People think all New Yorkers are assholes but we're not. If you don't like New Yorkers then don't come to New York
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Tourists at the Taj: Performance and Meaning at a Symbolic Site (International Library of Sociology)
Tourists at the Taj: Performance and Meaning at a Symbolic Site (International Library of Sociology)
Clearly written and fascinatingly illustrated, Tourists at the Taj describes the conflicting narratives which surround the site. For some the Taj is an evocative symbol of the colonial past. For others it is a symbolic centre of Islamic power. For many of the thousands of tourists that visit it each year it is simply a monument of love.The author shows how tourism can be seen as a performance and the tourist site as a stage on which tourists are directed and rehearsed but also able to improvise their own cultural rituals.
Tourists at the Taj: Performance and Meaning at a Symbolic Site (International Library of Sociology) -
I made a little video, talking to tourists at the Golden Gate Bridge. The San Francisco icon turns 75 this year.
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Only at Cocoa Beach… Dang tourists! (pic of this woman sitting at a stoplight on the wrong side of the road)
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The Golden Gate Bridge is 75 years old. It’s a joy to look at and thousands of people do so everyday from the various view points. It’s fun to watch them, too.
Image © Chris Gillis.
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The Golden Gate Bridge is 75 years old. It’s a joy to look at and thousands of people do so everyday from the various view points. It’s fun to watch them, too.
Image © Chris Gillis.
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The Golden Gate Bridge is 75 years old. It’s a joy to look at and thousands of people do so everyday from the various view points. It’s fun to watch them, too.
Image © Chris Gillis.
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Previously on Jamsterdam2012, starring Larissa and Allison: Dank je wel, MSL Amsterdam! Fancy concerts and fried shrimps: the best of high and low below, and on Twitter (@jamsterdam2012). And don’t forget about Instagram (@jamsterdam2012), where we’re posting #damadverts we see around the city.
Culture in Amsterdam is off the hook. And by “culture” we mean “legit culture,” like famous paintings, and “kitsch culture,” like surreal horror tours (find out what that means below). We’ve been mainlining A’dam art, architecture, and history — here’s a rundown of the past few days.
Van Gogh Museum. Everyone says, “Holy moly, you HAVE to go to the Van Gogh Museum.” Everyone is right, especially about the first floor, which contains Van Gogh’s greatest hits.
Canal Tour. Amsterdam is home to more than 100 kilometers of canals, most of which were built in the 17th century. So, for an hour, we floated around on a pointy boat that resembled the head of a crocodile, craning our necks to take in the glut of beautiful buildings, and pretending it was 1663, the year before the plague killed off most everyone.
Vondelpark. The Dutch are so chill. At EOD, when the sun is shining, they head over to Vondelpark — described to us by one of our MSL Amsterdam colleagues as “the city’s backyard.” They barbecue, eat kroketten (see pic; basically, deep-fried cylinders of mouth-watering gravy + mayo dip), and play reggae music. Okay, not everyone listens to reggae music, but we heard at least three boomboxes blasting Bob Marley. What’s up, Trench Town Noord!!
Madame Tussaud’s. Wax museums are the best. They are just uncanny enough to be creepy, but they are also educational: we learned all about the Dutch royals!
Albert Cuyp Market. Blocks and blocks of goods and foods. A must-do for anyone looking for Levi’s 501s, frozen yogurt, deodorant, and neon zebra-stripe bandeau tops. One-stop shopping, really.
Museum van Loon. The original estate of Willem van Loon, co-founder of the VOC. Well-manicured gardens, cool ironwork, tastefully appointed rooms. Canal house chic at its finest.
The Amsterdam Dungeon. This is kind of hard to believe, so get ready. The Amsterdam Dungeon is an interactive tour (read: actors and audience participation) that chronicles terrifying moments in Amsterdam history. Like the aforementioned plague of 1664, the shady ops of the VOC, and the Grim Reaper rollercoaster. Larissa was thrown into a cell by a kooky torture expert who looked like a zombified Chloë Sevigny. Allison was found guilty of witchcraft by a high Inquisitor; he sent her into a dark room with a man who appeared to be the horrifying progeny of Ludwig van Beethoven and Scylla, whereupon she had a panic attack.
The Tattoo Museum. Pretty much what it sounds like. Body art from all over the world, plus a working parlor. We are considering matching ink because together tattoos’re better.
Centraal Station Bike Park. Three stories, three zillion bikes. The true meaning of Amsterdam.
