Wonderful destinations in the USA - cheap flights

The United States is packed with cities we know from the movies and TV. How wonderful it is to be able to visit them and partake of their excellent attractions, thanks to cheap flights to the USA.
The United States has some of the best known and popular holiday and short break destinations in the world. From New York to Los Angeles, and from San Francisco to Miami, we've heard so much about them that we almost feel we know them. However, such apparent familiarity will not reduce the impact of actually visiting these exciting locations.
When you think of "the Big Apple" (New York), what springs to mind? The Empire State Building, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty…shopping? Yes, there are all those and more in the brash, exciting city on Manhattan Island and surrounds.
Los Angeles, a massive urban sprawl, is home to Hollywood, Disneyland, and beaches on the Pacific. It is home to many of the most famous celebrities in the world.
San Francisco has many iconic views: the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf; the Crookedest Street in the World. Almost intimate compared with its southern California neighbour Los Angeles, San Francisco holds lasting appeal.
On the shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago has Soldier Field, The Field Museum and the Adler Planetarium. You can view "the Windy City" from 1,000 feet above at the John Hancock Observatory or the Sears Tower Skydeck.
USA cheap flights can serve up all these goodies to you!
Washington is the seat of US Government, with the White House, the US Capitol, the National Air and Space Museum and the Lincoln Memorial.
As New England's largest, most important city, Boston is much older than the Union. With the history of the Boston Tea Party, Boston provides a variety of attractions giving a patriotic perspective on the country's past, present and future.
Miami and Orlando serve Florida's playground of beaches and man-made wonders such as Disneyworld, Universal Studios, Sea World, the Kennedy Space Center, as well as the natural Everglades and Florida Keys. No wonder it is the most popular destination from the UK.

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The Grand Canyon - A Perfect Getaway

The Grand Canyon is one of the best places to visit on your family holiday. This amazing location was carved over thousands of years. It is beautiful. The many activities it has to offer can be pleasurable for the whole family. The canyon experience is bigger than just the visit, it is the full body experience you can treat your senses to during and after your visit. You will be making memories for years to come as you seek solace in the vast spaces of the Grand Canyon. There are several good reasons to make the Grand Canyon your next family holiday.
The first reason to make the Grand Canyon your next family holiday is the accessibility options for everyone. Because the Grand Canyon is quite large, facilities vary by location. The National Park Service offers wheel chairs for free, and you can obtain temporary parking permits for the ease of your special needs visitors. There are many programs that are specifically designed for visitors with special needs, and several of the overlooks and scenic spots have wheel chair accessible routes.
Another reason to make the Grand Canyon your next family vacation spot is because of the educational programs offered. The National Park Service has designed some wonderful environmental educational programs specifically for you and your family. They can help you and family members understand the importance of preserving the canyon while explaining some of the canyon's mysteries to even the youngest of participants.
A third reason to make the Grand Canyon your next family vacation spot is the Junior Ranger programs available just for your kids. Once your kids participate in the program, they will know how to help preserve our national parks for years to come. Moreover, they learn fun facts about the Grand Canyon, participate in some great activities, and can act as representatives of the Grand Canyon to everyone they know. They get a special badge, and they get to participate in a swearing in ceremony to help them feel special.
A fourth reason to make the Grand Canyon your next family vacation spot is the history behind the canyon. You and your family can learn about the forming of the park. You can also investigate current preservation methods as well as current archaeological study methods. You can learn how the changes in the Canyon have been documented throughout the years, and the cultures it has served as a center for over the course of time.
A fifth reason to make the Grand Canyon your next family vacation spot is the number of exercise related activities you can engage in while you're at the canyon. You can go whitewater rafting, biking, or hiking. All of these will not only allow you a closer relationship with the location, they will also help your family to realize the importance of exercise in nature within their own lives.
A sixth reason to make the Grand Canyon your next family vacation spot is the availability of auto touring. There are a number of areas in the Canyon you can visit from the comfort of your car. This means no special equipment, no complaining about the long walks or the heat. It will just be you and your family in the environment of your vehicle while taking in the sites of the Canyon.
A seventh reason to make the Grand Canyon your next family vacation choice is the lovely camping opportunities it offers. If you and your family love go camping, the Grand Canyon is the place to do it. They offer everything from cabin style camping to RV parks to traditional tent camping. Once your camp site is set up, there are a number of great camping activities to engage in including picnicking, swimming, and best of all, hiking in the shadow of the Canyon. For a new experience, try a mule ride to the bottom with a camp out overnight. You simply cannot beat the beauty of the canyon from a camper's perspective.
An eighth reason to make the Grand Canyon your next family vacation is the wildlife viewing opportunities you will have. In addition to being a beautiful spot for bird watching, the canyon approximately 355 bird, 89 mammal, 47 reptile, 9 amphibian, 17 fish (including five native species), and thousands of aquatic and terrestrial invertebrate species. This can mean a fun learning experience for you and your family.
A ninth reason to make the Grand Canyon your next family vacation spot is the viewing of the natural environment. The Grand Canyon is one of the greatest natural features on our planet, and there is a lot to learn from it. By seeing the canyon, you will learn about types of rock, erosion, and desert habitats. This will help sharpen your science skills.
The final reason to make the Grand Canyon your next family vacation spot is the number of air tours available. Seeing this natural wonder from the ground is great, but seeing it from a helicopter or a plane will make your vacation more memorable than ever.
Plan your next vacation to the Grand Canyon and you won't be sorry.

