U.S. Continental Oddyssey

[Shinova]

I speak to you now, from our brand-new laptop (this thing is positively sexy) in a motel in Sedona. A small few of you will remember that I'm going on a trip all over the continental United States. We set off two days ago from Los Angeles county, and arrived in Sedona after 9 hours.

Here's pictures from Sedona, Arizona:






Not much to see here other than red mountains, and more red mountains. Lots and lots of desert plants and cacti. Not as hot as you'd think it is. Albuquerque is hotter than here, apparently.


Our next destination is Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Start telling me notable attractions and must-see places now, cause we're at a small loss at what exactly to focus for.


Future destinations on our 1.5 month trip include:

San Antonio
Houston
New Orleans
Nashville
Knoxville
Galvaston
Washington D.C.
Philadelphia
New York
Boston
Montreal
Toronto
Niagara Falls, Canada side
Minneapolis
Rapid City
Denver
Las Vegas


If anyone has suggestions for attractions in these locations, I'd appreciate it.


PS: If we hadn't accidentally forgotten to put batteries in our digital camera during the evening, I would've shown you guys pictures of what I can describe only as Jesus Elk.

He stands about 10-15 feet, is copper or bronze, holds a ring with a perched eagle in one hand and a hooked sword like Kabal's (Mortal Kombat) in the other. Maybe he's preaching whilst getting ready to disembowel someone and present their entrails to god or something.

All hail Jesus Elk.

[Ace Pace]

Dammit, now you're making me envy you.

Nice pics.

[Shinova]

Greetings from Alburquerque, New Mexico! We arrived here last night and today we went out into a tiny bit of Alburquerque, and then into Santa Fe. But before I talk about that, during our drive here into New Mexico we stopped by Meteor Crater and Petrified National Forest along the way, pictures below.

The crater is quite big. The perspective from where I stood makes it look not so wide, in some ways, at least to me. It was really windy up there too.

Afterwards we went to see the Petrified Forest. Lots of old, semi-crystalized logs littering the desert landscape.

It's only when one is driving on a highway at 90mph, and see nothing but vast expanse upon vast expanse that one can appreciate how really big this country truly is.

Anyway, today we went out towards the National Atomic Museum. Actually, what really happened was I went in by myself to check out whether it's really worth touring, since the building was vastly smaller than what I had expected out of something called "The National Atomic Museum." I also took the excuse to use their bathroom without paying admission. I could've browsed some of the exhibit too, but I decided not to, otherwise I'd feel too bad.

Anyway, we decided to skip Alburquerque altogether, since we were planning to visit the seemingly vastly superior Smithsonian, and New York museums anyway.

So we went into Santa Fe. Rows upon rows of old Spanish architecture, which I personally find utterly detestable, but that's just me. The older members of the party loved it though. We shopped, saw the Palace of the Governors, San Miguel Mission, and the capitol building.

Wasn't too impressed. I've been to Washington D.C. before (and we're going there again) so maybe DC's pushed my standards up.

So anyway, we saw Santa Fe today.

Tomorrow we leave for Alamogordo, to see the white sand dunes and maybe some of the other stuff there. Then we make our way quickly towards Carslbad Caverns just in time to see the hordes of bats leave the caves to hunt. We sleep, and then go down into those caverns the next day.





























The landscape so far still looks mostly like southern California. Lots of yellow and sand. There were some semi-dense forests like in Sedona, but those were the minority.

I'm taking those road pictures so that once we hit the eastern seaboard we can see the yellow being gradually and then drastically replaced with rolling waves of green upon green.

[Shinova]

First, to add to my earlier post, I started to notice that New Mexico drivers drive so slowly, but then I realized that it was instead because LA drivers are so notoriously fast.

Anyway, Houston has no sense of direction. Seriously! Its so damn confusing to try to find our way around here. Signs are too small, some roads aren't even labelled, exits on freeways have little forewarning, and so on. Every time we went out somewhere, we got lost. At least once.

Truly, Los Angeles isn't called Freeway Capitol for nothing. All exits are on the right side. The are regular signposts showing the three following exits and their distance. Exits are not numbered like in Houston and the rest of Texas and New Mexico (Exit 25, Exit 528, grrr); instead there are around three signs indicating the upcoming exit well ahead of time, and the exits themselves are named by their names instead of some number.

I can see how the numbers might be useful in some cases, but names are so much better. In either case, Houston is hella confusing.

Oh, and before staying at Houston, I was in San Antonio, visiting the Alamo. Aside from that, it seems a pretty meh city otherwise.

It's been a long time since I've actually walked around for a good deal of time through a big city and I'm reminded why I don't really like downtown areas. Claustrophobic, dirty, NOISY, and WHAT IS THAT SMELL!?!?!?!?

LOL

Maybe it's just cause I've lived for so long in a suburban paradise that I've gotten used to the clear air, the freshness, the quiet, and the open feeling. Hmmm.


