Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Judah Friedlander
Actor Judah Friedlander ("30 Rock," "Meet the Parents," "The Wrestler") travels regularly for his stand-up comic routines and to film on location. A resident of Queens, N.Y., the 44-year-old entertainer says that you don't have to go far to enjoy traveling. "The United States is a huge country (that in) many ways is like many countries within one," says Friedlander, who also hosts the Nat Geo WILD's three-part series, "The Monster Project." "I recommend visiting neighborhoods or cities in your own country that you would never visit. And try the cuisine that is specific to that city." He's also the author of the satirical book, "How to Beat Up Anybody." Fans may follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/judahworldchamp.
Q. What was the first trip you took as a child? And did you love it ... or not so much?
A. Maybe it was Tijuana, Mexico. And yeah, I did love it. It was definitely different.
Q. What's your travel motto?
A. Wherever you are, I recommend visiting other countries. I tour all over the world doing stand-up. And when I travel, not only do I learn a lot about people in other countries, I learn more about my own country. And I recommend not just doing touristy stuff, but regular everyday stuff. Take their subways and go to their supermarkets.
In Sweden, not all of the posters can be advertisements. A certain percentage of the posters have to be art -- not advertising anything. Just art, so that you have something nice to look at that makes your day more pleasant and your eyes are not just bombarded by corporations telling you to buy their product.
Q. What's your favorite restaurant?
A. You have gotta go to El Indio (http://www.el-indio.com) (in San Diego) so you can know what a real burrito tastes and feels like. I say feels like, because their fresh, homemade tortillas are amazing, even if you ate them without anything else. They have an elasticity, slight crunchiness, chewiness and strength. They're great. You ever eat a burrito and the tortilla breaks a little and stuff keeps dripping out? Will never happen at El Indio. Get the burrito with shredded beef, refried beans and cheese. And they do not put rice in their burrito, which in my opinion is the preferred way.
Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?
A. I like exploring different neighborhoods within a two-hour drive that I haven't been to before.
Q. What are some of your favorite destinations?
A. San Diego. Amsterdam (in the Netherlands) is the prettiest city I have ever been to. Everyone speaks English. You must rent a bicycle. It's their main mode of transportation.
Q. If you've ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?
A. Haven't done too much of that, but Bethlehem, Penn., is great for Christmas. They really get the whole town dressed up. And New York City is great around Christmastime. All the store windows in Midtown have amazing window displays and ice-skating at Rockefeller Plaza at night is magical.
Q. What are your favorite hotels?
A. Anything with a decent bed, and windows that can open. I hate hotels whose windows you can't open.
Q. What are some of your favorite destinations?
A. New York City, London and Stockholm.
Q. Where have you traveled to that most reminded you of home?
A. London a little bit. But New York City is still the most diverse city I have ever been to. And Queens is a lot more diverse than Manhattan.
Q. Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A. I'm looking forward to going to Asia next year. ... Seoul, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Berlin, Detroit and Hawaii.
Q. What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?
A. I ask friends who've visited and hopefully know someone who lives there (who can) show me around.
Q. What is your best vacation memory?
A. Being on the streets in Kilkenny, Ireland, at 1 a.m. when pretty much everyone who lives in the city is outside on the streets having fun. That was pretty great.
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Jae-Ha Kim is a New York Times bestselling author and travel writer. You can respond to this column by visiting her website at www.jaehakim.com. You may also follow "Go Away With..." on Twitter at @GoAwayWithJae where Jae-Ha Kim welcomes your questions and comments.
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