Guadalajara is probably my favorite city in Mexico, with its unique combination of a cosmopolitan city and a historic center.  It is the capital city of Jalisco, and is the second largest city in the country (Mexico City is the largest).  It’s considered the equivalent of our Silicon Valley, with a strong electronics and high tech industries.
Contrast that very modern business core with one of the oldest and most beautiful structures in the city – the Guadalajara Cathedral, a minor basilica that is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Guadalajara.  Located in the downtown Centro Histórico (Avenue16 de …read more

When I went to the Adventure Travel Expo last year, I had the great joy of meeting a real adventurer – Harry Rutstein.
Harry is a fellow Seattle resident, and a recognized expert on the life of one of the world’s most famous adventurers – Marco Polo.  Harry gave me his recently published book, and I was finally had time to sink my teeth into it.
Over a period of about ten years, Harry became the first person to re-trace Marco Polo’s 13,000 mile Silk Road across Europe and Asia. 
In three expeditions (1971, 1981, and 1985), and using every imaginable type …read more

With the Presidential inauguration just a couple weeks away, it’s a good time to think about our former Presidents and the place they occupy in history.  Putting politics aside, that’s just what the National Park Service has done – put Presidential PLACES on display – with the new Discover Our Shared Heritage on-line travel itinerary site.
The American Presidents itinerary explores the lives, contributions and historical sites of all 43 presidents.  (President-elect Obama is not yet on the list.)  Among the sites listed are birthplaces, home and memorials.  There’s also a general presidential itinerary that includes the White House, Mount …read more

“Listen my children and you shall hear, of the midnight ride of Paul Revere. . . . “

In Boston’s North End you’ll find the small wooden home that Paul Revere left on April 18th, 1775 when he began the ride that made him a legend.  He lived here with his wife, five children, and mother, and sold the house around 1800.
The Paul Revere House still stands today at 19 North Square, and is downtown Boston’s oldest building.  The home was opened as a museum in 1908, one of the first historic house museums in the country.  Today it is …read more

Crime may not pay, but visitors will have to if they want entry into The Gangster Museum of America in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Hot Springs is known for it historic downtown area, and now with the addition of the recently opened Gangster Museum, it’s edgy history from the 1920-40’s is also showcased.  After all, back in “the day” Hot Springs was a popular vacation spot for many members of the mob, including Al Capone (in mug shot above) and Lucky Luciano.  It’s said that they came for the waters, the healing powers of the area’s hot mineral baths.
Inside the museum are …read more

With a rousing speech from the front porch of his home in Marion, Ohio, Warren Gamaliel Harding launched his campaign for the presidency of the United States.  Historians may argue that Harding, our 29th president, was one of the least effective Presidents, but he was certainly an interesting and colorful man, leading an administration filled with scandal and intrigue right up to his death.
The Harding Home, located at 3890 Mt Vernon Avenue in Marion, Ohio, has been restored to its original Victorian splendor, and now serves as a historial site dedicated to Harding’s life and Presidency.  Nearly all the …read more

The USS Potomac was a 165-foot Coast Guard cutter before it was commissioned by the US Navy in 1936.  The ship was used by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as his presidential yacht, and to this day it is affectionately referred to as the “floating White House.” 
FDR hated to fly, preferring to travel by ship or train, and the USS Potomac was outfitted to accommodate his mobility issues.  It could cruise along at speeds of 10-13 knots, and FDR would often hold informal strategy meetings aboard, enjoying the privacy and seclusion the yacht provided.  Visiting dignitaries were entertained on …read more