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02-04-2012
What a treasure to behold when one goes to the National Gallery of Art. You can stroll down the art filled halls and take hours or moments to view each piece of work of art. You can go on a number of tours in which each have emphasis on a certain subject such as artist Georgia O'Keeffe's or learn about an extensive collection as the Italian Renaissance. Guided tours help foster an understanding of the artwork from different angles. You can participate in tours geared for families or an educational tour for university class.
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01-25-2012
A unique experience of homemade treats and fun can be found at the Red Barn in Santaquin, Utah. A standing invitation to go for a hayride in the fall or come for Orchard days complete with a cherry pit spit contest happens at the Red Barn.
As you travel south in the approaching autumn, you see the Red Barn from the freeway before you reach the exit. Upon leaving the freeway, you continue your journey on a paved road, driving by rural fields which gives a clean, fresh country feel to the travel experience. Of course, the locals know the quicker route coming from the north which offers a more in-depth look at the growing town of Santaquin. [Read More]
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02-25-2011
Boston is a multi-faceted city in the midst of an identity crisis. As soon as one stereotype diminishes, a new one always seems to emerge shortly thereafter. Boston’s heard them all-sometimes it’s a city of pretentious, uppity Anglo-Saxons; other times it’s full of obstreperous Italian guidos; yet other times the city is simply swarming with cavalier, free-spirited bohemians. So, what is Boston exactly? And what exactly constitutes a Bostonian?
The solution is easy…there isn’t one. Boston has always kind of done its own thing. It has long been the vanguard to America’s past and future, simultaneously. This progressive, modern, forward-thinking metropolis also harbors an impressive array of past historical junctures.
[Read More]
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02-15-2011
Love it or hate it, Las Vegas is the world capital of all things brazen, bold, brash, and boisterous. Oozing in glitz and seeping with glamour, Vegas tempestuously beckons visitors to come discover its over-the-top charm. And millions each year take heed. From smarmy looking casinos to out-and-out sensational hotels, Vegas boasts something for the penny-pinching, parsimonious miser and the banknote dropping, high-rolling swashbuckler alike.
But Vegas isn’t just about gambling and revelry-it’s got something for everyone. Skeptical? Check out some of “Sin City’s” more saintly attractions.
[Read More]
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02-14-2011
Philadelphia has always been in a shadow of sorts. Its megalopolis neighbor to the East by a measly 90 miles has, time and time again, stolen Philadelphia’s spotlight. So, while Philadelphia has existed for decades as New York’s younger, smaller, and more insecure sibling, it is finally peeking its head out of the woodwork and flaunting its fabulous self to the world. Philly is well on its way to holding its own as a final destination-rather than the derisory pit stop to New York that it once was. [Read More]
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02-02-2011
"This is the place," said pioneer-extraordinaire Brigham Young after months of exhaustive trekking across some of the country’s harshest terrain.
The "place" to which he was referring is now known as Salt Lake City. At the time though, in 1847, it was no more than a barren land where a band of fatigued Mormon immigrants found themselves after giving up all other worldly possessions for a chance to build their lives anew. One can only speculate as to the reaction of his weary followers. Surrounded by crackly sagebrush and barren soil, and in the midst of an uninhabitable lake, it must have taken a serious mind's eye to foresee the grand metropolis that would ultimately prove to become a promised land for hedonists and ascetics alike. [Read More]
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01-05-2011
Road trips are about as American as apple pie. There’s something spellbinding about cruising along Route 66 with miles and miles of nothingness in all directions. So being the travel enthusiast I am, I leaped at an invitation from my sister and brother-in-law to accompany them and their two toddler-aged daughters (my nieces) on a traditional family vacay through the rugged hinterlands of the Southwestern United States in their ever trusty minivan.
Some may scoff at my naivety in regards to such an undertaking-riding in the backseat alongside a three year old and a one-and-a-half year old in a van for 1800 miles. Sure, such people do have a point. I certainly didn’t know the full extent of what I was getting myself into. [Read More]
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12-29-2010
Perhaps Charles Dickens expressed it best from his vantage point across the Atlantic when he said, "[Washington, DC] is sometimes called the City of Magnificent Distances, but it might with greater propriety be termed the City of Magnificent Intentions."
Washington, DC is, indeed, a city looming with stereotypes: crotchety old people in dark suits rushing from governmental office to governmental office, lobbyists protesting the latest political faux pas, bright-eyed interns pounding the pavement to find their niche in legislative society, and all manner of ruthless politicians politicking their way to the top of the bureaucratic food chain. [Read More]
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12-15-2010
Take a dizzying array of ethnicities and add to it a jumbled mixture of languages and traditions. Plop blended mixture onto a jagged volcanic island. Let it settle for a couple generations in the sticky tropical heat and you’ve got a recipe for one of the quirkiest, most dynamic cities in the United States.
Traveling to Honolulu is about the closest thing Americans can get to leaving the country…without actually leaving the country. For many, Honolulu is simply a required entry point before scattering off to the other locales of interest within the "Aloha State." However, such a delusion is erroneous on a multitude of levels. This vibrantly indelible port city has showcased time and time again a brazen resolve to hold its own against the rest of the state’s illustrious sites and vistas. [Read More]
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12-01-2010
The cactus sits in the desert, untouched, unwanted and stubborn in its determination to survive. Its bloated face is detestable, uneven in rendering, sickly green in hue, a wart upon the sandy landscape. The cactus embodies the temperament of the desert; it will not share, it will not smile, and the regular passerby is to be frowned upon, bitten if necessary. One could find disgust for this remorseless entity, but upon closer examination, there is beauty to be found, soft and velvet, in the shape of a small cactus rose.
San Antonio is that flower upon the cactus, that daisy clutched in the hand of a beast, so making the surrounding desert wildly beautiful scenery instead of the blasted landscape it ought to be. Captivating with its soaring structures and modern wonders, San Antonio is a magnificent convergence of majesty and solace, amusement and history. [Read More]
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11-03-2010
Seattle rains. A lot. Locals may try and convince you otherwise. Every time I’ve made my way over to the “Emerald City” though, the skies seem to be perpetually gray and the climate unendingly gloomy. Yet somehow, I, a fierce despiser of precipitation, have developed an uncanny adoration for this damp Northwestern conurbation.
My most recent jaunt to Seattle came about somewhat serendipitously. couple friends and I impulsively embarked on a weekend road trip. [Read More]
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10-25-2010
When I first meet people from distant lands and tell them I’m from Idaho, I am usually met with a blank stare. So, to save both myself and said person hailing from afar an awkward moment, I begin to ramble on about how my hometown is just a couple hours Southwest from Yellowstone National Park. Usually (unless they’re really out of the loop) their response is a mesmerized “ooh” or a captivated “aah.” And they definitely have reason for being so enamored. Yellowstone conjures up images of shimmering rivers meandering through endless emerald forests, graceful wildlife roving about golden meadows, and technicolor geysers spewing smoldering hot steam from Earth’s abyssal core. [Read More]
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10-13-2010
Nothing about New York City is straightforward-to say otherwise is futile. The inhabitants of this bustling metropolis don’t seem that apologetic about it either. But then again, why should they?
New York, New York, is a world-class destination. In all likelihood, it’s the most famous (or infamous, depending on whom you ask) city in the world-and for good reason. It can be whatever you want it to be. That’s why so many people from so many walks of life have found sanctuary within its congested city blocks. From egocentric socialites to down-and-out street performers, Manhattan is truly a microcosm of humanity-crammed together onto one of the most densely populated islands in the world [Read More]
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