Our Lives in the Time of Extremely Fancy Axes

Our Lives in the Time of Extremely Fancy Axes


Throwers are another circle in the Venn diagram of modern ax consumers, joining collectors and restorers, survivalists and bushcrafters, aesthetes, and that circle of fancy cabin owners, weekend warriors and suburban pioneers who aspire to chop firewood not because they’ll freeze to death if they don’t, but because they find it meditative, or because it offers a sense of physical purpose in a very digital world, or because controlling the supply chain is so hot right now.

These audiences are converging, boosting business for the relatively few legacy American ax manufacturers that have survived into the 21st century, and fostering a cottage industry of new ax artisans across the country.

“We live in a society where everything is bought to be thrown away — nothing really lasts,” said Thomas Holloway, 36, who started Anchor Axe Co. in Kansas City, Mo., in 2016. “I think people gravitate toward axes because they’re something they can pass on to their kids that’s never going to go out of style.”

His vintage refurbished camp hatchets ($100 to $150) sell at boutiques across the country, including Hamilton & Adams in Kingston, N.Y. (Leading up to this Christmas, all the ones in Kingston are sold out.)

In 2015, Brant & Cochran in Portland, Me., began resurrecting extinct heritage ax designs native to the state, like the Allagash Cruiser Maine wedge, with a 28-inch hickory handle and handmade leather sheath ($250). In 2017, the company crowdsourced more than $26,000 via Indiegogo to buy upgraded equipment, and in 2019, the company said, it doubled production and sales from the previous year.

“I’m 58 years old,” said Mark Ferguson, a founder. His generation, he said, created big-box stores like Home Depot “and has buried the world in plastic junk. But people are thinking a lot harder about their purchases now. When people spend $250 on a camp ax, they want to know where that money’s going, to see the process, to know the maker — not some big faceless corporation.”



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22 of Our Favorite Travel Photographs From 2019

22 of Our Favorite Travel Photographs From 2019


More than 39,000 photographs were filed in 2019 for The New York Times’s Travel desk — for stories from places such as Cuba, Dakar, Paris and Thailand, among hundreds of others.

We’ve combed through all of them to bring you 22 of our favorites, presented here alongside links to the articles in which they originally appeared.

Sit back, relax and enjoy a whirlwind visual tour of this year’s best travel photography.




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36 Hours in Kochi, India

36 Hours in Kochi, India


Kerala, as they say, is “God’s Own Country,” a nod to its lush natural beauty, beguiling backwaters and wealth of spices that have been the Holy Grail for generations of seafarers. But the catchy tourism slogan could also be a tribute to the various religious traditions that have thrived there — especially in the port city of Kochi — for thousands of years. Kerala’s unique geography — hemmed in from the rest of India by the mountains to the east, but open to the world by the Arabian Sea to the west — meant the state in southwest India was a cosmopolitan melting pot for far-flung cultures. Hindus, Christians, Jews and Muslims lived side by side and traded with the Arabs and Chinese long before the Portuguese fumbled their way over (it was Kerala that Columbus was after in 1492 when he found himself in the Bahamas instead) and established the first European settlement in India at Cochin in 1500, kicking off successive waves of colonization by the Portuguese, Dutch and British.

Today, Kochi, as Cochin has been renamed, is a popular cruise ship stop and layover for travelers en route to houseboats that cruise through the idyllic backwaters of nearby Alappuzha. But its complex history merits a longer stay. Spend a weekend exploring historic Fort Kochi, whose narrow lanes are lined with buildings that are a legacy of thousands of years of cultural intermingling. And if you’re in the area between December 2020 and March 2021, you won’t want to miss the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, one of the world’s most exciting contemporary art events.

(Like much of India, Kochi has seen protests in recent days against a new citizenship law that many view as discriminatory. While the protests and the police response have involved violence in some parts of the country, Kochi’s protests have not affected areas frequented by tourists.)

Fort Kochi is a bit of a misnomer — the original Portuguese fort no longer stands; the name now refers to Kochi’s historic section. A walk through the quarter helps uncover the layers of influences that have left their mark here. Start near the Chinese fishing nets strung across bamboo and teak poles: They have been there in some form since the 1400s. While they now mostly exist for tourist photo-ops, you can see how fishermen hauled their catch here for centuries. Then cross Vasco da Gama Square toward St. Francis Church, one of the oldest European churches in India. Erected as a Catholic church by the Portuguese in 1503, it was rebuilt as a Protestant church by the Dutch, before being consecrated as an Anglican Church by the English. This is where Vasco da Gama was buried, before his remains were sent back to Lisbon.

Historic Kochi was once divided into two sections: Fort Kochi, where the Christians lived, and Mattancherry, which was primarily home to Jews, Hindus and Muslims. Get going bright and early to explore Mattancherry, once a vibrant center of the spice trade. Start with breakfast at Mocha Art Café, a 300-year-old spice warehouse. Try the appam with egg stew (230 rupees), banana, pineapple and nutella pancakes (200 to 250 rupees) or a keema cheese omelet (270 rupees), washed down with a mocha (190 rupees), of course. When you’re done, take a few minutes to check out the exhibits by local artists adorning the brick walls.

