Feeling a little post-Valentine’s Day journey into the macabre? After a day of sweet nothings and mushy come hithers, it seems only fitting to indulge in something slightly morbid. Thankfully, Gridskipper had just the thing to our love hangover:

The New York City Celebrity Death Map

Featured celebs include everyone from Malcolm X to Nick de Noia (who’s that? Only the original choreographer for the Chippendale’s. Duh.).

During his life, John Wayne confused no one. He was, simply put, the picture of an American man. And if you didn’t like it, you could stick it in your eye. But in death, it seems the iconic actor has left more than a few travelers perturbed. Not surprisingly, the recent confusion associated with Wayne has nothing to do with the man or his place in the national consciousness.

Instead, it has to do with travelers flying in and out of Orange County, Calif. You see, as many frequent travelers know and contentedly accept without much thought, the airport that serves the area is known as the John Wayne Airport. And while many do not find this fact problematic in the least, the Orange County Tourism Council is lobbying to change the name to the Orange County/John Wayne Airport. It’s a small change, but the reasoning behind it hugely hilarious.

Apparently, the airport’s name is “very confusing” for travelers. In their quest for clarity, Orange County tourism officials are reportedly meeting with members of the Wayne family this week to discuss an adjustment to the name.

Funny that an airport named after one of the most recognizable personalities in recent American history is being deemed “too confusing” just as a glut of moronic shows lionizing Orange County and its residents pepper televisions in houses across the nation. Of course the tourism office wants to reap the rewards of the county’s moment in the national spotlight. And really, the Orange County Tourism Council is smart to be worried. The county’s newly minted fan base probably has a collective IQ of three.

Still, changing the airport’s name may solve the current problem, but reveal another in its wake. Picture it: droves of Botoxed, hair-extended reality television supplicants staring blankly about themselves upon arrival at the less-confusingly named airport asking one another, “Wait a second, where’s all the orange stuff in Orange County?”

This past weekend marked the one-year anniversary of the death of Anna Nicole Smith at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Along with it came plenty of news stories reflecting on the former Guess and Playboy model’s larger-than-life persona, the lifestyle she seemed to love flaunting to the world and her accidental overdose on a lethal combination of prescription drugs. But for travel geeks, the most interesting tidbit of information surrounding Smith’s death is not so much what happened, but where - and what’s happened there since.

As we reported back in August 2007 (You Can’t Stay Where Anna Nicole Died), the room where Smith was found is no longer. After Smith was found unconscious in room 607 of the hotel and died later that day in the hospital, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel gutted and remodeled the three-room suite and even went so far as to change the all room numbers on the sixth floor. Why? To deter visitors with a taste for the macabre from visiting the hotel in hopes of sleeping in the room where Smith last laid her platinum head. (Yeah, we know. Guess you’ll have to cross one destination off your “must visit” list.)

Room 607 - at least the version that existed when Smith fatefully checked into the Hollywood, Fla. hotel last February - may no longer be part of the hotel, but some guests say that the room’s removal hasn’t stopped the blond bombshell from sticking around. According to one (cough, tall) tale, Smith was seen on New Year’s Even in the hotel lobby:

Now at least one guest that attended a party there earlier this year believes that she has spotted Anna’s spirit wandering the resort….The guest tells the weekly entertainment magazine In Touch that she believes that she saw the late star’s ghost wandering the hotel. “The ghost looked just like Anna,” Pont says.

Riiiight. All we can say is that must have been one fun party.

Anna, R.I.P.

