Tagged With "Grand Central"
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Re: England’s Thames Path: Kew Gardens
My wife Diane and I spent almost an entire day at Kew Gardens. So much natural beauty to see. We arrived from central London at the Kew Station in mid-morning and didn't leave until almost dusk. At one time our son had a possibility of being transferred to London and I recommended getting a place in the Kew Garden area for the beauty and quiet. One of my photos from Kew.
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Re: Edinburgh, Scotland for 2.5 days....help!
Hi Chickpea, Your hotel is very central as you say. There is a regular bus service to certain attractions. We visited in January and had no problem with entry to attractions, the Castle, National Gallery etc. I would only suggest that you check out the individual attractions websites to obtain tickets in advance if you wish. Hope this helps, Paul.
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Re: Made in Romania-Beauties from Romania
Yes here is the description: 0:00- 0:04- Apuseni Mountains 0:04-0:14- Dragan Valey 0:14-0:24- Danube Delta 0:24- 0:31- Sighisoara City 0:31- Danube River 0:48- Constantin Brancusi's art- "Coloana Infintitului" 1:05- Sibiu county 1:44- Bran Castle- Brasov County 2:06- Huniazilor Castle- Hunedoara 2:22- Peles Castle 2:30- Brasov County- Central Square, and The Black Church 3:14- Sarmizegetusa- The Capital of antique Dacia 3:24- Bucharest- the capital of Romania I think that's it
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Oct. 13: Brussels' Saucy Statue
He's much smaller than I thought -- and I'm talking about the height of the little guy. Besides chocolate their tinkling mascot, the Belgiums also love beer and comics. I was quite surprised at what a comic book culture they have.
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Re: Christmas in Arizona--what to do?
Arizona is a huge state, EyeWonder. Where exactly were you going to be home-based during your Christmas vacation? It would help to know so that we could better advise you.
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Re: Christmas in Arizona--what to do?
Anywhere around the Phoenix area would be good. Northern Arizona (Grand Canyon) gets winter. Scottsdale is a popular destination with great resorts and there are many budget hotels in the area. I would use Fashion Square Mall as your search area.
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Re: Christmas in Arizona--what to do?
Thanks everyone. I have to ask you more questions! My friends have come up with two more suggestions. One is Sedona, and the other is the Navajo reservation that Tony Hillerman wrote all his books about and that has some big canyons. Is that area too far north for warm weather?
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Re: Christmas in Arizona--what to do?
Originally Posted by EyeWonder: Thanks everyone. I have to ask you more questions! My friends have come up with two more suggestions. One is Sedona, and the other is the Navajo reservation that Tony Hillerman wrote all his books about and that has some big canyons. Is that area too far north for warm weather? Navajo country is too far north and too high up for a warm winter break. But if you bring a warm jacket, it will be magical that time of year. Sedona will be nice, but with cooler days...
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Re: Capital of Culture Series: Liverpool
In Europe, I have had good luck finding value accommodations at Booking.com and Europe-Stays. com. Those sites list hostels with their ratings and prices. A quick peek for June shows several promising choices for around $ 21 USD per bed per night. Unless you just want company, you might budget hotels pricing similar to the hostels. They often charge per person, not per room, which is a big help for the solo traveler. Tune Hotels will work for the London part of your trip, but they are not in...
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Re: The Tulou of Fujian Province
HistoryDigger, I'll explain. At the end of the first day of tulou visits, the large tour bus rendezvoused with a small van and it was indicated that I should bring my things and come with a young man. Since no one could explain, I had to simply trust and go along, an interesting sensation. I later realized that I was the only one who had opted for the second day. The young man drove me to a very basic village of mostly new buildings built, I suspect but of course don't know, for...
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Re: Capital of Culture Series: Liverpool
In a way, most of the places in the world worth visiting have some history of being "dirty, industrial" places--that's where people cluster and societies are forged. The ancient cities of the Middle East and Greece, and Rome itself were like that! We recently visited the excavated Roman city under central Barcelona, and were surprised to see how much of the area in the center of the ancient city was given over to commercial laundry, large-scale dye works and industrial-scale wine-making. The...
