Random pictures from an exotic place I'll probably never get to visit: Hanging out at Devil's Pool, Victoria Falls

Says it all really. Apparently at the top of the world's highest waterfall, Victoria Falls which is located between Zambia and Zimbabwe, there's a way you can just chill out mere inches away from the precipitous dropoff. It's called Devils Pool and it looks like a hell of a lot of fun.

Random picture from an exotic place I'll probably never get to visit

You can almost hear the waves gently lapping on the shore on Aitutaki in the Cook Islands. A picture postcard come to life.

Stimulating structures: Stadium Bowl, Tacoma, Wash.

With Puget Sound providing a beautiful backdrop, the 15,000-seat Stadium Bowl in Tacoma, Wash. is a fantastic place to check out the local prep football team, Stadium High. After coming home dirty and dusty from my nights spent covering high school football, it would be a real treat for me--not to mention the players, coaches and fans--to have something like this in our area.

Random pictures from an exotic place I'll probably never get to visit

Way off the beaten path, the Marshall Islands offer more exotic beach beauty, a low-key relaxed friendly atmosphere and a truly exotic stamp for the intrepid traveler's passport. If only I had the funds to match my wandering spirit ... Two beach views here, the first from Enoko Island and the second, Airport Beach near the capital of Majuro. "Yopkwe!"

Random pictures from an exotic place I'll probably never get to visit

Hard to get to and even harder to spell, Nouakchott, the capital of the African country of Mauritania, offers some beautiful, striking images. Pictured below are a stunning mosque and a gorgeous beach.

Stimulating structures: Michie Stadium, West Point, New York

Home to the Army Cadets, this beautiful stadium is located on the banks of the Hudson River in beautiful upstate New York. I can't really picture myself sitting through a college football game--unless the job required it of course--but if I did have to, Michie would be the place to be.

Stimulating street: Canton Avenue in Pittsburgh

And just now, a new contender emerges. Canton Avenue, located in the Beechview neighborhood in Pittsburgh is the steepest officially recorded street in the United States. Pittsburghers claim Canton has a two percent higher grade than Baldwin Street, which is officially the world's steepest, according to "The Guinness Book of World Records."

Canton has an official grade of 37 percent, but Baldwin's angle of trajectory is much longer. Traveling 10 feet along Canton (three meters), the elevation changes an astounding 3.7 feet. And oh yeah, Canton is cobblestoned. Imagine trying to get around on this bad boy during an icy Pittsburgh winter!

Stimulating street: Baldwin Street in Dunedin, New Zealand

Along with San Francisco's famed Lombard Street, Baldwin Street in Dunedin, New Zealand has to be one of the world's most distinct and interesting thoroughfares. The reason? It's the steepest street in the world.

Located on Dunedin's Northern end, Baldwin Street has a 35 percent gradient, which basically means that for every 2.86 meters traveled (and that will pretty much have to be on foot as driving is heartily discouraged) the altitude rises by one meter. Said to be an extremely invigorating walk on those cold Kiwi days. Happily, there is a drinking fountain at the top and a park and botanical gardens are also nearby.
Baldwin Street is an accident of geography; the London-based planners who laid out the city od Dunedin used a strict grid pattern, with little regard given to the surrounding terrain. A popular attraction for tourists, Baldwin Street hosts the annual "Baldwin Street Gutbuster" race, which invites participants to start at the base of the street and race to the top. Another fun event originated in 2002 and involves rolling some 10,000 jaffas (round chocolates covered in a solid red coating) from the top of the street to the bottom. Each jaffa is sponsored by one person with proceeds going to charity.

Random pictures from an exotic place I'll probably never get to visit

Although I do actually hold out the hope of one day making it to Cape Town, South Africa, I probably won't make it to the beautiful suburb of Paternoster. Famous for its blinding white rock buildings and its sophisticated food culture, Paternoster offers an exquisite respite from the hustle and bustle of Cape Town.

