Tagged With "Hallmark Visitor's Center"
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Re: Wonders of the Modern World
The London Crossrail picture looked amazing, but I wasn't sure just what the project is, so I looked it up on Wikipedia. It's really amazing, it's a railroad project that goes 89 miles from west of London through the city and out the other end to the south. In the center of London it's got 13 miles of the tunnel in the picture! You can see more in Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossrail
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Re: Heidelberg Castle: Where Gumbo Was (#135)
I'm interested in the darker stone or brick construction right in the center of the top photo. Did I miss a reference to it or is it an illusion?
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Re: Heidelberg Castle: Where Gumbo Was (#135)
No, in the lower left of that one, right below the individual tree on the left and below your circle. Put your finger dead center of the top photo and it's there, just above the 2 gothic windows, between the 2 halves of the castle. Looks like a modern construction and appears to be leaning left, 2 chimneys.
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Re: Brooklyn Museum: Depth, Variety, Whimsy
One note to add: The 're-invention' of the Luce Center narrative also highlights how deep the museum's collections are. All of the many items reflecting Native American and Latin culture and history that were added were already in the museum's possession.
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Re: Where We Went: London, Paris, Toronto
What's also interesting about the information is that it's from hotels.com which says in the first line it's helping us find "the best cities around the world". I'm not sure I buy the premise that popular is best. Another index I also find VERY interesting, in the quest to locate interesting places for longer stays on a budget, is the cost of living index for places around the world. While visitor costs and resident costs are not the same, still, it's an interesting tool and also gives us...
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo #6
The tiles in the center of the bridge make wonder if a former Portuguese colony is involved. So i'm going out there and say this is a border crossing between Malaysia and Malacca built by the Portuguese...it all works, you know...except for the architecture of the bridge itself....shrugs
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Re: Should Wi-Fi be free in all hotels?
I am amazed at how internet access to tourists vary by city.Not only WiFi but libraries.Some cities libraries either sell a one hour guest pass or won't even let a visitor on the computer.While other cities are generous
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? 21.0
I suspected it might be a hotel, 2nd floor rooms, center left. And the crockery at the entrance. Now...where.
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Re: The "Eiffel Tour" Only Starts with the Tour Eiffel
T&N, you make an interesting point about the air circulation and coolness of Eiffel's building. These days we are constantly reading about advances in "green design," intended to reduce excess energy use. Ironic how well some of those principles of making life bearable were known so long ago by those who didn't have the option of mechanical air-conditioning! Another example is in today's blog about Gaudi's Casa Battlo in Barcelona, which uses an open well through the center of the...
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Re: Traveling for Local Food
To be honest, Varsity ain't what it was when I was in college...there's better places around. Some good stuff on Marietta St. near the convention center, and lots of good places in Decatur area (we're near there). That's the kind of stuff I'm looking for to make up our road trip.
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Re: Montreal: Je Me Souviens
Re the name "Montreal": there is a town in France with the same name so it is not certain that the City of Montreal is called that because of Mont Royal. Apart from that small quibble, I heartily agree with all you have written about my home city. Oh, wait ... it really isn't so that "almost everyone speaks English quite well". Venture east of Blvd St Laurent and you'll soon find that isn't the case. But then the average visitor, unless by accident, will not find him/herself in the part of...
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Re: And the tallest US building goes to?
The judges have chosen the "fairest in the land". I would be happy to tour both buildings. The ingenuity of architects and engineers never ceases to impress me. Some buildings that I have particularly enjoyed touring - the World Trade Center and the Rockefeller Center in NY, the dome of St. Peter's in Rome, all of St. Paul's in London, the Reichstag in Berlin and all of the small historical buildings at Greenfield Village, Michigan.
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Re: Capital of Culture Series: Liverpool
In a way, most of the places in the world worth visiting have some history of being "dirty, industrial" places--that's where people cluster and societies are forged. The ancient cities of the Middle East and Greece, and Rome itself were like that! We recently visited the excavated Roman city under central Barcelona, and were surprised to see how much of the area in the center of the ancient city was given over to commercial laundry, large-scale dye works and industrial-scale wine-making. The...
