Has the world gone Barbie-crazy thanks to the new movie with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, directed by the amazing Greta Gerwig? No—we were always Barbie-crazy! The thing is, our gal-power astronaut/lifeguard/ballerina/news anchor/teacher/doctor/you-name-it source of inspo has always been at the outskirts (or front and center) of our lives. And there are a bunch of places you can “visit” Barbie, as reported by NerdWallet. So jump in the pink convertible, or the pink jet that you yourself will fly, and enjoy these campy sites. Follow in her footsteps (you have to be on tiptoe); let's go!
First is the World of Barbie in Santa Monica, CA, a Fever installation where you can walk through a mock-up of Barbie’s world: her iconic camper van, her space shuttle, the TV studio where she worked for a while, and of course…the dreamhouse. There’s also an exhibition of vintage Barbies and her miniature cars. On some days, you can get your hair cut in her “salon” by an actual person, and there’s always a ball pit to keep entertained if you just get too overwhelmed by the pink. Go soon; this pop-up ends in early September.
Second is the Malibu Barbie Café in Chicago and New York, helmed by chef Becky Brown (now called Becky Pink?), one of the finalists on Master Chef. These two restaurants serve the type of things they think Barbie would like, like a West Coast Wedge Salad, and include gift shops for kitschy souvenirs. The Chicago site includes a roller rink, too! Both sites are temporary; go now or forever hold your pink.
Third is the Barbie Room at the Curtis Hotel in Denver. Decorated with photos of Barbie and fam and with a salon chair for creating your updo. The room includes an upcharge of $50-60 over the price of a regular hotel room at this DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, but to offset it, for a limited time you’ll get a free makeup case and a voucher for a martini with your booking.
Fourth is the Barbie Dreamhouse on Airbnb, currently decked out as Ken’s Dreamhouse. Enjoy the in-house disco area and the infinity pool with floats that spell out KEN. The Airbnb is free but only open as Ken’s July 21 and 22—you can go online to try to win your chance to stay there. It opens to booking on July 17 at 10 am (in Barbie’s Pacific Coast timezone, natch).