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Re: Doctor List for Traveling
As with many things travel, insurance is a matter of choice. Travel Health Insurance seems to be a lot more expensive in the US than elsewhere. Policies in the US usually include trip cancellation and medical coverage and often run 5-6% the cost of a trip. Given the amount you travel, Mac, the investment of a few hundred dollars a year seems prudent to me. But when I was 30 the thought of insurance never crossed my mind. Not once. A few years ago I did start buying trip cancellation (and...
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Re: Put Stuttgart on Your Travel List
Many European towns have a Central Square where concerts and displays by local groups entertain us. Is Stuttgart like this ? Does it have Art Galleries that survived the war years ? Stuttgart isn't one of the places you associate with tourists in Germany but you've given us a taster. Thanks Rob !
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Re: Put Stuttgart on Your Travel List
Thanks Garry. Stuttgart really is a fun city.The Central Squares in Stuttgart do seem to have a lot going on. I did't get a chance to go to any Art museums there yet . Next trip!
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Re: Grand Central Terminal, New York (Where Gumbo Was #164)
Looks like you have a great liking for the good old days of the railroad. Loved the reference to the new complex - It was picking up steam in the 80s and 90s. Fascinating slice of architecture hidden away. But better a market hall than a memory.
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Re: Grand Central Terminal, New York (Where Gumbo Was #164)
Love the history and old photos! Nice post!
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Re: Grand Central Terminal, New York (Where Gumbo Was #164)
And thanks to you, DrF, for suggesting it to me as a topic!
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Re: Wolves or Cheese: France must decide
I love wolves. They are beautiful, but they are also smart and efficient predators. An easy food source like sheep is something they'll go back to again and again once tried, especially if they develop a taste for mutton. Much easier than bringing down a deer, for example, or chasing rabbits. Cattle ranchers in the north central US plains and Canada face a similar problem, where wolves can develop a taste for calves. And that is much more costly to ranchers than the loss of a sheep.
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Re: Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Canada. Where Gumbo Was #36
You must be civilised in Canada too - cricket ! The original design for Central Park NY was made here - near Liverpool UK Birkenhead Park. Same guy did both. Just a bit smaller. We're a bit pushed for space over here !
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Re: Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Canada. Where Gumbo Was #36
Close but no cigar on Central Park's designer (who also did my backyard, Brooklyn's Prospect Park). Birkenhead was the work of Joseph Paxton, while the other two were done by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. Olmsted visited Birkenhead in 1850, three years after it opened, and while he was already thinking about Central Park, which opened in 1858. In his book "Walks and Talks of an American Farmer in England, Olmsted wrote about Birkenhead: "five minutes of admiration, and a few more...
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Re: Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Canada. Where Gumbo Was #36
In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted won a design competition to improve and expand Central Park with a plan he entitled the Greensward Plan . 8 years AFTER Olmsted visited the Peoples Garden - Birkenhead Park England. He said "that in democratic America there was nothing to be thought of as comparable with this People’s Garden" So he took the plans back to New York. Entered the Central Park competition 8 years later. And won using Paxton plans from the Peoples Garden in England as a guide.
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Re: Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg, Canada. Where Gumbo Was #36
Apr 13, 2013 The boss of New York’s Central Park hailed his first visit to Birkenhead Park which inspired its design as “a dream come true” Doug Blonsky, president and chief executive of the New York Central Park said: “You drive around Birkenhead Park and there is no question that the physical similarities between here and Central Park are there" “To come here and take a look at it is a dream come true for me."
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Nov. 16, 2014: American Golden Plover
Yes, Arctic birds are common in southern USA, Central and South America and further north during migration. But to see them in their beautiful breeding colours, you need to go to the Arctic in spring or early summer. This plover had already changed to grey by mid-August.
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Re: Finding Your Hike in Prospect Park
Garry, it’s right in Central Brooklyn, surrounded by residential neighborhoods that range from quite poor to distressingly wealthy. Unlike Brooklyn Bridge Park, born in an age when it somehow seems acceptable to people to make condos part of a park, there would be huge opposition to messing with Prospect Park; in fact, even small changes can generate lots of discussion. But let’s not think parks are always safe; a few years ago, the Yankees were allowed to swap park land parcels for their...
