Everything in the deli looks good. Do I want borscht [beet soup] or blinis [pancakes]? I turn to ask the advice of the woman next to me, but she only speaks Russian. The signs are all in Cyrillic. I feel as if I’m in Moscow, but instead I’m in San Francisco, indulging in one of my current, recession-induced passions. I’m exploring the world without leaving the United States.
To date I’ve “visited” more than 20 countries on four continents, all without once using my passport. Below, three of the best:
California’s Russian Enclave
The golden dome of the Holy Virgin Cathedral is visible for nearly a mile in both directions as you drive along San Francisco’s Geary Boulevard, a major thoroughfare that links downtown with the Pacific Ocean. The surrounding area, which extends along Geary from about 15th to 26th Avenue and includes the side streets, has a distinctly Russian flair.
Shops sell Russian lacquer boxes and matrioshka nesting dolls, restaurants feature Chicken Kiev and pelmeni [Siberian dumplings], and bakeries have crusty Russian breads and sweet poppy seed cakes. Old women with babushka headscarves and long coats jostle with young teens on skateboards as they walk along the crowded streets.
While the Cathedral is spiritual heart of the community, the Russian Center is its social center. In addition to a small museum that contains artifacts dating back to pre-revolutionary days, it houses a theater and studios for budding folk dancers and gymnasts.
Contact the Russian Center at 415-921-7631 or http://www.russiancentersf.com.
Washington’s Bavarian Burg In the 1960s, with their sawmill shuttered and their railroad rerouted, the folks of Leavenworth, Washington did what necessity dictated. They reinvented their town into a Bavarian Village, in hopes of attracting tourist dollars.
Businessmen and women remodeled their shops to feature pitched roofs, gingerbread trim and fachwerk exteriors [wood beams infilled with plaster] and filled them with German-themed merchandise, from chocolate and cuckoo clocks to steins and Hummel figurines. Restaurants had their wait staff dress in lederhosen and dirndls and revised their menus to include beer and bratwurst.
The makeover attracted tourists as well as folks of German heritage, and today more than 28 percent of the residents claim German ancestry.
Each season has its special attraction: Maipole dancing in spring, The Sound of Music performances in summer, Oktoberfest in fall and a grand Chriskindlmarkt from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Of special note: The Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, which with more than 5,000 nutcrackers for over 49 countries has been deemed the largest nutcracker collection in North America.
Contact the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce at 509-548-5807 or http://www.leavenworth.org.
Colorado’s Tibetan Center
Eight thousand feet is a mere hill in the Rockies and a valley in the Himalayas, yet it’s high enough to give a heavenly glow to the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya. This grand example of sacred Buddhist architecture, the largest in North America, presides over the Shambhala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, a place where the cultural heritage of Tibet can be admired and celebrated.
The Great Stupa is as tall as a ten-story building, and while the outside is inspiring, the inside is even more so. Visitors are welcome to enter the main level, and few fail to be awed. A 20-foot-tall Buddha, gleaming with gold, sits solemnly beneath a ceiling covered with intricate Tibetan paintings. The floors are equally elaborate, consisting of a mosaic of inlaid granite and quartz.
A small gift store carries Buddhist prayer flags, brass offering bowls and other Tibetan items.
Contact Shambhala at 1-888-788-7221 or http://www.shambhalamountain.org.
Here is a list of ten more of my favorite places where you can see the world without needing a passport:
Athens in Tennessee (Nashville)
The original Parthenon, built in fifth century BC, shows it’s age, but its exact replica in Nashville looks almost exactly as it did centuries ago, when Socrates and Plato were climbing its steps and talking of democracy. http://www.nashville.gov/parthenon or http://www.visitmusiccity.com
Australia in Kentucky (Horse Cave)
Crocodile Dundee would be right at home in Kentucky Down Under, a park filled with kangaroos, emus, cockatoos, didgeridoos and boomerangs. Admission. http://www.kdu.com
Bavaria in Georgia (Helen)
Buildings within the 2-square mile city limit of Helen have the peaked roofs, gingerbread trim, balconies and shutters that typify Bavaria. http://www.helenga.com
France in Texas (Castroville)
Settled in the mid-1840s by folks from Alsace-Lorraine (a region of northwestern France near the German border) this small town 25 miles west of San Antonio gives the feel of rural France. http://www.castroville.com
Germany in Missouri (Hermann)
Unlike the other “Little Germanys” in the U.S., most of which represent Bavaria, Hermann, Missouri was settled by folks from the upper Rhine Valley. Its buildings are made of sturdy brick, and its streets are named after serious philosophers, scientists and musicians. http://www.hermannmo.info
Holland in Iowa (Pella)
Bricked walkways, gabled facades, a giant windmill and a springtime tulip festival give Pella, Iowa a Dutch flavor. http://www.pella.org
India in California (Artesia)
Twenty miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles is a five-block area filled with sari-clad women and more than 100 shops featuring Indian fabrics, gemstones, carvings and, best of all, food. No website.
Italy in Missouri (St. Louis)
Church bells that ring every hour on the hour, outdoor dining venues, mom-and-pop shops and pasta aplenty make The Hill in St. Louis, one of the country’s most vibrant Italian communities. http://www.explorestlouis.com/
Sweden in Kansas (Lindsborg)
The craft, cuisine and culture of Sweden abound in Lindsborg, a small town in central Kansas where nearly half the residents trace their heritage back to Sweden. http://www.lindsborg.org
The World in Georgia (Americus)
The headquarters of Habitat International offers visitors the chance to glimpse a third world country without leaving the safety of America. One area depicts an urban slum; another offers examples of small houses in each of 15 countries. http://www.habitat.org/
For a related story on visiting a true Third World country slum: http://www.yourlifeisatrip.com/
Story by Andrea Gross http://www.andreagross.com
Photo credits: Washington’s Bavarian Village, courtesy of the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce; Colorado’s Tibet, courtesy of Shambhala Mountain Center
This article appeared in the May 2010 issue of Northwest Prime Time, the Puget Sound region’s monthly publication celebrating life after 50.
