Gulf Islands in Canada

2 November 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks, Environment Reading Time:  10 minutes

View from Baynes Peak on Saltspring Island © Michal Klajban/cc-by-sa-4.0

View from Baynes Peak on Saltspring Island © Michal Klajban/cc-by-sa-4.0

The Gulf Islands is a group of islands in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia. The name “Gulf Islands” comes from “Gulf of Georgia“, the original term used by George Vancouver in his mapping of the southern part of the archipelago and which before the San Juan Island dispute also was taken to include what have since been called the San Juan Islands. While geopolitically divided, the San Juan Islands and Gulf Islands geologically form part of the larger Gulf Archipelago.   read more…

Sphere at The Venetian Resort in Paradise

2 October 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture Reading Time:  8 minutes

The Sphere imitating the Moon © flickr.com - Cory Doctorow/cc-by-sa-2.0

The Sphere imitating the Moon © flickr.com – Cory Doctorow/cc-by-sa-2.0

The Sphere at the Venetian Resort, previously referred to as MSG Sphere, is a spherical music and entertainment arena in Paradise, Nevada, United States, near the Las Vegas Strip and east of the Venetian resort. Designed by Populous, the project was announced by the Madison Square Garden Company in 2018. The 18,600-seat auditorium is being marketed for its immersive video and audio capabilities, which include a 16K resolution wraparound interior LED screen, speakers with beamforming and wave field synthesis technologies, and 4D physical effects. The venue’s exterior also features 580,000 sq ft (54,000 m²) of LED displays. The Sphere measures 366 feet (112 m) high and 516 feet (157 m) wide at its broadest point.   read more…

Santa Maria in California

1 October 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Santa Maria–style barbecue made with pink beans © flickr.com - Eugene Kim/cc-by-2.0

Santa Maria–style barbecue made with pink beans © flickr.com – Eugene Kim/cc-by-2.0

Santa Maria (Spanish for “St. Mary“) is a city in the Central Coast of California in northern Santa Barbara County. It is approximately 65 miles (105 km) northwest of Santa Barbara and 150 miles (240 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Its population was 109,707 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous city in the county and the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA Metro Area. The city is notable for its wine industry and Santa Maria-style barbecue.   read more…

Omaha Union Station

23 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Robertmoo40

© Robertmoo40

The Union Station, at 801 South 10th Street in Omaha, Nebraska, known also as Union Passenger Terminal, is “one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in the Midwest“. Designated an Omaha Landmark in 1978, it was listed as “Union Passenger Terminal” on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2016. The Union Station is also a contributing property to the Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District. It was the Union Pacific’s first Art Deco railroad station, and the completion of the terminal “firmly established Omaha as an important railroad terminus in the Midwest”.   read more…

Novato in the North Bay Area

11 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, San Francisco Bay Area Reading Time:  6 minutes

Spanish Colonial Revival homes at Hamilton Army Airfield © Terrygraham415/cc-by-sa-4.0

Spanish Colonial Revival homes at Hamilton Army Airfield © Terrygraham415/cc-by-sa-4.0

Novato is a city in Marin County, California, in the North Bay region of the Bay Area. At the 2020 census, Novato had a population of 53,225. What is now Novato was originally the site of several Coast Miwok villages: Chokecherry, near downtown Novato; Puyuku, near Ignacio; and Olómpali, at the present-day Olompali State Historic Park.   read more…

The Bronx in New York City

7 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, New York City Reading Time:  10 minutes

Park Plaza Apartments © Jim.henderson

Park Plaza Apartments © Jim.henderson

The Bronx is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New York City borough of Queens, across the East River. The Bronx has a land area of 42 square miles (109 km²) and a population of 1,472,654 in the 2020 census. If each borough were ranked as a city, the Bronx would rank as the ninth-most-populous in the U.S. Of the five boroughs, it has the fourth-largest area, fourth-highest population, and third-highest population density. It is the only borough of New York City not primarily on an island. With a population that is 54.8% Hispanic as of 2020, it is the only majority-Hispanic county in the Northeastern United States and the fourth-most-populous nationwide.   read more…

Cornell University in Ithaca

31 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Universities, Colleges, Academies Reading Time:  5 minutes

McGraw Tower with Uris Library, Morrill Hall, and Cayuga Lake visible © Dantes De MonteCristo/cc-by-sa-4.0

McGraw Tower with Uris Library, Morrill Hall, and Cayuga Lake visible © Dantes De MonteCristo/cc-by-sa-4.0

Cornell University is a private Ivy League land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. The university was founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White. Since its founding, Cornell has been a co-educational, non-sectarian institution where admission has not been restricted by religion or race. The student body for the fall 2022 semester consisted of more than 15,000 undergraduate and 7,000 graduate students from all 50 American states and 130 countries.   read more…

Lāhainā on Maui

13 August 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

© PaulT (Gunther Tschuch)/cc-by-sa-4.0

© PaulT (Gunther Tschuch)/cc-by-sa-4.0

Lahaina (Hawaiian: Lāhainā) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, Hawaii, United States, and includes the Kaanapali and Kapalua beach resorts. As of the 2020 census, Lahaina had a resident population of 12,702. The CDP encompasses the coast along Hawaii Route 30 from a tunnel at the south end, through Olowalu and to the CDP of Napili-Honokowai to the north. As Lahaina sits on Maui, a relatively small island with limited developable area, its real estate is some of the most expensive in Hawaii.   read more…

Shotgun Houses of the Southern United States

24 July 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture Reading Time:  21 minutes

in Uptown New Orleans © Infrogmation of New Orleans/cc-by-2.5

in Uptown New Orleans © Infrogmation of New Orleans/cc-by-2.5

A shotgun house is a narrow rectangular domestic residence, usually no more than about 12 feet (3.5 m) wide, with rooms arranged one behind the other and doors at each end of the house. It was the most popular style of house in the Southern United States from the end of the American Civil War (1861–65) through the 1920s. Alternative names include shotgun shack, shotgun hut, shotgun cottage, and in the case of a multihome dwelling, shotgun apartment; the design is similar to that of railroad apartments.   read more…

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