Repurposing old, beautiful buildings is the best way to preserve a city’s architectural history and unique character, and Baltimore does a fairly good job of it. The Bromo-Seltzer Tower, for instance, is now an artist colony; the Pratt Street Power Plant in the Inner Harbor now houses a giant Barnes & Noble and a Hard Rock Café. You can stay in another landmark building overnight when you check in to the elegant Hotel Monaco, now occupying all 13 floors of the old Baltimore & Ohio Railroad headquarters, constructed more than a century ago. Read more >
Author Archives: stephentravels
Life in Bronze and Granite in Oslo’s Vigeland Park
In a city that is continually ranked as one of the world’s most expensive, it’s a wise idea to give your credit cards a little breather and take advantage of anything that doesn’t charge a fee in Oslo, Norway. One of the best krone-free venues is Vigelandsparken. Oslo teems with statues, but Vigeland Park takes it a step further, showcasing more than 200 sculptures by acclaimed artist Gustav Vigeland, earning it the honor of being the world’s largest sculpture park made by one artist. Read more >
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Go Fish: Dinner at Baltimore’s Best Seafood Restaurant
Crab dinners and Baltimore are practically synonymous, but there are plenty of other fish in the sea, and the Oceanaire Seafood Room has expertly mastered the preparation of many of these options. Just a short stroll east from the Inner Harbor, this upscale restaurant combines a sophisticated nautical ambience with a deep menu overflowing with seafood specialties ranging from Florida yellowfin tuna to Faroe Islands salmon to a wide variety of crustaceans. You may have to shell out a few extra dollars, but that will seem irrelevant from the moment you get hooked on Oceanaire’s offerings. Read more >
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Five Caves and Caverns of Subterranean Marvels
Every guide on every cave tour I’ve ever been on has asked the inevitable question: What is the difference between a stalactite and a stalagmite? Having been to more than a dozen caves now, the answer is easy: Stalactites hang tight from the ceiling; stalagmites grow up from the floor. One day, millions of years down the road, they may connect to form a column. They’re extraordinary to see, but these two formations are just a couple of the natural wonders that lie beneath the earth’s surface. Throw in flowstones, boxwork, ribbons, curtains, popcorn, soda straws, helicites, rivers, pools, and the odd creature or two, and these underground wonderlands become some of the most fascinating places on earth. These are my favorite caves and caverns in the world. Read more >
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Carson City’s Most Capital Restaurant
Although Las Vegas rakes in the lion’s share of visitors to Nevada, Carson City captures a number of those who want to see the state capitol, a superior train museum, and a pleasant historic district. And for a fantastic lunch, the smart ones head over to Adele’s Restaurant and Lounge, where the chef-owner and his wife continue a 40-year-old family business that makes magic out of mostly local ingredients. And they do it all in a historic house built in 1875 for a Nevada attorney general and Supreme Court justice. Read more >
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Sweden’s Vasa: From Wreck to Celebrity
More than 25 million people have visited the Vasamuseet since it opened in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1990, and with more than one million visitors per year, it’s the most popular maritime museum in the world. And why shouldn’t it be? The centerpiece is the Vasa, the only intact 17th-century ship that has ever been salvaged. After 333 years at the bottom of Stockholm harbor following a catastrophic maiden voyage, the Vasa has been brought back to life. And she’s absolutely spectacular. Read more >
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A Dark and Stormy Afternoon in Historic Bellefontaine Cemetery
The first rural cemetery west of the Mississippi River also happens to be one of the most historic, in terms of those who are interred here. This premier cemetery in Missouri is the final resting place for many who have become household names, and even more who deserve to be. If not for them, Americans might be flying the Stars and Bars instead of the Stars and Stripes, might not be purchasing hotdogs (or a Bud) at baseball games, might not have attended kindergarten, and might not have ever traveled over land to the Pacific. Add to the fascinating list of people who changed the course of a country a fierce thunderstorm that made the afternoon look like night, and Bellefontaine Cemetery became one of my favorite sites in St. Louis. Read more >
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Finding Peace and Harmony in Half an Acre
Tucked into the heart of the third-largest Chinatown in North America, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden is an exceptionally inviting half-acre oasis of tranquility amid the bustle of Vancouver, British Columbia. The garden’s four major elements — rocks, plants, water, and architecture — are engaging and picturesque, and it’s a delight to stroll around the first classical Chinese scholars garden built outside of China and appreciate them all. But when a senior citizen docent from Singapore spends 90 minutes explaining the stories behind each of them, they take on an enhanced and fascinating life all of their own. Read more >
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Getting Hooked on Helsinki’s Best Seafood
With 780 miles of coastline and 187,888 lakes, Finland is a seafood lover’s delight. The creative chefs in Helsinki take full advantage of the country’s maritime resources and produce some imaginative results from what is pulled from the water. Located across the street from the old food market and the busiest harbor in the city, Havis combines its highly appropriate setting with an alluring menu that has earned it warm regard as one of the best seafood restaurants in the city — a reputation it well deserves. Read more >
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Five Beaches to Make You Forget Winter
You’re tired of the snow and ice. And the single-digit temperatures. And the scarves, hats, gloves, and thermal underwear. And the terms “wind chill,” “subarctic,” and “polar vortex.” It’s time to start warming yourself up with thoughts of sun and sand. Growing up in New York, I wasn’t an avid fan of the local beaches — the water was gray, the sand was speckled with litter, and spending a day with thousands of other people around me seemed to mock the notion of relaxation. But my outlook changed during my first trip to the Caribbean, when impossible colors and joyous serenity completely obliterated my notions of what a day at the shore meant. These are my five favorite beaches in the world. Read more >
Stephen Travels 