I’ve just logged the first entry to my 2012 Christmas Wish List.

Hammacher Schlemmer, the company that’s known for making expensive toys for adults, has come out with a suitcase that turns into a SCOOTER.

It’s called the Scootercase, and it’s basically a carry-on suitcase with a footboard that folds out and inline skate wheels built into it.  You hold onto the usual pull-out handle out as your handlebars.

The idea is for travelers to use it to get to their gate faster than walking.

As for the suitcase part, it’s got 1 cubic foot of storage space and comes with a padded laptop compartment.

It’s TSA-approved and will fit in the overhead compartment or under the seat in front of you.

The Scootercase isn’t cheap though.  It retails for $299.95 at Hammacher.com.

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.

The website Travel-Ticker.com just released the results of their 2012 Traveler Intentions Survey, where they asked people about their dream vacation destination.

And, with 43% of the vote, Italy was the clear favorite.

The full top five dream travel destinations are…

1. Italy

2. Australia

3. England

4. Bahamas

5. France

But even though travelers have a dream destination in mind, most are willing to compromise and go somewhere more affordable.

70% of respondents said they are open to other destinations for their next trip, and would let deals and discounts drive their final travel decision.

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!

The vacation rental company HomeAway just released a new report about holiday travel.

And the holiday that Americans say they spend the most money on travel arrangements for is Christmas.

28% of Americans say they spend more money on travel arrangements for Christmas than any other holiday. 

15% said the Fourth of July is the most expensive holiday for travel, and 11% said Thanksgiving. 

Since everyone is trying to save a few bucks these days, a lot of us are willing to put up with minor inconveniences to save some dough.

38% of us would take an alternative form of transportation rather than fly to our destination.

21% would fly at weird hours to get a better airfare.

20% would meet family before or after the holiday rather than traveling during the peak period.

12% would take a flight with multiple connections.

And just 7% would be willing to cram the entire family into a single hotel room instead of booking multiple rooms.

When travelers where asked what their three wishes for holiday travel would be, 27% wanted cheaper airfares, 20% wanted lower gas prices and 15% would like more affordable accommodations.

Finally, HomeAway compiled the top 10 Christmas destinations, based on inquiries made on their site. 

And sunny locations dominated the list.  Apparently nobody actually wants to spend Christmas walking in a winter wonderland.

Anyway, here’s the full top 10:

1.  Miami

2.  New York City

3.  Key West, Florida

4.  Fort Lauderdale, Florida

5.  Orlando, Florida

6.  Breckenridge, Colorado

7.  Gatlinburg, Tennessee

8.  Waikiki, Hawaii

9.  Aruba

10.  Killington, Vermont

And remember, if you are going to be traveling for Christmas this year, don’t wrap your presents until after you arrive at your destination.

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!?

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?

The handlebar.  The dali.  The fu manchu.  Who doesn’t love some good facial hair?

Well, apparently, some cities love it a little more than others. 

The American Mustache Institute, which, yes, is a REAL organization, has just released a list of the most mustache-friendly cities in America. 

The list is based on the prevalence of things related to the “mustached American lifestyle” in each city.

Which means they looked at stuff like the concentration of restaurants primarily serving Miller Lite, and the amount of monster trucks, motorcycles and ATVs in the city. 

They also examined whether the area had “mustache-positive employers,” meaning people in law enforcement, firefighters, EMTs, and, quote, “actors who play law enforcement, relief pitchers, [and] construction [workers].”

So yeah, it’s all very tongue-in-cheek.

Anyway, the most mustache-friendly city in America is Chicago. 

The city received a perfect score in all the areas they examined thanks to its vast pool of jobs in first-responder fields, access to one of America’s largest lakes, two baseball teams, high hotdog and Miller Lite consumption, and, quote, “a heritage of retired Chicago Bears players who have continued to embrace a mustached American lifestyle.”

Here’s the Top 10…

1. Chicago

2. Houston, Texas

3. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

4. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

5. Detroit, Michigan

6. Milwaukee, Wisconsin

7. Cleveland, Ohio

8. New York

9. Huntsville, Alabama

10. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida

Out of the 100 cities they surveyed, the LEAST mustache-friendly city was Los Angeles. 

The Institute blamed this on the so-called “California Effect”… the overwhelming influence of women in government, and the fact that the residents there would rather drive Priuses than muscle cars.

Here are the 10 LEAST mustache-friendly cities…

90. Frankfort, Kentucky

91. Indianapolis

92. Cincinnati, Ohio

93. Denver

94. Trenton, New Jersey

95. Dover, Delaware

96. Panama City, Florida

97. Newport, Rhode Island

98. Madison, Wisconsin

99. Toledo, Ohio

100. Los Angeles

You can view the full list of 100 cities at the following link.

http://www.americanmustacheinstitute.org/blog/2011/09/the-full-list-americas-most-mustache-friendly-cities/

With the rising cost of airfare, exorbitant gas prices, and lack of teleportation, we have to seriously consider alternate forms of transportation… including the weirdest ones. Here are 15 of them:

Aquaskipper

You might be familiar with Jesus’s walking on water trick. But what the Bible omitted was that he actually used an Aquaskipper to accomplish that feat (product placement was strictly forbidden in those times). Think of it like a scooter for the sea, only more embarrassing to use. That’s because the driver has to hop up and down like a kangaroo to propel this hydrofoil forward.