Stimulating school: Schurz High in Chicago

I've always had a great liking for school architecture. When I was younger, I remember going on occasional drives to other neighborhoods here in Memphis and seeing schools outside of the ones in my neighborhood. Some of the better ones were Hillcrest High (with the mighty Viking perched on top of the building, still standing tall and proud to this day) and the old Mitchell High (which featured a brick "M" in the front of the buildings). My junior high, Raleigh-Egypt, had a big round window that was a nice touch along with a cafeteria that had a big revolving device where you could line up at individual stations and grab burgers and fruit pies as the slowly spun past. Great stuff, wonder if it's still there? Anyway, to my young mind a school in a different neighborhood was something quite exotic and interesting and it's something that's still stuck with me today.

Schurz High is located on 3601 North Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago's Irving Park neighborhood. It's named for Carl Shurz who was among other things, a German revolutionary, a journalist and editor and a reformer (his wife Margarethe established the kindergarten system in the United States). Schurz was also was a Union general in the Civil War and served as the 13th Secretary of the Interior. He bore a striking resemblance to Abraham Lincoln and is famous for the saying "My country right or wrong; if right, to be kept right and if wrong to be set right." All in all, excellent qualifications for having a school named after you (there's a Schurz Park in New York City, among other things named after him). Wikipedia provides some interesting reading on him here.

The land for the current Schurz High was purchased in 1908 and the school opened two years later. The cost? A princely $525,000. For that, students in Irving Park got an assembly hall, a gym, a foundry, a forgeroom, a physiological lab and a lunch room. They also got an architectural masterpiece. Designed by Dwight H. Perkins (oddly enough, a native Memphian!) , Schurz High combines the best elements of the Illinois and Prairie Schools. It was designated a Chicago landmark in 1979, taking its place alongside the Buckingham Fountain and the Chicago Theater among others, and is also considered one of the 150 Great Places in Illinois, according to the American Institute of Architects. And it is a great place, a beautiful woody looking campus that I hope the student body appreciates.

It seems like it would; Schurz has produced two Nobel Laureates (Vincent du Vigneaud for chemistry in 1955--I can imagine that he came in for a fair amount of joshing--and Harry Moskovitz for economics in 1990). Athletic success seems to be limited--two state baseball titles, the last coming in 1969 represents the pinnacle here--but academically the Bulldogs seem to be living up to their motto "A block long and a world wide." The school has produced Millennium Scholars in three of the past five years and the academic decathlon team kicks tail on a regular basis. The current school population of 2,500 makes it the third-largest in the state and the racially and culturally diverse student body can take advantage of strong programs in architecture, music and finance.

Random pictures from an exotic place I'll probably never get to visit

Gibraltar is a British territory located just south of Spain and is less than three square miles. The Gibraltar Airport is the closest airport to a city center (only about 1/3 of a mile) in the world and only five airlines currently serve the airport.

What probably makes it most unique is having the main road connecting Gibraltar to Spain, Winston Churchill Avenue, go right over the runways. Every time a plane takes off or lands, traffic must be stopped.

The airport is in the middle of being renovated. Not only will they be increasing the terminal three fold, they are also constructing a tunnel for vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Although this will make the city and airport run more efficiently, it the airport will lost a little of its unique character.

Random pictures from an exotic place I'll probably never get to visit

From the mysterious island of Zanzibar, we have a beautiful sunset on the beach at Puesta del Sol and a view of the capital, Stone Town, a UNESCO world heritage site. Serene and spectacular--I'd give anything to make this trip at least once.

Random picture from an exotic place I'll probably never get to visit

A view from the French Polynesian island of Moorea, which is located about nine miles northwest of Tahiti. It's easy to see why travel writer Arthur Frommer declared it "the most beautiful island in the world."

Random picture from an exotic place I'll probably never get to visit

Granite boulders at Source d'Argent on the island of La Digue and a mindboggling Seychellois sunset.

Random pictures from an exotic place I'll probably never get to visit

Two very nice photos from La Paz, Bolivia--the highest capital city (altitude-wise at least in the world). The first is a busy street and the second is a bridge that I would not--likely even could not--drive across under any circumstances.

Random picture from an exotic place I'll probably never get to visit

The first in what will likely be a long series. Seen here is the rose-colored sea at Mamoudzou on the island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean. Stunning, gorgeous, breathtaking.