Who says turning 39 means having to always be an adult? The question runs through my head as I unabashedly bang a large drum in the experience gallery here at the Musical Instrument Museum, an incredible modern institution in north Phoenix. I smile, my beating getting louder as I attempt to accompany the group of…
A few articles ago, we spoke at length about the world-changing Panama Canal. However, a mere three million years earlier, Panama played host to an event that changed the world even more: it was born. From volcanos beneath the seas, land rose up, first as islands, and then as an isthmus, joining what would come…
It is nearly 10:00 AM, and the excitement is building. I wait among dozens of other eager museum-goers, glancing down at our watches and up at the doors, still closed. We know what is on the other side of these simple wooden barriers, standing in stark contrast to the magnificence of the building that puts…
Nationalism movements are all the rage these days. Kurdish in Syria and Iraq grabs headlines, while Catalan demonstrations in Spain have eclipsed the formerly grandiose Basque independence movements. Here in the United Kingdom, Scotland only barely remained after a referendum failed, and talk of another is looming in the face of Brexit. Wales, however, is…
Cincinnati. Queen City. Once a hugely important river port and cultural hub of the Midwest, it has since faded mostly to obscurity. Nationally unimportant, it is, in a word, pleasant. Cincinnati isn't at the top of many tourist lists, and perhaps it shouldn't be, but a few days here can provide for a truly delightful…
For many people, visiting Los Angeles means the beach, Hollywood, or Beverly Hills. Too many overlook downtown, or DTLA as it's called by locals. That's a shame, as downtown offers some truly awesome sights, especially those with cultural significance. In this itinerary, we bring the incredible arts scene of downtown LA into the center of…
Sometimes, it seems that the places closest to us are the biggest unknowns. I've lived in Los Angeles for the majority of my life, and yet it is only now as a writer that I am beginning to see many of the sights here in my hometown. Over the past year, I have explored ancient…
In 1963, the Cold War was heating up. The Berlin Wall had gone up two years earlier. The Cuban Missile Crisis was less than a year in the past. The next generation of US nuclear missiles was ready, and 54 silos were created in three locations, each containing a single, new Titan II missile, the…
Most people were pretty shocked - and a little scared - when I announced I was going to visit Nicaragua. I was asked why, what was there, was it really worth what was perceived as a safety risk. Well, after two weeks exploring much of the Pacific region of the country (more than 60% of…
Antigua Guatemala, literally meaning Old Guatemala, sits about an hour outside of the bustling capital of Guatemala City. It is, for many tourists, the first and most mandatory stop on a trip to this Central American nation, and it was for me. Easily walkable (distance-wise, as the cobblestone streets and sidewalks seem to yearn to…