Program 665: Surprises from Boring Places; Sidecountry; Dakar, Senegal

We consider how visiting second- and third-tier destinations — places some might dismiss as "boring" — can lead to the most rewarding travel experiences. And two New York Times journalists take us on a pair of journeys: first to the world of offbeat — and often mortally dangerous — athletic achievements, and then to the Atlantic-seaside attractions of Dakar, Senegal's lively capital.

• Eric Weiner, author of "The Socrates Express" (Avid Reader Press-Simon & Schuster)
• New York Times sports journalist John Branch, author of "Sidecountry" (W. W. Norton)
• New York Times politics reporter Dionne Searcey, author of "In Pursuit of Disobedient Women" (Ballantine)

• Eric Weiner describes what he found in such "boring cities" as Geneva (Switzerland), Bhopal (India), Izmir (Turkey) and Cleveland, Ohio, to fit the bill for him as worthwhile destinations.
• Eric's book "The Socrates Express" is being translated into more than a dozen languages, from Bulgarian to Vietnamese.  He talks to Rick about it on Travel with Rick Steves program #611 from August 2020.
• John Branch writes about sports for the New York Times. His book "Sidecountry: Tales of Death and Life from the Back Roads of Sports" features 20 of his favorite feature articles.
• John won a Pulitzer Prize for his 2012 feature story "Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek" about a deadly avalanche near Stevens Pass, in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State.  He posts frequently to Twitter.
• John profiles the pro athlete with the greatest winning record in America, horseshoe pitcher Alan Francis of Defiance, Ohio.
• Reporter Dionne Searcey covers the political beat for the New York Times from her home base in Brooklyn. She's written "In Pursuit of Disobedient Women" as a memoir of her years reporting in West Africa as the paper's bureau chief there.
• Dionne wrote about attractions in Dakar for the NY Times' "36 Hours" travel series, which also includes useful reader comments.