Years ago in New York City, I went to a party for retail visual merchandise managers hosted by a mannequin manufacturer in a loft display room. The elevator door opened to a low-light room filled with fabulously dressed people clustered in groups enjoying cocktails. In an effort to mingle, I approached one cluster, only to discover that some among the group were mute and motionless! What was even odder is that no one seemed to notice. It was business as usual! New York Tours and Attractions
That’s the same feeling you get in Madame Tussauds Wax Museums. See for yourself when visiting Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, New York City, or Washington D.C. The historic and contemporary figures are so life-like, for a moment you forget they aren’t. What’s more, by interacting with your favorite celeb as you step into their world cleverly created through high tech accouterments, intellect and fantasy somehow get all knotted up. You know they’re just wax figures, but for a moment you believe!
Washington National Cathedral Gargoyle
Walking down the streets of older American cities, where spired, turreted Gothic Revival buildings tower overhead, have you ever felt the presence of someone watching you?
Well, they are.
Look up.
You’ll be amazed at what’s looking down at you!
Walk on the unusual side – take a tour of a historic cemetery, graveyard or burying ground. Macabre, moving, or appealing, these silent cities have fascinating stories to tell. Beneath fieldstone, granite, marble and bronze, lie superstition and belief, tragedy and triumph, romance and scandal, humor and sadness, politics and war.
The WWII Victory Garden is making a comeback! Everywhere, in big cities and small towns, people are talking about planting their own gardens. The reason, of course, is natural: escalating food prices, produce recalls, and the primeval need to dig in the dirt when faced with overwhelming threats all around. So, where does this subject fit into travel?
This summer and fall, as you travel about the US, include a visit to a city market, community garden, greenmarket, farmers’ markets, tailgate market, and seek out restaurants whose menus feature fresh, regionally grown vegetables and sustainable cuisine. You’ll love this new tourism twist!
Planning your next vacation? Looking for something on the stranger side? The United States has some really strange museums. Here are some of the strangest.
Museum of Bad Art (MoBA) – Not sure how else to describe this museum… the title sums it up pretty well. The Museum of Bad Art describes its mission perfectly – “dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art in all its forms.” Artists that are featured at the MoBA are talented, esteemed artists that have created works that cause fans to say “what was he thinking?”. Founded by Scott Wilson who began the museum with its first masterpiece in 1993, “Lucy in the Field of Flowers”, apparently discovered in a trash pile in Boston. Museum Of Bad Art, Basement of Dedham Communitiy Theatre, 580 High Street, Dedham MA, Telephone: 1-781-444-6757 www.museumofbadart.org
When you tour Washington D.C. you have to visit the very popular International Spy Museum. This one-of-a-kind museum has hosted over 3 Million visitors since it opened in 2002. Here’s a nice video of the concept from VOA. Here are some good photos at Flickr, too! Fun example of taking an interesting subject like spying secrets and turning it into a tourist attraction. What’s your interesting idea?
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Air Force Brigadier General Paul Tibbets just died. He was 92 years old and requested that no funeral be held and no marker be placed on his grave. He was concerned that these memorials might draw protest. Protest for what he and his crew flying the Enola Gay did on August 6, 1945. They dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. It’s estimated that over 200,000 people lost their lives as a result of these two explosions. Six days later World War II ended with the surrender of Japan.
Just across 16th Street from St. John’s Church at the corner of H Street stands the Hay-Adams Hotel, a small, luxury, Italian Renaissance-style hotel built in 1927. Elegant, and with a distinguished address to match, it has spectacular views of the President’s House, Church of Presidents, and Lafayette Park.
The hotel is named for the men who resided in two massive adjoining Romanesque style homes designed by famed architect H. H. Richardson in 1885, which stood on this site until razed by the hotel developer.
