Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for November, 2023
The Little Green Huts
By Linda Tancs
A quirky part of London’s history are the little green huts that pop up in various parts of the capital. Known as cabmen’s shelters, they were established in 1875 for London’s cabbies as a place to rest and eat during the workday. Once numbering 61, the 13 remaining shelters are all Grade II-listed (protected) buildings. You’ll find them at locales like Wellington Place, Russell Square and Kensington Park Road. Nowadays even non-cabbies can order takeaway from a service window; hours vary at each shelter.
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All About Puppets
By Linda Tancs
A museum for all ages, the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, Georgia, explores the art form from ancient times to the present. It features a global gallery showing how puppetry has been used to communicate across different cultures as well as the Jim Henson Gallery. There you’ll find some of the inventor and puppeteer’s most beloved characters, including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and Big Bird. Rotating special exhibitions also take place throughout the year.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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The Telephone Pole Farm
By Linda Tancs
A quirky yet iconic tourist attraction in Chester, New Jersey, the “telephone pole farm” on North Road hearkens back to the days when wooden telephone poles would be planted and tested for survival against the elements by comparing the effects of various chemical treatments. In this case, the outdoor laboratory site served one of the most famous research units in the world, Bell Labs. Today, the farm serves as a welcoming ambassador to the township’s Highlands Ridge Park, where you’ll find a portion of the Patriots’ Path, a multi-use trail system in Morris County.
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The Red Sea Reef
By Linda Tancs
The Red Sea Reef is the largest coral reef in Africa and features hundreds of endemic species found nowhere else. It boasts over 220 species of corals accompanied by over 1,000 species of fish, 40 species of starfish, 150 species of crustaceans and 25 species of sea urchins. Egypt’s Ras Muhammad National Park protects a small portion of the reef, and it’s the go-to place for scuba divers and snorkelers to explore this amazing underwater resource. The park is located at the southernmost tip of the Sinai Peninsula.
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Crossroad of Culture
By Linda Tancs
Designated by UNESCO as an area of Outstanding Universal Value, Samarkand is a city in Uzbekistan known for its mosques and mausoleums. Among the oldest, continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia, it’s along the Silk Road, the ancient trade route linking China to the Mediterranean. Registan Square is the symbol of the city’s history as a trade and cultural center as well as a stunning tourist attraction, boasting three ornately decorated madrassas surrounding the square on three sides. Another must-see site is the Gur-e-Amir mausoleum, a towering spectacle with an azure dome and beautiful tilework. It’s the burial place of the Mongol conqueror Timur (Tamerlane) and some of his descendants. Consider a guided sightseeing tour as English is not widely spoken.
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World’s Largest Popcorn Ball
By Linda Tancs
The world’s largest popcorn ball is located in Sac City, Iowa. The colossal structure measures 8 feet in diameter and tops out at a whopping 9,370 pounds. It’s displayed in its own custom shed at the edge of the Sac City Museum Village. While you’re there, be on the lookout for historic barns and corn cribs painted with colorful 8-foot-square quilt blocks. You can pick up a map of quilt locations at convenience stores in the county.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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The Castle of Marietta
by Linda Tancs
Built in 1855, the Castle of Marietta is a Gothic Revival-style mansion in Marietta, Ohio. Before becoming a historical house museum in 1994, it was home to some of the city’s most prominent and influential citizens, including a lawyer, senator, banker and a land and oil speculator. Many of their furnishings are on display in the well-preserved rooms. Tours (available from April to December) include the first and second floors.
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A Fest of Love and Grease
By Linda Tancs
How many ways can you love bacon? Let us count the ways: bacon on a stick, chocolate-covered bacon, bacon burger, bacon cannoli, bacon Bloody Mary, bacon poutine, bacon sticky buns. That and more awaits you at PA Bacon Fest, an annual event in downtown Easton, Pennsylvania. Rounding out the festivities are activities like a bacon eating contest, live music, cooking demonstrations and a hog calling contest. This year’s event takes place on November 4 and 5.
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