How to see London for $15 a day

 Blog, Video
Feb 092012
 

Jason Cochran: The Ward of Cheap in London

My recent post on San Francisco touring pitfalls was such a success that it’s not too early for another winning budget travel video. This one is about London, and how to see it without spending more than $15 a day. I have passed more time in London than in any city other than my home, and I have written about it quite a lot, too.

Between you and me (don’t tell anyone), my guidebook to London, is probably the best one I’ve written. I was in the zone. That’s the same book that was award best guide of the year by the Society of American Travel Writers’ Lowell Thomas Awards. I took some of the ripest fruit from that guide and turned it into a video.

You should have seen me racing around London in a single day to shoot all this footage with my little camera (for a site that’s now defunct). It’s easier said than done since there I was on my own and there was a lot of running around to be done. And I shot this on the same day as a video about what the U.K. Post Office can teach America’s and one about the successful Barclays free bike loaner system, also known as Boris’s Bikes. I was mildly moist, enjoyed nothing of the sights, and I might have chosen my wardrobe better. Then I hustled off to Southampton to do another video about the naming of the new Cunard Queen Elizabeth ship.

Let no one say travel writing is like a vacation. You have to get the goods, and the goods have got to be good.

Yeah. I know. Uptown complaints.

But this is good. There are actually some incredibly useful tips in here for saving cash there once you arrive — without missing out on what makes London London. I’m proud of this, as I am my book:

Once you’ve laid out a million dollars for airfare and hotel (although my book has some terrific secret hotels), these tips will save you save you dosh.

Fun fact: The opening and closing shots were lip-synched because the original audio was too messy. You probably wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t told you, but I now know what Ryan Gosling and Ryan Reynolds go through in their ADR sessions.

San Francisco’s tourist pitfalls

 Blog, Video
Feb 072012
 

While I’m working on other projects, I’m presenting some great trunk songs. Today, I present a segment (with some really handsome shots by Matt Crum) about all the ways to make San Francisco, which is already a good-value city for vacations, into an even better value.

One of my books is a guide to San Francisco, which is still for sale. It may be the most plainspoken guide to San Francisco ever written. I actually tell people all the things that  are not as exciting as they’re cracked up to be. On The Haight: “You’re more likely to meet slumming rich kids from the suburbs who have discreetly parked their Beemers a few blocks away than you are to meet any actual hippies.” And I proclaim the vagrant-plagued Tenderloin “a national shame.” Oops.

I think it’s true. But as it turns out, people don’t always want the unvarnished truth in their guide books. They want more cheerleading.

Framed this way, though, in a helpful how-to video, navigating the mistakes of San Francisco becomes much more appealing. Another reason I have branched into camera work.

This was made for a website that is now defunct, where it ran in a much shorter version.

All the National Park Service Twitter accounts in one place

 Blog
Aug 022011
 
National Park Service logo from Wind Cave National Park

Some rangers are still searching for Twitter instructions in their Mission 66 manuals (NPS crest at Wind Cave NP in South Dakota)

Last update: 30 April 2012

Most National Parks and National Historic Sites have joined Twitter, and the daily outpouring of American history, alluring photos, and new discoveries at the parks near you makes for a good addition to your stream which, if it’s like mine, spends too much time stomping around in kittycat and tech news.

Far from being boring tickers about road closures and forest fire risk, many of the National Park Service streams are often tended by people who get really excited about nature and history. For example, today the African Burial Ground (a delightfully active one for such a small site) shared a resource for researching your slave ancestors in Virginia and linked to a database that details the machinations of the slave trade. Lowell linked to a cool image of the Washington Monument taken in 1922.

Which park has the most followers? You’d never guess. It’s Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site in Hawaii (site of a former temple, and an emblem of the blending of Hawaiian and Western culture that came later), which as of this writing has 41,320 rapt readers.

