Culture
Cultural facts, history, traditions, events, festivals, foods and more from a location.
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Time+Place: USS Hornet Aircraft Carrier
I will admit– I have a fascination with all things Navy. I’m not quite sure why. Perhaps it’s my interest in history, but most likely it comes from movies and TV (Top Gun was the hit movie during my impressionable teen years and today, I love to workout on the treadmill to NCIS!) So, when my family and I took a day trip to the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda, California, I was not disappointed. There is detailed historical information throughout the ship and of course, on deck, there was a time to reminisce Maverick and Goose antics! The USS Hornet aircraft carrier has a rich history dating back to…
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Pattern+Place: The Art of Andean Weaving, Peru
While traveling in the Sacred Valley of Peru, we were lucky to meet a group of local traditional weavers and have a demonstration of their talents. The demonstration was put on by an organization called The Center for Traditional Textiles. Their mission is to not only promote this traditional Incan art form to tourists and stimulate economy to local artists, but also to educate the local community to continue their weaving traditions and pass it on for generations to come. Their weaving is a beautiful art form — not to be missed. They demonstrated the process, from spinning the wool to thread and making their colorful looms, to actual weaving…
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Palette+Place: Springtime in Sonoma County Wine Country
Sonoma County is a must for any wine lover traveling to Northern California. Quaint towns and picturesque scenery is in abundance– as well as world class wine, of course. For over 10 years, I’ve headed up to Healdsburg in Spring with my husband and family for the annual Dry Creek Valley “Passport” weekend. Participating wineries open their doors with loads of wine to taste and food to eat. Although the wine is delicious, I must admit, I go for the scenery. Sonoma County in the Springtime is like a breath of fresh air. The rain and cold of winter are gone and everything is in bloom – the trees, the…
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Wanderlust Films: Harry Potter Inspiration at Christ Church College, Oxford
Who can forget the first time Harry Potter goes to the dining hall at Hogwarts. It’s a feast for the eyes. Every Harry Potter fan should make a trip to Christ Chuch College in Oxford, England to see some of the inspiration behind the amazing art direction and sets in the Harry Potter films. Several specific locations around Oxford University were used, most notably, the dining hall, but if you take a little time to walk around the campus, it’s clear to see inspiration was everywhere. Crests & Symbols Throughout the college, there are crests and symbols carved into walls and parts of stain glass windows. Perhaps some of these…
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Culture: Loteria – the Latin American Game of Bingo
The first time I played Loteria was poolside in Cancun. We had just ambled up from the sugar sand beach to take a dip in the pool. The ambiance by the pool was quite different than at the shore. Pop music blared at a deafening level, and waiters and waitresses buzzed around the lounge chairs serving mas cervesas to the sunburned Northerners. A little put off, I found a chair to put my stuff and hopped into the pool. When I popped up for a breath, there was an announcement on the loud speaker, “Loteria to begin in 3 minutes! Prizes for the winner” shouted our poolside cruise director. Well…
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Culture: Coca Leaves and the Andean Culture
Flying from San Francisco, CA to Cusco, Peru can be quite an altitude adjustment. 11,139′ to be exact. Before our family trip to Peru, I definitely did my research about altitude sickness, and things I could bring, or do to help prevent it for me and my kids. My doctor prescribed me Acetazolamide without a blink, but our pediatrician said, “Sorry– can’t prescribe the same, that medicine is not allowed in kids.” So, I started doing a little research about other remedies. It didn’t take long (maybe one click on the internet) to have the mysterious coca tea pop up in my search results as a common remedy to prevent…
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Art on the Go: Typography Photoshoot in Your Town
There’s nothing like scouring the cities of Paris, London or Rome and stumbling across vintage signs and old stylized type to photograph– but sometimes, just looking around your own town, you’ll be surprised at what you might find! Although I wish I could travel full-time, the reality is I have kids in school, and a husband with a great job (in an office of all things)– so for now in our lives, we travel during the school breaks. Perhaps that will change soon, but in the meantime, while at home, how can I starve off my incredible wanderlust? Why not head out my own front door on a photo shoot,…
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Textures+Place: Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
It was a humid day, large, puffy white clouds dotted the sky signaling an impending rain shower at some point in our afternoon. We arrived in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico with a bus load of tourists, but quickly disappeared into the cobblestone streets to discover this colonial Caribbean city on our own. The streets seemed quite empty to our surprise (and delight) for our mid-morning visit. Except for a few shop keepers and locals, we had the sites almost to ourselves. Little did we know, that once the cruise ships arrived, this solitude would change drastically. We dutifully wandered in and out of a few churches, but mainly stayed…
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Time+Place: Map Puzzles of Famous Cities Through Time
Travel, history, and maps — three of my favorite things all in a puzzle! I can’t think of a better way to learn about a city I am about to visit than playing with one of 4D Cityscape’s Time Puzzles. How does it work? You start by layering the landscape and geographical map of the city to become a 2 dimensional puzzle. Next comes the 3rd and 4th dimension— skyscrapers, monuments, bridges and significant city sites are added based on time. With the help of a Time Poster, you add each building on the map according to the year it was built, and the history of the city unfolds. With…
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Palette+Place: Antelope Canyon, Arizona
When we pulled up to the dated strip mall to start our adventure of Antelope Canyon, I must admit I was a little turned off. The small office was packed. Tourists of all shapes and sizes milled around the Navajo souvenirs and trinkets, all waiting for the bus. A tour group is not always my first choice in exploring a natural wonder, but it actually is the only way to see this spectacular slot canyon. Antelope Canyon is one of the most photographed slot canyons in the world. It is on Navajo land, thus solo visits are prohibited. One can only tour the canyon with a group lead by a…