As fall turns to winter in the Northern Hemisphere, travelers have always looked to the Caribbean for a little warmth. But it wasn’t just exotic beaches that were advertised; the region’s exoticized black bodies have always been a part of its allure. I’ve got mixed feelings about some of these. What do you think? Please don’t […]
Vintage Travel Posters: The Caribbean Read More
“Hey you,” the vending lady barked at us. “You buy souvenir.” “No, no, thank you.” I said, as politely as I could, pressing my lips together in that unintentionally patronizing, very American way. She stalked off, muttering not quite under her breath. I didn’t understand the words, but I understood the meaning. We were being
In light of the 12th anniversary of the September 11th Attacks, continued political unrest in countries very close to my heart – Egypt and Venezuela and Brazil –, and innumerable natural and man-made disasters that have occurred in places that I’ve visited or desire to visit, I believe this post, written in response to the
The Faces of Tragedy Read More
In response to someone who told me I hadn’t been to the real China because I didn’t visit a hutong: People like to say that Hong Kong, Shanghai, and even Beijing these days don’t represent the real China, with their modern skyscrapers, ubiquitous Starbuckses, and global influence. The real China is rice paddies and opium
In Search of the Real Read More
Sometimes a city, a state, a country just moves you to sing a song in its honor. And some songs – and singers – are better than others. These soulfully chill paeans to places near and far help transport you when you can’t get there quick enough. Enjoy. Chaka Khan – “A Night in Tunisia” Fania All Stars –
Global Juke Joint: Soulful Shout-Outs Read More
There’s not very much one can do on a weekend in Rome if one doesn’t have one’s itinerary planned before one steps off the plane. I was one who hadn’t planned my itinerary in advance, so I missed out on a few of the Eternal City’s eternal attractions: the Papal capital of Vatican City, the
A Very Brief Roman Holiday Read More
Brothers and sisters, if you don’t have one already, you need to get yourself a passport. If you do have one, it’s time to use it. As a 35-year-old black man living in Florida, I can honestly say that now, more than ever in my lifetime, I am mortally afraid of inadvertently pissing off some
My Fellow Black Americans: It’s Time to Get – and Use – That Passport Read More
This rambles, but…that’s the way love goes. It may be gauche for an American to compare a distinctly non-American city to an American one, but indulge me for a moment, please. Imagine, if you will, New York in summer – without the iconic but overbearing skyscrapers or the ubiquitous scent of urine in the subways,
Rifling through dusty and forgotten things back at the homestead in Jacksonville, I ran across my old CD collection. With over 400 discs, you could say that I was something of a music junkie, but music had been my way of traveling by proxy for years. One of the flyest standouts in my collection is
Global Juke Joint: Jazzanova Read More
Forty-three years ago today, my parents got married. As high school teachers, they had to wait until summer break before jetting off for the honeymoon, and some kind of way, they heard that it was better in the Bahamas. Well, that’s debatable, but my parents seemed to have enjoyed it (I’m not 43, by the
Vintage Travel Posters: Fly Folks’ 43rd Anniversary Edition Read More
