Matador Network's Blog, page 692
March 4, 2021
Women environmental activists
That women have long been a pivotal voice in the environmental movement is well known. From Rachel Carlson — the author of Silent Spring, which explored the ugly truth about pesticides and launched the modern environmental movement — to Greta Thunberg, when it comes to today’s conscience in the fight against climate change, women have been and remain at the forefront of caring for our planet.
While activists like Thunberg are bringing needed attention to the big picture, addressing climate change is a multi-faceted effort that also involves hard work on the ground — fighting for clean water, saving species, preserving forests, and the like. In fact, tackling pollution and preserving biodiversity aren’t just ends on their own but part of the solution to a healthier, more climate-stable planet.
And everywhere you look around the world, women are doing the hard work of protecting forests, conserving wildlife, and fighting pollution. Some have been awarded for their efforts, and others have paid dearly. But each of them is an inspiration. Here are nine women environmental activists from the past and present that we admire.
1. Wangari Maathai
Photo: 360b/Shutterstock
No list of women environmental activists fighting for the environment would be complete without Wangari Maathai, who worked tirelessly to protect wild lands in her native Kenya from development. She founded the Green Belt Movement to focus on community involvement in sustainability, the role of women in protecting the environment, and the compelling need to address reforestation. She was often at odds with the Kenyan government as they sought to privatize or develop wilderness areas but was eventually elected to the Kenyan Parliament in 2002. In 2004, she became the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize for her work in promoting sustainability and democracy in her home country. Maathai passed away in 2011, but her legacy lives on as an inspiration to environmentalists and in the still-active Green Belt Movement, which has planted over 50 million trees in Kenya since its founding.
2. Artemisa Xakriabá
Photo: João Xakriabá
We’ve long noted the eco-danger that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro represents, with Amazonian deforestation accelerating under his rule. As we’ve seen, he’s used anti-environmentalism to consolidate power and has denigrated Indigenous communities as part of his populist, us-versus-them style of leadership.
That’s why Artemisa Xakriabá and women environmental activists like her are so important. Not only has Xakriabá been working to fight deforestation — but also actively reforesting areas near the lands of the Xakriabá tribe to which she belongs. More importantly, she is a voice of youth, women, and Indigenous peoples in the resistance to Bolsonaro’s environmental rape. She marched in the inaugural Indigenous Women’s March in Brazil’s capital, she has represented South American indigenous youth at international climate strikes, and she is using her Instagram platform to educate others about Indigenous Brazilian lands and the threat to them and us all that’s posed by her country’s policies.
3. Nemonte Nenquimo
Photo: Jeronimo Zuñiga + Amazon Frontlines via Goldman Environmental Prize
The Amazon Rainforest doesn’t only exist in Brazil; it extends to several other South American countries, including Ecuador. There, Nemonte Nenquimo and fellow members of the Waorani Indigenous group live in an area that overlaps with Yasuni National Park. Today, most of their land has been taken from them, and they are fighting hard to preserve what is left, to protect the environment, and to maintain their way of life. Nenquimo co-founded the Ceibo Alliance, fighting for and winning protection for 500,000 acres of Amazonian rainforest. Her efforts to protect the land from fossil fuel extraction have been seen as a precedent to inspire other Indigenous groups hoping to save the rainforest. For her work, Nenquimo was awarded the most prestigious environmental award last year, the Goldman Environmental Prize.
4. Autumn Peltier
Photo: Autumn Peltier/Facebook
Although she is only 16, Peltier has already been working for years on eco issues. Hailing from the Wiikwemkoong First Nation in Northern Ontario, Peltier got her start advocating for clean water, addressing the United Nations at the age of 13 to advocate for the rights of water and the rights of people to have access to clean water. For her efforts, she was featured in a documentary called The Water Walker. Peltier attended the 2015 Children’s Climate Conference in Sweden and was nominated for the 2017 Children’s International Peace Prize. In 2016, she met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who told her he would work to protect Canada’s water. She also attended the World Economic Forum in Davos.
5. Paula Kahumbu
Photo: WildlifeDirect/Facebook
Dr. Paula Kahumbu has been working to save the elephants of her native Kenya since she was a young woman three decades ago. She was a force behind Kenya’s Hands Off Our Elephants efforts to enforce and strengthen laws against poaching — which has helped drastically reduce elephant and rhino poaching in her country — as well as the Global March for Elephants, Rhinos, and Lions, a worldwide protest aimed at protecting these animals from extinction. She is the CEO of the conservation organization WildLife Direct, which helps local communities cohabit with wildlife, introduces young Kenyans into the wildlife movement, and highlights Kenyans doing good work in the wildlife sphere.
