In addition to the following 'snapshot'
descriptions you can also read further information
on highlighted areas using the links supplied on the
individual tour pages. Once on tour, the Visitors'
Centres, museums and newspapers will be readily accessible
for additional information. Combine these with the
knowledge of your trek leader and you'll have plenty
of background - maybe more than you'll be able to
absorb.
And remember: one of the best sources
of information is the 'locals'- so don't be shy or
afraid about saying 'Hi'. You'll discover that your
accent is a marvellous icebreaker to help you experience
the real spirit of the USA.
What other
city in the world boasts that its best citizenry dressed
up like Indians and tossed teabags into the harbour?
Or set aside a 'Commons' downtown,where residents
could graze sheep and cattle? Or built its library
on underground stilts over a city swamp. Where
else anywhere on earth can you hear people say "I
pahked my cah in Hahv'd Yahd" and find people
who understand them? Only in Boston !
It's a city steeped in American
history. It was one of the first places in the Colonies
where the cry "Give me liberty or give me death"
was voiced. (The famous colleges as Harvard University
and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to
name just a couple.)
Locals, who call Boston 'Beantown'
(because of the famous Boston Baked beans), are among
the most loyal sports fans in the world, cramming
into Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox play baseball
on real grass underneath the floodlights. Talk sports
if you want to get acquainted. If you happen to be
in town on a summer weekend and things look quiet,
it's probably because the rest of Boston has gone
to 'Cape Cahd'!
Like so many Western towns, Denver,
the "Queen of the Prairies", was born from
the gold rush, and rode the economic roller coaster
ride of gold strikes. By 1890 the city had been flooded,
burned down, connected to the rest of the country
by rail, and become the state capital with a population
of 106,000. Evidence of the city's wild west frontier
beginnings can be found at Larimer Square, surrounded
by modern architecture, bold contemporary structures,
and elaborate Victorian houses.
"The Mile High City's"
setting is truly impressive, abutted against the snow
capped Rockies which lunge steeply out of the central
plains. Today its role as the industrial, commercial,
financial and government capital of the Rockies and
Plains, make it the single most important metropolis
in an area larger than Western Europe. With a median
age of 30, over 200 parks, and more days of sunshine
than San Diego or Miami, it is a mecca for those looking
for the good life.
Jackson's Hole was the name given
in the early 1800's to the valley bordering the Teton
Mountains, it was named after David Jackson who was
one of the adventurous mountain men who trapped beaver,
traded with the Indians and sold skins at the annual
rendezvous. John Colter was actually the first trapper
to discover the beauty of Jackson Hole - valleys in
the Rocky Mountains were referred to as "holes"
- and today visitors still flock year round to enjoy
its beauty and the diversity of activities available
in the region.
The town of Jackson lies nestled
at the southern end of the valley 5 miles south of
the entrance to Grand Teton National Park and 50 miles
from the first National Park, Yellowstone. Whilst
its image today is of chic shops, art galleries, white-water
rafters and skiers, its wooden boardwalk square reflects
its original Wild West image.
Prior to the town's establishment
in 1897, the mountain men were attached to the valley
because they felt safe there from Indian attacks,
and outlaws felt the same safety, this result became
one of the most famous hideouts in the west. Even
Butch Cassidy is thought to have visited here. This
'old spirit' is captured today with the nightly summer
'shoot-out' on the main street, stagecoach tours around
town, and don't forget to mosey into the Million Dollar
Cowboy Bar on the square, slip onto a saddled bar
stool and rub elbows with today's real live cowboys
who may have just been competing in the twice weekly
rodeo.
Imagine a
city built just for fun and games. A city that goes
full steam night and day, without regard for the hands
of the clock. An amusement park for adults on a grand
scale: legalised gambling, top-line entertainment
and fine dining. Got a mental picture? That city is
Las Vegas.
Millions of visitors have been attracted
to Vegas by its neon boulevards. Pleasure palaces
and the promise - if not always kept - of winning
a fortune. Yet not so far back in its history Las
Vegas was a simple oasis in the desert: two natural
springs and a few green meadows. It was then a stopping
place for wagon trains and prospectors heading for
the goldfields of California.
In 1855, Brigham Young, one of the founders of the
Mormon church, had a fort built here to protect the
Salt Lake City to Los Angeles mail route. He also
encouraged mining and agriculture. But within two
years the crop and mines failed (they were mining
lead in silver mines), and the Mormons returned to
Utah. Later, when the mines were re-opened to take
out the silver, things began to perk up. The town
grew, boasting three doctors, five lawyers and eleven
saloons.
Then, as fate would have it, two
things happened. First, the great Hoover Dam was started
nearby, bringing into the area construction workers
who eagerly sought entertainment in their time off.
