Venture

Dear

Readers, Venture: A risky or daring journey or undertaking.

From this magazine, you will have specific guides for when you travel to Switzerland and South Korea; including tips, popular places to visit, and some of the best foods and restaurants of the country. You will also have a chance to have a different perspective of common parks of Austin Texas and both the positive and negative effects tourism has had around the world lately. We have worked hard on this project so we really hope you enjoy it!

Meet Us

Sophia Kim likes spending time with animals, especially her 3 dogs and would like to be a doctor in the future. She will be doing a travel guide of South Korea, which is where she’s originally from. She likes to spend her free time scrolling through instagram, watching youtube videos, eating spicy or sweet food, and doing occasional crafting.

Mars Leslie enjoys urban design and is incorporating that into the magazine through writing about the public infrastructure of Austin and how funding is not equal across the parks. He also enjoys participating in colorguard and getting to meet new people through it. A fun fact about him is that he loves weather and would like to be a meteorologist, an air traffic controller, or an architect when he is older.

Jasia Villasenor Remus is an enthusiast about Switzerland, having been there. She enjoys spending time with her 3 dogs, watching a show or reading a romance novel while snacking on some sweets. She is an aspiring engineer with an obsession with animals, her favorites including monkeys, dolphins, dogs, pigs, and otters.

Izi Griffin is a multi-sport athlete, playing softball, basketball, and color guard. They pick up these interests through their brother and family. They enjoy forensic science and want to pursue that when they’re older at Texas State University. Their favorite subject is lunch and their favorite food is Japchae.

Switzerland’sMagic -

Want to know more about this country before going there? Hopefully, this will help!

Lake Blausee, Switzerland

Matterhorn (Zermatt), Switzerland

Jasia L Villasenor Remus

Switzerland is country number 132 in terms of territorial extension. Only 10% of its small territory is arable and it has no exit to the sea. However, Switzerland’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is the second highest in the world. How has a country with so few natural resources achieved this result? 74% of the Swiss GDP comes from the service sector. It is a beautiful tourist destination. Its fields are a delight to the eye. Its high snow-capped mountains, its peaceful lakes, its romantic Chalets, its forests, its ski slopes, its rich fondues, and its exquisite chocolates are a true delight.

To start getting to know more about this wonderful country, let’s talk about some of its iconic places.

One very recommended village is Interlaken. It is a must-see. Staying at one of the beautiful Chalets the city has to offer is a common thing. Many say that, in the evening, going downtown and trying some delicious cheese fondue is a great option. Early in the morning, you can follow one of the many hiking trails, or go skiing on one of its great slopes. Another popular activity at Interlaken is paragliding. People from all over the world go there to float in the alp’s winds. While floating, the sights of the narrow valley strop where Interlaken is situated look astonishing between the green waters of Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. The green forest, the white pics, and the Aare River match perfectly. Wengen is a suggested visit. It is a unique village stranded in the Alps. The absence of vehicles will attract your attention since it is a car-free town where you can only travel by train or small cars. Over there, it is recommended to take a five-minute cable car ride that will take you to enjoy the wonderful scenery. Andre Chatelain, a Swiss amateur skier, recommends Wengen as one of the best points to ski in the world.

“That’s a very Swiss-like scenery in which one of the best things to do is hike and ski,” Chatelain mentioned. “It is beautiful.”

The Glacier Express at the Albuna Alps, Switzerland Gornergrat

The best time to visit Switzerland depends on what you are looking for. If you are into winter sports, the best time is around February, but be prepared to find many people. Martin Zirngibl, a Swiss executive, considers the best time to visit Switzerland to be August or September if you prefer to do it in a less crowded season. Martin also thinks that Christmas is a beautiful time to visit Switzerland since it is very cozy and there are many very nice Christmas markets. Even though this country seems very peaceful, it is not a crime-free city. So watch out with your pockets while on the train or public transportation since it’s common for someone to steal from you (especially during the holidays).

