The Statue of Liberty in New York City was a gift from the people of France in recognition of a friendship established during the American Revolution. Artist Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design the sculpture.
The Statue was a reassuring sign to immigrants coming from Europe that they had arrived in the land of their dreams, America.
The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington D.C. honors the 32nd President of the United States of America. Roosevelt served more than two terms, from March 4th, 1933 to April 12, 1945.
Union Station in Washington, D.C. opened on October 27, 1907, but was not completed until 1908. It was modeled in the monumental Beaux-Arts style and after the Baths of Caraculla and Diocletian and the triumphal Arch of Rome. It cost more than $25 million to construct.
Arlington National Cemetery is a humbling place for visitors to Washington to see first hand. It was designated officially as a military cemetery on June 15, 1864.
President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, and unnamed stillborn daughter are buried on the slope below the Arlington House, overlooking Washington.
The Tomb of the Unknowns was an experience that I will never forget. The monument is dedicated to the service member who have died without their remains being identified. It is guarded by Tomb Guard sentinels around the clock.
Roughly ten years after an end-of-the-school-year school-trip to Washington D.C., and not flying anywhere, in the Spring of 2008 I boarded a Southwest flight to the nation’s capitol. It wasn’t so much an educational-themed trip this time around. It was instead at the peak of the Cherry Blossom Festival.
The Bunker Hill Monument is located on Breed’s Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, where the Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775. The battle was the first conflict between British and Patriot forces in the Revolutionary War. The granite obelisk monument stands 221 feet high.
The Charlestown Navy Yard in Charlestown, Massachusetts was established in 1800. During World War II, more than 165 vessels were built that were longer than 100 feet, and thousands of vessels repaired. The shipyard is still used and was repairing the USS Cassin Young in September. The USS Constitution is also docked and open for tours.
An exhibit in the visitor center shows visitors many parts of what happened in the shipyard, including the process of making chains and rope used on the ships. The Navy’s Ropewalk was used to produce rope, instead of using privately manufactured, poor quality rope. Over four million pounds of rope was produced in 1942.
Dry Dock 1 was the one of two original dry docks in the Navy and was important in repairing the growing naval fleet.
Replacements, Ltd. is a privately owned company located in Greensboro, North Carolina. Their showroom is the showcase for owner Bob Page’s customers to visit and enjoy first hand the extensive inventory that is available to purchase. The company has the largest inventory of discontinued china, crystal, and flatware in the world.
My visit to Burbank, California was quick. I went for one reason. To see the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. I grew up watching Jay Leno as a kid. Afterwards, Conan would come on with his “In the year 2000…” skit. By that time I would be pounding away on the keyboard creating a website with my imagination going wild.
That was many years ago, and now only Jay Leno is still on the air. So when I saw that JetBlue flew to Burbank and it wasn’t too hard to get to the studio, I sent in a request for one ticket to the show. A couple of days later I received a response and I was set.
I drove to the security gate where I asked the guard where I was suppose to go. He misunderstood my question as to where would I go to get a ticket to the show.