Second, the State of Nevada approved legalized gambling.
Casinos offer good food at unbelievably low prices
free drinks for gamblers, top-flight entertainment,
and the thrill of chance. And all through the night
neon billboards light up the desert skies around Las
Vegas...the city that never sleeps.
Los Angeles
has been referred to as 'suburbs in search of a city',
because of its vast spread of interconnected freeway
and 'cloverleafs'. It's true that the Los Angeles
of today is a 'city on wheels', where the automobile
reigns supreme.
Among experts there's still
a fair bit of debate as to exactly where the centre
of LA is located. Most of the laid-back population
in and around the city could hardly care less - and
can ten million people be wrong? If your image of
Los Angeles revolves around neon lights, endless bustling
boulevards, beaches, mountains, money and movie stars,
you're not far off - for it is all of those things,
and more. Visitors can take in Hollywood, Universal
Studios, the original Disneyland complex, Knott's
Berry Farm or Mann's Chinese Theatre, to mention just
a few diversions.
Most likely your first or
last exposure to Los Angeles will be at LAX (the term
used for Los Angeles International Airport). If you're
fond of statistics, you'll be interested to know that
more than 33 million people fly in or out of LAX each
year, in 538,000 aircraft. Care to figure out how
many take-offs and landings that makes per hour? Calculators
are permitted!
Would-be
Country & Western musicians have a saying:
"If you plan to make it in Country, you'd better
make it to Nashville".
Nashville, Tennessee, is considered
the home of every C&W fan alive. Where else would
Elvis's gold Cadillac convertible find a suitable
resting place? Thousands upon thousands of visitors
flow through the Country & Western Hall of Fame,
admiring plush tour buses, listening to C&W 'great's,
immortalized on film, and stopping off at Studio B,
where many country music stars have recorded gold
disc hits. Nashville, home to many world-famous C&W
stars, calls itself the Athens of the South, boasting
the only full-sized replica of the Parthenon.
The city is host to the 'Grand
Ole Opry', a 22-million-dollar entertainment complex
dedicated to presenting some of tomorrow's rhinestone-studded
stars to vast audiences. It was not far from Nashville
that research work on the "hush hush" Project
Manhattan - code name for the atomic bomb - went on.
The site is now a Museum of Atomic Energy.
"New Orleans is a place
where people ride century-old streetcars to work,
where good food is more important than good looks
and where stately old buildings snuggle close to glassy
skyscrapers. New Orleans is a place that remembers
how life used to be, because it hasn't changed very
much."
What other city in America would
turn its graveyards into tourist attractions, immortalize
its prostitutes in song, or spend two weeks celebrating
a religious holiday? New Orleans has got to be one
of America's most unusual and interesting cities.
Then called Nouvelle-Orleans, the
city was founded in 1718 by two French noblemen, who
did well to convert the inhospitable surroundings
into a thriving town. In its early days, New Orleans
was little more than a steamy bog and bayou, full
of snakes, alligators and mosquitoes - not exactly
the site for a dream city. But it grew, transplanting
much of French culture and architecture with it. The
city changed ownership on more than one occasion.
It was controlled by France, then Spain, then France
again, until Napoleon needed money to support his
army and sold the entire Louisiana Territory to the
United States for the remarkably low price of 16 million
dollars, or four cents an acre. New Orleans went with
the purchase to sweeten the deal.
Today, the city retains much of
its history. Bourbon Street, once the red-light district,
now boasts of the origins of jazz (hear it at Preservation
Hall, the Famous Door or one of many jazz bars). All
varieties of music can be heard in the beautiful old
french Quarter. Next door to Preservation Hall is
Pat O'Brien's Pub, made famous by the 'Hurricane'
cocktail - a mixture of five different rums. Two is
too many when you're counting Hurricane consumption!
Few visitors leave New Orleans without
sampling some of its ethnic foods. You can't get better
Cajun (a cultural mix of Canadian and Indian) or Creole
(Spanish/French) foods anywhere in the world. Riverboat
rides up the 'Big Muddy' (the Mississippi) aboard
the Natchez offer a view of the Delta area from another
perspective. Take a ride on the 'Streetcar Named Desire'
(the film version of Tennessee Williams' play starring
Paul Newman), or stroll along the boardwalk and see
Old Market.
Locals talk differently. For
example, they say "NooAW-lins", not "New
Orleans". They eat CRAW fish rather than crayfish.
And they drink 'Dixie' (the local beer). If you're
talking to a citizen who say's "I stays by my
Mamma's", that means he or she lives at home.
"That enfabled rock, that ship
of life, that swarming, million-footed, tower-masted
and sky-soaring citadel that bears the name of the
Island of Manhatton... "
...........Thomas Wolfe..........
