Parade is considered “America’s New Year Celebration” and is one of the most opulent displays of flower-covered floats in the world. The floats are designed after a different theme every year, this one being “Just Imagine…”  The Tournament of Roses also includes the oldest bowl game in college football, the Rose Bowl, which will feature Wisconsin versus Oregon this year.

Blacks And Whites’ Festival – Pasto, Colombia

January 2 – 7

Apparently in Colombia, blacks and whites don’t come together too often to party.  That’s where the Blacks and Whites’ Festival comes in.  This is one of the largest and most important celebrations in Colombia, and it’s on the UNESCO list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.  That’s quite a refined-sounding title for a giant street party involving parades, music, dancing and floats.  The cool thing is, on Whites’ Day everyone paints each other white, and on Blacks’ Day everyone paints each other black.  So you don’t have to worry about the same kind of backlash Ted Danson faced when he painted his face black.

Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival – Harbin, China

Begins January 5

With all the crazy snow storms hitting the eastern United States and Europe, we know that most of you aren’t ready to celebrate snow just yet.  But the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival will remind you of how beautiful ice can be when you sculpt statues out of it and construct giant ice houses illuminated by lights frozen into the ice.  This is one of the largest ice sculpture festivals in the world.  It still holds the world record for the largest ice sculpture ever at 250 meters long and 8.5 meters high.  Check out these pictures to see what’s in store for this year’s festival.

Sydney Festival – Sydney, Australia

January 7 – 29

If you’re tired of winter, head to the other side of the world for some summer action. Over a million people bask in the warmth outdoors at The Sydney Festival, which features 80 free events like music, dance, circus, theater and visual arts, making it the largest and most attended cultural event in Australia.

Lohri Bonfire Festival – Punjab, India

January 13

Who doesn’t love a good bonfire?  It’s a great time to dance, sing, and, of course, appease the gods.  This is what happens all over the Punjab region in Northern India during Lohri, the festival of fire worship.  People huddle around giant bonfires and throw rice and popcorn into the flames to thank the gods for a good harvest and seek prosperity in the coming year.  It’s kind of like throwing a coin into a fountain, but with more flair.

The Great Fruitcake Toss – Manitou Springs, Colorado

January 14

Since you’re not gonna eat that fruitcake grandma sent you, put it to good use… by tossing it.  The Great Fruitcake Toss offers a variety of ways to get rid of that fruitcake in dramatic fashion, such as hand-tossing and catapult-launching.  If you have a little more respect for the aesthetic merits of your fruitcake but you still don’t want to eat it, you can enter it into the fruitcake art show or fruitcake relay.

Windless Kite Festival – Long Beach, Washington

January 14 – 15

The name alone makes us laugh. How is flying a kite without wind even possible? Well, that’s for the people at the Windless Kite Festival to show you. The event features an indoor kite flying competition, kite performances choreographed to music and a trick competition.

Camel Wrestling Championship – Selcuk, Turkey

January 15

Who says wrestling isn’t real?  In Turkey it is.  It’s just that the combatants are camels.  Every year, 100 camels are ushered into an ancient stadium to compete in front of thousands of betting audience members.  Each match consists of two camels.  A female camel in heat is kept nearby to work the males into a frenzy.  Most of the time the camels refuse to fight and instead break loose and chase after the female or jump into the crowd.

Sinulog Festival – Cebu City, Philippines

January 15

We know it’s hard to compete with camel wrestling, but if pomp and pageantry is your thing, you might want to check out the month-long Sinulog Festival instead. It’s the biggest and most colorful festival in the Philippines, featuring a grand parade on January 15 with thousands of performers dressed in extravagant costumes who dance to drums, trumpets and gongs. Strangely, the festival honors three strikingly different religions: Islam, Catholicism and paganism.

Frog Leg Festival – Fellsmere, Florida

January 19 – 22

Everyone knows the French love frog legs… but who would have figured that the largest frog leg festival in the world takes place in Florida? Every year, 80,000 people consume over 6,000 pounds of crispy frog legs that the townspeople spent all year hunting. If frog legs don’t do it for you, they also serve gator tail.

Sundance Film Festival – Park City, Utah

January 19 – 29

The Sundance Film Festival is the largest and most important independent film festival in the United States. If you’re lucky enough to score a ticket, you could be one of the first people to discover new classics like Saw, The Blair Witch Project, Reservoir Dogs and Napoleon Dynamite, all of which made their debut at Sundance. Just make sure to bring your coat, gloves and film snobbery.

