Did you know that San Francisco’s cable cars are officially a “moving” National Historic Landmark? The cars first clanged their bells on the steep streets of this city in 1873. Andrew Hallidie began to build the cable car lines after he saw an accident that injured and killed horses that had been drawing carts on…
Spring at Lake Tahoe gives you a mix of warmer temperatures at lake level with snow on the mountains ringing the alpine water. Lake Tahoe is 72 miles around and is about 1,000 feet deep. And it’s definitely too cold for swimming in the spring. But its beauty is breathtaking. To Hike or Ski? Our…
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is the largest art museum in the United States. It houses more than two million works of art. Our itinerary called for us to spend one morning there. So we had to choose what kind of art we most wanted to see and head directly there….
The 9/11 Memorial and Museum honors those who we lost on that fateful day in 2001. Opened in July of 2014, years after 9/11, the museum is built on the actual spot where the twin towers stood. It is a place of dignity, where respect is paid to all those who lost their lives or…
Ellis Island in New York served as an arrival station for immigrants to the U.S. for more than 60 years. About 12 million people came through its halls and inspection stations. The station opened in 1892 and processed arriving folks until 1954. We recently toured the nearby Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Here are…
New York’s Central Park is world renowned as a green, relaxing oasis found amid the bustling city of high rises. Central Park provides a place for New Yorkers – and visitors to the city – to go to enjoy nature. Its lawns, lakes, flowers, and leafy trees whisk you away from the sidewalks of New…
The Hotel Del Coronado opened in 1888 and is still a premiere place to visit in San Diego. It sits on Coronado island, right on the beach. With its red roofs and white wooden buildings, the Hotel Del Coronado is full of charm. You can explore the grounds here and lounge on the lawn. The…
Highlights of the Marais area of Paris include a park where locals head for relaxation, homes of the famous, a world-class museum, and high-end shopping. This area of Paris, which includes the 3rd and 4th arrondissements of the city, was built on marshland (“marais” means marsh) in the 1100s. Here are some highlights of a…
The battlefields of WWI around Ypres, the land known as Flanders Fields, lie in peaceful farmland. This month marks the 100th anniversary of my country’s entry into the long, muddy, bloody conflict. To honor those who fought – from about 50 different countries – here’s a look at Flanders Fields today. Tyne Cot Cemetery Lying…
The small town of Ypres sits amid peaceful farmlands in Belgium. It is also know as Ieper in Flemish. During WWI, Ypres suffered from its location, always within a few miles from the front as the fighting stagnated. Much of the town was destroyed. Later, in the 1960s, the buildings were reconstructed in the original…