Ronald Reagan’s Legacy
By rocky | November 17, 2008
Air Force One
Ronald Reagan was the 40th President of the United States who had 8 years in office between 1981 and 1989. Regan was in office during some huge changes in the world including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War. His legacy is remembered in a magnificent library and museum in the ruggered Simi Valley about an hour of of Los Angeles in California. Here visitors can recal the life of a Hollywood movie star who became the most powerful man on Earth. As well as learning about this man you can see many of the gifts and artifacts which were part of his life, you can visit a recration of the White House’s Oval Office which has actual furniture and artifacts from his time as president. Probably the most amazing item in the museum is Airforce One, the actual 707 which was used by Regan and many other President’s as their “Flying White House”. For those after a refreshment there is also the Ronald Regan Pub which is a pub that Regan drank at on a visit to Ireland which has been shifted to California. Regan died a few years back and he is also burried at the library overlooking the valley. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Americas, Museums | No Comments »
Bewitched in Salem
By rocky | November 14, 2008
Bewitched Statue
Salem Massachusetts USA is the home of the witch being home to the witchcraft trials in 1692. Many women were thought to be witches and were hanged at public hangings. Today Salem is cashing in big time on the whole which thing especially around Halloween. There are witch everything, haunted houses, wax museums, witchcraft stores and plenty of places to have spells created and fortunes told. Salem was one of the most important seaports in early America and has a magnificent historic waterfront. The town itself has many historic buildings and is a great day trip for anyone visiting nearby Boston which is less than an hours drive away.
Topics: Americas | No Comments »
Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village
By rocky | November 12, 2008
Replica of Henry Ford
Greenfield Village is in Dearborn, Detroit USA and was the brain child of Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford. Recognised as a National Historic Landmark and is the largest outdoor museum in the United States. The area covers some 240 acres and is home to nearly 100 historic buildings, many of them once owned by famous Americans and moved brick by brick to the museum. Amongst the highlights are Thomas Edison’s Laboratory, The Wright Brothers bicycle shop, Henry Ford’s birthplace and the Logan County Courthouse where Abraham Lincon practiced law. The land has been turned into magnificent farmlands and park to reflect the USA of yesterday and many volunteers wear period costume and perform tasks of the day. Horse drawn carriages, vintage cars, trains and other machinery ride the streets beautiful tree lined streets. The most amazing part of this museum is there is no commercialism or advertising-even the gift shop is outside the gates. The park is part of the amazing Henry Ford Museum- we will do a feature on the Museum in coming weeks.
Topics: Museums, Must see, USA, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
A free cruise in New York City
By rocky | November 10, 2008
Staten Island Ferry New York
You don’t get much for nothing in this world without a catch- well here’s one and the the catch is one of the best views in the world. The ferry carries some 20 million people a year between Staten Island and lower Manhattan, which is about 60,000 a day. The ride takes about 25 minutes and you get a very good look at the magestic Statue of Liberty and the amazing skyscrapers of New York City and New Jersey. Weekdays there are over 100 trips a day with a few less on weekends, avoid the peak hours for the journey. Bus and Train are easily avaible from both ferry terminals to explore more of either Manhattan or Staten Island. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Americas, Ships / Boats, USA | No Comments »
Make Orlando Your Family’s Halloween Destination
By rocky | September 15, 2008
When Halloween rolls around in Orlando, all of the amusement parks tend to get a “little” bit scary and gory for little eyes and ears. So, you can find it comforting to know that there are numerous activities that aren’t SO scary throughout the Orlando and Central Florida area for your family to have fun with! Walt Disney World and SeaWorld Adventure Park are just two of the parks offering Halloween options for little ones and those not wanting to get scared.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Disney’s Magic Kingdom is a perfect event for the entire family to enjoy. Held September 5 – October 31 (on select nights), guests to the park can come to the park in costume and ready to party with all of their favorite Disney characters! Trick-or-treat for candy with your children throughout the park, as you are still able to hop in line for all of the classic Disney attractions. There is also a Halloween parade, a special “HalloWishes” firework display, and tons of other fun activities and attractions. This event is not included with the Disney World ticket. In order to attend this event, you must have a separate admission ticket for the specific event. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Americas, Festivals / Events, USA, fun parks | No Comments »
Le Reve
By Courtney Mills | September 3, 2008
While on my recent trip to Las Vegas, I got the opportunity to see one of the hottest Las Vegas shows on the Strip: Le Reve. Le Reve was a refreshing change of scenery from the other Las Vegas shows. The show was riveting, romantic, funny, and delicately done.
