$99 Family Vacation

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Destinations / Pending

The World’s Largest Freshwater Fish Are Weird and Wonderful

This story was originally published on The Conversation and appears here under a Creative Commons license. Rivers have been the lifeblood of human civilization throughout history, and yet we know surprisingly little about what lives in many of them—including the giant creatures that prowl their depths. While we know the biggest animal in the ocean is the blue whale and the largest marine fish is the whale shark, the identity of the world’s largest freshwater fish species long remained a mystery. Until 2022, that is, when fishers in Cambodia caught a giant freshwater stingray in the remote reaches of the Mekong River. Weighing an astounding 661 pounds, the stingray surpassed by 15 pounds a giant catfish caught in Thailand in 2005 that had previously been considered the unofficial record holder. The discovery marked a milestone in fish biologist Zeb Hogan’s more than two-decade quest to study and protect…

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Destinations / Pending

The Plymouth Church in Framingham, Massachusetts

Across the United States, there is no shortage of historical churches. Ranging from different time periods, denominations, and congregations, churches across America have been a defining feature throughout the nation’s history. Although many churches have a unique history, there is one church in Framingham that has a particularly notable distinction as being the first public performance and singing of the Battle Hymn of the Republic. The church was founded in 1701 and by the time of the American Civil War, it was called the Hollis Evangelical Congregational Church. On the evening of February 22, 1862, the residents of Framingham gathered in the church to celebrate the 130th anniversary of George Washington’s birthday and read aloud his 1796 farewell address as encouraged by President Lincoln via national proclamation three days earlier. The speech was read by Norman School principal George Bigelow and the program was concluded with the singing of Battle…

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Destinations / Pending

Tone Canal Billiken Shrine in Nagareyama, Japan

Billiken is one of the many iconic mascots of Osaka, alongside the Glico marathon runner and the gigantic crab. Also called Billiken-san, this narrow-eyed dwarf with an onion-shaped head is said to be a lucky god, particularly revered by merchants who believe that rubbing the feet of his effigy brings you good luck. While he is well-known across Japan, it often goes unmentioned that he does not originate in Japan, but in Kansas City, Missouri. Billiken, the “god of things as they ought to be,” was designed circa 1907-1908 by illustrator Florence Pretz for her friend Sarah Hamilton Birchall’s stories published in The Canada West magazine. He instantly proved to be a hit, exceptionally profitable (except to the designer herself, much to her chagrin). Billiken statuettes were warmly received in Alaska and the Russian Far East, and accepted as part of the indigenous mythologies. He is also remembered today as the…

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Destinations / Pending

Tlachtemalácatl (Mesoamerican Ballgame Stone Ring) in Mexico City, Mexico

Coyoacán was once a town completely separate from Mexico City. As such, it needed its own central square, what is now the Plaza Hidalgo. When this plaza was being built, a large stone ring with a figure carved on it was unearthed. This was a tlachtemalácatl, the name in Náhuatl (the language of the Aztec/Mexica people) for the “goals” of the Mesoamerican Ballgame. Known as tlachtli, variants of this game were played by the Indigenous peoples of most of Mexico and Central America, almost always with ritualistic and symbolic purposes. This particular malacatl of the tlachtli game was so well-carved that it was kept after being found, and eventually placed in a prominent position in the Jesús Reyes Heroles House of Culture, in what is now the Mexico City borough of Coyoacán. This cultural center was once an actual house, and its late 18th-century architecture shows it. It also…

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Destinations / Pending

‘The Fat Policeman’ in Budapest, Hungary

St. Stephen’s Basilica is one of the most popular attractions in the Hungarian capital, and Uncle Karl has kept a watchful eye on it since 1987. Standing in the market square, the “Fat Policeman” statue was created by Finnish sculptor Kaarlo Mikkonen (1920-2001) and has since become a beloved icon of the city. Nicknamed Uncle Karl, the affable bronze copper is clad in a circa-mid-20th-century uniform, complete with a dated helmet and a dapper mustachio. Uncle Karl is notable for his belly, which has a gloriously golden patina—a clear sign that it has been rubbed by many. Local superstition has it that rubbing his belly grants you good luck and immunity against weight gain so that one can enjoy as much Hungarian food as they like. …

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Destinations / Pending

A Peek Inside America’s Most Dazzling Menu Collection

THIS ARTICLE IS ADAPTED FROM THE JULY 29, 2023, EDITION OF GASTRO OBSCURA’S FAVORITE THINGS NEWSLETTER. YOU CAN SIGN UP HERE. If you spent any time on the website formerly known as Twitter in the last few months, you may have seen a vintage menu going viral. The menu, dated to February 17, 1941, is from the Warner Bros. Studio Cafe in Burbank, California. What made it so fascinating was the sheer amount of food and the number of midcentury oddities on offer. The hungry starlet or sound technician, if their wallets allowed, could start with imported caviar, follow it up with a T-bone steak, and finish their meal with a glass of half-and-half. It’s incredible how many details about the era jump off a single page. One of the daily specials was “hot dogs with Liberty cabbage and carrots.” Liberty cabbage was sauerkraut, temporarily renamed during a wartime rejection…

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Destinations / Pending

Queen Victoria Bridge in Madrid, Spain

King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenia presided over the inauguration of the Queen Victoria Bridge on June 13, 1909. The bridge was named in honor of the king’s wife. It connects Bombilla Park, the two hermitages of San Antonio de la Florida, with the Colonia de San Antonio de La Florida and the Colonia del Manzanares. Based on a design by architect Julio Martnez-Zapata Rodriguez, it was built by engineer José Eugenio Ribera Dutaste. The bridge includes two, parallel elliptical reinforced concrete arches that are decorated in modernist style. It also has two lanes for cars. Additionally, Queen Victoria Bridge is one of Spain’s earliest concrete bridges. Four vases and eight cast-iron lampposts decorated by Francisco Iglesias with bears serve as its adornment. During the Second Spanish Republic, the bridge changed its name to Puente de Galicia. After the Spanish Civil War, it recovered its original name. On…

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Destinations / Pending

The Moore-Lindsay Historical House Museum in Norman, Oklahoma

In 1899 when the Moore-Lindsay Historical House was constructed it cost approximately $5,000, ten times what the average home in the area cost to build. William Moore and his wife Agnes were an important part of society in Norman. The house was later sold to Agnes’ niece and her husband, Harry, and Daisy Lindsay. The remnants of Daisy Lindsay’s locally famous rose garden can still be seen on the property next door. In the 1960s, the family sold the house and it was divided into apartments. They didn’t last long, however, before the building was condemned. The city of Norman saved the house and opened it as a museum in the 1970s.  The museum is now furnished as an example of the typical Oklahoma Victorian house. The house contains artifacts from around Cleveland County, including a woman’s side-saddle ridden by Martha Giles in the Land Run of 1889.         The…

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Destinations / Pending

ARAI Hill Stone Quarry in Pune, India

Pune shares a wonderful relationship with hills. Both within and around the city, there are several lush green hills where visitors can find historic forts, temples, monuments, and caves. ARAI Hill, also known as Vetal Hill, is the highest point in the city at an elevation of over 2,000 feet. The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) is located here. A temple of Vetal and a few other temples are also located on the hill. A short distance from ARAI and the temples is a large abandoned stone quarry that has formed a lake. The quarry is a paradise for nature lovers. Every morning and evening, people visit the hill for walking, jogging, photography, bird watching, yoga, meditation, exploring nature, and watching the city from one of its highest points. The hill is accessible from multiple areas, as there are walking trails from all sides. All the trails converge…