Out Of Office: A Travel Podcast

On this special early-release episode of Out of Office: A Travel Podcast, Kiernan learns about Día de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, by talking to Harvard Professor of the Study of Latin America Davíd Carrasco about the history and traditions of the holiday. Kiernan also talks to Texas Monthly writer José Ralat about pan de muerto, the festival’s signature bread of the dead. How about Ryan? You know Ryan. Things we talked about in today’s podcast: Professor Carrasco’s video series for the Harvard Peabody Museum https://www.peabody.harvard.edu/Muertos José Ralat’s “Pan de Muerto is a Cross-Cultural Taste of History” https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/tex-mexplainer-pan-de-muerto-is-a-cross-cultural-taste-of-history/  Peabody Museum’s Altar https://www.peabody.harvard.edu/node/287  Catrina https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Calavera_Catrina  Museo Mural Diego Rivera https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_Mural_Diego_Rivera  Papel Picado https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papel_picado  Santa Muerte https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Muerte  Ay Mujer Shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/AyMujer?ref=yr_purchases  “Gustavo, The Shy Ghost” by Flavia Drago https://www.amazon.com/Gustavo-Shy-Ghost-Flavia-Drago/dp/1536211141  

This week on Out of Office: A Travel Podcast, Ryan hops in the jalopy and heads to Knoxville, Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains. Plus, Kiernan realizes that somehow they’ve recorded eighty four episodes without ever talking about Ryan’s proclivity for doll furniture. Things we talked about in today’s podcast: Knoxville Urban Wilderness https://www.visitknoxville.com/urban-wilderness/ SoKno Taco Cantina https://soknota.co/ Market Square in Knoxville https://www.visitknoxville.com/blog/post/10-things-to-know-about-market-square/ The Sunsphere https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunsphere  Knoxville Museum of Art’s Beauford Delaney and James Baldwin: Through the Unusual Door https://knoxart.org/exhibitions/beauford-delaney-and-james-baldwin-through-the-unusual-door/?fbclid=IwAR0-LC-ypve4glLMCt8KO0snbhITplQMdBB0CWj1VxuvwZFmAB0vGYC6Ls4  Knoxville Museum of Art’s Thorne Miniatures Rooms https://knoxart.org/exhibitions/thorne-rooms/  Downtown Wine+Spirits https://www.dtwine.com Rainbow Falls, Great Smoky Mountains https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/rainbow-falls-pyv.htm  Tuckaleechee Caverns https://tuckaleecheecaverns.com/development-of-caverns/ Avoiding Bear Attacks https://www.news.meredithlmg.com/general/what-not-to-do-in-a-bear-attack-push-your-slower-friends-down-in-attempts/article_531801ea-f4be-5571-be0f-e121786c1caa.html Toxic Cyanobacteria in Zion National Park https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/toxic-cyanobacteria-bloom-in-the-virgin-river-and-the-streams-of-zion-national-park.htm 

This week on Out of Office: A Travel Podcast, Kiernan discusses his recent trip to Maine’s Downeast region, including Acadia National Park. From lobsters to seascapes to yurts (yes: yurts), Maine earns its nickname of “Vacationland,” so don your best Bean boots and give a listen. Things we talked about in today’s podcast: Downeast Maine https://visitmaine.com/places-to-go/downeast-and-acadia  Acadia National Park https://www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm  Beals, Maine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beals,_Maine  Great Wass Island Preserve https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/great-wass-island/  Jasper Beach https://coastalcare.org/2011/02/jasper-beach-machiasport-maine-usa/  Bill Coperthwaite Yurt and Dickinsons Reach https://www.yurtinfo.org/the-yurt-foundation  Roque Bluffs State Park https://www.stateparks.com/roque_bluffs_state_park_in_maine.html  Blue Ridge Parkway https://www.blueridgeparkway.org/ Thai National Park is mailing back trash left behind by tourists https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2020/09/18/tourist-trash-mail/   

This week on Out of Office: A Travel Podcast, Kiernan and Ryan catch-up on their summer adventures, donate to museums in need, and dust off the mics for their new biweekly pandemic-related schedule change. Plus, Kiernan forgets ever recording an episode about how to pack! Things we talked about in today’s podcast: Park Predators https://parkpredators.com/  Leslie-Lohman Museum  https://www.leslielohman.org/  Edward Gorey House https://edwardgoreyhouse.org/  Edward Gorey in his fur coat https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/30/style/edward-gorey.html  The Gashlycrumb Tinies https://www.brainpickings.org/2011/01/19/edward-gorey-the-gashlycrumb-tinies/  Rick Steves DVD Anthology Set https://shop.pbs.org/WC5782.html?p=1&websource=PBSGOOGLE7&source_code=PBSGOOGLE7&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=Cj0KCQjwnqH7BRDdARIsACTSAdtTgOzHyGAtdEAsrCuWrPUg77sN1YeroAfySL4DAHMQOREpgKohiFUaAij7EALw_wcB  Rick Steves’s “For the Love of Europe” https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/travel-news/august-2020/video-of-the-month “Beloved” by Toni Morrison https://www.amazon.com/Beloved-Toni-Morrison/dp/1400033411  “The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A4ATV0A/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1  Belle Meade Plantation https://bellemeadeplantation.com/journey-to-jubilee/ Austin Street Brewery in Portland, ME https://www.austinstreetbrewery.com/florens 