6. Vandana Shiva
Photo: Paolo Tamassia/Shutterstock
Vandana Shiva championed local and organic well before they were trendy. She founded the Navdanya foundation back in 1991; through it, she works with farmers in India to preserve native plants and biodiversity in farming. She has fought against the monopolization of agriculture by massive agroindustry companies and has waged campaigns around India to promote diverse agriculture. She has been a vociferous promoter of women’s roles in agriculture and sustainability. Her stance against GMO seeds — and the companies that make them — has made her a controversial figure, but she is nonetheless the recipient of multiple awards, the author of 20 books, a participant in global conferences, and an inspiration to women and small farmers and ranchers standing up against agribusiness and factory farms.
7. Berta Cáceres – Honduras
Photo: Goldman Environmental Prize
Berta Cacerés founded the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras and, most notably, was successful in stopping the creation of a massive hydroelectric dam project on the Gualcarque River — a project which could have threatened the Lenca people’s access to clean water. Before successfully combating Sinohydro, the world’s largest dam builder, and the International Finance Corporation, which had backed the multi-dam project, Cáceres was already involved in supporting Indigenous rights and combating deforestation from illegal logging. Cáceres’s success stands out not just for her tenacity but for her courage, as Honduras was turning into one of the most dangerous places in the world for environmentalists. Three years after stopping the damn project, Cáceres was murdered in 2016. She remains an inspiration to environmentalists everywhere.
8. Nguy Thi Khanh
Photo: Goldman Environmental Prize
Growing up near a coal plant in a small village in Vietnam, Nguy Thi Khanh saw mining’s ill effects on the environment and the health of those in her community. She founded the Green Innovation and Development Centre (GreenID) to promote sustainable energy and development in a country whose energy needs have been growing dramatically. She set up the Vietnam Sustainable Energy Alliance to bring together national and international environmental groups and has worked with policymakers to focus on moving away from unsustainable energy sources. She spreadhead efforts that succeeded in persuading the government of Vietnam to revise its coal-power-heavy, multi-year energy plan to include a bigger percentage of renewable energy from wind and solar power. Her work earned her the 2018 Goldman Environmental Prize.
9. The Brave Ones
Photo: International Anti Poaching Foundation/Facebook
If there is one thing that women know, it’s that collaboration can often get you much further than going it alone. That’s why we are also profiling groups of women who are doing the hard — and even dangerous — work on the ground to protect biodiversity in their native countries. In Zimbabwe, women are working as wildlife rangers to protect against poaching in a group known as Akashinga, which means “the brave ones” in Ashona. They are part of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation, founded by an Australian conservationist. The original women selected for the program were often single mothers or victims of abuse. The program has not only empowered them but also helped bring community involvement into the protection of rhinos and elephants from poaching, and has now expanded to South Africa. 
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British Airways will provide COVID-19 self-test kits to travelers
Administering your own COVID-19 test might not sound like the ideal way to end a vacation, but it might turn out to be the most convenient. In preparation for the summer travel season, British Airways is partnering with a COVID-19 test kit provider to make it easier for passengers to show evidence of a negative test before flying back home.
The UK hopes to open up to international travel as soon as May. There have been no specific details about how foreign travel might resume from the UK.
The new government-approved Qured kit will make it easier for travelers to take a test when abroad, to fulfill testing requirements before their return to the UK. Passengers will be able to buy the kit for $46 and it will be delivered to their home before they leave. They will take the kit with them on their trip and conduct the test there with guidance from an adviser on a video call. The result would be given in 20 minutes, with a certificate downloaded onto the customer’s phone.
According to Reuters, Sean Doyle, British Airways chief executive, said, “As we look forward and prepare for a safe return to travel, we remain focused on finding and offering the most convenient and affordable testing options for our customers.”
The self-administered antigen test typically costs over $140, but will be discounted for British Airways customers.
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Esther Choi on opening Mokbar in NYC
Growing up in Egg Harbor, New Jersey, near Atlantic City, Esther Choi followed her grandmother around the kitchen while her siblings opted to play outdoors. With few other Korean people, or even Asian supermarkets nearby, Choi’s grandmother had to be resourceful and creative: She planted her own garden of Korean herbs and vegetables — like perilla, Korean peppers, minari, and Korean courgettes — and made every meal from scratch with the ingredients she had available.
Choi says she was “obsessed” with her grandmother’s distinct cooking style, which married Korean and American flavors. Her grandmother packed Spam and rice in Choi’s lunchbox, and on Thanksgiving she stuffed the turkey with sticky rice. Choi’s grandmother didn’t necessarily teach her each step to make her dishes. Instead, what stuck with Choi was her grandmother’s cooking philosophy.
“Her philosophy was always, cook with your whole heart, cook with love. It’s really about the person you’re cooking for, and not necessarily about yourself,” she tells me.
