After traveling to 24 different countries and staying in over 45 hostels, I'm a self-proclaimed expert.
25.08.2023 - 08:11 / nationalgeographic.com
“It’s almost like a beacon,” says tour guide and artist Ray Bonner (also known as FGB), who shows visitors Belfast’s contemporary street art for local business Seedhead Arts. The striking piece by artist ADW portrays a diver in an old-fashioned diving suit carrying a mermaid against the backdrop of a setting sun. It’s visible from the M3 and A2 that run through the city, beckoning traffic towards a changing Belfast.
Belfast is known for its political murals, but its contemporary street art highlights the city’s transformation from Troubles to tourist hub. Political murals “became territorial markings, giant keep-out signs basically”, Ray says, but this piece on the Belfast Community Circus School by KVLR marks a zany contrast. “We’re changing that narrative — it’s ‘come in and have a look at what we’ve got’.”
This piece by Christina Angelina (Starfighter) on Little Donegall Street portrays a woman opening a kind of Pandora’s box. Words emerge, affecting her in unknown ways. The piece is on the side of the Irish News building, with blue colouring also evoking the paper’s old masthead, Ray says. A projector was used at night to create the outlines for the mural, with the artist returning to add detail by day.
‘It won’t always be like this. It’s going to get better.’ The quote from journalist Lyra McKee accompanying her portrait by artist ESTR on Union Street is both hopeful and tragic. McKee was killed observing a riot in Derry in 2019. The piece speaks to Northern Ireland’s tradition of memorialising people through murals, and is surrounded by bright works by artists like Aches, Inkie and Ray himself.
Conor Harrington’s sombre yet operatic mural adorns The Black Box arts centre in the Cathedral Quarter. It shows two men fighting over a dead animal, evoking a ‘troubled past and irritating present’, in the words of Seedhead Arts.
Belfast’s Seedhead Arts runs regular walking tours and organises a street art festival every spring.
After traveling to 24 different countries and staying in over 45 hostels, I'm a self-proclaimed expert.
I’m the world’s only “eclipse journalist.” For the very latest on the “ring of fire” solar eclipse—including the latest travel and lodging options—please press the big blue “follow” button above or check my main feed for new articles each day.
Courtney Danser and her friends were traveling back to New York from Croatia with Aer Lingus when they hit a major snag.
Naruko (Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture) is accessed by transferring from the Tohoku Shinkansen Line to the Rikuu-East Line, which offers wonderful views of the rural landscape from the train windows. Here you will find Naruko Gorge, which is renowned as one of the best places in Tohoku for autumn foliage.
Following two flat months, Hillsborough County’s hospitality industry saw a large surge in growth in July according to the latest reports from STR, Inc. July’s hotel revenues were up 13.8% while occupancy increased by 3.4% to 70.4%, average daily rate (ADR) up 11.5% to $143.55 and RevPAR up 15.3% to $101.08. July tourist development tax collections for Hillsborough County, which reflect June collections, came in at $4,347,279, bringing the total collection for the fiscal year to $56,732,408. Total taxable hotel revenue through June has reached more than $900 million for the fiscal year-to-date indicating that Hillsborough County will surpass $1 billion for the second continuous fiscal year.
As the second largest state in America, Texas is one beast of a trip. With points of interest dotted all the way through the state, this is not a place you can check off on a flying visit; instead, take your time.
I've gone to The Eras Tour multiple times this past summer — and I have tickets to five more of Taylor Swift's shows in Europe next year.
Each year, I Borghi Più Belli d’Italia, an association dedicated to preserving and promoting the heritage of the country’s smaller, often rural destinations, announces new villages to add to its list of the most beautiful places in Italy. In August the association named six new borghi, ranging from the regions of Piedmont to Basilicata.
Qatar Airways' award-winning business class is not the airline's only money-maker.
Choosing where to stay in Tokyo – the largest city on the planet – can feel like a minefield. Look one way and you’ll find lantern-lit alleyways and Shinto shrines peeking out from behind evergreens. Turn the other and you’ve got neck-creaking skyscrapers and streets drenched in neon. Divided into 23 special wards and countless districts and unique neighborhoods, the Tokyo hotel scene is equally dynamic and you’ll want to find lodging that reflects your beat.
Remote, wild and rugged, Donegal is a place like no other in Ireland. Home to some of the most spectacular scenery the country has to offer, the country’s northernmost county must not be missed.
United Airlines and Sesame Workshop are partnering for National Preparedness Month to support children in need.