North America

Underground

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Here’s a disgusting story from the first city on our tour next year: “‘Walls of fat’ removed from London’s sewers”. We’ll be spending some time underground next year in the London Tube and Paris Metro system, but they’re clean―London more than Paris―and safe. They’re certainly not as beautiful as this particular Swedish subway system, though [...]

Home, Home Again

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

I like to be here when I can.
Every time I leave Tucson for an extended period of time, such as when I left to teach in Asia and South America and the two times I traveled with students to Europe, I always appreciated the Old Pueblo more when I returned. No doubt you’ll get [...]

Unusual, Weird, and Bizarre

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

I don’t always post the links I collect in my travels on the Interests in a timely manner, but here are some I think are interesting. Maybe they’ll inspire you to visit.
The first lists “10 Unusual Playgrounds from Around the World”. Number 3, Clemyjontri Park in Virginia, isn’t so much unusual as it is inclusive [...]

Food the World Over

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

America’s greatest export, the Big Mac, is will soon be available at one of France’s most cherished cultural landmarks and plenty of Parisians aren’t happy about it: “McDonald’s restaurants to open at the Louvre”. While a taste of America might be tempting while away from home, local cuisine is cheaper than fast food and not [...]

Rome’s Catacombs

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

If you’ve ever seen Cities of the Underworld on History, you know that amazing sites and secrets lie beneath surface of the world’s urban centers and rural areas. Here’s a neat video from a BBC article on the underground burial sites in Italy’s capital.

Find out more with this brief article written by Rick Steves, “Rome’s [...]

Holiday Snaps

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

Although we won’t be visiting Pisa, Italy, there’ll still be plenty of opportunities for you to engage in the type of jackassery displayed by the tourists visiting the former city’s most famous landmark in the following photo.

Here’s a brief article with some advice for getting good shots while on tour: “The A-B-C-D-E of Travel Photography”.
While [...]

Overhyped, Unspoiled, and Underground

Saturday, August 2nd, 2008

Here’re three interesting pieces with ideas and opinions about where and where not to spend precious vacation time. The first, from the pages of Foreign Policy, details five places that don’t live up their (former) promise: “The World’s Most Overhyped Vacation Spots”.
Then Matador Trips offers some alternative destinations to avoid the crush of the fourth [...]

Dubious Destinations

Wednesday, July 9th, 2008

While Yahoo! Travel recently posted its list “Best Scenic Drives in the US”, the BBC World Service examined China’s preparation for this year’s summer Olympics which’ll take place in and around Beijing in a timely documentary series. The broadcasts, “Countdown to the Olympics”, presented an investigation of continued religious persecution and political and economic disenfranchisement [...]