The Statue of Liberty has been fully reopened to visitors after closing in September of 2001 after the terrorist attacks on New York City. For the last few years visitors have only been able into the pedestal of the grand old lady but now are able to climb the narrow winding stairs to the top to see the spectacular view of Manhattan through a series tiny windows in the crown. It is expected the climb will be open for two years and then closed for another period for some maintenance and safety works. Due to the restricted space only a limited number of people are able to climb the statue every day, the number is around 30 an hour, so it is going to be one of the most sought after things to do in New York City. Tickets can be purchased up to a year in advance from the cruise companies, and for added security people must show ID matching the names on the ticket to use them. Good news is the tickets only cost $3 each on top of the usual $12 ferry ride.The Statue of Liberty has been looking over the skyline of Manhattan since October of 1886 and is the world’s most recognisable statue, with smaller copies in Paris and Tokyo also much loved and are regular stops on tourist tours of both cities.
The Charging Bull is one of the most recognisable pieces of art around New York Wall Street financial district. Weighing in at over 3200 kg and standing 11 feet tall and 16 feet long the huge bronze bull was sculptured by Arturo Di Modica as a symbol of Strength and Power to the American People after the 1987 stock market crash. The artwork was actually a piece of guerrilla art by the artist who had it installed under the stock exchange Christmas tree in 1989. The statue was seized by police and impounded but after public outcry was brought back and installed a little up the road at Bowling Green. The statue today is one of New York City’s most photographed and loved sculptures with thousands posing with the bull every day. Some pose beside the head and horns of the beast while just as many want to pose with the rather graphic rear end.
Opening in 1993 the Luxor on the Las Vegas Boulevard strip is one of the more eye-catching of the huge theme hotel casino resorts. Owned by the MGM group the resort is home to over 4400 rooms and some of the city’s best gaming, nightclub, bars and theatres. The centrepiece of the complex is a 30 story black glass pyramid topped with a spotlight which is claimed to be the worlds brightest and can be seen from Los Angles and it is claimed can be seen from space. The pyramid is guarded by a massive Sphinx which is one of the city’s best photo oppourtunities. Over the last few years over $300 million dollars has been spent renovating the Luxor, which has replaced much of the Egyptian inspired interior out of the complex and replacing it with a more luxurious and contemporary style. But the exterior still retains the amazing ancient Egyptian look. The Luxor is home to LAX, on of the world’s hottest nightclubs and has hosted some of the world’s hottest celebrities including Britney Spears, the Hiltons and Christina Aguilera to name a few. Like many other Vegas casinos the Luxor also features an amazing Cirque du Soleil show called Criss Angel Believe which is set to run until 2018.
Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida has just opened its newly updated Hall of Presidents staring all 43 US presidents and taking centre stage for the first time a Barack Obama animatronic robot. The attraction has been a hit since opening in 1971 and the new updates make this show one of the most technically advanced productions ever seen at Disneyworld. The voice of President Obama is actually him, he recorded a special message for his robot a few months back. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln also speak in the show and all the other presidents look on and move to the speeches with some amazing facial expressions and limb movements. The show has been retitled for the look and is now known as A celebration of Liberty’s leaders” and focuses on the strong bonds between the people and the president. Patriotically opening on the 4th of July this attraction is sure to be one of the more popular at the Disneyworld resort.
Burning Man is only a few months away and a new doco about the massive festival is just about out too. Called Dust and Illusions, the documentary traces the history of the festival that has grown from 20 people in 1986 on a San Francisco Beach to almost 50,000 people in the Black Rock Desert last year. If you can’t get to the festival make sure you check out the doco (the film’s trailer is above). Read the rest of this entry »
If you have ever been to New York you probably would have been to the section of Broadway known as Times Square. Times Square is one of the busiest intersection of New York if not for the several streets that cross over each over but also for the huge amount of tourist’s and New Yorkers that can be found wandering around the area each day. From now until the end of the year getting around the area on foot has become a fair bit easier as traffic has been diverted away from Broadway from between 42nd and 47th streets. The road closure is a trail with the aim of seeing if traffic improves across the whole midtown area. The video above was done by the New York Times, getting the opinion of people in the middle of the street. Read the rest of this entry »
We have been seeing this story around a fair bit for a new US airline dedicated to pets only and we thought we would share it here. The basic story goes instead of shoving your pet in the cargo hold of the plane you can send your pet on Petairways plane where it lives it up in the normal passenger section of a plane and is cared for by a pet attendant. The airline travels across the states from LA to New York stopping at Denver, Chicago and Washington along the way. It sounds like a good idea if your worried about the stress on fluffy in the cargo hold of a plane but we recon the stress of trying to find a pet flight to match up with a human flight and then collecting the pet will stop us ponying up the 149 bucks for fluffy’s flight. We will collect our pets from baggage carousel no 5 thanks. Read the rest of this entry »
Though Las Vegas still remains one of the top spots for high rollers, with upscale boutiques at the Palazzo Las Vegas, a high-stakes poker room at the Bellagio, and $25,000+ a night suites at The Palms Las Vegas, travelers are beginning to discover why Sin City is one of the best locations for a penny-pinching vacation. In these difficult economic times, everyone’s looking for new ways to save and cutting back on expenses. But a vacation doesn’t have to be one of the things you cut out from your budget. This year, try booking a trip to Las Vegas, where you can save on discounted shows and hotel rooms. Read the rest of this entry »
Dating back to 1959 the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum has become one of the best-known landmarks in New York City and is one of the 20th century’s most important architectural buildings. The Guggenheim Museum is home to a renowned permanent collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art as well as featuring special exhibitions throughout the year. The Museum is located on Fifth Avenue at the corner of 89th Street in the Upper East Side in New York City. The museum overlooks Central Park and is great spot to start a walk across the park around the Central Park Reservoir across to Central Park West where you will run into the memorial to John Lennon. Known as Strawberry Fields, the memorial sits in the park opposite his old apartment building (The Dakota) on the opposite side of the park from the Guggenheim. Read the rest of this entry »
With new years eve only a few days away we thought we would take a look at some of the celebrations around the world the week on tripandom. One of the most famous new year events is the Times Square Ball Drop where a large ball is dropped down a pole in a similar way as a time ball was once used to alert sailors of the time. The Ball Drop dates back to 1907 and has since become one of the most watched new year events around the world with the event televised across the USA and making the evening news in many other counties. Up to a million people go to watch the ball drop each year creating a bit of a crowd control issue for police in the areas around Times Square.
