Seattle

If you are at a complete loss as to where you should start, start by holding hands. Then you can hold hands all the way through the Woodland Park Rose Garden. Admission to the garden is free and scents and scenery are quite romantic, especially if your date is a flower lover. If he or she is not, then there are many other options so don’t despair.

Among those other options would be a wine tasting. If your date enjoys a nice glass of wine, there are several vineyards in and around Seattle that offer daily wine tours which end in a wine tasting. Even if this would be your first time drinking wine as a couple it could be a great deal of fun and you could have fun learning about each others likes and dislikes when it comes to wine. On the flip side there are also several breweries in the area where you and your date could sample beers and microbrews as well. Either way, trying new things together is a great way to strengthen your relationship, even early on.

If you really want to impress your date, book a hot air balloon ride. A ride like this, especially at the right time of day can not only be a lot of fun, it can also be extremely romantic. There is someone else to do the driving and the two of you are left to talk and enjoy the magnificent scenery that surrounds the great city of Seattle.

In addition to each and every one of these ideas there are several other things you can do to bring out your inner romantic fool. Try walking in the rain without an umbrella. You are in Seattle after all; there should be rain at some point during your travels. Try a night at the theatre or ballet. Guys you cannot imagine how effective this is in proving your love to your lady. There are several theatres within the city to choose from. If you like old silent movies and will be in town on Monday night, you can catch Silent Movie Mondays at the Paramount.

You can ride the Space Needle to the Observation Deck and look out at the city lights or you could take a romantic sunset cruise on one of the many charter boats in and around the city. The Wooden Boat Museum is a great place to find a nice romantic boat to charter, or if you would rather go during the day in hopes of sighting some whales, there are several larger excursions that you could charter as well.

The bottom line, is that anything you do together that you both agree on and look forward to can be a romantic outing. The purpose of your trip is to build your relationship and have fun together.

The omnipresent Gateway Arch, whose height of 192 metres makes it the tallest monument in the United States is an elegant catenary arch with the ideal structure, materialising in concrete and steel the mathematical function of the hyperbolic cosine. It was designed by one of the great contemporary architects, the Finn Eero Saarinen. Through the arch’s hollow interior, an ingenious cross between an elevator and a cable car, whose egg-shaped pods adjust their position to remain level, carries visitors to the top, where the view spans limitless horizons. Spreading immediately beneath is the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.

St Louis became the country’s second most important port after New York, with moorings for more than a
hundred paddle steamers. These craft were converted by Mark Twain, the creator of Hucklebeny Finn, into part of America’s imagery, and today’s visitors can still embark on paddlewheelers for a brief river cruise.

At Union Station, it is still possible to sense the poetry ofthe railroad. First by boat and then by train, people of very varied origins anived in St Louis from the late 18th century until welt into the 20th.

There was a time when St Louis had over a hundred breweries. The Anheuser Busch Brewery, not far from the Arch, can still be visited. The Asian heritage persists in the food of the restaurants on Grand Street, and can be enjoyed with all the senses in the Missouri Botanical Garden, whose oriental gardens form just the right counterpoint to the Victorian fountains and statues of Tower Grove Park. Victorian taste survives in the Painted Ladies, the cotoured house fronts around Lafayette Square. Little Italy and The Hill dispiay their heritage proudly. Spanish traces are discreet, architectural and contemporary. The Afro-American heritage, on the other hand, is not so much visual as auditory.

The place to search for it is The Vilie, whose Sumner High School had Chuck Berry and Tina Turner among its pupils. Nothing, in fact, has done more to make the name of St Louis famous than music -from ragtirrr to jazz, and from the musical comedy Meet Me in StLouis and the first rock’n’roll to St Louis blues, which should be heard in the Soulard neighbourhood, even if it is no longer sung by Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. The Walk of Fame on Delmar Boulevard is now paved with gold -stars commemorating perfomters from Josephine Baker to Miles Davis.

The old Pavilions, heritage of The Universal Expo,  stiil stretch around the edge of Forest Park, now housing the Art, History and Science Museums, and the traces left atso include the largest open-air opera auditorium in the country and a fabuious zoo housing 23,000 animals in a setting of hills and lakes.

In 1928, Charles Lindbergh set off on the first solo air crossing of the Atlantic on a plane named “The Spirit of StLouis” in recognition of the sponsorship of local businessmen. A iife-size replica of the plane looms before us as soon as we set foot in the airport. But the spirit of St Louis is not only inthe skies. It lives in the streets of the city and the memories of images, sounds, aromas and flavours of ail those who have known it.

Richmond has a sub-tropical climate. The city is also famous for its humidity, wich makes the temperature feel even hotter. The area is major producer of harms, apples and peanuts. A typical local meal might include fired chicken, dried peas, turnip, cornflour bread, sweet tea and pie.

The city has the only avenue in the United States with the category of a National Historical Landmark. Its collection of statues of Confederacy heroes was completed in 1996 with one of Artur Ashe, the Afro-American tennis player.

Richmond has rich historic parks and multitude of small museums, such as the house of Edgar Allan Poe. On display are many of his books and personal objects. Other interesting museums to visit include Virginia Museum of Fine Arts , Confederacy Musseum and Science Musseum.

Also worth visiting the historic neighbourhood of Jackson Ward and The Capitol, a Roman temple-like inspired building designed by Thomas Jefferson. Inside is the only marble statue of George Washington to have been carved directly from the life.

The Walk was incorporated in 1958 as a tribute to remarkable personalities who made Hollywood a world-famous place as we know it today. Since then the tradition lived on, paying tribute to stars of motion pictures, television, recording, radio and live theater. In 1978 the Walk of Fame was designated as a cultural/historic landmark of Los Angeles. It lines both sides of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street.

