Boston, Massachusetts, USA

This be Boston. If you haven't noticed, the last week of posts has honored B cities and their inhabitants: Bath, Bursa, Brașov, Brussels, Battambong, Bandung, Belize, and now Boston. And, what preceded the beta cities? An alpha city, of course: Amsterdam. That's how we get ready for the school year. We practice our alphabet. [2008]

Belize City, Belize

He is not your typical taxi driver. Then again, this is not your typical taxi. It is Belize City's water taxi. You can even find one to take you to Mexico: 2 hours and 45 minutes! But you would be missing so much if you didn't stop at Caye Caulker or San Pedro. [2015]

Bandung, Indonesia

Wherever you live, keep your folk culture alive. And, if that culture includes traditional dance, learn the moves and perform, just as these young women are doing. Their feet, hands, and bodies, rather than their faces, express the essence of Javanese history and transmit it to the next generation. [2016]

Battambong, Cambodia

Cambodia is almost wholly Buddhist. Every town has at least one wat, and, each wat has at least three and sometimes dozens of monks. These young men live simple lives within the enclosure, venturing out to beg for alms (expected and respectable in the eyes of Buddhism). They spend each day meditating and sufficing for themselves. [2016]

Brussels, Belgium

She had her children after 'the war.' Her offspring, however, decided to have only one child or perhaps none. There were many like her, and Belgium's fertility rate dipped below replacement level in 1973. But, the economy continued to grow, and immigrants arrived to take the jobs created. Think of those immigrants as the children her offspring never had. [2015]

Brașov, Romania

Performance art is usually staged to make you think of something in an unconventional way. So, is this what you think of when someone says 'Transylvania'? Probably not. Here on the stage that is Brazov's plaza, these unwitting performance artists are asking you to re-boot your geographical imagination and think of their home more like they do. [2014]

Bursa, Turkey

Just as the Ottoman Empire reached its peak of power, a great "caravan palace" was built to accommodate all the trade, especially in silk, that wound its way to and through Bursa. Today, Koza Han is still devoted to trade, but it's the retail trade that matters. The structure here, in the middle of an outer courtyard, was once a mosque. [2007]

Bath, England, UK

The Brits do a lot of cycling and walking for pleasure. One of the reasons is that they have constructed their built environment to encourage it. There are bike paths along rivers and canals, dedicated cycle lanes in towns and cities, rights of way across fields for walkers, and a network of national trails for bipeds and two-wheelers. [2015]

Amsterdam, Netherlands

As a resident of Amsterdam, she developed the habit of riding her bike everywhere around the city. It began with school and continued into adult life. This may even be the way she gets to work. Why don't kids in the U.S. ride their bikes to school the way they used to? In fact, why don't they walk? There is sometimes little wisdom in school policy. [2015]

Gulf Breeze, Florida, USA

Something for all scholars to remember as they begin yet another year of school: "Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it." So sayeth Albert Einstein. [2018]

Massana, Andorra

In Andorra, schools don't open for another three weeks. Kids have to wait until the national holiday, a celebration of the Virgin of Meritxell, is over. Then, with the world under foot, the school year begins with a single step. [2005]

San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Get ready, kids. In Mexico, the school year begins today. But in lots of other countries, school won't start until September. And, in others, it starts in late July. There are even a few where kids head back in January or February. As for the U.S., it's up to states and localities. [2016]

Cape Charles, Virginia, USA

If it's Tuesday, there must be a farmers' market in Cape Charles. Eat fresh, eat organic, eat local. Enjoy some cucumber lemonade while you are here; buy a sweet melon, a box of heirloom tomatoes, half a dozen peaches, some local honey, and a bunch of sunflowers. And, fix your memories to that lighthouse. Is that really a lighthouse? [2018]

Birmingham, Alabama, USA

The rainbow lorikeet is an eye-catcher, and the Birmingham zoo has the best collection in the world (perhaps an exaggeration). Visitors are allowed to enter their confines, where these Austro-Pacific natives often perch on your shoulders or arms. They are very social and make friends easily: even with their human visitors. [2018]

Phoenix, Arizona, USA

One of the reasons the Greater Flamingo has been such a successful survivor (in a world of 7 billion people) is its widespread geographical range. The  more restricted the range, the more vulnerable a species is likely to be. These are Old World birds, but they have cousins in the New World: Chilean flamingos and American flamingos. [2018]