What’s missing? Many of the most popular Civil War battlefields, despite the fact we are now upon the 150th anniversary of the war. Gettysburg, the location of the mother of all battles, has @VisitGettysburg, a feed for its megabucked, privately owned visitor center (in which the National Park Service is a tenant), but there are a measly 12 tweets on its official ranger-curated feed. Hey, Civil War sites: If an eighteenth-century ruin can have its own blockbuster feed, you should certainly have one, too. (And the omnibus @NPS_CivilWar account, with only 310 followers and untouched since late June, is not cutting it.)

Also missing: an official list of Twitter accounts by the NPS. So I compiled one myself. Here it is.

In general, natural sites get more attention than historic or cultural ones. Where’s Jimmy Carter National Historic Site? Where’s the Carl Sandburg Home, Frederick Douglass’ house, the Lincoln Memorial? Mount Rushmore, despite having four big mouths, is mute.

I wish I could encourage rangers to share their passion on Twitter more often. As an annual passholder to the parks, I know there are plenty of rangers, especially junior ones, who see the job as more than a clock-punching one. I met an eager historian/ranger I met in May at Richmond Battlefield Park, and we talked at length about how history is being forgotten, few people are fired up, and visitors most often want to know where the bathroom is. Why he hasn’t issued a single tweet since October of 2010 is a tragedy of lost tradition.

As Pu’ukohola proves, you don’t have to be a well-funded or big site to get people excited and build a following, and that energy will pay off with increased interest in our heritage. If you want to follow many of these with one click (seems excessive, but sporting), Pu’ukohola has a Twitter list of units, rangers, enthusiasts, and admin programs.

If you know of more (only official ones, please, and I’m leaving out accounts used for non-edifying fire warnings and winter road alerts), add them to the comments section and I’ll update the list. There are some abandoned accounts and some clunkers in here — if your favorite park is letting its Twitter stream die, tell the rangers to spread the love.

Northeast

Acadia National Park, Maine: @AcadiaNPS
African Burial Ground National Monument, New York: @AFBurialGrndNPS
Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, Pennsylvania: @AlleghPortNPS
Assateague National Seashore, Maryland: @AssateagueNPS
Boston African American National Historic Site, Massachusetts: @BOAFNPS
Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts: @CapeCodNPS
Castle Clinton National Monument, New York: @CastleClinton
Clara Barton National Historic Site, Maryland: @ClaraBartonNPS
C&O Canal National Historical Park, DC, Maryland & Virginia: @CHOHTrails
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Pennsylvania & New Jersey: @DelWaterGapNPS
Federal Hall National Memorial, New York: @FederalHallNPS
Fire Island National Seashore, New York: @FireIslandNPS
Fort McHenry National Historic Site, Maryland: @FtMcHenryNPS
Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Pennsylvania: @FtNecessityNPS
Gateway National Recreation Area, New York: @GatewayNPS
General Grant National Memorial (Grant’s Tomb), New York: @GrantsTombNPS
Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania: @GettysburgNMP
Glen Echo Park, Maryland: @GlenEchoParkNPS (also see @NPSGWMP)
Governors Island National Monument, New York: @GovIslandNPS
Ellis Island, New York & New Jersey: @EllisIslandNPS
Hamilton Grange National Monument, New York: @HamiltonGrngNPS
Hampton National Historic Site, Maryland: @HamptonNPS
Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Sites, New York: @NPS_HydePark
Independence National Historical Park, Pennsylvania: @IndependenceNHP
Johnstown Flood National Memorial, Pennsylvania: @JohnstownFldNPS
Lowell National Historic Park, Massachusetts: @Lowell_NPS
Morristown National Historic Park, New Jersey: @MorristownNPS
National Capital Parks-East (13 DC-area sites including Greenbelt and Anacostia): @DCParksEastNPS
New York Harbor (10 area sites): @NYHarborPrksNPS
Northeast NPS Museum Collections: @NPS_NMSC
Northeast Region (76 parks, Maine to Virginia): @NatlParkSvcNER
Rock Creek Park National Park, Washington D.C.: @RockCreekNPS
Roger Williams National Memorial, Rhode Island: @RogerWilliamsNM
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, New York: @SagamoreHillNHS
St. Paul’s Church National Historic Site, New York: @StPaulChurchNPS
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, New Hampshire: @SaintGaudensNHS (inactive)
Salem Maritime National Historic Site, Massachusetts: @SalemMartimeNPS
Statue of Liberty National Monument, New York: @StatueLibrtyNPS
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace, New York: @TRBirthplaceNPS
Thomas Edison National Historical Park, New Jersey: @ThomasEdisonNHP
Thomas Stone National Historic Site, Maryland: @ThomasStoneNHS
Valley Forge National Historic Park, Pennsylvania: @ValleyForgeNHP
Weir Farm National Historic Site, Connecticut: @WeirFarmNPS
Women’s Rights National Historical Park, New York: @WomensRightsNHP

