Traveling the Sherlock Way
May 15, 2013 8:37 PM Subscribe
I have the first week of June to travel, now in need of suggestions as to a place that might fit my strange requirements.
I'm a recent college graduate with say a 1K budget, about half for transportation, and I want to get out of town for a few days to a week before starting a job. I'm also really shy, and things others consider fun I do not (amusement parks, the beach, skiing...) and sight seeing by itself I find pretty boring.
Basically I want to travel with a purpose, whether investigative or educational. Things I really like: scavenger hunts, mazes, mysteries, museums that revolve around science or portraiture. Going to all the locations a film was set. That kind of thing, with good food as a bonus.
Does this kind of vacation exist? Do you know of any destinations or programs that might fit the bill?
(The bill includes being reachable from southern VA with a transportation budget of $500 by car or plane, starting in two weeks, which may prove nearly impossible, so aim for those parameters but if you have great plans that preclude greater lead time or budget tell me about that, too!)
Or suggestions as to crafting my own adventure?
Destinations I've been, not especially keen to revisit unless there's some extraordinary aspect I might have missed: D.C., New Orleans, all of Texas, NYC (granted, would love to go again, but perhaps not this time), all historical battle fields, and definitely not Colonial Williamsburg.
I'm a recent college graduate with say a 1K budget, about half for transportation, and I want to get out of town for a few days to a week before starting a job. I'm also really shy, and things others consider fun I do not (amusement parks, the beach, skiing...) and sight seeing by itself I find pretty boring.
Basically I want to travel with a purpose, whether investigative or educational. Things I really like: scavenger hunts, mazes, mysteries, museums that revolve around science or portraiture. Going to all the locations a film was set. That kind of thing, with good food as a bonus.
Does this kind of vacation exist? Do you know of any destinations or programs that might fit the bill?
(The bill includes being reachable from southern VA with a transportation budget of $500 by car or plane, starting in two weeks, which may prove nearly impossible, so aim for those parameters but if you have great plans that preclude greater lead time or budget tell me about that, too!)
Or suggestions as to crafting my own adventure?
Destinations I've been, not especially keen to revisit unless there's some extraordinary aspect I might have missed: D.C., New Orleans, all of Texas, NYC (granted, would love to go again, but perhaps not this time), all historical battle fields, and definitely not Colonial Williamsburg.
Atlanta. Fox Theatre, Georgia Aquarium, Underground Atlanta, Atlanta Movie Tours, the Jimmy Carter Library & Museum, the High Museum of Art, the CDC Museum, and more.
posted by kbar1 at 9:11 PM on May 15, 2013
posted by kbar1 at 9:11 PM on May 15, 2013
Geocache hunting. Geohashing. Both are search terms. I think these are what you seek.
posted by aniola at 9:31 PM on May 15, 2013
posted by aniola at 9:31 PM on May 15, 2013
San Francisco also has the Academy of Sciences, the brand-new Exploratorium, and Escape from the Mysterious Room, but it's supposedly sold out for May and June.
You might be able to get to an airport that would let you take Virgin America (cheap).
However, lodging would be an issue, I think, unless you did airbnb or something.
posted by wintersweet at 9:32 PM on May 15, 2013
You might be able to get to an airport that would let you take Virgin America (cheap).
However, lodging would be an issue, I think, unless you did airbnb or something.
posted by wintersweet at 9:32 PM on May 15, 2013
I have a friend who did Wizard Quest in the Wisconsin Dells and thought it was a hoot.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 10:12 PM on May 15, 2013
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 10:12 PM on May 15, 2013
Best answer: Incidentally, here's a 'meta' suggestion about how to construct travel plans kind of like this--focused and investigative, yet itinerant and off-the-beaten-path.
George Marcus (a cultural anthropologist and well-known theorist of ethnography) once wrote a sort of manifesto called "Ethnography in/of the Modern World System: The Emergence of Multi-Sited Ethnography." The key idea was that "Multi-sited research is designed around chains, paths, threads, conjunctions, or juxtapositions of locations in which the ethnographer established some form of literal, physical presence, with an explicit, posited logic of association or connection among sites that in fact defines the argument of the ethnography," and he suggested six strategies for organizing the project:
Anthropologically speaking, the idea wasn't really to follow super obvious things, like say Oranges in Florida, but that certainly works (very well--that's a good book). And it shouldn't be hard to come up with a list of favorite foods ... minor figures from American history ... interesting travel writers from long ago whose books you could follow in the footsteps of ... and that kind of thing to yield an awesome road trip or cross-section of an interesting region or city.
But the really fun idea George Marcus had (though I'm not sure it's mentioned in the essay) was that you could do this anywhere, based on any good story. His hidden inspiration for the follow-the-plot idea was Joyce's Ulysses, retracing the chapters of the Odyssey in one day in Dublin, even though Dublin has no connection to the Odyssey--Joyce just looked around for ways to see parallels or allegories he could make between the two. So you could do The Conference of the Birds in Philadelphia. Or you could do the Niebelungenlied in Boston.
