February 22, 2021

A Plane With a Story If you ever make your way to Tegel Airport in Berlin, Germany, you might catch sight of a plane in a state of disrepair, parked far from the runway. Don’t write it off just yet—this dilapidated 707 is an artifact of Berlin’s divided past, and has survived both hijackers and the Cold War alike. But despite its historic significance, the plane’s days are numbered, slated for dismantling and recycling. Still, there’s a glimmer of hope for some of it.  READ MORE → GASTRO OBSCURA Sticky New Year Cakes During Lunar New Year, a prosperous future belongs to those who eat their weight in luck. The sweetest of the myriad of auspicious New Year dishes may be nian gao, a sticky cake eaten with the hope that the upcoming year will be more fortunate than the last. Like many symbolic Chinese dishes, nian gao comes with its own set of monster-related origin stories about warding off bad luck and overcoming hardship. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA EXPERIENCES The Strong Museum of Play On tomorrow’s edition of Tales from the Museum, we’ll be sitting down with the chief curator of the Strong Museum of Play, home to the largest, most comprehensive collection of toys, games, dolls, and video games in the world. Come spend a Tuesday night reliving your childhood with us. GET TICKETS → On the Straight and Narrow What’s the best way to travel? For Tom Davies, a 29-year-old British adventurer, also known as GeoWizard, the answer is as linear as possible. Davies is perhaps best known for his “Mission Across” series on YouTube, which chronicles his adventures trying to cross entire countries in a straight line. He chooses a route, uploads it to a handheld GPS, and sets off. Davies has encountered everything from barbed-wire fences and hostile farmers to brittle cliffs and gorges, but that hasn’t deterred him. His next mission? Rugged Scotland. READ MORE → OTTAWA, ONTARIO Tin House The original Tin House facade was crafted by Ottawa tinsmith Honoré Foisy in the early 1900s to showcase and advertise his tinsmithing business. Foisy adorned his home, then-located at 136 Guigues Avenue, with galvanized iron sheet metal that he painstakingly molded into rosettes, pediments, and other architectural embellishments typical of residential buildings at the time. In the 1970s, the original metalwork was restored, with the original pieces recreated using photos and remaining vestiges. READ MORE → JOHNS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA The Angel Oak This tree, located in Charleston, South Carolina, is thought to be one of the oldest living oak trees east of the Mississippi River. It stands 65 feet (20m or 6 stories) tall, is 28 ft (8.5 m) in circumference, and an area of 17,000 square feet is shaded by its tentacular crown. The largest branch reaches 187 feet. Estimated to be 400-500 years old, this Southern live oak has survived a number of hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA TRIPS Santa Fe’s Otherworldly Art Landscapes In October 2021, we’re venturing into Santa Fe’s mysterious desert landscapes, which have captivated artists from Georgia O’Keeffe to Judy Chicago. We’ll go behind the scenes at artist studios, meditate inside a hand-carved cave, traverse O’Keeffe’s Ghost Ranch, and expand our psyches in the House of Eternal Return. With insider access provided by our local guide, we’ll explore the flourishing art scene, intriguing cultural heritage, and magical setting that makes the City Different live up to its nickname. LEARN MORE → FROM THE ARCHIVES Hidden Paris Histories Black Americans had long traveled to Paris for opportunities that America denied them, especially during the 20th century. This was where James Baldwin and Richard Wright once feuded, where Josephine Baker ate lunch with her pet cheetah, and where artist Loïs Mailou Jones once painted. Monique Wells is now on a quest to trace these journeys and more by creating walking tours to highlight these hidden histories of Paris. READ MORE → BANGOR, MAINE Stephen King's House The prolific horror author used his home state of Maine as the setting for many of his stories, and his house still stands in Bangor. Take a close look at the fence, which is most of what gives the house its Stephen King-esque flair. Spiders, bat-winged creatures, and a three-headed reptile all decorate the black wrought-iron. READ MORE → SPONSORED BY FLORIDA'S SPORTS COAST Experience Florida’s Sports Coast It’s time to dive into adventure—quite literally. Safely #GetBacktoAdventure on Florida’s Sports Coast where abundant outdoor adventures ranging from angling adventures to paddleboarding along Florida’s majestic Gulf Coast await the curious traveler.