Just a little check in. Plus: We want to hear your stories of traveling with a significant other for the first time – the good, the bad, and the strange.

You can send an email or voice memo to [email protected]. Or, give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message.

A listener in Lawrence, Kansas takes us on his journey of discovering the secrets of his hometown.

Dylan sits down with guest Blake Pfeil about what inspired him to begin exploring abandoned spots, what those spaces have taught him about escapism, sobriety and the sometimes blurry line between real and unreal that he finds there. 

MORE: Blake is an artist and adventurer. He’s also the creator and host of the podcast “Abandoned: All-American Ruins.” Check it out here.

We visit a park in Palo Alto, California, home of the world’s most famous donkey. 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-donkeys-of-barron-park-palo-alto-california

An industrial water tank-turned-concert hall in the high deserts of Colorado is nothing less than a sonic wonder of the world. 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-tank-rangely-colora

These documents highlight the intellectual legacy of an ancient civilization based in Timbuktu, Mali.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/timbuktu-manuscripts-mali

A small bit of news, and a request. To ask Dylan your question, send an email or voice memo to [email protected]. 

Or, give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message.

A map in the archives of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library in Portland, OR may be the key to finding buried treasure that has yet to be found. 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/buried-treasure-portland-oregon

Today, we’re sharing an episode from our friends at Terrestrials, a Radiolab spinoff show for families that explores strangeness on Earth. In this episode, host Lulu Miller visits some of our planet’s most magical tree stumps – which are anything but dead.   

Plus: Cast your vote in Radiolab’s quasi-moon naming contest! Voting is open until January 1.

Writer and friend of the show Colin Dickey tries to destroy Dylan’s holiday cheer with arguments about why Christmas is actually full of monsters from around the world. 

(Just a note for parents listening with little ones, Dylan and Colin talk frankly about Santa and his surrounding lore.) 
 

Check out Colin’s Atlas Obscura column, Eerie Feeling.