Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for U.S. travel
The House That Witnessed History
By Linda Tancs
Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991, Bush-Holley House is a saltbox in cozy Cos Cob, a Greenwich, Connecticut suburb on the north side of Long Island Sound. Initially constructed in 1728, the colonial home’s coastal vantage point provided front row views decades later to our nation’s battle for independence. Purchased in the early 1700s by Justus Bush, a wealthy farmer in Greenwich, the family operated a tide mill on the property and later added a storehouse that would become the Cos Cob post office for a time. The house passed into the Holley family, who ran it as a boarding house for artists and writers. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, an art colony for impressionists flourished in Cos Cob. Serving as part of the Connecticut Art Trail, the house museum honors the area’s artistic legacy through temporary and permanent exhibitions.
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Nation’s Largest City Zoo
By Linda Tancs
The Bronx Zoo in New York is the nation’s largest city zoo. Managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society, its exhibits include the Congo Gorilla Forest, the Wild Asia Monorail, Tiger Mountain, and Madagascar. The zoo is especially renowned for its Education Department, dedicated to teaching youngsters and adults about wildlife and wild habitats through guided tours, family overnights, summer programs, and opportunities to meet zoo experts. Save 20% when you purchase a Total Experience Ticket online, which includes all the popular attractions like the 4-D Theater, Bug Carousel, Butterfly Garden, Congo Gorilla Forest, Children’s Zoo, JungleWorld, Wild Asia Monorail, and the Zoo Shuttle.
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Ducks Rule in Memphis
By Linda Tancs
The Peabody Memphis, a Forbes Four-Star, AAA Four-Diamond historic hotel in Tennessee, epitomizes southern hospitality and charm. A symbol of elegance and good taste, it attracts visitors worldwide. Of course, it’s within easy reach of many Memphis attractions like Beale Street, the Memphis Museum of Rock & Soul, Orpheum Theatre, FedEx Forum (home of the Memphis Grizzlies), AutoZone Park, Graceland and Sun Studio. But arguably its greatest attraction are the rooftop residents: five ducks who’ve been marching their way down from the Duck Palace to the Italian marble lobby fountain at the direction of their revered Duck Master since 1933. The march is held every day at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.; you better arrive early if you want to secure your place along the red carpet running from the elevator door to the fountain. The ducks are yours to cherish from 11 until the five o’clock run, when it’s back in the elevator and up to the penthouse suite, so to speak, for those plucky mallards.
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A Whale of a Time in Washington
By Linda Tancs
Orca whales are seen the most in San Juan Island between May and October when the salmon runs are strongest. Only 90 miles north of Seattle, San Juan Island provides visitors with an array of boating and kayaking excursions to observe these highly social oceanic dolphins. Learn more about the killer whale at the museum in Friday Harbor, the main city on San Juan Island. You can get there via the Washington State Ferries from Anacortes.
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Premier Art Collection Comes to Philadelphia
By Linda Tancs
Dr. Albert C. Barnes was a Philadelphia native and co-inventor of an antiseptic silver compound used in the prevention of infant blindness. The product’s commercial success enabled Dr. Barnes to acquire a vast art collection comprising post-impressionist and early modern art. Beginning on 19 May founding members of the Barnes will be the first to experience the collection at its new home in Philadelphia on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Nestled on 4.5 acres of landscaped grounds, the new building features a light-filled indoor court, functional classrooms, and intimate galleries surrounded by a series of external garden spaces. A special exhibition gallery will feature regular temporary exhibitions of past and contemporary art to complement the Barnes Foundation’s collection. Nonmembers won’t feel left out of the action. During the weekend of 26 May, 56 consecutive hours of free access and activities for all ages will feature some of Philadelphia’s finest cultural and performing arts organizations, such as Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, Relâche, Peter Tang’s Chinese Music Ensemble, and AfroTaino Productions.
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California Dreamin’
By Linda Tancs
In the ultra luxe enclave of Belvedere Island, California, a one-square-mile suburb of San Francisco, stately homes command spectacular views of San Francisco, Angel Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, and Mt. Tamalpais. One stunner is Locksley Hall, a 10,000-square-foot house that sits at the tip of Belvedere Island. On offer for a mere $65 million in 2005, its wraparound veranda with Corinthian columns affords a 360-degree view of the above-named sights. Belvedere is derived from the Italian expression for “beautiful view.” Yes, indeed.
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A Village for the Ages
By Linda Tancs
The Historic Village at Allaire in Farmingdale, New Jersey promotes the historical, aesthetic, and cultural significance of the Historic Howell Works, a mining and manufacturing company founded by industrialist James P. Allaire and one of the earliest examples of a company town. Its Howell Iron Works Company Store, arguably the largest general store in the state when it was built, has been retailing goods for 175 years. Other notable venues in the village include workers’ residences such as the row houses, the foreman’s cottage, the manager’s house, the gardener’s cottage and the mansion, a 1790 farm house that Allaire ultimately occupied.
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Forging Ahead in Millstone
By Linda Tancs
Blacksmithing was a crucial trade across countless centuries. The blacksmith–literally, one who smites iron–fashioned accessories for the aristocracy, ploughs for the working class and weaponry for the militia, among many other things. Industrialization may have vastly reduced their numbers, but the craftsmen behind this ancient art (practiced in some form as early as the Iron Age) are still celebrated through demonstrations and well preserved shops. In particular, Old Millstone Forge in Millstone, New Jersey is the oldest continuously operating blacksmith shop in the state. Open every Sunday from 1 April through 24 June, the museum gives visitors a glimpse into the life of the blacksmith and his role in society over the millenia.
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A Sphere of Influence
By Linda Tancs
Water towers are fascinating objects, as some blogs will attest. For residents of Union, New Jersey, its 211-foot water sphere has long been a prized possession, rising regally above the Kawameeh swamp to greet weary motorists and air travelers alike. Constructed in 1965, the tower became the tallest water sphere in the world. A different structure, a 220-foot colossus in Erwin, North Carolina, is technically a spheroid, so Union’s prize is still unmatched.
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Blueberry Capital of the World
By Linda Tancs
The small, unassuming town of Hammonton, New Jersey is the blueberry capital of the world. Just 29 miles southeast of Philadelphia, acres of blueberry farms dotting the landscape produce millions of berries, the official fruit of the State of New Jersey. This prime export is celebrated each summer at the Red, White and Blueberry Festival, but this South Jersey hub and surrounding area is a year-round destination with local attractions like Batsto Village, as well as the Walt Whitman House, the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, and the Warren E. Fox Nature Center.
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