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Travel Cultures Language

American Cultural Heritage: Public Libraries

by Meredith Mullins on January 25, 2016

One-room green library in Allensworth, CA, one of the public libraries showing America's cultural heritage. (Image © Robert Dawson.)

Library built by ex-slaves, Allensworth, California
© Robert Dawson

The Art of Getting on the Same Page

Shhh. No talking. Let the books and walls and shelves speak for themselves. If you’re quiet, you can hear the sound of knowledge. The call to adventure. The whisper of imagination.

It all happens at public libraries—a part of American cultural heritage that has opened so many doors, providing free access to information and the freedom to learn.

Coffee Culture: Slow Down and Focus

by Joyce McGreevy on January 18, 2016

Cameras on display at the Camera Museum, part of London's coffee culture and a place to slow down and see things differently. (Image © Camera Museum)

Café, what café? Let’s see what develops.
© Camera Museum

To See the World, See Things Differently

There was only one logical conclusion: the café had been stolen by elves.

Sightseeing can mean seeing things differently–only now I couldn’t see the site at all. In search of a rumored gem of café culture, I paced the short stretch of London footpath.  On that bitter cold morning in Bloomsbury, outdoor tables and chairs were sensibly tucked away. So I checked the street address again and again. But where the café was supposed to be, I saw only a shop front, its window chockablock with camera gear.

The Corn Tortilla: A Mexican Superhero

by Eva Boynton on January 11, 2016

A mural of a maize plant used to make corn tortillas illustrates the connection of corn to Mexico's cultural heritage and traditions. (Image © Eva Boynton)

A kernel of corn at the heart of a Mexican corn plant; the corn plant at the heart
of the corn tortilla; the corn tortilla at the heart of Mexican culture
photo © Eva Boynton

The Delicious Taste of Cultural Heritage

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m a corn tortilla addict. At first I was skeptical.

My travel companions from Mexico would let loose disappointed sighs when a beautiful meal lacked their favorite flying saucers made of corn. I would think to myself, “What’s the hubbub over tortillas?” After my first weeks in Mexico, though, I was hooked.

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