St. Augustine, FL

It seems like yesterday some of us were complaining about hot weather, and now the fall is in full effect. However, if you’d like to get back to summer and see a very old and interesting town, I invite you to St. Augustine.

St. Augustine is the nation's oldest city and it also holds the distinction of being one of the nation's most charming. 

Known as the "Ancient City," Saint Augustine is nestled between North East and Central East Florida and is conveniently located near Jacksonville, Orlando, and Daytona airports. North Florida's year-round mild climate is perfect for strolling St. Augustine's delightful historic district, with its cobblestone streets, quaint cafes, bars, unique shops and bed-and-breakfast inns.
Stroll down St. George Street - many visitors enjoy the many shops along the street and the ambiance. Take a Scenic Cruise aboard the Victory III--a fun and inexpensive way to see St.     Augustine from the Matanzas River with plenty of opportunity for dolphin sightings.  
   
Keep in mind that there are no better views of St. Augustine and the sea than from the top of the St. Augustine Lighthouse. The 219 steps will take you 165 feet above sea level. Constructed of Alabama brick and Philadelphia iron, the lighthouse is St. Augustine’s oldest brick structure and was completed in 1874.
If you do not feel like walking take the Old Town Trolley Tour, highlighting the best St. Augustine Attractions, with 22 stops and more than 100 points of interest. 
I’d like to mention some of them:

In the heart of the walking historic district you’ll find the Lightner Museum. It opened its doors in the1880's as one of Flagler's hotels, Hotel Alcazar, with what was at the time the largest indoor swimming pool in the world! Its architecture is amazing. The building features soaring ceilings, and enough marble to refill a quarry.

Villa Zorayda located at 83 King Street looks like a red castle! Personal Guided tours start at 10:00 AM - last one is at 4:30 PM. On-your-own guided tours with ear phones are also available - very cool. The tours are about 45 minutes. Walking into the longtime tourist attraction is a bit like entering a scene from the Arabian Nights, designed to look like a portion of the fabulous Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain. The castle features a 2,400-year-old Egyptian rug woven from cat hairs. You know the Egyptians revered cats! Brass fixtures hang in every room. Peacock brass lamps, a tree of glass, statues, paintings and Flemish, Chinese, Moorish, Italian, English and Burmese furniture are scattered throughout the house. Tiled floors, carvings and arches reflect the influence of the Alhambra.

A quick drive from the Old City over the bridge is The Alligator Farm, which also has monkeys and a bird rookery. It is a great place for young and old alike!

Fort Matanzas - a Spanish "outlook" fort that was built between 1740 & 1742 on Anastasia island about 16 miles down A1A South near Crescent Beach. There is no admission charge for the site, the eight minute video or the five minute boat ride to the fort. It is an "interactive fort" where one is allowed to climb up to the roof on a wooden ladder so children of all ages love it.

Sun, fun, history and mystery—St. Augustine has it all!

 

 

 

“Monet’s Garden” at the New York Botanical Garden

If you have never been in Giverny, France and do not plan a trip anytime soon, you might consider visiting “Monet’s Garden” at the New York Botanical Garden for a taste of what you are missing. Organized by Paul Hayes Tucker, the Monet scholar, it is not a painting show, though it does include two representative garden-inspired Monet canvases. 

Claude Monet was a keen gardener and once reflected that perhaps flowers were the reason he became a painter. This exhibition explores the legacy of his idyllic garden in Giverny by transforming the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory into a floral masterpiece of diverse plants, bold colors, and dramatic design. Monet’s most famous subjects, water lilies, many of them the varieties he grew, are featured in the Conservatory Courtyard Pools.

 Two Monet’s works painted at Giverny --one which has never been publicly exhibited in the United States--are on display in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library’s Rondina and LoFaro Gallery.

Also on display in the Ross Gallery are Seasons of Giverny, photographic portraits of Monet's iconic garden revealing the beauty of Monet’s garden as it exists now.

“Monet’s Garden” at the New York Botanical Garden runs through Oct. 21.

While the admission fee is $20 during the week and $25 on weekends, it includes admission to all gardens and open buildings, and includes using the tram, which runs throughout the garden (easy on - easy off at any of the designated stops).

For driving directions, please go to http://www.nybg.org/visit/directions.php#car

The Botanical Garden is also accessible via public transport:

Take the Metro-North Harlem local line to Botanical Garden Station. Walk across Southern Boulevard to the Garden's Mosholu Gate entrance. It is just 20 minutes from Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan! 

