Author: darkpassport
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#47: Astoria (Part II)
This is a continuation of Blog 46: Astoria Part I. A walk through the city of Astoria, Oregon is a necessity when visiting during a period of bright blue skies that tend to be a rarity in the Pacific Northwest. Even without the blessing of great weather, a belly full of fried fish should be…
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#46: Astoria (Part I)
The finale of my trio of trips to the Pacific Northwest in 2024 came to a close with the historic coastal town of Astoria, Oregon. I had already experienced the disappointment of seeing poor governance tarnish the beauty of Seattle and Portland, and was still holding onto hope that the delight of small town America…
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#45: Zurich
As the largest city in Switzerland and a worldwide financial hub, Zurich lives up to a reputation described by one travel agency as “A sophisticated city with cosmopolitan luxury and an incredible atmosphere.” Statements like these are commonplace on the websites and brochures of hospitality industry businesses looking to claim a percentage of a person’s…
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#44: Moonlight in Vermont
The “leaf peepers” hit New England in full force this October; and for better or worse, I ended up being one of them. My vulnerability to scenery is well-documented and no different than the next visually capable human. The autumn splendor begins when there are just enough rays of sunlight left peeking through the gray…
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#43: City of Roses
The city of Portland, Oregon was the second in a multi-part Pacific Northwest travel series I undertook in 2024, with the first being Seattle, as told in Blog #35: Emerald City. Both trips were just as much social experiments as they were cities I had always wanted to explore. Sadly, both were also equally disappointing…
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#41: The 2024 Olympic Games
In 1972, the “darkest day in Olympic history” occurred during the Summer Games in Munich. Largely in part to the criticism of government forces having killed numerous revolutionaries protesting the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, it was decided that the German police guarding Munich four years later would be unarmed and nonconfrontational. Taking advantage of this…
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#40: Jordan
Considered by many historians to be the oldest continuously inhabited place in the world, present-day Amman is the capital and largest city of Jordan. Nearly half the population of the country lives in the immediate area of the Biblical city which was once known as Philadelphia thanks to Ptolemy II (Philadelphus) so humbly naming it…
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#39: London
The center of the world. At least, that’s what it felt like. Coming from a relatively new country like the United States, the history of London England is too much to fathom. Experiencing the traditions and architecture of “The Square Mile”, as the City of London proper is occasionally referred to, is something one could…
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#38: Niagara Falls
In between the faraway lands and exotic places we are fortunate enough to visit in this career are the more simple and close-to-home destinations. Sometimes these trips are for major events, such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation my coworkers and I supported in San Francisco last year. Others revolve around a handful of low-key meetings…
The Dark Passport 