From the monthly archives:

January 2010

These Ghost Tours Are The Real Deal

by Alan Rider

If the number of “ghost hunter” shows on television is any indication, interest in the paranormal is at an all-time high.
But what if you wanted to get up off the couch and actually experience some of these unexplained phenomena for yourself? Well, thanks to my specter-savvy friend Karen Jeffries at New Orleans’ Dauphine House Bed & Breakfast, I’ve found two groups of experienced paranormal investigators that will actually allow curious amateurs like us to tag along on their field research outings.
If you’re eager to jump right in, I’d suggest booking a spot on the two-night New Orleans event the members of Southern Ghosts have planned for the weekend of January [...]

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These Volcano Tours Will Have You Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

by Alan Rider

While I don’t necessarily consider myself a thrill-seeker, I can’t deny that I occasionally find myself irresistably drawn to certain experiences that have at least some element of danger to them.
This character flaw may help explain why reading a short blurb on Volcano Awareness Month in Hawaii immediately sent me scurrying off to find out how I could live out my dream of getting up-close-and-personal with an active volcano.  Which is how I found the folks at Volcano Discovery, a group of trained volcanologists who organize tours to some of the world’s most active eruption zones.
If this sounds like fun to you too, you’ll find a complete list of their [...]

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Take A Bite Out of The Big Apple With Famous Fat Dave

by Alan Rider

Just heard an interview with the wife of the late New York Times food writer R.W. Apple Jr. where she told the story of how, on a trip to Singapore, her husband once ate 25 meals in a single day. A feat which immediately conjured up visions of the famous “I couldn’t eat another thing” scene in Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (if you have both a strong stomach and a warped sense of humor you can watch it here).
It also reminds me of the cold winter’s day my wife and I spent eating our way through all five boroughs of New York City with part-time cab driver and full-time foodie [...]

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Going Out With A Bang: Contest Lets Lucky Winner Blow Up Texas Stadium

by Alan Rider

Not sure what it is about human nature, but it seems we’re genetically hard-wired for an attraction to things that go BOOM!  Now, a new contest is offering one lucky person what very well may be the ultimate extraordinary experience: A chance to set off an explosion that will literally bring the house down.
You see, the folks at Kraft Foods have just signed a deal that will allow the winner of an essay contest to push a button that will turn Texas Stadium, former home of the Dallas Cowboys, into a pile of rubble.  The blast that triggers the implosion is scheduled to happen this spring in front of a [...]

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I'm Only Here For The Beer!

by Alan Rider

Wine tasting tours have become so commonplace, I figure most don’t really qualify as extraordinary experiences.  But the suds-sampling excursions run by Mike Saxton and the folks at BeerTrips.com, well, now they’re a different story.
With more than a dozen outings—from a seven-day beer-tasting raft trip on the Snake River to behind-the-scenes tours of Europe’s most renown breweries—on their 2010 calendar, the company has something to appeal to just about everyone.  Add small group sizes (15 guests max) and an emphasis on educating their guests palates and you have  a once-in-a-lifetime adventure that ends up being equal parts rolling house party and  graduate course in beer-ology.
Related Posts:
‘Shine On!

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Ten For '10: New Year, New Experiences

by Alan Rider

While other media outlets have been busy looking back at 2009, I’ve spent the last couple of weeks planning some of the great new feature stories I’ll be bringing you in the year ahead.
Now before we go any further, understand that the list below is by no means complete.  In fact, if my math is correct, you can look forward to reading about more than 100 truly remarkable once-in-a-lifetime adventures both here and on the pages of XTRORD.com in the next 12 months.
That said, here’s a quick preview of what I expect to be our 10 coolest extraordinary experience stories for 2010 (click on the links to see previous posts):
Throw [...]

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