In 2017, Choi founded the Korean eatery Mokbar in New York City’s Chelsea Market. Choi is adamant that the food at Mokbar is a reflection of her Korean-American heritage, and her food plays on how those two cuisines interact, enhance, and play off each other. Choi spent three years, from third grade to sixth grade, living in Korea and attending a Korean school, where she learned to speak Korean fluently. During this period, she was also introduced to Korean street food, which is one of Mokbar’s most prominent influences. Her favorite was tteokbokki — rice cakes served in a spicy broth. Choi reinterpreted that dish at her restaurant with ingredients inspired by American flavors, like bacon, brown butter, and a poached egg.
Mokbar has been thriving since it opened. But her position as a successful restaurant owner was hard-won. At the beginning of her professional career, after she graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education and began cooking professionally, she found that she had to work twice as hard as her colleagues to be recognized and respected at work.
At the time, she was working seven days a week, 90 to 100 hours a week. She would work as a server during the day, then switch to working in the kitchen at another restaurant in the evening. She didn’t have time to eat between shifts some days, so she’d run down the street with a sandwich in her hand to save time.
“I wouldn’t even have a moment to myself where I could just breathe,” she says. “I remember days where I would be on the subway, and I would just start crying out of nowhere.”
Back when Choi first started working as a line cook, most women — if there were any on the kitchen staff — worked in pastry. But Choi worked on the hotline (where the hot dishes are assembled). She was up against what she calls the “machismo” of the male cooks as a slight Asian-American woman. So she dug her heels in, determined to break any lingering stereotypes that her coworkers might have about women in the kitchen.
“I worked way harder than everybody else,” she says. “I left the latest, I was always eager, always wanting to help. I did whatever it took to make sure I earned [their] respect.”
Photo: Chelsea Market
Choi’s hard work wasn’t in vain. Eventually, she landed a position at Food Network before earning the sous chef position at La Esquina. She’d only been there a few months before she got a call from her former boss at the Food Network. He said a spot for a restaurant was opening up in Chelsea Market, and she should try to snag it. Choi was incredulous; she didn’t think was ready to open a restaurant, and she definitely didn’t imagine anyone would take a chance on her.
“I didn’t have any money,” she recalls. “I was nobody. I had nothing.”
Still, Choi couldn’t resist the opportunity. Initially she was one among thousands of applicants, some of whom had 20 years of experience and a fine-dining background. While working on her application, Choi — still working 80 hours per week as a sous chef — worked until 2 AM and then worked on her 80-page business plan until 5 AM. Then the board deciding who would be awarded the space asked her to put together a pairing dinner for 10 people. Choi completed every task, knowing there was still a chance that, after that work, the space would go to someone else.
All told, the process took around three and a half months. The committee narrowed it down to two concepts, including Choi’s. She still remembers receiving the call from the leasing agent, who took her to lunch and announced her concept had been accepted. She was officially a restaurant owner. But she had no idea what to do next. She’d never run a restaurant by herself before.
“I was on my own,” she says. “No mentor, nobody even knew who I was. I just had to do it myself. I just figured it out.”
Choi opened Mokbar with an almost entirely women-run team: Her sister Jennifer is her business partner; her head chef is a woman named IL JI Cheung, who grew up in Seoul; and her director of operations is Jin Jang, who rose to that position after starting out as the restaurant’s chef de cuisine.
It wasn’t necessarily Choi’s intention to have a female-led staff, but she’s worked with male leaders and managers before and says that, with them, “the click just wasn’t there.”
“I love working with smart, strong women,” she adds. “We all just sort of gravitated towards each other. We created this synergy that cannot be broken. We always say, ‘We’re lifers. We’re in this together.’”
Looking at Mokbar’s roster of women leaders, it’s easy to imagine other women who have aspirations toward becoming chefs and restaurant owners someday, finding inspiration and motivation in everything the Mokbar team has accomplished. MokBar’s success opens the door for many other women — especially other women of color — who dream of opening their own restaurant someday. But that influence, intentional or not, on other would-be entrepreneurs fits into Mokbar’s philosophy of giving as much to their guests as they can.
“We have this quote at Mokbar: ‘Cook with love,’” Choi says. “So that’s always the secret ingredient to any dish. It’s a personal flavor that you put into the dish, that comes from your heart.”
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Miami is getting a 10-mile park under its Metrorail
Miami is getting a brand new 10-mile park featuring an outdoor gym, a promenade complete with gathering places, walking and biking trails, and butterfly gardens, and it’s inspired by the High Line in New York City.
The new park project, called the Underline as it sits under the Miami Metrorail track, is taking over a 10-mile area of downtown, and the first phase opened last month.
