AtomUnited States ~ 16 Jul 2007
Journeys into the United States are generally quick fly in and fly out trips. I've been to the US on many different occasions and for many different reasons; though the majority of my trips were business related. I have, however, been to the U.S. to attend a conference or two, visit dear friends, and once drove to Idaho on a whim for the soul purpose of seeing a potato farm. I've only been to 14 of 50 states (and counting).
Below: Arlington / Alexandria, Chicago, Dallas / Fort Worth, Grand Rapids, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Seattle, and Washington DC.
UNITED STATES STATS
- Population: 301 Million
- Capital: Washington, D.C.
- Government: Federal Republic
- Currency: Dollar; 1 CAD = 1 USD (approx.)
- Language: English, Spanish
- Religion: Protestant, Roman Catholic, Mormon, Jewish, Muslim
- Largest Cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Antonio, Dallas, Detroit
ALEXANDRIA / ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA
Arlington, Virginia ~ 29 Jan 2006
We're staying in a unique little townhouse in Arlington, Virginia. Arlington is, of course, the home of the Pentagon and the Arlington Cemetery, which I will write about later. Upon arrival we disc...
Arlington by Day ~ 29 Jan 2006
We learned quickly that cabbies in Arlington rarely know where they were going -- or at least the ones that we met. The first question we consistently got upon entering a cab and giving the address ...
Alexandria by Night ~ 30 Jan 2006
On Thursday evening Katherine and I caught up with "Jeff (not your brother)" in Alexandria. From this point forth I will refer to him as Jeff because Jeff (my brother) doesn't comment on my site; s...
Christ Church Churchyard ~ 31 Jan 2006
Here is the North Washington entrance / exit for the Christ Church Churchyard. In the photo, to the left of the entrance is a mass grave for thirty four Confederate soldiers who were re-interred in...
Alexandria's Christ Church ~ 31 Jan 2006
One of the places that Jeff took us during our tour of Alexandria was the historic Christ Church on North Washington Street. According to many sources the church (circa 1771) and cemetery (circa 17...
Gatsby's Tavern ~ 01 Feb 2006
A trip isn't a trip until you've heard a ghost story or two. In this case Jeff told us two. The first comes from a story that I briefly mentioned a few posts ago; about Col. Elmer Ellsworth who was...
Arlington Cemetery, Part 1 ~ 09 Feb 2006
This is a harder post to write than all the others because our trip to the Arlington Cemetery was more than a "here's JFK's grave" and "here's the tomb of the unknown soldier" kind of ordeal. I wan...
Arlington Cemetery, Part 2 ~ 10 Feb 2006
Before leaving the Arlington Cemetery for good we decided to go to the Memorial Gate to see the Women In Military Service For America memorial. When we walked through the doors of the gate we also w...
Blossom Buds ~ 11 Feb 2006
Here are some future cherry blossoms. In the background is the Arlington House as seen through my telephoto lens from JFK's grave. This 19th-century mansion was originally built in 1802 and at that ...
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
From Chicago, Illinois ~ 14 Sep 2002
I'm posting from Chicago, Illinois -- a very interesting and vibrant city. The city has a spirit that is very much alive and can be seen in everything from the buildings to the people. I can't think...
The Art Institute of Chicago ~ 15 Sep 2002
The obvious destination of the day was the Art Institute of Chicago; here I sat on the steps in the early morning and watched people until the museum opened and I was able to spend the better part o...
The Berghoff ~ 25 Feb 2008
The Berghoff Restaurant was the first place I'd ever sampled goat cheese and eggplant anything... and after that first amazing bite, I became a lifelong addict. Couple this with a golden Berghoff br...
DALLAS / FORT WORTH, TEXAS
Dallas, Texas ~ 21 Feb 2004
After four days in Texas, I have returned from my sojourn with my head full of details about Dallas and Fort Worth. There was a hesitant plan to go to Austin, but we ran out of time and in the end d...
Fort Worth, Texas ~ 23 Feb 2004
Friday was spent in Fort Worth, Texas. We checked out of the hotel in Dallas and checked into the Hyatt by the airport, which is between the cities of Dallas and Forth Worth. This meant we were clos...
Museum of Modern Art ~ 24 Feb 2004
The first stop in Fort Worth was the Museum of Modern Art (a.k.a. the Modern). The Modern is a relatively new addition to the listing of museums and galleries found in Fort Worth. It was built in 20...