But Switzerland is not only beautiful forests, cheese, and chocolate. It has incredible cities that you should visit such as Lucerne, Zurich, Bern and Geneva. Even when they are medieval cities, they also have developed a

If you are into romantic medieval cities, Lucerne is a great choice. Lucerne is home to some iconic buildings: the Chapel Bridge, which is the oldest medieval bridge in all of Europe, and the Water Tower, which make up an architectural complex of enormous beauty located at the outlet of Lake Lucerne. You will get beautiful pictures on that romantic bridge. Of a totally different character, Zurich is the financial center of Switzerland and its biggest economic engine. Even so, the picturesque avenues of the Altstadt (old city) that is next to the Limago river, reveal its ancient pre-medieval history. While visiting Zurich, you will find important worldwide

If you decide to go to Genoa, you must visit The Jet d’Eau, fountain that emits a very high jet in pink tones. Other must-sees are the English Garden and the flower clock, Saint-Pierre Cathedral, and the United Nations Palace. Bern is another exciting city to visit. Its was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, for medieval buildings in extraordinary conditions. Bern to incorporate a very old city into modernity, and present. Many buildings in the Old Town are Properties of great Importance.

Talking about food, Switzerland is famous for its livestock. The cows are emblematic of that country that is a great producer of milk and therefore of cheeses. Famous cheeses such as the delicious Gruyere, Emmentaler, and Raclette du Valais, among others, are Swizz. If you are a cheese fanatic, you will enjoy visiting Gruyere, the little town where that cheese is from. As Switzerland has a big milk production, they develop a creative dish to increase cheese consumption. That is the famous Fondue, which consists of a blend of different cheeses melted on your table, with white wine, garlic, and other spices. Pieces of bread, vegetables, or fruit are dipped into it. Fondue is found almost everywhere in the nation. Switzerland is also worldwide well known for its chocolate. Mixing its famous milk with cocoa, they have developed one of the best chocolates on the globe. Even when the chocolate is originally from very far away (Mexico), Switzerland exports chocolate everywhere. Don’t miss going to the chocolate museum. This is located in Kilchberg, where the Lindt factory is. In addition to learning about the history of chocolate and production methods in this museum, you will be able to consume unlimited amounts of delicious delicacies.

Fondue and chocolate are considered the most delicious products in Switzerland. Other dishes are The rösti, a kind of potato omelet, common throughout Switzerland that can be combined with a wide variety of ingredients, such as fish or other vegetables.

Martin Zirngibl considers If you want to find nicer restaurants, there are a lot that have food coming from other countries (i.e. Mexican or Chinese) however, be aware they might be expensive.

As you can see, even though Switzerland is a very small country, it has many wonderful places to visit. You will not regret visiting it.

“I would definetly try the bread , the bakeries, and going to a beer garden,“ Martin Zirngibl said. “There are very good cakes and sweets in Switzerland.“

Skiing Do

St. Moritz in Engadin valley is a popular resourt for its outdoor Olimpic ice rink, impresive scenery, mineral springs, and hotels. You will not regret visiting this extraordinary location.

Verbier is a resort located at Switzerland’s Valais Canton in where you can take advantage of its 4 stunning skiing areas, variety of restaurants, and activities for any age. A winter playground for wintertime enthusiasts.

Interlaken is a magnificent town at the Bernese Oberland ideal for active adventurers. With a variety of activities including hiking trails, sailing, horseback riding, windsurfing, and golf courses,this is a place you will have wonderful memories from.

Mürren is a Swiss village perfect for appreciating the country’s flora and fauna, mountain biking, and finding a place for a getaway. This car-free location will allow you to admire the panoramic views by train and cable cars and have wonderful experiences.

Lake Silvaplana thats at the Upper-Engadine valley of Grisons, is a perfect location for sports fans. You can swim, surf, and sail during the summer, while during the winter, you can ski, ice-skate, and go on snowshoe tours.

Lavertezzo is a river at the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino where you can swim in its transparent turquoise water, enjoy its amaizing bridges and views, and visit its local churches and cathedrals.

