Tagged With "Russian Exhibition Center"
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Nov 25, 2013: Bald Eagles, Lake Couer d'Alene
Thanks for the comment, GarryRF. I do love love nature and natural history and often my travels center around seeing these sorts of sights. I did not know that about alligators and the fish. But I can't say I'm surprised. Nature has developed marvelous mechanisms of adaptation that never cease to amaze me. What I am looking forward to, as are others, is your first piece on those great Cuban cars. Not nature, but beauty of a different kind!
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, December 12, 2013: Aerial Lift Bridge, Duluth, Minnesota
Hello again Theodore Sorry for the late response to your question. Personally, I do not think it is worth the time and effort it would take for you to drive to Duluth from Minneapolis for only one day in the winter time. The ride from Minneapolis to Duluth one way on Interstate 35 will take you 2.5 hours, and that's under good driving conditions. In the winter, chances are you will encounter bad weather, and that will definitely add to your driving time. Duluth doesn't shut down in the...
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Re: Sun Studio, Memphis, Tennessee: The house Sam Phillips built
Actually, the importance of Memphis is long-standing and for good reason: it's on a flood-free bluff above the Mississippi. At different times in its history, both French and Spanish armies built forts there to control traffic on the Mississippi, and before the Civil War, it was the terminus of the only east-west railroad to cross the South...so it has always been a big transportation center. The railroad guaranteed its role in shipping cotton, and made it the center of the region.
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Re: Want to buy great hand-made lace? Go to Sri Lanka!
Thanks PortMoresby! Gumbo is full of surprises, as we find out each week.... The women working at the lace center were very proud of their skill. Like most Sri Lankans, they're shy when you first meet them and start talking to them, but once the ice is broken you're rewarded with huge smiles and friendly conversation....and a chance to take photos like those you see in this post. The quality of the lace is excellent. I still have a number of pieces I bought here, including a large lace...
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Re: Rogers Center, Toronto, Canada. Where Gumbo was #56
As I travel, I pay a lot of attention to statuary (there's so much!), but it's always special when it manages not only to tell a story, but to give you a little lift, a little laugh. Your samples from the Rogers Center are great! PS...for anyone with a taste for more semi-comic statues, we had a piece here on Gumbo last October: Laughter Set in Stone: Fun With Statues ...
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Re: The Petite Ceinture, Paris: Where Gumbo Was (#71)
In an e-mail, Jonathan L provides an update—a happy one—on the Gare Ornano. It appears that about a year after I took my pictures, the station was sold, the KFC is gone, and a new cafe+recycling center has renovated the station; a picture below shows a view of the rear very different from the one below the KFC picture above. The site now also hosts food trucks! Thanks to Jonathan L for finding the followup, which can be found at http://www.larecyclerie.com/ It's in French, but if that's a...
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Re: Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, Toronto
Thanks for your comments, Garry. The kids there were all having a lot of fun, so it would be the kind of place for families to visit for sure. They have special kid-focused exhibits and play areas, perfect for keeping their attention and letting off some steam. The Dangerous Reef exhibit is especially impressive and worth the ticket price all by itself. But there are a lot of unusual exhibits and aquatic animals. My favorite aquarium still remains the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which I hope to...
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Re: Visiting John Steinbeck country. 2) Salinas: the National Steinbeck Center
DrFumblefinger- A wonderful presentation on the the National Steinbeck Center.I felt like I went along! It really seems that the Center does a excellent job of informing us on the life of John Steinbeck!
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Re: Finding Reiner: Disaster to Discovery
Thanks for the start of an extraordinary journey, which also reminds us that travel isn't only for pleasure, or even always voluntary. It is also important for us never to reduce history to acts of state and leaders and lose sight of all the Reiners of the world.
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Re: Finding Reiner: Disaster to Discovery
What a discovery! And thanks for taking us along. I can't wait to hear what happens.
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Re: Finding Reiner: Disaster to Discovery
Baited, hooked and (almost) landed, like I'm some kind of reading marlin! Can't wait for the next installment! Wonderfully done, HistoryDigger! Thanks so much for sharing this story with us!
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Re: Finding Reiner: Disaster to Discovery
Fantastic! A WWII story, personal journey and travel story all rolled into one! I'm totally hooked and will be following your unfolding story this summer, Whitney! All luck!
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Re: Finding Reiner: Disaster to Discovery
Merveilleux!! Un vrai bijou! Thanks so much for sharing this amazing story. Can't wait to read more.
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Re: Finding Reiner: Disaster to Discovery
This really is a wonderful post, Whitney. I love the family history you have there. And fantastic photos! I'm looking forward to reading more of your writing.
