Stateside Attractions

Transcript

OPHIRA EISENBERG, HOST:

Welcome back to ASK ME ANOTHER, NPR and WNYC's hour of trivia, puzzles and word games. I'm Ophira Eisenberg. Are you America's next great trivia champion? If you would like to be a contestant, just send us an email at askmeanother@npr.org, and we'll give you a contestant quiz. And if you have what it takes, be on our show and hear your voice from sea to shining sea, like our next contestant who is on the line. Hi, you're on ASK ME ANOTHER.

CANNON ALSOBROOK: Hi, there. It's Cannon Alsobrook from Smyrna, Ga.

EISENBERG: Hello, Cannon.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: That is a cool name - Cannon.

ALSOBROOK: Thank you. It's my great-grandmother's maiden name.

EISENBERG: Oh, nice. All right. Are you a big traveler?

ALSOBROOK: I am a big traveler. I've probably been to at least 42 of the United States.

EISENBERG: Oh, that's impressive.

ALSOBROOK: So that's - yeah.

EISENBERG: Like a road-trip guy?

ALSOBROOK: Yes.

EISENBERG: And what is your favorite thing to do on the road trip? Are you guys - go straight to the destination, or hang out, see whatever is around?

ALSOBROOK: We would end up in some fairly random places at times, all due to the fact that my mother liked to find oddities in the guidebook. And we would end up at places like the Fable Cottage in British Columbia, which was known for having the world's largest revolving hanging basket of impatiens.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Oh, a revolving basket of flowers.

ALSOBROOK: Yeah, if it had not been revolving, I don't think we would've gone.

EISENBERG: No.

(LAUGHTER)

JONATHAN COULTON, BYLINE: Was there a larger basket that just didn't revolve in some other place?

ALSOBROOK: There may have been (laughter). And about maybe two decades later, I went back there with my wife when we were going to Alaska. And all I wanted to do was take a picture of my wife next to the world's largest revolving hanging basket of impatiens, but the place went bankrupt and they sold it for a dollar.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: That is one of the saddest Canadian stories I have ever heard. OK, this is good to know, Cannon, because your game is called Stateside Attractions. We are used to identifying U.S. states by their first few letters, but we're going to see if you can do it when we give you the last few letters...

ALSOBROOK: OK.

EISENBERG: ...Plus a roadside attraction that is found in each state that is very interesting, but probably will not help you. Let's play. Ending in X-A-S, a major city in this state boasts its own toilet seat art museum.

ALSOBROOK: I can only hope that's Texas.

EISENBERG: It certainly is, yes.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Ending in A-H-O, this state has a monument to Evel Knievel's failed attempt to jump Snake Canyon.

ALSOBROOK: In A-H-O.

EISENBERG: All you got to think is, where is Snake Canyon?

ALSOBROOK: Yeah, Idaho?

EISENBERG: Yes, Idaho is correct.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: All right. This state ending in the C-K-Y is the home to the Vent Haven Ventriloquist Museum.

ALSOBROOK: Kentucky?

EISENBERG: Kentucky is correct.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: All right, you're doing great. This is your last question. The world's largest ball of twine...

ALSOBROOK: I know it before you even say it.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: OK, what is it?

ALSOBROOK: It's the title of a Weird Al song called "The Biggest Ball Of Twine In Minnesota."

EISENBERG: OK. Next time, just wait till I read the rest of the question.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: There must be another big ball of twine.

COULTON: You know, balls of twine get bigger and smaller as the - I mean, who knows? It's a constant struggle for biggest ball of twine...

EISENBERG: Oh, really?

COULTON: ...Right? It's got to be a battle going on.

EISENBERG: Do they expand and condense like the star system?

COULTON: Somebody comes takes some twine, somebody adds some twines, who knows?

EISENBERG: All right. This is the world's largest ball of twine that we all got so excited, but this is found in a state ending in U-R-I. Cannon, did you just hang up on me?

ALSOBROOK: Yeah, I - no, no. No, I didn't.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: I want to.

COULTON: I could.

EISENBERG: But I have not.

ALSOBROOK: In U-R-I?

EISENBERG: Yeah.

COULTON: Just Google it, Cannon, we can't see you.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: You know that's what they're doing anyways.

(LAUGHTER)

ALSOBROOK: No. Sadly no, I'm not. I'm drawing a blank on - I may need a hint.

EISENBERG: That's OK.

ART CHUNG, BYLINE: It's a little south of Minnesota (laughter).

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: It's ridiculous, ridiculous.

COULTON: That's a terrible hint.

ALSOBROOK: Missouri?

COULTON: Yeah.

EISENBERG: Yes.

COULTON: There you go.

(SOUNDBITE OF PHARRELL WILLIAMS SONG, "COME GET IT BAE")

EISENBERG: Well done, Cannon. We are going to send you a limited edition ASK ME ANOTHER Rubik's cube to play on your next road trip.

ALSOBROOK: That's very exciting. Thank you.

EISENBERG: Thank you so much.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "COME GET IT BAE")

PHARRELL WILLIAMS: You want to ride it, my motorcycle. Going to pop a wheelie, don't try to high to. Take it easy on the clutch 'cause girl I like you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.