Catalina Island is located off the coast of southern California, about 22 miles southwest of San Pedro, near Los Angeles. It is part of the Channel Islands. The only city on the island is Avalon, and although over a million tourists visit the island every year, the population hovers around five thousand people. When I’ve visited Catalina, I’ve taken the ferry from Long Beach. You can also get there by ferry from Newport Beach, Dana Point, San Pedro, and Marina del Rey. The last time I took the ferry to Catalina, I had a very serious case of sea sickness, so I don’t have a terribly fond memory of the boat trip. I think, however, that it took a little over an hour to get to the island from Long Beach. You can also get there by helicopter. Motor vehicles […]

Today is Admission Day for Arkansas, our 25th state, admitted to the Union on June 15th, 1836 Arkansas is one of those states that I just don’t know much about. Yeah, I know that it’s in the south, and I know that President Clinton was from there. Oh yeah, and Little Rock is the capital. Other than that, Arkansas just hasn’t been on my radar scope much. Calling itself the Natural State, Arkansas tourism focuses on its outdoor activities: camping, fishing, National Parks, hunting, watersports, and hiking. Arkansas geography has a little of everything — mountains and valleys, forests, plains, rivers and lowlands, and even a number of underground caverns — so it offers a little something for everyone in terms of outdoor activities. This variety also makes for some pretty dramatic scenery, as with the Royal Gorge (in photo). […]

Today is Admission Day for Kentucky, the 15th state, admitted to the Union on June 1st, 1792. The first time I was in Kentucky, I thought I was in Ohio. If you’ve been to the Cincinnati airport (airport code CVG), you know what I’m talking about. The Cincinnati airport, which I foolishly believed was in Cincinnati, Ohio is actually located 13 miles south of that city. Not in Cincinnati (which I could understand), but not even in Ohio. Nope, it’s in northern Kentucky. Since I spent time in the surrounding area, during some very long time on the ground, I can say that I have been in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Kentucky is one of four states established as a Commonwealth (the others are Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts), and while that designation has no constitution significance, it means that its […]

Today is Admission Day for Tennessee, our 16th state, admitted to the Union on June 1st, 1796. Long before I knew all the states, or had visions of traveling to all of them, I knew about Tennessee. Although I may be dating myself here, it all goes back to watching the Disney movie, Davy Crockett, who was “Born on a mountain top in Tennessee, The greenest state in the land of the free. . . .” (If you’re not familiar with the song you can listen to it here.) Well, maybe that didn’t tell me much about the state, but the belief that it was lush and verdant stuck with me. Tennessee is a southern state, bordered by eight other states. (Missouri also borders eight states.) It’s been known as the “Volunteer State,” a nickname going back to the War […]

Today is Admission Day for Wisconsin, our 30th state, admitted to the Union on May 29th, 1848. Wisconsin in located in the Great Lakes region, and is bordered by Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Originally the state’s boundary line was to have been much further south (it would have encompassed the city of Chicago), but political expediency won out, and the boundary was established where it is today. Originally, Wisconsin’s economy centered around farming, primarily dairy farming. Even today, it is known as “America’s Dairyland,” and leads the nation in production of cheese. It is second in total dairy production, behind California. On the Wisconsin Commerative Quarter, you’ll find a design that includes a Holstein cow, an ear of corn, and a wheel of cheese. The economy has changed with the times, and although agriculture is still important, mining, timber […]

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), often called “The Big Board,” is the largest stock exchange in the world by dollar volume and ranks second in the number of companies listed on its exchange. The exchange is located in Manhattan at 11 Wall Street (between Broad & New), but actually consists of five building, or “rooms,” that are used for trading. The main building (18 Broad Street, between Wall Street & Exchange Place) is a National Historic Landmark. The roots of the NYSE reach back to 1792 at the Buttonwood Agreement. From that agreement, named for the buttonwood tree that it was signed beneath, the current concept of trading grew. The exchange’s current location is not far from its original location at 40 Wall Street, but the building, like the system of trading, has grown exponentially since the beginning. When […]

Today is Admission Day for Minnesota, our 32nd state, admitted to the Union on May 11th, 1858. Minnesota is the 12th largest state (geographically) in the U.S., and is the northernmost of the contiguous 48 states. Most of the residents of the state (60%) live in the Minneapolis-St Paul area, which is generally referred to as the Twin Cities. The state ranks 21st in population. The Twin cities of Minneapolis/St Paul combine the largest city in the state (Minneapolis) with the capital city (St. Paul). It is the hub of the state, and the center for business, industry and culture. The rest of the state is primarily rural, and consists of prairies, forests, farm land, and lakes. Let’s not forget those lakes, as Minnesota is known as the “Land of Ten Thousand Lakes.” Minnesota has extreme weather, both frigid winters […]

Today is Admission Day for Louisiana, our 18th state, admitted to the Union on April 30th, 1812. If you remember your U.S. history, you will recall that the Louisiana Purchase was negotiated with Napoleon Bonaparte for the princely sum of about $15 million dollars (a price of less than three cents an acre), representing a combination of bonds and forgiveness of debt. The purchase was for far more than then president Thomas Jefferson has been looking for, and doubled the size of the country. Political foes argued that this was a worthless piece of land, but were really more concerned about their own New England influence in government would be diminished by the new states to be formed in the South. Louisiana has always marched to the beat of a different drummer, and I remember in law school that many […]

This weekend kicks off Fiesta San Antonio, a 10 day city-wide, fun-filled, multi-cultural, family-oriented celebration. It’s a huge party — with an estimated three and a half million people attending — a real fiesta, lasting for days and days, with over 100 different events. The annual Fiesta honors the memory of heroes of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto, with the origins tracing back to 1891 when a group of women decorated horse-drawn carriages and paraded in front of the Alamo, throwing flowers at one another. That event became a parade known as the Battle of Flowers Parade, and it has become the largest parade in Fiesta. Interestingly, it is the second largest floral parade (the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena is the largest), and is the only parade in the country to be planned and completely […]