Mocha Art Café is just steps away from the 16th-century Paradesi Synagogue, the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth, with global influences in the form of blue hand-painted tiles from China, chandeliers from Belgium and an Oriental rug that was a gift from the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I. There are only a handful of practicing Jews remaining in Kochi, and tourists are needed for a full congregation. From there, head to Mattancherry Palace — also known as the Dutch Palace, though it was a gift from the Portuguese to the King of Cochin in 1555. It’s an intriguing fusion of European and Indian styles, and houses elaborate, 16th-century, temple-style murals of scenes from the Hindu Ramayana epic. Then explore the markets of Jew Town, lined with everything from perfume bottles to embroidered umbrellas to mounds of paint in brilliant shades of fuchsia and cobalt. Nearby are the antiques emporium Ethnic Passage, the contemporary design shop Via Kerala and the fashion designer Joe Ikareth’s boutique.

Back in Fort Kochi, the Indian Oven restaurant at the Cochin Club is a relaxing setting for a languid lunch. There’s a quiet garden, windows open to the water, whimsical murals on the wall, and colorful cushions scattered across cane chairs. Pull one up and tuck into Malabar Coast seafood dishes, like a Kerala-style squid roast and karimeen pollichathu (pearl spot fish prepared in a banana leaf). Lunch for two is around 1,000 rupees.

Two historic warehouses by the sea were joined to make the delightful Pepper House, an open-air cafe, gallery and design shop that’s one of the main venues come Biennale time. The crowd is a mix of creative types and tourists, all converging at the handful of tables scattered around a grassy courtyard. It’s a great spot for breakfast: Fuel up for the day with the French toast with jaggery (unrefined cane sugar) and fresh fruit (250 rupees).

Kochi has been nicknamed the Queen of the Arabian Sea, and the water is an intrinsic element of the city. You can book a tourist boat for a one-hour spin around the harbor, but for a more local experience, take the public ferry (tickets are just 4 rupees). Board at the jetty off Calvathy Road alongside commuters and local families, and whiz past some of the islands that make up the city of Kochi — Vypin, Willingdon, Vallarpadam and Bolgatty — before landing 20 minutes later at the bustling mainland part of the city known as Ernakulam. There, take a quick stroll through the neatly manicured, sea-facing Subhash Bose Park before heading back.


Opened in 2016, the Ginger House Museum Hotel is a plush oasis in the heart of Mattancherry, situated above a sprawling antiques shop and restaurant. Each of the nine rooms is done up in rich, vintage embellishments, like 24-karat-gold Art Deco tiles and a ceiling bedecked in teakwood-framed mirrors. Doubles from 25,000 rupees.



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Utah’s Latest Ski Destination: Woodward Park City

Utah’s Latest Ski Destination: Woodward Park City


Woodward Park City, an action-sports destination and ski resort, opened in Park City, Utah, on Dec. 14. The 125-acre property includes indoor and outdoor facilities designed for year-round use, with camps and programs dedicated to skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding and more.

Woodward has been operating athletics-driven summer camps for 50 years; the first location was a gymnastics camp in rural Pennsylvania. Since then, the camps have evolved to focus on action sports like skateboarding and bicycle motocross along with programs dedicated to cheerleading and parkour. In 2011, Woodward was acquired by POWDR, a Park City-based company that operates ski resorts, produces adventure sports content and offers experiences like heli-skiing and white-water rafting. Woodward Park City is considered the company’s flagship location.

“This is the first time we’ve been able to dream everything from the ground up, on the hill and on-site,” said Tucker Norred, Woodward Park City’s senior marketing manager.

The property includes nine ski and snowboard terrain parks, more than 10 tubing lanes, three lift-serviced mountain bike trails, two outdoor skate parks, and a 66,000-square-foot indoor facility featuring a 10,000-square-foot concrete skatepark, trampolines, a spring floor, airbags and foam pits. There’s also a cafeteria and a third-floor cafe with a full bar that overlooks the indoor facilities below.

The idea, according to Mr. Norred, is to create something for everyone, from first-time skiers and snowboarders to those at Olympic training levels. All facilities are closely designed with skill development and progression in mind.

Skiers may already be familiar with Woodward — four POWDR resorts, including Boreal Mountain in California and Copper Mountain in Colorado, previously included Woodward features ranging from one-off “pop-up parks” to half pipes. This winter, those resorts, plus two more (including Woodward Park City), will debut full “Woodward Mountain Park” experiences, which center on progression zones that start with beginner offerings, leveling up to expert terrain parks.

“It’s all about rethinking the terrain park experience,” said Megan Baroska, POWDR’s senior vice president of corporate strategy and communications. “The Woodward Mountain Park has an intuitive progression of zones that builds up and progresses as you develop skills.”