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Re: Capital of Culture Series: Liverpool
Originally Posted by PHeymont: According to JECH, there is an exhibit of reconstructed "back houses" at the Liverpool Museum of Liverpool Life. That must be a fascinating museum! And the author mentioned that while most of the back houses were town down in urban renewal, the few that remain have been turned into luxury housing! I visited a block of "back to backs" in Birmingham, the last left after thousands were demolished in the move to urban renewal in the city center. They've been...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, July 20, 2015: Wise Owl
So How many licks does it take to get to center of a Tootsie Roll pop?
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, July 20, 2015: Wise Owl
Originally Posted by Jonathan L: So How many licks does it take to get to center of a Tootsie Roll pop? 973!
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Re: Wandering In and Around Split
Absolutely a beautiful city! I wonder how many days you'd recommend the first time visitor spend in Split?
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Re: Yellowstone HQ, Mammoth Hot Springs
I agree with you about this being the most interesting visitor site in the park, although my heart does belong to Old Faithful region. I never came across Touchdown -- probably to my advantage -- but I do admire an animal with spunk!
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Re: The Difference between Tourists and Travelers
I think it may not be all that easy to divide the world into 'tourists' and 'travelers;' the world is not really that binary, and there are many shades between them. And many of those we meet are on the path to deeper experiences as they experience more and travel more. I think of the many new travelers who used to post on the Frommer forums about their desire to 'see as much as possible' and 'do as many countries as possible' in impossibly short time allowances. Some of us who were regulars...
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo? #62
No conversation? Well, it looks limited in the yacht/marina element. Low industrial buildings or shopping center across the water? No signs of big shipping, though larger ships/ferries on other side. Fog bank in the distance. And a somewhat elaborate window from the observer's viewpoint.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Feb 11, 2015: Fruit of the Vine
The Finger Lakes area in the center of the state has long been a big white-wine producer; Taylor is originally from there. There's been a growing industry on Long Island in recent years, where sandy soil in some areas has been good to the grapes. On the whole, NY wines range from extraordinary to oversweet. And, of course, it's home to one of my guilty favorites: Manishewitz Concord Grape wine, kosher for Passover!
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo? #56
Yes, HistoryDigger, it is time to spill all because Lynn Miller figured it out (good for you, Lynn!) Please remember that these puzzles could be from anywhere in the world and rarely does one logically follow another in sequence. Gumbo is known to travel half way round the planet for the right puzzle questions These are closeups of a small portion of a large sports arena. The two statues do indeed represent "The Audience" -- cheering, booing, lifting kids to see better, eating hot dogs and...
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#72)
Have the guessers given up? Perish forbid. Here's a hint to get the juices going... This station, in a city that has two rail mass transit systems, is near a well-known center of design and crafts.
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#72)
CALLING ALL GUESSERS! Tomorrow is Day 7 for this puzzle, and if no one has the answer by midnight, the Puzzler gets to gloat (just a little) and the answer will be revealed Sunday morning...but wouldn't it look good with your name as the solver? Let's see if you can get 'er done! Last hints/notes: 1. Two more cities with dual heavy-rail transit systems: Philadelphia and San Francisco. Not that that's relevant to the puzzle, because Gumbo is, yes, definitely in Europe. 2. Where (see early...
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#72)
Sorry, I've been on pain meds this week. All I see are Xs and Os. Design and craft center?
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#72)
The station shares a name and some history with a nearby center that houses numbers of design and craft spots, and whose design exemplifies some. But the station is not the center!
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Re: Cruising down the Nile (part 4)
What a fabulous conclusion to a delightful series, Mac. Thanks so much for sharing this journey with all of us. I've wanted to visit Egypt for some time, but have always been a little reluctant to go somewhere I might get targeted for extermination simply because I'm a visitor from the west. But your series has made me want to see this sooner, rather than later.
