New York City Walk

by Erik Olsen on

Easily one of my favorite things to do in New York City is to walk. I’ve spent entire weekends just letting my legs
carry me around town, turning on this street or that according to absurd, random whims like whether the light is green or if the word I’m thinking of has an “R” or “L” in it (for Right or Left, obviously).

But Caleb Smith has taken the notion of walking Manhattan to an amazing extreme. He claims to have walked every single street on the island of Manhattan. That is a LOT of walking. One would have to make walking a full-time job almost to accomplish this. Of course, he got a lot of press for doing it, and like any modern day adventurer, even an urban one, he has a Web site.

The site maps out Smith’s effort and even provides a few pages about his favorite streets ,which I found particularly nice. In fact, I’d recommend anyone coming to the city who wants to do something more than just see a show on Broadway to check out his suggestions.

Photo of the Day (12/25/06)

by Iva Skoch on

Here is one to Romania! It’s hard to believe they will be a part of the EU in no time…

I have never been but the mountains (Piatra Craiului) are supposed to be great. A few of my friends have gone there to hike and ski and loved it. Here is a photo of the countryside from Marek Wagner for the Czech travel mag Koktejl.

Romania and Bulgaria are the new hot places to travel in Europe. Adventure travelers fear that the EU membership will make them lose their edge. Real estate agents are buying property there like crazy because it’s still cheap but they know when those budget airlines start offloading (first students, bachelor party types, then families from Western Europe) by the thousands, it is officially over.

Hiking Program

by Erik Olsen on

A hiker’s heads-up. The Millennium Trails program is a national program that celebrates the past and imagines the future of American trails. According to the site, the project is supposed to build, enhance or recognize (hey you! yeah you, you’re a trail, aren’t you? I thought so.) approximately 200 trails. From the Mississippi River Trail to the Freedom Trail (you know, through Boston) the project is now underway. So if you’re interested in what the project is doing, or are just eager to read some scintillating bureaucratic prose, go to the government site. If you want a site with a better interface that describes the trails and the project, go to Altrec’s site.

Photo of the Day (12/18/06)

by Iva Skoch on

This is a recent photo of a resort area called Nathiagali, in northern Pakistan. The picture reveals the reality: lush evergreen forests, high mountains (8200 ft, where this photo was taken). While the photo may not be like some of the super artsy items we’ve thrown on these pages, I got this from a friend who is an embassy worker in Pakistan. The photo is here because it’s a glimpse of a world that we hear a lot about (mostly bad, unfortunately), but about which we, as Westerners, know almost nothing. (To plan your trip, start here. For more photos, try here.) Thanks, Suzi!

All Roads Lead to Rome

by Iva Skoch on

Czech couple from northeast of Prague, near Mlada Boleslav (home of the famed Skoda auto), decided they’d go for a walk…to Rome. The couple just reached their destination, completing the 1500 km (932 mile) trip entirely on foot.

The couple, the Koziskas, have three adult children, and the husband, an avid travel book reader, got the idea reading the story of a similar trek by Moravian priests last decade. Mrs. Koziskova, who works at the Skoda plant, suffers from back pain and wasn’t quite sure she’d make it. Further, they were forced to sleep outside a few times along the way, coming in close contact with some foraging wild boar and even a curious badger.

However, now she says, she “can’t imagine spending [their] next holiday lazing around.” Nothing like good travel writing to inspire a trip!