Samantha Brown http://samantha-brown-blog.travelchannel.com Samantha Brown shows you all her favorite places to stay, dine, and meet new people. en-us Copyright The Travel Channel http://samantha-brown-blog.travelchannel.com/template/sambrown/images/sambrownblog300.png Samantha Brown http://samantha-brown-blog.travelchannel.com Samantha Brown shows you all her favorite places to stay, dine, and meet new people. http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rss/rss.html PostZinger/v.1.0 Sundance http://samantha-brown-blog.travelchannel.com/rss-read/sundance Travel I have a day off and it's a glorious 40 degrees and blue sky. Alan, Damion and I want to put in a half day of snowboarding at The Canyons but we hear the conditions are hard, not a lot of snow and we all are worried we are going to injure ourselves... I have a day off and it's a glorious 40 degrees and blue sky. Alan, Damion and I want to put in a half day of snowboarding at The Canyons but we hear the conditions are hard, not a lot of snow and we all are worried we are going to injure ourselves the day before we have to work. Man, we are sooooo lame.

The crew goes into downtown Park City, while I have no desire to shop so I head up hill to where the homes are. I find some beautiful trails. I must look strange hiking these trails while holding a purse.

Ate lunch at a great local spot called Karleens. Homemade soups, salads and baked goods. It's such a local establishment that the same people who are sitting next to me are also in the pictures that are posted all over the walls. I am listening in on the town gossip right now.

I got to experience bobsledding at the Olympic Park here in Park City. Anyone can do it. You just have to want to go 80 mph dropping 40 stories in 53 seconds. I didn't secure my neck so my helmeted head kept bouncing from one side of the sled to the other like a pinball. Pure adrenaline rush.

Next up: An afternoon with Sarah Hendrickson. At 14 she's the youngest member of the US Ski team. She goes off the 120k jump soaring like a bird. At 14, I was just worried about boys.

Brought the crew to my favorite lunch spot, Karleens. While talking to the owners, Karleen and her daughter Niven, I find out that they are letting in only locals beginning tomorrow for Sundance. You have to show a ski pass, library card or no entree. They have even hired a 300 lb doorman to make sure everything runs smoothly.

We ask immediately if they wouldn't mind going on camera and giving us a locals perspective. Niven was fantastic and she even gave me the password so I can gain entrance for the next few days. Of course, I can't tell you what it is.

There really is no attitude at Sundance. There's a huge bouncer outside a gallery holding a party. Alan asks if he wouldn't mind doing a little scene with us where I get turned away. He says sure. Cameras rolling and I go up to him, he points me to the young woman with the clipboard, I give her my name and she says YES, you're on the list. "I am?!" We fill her in on what we're doing, she laughs, says no problem. Take two! Bouncer show's me the young lady with the clipboard who this time says "sorry, you're not on the list." The big bouncer echoes her statement and points for me to leave. While I'm walking away I hear "Excuse me is there a problem?" It's the party's publicist and I'm thinking I just got her front door people in trouble for going on camera with us. Instead she doesn't see the camera but wants to make sure I know I am invited to go in. Is rudeness, snobbery and a pervasive feeling that I am cooler than you too much to ask from people?

Allstate Insurance is a godsend to us -- they have let us use their conference room in their office as a resting place. Sundance is packed and being able to sit, use the bathroom, and change wardrobe is such a luxury. Thanks Allstate! Nothing endears me more to people than providing comfortable bathrooms.

I also helped hand out fliers for a documentary called Afghan Star. This is a TV show in Afghanistan just like our American Idol. The difference is that singing there, one is risking their life because of the old Taliban beliefs.

I feel privileged to be able to talk to Doaud (the Ryan Seacrest of Afghan star). First time out of Afghanistan and he's into the frenzy of Sundance. He tells me that the mountains and climate of Utah remind him of his own country. What he wants most is for Americans and people abroad to realize that Afghans are just like everyone else.

