While for some people, cemeteries evoke the macabre, for me they are a truly wonderful cultural experience. It isn’t to say I’d gladly stroll these paths at night - and indeed I am grateful most cemeteries aren’t even open after dark - but even on a gloomy January morning, a walk through an old cemetery…
A couple years back, I wrote a story about William Henry Harrison, the shortest serving president in US history. I visited his mausoleum and a monument to the man outside of Cincinnati, and had a grand time learning and writing about this basically forgotten president outside of trivia contests. (Read the story here.) And then,…
Last year, I learned and wrote about William Henry Harrison, the shortest-serving US President, from his memorial outside of Cincinnati. (Click here to read that piece.) So when planning my trip to Cleveland this year, it came as a pleasant surprise to me that America’s second shortest-serving President, James Garfield, had his memorial there, along…
It would be an exaggeration to say that without Morocco there would be no Judaism, as well as a stretch to say that without Jews there would be no Morocco. But both would look completely different than they do today were it not for a partnership that saw two peoples working together to reach heights…
Some days, it’s nice to just wander, to have a basic plan of some things to see in a given neighborhood, and to see where the roads and paths between them take me. Today is one of those days, as I meander slowly from north to south in Buenos Aires’ Recoleta neighborhood. It is a…
Romerberg has become one of the symbols of Frankfurt. The fairly small square is fronted by buildings seemingly out of the Middle Ages, the traditional German style that represents what so many people think of as truly European. The old city hall is gilded in gold - or something with a golden appearance, as I…
The oldest European-established city in the United States, and third oldest in the Americas behind Santo Domingo and Panamá City, San Juan has been capturing the hearts and souls of visitors since its establishment exactly 500 years ago, in 1521. Charming colorful buildings line streets paved in blue stones. Fountains and churches honor the city’s…
Deep in the north of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley lies the region's namesake. There, a fairly unassuming complex of adobe-style buildings sits immediately alongside major streets, and if not for a small sign, most passers by wouldn't know that from this area, one of the most populous areas in California was born. Mission San…
Editor's note: I have known Christian for about twenty years now, and seen him grow from a cute kid into an incredible adult with a love of travel and learning rarely matched. He has been posting photos of his local cemetery for weeks, and I finally wore him down enough to write about it. After…
Most people seem to think of cemeteries as macabre, as places of death, row after row of gravestones of people long since departed. And for most, the only reason to ever visit one is a funeral or the anniversary of the death of a loved one. However, for travelers, old cemeteries can be a treasure,…