59 articles tagged with winter travel
As a transportation engineer living in Alaska, I've developed quite the fascination with natural phenomena that rival our human-made marvels. The aurora borealis tops that list, and Fairbanks offers one of the world's premier viewing experiences. Just a 6-hour drive...
The crisp Michigan winter air greets me as I step out of Detroit Metropolitan Airport, a world away from my adopted Christchurch home. I've traversed continents exploring Mediterranean markets and Tokyo department stores, yet sometimes the most intriguing retail landscapes...
After fifteen years of firefighting in Los Angeles, I've developed a sixth sense for structural integrity and functional design. It's this perspective I bring to my winter expedition through Indonesia's archipelago to Singapore—a 14-day journey where accommodation choices can make...
As I stepped off the plane at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, the familiar scent of spices, sea salt, and possibility filled my lungs. Mumbai—the city where my grandparents were born—has always held a special place in my heart. But this...
The juxtaposition couldn't be more striking—standing 1,300 feet below sea level while gazing up at mountains that have witnessed millennia of human civilization. Having presided over international cases for decades, I find a different kind of judgment called for here:...
When I first visited Turin in my early 60s, I was astonished that this elegant northern Italian city wasn't on more travelers' radar. After decades of helping passengers at Hawaiian Airlines navigate their Italian dreams (usually directing them to Rome,...
The juxtaposition of ancient commerce and futuristic retail in Dubai creates a shopping ecosystem unlike anywhere else on earth. As someone who spends my days calibrating machinery to micron-level precision, I find a curious parallel in Dubai's perfectly engineered shopping...
The symphony of clacking mahjong tiles mingles with the hiss of woks and the distant chime of tram bells. Hong Kong—a place where East truly meets West—has long been mischaracterized as a playground exclusively for the wealthy. After three decades...
After years of exploring caves across three continents and navigating the startup scenes from Helsinki to Wellington, I've developed a sixth sense for efficient urban mobility. When business recently took me to New York's capital, I found Albany to be...
As someone who grew up exploring the Great Plains and now calls Miami home, I've developed a profound appreciation for Florida's diverse ecosystems. While most visitors flock to our state's famous beaches, my medical training has taught me to look...
The first time I set foot in Mesa, I was struck by how the winter sunlight painted the Superstition Mountains in hues I'd never captured before—soft ambers and deep purples that seemed to shift with each passing cloud. While most...
As a wildlife biologist, I've spent decades studying how species adapt to urban environments. Yet Montreal's Underground City—or RÉSO as locals call it—represents one of humanity's most fascinating adaptations to environmental constraints. This remarkable subterranean network spanning 33 kilometers beneath...
The business traveler's handbook rarely includes a chapter on lying flat on your back in a heated glass dome while electric green auroras dance overhead. Yet here I was, 5 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, trading my usual post-conference...
There's something almost mythical about standing in a hotel made entirely of ice, knowing that in just a few hours, you'll be deep within one of Sweden's most pristine national parks. The journey between the world-famous Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi...
The morning mist clung to the cobblestone streets as I navigated my way up yet another impossibly steep alley. My calves burned in protest, but the promise of what awaited at the summit kept me moving forward. As the sun...