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‘WORLD CITIES’

For three hundred years St Paul’s Cathedral has served as one of the enduring symbols of London, a role it richly deserves. Completed in 1708, Sir Christopher Wren’s masterwork is recognized the world over by its large dome and classical architecture. Read the rest of this entry »

The British Museum, like most of London’s museums, is free of admission though some events and special exhibitions have an admission charge. But even if it was the most expensive of London’s attractions, it would be worth the price. Read the rest of this entry »

For the London traveler looking for variety, the West End is the place to be. Piccadilly Circus is next door, where antique book shops mix with the latest restaurants and Covent Garden is not far. And, then of course, there’s the world-renowned theater. Read the rest of this entry »

Founded in the mid-19th century, the Natural History Museum offers one of the largest, most diverse collections in the world. The dinosaur exhibits are world-renowned, but there are dozens of others equally deserving of a visit. Read the rest of this entry »

It may have had a troubled history, but the National Gallery in London has persevered to maintain one of the greatest art collections in the world. Read the rest of this entry »

The London Eye can only approximately be described as an enormous Ferris Wheel. The designers, beginning with the originators Julia Barfield and David Marks, have produced an engineering marvel. Read the rest of this entry »

There are no clowns performing under a circus tent at the junction of Regent Street and Shaftesbury Avenue near London’s West End known to the world as Piccadilly Circus. Read the rest of this entry »

Kew Palace, known as Dutch House until 1827, was built in 1631 for the Dutch merchant Samuel Fortrey. Mr. Fortrey’s descendants leased the Jacobean mansion to Queen Caroline in 1728 for 99 years for ‘the rent of £100 and a fat doe’. It was an excellent bargain for the Queen. Read the rest of this entry »

The name ‘Whitehall’ evokes ‘British Government’. And, indeed, the Houses of Parliament are at one end of the road running north from Parliament Square. But there’s much more along this major London artery than the Palace of Westminster, home to the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Read the rest of this entry »

Is it possible for something so common as a department store to qualify as a national or historical landmark? It is if it’s Harrods, the department store that got its start over 150 years ago but is as up-to-date as the latest computer. Read the rest of this entry »

Hyde Park may be most famous for the Speaker’s Corner, where citizens stand atop a soapbox and shout their views to the crowd, but there’s much more to see and do here than just listen to political opinions. Read the rest of this entry »

Time is what’s important at Greenwich’s Royal Observatory and time has been extremely important since 1675 for the men and women who have worked at the observatory through the centuries. Read the rest of this entry »

From its magnificent bayside vistas to the intimate cafes, San Francisco offers a visit par excellence. Read the rest of this entry »

San Francisco is, intentionally no doubt, one of the most eccentric and mixed metropoli on the planet. The town is heavily populated with residents strongly opposed to anything commercial. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most popular tourist destinations in San Francisco, Fisherman’s Wharf alone has enough to see and do to consume the entire vacation. Read the rest of this entry »

The California Palace of the Legion of Honor is an art experience inside and out. Housing a fine collection, the museum is located on a stellar site with breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay. Read the rest of this entry »

In 1937, then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt pressed a telegraph key in the White House. That simple action officially announced an event much of the world was already anticipating: the opening of The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Read the rest of this entry »

For a structure that served the purpose that made it famous for less than 30 years, Alcatraz is an enduring monument to a bygone era. Read the rest of this entry »

At over 1,000 acres Golden Gate Park is larger than Central Park in Manhattan. And, no less impressive too! Read the rest of this entry »

Visitors to San Francisco have a choice of three major options when seeking an aquarium. Fortunately, there’s no way to go wrong – all three are terrific. Read the rest of this entry »

There are over six million people in the San Francisco area, with 750,000 in the Bay Area itself. Nestled within that vast sea of individuals is a conclave known around the world as Chinatown. Read the rest of this entry »

Chinatown isn’t San Francisco’s only culturally distinct neighborhood. From an area uptown near the corner of Haight and Ashbury streets sprawls “The Haight”. Several blocks of record shops, restaurants, antique stores and more, it still bears the look and feel of the mid-60s ‘Hippie Revolution’. Read the rest of this entry »

Two of the “must see” experiences for visitors to San Francisco, and both that children as well as adults will enjoy are the exhibits at the Exploration and the amazing variety of animals at the San Francisco Zoo. Read the rest of this entry »

San Francisco is a tourist’s delight for those seeking a mixture of old and new. One of the best examples of that contrast is Union Square. Read the rest of this entry »

Madrid has a long and complex history. Center of power of a monarchy that for centuries ruled half the world, it is now one of the major tourist spots of Europe. Read the rest of this entry »

While perhaps not as well known for it as London or New York, Madrid has dozens of excellent places to shop. Whether you’re looking for a valuable antique or just a simple gift for someone back home, Madrid has much to offer. Read the rest of this entry »

The Plaza Mayor remains one of Madrid’s chief tourist attractions. Though called by many names over the centuries and subject to several fires, it retains its allure. Read the rest of this entry »