World Buskers Festival – Christchurch, New Zealand

January 19 – 29

It’s almost one year after the devastating 6.7-magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch, but the city will still be hosting the World Buskers Festival at the end of the month.  While many of us try to avoid street performers, some prefer to watch hundreds of them at one of the largest street performer festivals in the world, the World Buskers Festival. Make sure to bring plenty of spare change.

Yamayaki – Mt. Wakakusayama, Japan

January 28

Back in feudal Japan, different factions disputed the territorial boundaries on Mt. Wakakusayama. So the entire 343-meter high mountain was set ablaze to resolve the conflict. Oddly, that tradition continues to this day. Every year, over 100,000 people show up to watch Buddhist monks set the mountain on fire. And if that isn’t enough fire for you, the event is followed by a fireworks show.

Cockroach Racing World Championship – Brisbane, Australia

January 26

What better way to celebrate national pride than by racing cockroaches? That’s what happens every year at the Story Bridge Hotel on Australia Day. The Cockroach Racing World Championship bills itself as “the greatest gathering of thoroughbred cockroaches in the known universe,” but really it’s just an excuse to drink like mad with friends. The winning cockroach is the first one to run from the center of a circular ring to the edge… but most of the winners never get the attention they deserve. Instead, they scatter into the crowd and disappear.

Quebec Winter Festival – Quebec, Canada

January 27 – February 13

In case you haven’t had your fill of winter, there’s always the Quebec Winter Festival, the world’s largest winter carnival. It features parades, fireworks (that’s not very winter-like), slide runs, concerts, snow sculptures, dogsled rides and other fun events. The two most popular activities are the snowbath, in which 100 people strip down to their bathing suits and roll around in the snow, and the St. Lawrence river canoe race. If the river is frozen over, contestants must drag their canoes across the ice.

Tough Guy Competition – Staffordshire, England

January 29

The Tough Guy Competition bills itself as “the world’s most demanding one-day survival ordeal” and we believe them: two people have died competing. Yet it still attracts over 6,000 masochists who risk cuts, scrapes, burns, dehydration, electrocution, joint dislocation and broken bones in order to traverse a dangerous 8-mile long obstacle course in freezing conditions.  And, yes, they pay money to do this.

Do you know about a cool event happening in January that should be on this list?  What events are you planning on visiting this month?

We’ve covered mysterious natural phenomena before, but Nisha Sharma from Holiday365 is here to provide you with a little more information on Death Valley’s “sailing stones”…

Deep in Death Valley National Park, between California and Nevada, a vast expanse of desert called Racetrack Playa is home to a mysterious phenomenon known as the sailing stones.

These stones get their name because every few years, they “sail” across the desert sands, leaving trails in their wake.

Some stones sail in straight lines, others have more erratic movements. Some sail in one direction for years, then abruptly change course and sail in another direction.

It’s mystified scientists for many years, and while no one has actually SEEN it happen, the trail left in the sand is pretty solid evidence.

There are a few hypotheses about their movement, but none have been proven definitively.

Known Facts about the Sailing Stones

Let’s take a look at what IS known about the sailing stones:

• They can weigh hundred pounds and can be up to two feet wide.
• Most originate from a nearby hillside made from dark dolomite, but some are made from feldspar-rich igneous rock.
• Despite the relative abundance of these rocks, Racetrack Playa is the only known place in the world where they “sail.”

Theories about the Sailing Stones

There are all sorts of theories about what causes these large stones to smoothly slide across the desert floor. Inevitably, some involve extraterrestrials. This is unsurprising, given that “Area 51,” a favorite conspiracy theory topic, is located in the Nevada desert nearby.

Others blame paranormal spirits for moving the stones in a strange cosmic pattern.

And while nobody has been able to determine the ultimate reason behind the movement of the stones, much work has been done in the fields of geology and other earth sciences to determine the mechanism behind it.

Prevailing theories state that the high, sustained winter winds of Racetrack Playa play a key role in the movement of these heavy rocks. Though some maintain that the winds alone would not be strong enough to move the stones in such straight, unbroken trails.

They think that in addition to the winds, ice forms underneath the stones, which allows them to skate, as if on the surface of a pond.

A Unique Natural Mystery

Because of the nature of how the ground, winds and water interact at Racetrack Playa, scientists believe that it is the only place in the world where the phenomenon of the sailing stones can be observed.