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#43)
I see luggage, I see what looks like a big trash can, center through the trees. First thought is it's an airport atrium. Maybe a hotel but it seems to me a passage on the way out as the left end appears to be open. And if it is open that would imply an airport in a warm place. There's also an interesting buff colored wall with moorish-looking details on the very far side. Hmm. Andalucia? All shots in the dark, I really have no idea.
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Re: London- multiple questions
I can only help with one of the questions...but GarryRF, one of the TG Gurus, lives in Liverpool and can certainly help with that part. For Stonehenge without a car, there are really two main options. There are a number of tour operators who run coach tours from London to the site; or you can take a train from London to Salisbury and take a bus from the station to the Stonehenge visitor center. The visitor center is new since I was there; it's about 10 minutes by shuttle from the stones...
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Re: How loooong does it take to get to your airport?
Originally Posted by PHeymont You just have to conclude that all this planning is done by people who have chauffeurs or helicopters to get them to the plane on time... Or progress is blocked by some politician or lobbyist... ;-) I did just get a chance to read the blog you linked. While I agree that public transportation is much more available in Europe, and perhaps Asia, however with the few examples he sites, there really are few cities that have that 15-20 minute from "airport to...
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#85)
Today's hint - This complex is often compared to another cultural center built at the same time and in a similar style, but at the opposite end of their country.
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#85)
Palm trees and evergreens. Could this cultural center be in Florida and not in Australia or Spain. I have never seen it.
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Re: Observatory of New York's One World Trade Center to Open May 29th
At those prices, they can certainly claim to be "sky-high!" That's $116 for a family of four for an elevator ride. And even at that, it's only a couple of dollars more than the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center, and the same as the Empire State Building charges for its 86th floor deck, with an additional charge for the top deck. It seems a shame that families on a budget have no access to the iconic "NY from the air" view that their children may be clamoring for.
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Re: National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta (Where Gumbo Was #109)
I took my photos that i posted for WITW 109 from Centennial Olympic Park Dr. What amazed me is where they placed the front of the building.Below is a photo from the Center.
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Re: Another Vegas Landmark Hotel to be Torn Down
The Riveria was one of the oldest hotels remaining in Vegas and I'm not surprised that it's on the chopping block. I am a little surprised that the convention center is expanding that much. Many of the hotels in Vegas have their own (smaller) convention centers, in addition to the large center that is near the old Hilton hotel, so there seems to be no shortage of convention space in town. Always I wonder where they'll get the people to fill these places, but somehow they keep coming....
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Re: Art, Architecture, History and More in Fun Frederick, MD
One of our sister agencies called the Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center was located in Fort Detrick in Frederick Maryland. I visited AFMIC a number of times and your photos of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine brought back memories. I have not toured Frederick village itself, but your story has prompted me to put it on my list of places to visit.
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Re: Edinburgh tells its 'People's Story'
If you liked this museum I recommend another, different but complimentary, the Back to Backs in Birmingham. A group of dwellings in the city center that somehow escaped urban renewal, it's been turned into a museum by the Nation Trust and recreates working people's homes of several eras, fascinating. https://www.nationaltrust.org....ingham-back-to-backs
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Re: Our Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg, Austria - Part Two
I took my wife on the Sound of Music tour from the old Chiemsee Armed Forces Recreation Center when the US Army occupied it. I remember on our bus as we drove away, the guide wanted us to show hands of who saw it just once, and went through the numbers to see who saw it the most. She never asked who never saw it which was only me. Still haven't seen it. Everyone ooohed and aaaahed when we arrived at the gazebo as I stood bewildered and I was the only one that didn't know the do-re-mi song...
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Re: Getting to know Canada's hidden gems
There are ruins of a Viking settlement in the northwest corner of Newfoundland. Admittedly a remote hard to get to place, but I'd like to see them someday. Indian tribes tended just to bunker down in the winter in a place they knew would be safe for them. Sheltered somewhat from the wind, wood and fresh water supply nearby, etc. Food was generally harvested in the summer and consumed during the cold winter months. Their tents were constructed of hides (as were their clothes) and are...