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Re: More WiFi in NYC Subway...soon...maybe.
This is supposed to be the current list of stations with wireless and Wi-Fi service. http://www.nycsubwaywireless.com/ What I don't understand is if this a free service ,how exactly does Transit Wireless, make money ? Are the phone carriers paying for them? http://www.transitwireless.com...or-transit-agencies/
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Re: More WiFi in NYC Subway...soon...maybe.
Transit Wireless is a company formed for this project; it's owned by the phone and data carriers, which have paid part of the costs. The other revenue stream is the potential for advertising, and also sponsorships ("WiFi at this station is sponsored by...") Everything here seems to be a big to-do; we've been on lots of European systems that have had full service, including tunnels, for quite a while. We're also way behind on "train will arrive" signs, because the NYCTA way is to design from...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, December 9, 2014: Enjoying the Sunset
If this were a painting, it would be by Edward Hopper. Wonderful image...
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Re: For those who hate Heathrow, Gatwick plans new allure
Gatwick, if selected, will have much better transportation than now; in fact, they are committed to building it even with one runway. Every 2.5 minutes, into Central London. DrF: Gatwick is hoping this will bring some North American flights again; US Airways was the last North American carrier into Gatwick, and they stopped in 2009, sucked into the great vacuum of Heathrow. Gatwick used to have a lot of N. America business back when restrictive legislation limited the number of their flights...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, December 9, 2014: Enjoying the Sunset
What a fantastic photo and description; a moment in time captured forever.
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Re: World's 10 Best Airports? Maybe...
I think the comments, and mine are all hitting on the same point: better airport is not more amenities for while you're trapped there...better airport is not trapping you there. I get disbelieving stares when I tell people that Laguardia is my favorite. But, while it looks a bit dated, its size means you don't have ridiculous hikes, and it's easy to get in and get out. Heathrow T5, on the other hand...especially if you are transferring from T3...is an experience that makes you feel like...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day: April 15th, 2014. Deck Chairs in Hyde Park
It will be very nice to see those chairs in our central park in my county, maybe someday.
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Re: Four Days in Berlin
We meant to do one of the cruises, but never quite fit it on on a day with good weather. There are cruises of varying lengths, and one of the most popular is a one-hour cruise of the central area, so that could fit in nicely. Several companies are doing that one, and they all have docks just below the Berliner Dom.
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Re: How loooong does it take to get to your airport?
Originally Posted by PHeymont You just have to conclude that all this planning is done by people who have chauffeurs or helicopters to get them to the plane on time... Or progress is blocked by some politician or lobbyist... ;-) I did just get a chance to read the blog you linked. While I agree that public transportation is much more available in Europe, and perhaps Asia, however with the few examples he sites, there really are few cities that have that 15-20 minute from "airport to...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Sep 15, 2015: Pit Lane, Mdina Grand Prix
I was having lunch in Mdina. Our waiter was a boy about 8 years old. He asked if I'd ever seen a train. "Of course I have. Maybe 4 a day" "When I save enough to leave Malta I want to see a train" he said. Then he asked my Mother in Law if she was my sister. She slipped him a few dollars. He'll soon have enough - I thought - to see a train - even at 8.
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Re: Colorado National Monument
Thanks for the beautiful pics. One of these summers I'm going to start touring the U. S. of A.
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Re: Colorado National Monument
Excellent idea, rbciao! Although I'd recommend visiting the desert regions of the southwest in the shoulder seasons, rather than during the heat of summer. No question in my mind that some of the best scenery in the world is in North America. Ciao!
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Re: Thinking Cuba? Tickets not so easy yet!
I've also heard that there are concerns not enough hotel rooms exist in Cuba for the expected flood of American tourists. Besides flights, it's important to have a room reservation at hand. I truly hope the flood of tourist money will be of benefit to the Cuban people whose plight I have great empathy for.
