July 16th, 2007 at 07:06am Under The Americas+ USA+ Vacations
It is difficult to identify the best beaches without specifying for whom: fearless surfers or timid toddlers, party types or incurable recluses? At the bayside and sound beaches, for instance, the water tends to be much more placid than it is on the ocean, and thus better for little ones who plan only to splash and muck about.
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July 16th, 2007 at 07:05am Under The Americas+ USA+ Vacations
The Best Clam Shacks
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July 14th, 2007 at 09:05pm Under The Americas+ USA
Some towns are dominated by their educational and research facilities and this is the case in Princeton New Jersey. The town is best known for the prestigious Princeton University, opened in 1756. Its important research has been in the fields of robotics, plasma physics, meteorology, geophysics and entomology. Former US President, Woodrow Wilson was a University President there. The environment in the town is elegant and many people live there and commute to workplaces in New York and Philadelphia.
In addition to the achievements of the various University faculties, the privately operated Institute for Advanced Study has also produced its luminaries. This establishment, dedicated to scientific research, once served as a facility for Albert Einstein and J.Robert Oppenheimer was Director there from 1947-1966.
The American Boychoir School is another institution with a worldwide reputation. The boarding school for musical studies in Princeton New Jersey is home to the largest non-sectarian boy’s choir in America and they tour extensively across the US and the world. They have performed at popular events such as the Academy Awards ceremony and have appeared with a number of world-class orchestras. They have shared the stage with prominent artists, including the jazz trumpeter, Wynton Marsalis, the cellist Yo Yo Ma and the opera singer, Jessye Norman.
Herrontown Woods Arboretum is a valuable resource for the natural world. It is open to the public on free admission and there are walking trails to follow. The collection includes several species of trees, flowers and shrubs and there is also a pine forest. Lake Carnegie offers another respite from urban living. The artificial lake takes its name from its patron, businessman Andrew Carnegie, who had connections to Princeton New Jersey. The University rowing team train there and the public has access to ice skate, do some fishing or relax with a picnic.
The local history of the area is an interesting one and this is explored at the 18th century home known as Morven. The former home to New Jersey Governors was converted into a museum with exhibits of folk history and decorative arts. The grounds are splendid too with a formal lawn, various trees and flowerbeds. The gift shop sells books, pottery, toys and gardening items. There are tours of the house and the garden and Morven hosts annual events that are well supported by the townsfolk of Princeton New Jersey. These events include the annual plant sale and the annual garden party.
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July 14th, 2007 at 09:02pm Under The Americas
The Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum is situated not far from the Griffith Park Zoo and is famous all over the world as a place of the history and mythology of the American West. When you enter the museum’s courtyard the first thing that you see and that impresses you is a life-size bronze sculpture of Gene Autry called ‘Back in the Saddle Again’. The Gene Autry museum is an interesting place to visit and you can spend here the whole day. I am thankful to my professor for such opportunity to feel the friendly, exciting and impressive atmosphere of the Gene Autry museum.
The Autry Museum of Western Heritage is devoted to the old movie things, its history and the mythology of the American West. Nowadays the museum is called the Autry National Center and is well worth to visit. The museum includes nine galleries, a theater, Golden Spur restaurant, an educational center and a gift shop. That would not be an exaggeration to say that a visit of the Autry Museum of Western Heritage is much more than ‘a step into the past’. It displays pieces of art, artifacts containing invaluable treasures, such as paintings of Bierstadt, Wyeth, Remington and Moran, and written materials that document the history of the American West. It is necessary to mention the art of Native Americans that is really worth seeing and that I liked it most of all. These pieces of art depict the way people were hunting and the way they saw animals – buffalos, and could picture them.
Moreover, the armor of Spanish conquistadors and costumes from the favorite Western films are of great attention as well. The movie theme is present almost everywhere in the museum and several exhibits are devoted to Western films. Cameras used to film some old films, like ‘The Squaw Man’; posters and costumes of William S. Hart, Tom Mix, Buck Jones, Tim McCoy and Ken Maynar; gun belts worn by Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, Clark Gable, Paul Newman, and Gary Cooper from movies ‘High Noon’ and ‘Stagecoach’; costumes and guns used in Western TV shows, like ‘Bat Masterson’, ‘Wyatt Earp’, ‘The Rifleman’, ‘Have Gun, Will Travel’, “Gunsmoke’, ’The Lone Ranger’, ‘The Big Valley’, ‘The Cisco Kid’, and ‘Hopalong Cassidy’ – can be seen in the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum. Besides, every exhibition is equipped with a video in order to see a short video that is devoted to the general theme of the exhibition. For example, the exhibition devoted to cowboys on the screen displays video fragments from popular westerns.
The Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum is not a closed book of Western history, but rather something still in the making. It is great that the Museum’s ever-expanding collection includes works by contemporary artists. One of the museum’s purposes is to collect and study material relating to the fictional West of literature, art, film, television, and even advertising. Summarizing, the museum is a place where you can wander for hours and you still find more and more interesting pieces of art, costumes from famous western films and other interesting things. It is a place, which exhibit and interpret the heritage of the West and where cowboys, Native American Indians and Spanish conquistadors are represented throughout the galleries and exhibitions
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July 14th, 2007 at 08:57pm Under The Americas+ USA
Everything is large in Texas, but it seems that the rest of the United States has more than its share of the world’s largest somethings. Texas itself has the world’s largest fire hydrant in Beaumont; wooden nickel in San Antonio; kettle in Galveston; horseshoe in Marfa; cowboy hat in Paris; and of course, the world’s biggest burger served at Charlie Brown’s in Carrolton.
California is another big state full of big things, like the world’s largest shoe and Pez dispenser, both in Bakersfield; chess set in Morro Bay; hammer in Eureka; fiddle in Fiddletown; artichoke in Castroville; paper cup in Riverside; and the very patriotic U.S. flag in Long Beach.
Some of the world’s largest things can be found all over the United States. Here is a short list.
- Adirondack Chair: Westminster, Maryland - Apple Basket: Frazeysburg, Ohio
- Baked Potato: Blackfoot, Idaho - Ball of Rubber Bands: Wilmington, Delaware
- Baseball Bat: Louisville, Kentucky - Basketball: Knoxville, Tennessee
- Clock: Clarksville, Indiana - Conch Shell: Panama City Beach, Florida
- Dinosaur Park: Beaver, Arkansas - Donut: Yokumtown, Pennsylvania
- Ear of Corn: Olivia, Minnesota - Eight-ball: Tipton, Missouri
- Globe: Yarmouth, Maine - Golf Ball: Fripp Island, South Carolina
- Guitar: Bristol, Tennessee - Hockey Stick: Real Eveleth, Minnesota
Not all the world’s largest things in America are just curiosities. For instance, The world’s largest wind generator has two 400-foot blades, is 20 stories high and is located on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Walmart of Bentonville, Arkansas is the world’s largest retailer. And there is lots more: The world’s largest American Legion Post is in Lincoln, Nebraska; the world’s largest carousel is in Spring Green. Wisconsin; the world’s largest flattop mountain is in Grand Mesa, Colorado; the world’s largest drive-in fast-food restaurant is the Varsity in Atlanta, Georgia; the world’s largest public library is the Harold Washington Library in Chicago, Illinois; the world’s largest commercial building is the Merchandise Mart also in Chicago; and the world’s largest brewery is Anheuser Busch in St. Louis, Missouri.
America has so many of the world’s largest that the list goes on and on. The world’s largest bookstore is a Barnes and Noble in New York City; the world’s largest vacuum chamber is 100 feet in diameter and located at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Sandusky, Ohio; the world’s largest supercomputing grid is the TeraGrid based at the University of Chicago; the world’s largest marine reserve is in Hawaii; the world’s largest honkytonk is Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth, Texas; the world’s largest casino in the Foxwoods Resort in Ledyard, Connecticut; the world’s largest McDonalds is in Vinita, Oklahoma; the world’s largest Bible is in Abilene, Texas; the world’s largest swimming pool is in Garden City, Kansas; the world’s largest guitar store is Ed Roman’s in Las Vegas, Nevada; the world’s largest hotel chain is Best Western, founded in Long Beach, California; the world’s largest department store is Macy’s in New York City; the world’s largest rose bush covers 800 square feet in Tombstone, Arizona; and the world’s largest laundromat is in Berwyn, Illinois and you still have to wait for a dryer!
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July 3rd, 2007 at 10:24pm Under Cruises+ The Americas
There is probably no cruise vacation that is more American than traveling by paddleboat along one of American’s most majestic rivers. Paddlewheels or steamboats offer unique cruise vacations that take you to some of America’s best loved and most scenic cities and sees them as they were meant to be seen–from the water. From the waterways of Alaska to a steamboat down the MIssissippi, the steamboat cruise is the all-American vacation.
