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Travel

The view from the Dirt Mulholland

L.A.’s Answer to the Yellow Brick Road

A group including the actor Jack Nicholson has tried to get Dirt Mulholland on the National Register of Historic Places

Saving the Whales (And Eating Them Too?)

What does whale meat taste like, and is it anything like jojoba oil, prosciutto or jellied crustaceans?

The Eagle headed across the harbor at Dane

Picnicking in the Polar Fog

In 1897, S. A. Andree took off for the pole on board his balloon, complete with a tuxedo he intended to wear upon his arrival in San Francisco

Pauline Symaniak, shown here before Volcan Lanin in Argentina, has been pedaling around the earth for 18 months. Much of New Zealand has failed to amaze her.

New Zealand: Too Orderly, Tidy and Tame?

After leaving her job and home to bike around the world, a cyclist finds New Zealand a little too comfortable

The 1507 Johann Ruysch map

The Allure of Nonexistent Places

Long-gone destinations have their own special appeal, don’t you think?

The Curious Case of a Gigantic Sham Clam

Geoducks are a staple of Chinese New Year. But did one grow to the size of a wheelbarrow?

Costa Concordia cruise ship runs aground

Cruise Ship Disaster Arouses Concerns, Memory

The Genoa-based Costa cruise line, owner of the stricken Concordia, has had troubles before

Andrew, bundled against the blazing sun, releases a big brown trout.

Catch and Release: A Wicked Game?

Fishing is an effective means of bringing people to the water’s edge o admire the ecosystem and consider the value in preserving it

“Penguin Interviews,” via Frederick Cook’s Through the first Antarctic night, 1896-1899.

A Different Kind of Dinner Bell in the Antarctic

How do you catch a penguin supper when you’re trapped in Antarctic ice? Play music

Andrew Bland casts for trout during a moment’s peace between passing power boats and jet skis on Lake Wanaka. Mount Aspiring stands in the background, untroubled by the commotion.

Hunting Trout in Haunting Waters

Andrew was sullen, silent and soaked to the skin after spending eight hours in the rain standing in a river waving a stick

Note the shocking price of this basket of fruit at a roadside stand in New Zealand

New Zealand and Other Travel Locales That Will Break the Bank

New Zealand is worth visiting, but I’m not sure how long I can keep traveling here while claiming to be “on the cheap”

Brushtailed possums, shown here in their native Australia, are among the most destructive pests in New Zealand.

Waging War on Mammals in New Zealand

The family spent days in a cabin eating food, provided by the New Zealand Department of Conservation, which requested to stomp on kiwi-killing vermin

Andrew Bland, brother of the author, shivers and shakes after a frigid abalone, or paua, dive in Akaroa Harbour.

Into New Zealand’s Strange Waters and Prehistoric Forests

The absence of native mammals, aside from bats and pinnipeds, gives the impression that New Zealand is still in the age of dinosaurs

Churros can be both delicious and dangerous.

Law and Order: Four Food Crimes

After stealing $1,500 worth of cooking oil from a Burger King, two men were apprehended siphoning off oil from a Golden Corral

Milford Sound, in Fiordland National Park, offers some of New Zealand's most thrilling scenery.

Journey to the Bottom of the Earth – Almost

Anyone would be a fool to visit the South Island and not see the cliffs and marine scenery of Milford Sound

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon in The Trip

Goofing Around in England’s Lake District

Now out on DVD, The Trip, with comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, takes the road movie into the storied English countryside

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Going Places

Whether as a tourist, an outcast or a pilgrim, traveling is discovering

The mountain lion is one of the most common large cats but also one of the hardest to see.

Best Bets to See a Big Predator

Get your grizzlies, polar bears, big cats, wolves and crocs here

Climbers are now using Twitter from the slopes and summit of Mount Everest. Does that seem wrong?

Climbing Mount Everest in the Internet Age

Are people playing games while climbing the world’s tallest mountain? That’s hard to say, but they’re definitely texting

A "pooping log"

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Pooping Log, and Other World Christmas Traditions

Santa can’t do it all. Many places have their own traditions about who—or what—is responsible for bringing Christmas candies and toys

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