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
Horsing Around in Norco
By Linda Tancs
The City of Norco in southern California promotes itself as Horsetown U.S.A. That would be an apt description, considering that there are more horse trails than sidewalks. A central part of residents’ lives is the George Ingalls Equestrian Event Center, featuring an assortment of equestrian events and rodeos. Of course, they celebrate National Day of the American Cowboy at the Center (this year on 28 July). This got me thinking about equestrian terms found in everyday English. Here’s a handy list.
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A Palace in Miami
By Linda Tancs
A National Historic Landmark, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami, Florida promises visitors the opulence of Buckingham Palace in a subtropical setting. The European-inspired estate was built for industrialist James Deering and features a Main House, ten acres of formal gardens, and a native forest. You’ll enjoy a spectacular view of the Main House from the Italian and French inspired gardens. Inside, royal pomp is conjured by the ornateness of the dining room, Cathay bedroom, library and enclosed loggia. The estate is just one mile from downtown Miami.
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Tale of a City
By Linda Tancs
Stranahan House Museum in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is more than just the old homestead of the city’s founding family. Built in 1901 by Frank Stranahan, the oldest surviving structure in Broward County also served as a trading post, post office, and town hall. Named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, the museum located at the New River is the eastern anchor of River Walk downtown. Tours are given daily at 1, 2, and 3 p.m. with an admission price of $12 for adults, $11 for seniors, and $7 for students and children. If these walls could talk, what tales they would tell.
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Looking Up in Fargo
By Linda Tancs
Education, preservation and restoration are the goals at the Fargo Air Museum in North Dakota. Their flyable aircraft exhibits include the F4-U Corsair, L 39 Jet, TBM Avenger, P 51 Mustang, Bell Helicopter and Duggy DC 3. Plans are underway to build a second wing to house restoration projects complete with rivet stations, audio WWII vignettes, welding and aviation basics. To raise funds for the new wing, the museum is raffling a 1964 Cessna Skylane. Tickets are available for $50 each, and no more than 2,500 tickets will be sold. The winner will be drawn on 30 June 2012. Things will definitely be looking up for one lucky flyer. Buy your ticket today.
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Fabergé Debuts in Palm Beach
By Linda Tancs
The iconic Fabergé egg is the highlight of this year’s fine arts fair in Palm Beach, Florida. Now in its 16th year, the American International Fine Art Fair is the premier art, antique and jewelry fair in the United States, returning to the Palm Beach County Convention Center from 4 to 12 February. Fabergé will present a special exhibition and lecture series – Faberge: The Rebirth of an Icon-by Geza von Habsburg. Paying homage to the legendary Imperial eggs created by Peter Carl Fabergé for the Romanov family, Fabergé has designed a collection of one-of-a-kind egg pendants, Les Fameux de Fabergé. Each design illustrates a traditional Russian proverb. Now if that doesn’t egg you on to attend, nothing will.
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British Invasion in Vegas
By Linda Tancs
The Beatles aren’t the only British import lighting up Vegas. Queen Victoria is alive and well on the Strip, too. That is, the Queen Victoria Pub, located inside the Riviera Hotel and Casino. The only British-owned and operated establishment boasts 24 draught beers and over 40 bottled varieties from around the world. Needless to say, you can savor such island favorites as toad in the hole, shepherds pie and fish and chips. Cheers!
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The Jewel of Milton
By Linda Tancs
Just eight miles from Boston, Massachusetts, Milton is a culturally rich bedroom community with the distinction of having the most privately and publicly conserved land within 20 miles of Boston. Settled in 1640 by Puritans who began the settlement of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, it has retained several 19th century country houses and estates, like the imposing Greek Revival mansion of the Forbes family. Known as the jewel of Milton, the Forbes House Museum is a National Historic Landmark housing the treasures of four generations of one of America’s greatest entrepreneurial families. Located atop Milton Hill overlooking Boston’s skyline, the museum’s displays include 19th-century export porcelain, paintings, furniture, and other unique items brought back from China by Captain Robert Bennet Forbes. Other exhibits in the permanent collection are Civil War and President Lincoln memorabilia and Forbes family holdings, including American and European paintings, furniture and artifacts. The Museum offers tours on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 1pm and 3pm. Admission is $8 per person for adults and $5 for seniors and students. The Museum grounds are open to the public free of charge daily from dawn to dusk.
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A Perfect Storm in Oregon
By Linda Tancs
Beachcombers, take note. Oregon’s Cannon Beach, a popular town about 80 miles from Portland, offers unrivaled dramatic scenery in winter. Thanks to the winds, waves and heavy rains this time of year, tide-pool viewing is just one of many delights offered by what many would probably perceive as an unlikely winter beach destination. Fogless nights offer uncompromised views from iconic Haystack Rock and the Tillamook Lighthouse. But perhaps best of all is the beauty of a frost-tinged beach and the excitement of waiting out a winter storm from the cozy comfort of your oceanfront suite, at a fraction of summer’s rates.
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The Hotel Tell-All
By Linda Tancs
Are you in search of the bare naked truth about your next travel destination? Is the beach really as pristine as those sun-kissed glossies would suggest? Wonder no more. At Oyster, they aim to expose those photo fakeouts that could upend your next holiday. Oyster visits hotels undercover and takes hundreds of photos of each hotel so their members can see the truth before they book–from Bermuda to Botswana. As the saying goes, the world is your Oyster.
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Building Blocks in Florida
By Linda Tancs
For those suffering from Mouse fatigue, there’s another attraction in the Orlando, Florida area to capture the imagination of young and old alike. Just 45 minutes from the Orlando theme parks or downtown Tampa is Legoland, a 150- acre family theme park in Winter Haven that’s sure to please even the most discerning LEGO fan. For starters, why not orient yourself with a 150-foot rotating platform ride that provides a 360° view of the park. From that vantage point you might capture a glimpse of kids driving LEGO themed cars through city streets at Ford Driving School. Or maybe you’ll see the Statue of Liberty in Miniland’s version of New York City. Knights and dragons are battling at the Kingdom, and swashbuckling pirates have taken over Pirates’ Cove. And what could be better than a factory tour in Fun Town, where you’ll learn how those building blocks are made from factory to finish. Orlando visitors can take the roundtrip shuttle to the park from Premium Outlets on Vineland Avenue.