Gelmerbahn Bergstation in Guttannen is the steepiest funicular railway in Europe. A 12 minute adventure that you will definetly do not want to miss .

Lindt Home of Chocolate in Kilchberg, Zürich, is a unique museum in where you get an interactive tour and unlimited amount of chocolate.

Put it in Park

austin’s complex park management and park differences shape neighborhoods in the city

mars leslie | editor

There are a total of 489 parks in Austin, putting nearly 70 percent of residents within a 10 minute walking distance to one. Ranging in size, accessibility, and amenities, each park in Austin has something special to offer. Parks are necessary to maintain green space and quality of life in cities like Austin, but with such a large amount of parks to oversee, some become neglected. Managing all of Austin’s parks can be a feat, but it’s important to routinely take care of them. Ricardo Soliz is the Division Manager at the

Austin Parks and Recreation department and oversees a portion of Austin parks and maintenance.

“The parks with the most amenities would generally be our metropolitan parks,” Soliz said. “The developed metro parks include Mary Moore

Seawright, Walnut Creek, Zilker Park, Emma Long to name a few. Zilker Park has many more visitors because of Barton Springs pool, the botanical center, and Nature Center. Emma Long has a lot of visitors because of their camping, and boat launching ramp. Walnut Creek has sports fields that are heavily used.”

Using over 350 acres, Zilker Park makes up a significant part of Austin’s identity, connecting downtown, the river,

and southern neighborhoods smoothly. It’s one of the highest priority parks at Austin Parks and Recreation, often requiring the most maintenance and attention. “Each park has a level of services tied to the type of amenities and number of users in the park,” Soliz said. “The Parks Department has maintenance levels from 1 to 4 with level 1 requiring more servicing and 4 with less frequent servicing.” The metropolitan parks are higher on the scale, often requiring more maintenance. However, some parks in Austin don’t receive all of the attention they should be getting.

According to ParkScore, historically Asian, Hispanic, and mixed neighborhoods tend to have much less park space per person, while historically White and Black neighborhoods tend to have much more park space per person. 30 percent of Austin’s residents live more than 10 minutes walking distance from their closest park, which doesn’t

disproportionately affect anyone based on income, gender, or race. However, parks in areas with more crime and gang violence tend to be less maintained than those in higher income neighborhoods. Brownie Neighborhood Park is undergoing this phenomenon as it sits fenced off, waiting to be remodeled. It serves a lower income neighborhood and is one of the only nearby parks, with an elementary school playground to the south and a high priority

park deficient area to the north. In recent news, car break-ins and theft have become increasingly common in more remote parks around Austin, such as Covert Park at Mount Bonnell, parks off of Highway 360, and occasionally Zilker park. While this isn’t something that the Austin Parks and Recreation Department can solve, visitors are encouraged to take items with them and not leave any visible in the car. Shahreen Abedin is a resident of Circle C Ranch,

Under Construction

one of Austin’s largest neighborhoods with a Homeowners Association [HOA], and has been taking her children to nearby parks for years. The privately operated and maintained parks in Circle C differ from those operated by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, often being specifically tailored into the neighborhood.

“I think the [parks] without HOAs involved tend to be more cookiecutter and a bit more industrial in design

Brownie Neighborhood Park remains under construction. The park is expected to open to the public in Winter of 2024.

Amenities in Austin

Private and exclusive youth sport leagues offer fields and green spaces, while nearby parks are small and don’t have space for fields. Many people in this north Austin area don’t have access to large parks.

because they were built using public funds to accommodate,” Abedin said. “The ones with HOAs tend to feel more intimate, and more reflective of the immediate surrounding area.”

The benefits of unique parks and good maintenance run into an issue when driving to them is encouraged. The nearest park to Abedin’s house is more than a 20 minute walk. It has adequate parking spaces and long, winding trails— but no safe way to cross the 4 lane street at the park’s only major access point. “I would not say that parks are a thing of the past,” Abedin said. “I wish I could go to them more with my kids these days, but they are too old for them. However, parks are vital spaces that my family relied on for years throughout our children’s youth… Families need parks to provide a safe, clean, open space for kids to run around and get all their sillies out. If there was another park, I do think Circle C would expand to use that additional space. I just hope that the park

would be distinctively different from the other parks, so we benefit from a variety of choices.”

