Go to Hogwarts with Harry
Butterbeer, Anyone?
Here are some links to reviews and photos of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter:
A whole bunch of photos of the new park at www.wizardingworldharrypotter.com.
Here's a glowing review of the park by the Los Angeles Times, in which reviewer Mary McNamara says, "If God is in the details, then Wizarding World is the holiest place on Earth."
Here's another big collection of photos from the Orlando Sentinel newspaper.
Here's a description of the resort's Hog's Head Pub, by Sentinel reporter Kelly Fitzpatrick: "...the bar attached to the Three Broomsticks restaurant is an impressive space that makes you feel like you're in the book. A large, animatronic hog's head hangs on the back wall between two barrels of butterbeer, and snorts, growls and moves its head around eliciting much giggling from me. Right by the head there is a sign that states, 'The management will not take responsibility if you lose your head.' The details are near perfect, down to moldy-looking ceilings outside the front door and the lantern light fixtures dimly lit to show the worn, wooden planks above your head."
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Much Ado About Publishing
Sunday in the Park with Scarlett, Seuss, Webster, Zhivago & Salinger
I'm a fan of the Harry Potter books and movies, so I can't wait to go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which just opened at Universal Orlando Resort. But, since you'll never find me on anything that feels like a rollercoaster, I'll have to forgo some of the rides and just do everything in Harry's world that doesn't have the potential to make people throw up.
Call me a wimp, but that's just not my idea of fun.
I did, however, enjoy coming up with a list of potential book-inspired theme parks I hope we'll never see:
- If you loved Gone With the Wind, you'll want to visit The Civil Warring World of Scarlett O'Hara:
Ride pregnant and in labor through the burning of Atlanta; throw up after eating a carrot in the fields of Tara; get to kiss Rhett Butler, even though rumor has it his dentures gave him very bad breath, or have a little nooky with Belle Watling, the hooker-with-a-heart; and have your leg cut off in a makeshift Confederate hospital.
- Can't get enough of Green Eggs and Ham? You'll want to spend a few minutes at The Food Poisoning World of Dr. Seuss:
Why only a few minutes? Because after your green eggs and ham, you'll take the showcase ride in an ambulance to the closest hospital to treat that deadly case of salmonella.
- If consulting Webster's Dictionary isn't enough, you'll want to live the experience of The Spelling, Originating, Pronouncing & Alphabetizing World of Whoever the Hell Webster Was:
You can spell words, learn their origins and proper pronunciations, and alphabetize them. And then go home. Well, what more did you expect? You're trying to live out a dictionary. Not exactly a thrill a minute.
- If you've always wanted to cozy up to Dr. Zhivago, now's your chance at The Freezing Your Ass Off World of Brooding Russian Novelists:
Thrill to frostbite as you wander the frozen Russian landscape muttering, "Lara, Lara." Snuggle in a villa made of ice as you mutter, "Lara, Lara." Then, clutch your chest and fall over by the streetcar as you mutter, "Lara, Lara."
Boy, you're gonna need a lotta vodka after this one.
- Did you read Catcher In the Rye more than the one time they assigned it to you in high school or college? Do you carry it with you everywhere you go? Do you aspire to be a serial killer, assassin, or any other kind of murderer? Do you blame that career choice on this famous book? Then you're gonna love The Psychosis-Inducing World of J.D. Salinger:
He was a little nuts, his characters are a little nuts, and some of his fans are more than a little nuts. Psychiatric ward attendants give you the personal tour of the padded-walled library of Salinger books, manuscripts, and private letters. But, you can't leave until the court-appointed doctor signs your papers.
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Nina L. Diamond is a journalist, essayist, and the author of Voices of Truth: Conversations with Scientists, Thinkers & Healers. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Omni, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and The Miami Herald.
Ms. Diamond was a writer and performer on Pandemonium, the National Public Radio (NPR) satirical humor program, for its entire run in Miami and select markets nationwide from 1984-1998. As an editor, she works frequently with other authors and journalists on both fiction and non-fiction.
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Read Nina's other Much Ado About Publishing columns from 2010:
There's No Such Thing As a Quick Remote
Thanks for the Genes
From Blog to Eternity
Jessie: A Literary Tail & A Warm Nose for News
Struggles on the Shelves
Impacted Cranial Rectitis