Travel: October 2015 Archives

How to pack light: tips from a master packer - Lonely Planet

Among other useful advice: "Three pairs of socks. Three pairs of underwear. Three shirts. Wear one, wash one, dry one. You can get more miles out of leg wear, so two pairs of pants and one culturally appropriate pair of shorts or a skirt should suffice. Choose light, flowing, quick-dry cotton-poly blends in matching colours that handle wrinkles well." Article includes a list of what the author packs for a multi-month trip to southeast Asia. Particularly interesting items: Using a heavy-duty trash-compactor bag as a liner for your backpack; using a Frisbee as international friend-maker, hard-shell protection for breakables, "cutting board, plate, bowl, bottle opener, fan, dry place to sit."

The Alluring Art Deco Parkway That Winds Through Connecticut | Atlas Obscura

The Merritt Parkway, built in the 1930s, is one of the prettiest limited-access highways in America. My son and I drove it last October while touring colleges. It's no longer a toll road but it's still a convenient way to travel through southwestern Connecticut while avoiding the mess that is I-95. The official map of the highway highlights the distinctive and varied overpasses.

"The planners hired architect George Dunkelberger to design the bridges on the road. They also brought along a slew of engineers and landscape architects to make sure the parkway maintained a homogeneous and aesthetically pleasing appearance. The idea was to make a highway that was unobtrusive, as if nothing had really changed. The road was to look wooded and like a forest. If anything man-made was built, it needed to be classy."