Summer Postcards
Summer Postcard: Strangers on Lake Superior
It might sound lonely to backpack in solitude for eight hours a day, cell service mostly nonexistent. But trail life catalyzes a near-immediate sense of intimacy with fellow adventurers.
Tonight's starters
The lineup board at Sam Lynn Ballpark in Bakersfield, Calif.
The Shelter Rules
Residents of Tel Aviv have ninety seconds after the alarms sound to locate the nearest public shelter. It happens once a day, maybe twice, timed before the morning or evening news.
Summer in Boston 2014
A collection of photographs of life in and around Boston made by Crimson photographers during the summer of 2014.
Summer Postcards 2012
Interactive graphic of summer postcards for 2012. We'll be uploading new postcards every week so keep checking back!
Summer Postcards 2011
Crimson editors set off across the globe for another summer of adventure, enlightenment, and fun. Follow all their adventures here! We'll be publishing new postcards every few days during the next couple months. To explore the postcards, click on the dots on the map or browse by location, editor, or date by selecting the option at the top of the graphic.
Crimson Summer Postcards 2010
Follow The Crimson's editors as they travel around the world this summer!
Postcard from Shanghai, China: A City on Expo
After six weeks of studying traditional Chinese medicine and Mandarin in Kunming, Yunnan Province, Crimson photographer Noor M. R. Beckwith '11 takes a week to tour Shanghai, which is currently hosting a world expo. China spent more in preparation for the Shanghai Expo than it did in revamping its capital Beijing for the 2008 Olympics.
Two men fight at one of the shuttle stops inside the Expo grounds. With lines up to 10 hours long at pavilions such as Saudi Arabia's and with temperatures often rising to 95 degrees Fahrenheit, tempers easily flare.
The United States decided to join the Expo very late, so its pavilion is generally not considered to be very impressive. Among other things, it features an American diner—set up by KFC and Pizza Hut, two popular chains in Shanghai—and videos of President Obama and Hillary Clinton talking about what it means to be American. Here a woman watches an introductory video as she waits in line to enter.
Many of the national pavilions are truly architectural marvels. This is the Finnish pavilion, which was designed such that it can easily be deconstructed, relocated, and rebuilt. After the Expo is over at the end of October, the building will be sold to the highest bidder.
Pictured is the pavilion for Yunnan province, constructed in a traditional decorative style. This is the province where photographer Noor M. R. Beckwith '11 has spent his summer studying Mandarin and medicine. The other floors of the China Pavilion are accessible by reservation only.
Located on the first floor of the Chinese Pavilion are mini-pavilions for each province of China. Inside are models, images, movies, and music showcasing aspects of provincial pride and accomplishment in the arts, sciences, industry, and history. Pictured are the pavilions for Gansu and Tibet.
The breath-taking China Pavilion is a massive, bright red edifice in the shape of a traditional Chinese imperial crown. The line for this pavilion can be hours long on a busy day. Pavilions representing 189 countries are on display at Expo 2010.
The Expo Axis, or Expo Boulevard, is the largest single entity in the exposition; it is the four-floor, kilometer-long, semi-open nucleus of the Expo. Much like a mall, it offers food, entertainment, and shopping, as well as subway access, and it adjoins the other permanent Expo buildings such as the China Pavilion and the Performance Center.
The Shanghai World Expo 2010 is the first exposition recognized by the Bureau of International Expositions to be held in a developing country. Its theme is "Better city, better life", and concordantly, many of the pavilions are concerned with ideas of sustainable urban development and industry. Pictured is one of the gates where people queue to enter.
LI ZHOU POSTCARD
Kevin Harvick and his pit crew celebrate with confetti and champagne in Victory Lane after winning the Coke Zero 400.
LI ZHOU POSTCARD
Jeff Gordon leads the pack from the outside as drivers fight for the win in the Coke Zero 400 on Saturday, July 3.
Postcard from South Africa: Football is Life
On the ground at the world cup, Zeine Oweis sends in snapshots of the games.
Fans wave a banner that pays tribute to Argentinian soccer hero Diego Maradona while the Argentinian national team plays against Greece on June 22nd at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, South Africa. Argentina ended the night victorious over Greece and made it into the top eight during the 2010 World Cup before falling to Germany.
Most Read Articles
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
OUR LATEST PRINT EDITION
Fresh off the press every Friday, with special issues throughout the year. Want a copy? Find one near you. Want it delivered to your doorstep? Sign up.
The Harvard Crimson
Original reporting and exclusive scoops from Harvard and Cambridge — delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe today.