See it now |
Wondering where
to go in the coming year? Visit one of these 12 places around
the globe - before it disappears, or gets remodeled, or becomes
impossibly overcrowded after years of inaccessibility.
|
 The
remaining U.S. wilderness:
Think of it his way: there's a finite amount of it, and it's
shrinking. The wolves of Yellowstone, for example, so successfully
reintroduced seven years ago, are again the target of ranchers
in Wyoming and Idaho unhappy about losing livestock. Their anger
may be understandable, but the proposal to remove wolves from
the endangered species list in order to begin killing them just
seems plain wrong. Learn why by taking a wolf tour. |
 The
TWA Terminal at JFK, before it's annexed by JetBlue:
Eero Saarine's soaring 1962 design is the embodiment of jet-age
optimism - it's rare that a building can sweep you off your
feet the way this one does. Soon, however, the New York icon
is to be subsumed by a massive JetBlue terminal complex at Kennedy
airport, and while the airline should be commended for saving
Saarinen's creation from living death as a glamorous film set
(see Catch Me If You Can), it's worth a visit to marvel at the
original. |
 Stiltsville,
Florida, before it's swept away by a hurricane
The novel wooden houses in this onetime resort community off
Key Biscayne hover above the water on stilts—as the name
suggests—and are accessible only by boat. Built in the
1930's, Stiltsville had its heyday in the late fifties—complete
with gambling, police raids, and a place called the Bikini Club.
Since then, hurricanes and fires have taken their toll; only
seven of the striking buildings remain. |
Hotel Carrera,
Santiago, before it closes next month A grand hotel in the
classic tradition, this landmark on the Plaza de la Constitución
was strafed by gunfire during Augusto Pinochet's 1973 coup.
More recently, it was sold to the now democratic Chilean government
and is slated to become housing and offices as the entire
six-block area undergoes a massive renovation. |
 The
historic pubs of England, before they're modernized into oblivion
There's no shortage of pubs in Great Britain, but every
month about 20 of them are closed down or remodeled, old dark-wood
interiors and Victorian glass and tile giving way to sleek,
clean banality. The U.K.-based Campaign for Real Ale has compiled
a list of 250 pub interiors worthy of preservation—and
patronage.
|
 Michelangelo's
David, newly scrubbed for its 500th birthday After months of art-world intrigue and feverish debate (at issue:
whether to clean it using water or not), Italian restoration
experts are now carefully—inch by inch, using a microscope,
and, yes, a bit of distilled water—swabbing the grime
from the 17-foot-tall marble statue inside Florence's Galleria
dell'Accademia. David will be on display for the duration of
the process, to be completed in May. |
 The
Modernist architecture of Asmara, Eritrea, now being rediscovered
When a 30-year war for independence from Ethiopia ended in 1993,
visitors began returning to see the astounding collection of
1920's and 30's Italian designs, built during Benito Mussolini's
failed imperial expansion. With a loan from the World Bank,
the government is now preserving hundreds of the sleek, streamlined
buildings in the capital city. The greatest concentration of
Art Deco is along the old Viale Mussolini, now called Harnet
Avenue. |
 The
Kingdom of Bhutan, while it's still the land that time forgot
Tucked high in the Himalayas, famously isolated and tradition-bound
(telephones weren't introduced until the seventies, for example),
Bhutan is slowly opening its doors—and they may turn into
floodgates. The government has always strictly limited the number
of tourists allowed to enter the country, but that's changing.
The kingdom has recently been encouraging resort development—Christina
Ong's Uma Paro opens in June. |
 Old
Shanghai, before it's razed to make way for yet more skyscrapers
The narrow streets and colonial architecture that define the
city are threatened by a maniacal building spree, which has
seen more than 2,000 skyscrapers go up since the early nineties.
The construction boom may soon slow: scientists have warned
that the city is literally sinking into the swamp it's built
on, and residents are voicing displeasure at their city's Blade
Runner future. |
 The
low-lying island nation of Tuvalu, before it disappears into
the ocean Global warming is far from an abstraction
on these nine South Pacific atolls—high tides creep ever
higher on the white-sand beaches as the country slowly shrinks
before its citizens' eyes. Officials are working up evacuation
plans for the 11,000 residents and hope to persuade Australia,
New Zealand, or Fiji to set aside a bit of land for them. |
 The
Great Barrier Reef, suffering because of overdevelopment
This vast coral reef, an awe-inspiringly rich ecosystem spread
across thousands of miles of northeastern Australian coastline,
is threatened by pollution, global warming, and overfishing.
Environmentalists want to designate about half the area a marine
sanctuary and are supporting eco-friendly tourism. |
 Sir
Ernest Shackleton's expedition hut, which is at last being
rescued Abandoned in 1909 after a failed attempt
to reach the South Pole, this building has held up surprisingly
well, but the artifacts inside (clothing, equipment) are badly
decayed. With all the recent interest in the golden age of
polar exploration, the Antarctic Heritage Trust should have
plenty of support for its preservation effort. (*Nick
Higgins - Travel + Leisure)
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