Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Helsinki’s Maritime Fortress
By Linda Tancs
One of the world’s largest maritime fortresses, Suomenlinna was built off the coast of Helsinki, Finland, in 1748. In addition to the homeland, this notable monument of military architecture has defended Sweden and Russia. Anything but staid, the bastion fortress is a living district inhabited by 850 city residents. Open year round, you’ll want to reserve at least a half day to explore its many turns and tunnels.
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Cliff Notes
By Linda Tancs
Boasting dual status as a Natural Historic Landmark and National Natural Landmark, New Jersey’s Palisades is a park system on the western shore of the Hudson River in Bergen County. Twelve miles long and encompassing 2,500 acres of wild shorefront, uplands and cliffs, its Long Path and Shore Trail are National Recreation Trails that meet at the cliff top. In addition to hiking trails, there are ski trails, a boat launching ramp, a scenic riverside drive, a cliff-top parkway and overlooks, riverfront picnic areas and playgrounds, and a nature sanctuary — all just minutes from midtown Manhattan’s concrete jungle.
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Home on the Grange
By Linda Tancs
Founding father Alexander Hamilton named his New York home “The Grange” to acknowledge his Scottish ancestry. Born on the Caribbean island of Nevis, Hamilton became a pivotal aide to George Washington as well as the first Secretary of the Treasury and was instrumental in creating the U.S. Constitution. Hamilton commissioned architect John McComb Jr. to design a Federal-style country home on a 32-acre estate in upper Manhattan. Completed in 1802, Hamilton was only able to enjoy Hamilton Grange for two years. On July 11, 1804, he was fatally wounded in a duel with his personal and political rival, Vice President Aaron Burr. Believed to be the only home Alexander Hamilton ever owned, its period rooms are best viewed with a ranger-guided tour.
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A New York City Treasure
By Linda Tancs
On the east side of New York City’s Park Avenue between 52nd and 53rd streets you’ll find an architectural gem, the Seagram Building. One of the finest examples of skyscrapers in the International Style, the building was the first with floor-to-ceiling windows. The interior is no less spectacular, particularly The Four Seasons Restaurant. Designed in 1959 by Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson, it is the only Manhattan restaurant designated an architectural (interior) landmark. Alas, its tenure at the Seagram will end on July 16, but the restaurant will re-open next year at a nearby location.
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A Fort’s Family Heritage
By Linda Tancs
John Butterfield chose Fort Chadbourne as a major stop for his Overland Mail Company, a stagecoach mail service connecting the east and west coasts of the United States. The fort saw other action as part of the Old West, too, like the Fence Cutting Wars (disputes between farmers and cattlemen staking their claims in the area) and mustering on its grounds at the outbreak of the Civil War. Unlike other military posts, however, this fort has always been privately owned, becoming a ranching haven for eight generations of the Odom’s, Wylie’s and Richards’ families. Located in the vicinity of Bronte, Texas, its military, ranching, and Indian historical roots have been lovingly restored. The old frontier fort now has six restored buildings, stabilized ruins, and a new visitor center featuring over 300 antique guns, thousands of military and Native American artifacts, cannons and a research library.
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Indiana’s Other Grand Prix
By Linda Tancs
Indiana has, you might say, a need for speed. Just as the engines are cooling down in Speedway, they’re revving up again in LaPorte. Only this time, the action is on the water. The Maple City Grand Prix is taking place from June 3 to June 5, a tunnel boat racing event on Stone Lake on Saturday and Sunday that attracts daredevils from across the country and Canada. The boat parade downtown on Friday promises lots of excitement for autograph seekers and boat enthusiasts. There’s also a fireworks display on Saturday. Best of all, the event is free, including parking and shuttle services.
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The Castle on Peachtree
By Linda Tancs
An Atlanta landmark for decades, Georgia’s Rhodes Hall is affectionately known as “the castle on Peachtree.” The Romanesque Revival-style mansion was designed for one of the city’s wealthiest men, Rhodes Furniture founder Amos Rhodes. Thought to be inspired by his travels through the castles of the German Rhineland, it’s one of the few remaining mansions on Peachtree Street, the city’s most celebrated thoroughfare. Now a house museum and event venue, its massive exterior masonry is equally matched with superb interior appointments like its hallmark mahogany staircase and painted glass windows.
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Where California Began
By Linda Tancs
One of the most familiar landmarks in San Diego, California, the Junípero Serra Museum stands atop the hill recognized as the site where California began. Indeed, at that site in 1769 a Spanish Franciscan missionary, Father Junípero Serra, with a group of soldiers led by Gaspar de Portolá, established Alta California’s first mission and presidio (fort). Alta (Upper) California was a region comprising California and other states that was ceded to the United States at the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848. The missions of Alta California were founded for the purpose of Christianizing the American Indian population in those vicinities. Using Spanish Revival architecture, the museum was built to resemble the early missions that once dominated the landscape of Southern California.
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Into the Cliffs
By Linda Tancs
A time capsule from World War II, Fan Bay Deep Shelter is a labyrinth of tunnels built underneath the White Cliffs of Dover in 100 days for bombproof accommodation. Now open to the public, hard-hat and torchlit tours are led by specialist guides for intrepid tourists. There is a 45-minute walk along the cliffs to reach the site, and the tunnels are only accessible by a steep 125 steps to get into the shelter and back out again.
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The Singing Tower
By Linda Tancs
The Singing Tower at Bok Tower Gardens delights visitors with a 60-bell carillon sitting atop 298-foot Iron Mountain, the highest point along the Florida peninsula. Developed as a bird sanctuary, the peaceful respite in Lake Wales, Florida, is awash in moss-draped oaks and a garden designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. that give way to the 205-foot pink tower of marble and coquina stone. A National Historic Landmark, it’s particularly ablaze with springtime blooms of azaleas, camellias and magnolias.
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