It is ironic that one of the most frivolous of roadside stops, Wall Drug, is just down the street from one of the most ominous and serious, Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. After World War II, relations between the United States and the Soviet Union became hostile as differences in political ideology and the shadow of atomic warfare loomed over both countries. Fear of nuclear attack created an arms race between the two countries that resulted in nuclear weapons stockpiles that could have eliminated life on earth many times over.

Located on a dusty hilltop overlooking the grassy plains of the reservation, the Wounded Knee Memorial is a small fenced-in cemetery, within which a tall stone stands as quiet testimony, covered with the names of some of the many Lakota people who were killed at the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890.

The Wounded Knee Memorial has no real address, no telephone number, no hours, and no admission fee. It is located at the junction of BIA Highway 27 and BIA Highway 28 just south of the community of Porcupine.

The Red Cloud Heritage Center (100 Mission Dr., Pine Ridge, 605/867-5491, www.redcloudschool.org, Memorial Day–Labor Day Mon.–Fri. 8 a.m.–6 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–5 p.m., winter Mon.–Fri. 8 a.m.–5 p.m., free, donations accepted) is located on the grounds of the Red Cloud School off of Route 18, just west of the community of Pine Ridge.

There are three venues in New York City to help the public connect with the World Trade Center site and the memories of September 11, 2001.

Tribute WTC Visitor Center

The Tribute WTC Visitor Center (120 Liberty St., on the southern end of the WTC site, 866/737-1184, www.tributewtc.org, Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sun. noon–5 p.m., gallery admission $10, tour $10) is the main visitor site with over a million visitors to date. The Center is run by the September 11th Families Association.

The magnificent estates along the Hudson River were built using the best architects, landscape artists, and decorators of their day. These estates have been meticulously restored and are open to the public for tours.

Philipse Manor Hall, Yonkers: The oldest of the Hudson River estates, originally built for Dutchman Frederick Philipse in the 1680s. The grounds are no more, but the house is nicely restored.

Sunnyside, Tarrytown: Writer Washington Irving’s former abode, full of gables and towers, beside a pond with swans.

If you’re fascinated by Panama’s role as a crossroads of the world, you can cover 500 years of history in less than a week. Concentrating on the human efforts to conquer the isthmus by trail, railway, and canal, most sights are within 100 kilometers from the capital, makes this an especially economical and speedy introduction to the country.

Colonial Panama City

• Panamá la Vieja
• Casco Viejo
• Avenida Central