Before San Antonio, we visited the White Sands of New Mexico, and then the Carlsbad Caverns.

Let me tell you guys this. Both places are MUST SEE. The White Sands are truly white. Like, pearl-white. And when you walk across them or touch them, you can clearly tell that they are not sand. The texture is totally different, and the particles clump together. It's a beautiful sight.

The Carlsbad Caverns are also AWESOME. I had seen caverns with those stalcatite (sp) things before, but nothing like the sheer SCALE of the Carlsbad ones. The caverns here stretch for over three miles, about 700 feet from bottom to top. Absolutely marvelous.


Today we visited Space Center Houston and took tours into the Johnson Space Center. Got to see both mission control rooms and the old one as well. Also saw the astronaut training center. And saw a real Saturn V rocket. Sweeeeeeeet.

Tomorrow we drive through Galveston and stop outside New Orleans. Then, we'll drive through it on our way toward Memphis.

I'll have pictures of everything up sometime later. We're so busy just enjoying our trip.

[Ace Pace]

Dammit, now I wish I had more time to get to houston.

[Drewcifer]

Beale street in Memphis is pretty cool -- the birthplace of rock and roll.


In Nashville, the Parthenon is a must-see.

The Parthenon stands proudly as the centerpiece of Centennial Park, Nashville's premier urban park. The re-creation of the 42-foot statue Athena is the focus of the Parthenon just as it was in ancient Greece. The building and the Athena statue are both full-scale replicas of the Athenian originals.

Originally built for Tennessee's 1897 Centennial Exposition, this replica of the original Parthenon in Athens serves as a monument to what is considered the pinnacle of classical architecture. The plaster replicas of the Parthenon Marbles found in the Naos are direct casts of the original sculptures which adorned the pediments of the Athenian Parthenon, dating back to 438 B.C. The originals of these powerful fragments are housed in the British Museum in London.

The Parthenon also serves as the city of Nashville's art museum. The focus of the Parthenon's permanent collection is a group of 63 paintings by 19th and 20th century American artists donated by James M. Cowan. Additional gallery spaces provide a venue for a variety of temporary shows and exhibits.

Also in Nashville, 2nd Ave has some great clubs and bars for music at night.

And for some bizarro-ness, check out the Opryland Hotel:

Under majestic, climate-controlled glass atriums, you'll be surrounded by nine acres of lush indoor gardens, winding rivers and pathways, and sparkling waterfalls where you can unwind, explore, shop, dine, and be entertained to your heart's content. Highlights include a 44-foot waterfall, laser-light and fountain shows, and tours aboard our Delta Flatboats - right inside the hotel.

[Shinova]

Erhm, this is a lot harder than it looks (finding time to post pics).

Anyway, after Nashville we hit:


Asheville and saw Biltmore. Atlanta, Georgia and saw the Coca Cola thing, the aquarium, and the CNN center. Then a little bit of Savannah, Garden City of Myrtle Beach. Today we toured Norfolk and all the navy stuff, and now we're staying a little outside Washington D.C. Tomorrow morning, we go to see all the good stuff.


Hopefully the rain subsides a bit.

[Beowulf]

For an attraction reasonably close to Denver: Pikes Peak. While you're there, you should also stop by Garden of the Gods, and maybe Cheyenne Mtn(might be slightly difficult).

[Admiral Johnason]

In DC, see the National Air & Space Museum, Captiol Hill and the Washington Monument.

Ney York: Lady Liberty, the USS Interpid, and the Museum of Natural History

Philly: The Constution Center and the Liberty Bell

[TrailerParkJawa]

Meteor Crater is a really cool place to visit. My grandma took me there on a road trip as a child. At the time I had a big interest in geology so seeing the crater was a joy.

If you get to Vegas I think Hoover Dam is a good trip (its a bit outside of Vegas) and go to the top of the Stratosphere for the view.

[Kwizard]

Wow.. thanks for taking the time to post all these. And make sure to get some great photos at Niagra Falls!

[Ace Pace]

Hijack: People, tell me what to do in San Francisco, I'll have 5 days, including good spots for the 4th of July fireworks.

[Stark]

I can see if I get you smuggled into the google zone?

[Ace Pace]

Expansion: Stuff to do in San Francisco, Las Vegas and New york.

[Shinova]

Expansion: Stuff to do in San Francisco, Las Vegas and New york.

I've been to Las Vegas a few times so here's some Vegas tips:


See the light show. I forget which street, but it's a pretty big one, the one with that metal roof thing over the top. I've seen it a few times so I'm used to it now, but for first-timers it's a must-see.

Though in my opinion the recent showings haven't been as stellar as they were during the 1990s, but who knows maybe they improved recently.

Go visit the big shopping outet in Caesar's Palace. Great for shopping lovers.

And do make sure to see all the big hotels. Luxor's pyramid shape, Bellagio's garden thing, MGM's lions if you want, etc.