We are at an event and just heard that Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch and Kristen Wiig are on their way. They haven't showed up and now we have to leave.

Stella party next. Free sushi and beer -- who cares I haven't had any celebrity sightings.

Ahhh just got my picture taken with Efren Ramirez (Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite). Now, all my dreams have come true!

Long day shooting. Shooting cocktails and other venues of media frenzy is unbelievably exciting and completely exhausting at the same time. After a full on day, Ginny my producer asks me if I want to cancel the early morning scene snowboarding. No way, I have been looking forward to that more than anything.

Being outfitted for a snowboard and gear at the Oakley House. Had a chance to talk to Alan Cummings. We have something in common; we both hosted the Conde Nast Traveller Awards. But Alan then tells me that they gave him a trip to Costa Rica as a thanks. I guess I didn't do that well, but then again do I really need another opportunity to travel? A trip home, that's what I would love.

We just finished shooting the Happy Hour for Slamdance (alternative film festival) where we were told Ralph Macchio would show up. He didn't and I was pretty disappointed. He was my first really big crush since Outsiders and Karate Kid. I used to sign all my notes passed in class "Stay Gold." I loved him so much that it hurt because I couldn't understand at 14 how I could feel so much for someone when they didn't even know I existed.

I went into a separate room to take a break, and close my eyes for a bit when who should walk in and sit right next to me but RALPH MACCHIO!!!!! I just sat there slumped in my chair not knowing what to do next. Alan and Ginny creep into the room and motion if I want to approach Mr. Macchio on camera. I give them the dirtiest look like they are my parents embarrassing me. I decide that I just can't go up to him, what if he is mean? My inner 14 year old would never be able to recover from that.

The crew is packing up the gear and we are getting ready to leave, I swallow hard, turn back into the room and walk up to Ralph Macchio and say hello. I honestly have no idea what I said to him but he was as gracious and genuine as you could hope someone you have always admired to be. I really regret not getting a picture of the two of us.


samantha brown sundance sarah hendrickson afghan star ralph macchio film festival park city utah ]]> Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:37:05 -0400 http://samantha-brown-blog.travelchannel.com/rss-read/sundance Maui http://samantha-brown-blog.travelchannel.com/rss-read/maui Travel The episode in Maui has an added twist: make everything as eco-friendly as possible. I also have the added fun of turning the camera towards my crew to shed a light on our collective bad habits of a production crew that aid in the deterioration of... The episode in Maui has an added twist: make everything as eco-friendly as possible. I also have the added fun of turning the camera towards my crew to shed a light on our collective bad habits of a production crew that aid in the deterioration of this earth. This is going to be fun.

As a production crew we are really just a walking garbage dump, the amount of waste we generate has never been lost on us as it literally piles up in our minivans before us.

Every morning we all come out with our cappuccinos in the cardboard cup with the wraparound snuggie. There is a tower of Styrofoam containers with cold half-eaten egg sandwiches and hardening ketchup.

We all have our own favorite snacks that all come in single serving packages: nut mix, cheese, energy bars, and cookies. Then there are the energy drinks: Gatorade, vitamin water and canned high-octane espresso shots. I should also mention the special vanilla mocha coffee beverages that are the equivalent of liquid candy.

We all agree to cut down our impressive variety to just the essentials: water and Gatorade.
To cut down on waste we agree that instead of buying two cases of bottled water we buy big gallon jugs and refill thermoses. Instead of individual packages of nut mix, we all agree to dip our dirty hands into one super large bag.

Christina has taken on this challenge like nobody else. She reached out to only eco-friendly designers and they were all thrilled to lend us clothing, shoes, purses and jewelry. The selection is amazing and I can't believe how far this industry has come to making things that are easy on the earth AND something you actually want to wear.

EVEN my make-up, hair products: shampoo, conditioner, volumizer and (gasp) hair spray are made with the protection of our environment in mind.

First up on the itinerary: We start with a snorkeling scene with Dr Richard Murphy, a marine ecologist, who began working with Jacques Cousteau in the late 60's.

