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.
The Rockerfeller Centre in New York City is one of the world’s largest complexes covering around 22 acres and consisting of 19 huge commercial complexes including the 70 floor GE Building and world famous Radio City Music Hall. The centre was built in the early 1930’s and has some of the most incredible examples of modern art deco artwork and design seen anywhere in the world. 1987 saw the entire complex declared a National Historic Landmark on the USA national register. The Lower Plaza is a famous meeting place and is a place of celebration during many special days during the year, especially around christmas when the huge Christmas Tree is illuminated and plaza is turned into a giant ice skating ring. The plaza is also an important venue during the US elections, where plaza is used for television vote counting. Many people go to the top of the Empire State Building for the best view of New York, but in our opinion they pick the wrong building. The Rockefeller offers much more spectacular views- sure you are not quiet as high but you get a magnificent view of Central Park and lower Manhattan, especially of the Empire State Building, twilight is quite spectacular.
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.
While the rest of country is battling icy winds and heavy snowfalls, Orlando’s enjoying pleasant 70-degree highs and sunny skies. Jealous? You don’t have to be – winter is one of the best times for planning a vacation to Orlando, especially given all the fun you can have at Universal Studios Orlando, Walt Disney World , and SeaWorld Orlando . It’s the off-season for tourism in Orlando, meaning fewer crowds and shorter lines on your favorite rides. Throw in the pleasant weather, and there’s no doubt that Orlando is looking pretty good this time of year. You may just want to consider ditching work and taking time off to enjoy some of these Orlando theme park highlights. Read the rest of this entry »
Caesars Palace is probably the best know of the huge theme hotel casino complexes in Las Vegas. Opening in 1966 as a 680 room resort the hotel now has over 3300 rooms and has nearly 15500 square metres of gaming area and has resident performers including Bette Midler, Elton John and Cher.The exterior and interior of the huge complex is themed in classical Roman style with huge statues, marble floors, triumphal arches, mosaics the whole works, its so easy for your mind to escape and think you are in Rome thousands of years ago- it is that authentic- except for the bling bling and ching of thousands of gaming machines.
About 30 miles from Las Vegas on the border of Nevada and Arizona you will find the massive Hoover Dam Hydroelectric Powerstation holding back Lake Mead. Completed in 1935 it was the largest electric power station and largest concrete structure in the world. with enough concrete to pave a two lane highway from New York to San Francisco. Tours of the power station are available daily where visitors can see and hear first hand the amazing engineering and construction feats accomplished to build this mighty structure. The power generated serves not only the glittery lights of Las Vegas but much of Arizona, Nevada and most of Southern California. Interestingly the power station dosn’t store power it just generates what is needed at the time.
Ronald Reagan was the 40th President of the United States who had 8 years in office between 1981 and 1989. Regan was in office during some huge changes in the world including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War. His legacy is remembered in a magnificent library and museum in the ruggered Simi Valley about an hour of of Los Angeles in California. Here visitors can recal the life of a Hollywood movie star who became the most powerful man on Earth. As well as learning about this man you can see many of the gifts and artifacts which were part of his life, you can visit a recration of the White House’s Oval Office which has actual furniture and artifacts from his time as president. Probably the most amazing item in the museum is Airforce One, the actual 707 which was used by Regan and many other President’s as their “Flying White House”. For those after a refreshment there is also the Ronald Regan Pub which is a pub that Regan drank at on a visit to Ireland which has been shifted to California. Regan died a few years back and he is also burried at the library overlooking the valley. Read the rest of this entry »
Salem Massachusetts USA is the home of the witch, being home to the witchcraft trials in 1692. Many women were thought to be witches and were hanged at public hangings. Today Salem is cashing in big time on the whole which thing especially around Halloween. There are witch everything, haunted houses, wax museums, witchcraft stores and plenty of places to have spells created and fortunes told. Salem was one of the most important seaports in early America and has a magnificent historic waterfront. The town itself has many historic buildings and is a great day trip for anyone visiting nearby Boston which is less than an hours drive away. Read the rest of this entry »
Greenfield Village is in Dearborn, Detroit USA and was the brain child of Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford. Recognised as a National Historic Landmark and is the largest outdoor museum in the United States. The area covers some 240 acres and is home to nearly 100 historic buildings, many of them once owned by famous Americans and moved brick by brick to the museum. Amongst the highlights are Thomas Edison’s Laboratory, The Wright Brothers bicycle shop, Henry Ford’s birthplace and the Logan County Courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practiced law. The land has been turned into magnificent farmlands and park to reflect the USA of yesterday and many volunteers wear period costume and perform tasks of the day. Horse drawn carriages, vintage cars, trains and other machinery ride the streets beautiful tree lined streets. The most amazing part of this museum is there is no commercialism or advertising-even the gift shop is outside the gates. The park is part of the amazing Henry Ford Museum- we will do a feature on the Museum in coming weeks.
You don’t get much for nothing in this world without a catch- well here’s one and the the catch is one of the best views in the world. The ferry carries some 20 million people a year between Staten Island and lower Manhattan, which is about 60,000 a day. The ride takes about 25 minutes and you get a very good look at the majestic Statue of Liberty and the amazing skyscrapers of New York City and New Jersey. Weekdays there are over 100 trips a day with a few less on weekends, avoid the peak hours for the journey. Bus and Train are easily available from both ferry terminals to explore more of either Manhattan or Staten Island. Read the rest of this entry »