If you prefer the Subway take the B, D, or train 4 to Bedford Park Blvd Station. From the station exit take the bus Bx 26 east to the Garden's Mosholu Gate entrance or walk eight blocks down the hill on Bedford Park Blvd to the end (approximately 20 minutes). Turn left onto Southern Blvd and walk one block to Mosholu Gate entrance.

Falling Water, PA

On our way back from Pittsburgh to New York we visited The Fallingwater. I wanted to see this place for a long time and when I finally did, it exceeded all expectations. You can go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuZ0x5Qkgzg&feature=related to get an idea of what it is like, but books, postcards and movies do no justice to this amazing architectural wonder.

Fallingwater was built by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1936 for Pittsburgh department store owner Edgar Kaufmann Sr. who used it as a mountain retreat for his family.

Frank Lloyd Wright was a genius and this place is a must-see for anyone interested in architecture. The view away from the house is so stunning that even if you're not an art or architecture buff you will find the place fascinating and realize what a genius F. L. Wright was.

Fallingwater is listed among Smithsonian's Life List of 28 places "to visit before you die." It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. In 1991, members of the American Institute of Architects named the house the "best all-time work of American architecture" and in 2007, it was ranked twenty-ninth on the list of America's Favorite Architecture according to the AIA. It really does feel like you could just settle right in, so very inviting is the architecture.

Pay attention to the building, of course, but don't forget to check out the amazing collection of furniture and decorative pieces (some of them gifts from Wright himself).

Visiting: There are several types of tour offered. The most common is the regular tour that features all the major rooms of the house and lasts approximately one hour.

Advance ticket purchase or reservations are essential for all tours at Fallingwater. Tickets may be purchased on-line at http://www.fallingwater.org/105 or by calling Visitor Services at 724-329-8501 daily 8:30 am to 4:30 pm ET.

The visitor's center is worth checking out: great gift shop, minimal junk, lots of real art pieces and solid design items; yummy things in the cafe, also minimal junk, lots of inside seating with beautiful views, as well as plenty of outside sitting for those preferring to eat al fresco.

The Cathedral of Learning, Pittsburgh, PA

On Labor Day weekend we went to Pittsburgh, PA.  We saw several interesting attractions including Biblical Garden and PPJ complex, but the most interesting for us and definitely most unique, was the Cathedral of Learning.
Perhaps the best-known building in Pittsburgh and the second tallest academic building in the world after Moscow State University, the Cathedral of Learning is a 42-story building used by the University of Pittsburgh. Dedicated in 1937 and a registered historical landmark, the building features classrooms, offices and libraries as well as the "Commons Room," a Gothic-style hallway souring four stories high, and the "Nationality Classrooms," ornately-styled classrooms designed in the style of a particular country.
You enter each room through a gigantic, heavy, wooden door - notice the details on the doorknobs and the doors themselves - amazing. Then each room is a treasure of art, history and culture. Be sure to look at the ceilings - many are decorated.
These 28 rooms, and the Commons Room that located in the center, are beyond description- they have to be seen to be believed (the University has received room reservation requests from seven additional Nationality Room Committees which are in various stages of fund raising and room design). Of course, I cannot tell you about each of them, but just would like to mention my favorite ones. 

The Indian Classroom is modeled on a typical 4th-9th century AD courtyard from Nalanda University, a Buddhist monastic university in Nalanda. The room depicts a classroom courtyard at Nalanda.

The Israel Heritage Room - the elegant simplicity of a 1st-century Galilean stone dwelling or house of assembly inspired the design of this room. Stone benches, patterned after those in the 2nd-3rd century synagogue of Capernaum, provide student seating. The oak entrance door panels bear the Ten Commandments carved in Hebrew. A scroll fragment in the rear case replicates the Dead Sea Isaiah Scroll segment. Ancient wine jars flank the scroll.

The Turkish Nationality Room, opened in May 2012, is designed to represent the “main room” in a traditional Turkish house with seating along the walls, surrounding the central open area. There is an entrance gallery area separating the main room from the entrance for privacy. The gallery space is adorned with four ceramic panels and a life size scene from 1928, depicting Kemal Atatürk instructing the Turkish nation on the Latin alphabet adopted as the legal script of modern Turkey. Another major feature of the Turkish Nationality Room is a 6’ by 20’ wall mural depicting a view of Istanbul behind what looks like a picture window on the east wall of the room.

