Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for travel
The History of Detroit
By Linda Tancs
In 1701, French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded the settlement that would become Detroit, Michigan. The approximate site of his landing is where you’ll find Hart Plaza, located south of the intersection of Jefferson and Woodward avenues in the vicinity of the Detroit River. The 14-acre plaza is a popular festival and meeting space. Closer to the riverside you’ll find a statue of Cadillac, along with a memorial to the Underground Railroad (because Detroit was a critical stop). The plaza also features a Ford Motor Company historical marker, showing the site where the company’s articles of incorporation were signed in 1903.
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Portugal’s Oldest Town
By Linda Tancs
Situated on the Lima River in northern Portugal, Ponte de Lima is frequently referred to as the nation’s oldest town because it was given a charter by Queen Teresa in 1125. The small town may be most famous for its bridge over the river, particularly the Roman portion constructed in the first century. But it’s also the center of Vinho Verde (green, or young, wine) production, the history of which is recounted at the local interpretative center. Another gem is the toy museum (Museu do Brinquedo) on the right bank of the river, where you can travel in time through Portuguese toy manufacture from the 19th century to the 1980s. Almost 200 Portuguese manufacturers are represented. Driving there is recommended; public transport options are poor, even from Porto.
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Dining Above the Falls
By Linda Tancs
The Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls, Ontario, is an observation tower that overlooks both the American Falls in New York and the larger Horseshoe Falls in Ontario, Canada. Featuring both indoor and outdoor observation decks at 764 feet, you’ll zip to the top in 52 seconds in an outside-mounted “yellow bug” elevator. Besides the sweeping vistas, you can enjoy a singular meal at the revolving restaurant, which, of course, offers more incredible views. The dining room does a complete revolution once per hour. On a clear day, visibility might reach 80 miles.
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End of the Commons
By Linda Tancs
The oldest operating general store in Ohio is End of the Commons in historic Mesopotamia, the heart of Amish Country. The store has been serving customers since 1840 and features over 1,000 bulk food products, hard-to-find houseware and kitchen gadgets and more than 50 varieties of old-fashioned soda and penny candy. A family-run business, its nod to yesteryear is a favorite among locals and tourists alike. Be sure to sample some Amish delights in their cafe, like a fry pie.
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The Stones of New Amsterdam
By Linda Tancs
Located in the Financial District, Stone Street is one of New York City’s oldest streets, harking back to the city’s days as New Amsterdam, the 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan that served as the seat of the colonial government. The road bears the distinction of being the first street in the Dutch settlement to be paved—that is, with cobblestones. Designated a historic district, it runs in two sections between Whitehall Street in the west and Hanover Square in the east. Look beyond the skyscrapers to capture the area’s historic buildings, some of the last remnants of New Amsterdam.
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The Road to Hana
By Linda Tancs
Hawaii’s Hana Highway (Highway 36) is more than just a road; it’s the top tourist destination on the northeast coastline of Maui. That’s because the drive is filled with eye-popping scenes from waterfalls, lookouts and lush forest along with fruit trees, cane grass and verdant pastures. It’s a journey best taken in stages although you could blow through it in three hours from Wailea. If you choose to stop along the way, then consider the aptly-named Garden of Eden Arboreturm (mile marker 10), the lookout point with a beautiful view of Maui’s north coast at Kaumahina State Wayside Park (mile marker 12) and Kahanu Garden (mile marker 31), boasting a view of Pi’ilanihale Heiau, the largest temple in Hawaii. The road is often snarled in traffic; start before sunrise for the best experience.
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A Highway of History
By Linda Tancs
The Mohawk Trail is New England’s first scenic road. One of the oldest scenic routes in the country, it was established in 1914. At 63 miles, it stretches from the Massachusetts-New York line to Millers Falls on the Connecticut River. Among the many attractions are the only natural white marble arch in North America as well as Indian and Revolutionary War monuments and ancient glacial potholes. During the first two weeks of October, fall foliage generally peaks, bringing not only spectacular color but also a fall foliage festival and parade in North Adams, one of many towns making up the trail region.
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Europe’s Largest Clock Face
By Linda Tancs
You can tell the time from anywhere in Zürich, Switzerland, thanks to St. Peter’s Church. The only Baroque church in the city, it boasts the largest clock face in Europe, with a dial measuring over 28 feet in diameter. The ninth-century church is also the oldest in the city, its tower having served as a fire lookout point for part of its history. Be sure to step inside, where the treasures include crystal chandeliers, an organ with 53 stops, a baptismal font dating to 1598 and 15th-century choir chairs.
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The Lion Rock
By Linda Tancs
One of Sri Lanka’s most popular attractions is Sigiriya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Otherwise known as Lion Rock, the site in the Central Province boasts the ruins of an ancient stronghold from the 5th century atop a rock standing over 600 feet above the surrounding plain. It was built by King Kashyapa as a fortress against attacks from his brother, the rightful heir to their father’s throne. On a plateau halfway up the rock Kashyapa built a gateway in the form of a huge lion with a staircase emerging from the lion’s mouth, giving rise to the moniker “Lion Rock.” A series of stairs leads to the summit, a portion of which contains the remnants of the lion’s paws and the first stairs.
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An Aristocrat in Hyde Park
By Linda Tancs
The Vanderbilt Mansion at Hyde Park, New York, was a seasonal residence and part of a portfolio of properties occupied by Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt. One of America’s wealthiest families, the manor’s design is very much in keeping with the opulence that defines Gilded Age country houses. The mansion itself is described as a Beaux-Arts interpretation of the Italian Renaissance. Inside, the rooms are lavishly decorated with exotic wood paneling, imported marble, lush velvets, French tapestries, and, as was the custom, antique building components salvaged from the great houses of Europe. Boasting original furnishings, a centerpiece of the estate is Mrs. Vanderbilt’s bedroom. A recreation of a French royal bedroom, it features a canopied state bed, raised on a dais against a wall and separated from the rest of the room by a partition of raised columns with curvilinear balustrade, an architectural convention borrowed from many European royal palaces. Access to the mansion, a National Historic Site, is by guided tour only.
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