Members’ Selections

Ed Boitano – T-Boy editor:

• Space Needle — Seattle:  I would be amiss not to place this space age tower that has come to define my hometown at the top of my list. As a first-grader, each day at recess I would rush out to my elementary school playground and watch this architectural wonder’s construction, marveling at its new growth and futuristic space age splendor. Little did I know that in 1962 we were at the cusp of new era with the assassination of JFK and the arrival of the Beatles. And with the completion of the Space Needle for the 1962 Century 21 Exposition — Seattle World’s Fair, my little maritime town, seemingly hidden in the northwest corner of America, became a world-class city for the rest of the planet to see.
• Duomo di Milano — Italy: The stunning Gothic cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete, and today is the largest church in Italy; a technicality with the larger St. Peter’s Basilica in the State of Vatican City. Occupying an entire city block, the cathedral’s façade of pink-veined white Candoglia marble is adorned with 3,400 statues, 135 gargoyles and 700 figures, and a gold-colored statue of the Madonnina, standing on the terrace’s highest spire.
• Roman Colosseum — Italy: The forerunner of the modern sports stadium, the Roman Colosseum (Anfiteatro Flavio) was the largest amphitheatre the world had ever seen. Constructed in AD 80 with travertine limestone, volcanic rock and brick-faced concrete, it was an engineering marvel with an enormous retractable awning to protect 50,000 to 80,000 spectators from the beating Roman sun. Programs included gladiatorial contests, mock sea battles on water, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology.
• Newgrange — Ireland: This megalithic mound was built by Neolithic farmers approximately 5000 years ago. Considered a place of astronomical and religious significance, at the dawn of winter solstice — December 19th to 23rd — the passage and chamber are illuminated by 17 minutes of light.
• Chicago Architecture River Cruise — The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 burnt down 3.3 square miles of the city, destroying 17,500 buildings. The rebuilding began almost immediately with architects pouring into the city, anxious to try out new architectural styles. You can see the results on a Chicago River cruise where 40 notable buildings are on display.

Richard Carroll – T-Boy writer:

• Tikal in Guatemala, dating to 200 A.D.
• Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico, 600 A.D. The Maya sites in Mexico and Guatemala are stunning as old as the Egyptian Pyramids, but a huge step above, as they were cities, and much more thoughtful and intriguing than the pyramids.
• La Cite du Vin Bordeaux: Rising 55 meters into the Bordeaux sky, the creative and unusual architecture appearing like a huge ship’s hull or with a little imagination a wine barrel. The wine complex/museum is ranked number one in the world focusing on cutting edge technology, with incredible videos, like something Disney would create.
• Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, the forefront of architectural design, construction began in 537 A.D. and with enough history to fill a library. A breathtaking experience to visit Hagia Sophia.
• Eiffel Tower in Paris

Here in the U.S.:

• Statue of Liberty
• Empire State Building
• Golden Gate Bridge

Stephen Brewer – T-Boy writer:

• Fallingwater – Pennsylvania
• Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba – Spain
• Acropolis – Athens, Greece
• Empire State Building – NYC
• Mont–Saint–Michel – Normandy, France

Susan Breslow – T-Boy writer:

• Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach
• Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria
• Sydney Opera House
• Dancing House, Prague
• La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
• Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles
• Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City
• St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow
• Chrysler Building, NYC
• Taliesen West, Arizona

Jim Gordon – Co-host & co-producer Travel Guys TV:

• 300 ft tall Buddha statue in Leshan, China (filmed there in 2008, just breathtaking)
• Glasgow Cathedral in Scotland (filmed there in 2019, walking through a century of history, snuck a camera in, could’ve stayed for a day)
• Sydney Opera House in Australia (filmed there in 2005 & 2011, stood in awe of the design)
• Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (filmed there in 2009, I’ve seen many similar building designs, but this one with the city’s park beside it, the lights, stunning)
• Old Trafford, Manchester, England (filmed there in 2008, not my team, hate them, but to stand and film in that empty stadium, sporting cathedral really, left me breathless as a British football fan)

Richard Frisbie – T-Boy writer:

• In Sevilla – Parasol Metropol: the world’s largest wooden structure, a series of mushroom-shaped, interconnected buildings with undulating walkways over and through them – simply stunning – with the Roman ruins in the basement that prevented it from becoming the transportation hub it was designed for!
• In Saugerties – Opus 40: one of the oldest and most magnificent earthworks in the US – a series of stairs, ramps, and pools all made of bluestone, centering around a huge stone obelisk, created and built by one man, Harvey Fite.
• In Rio de Janeiro: the black and white tiled walks and walls created by Roberto Burle Marx. Also – any of his gardens, especially the one at his home: Sitio Santo Antonio da Bica.
• In Brasil – Oscar Niemeyer’s Museum: that looks like the star ship Enterprise, from the Star Trek series.
• The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain: Frank Gehry’s undulating titanium masterpiece.

