Early Saturday morning in the hills of Puetro Rico, local chefs along a route known as the Pork Highway gathered their marinated, 150lb swines, skewered them nose to toes and hoisted them over spits for eight hours of slow roasting. As the sun rose … Read More
An astronaut, a paleontologist and a blonde were riding bikes around New York City: it sounds the familiar set-up for a classic joke. On Sunday, however, as I pedaled around Manhattan with the Explorers Club — a historic society of adventure and science enthusiasts — I couldn’t come up with a punch line. I merely snickered at myself as the 82 year-old club president Alan Nichols effortlessly passed me while I walked my bike up a hill and struggled to catch my breath. The club’s diverse membership — from deep water divers to arctic hikers — has accomplished a great number of records in its 108 years of existence: first to the North and South Poles, first to the bottom of the ocean, first to the peak of Everest. To continue reading, click here.
Where might you find the tomb of Genghis Khan? Ask Explorers Club President Alan Nichols. With a smirk, he’ll say he thinks he has identified its exact coordinates, which researchers have struggled to locate for centuries. That doesn’t mean, however, that he’ll tell you where the Mongol emperor lies.
Under what circumstances would a man in a green plaid skirt carrying bag pipes point and laugh at you? Saint Patrick’s Day, Times Square, three p.m: I’m covered in smears of rainbow paint from my shoes up to my eyelashes, my face akin a Papua New Guinea tribe leader. Everyone in green doesn’t seem to get it; even a twenty-something wearing a chartreuse dragon suit turns to gawk at me, mystified. But then across the street someone exits a pub, spots me, and cheers, “Happy Holi!” as they stumble off the curb and grip their friend’s shamrock t-shirt …
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On April 10, 1912, John Brescio’s grandfather boarded the Titanic with forged embarkation documents to come to America for the first time. Before setting sail, however, authorities kicked him off the ship. Though he was furious at the moment, he managed to make it to New York City on another boat. Alive.
Arriving with just as much folklórico dancing as fanfare, Santa Barbara, California’s Old Spanish Days Fiesta will be in full swing over the next few days, and kicks off today on the steps of the historic Old Mission. This year’s theme: Viva La Comunidad, or long live the community! Click here to continue reading
This post is part of an ongoing series for National Geographic Traveler that’s about exploring New York City through an international lens. Each write-up tells the story of someone impacted by the featured country and gives you ways to explore this place without leaving the city. Click here to read.
At the foothills of the Andes in northwestern Argentina, you can hear horse hooves pounding against the dirt: Gauchos racing through the underbrush to herd cattle, tearing up the earth at rodeos, breaking beastly stallions. While Argentine cowboys inhabit the entire country — concentrated in areas around Buenos Aires and in Patagonia — Salta is the land of Los Gauchos de Güemes: a group of wild men who carry on the tradition of wars fought here long ago.
On the corner of Broome and Crosby in SoHo, a quiet sanctuary celebrates one of India’s spiritual traditions: the Broome Street Hindu Temple. Inside, the community recites the Bhagavad Gita, practices pujas, meditates, connects with the divine. Days after September 11, Eddie Stern opened the temple, which began as a yoga studio the year before. When the Twin Towers fell, it became a refuge to pray for hope amidst the ash-covered streets of lower Manhattan, and it has certainly been a place of transformation for Stern himself …
According to the Chinese lunisolar calendar, this year’s animal zodiac sign, the dragon, represents power, strength and wisdom.
Chinese New Year festivities continue are going on around the world this week and will conclude February 6 with the Lantern Festival. In Manhattan’s China Town, dragons are parading through the streets and hundreds of people are visiting Buddhist temples to pray for good fortune. Across the world, others do the same.