War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco

14 February 2026 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, Opera Houses, Theaters, Libraries, San Francisco Bay Area Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Andreas Praefcke

© Andreas Praefcke

The War Memorial Opera House is an opera house in San Francisco, California, United States, located on the western side of Van Ness Avenue across from the west side/rear facade of the San Francisco City Hall. It is part of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center. It has been the home of the San Francisco Opera since opening night in 1932.   read more…

Temple Emanu-El in San Francisco

9 February 2026 | Author/Destination: | Category: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Mosaic © Kiddo27/cc-by-sa-4.0

Mosaic © Kiddo27/cc-by-sa-4.0

Congregation Emanu-El of San Francisco, California is one of the three oldest Jewish congregations in California, and one of the largest Jewish congregations in the United States. A member of the Union for Reform Judaism, Congregation Emanu-El is a significant gathering place for the Bay Area Jewish community.   read more…

Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara

7 February 2026 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, Bon appétit, Sport Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Microsoft Copilot

© Microsoft Copilot

Imagine it’s February 8, 2026. You wake up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the air in Santa Clara is practically vibrating. It’s not just any Sunday—it’s Super Bowl Sunday, and this year is the big “LX,” the 60th anniversary.   read more…

Slavery in the United States

30 January 2026 | Author/Destination: | Category: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

Anti-slavery almanac, 1840

Anti-slavery almanac, 1840

The legal institution of human chattel slavery, comprising the enslavement primarily of Africans and African Americans, was prevalent in the United States of America from its founding in 1776 until 1865, predominantly in the South. Slavery was found throughout European colonization in the Americas. From 1526, during the early colonial period, it was practiced in what became Britain’s colonies, including the Thirteen Colonies that formed the United States. Under the law, children were born into slavery, and an enslaved person was treated as property that could be bought, sold, or given away. Slavery lasted in about half of U.S. states until abolition in 1865, and issues concerning slavery seeped into every aspect of national politics, economics, and social custom. In the decades after the end of Reconstruction in 1877, many of slavery’s economic and social functions were continued through segregation, sharecropping, and convict leasing. Involuntary servitude as a punishment for crime remains legal.   read more…

Portrait: Theodor Meron, an American lawyer and judge

28 January 2026 | Author/Destination: | Category: Portrait Reading Time:  4 minutes

© flickr.com - UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia/cc-by-2.0

Theodor Meron, CMG (born 28 April 1930) is an American lawyer and judge. He served as a judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), and the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism). He served as President of the ICTY four times (2002-2005 and 2011–2015) and inaugural President of the Mechanism for three terms (2012–2019).   read more…

Gracie Mansion in Manhattan

17 January 2026 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, New York City Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Jim.henderson

© Jim.henderson

Gracie Mansion (also Archibald Gracie Mansion) is the official residence of the mayor of New York City. Built in 1799, it is located in Carl Schurz Park, at East End Avenue and 88th Street in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan. The federal-style mansion overlooks Hell Gate in the East River and consists of the original two-story house and an annex built in 1966. The original house is a New York City designated landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.   read more…

Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson

16 January 2026 | Author/Destination: | Category: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© bethisraelms.org

© bethisraelms.org

Beth Israel Congregation is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 5315 Old Canton Road in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. Organized in 1860 by Jews of German background, it is the only Jewish synagogue in Jackson. Beth Israel built the first synagogue in Mississippi in 1867, and, after it burned down, its 1874 replacement was at one time the oldest religious building in Jackson.   read more…

Denver Union Station

7 January 2026 | Author/Destination: | Category: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Darkshark0159

© Darkshark0159

Denver Union Station is the main railway station and central transportation hub in Denver, Colorado. It is located at 17th and Wynkoop Streets in the present-day LoDo district and includes the historic station house, a modern open-air train shed, a 22-gate underground bus station, and light rail station. A station was first opened on the site on June 1, 1881, but burned down in 1894. The current structure was erected in two stages, with an enlarged central portion completed in 1914.   read more…

Algonquin Hotel in Midtown Manhattan

5 January 2026 | Author/Destination: | Category: General, Hotels, New York City Reading Time:  7 minutes

Blue Bar © flickr.com - Jazz Guy/cc-by-2.0

Blue Bar © flickr.com – Jazz Guy/cc-by-2.0

The Algonquin Hotel (officially The Algonquin Hotel Times Square, Autograph Collection) is a hotel at 59 West 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. The 181-room hotel, opened in 1902, was designed by architect Goldwin Starrett for the Puritan Realty Company. The hotel has hosted numerous literary and theatrical notables throughout its history, including members of the Algonquin Round Table club during the early 20th century. Its first owner-manager, Frank Case, established many of the hotel’s traditions, including an official hotel cat as well as discounts for struggling authors. The hotel is a New York City designated landmark and a member of Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.   read more…

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