What makes a destination complex and thick with curiosity is its history and culture. These interests shape your perception of and experience in a place. On a trip to Baltimore my family took while I was in high school, I succeeded in convincing my parents to take me to Edgar Allan Poe's grave. Literature often provides a great backdrop to a place; writers describe the ins and outs of a place with beautiful accuracy. And that's why I think these literary maps made by The Literary Gift Company are so cool. These maps of both England and the U.S.A. have been formed with the names of writers from the two countries. If you love travel and literature, check these out here.

A night market in "the city that never sleeps" might seem like a no-brainer, but somehow the concept has never really caught on in New York City – that is, until now.

Tonight marks the kickoff of Hester Nights, a stylish new night market from the team behind the Lower East Side's popular Hester Street Fair. The weekly Thursday night event will bring Hester's renowned selection of food vendors to the courtyard of the Hotel Eventi, a Kimpton property located in midtown Manhattan's red-hot NoMad (North of Madison Square Park) neighborhood. Offerings will include a mix of global foodie favorites like Taiwanese lunch boxes from Bian Dang, Jamaican jerk chicken wings from Spur Tree and French macarons from Macaron Parlour, as well as a lineup of film and multimedia installations focused on fashion and design. The Hester team has also announced that it will be curating a new lifestyle concept shop at the Eventi, which is slated to open later in the summer.

Hester Nights will run every Thursday, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., until October 25. The Hotel Eventi is located at 851 Sixth Avenue.

Update: Due to thunderstorms, the Hester Nights opening event was moved to Thursday, May 31.

Mark Day is a videographer with an eye for beauty. Instead of lamenting over the fact that he couldn't stare straight into the partially eclipsed sun during the solar eclipse he saw on May 20, he decided to make a video of the surreal shadows cast from the eclipsed sun. I saw the video first on Laughing Squid. The crescent shapes make hard surfaces look like rippling water, reflecting the sunlight in fragments. Did you see the solar eclipse on May 20? If so, did you see it in full or partially? Let us know what your eclipse experience was like in the comments. Feel free to link to any photos of videos you have.

Dad's special day is just around the corner. To help make this Father's Day memorable, check out the unique packages and manly programming being offered by hotels around the country.

Travaasa Austin
Austin, Texas

This Father's Day, the Travaasa Austin is celebrating by featuring a full lineup of manly programming at their nature-immersed property. Some activities dads can expect include:

• Male Bonding: Texas-Style
• Beer Making 101
• Grilling and Smoking with the Travaasa Culinary Team
• Beer Tasting Experience
• Discover Your Six Pack: Core Fitness
• Conquer the Prickly Pear Challenge Course

The hotel will also be featuring a new spa menu and line of products, specially designed with men in mind.

Rates for Travaasa Austin begin at $113 per person, per night, based on double occupancy. Programming is included in the rate. Click here to book.

I think I must be hormonal, because this story just made me tear up. The Ritz-Carlton hotel in Amelia Island, Florida, is getting some social buzz this week because of the video posted above, which details their quest to go above and beyond for exceptional customer service.

The story is simple: a family went on vacation and left behind their son's beloved stuffed animal, Joshie. Riley, the family's child was notably upset at the loss of his favorite toy giraffe. Luckily, the Ritz-Carlton notified the family that the giraffe had been found safely in the laundry and would be returned as soon as possible.

But here's where the magic happened: dad Chris Hurn, seen in the video above, asked if the hotel would help substantiate a little white lie that he'd told his son, namely that Joshie was taking a few extra days of vacation and that he hadn't been forgotten.

What arrived? In addition to Ritz-Carlton swag, Joshie came home with a storybook binder detailing his trip, including photos at the spa, the pool, with the resort's parrot and even in the loss prevention office (where he got an honorary security badge).

The work surrounding the story was substantial, and from what we've seen of Ritz-Carlton hotels, isn't out of the ordinary – one time we entered the Ritz-Carlton Georgetown to find a photo of us and our dog by the bedside table.

