Travel

I frame this story about my three-week getaway to Europe last summer by asking what it means for Americans to venture across the pond at this juncture in our history. How do we navigate foreign cultures during a moment when our own national obsessions, with everything from rape biology scandals to “Honey Boo Boo’s” Southern familial dysfunction, are more insular than ever? How can Americans abroad serve as global ambassadors when our own national discourse is emblematized by a Hollywood cowboy ranting at an empty chair while apostrophizing the President? 

Cape Town is in essence a “tale of two cities”:  the affluent and touristic areas --  prime real estate where a parking spot can go for a few hundred thousand dollars, million-dollar homes along the cape, and a booming tourism industry that demands the best.  Then there are the poor shantytowns and memories of apartheid.  Poverty is still rampant here. The wounds of apartheid have healed, but the scars can still be found.   

Oheka Castle is the largest private renovation and the second-largest private residence in the United States, located in Huntington Long Island. It is known as the Otto Kahn Estate because it was originally built by the financier Otto Kahn in the early 1900s. It is a haven for celebrities and socialites. The castle is also host to Nassau County Independent Party Chairman Rick Bellando as well. Karin Murphy Caro, founder of Blu Chip Marketing and Alysia Stern interviewed Bellando for Highbrow Magazine at a brief lunch at Oheka.

In recent years, and much media ballyhoo, Dubai has emerged onto the world stage as a top destination for travel, attracting people from all over the world.  Dubai has embraced this reputation, establishing itself as a hotspot for shopping, partying, beaches, sports, fine dining and luxury.  This is Dubai’s focus;  it screams, we are the London, Tokyo, and New York of the Middle East. 

The boardwalk was the empire where seaside recreation began. Today, Atlantic City retains one the world's great nostalgic walkways and a treasure trove of other activities worth mentioning. Recent improvements in infrastructure, public safety, and a business-friendly local government have transformed the old monopoly board-game into a world-class destination dubbed "America's Playground."

Basking in a wealth of sunshine and cultural treasures, Spain’s southern Andalusia region is a diamond mine of visuals and experiences for travelers and residents alike. From the area’s colorful regional capital, Seville (Sevilla), to the more diminutive, yet no-less historic cities of Córdoba and Granada, visitors can absorb a rich history that braids together both Arabic and Roman influences with the vestiges of one of the greatest kingdoms that world has ever seen – the Spanish Empire.

Akin to Barcelona’s majesty, standing yet unfinished, just a short distance from Placa de Catalunya (the central-most point in Barcelona) is Antoni Gaudi’s masterpiece, Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia, or Expiatory Temple of the Sacred Family. With an estimated completion date of 2026 and 130 years into construction, La Sagrada Familia, as it is more commonly known, continues to evoke a unique mix of controversy, curiosity and awe in all who lay eyes upon its lofty spires. 

The recent death of an elderly Chinese pedestrian after being hit by a cyclist has intensified a long-running debate in San Francisco about street safety and the unruliness of cyclists. Or cars. Or pedestrians. The fingers are pointing in all directions, and there’s little love lost on any one side.