The most incredible places in the world – The Travel Detective
This week on The Travel Detective, It’s known for thoroughbred racetracks and some of America’s top bourbon distilleries. But I’m going to take you off those two trails and share with you some of my hidden gems of Lexington, Kentucky. That’s our cover story. Plus, some sobering statistics. America’s most dangerous roads when it comes to DUIs. And then, your excursions with a touch of salt. Correspondent Arnie Weissman introduces us to an innovative cruise trend. About food and culture that’s truly immersive. I’m Peter Greenberg. All that and more on this edition of The Travel Detective. For starters, let’s begin with the basics. In central Kentucky, in the heart of the bluegrass region, sits Lexington. With a population of roughly 320,000 residents, it’s the state’s second largest city. Originally founded in 1775 and named in honor of the first Battle of the American Revolutionary War in Lexington, Massachusetts. Lexington is a college town. Home to both the University of Kentucky and Transylvania University. Here you’ll find well-preserved historic buildings, even the childhood home of Mary Todd Lincoln. But also signs of architecture’s glittering, cutting-edge future and a chance to escape to the peaceful beauty of nature. And while most people associate horse racing with Louisville and the Kentucky Derby, for true fans, they know Lexington as the horse capital of the world. There are more than 450 horse farms around town, and one central place where their fans gather. The race day, the race day. Keeneland Racetrack was founded in 1936, and the stands are packed for every one of their only 32 race days throughout the year. But what even some of these biggest fans may not know is where these horses go after they’ve taken their final lap. The whole idea of this place is to try and get enough room to retire these horses and give them a dignified retirement that they really earn and really deserve. How many horses? 161. And every one of them has a story? Every one of them has a story. Michael Blowen is the president and founder of Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement, 10 miles north of Lexington, just off Highway 62. This non-profit farm provides a home for horses who’ve reached the end of their racing and breeding careers. Michael was formerly a movie critic for the Boston Globe when he started volunteering at a local racetrack. I just fell in love with the horses, and once you fall in love… Your whole life changes, no matter what you’re falling in love with. I realized that some of them were taken care of at the end of their careers, and then there were others that weren’t. So Michael and his wife, who also wrote for the Boston Globe, retired and moved to Kentucky, and Old Friends opened in 2003. In aftercare, everybody’s trying to work together now to give these horses the best retirement and not have to worry about the bonding. For a small donation, you’re guided through the 200-acre Vaughan. You meet and you hear stories about this former athlete. And who’s this? This is ruler on Ice. He’s one of our recent acquisitions. He won the Belmont Stakes. Ruler on ice is the winner! These guys are living a great life now. Yeah, I am, too, so it’s mutual. Kentucky may be all about horse racing, but at Old Friends, as with most people, it’s not about how fast you are, or what you’ve won, or even how you start. But it’s definitely about how you finish. In many rural areas, a growing number of farms might offer agritourism, with fun activities right out of a travel brochure. But just seven miles outside of Lexington, you’ll find this farm. No brochures here, but a real chance to become part of the process. You’re out here with nature. You hear all these birds and all these little animals, and it’s just therapeutic. Jim Coleman is the owner of Coleman Crest Farm. He was a fortune 500 executive who left his career in New York to return to his family’s farm. It was dormant for about 30 years, and it pretty much had turned into a forest. And I’ve restored it, and now it’s back. Less than 2% of farms in Kentucky are operated by Black farmers. So for support, this small community can turn to Ashley C. Smith and her organization, Black Soil KY. Our mission at Black Soil KY is to reconnect. Black Kentuckians to their heritage and legacy in agriculture. We’re able to bring our mission to life through farm tours, farm to table dinners, agritours and activities with youth. Black Soil also has a facility where farmers can sell directly to the community. This type of advocacy is vital for a small operation like this, where Jim’s heritage is deeply tied to the land. This is a farm that my great-grandfather purchased March 27, 1888. I’m a fourth-generation owner. Because of this farm, my parents were able to send me to Howard University. I’ve been away ever since. So you went to work at Wall Street, then went to Philadelphia. Okay, I’m coming back home. My wife, Kathy passed away on April 3, 2020, and we were married for 37 years. And so I decided the best way to heal my heart was to go home and to restore my heart and to restore my family farm. And it’s been good for me. Part of Jim’s mission is to teach farming to the community. And the best way to learn is by doing. All right. Put your foot down and keep going. Keep it going. Using the tractor, we’re laying an irrigation line and a plastic covering that will protect the green beans as they grow. Okay. Stop. Take a look at the work you did. Look at that. That is perfect. Would I be a professional? You would be a professional. I would hire you. I’ve got about 20 more rows to do. You can fade. I’ll take it. Look at that. With that bed prepped for green beans, now it’s time to plant some potato. Spread it enough to where you can get enough soil covered. There you go. And then just simply cover it. That’ll do. Jim’s roots in this soil run deep, and they spring out of one of the darkest chapters of American history. So this is the same soil as your great-grandparents? It’s the same soil. My great-grandfather was born in 1845 into slavery. He and his family and his ancestors had tilled this land as enslaved people. He got his freedom in 1865, got a jumbo mortgage for $1,200, purchased the land that they had tilled. And it’s been in our family for 135 years, this soil. Has sent over 300 of my great-grandparents’ descendants to college. What we’re doing right now. That’s exactly right. After working so hard to acquire, then keep this land, it’s only fitting that Jim’s ancestors have become a part of it. My great-grandparents and my grandparents are buried here on this farm. I just feel them, and they give me comfort and strength. If your great-grandparents and your ancestors were here today, watching you right now, what would they say? They would just be very proud that I held on to this, keep it for another generation, and opening up this. Land to be able to teach others. Of course, you can’t come to Kentucky without trying a little bourbon. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail was established only recently, back in 1999, as a guide to the region’s distilleries. And the trail has now expanded from the major labels to also include craft distilleries. But there’s plenty to be discovered off the trail. And in downtown Lexington, one new distillery is offering… A fresh approach. Kentucky is known for bourbon, and fresh bourbon offers a new take on an old industry. Tia and Sean Edwards are the co-founders of Fresh Bourbon Distilling Company. What makes fresh bourbon unique is our primary ingredient that’s called honeymalt. It adds a flavorful, smooth finish to the bourbon. Other distilleries may offer only one way to taste their bourbon, but Shawn and Tia wanted to give folks a choice. She loves bourbon more than a cocktail. Where I like bourbon, I like it. neat. And so we’re not going to tell you how to drink your bourbon. Which makes it inviting to not only men, but also the growing market of bourbon women. So I sat down with them to get the full experience. The first thing you want to do is pick it up, and you want to nose your bourbon. So you’re going to breathe it in, and that will give you some aromas. You’ll pick up the scotch notes. Yeah. And, let me guess, has a kick to it? Well, it is 95 proof. It’s what? 95 proof. Can I have a SIP right now? You absolutely can have a sip. What you want to do, you want to take a first sip, but you want to take a small sip. We call that a continued juice. Oh, I’m taking a small sip. And just swish it around your mouth so your palate gets acclimated to the burger. Yeah. Yes. What you will notice, the finish is very smooth. Wait, hold it. The finish is very smooth, and then it goes down. Yeah, that’s right. And I’m feeling it right now. You’re calling that Kentucky hug. That’s what you call it? Welcome to Kentucky. I thought it was more like a Kentucky shove. Wow. Lexington has a surprising number of bars and music venues, where it’s live music just about every day and night of the week. But if you want a true participatory music experience, it’s not just about where to go in Lexington, but when. Locals know to save Monday nights for TD’s Lounge. It’s the only night of the week, it’s open, and you better get there early. You drive past it, you would have never known that this is a Blues club. The hole in the wall. Those are the best. Clubs and buildings to be in at TD’s Lounge, the energy is lively but also low-key. That feels appropriate for an under the radar Blues club. That’s only open one night a week. Well, well, how’s everybody? We only open one night a week. We don’t advertise, people just just go from word of mouth, you know, T.D. Young has been