Author: Ms. R.

Although best known for dinner rolls and Boston Cream Pie, the Parker House Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, was also known as the temporary residence of Victorian British author Charles Dickens during his second tour of the United States from 1867-1868. Dickens was already a prominent celebrity at the time. He was booked into the Parker House, Boston’s most opulent hotel, whose rooms included such luxuries as hot and cold running bathwater.   Upon his arrival in Boston on November 19,……

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We humans are a filthy bunch. We’ve scattered our trash on landscapes the world over, from beaches and deserts to national parks, mountain peaks, and the deepest crannies of the ocean. By and large, our debris is an unwelcome and even dangerous addition to natural environments. In oceans, plastics can smother corals or clog animals’ stomachs; on land, as the coronavirus pandemic continues, birds might find themselves ensnared in the stretchy straps of single-use masks. Litter is never good—but……

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At first glance, an horno does not make much of an impression. Spanish for “oven,” it looks like little more than mounds of mud: Imagine a giant avocado pit halved and placed flat-side down with a window cut out of it. And yet, award-winning designer Ronald Rael wants to build hundreds of these centuries-old furnaces. Pedacito de la Tierra, or A Little Piece of Home, in partnership with the humanitarian-aid organization Alight, is Rael’s third art installment in a……

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On April 26, 1777, a messenger arrived at the home of Henry Ludington, a farmer and militia leader living in Danbury, Connecticut. He brought word that troops from the colony’s British governor were attacking the town to root out revolutionaries. The militiamen had all dispersed to their farms for planting season and were spread throughout Putnam County, New York, miles away from town. As Henry made ready for battle, his 16-year-old daughter, Sibyl, volunteered to ride out to the……

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To describe the Flume Trail as breathtaking is more than hyperbole. At over 8,100 feet at its highest point, this 14-mile route can overwhelm the lungs and senses. Perched 1,600 feet above Lake Tahoe’s eastern shore, the views are like no other in the region. The sheer beauty of this route belies the historical, life-giving significance it once provided to the miners of the Comstock Lode. The prosperous mining district of Virginia City and Gold Hill was abundant in……

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Rising 112 feet above the city’s historic quarter, construction on this lighthouse began in 1845. Designed by soldiers, the project was placed on-hold due to the outbreak of civil war. Work wasn’t officially completed until 1857. Built-in 1690, the Convent of San Francisco Javier was close to the waterfront of this Portuguese settlement. The chapel’s tower served as an important landmark for boats navigating the Rio de la Plata. In 1705, the convent was destroyed by a fire, however,……

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Tucked away in the Northeastern part of Uganda lies Kidepo Valley National Park. This 557 square miles of pure wilderness borders South Sudan and Kenya. Nestled between the rugged hills of the semi-arid Karamoja, the park is nourished by two seasonal rivers, the Kidepo River and the Narus River. The Narus Valley is a permanent wetland that quenches the thirst of all the wildlife in the park. The vast and unending savanna plains, with an occasional acacia tree breaking……

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Roadside shrines are a cultural phenomenon across Argentina. Originally created by cowboys and now truck drivers, these tributes dot the countryside. Most honor Difunta Correa with offerings of bottled water. Monuments erected to Gauchito Gil stand out as they are festooned with red ribbons and flags. Antonio Mamerto Gil Núñez, a soldier-turned-outlaw, is regarded as a folk hero in Argentina. Like Robin Hood, he sought to help and protect the poor. A gaucho is an Argentinian cowboy. In Spanish the……

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