March 06, 2023

DO NOT PASS GO, DO NOT COLLECT 200  Canada’s Polar Bear Jail  A frontier settlement founded for fur trading in 1717, Churchill, Canada, sits smack in the middle of the “polar bear highway”—the natural path the animals take to get onto the sea ice every year. When it’s not winter, the bears move onto land, where food is scarce, and sometimes that means breaking into houses for food stores. When that happens, well, there’s no getting around it. They get put into polar bear jail to wait until winter.  READ MORE →   STUNNING PHOTOGRAPHY The Caucasus Mountains As spring begins to melt the snow in the mountains of northeastern Georgia, shepherds drive thousands of sheep across a perilous mountain pass to the stunning meadows of the Tusheti highlands, which have been called the last wild place in Europe. Herding livestock to seasonal grazing grounds, a practice known as transhumance, is nothing new—the Tusheti shepherds of Georgia have moved their herds between seasonal pastures for at least half a millennium. READ MORE →   NEVADA Seven Keyholes Slot Canyon Slot canyons usually have nearly parallel sides, or even taper downward. They are common in the Aztec/Navajo sandstone, which is responsible for so much spectacular scenery in this part of the world. This slot canyon is unusual, however, in that it’s wider at the base, with a nearly circular cross-section, which looks something like an old-fashioned keyhole turned upside down. READ MORE →   GASTRO OBSCURA COURSES Writing the Food Memoir Eating is a daily necessity, a pleasure, and an act of creativity. Food connects us to our ancestors, our landscapes, and our bodies. Our relationship to both is complicated, and writing short personal narratives about it can help us to illuminate deeper truths about ourselves. In this generative memoir-writing workshop led by award-winning writer Gina Rae La Cerva, we’ll use the subject of food as a starting point to explore our inner worlds. ENROLL NOW →   HELLO, JELL-O Aspics With Threatening Auras Few foods today feel as anachronistic as the gelatin “salads” of midcentury America. As with so many things considered cutting-edge from the early to mid-1900s, this former food of the future is now a subject of derision and morbid fascination. The appeal lies in juxtapositions that feel, well, wrong, or in modern internet parlance: “cursed.” How does the fascination with aspics reflect American culture today? And how is that different from its peak of popularity in midcentury America? READ MORE →   ENCINITAS, CALIFORNIA Encinitas Boat Houses Among the bungalows lining the street in a California beach city are two most unusual houses. The buildings are shaped like boats, making them look like they’ve accidentally washed ashore and crashed within a residential area. The Encinitas Preservation Association acquired the unusual abodes in 2008, and the houses still stand and are still lived in today. READ MORE →   CULTURAL HERITAGE Inking for Independence After a grueling hike through the jungle, traversing valleys and vibrant rice terraces to the top of the mountain where the teetering village awaits, visitors, tourists, and fans arrive sweaty and gleeful at Buscalan village, Kalinga, in the Philippines’ far north. They’re here to see Fang-od Oggay, who is known worldwide as a living legend and the last tribal tattoo artist to hold the title of Mambabatok—the name given to traditional tattooists by the Kalinga ethnic group for thousands of years. READ MORE →   TOKYO, JAPAN Transparent Restroom The stalls are quite easy to find, given that they’re encased by transparent glass walls of a variety of vibrant colors, looking immaculate—and yes, you read it right: the restroom’s walls are transparent, totally see-through. You can see everything inside, from the flush toilet to the hand wash sink. Now the question is, how does one use it? It’s quite simple, actually. READ MORE →   ATLAS OBSCURA TRIPS Exploring Magical Galapagos We just dropped our price for our trip to the Galápagos Islands, which aren’t simply the place that inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution; they continue to advance it, showcasing how unique life develops in distinct environments. Join us for a living lesson on ecology and conservation in one of the planet’s most fascinating, unique and wondrous habitats. BOOK NOW →