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Back to the beautiful Island of Bali

Pack your bags it's time for another trip to the Beautiful Island of Bali; The Balinese have a saying that if you come to Bali once then you will return some day, I have certainty found that to be true as I find myself returning every year to stay in the Bali Hotels that are a fraction of the price of Hotels back home! Bali Holiday Packages are a great way to have everything included in the trip and most travel agents will either have a package or make one up to suit you.
When going to Bali it is always a good idea to take a small bag of clothes on the way there inevitably you will be bringing much more back with you on your return trip (just buy extra bags in Bali) If you don’t like the wait for Visa on arrival and Immigration try the Express Immigration service this certainly speeds things up.
While waiting for your bags you will probably find a new friend in the way of a porter who will want to be paid for helping you with your bags, it is certainly easier if you have a lot of luggage and will cost you around 50,000 rupiah usually split between two.
When you exit the Immigration the heat of outside really hits and you know that you are in Bali! after fighting your through the mass of people and Drivers ready to pick up their passengers its only 50 metres to the right and you will find the Taxi office, price to Kuta around 60,000 rupiah.
Once you have stayed in the Kuta area you may decide that the traffic jams are just not worth the trouble! but if you pick your Bali Accommodation wisely great restaurants and shopping can easily be within walking distance as you can certainly spend more time in the Taxi than it takes to walk to your destination in 10 minutes.
When shopping in any of the Malls or shopping centres you will find that the goods are all fixed price, on the street the many small shops selling T-shirts, knick knacks, paintings and just about anything else you could imagine you can bargain with the shop keeper, you don’t have to pay the first price that you are offered unless you are happy to pay that! as you can often bargain down to half or even a third of the initial price.
A great way to see more distant parts of Bali is to hire a Car and Driver for the day you should be able to bargain to pay around 500,000 rph for the day for a modern 4 wheel drive vehicle.
Bali it seems is getting more and more congested by traffic and tourists but there are still areas of Bali that you can stay to avoid the hassle of Kuta and Tuban! try Nusa Dua, Sanur, try further to Candi Dasa and the less frequented areas of bali.
Officials are trying to slow down the building of new Hotels in the South of Bali and pushing for more investment in the North as well as looking at opening up the North of Bali with a second Airport and a highway linking the North and South of Bali let’s hope it happens soon as Bali still has some fantastic areas to stay for a great holiday

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Releasing the Sword in the Stone: September 15, 2013

Gottlieb's Jews Praying in the Synagogue

This is the time of the high Jewish holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  According to Jewish lore, on the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, God inscribes in the Book of Life who shall live and who shall die, who shall wax and who shall wane. Then, on Yom Kippur he seals the book and, consequently, your fate. It is a time of judgment as well as of atonement.

