Author: Ms. R.

There are plenty of benches to sit and sites to see in this former mansion garden turned public park.  Hidden off of Plaça Kennedy in Sant Gervasi, this location is an absolute delight to discover over and over. Away from the hustle of the tourist center, this park often hosts public events or simply has locals just strolling around enjoying the surroundings. There are plenty of sculptures to search for and multiple fountains spread across the grounds. The gardens……

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Founded in 2017, Nöl Collective is a community feminist group and fashion house sourcing apparel and accessories from women-run collectives and brands around Palestine. Nöl Collective first came to prominence with the bold slogan “Not your habibti” emblazoned on clothing in protest against street harassment faced by women. Founding designer Yasmeen Mjalli coined the phrase after seeing streetwear reading, “Not your baby,” substituting an Arabic term of affection for women in acknowledgment of her Palestinian roots, and in defiance……

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Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, Jonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team aim to answer the question at the heart of Atlas Obscura: “What kind of place merits an Atlas Obscura entry?” You can learn more about contributing to the Atlas Obscura database here. Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous, awe-inspiring, strange places. In under 15……

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When a rainbow appeared in the sky over Tugu, a neighborhood in Jakarta, Robert Blust did what came naturally: he pointed to it. The year was 1980, and Blust, then a professor at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, was waiting for lunch with a group of teachers from around Indonesia. One of the teachers, seeing Blust’s gesture, politely informed him that, in Sumatra, pointing to rainbows was considered a no-no. Another chimed in to say the same……

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This article is adapted from the November 13, 2021, edition of Gastro Obscura’s Favorite Things newsletter. You can sign up here. Picking fruit at the University of California, Riverside, is a singular experience. In the Citrus Variety Collection’s orchard, researchers walk among trees bearing oranges, lemons, and limes of all shapes and sizes, from spindly to oblong, bumpy to smooth, huge to tiny. There are more than 1,000 kinds of citrus, two trees of each: a Noah’s Ark of……

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Surrounded by the picturesque forests of Alsace sprawls a sinister leftover of the Nazi occupation of France, the Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp. Prior to the arrival of Nazi occupying forces, this area was commonly used by local Alsatian people as a popular spot for picnics during summer and in winter such activities as skiing and sledging, however, the German invasion of France put an end to all that.  The geology of the area had been identified as being of great strategic……

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The name Gilnockie is from the Scottish Gaelic Geal Cnocan, which means “Little White Hill.” Gilnockie Tower sits in what was once referred to as the “Debatable Lands” because it was unclear who ruled over them. The simple pele tower built from rubble stands five stories tall. Gilnockie Tower was built around 1519-20. While it currently can’t be said with absolute certainty who built the tower, tradition links this place to one of the most famous and feared Reivers of the……

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Once a neglected junkyard before being purchased by Ben van Meerendonk in the 1980s, this property in the Columbia Street Waterfront District of Brooklyn, New York is now an eclectic sculpture garden. The lot, which is not publicized or marked on any maps, is one of those rare oddities that one simply stumbles upon. For van Meerendonk, it is a way to make people smile and showcase his zany taste in art. Today, stone lions guard the Piet Mondrian-inspired……

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This crumbling, abandoned building in Peoria, Illinois has recently been reclaimed by artists. The building is actually seven different buildings cobbled together that contain an assortment of quirky windows and doors that have inspired various forms of art.   Amid the nooks and crannies are various small treasures created by local artists. Visitors can search for hand-painted wooden spools nestled in various locations. Painted sidewalk squares make the location resemble a giant board game.  In the parking lot, artists have……

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