Tag: Quarantine

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Sight Seeing in America- The World in One Country

Some have said that if you want to enjoy all of the pleasures and excitement of visiting every foreign port all around the world, just vacation in America because we have it all. And to be sure, you can literally experience almost any part of the world right here in the heart of the United States of America.

It makes sense that the cultures of dozens if not hundreds of countries have been recreated beautifully in the borders of The United States. After all, this country was comprised almost entirely of immigrants from every country across the globe. And as each new immigrant group made their home here in America, they found their countrymen so they could live near each other, if for no other reason than to hear their nature tongues spoken. And within those communities, the cultures of “the old country” were beautifully reproduced to make those immigrants get over a little of their homesickness for the familiar and for home.

The beautiful thing about life in America is that the different ethnic groups are not stingy about keeping others from other cultures from learning of their customs, tasting their foods, enjoying their music and really getting a good exposure to a culture that they would otherwise have to travel around the world to see. So in one country, often in one city and often within city blocks of one another, you can experience cultures as diverse and different from each other as night is from day.

In places that would seem unlikely, you can discover entire populations of Germans, the Polish, Bavarians and other ethnic groups from central Europe. And without much coaxing, they love to share their delightful foods, music and dance with you as well. So even if you are as English as tea or hail from far away Spain, Africa or the Middle East, you can take an evening, eat a bratwurst, enjoy a stout beer and for a little while, you too are just as German as anyone at that party.

The American melting pot surfaced a trait that seems to be common in most if not all of the ethnic populations around that world. And that is a very basic hospitality, openness to outsiders and excitement to share their cultural richness with anyone who wishes to join in. And the natural American trait of friendliness and hospitality to strangers assures that if you want to experience the world in one country, you can easily do that in this great country.

In many cities in our country, you can take an evening and seemingly leave this world behind and lounge in the exotic atmospheres of ancient china, Thailand, Persia or Tibet. The foods of these countries will delight your mouth and give your taste buds some exciting new adventures as well. And the ambiance and music that the natives who create these worlds for us transport us to their home lands just as magically as one of those special effects movies from Hollywood. So be sure to take the time to listen to the music, enjoy the dancing and really soak up the culture and atmosphere of the country of origin as you savor the delicacies of their foods as well.

When you go to traveling across America, be sure you take notice of areas of the country that have particularly strong communities from around the world. These local outposts of far away lands are usually excited to share with you their native customs. You may even walk out of that Pakistani area of Pittsburgh decked out in robes and a native headwear that you will enjoy lounging around in at home, remembering the many great experiences you had when you set out to enjoy the world in one country.

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Sight Seeing in America- Camping Coast-to-Coast

The American continent is such a vast landscape of every imaginable terrain and climate. In the same country, you can walk in a tropical rain forest, play on a Caribbean beach, hike in a mountain range or fish on a tranquil lake. And if you enjoy camping, you know that nothing compares to the sense of intimacy and “becoming one with nature” with the experience of pitching a tent and sleeping nestled in nature’s arms.

One of the hardest things about living in a country of such great diversity, with so much to offer in term of sightseeing and of such great size is how do you take it all in and really enjoy everything to see and experience? Many have taken on the challenge of a cross country journey to scratch that itch. There is nothing like traveling by car from one coast to the other to give you a deep appreciation of the magnificence God has put into the American landscape.

But to really make that cross country trip an adventure that will stay with you forever, you might consider planning such a trip and combining it with those well developed camping skills you have developed. By “camping across America”, you can enjoy that same sense of getting close to nature but broaden your experience by camping at different state parks from Washington to Florida or New Jersey to California or whatever route works best for you.

Of course, such an adventure will take plenty of planning. For starters, you should carefully map out your route so you know from night to night where the next camping location exactly is. The great thing about the National Parks System is that you can virtually visit any campsite in the country using the internet and view the locations of the campsites and even make your reservations on the computer so you know you have a campsite waiting for you at every stop along the way.

Other preparations fit in with your existing camping discipline including how to prepare for meals, the equipment checklist and emergency preparedness. A camping trip of this scope can take several weeks and you don’t want to rush it because part of the joy of camping coast to coast is getting to know the land at every stop along the way. If you are new to camping, taking a good amount of time to work out your camping skills, your equipment checklist and building your campsite abilities will pay off well when you set off on this kind of great adventure.

A couple other words of advice will pay off well that pertain to being prepared for any contingency. While camping is clearly less expensive than staying in hotels, you should be sure your budget is sound should an emergency arise and you find you need to use hotels or buy new equipment to replace things that get damaged. Always be aware of accommodations nearby should the weather take a turn for the worse. If you are caught in a flood in your campsite half way through your coast to coast adventure, that can throw off the entire trip. So be prepared to make other arrangements in a hurry.

With good preparation and plenty of well rehearsed emergency fall back plans, you can be ready for just about any circumstance that might come up during your big trek across the American continent. But even with those adjustments, you will look back fondly on this great undertaking and the many nights you became close to nature in yet another of the scenic and soul inspiring camping locations across this great land. And don’t be surprised if after you get home, you are already starting to plan your next great outing camping coast to coast.

