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 Chris
Epting is an accomplished
roadtripper, cultural historian, and the author
of eight books including James
Dean Died Here, Marilyn
Monroe Dyed Here, Roadside
Baseball, Elvis
Presley Passed Here, The
Ruby Slippers, Madonna's Bra, and Einsten's Brain,
and Led
Zeppelin Crashed Here. He is a regular
contributor to a variety of travel publications
and the spokesperson and co-creator for the Hampton
Inn's "Hidden
Landmarks" program. Originally from New
York, Chris now lives in Huntington Beach, California,
with his wife Jean and their two children. He
has contributed sage advice for roadtripping
with children and shared some tips about Arizona
highway roadside attractions. |
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These are a few of my favorite things…
As summer approaches, we begin the always-fun
task of looking over maps deciding where to drive off and
explore. What is it that we want to see? What do we want the
kids to experience? Will it be a return to a favorite place,
a new exploration or a combination of the two?
We all have our stories of classic must-visit
sites that we pass along to each other and so I thought I'd
take a little space here to recommend a few places I discovered
while researching and writing my latest book, The
Ruby Slippers, Madonna's Bra and Einstein's Brain: The Locations
of America's Pop Culture Artifacts.
Up until now, I focused my books on the places
where cultural and historical events in North America took
place. But then I got to thinking… what about all of
those items related to historic events? We know JFK was assassinated
in Dealey Plaza. But where is the limo he was riding in? Marilyn
Monroe famously posed over a subway grating in The Seven
Year Itch. But where is the white, billowy dress?
I discovered many interesting museums, collections,
roadside oddities and more during the course of creating this
book. Now, as you might be planning your next road trip, I'd
like to offer some of the artifacts that I find particularly
interesting (and that you might enjoy visiting when you hit
the road)…
THE CARDIFF GIANT
The Farmer's Museum
Located one mile north of the village of Cooperstown on State
Route 80 on the west side of Otsego Lake
607-547-1400
The Cardiff Giant is a 10-foot-tall stone man
discovered October 16, 1869 by workers digging a well behind
the barn of William C. "Stub" Newell in nearby Cardiff,
New York. It became the subject of huge interest and debate,
with some saying it was an ancient statue and others saying
it was a petrified human giant from days of old. Eventually
it turned out that the Giant was a hoax -- the creation of
a New York tobacconist named George Hull who spent $2,600
having the Giant carved and buried, but who sold the creation
for $37,500 to a syndicate of five men headed by David Hannum.
It drew such crowds that showman P.T. Barnum offered $60,000
for a three-month lease of it. When he was turned down, he
made a plaster replica and put it on display, claiming that
his was the real giant and the Cardiff Giant was a fake. As
the newspapers reported Barnum's version of the story, David
Hannum was quoted as saying, "There's a sucker born every
minute." This was in reference to the suckers paying
to see Barnum's giant. Over time, the quotation has been misattributed
to P.T. Barnum himself. Today, you can see the original Cardiff
Giant resting peacefully at the Farmer's Museum, just down
the road apiece from the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
PEZ DISPENSERS
Burlingame Museum of PEZ Memorabilia
214 California Drive
Burlingame, California
650-347-2301
Austrian candy executive Eduard Haas invented
Pez candy in 1927. The original little candy bricks were peppermint.
In fact, the word Pez is an abbreviation of the German word
for peppermint (Pfefferminz). The first Pez dispensers, known
to collectors as "regulars", did not have character
heads. Around 1952, cartoon heads and fruity flavored candy
were introduced. Since then, over 250 different heads have
been made. Here at the museum you can see thousands of PEZ
dispensers, incredible exhibits, memorabilia--you can even
create your own personal PEZ candy dispenser.
SPAM MUSEUM
1937 Spam Boulevard
Austin, Minnesota
800-LUV-SPAM
In 2001, here in Austin where Hormel is located,
the 16,500 square-foot SPAM Museum opened. Museum visitors
are welcomed to the world of SPAM Family of Products with
a variety of interactive and educational games, fun exhibits
and remarkable video presentations. The museum houses 4,752
cans of SPAM from all over the world and covers the 66-year
history of SPAM.