The major difference, however, is in the funding. HOA parks are funded by the residents of the neighborhood and public parks are funded by the government.

“Typically, public parks have more funding available to them versus private ones,” Ricardo Soliz said. “Private park funding can go away at any time depending on who is managing them. A homeowners association can lose their funding at any time leaving the private park without any maintenance or replacement funding.”

Austin Parks and Recreation also uses government funding for developing new parks. The planned or incompleted parks are located specifically so the department can provide access to parks to as many people as possible.

“The City’s/Parks Department goal is to have a park within a 10-minute walk or a half mile from

every residence within the city limits,” Soliz said. “Parks that are not accessible by foot or bike are those parcels that were purchased to be developed in the future. Many times, the Parks Department gets funding for acquiring land but no funding is identified or available to develop the park yet.”

Jaiden Choksi is a freshman at LASA and visits Reed park to walk his dog. According to Choksi, only certain parts of the park are well taken care of.

“There are lots of other people [at Reed park] as it’s a popular park for both younger kids and dogs,” Choksi said. “The main playground and the benches are clean, but the only restroom is a porta-potty. The playground is nice and the pool is okay, but a bit dirty. The field is overgrown on the edges but nice in the middle.”

Park Operation

The majority of Austin is park deficient, so the department has plotted out planning areas where parks are to be built or maintained.

Austin Parks + Recreation has a scale to measure required maintenence level based on park visitor status, amenities, and age.

Austin Parks + Recreation uses map software to show which areas are park deficient, meaning more than 1/4 mile from any park.

Park Examples

Brownie Neighborhood Park in North Austin is under renovation from it’s previous state; a field of overgrown grass and a bench

Brownie

Zilker

Zilker Park, being one of the most visited parks in Austin, is a 4 out of 4 on the city’s priority scale. It recieves a large portion of the money spent on maintenence.

Onion Creek Metropolitan Park, in Goodnight Ranch, is just a field. Despite being a large area, having no amenities besides grass to maintain makes it lower priority.

Onion Creek

Korea

“South Korea is known for its rich history and culture, studying natural scenery, delicious cuisine, and modern technology”

- Rose Lee

Sophia Kim

AA rapidly growing country that is home to the popular K-pop and K-dramas. South Korea was once an impoverished nation that has now risen in the ranks and developed immensely. Now popular for it’s advanced techonology, influence on the pop culture, and beautiful scenery. South Korea is a wonderful destination for summer vacation, it boasts an extremely low crime rate, clean streets, and delicious food. Located in East Asia, the southern half of the Korean peninsula, South Korea has recently risen to popularity and created an incredibly welcoming atmosphere for the flood of tourists.

The Capital of South Korea, Seoul

Night Street in Seoul

Full of towering buildings and tight corners, the streets of urban South Korea may be overwhelming to some individuals. However, past the rush of people and the chaos, you’ll find countless places to enjoy.

While there are a vast number of activities you can enjoy in South Korea, it is important to remember the culture and traditions of Korea. A former resident of a city near Seoul, Rose Lee, provided a few important manners to follow.

“Some manners and traditions that tourists should keep in mind when visiting Korea include removing your shoes before entering the home, showing respect for the elderly, using both hands when giving and receiving objects, and avoiding blowing your nose in public,” Lee said.“But even if you don’t know these things, as a foreigner they’ll be understanding and would rather be surprised or appreciative if you do observe these manners.”

According to Lee, a crucial part of Korean etiquette is showing respect to your elders. Although the intensity of it has dwindled over time, it still remains incorporated in Korean culture. When speaking to elders, you’re required to use respectfully adress them. When greeting someone, Koreans usually bow. In recent years, however, it has been reduced to a slight nod of the head, a casual high-five, a wave, or a handshake. Although it is encouraged to learn these mannerisms, the locals won’t criticize you for it.

