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…
Allentown in the Lehigh Valley was named after its founder William Allen. His son, James Allen, built Trout Hall that stands as the site of the county’s historical museum. Its baseball team is called the Iron Pigs, named after the city’s early steel industry that began in the 1850s, the Read more…
The stench of diesel wafts through the air of the industrial centre of the Pocono Mountains. Diesel locomotives transit through carrying hundreds of cars of assorted goods and commodities, they idle and stink. But not all of the trains in Scranton ran on diesel, it’s electric trolleys that were ripped Read more…
I have never been so disappointed in a new city in my life. The place was foggy from dawn to dusk and then it got dark when the fog cleared. I was told that Saint John is always foggy from the Atlantic mist, but I’ve seen clearer pictures of the Read more…
The biggest draw to Saint-Jérôme is its massive cathedral which is the largest in the Laurentians. The three-spired cathedral was constructed beginning in 1897 and opened in 1900. The church square has a skating rink in winter that circles a statue of Antoine Labelle, the priest who created this and Read more…
Almost smack in the middle between Edmonton in the north and Calgary in the south lies Red Deer – a former railway divisional point station that has a town around it. The Calgary and Edmonton Railway completed in 1890 was the economic driving force of Red Deer. The now-heritage train Read more…
After visiting both Edmonton and Calgary, I can say with absolute certainty that Calgary is the better city. It was just before 10am on a Sunday when I witnessed a homeless man do an explosive poo in front of the National Music Centre. The police arrived swiftly to arrest him Read more…
Edmonton has two claims to fame: being the aerodrome of freedom during WWII and the northernmost metropolis in North America. The Alberta Aviation museum has more information on the former and the Royal Alberta Museum on the latter. Apart from that, it’s a city full of boring NPCs from the Read more…
I’ve lived in Europe and been all over New England. New Haven is a little bit of both. It has that classic British colonial layout with green church squares interlaced with criss crossing paths, an intimate streetscape with mixed commercial and residential use, and a Yale University campus that looks Read more…
Hartford was named after Hertford in England in 1637, but the Dutch settled the first colonial village in 1633. The native Americans called the place Suckiaug. The first Western constitution was written here in Hartford in 1639 and served as the sole capital of the Connecticut colony until 1701. The Read more…
I was immensely impressed by Springfield during my short visit there. The Springfield Museums system punches well above its weight with a balanced portfolio of five museums in arts, history, and science. Famous children’s book author Dr. Seuss was also from Springfield, this city’s main peacetime claim to fame. During Read more…