3. Straddling the Equator
If you’re traveling in Ecuador, chances are you’ll take a trip to the Mitad del Mundo – the equatorial line around the middle of the Earth for which the country was named. There’s a museum and marker here, and tourists like to straddle the yellow line so they can be in two hemispheres at once. A variation on this theme is to balance on top of line, like a centered yogi. Which hemisphere are you in then? Well, hate to burst your bubble, but the latitude of the Mitad del Mundo is a little off of the real equator. Newer GPS calculations have determined that it actually lies 240 meters north of this painted yellow line. But close enough, so straddle away and snap a couple of tacky tourist photos anyways.
4. Walking Across Abbey Road
The Beatles’ album, Abbey Road, came out in 1969 yet it still resonates with legions of global fans. In fact, when many of them pass through London, they flock to the “zebra crossing” outside Abbey Road Studios to recreate the famous LP cover of the Fab Four crossing the street. It’s really just an average looking crossing, with nothing too scenic to see down the road. However, it’s iconic and famous and, damn it, you want to walk in the footsteps of the world’s most influential pop group of all time. No shame in that. Beatlemaniacs can take the Jubilee Line to St. John’s Wood Station, and follow the crowds for a five minute walk along Grove End Road to the studio junction. It’s quite amusing to watch the other tourists taking their snaps (often shoeless, like Paul), while irate cars honk at them to move off the road.
