Author: Ms. R.

The Three Kids Mine, also known as the Wheel of Misfortune is a unique roadside attraction. The mine was purchased by Henderson, Nevada in July of 2014 and is around 20 miles southeast of downtown Las Vegas.  This former manganese mine operated from 1917 to 1961 and is now a popular graffiti location. Visitors to the site can stand on the edge and look inside the massive wheel-like structures.   The site became known as the Wheel Of Misfortune in……

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In Sandaga Market, the bustling heart of downtown Dakar, smoke emanates from an unmarked doorway in a crumbling multistory building. Inside the dark and smoky interior is possibly the most interesting and least advertised restaurant in Dakar.  This is Bantyii, one of the best-loved dibiteries in Dakar. Dibi is Dakar’s top street food: simply marinated chunks of meat, usually from sheep but also including chicken and beef, skewered and cooked up over charcoal on basic metal grills and served……

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Nova Kim is on the hunt: for morel, for fiddleheads, and, these days, for wild ramps. On dirt roads, Kim and her partner of 41 years, Les Hook, prowl the Vermont woods. The Indigenous gatherers are 78 and 77, hailing from the Osage and Abenaki nations respectively. Kim can’t walk so well anymore, so she drives. Hook rides in the passenger seat of their sea-green Prius, the needle of the speedometer hovering around 5 mph. The windows are rolled……

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About 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Alice Springs along the Stuart Highway, visitors will find one of Australia’s most unique outback experiences. This region of Australia is home to the Aileron Roadhouse and its two large statues. Visitors will first see the “Anmatjere Man” standing proudly on a hill, overlooking his country, spear in hand. This statue is a popular pull-off destination along the highway, however, when visitors arrive at the statue they will also notice another sculpture……

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This delightful museum inside a restored Elks lodge is an educational and fun trip for anyone visiting the region. The tour of the museum begins with a short, engaging video in a recreated theater. The first exhibit highlights the history of light and signs. The next room dives into the background of neon, with some fascinating exhibits.  The upstairs floating ballroom is surrounded by a recreated mid-century setup of a downtown area complete with storefronts, historical signage, and window……

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Built during the 1st-century and reaching its zenith during the 3rd-century, this Buddhist stupa and monastery are just a few of many similar structures constructed in the region during this period. At the height of the Kushan empire, Central Asia was a massive trade hub and location for cultural exchanges. The Silk Road connected various Buddhist centers and helped spread the religion across Asia.  Near the Amu Darya, monasteries appear across the landscape. Around Termez, there are three monasteries……

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This recipe is adapted from a special edition of the June 5, 2021 Gastro Obscura newsletter. Some food and drink is particularly suited for travel. Sometimes it’s a coincidence, like how ginger ale and tomato juice taste way better at altitude. Other times, they’re designed to be portable. Hamburgers and French fries aren’t great after a few hours, but American fast food was tailor-made to be eaten inside a car. The absolute best travel meal is one that combines……

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Summer means ice cream, which, for those of us willing to sprint after the ice-cream truck, often means sweet, frosty cones and cartoon popsicles. Currently in China, though, ice-cream bars have left pop culture far behind. Instead of Spongebob on a stick, visitors to the mausoleum of China’s first emperor can eat a chocolate version of his tomb’s famed terracotta warriors. At the famous West Lake in Hangzhou, visitors sighing over the romance of legendary lovers Bai Suzhen and……

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On a Sunday morning in Singapore‘s Ang Mo Kio neighborhood, it’s likely that you’ll hear it before you see it: the gentle coos of hundreds of zebra doves, each one in its own ornate birdcage, 30 feet up in the air. Nearby, there’s the high-pitched chirrups of the white-rumped shamas, red-whiskered bulbuls, and Indian white-eyes—and the idle chit-chat and laughter of the songbirds’ owners. This is the Kebun Baru Birdsinging Club, nestled in the lush greenery of Ang Mo……

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“Yah voracious man-eatin’ sonofabitch when yah came to Hinsdale County, there was siven dimmycrats, but you, yah et five of ’em, goddam yah.” So quoted a Lake City newspaper of Judge M.B. Gerry in 1883, upon the conclusion of the trial of Alferd Packer for the murders—and cannibalism—of Shannon Wilson Bell, James Humphrey, Frank “Butcher” Miller, George “California” Noon, and Israel Swan. Nine years earlier, Packer had convinced the men, part of a larger party, that he was a mountain……

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In June 1885 with only six weeks left to live, Ulysses S. Grant, commanding general of the Union Army and 18th President of the United States, moved to a cottage in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. He relocated to complete work on his memoirs and finished the 366,000-word manuscript just three days before his death on July 23, 1885. In May 1884, Grant lost his entire fortune in a pyramid scheme perpetrated by a business partner. Shortly thereafter……

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