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The Atlas Obscura Podcast — Places & Travel
The Atlas Obscura Podcast

Your guide to the world’s strange, incredible, and wondrous places. Kelly McEvers and a neighborhood of Atlas Obscura reporters transport you to a new wonder every day. Along the way, you’ll meet fascinating people and hear their stories.

Copyright: © 2024 Midroll Media

Latest Episodes:

Atlas Obscura Presents Sound Influence: Los Rivera Destino and Jaquira Díaz Nov 29, 2024

Show notes

This week and next, we’re presenting Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico.

The Río Piedras-based comedy band Los Rivera Destino talk about their musical childhoods, how making a music video in Bayamón changed their lives and careers forever, and the extremely unlikely place that has become their source of inspiration. Award-winning author Jaquira Díaz shares how salsa, bacalaítos and coquís defined her time growing up in the east coast towns of Humacoa and Fajardo. We also hear the wild story her grandmother told about aliens in El Yunque, and Jaquira describes the incredible sense of adventure she feels every time she explores the island.

Subscribe to Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico wherever you get your podcasts.

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Atlas Obscura Presents Sound Influence: Rita Moreno and Pachyman Nov 28, 2024

Show notes

Today and tomorrow, we’re presenting Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico.

Legendary actress, singer, dancer and EGOT winner Rita Moreno shares memories of sugar cane, coquís and parrandas during her idyllic childhood in Humacao and Juncos. We hear about her recent trips back with Lin-Manuel Miranda, and how she almost turned down West Side Story because of her loyalty to the island. Dub star innovator Pachy García (aka Pachyman) opens up about growing up in Guaynabo’s vibrant reggae scene, the integral role Puerto Rico plays in his music now that he lives in Los Angeles, and the “unmistakable breeze” that greets him every time he comes back home to the island.

Subscribe to Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico wherever you get your podcasts.

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Riding with Dilla Nov 27, 2024

Show notes

Producer Gabby Gladney sees her South Side Chicago neighborhood in a new light thanks to Mahogany Bus Tours, a local company sharing hidden histories around the city.

Read a profile of Dilla, and check out his TikTok.

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Is This America’s Ugliest Statue? Nov 26, 2024

Show notes

In the 1880s, an eccentric California dentist gave away free public water fountains in the hopes they would encourage people to drink less alcohol. One of them went to the small town of Rockville, Connecticut, where it was… not well received. In fact, it was torn down, thrown in a local lake, torn down again… and so on.

Check out the Atlas entry for the Cogswell Fountain.

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The Places We’re Thankful For Nov 25, 2024

Show notes

Listener stories about the places we’re thankful for – from a beloved neighborhood, to an odd and out-of-place house down the block, to a library that inspired one listener to become a writer herself.

Plus, we want to hear your stories of memorable encounters with strangers. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave us a message telling us your story. Or better yet, record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com.

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The Blue Whale of Catoosa (Classic) Nov 22, 2024

Show notes

Catoosa, Oklahoma is the cite of a massive landlocked whale - and possibly the greatest anniversary gift ever.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/catoosa-whale

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Bohemians, Bootleggers, and Bogus Bottles: A History of Absinthe Nov 21, 2024

Show notes

Journalist and food writer Evan Rail considers himself a beer guy, but when a mysterious bright green spirit started shaking up the scene in the Czech Republic (where he lives) in the 1990s, he knew he had to learn more.

His latest book “The Absinthe Forger: A True Story of Deception, Betrayal, and The World’s Most Dangerous Spirit” looks back at the history of absinthe, why it was banned across Europe almost 100 years ago, and how its return to the market has inspired collectors, connoisseurs…and even conmen.

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The Integratron Nov 20, 2024

Show notes

In August 1953, airstrip operator George van Tassel claimed he was woken up in the middle of the night by an intelligent lifeform from outer space named Solganda. George says Solganda told him to build an energy rejuvenation machine – so that’s exactly what he spent the rest of his life doing…

For more information on visiting the Integratron check out their website. Plus, take a look at some photos from one of George van Tassel’s UFO conventions.

If you want to learn more, George tells his version of the “encounter with Solganda” in a 1964 interview.

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St. Paul Island vs. the Rat Nov 19, 2024

Show notes

On a remote island 200 miles off the coast of Alaska, a community hunts for a single, elusive rat.

Read Daniel Wu’s original reporting on the rat strike team.

Thanks to Freesound user mmiron for the wave sounds in this episode.

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The Internet, IRL Nov 18, 2024

Show notes

Places editors Michelle Cassidy and Diana Hubbell tell us about two real-world places that have been shaped by the internet.

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