The paddlewheeler may sound as American as apple pie and it certainly conjures up thoughts of Mississippi gamblers, dance hall girls, and the American frontier. However, paddlewheel ships actually originated in China and can be found all over the world. Americans in the 19th century took the ancient concept of using a paddlewheel and made two improvements: they moved the wheel to the stern or back of the ship (ancient Chinese vessels had the wheel in the front) and they powered these new vessels with the steam engine.
You can book a paddlewheel cruise from a few different lines. Some of them also feature old-fashioned furnishings and a staff in period costumes. You may also be treated to some themed events during your cruise.
Paddleboats cruised the Mississippi in the 19th century, but most of these ships were working vessels. They carried merchandise as well as passengers up and down the river. Some of the best known ports on the route include St. Louis and Memphis, but the Mississippi runs as far north as Minneapolis and as far south as New Orleans, where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico.
Accommodations on these modern versions of paddlewheel cruises tend to go back to the style of the day when travel was more leisurely but also a bit grander. Expect stately touches on the ship and modern amenities along with antique furnishings. One does not grab a bite on a steamboat; it’s more typical to dine. While paddlewheelers today do accommodate our modern preference for the casual lifestyle, this is about as far from the “barefoot” cruise as you can get.
In their day, the American steamboats frequently offered gambling, entertainment that for its day was considered racy, and music from a calliope. A calliope is a very loud, steam-operated instrument most frequently associated with the circus. You’ll find them on some steamboat cruises today, along with lots of music in the evenings (the type depends a lot on the cruise you take).
Before the Civil War, many Southern plantations along the Mississippi were deliberately built on the river so that they could send their crops more easily to market. Cruising by paddlewheeler allows you to see some of these antebellum mansions the way they were meant to be viewed … by a party approaching on the river.
Even many Southern cities on the Mississippi were built to be visited not by land but by waterway. The grand dame of all river cities in the United States remains New Orleans. Katrina notwithstanding, New Orleans is back. You can visit the French Quarter (which abuts the Mississippi River) and at least one major cruise line is using New Orleans again as a port.
Paddlewheels also are frequently used on shorter day trips. Brunch cruises, short sightseeing cruises, or even day-long cruises can be found all over the country (including in Orlando, a landlocked city). While this can be a great way to sample the experience of a steamboat trip without committing to a cruise, it’s not going to be as true a steamboat experience as a multi-day journey on the river.
While the steamboat may seem old-fashioned or even clumsy, their small size and design actually makes them far more maneuverable than larger vessels. Captains typically have a bit more latitude in setting their course and itinerary, meaning that depending on the time of year and the river conditions, the captain may be able to travel to slightly different areas to get the best views of wildlife or other sites of interest.
Don’t expect to find lots of passengers; a steamboat cruise will take only a few dozen to possibly a few hundred passengers on any one trip. This means that passengers on a steamboat cruise will get to know each other, interact with each other, and actually rediscover the pastime of conversation. While you won’t find as many activities on a steamboat as on a large cruise ship (there won’t be a miniature golf course, ice-skating rink, or rock wall), you will find more opportunities to get to know other people.
Since steamboats have always been known for their music, you can usually expect lots of rollicking evening entertainment, from jazz cruises on the Mississippi to other dance bands in the North. Steamboats may be nostalgic and stately but they aren’t quiet, especially at night.
And while the Mississippi River cruise has to be the quintessential steamboat experience, you’ll also find river cruises that go as far north as Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Washington state and even Alaska. The Alaskan cruises, in particular, boast that they can access ports and areas that are off-limits to the larger cruise ships.
Whether you’re looking for a red-white-and-blue cruise experience or just as slightly different spin on the traditional cruise vacation, a paddlewheel cruise in the U.S.A. offers a wonderful vacation experience.
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July 3rd, 2007 at 10:12pm Under The Americas+ USA
Antelope Canyon is the most popular and the most visited place in the LeChee district of the Navajo Nation, near Page, Arizona. Although the LeChee district hosts a number of slot canyons, the Antelope Canyon slots—Upper Antelope and Lower Antelope—is by far the most popular. People from around the globe love to visit this beautiful place, and capture amazing scenes in their cameras!
Upper Antelope, also known as The Corkscrew, isn’t as long and deep as many other slot canyons, but it is amazingly beautiful. It is also one of the easiest slot canyons to visit, because you can drive right up to the entrance and the ground is even and leveled. During summer—tourist season in the slot canyon—you are need to be cooperative and patient and helpful to others in order to enjoy the time, because it is overcrowded and is sometimes frustrating.