“Many foreigners are drawn to Korea for a unique blend of tradition and modernity, which can be seen in everything from the architecture to fashion. The country is dynamic, ever-changing.” - Rose Lee

Festivals

Seoul Lantern Festival

Thousands of lanterns illuminate the city of Seoul, South Korea every November. These traditional lanterns decorate the Cheonggye Plaza and the Cheonggyecheon Stream with their warm glow, reminding people of their history.

Acitivites

Jeju Fire Festival

Celebrated every March, the Jeju Fire festival commemorates the formation of Jeju Island. It displays bonfire fireworks, parades, and elegant traditional preformances.

Busan Film Festival

Held in the city of Busan in October, this international festival features new directors and films. Hosting hundreds of people including various celebrities and popular directors.

Boryeong Mud Festival

In July, along the coast of Boryeoung, this mud festival has countless fun activities to join such as mudslides, mud wrestling, and mud prison.

Korea has numerous activities that you can enjoy alone or with your friends. Popular activities in the city include: PC rooms, karaoke, shopping, cafes, and festivals. PC rooms and karaoke are practically everywhere in urban cities. PC rooms are a room with rows of PCs and gaming chairs. While gaming, you have the option to order food on your computer and they deliver delicious snacks and even meals to you. Most of the menu is fast food such as chapagetti, Shin Ramyun, tteokbokki, and sweet and spicy chicken. Karaoke bars include booths with a tv and microphones in which you choose a song to sing and will be rated for your singing by ai. Many Students and middle-aged people go to karaoke bars after work or school.

While traveling throughout South Korea, there are many street vendors and small clothing stores in transportation areas to shop in. Similarly, cafes and restaurants are scattered all around. There are many different themed cafes and restaraunts to serve you flavorful dishes. There are many acitivites to enjoy in rural areas as well. The mountainous terrain of South Korea allow for refreshing hikes, exhiliarating skii experieneces and the beautiful scenery below. Many mountains will have a hot spring facility to relax and enjoy the natural surroudings. The rural coastlines offer a quiet, tranquil place to relax and enjoy the fresh breeze.

Although South Korea may be small, each region offers a variety of activities to entertain you. You’ll never find yourself bored in South Korea.

Monuments

There are many historical monuments recording Korea’s rich history, namely Gyeongju-si, Sinheungsa Temple, and Gyeongbokgung Palace. Evelyn Joo who recently visited Gyeongju-si gave us a breif description.

“They recently remodeled one of the streets called gyeongnidan-gil.” said Joo. “It’s very tourist friendly, lined with coffee shops, snacks, and other cute little stores selling souvenirs.” These places display the culture and history of South Korea, through an entertaining experience.

Theme Parks

Theme parks in South Korea offer thrilling rides both indoors and outdoors. Everland is the largest theme park in South Korea with roller coasters and water themed rides. Lotteworld is a four-story indoor theme park with rides, theaters, and souvenir shops. There are many more theme parks to go to, each offering a different experience and theme.

Transportation

It’s common for younger individuals to travel alone as transportation in South Korea is very accessible and safe. Anna, a former student of South Korea, commented.

“Public transportation in Korea is so convenient…So that’s why it’s easier for young people in Korea to go places and have fun

It’s unnecessary to own a car because subways, buses, taxis, and trains are able to travel nearly everywhere throughout the country.

Food

No matter where, you’ll find numerous restaurants or vendors that serve mouth-watering food. Restaurants will serve you a main dish along with a variety of side dishes that are provided free of charge. Korean cuisine is unique and diverse, it is essential to Korean culture and holds great importance.

“The food Korean cuisine is known for its unique flavors and healthy ingredients. Korean food is diverse, flavorful, and relatively affordable. Once your taste buds experience variety, you will be addicted. I’m sure.” - Rose Lee

What To Pack...

