Visiting the United Nations Headquarters is a little like visiting 192 countries all in one locations. Located along the East River, at 760 United Nations Plaza, on First Avenue between 42nd & 48th in New York City, the complex consists of the Secretariat Building, the domed General Assembly Building, the Conference Building and the Hammarskjold Library. Although located well with the city limits, the complex is considered international territory, and, exception by agreement, is subject to the laws and jurisdiction of the United States, the state of New York, and local laws. Guided public tours of the complex are offered. Visitors enter the headquarters building at First Avenue & 46th, and start the tour with a brief familiarization of the Organization and its structure. A guide then takes you through a visit to the chambers of the Security Council, the Trusteeship Council, and […]
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LAX to the Beach (and Back) for Only $3
Being stuck at an airport is never any fun, whether it’s long ground time between flights, or a flight cancellation and serious delay. Wandering an airport can be fun. . . for the first couple of hours, at least. But when you’ve checked out every last gift shop, book store, restaurant or bar, and what have you, it’s easy to become bored to tears. So what are you going to do? Well, at LAX, if you have enough time to get away, you can leave the hustle and bustle of the airport and head to the beach! The Ocean Express trolley service operates every half hour, roughly between 9 am and 9 pm, with extended hours in the summer. It serves the LAX area hotels and businesses along Century Boulevard with several stops, and provides transportation to the Manhattan Beach […]
Read MoreSeattle Visitors Enjoy the Pacific Science Center
When people visit Seattle and ask me for recommendations about what to see, the Pacific Science Center is always on my list. In addition to its location on the grounds of the Seattle Center, home of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, the graceful arches and fountains, make it an architecturally pleasant and appealing place to visit. Everyone seems to enjoy the Science Center. During the World’s Fair, this was home to the US Science Pavilion. Today it is an independent, not for profit science museum, with eight buildings housing hundreds of science exhibits, two IMAX theaters, a large Laser Dome theater, tropical butterfly house, and a planetarium. In addition to the permanent exhibits, the Pacific Science Center hosts a number of traveling exhibits, most recently “Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia.” My favorite of the exhibits, and a welcome […]
Read More3 To See in San Francisco
I am pleased to introduce you to a fellow travel blogger, Cat Lincoln, who has generously offered to share a guest post about her city with us while I’m on vacation. — I love sightseeing, but the pressure to hit a laundry list of attractions can make your vacation feel like a competition, or even worse, work! One tactic that helps me keep my “must see” list under control is to limit it to three destinations. List checkers like my husband still feel like they’ve “accomplished” something. And it gives dawdlers like me enough space on our itinerary to enjoy a second cup of coffee – or aperitif – at a charming, out of the way café. Here’s my “Three to See” in San Francisco! Crissy Field and Golden Gate Bridge As soon as you catch sight of the […]
Read MoreBurgers & Attitude at Hamburger Mary's
Calling itself an “open-air bar and grille for open minded people,” Hamburger Mary’s delivers good food and a fun atmosphere. Part of a 14-store national franchise, Hamburger Mary’s opened in San Francisco in 1972. It opened as a family oriented, affordably priced, restaurant and bar that target the gay and lesbian community and their families, along with those friendly to that population. As the chain has expanded it has refined its concept with a focus on fresh food, home-style meals, that are prepared and presented in a fun atmosphere. At the Palm Springs Hamburger Mary’s location, you’ll be greeted outside the door by a larger than life Mary welcoming you and tempting you with a larger than life burger. Once inside, that saucy attitude continues. It’s a little like being at your best and most irreverent friend’s home, where you […]
Read MoreWhere Do Airplanes Come From?
If you live in Seattle, as I do, there’s only one answer to that question – they come from Boeing. As the saying around here goes, “If it’s not Boeing, I’m not going!” While some of the Boeing plants have relocated elsewhere, the plant at Paine Field (about 30 miles north of Seattle) is still home to The Future of Flight & Boeing Tour, This tour of the Boeing factory lets you see the flight line where the 747, 767, 777, and 787 are made. This tour takes you through one of the largest buildings in the world (by volume), as you learn how much room it takes to build a jumbo jet. There’s lot to see on the tour so don’t forget to look up (futuristic aircraft are flying), down (a painted runway on the floor), and around (the […]
Read MoreHow to Spend Ground Time at Salt Lake City International Airport
If you’ve got substantial connection time at Salt Lake City International, you can spend time just hanging out, or take advantage of your ground time and get in a little sightseeing and cultural expedition. Between the hours of 9 am – 6:30 pm, a complimentary van service makes scheduled trips between the airport and Temple Square. The service delivers you to one of the two visitor centers where complimentary tours are offered. You can take a quick guided tour of this 10 acre area at the center of the city, then return to the airport for your outbound flight. Regardless of religious affiliation, Temple Square is one of the most popular attractions in the state. It is home to the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and the Salt Lake Tabernacle and the huge […]
Read MoreMix a Little History with Your Cocktail at this Museum
Where else but New Orleans do history and cocktail mix?! The Museum of the American Cocktail features 200 years of cocktail history. From vintage cocktail accoutrements, to Prohibition-era literature, to vast varieties of other cocktail memorabilia, it’s a little American history told in cocktail form. The museum claims to be “part museum, part bar, and part Victorian bordello.” While the museum serves as a tourist attraction depicting a fun bit of Americana, it’s also an educational institution that serves professionals in the beverage industry. It is a nonprofit organization that provides exhibits and education that advance the profession of mixology, while still stressing the importance of responsible drinking. Proof positive that history really can be fun! The Museum of the American Cocktail is located in the Southern Food & Beverage Museum at the Riverwalk Marketplace, 1 Poydras Street, Suite 169 […]
Read MoreNational Park Service: The American Presidents
With the Presidential inauguration just a couple weeks away, it’s a good time to think about our former Presidents and the place they occupy in history. Putting politics aside, that’s just what the National Park Service has done – put Presidential PLACES on display – with the new Discover Our Shared Heritage on-line travel itinerary site. The American Presidents itinerary explores the lives, contributions and historical sites of all 43 presidents. (President-elect Obama is not yet on the list.) Among the sites listed are birthplaces, home and memorials. There’s also a general presidential itinerary that includes the White House, Mount Rushmore, and other general sites. The list includes over 70 sites spanning the country, all listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and about half part of the National Park System. Here’s a sampling of what you’ll find: Description […]
Read MorePhiladelphia’s New Year’s Day Mummers Parade
Oh to be a Mummer, now that New Year’s is almost here! This is the 103rd year for Philadelphia’s New Year’s Day Mummers Parade, and this is one of those festivities that sound like so much fun. I’m hoping that a few of my Philly readers chime in here and let me know if it’s as much fun as it sounds. (Kelly? Caroline? Anyone?) The history of the Mummers goes back to the Roman Festival of Saturnalia. Latin laborers wore masks and marched around giving gifts. There was also a Celtic version that was a little bit more like trick-or-treat, featuring costumes and little gifts. Both events were filled with pageantry, enthusiasm, and more than a little bit of noise. Philadelphia got into the act in 1901 with the first official Mummers Parade. Unofficially large celebrations like this had been […]
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