Kimble Art Museum ~ 25 Feb 2004
The second (and highly anticipated) stop in Fort Worth was the Kimble Art Museum. Constructed between 1969 and 1972 by Louis I. Kahn, the original idea came from Kay Kimbell and his wife Velma Fulle...
The Stockyards ~ 26 Feb 2004
Last but certainly not least, is the famous Fort Worth Stockyards: this is an area steeped in Texan history. The Stockyards were once teeming with real cowboys who drove their cattle to auction. At ...
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
Grand Rapids, Michigan ~ 15 Sep 2002
Grand Rapids is named such because it was built on the banks of the Grand River, in a location once known for it's rapids. It's 50 km east of Lake Michigan and a quick 30 minute flight from Chicago (a...
Grand Rapids by Day ~ 16 Sep 2002
I woke up early and decided to do a little wandering around the streets of Grand Rapids before the rush hour crunch hit the city. Now that I see the city in daylight (and after a good nights sleep) ...
NASHVILLE, TENNISSEE
Nashville, Tennessee ~ 18 Feb 1996
In 1996 I spent time in Nashville Tennessee doing forensic training. I decided to post some photos from that time. Most photos are of the Opryland Hotel, which the next post talks about. I was in T...
Opryland Hotel ~ 18 Feb 1996
This hotel is swank - there is no other word for it... other than green. The sheer number of plants and greenery puts most local outdoor gardens to shame. The hotel has one of the largest glass r...
They Lied About the Whole "Four-Star" Thing ~ 17 May 2005
Ann has posted an interesting question on her blog: "Have you got any hotel-from-hell stories you want to share -- stories about the four-star hotel that wasn't, or that "quaint" holiday rental proper...
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANNA
Calgary to Denver ~ 05 Jun 2003
Today's flights included a two hour ditty to Denver Colorado and another two hour ditty to New Orleans. I'm off to New Orleans to attend the 2003 HOW conference; HOW is a design magazine that host...
Denver to New Orleans ~ 05 Jun 2003
On the plane ride to New Orleans I had one of those life moments that only a kid can create. As I was looking out the window a little 5 year old face pops between the chair and the wall and says to ...
Enter New Orleans ~ 05 Jun 2003
I thought that I'd seen some pretty bad traffic in my time, but then I arrived in New Orleans. The trip from the airport to the hotel was a nightmare partially because there's no such thing as rush ...
River Walkway and Bourbon Street ~ 05 Jun 2003
The Riverside Hilton is right on the Mississippi and I spent most of my afternoon wandering up and down it's muddy banks to watch both paddle boats and people. It's evident that New Orleans is rich ...
Voodoo Authentica ~ 06 Jun 2003
There is a great little shop, hidden amongst the side streets in the French Quarter, called Voodoo Authentica. In this shop you will find the real deal when it comes to voodoo, not the cheap Hollywo...
Haunted Tour of New Orleans ~ 06 Jun 2003
As a wonderful (and scary) end to the Voodoo Authentica presentation, I partook in a New Orleans ghost tour. The tour was an "after dark" dealie, started at 10pm and all the tour participants got a ...
A Final Evening in New Orleans ~ 07 Jun 2003
Rather than go to the planned HOW Rave, which will no doubt go until early morning, I opted to wander around the French Quarter and river area for most of the evening. It was a really nice evening w...
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
New York City ~ 28 Jul 2007
Recognize the photo above? Both towers are from the New York State pavilion – or as known in pop culture the 1964 World's Fair exhibit space ships from Men and Black. New Yorkers may not notice th...
Grimaldi's, Brooklyn, New York ~ 30 Jul 2007
"This line exists because 'o the Food Network. If it weren't for the Food Network we wouldn't be stand'in on line. I mean, who goes to Grimaldis?" This memorable statement was delivered in a th...
A Quick Tour of New York City ~ 09 Oct 2007
New York City is the kind of place where you can spend your whole life and not see everything that can be seen (or experience everything); much like London. So, I won't pretend to have experienced the...
The Empire State Building ~ 30 Sep 2007
Who hasn't heard of the Empire State Building? It was built in 1931, King Kong climbed it in 1933, the Stay Puft Marshmellow man covered it in 1984, and the Muppets visited it that same year. The bu...
