Before paper, candied confetti put out the occasional eye

A freehand map of North America, a beautiful Taco Bell, and more. Email not displaying correctly? View in your browser. January 01, 2020 When Confetti Was Edible The bits of colored paper that now rain down at celebrations share a name with their European counterparts, but it’s been denatured into something floaty and harmless. Why? Because society got fed up with the candied version: the mess, the bruises, the tears, the eye patches. Read More → How to Draw a Map of North America, Freehand For four years and nine months—averaging more than 5,000 square miles per day—Melbourne-based Anton Thomas drew North America by hand, using a pen and a set of 72 colored pencils. Read more → Atlas Obscura Trips Springtime in Eastern China: Exploring the Birthplace of Tea Have you ever stopped mid-sip to consider the enormous power of tea? It has transformed empires, religions, and cultures—and our morning routines. Join us in China this spring to learn about all things tea. In 11 days, we'll explore the rich 6,000-year history in which it's steeped. In temples and tea houses, we'll meet monks and tea masters and sip exquisite Chinese tea. Learn more → Big Things, Little State Rhode Island is a tiny state that has a rather grand history and many of its attractions still loom large. From a 58-foot-long blue fiberglass termite to an improbably large blue bear slumped under a lampshade, here are 10 big things in America’s smallest state. Read more → Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Bluegrass Speakeasy A tiny, unmarked beer and whiskey bar above an Ethiopian restaurant in West Philly fails to conceal live bluegrass music. Read more → From the archives New Years Calls for a Solo Stroll in a Dark Forest Picture this: You’re alone at midnight, and the only things separating you from the new year are a dark and gloomy forest and a handful of threatening creatures who want to lead you astray. According to folklore, this is how some adventurous Swedes would spend the first moments of a new year. Read more → Pacifica, California Taco Bell Can Be Beautiful Too At this Taco Bell in Pacifica, California, your Cheesy Gordita Crunch is dappled with sunlight filtering through the Northern California fog and has a place to park your surfboard. Read more → From the archives Conch-Shell Graveyard Some say these massive mounds of discarded conch shells is the reason the humble mollusk remains so plentiful off the island of Anegada in the British Virgin Islands–but they actually repel living conch. Read more → Visit AtlasObscura.com · View in Browser · Unsubscribe · See All Newsletters 61 Greenpoint Ave #622, Brooklyn, NY 11222