playing guitar his whole life, performing with the likes of Aretha Franklin and in the clubs of B.B. King and Isaac Hayes. What started as just a weekly rehearsal turned into a jam session that just kept growing until T.D. Decided to just open the lounge. This place has a vibe. It’s coming from the musicians, from the people. And that makes me play. I enjoy that. The lounge hosts guest performers from all over the world. But you don’t have to be a professional musician to play. We invite any musician that wants to come up. I think everybody deserves a chance. Uh-oh, uh-oh. And so I took him up on that offer. I think people are done good, eat that, his thing. Come on! It was a one-night stand on the only night they were open. A Monday I won’t soon forget at TD’s Lounge in Lexington. A final hidden gem in the hidden gem that’s Lexington, Kentucky. We’ve shown you some of the most interesting and creative pre-flight safety videos that the airlines have produced. And some of them are pretty funny. The pilot, Greg Morris, gets serious about the importance for you to watch, as well as listen to what’s on that screen. The safety demonstration starts. Maybe it comes on your screen. I know what you do. Chances are you tune it out. You think, I’ve seen it all before. Maybe true. But if you just tuned in and focused on the flight attendant’s demo for a few minutes, your reaction time might be faster. Just fast enough. To improve your chances of surviving those around you. Plane evacuations are rare. When they happen, seconds count. If you haven’t watched the safety video, you won’t know where your nearest exit is, or what to do if it’s blocked by fire, as in this 2015 incident on board a British Airways flight that was departing Las Vegas. And then there’s the seatbelt itself. True. Most of us do know how to buckle and unbuckle. But do you leave that seatbelt fastened throughout the entire flight as you should? Have you ever decided to get up or use the lavatory when the seatbelt sign is on? That may be a bad idea. While flying is statistically safer than driving, it is unlawful not to wear a seatbelt when we drive. And turbulence is the leading cause of non-fatal in-flight injuries each year. Pilots have onboard weather radar, but that’s no guarantee of smooth flying. Clear air turbulence cannot be seen, high-level winds can cause unexpected rough air, and wake air turbulence caused by the spiraling winds trailing behind planes nearby can rock a plane unexpectedly. If you’re not buckled up, you could fly through the cabin. Your pilots are required to wear their seatbelts throughout the entire flight, so why would you take a chance if they won’t? So the basic, simple… And essential advice. Please, buckle up. And remember, it’s not just about wearing your seatbelt. You need to wear your seatbelt snugly around your waist. If you don’t, put good in. What factors do you use in choosing a destination? Weather, history and culture, music or food, perhaps the water. But what about sobriety, or lack thereof? There’s actually a ranking of the states with the highest DUIs, and alcohol-related arrests and deaths. So which state scored the worst? That would be Wisconsin, followed by South Dakota and Montana. And the city with the highest excessive drinking? That would be Green Bay. The state with the fastest-growing number of alcohol arrests and deaths? That’s a surprise. New Hampshire. One possible reason? More people moving there during the pandemic. And the state with the lowest DUIs, arrests, or deaths? That’s Massachusetts. So what’s your definition of a typical shore excursion on a number of cruise ships? Well, for many passengers, it involves getting off the ship and getting onto one of these buses, then being shuttled to a typical tourist destination. where, before you know it, you’re paying homage to the patron saint. Of refrigerator magnets and selfie sticks. Now, a number of cruise lines and tour operators are redefining that shore excursion experience into a much more immersive, participatory event. And as our correspondent Arnie Weissman found out, it’s about food, sometimes. It’s something called salt. No, not the ingredient, but the concept. One of those cruise lines looking to innovate their shore excursions is Silver Sea. With their new immersive program, SALT, overseen by culinary expert Adam Sachs. Salt is an acronym for sea and land Taste. It’s Silver Sea’s new deep dive culinary program. And salt is all about finding ways that we can go deeper with food. So when we’re in port, we’re going to meet producers, we’re going to meet chefs, we’re going to restaurants, we’re going to meet winemakers. And it’s all about connecting our guests to the places we’re going through, the culture of food and drink. The SALT program is tailored to each ship and its itinerary. And on this particular cruise, it’s all about Greek culture and Greek storytelling, the mythology, the diversity, and the reality of Greek food. And we started with ouzo. The ouzo is not just an alcoholic drink that we just like to have it. It is 100% combined with the Greek culture, the Greek attitude, and the Greek cuisine and the food we have. Yiannis Kourounis is a fifth generation. Ouzo distiller. The Kourounis family has been making ouzo through most of modern Greece’s existence. We are one of the oldest companies in Greece, starting in 1869 here in Nafplio. Nafplio was the first capital of Greece after the independence. But a visit to the Kourounis distillery is not just a history lesson. Yiannis takes his guests through the process of making Ouzo. From grapes to glass. Here you can see live the distillation process. We have the production here now. We have alcohol from grapes. We have the anise and the fennel. And some secondary ingredients that we don’t tell. It’s the recipe for us. And then we distill, we boil all those ingredients together. And it’s now almost 70% like saying 140 proof. So, please. Smell it before we add the water. It’s very intense now. You can find the ingredients. And then we add some water. So, yummus. Yummus. Delicious. Really good. And it’s the same recipe from the founders, from 1869 till today. The challenges are really figuring out first, taking a step back, looking at the destinations, thinking about how do we tell the story of these places through food. One of Salt’s storytellers is Nicholas Sekiris, a cookbook author who shares Greek culture with passengers the traditional way, over a meal. Food and the meals are part of the culture. The culture is the whole hospitality thing, phylloxenia. If you go to the village… Phylloxenia. The houses are open and they’ll invite you in to treat you with whatever they have. Back on the ship, the Salt experience continues with true immersion in the Salt lab. All right, well, you look amazing in your aprons. We’re going to start a little bit of cooking. First thing I want to do is turn the stove on number six. Led by chef David Bilzlin, you get to know the dish. Ingredient by ingredient. And today, it was moussaka, a Greek casserole. The next thing we’re going to do is save our sauce, add our zucchini, pour that into the pan, plate them out, and then light them even later. Take a little bit of zest with our flame and just run that into the ragout. And it’s only a little intimidating if you happen to be in the classroom with the head of the program. It’s easier to do if you move to the left. When you’re in Salt Lab, you’re rolling up your sleeves, you’re putting on an apron, and you’re learning to cook something. But you’re also more than just taking home a recipe. You’re learning stories, you’re learning why they eat a certain way in a place. So we’re trying to send people home with more than just some cooking tips, some real appreciation of the cultures and traditions of the places we’re visiting. But Silversea isn’t the only cruise line making changes. One tour operator, Gohagan Travel, which works with a lot of university alumni associations, has also redefined the shore excursion experience. On a recent trip through Portugal, Spain, and France, they explored history. Not just ancient history, but World War II history. And not surprisingly, it all started with an appetizer in Porto. In Villanova de Gaia, in Portugal, Gohagan kicked off their shore experience with a trip to the restaurant Enoteca 17. Here, guests like Liz and Sam Lightner are allowed back into the kitchen to get a front row seat with the chef. Hi, hello. Hi. Welcome. Thank you. So I’m going to show you some of the dishes. To learn how their food is prepared. Where does the salmon come from? It’s from Norway. Okay. I’m going to touch it. Not too much. And this is the sauce. We call the miso sauce. Yeah. And to get the first taste. I like the little crispiness on the top. You just feel special because you’re getting to try out things and see things in a way that you normally don’t get to do. And with Bohagen, it’s not just about the excursion itself. It’s about sharing the experience with people who are equally passionate. And engaged with the activity. Everything that we do is also done with other people that are interested in trying different foods. Learning different things. So you’re constantly having amazing conversations with people that you just met. This is the real deal of wasabi. Very fresh. We were learning about fresh wasabi this morning. Making for an excursion that is as fresh as the table-side wasabi. We might be moving to Porto. This week on The Travel Detective, more than 100,000 people will come to Antarctica this year. That’s a record. And they’ll be coming to the coldest, windiest, and, yes, even driest continent on the planet. But how will they get here, and where will they go? I’ll be joining a special