【推荐2】Gather together a couple of good friends and take a leisurely stroll through the streets — this is what many youngsters in China enjoy doing when they visit a new city.

To them, Citywalk means “roaming around the city” on foot. Participants can follow a distinctive urban route, soaking up the atmosphere, exploring old buildings, browsing boutique shops, sipping a cup of coffee, or indulging in authentic local snacks.

Citywalk can be a special guided trip for a small group of people, or simply a leisurely stroll for one or two to explore new areas, sticking to the key point: avoiding famous scenic spots and big crowds to gain a more inclusive experience of the places you visit. Besides interacting with a city, Citywalk provides young people with a new social scene, where they who share the same interests and ideas can easily make friends.

In China, the Citywalk trend is spreading from first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai to second and third-tier cities, encouraging more participants and event organizers to get involved. Some organizers invite folk culture researchers and enthusiasts to act as tour guides. Xiao Yiyi, a young entrepreneur in Changsha, recently launched six Citywalk routes in different cities on her social media account, with the aim of providing experiences for visitors to “walk in open-air museums”. Her Changsha route features more offbeat sights like historical architecture from the 19th century, artsy old alleys, and even a stop-off to sample the local spicy crayfish specialty.

Even though Citywalk is a relatively new phenomenon, it is offering a positive change to urban travelers as they can better choose the experiences based on their interests and needs. At the same time, Citywalk represents an opportunity for tour guides and travel service providers to offer a more tailored, professional service to meet with ever-changing market demands.

【推荐3】New York City Exhibitions in 2023

Van Gogh’s Cypresses

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (May 22 — August 27, 2023)

In this summer presentation, some 40 canvases (油画) — including the world-famous Starry Night, and the Met’s Wheat Field with Cypresses — will show how the tall, curving cypresses (柏树) provided great inspiration for Van Gogh, the Post-Impressionist master.

Georgia O’Keeffe: To See Takes Time

The Museum of Modern Art (April 9 — August 12, 2023)

Georgia O’Keeffe’s inspiring drawings provide an uncommon glimpse into how she understood the world.

These works explore how she worked in both figurative and abstract modes, sometimes processing the ideas that

would take shape in her vivid description of flowers and desert landscapes — and sometimes just drawing for drawing’s sake

Nicholas Galanin: In Every Language There Is Land

Brooklyn Bridge Park, Empire Fulton Ferry Lawn (from May 16, 2023)

Thanks to the Public Art Fund, a large sculpture by artist Nicholas Galanin will land on a grassy lawn at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Galanin’s most recent work has involved using large steel letters spelling out texts that both stimulate and invite serious thinking. Part pop art, part activism, his message this summer is sure to be one that no New Yorker will miss.

This Is New York:100 Years of the City in Art and Pop Culture

The Museum of the City of New York (from May 19, 2023)

The excellent Museum of the City of New York celebrates its 100th birthday with a new, semi-permanent exhibition featuring the Big Apple’s starring role in American pop culture. Visitors will come across familiar favorites as well as unexpected rare ones, as they take in video clips, posters, paintings and other objects showing how New York City has served as a source of inspiration for creators for centuries.

【推荐2】Global Destinations Where Visitors Are Strictly Off-Limits (禁止进入的)

In our times, we like to think that we can travel whenever and wherever we’d like. However, there are destinations around the globe that are simply off-limits. The reasons for these closures vary.

HEART REEF, AUSTRALIA

Located in Queensland’s Whitsundays, Heart Reef is a heart-shaped formation of coral nestled within Hardy Reef which was first discovered in 1975. As it’s a protected area, no one is allowed to swim or dive near Heart Reef. Luckily, it’s visible from above, so visitors can still take in this romantic natural formation by air.

SVALBARD SEED VAULT, NORWAY

While there are many seed vaults (种子库) around the world, perhaps the best known - and largest - is Norway’s Svalbard Seed Vault. It holds seeds from crops around the world as a safety measure against seed loss. As of June 2021, it held over 1 million different crop samples. The vault itself is closed to the public, thought ours bring groups to visit the entrance.

LASCAUX CAVES, FRANCE

The Lascaux Caves are one of the great treasures of pre-historic art. For about I5 years thousands of visitors a day entered the caves to enjoy the Paleolithic paintings, but by 1963 that had come to an end. The caves were closed to the public because the carbon dioxide generated by all the visitors caused green mold to cover the artwork. Since that time, art historians have worked diligently to restore balance in the caves.

SNAKE ISLAND, BRAZIL

As its name suggests, the island is completely filled with poisonous snakes. One to five snakes per square meter make the island their home, including the lethal Golden Lancehead viper. Native to the island, their venom becomes more poisonous as they mature. Due to their presence on the island, the Brazilian government strictly forbids visitors.

【推荐3】Toy Library Session Volunteer

Maroondah Toy Library is a volunteer organization that’s been running since 1979 to provide an affordable toy lending service for all families in the greater Maroondah area.

About this opportunity

We’re looking for volunteers with a quick eye for detail to volunteer at our borrowing sessions (时间段) either on Mondays or Thursdays from 9.30am-12.30pm or 12.30-3.30pm, or every second Saturday from 9.30am-1pm or 12.30-4pm.

Tasks include helping to check and count toys as member families return them, tidy the library, as well as staffing a computer to help members borrow toys. When sessions are quiet you will help with preparing toys for borrowing—labelling, engraving, boxing—so we need you to enjoy and be good at these types of detailed tasks and have small neat handwriting. Other jobs include cleaning and repairing toys, basic database work, etc.

The applicant must have strong attention to detail, computer literacy (技能), and enjoy communicating with families and their young children. Applicants must be available once per week or every second week on Saturday on an ongoing basis as it will take a few visits to understand the requirements of the job.

Additional requirements

Working with Children Check

Volunteers need to be over 15 years of age and either have a Working with Children Check or be ready to undertake one.

Type of work

Library Services

Training

We will provide informal training during your shifts(轮班时间)so you feel confident completing your tasks.