Southeast

Arlington House National Memorial (Robert E. Lee Memorial), Virginia: @ArlingtonNPS
Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida: @BiCyNPres
Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, Tennessee & Kentucky: @BigSouthForkNRR
Biscayne National Park, Florida: @BiscayneNPS
Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina: @CapeHatterasNPS
Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina: @CapeLookoutNPS
Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, South Carolina: @PinckneyNPS
Colonial National Historical Park, Virginia: @ColonialParkNPS
Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida: @DryTortugasNPS
Everglades National Park, Florida: @EvergladesNPS
Fort Donelson National Battlefield, Tennessee: @FortDonelsonNPS
Fort Pulaski National Monument, Georgia: @FortPulaskiNPS
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, North Carolina: @FortRaleighNPS
Fort Sumter National Monument, South Carolina: @FtSumterNPS
George Washington Birthplace National Monument, Virginia: @NPSGeWa
George Washington Memorial Parkway, Virginia & Maryland: @NPSGWMP
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee: @SmokiesRoadsNPS
Gulf Island National Seashore, Florida & Mississippi: @GulfIslandNPS @GulfRecoveryNPS (inactive)
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, West Virginia & Maryland: @HarpersFerryNPS
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia: @KennesawNPS
Manassas National Battlefield Park, Virginia: @ManassasNPS
Natchez National Historical Park, Mississippi: @NatchezNPS
Obed Wild & Scenic River, Tennessee: @ObedWSR
Petersburg National Battlefield, Virginia: @PetersburgNPS
Prince William Forest Park, Virginia: @PWForestPark
Richmond National Battlefield Park, Virginia: @RichmondNPS
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia: @ShenandoahNPS
Shiloh National Military Park, Tennessee & Mississippi: @ShilohNPS
Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail, Virginia, DC & Maryland: @SSBTrail
Timucuan National Preserve, Florida: @TimucuanNPS
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, Virginia: @Wolf_Trap_NPS
Wright Brothers National Memorial, North Carolina: @WrightBrosNPS

Midwest and Rockies

Amistad National Recreation Area, Texas: @AmistadNPS (inactive)
Bear Paw Battlefield, Montana: @BearPawNPS
Big Hole Battlefield, Montana: @BigHoleNPS
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado: @BlackCanyonNPS
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Montana & Wyoming: @BighornCanynNRA
Buffalo National River, Arkansas: @BuffaloNPS
Cane River Creole National Historical Park, Louisiana: @CaneRiverCreole
Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Oklahoma: @ChickasawNPS
Curecanti National Recreation Area, Colorado: @CurecantiNPS
Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming: @TowerRanger
Dinosaur National Monument, Utah & Colorado: @DinosaurNPS
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Colorado: @FlorissantNPS
Fort Smith National Historic Site, Arkansas: @FortSmithNHS
Glacier National Park, Montana: @glaciernps
Grand Portage National Monument, Minnesota: @NPSGrPo
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming: @GrandTetonNPS
Harry S Truman National Historic Site, Missouri: @HarrySTrumanNPS
Homestead National Memorial, Nebraska: @HomesteadNM
Hoover Historic Site, Iowa: @HooverNPS
James A. Garfield National Historic Site, Ohio: @GarfieldNPS
Keweenaw National Historic Site, Michigan: @KeweenawNPS
Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Illinois: @LincolnHomeNPS
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, Texas: @LBJohnsonNPS
Midwest Region administration: @MidWestNPS
Nez Perce National Historical Park, Idaho, Montana, Oregon & Washington: @NezPerceNP
Niobrara National Scenic River, Nebraska & South Dakota: @NiobraraNSR
Rocky Mountain National Park: @RMNPOfficial
San Antonio Mission National Historical Park, Texas: @NPS_SA_Missions
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota: @TRooseveltNPS
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming & Montana: @YellowstoneNPS

