The U.S. is almost a magical place; like Hong Kong, it was built by immigrants and refugees who arrived with nearly nothing and faced with an uncertain future. With determination and grit, they resolved to make this a meritocracy where they believed anyone can make it with hard work. The Read more
Federal land as a national park. Technically not part of California so you can’t smoke recreational Marijuana here. I recommend the first ferry as it gets you there just as the prison opens. The main exhibit is on the evolution of the US correctional system, like at Eastern State Penitentiary Read more
It’s not usually open to the public, but the once-a-year Doors Open Toronto event invites everyone to take a peek inside a collection of heritage buildings and city infrastructure. The interwar water treatment plant still provides about a third of Toronto’s drinking water supply at nearly a billion liters a 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
I wanted to do a quick visit to Buffalo just before Christmas, but the border closed before I could go. So, I got a refund for my ticket to the Buffalo Botanical Gardens and credit for Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House tour. The gardens open in the morning and I 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
If you’ve already bought your ticket from the Mets Cloisters location, you can walk right in and skip the line. This is everything I’ve been looking for in terms of a good mix of Roman mosaics, Greek bronze, European modern art, and seeing my French friends Seurat, Degas, Pissarro, and Read more
The beautiful building on top of the hill is a bit of a hike if you get off the wrong subway stop. I recommend alighting the New York subway’s A train at 190th Street for the elevator to the top. Better to walk a little further horizontally than to suffer Read more
Its like a non-state-operated arts and culture version of the New York State Museum in Albany. This museum charges an admission fee, but shows you what you actually want to see. Instead of talking about boring rocks and ancient plants, there are pods with episodes of New York history such Read more
During the first quarter of the 20th century, 30,000 men worked to dig the New York Subway. The work was dangerous and collapses were frequent with many of those who died unnamed Italian and Irish immigrants, back then seen as less than desirable. All this work was undertaken when trams Read more