After Yom Kippur comes Sukkot, the feast of the tabernacles. In preparation for it Jews everywhere erect sukkahs, flimsy, vine-roofed booths noted for their purposeful decrepitude. The sukkah is meant to remind Jews of the hardships of the Exodus. Since there is no solid archeological evidence that there ever was an Exodus, I take Sukkot and sukkahs with a grain of salt. Still, ghettoes are justification enough for a holiday that requires a meal and an overnight in a flimsy structure by way of remembrance.

Why am I going on about this? I am not an observant Jew. But I am an observant walker.  Today my walk took me back to my favorite spot, the one in the Harvard Law School quadrangle that holds the Safer sculpture, Judgment.  When I reached the sculpture, I found that someone, most likely a band of law school students, had raised a sukkah next to Safer’s Judgment? Did they do this deliberately? I doubt it. On the many days that I sit for a few minutes to admire the sculpture, dozens of people walk by as if the space were empty. One woman who has worked in the building since 2001 told me she had never even seen it until I called it to her attention. There is no reason to suppose the sukkoteers are any different.

                  Before                                        After

But whether they knew what they were doing or not, I am delighted that they chose to put the sukkah next to Judgment. Aside from the obvious biblical implications--judgment following humility--the arrangement affords a special perspective on the sculpture.

It is a familiar enough image to describe a sculptor as someone who does not put a figure into a block of marble but releases it from the stone. That is, the sculptor carves away all the unnecessary bits, leaving the figure behind.

The juxtaposition of the Harvard Law School quadrangle’s sukkah with Safer’s Judgment gives special meaning to that description. I look at the blunt squareness of the sukkah and then the power and brutal finality of Judgment and imagine Safer doing just that, releasing the sword in the stone.

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Visit Borobudur Temple For The Vacation Of A Lifetime

Every year I look forward to taking the family away for our yearly vacation. I love everything about vacation time, well almost everything. I don't especially like picking a vacation spot.
You'd think that wouldn't be the case, but it is. You see, I always want to go some place exotic and adventurous but my family just wants to go to the most popular theme park. I can't seem to make them understand that Disney World is pretty much the same from year to year!

So we argue back and forth until usually I cave in. Sure I always have fun, no matter where we go; but I'd like it to be where I want to go a little more often.
But let me tell you, one year I did manage to persuade them to try something a little more exotic; ok - a LOT more exotic. It was pretty spectacular and I'd like to tell you about it today so that you might go there yourself some day.
I'm talking about the Borobudur Temple.
If you're into ancient temples and exotic ancient history then this is the place for you! You may not have ever heard about it and that's ok because most people haven't.
It's located on the Kedu Plain, which is located in Central Java. Java is a province in Indonesia, over there in Asia. Really, just about anywhere you go in Asia's going to be amazing, especially if you've never experienced that culture before.
Basically this place is an 8th century Temple...a Buddhist Temple to be exact (think large statues of Buddha). The entire temple itself is built in the shape of a Lotus Flower, which is awesome. There aren't many temples like this from that era that are still around today.
There are almost a hundred large statues of Buddha along the walls of the temple. The walls alone stretch almost 8,500 feet in length.
I don't think its a stretch to say that this is one of the most amazing monuments in all of Asia. I don't think many people would argue that! Even if you don't go, do yourself a favor and search around on the Internet a little bit for some pictures of this place. It's spectacular.
This is a vacation for adults as well as children. Your kids will remember this place for as long as they live. With our world shrinking and western civilization become more and more interwoven and dependent on Asia, it's important to explore their rich heritage and the Borobudur Temple is a great place to start. I recommend you start planning your trip right away!
source: http://www.espressoshack.com/

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The Neighborhood Is Changing

During one of my recent morning walks I caught sight of a series of chalk drawings on the sidewalk of Massachusetts Avenue just around the corner from where I live.  Here is an example.

