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Travel to the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada

The Lake Mead National Recreation Area is a large park that features a gorgeous contrast of water features and desert, numerous mountains and canyons, a busy marina for lake boating, and some primitive backcountry areas. Dams located on the Colorado River have backed up the flow of the water creating Lake Mojave and Lake Mead.

The Lake Mead area is a major summer destination for millions who flock to one of the hottest, driest regions on the planet. Here, they are able to enjoy boating, swimming, water-sports, and fishing. Located in the heart of the Mojave Desert, visitors are attracted to the refreshing water parks; however, they find many other unexpected rewards. The amazing beauty and geology of the desert features many specially adapted plants and animals that provide numerous exciting attractions for its patrons.

Lake Mead

Lake Mead is the largest man-made lake in the country. It is located along the Colorado River in Nevada and Arizona, some 30 miles east of Las Vegas.

The Lake came as a result of the Hoover Dam, which was completed in 1935. The entire Lake Mead National Recreation Area includes these waters, in addition to the surrounding 1.5 million acres of land encompassing them. The area provides tourists with numerous outdoor recreational opportunities from water-sports all the way to back country exploration of the unique and isolated countryside.

Visitors to the recreational area will be able to fine many deep canyons, sheer cliffs, distant mountains, colorful soils, vegetation, and scenic backdrops, in addition to the warm-water of Lake Mead.

The lake is home to many fish species such as: Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass, Channel Catfish, and Crappie. Thanks to the desert climate, fishing is good throughout the year, with excellent Crappie fishing during the winter months. Crappie, Catfish, Bluegill, and Green Sunfish are more prevalent on the upper Overton Arm of the lake, while Stripers and Largemouth Bass can be fished anywhere on the lake.

The location of Temple Bar Marina is great for weather all year ‘round. It is a great spot for many of the popular activities in the area, including: hiking, boating, fishing, and mountain biking. The clear waters of Lake Mead provide an excellent venue for watersports, including: tubing, waterskiing and wakeboarding. Temple bar is a skier’s dream with many miles of unobstructed of about 20 miles or more in each direction.

Lake Mead also features hundreds of beautiful shorelines set within the red rocks of America’s southwest. Find a houseboat rental from Temple Bar Marina on Lake Mead; it’s a great way to put yourself in the middle of all the lake action.

Visit Union Stations, Washington, D.C.

In Washington, Union Station is the main Railway Station. It was built from 1907-1908 to become the new terminal for the Pennsylvania, Ohio and Baltimore Railroads. This new terminal would become the main gateway to the capital of the USA for the next 4 decades.

Beaux-Arts Design

Daniel Burnham, an architect from Chicago, designed this beautiful building to with a popular neoclassicist style known as the Beaux-Arts style. This style became popular during the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He constructed a grand, 182m long building; making it the largest train station in the world.

The central archway was based on the impressive Arch of Constantine in Rome. It leads to the main hall with a 29m or 96 feet high ceiling that is barrel-vaulted. There is delicate gold leaf detailing that decorates this coffered ceiling. Additional costly material such as granite and marble were used. The entire cost for the building is in the expansive range of $125 million dollars.

The Station’s Heyday

During its heyday, Union Station was the central transportation hub for Washington. Every single day, it serviced over 100,000 passengers. There was even a Presidential Suite on site. This was first used in 1909 by Taft. President Eisenhower was the last of the 17 presidents to utilize the suite.

Decline

Once air travel became more popular in the 1950s, there was a significant decline in the railway station. It had become too large and was taking up space. In the 1970s, there was an attempt to turn it into a visitor’s center; however, that did not work out. The building had deteriorated so much by this point that certain parts of the roof began to cave in. The authorities with the Railroad and Congress debated on whether or not to renovate or demolish Union Station. In 1981, fortunately a joint private and public venture was set up and the building was restored.

Reopening

In 1988, Union Station was reopened once again. It has become a retail hotspot for shopping and also serves as a train station. There are more than 100 stores and an impressive food court. The Washington Union Station is situated close to the US Supreme Court and not far from the US Capitol. It sits on Capitol Hill.

Plan a trip to Epcot Center, Bay Lake, Florida

EPCOT is the second theme park of the four built on Bay Lake, Florida. The park officially opened in 1982, when it was called EPCOT Center, on a property that covers 300 acres, which is twice the size of the Magic Kingdom Park. Dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, international culture, and technological innovation, the theme park complex is often referred to as a “Permanent World’s Fair.” The park in 2011, hosted approximately 10.83 million guests, which made it the sixth most visited theme park in the entire world. The giant geodesic sphere called Spaceship Earth serves as the parks icon and attraction.

