May 03, 2022 GMÜND IN KÄRNTEN, AUSTRIA  Geteilte Kirche am Kreuzbichl (Divided Church)  If you attend a service in the small Roman Catholic church Sankt Maria in the Liesertal north of Gmünd in Carinthia, you might find that the pastor has to pause the sermon for an unusual reason: A road runs through the middle of the church. While the pastor preaches his sermon in the sanctuary on the east side of the road, the churchgoers sit in the building on the opposite side of the road.  READ MORE → FRUIT FACTS Is Grapefruit Really That Weird? Short answer: Yes. Right from the moment of its discovery, the grapefruit has been a true oddball. Its journey started in a place where it didn’t belong, and ended up in a lab in a place where it doesn’t grow. Even the name doesn’t make any sense. What gives? READ MORE → GASTRO OBSCURA Nerdiest Restaurants and Bars Fans of fantasy novels, science fiction, animation, and the supernatural have many real-life places to gather together and feast. Want to eat like a hobbit? Two restaurants, one in Argentina and another in Texas, exist in homage to J.R.R. Tolkien’s famed fantasy books, specifically, the hobbit life. If another franchise has your fancy, a bar in Osaka, Japan, offers Star Wars–themed food and drink amongst a hilarious array of knock-off merchandise. Whether you’re a TV buff or a bookworm, there’s probably a restaurant out there that will satisfy your every nerdy craving. READ MORE → GASTRO OBSCURA COURSE - STARTS TONIGHT! Designing a Bizarro Dinner Party Among the best dinner hosts are those who can marry the technical skills of being a chef with an artist’s fluidity and flair for adventure. In this four-part course, artist and chef Jen Monroe will guide you through designing a beautiful, bizarre feast fit for a festive gathering, intimate dinner, or whatever eating experience you may be dreaming up. Starts tonight! ENROLL NOW → ALL QUACKED UP Controversial Yellow Duck If you were to come across “Rubber Duck” floating placidly in the harbor of your major city, you would probably, like most people, stop and stare for a bit. You probably wouldn’t think, in this world of Jeff Koons’s Balloon Dogs and Damien Hirst’s expensive art sharks, “wow, this must be among the most divisive creaturely artworks in the modern pantheon.” When the duck visits cities, hundreds of thousands of people flock to visit it. But where some see joy and innocence, others see a scourge on the landscape. READ MORE → NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA Fashion Island Wind Chimes Most regular shoppers at Fashion Island pass by the Macy’s wall, barely noticing the bells, perhaps enjoying the melodic sounds. However, the newcomer, or one less intent on making their way into the outdoor mall, may wonder why there is a wall full of huge bronze bells on a mid-century department store building. READ MORE → TOMORROW FREE MEMBERS-ONLY EVENT Photographing the World's Wild Sports Crowds of people hurtling down a mountainside astride giant logs, grown adults racing kid's big wheels, live monster wrestling — sports photographer Sol Neelman has captured it all! In this live virtual discussion featuring Sol's captivating photographs, we'll explore the wacky and wild ways people around the world show off their athleticism and have fun. If you aren't a member yet, you can sign up during the RSVP process for this event. RSVP NOW → THE INTERNET’S CREEPIEST FAKE TOWN Have You Been to Scarfolk In 1978, the town of Scarfolk, in northwest England, cut its police budget in half. This drastic measure was followed by a wave of violent crime. To deal with the influx of dead bodies, the remaining police did the obvious thing—they teamed up with the “Keep Britain Tidy” campaign, and encouraged citizens, especially children, to pick up “victim debris” themselves. If this sounds too grotesque to be true, don’t worry—it is! There were never any smiling, appendage-finding kids in Scarfolk, because Scarfolk never existed. But the town’s online presence—created by graphic designer Richard Littler—is meticulously detailed and impressively creepy. READ MORE → PIE TOWN, NEW MEXICO Pie Town In the early 1920s, Clyde Norman started a bakery making dried-apple pies, selling to ranchers who traveled through on The Driveway, a famous cattle path that ran from Western Arizona through New Mexico to the Magdalena trail head, some 120 miles. His bakery was the only building at the time, but soon “Norman’s Place” was the site of a town, one built by homesteaders moving west for free land, and that the residents decided to name Pie Town. A real pie-o-neer. READ MORE → SPONSORED BY LOUISIANA TRAVEL Swamp Pop Museum Southern Louisiana kids born in the 1930s and 40s grew up listening to Cajun, Creole, and country music. As teenagers, they traded fiddles, banjos, and accordions for pianos, horns, and electric guitars. Still, the lovelorn lyrics, feel-good rhythms, and harmonized melodies they inherited from their parents shone through, creating a distinct regional sound that a British DJ dubbed “Swamp Pop.” The museum displays artist stage wear and instruments as well as a detailed history of Swamp Pop. LEARN MORE →