expedition as one cruise line sails in uncharted waters, mapping out a place that remains, for all intents and purposes, virtually unknown. That’s our cover story. Plus, a real wake-up call for some countries. We’ll tell you which ones are the most sleep deprived. And then, it’s a city on the east side of San Francisco Bay, with a rich history, one of America’s best zoos, and a strong artistic vibe. Experience Oakland like a local. I’m Peter Greenberg. All that and more on this edition of The Travel Detective. Terrifyingly beautiful, harshly seductive. It is, to be sure, the last frontier of travel. Antarctica, the final corner of the world to be mapped, charted, and experienced. Our southernmost continent, located on the bottom of the globe. Through advances in expedition cruising, it’s becoming a more attainable destination for visitors. Typical travel season runs from November to March, with 50 different cruise ships approved for the challenging journey, on lines such as Lindblad Expeditions, Atlas Ocean Voyages, and Quark Expeditions. In its most recent season, over 100,000 travelers came to Antarctica, 20 times the numbers from a decade ago. The majority of cruise travel is to the Antarctica Peninsula, so as that area gets more crowded, some companies are looking to get away from the most visited, and some might say, threatened destinations. One cruise line, Silversea, recently embarked on a history-making 12-day journey, not for passengers, but for expedition leaders and scientists to rechart the maps and discover new landing sites in Antarctica. Welcome to the Betanzos, a ship built nearly 50 years ago as a fishing vessel in Spain. It did the same task here in South America before being converted to a fully functional research vessel. Today, the expedition leaders and research scientists on this ship are fishing for something else, new destinations. And this ship has all the tools they’ll need to go where they’ve never been before. Leading the team on the Betanzos. Is captain Freddy Lichthelf. Born in South Africa, Freddy made his first trip to Antarctica in 2002. He is now a captain on one of Silver Sea’s expedition ships, the Silver Explorer. Yesterday we started in Caldas Bay, where the airstrip is, and overnight we steamed this distance and we dropped anchor just off this point here. It’s not very well charted, and also this chart’s an edition of 2004. The most recent charts we’ve got are 2004. That’s right. So what you see on the chart now is not necessarily what you experience here. You just don’t put the ship in a certain direction and off you go. If you don’t have the ice, you have the weather. If you don’t have the weather, you’ve got the visibility. This is the harshest areas in the world to navigate. To safely explore this environment, you have to go in prepared. So, Dr. Terence Christian, the senior manager of Expedition Operations, reviews the supplies. So in our shore bags, we take a whole suite of what we need to survive for a minimum of 24 hours. At that point, we’re expecting rescue. Water and food are the most important things, along with shelter, space, blankets, medical kits. It’s all about redundancies and further redundancies. On top of that, to make sure that we are fully self-sufficient when we go out. The Patanzos moves into position to launch the first Zodiacs. This is a mission of discovery. It will include determining that the vessel can safely access the area, safely anchor in the area, that you can deploy the Zodiacs fairly ice-free, and that the landing spot is safe for guests of all ages to be able to land there. On the shore of Livingston Island, we’re guided in by Silber Sea’s expedition leader, Stefan Kredel. What makes this island good for you? Well, the island, Livingston Island, is huge. It’s just pretty protected, with a lot of space to land. And we also have a glacier around the corners. Just as attractive as the topography is that the island is populated by elephant seals and Gentoo penguins. This island might just work. And if you look around, there is no rubbish around. There’s no evidence from human beings. There’s no plastic because there’s no human beings down here. And then there’s that. How long has that been here? Geologically, it’s not that old. A couple of million years, for sure. And untouched. Totally untouched. And that’s the way you want it? Absolutely, and that’s the way we will keep it. There’s another potential landing site on Livingston Island. The team moves north, into South Bay. Approaching Araby Point, the minimal chart information indicates they’re likely to encounter shallow, rocky waters, so they proceed cautiously. From where you are now, can you see, is it clear of ice? Is it navigable? It’s not quite clear so far. It looks good, but I need another five minutes and I can recover. Okay, good. It can be anywhere. It can be anywhere, but I aim for that spot where there’s a lot of ice. Stefan uses an oar as a simple method to test for a shallow bottom. Sort of a depth finder. Deep, deep. The biggest issue is we go over something and then suddenly hits a propeller. Not good for the propeller. Oh, I can see the pool. I can see it. Yeah, I can just about see it now. They can see the rocks. Yeah, some rocks. Because of the uncertain waters, two of the team’s guides, Megan Savage and Graham Hillary, must crave the freezing temperatures and manually guide the boat towards the beach. Whoa, this rock. Megan, just mind your shins on the ice. Yeah. Okay, otherwise we go out. No, it’s okay. I can have a quick look. If we’re gonna be able to get back. Okay. Well, it’s with the ice, I wouldn’t risk it. Yeah, I like the other place better. There’s a lot of rocks in the beach area. I think it’s also not really the best place for a soldier corporation. Roger, All copy. Thank you. But there are more risks today, as the crew is also conducting its first aerial scout. We’re going here, here, and that’s the last area. We have to look at wildlife. We potentially see, obviously, if the wildlife can’t get too close with the helicopter and potentially the beach situation. If something goes wrong out here, there are no airports and very few safe places to land. But despite the risks, this is often the best way to scout ahead of the ship for possible landing sites. Beautiful group of islands there. I think that’s a good landing spot there. There’s a nice little natural harbor there. You know, it’s a good place to go. That’s Lurie Island. That’s Lurie’s to our left there at 10 o’clock, I think. That’s prospect in front of us. Okay. I think we covered something like 130 nautical miles in space of just over an hour. I mean, on a ship, that would take 13 hours and 10 knots if it took us over an hour. So it saved a lot of time, but also gave us a quick little perspective on potential sites. And there were a few that had potential, but nothing replaces being in the zodiac and actually doing the landing yourself. Armed with the information they’d gathered from the air, the team can now more quickly hone in. On those best landing areas in these uncharted waters. Starting 270 miles from King George Island and Cape Tuxent. Copy on that, Stefan. Thank you. As we approached, as beautiful as it looked, there were some immediate challenges. So, we could land here. But there is very limited space for our guests without falling all over. I think your channel is at that end. In addition to landing sites, the team is also looking for stretches of sea, for zodiac cruising, as well as kayak. Okay, let’s first have a look there. Ah, there we go. Smell that. Yeah, I smell the birds. Nothing like the smell of 35,000 pairs of penguins first thing in the morning. Oh, this is a bigger colony than I expected. I would be a kayaker. I would kayak here. I would kayak here, too. It’s brilliant. And the Tupinye Islands also get the team’s approval as a location for future cruises. Next destination, 160 miles southwest of King George Island, the two distinctive rocky peaks, or hummocks, of Tuhumuck Island. So this is a keeper. There’s enough room for 100 people. Gorgeous. Difference in sizes. Hey, look at those two over there, how small they are. Fantastic. And chinstraps. The next stop, 24 miles to the southeast, into treacherous waters. My main concern is right now to get in with the ice. Because a little bit of rising tides, the whole thing starts moving, breaking apart or whatever. I don’t feel comfortable. For Bill Davis, vice president of Expedition Development and Operations, it’s all about being smart, and that means it’s all about caution. You just have to go slow, pick your way, be patient, push the big ones. You don’t want to ram them, and take your time. Sometimes it’s a little bit different than what you expect with ice conditions or weather. So there’s frustrations. You know, we’ve highlighted some places we thought would be fantastic, and they were a bit underwhelming when they got there. But we’ve had some fantastic surprises, too. And that final surprise is on Robert Island, just 30 miles southwest of where the expedition started. On King George Island. Look at all that vegetation. Incredible. So green. The amount of green here is incredible. I’ve never seen so much green in Antarctica. A nice spot. I like it. Yeah, different. You can walk. You have all the elephant seals here. It’s actually a beautiful sight. It’s spectacular. And I’m pretty sure no one comes here. As vibrant as this vegetation is, it’s a sign that things are changing in Antarctica. And maybe not for the better. In my opinion, Antarctica is very much a barometer of world health. Last year was the lowest recorded sea ice extent. So the water temperature is rising, and to see over the last 20 years how those ice shafts