The World Showcase is a large area containing eleven world pavilions reminiscent of the world’s fair. Each of the themed pavilions represents a specific country. Each of the 11 pavilions surround the large man-made lake located in the center of World Showcase called the Showcase Lagoon. The World Showcase has a perimeter of 1.2 miles.

The 11 Pavilions include representations from each of these countries: the United States, Norway, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Morocco, Italy, China, Morocco, France, and Germany.

The Norway and Morocco pavilion were not originally represented when the park opened, but were added later on. Each pavilion has uniquely themed streetscapes, landscapes, restaurants, shops, attractions, and building architectures. The pavilions have also been primarily staffed by citizens of their respective countries to help maintain the authenticity of the respected countries. Some of the pavilions will also contain shows and live entertainment in addition to themed rides that help represent the country. The Morocco Pavilion is the only pavilion that is directly sponsored by its respective government, while the rest of the pavilions are primarily sponsored by private companies with ties to their represented countries.

The remaining undeveloped parcel of property, which may one day be developed into a new pavilion, is currently home to The Outpost, which is a small African themed refreshment shop. There have been past rumors of pavilions for the countries of Israel, Venezuela, Spain, Russia, UAE, and Switzerland, although these have never made it past the initial planning stage.

Travel to the Universal Orlando Resort, Florida

The Universal Orlando Resort is a theme park and resort located in Orlando, Florida. Commonly called Universal Orlando, the theme park is wholly owned by NBC Universal. Universal Orlando is the second largest resort in the Greater Orlando, Florida area after Walt Disney World. It is considered the largest property operated by Universal Parks & Resorts.

Universal Orlando consists of two main theme parks: the Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure and the Universal CityWalk Orlando entertainment complex. Additionally there are four Loews Hotels on the property.

Universal Islands of Adventure

Opening in May 1999, Universal Islands of Adventure is a theme park that consists of “7 islands” that are themed to various adventures. Visitors will begin at the Port of Entry and will make their way through the various themed islands. The islands include: Toon Lagoon, Wizarding World of Harry Potter, The Lost Continent, Jurassic Park, Seuss Landing, and Marvel Super Hero Landing. The newest island, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, based on the popular book and movie franchise, was recently added to the original islands on June 18, 2010.

Universal Studios Florida

Universal Studios Florida is a theme park that was officially opened on June 7th, 1990. The parks’ theme is that of the entertainment industry, in particular movies and television. With its “ride the movies” theme, the park features numerous live shows and attractions.

The park has ranked as high as eighth most-visited theme part in the US, hosting more than 5.9 million guests in 2010.

Universal CityWalk

Universal CityWalk was officially opened to the public in 1999, as an expansion to the Universal Orlando Resort. Guests will arrive to the resort park from one of the two multi-story parking structures, where they will travel along moving sidewalks that lie over Universal Boulevard. Once in CityWalk, guests can move between both theme parks, Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. Merchandise for both theme parks can be purchased at the Universal Store.

Located in CityWalk are numerous nightclubs, shopping, restaurants, the Blue Man Group show, and the AMC Movie Theatre. The many nightclubs located in CityWalk including: the Red Coconut Club, the Bob Marley-A Tribute to Freedom, Groove, and the Latin Quarter. Other notable locations include Margarita Ville, NBA City, Pastamore, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Emeril’s, NASCAR Sports Grill, and Hard Rock Café. More Family oriented and casual dining spots include: Burger King Whopper Bar, Fusion Bistro Sushi & Saki Bar, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and Panda Express.

Wet’n Wild Orlando

Founded in 1977 by SeaWorld founder George Millay, Wet’n Wild is one of the first major water parks. Wet’n Wild was acquired by Universal Parks & Resorts, which has been added to Universal Orlando. The park features 18 water slides and attractions at the water park. The major attractions of the park include: Disco H2O, the Surge, Bomb Bay, and the Storm. Wet’n Wild is located nearly a half mile south of the Universal parking garage, at the intersection of International Drive and Universal Boulevard.

Islands that comprise the Caribbean

There are so many islands that comprise the Caribbean; it is truly a magical place to visit. For example, vibrating Jamaica has little in common with Aruba. Islands that are close together such as Nevis and St. Kitts can be worlds apart. The experiences and uniqueness of each island leave much to explore.

How does the Caribbean-bound traveller decide where to go with so many diverse options? Many considerations can be taken into account. Deciding what kind of vacation you prefer may seem like a perplexing chore instead of planning a carefree getaway. However, the more time you research and inquire ahead of time, the chances are you will enjoy your trip much more. The following offers a brief description to help you narrow down your sights.

