Cleveland's Christmas Story

Someone Never Finished Reading The Rules A few months after I started dating my girlfriend, Sarah, she went on a trip to England. When she got back, she showed me her photos. I didn't know what to say when I saw her standing in front of famous landmarks with a sign that read I Heart Adam. She said it was her way of proving that I was on her mind and that she didn't want to return to Europe without me. We'll be getting married next month and traveling to Italy for our honeymoon--and instead of a sign, she'll have my arm around her in every single picture. Adam Owen, Greensboro, N.C. Still, No Tip On our first night in Venice, my husband suggested we take a gondola ride as the sun set. I'm the planner in the family, but it turned out my husband had been doing some planning of his own. He reproposed and gave me a beautiful new diamond ring! It was one of the most romantic moments of my life. We were kissing in a quiet side canal, water lapping gently against the boat, when we heard: "I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world, life in plastic, it's fantastic." Instead of killing the moment, our gondolier's cell phone ring tone made it even more memorable! Lori Hlucky, Brunswick, Ohio They're Trying to Make Purple I was taking pictures of the illuminated skyline of Guilin, China, when I noticed a cute girl not too far away. I smiled, she smiled, and then I said, "Hi." She asked if she could practice her English with me, and I, being single, readily agreed. We talked for hours that night and the following day, and before my tour moved on, we exchanged e-mails and promised to write. Once I was home, our e-mails turned to phone calls, then to webcam conversations. There was something special about this girl, and I was back in China in less than four months. By the end of that second trip I was completely love-struck--and engaged. I made a total of five trips to China before her fiancee visa came through; we were married on January 27, 2005. I never expected to go on vacation and come back with a wife. Angel Vigoa, Pomona, Calif. The Bride Wore Whiteboard When my husband and I got married, we had already been together for 12 years, so the usual wedding gifts weren't necessary. Instead, we decided on a honeymoon registry for our dream trip to New Zealand. My aunts gave us our camper rental, cousins gave wildlife tours, and my brother gave us a kayak trip in Abel Tasman National Park. While their gifts were certainly helpful financially, the most amazing part was feeling like we were sharing each part of our adventure with someone we loved. So when we returned, each thank-you note included a personalized photograph of us in front of the gift, grinning from ear to ear! Lee Hayes Byron, Sarasota, Fla. For Your Honeymoon You Get To Go Home "Wouldn't it be romantic to get married here?" asked a friend while we were sipping espresso in Riomaggiore, Italy. Inspired, my fiancee and I delivered a letter to the mayor. Following his advice, we procured the legal documents, and there was little to do but purchase simple nuptial attire. The night before the wedding, local romantics lavishly adorned the village with flowers and ribbons, and a crowd of supporters escorted us to the ceremony. We were married by the mayor while onlookers shouted congratulations from the balcony above. Rice was thrown with gusto, champagne flowed generously, and a talented photographer documented the entire affair. Michael Metters, Spokane, Wash. In a Pinch, 10 Percent of Your Income Will Do During the second week of our honeymoon in Italy, my husband and I rented a motor scooter in Positano. Outside the hill town of Ravello, we parked and walked into the main square--only to find ourselves showered with large red paper hearts falling from the sky. We looked up: A small plane was releasing thousands of the hearts. It was without a doubt the most romantic thing that could possibly happen on a honeymoon. We picked up a heart from the ground and read the message. Roughly translated, it said, "God has granted that the only way to success is through love." Annie Porrino, San Leandro, Calif. She Should Laugh--In Her Country They Lick Strangers As we strolled around Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, a girl laughed when my boyfriend asked her to take our picture. I had no idea what was going on! Mike's first language is French, but it was a little rusty. He explained later, he had told her he was going to propose marriage to "ma petite fille" (my little daughter). Even through her laughter, she captured the moment for us. I said yes, and he still calls me his "petite fille." Cassie Gokey, Atlanta, Ga. My Husband, the Romantic Six weeks before our 30th anniversary, I was at work. I work at a hotel, so it's not unusual for flowers or centerpieces to be delivered. There was a knock on my door, and a lady walked in with a gorgeous silk floral arrangement. I asked, "Who is it for?" She said "Sheri Karl." I couldn't believe it. The arrangement was in a boat with QE2 on the bow, and included a rolled up scroll, British coasters and teas throughout. In a poem, my husband told me that, for our 30th anniversary, we would be traveling to London, England and then to Southampton to board the QE2 for a six day Trans-Atlantic cruise. We had the most wonderful time, all thanks to my thoughtful and loving husband. Shari Karl, West Lafayette, Ind.

