Author: Ms. R.

A fabulous respite for nature lovers and an excellent spot for birders, the Garden of the Phoenix, originally a gift from Chicago’s sister city of Osaka, Japan, to coincide with the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, which was centered around Jackson Park and what is now the Museum of Science and Industry. (The Palace of Fine Arts of the Exposition remains as part of today’s museum.)  The Garden of the Phoenix is a peaceful, quiet, lovely spot tucked away in……

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Soul City is not a city, but it aspired to be. Planned as part of a federal program supporting the development of “new towns,” master planned communities, Soul City was intended as a rural alternative to inner cities where Black Americans could realize economic and political self-determination. As envisioned in 1969, the community would have 50,000 residents and produce 24,000 jobs by the year 2000. Like all utopias, the reality fell short of the dream, but the dream gave……

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A striking larger-than-life statue of Toussaint Louverture (1743–1803) presents the Haitian leader of his nation’s independence movement as a thoughtful political leader rather than as a military hero. The bronze statue by Senegalese sculptor Ousmane Sow (1936–2016) is likely one of the few pieces of sculpture in Europe created by an African artist. By portraying Louverture in a blue jacket, white pants, and a red sash, Sow presents the leader as the Frenchman that he always saw himself to……

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Nestled deep within the lush, tropical rainforest of Grenada lies a hidden gem shrouded in mystery and enchantment—Grand Etang Lake. This serene, azure body of water, perched 1,700 feet above sea level, is a crater lake formed in the dormant heart of an ancient volcano. Its volcanic origins, dating back to the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs, lend an air of ancient mystique to the landscape, making it a must-visit for adventurous travelers and nature enthusiasts alike.  Encircled by the……

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Harriet Tubman, the “Moses of her people,” usually conducted her work on the Underground Railroad by night, using the North Star as a guide. However, in October 1856, she took on what was possibly her most daring escape—a rescue of an enslaved woman named Tilly, undertaken in broad daylight. Using her ingenuity, she and Tilly evaded arrest at an inn in Seaford, Delaware. Today, the location is a small municipal plaza, and a historical plaque at the site recognizes……

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On the Croatian island of Hvar, beyond its modern culture of star-studded clubs and super yachts, lies the village of Malo Grablje, less than one square mile in area. Beginning in the 14th century, generations of residents produced olive oil, wine, and lavender oil in the hills overlooking the Adriatic Sea. But in the early 20th century, blight destroyed the town’s olive trees and grape vines. This forced most of the residents of Malo Grablje south to the more modern……

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In the heart of labyrinthine streets and back alleys in Alexandria’s El-Mansheya area, about as hidden as can be, an antique coffeehouse captures the city’s classical charm. Established in 1882, the Ali El-Hendy Coffeehouse is both a lesser-known but locally beloved gem, and a stunning work of Art Nouveau architecture. At the time of its founding, the coffeehouse was run by a Greek woman named Maria Khritiobas. Her partner, an Egyptian named Ali El-Hendy, later bought the place from her……

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The shoreline of much of the island of Malta is rather rocky, so it could be difficult or even dangerous to go swimming in many places. However, the shore of the urban area of Sliema (which is located just northwest of the nation’s capital, Valletta) features a series of pools cut into the rock with narrow channels or underwater channels connecting the pools to the sea. Most of these pools are square in shape and are only a couple……

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In 1646, St. Mary’s Church, in the town of Battle, spent “2 shillings and 6 pence”—an average day’s wage for a skilled tradesman—on Guy Fawkes Night, marking the earliest record of such celebrations in Battle. Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night, is a traditional British celebration that takes place annually on November 5. The night marks the thwarted Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in which a group of Catholic conspirators planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament,……

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