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Travel Cultures Language

Travels to the Past: Sweden’s Vasa Ship

by Meredith Mullins on November 5, 2019

A model of the Vasa, with full sails
© Meredith Mullins

The Shortest Maiden Voyage in History

She was as tall as a four-story building and weighed 1,300 tons.

She housed two gun decks with 64 cannons and could transport more than 450 crew members.

She was both inspiring and intimidating with her 700 intricate carvings decorating the ship.

Intricate carvings on every part of the Vasa ship
© Meredith Mullins

She was the most significant statement of power that King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden had ever created.

She was the Vasa—the mightiest warship of her time.

It’s Homecoming—at the TWA Hotel!

by Joyce McGreevy on October 28, 2019

Carolyn McGreevy stands beside a TWA Constellation, or “Connie,” an airplane at the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport that evokes travel memories of Trans World Airlines. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The TWA reunion at JFK puts a spring in the step of pilot’s daughter Carolyn McGreevy.
© Joyce McGreevy

Part 2: TWA Travel Memories Reveal Vision of Tomorrow

(Part 1, “Growing up ‘TWA’,” here.)

Heard the one about 700 people spending several days at the airport—on purpose? As storms drench New York’s JFK Airport, Trans World Airlines alumni gather for a TWA reunion, and travel memories come flooding back.

The TWA Hotel at JFK New York on a stormy night seen from the Constellation, or “Connie,” evokes travel memories of Trans World Airlines. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Not even a storm can dampen our excitement about the TWA reunion.
© Joyce McGreevy

Travel Inspiration on an American Road Trip

by Meredith Mullins on October 21, 2019

Butterfly Town U.S.A.
© Meredith Mullins

The Telltale Stories of Town Slogans

Sometimes, a city’s descriptive moniker is so memorable, it becomes a part of modern culture.

New York—The Big Apple
Philadelphia—The City of Brotherly Love
Las Vegas—What happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas.

One slogan like “The Big Apple” may not be enough for a city like New York (also represented by
“The City that Never Sleeps,” “Gotham,” and “I Love New York”).
© iStock/emyu

However, there is a unique universe to explore in the town slogans and welcome signs of some of America’s smaller cities. And the focus that each community chooses can be a travel inspiration.

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