This week on Out of Office: A Travel Podcast, Kiernan has a whizbang interview with author and “CBS Sunday Morning” correspondent Conor Knighton who spent a year visiting every American National Park. His new book “Leave Only Footprints” shares his tales from the trails. Needless to say he is now Kiernan’s idol.  Things we talked about in today’s podcast: “Leave Only Footprints” by Conor Knighton https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/600367/leave-only-footprints-by-conor-knighton/ “CBS Sunday Morning” Crater Lake Old Man segment https://www.cbsnews.com/video/on-the-trail-crater-lakes-old-man/ “CBS Sunday Morning” Denali Sled Dogs segment https://www.cbsnews.com/news/on-the-trail-the-dogs-of-denali-national-park/ “CBS Sunday Morning” Biscayne National Park https://www.cbsnews.com/news/on-the-trail-biscayne-national-park/ Conor Knighton sings “America the Beautiful” in every National Park https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsIvhZL3Y8k Synchronized Fireflies  https://www.nps.gov/cong/fireflies.htm Museums in danger of closing https://www.aam-us.org/2020/07/22/united-states-may-lose-one-third-of-all-museums-new-survey-shows/ Encarta https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encarta

This week on Out of Office: A Travel Podcast, Kiernan and Ryan talk about the decision of Disney World and many other theme parks to open despite the global pandemic. Plus, murders in National Parks! Is everywhere fun trying to kill us?? Things we talked about in today’s podcast: Disney Reopeninghttps://disneyworld.disney.go.com/experience-updates/ Theme Parks Opening Across the Countryhttps://www.delish.com/food-news/a32872190/amusement-parks-reopening-pandemic/ Hagia Sophia: Museum to Mosquehttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53366307 Park Predators podcasthttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/park-predators/id1517651197

This week on Out of Office: A Travel Podcast, Kiernan and Ryan talk about The Grand Tour, that historic tour through Europe that young men of a certain rank used to embark upon to complete their education. Plus, we design our own modern Grand Tour of the USA! Things we talked about in today’s podcast: The Grand Tourhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grand_Tour BBC “In Our Time” Grand Tour episodehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00548fs  The Talented Mr. Ripleyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Talented_Mr._Ripley_(film)   

This week on Out of Office: A Travel Podcast, Kiernan and Ryan listen to Rick Steves’s online commencement address and offer their thoughts on his advice to the graduates of 2020. Plus, the Last Stop is back! Things we talked about in today’s podcast: Rick Steves Commencement Address https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdlho9wpG20  David Foster Wallace Commencement Address https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CrOL-ydFMI Reichstag reopening http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/440771.stm Franciscan Order https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franciscans Jesuit Order https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_Jesus “The Great” on Hulu https://www.hulu.com/series/the-great-238db0d4-c476-47ed-9bee-d326fd302f7d New Yorker’s “Thirty-Six Thousand Feet Under the Sea” by Ben Taub https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/05/18/thirty-six-thousand-feet-under-the-sea  

This week on Out of Office: A Travel Podcast, Ryan shares his newly found love for hiking during quarantine and Kiernan updates us on the latest unexpected twist in his Quest for Rick Steves. Things we talked about in today’s podcast: AllTrailshttps://www.alltrails.com/ Harriman State Parkhttps://parks.ny.gov/parks/145 Black Creek Preserve / Ulster Park https://www.scenichudson.org/explore-the-valley/scenic-hudson-parks/black-creek-preserve/ Schunemunk Mountain nynjtc.org/park/schunemunk-mountain-3   South Mountain Reservation https://www.essexcountyparks.org/parks/south-mountain-reservation  Rick Steves Wavinghttps://www.edmondsbeacon.com/story/2020/05/04/news/hello-from-eight-oaks/23103.html

This week on Out of Office: A Travel Podcast, Kiernan and Ryan discuss the frustrations of loving travel but being stuck at home. The boys offer recommendations for books, movies, and games to help you make it through this period of self-isolation. Things we talked about in today’s podcast: “The Big Oyster: History on the Half-Shell” by Mark Kurlansky https://www.amazon.com/Big-Oyster-History-Half-Shell/dp/0345476395 “The Great Influenza” by John M. Barry https://www.amazon.com/Great-Influenza-Deadliest-Pandemic-History-ebook/dp/B000OCXFWE Disney True-Life Adventure Series https://www.disneyplus.com/movies/yellowstone-cubs/320qnEGAhtOm  https://www.disneyplus.com/movies/the-vanishing-prairie/7ZRqoMTyqMfY https://www.disneyplus.com/movies/perri/4Y8BFJTYWdon Snowpiercer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowpiercer Travel Man https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKuSn_LSQ_U_8o35jjpi0xQ Drawful 2 https://www.jackboxgames.com/drawful-two/ - Listen to past episodes at: https://outofofficepod.com/ - Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/ooopodcast/