"New Yorkers drink two million
cups of coffee every twenty minutes."
"To tell the story of New York would be to write
a social history of the world."
Millions of words and thousands
of books have been written about New York.
The 'Big Apple', as it's known, is perhaps not for
everyone - but the only way to find out whether it's
for you is to sink your teeth in and sample it. The
island of Manhattan has been referred to as one of
the best real estate purchases ever made. Early in
the 1600s the Dutch bought it for twenty-four dollars'
worth of trinkets and jewellery from a local Indian
tribe. Later, the British took control of the bustling
market city, until it was relinquished to the United
States during the War for Independence.
Today's New York offers more of
what you might be interested in than any city on earth.
Theatres offer the best of musicals, drama and dance.
Shopping is supreme in Bloomingdale's, Tiffany's and
Macy's to name just a few great stores. Panoramic
views abound from any one of dozens of skyscrapers.
You can rent bikes in Central Park, or take the three-hour
boat ride around Manhattan Island. There are museums
and galleries by the score, and eating places by the
thousands. And that doesn't even approach the tip
of the New York iceberg. New York harbour is host
to more than 30,000 ships each year, and its Wall
Street is one of the undisputed financial and banking
centres of the world.
Visitors and residents alike willingly
declare their feelings for the Big Apple (an old jazz
musicians label, given to the city in the Roaring
Twenties). Stickers, pens, coffee cups and pins all
proclaim it: "I LOVE NEW YORK!"
It's a city with more vibrant excitement than any
in the world - and if that's your cup of coffee, you'll
love it too..
"I shall never surrender or
retreat... Victory or Death... '
..........Col. Travis, from the walls of the Alamo..........
San Antonio is considered one of
America's most individual cities.
Located in the Texas Sunbelt, its attractions - such
as the Alamo, last stronghold of Davy Crockett, Jim
Bowie and 144 other brave patriots - lure thousands
each year.The fort is open to the public, with exhibits
and artifacts of the famous battle moving even the
most uninterested to 'remember the Alamo'. Close by,
at the Menger hotel, Teddy Roosevelt recruited his
famous 'Roughriders'.
In the city El Mercado, a huge Mexican-style
market place, offers some of the best gift-shops in
the state. For the thirsty-at-heart, the Lone Star
Brewery gives free samples and tours, including a
humorous look at the Hall of Horns, the world's largest
collection of rare animal horns, hunting trophies
and rattlesnake artwork.
In the evenings, visitors can take
a stroll along the subterranean Riverwalk, which meanders
along the banks of the San Antonio River. Small gondola
ferries are also available, offering a Venice-like
prospect of the city. San Antonio
still reflects its early Spanish and Mexican heritage,
with adobe buildings and Spanish missions in plenty.
Among meteorologists San Diego is
known as the city with perfect weather.
With average year-round temperatures of 70 degrees
F (21°C), more than 70 miles of good Pacific beaches,
a casual lifestyle and close proximity to the Mexican
border, there's no shortage of reasons for wanting
to come here. And many visitors decide to stay.
San Diego is home to the largest
zoo in the world, exhibiting some rare species of
wildlife, and its Sea World draws thousands of visitors
each year to watch killer whales and dolphins perform
and see staff-members walk in shark-infested tanks
at 'feeding time'.
Favourite pastimes include
disco-rollerskating along the famous boardwalk, renting
bicycles, or surfing. With Mexico so close, hopping
across the border for bargains in leatherwork, pottery
wood-carving and wrought iron is no problem - and
you might as well sample a few Margaritas while you're
there. The city still retains its historical flavour,
with Spanish-style missions and architecture in picture-postcard
surroundings And don't feel at all guilty if you decide
just to sit in the shallow end of the pool, open a
cool drink and work on your tan. Plenty of locals
do it!
"Sitting on the dock of the
bay, Watching the tide roll away..."
..........Otis Redding, song Iyric ..........
People who live in San Francisco
refer to it as 'The City'- as if there were only one!
A Gallup poll found that more Americans wanted to
live there than in any metropolis in the country.
And is it any wonder?
San Francisco is home to the Golden
Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, Alcatraz
and the 'world's most crooked street', to mention
only a few of its attractions, and did we mention
that, as a city, it is beautiful?
For the visitor, San Francisco offers a smorgasbord
of things to experience.
Test your skills with chopsticks in famous Chinatown...shop
in some of America's most exclusive department stores
(window-shopping is perfectly acceptable)... catch
the ferry to Alcatraz for a tour of the prison where
some of America's most infamous gangsters, including
Al Capone, did their time...maybe a ferry ride to
Sausalito to rub elbows with the rich yachting set
who live in laid-back luxury...try to catch a baseball
game under the lights at Candlestick Park...or sip
a few drinks while listening to great entertainers
at the Purple Onion. And no matter what you do, be
sure to take a ride on the famous San Francisco cable-cars
at least once before you leave.