Photo: Underline
When the project is finished in 2025, it will offer a 22-mile loop for bikers, walkers, and joggers, and is intended to reduce traffic on local roads.
Photo: Underline
Meg Daly, founder of Friends of the Underline, the nonprofit behind the park, told Fast Company, “It’s reimagining 10 miles, or 120 acres, of basically dead space below Metro rail.” And the park will be highly accessible, even for those without a car. As long as you have access to mass transit, you can get here, and that’s very unusual for parks and for green spaces — a lot of times you have to drive there.”
Miami is just the most recent city to build a park inspired by New York’s High Line. London is also creating an elevated park to connect Camden Town to King’s Cross Station.
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Scientists took the first-ever photos of bioluminescent sharks
The first-ever photos of a glow-in-the-dark shark have been taken by scientists, in kitefin sharks found in the ocean off the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island. The kitefin shark is the world’s largest known bioluminescent vertebrate, growing to around six feet long. Around 57 of the 540 known shark species (about 10 percent of all sharks) are believed to be capable of producing light, but these are the first photographs taken to prove it.
Photo: Dr. Jerôme Mallefet/NFRS/UCLouvain Belgium
The findings were published by researchers from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in New Zealand. Jerome Mallefet, head of the marine biology laboratory at UCLouvain, spent 30 days aboard a boat as part of NIWA’s trawling surveys. He told CNN how he took a picture of a captured kitefin shark in a bucket in a blacked-out lab created to mimic the darkness of the deepsea.
Mallefet said the sharks “use light to disappear,” explaining how bioluminescence can make sharks invisible against the glow from the ocean’s surface. This protects the shark from predators swimming below, and helps them hunt prey as well. Bioluminescence is also used by sharks for mating and schooling.
Photo: Dr. Jerôme Mallefet/NIWA New Zealand/Facebook
As part of the study, two other shark species, the lucifer dogfish and southern lantern shark have also been proven to produce their own light.
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Natural Light launches contest
To celebrate the launch of a brand new beer flavor, Natural Light — commonly known as Natty Light — wants to send you and five friends to a tropical island just in time for spring break.
To enter, participants need to tag five potential members of their cabana crew using the hashtags #Naturdays and #Sweepstakes on their social media. The trip will take place this year unless restrictions prevent it from going forward. If that’s the case, the lucky winner will have the chance to claim their vacation in 2022. Although the destination remains a secret, the island getaway will include a charter boat, a private chef, and unlimited Naturdays. For more information on the competition and its terms and conditions visit Natural Light on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
WE’RE SENDING ONE LUCKY FAN AND FIVE FRIENDS TO A PRIVATE TROPICAL ISLAND.
Tag 5 friends below with #Naturdays and #Sweepstakes for your chance to win the spring break of a lifetime. pic.twitter.com/CCsL7UNRb8
— Natural Light (@naturallight) March 2, 2021
The private island giveaway is a fitting reward for a company known for its tropical flavors. Its new flavor, called Naturdays Pineapple Lemonade, has a bold promise to “transport you to island time.” The fruity lager will be available in 12-ounce cans in packs of 12, 24, and 30, as well as 16-ounce cans in packs of six. Some of the flavors Natty Light is best known for include: Naturdays, a refreshing light lager that combines fruity notes and lemonade; Natural Light Seltzer, which comes in mango and peach, cherry and lime, and strawberry and kiwi; and the classic Natural Light — the smooth, all-American light lager.
The island competition is not the first time Natty Light has launched a giveaway. The company is well-known for its community engagement and has piloted a program for college debt relief launched in 2018 where a million dollars was given to students struggling to pay their college tuition.
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March 3, 2021
What is Japandi
We hope you love the spaces and stays we recommend! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from some of the links on this page if you decide to book a stay, and listed prices are accurate as of the time of publication.
The biggest design trend of 2020 was “cottagecore,” an interior aesthetic movement that was all about maximalism with a heavy use of colors, patterns (especially floral), and chunky furniture that were all reminiscent of grandma’s country house. Since we spent most of last year inside our home pondering the past and the future, it made sense for us to want our interiors to be extra comfortable, filled with nostalgic beauty, and connected to nature in a reassuring, old-fashioned way. But in 2021, we’re moving on. To leave last year far behind, we’re making a 360-degree turn from granny chic and diving head first into this year’s new design trend: Japandi.
What is Japandi?Japandi is a portmanteau of the words “Japanese” and “Scandinavian” to describe an interior design trend that is a fusion of both regions’ classic decor features.