James Boitano – T-Boy writer:

• St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow
• Stave Churches of Norway
• The ‘Three Bridges’ of Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Aya Sophia Mosque in Istanbul
• Grand Coulee Dam, Washington State

Allan Smith – Artist & T-Boy writer:

• Sagrada Família, Barcelona, Spain. Architect: Antonio Gaudi
• Chrysler Building, NYC, New York. Architect: William Van Alen
• Great Pyramids, Giza, Egypt. Architect: unknown
• Bird’s Nest Stadium, Beijing, China. Architect: Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron
• Reims Cathedral, Reims, France. Architect: Jean d’Orbais
• Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey. Architect: Anthemius of Tralles. Isidore of Miletus
• The Space Needle, Seattle, Washington. Architect: John Graham & Company
• Neuschwanstein Schlosse, Bavaria, Germany. Architect: Eduard Riedel
• Himeji Castle, Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan. Architect: Toyotomi Hideyoshi
• Yellow Crane Temple, Wuhan, China. Architect: unknown

Deb Roskamp – T-Boy writer:

• Duomo di Milano – Milan, Italy: The awe-inspiring magnificence of scale… breathtaking!
• Statue of Liberty – NYC: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…T E A R S.
• Arch de Triomphe – Paris: So much history transcribed in its triumphal sculpting.
• Walt Disney Concert Hall – Los Angeles: Makes me happy every time I see it.
• The Space Needle – Seattle, Washington: Whimsical memories of the 60s in my home state.

Alex Brouwer – T-Boy writer:

• Machu Picchu – Peru
• Teotihuacán City/Pyramids – Mexico
• Chichen Itza – Mexico
• Stonehenge – England
• Eiffel Tower – France
• Honorable mention: Roman Colosseum and Leaning Tower of Pisa

Ringo Boitano – T-Boy Writer:

• Neuschwanstein Schlosse – Bavaria, Germany
• Taos Pueblo – New Mexico
• Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Brooklyn Bridge – NYC
• Emperor’s Palace – Imperial City of Huế, Vietnam

Brent Campbell – Musician & Composer:

• St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow
• The Guggenheim Museum in NYC
• Chicago Bean (aka Cloud Gate) in Chicago
• Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing 
• Seattle Space Needle

Greg Aragon – T-Boy Writer:

• Panama Canal
• Hoover Dam, Nevada
• California Aqueduct, which transports water 444 miles from Northern California to Southern California
• Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge (886 ft-high), which spans the Colorado River between Arizona and Nevada
• Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

Fyllis Hockman – T-Boy writer:

• The Great Pyramids – Giza, Egypt
• Empire State Building – NYC  
• Chichen Itza – Yucatan, Mexico
• Mount Rushmore – South Dakota
• The Hermitage – St. Petersburg, Russia

T.E. Mattox – T-Boy music critic:

• Eiffel Tower – That guy lived in an apartment up there
• Roman Colosseum – Massive
• Musee d’Orsay – Paris. Train, train
• Toji – Buddhist Temple in Kyoto, Japan 
• Duomo di Milano – Milan, Italy.  Majestic

David Erskine – T-Boy VP of advertising:

• Knossos on the Isle of Crete – Greece
• Taj Mahal – Agra, India
• Love Temples – Khajuraho, India
• Eiffel Tower – Paris
• Wat Pho ‘Temple of the Reclining Buddha’ – Bangkok, Thailand
• Blue Mosque – Istanbul, Turkey
• Acropolis – Athens, Greece
• Roman Colosseum – Italy
• Empire State Building – NYC
• Munich Franuenkirche – Germany
• Red Fort – Delhi, India

Tom Tapp – Film & music critic:

• Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain
• The Ruins at Petra, Jordan
• The Anasazi cliff dwellings in Gila, Arizona 
• Highway 1 in California 
• The Medina of Marrakesh, Morocco

Raoul Pascual – T-Boy co-founder, illustrator and art director:

• Empire State Building, NYC
• Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
• Great Pyramids,  Giza, Egypt
• Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island in New York Harbor
• Singapore Changi Airport, Changi, Singapore

Lee Olson – TV producer & writer

• Summer Palace in Bejing – China
• Angkor Wat – Cambodia
• The Alhambra – Granada, Spain
• Versaille Chateau – France
• Chichen Itza “El Castillo” Pyramid – Yucatan, Mexico

Rourke – Film critic & musician:

• Eiffel Tower, Paris
• Roman Colosseum, Italy
• Brooklyn Bridge, NYC
• Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City
• Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong

Honorable mentions:

• Trevi Fountain, Rome
• Holocaust Memorial, Boston
• Pan Pacific Theater, L.A. (burned years ago)

Chloe Erskine – Educator:

• The Golden Gate Bridge – San Francisco
• The Walls of Benin – Edo, Nigeria

The post The T-Boy Society of Film & Music’s Favorite Man Made World Wonders appeared first on Traveling Archive.

The small tribe of about 33 residents – the major reservation is about 10 hours away – is only accessible by boat. The founder of this village had helped train US astronauts in survival techniques in the 1960’s and stayed on with several of his relatives. The new mode of survival?  Sharing their traditions and their handicrafts – lots of handicrafts – with tour groups. They have their own clothing, foods, culture, religion, dialect, thatched hut housing – but having assimilated more than their relatives on the Columbian coast, mainly their traditions are now a business. To help facilitate that business, Caravan donated bathroom facilities.