"Walking thru Santa Fe is like
stepping into a time machine and being taken backwards
in time to a day when? " For some, Santa Fe was
a place to re-provision and rest up before lighting
out again for the goldfields of California. And for
others it was the end of the line. Why go any further?
Santa Fe defies the usual description
of a city. It is spotlessly clean, retaining its small
streets and adobe buildings, and many a movie star
and artist have found haven in its shadow. The town
centre is a museum, tracing the pueblo's history with
Indian artifacts and well-displayed crafts, and a
restored street with a working blacksmith and other
frontier crafts is easily accessible and free to visit.
Nearby Cristo Rey Church is reputed
to be the largest adobe structure in the Americas,
with walls seven feet thick. Inside is a museum of
Navajo art.
Just miles outside town the Taos Indian Pueblo offers
an opportunity to see Indians living in traditional
settings, baking bread and retaining their old cultural
ways. Ask first before taking pictures some people
can be offended if you snap away without permission.
Closer to town the famed adobe home
of the great frontiersman Kit Carson is open to visitors
with interest in the Old West. The mountains around
Santa Fe are often snowcapped, and well worth capturing
on film.
Not far back in its past, Seattle
was a major depository of gold. It came by water from
the goldfields of Alaska, bringing with it prospectors
looking to vent a little steam. Lumberjacks, too,
sought entertainment and release from the hardships
of life in the Northwestern wilderness. And they all
came to Seattle's 'skid row', so named because lumber
was dragged on skids through the streets. The red-light
district was reputed to be unmatched anywhere in the
West.
Those rowdier days behind it, Seattle
has taken on a new and prosperous face. Nestled in
foothills much like those of San Francisco, it offers
ocean views from everywhere - and even water in its
frozen form can be seen atop the snowcapped heights
of the Cascade and Olympic mountains.
For a bird's-eye view, go up the
Space Needle, originally built for the World's Fair
of 1962. And it's only fitting in a city so involved
with marine activities to go among sharks, eel, octopus
in the Waterfront Park. Inexpensive ferry rides are
available from five different locations, and with
camera in hand you'll find plenty of great panoramic
shots. If you're interested in how internationally-famous
soft drinks like Coca-Cola and 7-up are bottled, you
can tour the Seattle plants, and for the beer-lover
there are free samples on the tour of the Rainer Brewing
Company.
In 1889 fire ravaged the city,
and a new Seattle was built on the rubble - leaving
a ghost city beneath the surface. Five subterranean
blocks have been excavated, and tours begin at Pioneer
Square, the site of the original town centre. Known
as the 'Gateway to the Orient'. Seattle is an excellent
place to sample Oriental cuisine. And with water,
everywhere, is it any wonder that seafood is excellent
and inexpensive? Just be careful of the bones!
"Most people in Washington
carry either a briefcase or a camera."
Washington is a major preserve of
American history, ceremony and symbolism. Its monuments,
memorials and museums provide visitors with a cultural
showcase of America, displaying the very best. As
home of the President, the White House, the Senate,
the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court, the
State Department, the FBI and foreign embassies, Washington
DC is the heartbeat of the United States, rivalled
only by New York City in power and prestige. But it
was not always so.
At the end of the War of Independence
in 1781, George Washington proposed that a new capital
be built in the geographical centre of the thirteen
colonies.
This, he felt, would stop disputes about where the
newly-formed capital should be -north or south. So,
with land donated by the States of Virginia and Maryland,
Washington was established.
The city's growth was not always
smooth, and early residents had legitimate complaints
about the muddy streets and lack of sewage facilities.
Today's Washington is much different. The Capital
Mall is an unequalled showcase of American history,
architecture and artifacts. Visitors can tour the
White House, home of the President, see the Hope Diamond
and other of Nature's wonders in the Museum of History,
or take a peek into America's 'attic' -the world's
largest collection of American artifacts - at the
Smithsonian Institute.
If that isn't of interest, you can
visit nearby Arlington Cemetery and the Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier, climb aboard a flight simulator at
the Air and Space Museum, or sit in on a session of
Congress. Visits to the Lincoln, Jefferson and Washington
monuments will install a feeling for those who worked
to make America 'Land of the Free and Home of the
Brave'.
But Washington is also very
much a modern city, bursting with life.
Don't miss seeing Georgetown, the old and very attractive
residential area which now buzzes with activity -
shops, bars, restaurants, clubs . . .
