Here's an unusual piece of American history that illustrates the power of philanthropy and what happens when money is used for the purpose it was intended. Imagine what James Smithson must think if he can view Smithsonian Castle and all the other buildings that line the Mall ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
History
Illegitimate Englishman donated millions to U.S.: Which museum bears his name?
Here's an unusual piece of American history that illustrates the power of philanthropy and what happens when money is used for the purpose it was intended. Imagine what James Smithson must think if he can view Smithsonian Castle and all the other buildings that line the Mall ...Drink coffee the way George Washington used to
Remember the coffee revolution of the Nineties, when what used to cost 25 cents at some crappy diner suddenly cost $3 at a snooty cafe? Well, at least instead of drinking what looked and tasted like dishwater you now got something that tasted like actual coffee. Ah yes, I ...EasyJet apologizes for Holocaust fashion shoot
EasyJet has apologized to everyone who will listen over a fashion shoot that appeared in its inflight magazine.
Did the models wear too little? Did they look like fourteen year-old cokeheads? No, none of the usual stuff; they happened to be posing at the Berlin Holocaust ...Will Varanasi and Sarnath join the World Heritage list?
It's World Heritage Week from November 19-25 and countries around the globe are celebrating the priceless treasures that UNESCO, which runs the list, is helping to preserve.
But one country, India, is wondering why two of its most famous places aren't on the list. India has ...10 Tips for getting a tattoo in Tahiti
Tahiti is one of the world's top tattoo destinations and for a good reason: the Tahitians kinda sorta invented the whole tattoo thing, even giving us the word which derives from the Tahitian tatau, "to strike".
Once upon a time in Tahiti, tattoos were made by taking a ...Four forgotten Civil War battlefields
Civil War battlefields are some of the most popular tourist destinations in the U.S. The most famous battlefields, such as Gettysburg and Shiloh, attract hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. But there are many other battlefields that are just as interesting but ...Talking Travel with Avalon travel writer, Joshua Berman
Avalon travel writer, Joshua Berman, whose Moon Belize guidebook (8th edition) hit book stands in October, took time from his busy book tour to answer a few questions about travel, writing, and living and breathing idyllic Central America.
Don't forget to enter the ...Whiskey buried beneath the Antarctic ice for 100 year to be recovered
Ever wanted to try a 100 year old Scotch chilled to perfection? Than listen up, this story is for you! According to this article from the BBC, the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust has announced plans to retrieve a pair of crates buried in the Antarctic ice following a ...The paniolo cowboys of Hawaii
Paniolo is the Hawaiian word for "cowboy" (though the literal translation of the word really means "sitting"), and the paniolo culture has thrived on the islands ever since 1809, with the arrival of a 19-year old sailor from Massachusetts named John Palmer Parker. As Parker ...New Jersey's Wild West
Fancy a trip to the Wild West but don't feel like leaving the Eastern seaboard? Take a trip to New Jersey's Wild West City, a theme park in Netcong, New Jersey (right).
At Wild West City, you and your family can stroll down a replica 1880 Main Street (you can even shoot a ...Adventures on the Geronimo Trail
Way out west, in the Black Range Mountains of New Mexico, there is a quiet little ranch tucked away in the thick pine trees, where cowboys still ride the trails and rustic bunkhouses give guests a place to lay their head at the end of a busy day. That place is the Geronimo ...World Heritage Sites done in Legos
The World Heritage Sites are some of the most amazing places on the planet. The list, maintained by UNESCO, spotlights places from around the globe that hold particular cultural or natural significance. Many of the places on the list are amongst the top tourist attractions ...Gadling's 13 stranger than strange sites for Friday the 13th
Happy Friday the 13th! Tributed to being an unlucky day thanks to wives tales, religion and mythology, this is a day when people might think about altering their travel plans. The thought is, why push your luck? Franklin D. Roosevelt was one such person. He never traveled on ...Sacred mountain added to World Heritage List
UNESCO has just made the latest addition to its World Heritage List--Suleiman Mountain in the Central Asian Republic of Kyrgyzstan. This is Kyrgyzstan's first World Heritage Site. The mountain has been a holy spot for thousands of years. Prehistoric rock art shows it was ...Antarctic dome to be decommissioned
The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station has been conducting research in Antarctica for more than 50 years, and it has been the southernmost continually inhabited place on Earth over that period. For more than 30 of those years, the iconic image of the place has been that of a ...Hot air ballons take flight once again over Luxor, Egypt
Taking a hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, Egypt has become a "must do" for travelers visiting the ancient temples and tombs of that region. The morning skies have often been filled with the colorful balloons as they drift slowly over the desert ...Miners accused of destroying part of Great Wall of China
It was built to keep out foreign invaders, but apparently the Great Wall of China can't protect itself from the greed of Chinese corporations.
The Hohhot Kekao Mining Co. is accused of destroying 330 ft (100 m) of China's most famous structure while prospecting for gold. ...Bowermaster's Adventures -- Tourism's impact on the Galapagos
It would be wrong on its face to say that tourism is the biggest problem facing the Galapagos today. Simultaneously, it is accurate to say that the growth in tourism in the one-of-a-kind archipelago is the primary reason the islands are "in danger." Those are not my words, ...Museum Junkie: Oxford's Ashmolean reopens today
The long wait is finally over for the grand reopening of Oxford's Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology. After being partially or completely closed for the past three years, the museum's vast collection is finally open to the public again, with twice the exhibition space ...Trekking Tajikistan
The mountain countries of Central Asia have been a bit of a hidden gem for adventure travel in recent years. While the vast majority of people can't find Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan on the map as of yet, the more adventurous travelers have begun to hear tales of ...
