The Happiness Hotel

Location: London, England
Address: 134-136 Westbourne Terrace
Date: Sept 2015
Website:  muppet.wikia.com

  The second Muppet movie, The Great Muppet Caper, was filmed in London, England.  One of the locations used in the movie is just a short walk from Paddington Station.  Kermit, Fozzie and Gonzo end up staying at a hotel called the Happiness Hotel where they meet the rest of the Muppet gang.

  The building looked to be in much better shape when we visited than it does in the movie.  The hotel was such a dump that the bus would not even stop there.  When Kermit, Fozzie and Gonzo arrive the bus slows down and they get tossed to the curb.  The hotel is surprised that somebody else actually wants to check in.

 

  The next time Kermit The Frog and his friends arrive at the hotel they are driven there by Beauregard the cab driver.  Beauregard is best known as the janitor of the Muppet Theatre.  He apologizes that he can only take them as far as the lobby and then proceeds to drive the cab around the corner, across the courtyard and straight through the front door of the hotel.

  The Great Muppet Caper was a wonderful achievement in both puppetry and film and we enjoyed our brief visit to one of its real life locations.  The song Happiness Hotel is also one of the highlights of the movie's soundtrack.  

Well, welcome home to Happiness Hotel !!

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Map of Our World
Happiness Hotel

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Post # 138

Nuit Blanche Extended Projects 2016

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address: 100 Queen Street West
Date: Oct 2016
Website:  nbto.com

  Nuit Blanche 2016 took place in Toronto on October 1st.  Nuit Blanche is an annual event where art projects take over the streets for one evening.  It ran from 7pm October 1st and ended 7am October 2nd.  If you missed it you can still visit a few extended projects up until October 10th.:

Ocean

An ocean will be filling the rotunda inside Toronto City Hall.  It is made up of lights hanging from recycled strips of fabric from H&M.  We are guessing it consists of customer returns that they couldn't sell on clearance.  As the fabric sways above you, the lights glow and flicker.  Many people were lying on the floor being swept away by it all after a sleepless night roaming the streets.

You are also surrounded by the sounds of water mixed with what sounded like brief snippets of people sniffing and crying.  Below is a video sample of Ocean.

The extended hours for this project are from 8am until 6pm.

Death of the Sun

  As we emerged from the Ocean, a large white orb had been placed in the square.  It suddenly burst to life and yellow and orange clouds moved across its surface.  In about 5 billion years from now the sun will begin to die.  This project was meant to represent those final stages of the sun.

  A low droning noise could be heard rising above the crowds that filled Nathan Phillips Square.  As we moved across the square to get a nice photo from the elevated walkway, the sun became more orange and then turned a deeper red colour.  The dampness and fog gave an even more ominous feel to the night.

    When the sun does actually die be sure to check out our blog for the special Life is Better on Vacation post we have planned.  Until then enjoy a video sample of  Death of the Sun.

The extended hours for this project are from 7pm until midnight.

Pneuma

The last exhibit which is available for extended viewing is Pneuma.  It features images projected onto a water fountain at Nathan Phillips Square.  It will be running at the same time as Death of the Sun.  It will be located right next to the TORONTO sign and the giant globe.  You can't miss it.  Actually we did, as it wasn't running during our brief time in the square. But you shouldn't!

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This location is near Osgoode subway. Visit other Toronto TTC stations.

Map of Our World
Toronto City Hall
Nathan Phillips Square

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Post # 137

Spadina Avenue Nuit Blanche 2014

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address:  Spadina Ave.
Date: Oct 2014
Website:  nbto.com

  Nuit Blanche is an annual art festival where for one evening, art installations take over the city.  It takes place in cities around the world and we have attended the Toronto event several times.  This blog post is about the exhibits we visited in the wee hours of the morning on Spadina Avenue in 2014.

Big Top Grand Stand

 In the centre of Clarence Square Park stood a stack of colourful concession stands.  As the name of the exhibit implies, these are the type of stands you might find selling cotton candy or hot dogs at a fair or circus.  The stands rose up into the sky.  Each booth was just a little bit smaller and atop everything stood a rainbow umbrella.  Sadly, no one seemed to be inside any of the booths selling midnight snacks to hungry art patrons.

Black Sun

  Black Sun is a video projection of a giant wrecking ball swinging against a white surface.  The ball hits the surface and bounces away.  It is then pulled back and swings towards the wall once again. This exhibit could represent the fact that so many older buildings in the city are being lost to new condo towers.  At last check, the building used for the projection was still standing.

Walk Among Worlds

  On a side street off of Spadina Ave. was a rather large exhibit.  Walk Among Worlds included 7,000 beach balls painted to resemble globes.  Each of these globes represented one million people.  Our calculation puts the total at seven billion.  The attendance at Nuit Blanche in Toronto that year was estimated at one million people.  That only makes up one of those balls that were strung together to form a canopy over our heads and that filled the pathway around us.

Made In China

  This exhibit filled an alleyway with donated clothing labeled "Made in China".  If you have ever walked along Spadina the night before garbage day you would see bags piled high in the street. This exhibit created the illusion that today was laundry day and the neighbourhood collectively hung out their clothing to dry.

Global Rainbow

  Coloured laser beams shoot from Chinatown on Spadina Ave and stretch across the sky until finally hitting the famous Toronto landmark, the CN Tower.  The beams appear like a rainbow of the night.

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Map of Our World
Nuit Blanche (Big Top Grand Stand) , Nuit Blanche (Walk Among Worlds) , Nuit Blanche (Made In China)
Nuit Blanche (Black Sun) , Nuit Blanche (Global Rainbow)

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Post # 136