Japanese and Scandinavian home decors share fundamental similarities: They are both minimalist aesthetics; they favor neutral colors and clean, straight lines; and they strive to bring simplicity, functionality, and a sense of artful elegance to a space. But they are not identical — Japanese interiors lean more towards a pared-back decor using traditional material and layouts whereas Scandinavian homes tend to have a homey feel while using contemporary, 20th-century furniture. The marriage of both achieves a beautiful balance for a clean-yet-warm, rustic-yet-modern, serene-yet-cozy decor that is extremely appealing to those who want to organize their homes without them looking clinical.
Defining characteristics of the Japandi design trend include the overwhelming use of natural materials such as wood, paper, woven textiles, ceramic, and bamboo, as well as the incorporation of greenery, whether through indoor plants or via openings that give an outdoor-indoor feeling. Similarly, the use of color is in line with nature — earthy tones such as browns, greys, and beiges, and muted colors are favored. Japandi is a design trend that aligns with the idea that the natural world is a source of peace, and bringing elements of the outside world inside the home is key to the serenity of its occupants. Japandi is also tied to sustainability through its minimalistic ethos and its emphasis on durable, quality, timelessly beautiful, handcrafted items.
Typical Japandi furniture mixes contemporary Scandinavian design with the Japanese style of low-to-the-ground movables like sofas, chairs, and beds. And while Japandi tends to emphasize straight lines, the interiors and their furnishings don’t lack comfort with large rugs, thick mattresses and seats, high-quality sheets and throws, and often a very Scandinavian fireplace.
Japandi hotels, retreats, and AirbnbsWhile Japandi is trending, it has not yet reached every corner of the hospitality industry in the way fake mid-century furniture has, so finding a Japandi hotel room or Airbnb listing is still a welcomed rarity for now. Below are a few hotels, Airbnbs, and even a retreat cabin that have followed the Japandi design trend.
Hotel K5, Tokyo
Photo: K5/Facebook
Hotel K5, located in Tokyo, is the creation of Swedish architecture and design firm Claesson Koivisto Rune, making the connection between Japan and Scandinavia even more natural. Hotel K5 only has 20 rooms, as well as a restaurant, wine bar, coffee shop, cocktail bar and beer hall, all of which follow the Japandi design trend. There is a heavy use of light-colored wood, paper light fixtures, an abundance of greenery, low-to-the-ground furniture, sleek lines, wooden sliding doors, and even a touch of traditional Japanese indigo dyeing for textiles such as window coverings and room dividers. However, in a departure from Japandi, deep and rich colors have been favored over neutral hues.
Nobu Hotel, Palo Alto, California
Photo: Nobu Hotel
The Nobu Hotel describes itself as being “where modern Japanese design meets West Coast Luxury lifestyle,” and while there is no mention of Japandi on their website, the photo gallery speaks for itself. All the rooms are bathed in light and pared-back to a minimum with functionality, peace, and comfort in mind. The 73 rooms of the hotel feature clean lines, earthy colors, wood panel and textured walls, and modern wooden furniture. The tea and coffee corner of each room has a traditional Japanese tea pot, a high-quality modern-design black kettle, as well as beautiful ceramic pieces on minimalist wooden shelves, summing up Japandi perfectly. The bathrooms are equally stunning with high-quality items and wood and stone used throughout. The seventh and eighth floors of the Nobu Hotel are set up as a ryokan that offer a luxury sanctuary feel.
The Bergaliv LoftHouse, Sweden
Photo: Bergaliv
Located on the hillside of Åsberget mountain, about six hours north of Stockholm, the Bergaliv Lofthouse is an off-the-grid cabin with exceptional views that could easily be described as a Japandi retreat. The entirety of the cabin is made of pale wood, with heart pine and spruce wood on the outside, and birch and ash inside, to create a peaceful accommodation that matches the natural setting in which it is located. Inside the cabin, it’s as minimalistic as it gets, with futon mattresses laid on a tatami-inspired mat on the floor. Seating is limited to two built-in window meridiennes, as well as plushy floor cushions. The cabin is rather small, but its Japandi aesthetics prevent it from feeling claustrophobic with raw, natural colors throughout, lots of natural light, and very few items to avoid clutter.
Delightful Japandi Retreat | MUJI concept, Butterworth, MalaysiaPhoto: Airbnb
This two-bedroom Airbnb in the city of Butterworth in Malaysia ticks all the Japandi boxes to bring a sense of calm to its guests: a minimalist aesthetic with nothing on the walls, pale wood throughout, neutral-colored textiles, and contemporary and low-to-the ground furniture that doesn’t compromise on comfort, greenery, lots of natural light, and very practical feel. And if you need an even more relaxing vibe, check out the views of Penang Island and the ocean.