Southwest

Arches National Park, Utah: @ArchesNPS
Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico: @BandelierNPS
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah: @BryceCanyonNPS
Capulin Volcano National Monument, New Mexico: @CapulinNPS
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, Arizona: @CasaGrandeNPS (inactive)
Canyonlands National Park, Utah: @CanyonlandsNPS
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona: @GrandCanyonNPS
Great Basin National Park, Nevada: @GreatBasinNPS
Homestead National Memorial, New Mexico: @HomesteadNM
Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada: @LakeMeadNRA
Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona: @PetrifiedNPS
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan: @PicturedRocksNL
Saguaro National Park, Arizona: @SaguaroNPS
White Sands National Monument, New Mexico: @WhiteSands_NPS
Zion National Park, Utah: @ZionNPS

Northwest and California

Alcatraz Island, California: @AlcatrazIsland
Cabrillo National Memorial: @CabrilloNPS
Crater Lake National Park, Oregon: @CraterLakeNPS
Death Valley National Park, California: @DeathValleyNPS
Devils Postpile National Monument, California: @DevilsPostNPS
Fort Point National Historic Site, California: @FortPointNPS
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Washington & Oregon: @FtVancouverNPS
Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California: @GoldenGateNPS
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon: @JDFossilBedsNPS
Joshua Tree National Park, California: @JoshuaTreeNP
Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, California: @AnzaTrailNPS 
Kings Canyon National Park, California: @SequoiaKingsNPS
Lassen Volcanic National Park, California: @LassenNPS
Muir Woods National Monument, California: @MuirWoodsNPS
Mount Rainier National Park, Washington: @MountRainierNPS
North Cascades National Park Complex, Washington: @NCascadesNPS
Oregon Caves National Monument, Oregon: @OregonCavesNPS
Redwoods National and State Parks, California: @RedwoodNPS
San Juan Island National Historical Park, Washington: @SanJuanIsNPS
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, California: @SantaMonicaMtns
Sequoia National Park, California: @SequoiaKingsNPS
Yosemite National Park, California: @YosemiteNPS 

Alaska, Hawaii, territories

Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, Hawaii: @AlaKahakaiNPS
American Memorial Park, Northern Mariana Islands, Saipan: @AmericanMemorialNPS
American Samoa National Park, American Samoa: @Amer_SamoaNPS
Alaska (all 17 parks and sites): @AlaskaNPS
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Alaska: @BeringLandNPS
Cape Krusenstern National Memorial, Alaska: @CKrusensternNPS
Denali National Park, Alaska: @DenaliNPS
Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve, Alaska: @GatesArcticNPS
Haleakala National Park, Hawaii: @HaleakalaNPS
Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska: @KenaiFjordsNPS
Klondike National Park, Alaska: @KlondikeAKNPS
Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park, Hawaii: @KalokoNPS
Kobuk Valley National Park & Preserve, Alaska: @KobukValleyNPS
Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Alaska: @LakeClarkNPS
Noatak National Park, Alaska: @NoatakNPS
Pacific Islands National Parks, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa & CNMI: @PacificNPS
Puukohola National Historic Site, Hawaii: @PuukoholaNPS
Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, Hawaii: @PuuhonuaNPS
Sitka National Historical Park, Alaska: @SitkaNPS (inactive)
War in the Pacific National Historical Park, Guam: @WarInPacificNPS
Wrangell- St. Elias National Park & Preserve, Alaska: @WrangellStENPS
World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, Hawaii: @WWIIValorNPS
Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, Alaska: @YukonCharleyNPS