Amesbury, MA: I recently saw 'Casino Royale' and fell in love with the scenery from Montenegro. Could you tell me more about this country and the best places to visit? Tony Reeves: The first rule of location hunting is never believe what you see on-screen. The 'Montenegro' scenes for Casino Royale were filmed around Prague and the town of Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic. The casino is the old spa building at Karlovy Vary, and Bond's 'Hotel Splendide' is the Grand Hotel Pupp. Even the 'Miami' scenes (the airport and the Body Worlds exhibition) are Prague - as are the interior of the 'House of Commons' and the Venetian Hotel. _______________________ Corona, CA: I plan to take my four-year-old daughter to see where one of her favorite movies (The Sound of Music) takes place (Salzberg, etc.). Where should I take her? What should we definitely see? We will be going in the late spring or mid-summer (if her school schedule doesn't allow for a spring vacation). I want something fun for a four-year-old. My aunt and uncle, who have homes in Vienna and Faulkenstein, will be escorting us. Tony Reeves: There are plenty of coach tours in Salzburg around the sites for The Sound of Music, but since it's quite a small place, you can see most of them yourself. And remember, most of the interiors were filmed in Hollywood. You'll want to see Maria's abbey, which is Nonnberg Abbey, Nonnberg Gasse. Although it is on a hill, it doesn't overlook the Old Town, as it does in the movie. The view in front of the abbey is from Winkler Terrace, on the other side of town. The 'Villa Von Trapp' is two separate houses: The front entrance (where maria gets off the bus) is Schloss Frohnburg, a music school, on Hellbrunner Allee, south of the Old Town, while the rear, with the lakeside terrace, is Schloss Leopoldskron, a private college which you can see across Leopoldskriner Teich, the lake. The gazebo ('Sixteen Going On Seventeen') used to be here, too. But there was such a problem with fans trespassing to see it that it's been moved to the grounds of Schloss Hellbrun. The 'Do-Re-Mi- steps can be found in the Mirabell Gardens in the centre of town. Out of town, the wedding was filmed in the cathedral at Mondsee, about 15 miles east of Salzburg; and the picnic is at Werfen, a beautiful village set against a stunning mountan backdrop, which is about half-an-hour south of Salzburg by train. You'll recognise most of the other locations around the town - almost completely unchanged. _______________________ Cambridgeshire, England: My husband and I, film buffs, will be in NYC next week--Dec. 16, 17th and 19th. It would be a thrill to be near a movie set in the Big Apple. Do you know of any? Thank you Tony Reeves: Yikes! New York - there are hundreds of locations. The films of Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese spring to mind. Try John's Pizza on Blleecker Street in Greenwich Village (seen in Manhattan - Woody Allen claims it's the best pizza in New York), or the view of the Queensboro Bridge from the end of 59th Street East (though there's no bench!). Take a look a the art deco lobby of the Edison Hotel, 228 West 47th Street, which you might recognise from The Godfather and Bullets Over Broadway. St Patrick's Cathedral on Mulberry Street is where Michael Corleone bcomes The Godfather toward the end of the film. Joe' Pizza on Bleecker Street is where Peter parker lost his job in Spider-Man 2, and the Moondance Diner, 80 Sixth Avenue, is where Mary Jane worked. Check out the Outer Boroughs, too - Saturday Night Fever in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, or the Bronx Botanical Gardens seen in The Age of Innocence. You can see the Corleone compound on Longfellow Road, Staten Island. I could go on... _______________________ Sarasota, FL: Where was the film "Chocolat" with Johnny Depp filmed? The scenery and the town were gorgeous. Thanks, Carol Tony Reeves: The village is Flavigny-sur-Zzerain, in Burgundy, about a one-hour drive from Dijon. _______________________ Pinnacle, NC: In "Casino Royale," is the villa in the last scene on Lake Como? Very breathtaking. Is it privatly owned? If not, do they rent rooms? Tony Reeves: Mr White's villa at the end of the movie is Villa La Gaeta at San Siro, on the west coast of Lake Como. I don't think it's a hotel, but there are several in the vicinity. Incidentally, the 'hospital' where Bond recovers is another lake Como villa, about 10 miles to the south near Lenno. It's Villa Balbianello, which was also the Lake Retreat for Annakin and padme in Attack of the Clones, and one of the most breathtaking locations I've visited. You might also bump into George Clooney in the local supermarket, as his villa is not too far away! _______________________ Oakland, CA: What is the location of "Everything is Illuminated," the film about Trachimbrod by Liev Schrieber? Tony Reeves: It's set in the Ukraine but