Or you could do The Hound of the Baskervilles anywhere you can find a major city, something to do with detectives, something to do with perfume, a country estate or mansion you can tour, and something to do with dogs. I think you could do that in a week somewhere within driving distance of where you are now.
TL;DR: a theorist of ethnography says all interesting stories are potential themed, educational scavenger hunts, which seems like something you would enjoy.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 1:28 AM on May 16, 2013 [34 favorites]
George Marcus (a cultural anthropologist and well-known theorist of ethnography) once wrote a sort of manifesto called "Ethnography in/of the Modern World System: The Emergence of Multi-Sited Ethnography." The key idea was that "Multi-sited research is designed around chains, paths, threads, conjunctions, or juxtapositions of locations in which the ethnographer established some form of literal, physical presence, with an explicit, posited logic of association or connection among sites that in fact defines the argument of the ethnography," and he suggested six strategies for organizing the project:
- Follow the people (i.e. visit landmarks relevant to migrations, diasporas, pilgrimages, etc.)
- Follow the thing (e.g. trace a commodity chain)
- Follow the metaphor (i.e. go to unrelated places where a particular metaphor nonetheless keeps popping up)
- Follow the plot, story, or allegory (like your example of going to locations in a film)
- Follow the life or biography (especially where it crosses between different social contexts)
- Follow the conflict (i.e. into different places where the same argument is taking place)
- The strategically situated single-site ethnography (which is really focused on a larger "dominating capitalist or colonialist system" and is only local by circumstance)
- The Big Oyster is a follow-the-thing book.
- Chasing the Monsoon is too.
- Arrow of the Blue-Skinned God is a follow-the-plot book (retracing the Ramayana through India).
- Chasing the Devil is sort of follow-the-plot and follow-the-life combined.
- Finding George Orwell in Burma is follow-the-life.
Anthropologically speaking, the idea wasn't really to follow super obvious things, like say Oranges in Florida, but that certainly works (very well--that's a good book). And it shouldn't be hard to come up with a list of favorite foods ... minor figures from American history ... interesting travel writers from long ago whose books you could follow in the footsteps of ... and that kind of thing to yield an awesome road trip or cross-section of an interesting region or city.
But the really fun idea George Marcus had (though I'm not sure it's mentioned in the essay) was that you could do this anywhere, based on any good story. His hidden inspiration for the follow-the-plot idea was Joyce's Ulysses, retracing the chapters of the Odyssey in one day in Dublin, even though Dublin has no connection to the Odyssey--Joyce just looked around for ways to see parallels or allegories he could make between the two. So you could do The Conference of the Birds in Philadelphia. Or you could do the Niebelungenlied in Boston.
Or you could do The Hound of the Baskervilles anywhere you can find a major city, something to do with detectives, something to do with perfume, a country estate or mansion you can tour, and something to do with dogs. I think you could do that in a week somewhere within driving distance of where you are now.
TL;DR: a theorist of ethnography says all interesting stories are potential themed, educational scavenger hunts, which seems like something you would enjoy.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 1:28 AM on May 16, 2013 [34 favorites]
Response by poster: Monsieur Caution, that was exactly what I was looking for. And I can't believe I forgot geocaching! San Francisco will definitely be on the list for another time. And that Wizard Quest...that is astounding. Thanks!
posted by tooloudinhere at 7:03 AM on May 16, 2013
posted by tooloudinhere at 7:03 AM on May 16, 2013
A slightly different take aimed at younger kids, as I seek to construct one for my kids: Remember Me to Harold Square.
posted by tilde at 8:02 AM on May 16, 2013
posted by tilde at 8:02 AM on May 16, 2013
I was just going to suggest trying to walk on every public stairway in San Francisco, or maybe visiting every privately-owned public park, but Monseiur Caution's methodology sounds more interesting.
posted by overleaf at 11:33 AM on May 16, 2013
posted by overleaf at 11:33 AM on May 16, 2013
Response by poster: Update, per request: I went to Pittsburgh! Saw Fallingwater along the way, walked some bridges, visited the Phipps Conservatory and the 'Cathedral of Learning' (you can go up to the 36 or so floor) along with a couple of other house museums. Interesting family houses/history was probably the theme, if I had to give a book report. Finished off with the Warhol Museum. It was an awesome trip! Thanks again for the inspiration.
(And San Francisco, I'm coming for you.)
posted by tooloudinhere at 4:00 PM on August 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
(And San Francisco, I'm coming for you.)
posted by tooloudinhere at 4:00 PM on August 23, 2013 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 8:56 PM on May 15, 2013 [1 favorite]