Administration

Main: @NatlParkService
Archeology Program: @NPSArcheology
Denver Service Center (planning, design, construction): @DenSrvcCtrNPS
Department of the Interior: @Interior
Civil War sites: @NPS_CivilWar
National Capital Region Inventory & Monitoring (management through science): @NPSCaptlAreaSci
National Park Emergency Operations: @NPSEMR_SEast
National Park Foundation (official charitable partner): @GoParks
Northeast Regional Office of NPS Interpretation and Education Training: @NEROInterpLnD
Park Stores (merchandise): @NPSParkStores
Youth Programs: @NPSYouth

Pu'ukohola Heiau Twitter avatar

The unlikely Twitter champ of federal historic sites is Pu'ukohola Heiau. Here's its avatar

Independence National Historical Park, Pennsylvania: @IndependenceNHPIndependence National Historical Park, Pennsylvania: @IndependenceNHP

Six seconds to air in Philadelphia, but where’s Jason’s head?

 Blog, Video
Jul 282010
 

Today was a day lived at light speed. Press event, work, lunch with a colleague, more work, coffee with a friend from Tourism Australia, more writing. The frenetic pace carried right into Fox News’ newsroom. The stage manager grabs me late, and then I was placed in this seat (a new one for me) at the very last possible moment before my “hit.” Literally seconds. Earpiece in. As soon as it’s in my head, or so I think, Philly tells me that I’m on in 10 seconds.

Trouble was, the top of my head was still out of frame. For all the world was about to know, I still had hair. I relay this urgent information to the guy on the floor with none of the sense of urgency that the situation actually called for. Frame hastily jerked up, and go!

I think we were all having an off day. But it still came off — much like my IFB earpiece — even if the crush made me deliver something that was somewhat more hyperbolic than the original post I wrote about this topic for WalletPop.




As soon as I was out of the chair, I was back on the subway (which runs alongside the studio, pretty much) and in the Lower East side for the latest Restless Legs reading series. There, I caught up with a bunch of my favorite travel peeps, including the people behind Nomadic Matt (whom I interviewed yesterday on camera for WalletPop — stay tune for that), Legal Nomads, Budget Travel, EuroCheapo, Gadling, and The Lost Girls.

A busy day is a good day.

The new steerage on the Norwegian Epic

 Blog, Video
Jul 202010
 

I was invited on the two-day inaugural preview on Norwegian’s colossal new cruise ship, the Epic. While most of the other journalists were upstairs getting soused on the open bar (which I did — later), I was downstairs investigating the new “Studio” cabins. These new solo quarters will enable people who wish to vacation alone, or at least have a stateroom to themselves, to avoid paying that dreaded “single supplement” which keeps so many people from taking the trips they’d like to take.

I thought it’d be much more fun to make a video about them than to just write something. So my friend Josh Koll shot me. We had it in the can in 10 minutes, but as far as I know, I’m the only journalist who made a video of these rooms. As if that’ll win me any prizes.

I also cut it, which may explain why it’s a little choppy. I don’t expect you to share in my sense of accomplishment, but Final Cut Pro can be a beast.

Live! From my vacation! It’s how to see Venice for less than $50 a day

 Blog, Video
Jul 132010
 

I took a few days out of a five-day vacation to create this video because I thought it would be so cool to have an internationally shot segment on WalletPop. I am especially proud of a few of the shots in here, such as the shot of the traghetto gondolier shot from below. On the Grand Canal in a rocky gondola.

I really need to learn how to put work demands on a shelf when I’ve got time off. Then again, when I create stuff like this, I’m 1) doing something that pretty much no other website is doing 2) creating a cool video scrapbook of the places I go and the people I meet and 3) having fun anyway. And I’m learning.

The post that this video lives in comes with a list of 10 ways to save in Venice.