Central Park ~ 29 Aug 2007
The photo above is of Central Park in New York taken from midway up the Rockefeller Center. As I stood and stared at the massive 800 acre green space that is Central Park I couldn't help but wonder ...
Didgeridoo ~ 24 Aug 2007
One of my favourite sounds is the deep and mysterious sound that the didgeridoo makes; it's very primal and it appeals to the same side of me that relaxes whenever I hear OM. The above shot is one o...
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
Seattle, Washington ~ 27 Aug 1992
On a whim, we decided to do a last minute impromptu trip to Seattle, Washington. Getting there wasn't hard: we hopped on an overnight bus from Calgary to Vancouver and then caught a bus from Vancouv...
Capitol Hill Area, Seattle ~ 28 Aug 1992
When we awoke, "Jimi Hendrix" was outside the window playing his guitar and walking from place to place chatting with people though windows. We made a quick trip to the grocery store and got the nec...
Seattle Saturday Night Bar Scene ~ 29 Aug 1992
We spend a large portion of the day wandering around looking at the sights in the streets. I'm really fascinated by all the billboards. No one else seemed to care as they're enraptured by the graffi...
Beach and Rainforest ~ 30 Aug 1992
After a long night of hanging out we slept for a large part of the day. I was the first one up and opted to sit in a coffee shop down the street and read the newspaper. It was pretty quiet, or at le...
Pike Place Market, Seattle ~ 31 Aug 1992
No trip to Seattle is complete until you've been to Pike Place Market by the wharf. The market wasn't too far from where we were staying in Capital Hill; however, Seattle is one of the hilliest citi...
Pioneer Square, Jazz Alley and RKCNDY (RockCandy) ~ 01 Sep 1992
Today was spent wandering around Pioneer Square and exploring it's unique architecture and shops. This is Seattle's oldest neighbourhood and is known for its Victorian brick buildings, street perfor...
Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, Seattle ~ 02 Sep 1992
I can't think of a better way of spending our last day in Seattle than spending it sifting through the oddities that can be found in the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. The Curiosity Shop was originally fou...
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Fast Train to DC ~ 01 Feb 2006
The last day of my stay was actually spent sightseeing in the DC area. I thought we would have one final 'wrap it up' meeting but instead I spent the day walking up and down "the National Mall" befo...
Capitol Building at the End of the Mall ~ 02 Feb 2006
"The Mall" is a term used to describe a strip of park land between the Washington Memorial and the Capitol Building. Between these two buildings and along the Mall are other famous buildings includ...
Federal Triangle ~ 03 Feb 2006
We started out Friday looking for something to eat because there was nothing around the place where we were staying. We tried to find something in the Old Post Office (pictured above) but unfortunat...
Washington Memorial ~ 04 Feb 2006
I think almost every place that I've travelled to has some sort of gigantic penis monument; it must have been a trend in the mid-1800s. Washington is no exception and whilst there I did a tour of th...
Popular Culture ~ 05 Feb 2006
The first museum of the day was the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. I wanted to go here just so I could see Dorothy's Ruby Slippers, Fonzie's jacket and Oscar the Grouch. I also wante...
Ladies and Gentleman... Mr. Oscar the Grouch ~ 05 Feb 2006
He's smelly, green, lives in a garbage can and doesn't have a nose; but damn it, I felt giddy when I saw him; like seeing a rockstar for the first time. He does need to work on his attitude, howeve...
Smithsonian Castle ~ 07 Feb 2006
I must have been on the backside of the castle because the courtyard definitely didn't look like this from where I was. This is a red building amongst many white ones; thus it really stood out. And...
National Museum of Natural History ~ 08 Feb 2006
If you're ever in Washington, the Museum of Natural History is a must. Upon discovering it, I wanted to spend the rest of my day there. Katherine and I (we had gone our separate ways after the Washi...
National Art Gallery ~ 12 Feb 2006
I never made it to the National Art Gallery; maybe next time. The other place I want to go that I missed is the National Archives. I want to see if the Declaration of Independence is really surround...
One Last Washington Photo ~ 15 Feb 2006
Transit in Washington was very similar to that in London; only it was more modern and there were no breakdowns in the tunnels. One thing that always fascinates me about underground transit is the g...