March 28, 2022

GASTRO OBSCURA  All-American Dairy Bar Dairy bars date back to the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, and they feature ice cream—usually soft serve, although hand-scooped is gaining ground—along with hamburgers, hot dogs, and other affordable, all-American fare. In their heyday, these mom-and-pop establishments were once sprinkled across the nation; today, most have shuttered, except for in Arkansas, where dairy bars are still going strong.  READ MORE → HONOLULU, HAWAII Amelia Earhart Plaque There’s a monument to Amelia Earhart’s accomplishments hiding in plane sight in Honolulu. At the Diamond Head lookout, visitors will find a plaque celebrating Amelia Earhart’s solo flight from Hawai’i to California in January of 1935. It marked the first time a pilot had successfully flown solo from Hawai’i to the U.S. mainland. BEEN HERE OR WANT TO VISIT? → SPONSORED BY PLAY AIRLINES Around the World in Gothenburg Gothenburg is much more than Sweden’s second-largest city. Here, travelers might get the sense that they’re taking a mini-tour of the world. Elements from different countries are reflected here, making the city feel like a savvy cosmopolitan fusion of Europe’s biggest cities. From a canal network to rival Amsterdam to a pedestrianized high street that evokes Barcelona’s Las Ramblas, Gothenburg can do it all—and you can get there for cheap now with our friends at PLAY Airlines, departing from three Northeast airports. LEARN MORE → WOMEN IN CONSERVATION The Ecologist Who Made Biodiversity Count The Red List—an inventory of life on Earth that designates species based on how imperiled they are—has become a definitive guide for understanding the status of a species both globally and on a local or regional level, and is widely used to set conservation priorities and policies. Its current form owes its existence to Georgina Mace, an ecologist who helped change the way both scientists and policymakers see living things, including the most vulnerable. READ MORE → BERN, SWITZERLAND The Child Eater of Bern Standing in the middle of Bern, Switzerland, is the Kindlifresser, or “Child Eater.” The fountain sculpture towers above the ground, a baby half stuffed into the giant’s mouth, and a sack full of three alarmed tots slung over his shoulder presumably for later snacking. The unsettling sculpture is no modern work of art; built in 1546, it is one of the oldest fountains in the city of Bern. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA COURSES Making Scents Experiment with the basics of perfumery during this three-part course. Delve into the history of perfume, explore aromatic materials, and create a short perfume formula. Get your nose ready and explore this craft with us! ENROLL TODAY → ALL ABOUT ISLANDS World’s 100 Largest Islands Islands are tricky things. There is no single, constant, definitive number of islands in the world, and there never will be: New ones continue to form, and old ones disappear from view, drowned by rising water or other factors. The cartographer David Garcia has been mapping islands for years, and still finds fresh inspiration for new projects—including an effort to round up the 100 largest islands on the planet. READ MORE → VIENNA, AUSTRIA Gasometer Town A gasometer or a gas holder is a large container in which natural gas is stored at atmospheric pressure. In the 19th and early-20th century, gasometers were used to temporarily store natural gas near towns and city districts, but by the end of the century, they fell out of fashion. While some of these giant objects have been demolished to make way for new urban development projects, some of them have been reclaimed and converted for new purposes—much like these apartment complexes built into the tanks. READ MORE → FOOD MYSTERIES Gray Corned Beef Corned beef has been around for centuries, but you might not recognize it immediately in its form in and around Boston. Instead of its familiar pink-red color, it’s gray-brown. This is because of a lack of nitrates,either in the form of sodium nitrate or saltpeter, that preserve meat and give it a reddish color. It’s unknown why exactly Boston residents opted not to put saltpeter on their beef. READ MORE → IDANHA-A-NOVA, PORTUGAL The Village of Monsanto In 1938, the village of Monsanto was dubbed the most “Portuguese town in Portugal.” Yet at first glance, Monsanto certainly does not seem representative of the entire country. For one thing, most Portuguese houses are not sandwiched between gigantic boulders. The village has hardly changed in hundreds of years, and enjoys distinction in Portugal as a living museum. Due to this standing, Monsanto cannot be changed and has retained its classic village charm. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA TRIPS Wander Spain's Orange Blossom Coast Sink into the rhythms of the Mediterranean along Spain’s Costa de Azahar, or Orange Blossom Coast. Seek out hidden gems while visiting off-the-beaten-path towns. Whether walking among 2,000-year-old olive trees, watching a pilota match, or viewing an art collection in a small medieval village—this is slow travel at its best!