North, Central, and South America

A Washington Winter Wonderland

Heavy snow shuts down Washington DC, but it also transforms the National Mall, its monuments, and other Washington landmarks like the White House into a winter wonderland.

Washington DC’s Cherry Blossoms Peak Bloom 2012: Forecast & Photos

Every spring, the 3,700 Cherry Blossom trees lining Washington DC’s Tidal Basin reach peak bloom in an explosion of floral fireworks lasting only a few days. Information, forecast for 2012, and photos of the 2010 and 2011 peak blooms.

Gallows Point Resort

Gallows Point Resort on St. John in the beautiful US Virgin Islands is a fantastic place to watch some stunning Caribbean sunsets.

Hoover Dam

The Hoover Dam was one of the great engineering feats of the Great Depression of the 1930s in the United States.

A Caribbean Island 100 Miles from the Sea

With the heat, humidity, water, and laid-back lifestyle, Flores feels like the Caribbean. Which shouldn’t be surprising–this is the trunk of the Yucatan Peninsula, after all, not far from Mexico and Belize. But still, it is 110 miles inland. It’s also a tiny place.

Icefields Parkway in the Canadian Rockies

It made for a stunning winter wonderland in the Canadian Rockies along the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper.

Tulum, The Original Maya Riviera

They don’t call it the Maya Riviera for nothing. Seven hundred years before all-inclusive beach resorts and ice-cold mojitos, the Maya built a city with a stunning ocean view. There are many Maya civilization sites on the Yucatan Peninsula, but none has a more beautiful location than Tulum.

The Market in Chichicastenango

Chichicastenango is a town where buying and selling is everything. Its markets are reputed to be the largest in Central America; the range of wares on offer is truly impressive. And the indigenous Maya culture adds a distinct local flavor to the town.

The Town that Defied God and the Government

If God and the government had their way, Antigua wouldn’t exist. But it’s a good thing it does. With charming Spanish colonial architecture, cobblestone streets, and a vibrant cultural life, it’s a wonderful place to visit.

Queen of the Maya 2011 Festival

I’ve said it before: Maya know how to throw a great street party. There’s a wonderful sense of community, welcoming and inclusive, festive yet relaxed. The Queen of the Maya 2011 Festival was no exception.

Boston’s City Skyline at Night

I took this panorama of Boston’s city skyline at night from the end of Long Wharf looking back at the city. At one point during the colonial era, Long Wharf was the busiest pier in America. It was also much longer at the time–in the centuries since, landfill has created reclaimed land, but originally the shoreline was up near Faneuil Hall.

A Natural Underground Oasis

Cenote X’kekén, near Valladolid, is one of the prettiest of the 3,000 or so underground cenotes scattered across Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. These days it’s used as a swimming hole and makes for a fun, refreshing place to visit to escape the Yucatan heat.

Fireworks in Chichicastenango

Guatemalans sure love their fireworks. It’s something I found in several places I visited, both in smaller towns and in the crowded cities. But it was most striking in Chichicastenango in the Guatemalan highlands. The sound of sporadic fireworks in the streets around my hotel lulled me to sleep late into the night and woke me again just after sunrise. And they continued through the next day–this was not a place that considered fireworks only night-time entertainment.

Coba’s Mayan Ruins on the Maya Riviera

You’d never know it today, but Coba, on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, was once an important and powerful Mayan city.

Ocracoke Island Lighthouse on the Outer Banks

Ocracoke’s lighthouse is one of the oldest on the East Coast that’s still in operation.

National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Washington’s National Gallery of Art is a publicly funded gallery and includes one of the finest collections of art in the world.

Guatemala City’s Zona 1

Guatemala City isn’t a popular tourist destination, but there are some things worth seeing in this otherwise crowded and poverty-stricken city. But in the center of Guatemala City, in Zona 1, radiating from the Parque Central (Plaza de la Constitucion), there are some impressive churches, markets, and museums worth seeing.