Mihwangsa Temple

Mihwangsa Temple Near Seoul, South Korea

by Sara Kim

Mihwangsa was built in 749 AD and is located on the southermost tip of the peninsula, about a 5-hour bus ride from Seoul. Once you're here you'll find yourself on the western side of Mt. Dalmasan, and nearby you'll also find the statue of Gwebul (national treasure no. 1342), where people pray for rain during the dry season. When we first arrived, we were shown to our room, had a delicious, vegetarian temple dinner, and then had tea with the monk who would be our guide for 24 hours. He told us th ... Continue

Cleveland Metro Parks Zoo

Cleveland Zoo

by oliver ray

Most animals from the continent of Africa never see the miracle of snow sadly... unless they get shipped over seas to Cleveland Metro Parks Zoo that is! At the local zoo anyone can see the zoo's fantastic display of wildlife from around the world, anywhere from chimpan-A to Champan-Z. The real go getter is the zoo's brand new 6 elephant display where they roam around in free ranges to graze on just about anything they please. They also have wolves, giraffes, camels, monkeys of all sorts, tigers, ... Continue

Po' Boys & Pickles

The Dirty Bird

by oliver ray

Po'boys and Pickles is a great place to go if you like sandwiches that taste great and won't send you away penniless. They serve po'boys, a sandwich usually associated with Louisiana, which is simply a sandwich with and kind of filler. I really like the Dirty Bird, because they load it up with lots of meat and the flavor is so savory and worth enjoying so much. In fact, like almost all the sandwiches here, with the exception of the Uptown, simply because the tasty falafels fall apart way too eas ... Continue

Pilchuck

Pilchuck Glass School Outside Seattle

by oliver ray

The glass arts movement has gotten big, really big, but no where as big in the US as in Seattle, but outside of Seattle in a little town called Stanwood is the real core of glass art in the world. Pilchuck is the school where just starting glass artists to world famous ones go to teach, to learn and to demonstrate their skills from all over. You're nobody if you haven't been and you're going places if you have. The school always has a large list of great artists teaching students and always offe ... Continue

Pick 'N Save Orchard

Medina, Ohio's Pick N' Save Orchard

by oliver ray

Want fresh apples, pumpkins, strawberries or eggs or other farm goods? I have two and a half words for you: Pick N' Save! The guys at this farm have the best of just about everything you could ask for. I've been here every year now for the produce they produce and I have been pleasantly surprised every time now. Mostly I go for apple picking but they have everything listed above I mentioned. Their apples just taste so so great. We all have our favorite apples from the store, but picking your own ... Continue

Cleveland Botanical Garden

Cleveland Botanical Garden

by oliver ray

It doesn't matter what you think or say, the Cleveland Botanical Garden is simply the best way to have a good time in Cleveland. Located next door to the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cleveland Institute of Art amongst many other things, the Garden is a great place to feel alive. Open all year round, it has some amazing features that can get anyone excited. I personally like their indoor section the most, featuring fauna and animal life from the Brazilian rain forest and the island of Madagasc ... Continue

National Library of Korea

North Korean Document Room at the National Library of Korea

by Sara Kim

One of my favorite places to take friends in Seoul is the North Korean Documents Room on the 5th floor of the National Library of Korea. You'll have to sign up for a library membership, so remember to bring either your Alien Registration Card with you or your passport. After you've done that in the lobby, they'll send you over to the free lockers to store your belongings –- strangely, not even books are allowed into the library nor are large bags, although you may bring in small ones. Once you e ... Continue

Dure Coop

Dure Coop In Seoul

by Sara Kim

Dure Coop is a network of 17 coops in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi province area. The goal of the coop franchise is to support activities of the coop members, and also, each franchise has its own website to provide a virtual space for grassroots activities organized by the local community. I stopped by the one in Mapo-gu district to stock up on some groceries since it's near my house. On their shelves I noticed such products as coffee from Laos and East Timor, fried kelp and fried laver sn ... Continue