We may never know for certain what causes them to move as they do, but we can enjoy the mystery all the same.

Anyone interested in seeing it should consider visiting the Death Valley National Park in Southern California.

My name is Nisha Sharma, and I work as the editor for Holiday365. I have been representing the business for the last two years. Holiday365 offers some great deals in the UK. Feel free to visit our site for the latest information on holiday parks.

It’s the final installment of 2011 for our “Where To Travel In…” series, where we tell you about the best places to travel each month.

Fortunately, the last month of the year is arguably the best for travel.

The world is your oyster in December. It really doesn’t matter where you go; you’re bound to see spectacular Christmas displays and enjoy extravagant New Year’s Eve celebrations. Some of the best are in…

Scotland

Things get crazy in Scotland during their New Year’s Eve celebration called Hogmanay. In the town of Stonehaven, people who are drunk, brave, or possibly both, swing fireballs over their heads, while in Edinburgh, over 100,000 watch the burning of a Viking ship. When the clock strikes midnight, towns all across Scotland sing a traditional poem called “Auld Lang Syne,” which often leads to a kiss-a-thon. So make sure to pack Chapstick and Abreva.

Rio De Janerio

Over 2 million people dressed in white flock to Copacabana Beach to drink and party the night away on New Year’s Eve. But we use the term “dressed” loosely. This is summer in Brazil after all.

Reykjavik

Iceland doesn’t have any laws restricting fireworks, so those brave enough to endure the cold huddle around giant bonfires and launch fireworks before making their way to the bars.

Prague

Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in the world… but it’s also one of the most dangerous on New Year’s Eve. We’re not sure if Prague has similar fireworks laws to Iceland, but it doesn’t matter because no one can stop the streets from turning into a free-for-all of fireworks.

New York

The ball drop in Times Square is one of the most famous New Year’s celebrations in the world.

Sydney

Thanks to its timezone location, Sydney is one of the first cities to herald the new year.  And they do so with one of the most spectacular fireworks displays, which is seen by a crowd of 1.5 million people eager to wish the world “G’day.”

Berlin

Over a million people cram into a 1.2 mile stretch of road in front of Bradenburg Gate called the “Party Mile” to watch live bands, drink hot wine and dance in tents. We were there in 2009, and while the celebration was cool, the walk there was frightening.

London

A couple years ago, we joined over a million people to watch the New Year’s fireworks show at the London Eye. It remains the coolest fireworks show we’ve ever witnessed.

Las Vegas

When we went, Vegas was a let down in the fireworks department, but awesome in the debauchery department. Some people choose to listen to crappy cover bands at the Fremont Street Experience, but the real party is on The Strip, where a huge stretch of this famous boulevard is closed for a few hours so people can party hard before making their way to the clubs.

Barcelona

The streets of Barcelona look like most other cities on New Year’s Eve, but they celebrate an unusual tradition that is unique to the Spain: for every chime of the clock after midnight, everyone must eat one grape. That’s a nice segue into drinking gallons of fermented grape juice at a bar after the fireworks show ends.

You won’t find the same wild parties on Christmas. This is when cities become quiet as families gather together. But in the weeks leading up to Christmas, many European cities have giant Christmas markets packed with small stalls selling food and gifts. The most famous are:

Christkindlesmarkt

Nuremburg, Germany

This is regarded as the most famous Christmas markets in the world. Over 2 million people show up to listen to Christmas carols, buy crafts and drink mulled wine.

Christkindelsmärik

Strasbourg, France

This Christmas market has been held in front of the Strasbourg Catherdal since 1570, and attracts around 1.5 million visitors a year.

Striezelmarkt

Dresden, Germany

This is the oldest Christmas market in Germany, dating back to 1434. It’s famous for having the biggest nutcracker in the world and a 45-foot tall pyramid decorated with wooden nativity scenes.

Old Town Square Christmas Market

Prague, Czech Republic

We’d go back to this Christmas market again just for the trdlo, a delicious pastry that’s made by wrapping dough around a stick, heating it over an open fire, then dusting it with cinnamon and sugar.

Budapest Christmas Fair

Budapest, Hungry

The Christmas Market in Vörösmarty Square is said to be the brightest in all of Europe. It also boasts one of the largest performance line-ups of any Christmas market, with over 150 shows.

Christmas isn’t complete without a Christmas tree, and here are some of the most notable:

The largest floating Christmas tree in the world is in Rio de Janeiro. It’s 280 feet tall and illuminated by 2.9 million bulbs.

