Travel

Monday, January 21st, 2008

From Tacoma to Santa Fe, Day 1

On his 1,500-mile road trip, Nick Martens finds comfort in LCD Soundsystem and Malcolm Gladwell while battling the frustrations of snowy weather, bad traffic, and Idaho.

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Friday, December 21st, 2007

Czech Republic: Christmas Time is Here

This is the eleventh installment in a series of essays by globe-trotter Kevin Nguyen, who is currently studying at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. With good holiday spirits, Kevin attempts to wrap his head around Czech Christmas traditions, which involve rope, blackface, magical pigs, and the Second Coming.

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Friday, December 14th, 2007

Czech Republic: Bankrot

This is the tenth installment in a series of essays by globe-trotter Kevin Nguyen, who is currently studying at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Suffering from the falling U.S. dollar, Kevin goes Christmas shopping at the country’s strangest chain of bargain stores.

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Friday, December 7th, 2007

Czech Republic: Rock ‘n Roll Revolution or How a Psychedelic Rock Band Freed a Country from the Tyranny of Communism

This is the ninth installment in a series of essays by globe-trotter Kevin Nguyen, who is currently studying at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Many bands sing about change, but few ever really impact the country’s political climate. Inspired by a simple desire to make music, Czech psychedelic rock outfit the Plastic People of the Universe accidentally became directly responsible for the Velvet Revolution.

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Wednesday, November 21st, 2007

CouchSurfin’ Safari

The CouchSurfing Project is a site connecting young travelers around the world. In an uncharacteristically adventurous move, Kevin Nguyen sleeps on a stranger’s couch in Barcelona.

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Friday, November 16th, 2007

Czech Republic: It’s a Family Affair

This is the eighth installment in a series of essays by globe-trotter Kevin Nguyen, who is currently studying at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Kevin’s family arrives in Prague, and he finds that the usual annoyances are not mediated by glorious architecture or goulash.

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Monday, October 29th, 2007

Germany: Cultural Prostitution, Life as an Expat in Hamburg

Ever since Hemingway and Pound made their way across the ocean almost 100 years ago, the title of expatriate has carried a stigma of hope and elitism. Told through the lens of Germany’s richest and also smuttiest city, newbie expat Locke McKenzie discovers that the only way to get by abroad is to be a good American.

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Friday, October 26th, 2007

Czech Republic: Simplicity

This is the seventh installment in a series of essays by globe-trotter Kevin Nguyen, who is currently studying at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Although Prague is generally considered a cheap vacation destination, Kevin finds he needs to take a page from Thoreau to keep his checking account happy.

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Wednesday, October 17th, 2007

Czech Republic: Jumped

This is the sixth installment in a series of essays by globe-trotter Kevin Nguyen, who is currently studying at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. With skinheads and thieves on the prowl, the city can become a dangerous place come nightfall.

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Friday, October 5th, 2007

Czech Republic: Love and Architecture

This is the fifth installment in a series of essays by globe-trotter Kevin Nguyen, who is currently studying at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Meandering the streets at night, he recognizes the grandeur in the city’s thousand-year-old architectural legacy.

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