Gone to Look for America - Issue 1, January 2019

Issue 1 — January 2019

In this inaugural issue of The Statesider travel newsletter:
Finding poetry in a Denny’s, how not to get listless about “best of” lists, disappearing motels, 🔥hot narwhals🔥, the banana whisperer of American Samoa and more.

I struggled with being a Latino growing up in Los Angeles. I felt very American. I still do. I went to 35 bar mitzvahs before I went to a single quinceañera. I could talk all day about my culture and what it means to me. — America Ferrera

Late nights and bright lights at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering

Downtown Elko, Nevada, near Idaho St. and 5th St. today, decades before the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering rode into town.

“In the last 48 hours we’ve sat awestruck while a handful of Elko high school students recite gut wrenching free verse — poems about death and heartache and family — from memory under the quiet, solicitous watch of their cowboy poet instructors … We’ve heard sentimental rhyming couplets about the land, and beat-style free verse about sex and motorcycles. We’ve heard Rilke and Auden name-dropped by grizzled elders in big hats.”

What to do with all the “Best of” lists

National Geographic says we should all go here in 2019. I guess we’ll see you there? (We’ll bring snacks.)

Where should you go in America in 2019? We know all of the answers — well, we at least read everyone else’s opinions, and we found some patterns. How to navigate the most listicle time of the year.

Stories Across America

aka The Department of Nothing but Flowers*

A handmade *bánh chưng* wrapped in a banana leaf, from the 2015 event run by Chef Diep Tran. Photo: Cathy Danh (CC BY-ND 2.0) – also see her blog post on the event.

Happy Lunar New Year: One Los Angeles chef has turned making bánh chưng, the sticky rice cakes traditional for Tết, the Vietnamese celebration of the Lunar New Year (February 5), into a huge annual party in West Compton. Tejal Rao, New York Times

California: For about 30 years, the Emeryville mud flats were home to a collection of weird junk monsters. Jessica Placzek, Maddie Gobbo and Sarah Hotchkiss, KQED

Roadside luxury: The freeway bypass and big chains have (mostly) shuttered the mom and pop roadside motel. That’s a shame. Andrew Wood, Smithsonian

Florida: Finding the real source of magic at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Frank Bures, Minneapolis StarTribune

Beverages: Craft beer looks beyond “young white dudes with beards” (and not just to old white dudes with beards). Dave Infante, New York Times

Midwest: Far from her homeland, an Indian-American mother finds comfort at a Patel Brothers grocery store. Khushbu Shah, Washington Post

American Samoa: Yeah, that’s a banana in his pocket, and he’s happy to see you. Meet the banana collector of Alega. Christian Letourneau, Atlas Obscura

‘Unicorns and mermaids are very hot . . . also, narwhals’ (and other lessons from a souvenirs expert). Far be it from us to argue with an expert. Diane Daniel, Boston Globe

Speaking of souvenirs…

It’s a well-known scientific fact that some of the greatest souvenirs cost the least money.

You’re standing in line at a gas station market near Hungry Horse, Montana, and you can’t help yourself from buying a cheaply made magnet depicting a cowboy up to his neck in snow, with the caption “The Trouble with a Short Horse in Montana.” Just a hypothetical example.

Have an unforgettable supermarket souvenir? Share a photo with us! (Email | Twitter)

What We’re Reading

The Food Exp lorer by Daniel Stone. Much of the American diet originated elsewhere in the world. Meet David Fairchild, the adventurous botanist who changed what’s on the stateside plate. (Amazon link)

Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America by James & Deborah Fallows. If it seems like all you ever hear about small-town America are tales of hardship and lost glory, this is a refreshing read. Change is afoot across the country – and you might want to pay attention to what’s going on in local libraries. (Amazon link)

Department of Shameless Self-Promotion

Pam attended a traditional Japanese New Year’s mochi pounding on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Bainbridge was home to a thriving Japanese farming community until the Japanese Exclusion Act of 1942. Read more on Nerd’s Eye View

Andy wondered aloud, “Why are there so many guitar manufacturers in California?” so he went and asked them. Not only are they happy to tell you, many also welcome visitors for tours. Read more at the San Francisco Chronicle
(Photo courtesy of Taylor Guitars)

In Other News

You – yes YOU – could be the next Wienermobile driver. Celeste Houmard, WUSA9
Traveling while black across the Atlantic Ocean, following in the footsteps of African Americans traveling to Denmark in the early 20th century. Ethelene Whitmire, Longreads
Three words: Truck Stop Dentist. What? Mary Bergin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
40 of the most important, most interesting, and quirkiest American places 40 years old or less. We want to visit all of them. National Trust for Historic Preservation, 40 Under 40

Postcards from America

There’s no such thing as too much fringe at the 35th annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering at the Western Folklife Center in Elko, Nevada

Send us a photo of a uniquely American experience from your travels and tell us a little about it – we’ll feature the best in upcoming issues of The Statesider. (Email | Twitter)

Get in touch

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