He is a fascinating and passionate man and I love how he describes to me how coral reefs work like self-sustained cities, in which each creature playing its part. Some fish are the doctors, others like sea cucumbers provide garbage pick-up.

I am excited to get to spend time with this truly remarkable person until I have to get into the water, which for some reason I am more nervous than usual. I really am embarrassed by my fear and I always think each time I go in it will lesson but it sticks with me.

We go in the water and I am all right for a while but then I start to feel a panic attack coming. My mouth piece feels like it has those butterfly pieces of plastic the dentists assistant rams into the sides of your mouth to take the x-rays, that are never covered by insurance, making the whole miserable experience something you have to pay for.

I actually start to choke then hyperventilate underwater. Part of it is fear, the other total humiliation as children nearby me are as comfortable as the fish themselves.

Back on land and I could really use a stiff drink. In keeping with the theme of the show I promise to recycle the empty bottle.;-)

Every word Dr. Murphy says is enlightening but one thing in particular wakes me up with a cold slap across my face. The sun block we are using for our own very important protection is killing the coral reefs. The solution: biodegradable sunscreen. At least there is something we can do about it.

Second day: Its 3:30 AM and we are headed to the other side of the island to Mount Haleakala, my favorite volcano in the world. It's really a showstopper and if you head to Maui you have to see the sunrise at 10,000 feet. It hurts getting up that early but the payoff will be great.

maui

The sunrise was even more beautiful than we imagined and one of the park rangers herself a native Hawaiian sings ancient chants of gratitude towards the sun and earth.

We are shooting the road to Hana, which I have done a number of times, but this time I am going on a bus. I am not one for bus tours but more people sharing a ride means a lighter load on old mother earth.

We get to Hana and have one of the most incredible meals at Hotel Hana Maui. Everything served was grown here. The fish was caught from a fisherman who leaves from a spot you can actually see from the table we are sitting at. Amazing.


maui hana eco-friendly samantha brown christina environment dr. murphy mount haleakala ]]> Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:11:46 -0400 http://samantha-brown-blog.travelchannel.com/rss-read/maui The Carnival Cruise http://samantha-brown-blog.travelchannel.com/rss-read/the-carnival-cruise Travel Joining me for this cruise are my friends Pete, Kinga, Liz, her husband Dossi and my Mom! You may remember Liz from other Great Weekends episodes such as Miami. And she'll be in an upcoming New York City episode! This being Liz's third time should... sam with momJoining me for this cruise are my friends Pete, Kinga, Liz, her husband Dossi and my Mom! You may remember Liz from other Great Weekends episodes such as Miami. And she'll be in an upcoming New York City episode! This being Liz's third time should officially gives her "recurring role" status.

All of my friends met when we all moved into the same building. We were all new to the big city, scared, overwhelmed and poor. The best of friendships are made in those times.

Is there anything better than spending the night dancing? The whole crew gathers in the 70's Dance club and after a round of margaritas and mojitos we all hit the dance floor with our best interpretive dance moves. We also have dinner with the Captain and his crew. All my friends were hoping we would get to sit at the Captains table. We are all from the Love Boat generation and there are just some things you can't let go of.

We begin our day in St. Thomas with a Gondola ride to the top of Paradise point for a great view. Of course there's an outdoor bar selling a nice selection of frozen drinks. A sign says they serve the famous Baileys Bushwacker. Its only 10AM, but when the group sees that it is served in a cup in the shape of a gondola we have to have it. And by group I mean my friends, mom and crew. So I ordered one drink with 12 straws. It was very good.

Beans, Bytes and Websites. Great place for an espresso and a respite from the mall-at-Christmas like atmosphere that is St. Thomas. We all really enjoyed the warren of passages called Royal Dane Mall with its old stone warehouses and oversized Dutch doors. At the Royal Dane Mall we visited Dave Hill's gallery (a very talented home grown artist with a surprising artistic range) as well as the Belgian chocolate factory which has incredible homemade organic chocolate. The unanimous favorite: dark chocolate filled with a walnut ganache in the shape of a walnut.