But it's certainly a heartwarming tale, and one we particularly love because it wasn't part of a PR stunt or media blitz. It's simply a great example of a luxury brand proving why people would want to pay extra to stay in a hotel of this class.

Kudos, Ritz-Carlton.

Nature is inspiring for humans (most humans). That's why we (most of us) long for fresh air, gasp at sunsets and use our free time to do things like hike, bike, walk, run, paddle, climb, cave and garden. Nature is so inspiring to some that they choose to live off the grid, despite easy access to all modern amenities. Photographer Eric Valli has spent years with a group of off the grid people. He recently released a photo series documenting these people. The photos can be seen on Valli's website here. What a trip that would be: go live with a group of off the grid people for an extended period of time. Watch how your priorities change.

Summer can mean a trip to one of America's national parks for many. These adventure-packed and history-rich destinations offer travelers a wide variety of vacation options at hundreds of locations. To promote America's national parks and help with planning a summer park vacation, the Travel Channel has joined with the National Park Foundation (NPF) in a summer-long partnership of initiatives.

"Through this summer partnership, the National Park Foundation and Travel Channel, will provide the Network's passionate viewers with the best tools and information to plan the perfect national park adventures," said Neil Mulholland, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America's national parks.

Inspiring viewers to visit our 397 national parks as well as encourage volunteerism and monetary donations to NPF, the Travel Channel will support the NPF partnership via the network's "Destination Summer" campaign.

Thirty hours of programming on America's national parks will include celebrating "Get Outdoors Day" on Saturday, June 9.

Laughing Squid's Rusty Blazenhoff did us all a favor when she took a photo of a mural she recently passed in New York City. At East 7th Street in the East Village, Blazenhoff came across a new mural of the late Adam "MCA" Yauch from the Beastie Boys (Adam Yauch died on Friday, May 4). Created by a team called Cram Concepts, this mural has likely found a welcoming home in the East Village. Go see it for yourself if you're in the area.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is famous for a reason. It's a 469-mile stretch along the Blue Ridge, which is a mountain chain within the Appalachian Mountains. The mountains out west might be more grandeur, but I grew up in the Appalachians, so this drive has a special place in my heart. Contrast to the jagged, towering, snow-capped mountains you'll see in the western parts of the U.S., the Blue Ridge Mountains are subtler in their majesty. You'll see rolling hills upon rolling hills all the way into the horizon while driving the Blue Ridge Parkway. The park connects the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with the Shenandoah National Park. When you feel moved to stop and take photos of the jaw-dropping landscape, you'll find there are plenty of places to pull over and do just that. Buy some homemade jam, salsa or an assortment of other treats when you stop. These kinds of Blue Ridge specialties are widely available along the route and unlike so many gimmicky regional foods many of these offerings are worth the price.

Some people should not be allowed to wear a uniform.

While flying from Spain to the U.S. to attend the Gadling annual team summit, I touched down first at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. I got into line at U.S. Customs to enter the country.

The line was in a huge room with a row of bulletproof glass booths manned by U.S. Customs & Border Protection officials checking passports and visas. These booths blocked entrance to the baggage claim area and, officially, the United States. The line for U.S. citizens and Green Card holders was long but moving steadily thanks to several booths being open and the generally efficient work of the U.S. Customs folks manning them.

The line for foreigners was a different story. Only one booth was open and the line was practically at a standstill. There was a bit of grumbling in various languages but no loud complaining. Everyone just stood there looking jetlagged while watching a big flat screen TV hanging over the booths.

It was playing a promotional video about all the things to see in the United States. Images of the Grand Canyon, Alamo, Yosemite and other great attractions flickered across the screen, interspersed with a diversity of smiling Americans saying, "Welcome."

As I waited my turn, one woman in her early twenties who looked like she was from Southeast Asia walked up to the head of the foreigners' line where an airport worker stood.

"Excuse me," the Asian woman said with a heavy accent, holding out her ticket, "I will be late for flight."

"There's nothing I can do," the worker said, waving her off. "Get back in line."

"But the flight--"

"Wait in line!"

The Asian woman quickly retreated, looking at her watch.