Review-Journal staffers share photos from recent travels

The Monument to Joe Louis in downtown Detroit is 24 feet long and honors its namesake boxer, whose family moved to Detroit from Alabama when he was 12. (Brian Sandford/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Sections of the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, which was hit hard by Hurricane Katrina, similarly have been reclaimed by nature. (Brian Sandford)

Although various infrastructure projects are credited with revitalizing downtown Detroit, nature has reclaimed many houses and now-empty lots in nearby neighborhoods. Amid the blight are some well-maintained homes occupied by residents old enough to remember when their neighborhood bustled. (Brian Sandford)

The Music Box Theater's marquee advertises Tony winner "Dear Evan Hansen" (Marty Berry)

"Hamilton," the hottest ticket in town, at New York's Richard Rogers Theatre. (Marty Berry)

Dessert at Scarpetta NYC - creme fraiche cheesecake with mango compote and basil granita (Marty Berry)

New Orleans’ crypt-filled above-ground cemeteries are among its many distinctive features. This one, at St. Louis Cemetery No. 3, is dedicated to former cemetery superintendent Mary Powers. (Brian Sandford/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

This scarlet macaw was one of dozens of birds on display at the Panaewa Rainforest Zoo in Hilo. (Jeff Mosier)

Ancient Hawaiian culture lacked a written language, but these Pu'uloa petroglyphs in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park depict the lives of early Hawaiian people. (Jeff Mosier)

The Waipio Valley Lookout along the Hamakua Coast was the sacred boyhood home of King Kamehameha I. "The Valley of the Kings" a mile across and stretches 5 miles inland, surrounded by cliffs up to 2000 feet high. (Jeff Mosier)

Brian Sandford, View assistant editor

■ Destinations: New Orleans and Detroit

■ Traveler’s tale: At first blush, New Orleans and Detroit would appear to be a study in contrasts. The Crescent City saw a record 10.45 million visitors in 2016, according to a New Orleans Area Visitor Profile study. Detroit is known for departures, not arrivals, with more than 1.1 million residents fleeing for the suburbs or beyond since the city’s peak population of 1.8 million in 1950, according to census numbers. The average high in New Orleans in January is 63, about 30 degrees warmer than in Detroit. But as recent visits revealed, the two cities have similarly diverse heritages, and both are bonded by music, unusual culinary options (think duck blood soup in Hamtramck, Michigan, and turtle soup in New Orleans) and often-suffering pro sports teams.

Marty Berry, copy editor

■ Destination: New York

■ Traveler’s tale: I made a trip to New York this past summer to see my cousin’s son in “Dear Evan Hansen” on Broadway. A childhood friend’s daughter also had a show that weekend in Brooklyn, so I made it a four-show theater binge that also included “Natasha, Pierre &the Great Comet of 1812” and “Groundhog Day.” I clocked 6 miles a day walking around the city. During my stay, I hit four Italian restaurants, enjoying Restaurant Week in a big way.

Jeff Mosier, View editor

■ Destination: Hawaii’s Big Island

■ Traveler’s tale: I came away from the Big Island surprised by just how big it was; at 4,028 square miles, it is larger than all the other Hawaiian islands combined. And it’s still growing, thanks to its three active volcanoes.