The stories collected here take readers to a hobo convention in Iowa; Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama; the last leg of the Oregon Trail; a tennis tournament in Miami; and one of the final
baseball games played at Chicago’s old Comiskey Park. Keeping with the theme of unsung places, Swick writes about Columbus, Ohio (where he searches for the spirit of James Thurber); Normandy,
France; Archer City, Texas; Transylvania; Turkey; Trinidad; Vietnam; and Croatia. In addition, there are stories with more familiar subjects, such as a cultural exchange to Cuba, a Caribbean
cruise, and the childhood journeys that put him on the road to becoming a travel writer. Covering a wide range of diverse cultures--half the stories are set in the U.S., half abroad--the book
also examines the meaning of travel, and celebrates its beauty at a time when many are questioning its importance.