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Re: Dec. 22, 2016: Christmas Tree, Fashion Island, Newport Beach, CA
Beautiful Christmas Tree indeed. Best I've seen since the NYPD chased me with night stick raised in 2002. In Rockefeller Center when they switched on the Christmas lights. Memorable as the best ever Tree Display. "You need to disperse that way Sir" - "Sorry Officer, but you've sent my wife and kids the opposite way " - " You'll do as I told you" - "No way - Watch me......."
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Re: Willis Tower and Our Skydeck Experience—Chicago
I haven't been on this one, but I have gone to a few, including Empire State and the old World Trade Center in NY. I always enjoy the view, but if there's an open observation area, I find myself with small chills and odd feelings in my legs as if I were going to fall...no matter how secure it is! So for me, it's the view plus a thrill ride!
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Re: A visit to Normandy: exploring the D-Day beaches
Thanks for your comment, Arion. It's hard not to be moved by D-Day. The vastness of the assault, the staggering loss of life (civilian and military). What most impressed me is that the local people remember. Not French people away from the coast, but those whose relatives went through the assault make a point of teaching their children and grandchildren the price paid to liberate them from the Nazi fascists. The Juno Beach Center, built by the Canadian Beach, really did a great job of...
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? #4.5, 12/6/13
If anyone's really interested in finding this pier it's the details that count. Despite having the suggestion blown off earlier I still see mountains in the center distance, leading me to believe it's in Southern California. The railing is distinctive, 2 boards together at the top then just 1 more below. A few lights, all on one side. Then the cross bracing below and an "L" or "T" at the end for the angle of the shot. The closest I've seen so far are Ventura and Newport Beach but neither...
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? #4.5, 12/6/13
If you look closely at pictures of wooden piers, PH, you'll see that this railing is very distinctive too, rules out almost every one I've seen. Look beyond the close hills on the right, in the center, mountains meeting the clouds. I'm pretty sure I'm not imagining them.
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? #4.5, 12/6/13
Mountains? Of course! Tall buildings similar to the ones behind the light standard in the center of the pic? Yes! Palms that match the ones in the pic? Those too!
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Nov 25, 2013: Bald Eagles, Lake Couer d'Alene
Thanks for the comment, GarryRF. I do love love nature and natural history and often my travels center around seeing these sorts of sights. I did not know that about alligators and the fish. But I can't say I'm surprised. Nature has developed marvelous mechanisms of adaptation that never cease to amaze me. What I am looking forward to, as are others, is your first piece on those great Cuban cars. Not nature, but beauty of a different kind!
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Re: Visiting great places -- before they're gone
TB, I have been up the Amazon River as far as Manaus. There were bugs but they were extra rad Brazilian bugs so I did not care. Should we strive to get to places before they are gone ? It is an oxymoron. In the getting there, we make the place disappear. The very fact that a new element - the visitor - is there changes the place. Margaret Mead And David Livingstone each noted that phenomenon. Anthropology is the science which tells us that people are the same the whole world over - except...
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Re: Welcome to England! Brits expedite your entry
As it's described in the article, it appears the government wants fees for things like this to pay the costs of other immigration programs...I wonder if that explains the sizable fees for the U.S. Precheck and Global Entry programs, which Gumbo reader Sisyphus asked about on the forums the other day. (Here is a link to that discussion Is Pre-check or Global Entry worth it? ) The article also says it may be available to some regular-visitor travelers from US, Canada, etc. Wonder if they'll...
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Re: A Visit to Ireland (Part 5): the town of Dingle
Certainly looks bright and colourful. Guess you were there in the Summer time. Always good to see a recommend for accommodation from a genuine visitor ! Thanks for the great views too. Maybe we should name the Camera we travel with ?