Mexico City hosts the tallest artificial Christmas tree in the world, even though it looks more like a 295-foot tall pyramid.

At 145 feet tall, the largest artificial foliage Christmas tree in the world is in Guatemala City. The coolest thing about it is that it performs shows, with 1.5 million lights synchronized to music.

Every year, the slopes of Monte Ingino in Gubbio, Italy present the largest Christmas tree display in the world.

Wilmington, North Carolina claims to have the world’s largest living Christmas tree. It’s a 75-foot tall Oak tree that is over 400 years old.

Here are some other great festivals and celebrations in December, some related to the holidays, some not…

National Samba Day – Rio de Janiero

December 2nd

Brazil’s largest city will turn into one of the biggest (and sexiest) dance celebrations in the world.

Chichibu Yomatsuri – Chichibu, Japan

December 2 – 3

This is one of the three biggest float festivals in Japan, where hundreds of young men pull 30-foot tall, 10-ton illuminated floats through the streets. The six floats represent the six protective deities in Japan, and on top of each float, children perform kabuki and folk dances.

Great Santa Run – Las Vegas

December 3rd

Last year, over 9,000 people ran a 5k dressed as Santa Claus, and this year they’re expecting more in order to break a world record (we can’t believe they actually have a record for that either).

Krampus – Austria

December 5th

Everybody needs a nemesis. And in Austria, the enemy to Saint Nicholas is Krampus. On December 5th, people dress up as this horned devil and roam the streets to warn children not to be naughty before Christmas. But in some parts of Austria, older men dressed in Krampus costumes stalk the streets, looking for someone to beat with a stick.

Klausjagen – Kussnacht, Switzerland

December 5th

20,000 people descend upon this small town annually to watch a procession where men dressed as bishops, wearing 7-foot tall white hats lit internally by candles (does this really seem like a good idea?), march through the streets to chase away wild spirits.

Burning Devil Festival – Antigua, Guatemala

December 7th

Giant effigies of devils are burned in the streets at sundown to rid the country of evil spirits during Quema del Diablo. Afterward, people celebrate with music and fireworks.

Whirling Dervishes Festival – Konya, Turkey

December 10 – 17

Chances are, you’ve seen a whirling Dervish. They are Sufi Muslim followers who dress in white cloaks and spin around for hours in an effort to reach religious ecstasy. It’s become such a popular performance that over 1 million will show up to this festival.

Christmas Boat Parade – Newport Beach, California

December 14 – 18

This year marks the 103rd annual Christmas Boat Parade, where boats adorned in lights and decorations sail through Newport Beach and entertain over a million spectators. We check this out every year because it’s close by and it’s way easier than driving around neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights.

Oaxaca Radish Festival – Oaxaca, Mexico

December 23rd

Judging by the name, you’d think this would be a festival about eating radishes… but it’s actually about sculpting radishes. Every year, thousands of people gather in the center of town to show off their radish sculptures of Jesus and other religious and folklore figures. Is there a better way to celebrate Christmas than with a Jesus radish sculpture?

Know of any cool places to travel in December? Let us know and we’ll include it on our next list!

It’s impossible to travel abroad without changing in some way. 

You’re exposed to people, sights and cuisines that aren’t familiar.  It’s a break from your daily routine.

That’s not to say sitting your butt on a beach in Fiji would have quite the same lasting impact as a 10-day trek through Himalayas, but every trip leaves a lasting mark on you.

Lonely Planet wanted to know what countries are the MOST life-changing.  So they asked their Facebook and Twitter followers which destination changed them the most.

Over 1,000 people responded. 

And the country that was determined to be the most life-changing is… India.

India topping a list like this is no surprise really, with its landmarks, diverse population, and incredible cuisine.

The second most life-changing country was more of a surprise: Cambodia.

Nearly tied for third place were Australia and Thailand.

And in fifth place was New York City. 

France, New Zealand, Nepal, Vietnam, Peru and Egypt followed.

Here’s a word diagram of the most life-changing cities.

What travel destination changed you forever?

Would you be as scared of a ghost if it was a celebrity? Probably. But at least you can brag about meeting a celebrity to your friends (just leave out the part about him or her being dead).

After all, meeting a dead celebrity is almost the same as meeting a living celebrity: the encounter is fleeting, they barely acknowledge you, and your heart will race faster. The only difference is that you can’t get an autograph from a celebrity ghost.