Aruba

A ribbon of beaches lined with world class resort facilities is the main attraction of this island. The landscape is quite arid and practically featureless. There are numerous malls that offer familiar bars and eateries. It is a good choice for a shopping holiday or when you want to stay on the resort property.

The Bahamas

The Bahamas offers excellent choices for travellers. It is super close to the USA for one thing. There are 700 islands that make up the Bahamas, so tons to see and do. This is a perfect location for divers, and island hoppers. It is ideal for Americans who need a vacation close by.

Cayman Islands

Grand Cayman Island offers less traffic and a more orderly pace than South Florida. It has resorts for everyone available; from famous diving to swimming and snorkeling with the stingrays. This is an ideal location for those who enjoy watersports and fun holidays.

Jamaica

There are all sides to experience in Jamaica. For example, take in the Bob Marley museum and hear rhythmic music or enjoy a fancy resort. Try the local food if you enjoy spicy cuisine. There are some fun natural adventures the entire family will enjoy.

Puerto Rico

The city of Old San Juan is one of the best highlights in the region. It offers sprawling colonial features that come alive. There is tangible history to enjoy, big beach resorts, rich Hispanic culture and casinos. It is a great travel option for those who do not want to leave the USA and wish to explore more than beaches, sand and sea.

St-Martin/Saint Maarten

This very small and vibrant island is home to 2 distinct cultures: the French and Dutch. Similar to a brain, these two hemispheres offer different things. For example, the Dutch like to party and the French provide more reserved holidays. It is best for day trips into the Netherlands, and France. Some say the heart of Creole culture resides here. It is considered to be home to the wildest airport bar on Earth.

St. Kitts

St. Kitts and Nevis offer booming condos and huge hotels. There is enough to fulfill a daytrip around the island which includes checking out the vast pirate-era Brimstone Hill Fortress.

St. Lucia

If you wish for pristine beaches, densely forested hills and gorgeous resorts, there are many enchanting offerings on this island. A perfect destination for nature-lovers, snorkelers, luxury seekers, trekkers, honeymooners and kite-surfers.

Cuba

An intriguing time capsule of Caribbean culture; Cuba offers political challenges, famous music and urban beauty that is disintegrating yet still charming. Havana is worthy of numerous days of exploration. It is excellent for those who wish to take a reasonably priced holiday in a truly foreign country.

Plan a trip to Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Hong Kong is famous for its fast growing economy and is known as “the paradise for shoppers.” When visiting this modern metropolis, you can feel its vibrancy and you can get a pretty good understanding of its local culture. There are many prosperous areas in Hong Kong, including the Tsim Sha Tsui, which is located in the southern part of the Kowloon Peninsula. The Tsim Sha Tsui is concentration of shopping malls, stores, office buildings, and restaurants. The streets are full of heavy traffic, with many citizens and visitors alike.

The main road in Tsim Sha Tsui is Nathan Road, and most of the other streets extend out from this road. Many international brands can be found along these extensions. Park Lane Shopper’s Boulevard is especially intended for shopping; it is where many young people roam to find fashionable clothes. The areas of Harbor City and Granville Road are great areas for shoppers to find cosmetics.

Tsim Sha Tsui’s Nathan Road

One of the recommended tourist attractions in the Tsim Sha Tsui is the Avenue of Stars and Tsim Sha Tsui Beach, areas that provide the visitor with great shots of Victoria Bay. The Hong Kong Museum of Art, the Cultural Center, and the Hong Kong Space Museum are also located within Tsim Sha Tsui. All these great attractions make this a great area for visitors to come to when touring Hong Cong.

Avenue of Stars

Located in Tsim Sha Tsui East Kowloon, the Avenue of Stars was built to showcase the rich movie history, its movie stars, and many of those who work behind the scenes. The Avenue of Stars has been designed around the concepts of the one built for American Hollywood. The honored members of Hong Long have been inlaid into the avenues surface.

The Avenue is a 440 meter long waterfront promenade, extending from the New World center to the Hong Kong Museum of Art. The cost of construction of the Avenue totaled HK$40,000,000 at the time of completion in 2004.

Currently, there are 73 movie stars that have tablets inlaid in the streets surface honoring their work. 30 of the 73 celebrities have also left their handprints on their tablets, including Jet Lee, Andy Lau, and Jackie Chan. The avenue also features a 3 meter bronze statue of Kung Fu Star Bruce Lee. Hong Kong served as the start to Bruce Lee’s movie career. After making several movies in Asia, Bruce Lee left for Hollywood, where he made many famous Kung Fu movies that are still revered around the world.