Stylish Japandi designer Villa in Canggu, Bali
Photo: Airbnb
This Balinese villa that can accommodate up to six guests is stylishly decorated in the Japandi design trend, with simplicity and functionality in mind. The kitchen is mostly polished concrete with open cabinets and wooden shelves and wicker storage boxes, keeping the few items in the kitchen visible for an airy and very practical look. Throughout the villa, the furniture is decidedly Scandinavian style with caned headboards and bedside tables in the bedrooms, and canned light fixtures, armoires, and chairs in the living space, but it remains lower to the ground for a Japanese feel. Most of the furnishing is wood, with visible grain to recall the beautiful natural world outside the home. The many plants in the house also help bring the outside in. All the items present in the home emit an air of quality and luxury in line with the fundamental aspect of craftsmanship and durability of Japandi. The colors inside and outside the home range from off white to pale blush, whether in the textiles used or on the floors and the walls.
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What to do in Alaska’s Kenai Fjords
When it comes to boast-worthy scenery, it seems hard to compete with Norway. Yet while Norway gave us the word “fjord” and has more of these stunning inlets flanked by towering mountains or cliffs than anyone else, you might be surprised to know we have a few of these topographical treasures right in the US.
Kenai Fjords National Park is one of the most beautiful and geographically unique national parks in Alaska. It might take more time and effort than a day trip to visit this remote part of the country, but it’s actually just a 2.5-hour drive from Anchorage, the state’s largest city. The park is basically a US version of the Arctic landscape, with glaciers, icefields, wildlife like seals and bears, and plenty of opportunity for adventure on the water. Alaska might not be in your backyard, but it’s certainly closer than Norway. Here’s how to get the most out of a trip to Alaska’s Kenai Fjords.
Take in the wildlife
Photo: Gleb Tarro/Shutterstock
You know that motivational poster of the brown bear catching a salmon in a raging river? That might as well be the welcome sign for Kenai Fjords. The area is famous for its wildlife, particularly its black and brown bears, sea otters, whales, and birds. Bears can frequently be found fishing and hunting around the park’s coastline — which is bad news for the fish — and there are over 191 species of birds in the park, including bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and even puffins. The waters are full of sea otters and sea lions — often visible right in Seward Harbor — and orca, fin, gray, humpback, minke, and sei whales also call the park home throughout the year.
Photo: Alexey Suloev/Shutterstock
The best way to see the most wildlife in Kenai Fjords is by boat. Sightseeing tour boats will usually bring you up close and personal with whales, seals, sea lions, and, if you’re lucky, bald eagles. There’s even a special half-day wildlife cruise that departs from Seward Harbor and explores nearby Resurrection Bay, where you’ll see not only an abundance of birds and marine life, as well as mountain goats on the slopes above, but also the area’s rugged glacial geography. To see puffins, your best bet is probably visiting the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, unless you want to venture out to the less-accessible Beehive Island.
If a bear encounter is on your bucket list (socially distanced, of course), you can take a guided tour. From fly-in day trips to overnight camping in the brown bears’ natural habitat, these tours will get you closer to Alaska’s most famous predator than you bargained for.
Marvel at majestic glaciers
Photo: Galyna Andrushko/Shutterstock
Just as Norway doesn’t have a monopoly on fjords, Iceland isn’t the only place with epic glaciers. There are over 40 glaciers in Kenai Fjords National Park, sloping down to the Harding Icefield before emptying into the ocean. Kenai’s glaciers are a mix of tidewater and alpine glaciers. Tidewater glaciers flow from land to sea and then terminate below the water’s surface, while alpine glaciers form in mountain basins, from which snow and ice build and expand down the mountain.
The park’s most famous and dramatic glacier is Exit Glacier, an alpine glacier just a 15-minute drive from Seward. Despite its imposing form, it’s actually relatively easy to hike. A network of well-maintained trails extend from the visitor center to the toe of the glacier, and the Glacier Overlook Trail climbs up to an overlook where you’ll get a view of the glacier itself. Along the way, you’ll find interpretive signs with information about the surrounding plant life, and there’s even a self-guided audio tour on the Alaska App for those interested.
For a slightly more arduous hiking experience, check out the Harding Icefield Trail, an 8.2-mile round trip trail that parallels the glacier’s northern edge. The icefield is a 700-square-mile remnant of the ice mass that once covered half of Alaska; from the icefield, glaciers pour down into the ocean, creating fjords and icebergs. The trail is a difficult 1,000-foot ascent, but it will reward you with incredible views of the glaciers and mountains. To really channel your inner mountaineer, you can take a guided hike on the glacier itself. This more technical hike includes scaling ice walls and navigating crevasses and moulins (deep holes in the ice).