Now, a while ago we did a list on 7 Hotels Where A Celebrity Died. Unfortunately, none of them stayed on earth for a ghostly photo op. However, the celebrities on this list are too narcissistic to leave their fame behind — even after death.

So here are 10 places to see a celebrity ghost:

The Hemingway Home and Museum – Key West, Florida

You might remember cursing the name Ernest Hemingway during your high school English final exam when a question about that book you never read called For Whom The Bell Tolls came up. Hemingway’s bell tolled in 1961 when he followed in the footsteps of his father and committed suicide. But instead of haunting the Idaho house where he killed himself, Hemingway went back to the house in Key West, Florida where he lived most of his life, just as he told others he would (seriously, the guy said he would haunt his old study). Today, people say they hear Hemingway’s ghost typing unfinished stories in a room in the pool house, the same room where he wrote To Have And Have Not, even though there is NO typewriter in the room. Others have even said they’ve seen Hemingway’s ghost playing with some of the 60 cats on the premises, all of which are descendants of the 16 cats he had when he lived there.

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel – Los Angeles, California

The Roosevelt Hotel is home to not one, but two celebrity ghosts, both of whom knew each other when they were alive (proving that celebrity cliques still exist in the afterlife too). The first is Marilyn Monroe. She was a frequent guest of the Roosevelt Hotel and now it seems she stays there permanently. Shortly after she died of an alleged sleeping pill overdose in 1962, her ghost began appearing in the same mirror that once hung in her suite. The mirror has since been moved to the lower level of the hotel.

The other ghost is that of Montgomery Clift, an actor who starred in a movie called The Misfits with Monroe (supposedly they never hooked up despite staying in the same hotel, but it makes for some pretty juicy posthumous gossip to assume they got it on at least once. And if they didn’t when they were alive, let’s not discount ghost sex). For three months in 1953, Clift lived in room 928 while filming From Here To Eternity. Guests often saw or heard Clift tirelessly rehearsing his lines in and around his room, and some guests today say his ghost is still doing the same thing. If anyone staying in room 928 distracts him, he’ll try to force them out of the room by turning on the radio in the middle of the night, blasting the heat to over 100 degrees or even shoving them. Maybe he should be more grateful he doesn’t have to pay those high room rates.

Hollywood Forever Cemetery – Los Angeles, California

The Hollywood Forever Cemetery is the final resting place of many important figures in movie history, like directors Victor Flemming (Gone With The Wind and The Wizard of Oz) and Cecil B. “I’m ready for my close-up Mr.” Demille (The Ten Commandments and The Greatest Show On Earth), and actors Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks and Peter Lorre. But only one star haunts the cemetery: Clifton Webb. He was a popular actor who received three Oscar nominations but never won. While most of his counterparts are satisfied with being immortalized on film, Webb prefers to be immortal in ghost form. His apparition has been seen roaming the Abbey of the Psalms, where he is buried, along with his mom, Maybelle. Mama’s boy to the end.

Pantages Theater – Hollywood, California

Howard Hughes was famous for engineering airplanes, buying airlines, directing controversial films and bedding actresses, but that wasn’t enough work. So in 1949, he purchased RKO Studios, which included the studio’s flagship movie theater, the Pantages. Hughes loved the theater so much that he constructed a giant office on the second floor. Even though he died in 1976, Hughes still hasn’t dropped the workoholic mentality. Today, many people still see his ghost, dressed in a suit, walking through walls into his old office, which is often accompanied by the smell of cigarette smoke.

The Dakota – New York City, New York

The Dakota is one of the oldest and most famous apartment buildings in New York City. It’s been home to many celebrities since it opened in 1884, including Lauren Bacall, Judy Garland and Boris Karloff. Unfortunately, it’s most famous as the place where Mark David Chapman murdered former Beatle John Lennon (we’ve never understood why a fan would want to kill the person that they’re a fan of). Many of the residents still claim to see Lennon’s ghost wandering the halls, including his wife Yoko Ono, who still lives in the building (though her testimony is untrustworthy, as evidenced by this).

Universal Studios – Los Angeles, California

Here’s a freaky case of life imitating art. In 1925, stage 28 on the Universal Studios lot was used to film Phantom of the Opera. The film starred Lon Chaney Sr. as the phantom. Five years after the film was released, Chaney died. But crews say Chaney still lurks in stage 28, imitating the phantom by running along the catwalk, turning on and off lights, closing doors and basically scaring the crap out of people. He’s obviously taking the role a little too seriously.