We all agreed the Butterfly Farm right at the port of St. Thomas was a perfect way to end the day on the island. Shopping can wear everyone out and simply following butterflies for a half an hour does wonders for your mindset.

Our next stop is Antigua. My friend Pete and I are going ATV'ing. The fact that there is more goats on the island than people makes me like this place already. Pete didn't put any sunscreen on his hands, (neither did I for that matter) but his blew up like two red balloons.

Our next stop is the one I have been looking forward to all week. We are headed to Virgin Gorda, known for its dramatically rocky coast. What makes it so stunning is that the rocks are larger-than-a-house boulders that the earth blew up billions of years ago.

It's raining! Actually it's pouring. What a bummer to be in the Caribbean and have the weather be all gloomy. Both my director Richard and AP Ben are British. They comment that it figures it would be raining and overcast once we made it to the BRITISH Virgin Islands. Welcome home boys.

To get to Virgin Gordo we take a 40-minute ferry from Tortola and by the time we get there the rain has stopped. Hundreds of people have decided to do the same thing we have and the atmosphere feels less paradise more airport terminal.

We walk down a gorgeous nature path to get to the famous beach. Best thing yet is that there are no crowds. We find out later that there are two ways down to the beaches and we took the much harder route. Worth it, in my opinion.

Close to the last day, I discover the best food on the cruise. There was a Tandoori buffet on the side of the ship that I missed five days straight. Fresh steamed fish, perfectly roasted vegetables in aromatic spices. Best yet there was no line while next door the hamburger, French fries and fried chicken nugget buffet was always packed. I love great food!

We had a great time learning how to be in the Junkano, a 200 year old tradition from Africa that involves elaborate costumes that take over a year to make. Arlene was our passionate guide and owner of Educulture. We are all somewhat toasted from the sun and a weeks worth of shooting. My need to just lie and stare at a beautiful beach is, I admit, squelching my excitement to learn anything cultural at this point. But Arlene's passion and excitement for her Bahamas fills us with a vitality we all haven't felt in a few days.

Our trip is winding down we are all sad that the cruise is over and our re-entry into reality is about to begin.


samantha brown mom paradise point butterfly farm st. thomas royal dane mall virgin gordo junkano carnival ]]> Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:07:21 -0400 http://samantha-brown-blog.travelchannel.com/rss-read/the-carnival-cruise Get the Samantha Brown Widget! http://samantha-brown-blog.travelchannel.com/rss-read/get-the-samantha-brown-widget Travel Stay up to date with the show! You can grab this widget and post it on your MySpace page, Facebook page, on your own site or even iGoogle. The Samantha Brown's Great Weekends widget is updated weekly with the upcoming episode photos, sneak peek video... Stay up to date with the show! You can grab this widget and post it on your MySpace page, Facebook page, on your own site or even iGoogle. The Samantha Brown's Great Weekends widget is updated weekly with the upcoming episode photos, sneak peek video and Sam's blog posts about each location. Don't miss out!


widget travel great weekends samantha brown ]]> Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:16:34 -0400 http://samantha-brown-blog.travelchannel.com/rss-read/get-the-samantha-brown-widget Boston http://samantha-brown-blog.travelchannel.com/rss-read/boston Travel First up, it's the Italian Festival in East Boston. While we are shooting all things Italian, our contact becomes audibly upset at me when I go over to the deep fried Oreo cookie stand. "I don't want that in the show, " she says. "It has nothing to do... First up, it's the Italian Festival in East Boston. While we are shooting all things Italian, our contact becomes audibly upset at me when I go over to the deep fried Oreo cookie stand. "I don't want that in the show, " she says. "It has nothing to do with being Italian!"