While Parque del Buen Retiro (at about 300 acres) is much smaller than New York’s Central Park (840 acres) it is nonetheless magnificent. Filled with beautiful sculpture and monuments, a peaceful lake and host to a variety of events, it is rightfully one of Madrid’s premier attractions. Read the rest of this entry »

Located at Calle Santa Isabel 52, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia is just the ticket for fans of Picasso, Miro, Solana and other notable Spanish artists. Read the rest of this entry »

Spanish for ‘Gate of the Sun’, Puerta del Sol is one of Madrid’s most popular tourist destinations. At its center lies the paving slab just outside the Casa de Correos that marks the spot from which radiates the six main highways traversing Spain. It is a good point from which to begin to explore this delightful part of the city. Read the rest of this entry »

Second only to Versailles in size and splendor, the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) in Madrid is an architectural marvel and a treasure trove. Nearly three thousand rooms, with 240 balconies and over forty staircases, this magnificent work is one of Madrid’s major tourist attractions. Read the rest of this entry »

The name may be a challenge for English speakers, but Madrid’s newest art museum is very easy to love for individuals of any nationality. Drawn from the possessions collected over generations of a wealthy family, the contents form one of the greatest gatherings of paintings in the world. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most visited tourist spots in Madrid, the Prado Museum is home to over 7,000 paintings. Though the emphasis is heavily on the three most famous Spanish masters – Goya, Velázquez and El Greco – there are major and minor masterpieces from dozens of other artists. Read the rest of this entry »

Barefoot nuns might sound like the premise for a comedy skit, but rest assured these sisters are no joke. The Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales is both a functioning convent and a treasure trove of art. Read the rest of this entry »

Going to a library isn’t most tourists idea of a good time. But if you visit Madrid and don’t stop in to the Biblioteca Nacional for at least an hour you’ll be missing out on one of the city’s finest attractions. Read the rest of this entry »

The church of San Francisco is one of Madrid’s most important buildings and offers a fascinating tour. With a dome larger than that of St. Paul’s Cathedral it is an architectural marvel. Filled with paintings and sculpture, it is also an art lover’s treat. Read the rest of this entry »

No matter what your interests, if you can’t find it in Chicago consider staying home. Whether your taste runs to Shakespeare or meerkats, food or Jazz, airy museums or dank coffee houses, this city has everything – in spades. Read the rest of this entry »

A mile of shopping! Now that’s something to set the heart a flutter. But the excitement doesn’t stop there, because this famed area has much, much more to offer. True, the shopping is first rate. But there’s sightseeing, dining and lots more. Read the rest of this entry »

Whether you want to ride a ferris wheel or lean toward seeing some Shakespeare, Navy Pier has every kind of enjoyment you can imagine. Open to the public since 1916, the area was revitalized in 1995. Ever since, it has attracted visitors from all over the world – over 8 million in 2005 alone. Read the rest of this entry »

Frank Lloyd Wright is justly regarded as one of the greatest architects in history. But it wasn’t always so. Early in his career, as with most artists, he struggled for recognition and commercial success. Read the rest of this entry »

For many years the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Sears Tower is really nine buildings combined into one massive structure. Completed in 1974, it was erected to consolidate offices housing 6,500 Sears employees from all over the city. Read the rest of this entry »

With over 500 parks to choose from in the Windy City you may have trouble deciding which to visit. But some of the major ones have gained their reputations from all the things they offer visitors. Read the rest of this entry »

Sited at the shore of Lake Michigan, the John G. Shedd Aquarium is widely acknowledged to be among the world’s finest. Home to more than 650 species of fish, reptile, amphibians, birds and mammals, they have over 8,000 individual animals from around the world. Read the rest of this entry »

Chicago is hugely popular among tourists for great buildings, restaurants and shopping. But one of the chief attractions, for both locals and visitors, remains the Brookfield Zoo. Read the rest of this entry »

Housed in an 1893 building erected as part of the World’s Fair, The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the country’s preeminent schools and museums. Read the rest of this entry »

Founded in 1893 as the Columbian Museum, this treasure trove of archaeological artifacts is one of the world’s preeminent institutions. Read the rest of this entry »

There are many examples of a Museum of Science and Industry around the country. But the one in Chicago is the oldest and unquestionably the best museum of its kind in the world. On three floors, covering 350,000 sq ft (32,520 sq m) it offers over 800 exhibits that attract 2 million visitors per year. Read the rest of this entry »

Not the tallest building in Chicago, but surely one of the finest anywhere. With its distinctive twin aerials on top and X-shaped braces along the facade, this slightly trapezoidal 100-story building is an architectural marvel. Completed in 1969, it’s hard to imagine it not having always been a part of the Chicago skyline. Read the rest of this entry »

Nearly 40 million tourists from around the world visit New York City every year. What they find is a bustling metropolis, dense with museums, parks, theaters, shops, famous buildings and inhabitants as diverse as themselves. Read the rest of this entry »

Why is New York so famous? After all, the weather is terrible, the city is overcrowded, and even the buildings are second to many others elsewhere. The cigar-shaped strip of land called Manhattan is difficult to access with bridges crowded with cars, streets clogged with buses and taxis. Read the rest of this entry »