have diminished is quite scary. You hear a lot about global warming, but for people to become aware and to see it at first hand is vitally important. And more travelers will have that chance to see the effects of climate change on Antarctica up close, thanks to these new destinations. Over 12 days. We covered over a thousand miles. And in the end, the expedition traveled to more than 30 new destinations, and they made full landings at more than 20. But as the industry’s footprint here grows, it’s imperative that all travel to Antarctica is done with the utmost care and responsible planning. We need to take care of this place. We need to look after it, and we need to make people aware of what is happening down here to preserve it for what it is. So how many hours of sleep a night do you normally get? And how many hours of sleep a night do you get when you travel? You already know the answer. Not enough. And the fewer hours of sleep you get increases your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. The Centers for Disease Control just released their study of the most sleep-deprived locations in America. Number one, it’s Hawaii, with the most residents with inadequate sleep. Called by Virginia, Kentucky. And Tennessee. Another example, Detroit, only 51% of its residents getting seven hours a night, 49% of those adults obese, and 19% of those adults with depression. When you think of California, a number of the big coastal cities might come to mind. Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco. But there’s another gold nugget in the Golden State, and it’s right across the bay from San Francisco. It’s got a great artistic vibe, locally owned stores, multicultural cuisine, and a surprisingly rich history. So let me show you how to navigate Oakland like a local. Sitting across the bay from San Francisco, Oakland has a population of around 440,000, making it the eighth largest city in California. Incorporated in 1852, Oakland was the western terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad. From its early days, it’s been a major shipping destination, and today, the Port of Oakland is one of the top ten busiest ports in the nation. Oakland is also one of the most ethnically diverse major cities in the country. With an estimated one-quarter of its population born outside of the U.S. So where do you even begin in a city of this size and diversity? Well, you can start by seeing it all at once, and locals know the surprising place to go to get the best view in town. Being in Oakland, first of all, one of the most dynamic cities in the country, diverse, eclectic, fun, and you have an incredible zoo here. Nick Dehazia is the CEO of the Oakland Zoo. Seeing the zoo in an urban setting, 100 acres right here in the heart of the city of Oakland, 1,000 animals, several hundred different species, it truly is a spectacular place to be. In addition to its regular exhibits, the zoo also has special events that allow guests to learn about and engage with the animals, like getting up and close and personal with reticulated giraffes. One of their favorite snacks is a banana. Their tongues are very slippery and very slimy. Here, one for you. There you go. Look at that. Yeah, I got it. I got it. So what about that view of the city? All right. Well, Nick led the way. Surprises, you’ve got a ski gondola in the middle of Oakland. I mean, there’s nothing like it, not just in Oakland. In the United States, these gondola cabins, we went to Switzerland to specifically design these for an urban environment, not a ski environment. And so this happens all the time. People come to the zoo to see animals. But to get on a gondola like this is an attraction of itself. The gondola goes from the lower part of the zoo to its upper California Trail habitat, rising 350 feet. 650 feet above sea level, looking out at the bay, San Francisco, downtown Oakland, this view is unmatched in the Bay Area. And this isn’t the only type of gondola you can use to appreciate Oakland. The Bay area is known, of course, for San Francisco Bay. But what’s connected to that bay is where I am right now, Lake Merritt, the oldest certified wildlife refuge in the United States. It got that designation back in 1870. And the locals know they can come out here on canoes, on kayaks, on pedal boats, even sailboats. But if you want to do it in style, how about a gondola? Lake Merritt is the largest saltwater lake within an urban area in the United States. So, when you’re done enjoying your time on the water, head to the northern shore of the lake, where there is an easy-to-miss garden, unless you know where to look. We’re sort of hidden from view. You could drive around Lake Merritt many times and not even realize that we’re here. Gordon Daig is the director of Oakland’s Bonsai Garden, a collection of over 200 of these potted trees, donated and maintained by the community, and free to visit. We’re a sort of a… Oasis here. People come by all the time and say, I just love this place. It’s my place of solitude, that I can go and sit and relax and just enjoy the trees. Once you’ve had your fill of peace and solitude, then go to the stadium at Merritt College. For the noise of the crack. Soccer has always been in the DNA of Oakland, California. It’s a community event. It brings people together. It’s our duty to make sure that people aren’t enjoying their lives when they come to our games. Idris Argandewal is the co-founder of the Oakland Roots and Souls Sports Clubs, the men’s and women’s professional soccer teams in Oakland. We have a a hub of talent in the Bay Area that is indescribable. You know, we’re generating tremendous excitement around the future of soccer. Oakland has lost several of its pro sports teams in recent years, which has made the community rally around its soccer teams all the more. Being a crowd packed every game, this energy and this emotion is exactly why we do. What we do, is to give folks something to cheer for. So whether you’re playing or cheering, you’re going to want an after-game treat. And locals know the best place to go, that’s on Piedmont Avenue. Everyone knows about Fenton’s. If you were born in Oakland or raised in the Bay Area and you don’t know what Fenton’s is, your parents did you wrong. Kaitlyn Bailey has been a server at Fenton’s for only four years. But she’s been coming here since she was a kid. In fact, her great-grandfather came here when he was a kid. Fenton’s has been serving ice cream to Oaklanders since… 1894. Our ice cream is fresh, made daily. Everything is handmade. No preservatives. Can watch them making it. They have over 30 flavors here. So if you can’t decide, you’re in luck. They’re generous with tastings. But be careful not to fill up on samples because there’s lots more you’ll want to try. That’s really good. Some items have been on the menu. For 100 views. Like the black and tan. It’s got toasted almond, ice cream, fudge, vanilla, whipped cream, and, of course, the cherry on top. And this monstrosity? Oh, my goodness, it’s the banana split. Of course, we’ve got the banana, the strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, fudge, pineapple, a very generous serving of whipped cream, and another cherry. But I’m not done yet. Because if you can survive this, there’s the chocolate malted. You heard, right, malted. That nutty, fruity malt taste is the perfect old-fashioned flavor for a classic spot like Fenton’s Creamery. And even though you had your dessert first, when it’s time for dinner, the options in Oakland are as diverse as the city. So to narrow it down, ask anyone, and they’ll tell you, you gotta go to Yoshi’s. Yoshi’s is a Bay area institution. People dress up, it’s a great night out. Yoshi’s was founded in the early 70s by three friends from Japan who wanted to serve Japanese cuisine to the East Bay. And Mark Zwaswa is one of the employees helping to keep that dream alive over five decades later. The surprise of Yoshi’s isn’t your typical Japanese restaurant. It’s not only about the California rolls, but it’s about the drum rolls. One, two, three. That’s right. Yoshi’s is also a music venue. So after dinner, you can settle in for a show. Somebody out there. We have our own sound that’s indigenous to us. It’s got a little more spirit, a little more funk to it. We don’t play blues exactly like Chicago Blues or Mississippi Delta blues. We play just like Oakland. Ronnie Kevin Stewart is a regular here at Yoshi’s, where you don’t just get to listen. You might just get a chance to help make that Oakland sound. Hey, John. Yeah. This is Oakland R&B. So, Peter, I hear you play keys. Get your hands together for Peter Kielsey, one, shuffle, how! Oakland’s been known for letting people sit in. Anybody come in, Oakland have always been a place for sitting in and doing your thing. Feel me, my man. Musicians, like artists, are inspired by their surroundings, so you can feel the soul of Oakland come alive on the stage. And then, being invited to join in? Well, that welcoming attitude makes you feel just like a local. Whoa! Hey man, you can put your job. I don’t pay much, but we can use you. This week on The Travel Detective. It’s known as the Motor City, with ties to the automobile industry that go back literally to day one. Its quintessential American music gave birth to the Motown sound, And yet it was plagued by a financial crisis that crippled and nearly killed this city. And now it’s become one of America’s greatest comeback stories. Let me share with you some of my hidden gems of Detroit. That’s our cover story. Plus. While plane crashes remain extremely rare, correspondent Scott McCartney tells us why the survivability rate is actually very high and continues to rise. And then, pack your bags. As