I try to make light of the situation by reassuring her it's just a light moment not meant to take away from the focus of the festival. "You should only show things that are Italian," she said. So we head over to where I am going to learn how to throw pizza dough in the air. Only issue is our pizza maker is from Mexico and doesn't speak English. I tell her that's okay I speak Spanish, but of course our lovely lady of publicity does not want that to happen because, you guessed it … it's not Italian.

This is one of those days where I could really go off on a producer. They have signed me up to be in a sausage eating contest. I have an Italian sausage maybe once a year and it's also close to 100 degrees out which alone feels heart attack inducing.

I sometimes have to remind them that I am in fact a real person, not some cartoon that's forever getting caught up in antics.

The pre-contest time is actually quite fascinating as I get a chance to talk my fellow contestants, a couple who do this professionally. My first question is how to you train for something like this -- cocktail wieners? The answer is lettuce.

I now have gotten great advice from a real pro on how to keep my throat open like a snake devouring a rat to allow the most amount of food to go in. Good to know. Surprise, surprise I come in last, which I have absolutely no problem with. Time to change and do something I'm exceptional at: enjoying a cocktail.

Night ends at the Eastern Standard, a great restaurant with a busier than Disney World bar scene. It's easy to see why. In a city known for the most famous bar in the world where beer is the favorite drink, Eastern Standards cocktails are quite possibly the best I have ever tasted. Each one is (aside from the liquor) made with homemade elixirs and juices. A range of cocktails are made for me for my tasting, my favorite hands down is the Cuban, an incredibly refreshing drink that takes away all the pain of one miserably hot day.

I'm really excited about the next morning's Yoga session. I will be doing Yoga at my friend's studio, Sadhana. Glen and I became friends in high school and have remained in touch since. Even though we are good friends it is still rather strange when he touches my behind to adjust my spine. Does this mean you're taking me to the Prom?

Next up: Kelly's Roast Beef on Revere Beach. I love sitting on the boardwalk watching the planes take off from Logan airport. It's around 4:00pm right now so every once in awhile we catch a 747. Watching the sky's version of the King of the Road is a mystifying experience, even as it's in mid air, that something that massive can fly. I also love daydreaming for just a few seconds of its destination. London? Tokyo? Beijing? Even while I'm traveling I dream of travel.

boston1Boston is a city that you have to see from the water, it's such a peaceful perspective that really allows you to take in the whole cityscape. I'm learning to sail, something I was a bit apprehensive about which has a lot to do with my strange fear of being in water -- sometimes it can carry over to when I'm on it as well.

After sizing up my instructor Dave who is not only excellent, but has a calming presence as well, he shows me the ropes. What's really cool about sailing on the Boston Harbor is that you are sharing it with all different kinds of vessels historic and modern, yacht sized to full on barge (just a wee bit scary), but a thrill none the less.

After sailing, I'm in the Boston Common getting a lesson on how to be a member of the Dragon Dance. I had no idea how much physical strength and stamina is needed for this. Usually these groups are men, only putting added pressure on this all female troupe.

Next on the itinerary: Learn how to swing. I love to watch swing dancing and imagine what it would be like to twirl and jump and shake your finger in the air like that. I finally get my chance; there are some really great dancers on the floor tonight. I'm not completely feeling confident when a gentleman dressed in a Navy sailors uniform asks me to dance. It starts out fine but then he becomes the "swinganator " and is whipping me around so fast I feel like I am dish towel in a washing machine.

He's swinging me around so fast I can't figure out how to make him stop, vertigo almost starts to set in and I am praying that my director sees my terror and stops it. I look over to signal for help and what do I see but my entire crew laughing at me. Nice. Boston, a city I love turns out to be one very difficult shoot, mainly because of the unbearable heat wave. Some episodes are just harder than others.

One thing's for sure I am spent. I am definitely ready for a little breather.


samantha brown boston sailing eastern standard italian festival yoga dragon dance ]]> Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:23:38 -0400 http://samantha-brown-blog.travelchannel.com/rss-read/boston