On the mountain, first-time skiers and riders will begin, fittingly, at the Start Park, where they will learn basic building blocks, like how it feels to lean forward in your boots to move. After developing more advanced skills, skiers and riders can try their hand at the Peace Park, a freestyle terrain park designed by the Olympic snowboarder Danny Davis, and at Red’s Backyard, a “rail garden,” inspired by the Colorado backyard of the Olympic gold medalist Red Gerard. Rated like typical trail maps, the Mountain Park is meant to function intuitively as a self-guided experience with on-site coaches available to offer tips, or can also be explored with an instructor or through a camp program.

Killington Resort in Vermont started rolling out Woodward offerings in November, with plans for the full Mountain Park to be open by late December.

“We’re excited to be able to tap into Woodward’s focus on progression, and have already had a great response,” said Mike Solimano, president and general manager of Killington Resort. “It’s helping us bring a new type of experience on the mountain to all different kinds of skiers and riders.”

Woodward Park City’s summer offerings will include mountain biking, skateboarding and the full range of indoor and outdoor action sports facilities. Summer and winter camps will be available (winter camps are for ages 7 and up, and are three to five days long, $399 to $799), but Woodward Park City also allows for drop-in experiences — a lift ticket for skiing or mountain biking for the day, a daylong ski or snowboard lesson, or a two-hour tubing session. Also available are monthly memberships for unlimited access to the facilities.

While Woodward’s programming primarily targets children, Mr. Norred emphasized that Woodward Park City has offerings for all ages.

“You can take an adult-specific ski or board beginner lesson. We have yoga classes and ‘adult swim’ — adults-only time at the indoor skatepark,” he said. Or the parents could stay in the cafe: “Mom and Dad can hang out up there and watch the magic happen.”



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Holiday Nights, Merry and Bright

Holiday Nights, Merry and Bright


April may be the cruelest month, but December, the darkest, can feel unkind, too. New York, however, offers its own illumination during these long, blustery nights, and not just Rockefeller Center’s seasonal sparkle. Here’s a guide to some of the lavish light displays across the city, including twinkling and towering sculptures, Chinese-style lantern shows and giant menorahs. You will usually find food, entertainment and family activities here, as well as glowing LED artifice: fairy palaces, alluring sweets, roaring dinosaurs — and lots of pandas.

RanDalls Island Park

Imagine waking up inside an anime cartoon. LuminoCity, a 16-acre extravaganza, even has its own hero from another universe: Lumi, a magical light bulb. Resembling a benevolent Pokémon, Lumi appears — in lantern form — throughout the displays, offering amazed commentary in recorded, childlike narration. You (and he) explore the exhibits, which Xiaoyi Chen, LuminoCity’s founder, has patterned after the lantern festival in Zigong, China.

Sculpted in steel and covered in satin, LuminoCity’s enormous lanterns occupy environments like the Winter Fantasy, which includes Santa’s sleigh and a towering castle. The Wild Adventure features dinosaurs, as well as a miniature Bifengxia Panda Reserve. My favorite display was in the Sweet Dream environment: a giant waving cat — a symbol of good luck — surrounded by 12 smaller ones representing real feline Instagram stars. LuminoCity also offers performances, themed nights, a heated marketplace and shuttle bus service to and from 125th Street and Third Avenue in Manhattan. (But if you book the bus, wait on the street and not — as I did — on the avenue.) Through Jan. 5; luminocityfestival.com.


The most dazzling animals I encountered here had no need of LED technology: They were Owlexandria, a fierce-looking spectacled owl, and Quincy, a resplendent Eurasian eagle owl, whose handler allows evening visitors to pose with them for pictures. Almost all other creatures at the after-hours Holiday Lights show, however, are luminescent creations, often accompanied by vivid wildlife sounds. Outlined in glittering lights, some appear to move or fly as a result of the sequenced illumination of different silhouettes. Others, like those along the Animal Lantern Safari trail — you enter through a sculptured shark’s belly — are silk-and-steel models whose wings or heads may subtly shift. (I especially enjoyed the lemurs in the trees.)

The zoo, which has revived Holiday Lights for the first time since 2007, also features roaming carolers, ice-carving demonstrations and a Christmas tree that’s a light show in itself. On Friday the zoo begins a festival within the festival: Ice Jubilee, which includes an ice throne, a 20-foot ice slide and, for adults weary of holiday shopping, an ice bar. Through Jan. 5; 718-220-5100, bronxzoo.com.


Manhattan

Dreaming of a tropical Christmas? Nestled among the palm trees in the airy Winter Garden at Brookfield Place, this light installation is entirely indoors. Designed by the LAB at Rockwell Group, the display consists of 647 acrylic LED lanterns in sherbet hues, suspended from the complex’s ceiling in a Mondrian-like grid. Every hour on the hour, shoppers and diners can watch digitally programmed light shows. The lanterns change color and intensity in dizzying patterns, while a seasonal soundtrack plays. But the installation’s greatest connection to the holidays is its three wishing stations. Touch one, and your “wish” initiates a miniature light show overhead. This artificial magic does real-world good: For every wish, Brookfield Place will donate $1, up to a total of $25,000, to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, a national research nonprofit. Through Jan. 3; 212-978-1673, bfplny.com.



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