Compass
I’m honored to write about Lady Bird Johnson, a woman whose vision still shapes the city I call home — Austin, Texas. I live just a few miles from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and I go often. In every season, something is blooming. It feels less like a formal garden, and more like an ongoing conversation she began decades ago, one that Austin is still answering.
On this World Footprints episode, Ian and Tonya Fitzpatrick speak to National Geographic Explorer and conservation photographer, Gabby Salazar, to hear about some inspiring stories of women change-makers profiled in her new book, No Boundaries.
Step into Fat Harold’s Beach Club in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and you’ll know you’re in a special place For decades, Fat Harold’s has served as a gathering place for DJs, beach music lovers, and dancers, specifically, Shag dancers. With its smooth glide and intricate six-count footwork, the Carolina Shag became a defining symbol of Southern beach culture. But there’s more to the Shag story than the footwork. It’s a story that, despite segregation, centered around the Black community whose music and cultural innovation gave the dance its beloved rhythm and soul.
Built in 1782, Destrehan Plantation is the oldest documented plantation still surviving in the Mississippi River Valley. I visited this living history museum and loved that they recognized, not only the story of the owners, but also stories of the over 200 enslaved men, women, and children of West African descent who worked on the plantation.
In this second episode of our interview with Keith Stokes, advisor to the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, we continue learning about Newport's underrepresented history during our walk through God’s Little Acre.
While millions of passengers race through Sea-Tac each year, eyes fixed on departure screens and connection times, an entire destination hides in plain sight just beyond the terminal walls. Seattle Southside encompasses the communities of SeaTac, Des Moines, Tukwila, and Burien. Together, they offer a place where immigrant communities have built one of the most authentic international food scenes on the West Coast. Here, protected wetlands and botanical gardens thrive in the shadow of runways. And luxury lodges feel like wilderness retreats despite their proximity to baggage claim. It's a destination that rewards the curious traveler willing to resist the pull of downtown Seattle, at least for a day or two.
For Muslims around the world, and Sumatra in particular, Ramadan is a special time. It’s a holy month of fasting, introspection, and praying.
In this episode of the World Footprint podcast, we have the privilege of interviewing Keith Stokes, advisor to the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society. Keith walks with us through the colonial African burying ground of God's Little Acre in Newport, Rhode Island and he shares many of the unrepresented stories that are etched in the grave markers.
Visiting West Maui isn’t about racing from beach to beach — though Kapalua Bay, one of America’s best beaches, is a must-see. Here, time slows. Mornings drift over ocean views. Afternoons are spent connecting with locals, and evenings invite reflection under sunset skies. Staying longer uncovers the island's heartbeat — its families, crafts, and traditions — while thoughtful travel leaves a lasting mark on both visitors and the community.
The Esplanade in Penang, Malaysia, is a historic seafront promenade that defines the character of the city's colonial past. A long granite seawall spans from the whitewashed Neo-Classical City Hall from one end to the cannon-bastioned Fort Cornwallis at the other.
The mural stopped me cold. Painted on the side of a shipping container in Des Moines, Washington, six doughnut-shaped discs hurled what looked like molten fire down upon a small boat in Puget Sound. A dog cowered. A man shielded his son. The sky burned with something that didn't belong there.
Columbia, Missouri, is a dynamic three-college town in the Midwest's rolling prairies. It baffles me that more holidaymakers don't take advantage of American college-town fun during their yearly four months of offseason calm.