On the other hand, Lower Antelope is a long, deep, and more challenging slot canyon—entry is through a slit in the rocks, uneven and rocky ground. Only the first third of the slot canyon is open for tourists, and is the easiest to travel. Other two sections, i.e., the middle and the last sections, are more rugged with sharp drop offs, and require serious rope work. You must take care while in the slot canyon, and never go in if there are predictions for rain in the region, as it will be very risky.
Hiking and camping is allowed only through a valid permit, as the Antelope Canyon lies under the Navajo lands. A separate permit is required for entry into Upper Antelope Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon; this permit has to be purchased from the Antelope Canyon Unit Office. You will need to keep copy to keep alongwith you during the visit.
You will have to pay a nominal fee to get a permit for hiking—$5 per person per day. An additional amount of $2.50 per person per night will be charged for permitted camping; however, it is restricted to some specified areas. Sometimes, during a particular period of the year, you are required to be accompanied by a licensed tour guide, which is an additional cost.
While planning a trip to Antelope Canyon, you must be aware of the weather conditions, because if the weather is stormy you will not be permitted to enter due to the danger of flood.
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July 3rd, 2007 at 07:42pm Under The Americas
How far would you go to add a few more bedrooms? For one family in Moab, Utah, an expansion of their digs involved oodles of elbow grease - and two decades of actual digging.
About 60 years ago, dusty uranium miners outnumbered slickrock mountain bikers in these legendary red rock ridges, and Albert Christensen decided that the family homestead was a tad too small. With the help of his brothers, he bore into an imposing stone face and whittled out a swinging subterranean wonder-pad. Chiselling with hand tools and setting off dynamite, he hauled out massive cartloads of sandstone, creating more than a dozen pillared and spacious rooms called Hole N” the Rock.
After fashioning a surprisingly comfortable and climate-controlled residence, Albert didn’t hibernate and kick his feet up. Not merely a caveman, he was also a Renaissance man. His attempts at taxidermy culminated in two alarmingly unhappy-looking stuffed horses, and who knows what his wife thought when he proudly arranged them in the living room. Perhaps viewing the sheer exterior as a blank canvas, he carved a pop-out memorial to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his spare time.
Now uninhabited, a whitewashed and billboard-sized marker lures visitors seeking home improvement ideas.
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July 3rd, 2007 at 07:41pm Under The Americas
Toothy monster reptiles once rumbled over the earth. In northeastern Utah, the towns in their former stomping grounds still enjoy playing up ancient history.
In the rolling hills of Jensen, a huge cache of dinosaur bones was discovered in 1909 at what’s now Dinosaur National Monument. And no one lets you forget it. At a gift shop outside the park, kids and adults gawk appreciatively at the site-specific mascot. An undeniably family-friendly and photogenic specimen, this dino-buddy sits saddled up in a parking lot framed by pure blue sky, awaiting its Hollywood moment. Climb aboard the telescoping neck of this docile sea-green charmer, and if you’ve been good, maybe it will ride you off into the sunset.
A femme-y hot pink behemoth with feathery eyelashes welcomes folks to nearby Vernal, where the natural history museum hands out free dinosaur hunting licenses. That’s as in spotting, so don’t break out any prehistoric recipes for dinosaur steak. They are extinct, after all. The museum’s outdoor garden looks like a chill-out zone for extras on the set of Jurassic Park. It’s teeming with life-size replicas of giants like a woolly mammoth and a Tyrannosaurus rex, so there’s a decent chance of bagging a few, if only on paper.
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July 3rd, 2007 at 07:38pm Under The Americas
A skeletal white pretzel erupts fifty feet into the air, ringed by a low wall of stones, animal skulls and rusting bits of unidentifiable machinery. ‘Tis a wonder there aren’t more car pile-ups in Imlay, Nevada. One minute drivers are dodging tumbleweeds skipping across the highway, and the next, this… thing glides into view.
Motorists who don’t rubberneck and crash find themselves at Thunder Mountain, one of the weirder (and taller) roadside monuments on an otherwise uneventful interstate freeway. An architectural ode to injustices against Native Americans, it was pieced together by a troubled soul named Frank van Zant, who lived and built here until he ended his life in 1989. Mortared with a smash-up of bricks and bottles, car windshields, manual typewriters and scraps of whatever he had on hand, it’s a folk art jumble of historical references, made piercing by the haunted faces of massacre victims.
Perpendicular to the highway, clumps of oddly-angled auto carcasses form a fence, the passenger compartments weighted down with old beer cans and the ubiquitous tumbleweeds. Perhaps they’re a commentary on industrialised society. Or maybe they just wrecked and got pasted into the scenery.
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