As I entered the theater, I was shocked to find how intimate the theater really was. At a Las Vegas performance, you would expect to find yourself as one among a humongous crowd, but this was not the case. The round theater surrounds all of the action and is only about 16 rows high, so there is NOT a bad seat in the house. We were a few rows above the “Splash Zone.” The “Splash Zone” gets its name from being so close to the “water stage.” The entire stage is made up of water, and platforms rise and submerge into the water like magic throughout the show.
Topics: Americas, Festivals / Events, USA | No Comments »
Burning Man
By wattsy | September 2, 2008
The week long Burning Man festival has just finished and anyone who hasn’t been there may be asking what it is all about. Burning man is a type of festival held in the Nevada Desert in a temporary mini city constructed for the event known as Black Rock City. The festival gets its name from the huge wooden effigy that is burned at the end of the event each year. The event is often described as an experiment in community and self expression and is well known for the spectacular art instalations and mutent vehicles that get constructed for the event by anyone who feels like. This years event attracted just under 50,000 people and with a ”leave no trace” and now that the event is over most of these participants will be working hard to make sure the desert looks just like the way they found it. There are quite a few videos on Youtube of the event, we thought the one above from 2002 was a good quick timelapse of what the event is about.
Topics: USA, Youtube of the week | No Comments »
Halloween Horror Nights 2008
By Courtney Mills | September 1, 2008
Halloween Horror Nights seems to be this country’s best kept secret when it comes to Halloween festivities. It is a huge local event at Universal Studios Orlando, as well as Universal Studios Hollywood. Thousands of horror fans are drawn in to this annual event. Now in its 18th year, it is said to be scarier than ever!
For over 75 years Universal Studios has been making horror films that have stood the test of time. Universal Studios reflects their expertise in horror with their annual interpretations of Halloween Horror Nights. Each year leads a different theme and scare-tactic. This year, Universal Studios Orlando plays on the imagination of a child. Everything that scared you when you were younger has come back to haunt you at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights. Bloody Mary, the Boogie Man, twisted Fairy Tales, and, of course, Jack the Clown. But there is a major twist to this year’s party…there is no where to hide! Usually at Halloween Horror Nights, there are “safe-zones” where you can peacefully walk without having anything jump out at you. But, this year, there is none of that. You are completely immersed in the horror experience.
Topics: Americas, Festivals / Events, fun parks | 1 Comment »
Mardi Gras all year round
By rocky | July 18, 2008
Every year around February tens of thousands flock to New Orleans to let their hair down and party at the annual Mardi Gras celebrations. People come to watch the parades which feature amazing floats which are the centrepiece of the carnival. Although you need to be in the Crescent City during the Mardi Gra to soak up the unbelievable atmosphere, visitors can see some of these beautiful floats all year round. Just over the mighty Mississippi from the city in Algiers is The Blaine Kern Mardi Gras world. Here dozens of the amazing floats and costumes are on display in all their glory. Some are huge there’s the 140 foot long sea monster Levithan and an even bigger 240 odd foot long Captain Eddies SS Endymion which includes tens of thousands of tiny fibre optic lights. Blaine Kern has been making parade floats for over 60 years, and the company even makes floats for some other cities and even Universal Studios where they are used in their Florida theme park’s street parades. Visitors to Mardi Gras world will see how these magnificent sculpture and figures are produced by very talented artists and trades people. Mardi Gras world is a must for anyone visiting beautiful New Orleans Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Americas, Festivals / Events | No Comments »
Who opened their lunchbox?
By rocky | July 8, 2008
There are museums for just about everything and here’s another unusual one- the Lunchbox Museum in Columbus USA. Allen Woodall who started the museum started collecting lunchboxes late 1980’s and today has over a thousand of all shapes and sizes. There’s some fascinating boxes on display including hundreds of rare metal cases dating back to the 50’s and beyond. Many of them feature American pop culture of the time with musicians of the day like Elvis, the Osmonds or TV stars like Flipper and Bonanza. Now lunchboxes are made of plastic or cardboard and don’t have the same nostalgia as the old metal cases but there are some great ones on display including a huge Star Wars collection. The collection is so unique it is even recognised by the Smithsonian.
Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Kitsch Stuff, Museums, USA | No Comments »