Since 1873 the cable car has been servicing the streets of San Francisco, and still today remain one of the city’s much loved icons. Originally built to safely transport people up and down the steep slopes of San Francisco Streets the cable car is still an integral part of the city’s transport system. Fares are 3 dollars for each trip but the best way to see the sights is to buy a 9 dollar all day pass or for longer stay a Three day or Seven day pass. Here you can jump on and off when ever it suits. There are three lines in operation, The Powell Mason, which runs to Nob Hill and Fisherman’s Wharf from the City. The Powel Hyde line also goes towards Nob hill and passes Russian Hill and ends up at Aquatic Park near the Ghirardelli Square on the Waterfront. The third line is the California Street line which runs east west from the financial district through Chinatown to Nob Hill. A great way to learn about the cable car system is visit the Cable Car Barn and power station which can be found at 1201 Mason Street its open most days and gives a great insight into this great transportation system.
Churchill Mantobia on the Western shore of Hudson Bay in Canada is known as the Polar Bear Capital of the World and autumn is the best time to see these incredible mammals in their natural habitat. Churchill is about 1000 kms north of Winnipeg and is home to several hundred of these threatened bears. The polar bear is the biggest meat eating animal on earth and can grow more than 600kg and stand over 11 feet high. Churchill has quite a few tourist operators who give you a chance go get up close to these beautiful bears in the safety of specially built ice busses in a range of short or multi day packages- a trip you will never forget. Read the rest of this entry »
Yes its true I spotted him the other day, he was outside the Rock Island Cafe on Kalukua Avenue in along Waikiki beach belting out a tune. Elvis loved Hawaii who could forget the 1973 Aloha from Hawaii concert which was beamed around the world or Blue Hawaii his 1961 musical which stared Joan Blackman and Angela Lansbury next to the king. Then there was the toe tapping Paradise, Hawaiian Style movie in 1966 which stared Suzanna Leigh and featured such classic Elvis songs as Scratch My Back (Then I’ll Scratch Yours) and Datin’.
Its hard to believe but the King of Rock and Roll Elvis died 30 years ago today at his Graceland estate in Memphis Tennessee USA. Today Graceland has been transformed into a lasting memorial to the King, tours of the house where he lived and loved are available where you can see the famous jungle room, Elvis’s den, kitchen even his fridge. The huge complex also features museums shops and other somewhat kitsch attractions and for something really special you can get married at the Chapel in the Woods which is Graceland’s own Chapel a perfect setting for an Elvis inspired wedding. The chapel like much of the huge complex was built after the King left the building and some might say they are really only cashing in on the Elvis legend, but its all fun and it sort of suits the style of Elvis. Opposite the Graceland mansion is a magnificent collection of Elvis’s possessions including many of his automobiles and motorbikes. His custom jets the Lisa Marie and the Hounddog II are also on display. There are of course plenty of his stage costumes including his glasses and those amazing jump suits, and guess what there’s plenty of gift shops where you can buy some interesting Elvis merchandise including Elvis Cookbooks, photos, DVDS, key rings, you name it you will find it. Read the rest of this entry »
As tomorrow marks the 30th anniversary of Elvis’s death we thought we play tribute to the King of Rock n Roll and visit the old Las Vegas on Tripandom. Elvis was one of the entertaining pioneers of the Vegas entertainment circuit, now he is immortalized in the amazing light show covering the roof of the Fremont street downtown district. Called Viva Vision- after one of the King’s trademark songs the 20 odd million dollar display contains over 12 million LED modules and pumps out a whopping 555,000 watts of sound, its the length of five football fields and 90 feet up in the air. The show gets about 20 million visitors a year and is 100% free. There are different shows and they start nightly at dusk and go through to midnight happening about every half an hour.
When most people think of holidaying in Florida they think of the theme parks in Orlando but only an hours drive away is the home of the Kennedy Space Centre. This is the place where the missions to the moon and the space shuttle were launched and is an amazing place you shouldn’t miss if visiting Florida. Here you can see first hand some of America’s amazing space technology with an amazing collection of artifacts, spacecraft and information on America’s space exploration but the highlight will be the informative trip through the swamplands to the actual launching grounds of these amazing space vehicles. If you are really lucky you might even see the space shuttle being prepared for its next flight or even see it launch. The tour takes you up close to a full size Apollo and Saturn Rockets. The centre also has Imax theatres a full size space shuttle mock up to explore and is home to the Astronaut Hall of Fame. This attraction will fascinate young and old
The world’s most beautiful Chinese restaurant is Lau Yee Chai in the Waikiki Shopping Centre at the Ambassador Hotel in Hawaii. How do we know you may ask, well the huge neon sign out the front says so. Inside you will see why this restaurant has made such a claim, because it probably is the worlds most beautiful. Decorated in rich reds and some of the most lovely artwork and furniture it is truly magnificent.
The restaurant is also Hawaii’s most exquisite and has been around for about 75 years serving authentic Chinese cuisine like their signature dish the Hong Kong Style Roasted Garlic Lobster, which is deep fried to perfection and roasted with diced red pepper and spring onions.
Pier 39 is one of San Francisco’s most popular waterfront attractions and not only popular with people- seals love it too. These blubbery layabouts visited the pier in 1990 and have now taken over the entire dock space during winter the barking herd numbers close to 900.
The 45 acre Pier 39 has so much to offer along with the seals there are attractions, restaurants and plenty of novelty shopping. Houdini’s Magic Shop and Le beastro’s Dog Boutique are two of the favorites. There is always something going on at the pier, with performances, buskers and special events happening daily.
The American Queen is a magnificent paddleboat on the which sales the mighty Mississippi. This vessel has 222 state rooms and is 6 decks high, 418 feet in length and 89 feet wide. The 160 crew on board cater for the436 guests on board offering luxury service and an experience to remember. The huge exhaust stacks can be lowered to allow the boat to go under low bridges and the 45 ton paddle wheel is powered with the help of authentic steam engines and a little help from some state of the art diesel engines.
It’s the 4th of July so today we take a look at one of the worlds best zoos, the San Diego Zoo in Southern California. This zoo has one of the worlds finest collections of animals and plays an important role in conservation and the breeding of endangered and threatened species. One of the most popular animal exhibits is the Giant Panda’s which are truly magnificent. The zoo has recently opened a Monkey Walk which is also very popular here visitors can get very close to a selection of interesting primates in a very real environment. Visitors to Los Angeles can visit visit the zoo in a day trip but San Diego has so much to offer including a historic townships, waterfront precincts, great shopping and the Zoo’s wild animal park adventure… and the Mexican border is only minutes away on the train.
