Baggage
With violins, trumpets and the guitarrón, Las Vegas is training the mariachi educators of tomorrow
LAS VEGAS | Axel Rodríguez Olivas nervously steps on stage, carrying a violin. He raises his bow and begins to play, his nerves melting away. Mariachi music explodes throughout the room as violins, trumpets, the guitarrón, and a stringed instrument called the vihuela launch into an upbeat melody. There they are joined by a warm […]
Some climb for faith, others for the views. This Chinese sacred mountain draws them all
WUDANG, China | A banknote clasped between her hands, Liu Haiyan prayed to the protector of the Wudang mountains. The range in central China has long been considered sacred in Taoism. “I asked him to bless our motherland with favorable weather and to make it even more prosperous,” Liu said while sitting outside the Golden […]
New lawsuits allege Six Flags Magic Mountain’s X2 roller coaster caused traumatic brain injuries
LOS ANGELES | Three people who went to California’s Six Flags Magic Mountain have filed lawsuits saying they were left with traumatic brain injuries from the park’s famed X2 roller coaster that is advertised as a rite of passage for the “ultimate daredevil.” The filings are the latest against the world-famous amusement park operator and […]
Munich’s Oktoberfest roars to life as the mayor taps the first keg
MUNICH | Munich’s Oktoberfest kicked off Saturday with the city’s mayor tapping the first keg of beer and opening the 191st edition of the world’s largest folk festival. Mayor Dominik Krause put the first keg on tap with only two strokes and the traditional cry of “O’zapft is” — or “It’s been tapped.” Thousands of […]
In Chile, even beloved hot dogs feel the economic squeeze
SANTIAGO, Chile | It is lunchtime in downtown Santiago, and dozens of businesses around the Plaza de Armas are serving up one of Chile’s most democratic specialties: the “completo.” For decades, the country’s version of the hot dog has been one of the most affordable foods enjoyed across social classes. But as the cost of […]
The great American road trip, fueled by — and undercut by — the automobile that created it
NASHVILLE, Tenn. | There’s something about the American road trip. It has been memorialized in books like Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” and satirized in movies like “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” It primarily consists of hours upon hours of driving that should be boring — but somehow isn’t? Maybe it’s the anticipation of getting to some […]
Dollywood theme park will add new features, including a waterfall, to honor Dolly Parton
SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. | Dolly Parton’s theme park in east Tennessee will unveil new features for fans to honor the life of the “dreamer-in-chief,” Dolly Parton, who died at the age of 80. Sevierville, in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, will also be placing markers throughout the city for a self-guided walking tour of […]
Rome mounts a crackdown on golf carts that are increasingly popular with tourists
ROME | Beneath the splendor of its monuments and ruins, Rome is taking aim at a modern-day chariot: the golf cart. Hundreds of them have started carrying tourists through the historic center. Even rolling along at a moderate speed, these golf carts have so far outpaced regulation. But the city is mounting a crackdown. For […]
The epic La Tomatina food fight drew foreigners to paint a small Spanish town red
BUÑOL, Spain | Thousands of revelers — including many lured by a Bollywood film — descended on a small Spanish town on Wednesday for the annual La Tomatina food fight, where they painted Buñol red with tons of overripe tomatoes. Loaded trucks plodded through the crowd with people in their cargo beds throwing tomatoes at […]
Fishing closures are becoming routine as record heat warms rivers in the US West
LIVINGSTON, Mont. | Trout need cool water to survive, but record heat this summer has driven water temperatures to lethal levels for fish. Wildlife officials are banning fishing during certain hours on rivers and streams across the U.S. West, following an exceptionally dry winter and amid widespread drought. Lower water levels mean rivers can heat […]