Author (#197)April 2008 Archives

GrrlScientist is a brainy blog I like, and the author, an evolutionary biologist and ornithologist, has recently completed a photo series of all the tile mosaics on walls of the New York City subway station at 81st Street and Central Park West, which is right outside the American Museum of Natural History. She's identified most of the colorful creatures by their scientific as well as common names.

There's a monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), spreading its wings, and in a former life, its jaunty striped caterpillar self looping along near the floor. There's brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli), with long feathers and slender beak poised on one wall, and a red and yellow African reed frog (Hyperolius marmoratus), glommed onto another. Near the ceiling under a fluorescent light, an unidentified shark patrols a coral reef. A whiptail lizard (or is it a hatchling Knight anole?) curls its tail around the street number 81 on one wall. An octopus's garden appears on another wall, which GrrlScientist photographed for her cephalopod-loving friend's 92nd birthday. She took many of these images, by the way, while she was recuperating from a broken arm. Her entire archive of 81st St. subway art images is here.  Her favorite is this moody blue coelacanth.

Climb to the top of an ancient fort in Rajasthan. Snorkel with sea lions in the Galapagos. Spend the night with a family who lives next to the Great Wall of China. Ride a zip line through the rain forest in Costa Rica. Sail to fishing villages in Mali. Learn to drum in Belize. Trek to bubbling mud pots in Iceland. Hone your photography skills with a National Geographic photographer in Granada. 

Sound tempting?  If you’re in high school (that's the catch), one of these adventures could be yours. National Geographic Expeditions, which is the travel outfitter for the National Geographic Society, has a long history of leading adventurous travelers to some of the world’s most fascinating destinations, and just this year they’ve teamed up with Putney Student Travel to offer trips for high-school students through National Geographic Student Expeditions. Only students completing grades 9 through 12 this year are eligible, and spaces are filling fast, due to a recent front-page article in the Washington Post travel section.

Each three-week expedition will have specific assignments (writing, photography, culture & arts, etc.) under the guidance of a National Geo expert, and takes advantage of our worldwide network of experts. "In Peru, for example, visit the lab of National Geographic grantee and archaeologist Guillermo Cock and hear an account of his ground-breaking discovery of thousands of Inca mummies. Get to know a Maasai elder in Tanzania, and climb a glacier with a local scientist in Iceland. In Beijing, meet with editors of the recently launched Chinese-language edition of National Geographic magazine.

NatGeo Traveler researchers are always looking for weekend fun that's authentic and free (see our Free Cities! library), so when senior researcher Meg Weaver spotted this notice about the University of Maryland's annual Maryland Day (Saturday, April 26, from 10 to 4), she emailed it instantly to the rest of us. Kristen Gunderson, a loyal U. Maryland grad, responded with enthusiasm and regret: she's heading off to New York on the Chinatown bus, but she left us some tips for enjoying this festival:

MARYLAND DAY IS SO MUCH FUN! I am so sad I will be missing it this year...if I had remembered, I would have stuck around here this weekend.

Some highlights:
Ice cream from the UMD dairy - UMD is famous for this stuff. It's delicious. There are also rumors that the ice cream is so fatty that it doesn't meet USDA standards and that's why it's only produced on campus and not sold anywhere else. And why it's so gosh darn tasty.

Also, the Maryland cows have windows in them. Yes, that's right. The Ag students cut holes in the sides of some of the cows and installed little portals so that you can actually watch the process of digestion in action in their stomachs. And, on Maryland Day, they open the portals and you can actually stick your hand inside (with a glove, of course). I have never done it. But it's one of our famous attractions.

And there's all sorts of free buttons, stickers, maps, etc. and tons of fun games, music and events. Plus, the campus is gorgeous, especially at this time of year. Get some lunch and eat it on the mall or by the chapel.

From the College Park Metro station there is a free UMD shuttle that will take you right to the heart of campus (the Stamp Student Union). At the Union, don't miss the memorial statue of Jim Henson talking to Kermit the Frog - UMD was his alma mater, where he created his own major: Puppetry. Also downstairs in the Union is the Co-op, which sells delicious free-trade, organic/vegan, sustainably-produced foods. Anyone can volunteer here for food credit. I practically lived here my last year on campus.

So yes, definitely go if you can. :) Eat some ice cream for me.

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Washington, D.C., is a great town for walking, although tourists making the long trudge between the Jefferson Memorial and the Capitol on a broiling summer day might disagree. If you're in D.C. this weekend, though, you can take advantage of our brief, glorious spring and visit some fascinating neighborhoods beyond the Mall. On Saturday April 26, and Sunday, April 27, Cultural Tourism DC is hosting its annual WalkingTownDC weekend, offering free walking tours of 18 different neighborhoods, with 80 free guided walks, and guided bike rides too, led by experts who know these neighborhoods inside out.

For most tours, all you need to do is show up at the right time at the designated starting point, but for some you need a reservation. Check the detailed schedule and pick the walk you want. In Northeast D.C., walk the history of Brookland, a one-time trolley suburb. In Northwest, find the 19th-c. village vestiges of Old Mount Pleasant, now a vibrant multi-ethnic melange. Stroll Logan Circle, "the city’s only unaltered Victorian residential district." Explore the alleys of D.C. with Richard Layman of Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space blog.

The very popular DC Green Buildings EcoTour on Saturday is already full, but if you register you'll be on the waiting list for the next one (they run roughly five times a year). This is a bike tour that visits ten local LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certified green buildings. Led by Scott Pomeroy, the environmental programs manager for Downtown DC BID, the tour begins and ends at our own National Geographic Society headquarters (our campus was the first to gain LEED certification in the city). Reservations required; go to www.WholenessforHumanity.com or call 202-686-9813 to get on the waiting list. This bike tour meets and ends at National Geographic's blooming courtyard (check out the Trash People display), and includes a free eco-friendly lunch. Need we say more?