[Dalton]

The light canopy is somewhere Downtown. I'll be going to Vegas in August, so thank you Shinova for the tip about Caesar's Palace

Speaking of hotels, the Bellagio also has the beautiful fountain, and there's also the Volcano at the Mirage.

Which reminds me, what was the hotel that was demolished in sync with Treasure Island's pirate show thing? I remember that when the ship's cannon fired the building imploded on cue with that.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

How far from Denver will you be going? Colorado's Rockies are totally superior to those other sissy states'. There's also the Air Force Academy and Cheyenne down near Colorado Springs... there's not much to see in Denver itself though.

[Shinova]

The Venezia also has a fairly good shopping outlet inside it. So does Bellagio, iirc, but it's not as big as Venezia's and Caesar's Palace's. Good pointer about the fountain show.

What makes Venezia's shopping outlet great is that a little river runs through it, and you can ride this gondola through a good length of it.

Caesar's Palace's shopping outlet is bigger, but doesn't have a river through it. Instead, it's ceiling is painted like a day sky, so the whole environment inside is kinda.... unique, in a way.


Yesterday I saw the National Air and Space Museum in downtown Washington D.C. Thanks to the recent floods, only that one and the American Art museums were open. I wanted to see the natural history one, with the Hope Diamond and the dinosaur bones, but I'm hoping to make up for my natural history defecit with New York's natural history museum.

Today we saw the monuments and memorials, and the capitol building and the White House. Of course, we couldn't go inside them, but we had a good time taking our pictures.

We wanted to see Arlington Cemetary, but we couldn't cause it was closed from 1 to 3:30.

Why was it closed? Because this guy:





was visiting the place!

The capitol police were blocking off parts of the vincinity of the White House when we were there and I think Koizumi went to the White House after his stint in the cemetary in a motorcade to hang out with Bush. Too bad we missed it. There were US flags and Japan flags hanging side by side around the White House.

Interesting day today.


Tomorrow I go to that infamous hive of scum and villany and SDnetdom.... New York City!!

[Shinova]

And finally, pictures!!!



Witness, the GLORIOUS White Sand Dunes of Alamogordo, New Mexico!










Seriously, amazing stuff.

They even have picnic stuff for us!





On the way to the white sands:





Carlsbad Caverns. The lack of light makes pictures come poorly. Flash only illuminates the immediate foreground. A pity. Seeing it for yourself is quite an experience.





































And now, here's our little stint in San Antonio, the Alamo.









I think these clouds were taken on our way to Houston:







And now, the Space Center!!

First, the current Mission Control:






Yes, that does appear to be a live feed from the ISS:




Rocket park:





The glorious Saturn V rocket!:


















And here's the astronaut training facility:











Washington D.C. was actually pretty decent as a downtown. Of course, I don't know about the rest of the actual city.

Anyway, enjoy them pictures.

[Shinova]

I have a question for you New Yorkers. How do you take a train from the city to Philadelphia?

[Phil Skayhan]

Penn Station: Amtrak ~ $80

[Shinova]

Been neglecting this a bit.

Anyway, we finished up 8 days in New York. After a week there, i got a good tourist's idea of what life in NYC is like. A bit old, and the vulnerability to hurricanes and earthquakes worries me, but otherwise a great place to live in. Very lively.

After that, we visited Boston. Very old feeling to the place, like it's partway still back in the 18th century. We took a general tour of the city on a trolley. Our guide sucked, but otherwise everything was fine.

After Boston, we made our way up and over into Canada. I forget where we stayed, but it was a little ways away from Toronto, heart of SDnet!! (literally ).

No sign of Wong or any of the other Canadians, but we went up the CN Tower. Twas a pretty great view. Loved the glass floor. I wanted to see the Ontario Science Center, but we couldn't make it.

After Toronto, we headed towards Niagara Falls and went behind the falls. Afterwards, we saw the Aviary. Lots of birds. Really loved it. We took lots of pictures of the birds, which I'll upload when I can.

We cross over the border back into the States and towards Chicago. Chicago is, basically, in my opinion, an American, dirtier, architecturally cooler, less modern-looking version of Toronto. The architecture is really great here. Lots of cool stuff. Much more spacious and cleaner than New York, but not as many things to do.

After Chicago we saw the Wisconsin Dells, then Sioux Falls, and then finally drove through the Badlands in South Dakota. Pretty cool. Saw some wildlife, like those prong-horned goat things and prarie dogs.

And now, here we are near Rapid City. Just came back from the evening lighting up of Mt. Rushmore. The video they showed REEKED of patriotism. But it was pretty good.

Tomorrow, we make our way down to Denver. After that, Las Vegas, and then finally home!



PS: We are apparently a harbinger of destruction and misfortune. The big fires in the West and in Sedona start a few days after we leave there. A few days after leaving Houston, it floods. New Orleans starts pouring once we leave. Know that Big Dig collapse? Happened a couple of days after we left, and we drove right through that thing too. No more disasters as of yet.