Author: Ms. R.

The exterior of this indie theater is eye-catching enough, a multicolored marquee attracts visitors, but it’s the inside that’s truly an exceptional work of art. The walls are decorated to resemble a Mayan temple, complete with glyphs and native-themed patterns as far as the eyes can see. The State Theatre was constructed in 1908, but it wouldn’t be until the 1930s before the building got its current unique appearance. The theater was redesigned by Charles Howard Crane, a self-taught……

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The Carnforth Coke Ovens, are a group of five beehive coke kilns alongside the Lancaster Canal in Carnforth.  During the 1800s, coal was brought up the Lancaster Canal from the Lancashire coalfield by barge. Once put into the kilns, the coal was converted into industrial coke. These five beehive-shaped kilns were constructed shortly after the northern end of the Lancaster Canal was finished in 1819. There are several of these kilns down the Lancaster Canal, but most have been covered by vegetation……

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There are lots of reasons to move a rhinoceros. In Namibia, where one-third of the world’s 5,500 black rhinos live, conservationists must strategically relocate the animals to sustain local populations and encourage genetic diversity. Sometimes rhinos are moved to national parks, where they can be protected from poachers who relentlessly pursue their valuable horns. Others are transported to one of the country’s 86 conservancies, community-managed preserves that can lure more visitors—and generate more poverty-alleviating revenue—with the promise of a……

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Japan is often intolerant of vandalism, making it a harsh environment for street art to survive. Although some graffiti can be found in alleys across Tokyo, more or less, those that stand out are quickly removed by the authorities. Even works by world-famous artists such as Banksy and Invader are no exception, but one piece has evaded removal for years, almost miraculously. A French urban artist known for his 8-bit style, Invader has installed his street art across the world……

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Platform 17 is no regular train station platform. Today, it stands as a Holocaust memorial just outside Berlin.  The first deportation train departed from Platform 17 on October 18, 1941. By the end of World War II, more than 50,000 members of the German Jewish population from the Berlin area were deported to ghettos, labor, and concentration camps. Most were sent against their will to Theresienstadt and Auschwitz-Birkenau. Few survived the ordeal. The platform and tracks were abandoned after……

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A short trek from the small town of Raiano, in the Italian region of Abruzzo, the narrow gorges of the Aterno river carve their way through the rugged mountains that rise above. Nestled on a rocky outcrop and partly built across the gorges is a medieval hermitage named after Saint Venantius, martyr and patron of the university town of Camerino. Like other sites around Abruzzo, hermits and religious figures inspired by the life of Pope Celestine V (the hermit-Pope……

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Out of the dozens of grottos that populate Portugal’s southern coastline, there’s one that stands out, the Benagil Caves. Just like any other sea cave in the Algarve region, this one was shaped by the pounding Atlantic waves. Yet, unlike other grottos, the Benagil cave bathes in light thanks to a natural skylight. Erosion has not only hit the cave at the base of the cliff, but erosion has also taken place at the top where rainfall has caused……

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Jack Hampshire could never say no to a pram. Dozens of prams—otherwise known as buggies or baby carriages—hung in rows from custom-built racks on the walls of his barn. In his large 15th-century manor house, complete with a moat, you couldn’t walk without tripping over a Victorian push-chair or an Edwardian baby carriage. He had at least 10 prams in his bedroom alone, his favorite standing at the end of the bed. Antique dolls waved mutely from some of……

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The Boston Cream Pie is a simple dessert: two golden sponge cakes with pastry cream between them and a thin layer of chocolate ganache on top. But the cake—and it’s definitely a cake, not a pie—has become so legendary during its more than 150-year history that it’s now the official state dessert of Massachusetts. This makes the Boston Cream Pie something of an elder statesman of American dessert. It’s often made and served in the spirit of nostalgia and……

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When individuals in a group of elephants have been separated, even for the briefest of moments, they get rather excited upon reuniting. “They’re sort of like dogs who’ve come back to their owners after being separated for 15 minutes. Super excited, they’re saying, ‘Where have you been, it’s so good to see you again,’” says Oliver Lamb, a geophysicist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “They get really happy, they’re really happy to see each other……

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