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Sight Seeing in America- Overwhelmed by History

A trip to Boston is like a trip back into the very early founding stages of this great nation. This city, so rich in culture, is one sightseeing stop that you will want to schedule plenty of time to take in. The city is respectful of it’s own historical significance and they proudly offer every opportunity for you to jump into history and the fascinating culture of this diverse east coast community.

The very layout of Boston is a study in history. It is a city that is seemingly impossible to find your way around in. The roads twist and turn, change names and take on new routes as though they have minds of their own. The reason that Boston’s streets are such a maze is that they reflect the days when the city was built around trails to accommodate farmers and merchants. So the roads were not laid out to be logical, they were made to be efficient for a people who lived there two hundred years ago. Today, travel around Boston can be as much fun as it is confusing as you see it as a challenge to try to learn the layout of this complex town.

Unlike many cities that exploit their natural attractions, you can absorb Boston’s rich historical past for free or for the low cost of a shuttle bus ride that will take you around to the sights at your own pace. For starters, you can step out onto the street at many corners in downtown Boston and look down and find what they call “The Freedom Trail”. This is a two and a half mile walk marked clearly in red on the streets below that takes you by some of the great historical locations in the city.

To make your experience with The Freedom Trail more meaningful, pick up one of the many guides and commentaries that you can use to follow along the trail and “re-learn” your history of what happened at each location. It is almost impossible not to get goose bumps as you stand near or inside such historic locations as The Paul Revere House, the location of the Boston Massacre, The Old North Church and many more.

No trip to Boston would be complete without taking some time out of the car to enjoy the out of doors in the huge park in the middle of everything known as the Boston Common. Just as with almost everything in Boston, there is a rich history to this park. It is the oldest public park in the USA. It’s designation as a public park dates back to 1640. Boston Common was originally used by the British as a place where their troops could camp during the Revolutionary War. Today it is the jewel of this great city with the city hall on one side and the Freedom Trail running along the other taking you gracefully to your next location for sightseeing.

There are numerous tour operations that give you from a lot to a little, with the price difference to match, to enhance your ability to appreciate the history of this great town. One of the best is the local shuttle of historic locations. For one low price you can get on and get off of the shuttle all day long, taking your time at the sights you really want to savor and moving along at your own pace. This is the perfect solution to renting a car and it gives you a wider range of things you can see than if you go by foot alone.

Of recent historic note, you may wish to give in to have a brew at that bar where everybody knows your name. The very popular TV show Cheers was based on a historic pub right off of the Boston Common itself. Now you will have to look for it. The name of the pub is not Cheers but The Bull and Finch. But when you see it from the street, you will immediately recognize the outer façade of the pub. It was used for the opening of the show.

Your trip to Boston will leave you with rich memories of this historic city. But more than that, it will fill you with pride and a renewed reverence for the amazing beginnings of this the greatest nation on earth, much of which here occurred right here in Boston, Massachusetts.

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Sight Seeing in America- Where Business is a Pleasure

When you think of heading out to do some serious sightseeing in America, we often associate that with vacation times. And to be sure, those times are especially fun because you can be with family and friends and take in the heart stopping sights that are so unique to our great country.

But for many of us, traveling on business can be as much a part of our travel life as family vacation time is. Of course, on a business trip you have to be focused on the purpose of the business trip itself. But if your business takes you to some of the truly great parts of our country, its allowable for you to use that time you are serving your business well to enjoy the glory that God has put around us all over this great land.

Airplanes can provide some of the most spectacular ways to take in sights from the vantage point of the air. If you are flying over one of the spectacular mountain ranges of this country, you can gaze down and daydream about the pioneers who crossed those mountains to explore the country and spread its scope from coast to coast. If your imagination is active that day, you may speculate on where those roads down there lead and on how it would be to live in one of those remote towns you see scattered in the majestic but rustic mountain locations.

But the mountains are not the only sights of this country that can take your breath away when you fly over head. The sights of Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty, of the shoreline of Chicago, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Atlantic Ocean off of Cape Cod, to name just a few, are even more stunning when seen from the air. You won’t be able to see such things on every flight, but when they become visible, don’t forget to close the laptop for a minute and take in these rare treats when they present themselves.

But the opportunities to catch a moment to take in a great sightseeing treat while on a business trip do not end when the plane lands. Many times conferences and big meetings are scheduled in some of the great cities of our country. So don’t just hang around the hotel after the job is done. If you don’t have business activities in the evening a cab ride through the city hitting the big attractions can be most enjoyable. Many cities have sights worth seeing that you never have to get out of your vehicle to enjoy. But taking some time to get out and walk in a memorial park, go to the best museum in town or take in the atmosphere in one of the ethnic neighborhoods can take a routine business trip and make it truly memorable.

You might also consider extending your stay in a particularly interesting part of the city or state you are going to go on business to give yourself the chance to get out and really jump into the local color or to give a great attraction or sight the time it deserves to really enjoy it. If you can afford to give yourself a whole Saturday just for sightseeing, you will come home from that business trip with an enhanced sense of accomplishment because you not only accomplished the goals of the trip, you enriched your life seeing one of the great and maybe spectacular sights that makes our country so unique.