:: Free Traveler ::

By David Arthur Walters

California has represented the bright future of This Great Nation of Ours ever since young men were told, “Go West, young man.” Pure Land Buddhists in China also say El Dorado is in the West; they take a short cut and go East to get to California. Now it appears that a Chinese navigator arrived in California long before a Caucasian barbarian set foot there, and he did not say “Eureka!”

Go West, young man, indeed! Today pundits say, “As California goes, so goes the nation.” The Golden State of course goes for the gold, as we can see in its golden state mineral, golden gate bridge, golden poppy, golden trout, and golden-orange garibaldi. Fortunately, by way of contrast, the Golden State has the California redwood, gray whale, and brown grizzly.

The prospect of going West for the gold alone is not so alluring to those who prize their integrity during the great American pursuit of happiness - all that glitters in the moral sphere is not golden. To begin with, the Golden State is a stolen state.  To make a long story short, it is the most bizarre state in the union.

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Millions of visitors to Manhattan enjoy the American Museum of Natural History’s special and permanent exhibitions each year. But there are also millions of people who never come to New York City who take advantage of the Museum’s unique content–through the Museum’s traveling exhibitions.

The Museum launches two to three major special exhibitions annually, relating to paleontology, anthropology, biology, astronomy, and more. Once the exhibition closes at the Museum, it travels to other natural history museums, science centers, and planetariums around the world. Currently traveling are Darwin; Einstein; The Genomic Revolution; and others; as well as three of the Museum’s planetarium shows: Passport to the Universe; The Search for Life: Are We Alone?; and Sonic Vision.

These traveling exhibitions have a tremendous reach: they have appeared in over 20 cities in the United States, 5 cities in Canada, and in numerous other locations internationally. Visit http://www.amnh.org/ to find out what may be coming to your neighborhood.

Source: Natural History, Sep2006

From one neighborhood to the next, Seattle is a gem of a town

Seattle is a great place to explore. During your stay for the NRPA Congress & Exposition, take time to meander around the sights and discover new and exciting things that make Seattle unforgettable. It’s packed with history, overflowing with arts and a city unlike any other on the West Coast.

A STROLL ON THE HILL
While in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, don’t underestimate Seattle University. While you may not be looking for an academic degree, the campus boasts beautifully manicured grounds with mature Japanese maples and a weeping giant sequoia. The Chapel of St. Ignatius on the east side of campus is a work of modern architecture, designed by Steven Holl and opened in 1997. Not far from Seattle University is the Olmsted brothers’ Volunteer Park. The Lake View Cemetery just north of the park is the resting place of Seattle pioneers and martial arts film stars Bruce and Brandon Lee.

Seattle University

12th Ave. and E. Marion St.

(800) 426-7123

http://www.seattleu.edu/

Volunteer Park

1247 15th Ave E.

(206) 684-4555

http://www.ci.seattle.wa.uslparks/parkspaces/volpark.htm/

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If you stand high on presidio hill, San Diego, looking out over the Pacific, you are on the very spot where California began. Now your eyes will take in the urban sprawl of America’s seventh largest city — but in 1769, when the Franciscan missionary Father Junípero Serra and Spanish soldiers under the command of Gaspar de Portolá stepped ashore, there was nothing but barren scrub to be seen.

Spain had claimed this land when it was first spotted by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo in 1542, then in 1602 explorer Sebastian Vizcaíno (who in fact named San Diego, as was the custom, after the saint whose feast day fell closest to the sighting) sailed to the northern coasts and earmarked for Spain what was to be Monterey Bay. It was not until 1768 however, when the Russians under Catherine the Great, began to show an intrusive interest, that rapid plans were made to establish a string of missions up the Californian coast. In this way the land would be secured and the inhabitants would be converted to Catholicism and made useful citizens of Spain.

Missions had already been established for Spain in Baja California and Mexico (then known as New Spain) by the Jesuits, but in 1767 King Carlos III banished this Order from his empire, irritated by the Jesuit tendency to answer to a power beyond that of kings. They were replaced by the more amenable Franciscans and in 1769 four expeditions, two overland and two by sea, were despatched from Mexico to Alta California to initiate the establishment of the missions. In fact twenty-one missions situated at roughly a day’s ride on horseback from each other and forming El Camino Real, named in honour of King Carlos, together with four presidios or forts, were built over the next fifty-four years.

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If you could five anywhere in the United States, where would it be? Chances are your ideal place would have beautiful scenery and recreational opportunities; civic pride and a healthy economy; and a community of people who care about the environment, sustainability, alternative energy and fresh, wholesome food.

MOTHER EARTH NEWS went looking for such places and quickly came up with dozens of them: Portland, Ore., for its environmental awareness; Madison, Wis., for its great farmers markets; Boulder, Colo., for its fantastic recreation. But we wanted to find great places that you may not have heard of — towns that are smaller and less expensive, yet still as interesting as those that frequently make lists of great places to live.

We didn’t choose these towns based on a statistical analysis or scientific survey. Instead, we brainstormed standout towns we’ve visited, lived in or heard about from readers. They had to be places where people interested in sustainable living would find kindred souls. We eventually narrowed our lengthy list to 12 communities from all across the country. Then we read up on each town, talked to residents and studied the population and climate data. We also researched how much it costs to live in these towns — the index we used accounts for everything from housing to food to transportation to entertainment. The U.S. average is 100, so a number less than 100 indicates the town is less expensive than the average, and vice versa.

Even if you’re not thinking about moving, we encourage you to visit these unique towns. Also think about what makes them great; they may provide ideas to help make your community a better place to live.

Here, then, is MOTHER’S first list of Great Places You’ve Never Heard Of.” We know there are many more unique and little-known places out there, so to nominate towns we should spotlight in the future, write to us or post comments to this article online at www.MotherEarthNews.com.

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