Get out on the water
Photo: Alberto Loyo/Shutterstock
Perhaps the best part about Kenai Fjords is that you don’t actually have to exert physical effort to enjoy it. Expert hiking ability might sound like a prerequisite for enjoying a national park in Alaska, but despite what the mountaineers would say, taking a leisurely boat tour might be the best way to see Kenai Fjords. Tours departing from Seward’s harbor will guide you through the fjords and glaciers of Resurrection Bay and the Gulf of Alaska, and it might be the best way to appreciate the surrounding mountain views. While there is a range of different cruises offered, wildlife tours are among the most popular. These cruises will allow you to see puffins, orcas, gray whales, sea lions, sea otters, harbor seals, and a variety of marine birds including bald eagles. Other cruises focus on the more remote, inaccessible areas of the park, exploring the fjords and tidewater glaciers.
A more adventurous way of exploring the park’s waters would be to rent your own kayak. It’s not for the inexperienced or faint of heart, however, as the waters of the Gulf of Alaska are rough, there are very few protected coves, and wind and rain can often be excessive. If you’re up to the challenge, though, you can rent a kayak in Seward and venture to Resurrection Bay, Caines Head, and Thumb Cove, which is known for its camping and rock climbing. Indeed, if you’re set on exploring much of the park by kayak, you might want to consider camping overnight at various locations along the shoreline. Make sure to read the National Park Service guidelines before choosing a camping spot.
For inexperienced kayakers who still want to get out on the water, it’s safest to take a guided kayak or paddleboard tour. These excursions, ranging from half-day to multi-day in length, will take you close to glaciers and hopefully even a few whales, all with the aid of an experienced guide.
Explore the town of Seward
Photo: Raisa Nastukova/Shutterstock
Seward, a town of just under 3,000 residents, is the perfect base for your adventures through one of the most unique national parks in Alaska. But whether you’re taking a day off from glacier hiking or simply returning to the hotel at night, Seward itself has plenty to keep you busy. One of the town’s main attractions is the SeaLife Center, a nonprofit research institution and public aquarium. Here, you’ll be able to see creatures that may have eluded you in the wild, like puffins, sea lions, harbor seals, and giant Pacific octopuses. You can also take an animal encounters tour that allows you to feed the marine life and get closer than you ever could in the wild.
You don’t have to hike a glacier for epic sightseeing, either. Seward’s waterfront park, which extends from the small boat harbor to the SeaLife Center, contains tent and RV camping, a picnic area, beach access, and a trail with historical landmarks. From the waterfront, and especially the hiking trail, you’ll have views of the mountains across the bay and the harbor where boats sail in and out all day. One of the most notable trail markers is Mile 0 of the Historic Iditarod Trail where the first-ever Iditarod race was held.
Southern Alaska might not strike you as an artistic hub, but the Last Frontier impresses in more than just nature. Seward is called the “Mural Capital of Alaska” for a reason. In 1999 a group of local artists came together to paint murals on panels of the high school gym floor. Since then, the group has grown from a spontaneous collection of volunteers to a society of dedicated muralists. The Mural Society’s goal is to bring life to Seward’s historical characters and events and celebrate Alaska’s beauty through art. Now you can take a walking tour and visit over 20 colorful murals.
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Japanese billionaire SpaceX giveaway
This Japanese billionaire is taking the whole “apply to win a free vacation!” thing to the next level. Back in 2018, fashion mogul Yusaku Maezawa announced that he would be inviting a group of artists with him on a six-day trip around the moon. Now, he’s actually opening applications for those eight coveted spots and expanding his definition of “artist.” Originally it only applied to singers, dancers, painters, and other traditional creatives, but now Maezawa wants to include people of any profession on his 2023 space journey, as long as they identify as an artist.
Get your FREE TICKET to the MOON!!
8 crew members wanted. Sign up today! 🚀🌍🌕 #dearMoon https://t.co/P0vEZ6k8Xg
— Yusaku Maezawa (MZ) (@yousuckMZ) March 2, 2021
Maezawa’s space mission is called Dear Moon, and the website now includes a link where applicants can pre-register through March 14. According to the site, applicants should be eager to “push the envelope” in their field of work by going to space, in order “to help others and greater society.” They should also be a team player, prepared to support their fellow crew members during the trip, CNN reports.
The call for crew members has been successful as more than 100,000 applications from 268 countries and areas have been received in only 17 hours.
Maezawa, who is paying for the trip, will choose eight candidates from the public plus at least one other person. While it’s not clear who this person might be, last year Maezawa announced his search for a “life partner” to join him in space, so he’s likely saving a spot for a potential girlfriend. The rocket will accommodate 10 to 12 people in total.
The mission will take place aboard SpaceX’s Starship rocket, which is expected to be conducting regular flights by 2023. If the Starship rocket proves successful, Maezawa’s crew would be the first-ever group of private citizens to travel past low-Earth orbit.