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Re: Thinking Cuba? Tickets not so easy yet!
Perhaps TG Guru GarryRF can add something on this...he's been there often. My impression is that the lack of facilities may be overstated, because Canadians, Brits and others have been going there in large numbers. Of course, if you double that without building, there will be a problem, but I don't think the numbers will go up that fast until the hotels and airlines start offering the kind of attractive packages they do for other areas of the Caribbean. It may be a self-solving problem.
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Re: Thinking Cuba? Tickets not so easy yet!
Many Americans travel to the Capital - Havana. Its a big - overgrown and mostly poor city. Not really a flavour of the real Cuba and its people. Wherever you go on the Island they do 2-3 day trips to Havana. The stores are mostly empty and food is strictly rationed to the locals. So you'll be better going to one of the hundreds of All Inclusive Hotels that line the coast. Inclusive vacations fly from Toronto to Resorts all around the Island. Very much like Dominican Republic - without the...
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Re: Thinking Cuba? Tickets not so easy yet!
Most interesting Garry. I still have Cuba on my list as 'yet to be visited'. I'm not a great beach lover - a few days are fine - is there really a lot to be seen in the country as a whole if you take away the Ché-related hyped locations? Is it really worth making the effort right now before things change as they surely will? Unfortunately I still have a load of other places that are tugging at my sleeve for early visits...
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Re: Thinking Cuba? Tickets not so easy yet!
Most city centres have been laid out in the Spanish style with an open park. This is lunchtime when all the school children and workers eat their packed lunches. No radio - music - skateboards - headphones - just peace and tranquillity !
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Re: Thinking Cuba? Tickets not so easy yet!
Mac. Cuba has already changed since my first visit 15 years ago. Buses and cars are everywhere now thanks to those intrepid Chinese salesmen. Living standards are rising rapidly thanks to the tourist dollar. Fields of Sugar Cane are now rare. Castro has decided that Cuba's future lies in tourism. Bicycles prevail in most Towns and a horse and buggy are common. When I first went to Cuba it was painfully poor. It's like going back in time to a 3rd world country. But with safety and very civil,...
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Re: Thinking Cuba? Tickets not so easy yet!
Thank you Garry - a really useful piece of feed-back.
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Re: Thinking Cuba? Tickets not so easy yet!
Maybe the answer to the number of Hotels needed to accommodate the new visitors from the US is all in the timing. Brits - Canadians - Germans love Cuba in the winter. It's the dry season with no hurricane threat. Warm in the daytime, 75-85f or 24 -29c. Cool enough for a sweater at night. Americans can have the summer !!!
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Re: Thinking Cuba? Tickets not so easy yet!
Well, that's it then, Cuba is right back on the list!! Thanks Garry.
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Re: Nashville, Tennessee.....the Elvis tour continues!
Thank you - again - for a wonderful tour of the origins of modern music. Looks like Ottoman saved the day. So much history to absorb in one visit. Those bygone days when music and its makers made headlines. Nice, well presented series DrF !
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Re: Nashville, Tennessee.....the Elvis tour continues!
Once again DrFumblefinger you have done a wonderful job putting this blog together. Thank you for you doing this. I enjoyed it very much. GarryRF, I was very happy that I could be of some assistance for this blog, but it's DrFumblefinger who seems to have the magic touch on putting all the pieces of the puzzle together. In this case, I'm the guy who only delivered the bricks, but DrFumblefinger built the house.
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Re: Nashville, Tennessee.....the Elvis tour continues!
So....Are you going to be my travel apprentice, Ottoman?
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Re: Gasoline Alley: The signs
That's a great collection! I remember many of them from childhood trips in the 1950s, and in others I see signs with familiar shapes and designs, but Canadian names...also quite a few that remind us of commercial history...Richfield Oil before Atlantic Richfield before ARCO, for instance. I'm beginning to think my day in Calgary at a teacher conference a few years ago was spent in the wrong part of town!
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Re: Gasoline Alley: The signs
What an awesome museum and collection of auto-related signs!! Very interesting article about Gasoline Alley!