Author: Ms. R.

Central Amsterdam and its main Red Light District (also known as De Wallen) are known for their narrow pedestrianized walkways and alleyways. Trompettersteeg (which translates into English as “Trumpeter Street”) is by far the narrowest of these walkways. Located just south of the Oude Kerk, the street is only one meter wide near the end where it reaches the canal. Hence, this street is widely heralded as the narrowest street in Amsterdam. While Trompettersteeg’s narrowness is a novelty that……

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This article is adapted from the November 23, 2024, edition of Gastro Obscura’s Favorite Things newsletter. You can sign up here. I need to get something off my chest that has been bugging me for years: Turkey doesn’t get the respect it deserves (my colleague, Sam O’Brien, agrees with me here). For years, I feel the American public has been fed this lie that eating turkey for the holidays is a concession to tradition rather than something anyone enjoys…….

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The Pocahontas Exhibition Coal Mine was the first of its kind in the United States, showcasing the wonders of this little black rock to the general public, along with the advanced mining equipment by which the material was procured. According to locals, Jordan Nelson, a farmer and blacksmith, discovered the deposit entirely by accident. While retrieving a lost cow, Nelson found a peculiar material on his property which he presumed was tar. But when the substance was heated, rather……

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Pune has a number of green spaces in the form of gardens, parks, and hills. People of all ages visit these places for exercise, meditation, reading, nature walks, rejuvenation, and other recreational activities. Empress Botanical Garden, located near Pune Race Course, is one such spot. It has over a hundred difference species of plants. There are flowers of every color blossoming around. Squirrels run around on the green lawns as people sit on artistic benches and relax and enjoy……

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In the mid-1950s, husband and wife Lou Paul Spring and Geraldine Spring (known as Paul and Gerry) bought a small remote building in Idaho, less than four miles from the Canadian border, and remodeled it into a tavern. Legend has it that Paul bought it without consulting Gerry, and when she heard about it, she exclaimed “Good Grief!”—and a name was born. But as is often the case, that legend is wrong. In reality, the pair had been running……

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This post office has been nestled in the heart of Old Town Toronto since the 1830s. This historic site opened when the city was still called York, a part of the British Empire. At the time, York was a modest, growing settlement, and the post office played a key role in connecting its residents with the rest of the empire. One of its unique features was a reading room, a common amenity in post offices of that era. Visitors could……

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This story was originally published on The Conversation. It appears here under a Creative Commons license. On Nov. 27, 1949, prima ballerina Maria Tallchief waited for her cue in the wings of the City Center in downtown Manhattan, preparing to take the stage in the New York City Ballet’s premiere of “Firebird.” This production was a reimagining of a famous ballet based on a Russian folktale and featured an Osage ballerina who forced the dance world to reimagine who……

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During the 19th century, many European nations pursued the construction of opulent cemeteries with elaborate architectural features and multitudes of mausolea. One of the grandest European cemeteries from this period is the Addolorata Cemetery on the island of Malta, which was part of the British Empire during most of the 19th century. This cemetery was designed by Maltese architect Emmanuel Luigi Galizia, and although he designed many other public buildings and cemeteries across the islands of Malta, the Addolarata……

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