we investigate not which companies have the best luggage, which have the best warranties. I’m Peter Greenberg. All that and more on this edition of The Travel Detective. If you ask folks to describe Detroit, many might describe a once-blooming manufacturing city that was virtually abandoned, with shuttered buildings, a decreasing population, and a rising crime rate. For a time, it could be argued that Detroit was simply left to rot, and that was certainly a big part of Detroit’s perceived history as it entered the 21st century. But two decades later, this city is in the process of reinvention and restoration, a place where people are now heading towards instead of running from. And it’s emerging as a travel destination, forging a new history that is finally and rightfully, being acknowledged, perhaps even celebrated. But first, some old history. The word Detroit comes from the French, meaning strait, the term for the type of narrow body of water flowing between Lake Huron and Lake Erie, upon which Detroit was founded by French explorers in 1701. This settlement became a major hub of the Great Lakes fur trade, a precursor to Detroit’s future as the epicenter of American auto manufacturing in the 20th century, transforming Detroit into the fourth largest city in America. But the good times didn’t last, as automation and foreign competition eventually reduced and devastated the motor city’s workforce, culminating in Detroit losing over 60% of its population, then declaring bankruptcy in 2013. In short order, it seemed as if America had written off Detroit. But now, there’s a renaissance happening here, and ironically… One of the best ways to see the motor city isn’t in a car. Biking is the way to see Detroit because it allows you to get out, experience Detroit in a real way. Where you can touch it and you can feel it. Jason Hall is the founder of Ride Detroit, a company with a mission. It’s important for us to get people out into the sort of nooks and crannies of what really Detroit is. A quick e-bike ride over Macarthur Ridge brings you to Belle Isle. Sitting on the border with Canada, at 982 acres, it’s the largest city-owned island park in the country. It’s kind of a step outside of the city, and people don’t really get that. With so many unexpected spots to discover, you can see why Belle Isle has the nickname, the Jewel of Detroit. Welcome to Uldolf Gardens. This thing is… amazing. You’re talking about over 30,000 plants and over 40,000 bulbs planted in this area. Just in this area. The garden is a relatively recent addition, opened in 2021, and it’s quiet. That’s the cool thing about this. You come here, it’s almost like a sanctuary. You almost forget you’re in Detroit. After you’ve seen one of Belle Isle’s newer features, you really ought to check out one of its oldest. Now, where are we going now? We are going to the oldest aquarium in the United States. And believe it or not, people don’t even know it’s here. I didn’t know it was here. You probably wouldn’t guess it by looking at it, but when the Belle Isle Aquarium opened back in 1904, it was the third largest aquarium in the world. Seems pretty small. Small, but there are over 50 different habitats inside this aquarium. And while people do come to see the fish, the architecture is just as big of an attraction. Pretty cool. You think this is cool? Go outside. But we weren’t going back to the bikes. Instead, we went around the back of the aquarium, and then down below it, only to find a truly hidden gem, as downstairs, someone was waiting for us. Water ain’t the only thing flowing through these pipes, brother. Welcome, gentlemen. Is this what I think it is? It’s a speakeasy. Michigan passed its own prohibition act in 1917, two years ahead of the nation, and the aquarium speakeasy soon followed. So many important city officials would drink down here. So many gangsters would drink down here. They’ve been distilling whiskey on this river since the 1800s, and more whiskey. Crossed the river during prohibition than in any other part of the United States. Today, the drinks are poured legally now. No sneaking around, but you still have to find it. Everybody coming to the aquarium and nobody figured it out? You know, this is those secret, hidden parts of Detroit. We have such history, but we have those hidden places that you can find and discover. And if you’re in the know, then you’re in the know. If there’s one thing that Detroit is known for, besides cars, it’s music. It was the birthplace of Motown Records, founded in 1959 by Barry Gordy Jr. In this two-story house called Pittsville, USA. With its carefully cultivated roster of performers and meticulously refined sound, Motown changed the landscape of American pop music, bringing mainstream success to Black artists like The Temptation. Four Tops, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and the Jackson Fine. Motown’s crossover success with white audiences also played a part in advancing the civil rights movement. Over the decades, musicians from a wide range of genres have called Detroit home, including Bob Seger, Alice Cooper, and Eminem. And today, music is still being made here, literally, but not in Hitsville. That’s now a museum. Music is such a big part of what we are known for. We want to have people know that this was pressed right here in the Motor City. Eddie Gillis is the operations manager at Third Man Pressing, founded by another Detroit musical native, Jack White. He wanted to make his own records in his own pressing plant. So like the old days, where you had a large record label that had their own pressing plant, we’ve gone back to that model. Here you can see the entire process. To start, Third Man’s mastering engineer Warren Defever cut a record on an aluminum plate. You’re going to drop the cutter head very slowly. Yep, just like that. Okay. And I come over here and start the music. Okay. And we are cutting. We’re in the groove. So it’s cutting right now? Yeah, we see the levels move in. We got 120 lines per inch going. And how long will this process take? You cut it in real time. So this is a 2 1⁄2-minute piece, and this is the master that they use to create all the 10,000 records they press. And that process happens out on the main factory floor. This is our PVC. It’s in a granular form. Wow. And this stuff turns into a record? That’s right. Looks like a bad breakfast cereal. I’m calling record seeds. The seeds are loaded into a hopper to be melted down into a vinyl puck. Here it is. That’s hot. Very hot. 300 degrees. Which is then rolled in with other PVC pellets to add color. That’s it. Then the multicolor puck is loaded into the press. Where the vinyl is molded against a metallic copy of the master, duplicating the grooves of the music. This is records, the old-fashioned way. This is. This is how it’s been done for decades and decades. The technology hasn’t changed since it was invented by Edison, basically. Done by hand. There is no fast way to do it. And just 90 seconds later… Just made a record. Wow. Peel it off, right onto the trim table. There we go. Now, the hot blade is trimming that edge. And there’s your record. Now, that’s cool. Hot off the press, as they say. Another thing that gets handed down generationally in Detroit, it’s the team you root for. Detroit is a major sports town with four pro teams. The Lion, the Piston, the Red Wings, and the Tigers. At Comerica Park, there’s a statue of one of the greatest baseball legends of all time, Hammer and Hank Greenberg. No relation. But there is a connection. My dad and Hank went to James Monroe High School in New York. I used to hear stories about Hammer and Hank all the time. But this isn’t where Hank played. That was Tiger Stadium, which has been transformed into a home for an entire new generation of players. Pretty exciting. Every time I walk through here, I still feel the spilling of years ago. Growing up. James White watched the Tigers play on this spot. Today, the stadium has been demolished and rebuilt as the corner ballpark. And as Detroit’s chief of police, James comes here for a different reason. It’s the headquarters of the Police Athletic League, an organization connecting officers and the community’s children through sports. The officers that we have involved in the Police Athletic League, I could not be prouder of them to mentor and work with the kids. They not only work. With the kids on baseball, but other sports with Pal, because they recognize the kids aren’t just our future. The kids are our now, and we have to be present in their lives to give them the opportunities that they need to be successful. I want one of these kids to be the next police chief. Or the next first baseman. Next first baseman, right? It’s a place where old stories can be told and new ones written. It was just amazing for me as a young kid, sitting in the cheap seats and having wonderful times with my family and eating hot dogs. Well, now this generation gets to come out and tell a new story about being in the city of Detroit. And how beautiful it is and how vibrant it is, and how it does represent the opportunity to dream. And the best part, it’s a spot where anybody can come and play. Good catch. How cool is this? It’s outstanding, right? The people who played on this field, I don’t take this for granted. I’m just happy to throw it and catch it. I’m happy to be able to throw in kids. Of course, some people are still only passing through town, literally, but they can still experience Detroit hospitality. Welcome aboard the Ms. Westcott. We’re going to go deliver some mail. James Michael Hogan is the president and owner. Of the J.W. Westcott Company. And since 1874, they’ve served a vital purpose. We deliver to every commercial