Travel to the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.

The Lincoln Memorial is a national monument built to honor former US president, Abraham Lincoln. He was the 16th President of the United States. It is located in Washington, D.C. across from the Washington Monument. Henry Bacon was the chief architect of the monument, while Daniel Chester French served as the primary sculptor of the statue. Jules Guerin served as the painter for the interior murals. The Lincoln Memorial was officially dedicated in 1922, and is one of many monuments built to honor a former US president.

The Lincoln memorial monument is located on the National Mall on its west end. When standing on the front steps of the monument, visitors have a great view of the US Capitol and the Washington Monument.

The monument is built in the form of a Greek Doric temple and contains the famous seated sculpture of Abraham Lincoln. Also, the building features inscriptions of two famous Lincoln speeches; Lincoln’s Inaugural Address and the Gettysburg Address.

The Lincoln Memorial has been the site of many famous speeches, none more so than Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which he delivered on Aug 28th, 1963. This speech marked the end of the March in Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

The Lincoln Memorial is one of many monuments located in the National Mall – including the nearby Korean War Veterans Memorial, the National World War II Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The memorial is administered by the National Park Service under its National Mall and Memorial group. The monument is open to the public 24 hours a day.

Lincoln Statue

The large sculpture of Abraham Lincoln seated in a chair is located inside a 30m tall marble temple. The original sculpture being designed by Daniel Chester French was intended to be 10ft/3m tall. Architect Henry Bacon saw that the statue may be dwarfed by the large building structure, so the statue was resized to nearly double at 5.8m.

Construction of the monument was started in 1914, with a base design of a Greek Doric temple and 36 Doric columns. At the time of Lincoln’s death, there were 36 states in the union. When the memorial was completed in 1922, 12 more states had been added to the union, so the names of all 48 states were carved on the outside of the memorial’s walls. Later on, the last two states, Hawaii and Alaska were added with the other names of the new states.

Visit the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.

The Natural Museum of Natural History is found in Washington, D.C. in the USA. It is a natural history museum located on the National Wall and is administered by the Smithsonian Institution. This amazing place is open 364 days a year and offers free admission. It is the most visited museum of any kind in all of North America and is the most visited natural history museum in the world.

The National Museum of Natural History first opened its doors in 1910. This was one of the Smithsonian’s first buildings exclusively constructed to hold research facilities and the national collections. More than 1000 employees work in the main building. It has a total area of 123,000m2 or 1,320,000 square feet and offers 33,000m2 or 350,000 square feet of public space and exhibition space.

There are over 126 million specimens of fossils, rocks, plants, minerals, animals, human cultural artifacts and meteorites on display. It is the most visited of all of the Smithsonian museums with 7.4 million visitors in 2009 alone. As well, it is the home to approximately 185 professional natural history scientists. These individuals make up the largest group of scientists who are dedicated to the study of cultural history and natural history in the world.

There are 7 departments in the museum that research is divided up into: vertebrate zoology, entomology, anthropology, invertebrate zoology, paleobiology, botany and mineral sciences.

Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals

One of the most significant collections of this kind is offered in the National Gem and Mineral Collection. It includes the Hope Diamond and one of the largest sapphires in the world, the Star of Asia Sapphire. These are some of the most famous pieces of minerals and gems around. Currently, there are more than 15,000 individual gems available to view in the collection. There are an additional 300,000 samples of ore and rock specimens, along with 350,000 minerals. The Smithsonian’s Natural Gem and Mineral Collection also boast roughly 35,000 meteorites. This portion of the exhibit is considered to be one of the most comprehensive collections of its kind on the planet.

Hall of Human Origins

The Hall occupies approximately 1400 m2 or 15,000 square feet of exhibit space. It is “dedicated to the discovery and understanding of human origins.” Some of the specimens include an interactive human family tree depicting 6 million years of evolution, and 75 replica skulls. In this section there is also the Changing the World Gallery, which focuses on issues such as how the human’s impact the world and climate change.

Dinosaurs/Hall of Paleobiology

There are more than 570,000 catalogued reptiles around the world on display at the museum. The National Collection of Amphibians and Reptiles has grown over 300% since 1970. By 2008, there were over 570,000 specimen records.

The Hall of Dinosaurs offers fossilized skeletons and cast models. There is even a Tyrannosaurus Rex cast facing a Triceratops cast. This exhibit features a collection of 46 “complete and important “dinosaur specimens. The “Triceratops exhibit shows the first accurate dinosaur skeleton in virtual motion, achieved through the use of scanning and digital technology.”