Oatman Hotel – Oatman, Arizona

After Clark Gable and Carole Lombard married in 1939, they spent their honeymoon at the Oatman Hotel in Oatman, Arizona, apparently not realizing that less tacky places actually existed. They were happily married until Lombard died in a plane crash near Las Vegas. Even though Gable remarried twice after her death, and was married twice before, people that knew him best say no one ever compared to Lombard. Long before Gable died, Lombard’s ghost was occasionally seen in their suite in the Oatman Hotel. So when Gable died, his ghost joined her there. Now people claim to see the two of them reliving their honeymoon at the hotel (hopefully the non-graphic stuff).

Carluccio’s Tivoli Gardens – Las Vegas, Nevada

Liberace was the epitome of Vegas entertainment: old and flashy. After he died, he left behind a lot of flamboyant costumes… but not his ego. Many people say that Liberace’s ghost often appears at a restaurant he owned called Carluccio’s Tivoli Gardens, where he goes through great lengths to make sure people don’t forget about him. One such story involves a time when all the electricity in the restaurant went out. When someone finally realized it was his birthday, the lights suddenly came back on. He’s dead and he still knows how to put on a show.

Sweet Lady Jane – Los Angeles, California

If you’ve seen pictures of Orson Welles later in life, you know the man loved to eat. A lot. And the one place he really loved to eat was a fine dessert shop called Sweet Lady Jane. This is where Welles spent all the money he earned from Citizen Kane, pigging out on ridiculously expensive cakes, cookies, cupcakes and pies until he died of a heart attack in 1985. The ghost of Orson Welles — still in fat form — is often seen wearing a cape and smoking a cigar at his favorite table inside the shop. Is there anything scarier than seeing the ghost of an angry fat man in a shop where he can’t eat the desserts!?

Chicago’s Field Museum has the best bathroom in America, according to an annual online poll by Cintas Corporation (they make restroom supplies so they know they know the business of, um, doing your business).

The museum earned the honor for its two large, family-friendly restrooms, which containin a generous number of stalls and sinks, and automated, eco-conscious hand dryers and water faucets.

The restroom also features intricate artwork of a night sky and has museum displays incorporated into the restroom design.

There’s even a “tot area” with smaller toilets for kids.

Field Museum officials say their bathrooms are cleaned every hour, and get about 3,500 daily visitors.

The museum beat out nine other finalists, including a port-a-potty that was tricked out with a flat-screen TV and sound system for President Obama’s inauguration.

Here are the other finalists:

The Don’s Johns DJ5000LX Luxury Restroom Trailer, for the 2009 Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C.

The Joule Dallas hotel in Dallas, Texas

Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Virginia

The Ninja restaurant in New York City

Main Street Station in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

This is also the only bathroom on the list I’ve actually been in.

Habana Outpost in Brooklyn, New York

Castello di Amorosa’s castle and winery in Calistoga, California

Snowbasin ski resort in Huntsville, Utah

The Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts

It’s October, which means it’s the perfect time for a new edition to our ongoing series about movies that make you fear traveling.  Since you already survived your flight and made it out of your road trip alive, it’s time to worry about finding a hotel that isn’t filled with murderers, thieves and other delinquents.

Judging by this list of the top 10 movie hotels that will make you fear travel, you might want to try couchsurfing instead.

1408

If you want to spend the night in one of the most haunted hotels in the world, you already know there’s a risk of having the living daylights scared out of you. But if willingly stay in a haunted hotel where the room number adds up to 13 (1+4+0+8 = 13), then make sure your will is up-to-date because you’re all but guaranteed death. Yet despite all these warning signs and strong opposition from the hotel manager, a horror author played by John Cusack decides to stay in room 1408 to see what all the fuss is about. The people in room 1407 must have been really inconvenienced when the screaming began.

Dunston Checks In

This is the reason why some people refuse to stay in pet-friendly hotels. In Dunston Checks In, a five-star hotel on the verge of receiving a sixth star welcomes a guest who is accompanied by his pet orangutan. Shenanigans ensue when we find out the orangutan is a trained jewel thief and the hotel owner’s kids try to help Dunston reform from his life of crime. Great, not only do you have to worry about allergies and loud noises from animals, you have to worry that they’ll steal that big bag of perfectly cut jewels you carry around with you on all your travels.

