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Edmund Vallance

Writer

Los Angeles

Edmund Vallance

I'm a London-born travel journalist based in LA. My articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Independent, Bon Appétit, Conde Nast Traveller UK, and AFAR.
www.edmundvallance.com

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Learning to canyoneer in the Utah desert

“Within an hour of being trapped, I knew I had to cut off my arm,” Aron Ralston said. The world’s most famous canyoneer had just landed in Denver. He was talking with me on his cellphone, and his voice sounded positively jovial. “Of course, my knife was so dull I couldn’t saw through the skin. It took me until Day 4 to figure out that the only solution was to stab myself.”.
Los Angeles Times Link to Story
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Backcountry Skiing In Mammoth, California

“Well, I stepped into an avalanche, and it covered up my soul…” On the long drive from Los Angeles to Mammoth Mountain, Leonard Cohen’s ‘Avalanche’ is beginning to rattle my nerves. “…When I am not this hunchback that you see, I sleep beneath the golden hill.”
Los Angeles Times Link to Story
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100 Things You'll Want To Know About The Grand Canyon

No photograph, however stunning, can do justice to the Grand Canyon. No account, however eloquent, can describe it in sufficient detail. To appreciate its grandeur, you must see it for yourself.
Los Angeles Times Link to Story
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How to Explore Napa Valley’s Vineyards—Without Driving

After 25 years of drinking wine, I’ve come to realize that one glass can very easily lead to six. This is especially true in Napa Valley—a region that boasts over 800 wineries and 400 vineyards. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to explore the valley without reaching for your car keys. Here are six of our favorite alternatives.
AFAR Magazine Link to Story
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A Deep Breath, then a Plunge Into the Abyss

The final day of my Los Angeles free-diving course happened to coincide with my 12th wedding anniversary. Instead of drinking wine with my better half, I was scheduled to dive the Pacific Ocean to a depth of 75 feet — on a single lungful of air. It seemed an inconvenient, not to say selfish, day on which to drown.
Los Angeles Times Link to Story
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All You Need to Know About the Museum of Broken Relationships

Here’s how a breakup inspired one of the world’s quirkiest museums—and how you can visit. I once had a girlfriend who claimed—with some pride—that she had never been dumped. She dumped me soon afterwards, of course. But looking back, I can’t help but feel a little sorry for her. Everyone should experience heartbreak at least once in their lifetime.
AFAR Magazine Link to Story
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In the Bahamas, Scuba Diving With James Bond’s Trainer

“I taught Sean Connery to scuba dive,” Stuart Cove said with an impish grin. “And I’ve got to be honest: He was petrified.”. Cove is the owner of Stuart Cove’s Nassau Bahamas Aqua Adventures, a dive shop and movie production company on the island of New Providence. I was sitting in his office chugging coffee in preparation for the long and challenging day ahead.
The New York Times Link to Story
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On the trail of Bigfoot

A grinning baby Sasquatch is sitting bolt upright in a wheelbarrow; an ape in a Superman cape is flicking sweets into the crowd; and a barrel-chested monkey in mirrored sunglasses is barking into a giant microphone. “Let’s give it up for the hairy man!”. he’s screaming, his fuzzy arms flailing against a powder-blue sky.
i Newspaper Link to Story
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Follow This Author: Robert Louis Stevenson in Northern California

In the summer of 1879, an obscure Scottish author set out for California in pursuit of a married woman 10 years his senior. The three-week journey nearly killed him. And the shock and shame nearly killed his pious, Presbyterian parents in Edinburgh. The author's name was Robert Louis Stevenson. He soon was to become famous for "Treasure Island," "Kidnapped" and "The Strange Case of Dr.
Los Angeles Times Link to Story
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Swimming with giant sharks is not as scary as it sounds

What kind of suicidal fool goes swimming with a giant shark? Well, I did, actually. And I still have all four limbs. The whale shark, found off southern Baja California, grows up to 50 feet long. It is unquestionably the biggest shark on the planet, greater than the great white and bigger than the hammerhead.
Los Angeles Times Link to Story
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Where to Find London's Victorian Charm

Glorious leader? Colonial tyrant? Whatever your opinion of Queen Victoria, there’s no denying that her 63-year reign left a lasting impression on London: her empire’s epicenter.
AFAR Magazine Link to Story
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Lorca's Granada: in the footsteps of Spain’s murdered poet

Friday marks 80 years since Spain’s celebrated poet and playwright was shot to death by a firing squad, and I’ve come to his favoured stomping ground, the craggy, sun-cracked region of Andalusia, to follow in the master’s footsteps – from birth until untimely death.
The Independent Link to Story

About

Edmund Vallance

I'm a London-born travel journalist based in LA. My articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Independent, Bon Appétit, Conde Nast Traveller UK, and AFAR.

www.edmundvallance.com

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