vessel that comes through the Port of Detroit. For the freighters and container ships traveling down the Detroit River that aren’t able to make port, to get mail, packages, and any other type of delivery, the Westcott Company goes to them. Great-grandfather John Ward Westcott started in a rowboat, and he rowed out. To midstream on this same water out here. The only one of our kind that delivers to vessels that are on the move. So you’re a moving, floating post office. Yes, indeed. It’s the only floating Zip code in the country. The ships run 24-7. So the Westcott company makes around 20 trips a day. And they can’t slow down. And if you ask and time it just right, you can ride along and even help with the delivery. You can see the gentleman up there on the deck. He’s got a yellow helmet. He’s going to drop the bucket. And you can see why the company motto is, mail by the Pair. I think, honestly, the trick of this trade has been to keep it simple. Technology might get in the way. Yeah, here it comes. Bucket in the trap, bucket. And if you wonder whether this postman always rings twice, it’s because the crews of the big ships often send something back down in that bucket. And it’s not just outgoing man. It’s cookies. And one exciting ride. They can go out and come back generally with the hugest smiles on their face, thinking that that’s probably one of the neatest things they’ve ever done. Wow, this is the best. This is how we get paid. Cookies and pastries. It doesn’t get any better. Oreo cheesecake, maybe. Just another day on the Detroit River, Peter. Yeah. It’s just another hidden gem waiting to be discovered in Detroit. As we begin to travel again, it might be a good time to remind you of some serious don’ts in countries around the world. Going to Singapore? It’s still a crime to bring chewing gum. We’re talking fines and jail time. If someone drops some paper currency on the pavement in Thailand, don’t step on it. That’s also illegal, as it represents disrespect to the monarchy, since the image of the king is on the paper bills. If you’re in the United Arab Emirates and you’re using WhatsApp, you could be fined up to $1,000. $53,000 for using any swear words in your communications. So keep it clean. Just letting you know that round goldfish bowls are actually illegal in Rome. Statistics show that when planes run off a runway, crashes are far more survivable these days. The reason? Firefighting technology has greatly improved. I’ll show you how. A Delta crash in Dallas more than 30 years ago was a turning point in aviation safety. 13 people died inside that Boeing 727, which didn’t get off the ground and ran off the end of the runway and caught fire. All the victims were found in line at an emergency exit door in the rear of the airplane. The door had jammed and couldn’t be opened. And those 13 people didn’t have time to get to another door. It was after that 1988 Delta crash that DFW Airport developed this nozzle that can pierce through fuselage of an airplane and deliver life-saving foam. Instead of having to find a way into the airplane, an airport fire truck can pull up and push the nozzle right through the skin of the airplane. Filling the cabin with foam can squelch a fire quickly, saving lives. But there are other reasons, too, why crashes are more survivable. The materials used in seats and overhead, bins and carpet and everything else in the cabin must meet strict standards for not only being slow to burn, but also not releasing toxic fumes. And the seats themselves are more likely to stay in place. They have to stay bolted to the floor, even when subjected to forces 14 times greater than gravity. Fighter pilots are trained to function when facing 9 Gs. 14 GS is a lot of force, And your chances of surviving an accident are much greater if you stay in your seat and your seat doesn’t go flying. One accident that demonstrated just how survivable airplane accidents are was the crash landing of Asiana Flight 214 in San Francisco back in 2013. Of more than 300 people on board the Boeing 777, only three died. Another 187 were injured, 49 of them seriously. Two of the three who died weren’t wearing seatbelts and were thrown from the plane when it cartwheeled down the runway. The third fatality was a passenger hit by a rear door that came loose in the crash. And one other thing about emergency evacuations, leave your carry-on bag behind. They can slow up the escape in a life and death situation. They can damage the evacuation side. I mean, really, your underwear and your computer can be replaced. Have you bought a bag lately? Most luggage is sold on style, for promises of durability and strength. And almost all bags are sold with a guarantee. But most offer only very limited liability, with numerous exclusions as to what the manufacturers will fix or replace. For example, Samsonite and American Tourister both offer 10-year warranties. To fix or replace their bags. But upon a more thorough read, the warranties only cover manufacturing defects, not any sort of damage or failures from actual use. Delci, another brand, offers warranties based on which of their bags you purchase, anywhere from 2 to 5 to 10 years, up to a lifetime warranty. But again, coverage is limited to what they define as manufacturing defects. Thank you. But there are two luggage manufacturers that stand out because their warranties are essentially unlimited. New York-based Briggs & Riley offers a lifetime repair or replace guarantee for every bag they make. And they will repair all functional aspects for the life of the bag, even with no proof of purchase and no matter how the bag was damaged. We visited their repair facility in Long Island, New York, to watch the work firsthand. Hundreds of bags. In various damaged or broken conditions, being repaired, from bags recently purchased to some models dating back more than 25 years. Riggs & Riley practices what it calls design-repair collaboration, where the repair department takes what they learn from fixing bags and shares it with the design department. The goal? To make a better, stronger bag. A similar philosophy, on a much larger scale, can be found in Europe at Remova, the iconic German luggage manufacturer, which in 2022 began offering a true lifetime guarantee on all of its luggage. No asterisks in the language, no exclusions. And we went to their headquarters in Cologne to check on that warranty with plant manager Henrik Gluckner. It could be a wheel that is broken that needs to get replaced. It could be that something broke inside your case and you need to replace the liner. There’s some of the more outrageous scenarios. How about a crocodile bite? But it could also be an elephant that stepped onto your case. If the shell is not punctured, we can bend it out. In Cologne, the repair facility is on the same campus as the design and manufacturing buildings, and it gives the engineers… Yes, there is something called a luggage engineer, an opportunity to design, fine-tune, and test the 220 separate parts that go into each remova bag. Inside this testing facility, the folks at Remova put their suitcases through some pretty intense testing with real-world challenges. There are mileage tests for the wheels, both with obstacles and without, to make sure they continue rolling without issue. Even the handles are stress-tested. Thousands of times, we lift our suitcases to make sure it resists to repeated lifting, also to shocks. They can also simulate weather conditions. We do have climatic aging tests to make sure it resists to low temperature, high temperature. And also the different humidity that you can experience on your trips. And, last but not least, my favorite test, which reminds me of my experience with a suitcase on my last interline flight. Here we go. We dropped a fully loaded luggage from a height of one meter several times, in total 26 times, and see what happens. So it still must be fully punctured after this test. And it really represents the impacts you get when you travel, when you check in your luggage at the airport. That’s hard impact. But what we do here is way more than what your luggage will experience. The tests are running day and night. Of course, the quality of your luggage and its warranty is often reflected in the price tag. Samsonite, American Tourister, and Delseat. All have bags that can be purchased starting at under $100. Riggs & Riley’s bags start in the $200 range and go up from there. And Remova, their luggage starts at around $650. In the end, it gets down to the price-value proposition. If you’re planning to use your luggage for more than just a few trips, then the price, with a well-defined unlimited lifetime warranty, may just be worth it. This week on The Travel Detective, it’s between the mountains and the sea in the heart of aviation country in the Pacific Northwest. Imagine 2,000 square miles of farmlands, rivers, historic cities, and driftwood coastlines, and few people even know about it. I want to share with you some of my hidden gems of what they call Seattle North Country. That’s our cover story. Plus, there have been major breakthroughs over the years to make planes more environmentally friendly. But correspondent Scott McCartney reveals. That many hurdles remain to get to an electric future in commercial air travel. And then, correspondent Arnie Weissman explores an exceptional world heritage site in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a genuine old town dating back almost a millennium. I’m Peter Greenberg. All that and more on this edition of The Travel Detective. Just north of Seattle is Snohomish County, 2,000 square miles stretching between the Cascade Mountains and the Salish Sea. The county is named for the Indigenous Snohomish