Big D
The American southwest has often been associated with cowboys, rodeos, wild west shows and ten-gallon hats. But anyone who has visited one of the great metropolitan cities of the southwest will revise that opinion especially if that big city is called The Bid D or Dallas Texas.Dallas reflects that great Texas saying that everything is bigger in Texas. As you move about this fast moving town, you will observe that its a huge area and its people are on the go constantly in this area called The Metroplex. Actually, the metropolitan area of Dallas takes in much, much more than just the town itself as this metropolitan area includes Fort Worth, Arlington and dozens of suburbs that have become absorbed into the excitement that is Dallas.
One of the things that will jump out at you about Dallas even as you enter the city by plane or by automobile is the amazing architecture. The city is a shining example of modern buildings of shiny glass and exciting new design concepts. If there were a city that might fit the description of The City of the Future, it would be Dallas, Texas.
Few who have spent anytime in this large modern city ever would mistake it for your image of a hick town. Quite the opposite it true. Dallas is as metropolitan and up to date as any city in the world. And if you know the city well, you know that some of the biggest business deals in the world are made right here in Dallas in those towering skyscrapers and powerful banks that make up the Dallas economy.
But dont think because Dallas is an economic force to be reckoned with that this is not a genuinely Texas town. As you walk about downtown, you will see businessmen sporting the characteristic cowboy hat and fancy boots. No, they are not playing dress up. That is a normal mode of dress here in the heart of the southwest. But at the same time that you see people dressed to the height of southern fashion, you will see many who are adorned in the finest that the fashion worlds of New York, Paris or London have to offer.
Sightseeing in Dallas can be a rich and rewarding experience. Dallas boasts some world-class museums and their theme parks have set the standard for family entertainment that even Orlando and California have to work hard to try to top. But one moving experience that is a must do of your sightseeing plans is to visit the memorial to President Kennedy and take a walk on the grassy knoll and up into the book repository where that assassin changed the course of American history forever. It is a sobering reminder of the greatness that was lost that day but also a time to show your affection for one of the greatest presidents this country has serve it in its long and illustrious history.
After paying your respects, its time to kick up your heels and have some fun. And no city on earth knows better how to show you a great time that The Big D. The restaurants in this town offer the most diverse menus and the finest chefs this side of Paris. And the nightlife is not just isolated to one part of town. You can disco in the suburbs, country line dance in Fort Worth or bump and grind to the best of modern music in downtown Dallas all night long if you have the inclination. There is even a hidden treasure that is a section of downtown that locals can help you find called Deep Ellum that will have you convinced you have been teleported to the hippest parts of New York or Piccadilly Circus in London. But before long you will realize where you are when you look up at the huge green neon lined downtown buildings of downtown Dallas and realize that you, like the song says are, deep in the heart of Texas. And we think it will be a place you will want to return to again and again.
The Big Apple
No catalog of the great sight seeing locations around America could ever be complete without mention of one of the most exciting cities in the world to visit and enjoy, the one they call The Big Apple. New York City has been called The City that Never Sleeps but you will be the one that does not want to sleep once you get there so you can take advantage of every moment in this amazing city to see and do more.For many people, the mere mention of the words New York City is synonymous with one thing and that is Broadway. This relatively small section of the city contains some of the finest and well known theaters in the world. The shows that make it big on Broadway commonly become national and international sensations as well. The stars that stand out in big shows on The Great White Way very often go on to big success in the movies and television work. The Tony Awards, Broadways version of The Academy Awards garner so much attention that they are shown nationally and watched eagerly by millions all around America and the world.
Not many know, however, that great theater is available all over New York, not just on Broadway. The term Off Broadway refers to theatrical productions being shown in other very popular parts of the city such as Soho or Greenwich Village. Greenwich Village or The Village as locals call it, is one of the most eclectic and exciting areas of town for the tourist to explore. The history of this part of New York includes its famous residents including some of the most renounced figures in the theater, writing, political theory, poets, artists and even political figures. If you take a tour of Greenwich Village, you will find that almost every building there had a famous resident at one time or another.
But no tour of New York City is complete without spending some time in the famed Central Park. As you stroll the famous walkways of this delightful green space right in the middle of New York, you will recognize locations that were used in dozens of movies that were filmed right here in Central Park. This park emphasizes one of the truly great things about New York that makes it distinctive from so many international cities. And that is that New York is a city that is best experienced on foot. Using taxies, busses and the subway you can move from section of town to another. But make sure you put your shoe leather to the sidewalks of New York to genuinely get a feel for the heart and soul of the city.
In addition to the most exciting theater in the world, New York boasts some of the finest museums in the world as well. So along with the may other great sights you will want to see in New York including the Empire State Building and Grand Central Station, be sure to allow plenty of time for the world class museums that dot the city through out the area they call Midtown. Just off of Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the premier museum in the city, Housing great art form every era of art history you can in the same building see a pharaohs tomb, dresses worn by all the first ladies of our history or stirring modern art by Warhol or Pollack.
But that one great museum is not the end of great art available in New York. Other great museums such as the Guggenheim, the Whitney, The Museum of Modern Art and the Museum of Natural History are not only famous but they will astound you as you take them in on your whirlwind visit to The Big Apple.
There is so much to see, hear and taste in New York that you will want to schedule many return visits. But even though it is one of Americas biggest cities, New York has a charm and an intimacy that seem to reach out to its residents and visitors alike and create a bond with you once you open your heart to this wonderful town. That is why a great mayor of this town once said, We are all New Yorkers. After your visit there, we think you will count yourself in as a citizen from far away of this exciting place called The Big Apple.