Eaten Alive

Sometimes it’s better to just sleep in your car. Especially when you’re in the backwater swamps of Louisiana. But since the people in Eaten Alive have never seen a horror movie, they blindly put faith into a unstable-looking hotel owner who happens to murder his guests with a scythe and feed their corpses to his pet crocodile living in the swamp adjacent to the hotel. The sad thing is, the accommodations weren’t even 3-star.

Four Rooms

It’s not always the hotel or its owner you have to worry about, it’s the other guests. And Four Rooms proves that the people in the next room are not to be trusted. The movie chronicles one night in the life of a bellhop as he encounters four bizarre situations: a coven of witches that need his sperm for a spell, a fantasy hostage situation that the bellhop doesn’t know is all pretend, a bet that results in a man losing a finger, and misbehaving kids who destroy a room and hide a dead hooker under their bed. Yeah, these are the type of people you’re sharing a hotel with. How comfortable does that make you?

Identity

Motels are probably the second most common place where people are murdered, below highways and above deserts. So the people in Identity were destined to be killed no matter what. In the film, ten strangers are forced to stay in a grungy motel in the middle of the Nevada desert when a big storm develops. One by one, each guest is picked off by a mysterious figure who’s working his way chronologically through the guest book, starting with room #10. On the good side, at least the service is orderly. By the way, John Cusack is in this movie too, so if there’s only one thing you take away from this post, it’s don’t stay anywhere that John Cusack is.

The Million Dollar Hotel

Based on the name alone, you know this place isn’t up to par. Nice hotels cost way more than a million dollars. Anything less and it’s probably not in line with current fire code. So it makes sense that the hotel in The Million Dollar Hotel is a trash hole on L.A.’s Skid Row overrun by mentally ill people who can’t afford health insurance but can afford a dingy room with outdated sheets, questionable plumbing and somewhat functional TVs. The movie is about an FBI agent who shows up at the hotel to investigate the death of a billionaire’s son and stuff happens, we think. Who knows? We fell asleep. We don’t know what’s worse: staying in this hotel, or watching this movie.

Motel Hell

You should always be weary of hotels that don’t have many reviews. It means the guests didn’t survive long enough to leave one. Case in point: Motel Hell. The movie is about guests who are dumb enough to stay at a podunk place called Motel Hello, where the “o” in “hello” flickers on and off. The motel is owned by a guy named Farmer Vincent, who also happens to make the best sausage in the area. And what makes the sausage so tasty? Human flesh. That’s right, the hotel is rigged with booby traps to capture guests so Farmer Vincent can turn them into sausage. See, everyone wants cheap room rates, but this is what happens when the owners have to find other means of income to stay afloat.

Psycho

Ten bucks says the motel industry tanked after Psycho came out in 1960. How else do you explain the huge rise in RV popularity in the ’60s? With RVs, people no longer had to worry about being watched through a peep hole while undressing or getting stabbed to death in the shower. However, oedipal complexes were still likely a concern.

The Shining

This is why it’s never a good idea to stay in a hotel for more than a few days. In The Shining, Jack Nicholson (who already looks mentally unstable) takes a job as a caretaker at a hotel during the off-season. With limited entertainment options (see: bouncing a tennis ball), a freakishly unattractive wife and a psychic son who can communicate with ghosts in the hotel, Jack decides that the only way to alleviate his boredom is to attempt to kill his family. In other words, always splurge for the hotel with a game room. It might prevent you from descending into madness.

Vacancy

Immediately after checking under the bed for transients and inspecting the sheets with a black light for blood stains, you should always search for hidden cameras, especially in creepy motels in the middle of nowhere. The couple in Vacancy didn’t do that until after they saw a snuff film that happened to be shot in the exact room they are staying in. But by that point, it was too late; the killers were already preparing to turn them into gory entertainment for future guests. I guess we can’t complain though; at least they have the courtesy of providing in-room entertainment for free.

What movie hotel scares you the most?

We’re back with another edition of our “Where To Travel In…” series, where we tell you about the best places to travel each month. Things slow down in October as people rest and recuperate from a packed month of drinking, partying and feasting in September.

But it all leads up to everyone’s favorite misinterpreted holiday: Halloween! What used to be a celebration of the end of summer has now turned into an excuse to dress like a skank, overdose on candy and watch another needless Saw sequel.

Here are some of the best places to celebrate Halloween:

Greenwich Village Halloween Parade – New York City

October 31st

The Greenwich Village Halloween Parade attracts over 2 million people, making it the largest public Halloween celebration in the United States. You’ll see everything from dancers to circus performers and even floats and giant puppets. What you won’t see are ordinary, store bought costumes. Nope, this is the place to show off wildly creative custom costumes that look like they came right out of a Hollywood movie.

