USA Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Books And Travel

Travel That Changes The Way You Think About The World With Pam Mandel

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“We’re all so far downstream from who we used to be.” Pam Mandel

We all have ideas about places that are far away from us, but when you talk to real people who live there, it’s hard to hold on to your preconceived notions. Those encounters can remain with you in memory even as you change and the place you left changes too.

Pam Mandel is an award-winning freelance travel writer and co-founder of The Statesider, a newsletter of U.S. travel stories. Her latest book is The Same River Twice: A Memoir of Dirtbag Backpackers, Bomb Shelters, and Bad Travel.

Show notes

When travel changes the way you think about the world
“It’s complicated.” Thoughts on Israel
Tapping into memory when writing
How to explore an unknown place — when to branch out of your comfort zone, and when it’s a good idea to retreat to the ‘known’
Making more of traveling in the USA
Is there such a thing as bad travel?
Travel book recommendations

You can find Pam Mandel at NerdsEyeView.com and The Statesider.

Header photo: Seattle by Luca Micheli on Unsplash

History, Faith, And Beauty. The Complete American Pilgrim With Howard Kramer

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What does it mean to be a secular pilgrim — when you’re not a Christian, but you love churches, history, beauty, and religious symbolism?

In this episode, Howard Kramer talks about some of the most beautiful places to visit in terms of architecture, as well as natural locations, and how sometimes, the most emotionally resonant places, those that inspire awe and wonder, are not the most famous, but those that touch us at a deeper level.

Howard Kramer is the author of The Complete American Pilgrim, The Complete Christian Pilgrim, and The Complete American Military Pilgrim. His extensive site, TheCompletePilgrim.com, contains articles and pictures of some of the world’s greatest sites of religious interest.

Show notes

Pilgrimage as a journey of meaning, regardless of religious belief
The four stages of pilgrimage
Interesting churches in the USA, chosen for natural beauty, architecture, history, and meaning
Other places of religious interest
Recommended travel books

You can find Howard Kramer at TheCompletePilgrim.com

My book, Pilgrimage, Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways, is out now.

Pilgrimage Kickstarter Banner4 — My book, Pilgrimage, Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways, is out now

Life On The River. The Mississippi River Valley With Dean Klinkenberg

Unusual Places

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“The face of the water, in time, became a wonderful book … it was not a book to be read once and thrown aside, for it had a new story to tell every day.” Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi

The Mississippi River runs through ten states and has brought life to countless generations, from the first Native Americans, through to the settlers, and into the modern, industrial age. There are great cities along the river, as well as remote wilderness, and a huge variation in landscape, ecology, and culture along the way.

In this interview, Dean Klinkenberg shares his passion for the Mississippi River Valley and gives his tips on where to go, what to see, and why the river continues to be a source of endless fascination and inspiration.

Dean Klinkenberg writes mysteries and travel-guide books about life along the Mississippi River in the USA.

Geography along the path of the Mississippi River
The changeable nature of rivers
Different spiritual meanings of the river
Cities and towns of interest along the Mississippi south to New Orleans
Areas of historical interest
Options for activities like hiking, canoeing, and kayaking on the river
Local specialties for food and drink
Recommended books about Mississippi

You can find Dean Klinkenberg at MississippiValleyTraveler.com

The City Of Life And Death. New Orleans With Laura And Dan Martone

Unusual Places

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New Orleans is one of those cities that has a special place in the imagination of a traveler, even if you haven’t been there. It’s famous for loving life — for Mardi Gras parades, a vibrant music scene, drinking and eating and gorgeous architecture in the French Quarter — but it’s also known as the City of the Dead, with cemeteries, Voodoo, ghost stories, vampires, and of course, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

In today’s episode, native New Orleanian Laura Martone and her husband, Dan, talk about the history of the French Quarter and some of the haunted buildings there, the best cemeteries to visit, vampires, voodoo and Creole cuisine.

Laura and Daniel Martone write fiction in multiple genres including space opera, post-apocalyptic and urban fantasy. They lived in the French Quarter of New Orleans for many years and produced several audio walking guides. Laura has also written a guidebook to the city and they now live in their RV, Serenity, and travel between New Orleans and Michigan, USA.

The various pronunciations of New Orleans
Why the French Quarter has mostly Spanish influenced architecture
Interesting cemeteries in the city
Why vampires are associated with New Orleans
How and why Catholicism and voodoo are so entwined
The importance of music and its influence on the culture in New Orleans
The different parades at Mardi Gras
Seafood boils as social occasions
The beautiful natural ecosystems that surround the city

You can find Dan and Laura Martone at TheMartones.com

A Walk Along The Las Vegas Strip, Nevada, USA

Unusual Places

I visited Las Vegas in late October 2019 for a conference Downtown, but while I was there, I had to walk The Strip. Infamous as the center of Sin City, it certainly delivered in terms of excess. It was bonkers … but fun bonkers! A homage to American decadence and a theme park of entertainment in all its forms. I enjoyed The Strip for what it was and then left for the quieter parts of town! Here are some of my pictures and thoughts as I walked.

You can get Ubers easily and quickly from any part of the city, so I got one to the MGM Grand as a starting point for my walk. I went up onto the overpass to take a picture of New York, New York. Apparently, there are a lot of traffic accidents along the Strip — a combination of drunken pedestrians and drivers looking at the sights, so make sure to use the overpasses to cross the road.

Thriller author Jo Frances Penn in Las Vegas New York New York

I love architecture and The Strip is like a theme park in terms of its brilliant — but fake — buildings. There are some gorgeous aspects — like the upmarket shops at City Center …

The Bellagio lake and dancing fountains …

Traveling By Train Across The USA With J Thorn

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Traveling by train is fantastic because you can watch the world go by from the carriage, sometimes for days on end, and you have somewhere to sleep and wash and eat while you travel.

You can catch glimpses of places you might never visit as the train passes through and you arrive in the heart of the biggest cities relaxed and ready to explore.

In this interview, J.Thorn gives some tips about the best routes to travel with Amtrak in the USA and what you can expect from the service, as well as some thoughts on why train travel is so romantic and some book recommendations, plus we talk about our experience co-writing Sacrifice en-route from Chicago to New Orleans.

J.Thorn is a dark fantasy, post-apocalyptic thriller, and horror writer as well as a musician, podcaster, editor, and coach at TheAuthorLife.com.

Why J loves train travel and how it helps him write and see more of his own country
The Amtrak train network, where it goes and some of the best routes
The different classes of travel, amenities and what to expect, especially if you are used to train travel in Europe or other places where it’s more commercial as opposed to government-run
J’s best memories of traveling by train, particularly on the California Zephyr which runs west and south from Chicago
How we included aspects of our trip to New Orleans in our co-written supernatural thriller, American Demon Hunters: Sacrifice — it was a lot of fun!
The mindset you need to adopt if you’re going to enjoy train travel — relax! Enjoy the slower pace.
Recommended books about USA life and travel

You can find J Thorn at TheAuthorLife.com and on Twitter @jthorn_

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