The Observer Effect

The Hull House Museum in Chicago has one particular item on which they have lavished special attention. Instead of a paper label stuck to the wall simply telling what the object is, they commissioned a book to draw every visitor into a slow museum experience. I tracked down and asked its author, Terri Kapsalis, what role travel played in shaping Jane Addams and Hull House ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé. You can buy Terri's book on the Hull House Museum website: http://www.hullhousemuseum.org/online-store/alternative-label-jane-addams-travel-medicine-kit. Check out Kiva.org to loan capital to a small business like Guillermina Cocepcion in Ecuador. "To be everywhere is to be nowhere." —Seneca

The Freud Museum at Berggasse 19 in Vienna showcases among other artifacts from the psychoanalyst's life, his suitcase, stamped with his initials and the name of his adopted city. They also published a book called Freud's Travels. I asked what led him to choose travel as one of the defining metaphors of his work ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé. Check out Kiva.org to make a loan to a small business owner in a place where capital is hard to find. Special thanks to Peter Noemaier, Monika Pessler, and Daniela Finzi for sharing their research on Freud. "Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart." —Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Moby-Dick Marathon draws fans of Herman Melville's classic from all over the world to the New Bedford Whaling Museum in Massachusetts every January to read the great book straight through over 25 glorious hours. Afterwards, I sat down with a scholar who has taught Melville in Pakistan and led his own life of adventure. I asked why Melville took that fateful first voyage on the Acushnet in 1840 ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé. "Such opportunities can arise only during a conversation." —Franz Kafka

Gerald and Franz walk for five days every year along the Camino de Santiago, the traditional route of pilgrims from all over Europe to the western coast of Spain, picking up where they left off the last year. We asked why they started their pilgrimage ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé. Check out Kiva.org to make a loan to a small business on the other side of the world. "On the first day of our pilgrimage I barely used my camera." —Patti Smith

Gerald and Franz walk for five days every year along the Camino de Santiago, the traditional route of pilgrims from all over Europe to the western coast of Spain, picking up where they left off the last year. We asked why they started their pilgrimage ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé. Check out Kiva.org to make a loan to a small business on the other side of the world. "On the first day of our pilgrimage I barely used my camera." —Patti Smith

Hitoshi spent a decade saving for his and his wife Yoko's dream of traveling the world only to realize it with their two little daughters just before they hit school age. We asked Sana and Rena what their favorite country is ... and hope listening like this makes borders as meaningless to us as they are to them. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé. Check out Hitoshi's website→tabikazoku.com. Go to Kiva.org and join The Observer Effect Team to lend capital to a small business in on the other side of the world and make a big difference. "Unfortunately, I have gained no wealth for my children and descendants except this true story." —Bernal Diaz

Hitoshi spent a decade saving for his and his wife Yoko's dream of traveling the world only to realize it with their two little daughters just before they hit school age. We asked Sana and Rena what their favorite country is ... and hope listening like this makes borders as meaningless to us as they are to them. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé. Check out Hitoshi's website→tabikazoku.com. Go to Kiva.org and join The Observer Effect Team to lend capital to a small business in on the other side of the world and make a big difference. "Unfortunately, I have gained no wealth for my children and descendants except this true story." —Bernal Diaz

Giorgio pivoted from architecture to journalism, now researching and writing novels from his wondrous apartment in one of the more fascinating corners of Rome. I asked what the abstract painting of a man lying prone in a strange body of water on his wall meant ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. It was a dream his mother had. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé. Join the Observer Effect Team at Kiva.org to lend a small amount of money that makes a big difference in the life of a business owner in a country like Togo or Peru. "What happens tomorrow is not always important." —Primo Levi

Giorgio pivoted from architecture to journalism, now researching and writing novels from his wondrous apartment in one of the more fascinating corners of Rome. I asked what the abstract painting of a man lying prone in a strange body of water on his wall meant ... and hope listening like this evaporates borders. It was a dream his mother had. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé. Join the Observer Effect Team at Kiva.org to lend a small amount of money that makes a big difference in the life of a business owner in a country like Togo or Peru. "What happens tomorrow is not always important." —Primo Levi

I met Orry panning for gold in the Austrian Tyrol. He taught me the word "petrichor." I asked him to tell his best travel story ... and he did not disappoint. We hope listening like this evaporates borders. Special thanks to the musician, Dana Boulé. Check out Kiva.org. "Men dig tons of earth to find an ounce of gold." —Heraclitus