Blog Archives

View Classic Corvettes at the National Corvette Museum

Begin, or renew, your love of the Corvette at the National Corvette Museum, as you gaze longingly at these classic sports cars that are an important piece of Americana and automobile history. Introduced in 1953, the Corvette became a favorite, and eventually a classic, and the museum attracts enthusiasts from all over the world.  Exhibits and displays change, but you can count on seeing:  introductory film about the history of the Corvette, a look at retro displays outlining how the car became a classic, technical information relating to design and performance, racing, and a gift shop.  You’ll be seeing lots and lots of cars! The National Corvette Museum is located at 350 Corvette Drive, in Bowling Green, Kentucky (map it), and is open daily , 8 am – 5 pm (except for Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day, and New […]

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Gondola Rides on Lake Merritt

While it may not be the Grand Canal in Venice, you can experience an authentic Venetian Gondola ride on Lake Merritt in Oakland, California. Operating year round, Gondola Servizio offers private tours (meaning you are not thrown together with strangers) on a reservation only basis.  Come as a couple for a romantic sunset rid, or put together a party of up to six for a more festive occasion.  Available cruise packages include: Marco Polo:  30 minute tour, $45 for two people, additional guests $10 per person. Casanova:  55 minute tour, $75 for two people, additional guests $10 per person. Promessi Sposi:  A photographers delight, and a popular choice for special occasions.  Gondola Servizio will work with your photographer to create a photo-worthy event.  This is a popular package for engagement and wedding photos, and family portraits.  $225 for two people, […]

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Bishop Museum Explain the History & Culture of Hawaii

Honolulu’s Bishop Museum offers the natural and cultural history of Hawaii’s indigenous people.   Founded in 1889 by Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last heir to Kamehameha I, you’ll find artifacts and exhibits representative of all the Pacific Islands. A couple of my favorite highlights are the Science on a Sphere exhibit and the Science Adventure Center. Science on a Sphere is a 68 inch, 200 pound fiberglass sphere suspended from the ceiling.  It serves as a sort of 3-D movie, displaying full color, satellite and animated images.  You can watch a hurricane forming, a dust storm, violent solar storms, or any number of phenomenon occurring on our planet or in space. The Richard T. Mamiya Science Adventure Center is focused on helping visitors understand the environment of the islands.  You’ll find exhibits and research on such diverse topics as volcanology, […]

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You Can be a Pinball Wizard at the Pinball Hall of Fame

Bing, bing, bing. . . the bells, whistles, and bumpers of pinballs fill the air at the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, while on display is the world’s largest pinball collection. Established as a non-for-profit corporation, the museum showcases games from the 60’s to the present.  It’s pure pinball, so deposit your coin and see if you can play well enough to rack up those additional games.  The museum is family-friendly (no violent games allowed), and prices for the games are 25 cents for the classic games  and 50 cents for the post-1990 games. The Hall of Fame has 4,500 square feet of wall to wall pinball machines that, unlike many slot machines, will have cheering and laughing.  Here you can have fun — whether you win or lose.  In fact, there is no focus on making a […]

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Go Directly to Jail. Have Dinner.

I do a lot of reading about travel, and a lot of research and planning for future vacations.  From the practical to the silly, and from the certain-to-try to the it’s-never-going-to-happen, most of it captures my attention and imagination. While most of my travel blogging here at Flyaway Cafe involves personal experiences and recommendations, occasionally I read about something that I want to share with you — even if I haven’t yet experienced it myself. As I’m reading and researching about Italy for an upcoming trip, I heard about an usual, yet special dining experience. Jail. No bread and water here, and in this case getting into jail is nearly as difficult as getting out of jail. Fortezza Medicea in Volterra, Italy is a high-security prison restaurant.  In order to get a reservation you need to plan pretty far in […]

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Idaho Potato Museum is Spud-tacular

Sometimes odd things catch my eye, and then I can’t get them out of my mind — no matter how hard I try.  That’s sort of been the case with the Giant Baked Potato at the Idaho Potato Museum (formerly known as the Idaho Potato Expo) in Blackfoot, Idaho. While I like a spud as much as the next person, in Blackfoot it’s elevated to the status of royalty.  Not surprising for the Potato Capital of The World.  The expo claims to enlighten you with information about the agricultural, historical, social, scientific, educational, artistic and economic aspects of the world-famous Idaho potato.  Here are just a few of the “spud-tacular” exhibits full of information and fun, if a little corny as well: Equipment displays The World’s Largest Styrofoam Potato – a popular photo site A tribute to Mr. Potato Head […]

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Hawaiian Eye's Shell Bar

“Hawaiian Eye” was a television series that ran from 1959 – 1963, and starred Robert Conrad and Anthony Eisley as crime fighting detectives in Honolulu, Hawaii. The detectives hung out at the Shell Bar, where at least once an episode that ran into “Cricket,” a singer and photographer at the bar played by Connie Stevens.  The bar was located at the Hawaiian Village Hotel, where the guys were house detectives and also had an office.  Some viewers would swear that the guys spent more time with the sassy Cricket than they did with any crooks. While most of the television show was shot on the Warner Brothers lot in Los Angeles, the Shell Bar was a real place — then, and now.  The Hilton Hawaiian Village, on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, is home to the real Shell Bar, and provided […]

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View the Night Sky at Kitt Peak Observatory

Boasting over 300 clear nights a year, Kitt Peak National Observatory, located about an hour outside of Tucson (Arizona), offers stunning view of the night sky. Kitt Peak has the world’s largest collection of optical telescopes, 21 in all, and offers a number of viewing programs sure to get you hooked on Astronomy.  Daily observatory tours begin at 10 am, 11:30 am, and 1:30 pm, and last approximately one hour.   You’ll get to see the telescopes from a gallery, and tour guides will provide you with information about the work going on at the observatory.  It’s an informative tour, and the only downside is that there is no telescope observation during daylight hours.  Although there is no official charge to visit the observatory, a recommended donation is $2 for adults and $1 for children.  It’s worth it! The Nightly Observing […]

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The Beat Goes On

Fans of Kerouac, Burroughs, and Ginsberg, probably already know about The Beat Museum, and it’s certainly no surprise that the home of The Beats is now the home of The Beat Museum. Having moved to San Francisco’s North Beach area from a prior location on the coast, The Beat Museum continues to celebrate the beatnik generation of art, music, and way of life.  The lure of The Beat is probably as strong as it’s ever been.  It’s been 50 years since Jack Kerouac published On the Road, and it is arguably more popular today than it was when originally published. The Beat Museum is located at 540 Broadway (at Columbus) in San Francisco’s North Beat area (map it). It is open Tuesday – Sunday, 10 am – 10 pm.  Closed on Monday.  Depending on your interest in the topic, and your […]

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Stringing You Along with The World's Largest Ball of It

I wasn’t sure if it was true, or an urban legend, but there really is a large ball of string, claiming to be the World’s largest.  I don’t know if it really is the largest in the world, but this hulking ball of string is located in Weston, Missouri (500 Welt Street) at America Bowman Restaurant. The site was the location of the former West Museum, located in a barn on the property.  One of the artifacts proudly on display in the museum, was a huge ball of string, measuring 19 feet in circumference and weighing in at a cool 3, 713 pounds.  This is pure string, which means that no materials of a thicker composition (like yarn or twine) are in the ball.  No one has been able to answer the questions as to the origination of the ball, or the owner […]

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