the film, like so many these days, was made around Prague in the Czech Republic. _______________________ Miami, FL: Could you tell me anyting about the locations of the sweeping landscapes seen in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Hero," and "House of Flying Daggers"? Thanks! Tony Reeves: The Crouching Tiger desertscapes are the Gobi Desert in Xinjiang Province. The bamboo forest in Zhejiang Province, southern China. The stately home and courtyard were a set at the Beijing Stdios. For Hero, the attack on the calligraphy chool was filmed at Dangjin Mountain in Akesai, near old Dunhuang City, in northwest China, toward Mongolia. The amazing, wind-blasted rock formations, called 'yadan' are here too. The sword fight above the lake is at Jiu Zhai Gou ('Nine Villages Valley'), a popular tourist destination about 12 hours by bus from Chengdu. The lake itself is Jian ZhuHai ('Cold bamboo Sea'). Just to the south, where two valleys merge into Shuzheng Gully, you can see the waterfall, at which Broken Sword and Flying Snow meet in the 'green' sequence. It's the 98-feet-high Nuorilang Falls ('nuorilang' is "magnificent and splendid" in the Tibetan language). More scenes filmed at the yellow grassy marshland near another lake, Chang Hai (Long Sea). The elegaic fight between Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) and Moon (Zhang Ziyi) among fluttering autumnal leaves, is an ancient oak grove in Inner Mongolia. Timing was everything: an employee, stationed out in Mongolia, called the director the moment the leaves turned a perfect shade of gold. Most of the House of Flying Daggers was shot near Lviv, western Ukraine, a location previously used for Jackie Chan's First Strike. Sets were built at Yongchuan, Sichun Province, in the bamboo forests of Tea Mountain and Bamboo Sea Scenery Park, near the city of Chongqing. To visit China's 120-square km park, the largest primaeval bamboo park in the country, you take a two-hour flight from Shanghai to Chengdu, from where there's a bus trip (approximately five hours) to the Bamboo Sea. There's the unique Bamboo Museum, and and a bamboo restaurant featuring dishes based on the local speciality. Interiors, including the 'Peony Pavilion' and the abandoned Buddhist temple in the bamboo forest, lensed in Beijing Film Studio (where films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Kill Bill [qv] were previously filmed). _______________________ Tony Reeves: Well, thanks for those questions. I hope they helped your travel plans. This is Tony Reeves, author of The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations, signing off. _______________________

We asked for your favorite places to shop in New York City, and you sent in a lot of great responses. Our five winners will receive a Streetwise Map Pack of Manhattan, which consists of seven laminated accordion-fold maps with information on attractions, museums, hotels, parks, and more. In addition to a map of Manhattan, the pack includes an address finder and maps of the borough's most prominent neighborhoods (Midtown, Greenwich Village), the subway and bus systems, and Central Park. For more great shopping tips, read a Q&A with Pamela Keech, author of The Curious Shopper's Guide to New York City. From flowers to pickles to vintage signs, Keech shares her secrets on where to find one-of-a-kind holiday buys. Thanks for all of your responses, and here are the winning entries: I just LOVE to shop in the Village--all of the quirky, quaint little shops are awesome. Take the 1 subway line to Christopher Street/Sheridan Square, get off and look around, and start wandering. The streets in the Village are not the typical Manhattan grid pattern, which makes wandering even more fun. Be sure to check out Mxyplyzyk for the cook who has everything. --Melinda, London, Ohio If you don't have a lot of time and like to save money, Century 21 has it all. This discount department store has something for everyone. When we were there last spring, my daughters got great deals on clothes while I shopped for linens and gifts. When we were all done we even got a great deal on a suitcase to take all our bargains home in! --Lou Ann Jensen, Arlington, S.D. New York Public Library: They have a great gift shop with books on New York City and their current special exhibit, great children's book-related gifts, and of course lots of NYPL lion memorabilia. The best souvenir there is free and takes only 10 to 20 minutes: Present a photo ID to apply for your own NY Public Library card, with your photo on it. --Laurie DeLand, Silver Spring, Md. The several Housing Works Thrift stores. You never know what wonderful treasures you will find. --Elise Mandel, Lexington. Ky. Surma Ukrainian gift shop on East 7th Street. They carry unique embroidered blouses and breathtaking decorated eggs. --Eileen Lipston, Kirkland, Wash.

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