233 articles tagged with weekend trips
Ever wondered if you can experience the charm of Dutch culture without emptying your wallet? Let me tell you, Haarlem is the level-up from Amsterdam you never knew you needed—minus the tourist crowds and premium price tags. As someone who's...
Growing up in California, I never expected to find one of America's most authentic Indian food scenes tucked away in suburban New Jersey. Yet here I am, standing on Oak Tree Road in Edison, where the aromas of cardamom, cumin,...
Standing in the humble two-room house where Elvis Aaron Presley took his first breath, I felt a wave of emotion that surprised me. This tiny home in Tupelo, Mississippi—barely 450 square feet—cradled the beginning of a cultural revolution. As someone...
Most travelers only experience Newark through the sterile corridors of its international airport, rushing to catch connections to more 'glamorous' destinations. But as an urban planner with a weakness for overlooked cities, I've discovered Newark is in the midst of...
While most travelers set their sights on Memphis's blues and barbecue, I've discovered a stellar alternative just across the Tennessee-Mississippi line. Southaven might technically be a suburb, but this evolving community has developed its own gravitational pull of attractions, green...
Five years ago, while cycling through Belgium on my journey that would eventually lead me to call France home, I stumbled upon a city that's inexplicably absent from most travelers' itineraries. Mechelen sits quietly between Brussels and Antwerp, just 20...
Shanghai presents a fascinating dichotomy of engineering marvels—where centuries-old traditional structures stand in the shadow of some of humanity's most ambitious modern architectural achievements. As someone who has documented historical structures across five continents, I find Shanghai's technical narrative particularly...
The first time I witnessed Kinderdijk's windmills emerging from the morning mist, I understood why UNESCO protected this slice of Dutch heritage. As someone who's photographed wildlife across four continents, I can honestly say that capturing these 18th-century giants—standing sentinel...
As a researcher who's made budget travel both my academic pursuit and personal passion, I've found that the most overlooked destinations often yield the richest cultural returns. Scranton—yes, that Scranton of *The Office* fame—represents a fascinating case study in post-industrial...
The first time my boots touched the dusty trails outside Jericho, I felt like I was walking through the pages of history itself. At 260 meters below sea level, Jericho isn't just the world's oldest continuously inhabited city—it's a gateway...
Lithuania might not be the first destination that comes to mind for most travelers, but after spending a weekend exploring the fairytale castle of Trakai and the vibrant streets of Vilnius, I'm convinced it should be on everyone's radar. As...
Growing up playing Monopoly, I always wondered about the real Reading Railroad that earned its place on that iconic board game. Little did I know that years later, I'd find myself exploring the actual city of Reading, Pennsylvania, where that...
There's something profoundly American about tracing the path of the Lincoln Highway—our nation's first transcontinental automobile route—as it winds through the rugged Wyoming landscape. Having spent decades arguing cases about Western lands, I've developed a particular fondness for the overlooked...
The invisible line dividing nations has always fascinated me. As someone who's cycled across Southeast Asian borders and navigated countless immigration checkpoints, I find border towns particularly captivating—these liminal spaces where cultures blend and transform. The Laredo-Nuevo Laredo crossing between...
There's something about cities undergoing transformation that speaks to me as a mechanic. Perhaps it's the way urban spaces, like engines, can be rebuilt, fine-tuned, and given new life with the right hands guiding the work. Denver—*la ville des plaines*—has...