Couchbike

This is an invention at odds with itself. Couches were designed to satisfy the lazy individual. Bikes, on the other hand, were designed to transport a non-lazy individual with the use of leg strength, a solid core and wispy hair. With the merger of sloth and activity, we now have a contraption that is to transportation what a platypus is to the animal kingdom: laughable and confusing.

Duck Bus

Ducks are the ultimate animal. If you dare question that statement, consider this: ducks can fly, walk and float on water. Can a tiger do that? No. Because it’s inferior to a duck. And that is why man was inspired to create a transportation device that could emulate the almighty traveling powers of the duck. Hence, the duck bus, an amphibious vehicle that can drive on land or water. If only ducks didn’t look so goofy, perhaps the vehicle would be more stylish.

Hot Rod Recliner

The problem with recliners has always been their inability to be used on public roadways. But one man solved that dilemma by outfitting his La-Z-Boy with a lawnmower engine, cup holders, a stereo system, and National Hot Rod Association stickers (which are guaranteed to make anything travel 8mph faster). And now the hot rod recliner can be yours. The designer had to put it up for auction after getting a DUI on it.

Jet-Powered Wheelchair

Finally, handicapped people no longer have to be limited by their means of transportation.

Jet Truck

Any form of transportation that spits flames is guaranteed to be efficient. And that’s the case with the Shockwave, a big rig truck equipped with three jet engines capable of churning out 36,000 horsepower and reaching a top speed of 376mph. Too bad the gas mileage sucks. And, you know, it’s not street legal.

Jetpack

We love the idea of owning personal jetpacks, but we don’t love the idea of other people owning them too. People can’t even drive on a flat, one-way road without getting into an accident. What’s going to happen when everyone has to share the skies without any direction or road signs?

Monovelo

The American Gladiators must be pissed they didn’t have these at their disposal. A monovelo is just like riding a bike, except the driver sits inside one big wheel. If this thing looks familiar, it’s because they were used in the closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics. For those worried about its safety, just remember that if an Asian person can drive it without getting into an accident, you can too. (Don’t act like the stereotype isn’t true.)

Personal Flying Saucer

Who hasn’t wanted to ride in a vehicle that could be confused for a UFO? The Moller Skycar brings us one step closer to fulfilling that wish. The only problem is, it doesn’t get higher than 10 feet off the ground (which means you could slam dunk a basketball into it if you’ve got skills). Okay, so it’s a really expensive flying basketball hoop, which brings shame to aliens and their flying saucers. But at least it looks cool.

Powerbocker

A good rule of thumb when it comes to methods of transportation is: the less safe it looks, the more awesome the results. Powerbockers are kind of like moon shoes, except they actually work. They’re basically springs attached to your feet that help you jump higher (7 feet), leap farther (10 feet) and run faster (20mph, as fast as an Olympic sprinter). It’s like being on steroids without the negative side effects.

Suitcase Car

The idea that you can pack your bag, then drive that same bag, is awesome. We’d love to be able to get off a plane, hop on a motorized piece of luggage and drive to a hotel, skipping over the smelly taxi with questionable stains on the seat. Unfortunately, that can’t happen just yet… because this thing weighs 600 pounds. And we’re pretty sure that breaks some kind of carry-on limit. But when someone invents a lightweight luggage car that can be carried and driven, we’re in.

Swivel Skateboard

Whoever invented the street surfing board must have looked at a skateboard and thought, “You know, that looks too simple. How can I make that more complicated? ” How it works is a person swivels their feet and hips to gain momentum and push the swivel board forward. Think of it like doing hula hoop on a skateboard. Yes, there’s danger, and yes, you look silly using it, but at least you’ll end up with chiseled abs and possibly a new significant other after one ride.

Underwater Scooter

Swimming leaves you vulnerable to predators of the sea. But it’s a fact that sharks and giant octopi have great respect for underwater scooters. With a top speed of 4mph, it’ll take you a billion years to explore the oceans. Better hope these things come equipped with a DVD player to kill the time.

Velomobile

The Flinstones were onto something with human-propelled cars. But what the Flinstones never showed us was the horrific results of running your feet over a ground covered in rocks and dinosaur bones and poisonous plants. Luckily, we’ll never make that mistake again thanks to the velomobile. It’s basically a bicycle car, where the operator propels the vehicle forward by pedaling. One particular feature that makes it superior to the Flinstones mobile is the sturdy frame, which protects against dinosaur attack.

Zorb

In a world where everything is sloped, a zorb provides a great way to get around. They’re inflatable plastic orbs that carry passengers down a mountain like humans in a hamster ball by harnessing the power of gravity. The only problem is, the entire world isn’t sloped. Unless it’s your parents world, where they had to walk uphill, both ways.

What’s the weirdest form of transportation you’ve ever seen?