WHS new “Tentative List”: Places to Love–Petrified Forest National Park

by Jamie Rhein on

For the Gadling series “World Heritage Site new “Tentative List”: Places to Love” we are covering the 14 sites that have been submitted for possible inclusion as an official World Heritage Site in the United States. The sites will not be posted in order of importance or in the order they appear on the list.

Number 13

Name of Site: Petrified Forest National Park

Location: In Arizona almost halfway between Albuquerque, New Mexico (204 miles) and Phoenix, Arizona (259 miles)

Reason for importance in a nutshell: 10,000 years of human history + deposits of petrified wood that date to the Late Triassic paleo-ecosystem (205-225 million years ago) + dinosaur fossils and more + “one of the most diverse collections of prehistoric pottery fragments in the Southwest.”

Jamie’s Take: I’ve been here at least three times and can vouch that the beauty of the Petrified Forest is not just the petrified wood or the fossils. The Painted Desert is part of the Petrified Forest National Park. Here, the landscape is the kind you could look at every day for a year and never get bored. Depending on the angle of the sun, colors change from burnt orange to purpley blue. The mix of human existance with the natural world is the calling card, but this a physically facinating part of the United States. For anyone who grew up living around forests and grass covered scenery, here’s a place to see what all those layers of earth look like.

While you’re visiting, check out the Painted Desert Inn which is a National Historic Landmark. The dining room and lunchroom are decorated with murals depicting Hopi culture. Also in the park is a section of original Route 66 highway. Another worthwhile stop is the Rainbow Forest Museum. Interpretive displays and a film explain the significance of the area. If you can’t make it any time soon, here’s a virtual tour.

San Francisco’s Chinatown

by Jamie Rhein on

Willy’s photo from San Francisco’s Chinatown, enticed me to head to Chinatown’s Web site. It’s Chinese New Year after all and I’m feeling nostalgic for things Chinese. The attractions page of the Web site has photos of the various historic buildings of significance. One, Sing Chong Building was one of the first ones built after the California earthquake of 1908 1906.

Another link leads to street signs and another to descriptions of Chinatown’s various alleys. Ross Alley, the oldest in San Francisco used to be where to go to find prostitutes and try your luck at gambling. Now you can tour the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory and see murals of every day life in Chinatown.

The thing I like about this Web site is that it presents an overview of Chinatown’s history and cultural significance in a way that seems as if when you go there, you’ll know what your are looking at. The events page lists a healthy dose of things to do through March. In case you’re thinking that the best of Chinese New Year passed this last weekend, think again. The Chinese New Year Parade is February 23. The Chinese Culture Spring Fair also happens on the same day and the day after. There’s also a Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt and a Chinese New Year Cruise. How great to have a holiday that lasts for days.

Spring roll strike in Israel

by Catherine Bodry on

If you were in Jerusalem yesterday and had a hankerin’ for some spring rolls, you may have found yourself searching to no avail. Workers went on a one-day spring roll strike to protest the Israeli government’s plans to purge the Jewish state of foreign chefs at Asian eateries. Although patrons didn’t have to cross a picket line to enjoy some chow mein or pad thai, all of Israel’s 300 Asian restaurants supported a one-day boycott of egg and spring rolls.

Reuters points out that “Israel attracts virtually no immigrants from Asia since anyone seeking citizenship here must prove they have Jewish family or links to the country.” Israeli officials aren’t concerned about the quality of their Asian food after a cleansing of non-Israeli chefs, claiming anyone can be trained: “Everyone can make Chinese food it’s not impossible to learn,” said Shoshana Strauss.

A sushi and noodle strike is planned for two weeks from now.

Photo of the Day (2-13-08)

by Jamie Rhein on

Since this is still Chinese New Year and I love photos of things in rows, perhaps because my life doesn’t fit in rows, here’s a shot taken by Willy Volk, one of Gadling’s own. Willy took this shot in San Francisco’s Chinatown. As I’m drinking my cold coffee, thinking that I ought to zap it in the microwave, I’m remembering why lids on cups is a good idea–plus aren’t these designs lovely? Sipping hot green tea out of a cup shaped like this so that one’s hand curves around it just so is one of life’s pleasures. Thanks for the memory, Willy.

If you have photos that are memory reminders, share them with us at Gadling’s Flickr pool.

Traveling together for Valentine’s Day? Here’s how NOT to hate each other at the end of the trip

by Catherine Bodry on

There are travel partners — friends with whom you travel — and then there’s travel partners — your real-life partner that you travel with. I’m lucky enough to have both. Jen is my great friend from high school and perhaps the best travel partner I will ever have. We spent nearly 10 months together on a round-the-world trip, drove up the Alaska highway together, and met up in Laos on another trip. My husband is my lifelong partner and while I love traveling with him, the going is not always as smooth as it is with Jen. Why is that?

Traveling with Jen is almost like traveling alone — if one of us wants to stay in a place longer, the other might go on. When we were in Ho Chi Minh City, I really wanted to see the war museum. She was ready to head to Cambodia, so she booked a three-day journey up the Mekong to Phnom Penh. I stayed in Vietnam a day longer, then took a similar 3-day trip. When I got off the bus in Phnom Penh I checked my email to find a message from her saying where she was staying. I took a motorbike there, and we were reunited until the next time it was time to part. Perfect!
With my husband it’s a bit different. On one of our first trips together I tried to convince him to stay in a place a day longer than me, since he really liked it and wasn’t ready to leave. I had made plans to visit a friend and didn’t feel I could break or change them. He didn’t like the idea of splitting up, arguing that “it’s just weird.” And maybe it is. So here are some strategies we’ve crafted for harmonious partner travel:

  • Be really clear about what you want to see. You might be heading to Amsterdam together with one person who assumes they’ll spend the whole trip in art galleries and tulip fields while the other person anticipates tours of coffee shops and sex shows. Make sure you know each others’ goals.
  • Be flexible. If you drag your partner from museum to museum, maybe skip a less important one in the interest of kindness.
  • Spend some time apart. This doesn’t mean disappearing for a few days; instead, try spending an afternoon solo. That way nobody has to do anything they don’t want to — and sometimes it’s just nice to have time to think only about yourself.
  • Acknowledge your partner’s willingness to go along with you. Say thank you, and return the favor.