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Profile image for peregrine79

peregrine79

Joined Atlas Obscura in 2018

I've been a reader of Atlas Obscura's articles since I discovered the website about 5 years ago. When I found the discussion forums, I signed up for them. Recently AO began to offer memberships, so I became a member. I spend a lot of time perusing the fascinating stories. I'm a history lover and am especially interested in the very early Native Americans, the first settlers of the United States, and natural history. My passion is ancient cultures of Latin America, especially Peru. My interest began when I was a child and I devoured every book in the school library and in the large public library located in the county seat near my home. At the same time my interest developed in history (first grade), I also began to read books about religions of the world. Again, the libraries were my source for years of reading material. In 1973, I had the honor of spending Summer in Peru as an exchange student. My stay there broadened my horizons and changed my life. I was able to go to Cusco and Machu Picchu as well as several sites near Cusco. Sacshuaman was especially mind-boggling in its beauty and scale. I lived with a family in Lima in a nice neighborhood only a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean. Because school was cold and boring, I spent my days being shown around the city by two Peruvian friends. They took me to every cathedral and cultural or historical site they could think of. I was introduced to the many markets, where the prices were low, the goods were absolutely beautiful and haggling over prices was expected. Back home in Pennsylvania, my parents continued taking us on family vacations to most of the states in the Northeast. Instead of amusement parks, we went to historical sites and museums, toured factories and graveyards, watched jets take off and land at large airports, and engsged in other educational activities. A half-century later, I asked my mother why we went to such interesting places. Her reply? "Because they were free," she replied as tears welled up in her eyes. During my career as an architectural designer, I traveled on a number of business trips. How badly I wanted to explore the cities we were in, but ut time constraints ruled it out. In my life, I've been to about 35 states, 6 Canadian provinces and one foreign country. I also spent several hours killing time in the airports in Panama and Ecuador. Now that I'm 64 and a citizen of the world, I look back on these marvelous adventures very fondly. The memories of them are indelibly etched in my mind and and vividly recalled at will. At present, physical disabilities prevent me from traveling, so I depend on AO to take me to new places near and far.

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38

Places I've been

Places this traveler has marked as been there.

The Twelve-Angled Stone

Cusco, Peru

The Twelve-Angled Stone

This geometric feat is a testament to the Incas' mesmerizing architectural abilities.

The Last Supper by Marcos Zapata

Cusco, Peru

Chinchilla Last Supper

A painting in the historic Cathedral Basilica depicts Jesus and his disciples dining on a traditional Peruvian menu.

Lima Cathedral

Lima, Peru

Pizarro's Tomb

Now containing the bones of the actual conquistador, instead of someone else.

Looking down to the lower level structures

Urubamba, Peru

Wiñay Wayna

These steeply terraced ruins are a stop along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

Sacsayhuamán

Cusco, Peru

Sacsayhuamán

The stones of this Incan wall complex fit together so well you couldn't fit a piece of paper between some of them.

I mean come on

Aguas Calientes, Peru

Huayna Picchu

If you’ve ever seen a picture of Machu Picchu, then you’ve seen a picture of Huayna Picchu—you just didn’t realize it.

Gone .... Forever?

Lima, Peru

Convento de San Francisco Ossuary

The mortal remains of an estimated 70,000 people lie in the basement of a monastery in Lima, Peru.

Machu Picchu.

Aguas Calientes, Peru

Machu Picchu: The Lost City of The Inca

The intricate stonework of Machu Picchu serves as a testament to Incan engineers.

The Gran Hotel Bolivar in Lima, Peru.

Lima, Peru

Gran Hotel Bolivar

Visiting dignitaries and Hollywood stars once stayed at this 1920s hotel, alongside ghosts that are said to haunt its corridors.

Ben & Jerry's Flavor Graveyard

Waterbury, Vermont

Ben & Jerry's Flavor Graveyard

The sweetest graveyard in the world is filled with headstones for dearly de-pinted ice cream flavors.

Perimeter of the garden

Arlington, Virginia

The Graves of Robert E. Lee's Garden

Soldiers were buried next to Lee's house in the center of Arlington Cemetery to dissuade the general from reclaiming his property after the war.

A bald eagle flies in front of the dam.

Darlington, Maryland

Conowingo Dam

Although built to generate electricity for Marylanders, this dam has become an all-you-can-eat buffet for American bald eagles.

The Mosler safe under construction

Washington, D.C.

National Archives Vault

An atomic bomb-proof strongbox protects the U.S. Constitution from terrorists and thieves.

Monticello's Vegetable Garden and Fruitery

Charlottesville, Virginia

Monticello's Vegetable Garden and Fruitery

Thomas Jefferson's estate is home to hundreds of varieties of historic fruits and vegetables.

Le Stade Olympique

Montreal, Québec

Le Stade Olympique

A massive Montreal stadium that has seen nothing but trouble since its inception.

The house with a hedge around it

Bangor, Maine

Stephen King's Former House

The eccentric mansion of one of the most popular horror authors of modern times.

Mystic Pizza

Groton, Connecticut

Mystic Pizza

This small-town pizzeria won the Hollywood lottery.

Mystic Seaport

Stonington, Connecticut

Mystic Seaport Museum

Holding multiple historical boats and an entire 19th century village, this New England attraction is the largest maritime museum in the world.

Statue of Sallie Ann Jarrett

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Statue of Sallie Ann Jarrett

The beloved, war-tested mascot of a Union regiment graces their battlefield monument.

Bube's Brewery & Catacombs

Mount Joy, Pennsylvania

Bube's Brewery & Catacombs

In the bowels of a 19th-century brewery lurks a fine-dining restaurant offering an array of themed feasts.

Hellam Township
Permanently Closed

Hellam, Pennsylvania

Hellam Township

Hellam Township is reputed to feature seven remote gates, which when passed through in the right order, open an entrance to hell.

Roosevelt Inlet Shipwreck
Permanently Closed

Lewes, Delaware

Roosevelt Inlet Shipwreck

A wrecked ship dating back to the American Revolution was only recently discovered off the Delaware coast.

Ollantaytambo Ruins

Ollantaytambo, Peru

Ollantaytambo Ruins

Preserved Inca city and site of the last Inca stronghold against the Spanish conquistadors.

Elfreth's Alley

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Elfreth's Alley

This charming colonial alleyway is one of the oldest continuously used residential streets in the U.S.

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