THE VIRTUAL TOURIST: Celebrating 9 Years of The Intrepid Tourist--In My Own Neighborhood

A token of cheer placed along a neighborhood walking route in West Los Angeles

The world as we know it has been forever changed by the Covid pandemic. For now, all travel is essentially cancelled, thus making The Intrepid Tourist more theoretical than actual. So, while we all shelter in place, it is an opportunity to be virtual tourists, remembering favorite trips in the past, dreaming about places we might like to visit some day, and seeing our own neighborhoods anew.

Sidewalk art has begun to appear along the streets of our neighborhood.

This week is the 9th anniversary of the launch of The Intrepid Tourist in April 2011. Since then I have posted a new article once a week (usually on Monday), now totaling more than 400 posts and more than 300,000 page views. I am gratified to have found an audience that is enjoying the articles, both mine and those by friends and family.  I especially thank all the guest posters who have widened the scope of the blog, often reporting on places I have never been, whetting my appetite for future travel and providing their unique point of view.

Perhaps this sidewalk artist was inspired by Jackson Pollock!

I hope that it won’t be too long before all of us can enjoy traveling again. Meanwhile, Art and I remain at home, except for a daily walk around our West Los Angeles neighborhood. We try to vary our route each day. Just changing the side of the street, direction, or time of day often brings surprises.

Rays of sunshine decorate this rock.

A week or so ago we began to notice small colored rocks appearing in nooks and crannies along the sidewalk. Like oddly shaped Easter eggs, they were mysterious hidden treasures. Some had messages, others were simply painted with designs.

This colored rock was tucked into the roots of a tree.

Then, in the Easter Sunday edition of the LA Times, a front page article described a similar phenomenon going on in other communities. The headline read “They’re rock-solid in a crisis.” The author told about a group of children in Santa Clarita, inspired by a local artist, who found rock painting a welcome activity during all the hours they must now spend at home.
I don’t know who is creating the painted rocks and sidewalk art in my neighborhood, but they are tokens of cheer that brighten my day and help me stay sane as I weather the pandemic.

NOT IN AUSTRALIA NOR IN NEW ZEALAND FOR EASTER Guest post by Caroline Hatton

Chocolate Easter Bunnies, New Zealand

My friend and fellow children’s book author Caroline visited New Zealand in March 2020. She is now safe at home in California. She took all the photos in this post.

Also available with red, blue, or ivory ribbon.

My husband and I had looked forward to going to New Zealand and Australia in March and April 2020, flying home to Los Angeles on the Tuesday after Easter. As with every trip, anticipation was a large part of my pleasure. I started reading in advance about Easter in Australia. I even took notes to start writing a guest blog post about it!

Easter treats available in every aisle.

With zero COVID-19 cases on the South Island where we spent all our time, stores were uncrowded and fully stocked.

The Friday and Monday before and after Easter are Australian public holidays so people have more time to eat chocolate bunnies. Children get a school break so they have time to recover from eating too many chocolate bunnies.

Something for every-bunny’s taste.

Instead of the Easter bunny, which glorifies a non-native animal considered a pest because it damages the environment, an alternative star for the occasion was apparently, for some years, the Easter bilby, an endangered Australian marsupial who benefited from heightened public awareness and fundraising from chocolate sales. Unfortunately, this interest didn’t last.

Hot cross buns:

fruitless, chocolate, chocolate brioche, and traditional

NZ$4 (~US$2.40) per bag

Hot cross buns, I learned, are traditionally eaten on Good Friday, the Christian holiday that commemorates the day Jesus was crucified on the Cross. They are soft, and apparently best hot and buttered. [Note from the editor: Hot cross buns, decorated with an icing "X" on the top, are delicious. The sweet bread dough is flavored with chunks of citron. They are also available in grocery stores in the U.S. during Lent.]

Easter Bunny Cookie

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was unfolding worldwide, along with increasing travel restrictions. We made it to New Zealand, but not to Australia. Instead, we truncated our trip and flew home two and a half weeks before Easter, as New Zealand went into lockdown, requiring everyone to stay home in order to reduce contagion risks.

Only two of many, many choices of candy eggs.

Yet I got to see Easter goodies in New Zealand where bakeries and supermarkets were already selling them over a month in advance. I can’t comment on their taste, since I didn’t eat any, because I don’t like sweets. The best I can do is share what I did experience.

As of this writing, New Zealand will be in lockdown over Easter 2020, with all children stuck at home. Fortunately, adults are allowed to go shop for groceries. They can bring back the essentials!

For anyone who missed the 17 other Easter displays in the store