people, who originally called this area home. But it’s also known as Seattle North Country. And while it shares a name with a major metropolis, the North country feels… Like another world. And it starts appropriately, with how you get here, with what some people might say. Is Seattle’s secret airport, on the southwestern edge of Everett, the county seat. Built in 1936, Payne Field was meant to be the main airport for Seattle, until it was commandeered for military use during World War II, and then later became the assembly center for Boeing 747s. Before finally returning to commercial passenger travel in 2019. This airport is important because it brings people directly into Seattle North Country. You’re 12 miles from the Seattle border, but yet you feel like you’re in a really idyllic country setting. There’s so much to do here. People, once they get here, they realize that they come back year after year. Brett Smith founded the company that manages passenger travel out of Payne Field. This terminal is still pretty much of a secret. It really is. Everybody’s so used to going to SeaTac, but they’re starting to understand the kind of service that we give here. I mean, it doesn’t really look like a terminal. That’s the whole point. We wanted it to be relaxing, calm, cool, and collected. And if you know a guy, who knows a guy with a plane, it’s also the perfect jumping-off point for an overview, literally, of Seattle, North Country. Here we go. What’s it up at about night? These are all the cascades. Around 1 o’clock, you see Mount Baker. Always fun to fly around there. A lot of snow up there this year. And, Peter, if you look further up to your left here, you’re going to see all the San Juan Islands. So, you know, the Forcas and Friday Harbor, really popular summer. I feel really fortunate to… Now live in such a beautiful, idyllic setting, be able to get the plane and fly up, and, you know, kind of be a one with, uh, all the elements. It’s pretty spectacular. After you leave the terminal, find this building. It might look just like another hangar, but inside, it’s a chance to be transported back in time. The planes and tanks here are restored to a immaculate original condition. Every nut, every bolt, every rivet, every touch of paint is just as it would have been in World War II. Adrian Hunt is the executive director. Of the Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum. And if he sounds proud of what they do here, that’s because he is. There is no collection like this on the planet. Another museum might have one plane of our quality. Nobody has a set of planes of this quality anywhere. The cool thing about this museum is you get to get up close and personal with all the equipment. I’m inside a Mitchell B-25, similar to the one that Jimmy Doolittle flew on his infamous… And raid on Tokyo back in 1942. This is only one of 26 or 27 different planes and equipment that range from World War II all the way through to Gulf War I. The museum has items from every major power in World War II. Including a V2 rocket from Germany, a devastating weapon that was also the first man-made object to travel to outer space. It’s a big enough task to make everything look brand new, but this museum goes one step further. One of the most special things is that everything works. Planes fly, the tanks drive and fire. So you could hop into the cockpit and just take it off. You could. Look at the wonderful… Detail inside this plane that you can see a working northern bomb site, working machine gun, many planes in many museums. Just the outside looks good, but here we have restored everything inside just as carefully. We are proudly obsessive about all the details. It’s one thing to be told that these vehicles are operational. But if you ask, you might just get to find out for yourself. For those of you who remember presidential campaigns, well, this is my Dukakis moment. Lucky for me, I’m not running for anything. Hard left. Here we go. All right. As fun as this is, the museum does offer something more than just its lightning vehicles and planes. I think visitors are often pleasantly surprised when they come here. They expect to see planes, but we’re trying to tell a much broader story. We have exhibits on the causes of war, of women in World War II. We’re trying to present the broader context of conflict. And in my case… Please stay out of my way. I’m looking for the broader context of tank driving lessons. Now, you can’t spend your entire time at the airport. Why would you? So, east of Everett is the city of Snohomish. It’s a quaint town of 10,000 residents. And along its first street, it’s easy to find charming little shops. The real hidden gem here is the history. And the best way to learn that is to ask a local. Snohomish is one of the first cities in Snohomish County. When it was founded, Everett didn’t exist yet, so Snohomish was the biggest community in this area. And people thought it would be the next Seattle. They thought it would be bigger than Seattle. Taylor Russell is a historian, but even better, she’s a storyteller. Snohomish was founded in 1859. When white settlers arrived, they found massive… … trees, some as tall as the space Needle. Logging certainly built Snohomish and Snohomish County at large. Lumber allowed this area to prosper, but with some unintended consequences. The millwork mainly attracted young, single men, and they made lots of money. And the only place to spend their money was here, on First Street, in saloons and brothels and pool halls. A visiting Catholic priest describes Nahomish as a cesspool of vice. The cesspool? Long gone. The stories and historical oddities remain. Down the road is the Marks Building, which had the first flush toilet in town. There’s the Burns Building, which, ironically, when a major fire was sweeping down the street in 1911, it was the Burns building that stopped the fire spread because of its brick construction. And, of course, every historical area has its ghost stories. The Oxford Saloon is considered one of the most haunted places in our state. According to legend, there was a brothel upstairs run by a madame, Kathleen. She rented rooms to lonely loggers. And according to legend, she was beheaded in her bathtub by an angry ex-lover. The bathtub is still up there, as is her dress. And folks say they see her ghostly figures passing in front of the windows. The diversion of the railroad to Tacoma squashed Snohomish’s dreams of becoming the next Seattle. But it still has a lot to offer for those who learn and retell its stories. Snohomish is super important to me because I grew up here. Many folks in this community leave and come back again. It’s a really wonderful small-town home. Now, you may think an art museum is the very opposite of a hidden gem, and oftentimes, that’s the case. But here’s what I do. Skip the big museums and instead find the smaller galleries. That’s where you find the artists trying to capture the spirit of the local scene. I think that the Seattle area has always been a little on the cutting edge, and we just felt like this is the perfect spot to put. Art that also has had kind of a shattered past. John Carswell is the founder of the Apex Art and Culture Center in Everett, where they celebrate a type of art that’s been hiding in plain sight. APEx actually stands for aerosol paint expressionism. What drew me to this type of art is, number one, this is, in its origin, uniquely American. This started in New York. There’s vandalism, and that’s not what I collect. But there is a true art form here, and we’ve been steadily destroying it ever since its beginnings. Not everyone thinks of graffiti as art. Which is why Apex wants to help visitors learn about the form, starting with the unusual tools of the medium. Spray paint was never made to be used for art. It was made to paint bicycles, to paint metal pieces or panels in the garage, but never was it meant to create masterpieces. And yet, that’s what artists like Hex Rios have done. Hex is from Los Angeles, where a graffiti art movement was born from unrest. 1960s brought about the Watts riots, and there was pandemonium. The kids that had no money for art school, they started painting the walls. Statements of inspiration to proclaim beauty in the midst of concrete jungles. Because of its very nature, so much graffiti art is lost or destroyed. Which is why Apex has invited artists like Hex to contribute original canvas paintings so their work can be preserved. When people come here, I’m hoping what they’ll take away is an appreciation for an art form that they most likely didn’t understand. As much as graffiti art is tied to its urban setting, seven miles north in Tulalip, one artist uses natural materials to tell nature story. I’ve been carving since I was five years old. I was at my grandfather’s house every morning before school and I learned how to carve. I learned my culture, my history, my family, everything started there. James Madison creates sculptures based off of the stories that his grandfather and father told him about their culture. My tribe is Tulalip. Something that I take on personally, to keep my culture alive, is very important to me. And the way that I do it is with my artwork. His work is on display at the Hibbub Cultural Center, where the beliefs and values of the Tulalip tribe are preserved and then shared. This is my piece here, Kaya. It’s grandmother in my language. This is my great-grandmother, and this is my grandpa down here. Shown his tamamoth, his power. He’s half human, half bear. And how old is this one? 998 years old. But who’s counting? And for those who want to learn, James is happy to share the process. This is the start of an Orca fin. It’ll… Have a carved design. So what