The Ukrainian Classroom is designed in Baroque style with richly carved wood and colorful ceramics. The lintel inscription commemorates Ukraine's millennium of Christianity (988-1988). The stove tiles depict festival practices and daily life. The chalkboard doors bearing the Tree of Life are surmounted by three Cyrillic alphabets used in Ukraine in the 11th, 17th, and 19th centuries.

There are several ways to experience the rooms:
Recorded tour, describing the rooms’ elements allows guests to proceed through the rooms at their own pace. Beginning with the Israel Heritage Room in 1987, each third-floor Nationality Room has its own narrated tour which can run from five to eight minutes.
When school is in session the rooms function as university classrooms, so audiotape tours are only available on weekends.
School is out of session from the end of April to the beginning of the Fall Term in September. During this time, audiotape tours are available Sundays through Saturdays.
Fees:   Adults $4; Youths (6-18 years) $2
Online : You can see images of the rooms with accompanying text and audio descriptions online. Visit http://www.pitt.edu/~natrooms/pages/allnr.html and choose between the first and third floor rooms.
For driving direction please go to http://www.nationalityroom.pitt.edu/directions

The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze

Do you know what is The Great Jack O’Lantern?

There is an old Irish legend about a man named Stingy Jack who was too mean to get into heaven and had played too many tricks on the devil to go to hell. When he died, he had to walk the earth, carrying a lantern made out of a turnip with a burning coal inside. Stingy Jack became known as "Jack of the Lantern," or "Jack-o'-Lantern."

From this legend came the Irish tradition of placing jack-o'-lanterns made of turnips and other vegetables in windows or by doors on Halloween. The jack-o'-lanterns are meant to scare away Stingy Jack and all the other spirits that are said to walk the earth on that night. It wasn't until the tradition was brought to the United States by immigrants that pumpkins were used for jack-o'-lanterns.

Now every October, carved pumpkins peer out from porches and doorsteps in the United States and other parts of the world. Gourd-like orange fruits inscribed with ghoulish faces and illuminated by candles are a sure sign of the Halloween season.

By the way in the United States, the carved pumpkin was first associated with the harvest season in general, long before it became an emblem of Halloween.

The tri-state area’s biggest, most exciting, most electrifying Halloween event returns for a whopping 22 nights in 2012 at Van Cortlandt Manor in Hudson Valley!

See more than 5,000 individually hand-carved, illuminated jack o’ lanterns in this elaborate walk-through experience. Meander through an historic, 18th-century riverside landscape and discover a breathtaking display – all made of jack o’ lanterns! Stroll through the Tunnel O’ Pumpkin Love and emerge to the incredible sight of gourd-filled Jack-in-the-Box springing up and bouncing around. Flying pumpkin ghosts will soar above the lantern-lit path...

This event requires advance tickets and has limited capacity

The tickets are going on sale for General Public September 4, 2012

You can order tickets online https://www.hudsonvalley.org/store or by phone 914-366-6900.

The prices are:

Adults, $16, Children 3-17, $12 (Saturdays $20, $16) on line and
Adults, $18, Children 3-17, $14 (Saturdays $22, $18) on the phone (includes $2/ticket surcharge)
FREE for children under 3

Remember: all tickets are for specific day and time and are final sale.

For direction please go to http://www.hudsonvalley.org/historic-sites/van-cortlandt-manor/directions.

Labor Day weekend

Symbolically representing the transition from summer to fall, Labor Day gathers friends and family together for one final weekend packed full of events and activities before students return back to school and the journey into the seemingly never ending months that end in “ber” begins.
More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers, but it was first celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883. In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday and have been celebrated on that day ever since, which, luckily, gives us a long weekend to celebrate.

I’m sure many of you already have plans (as do I), but if you don’t, I would like to remind you about many interesting destination I have featured on my blog. Just go to Friend's Travel Club’s archive (provide link here) and pick something you would consider visiting.

Happy Labor Day and easy travel to all of you!
 