Cajun Country
A little bit south of Shreveport Louisiana and a little bit east of Beaumont Texas, an area of this country that is one of the most mysterious and exotic places to explore exists and that is the home of the Cajuns in southern Louisiana. When one thinks of Cajun Country, you naturally start to think about New Orleans. And to be sure, that great city, despite the devastating damage done by the hurricane last year, is home to some of the richest Cajun culture of the area.But New Orleans is not the only location you can become lost in the charms of this fascinating subset of American culture. The Cajun world is indeed a culture all its own. As you listen to the way the natives of this world talk, you will start to realize that somehow right here within the borders of the good old USA, a virtual other world has grown up and thrived for these many decades and centuries.
The history of the arrival of the Cajuns to southern Louisiana is a great American story that is seldom told or understood. But it all started in far away Canada when an influx of the French culture encountered discrimination and hostility in that northern part of the world. When the Canadian hosts proved to be most ungracious, these French immigrants were deported and their ships finally came to rest in the wild regions of southern Louisiana long before this area was civilized and organized into a state. Over the decades the combination of French, Creole, Spanish, and Indian and African culture resulted in this rich amalgam that we now know as Cajun.
The Cajun people will seem strange and peculiar to those of us used to what is normal to American standards. But let yourself be swept away to this exotic world right here in America and you too will find yourself slowly adapting to the Cajun lifestyle and point of view. You will find that the Cajun and Creole cultures are profoundly friendly and there is no day that is not a good day for a party in Cajun Country. In fact, Cajuns celebrate everything that is worth celebrating including funerals as they send off their dearly departed with a rousing jazz band and relatives laughing and making joy to the tune of When the Saints Go Marching In.
No review of the great things of the Cajun culture is complete without a mention of the great food. Get your tummy ready for some of the most exotic and stimulating foods you are ever likely to enjoy as you settle in to a local diner in the heart of southern Louisiana. The Gumbo and other uniquely Cajun dishes will sizzle the mouth and set your tummy to tingling as well. But dont panic when it seems your digestive system is on fire. When those potent spices take hold in your blood, you will enjoy the best night of sleep that you can remember.
You should come out of your sightseeing trip to Cajun country with a new sound in your ears as well because the Cajun beats are unlike anything you have ever heard before. It isnt country, it isnt blues, it isnt completely jazz and it isnt bluegrass. It is all of those things and so much more. So if you are pushing back from the table after a big helping of fried crawdad and alligator tail, if the locals ask you if you want to stay for the party, tell them yes so you can become immersed in the great Cajun music that can only be had here in Cajun country.
One of the great things about sightseeing in America is that every area of the country has its own unique flavor and culture for all of us to enjoy. And Louisiana certainly has one of the richest and most diverse cultures that has grown up in the swamps around Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Giving yourself to the chance to experience these rich cultures is just as broadening as travel to Europe, Asia or Africa. And its a whole lot closer.
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The Greatest Beaches in the World
The classic conflict that comes up when the family is voting on the next great vacation outing is, Should we go to the mountains or the beach? Well if you review all that America has to offer, it wont get much easier because we have some of the most exciting mountains and the finest beaches in the whole world right here in the USA.Maybe world travelers can speak of the great beaches of France or Europe but you dont have to fly over the ocean to be on some of the best beaches that can be had this side of heaven. And it stands to reason America would posses some of the most extraordinary and sought after beaches in the world. With an ocean on three sides of the country, the shores of Americas coast are literally thousands of miles long. So it isnt whether America has great beaches but which one to pick that is really a question.
Sometimes we here on the mainland forget that Hawaii is just as much America as Iowa or Massachusetts. But Hawaii has something very special to offer and that is the finest beaches in the world for swimming, surfing or just laying on the sand soaking up the rays. The only problem with Hawaiis beaches is that there is so much to do on the Islands and so much beauty everywhere you look that it is hard to take the time to really enjoy those beaches for all their worth. But they deserve a big part of your vacation schedule so take advantage of these idyllic beaches which you are enjoying your visit to the islands.
Just a short hop over the ocean to the mainland and you can be on the beaches of California which rival Hawaiis and, in fact, any beach in the US or around the world. California has such a long coastline that you can find almost every kind of beach terrain you can think of traveling up and down Californias coast. Not only that, the colorful and eccentric California population is always a great people watching experience as you relax on those beaches, especially on the well known beaches of Los Angeles like Laguna or Venice Beach.
But you dont have to be left without beach access if you live on the east coast because the shorelines of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Cape Code and even Maine are just as scenic and picturesque as any the west coast have to offer. Even in the middle of the hustle and bustle of city life in Boston, there are wonderful beaches nestled right in with the urban build up. Revere Beach, which lies just north of Boston, is a hidden treasure. With its long sandy shoreline, it is the delight for many a Massachusetts youth looking for a romantic beach or a place to just get in some good ocean fun.
We cannot end our discussion of great American beaches without mentioning the phenomenal opportunities on both the east and west shores of Florida. The perfect pure white sands that is as soft as cotton can be found on the west banks of the peninsula that are so pristine that they compare with some of the great beaches of Europe.
So if this summer sneaks up on your family and that battle of mountain or beach rears its head, you know that you dont have to settle for the mountains if the family has its heart set on some ocean side fun, some swimming, surfing, sailing and all the other great fun that can be had at one of Americas great beaches. From the Midwest, you literally have all the beaches we have discussed plus hundreds more that we will leave for you to get out there and discover. So get out those swim trunks and dust off that snorkeling mask. Americas top beaches are calling for you.
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