Countries – nation states recognised by the UN. Culture and people groups lay on a spectrum that changes gradually across geographies, borders just don’t do people justice. When I was a kid I’d tag along on family trips to sunny resorts and theme parks, but as I grew older I Read more
The first time I heard the name Raleigh I was watching the Andy Griffith Show and thought it was spelt “Rawley.” Google promptly asked if I meant to search for “Raleigh” instead. I didn’t give visiting the state capital of North Carolina a shot until I saw it on a map and Read more
The first time I visited San Francisco was through GTA San Andreas on my computer screen. I parachuted off the top of the Transamerica Pyramid countless times after evading the police. The first evening I got into town by Uber I saw homeless people on every single street corner. Even Read more
I had thought about staying in Oakland instead of San Francisco to save a bit of money. Then I did the math and found out that paying an extra $10 a day on BART trains and spending an extra half hour each way commuting wasn’t worth the savings. It has Read more
The state capital of Wisconsin is located on a narrow isthmus between Lake Monoma and Lake Mendota, kind of like Interlaken or Istanbul. The narrowest point of land is only six blocks wide. Between the two lakes, I think the skyline from Lake Monoma is is better. Lake Monoma used Read more
The only reason I visited Green River was for a cheap room on the way to Salt Lake City. What I didn’t prepare for was a snowstorm in May. In the morning, the hotel clerk lent me her snow brush so I could clear off my windshield and be on Read more
The city of yesterday still exists today. Dusty roads are flanked by empty industrial buildings and warehouses built in the mid-20th century with old dusty cars parked haphazardly on the broken sidewalk. The old Sears building with the 1-800-26-SEARS phone number emblazoned on the wall and a former Lowe’s box Read more
The second largest city in Saskatchewan is connected to the provincial capital Regina via the Louis Riel Trail, named after the Manitoba politician that was executed for treason after his defeat in the North-West Rebellion. The native prairie people have lived here for over 6,000 years and the federal government Read more
Moose Jaw is to Saskatchewan what Red Deer is to Alberta—the province’s third largest city just by virtue of transportation. There’s not much to do other than a spa and a casino. While the railway station used to take passengers directly to Minneapolis and Chicago, now all it does is Read more
It was the largest settlement in New England at the time of the American Revolution, so there is plenty of history. Elfreth’s Alley is the oldest street in America that is still continuously inhabited in its 18th century form. The Second Empire style city hall can be seen from the Read more
On July 1, 1776, Caesar Rodney was called on to break the tie for Delaware’s vote for independence. Delaware’s two other delegates to the Continental Congress disagreed. He rode a horse through the night from Dover to Philadelphia the following afternoon to support independence. Following the defeat of the British Read more