are you going to put me in the work? Well, it’s kind of in the rough stages, so I can’t do too much, can’t do no damage at all. So basically, I would take an as. It’s just shaping the fin at a certain angle, right? So, uh, so, and then you can see the it’s kind of got that polished look, it does. Yeah, yeah, leave that to you, I’ll come over here. Okay, I’m going along the same route, right? Yep, drooling. Not bad. For a beginner. So what story do you want us to tell? Well, it’s kind of the same story over and over, and basically it’s just protecting orcas, it’s protecting salmon. The way that I was raised and the way I was taught is mother nature gave me life, and I’m trying to give back. This cedar has its own spirit, and I’m trying to remove what doesn’t belong to, bring that spirit alive. I think it’s important for people to come to this area to see the richness of my people’s culture, show that we’re still alive, we’re not petrified, we’re not lost in a bold history book. We’re still practicing our culture today. It’s a chance to witness, and maybe even help to unleash the spirit of some of the hidden gems of Seattle North Country. In the world of travel, we hear a lot these days about sustainability. But in the world of air travel and airlines, it’s all about fuel type, fuel burn, fuel efficiency, and, of course, emissions. Our correspondent, Scott McCartney, on what the airlines are doing or saying they’re doing. About being more sustainable. Your car may be electric-powered, but what about your airplane? On some small airplanes, that may start happening pretty soon, but not on big guys like this. I’ll explain why. There’s a lot of excitement about small, battery-powered airplanes. Instead of burning fuel and dumping carbon emissions into the atmosphere at high altitude, electric planes can be clean and quiet. United Airlines has even invested money in an electric plane startup and said it intends to buy 119-seat electric airplanes. Does that mean all airplanes in the future will be battery-powered? That’s highly unlikely. The problem is that batteries are heavy, and they take a lot of energy to transport themselves. Add in passengers and cargo. And a big, battery-powered airplane becomes so heavy, it just can’t fly very far, even if it can get off the ground at all. Another problem, today’s planes get lighter as they burn fuel. That helps them fly farther, but battery-powered planes don’t get lighter as they deplete their fuel. Airlines have touted sustainable fuel as the key to making air travel leaner, But they also admit the fuel made from plants burns just about as dirty as oil when it comes out the back of the engine. The benefit from sustainable fuel comes on the ground. Plants consume carbon in order to make their oil, and you don’t have big, dirty refineries and oil drilling to get it out of the ground. Is there an answer? Airbus is betting on a hydrogen-powered future for big planes. Hydrogen is a lightweight gas. And burning it in engines would be cleaner than burning petroleum-based jet fuel. Airbus has already announced that it will use the very first Super Jumbo A380 it built as a testbed for liquid hydrogen engines. It hopes to start flying tests in a few years and offer a zero-emission airplane to airlines by 2035, not so far away. This is a really, really tough problem. For air travel to really come clean, it’s going to take some big breakthroughs in technology that we haven’t seen yet. As housing prices have increased in the last 12 months in many different locations around the U.S., One way to check on what things will really cost is by Zip code. One real estate data provider did the work and discovered that the ZiP code 94037 has the most expensive homes. That’s Atherton, California. Median sale prices there? $7.5 million. In second place? Try 02199. Boston’s back Bay had a median sale price of $5.5 million. Then there’s 11962, Sagaponic in New York. 94957, that’s Ross, California. And in fifth place, it’s ZIP code 33109. That’s Fisher Island in Miami Beach. Chances are, whenever you visit a major city, there’s probably a place there called Old Town. And chances are also good that the old town may be nothing more than a recreation. But as Travel Weekly’s Arnie Weissman discovers, in some places, like Saudi Arabia, the old town may be truly old. What do the words old town mean to you? In so many places, it’s just a fabrication made for tourists, not particularly old and not particularly interesting, unless you also like the words gift shop. So picture an old town in a kingdom that was closed to the outside world for almost 80 years. That story is just beginning to be told. In western Saudi Arabia, Alula was an oasis city. An important stop along trade and pilgrimage routes. People have settled in this area for thousands of years, But the roughly 900 mud brick buildings of old town Alula were built in the 12th century in a fortified design and occupied until surprisingly recently. My family came from this town, Old Alula. I remember when we were playing on the streets, and it was nice to play here. But you didn’t live here. Actually, my house is not far from here, in the new town. But every weekend, we used to spend here in this town, in my family house. Ahmed Delimal’s parents lived in old town Alula with many other residents. Until the population started moving out in the 1970s. The development of Saudi Arabia was supporting people to move out to modern, new houses, with electricity, with water. So it abandoned about 40 years ago. But even though Ahmed was raised in the modern part of Alula, his family still came to Old town on the weekends. And one of the reasons? Ancient methods of climate control. The mud houses are very cool in summer and warm in the winter. You know, it’s so much cooler here. You are absolutely right. You can see the reason. It’s the tile or the way of building. And then when they build the room in the street, always there are windows from both sides. It’s helped to circulate the wind, keep going back on the streets and the same time in the room. Early AC. Early AC, of course. Ahmed is part of the Royal Commission of Alula. That’s working to turn the area into a destination for travelers, featuring attractions like Mariah, the largest mirrored building in the world. It’s a stunning feat of architectural design and houses an event venue, but Ahmed’s focus is the restoration of old Town. One of the houses that we are working on is a normal house for a normal family, not so rich, not so poor, and the living room. Much of the restoration work involves repairing the mud brick, the same type of ongoing maintenance that the residents had to do. Every year you have to recover the mud, rain after rain. My mother’s job, actually, she is like a father, to cover the wall with the mud every time when it rains. This is a part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. A government initiative to diversify Saudi’s economy and attract visitors. And at Alula, visitors will have the opportunity to see a genuine old town. It makes me proud of what the Saudi government is doing now for the town, developing it and bringing it back to how it used to be, maybe, when my father and mother used to live here. And all the world can come and enjoy my history. And beyond Alula, there are many more old towns around the world that are truly old as well. And some of them are even UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The interesting part of that? Few people know about them. In Kenya, you’ll find Lamu, the country’s oldest continually inhabited town, and the oldest Swahili settlement. Here, you’ll see 12th century buildings made of coral, stone and mangrove wood. In Yunnan province in China, you’ll find the old town of Lijiang, renowned for its architecture and a still-working ancient waterway system. And in Nova Scotia, there’s old town Lunenburg. It’s maintained its colonial layout and appearance, with its preserved 18th-century buildings. And it’s deemed by UNESCO to be the best surviving example of a planned British colonial settlement on the continent. So when you’re traveling, it’s time to redefine the words old Town. In fact, skip that designation and the manufactured tourist towns, and use UNESCO sites as a guide for finding a city’s true heritage. That does it for this week. I’ll see you next time on another edition of The Travel Detective.
The Travel Detective with CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenberg delivers essential travel advice, insider secrets, and must-know tips to enhance your journeys. This season features stunning destinations—from hidden gems in the U.S. to Antarctic expeditions and cultural hotspots across Mexico, Austria, Croatia, and beyond.
Director : Various
Cast : Peter Greenberg
00:00:00 Hidden Gems of Lexington
CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenberg introduces us to the hidden gems of Lexington. Plus, America’s most dangerous roads when it comes to DUIs. And immersive cruise ship culinary programs.
00:24:28 Antarctica Cruise Expedition
Behind-the-scenes look at how an expedition team creates shore excursions through Antarctica. Plus, the most sleep deprived nations. And Oakland…like a local.
00:48:55 Hidden Gems of Detroit
CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenberg explores the hidden gems of Detroit. Plus, tips in case of an airplane emergency. And the world’s best luggage.
01:13:17 Hidden Gems of Seattle NorthCountry
CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenberg reveals the hidden gems of Seattle NorthCountry. Plus, the most expensive zip codes. And AlUla’s Old Town in Saudi Arabia.
Series : The Travel Detective
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