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Spring 2023

Travel

Diane and Phil Ohl by a mountain lake in Patagonia carry a WSU Cougar flag
Winter 2021

Phil and Diane Ohl’s travel tips  

Coug couple Phil and Diane Ohl run Open Door Travelers and share their around-the-world adventures on a travel blog, Instagram, and Facebook.

As countries re-open and more and more Americans become comfortable with traveling again, Washington State Magazine asked the Ohls to offer their tips for successful trips—from what to bring to their favorite travel apps. Here are their suggestions and recommendations.

Lighten up

There are hundreds of cool travel gadgets and gimmicks out there, from multi-function voltage converters to high-tech water bottles and ultra-light carry-on bags. Our biggest travel tip is more of a philosophy than a series of gadgets: travel light, and buy or trade local clothes and accessories as we go. We typically start an eight-week adventure with half-empty carry-ons … » More …

Illustration of family looking through VR in a vintage style
Winter 2020

Travel the VR world

Interest in virtual reality tourism has shot up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are a few opportunities for people to “visit” and experience the world.

Read more about WSU research into VR tourism.

WSU Alumni Association

The WSUAA will be adding VR travel experiences for members. They recently featured a visit to Bolivia to see llamas.

Visualise

The company makes commercial VR and augmented reality (AR) experiences, such as listening to a symphony and riding in an F1 race car.

National Geographic via Oculus

The stunning imagery of National Geographic takes … » More …

Pedro Castro point of view on a motorcycle riding on a highway
Winter 2020

Exploring Baja California

A longtime motorcycle enthusiast, Pedro Castro (’92, MS Arch.), owner of Magellan Architects in Redmond—who calls himself Magellan’s “Chief Explorer Officer”— enjoys planning long rides.

He recently rode from Tijuana through Baja California with his sons, Lucas and Peter, a videographer who documented the adventure in a YouTube series.

Watch the first six episodes here, and read about Castro’s support of women and underrepresented architects.

Baja Bound Day 1: Adios Amigos

Baja Bound Day 2: Ensenadaway

Baja Bound Day 3: Mike’s Sky Rancho

Baja Bound Day 4: Nada

Baja Bound Day 5: Coco’s Corner

Baja Bound Day 6: Otro Lado

Spring 2020

Dean Karr’s Los Angeles—and a few more fun facts from the longtime videographer

Dean Karr (’88 Fine Arts) has lived in L.A. making music videos and shooting photos for many years. We asked him for some Los Angeles favorites.

Music venues: “I like the little venues where I can go see punk rock. The Fonda (Theatre) always has good music. The Regent downtown, they book a lot of punk rock there. The Greek Theatre is always great, especially how they light up the trees. It’s really beautiful. It’s like a smaller Hollywood Bowl.”

Museums: Petersen Automotive Museum and the Museum of … » More …