Miami is a very sexy city. Its sleek architecture, trendy and outstanding restaurants (such as Havana 1957, Toscana Divino, and PM Buenos Aires), and very pretty people make it nearly impossible to imagine it as the swampy backwater it once was. Somewhere along the way, around 1900, Miami took off, but you can still visit one of the precursors of the city’s current glitz and glam at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, a grand 1916 estate on Florida’s Biscayne Bay that still continues to attract the glitterati. Read more >
Category Archives: History
The Big Easy’s Enduring Allure
Sometimes relegated to merely America’s party city for dipsomaniacs and forever linked to Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, Louisiana, manages to transcend both through its history, culture, and a palpable vibe that can’t be replicated. One of the most distinctive cities in the United States, NOLA is many things to many people: rambunctious, mysterious, unsettling, tempestuous, unfettered, joyful, unforgettable. No matter what your disposition, this 300-year-old city boasts an undeniably magnetic drawing power that will keep you enthralled throughout the year, not just during its legendary Mardi Gras celebrations when all discretion is jettisoned. Read more about the top five things to see and do in New Orleans >
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Alabama’s Arrestive Attractions
Admitted to the United States as the 22nd state in 1819, Alabama has been producing two centuries of noteworthy events, from key civil rights movements to thrilling Crimson Tide football games to launching a highly successful eponymous country band. It has also been a place of firsts: Alabama was the first state to declare Christmas a legal U.S. holiday (1836), the first place in the world to introduce an electric street trolley system (1886), and the first place in the Western Hemisphere where an open heart surgery was performed (1902). And, of course, it keeps track of all that in the nation’s first state archival agency, created in 1901. From the hilly highland rim in the north to its white Gulf Shore beaches, Alabama is filled with more than enough sites, attractions, and points of interest to make your vacation here complete. Read about the top five things to see and do in Alabama >
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Exploring the Urban Landscape of Vicksburg, Mississippi
Around this time of year 155 years ago, the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, was under siege in a pivotal Civil War moment. A Union victory here, the last major Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River, spelled the beginning of the end for the South. The city survived, however, growing into a major trading center that relied on steamboat traffic and erecting impressive structures that reflected its boom and that still survive today. Read more about the top five buildings in Vicksburg, Mississippi >
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Coursing Through the Heart of Belfast: Donegall Square
With “the Troubles” apparently — and hopefully — relegated to the history books, a day trip to Belfast now seemed necessary during my three-week jaunt around Ireland. Just a two-hour train ride north from Dublin, the capital of Northern Ireland has settled into a peaceful, bustling center of activity. The heart of the city beats in and around Donegall Square, a concentration of fantastic buildings, monuments, and green space, and a wonderful place to wander around when the clouds part. Read more >
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Turku Castle Reigns Supreme
Finland’s oldest city and its former capital, Turku is located about two hours by train from where I was staying in Helsinki, the superior Hotel Kämp. The country’s sixth-largest city has plenty to see for a full day trip, from its 700-year-old cathedral to a fantastic museum built over a 14th-century archaeological site, but Turku’s most famous landmark is the one I wanted to visit most — the largest castle in Finland. Read more >
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What Lies Beneath Seattle, Washington
A forgotten but not-so-secret city wound its way under my feet in Seattle. I didn’t know it existed, but my first hint that something lurked below was the small and thick amethyst-hued squares of glass embedded in the sidewalks around Pioneer Square. I found myself wondering what purpose they served. When I discovered that they were skylights for an underground city, I simply had to know more. Fortunately, there’s an exceptionally popular tour that explains all the mysteries. Read more >
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Venetian All Stars at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco
The Miracle of Manna, circa 1577, is one of Tintoretto’s masterful oil paintings covering the ceiling.
A chance sighting of an advertisement for an upcoming concert in Venice prompted me to spontaneously purchase a ticket. Simple enough. But when the evening of the concert arrived, I ended up in one of the most lavish interiors in one of my favorite cities, surrounded by incomparable works of art by one of my favorite artists (a Venetian native), listening to my favorite piece of classical music (by another Venetian native) being performed by a Venetian ensemble. Such buona fortuna is a traveler’s coveted nirvana, a rarely achieved alignment of all the right stars that I still treasure. Read more about it >
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Ljubljana’s Very Special Circular Square
It may not be able to boast the size of Red Square in Moscow or Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, the unending urban pulse of Times Square in New York, or the fame of London’s Trafalgar Square, but for pure charm and visual appeal, Prešeren Square in the heart of Ljubljana, Slovenia, ranks among the best. There’s something here for everyone, no matter what your interests — history, food, nature, romance, architecture, shopping, religion. It’s the de facto meeting point for the city’s residents and visitors alike, whether they’re here to attend a festival or a political rally, meet friends or a date, or just stop and rest for a bit in an utterly engaging space and admire one of the world’s top five bridges. Read more about why you should spend some time here >
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The Best of Zagreb, Croatia
With good reason, visitors to Croatia flock to and concentrate on its gorgeous Adriatic coast and such unmistakable cities as Split and Dubrovnik. But there’s more to this country than its enviable coastline, verdant islands, and pristine beaches. A simple detour east brings you to Zagreb, one of the most underrated capitals in Europe and one of its most surprising. Read more about the top five things to see and do in Zagreb >
Stephen Travels 