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Friend of IT Kara Marston works at ngm.com and sent us this post about Armenia, where she volunteered for a media company last year promoting the movie "A Story of People in War and Peace."

Looking for a new exciting adventure? Many people can’t even find Armenia on a map, making it all the more appealing for the adventurous traveler. After spending three months living in this gorgeous country, I can offer some of the best places to explore:

1. Yerevan: The capital of Armenia is by far the most modernized part of Armenia. In the summer, outdoor cafés and restaurants are open late—filled with live music, dancing, and of course, delicious food. I highly recommend Parvana, a wonderful restaurant on the Hrazdan River.

With Yerevan as your base, you can easily visit Echmiadzin, the Holy See of the Armenian Apostolic Church, as well as the Hellenistic temple of Garni, and Geghard, an extraordinary monastery that is partly carved out of a canyon. Be sure not to miss the Genocide Museum and the Erebuni Fortess, which dates from the 8th century B.C.

Wondering where to stay? My favorite hotel was Congress Hotel, but hostels and other lodging options are available.

2. Dilijan: One of the most beautiful places in Armenia, this town is surrounded by a nature reserve. Dilijan, often compared to Switzerland, is a nature lover’s dream, known for its scenic views and extensive wildlife. Dilijan is one Armenia’s many regions that offers horseback riding, hiking, biking, and more.

I finally got a chance to eat brunch in an antiques shop. My daughter Lucy, who's an engineering student at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, had been trying to arrange it, but each time I visited I had to leave before this once-a-week event occurred. The antiques shop is called The Zenith, and it's located at 86 S. 26th Street, on the eclectic, artsy South Side of Pittsburgh. It's right along the Monongahela River, just across the wonderfully named Hot Metal Bridge (a former railroad bridge that reopened in the fall for bike and pedestrian traffic only).

Every Sunday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Zenith serves an extremely popular vegetarian brunch for $10, which includes an entrée, a huge array of homemade salads, delectable all-you-can-eat desserts, plus coffee or your choice of 75 different kinds of tea served in wacky teapots. The teapots, as well as the glassware, plates, silverware, tablecloths, lamps, artwork on the walls, and even your chair are all for sale. Zenith specializes in 20th century collectibles and vintage clothing, and they have chairs and baby carriages hanging from the ceiling as well. We lucked out with the big table near the window that we snagged without a wait (very unusual), despite having a large group. The food was so good I didn't realize until later that it was vegan, and I'm happy to report the dish did not run away with the spoon, at least not while we were eating.

Photo: Lucy Terrell

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It's about the last place you'd expect to find a greasy spoon. After you enter the swanky, hushed lobby of the $400/night Le Parker Meridien hotel on West 56th St., immediately turn left and push aside the set of heavy floor-to-ceiling brown drapes. Then walk down a narrow hallway and follow this neon cheeseburger sign (left) to the end and turn right. Suddenly you're down the rabbit hole into the noisy, throbbing Burger Joint. Customers shout orders at the counter, cooks flip burgers behind the flaming grill, the jukebox is blaring, graffiti is scrawled on the walls above the few vinyl booths, and a fat, juicy burger comes broiled to order for seven bucks, with a side of hot fries in a greasy paper bag for $3.50. The menu is minimal: your choice of hamburger or cheeseburger, with lettuce, tomato, onion, sliced pickles, mustard, ketchup and mayo. That's it. They've got Coke, Sam Adams on tap and thick milkshakes, with brownies for dessert. If you don't like a long wait, get there right at noon or after the lunch rush around 2:30 pm.  Cash only, and hurry up and order because there's a line of impatient New Yorkers behind you who know exactly what they want.

Burger Joint, Le Parker Meridien hotel, W. 56th St. entrance between 6th and 7th Aves.  Open for lunch everyday and 'til midnight Fri. and Sat. Don't forget: CASH ONLY.

Photo: www.burgerclub.org via Flickr

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Beau and Pearl, waiting for the train at Newark Airport

My daughter Emma hates to travel without her French bulldogs, Pearl and Beau, so I asked her where she got these doggie travel bags:

The bags are by Sherpa and were the first soft-sided travel bags to be approved by the airlines for in-cabin travel.  They are named after the founder's beloved Lhasa apso, Sherpa.  They are the best of the travel bags, lightweight and sturdy.  Some even have privacy panels that roll down over the mesh sides to give your dog a safe, dark place to relax (or hide your pooch from prying eyes).  Pearl and Beau each travel in a size Large.  I got these both off Craigslist for half the retail (which is $100).  This photo was taken on the platform of the train station at Newark Airport. Unlike Amtrak, NJ Transit allows small dogs but requires that they be restrained in bags or kennels.

The best part is that Sherpa did a lot of early liasing with airlines to get travel bags pre-approved to avoid the nightmare of showing up at the gate and not knowing if they'd make you check your pet or not. Also good to know: Sherpa designs a special carrier just for JetBlue, which sells the pre-approved travel bags for dogs, though their size is slightly smaller than the standard Sherpas.

Sherpa's website says "The Sherpa Bag is now the officially approved soft-sided carrier for in-cabin use on the following airlines: Air Canada, Alaska, American, America West, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United and US Airways." Sounds like these dogs won't have to worry about a ruff flight.

Photo: Emma Terrell

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