MADONNA'S BRA
Frederick's of Hollywood
6751 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood, California
323-957-5953
In 1986, Frederick's of Hollywood created the
world's first "Bra Museum" in this, the flagship
store. Walk up some stairs in the back and you'll see many
famous items, including Madonna's bra, a black and gold bustier
from her "Who's That Girl" tour. Other famous things
include a girdle worn by Ethel Merman in There's No Business
Like Show Business, a fur-trimmed negligee and bra worn by
Cybill Shepherd in the TV series Moonlighting, the bra Tony
Curtis wore in his famous cross-dressing performance in Some
Like It Hot and Phyllis Diller's training bra (marked "This
Side Up!").
MUDDY WATERS' CABIN
Delta Blues Museum
#1 Blues Alley
Clarksdale, Mississippi
662-627-6820
The Delta Museum contains thousands of artifacts related to
Blues, but perhaps none is as stunning as the cabin where
Muddy Waters grew up. In the cabin sits the life-size wax
statue of former Clarksdale resident, Muddy Waters. Muddy
was a sharecropper on the Stovall Plantation in the 1920's
and early 1930's. Discovered by musicologist Alan Lomax, he
would be a part of the Northern migration of Blacks in the
1930's. Muddy Waters would be credited with electrifying the
blues when he plugged his guitar into an amplifier in order
to be heard over the noise of the city of Chicago.
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Mahatma
Gandhi World Peace Memorial
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MAHATMA GANDHI'S ASHES
Fellowship Lake Shrine
17190 Sunset Boulevard
Pacific Palisades, California
310-454-4114
The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine was
dedicated by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1950. The grounds include
the Mahatma Gandhi World Peace Memorial, where a portion of
Gandhi's ashes is enshrined; a small museum with exhibits
on Paramahansa Yogananda's work; and a gift shop with arts
and crafts from India. The hilltop temple overlooking the
lake was opened in 1996.
"THE BUCK STOPS
HERE" SIGN
Harry S. Truman Library
U.S. Highway 24 and Delaware Street
Independence, Missouri
800-833-1225
The famous "The Buck Stops Here" sign
that sat on President Truman's desk in his White House office
was made in the Federal Reformatory at El Reno, Oklahoma.
Fred M. Canfil, then United States Marshal for the Western
District of Missouri and a friend of Mr. Truman, saw a similar
sign while visiting the Reformatory and asked the Warden if
a sign like it could be made for President Truman. The sign
was made and mailed to the President on October 2, 1945. It
has been displayed at the Library since 1957.
JOHN F. KENNEDY's ETERNAL
FLAME
National Museum of Funeral History
415 Barren Springs Drive
Houston, Texas
281-876-3063
Originally commissioned in 1963, JFK's Eternal
Flame burned bright 24 hours a day, rain or shine, for over
25 years. In 1998 the flame was replaced with a newer unit
allowing for a longer service life of the flame. JFK's Original
Eternal Flame was then placed into the National Museum of
Funeral History on permanent loan to show the general public
not only its glory, but also its general operation.
THE AFRICAN QUEEN
Holiday Inn Key Largo and Marina
99701 Overseas Highway
Key Largo, Florida
305-451-2121
Though the boat in the 1951 classic John Huston
film starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn appeared
to be blown apart in Kabalego Falls, Uganda (where the film
was shot), the African Queen actually still exists here in
Florida. Since the early 1980s, it has lived on as a tourist
treat at this hotel.
DINER FROM DINER
400 East Saratoga Street (Corner of Holliday)
Baltimore, Maryland
410-962-5379
The diner was actually shipped in from Oakland,
New Jersey when director Barry Levinson needed a meeting place
for his 1982 film, Diner, about college students in
1959. Though it's been relocated from where it was used in
the film, it still remains in Baltimore (as the Hollywood
Diner).
And so there you have a few of my favorite,
most intriguing items on display throughout our country. Happy
hunting, and if you find something seriously historic or off
the wall, I'd always love to hear about it.
Chris Epting
May 14, 2006
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