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Re: Finding Reiner: Disaster to Discovery
Thanks, Jessica, for your kind words. I'll check out your blog as well.
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Re: Finding Reiner #3: Inside Old Shadows
Mac-TG Guru--Fascinating story, yours. Your parents' romance reminds me of such fictional stories in the British series Foyle's War . Have you seen that? The show highlights romance between German POWs and English farm girls. I would love to know more of your father's history. I also wish I could interview your father or find other elderly residents who remember life here during the war. So much better when it comes from a resident than from a historian who was not here then. How long were...
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Re: Gumbo’s Pic of the Day, August 29, 2014: Postcards from Greece - The Portara on Naxos
I stayed once for a week on Naxos and the window of my room on the hill in the center of this picture had exactly the opposite view, this structure from a distance. I remember the guesthouse and the island fondly and could happily stay there for some time. An unpretentious and friendly place.
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Re: A Day at the Zoo: San Diego, California
Thanks IslandMan! Probably the rarest animal at the zoo is the California Condor. Only the San Diego and Los Angeles zoos exhibit these birds and were instrumental in saving them from extinction. With only a few dozen birds left in the wild, a controversial decision was made several decades ago to capture them all and place the remaining birds in these two zoos for a captive breeding program. They now number several hundred and are slowly being re-introduced into the wild, with limited...
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Re: Gold Country, California: Nevada City
I LOVE when this happens! In the midst of my series on the Gold Rush towns in California and coinciding with our discussions of early photography in 'Gumbo's World' on the homepage, I read this morning of an exhibit of photographs at Stanford University. From the gallery site: "...Carleton Watkins (1829–1916) ventured west in 1849 to strike it rich. But instead of prospecting for gold, Watkins developed a talent for photography—a medium invented only 22 years before." Read more here . I will...
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Re: Gold Country, California: Nevada City
My turn to be jealous that you'll get to see the exhibit. The images look wonderful, but what is sticking in my mind is that Watkins was traveling primitive roads and trails with...omg...18 x 22 glass plates. One stumble, and...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, May 14, 2014: Passing by America, 1969
DrF...Pennsylvania is well worth exploring, with its tremendous variation between the coastal plain, the Alleghenies stretching in bands across much of the center, lush rural areas to the south, hardscrabble mining and forests in the northeast...and more. An interesting thought: rural locations are sometimes hard to place, because although what is common in one area may still exist, even if less usual, in another. Absent something like the lavender of Provence in bloom...sometimes it's...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, May 30, 2014: The Hotel Pool, Cambodia
The near-symmetry of the image and the lush color tempt me to jump in...but only exactly at the center!
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A tropical oasis: Wahiawa Botanical Garden, Oahu
I'm fond of exploring parks and libraries in the cities I visit, for different reasons. Libraries are fun because I love and collect books, and because the quality of a city's libraries tells me a lot about that city's priorities. ...
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Government St., Mobile: A Great Historic Street (Pt. 2)
Barton Academy, 504 Government St. First Public School in Alabama I've walked on Government Street in Mobile Alabama four separate times. The funny thing is, as I finished up seeing the sights that I came for, I kept...
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Visiting historic Skagway, Alaska
Skagway, Alaska owes its existence to the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1800s. There were three main routes to the Klondike. One route was across Alaska. A second was the all-Canadian route starting at Edmonton and...
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Memphis, Tennessee: 1) Graceland
3764 Elvis Presley Blvd. It’s an address most Elvis fans know by heart because that’s where you’ll find Graceland . Graceland is THE place every Elvis must visit at least once in their lifetime. Not only was...
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Memphis, Tennessee 2) The King's chariots
Elvis loved cars and mechanical toys of all types, including motorcycles and airplanes. He had the money to indulge his passions, and you can see many of his favorites right across the street from Graceland . The Elvis...
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Charleston's Grand Mansions: Drayton Hall
On a recent visit to Charleston, South Carolina, I bought a 2-day pass, called the Charleston Heritage Passport , at the North Charleston Visitor Center near the airport, and planned to include as many of the sites it offered of...
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Charleston's Grand Mansions: Joseph Manigault House
On a recent visit to Charleston, South Carolina, I bought a 2-day pass, called the Charleston Heritage Passport , at the North Charleston Visitor Center near the airport, and planned to include as many of the sites it offered of...
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The National Museum of Ireland: Archaeology, Dublin: Where Gumbo was #78
Seems not even the master Gumbo travel sleuths were able to crack our last puzzle. Gumbo was visiting the fascinating Museum of Ireland, Archaeology division, situated on Kildare Street in Dublin. The Archaeology Museum is housed...
