This year, I finally made it to Mexico for Day of the Dead. Not just any Day of the Dead either: It was Hanal Pixán, the food-focused Yucatecan celebration that translates to “Food for the Souls.” As someone who covers the “food and death” beat at Atlas Obscura, I’ve had Hanal Pixán on my bucket list for a long time.
It was worth the wait. As I wandered through the city of Mérida, past skull-faced revelers holding candles, I studied the displayed altars with awe. Each was covered with offerings to visiting spirits: Giant tamales, fruit salad, hot chocolate, pumpkin-seed marzipan, beer, and other favorite foods and drinks of the deceased sat beside flickering candles, flowers, and photos.
Speaking with the family members who stood proudly beside these ofrendas and shared stories of their loved ones was the highlight of my year. Like me, my colleagues here at Atlas Obscura also have specific (some might say unusual) interests that guide how they explore the world From food to music to mausoleums, here’s what some of us ticked off our bucket lists this year.
“This past summer I got to check two big items in the Pacific Northwest off my bucket list in one go. First was a trip to San Juan Island, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. It’s hard to pick a favorite spot on the island, but if I had to I’d go with Afterglow Vista, a beautiful mausoleum that made me feel like I had just stepped into Middle Earth. The second was, appropriately, Second Beach on the Olympic Peninsula. We showed up at just the right time to explore the tide pools, where there were a ton of starfish and anemones. I was also not-so-secretly thrilled to stop in the town of Forks, Washington, on the way back. Unfortunately I didn’t spot any vampires while I was there.”
—Michelle Cassidy, Deputy Editor
“My husband and I are HUGE outdoor music and house music fans, so every year we try to attend concerts and shows outside in other countries. This year, we went to an amazing Eric Prydz show in Madrid at the Parque de Enrique Tierno Galván. It was part of the Brunch Electronik Madrid music festival and took place in a big amphitheater, surrounded by trees and grass and nature and friendly Madrileños. It was epic. Next on our bucket list is Igloofest in Montreal!”
—Rachel Abady, Executive Creative Director, Brand, Content, Social
“I got to check a lot of foods off my personal culinary bucket list this year. One that especially stands out to me was Guyanese white pudding, which I got at Sybil’s Bakery and Restaurant in Queens, New York. Originally created as a meatless version of black pudding (blood sausage) for religious fasts, it consists of sausage casing stuffed with spicy coconut rice seasoned with peppers and herbs. While I was in Ozone Park, I also bought something else that I’ve wanted to try for a long time: a formidably-armored catfish known in the Caribbean as hassar or cascadoo. I followed this recipe for armored catfish in coconut curry with vegetables, and it was delicious! The fish’s crustacean-like shell peels off once it’s cooked, and the meat tastes like red salmon or the dark meat of chicken.”
—Andrew Coletti, Editorial Fellow
“I checked off a ton of things this year, but probably the most memorable were all the places we adventured in New Mexico. At first, we were just planning a weekend trip to ride in a hot air balloon, but then I discovered so many cool things across the state. We ended up doing a seven-day trip from Albuquerque, to Farmington, down to Alamogordo, then to Truth or Consequences, and other small interesting towns. We ventured to Meow Wolf, White Sands, Shiprock, Pistachio Land, Loretto Chapel, Sparkys, New Mexico Museum of Space History, and so much more.”
—Jacquelyn Blackwell, Director of Tourism, Brand Partnerships
“A lifelong New Yorker, I finally visited old York, England! Unexpectedly, the main similarity I found was a deep love of Halloween. Otherwise it was quite different from the one across the pond, but extremely charming. I even went on a feminist ghost tour while I was there.”
—Ariel Azoff, Executive Director, Brand Partnerships
“In February, I attended Fasnacht, a unique, local festival that’s been on my bucket list ever since I heard about it. Every year, just before Fat Tuesday, hundreds of people descend upon the sleepy little town of Helvetia, deep in the Appalachian Mountains in the middle of West Virginia, to experience a traditional Swiss celebration where they burn an effigy of winter to welcome spring. The village itself is fascinating—it was originally settled in 1869 by Swiss and German immigrants—and the tight-knit community has worked tirelessly to preserve its roots. But the town transforms for one night each year when whimsical papier-mâché masks are worn to scare away Old Man Winter and people gather together for the “feast before the fast.” It takes about an hour of driving on winding country roads to get there (with no cell service), but it’s so worth it!”
—Jessica Cochran, Guest Experience Manager, AO Adventures
“In 2024, I finally ticked visiting the Grand Canyon off my bucket list. Despite living in the Western U.S. for most of my life, I had just never made it out to that part of Arizona to see it. I stayed in the park overnight, and in the evening, I found myself walking completely alone along the canyon rim, without a single other tourist in sight. I was dazzled by the views, by the ancient pictographs along Bright Angel Trail, and by the wonderful Trail of Time, a visual representation of the Grand Canyon’s geologic history. Grand Canyon National Park is also an official Dark Sky park, and I had hoped to stay up to see the stars without any light pollution. But, exhausted from traveling, I opted to stay in instead, so I’m planning to go back in 2025 just for that.”
—Anne Ewbank, Senior Associate Editor
