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Date of Infamy: Touring Pearl Harbor

by Shannon on September 16, 2013 in Hawaii, Travel, United States

We nearly missed the boat.

So wrapped up were we in booking the big stuff for our six-week trip to Hawaii and Alaska—flights, hotels, and car rentals—that we overlooked a few details. Like the fact that we would be visiting Pearl Harbor during a highly-trafficked holiday weekend.

There is an excellent, comprehensive museum, as well as other exhibits and even a submarine, but visiting Pearl Harbor’s main site, the USS Arizona Memorial, means catching a ride out into the harbor. When we looked into the logistics after landing in Honolulu, all of the free, timed tickets for the shuttle boat were booked the entire time we were in town.

Artful Honolulu Highlights

by Shannon on September 13, 2013 in Hawaii, Travel, United States

A labor of Hercules, mid-2nd century A.D. sarcophagus relief

At the Denver Art Museum, it was a vibrant Hayagriva sand medallion crafted by Tibetan monks. At the Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts, it was the artist’s quietly dramatic Civil Rights-era painting “The Problems We All Share.”

The beauty of art museums is that no two are exactly alike; and yet a consistency is that at each one we visit, there is usually a piece or two that really stands out—for its beauty or unusualness, or because it’s an unexpected find or it inspires nostalgia.

What surprised us most about the Honolulu Museum of Art‘s 50,000-item collection is how many struck our fancy. Here are just a few of our favorites.

Curious, Cautious, Cute as Can Be

by Shannon on August 14, 2013 in Photo of the Day, Travel, United States, Washington

At the Pike Place Fish Market on Seattle’s waterfront, we encountered this adorable kid. When he saw Brian was going to take a photo of a monk fish impaled on the front of a display, he politely stopped to wait. After he was motioned to continue, the brave little guy—timid yet determined—moved in for a close encounter with the fierce-looking sea creature.

Seattle Scenes

by Shannon on August 12, 2013 in Travel, United States, Washington

There are as many ways to explore a city as there are visitors to it. Every time we roll into a new town, we’re confronted with a blank slate of sightseeing possibilities. Art museums are always high on the list, while natural history museums almost never are. Walking tours sometimes make the cut, while state capitols always do. Famous landmarks are contenders and so is the offbeat.

Factors other than personal preference come into play, too, like time, mood, and money. Full-time travel means we have to keep a closer eye on our wallet than we used to do on week-long trips, which can quickly whittle down a list of options (sorry, Space Needle).

Each itinerary is a unique blueprint of how we spent our time in a particular place. Here is some of what we saw in Seattle, a city that charmed us with its blend of sophistication and quirkiness.

For the Love of Lemurs

by Shannon on August 2, 2013 in North Carolina, Travel, United States

What the heck’s a lemur and, more importantly, what the hell is on that guy’s head?

We’re glad you asked. In fact, it’s the entire point.

Environmental scientist Ivan Steward hopes his unique cycling outfit (which actually isn’t much more outrageous than the neon-Lycra ones we typically see cyclists wearing) will inspire those questions, and some donations too.

Earlier this year Steward quit his day job to bike 1,500 miles around New Zealand’s south island—in lemur costume. The Auckland resident, who has been on the road for more than a month, dresses in an outfit resembling the white lemur he’s aiding with his journey, which is intended to raise awareness about the critically endangered silky sifaka whose population is estimated at only 250 members. Proceeds raised from Steward’s trip are being donated to Simpona, a nonprofit organization devoted to researching and protecting silky sifakas and their habitat.