In Richmond, Virginia, this week, a monumental statue of Jefferson Davis was toppled from its perch by a popular uprising. In observance of that, I am proud to publish a section of Here Lies America that has never been seen before: my visit to the White House of the Confederacy. This segment was trimmed for space… Read more »
travel
Anthony Bourdain—My Lost Interview
One of the many destructive realities of working in a corporate-dominated economy, besides the political graft that’s dismantling democracy, is that corporations have no interest in memory. The one that originally published this interview I did with Anthony Bourdain in February 2011 has already purged it from its archives in pursuit of other failed projects… Read more »
List of National Park units on Twitter (Updated)
Many of the National Park Service streams are often tended by people—experts in their fields—who get excited about nature and history and have a passion for protecting the places held in the public trust. For example, the African Burial Ground (a delightfully active one for such a small site) might share a resource for researching your slave ancestors in Virginia or link to a database that details the machinations of the slave trade. Other feeds may be manned by rangers who can answer history questions for you.
Goodbye, Langtang: “And we were lucky to see it.”
Langtang, Nepal: “The Earth is an angry place, really. So much of it is indescribable through words or lenses; its power lies in the ability to dash your life against mighty forces, or to move your soul by means of its nearly celestial gravity.”
Kathmandu, Nepal, 1999
Headlines become real after you have traveled. I took this photograph in the spring of 1999. To me, it always embodied the spirit of the Nepalese people I met. These scrappy people can hold their own against any lion. This square may be destroyed now, but this spirit will carry them through.
The Stain Runs Deep: Remembering Indiana and the Klan
There is no route to the present except through the past. Indiana’s recent history is, in a word, sordid. Its past record of “religious freedom” movements should burn in memory.
“But how do you pay for your travels?”
There are steadily tweeting travelers who are quick to count the countries they have seen and flout their upgrades, but who confesses the dollars that made it happen? Sure, we all want to visit Yap and Bhutan, and it’s very nice to see that Instagram shot from that Grenada all-inclusive, but be honest: Do I really stand a chance of seeing it, too?
‘Cabaret’: The Menace is Fading Because Berlin’s So Cool Now
The current revival of Cabaret on Broadway is a perfect copy of the revival that opened in 1998. Back then, a mostly unknown actor named Alan Cumming instantly made his career by emerging from darkness to play the Emcee, and Natasha Richardson was his Sally Bowles. The show played in a ruined theatre, the Henry Miller’s,… Read more »
Awesome photos of Walt Disney World from the early ’70s
A treasure trove of family snapshots from our visits to the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World in 1973 and the mid-1970s. The place has changed so much it’ll blow your mind.
I’m the guest on this week’s Amateur Traveler podcast about Orlando
The award-winning travel podcast Amateur Traveler invited me to talk about Orlando’s past, present, and future and to share some of my best tips for visiting the theme parks. As usual, I have a lot to say about the place, some of which may ruffle some feathers. It made for an interesting episode. My next… Read more »