Sentinels of the sea. Lighthouses have been around for a while. A long, long time, actually. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was the Lighthouse of Alexandria in Egypt, completed around 246 BC. Since then, they’ve been protecting sailors around the world, evolving from simple fires atop a hill to sturdy structures that can withstand the fiercest weather and are equipped with powerful modern technology. Critically important, and fun to visit, lighthouses have long fascinated me with their relevance, their loneliness, and their unique beauty. Read about the top five lighthouses >
Suffering from the winter blues? Then turn your attention from the figurative blues to the literal ones and you’ll be much happier. Around the world, the coolest color has the ability to awe us. It’s also the color that can best calm us down. Just look at the sky or a tranquil sea and you’re already feeling better. But nature doesn’t hold a monopoly on blue. There are some outstanding manmade objects that equally do the trick. Read about the top five blues >
Known for its focus on urban planning, Portland, Oregon, takes its architecture seriously. It’s second only to Chicago in the number of LEED-accredited “green buildings” in the United States and is steadfast in preserving and repurposing older buildings. Height restrictions on new construction preserve views of Mt. Hood. But as I roamed around this likable city, I found that the most impressive buildings were those that predated the concept of urban planning. Read about the top five buildings in Portland >
They’re Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, smooth or fluted, singular or clustered. Their capitals can resemble anything from acanthus leaves to volutes. And when they’re not supporting entire buildings, giving the appearance of such on a building’s façade, or forming an arcade, columns often sprout up as stand-alone structures. These engaging specimens of verticality, whether they’re slender or bold, have always caught my eye (whether or not I’m able to climb to their tops). Read about the world’s top five columns >
Garden cultivation of roses began several millennia ago, starting way back in Babylon, ancient China, and the Roman Empire. Long admired for their color, their fragrance, and their beauty (some royalty used them as legal tender in the 17th century), the world’s most popular flower has achieved fame not only in horticultural circles, but also in song (“Yellow Rose of Texas”; “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”), war (The War of the Roses), adages (“bed of roses”; “I never promised you a rose garden”), and cinema (The Rose; The Rose Tattoo). This international symbol of love is tended to in dedicated gardens around the world, some of which have truly perfected the art. Read about the world’s top five rose gardens >
Watching a group of Asian senior citizens practicing the slow movements of a choreographed dance. Making friends with a red squirrel. Hearing someone rail against the evils of plutocracy. Standing under a 165’ Douglas fir. You never know what you’ll find in a city park, and that’s one of their many attractions. And the best parks that make all that possible smack in the middle of a city do it in unforgettable style. Read about the top five urban parks >
When you’re confined to your home for any reason, from a three-day cold that has you feeling haggard to a yearlong global pandemic that has wrecked every aspect of your life and has completely enervated you, you need a panacea to prevent insanity. From cobbling together inventive workout routines with household items to starring in your own YouTube videos to whipping up something completely new in the kitchen, we’ve all found methods to amuse ourselves. (Binge-watching brainless reality shows doesn’t cut it.) Of course, the old standby — curling up with a good book—rises to the top of the ways to escape your situation and enter a world far-removed from your own. And finding a unique brick-and-mortar bookstore to expand your library with anything from the definitive biography of an obscure artist to a demotic novel for a beach read is where it all begins (sorry, Amazon). Read about my top five bookstores >
More than 50 Chinatowns can be found dotted around the United States, from the West Coast (especially in California, where at least 16 of these mini-Chinas thrive) to the East, where the Chinatown in Manhattan is getting a little too big for its britches and is encroaching on its equally well-established neighbors. I found one in Portland, Oregon, which also happens to boast a stellar Chinese garden, one of the most authentic located outside China. Read about it >
Herman Melville said it best in Moby-Dick: “A good laugh is a mighty good thing, and rather too scarce a good thing.” Published in 1851, Melville’s statement could not be more pertinent today. Let’s face it: In light of a disturbing pandemic, food and hand sanitizer shortages, insufficient health care procedures, quarantines, and a constant barrage of bad news and “Breaking News” from CNN that instantly makes you think, “What fresh hell is this?!”, we need a good laugh to relieve the tension, if only for a moment or two. Without further ado, from my travels around the world, here are the top five sights that will make you laugh >
Malta’s Azure Window. Aruba’s Natural Bridge. New Hampshire’s Old Man of the Mountain. Four of Australia’s Twelve Apostles. All were beautiful, quirky sites carved by the forces of nature, and all were destroyed by the very same forces. If you are fortunate enough to have seen them before their demise, you undoubtedly have a fond memory; if not, you’re out of luck—they’re gone for good. But fear not: Plenty of other one-off oddities still exist around the world. You just have to make sure you get to them before storms and erosion make them things of the past. Read more about the world’s top five natural curiosities >
Stephen Travels 