Hygeine

Shampoo

Conditioner

Body Wash

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Hair Brush

Facial care products

Deoderant

Perfume

Makeup products

To wels

Technology

Phone

Camera Computer

Chargers for devices

Headphones/Earphones

Shoes

Comfortable Shoes

White shoes

Sneakers

Rain boots

Sandals

Slippers

Passport

Clothing

T-shirt

Tanktop

Dress

Shorts

Skirt

Jeans

Sweatpants

Jackets

Hoodies

Hats

Swimsuit

Others

Umbrella

Legal Documents

Korean Transportaion card

Korean Money

Books

Notebook

Vitamin Sea

By Izi Griffin

Tourism has become a huge part of today’s society throughout the world for many reasons both beneficiary reasons and beneficiary reasons. The big impacts of tourism include the construction of hotels, amusements, uber, and many more businesses, destroying trees and making greenhouse emissions go up, which can cause climate change. According “Climate change has affected me in many ways for many reasons,” Eva York said. “Including making it harder to breathe and causing more and more asthma attacks day by day.’’

So to put everything into perspective there are a lot of good outcomes with tourism but with every good outcome there’s always a negative outcome causing a lot of people to look down on tourism.

With this being said, in the first section I will talk about the positive effects of tourism and in the second part I will talk about the negative effects of tourism and in the third part I will conclude and sum everything up. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the tourism industry accounts for 10.3% of the global GDP and supports over 300 million jobs worldwide some of these jobs consist of Gowestern, a motorcoach company, hotels, transportation companies such as, southwest airlines, delta and many more companies in which either use fuel or cutdown trees to be made which release greenhouse

Lowlands

gasses in which cause global warming making all sorts of problems. Macha Lei, a Hawaii resident said “Hawaii has gotten so much hotter in recent years due to global warming,” Lei said. “I love the effort of tourists who visit here, but a lot of tourists trash this beautiful state. It’s really turning our home into a landfill and making us lose the culture our ancestors had, causing Hawaii to not be as authentic as it was 15 years ago. I’m not saying I hate the tourist culture, I’m just saying I wish certain aspects of it would change.”

With this being said, when tourists don’t do research beforehand it can really hurt a place’s authenticity making the place lose some of its original culture. Making it harder for locals who live there to not love their home any more.

With all of this being said Tourism can hurt a place’s natural beauty, but on the other hand it can also add to the beauty of the place. How would you feel if one were to come to your home and take over most of what you had before changing the whole vibe and flow of things? It’s a part of our culture as humans but it causes so many more negative effects than positive effects.

“If we were to put a limit on how much we travel just for fun it would help everyone out so much.” Trillouria, a Hawaii resident, said.

Metairie and Gentilly, suburbs of New Orleans, get far less tourists than the French Quarter. Photo by Mars Leslie

Raining, Pouring

New Orleans’ French Quarter on a rainy day. The French Quarter is known for it’s old buildings and party lifestyle. Photo by Mars Leslie.

Effects of Tourisim

By Izi Griffin

Las Vegas 6 votes

Hollywood 5 votes

Switzerland 4 votes

London 3 votes

France 2 votes

Cancun 1 vote

Bahamas 1 Vote

Hawaii 22

“Hawaii is really beautiful and has been a bucket list item”Charlotte Revesz

“I want to know if the cliche beach vacation really is that great.”- Jonas Schoolfield

“Never been and looks beautiful and amazing!” - Sarah Smith

Hawaii

Italy 19

“Italian food is really good I actually love it quite a bit”- Wylie Main

Italy

“I think Italy has a lot of cool architectural sights to see as well as a lot of history to walk through and learn about. I also love Italian food.” - Nithya Rupavatharam

Japan 19

“Japan’s culture is very intresting to me and hawaii’s native people say all the tourist keep polluting it more and more”“It seems really beautiful/fun.”- Sadie Neal

Japan

“Tokyo, to be specific. I want - no, need - to go to the Ghibli museum.”- Julian Deberry

There are over 1.4 billion tourists arriving at their destination every year. That’s 45 arrivals every single second.

Theres been a large amount of tourist gain since 1970 its causing so much harm on so many enviorments