Though some critics have blasted it as a kitschy tourist attraction with mediocre artwork, the world’s first Beatles-themed hotel opened last week in Liverpool to much attention from travelers and the travel press. The 110-room, four-star Hard Days Night Hotel features artwork and Beatles artifacts ranging from artist Shannon’s original portraits of the Fab Four to a Yellow Submarine jukebox in the lobby, as well as off-the-wall touches like the Two of Us wedding chapel and the McCartney Suite’s full suit of knight’s armor. Kitschy? Probably. But then, if you’re willing to pay upwards of $600/night to stay in a Beatles’ themed hotel, then I’m guessing you’re likely to be happy with the all Beatles all the time atmosphere. In fact, that’s exactly what you’re probably going there for in the first place. Various packages are available to celebrate the opening, but to give you an idea of the regular rates, I found availability on a Friday and Saturday night in March 2008 for 300 GBP/night, including breakfast.

Yes, that’s Ali Larter, and she’s beautiful. But perhaps more beautiful is the abundance of chocolate adorning the Godiva Decadence Suite, unveiled inside the Bryant Park Hotel in Manhattan today. The hotel suite is made completely of chocolate - right down to the walls - and features opulent touches like a chocolate version of Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss, a chocolate and crystal chandelier and a chocolate fireplace (which, we assume, is just for decoration).

The over-the-top suite is part of the Ultimate Chocolate Fantasy contest from Godiva, which will award one lucky couple a weekend in the suite (with a non-chocolate bed, we hope) and perks like a private chocolate tasting with a Godiva chocolatier, chocolate spa treatments and a year’s supply of Godiva chocolate.

photo source

In For the Moment | Jeff Klein on Heath Ledger, New York Times guest blogger and owner of the Sunset Tower in Los Angeles and the City Club Hotel in New York Jeff Klein recalls the four months Heath Ledger spent living in his Los Angeles property. In this post, Klein explains why, in his experience, Ledger was the “perfect hotel guest.” If it’s true, it’s quite a touching story to read in the wake of the actor’s surprising and abrupt death earlier this week.

This year, Liverpool has been deemed one of the two official European Capitals of Culture, an effort launched back in 1985 that celebrates European cities and their unique cultural offerings throughout their designated year. Not surprisingly, Liverpool’s reign kicked off (today) with help from one of the Beatles. Ringo was in town today to promote the year-long series of events. For his part, Ringo will be highlighting the city’s musical underpinnings in Liverpool, The Musical along with Echo and the Bunnymen and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. You can check out all the events happening in Liverpool this year at the link below.

Liverpool European Capital of Culture Yearbook ‘08

Associated Content writer Zane Ewton posted an interview with Ed Hamilton, author of Legends of the Chelsea Hotel: Living with the Artists and Outlaws of New York’s Rebel Mecca, published in November. While the interview is mostly about Hamilton and his journey as a writer, his connection to this famous New York hotel is what caught our traveler’s eye. Not only is the Hotel Chelsea famous for its star-studded roster of former guests (everyone from Leonard Cohen to Patti Smith has stayed there), but it’s also been at the center of much debate recently thanks to a controversial change in ownership. The interview is worth a read for any travel junkie hungry for the what’s what and who’s who.

As we first read on Luxist (Dionne Warwick Loses Her Jewels in Italy), five-time Grammy award-winning singer Dionne Warwick, who, for some reason, I remember best for hosting Solid Gold in 1985, was the victim of theft on Monday at the five-star Hotel de Russie in Rome. Among the missing items, said to total more than $100,000, were two rings, a necklace, a watch and a pair of earrings Warwick left sitting on her room’s bedside table. Interestingly enough, this celebrity robbery was not the first the room (or the hotel) has seen. In a bizarre coincidence, Cameron Diaz reportedly dealt with her own set of robbers while she was bunking in the very same room seven years ago.

If you were to stay at the Hotel de Russie, we would suggest warding off would-be thieves by booking the hotel’s Do Not Disturb package, which includes overnight accommodations for two, a Champagne breakfast served in the room, a bottle of Prosecco, a box of chocolates and an in-room couple’s massage. Rates start at 975 Euro per night for a studio room and go quite a ways up from there. A two-night minimum stay is required for the package. Oh, and we also suggest using the in-room safe.

File this under Ideas I Wish I had Thought of First:

10 Celebrity-Trashed Hotel Rooms