We were told in detail about all of those things including the impressive handiwork that goes into the creation of delicate wood carvings, jewelry and basket-weaving. A henna-type product is used for polishing hair, body paint, mosquito repellent, sun block, dye – and several tour members left with lovely flowers, butterflies and other designs etched onto their arms.

Of course, we were subjected to a number of traditional dances which always make me uncomfortable. I tried to pretend they actually love what they’re doing and don’t feel exploited in the least having to entertain all these gawking tourists. But then, when they insisted we join in the musical festivities, I felt exploited, so maybe turn-around is fair play.

I mention this outing first because even though the Canal is the indisputable highlight of the trip, the tour comprises so much more. Two separate oceans, indigenous tribes, a rain forest, colonial history and historic enclaves, beach resorts and ultra-modern architecture. So much diversity in such a small country. But more on that later.

First, there’s the fascinating, incredible canal, rated the #1 modern engineering wonder of the world by the Society of Civil Engineers. Ah, the Canal – a technological marvel conceived and created 104 years ago that cannot be even remotely improved upon today. Okay, yes, some new locks were built to accommodate larger ships but the underlying principle remains the same.

Built upon a narrow stretch of land that early tribes used to traverse from South to North America and Spanish explorers later followed to transport gold to ships sailing to Spain.  After a harrowing history of French failure and American success, the Panama Canal, covering 50 miles, finally opened in 1914, under the auspices of the U.S.  Panama took over complete control in 1999. The new inter-oceanic waterway changed the world: continents were connected; cultures intermingled; the Pacific and Atlantic oceans became accessible; international transportation and globalization blossomed.

It now takes 8-10 hours for a ship to pass thru a series of locks that takes it from one ocean to the other. The alternative? An 8000-mile journey around the tip of South America that would add two to three weeks to the delivery of goods.

You need an engineering degree to understand the complexities of the Canal operations. Suffice it to say, there are locks that raise or lower the ships so they can connect from one ocean to the other. It’s mesmerizing to watch from afar and even more so from the deck of an actual ship going through the process.

At one of the main locks, Miraflores contains an extensive, exceedingly well-done museum which explains in excruciating detail the whole history and intricacies of the Canal over four very full, very fascinating floors. Unfortunately, as is so often true for me, my eyes soon glazed over through no fault of the museum itself. You could otherwise spend a day and remain endlessly enthralled. Indeed, the whole story is one of head-shaking amazement. The more I learned about the incredible engineering feat, the more in awe I became. The 10-minute movie at the museum was all it took.

Watching the ships go through the locks is hypnotic, a triumph of technology that is hard to conceptualize. Caravan reserves its own special viewing area away from the tumultuous crowds gathered on a series of balconies.

And then we went thru the locks ourselves. We started on the Atlantic side at 87 feet above sea level. After going through three locks lowering us about 30 feet at each stop, we approached sea level and entered into the Pacific Ocean. A “stewardess” hired by Caravan attended to all our needs upon the large ship we shared with other patrons. There is no opportunity to cater to its clients that is overlooked by Caravan. The other passengers were clearly envious as we were plied with beverages and information.

The first time I saw the lock open ahead of me, I felt like a part of history – important history. Watching the water levels recede and feeling the boat as it sinks down is especially compelling as you realize this same procedure has occurred in the exact same way for 104 years. And we think the discovery of the Smartphone is impressive! I could try to better explain the process as I understand it – but then YOUR eyes would glaze over…

But as previously alluded to, there is more to Panama than just its canal. An archaeological site celebrating the remains of the first city built in Panama by the Spaniards in 1519. It’s an expansive area of old ruins from early churches and hospitals to houses and schools. Excellent signage re-creates the once thriving town that was destroyed by fire, disease and the pirate Henry Morgan in 1671.

A different exploration took place upon a small boat ride circling the Gatun Lake viewing the ships awaiting passage and the locks themselves from a different perspective than the heights of Miraflores offering new insights on the ever-present  architectural marvel. Oh yes, there were also crocodiles, birds and monkeys to be seen.

Stay calm, the captain repeatedly told us, if a Capuchin monkey should jump on the boat. I can attest to the fact that not one person did. But no one would have traded the experience of watching these playful primates vying over the banana thrown on the deck. The cacophony of camera clicks formed a symphony of its own.

And then there’s Panama’s skyline – an unexpected visual wonder; Skyscrapers of so many shapes, sizes and colors that they are more reminiscent of sculptures than buildings. Architectural artistry revealed thru creativity, inventiveness, ingenuity and a variety of other adjectives – think dynamic and dramatic – not usually associated with business offices and condos. The strain in my neck from looking skyward block after block was mitigated by the series of impressive edifices.

So yes, there is so much that Panama has to offer – as if it needed anything other than the Canal to entice. For more information, visit  Caravan.

The post Panama: Where the Canal is Just One of Many Wonders appeared first on Traveling Archive.