Somehow we didn’t get to The World Erotic Art Museum when we took that junior high school field trip to Miami. Don’t you make the same mistake the next time you are in the south Florida.
The World Erotic Art Museum is the fascinating creation of erotic art enthusiast Naomi Wilzig who stocked 12,000 square feet in the middle of South Beach with $100 million worth of art from her personal collection. For your perusal are paintings, sculptures and artifacts, both modern and historic. (If you saw A Clockwork Orange and remember the art statues sprinkled through Stanley Kubrick’s film you are already familiar with a few of the works on display here).
What is so interesting about visiting WEAM is that the art itself is erotic, a testament to human lust and sexuality. But the environment the art is displayed in is that of a regular straitlaced museum, like those we did visit on our junior high school field trips. After an hour here the juxtaposition of it was a little unnerving.
Open seven days a week, 11am to midnight. $15 entrance fee.
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Fred Flintstone never had it this good. While his cave dwelling was small and cramped (and put occupants in danger of being run over by an overly enthusiastic Dino) you can stay in the spacious (and dog-free) Kokopelli’s Cave Bed & Breakfast. This massive 1,700 square foot suite is built deep within a cave in the New Mexico desert. The space includes a Jacuzzi, functional kitchen and relaxing living room. To help stave off claustrophobia there are also two balconies with massive desert vistas stretching across five states. Unlike many unusual bed and breakfasts that rely solely upon their uniqueness to attract business, the personalized service at Kokopelli’s is outstanding. All you need is a little agility to make the climb to your room, a lot of ChapStick for the dry desert air, and a stay at Kokopelli’s will not disappoint.
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LA’s first power plant is one of its latest hot spots. When The Edison Bar moved into a 1910 building near Harlem Place Alley in downtown L.A. it left much of the infrastructure there intact, including the original boiler, power turbines and much of the piping. Around that industrial facade went mood lighting, low-slung bar, atmospheric dance floor and lots of plush nook for eating, socializing and romancing. The result is beyond cool. Come prepared to stand in line and dress to impress — bouncers won’t let you in wearing hats, sneakers or athletic wear.
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You like camping but your partner does not. California’s Treebones Resort offers the perfect romantic getaway for you both. Accommodations at the Treebones are in yurts, large circular tents originally the domain of Central Asian nomads and made of sheepskin. A stay at the Treebones, though, would make even the most properous Central Asian nomad envious. The yurts there include large comfortable beds of the sort you’d expect to find at a three-star hotel, sinks with running water and private porches with stunning views of the Pacific. And these yurts do not smell of sheepskin. They also don’t have en-suite restrooms — you have to go up to the main building when nature calls — adding to the “camping” aspect of your stay. Our only complains are with the included buffet breakfast (mostly of waffles and cheap muffins) and the “Treebones” name (there might be no place more gorgeous with an uglier moniker). Prices vary greatly with the season and day of the week. Book early and ask for the especially scenic and secluded yurt #16.
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At most museums exhibits are behind glass cases and velvet ropes and DO NOT TOUCH signs. Not so at the Exploratorium, San Francisco’s interactive playhouse dedicated to the science of psychology and perception. Here every exhibit is an activity: Refract light, create illusions, defy gravity, distort sound and mess with your mind. Even the preponderance of children isn’t enough to make it uncool for grown-ups (although you’ll cut down on number of tykes running around by visiting during a school day). Don’t let the Exploratorium’s classical exterior fool you — this is as unstuffy and well, fun, as a museum can get.
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Art that's so bad it's good.
My dream of producing museum-quality art lives! Specifically, it lives in the basement of the Dedham Community Theatre outside of Boston. That’s where the Museum of Bad Art hosts a collection of works such as a painting of three dead gorillas next to a two-headed man. MoBA began in 1992 with the work “Lucy in the Field with Flowers,” which was literally scavenged from a trash bin. And it has been all downhill for the museum since then. MoBA is well worth the admission place, which is free. Open Sunday through Thursday 2-9pm, Friday, Saturday and holidays from 1-10pm.
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Staying in a dog needn’t be a bitch. At the Dog Bark Inn in Cottonwood, Idaho guests stay within a giant two-story dog-shaped bed & breakfast. Inside the beagle’s bowels guests will find a queen bed, reading nook within the dog’s snout and a variety of canine-themed declarations. If you can overcome the urge to walk around the grounds marking your territory, there’s a outhouse shaped like a giant fire hydrant. (There’s also a full bath inside the dog-room). Adding to the kitsch factor, the proprietors are self-taught “chainsaw artists” and display their work proudly around their property. Single occupancy for $86/night, double for $92.
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If the whiff of homemade peanut butter doesn’t grip you, then butter-yellow walls lined with vintage tins and classic ads for Sunbeam bread and Welch’s jam are bound to make you feel good. Aside from a milk selection that includes soy, rice and Lactaid, the novelty rings true. Kids, parents and everyone in between appreciate the old-fashioned sandwiches served with a pile of chips and carrot sticks.
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