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Minor league ballparks are an affordable tribute to America’s small-town culture
Even if you’re an avid baseball fan, your itinerary for a cross-country road trip probably doesn’t include visiting minor league ballparks. But it should. Unlike their Major League Baseball counterparts, minor league games are cheap, accessible, and relaxed experiences that are a microcosm of an area’s culture.
Think of the difference between attending a major league game versus a minor league game this way: Going to a major league game is like paying a $50 cover for an exclusive nightclub with a dress code, strict rules of behavior, and $15 beers. A minor league park is like the dive bar down the road. Tickets are available at the door, drinks are cheap, you can almost always move up from your “assigned” seat, and the local flair will entertain even if baseball bores you.
Minor League Baseball was completely restructured in 2020 as COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on spectator sports. Many franchises got the axe, but there are still 120 active minor league teams around the country that are part of the new Professional Development League, and 209 teams when you count partner leagues. In 2021, minor league games are slated to start in April, and vaccines are raising hopes for the return of crowds.
A minor league ballgame is totally worth the detour when you feel safe to do so and well into the future.
Minor League Baseball is cheap entertainment
Photo: Brooklyn Cyclones/Facebook
Sometimes the idea of a road trip is more thrilling than actually being on the road. You might have visions of a Harold and Kumar-esque journey where every mundane pit stop somehow turns into a string of improbable shenanigans, but the fact is, most stretches of highway are pretty boring. When you’ve been driving for 12 hours and all you’ve seen are corn silos and Cracker Barrels, that sign for a small minor league ballpark starts looking pretty attractive — especially if you’re on a budget. Data from 2016 show an average ticket cost of around $8.00, a hot dog for $3.50, and beers around $5.50. Even if you only go for a few innings, soak up the sunshine, have two beers and a hot dog, you’ll have spent less than $25 and gained a memorable experience sure to become a “Remember that one time…” tale between you and whoever you’re traveling with.
As riveting as it might be to see the Lehigh Millennium Folk Arch in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, go to a Lehigh Valley IronPigs game instead. It’s a cheap and chill way to break up the monotony of a road trip.
A taste of local culture
Photo: Montgomery Biscuits/Facebook
If you’ve ever been to a baseball game, you’re familiar with the silly games and contests they run between innings. The minor leagues take those promotions to a whole new level. The Philadelphia Phillies might have shameless mascots dressed as US presidents sprinting toward a finish line, but the Tacoma Rainiers have Rhubarb the Reindeer parachuting onto the field — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The Louisville Bats have a golden retriever mascot that performs tricks during weekend games, the Sacramento River Cats have a “Diaper Derby” where babies race across the field, and the Brooklyn Cyclones have a roller-coaster scoreboard.
In the minor leagues, athletes are also far more accessible to fans. In Werner Park, for example, home to the Omaha Storm Chasers, there is a designated Autograph Bridge where fans can get player autographs before every game.
And if you’re looking to sample the local fare, minor league ballpark food is a good place to start. I can’t sit here and tell you that a ballpark kiosk will have better food than the surrounding local restaurants with professional chefs, but park food — especially in the minor leagues — has a way of highlighting an area’s culinary staples. Major league parks are so streamlined that their midways and pavilions have all started to look the same, regardless of what part of the country you’re in. Minor league parks still retain a semblance of local flavor, offering regional favorites like Omaha Steaks corn dogs in Nebraska, pizza balls in Brooklyn, and chicken and waffles in the Florida Panhandle. The Montgomery Biscuits’ Riverwalk Stadium has, yes, various types of biscuits, but also so much more well-loved Southern food.
Now is as good a time as any to see a Minor League Baseball game
Photo: Eric Broder Van Dyke/Shutterstock
Unfortunately, unlike your trip to the world’s largest ball of twine, specific minor league ballpark experiences aren’t something you can put off forever. While the minor league system itself isn’t going anywhere, Major League Baseball imposed massive cuts in 2020 resulting in the dissolution of 40 minor league teams. If this trend continues, finding active minor league ballparks around the country could soon become much trickier.
MLB’s massive overhaul of the minor league system included stadium facilities, league organization, and team geography. While terrible for the state of easily finding minor league ball in all pockets of the US, there’s a good chance the restructuring will finally draw attention to the remaining teams that previously struggled to field a crowd. There’s no question that minor league franchises provide unique, affordable entertainment to communities around the country, and that, sadly, those franchises are often taken for granted. Many of us have minor league affiliates within easy driving distance of our homes, maybe without even knowing it. As teams begin dwindling, now is the time to appreciate and take advantage of the minor league experience.
So the next time you’re driving through Kansas, desperate for a distraction from the highway markers, spend the day at a Wichita Wind Surge game. Who knows, you might just find yourself walking out with some free Wind Surge merch courtesy of the T-shirt cannon.
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