January 09, 2023

ART DISCUSSIONS  A Controversial Folk-Art Landmark  Pierce College, located in Woodland Hills, California, is home to artist John Ehn’s legacy, California Historic Landmark 939.5, which is made up of a collection of lifelike statues. It may not exist for much longer, however. The Los Angeles Community College District, which oversees nine colleges including Pierce, has given Ehn’s family 60 days to remove the remainder of the collection from the property. The decision, however, is controversial: the artist’s descendants see a family legacy, whereas the college where the statues are displayed sees harmful stereotypes.  READ MORE → SUMMON THE SNOW Michigan’s Dancing Snow God The northern edge of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula usually sees some serious snow—sometimes hundreds of inches a year. But in 1970, the snow didn’t come. Enter David Riutta, one of the region’s many Finnish-Americans, who came up with a snow god named “Heikki Lunta,” the subject of his novelty song “Heikki Lunta’s Snow Dance.” Heikki Lunta is a mainstay of Upper Peninsula legend; it’s said that when Riutta’s song is played, Heikki starts dancing, and then the snow comes down in droves. READ MORE → BAYWOOD-LOS OSOS, CALIFORNIA El Moro Elfin Forest Natural Area These ancient little trees known as pygmy Coast live oaks, festooned with wisps of lichen and moss, add an enchanted, fairy-tale quality to the park. The trees in the Elfin Forest average only four- to 20 feet in height. Their wizened and twisted forms bear little resemblance to the 50-foot-tall Coast live oaks commonly found on California’s central coast. READ MORE → ATLAS OBSCURA COURSES School of Rocks Have you ever picked up a rock, and immediately felt inspired to pick up more rocks? If so, you’re likely well on your way to becoming a collector. In this course, join Yinan Wang in exploring the minerals, fossils, and meteorites that surround you, and the collecting cultures that accompany them. By the end of our time together, you’ll have not only a rock-solid understanding of the minerals, fossils, and meteorites around you, but also a richer appreciation of the larger natural world. ENROLL NOW → GASTRO OBSCURA France’s Food Brotherhoods France is home to hundreds of confréries, or brotherhoods, devoted to local wine, liqueurs, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, or regional cooked specialties. Joining one of these volunteer groups is a serious commitment. When members are sworn in, they take an oath to support their local product. Often, they don headgear, medallions, and long robes whose colors and cuts reflect their beloved comestible. That can mean outfits that honor unique specialties such as pink garlic, or blue leeks. READ MORE → TOKYO, JAPAN Obake Kaidan In the Nezu district of Tokyo, there is a stone staircase infamous for its strange feature. Known as Obake Kaidan (“Ghost Stairs”), it has 40 steps on your way up—but 39 when you go down. READ MORE → UNUSUAL RECIPES From Bacteria to Bread Salt-rising bread is special to those who remember it as a home-cooked comfort by a grandmother or parent. It’s also one of the only breads that uses a mix of bacteria, rather than yeast, to rise—a mix that includes a form of Clostridium perfringens, the culprit commonly known to cause the discomforts of food poisoning and the purulent wounds of gangrene. READ MORE → TÓRSHAVN, FAROE ISLANDS Eysturoyartunnilin (Eysturoy Tunnel) The Eysturoyartunnilin (Eysturoy Tunnel) connects Streymoy and Eysturoy, the two largest of the Faroe Islands, a North Atlantic archipelago located more than 300 kilometers (200 miles) northwest of Scotland. At its deepest point, the tunnel is 189 meters (613.5 feet) below the seabed. The most interesting part of this infrastructure project, though, is the colorful intersection at its center—the first undersea roundabout in the world. READ MORE → THE WORLD IS WAITING Kickstart Travel Inspiration Already thinking about where to go this year? Let us help with our Explorer’s Library, an exclusive, limited edition box set that combines our two New York Times bestselling adventure guides, Atlas Obscura and Gastro Obscura. Or if you want some daily wonder, try The Atlas Obscura 2023 Page-A-Day Calendar, with 365 days of unexpected adventure. Where will you go this year? Only you can decide. READ MORE →