Colorado Springs, CO, Part 2

It took us only 20 min by car to get from the Air Force Academy to The Garden of the Gods – something everyone should see. Unfortunately we had just enough time to drive through the park, but it did give us a chance to appreciate the beauty of the place – each rock formation was more interesting than the other!
Legend has it that two surveyors came upon this natural wonder. One commented that it would be a “capital place for a beer garden.” His partner, Rufus Cable, having a greater appreciation for the uniqueness of the landscape, was taken aback. “Beer garden? Why, it is a place for the Gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods!”
Garden of the Gods Park is home to rock formations with intriguing names such as Giant Footprints, Kissing Camels, Siamese Twins, Three Graces, and Tower of Babel.
There are many great trails for easy hiking with families (including trails with good wheelchair access and strollers). And best of all....the place is FREE!
Opening hours are 5 am till 11 pm (May 1 - Oct 31), and 5 am to 9 pm the rest of the year.
Do not forget to bring a camera, and late afternoon seems best since you'll want good lighting for photos of the rocks, greenery and sky!
Garden of Gods, Seven Falls, Royal Gorge Bridge are only several of many attractions of Pikes Peak region. To learn about other attractions of the region please go to http://www.pikes-peak.com/Attraction/24.aspx
One very interesting fact: in 1893, Katharine Lee Bates, author of many volumes of poetry, travel books and children's books, and long-time professor at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, was lecturing at the summer session at Colorado College. During that time she joined an expedition to the summit of Pikes Peak. Electrified by the beauty she saw atop Pikes Peak she wrote the poem that later became known as "America the Beautiful."

Colorado Springs, CO, Part I

Last weekend my husband and I went to Denver for a Family reunion. We also spent some time in Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs region has a lot of interesting sites, but we had time only for three of them.

First we went to United States Air Force Academy – USAF Academy. We went there to see the Cadets Chapel, which you can see even from highway, and we were not disappointed. The Chapel is a real architectural gem on the outside as well as inside; it has separate chambers for each religious denomination. Stained glass windows give the upper chamber a blue look. The chapel is only 1/3 mile from the visitor center.

I would recommend starting your visit by watching a 10 minute movie about the Academy and cadets’ training. Do not miss the small museum and interesting gift shop, both located in visitor center.

The beautiful acres surrounding the Academy offer miles of walking and running trails.

You do not have to make a reservation, just drive in. Lastly, there is no fee to tour the campus, museum and the Chapel.

The second place we visited was Garden of Gods. Be on the lookout for that article next week.

Crayola Factory, PA

The other place in Pennsylvania I’d like to tell you about is Crayola Factory.

At the Crayola Factory, your only creative limitation is your imagination.

Come and see how Crayola crayons and markers are made and learn about the history of the Crayola brand on this self-guided tour.  At each creative space, you will be

immersed in color and creativity and invited to play and explore while learning and having lots and lots of fun.  

Lots of interactive activities for kids age 10 and under like the glow-in-the-dark coloring, creating with modeling clay, sidewalk coloring, making your own puzzles, arts & crafts. You can even make your own binoculars! The kids also enjoy the treasure hunt for crayons!  There are three floors of activities, which allow the young ones to use many of the products sold by Crayola. The kids will leave with several treats that are included in the price of admission. 

At the Crayola Store, next door to the factory, you will be able to see the world's largest crayon and purchase a few fun items for creative art projects at home.

For directions and opening hours please go to http://www2.crayola.com/factory/about_us.cfm.

After Crayola you can go to the National Canal Museum located a few miles from the Crayola Factory in Hugh Moore Park and take a 30 minutes mule-drown canal ride on the Josiah White II boat with costumed interpreters describing life on the canal. Just remember this ride is avaliable during summer months only, so hurry.

A combination ticket for a boat ride and admission to The Crayola Experience is available from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Please call

(610) 991-0503 for more information.

Hershey Gardens, PA

If you were wondering why I didn’t post any new information last week, I want you to know that it was because I spent that week in Poconos, PA with my grandkids. So this week I will try to catch up by posting two articles and of course there is no surprise that both of them are about places in Pennsylvania.

The first place is Hershey Gardens.

 Most people go to Hershey, PA to visit Hershey Park and Chocolate factory, but I want to invite you to Hershey Garden (http://www.hersheygardens.org/) - a must visit place if you go to Hershey World (??).  A natural wonder, with

meticulously maintained plants from all around the world, Hershey Garden provides welcome relief from the noise and traffic of Hershey. And where else can you see a Sequoia tree in the east? By the way, this year the Gardens celebrate 75^th anniversary.

As you wander throughout the Gardens, be sure to explore all 11 distinct theme gardens. My favorite is the Japanese Garden, where you can enjoy the relaxing sound of a peaceful stream and tranquil reflective pond with different kind of colorful fishes.

The Children Garden with its Butterfly House is another place not to be missed.

Make sure to wear comfortable shoes as there is a lot of walking required, although there are benches scattered throughout to take a break.

Hershey Garden’s address is 170 Hotel Road, Hershey, PA 17033.

It is opened till late October and on selected days in November and December, closed January through March.  To see the hours of operation go to http://www.hersheygardens.org/plan_your_visit/hours.php.

I hope you enjoy this place as much as we did!