Whether it offers breathtaking natural features, a historic landmark, or simply a place for viewing other phenomena, a park can serve as an amazing magnet and catalyst for economic development. A destination park—usually state or national, and one that typically requires admission fees to enter—can yield such spinoff economic benefits that it invigorates the neighboring
I usually shy away from timely subjects because I want my articles to have staying power. And there’s no better way to do the opposite than to cover a subject “hot off the presses” with a clear, almost immediate expiration date. It generates great buzz for 48 hours…at most. Time-sensitive subjects evoke those “presses” far
Vacation and resort towns exist—and thrive—usually in response to a market demand to visit, to experience, and (to some extent at least) to linger in a specific location. Whether a beach, a mountain, a landmark, an insanely agreeable climate, or some other locus of beauty or distinction, the resort town owes its prosperity to its
As is the case in many US capital cities, the Arizona State Capitol complex doesn’t sit squarely in the heart of downtown; it’s about a mile west of the absolute center, where Central Avenue meets Washington Street. The City of Phoenix gets that coveted space for its government campus instead, amidst downtown skyscrapers. A mile
Even in some of the most remote and austere nooks of the nation, it’s possible to find overt demonstrations on hot-button global issues. And why not? All it takes is one person with a megaphone, a can of spray paint, or whatever the instrument of choice may be to impart an inflammatory message. Nonetheless, I
The North Dakota State Capitol is an exception among capitol buildings by not offering the standard references to neoclassicism: no columns, no dome, no spires. Like three other states, the primary capitol structure in Bismarck is a tower deploying many Art Deco elements emblematic of its date of construction (1932 to 1934), a time period
In an era when almost every interstate exit offers the requisite gas/food/lodging, what is the function of publicly financed rest areas? I ponder this subject not because I have any major beef with their existence. I still use rest areas fairly often and have featured more than a few in my blog. Though most operate
I try to avoid articles that are exclusively internationally driven, or even primarily international, as this one is. But it’s hard not to wonder why, after so many years of flying, the overwhelming majority of airports are such massive, closed-off vaults. Given that this is the final port of departure before passengers enter a hermetically
Over the years I have unintentionally amassed photos of quite a few of the states’ capitol buildings, including some of the more obscure, lightly populated ones in remote locations. Yes, I’ve been to Pierre, South Dakota; I’ve stood in front of the state house in Concord, New Hampshire (the humblest of buildings from my recollection).
In some respects, it’s a tale of two streets. But since it’s actually one y-axis on the grid that comprises downtown Columbia, South Carolina, it’s not so much two main streets as an age-old distinction between north and south: two sides of Main Street. The north side of Main protrudes from one direction of the
Whether it offers breathtaking natural features, a historic landmark, or simply a place for viewing other phenomena, a park can serve as an amazing magnet and catalyst for economic development. A destination park—usually
I usually shy away from timely subjects because I want my articles to have staying power. And there’s no better way to do the opposite than to cover a subject “hot off the
Vacation and resort towns exist—and thrive—usually in response to a market demand to visit, to experience, and (to some extent at least) to linger in a specific location. Whether a beach, a mountain,
As is the case in many US capital cities, the Arizona State Capitol complex doesn’t sit squarely in the heart of downtown; it’s about a mile west of the absolute center, where Central
Even in some of the most remote and austere nooks of the nation, it’s possible to find overt demonstrations on hot-button global issues. And why not? All it takes is one person with
The North Dakota State Capitol is an exception among capitol buildings by not offering the standard references to neoclassicism: no columns, no dome, no spires. Like three other states, the primary capitol structure
In an era when almost every interstate exit offers the requisite gas/food/lodging, what is the function of publicly financed rest areas? I ponder this subject not because I have any major beef with
I try to avoid articles that are exclusively internationally driven, or even primarily international, as this one is. But it’s hard not to wonder why, after so many years of flying, the overwhelming
Over the years I have unintentionally amassed photos of quite a few of the states’ capitol buildings, including some of the more obscure, lightly populated ones in remote locations. Yes, I’ve been to
In some respects, it’s a tale of two streets. But since it’s actually one y-axis on the grid that comprises downtown Columbia, South Carolina, it’s not so much two main streets as an