Hall of Mammals

Out of all the vertebrate specimens in the world, the museum offers the largest collection. It is almost double the size of the next largest mammal collections. There are even some historically important collections available for the 19th and 20th centuries.

Insect Zoo

The O. Orkin Insect Zoo offers live insects for viewing. There are numerous exhibits about entomologists and insects as well. A variety of habitats have been created in order to showcase the different kinds of insects that live in different environments. It features how they have adapted to areas such as: a mangrove swamp, a rain forest, a freshwater pond, a house and a desert. The zoo is sponsored by a well-known pest control company called Orkin.

Ocean Hall

The Sant Ocean Hall is considered to be the largest renovation of the museum since it’s opening in 1910. Ocean Hall opened its doors up on September 27th, 2008. It provides 674 marine specimens and a variety of models drawn from more than 80 million specimens in the museum’s complete collection. This makes it the largest collection of its kind in the world. The hall is named in honour of the Roger Sant family. They donated $15 million to endow the success of the new hall and similar related programs.

Plan a trip to Pike Place Market, Seattle, Washington

Pike Place Market is a public market overlooking Elliot Bay in Seattle, Washington. Opened in 1907, it is one of the oldest public farmers markets in the country. It serves as the primary Seattle venue for small farmers, craftsmen, and merchants. The central street running through the market is Pike Street, which is where the name originates from. Pike Place Market is the city of Seattle’s most popular tourist destination.

The market is actually built on the edge of a steep hill, and has many levels underneath the main level of the market. Each of the levels in the market features a variety of unique shops, like comic book stores, small collectible shops, antique dealers, and many other small family-owned restaurants. The top level or upper street level contains fishmongers, fresh produce, and many craft vendors. In the covered vendor shops, local farmers and craftspeople sell their wares year-round from the tables and vendor shops that they rent on a daily basis. The Markets mission and founding goal was to allow the consumers to “Meet the Producer.”

Pike Place Market is also home to nearly 500 residents who live throughout the market in 8 different buildings. In the past, most of the buildings have been used for low income housing, though some of the residential buildings no longer are for low income residents. The Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority of PDA serves as the markets quasi-government. Every year, the Pike Place market sees as many as 10 million visitors.

The Pike Place Fish Market is the Market’s key attraction, where the fishmongers throw around three-foot salmon and other sea fish to other fishmongers rather than passing them by hand. After a fish is ordered, a fishmonger will pick up a fish and hurl it over the countertop, where another employee catches it and gets is ready for sale.

Travel to Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

The Met is the largest art museum in the United States and one of the ten largest in the world. Located in New York City, the Metropolitan Museum of Art consists of many significant art collections totaling more than 2 million works of art. These are divided amongst its 17 curatorial departments. Located on Manhattan’s Museum Mile, on the eastern edge of Central Park, the main building is home to one of the largest art galleries in the world. “The Cloisters” is a much smaller second location in Upper Manhattan that features many great works of medieval art.

The Met maintains an extensive holdings’ of Asian, African, Islamic, Byzantine, and Oceanic art to go along with its permanent collection of American and Modern Art, works from Ancient Egypt and classical antiquity, and many sculptures and paintings from nearly all the European masters. The Met is also home to massive collections of costumes, accessories, musical instruments, armors, and antique weapons from all around the world.

The met was founded in 1870 by a group of American businessmen and financiers, including many of the days leading artists and thinkers, who wanted to bring art and art education to the people of America. Located originally at 681 Fifth Avenue, the Metropolitan Museum of Art was opened on Feb 20, 1872.

Today’s Museum houses more than 2 million objects in its two-million-square-foot building. Tens of thousands of which are put on display at any one time.

A comprehensive architectural plan for the museum was devised in 1971 and finally completed in 1991. Notable additions to the museum after the redesign included: the Sackler Wing, which is home to the Temple of Dendur; the Robert Lehman Wing, which houses many great works from Old Masters; the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, which displays many works from the Americas, Africa, and Oceania. The American Wing showcases a diverse collection that includes 25 renovated period rooms. As well, the Henry R. Kravis Wing features many great works of European Sculpture and the Renaissance period arts.

After finishing the expansion of the building and the renovations, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has continued to reorganize, refine, and build its collection of works. The Arts of Korea was opened to the public in 1998, which was the last phase of galleries devoted to the arts of Asia. Following a renovation in 1999, the Ancient Near Eastern Art Gallery was reopened to the public. In 2007, many major projects were completed, including a 15 year renovation of the Roman and Greek period Art Galleries.