Today the Walk of Fame encompasses five acres with over 2000 stars by far. The first bronze star embedded in pink terrazzo was designated to actress Joanne Woodward on February 9, 1960 and since then there are about two names included each month to the Walk. Each star has a special emblem that symbolizes to which of the five categories the person belongs. Even with such rates of addition the Walk will have space for many generations of talented actors, musicians, producers and people behind the scenes who will pay a significant contribution to the world we know as Hollywood. The Walk of Fame today is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Hollywood and you won’t find a person in hotels in Hollywood who was there and didn’t take a picture of his favorite artist’s star.

I’m also a big fan of David Letterman and in that spirit I decided to devise a top five list of my very own in honor of Mr. Letterman’s Top 10 list. My big 5 list consists of things to do for free when visiting San Francisco.

1) Golden Gate Bridge. This is a favorite among tourists for many reasons. One of those reasons is the fact that it is one landmark that belongs only to San Francisco. It is uniquely a part of this city and represents, for many, your entire trip. Another reason is that there are so many ways to get there. I recommend walking and if you’re up for it, try one of the guided walking tours-this will provide valuable background information about the bridge as well as insuring that you don’t get lost on the way.
2) Golden Gate Park. This park is larger than New York’s Central Park and in my opinion equally grand. There is so much to do and see in Golden Gate Park that you could spend a good portion of your vacation here alone.
3) Cable Car Museum. Kids of all ages will find this museum interesting, especially big and little boys. This museum definitely offers a great deal of education and excitement for the family. In addition to learning about these neat cable cars which have become a trademark of San Francisco transportation. This is one museum I would pay to go to, the fact that it is free is a bonus that I can’t resist and the primary reason it is on this particular top ten list.
4) Walking Tours of San Francisco. These free walking tours are not only entertaining; they are also very informative as well. Learn about the history of the neighborhoods that this city is famous for as well as the great people who rebuilt a grand city, literally from the ashes of what it once was and made it even better. San Francisco has a wonderful story to tell and these guides narrate it wonderfully.
5) San Francisco Fire Department Museum. For the big kid in all of us that wanted to grow up to be a fire fighter, this museum takes the cake. Not only does it provide great historical references and artifacts but it is also really cool! I can think of no greater compliment to give a museum than that. This one, even your children will enjoy and beg to go back again and again.

Whether you are a big kid, a little kid, or just a kid at heart these activities are a great and inexpensive way to pass a day or two while on vacation. If you can’t stand the thought of saving money or not spending it, I’m sure each of these places will be glad to accept donations or at the very least sell you something at the gift shop (if the place you are visiting has one). Regardless, I hope my suggestions have gotten your mental wheels turning and you are coming up with your own great ways to enjoy the day without spending a lot of green.

There are plenty of good restaurants in and around San Diego in addition to a many wineries that will be sure to satisfy your thirsts. Among the italian restaurant, the Trattoria Acqua also known as La Jolla seafood restaurant is a must. The award-winning Trattoria Acqua restaurant is specialized in Italian coastal cuisine. Nestled in the quaint village of La Jolla, it is one of the most beautiful restaurants in San Diego , with outstading views of the La Jolla Coastline.

The exclusive menu, created by renowned Chef Damaso Lee and his staff includes fresh local seafood as well as exquisite Italian regional gourmet cooking. In addition, you can choose one of their selected wines. Trattoria Acqua was rated as one of the Top Ten Italian Restaurants in USA.

Check out the Trattoria Acqua website for more information and make your reservation online.

Seattle Aquarium

One of the many attractions that older visitors are sure to enjoy, well, if flowers are there thing, is the Woodland Park Rose Garden. These gardens are free to attend and offer some spectacular blooms if you visit between the months of May and August.

The Seattle Aquarium is another point of interest for young and old alike. Whether you are in your first childhood or your fifth there really is nothing more exciting than watching glorious sea creatures swim above your head. When I was a child, which was something that happened in science fiction, not in real life.

Visit to Seattle Museum

Which brings me to my next timeless attraction: The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. This museum explores the history of science fiction and the impact it has had on the world we see today. I love the way imaginations from times long past have sparked some of the inventions of today. As a serious science fiction lover and fanatic, I completely enjoy this museum and could spend days here. But I also have to admit that there are things I see here that belong to my father, and some things that belong to my children. This is why the Science Fiction Museum made my list.

Seattle Museum Of Flight

The Underground Tours are another thing that someone who is more mature might find very interesting. I know that I was completely enthralled not only in the story, but also in the hearing of the story. This was one tour that was well worth the price I paid for it.  I would pay the price again if for nothing more than to take another stroll around the museum that requires a tour ticket to gain entrance. Of course, the only exit from this tour is through the gift shop, which really poses no problem. I have will power, really!

The Whale Museum and any of the whale watching tours are another draw worth mentioning. If you have never seen one of these magnificent creatures up close it is an awe-inspiring event and one well worth repeating if you have. Young and old alike, no matter how big you are, it’s amazing how small you can feel next to these great animals.

Time Lapse Images Of Seattle

And of course there is always the Private Eye on Seattle Tour. This tour is not for the faint of heart and yet if you are a fan of old private eye novels or ‘true crime’ then you should find this particular tour to be a great amount of fun. There are three tours available: The Queen Anne Mystery and Murder Tour, the Capital Hill Mystery and Murder Tour, and Haunted Happening-also called the Seattle Ghost Tour. Each of these tours costs $25 per person and lasts between two and a half and three hours.

It doesn’t really matter if you are young or simply young at heart, Seattle has something to wonderful to offer all who visit here. From the gorgeous scenery that only nature could provide to the cultural center that this great city has become, I hope you can find plenty to keep you occupied during your stay.