West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval – West Hollywood, California

October 31st

Every Halloween, a one-and-a-half mile stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard shuts down and becomes the largest public Halloween celebration in America. It’s located in gay-friendly West Hollywood, so expect to see just as many men as women wearing revealing costumes. It’s also a great concert venue as popular bands come down to play free shows.

Fantasy Fest – Key West, Florida

October 22 – 31

Combine mardis gras with Halloween and you get the Fantasy Fest. Just about anything goes at this event, including copious public nudity — from tasteful body painted costumes to less tasteful flashing for beads. In the 10 days leading up to the masquerade march, there’s a headdress ball, a pet costume contest, celebrity look-alike contest, wet t-shirt contest and fetish and toga parties.

Masquerotica – San Francisco

October 22

Organizers have renamed the Exotic Erotic Ball, which had been the longest running adult themed event in the world until it was cancelled last year.  The event had been called the greatest costume party of all time, and voted the wildest and sexiest party by E! You could take part in the lingere, fetish and masquerade ball, watch erotic performers, listen to music, or play games like “spin the wheel of depravity” and “lesbian first kiss.”  It has been rebranded as Masquerotica this year but Perry Mann still promises “You’ll see a lot of familiar faces… and other body parts” so it’s good in my book.

For more family-friendly cultural events taking place around the world in October, check this out…

China’s National Day – China

October 1

The entire country will celebrate the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1st, with the largest celebrations taking place in Beijing, Tianamen Square and Vitoria Harbor in Hong Kong, where 23,000 fireworks will be set off.

Procession of the Lord of Miracles – Lima, Peru

October 3

Hundreds of thousands of religious devotees crowd the streets of Lima for this procession, making it one of the largest religious in the world. The streets are filled with purple as people watch a painting of Senor de los Milagros (Jesus to the rest of us) be paraded through the streets. There’s singing, dancing, and of course vendors selling Jesus merchandise. It all leads up to the most important bullfight of the year in Peru.

Nottingham Goose Fair – Nottingham, England

October 5 – 9

The Nottingham Goose Fair is one of Europe’s largest and most famous traveling fairs, dating back over 700 years, and featuring over 500 rides, attractions and food stalls.

Frankfurt Book Fair

October 12 – 16

If you prefer something a little more intellectual, head to the largest trade fair for books in the world. Over 300,000 visitors, authors and people in the book industry show up this event because it’s considered the most important book marketplace in the world.

Here’s the best of the rest in October (we said it was a slow month)…

Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational BBQ – Lynchburg, Tennessee

October 22

The town of Lynchburg usually only has 400 residents, but it swells to over 25,000 when people to stuff their face at one of the largest BBQ competitions in the world. Even better than sampling BBQ from 80 different teams is the entertainment, like an ugly dog contest, bung pitching and… butt bowling?

Banner Elk Woolly Worm Festival – Banner Elk, North Carolina

October 15 – 16

We’re not sure how entertaining worm racing could possibly be, but it’s the signature event at this festival. The winner not only gets $1,000, but that worm is used to predict the winter’s weather. The judges use the 13 stripes on the worm to determine how severe the weather will be in each of the 13 weeks during winter. Surprisingly, the worm is correct 85% of the time.

Bean Fest And Outhouse Race – Mountain View, Arkansas

October 28 – 29

This Bean Fest is one of the world’s only bean cookoffs, which subsequently makes it one of the stinkiest places on earth. When you’re not scarfing down on beans and tootin’ up a storm, check out the outhouse race where 30 teams drive decorated outhouses down a hill. The winner does not get their dignity back.

Fire Ant Festival – Marshall, Texas

October 8

Don’t let the name fool you. Sure, the Fire Ant Festival has a little to do with fire ants — like the fire ant calling contest — but it’s really a festival full of strange events that have nothing to do with ants whatsoever. There’s a rubber chicken chunking contest, a gurning contest (that’s where contests try to make the ugliest face), a diaper derby and a men’s Crazy Legs contest (we’re not sure what that is but it sounds dangerous).

World Conker Championship – Oundle, England

October 9

The only event from our list of 15 Strange Sports Festivals and World Championships taking place in October is the World Conker Championship, in which two players try to hit a chestnut seed off the opposing player’s string first. Luckily, there’s people in strange costumes to make this event a little less boring.