Jackson, Mississippi, USA

Ostriches, common throughout Africa, are famous for having not much of a head for a body their size. (Males can weigh over 300 pounds.) Then again, they are famous for having eyes too big for a head their size. Such is nature! [2018]

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

The Southern Ground Hornbill is yet another species that is vulnerable to extinction. Its native habitat is the African savannah, and you know what has happened to the African population. It has exploded to over a billion people. As the human population increases, other populations decrease. Humans destroy habitat and prey on the defenseless. [2014]

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

The Black Crowned Crane is a native of the African savannahs just south of the Sahara. Even though its geographic range is extensive, it is still listed as 'vulverable': yet one more species that is approaching endangered status. As for the crown: It's got to be one of the finest nature has to offer. [2014]

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Do you know any Bolivians? If not, just visit your local zoo and find some "blue beards" (a.k.a., blue throated macaws) like this one. As a variety of parrot, he is likely to chat you up while you are in his vicinity. He will surely tell you that his cousins back in Bolivia are critically endangered and that you should not acquire one of his kind as a pet. [2015]

Auckland, New Zealand

Merchandising is all about catching the public's attention, so sometimes you have to give people what they don't expect. But we should have expected this! Given that New Zealand is one of those lands 'down under,' it's not so surprising they have turned the world of auto sales upside down. [2011]

Aleppo, Syria

That dude must have been flying to plow into the ceiling! Not likely: In Aleppo, traffic always moves at a snail's pace. Maybe this merchant was just trying to get attention. Yes, Aleppo used to be a merchant's city with goods available from far and wide. Perhaps, it will one day return to that role. [1993]

Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Vieux Québec has been called the most European city in America, and here is a very European scene: street-side dining inside. That includes natural air conditioning to go with your farm-to-table appetite. But, what's it like in winter? The answer is in the name of the restaurant, which is . . . , meaning . . .  [2018]

Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

What happened? It looks like a Canadian Space Agency satellite named Alouette-1 has fallen out of the sky and done some damage to a parked car. Or, perhaps it's "a metaphor for the unfulfilled promise of a future of scientific advancement once heralded as modernism." [2018]

Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Recognize the country from the flag atop L'Hôtel du Parlement? Recognize it as Québec? But is Quebec a country? Bien sur! Here meets the Assemblée nationale. And, the city of Quebec bills itself as La Capital Nationale. As the building reaches its sesquicentennial, it is getting a makeover and is screened off from the public by a vertical garden. [2018]

Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Fountains are meant to be quaffed from afar and only with the eyes. But, wouldn't we all really like to use them as swimming pools (especially if they have a 'slide')? Here a dad is right in there with his daughter, teaching her how to cool off on a hot summer day and how to add a little fun-loving risk to her life. Oh, Canada! [2018]

Owls Head, Maine, USA

It's not a place until it has a name. The name of this place is hidden in a rebus above the post office door. The lesson: Have some fun with the name of your town or township and show the world you are proud to live there. Note the pre-ADA entrance. [1976]

Farmerville, Louisiana, USA

It's not a place until it has a name. So, let everyone know where you live: by name. Here is a rare (maybe unique) example of a McDonald's that has figured out its role in building community spirit. It takes more pride in serving Farmerville than it does in proclaiming "billions and billions sold." [2018]

Lancaster, Minnesota, USA

It's not a place until it has a name. Raise it high and make others as fond of it as you are. Perhaps we should remember the lesson Dale Carnegie taught us and apply it to the places we love: "A person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language." Now substitute 'place' for 'person': It's the way to win friends and influence people! [2012]

Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Dancing at the Spanish Market: "Baila como si nadi estuviera mirando. Ama como si nunca te hubieran lastimado. Canta como nadie estuviera escuchando. Vive como si el cielo estuviera en la tierra." Dance as if no one is watching. Love as if you have never been hurt. Sing as if no one is listening. Live as if heaven were on earth. Author unknown. [2017]

Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Eating at the Spanish Market: The festival may be sponsored by the Spanish Colonial Arts Society, but most of the food is perfectly contemporary. Yet, it turns families into companions, a word that means "together (com-) over bread (-pan)." Food is the tie that bonds together family and friends. Here is some family bonding going on right now. [2017]

Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Spinning at the Spanish Market: It happens in the summer on the plaza in old town. The weekend festival attracts artists and craftsmen like her, plus lots of visitors who want to see how their ancestors lived. It's the perfect time to be in northern New Mexico. [2017]