Earlier this year, LA Metro opened three new stations on its D Line. (If you’ve heard about this, chances are it is from the hilarious and successful “Ride the D” advertising campaign.) So I decided to make an effort to utilize this new transit boon to see some things that were now much more possible…
Walking back to my hotel in downtown Calgary after visiting Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, I reflect on the experience. Part museum, part music hall of fame (four of them, actually), part ode to the power of music in society, and part interactive music lesson, the place was larger and more varied…
What does it mean to be a bicultural society? What are the implications, and what are the opportunities? Those were questions on my mind as I explored Auckland, New Zealand’s by-far-largest city. Like many who come to this beautiful country, it was my hope - and my plan - to discover Maori culture, and to…
Waikenae Memorial Hall is filled to capacity, and then some, when I arrive. This small town along New Zealand’s west coast about an hour north of Wellington has gathered to commemorate, to memorialize, and to remember. Today is April 25, ANZAC Day, and communities all over New Zealand and Australia are doing the same thing,…
As a whole, New Zealand was one of the last land masses in the world to be settled. Ancestors of today’s Maori arrived in the 10th century CE. (Click here to read about the Maori history of New Zealand.) And it wasn’t until 1769 that James Cook “discovered” the islands of New Zealand on behalf…
According to Maori tradition, the demi-god Maui carved a magical fishhook from an ancestor’s jawbone. He and his brothers took their huge waka (canoe) and tried their luck at fishing with the new hook. Maui soon caught something huge! With his brothers’ help, he reeled it to the surface, and they were shocked to find…
The three buildings that make up the majority of New Zealand’s parliamentary offices couldn’t be more different. The most iconic, called the Beehive, holds the offices of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, while the other two host Parliament itself and the official Parliamentary Library. Sitting in a row, it’s a rather odd journey through time…
In 1636, Dutch expansion in the New World was in full swing. Over the past decade or so, colonies had been set up in New Amsterdam (now New York), as well as Caribbean islands like Sint Maarten and Curacao. But fueled by the desire to monopolize trans-Atlantic trade routes (in contrast to the goals of…
Barcelona is an incredible place. For most visitors, it is highlighted by the allure of Spanish beaches, a dining scene that is diverse and affordable, and more cool architecture than any city deserves to have - especially the buildings of Antoni Gaudi. (Click here to read about Gaudi and here to specifically learn about Sagrada…
Editor’s note: in the earliest days of The Royal Tour, I went to Arkansas to see Hot Springs National Park. I spent a single night in Little Rock, saw Central High School, wrote nothing about it, and moved on. I am so glad that writer Sam Spector spent a weekend there now to right this…