Route 66 Highlights: Secrets of Texas and New Mexico
Route 66 Highlights: Secrets of Texas and New Mexico If you ask me, Route 66 is the best long road trip in America. Passing through eight states on its 2,448-mile journey from Chicago to Santa […]
Aomori Prefecture: Experience Japan’s natural wonders and culture
Every first timer to Japan should see Tokyo and Kyoto, and for good reason. Kyoto is Japan’s most historically significant city, home to the imperial court for more than 1,000 years. Tokyo is its modern […]
Do those sightseeing passes really save you money?
I’ve been to New York City six times since 2019, which has given me ample time to explore, visit new places, and circle back to my favorites (High Line, I’m looking at you). Because these […]
Get an insider’s look at Japan’s famous castles
Exploring Japan’s Famous Castles–A Journey through History and Time If I could time travel, I probably wouldn’t choose Japan during the late 15th- to early 17th-centuries. Those were times of great upheaval and constant civil […]
American nostalgia: Joyriding Route 66 in Arizona
Choosing which of the eight states along Route 66 is the best seems uncharitable, kind of like choosing a favorite child. But heck, I might as well admit it. Arizona is my favorite. Part of […]
Cruising U.S. Route 66 in California: Can’t-miss roadtrip spots
Cruising U.S. Route 66 in California If you’ve been driving the 2,448 miles from Chicago west to Santa Monica on the best long road trip in America, Route 66 in California will seem like the […]
Buddhist bells, dragons & water, oh my! Inside the oldest bells in Japan
If Japanese Buddhist Temple Bells Could Talk If you’ve visited Buddhist temples in Japan, chances are you passed through their entry gates and continued straight to their venerable main halls. Perhaps you admired the architecture, […]
The haunting history behind this hidden Italian destination
OSTIA–ANCIENT ROME’S PORT CITY I didn’t appreciate what I was seeing as I walked the stone streets of Ostia, ancient Rome’s port city, gazing at what used to be taverns, inns, baths, bakeries, temples, markets, […]
What the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island tell us about immigration
WHAT THE STATUE OF LIBERTY & ELLIS ISLAND TELL US ABOUT IMMIGRATION I’m a descendant of immigrants. Most likely you are, too. When the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, 2.5 million colonists and […]
The haunting history behind this hidden Italian destination
OSTIA–ANCIENT ROME’S PORT CITY I didn’t appreciate what I was seeing as I walked the stone streets of Ostia, ancient Rome’s port city, gazing at what used to be taverns, inns, baths, bakeries, temples, markets, […]