It’s been a while since I’ve sat down to catalogue them for the Atlas’ blog, but things continue surfacing in the world that make me smile.  Let’s review, shall we?

TRAVELING FAR AND WIDE AND FAST: 

“Top 10 [fill in the blank]” Photo Gallery

Tuscan Horseback Ride - National Geographic - Atlas Obscura Blog

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National Geographic has compiled 30 or so lists of its favorite ten destinations, categorized by type.  For instance, they offer up the ten best trolly rides, pre-Lenten celebrations, beaches, and more… with photos to boot!

The Buddha in Viking Sweden
An explanation of a bizarre find at the fringes of archaeology.  In brief: A jade statue of the Buddha (along with a Byzantine bowl, and an Egyptian ladle) is found on an isolated, abandoned Norwegian island in 1954.  Perplexity commences… now. 

 

2010 Bonneville Speedway Photo Gallery
Who’d have thought that machines so reminiscent of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang could travel so freakin’ fast?! Check out this gallery of mutant vehicles in the blistering sun during this year’s SpeedWeek at California’s Bonneville Salt Flats.

GALLERIES GALORE:

 

Russia in Color, a Century Ago

Russian Color Photographs - 1909 to 1912 - Boston Globe - Atlas Obscura

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A collection of brilliant, disconcerting photos from central and southern Russia taken between 1909 and 1912 by master photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Produkin-Gorskii.

Classic New Orleans
Commemorating the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s assault on the Mississippi Delta, Life Magazine has compiled a collection of stunning images portraying New Orleans as it was throughout history, providing a visual lesson on how the city’s spirit has survived despite its present, ravaged condition. 

FEATURED VIDEO:

Color Video of the London Blitz.  Need we say more?

SHOUT OUTS:

Radical Cartography
It’s easy for me to get lost in this site’s version of the world as it’s sliced-and-diced into new and innovative takes on maps.  Subject matter ranges from artistic takes on the scale of nations as compared to the United States, to interactive maps that carve the sky into contemporary and ancient astrology charts. 

 

The Wilderness Downtown
Yes, this nugget of joy has been making the rounds for the past week or so, but I can’t resist tipping my hat to the Arcade Fire for their ingenuity in utilizing technological wizardry to create such highly-personalized nostalgia. After all, everyone can use a reminder of where they come from when daydreaming of leaving home…