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Charleston's Grand Mansions: Middleton Place
On a recent visit to Charleston, South Carolina, I bought a 2-day pass, called the Charleston Heritage Passport , at the North Charleston Visitor Center near the airport, and planned to include as many of the sites it offered of...
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A Day in Chartres
If you’re looking for a nice escape from the crowds and chaos of Paris, consider heading to the small city of Chartres for a day or two. Situated 60 miles (96 km) southwest of Paris, just an hour’s train ride from the...
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Devils Tower National Monument
Devils Tower is an igneous intrusion or laccolith in the Bear Lodge Mountains (part of the Black Hills) in northeastern Wyoming, above the Belle Fourche River. It rises dramatically 1,267 feet (386 m) above the surrounding terrain and...
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Memphis, Tennessee 3) The rest of the city
There’s a lot more to Memphis than Graceland, although Graceland is by far the city’s most popular attraction (which I’ve previously discussed here ). A city of about 650,000, Memphis has a...
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Tupelo, Mississippi. Birthplace of the King of Rock 'n Roll
This is the first post in a short series on visiting Elvis Presley related sites. I've been a huge Elvis fan all my life and my love for the man's wonderful music has not abated in the 35+ years since he died. My brother (Ottoman) and I...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, December 13, 2014: Gödöllő
The Royal Palace of Gödöllő sits on the outskirts of Budapest and it was there I was taken one day by streetcar from the center of the city by dear friend, Zoli. A serious photographer with a wonderful eye, he and I walked all...
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Charleston's Grand Mansions: Aiken-Rhett House
On a recent visit to Charleston, South Carolina, I bought a 2-day pass, called the Charleston Heritage Passport , at the North Charleston Visitor Center near the airport, and planned to include as many of the sites it offered of...
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Charleston and its Single Houses: Where Gumbo Was #79
TravelGumbo member Club2013, by e-mail, was the only one to correctly place Gumbo’s secret destination: Charleston, SC. He found the special characteristics in an almost generic “old town” streetscape, and hit the nail on the head....
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Visiting Versailles
Among the many wonderful palaces of Europe, Versailles is said to be the greatest and grandest of them all. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and is on almost every traveler’s list of “must see”...
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The Medieval Fortress and Town of Chinon
There are few places in France of greater historic importance than Chinon. You wouldn’t know that by what you see when you drive thru it today as it seems a small sleepy rural town. You’ll see little evidence of...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 25, 2014: Macy's Christmas Tree, Union Square, San Francisco
A few years ago I had the pleasure of visiting San Francisco. I had visited this city a few times before, but this was the first time I was there at Christmas time. San Francisco is a beautiful city throughout the year, but...
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The Bear Blog
I had a hunch when Shelly and I were planning our 59 National Park in 59 weeks tour that wildlife would be center stage. I knew that the buffalo would roam in Yellowstone, that the tropical fish would dance...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Nov. 3, 2013: Brandenburg Gate
Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate is surely one of the world’s most-recognized landmarks, and symbolizes Berlin in the way the Eiffel Tower means Paris and the Parthenon means Athens. It’s been the ceremonial center for marches and...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Oct. 27: Paris's Stravinsky Fountain
The Stravinsky Fountain, its figures inspired by Stravinsky’s music (and especially the Rites of Spring), is one of my favorite places in Paris to sit and watch people, especially children. It’s sandwiched into a plaza between the Pompidou...
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Ottawa – NOT the coldest Capital in the world!
Ottawa is a vibrant and charming small city — so pleasant that it’s hard to believe it’s home to soooo many politicians. Of the national capitals I've visited, Ottawa seems the most livable to me (ie. if...
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Newgrange; Ireland’s ancient Passage Tomb
Newgrange is the oldest structure I've ever visited. It was built over 5,000 years ago (about 3,200 B.C.) during the Neolithic era, before even Stonehenge or the Great Pyramid of Giza. It’s obvious that Newgrange was...
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The Valley Island of Maui: 3) Central, Upcountry and South Maui
The largest stretch of (relatively) flat land on Maui is the valley between the two volcanoes, Haleakala and the West Maui Mountains. This area is commonly called “Central Maui” and it’s here most locals live....
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Montreal: Je Me Souviens
There are many great cities to visit in Canada, two of my favorites (for different reasons) being Vancouver and Montreal. Vancouver has one of the most breath-takingly beautiful settings of any city in the world, and I’ll be discussing it...
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Quebec — A Walled European Fortress In America
Quebec, like New York, is both a city and a state (or rather, a province). It’s an island of French heritage and culture within our Anglo-North American continent. We combined this visit with stops in Montreal and...