Sidewalk chalk drawing of a water buffalo 

It reminded me of this.

The Real Thing 

These water buffalo are in Veranasi, India. They are on their way to the Ganges, that spot of white in the middle of the picture. Frankly, I prefer the chalk variety. Still the juxtaposition is provocative.

Is this how the neighborhood is going to change? Will we be “assaulted” by guerilla art? I certainly hope so. I rather liked seeing one chalk buffalo after another trot up Mass. Ave. between the Harvard Law School and Porter Square. Someone, probably not the same person, has stenciled the side of the Korean United Church of Christ.

Guerilla Art on the Korean United Church of Christ

It reminded me, of course, of the famous painting by Magritte.

Painting by Rene Magritte

All this activity is, I strongly suspect, the result of Lesley University buying the Art Institute of Boston and moving it to the corner of Roseland and Mass. Ave where the former Korean church will be re-incarnated as a part of the Lunder Art Center, named after the enterprise’s benefactor. That’s the church on the right, decked out in a new steeple courtesy of Lesley.

Artist's Sketch of Lunder Art Center

Someone has taken seriously the idea of a temple of art.  In its new incarnation the 165 year old church will be a library. I hope I can get a card.

A Banksy Assault

Well, the neighborhood is changing. But I must say I like the direction. I wish I could join in. I’m not that much of an artist. If I were, you’d see stuffed monkeys hanging from trees and papier mache workmen popping up from under manhole covers.

My hope is that with the new Lunder Centerrising in the near future, Banksy won’t be far behind.

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Fabulous and Complete Packages for Taj Mahal Tour in India

The architectural beauty of Taj Mahal, according to many international historians, has not surpassed. It has remained one of the most hypnotizing monuments throughout the world. Trip to India without a visit to Taj Mahal becomes a futile experience. Taj Mahal tour organizes a fun-filled 20 nights/21 days trip to Taj Mahal and other exotic nearby places.

Taj Mahal tour offers a delightful experience of covering the capital; Delhi, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ranakpur, Chittaurgarh, Jaipur, Agra and Gwalior. The entire trip covered in 21 days leaves a traveler not only knowledgeable about the traditional-cultural aspects of the cities and monuments but also makes him wonderfully relaxed in the end of the journey.
These 21 days of total adventure blended with comfort would be supervised by the well experienced guides. The tourists would get to see bloated traditions and mores of New Delhi. Tourists would be flabbergasted to see the region (on the way to Mandawa) that was once a part of Silk route to China; sand dunes in Jaisalmer; ancient forts in Udaipur; erotic carvings at Khajuraho and many more such amazing wonders that has its significance since ages.
A visit to the wonder-struck Taj Mahal would be taken on the sixteenth day of the trip. Impeccable marble of the Taj Mahal glitters in the sun and in the moonlight. It stands at a perfect sight surrounded with cypress trees. The monument looks magnificent and fresh as if it was just built yesterday.

The itinerary is prepared in a way that creates a hassle-free tour for the passengers. From the boarding, lodging, meals and traveling to the guided sightseeing is well taken care. Minute things which bring an essence to the country is provided as an experience such as a ride on the rickshaw and a visit to local vegetable-market.
Similar tour package focusing entirely on Taj Mahal but also covering major part of the country is provided by Taj Mahal tour. The entire trip covers Delhi, Agra, Ranthambore, Jaipur, Jhodpur, and Udaipur in 11nights/12 days. This package includes exclusive wildlife fun and feeds artistic bent of mind by visiting age-old monuments.
Wild life adventure includes an exquisite jeep safari in Ranthambore. Spotting a tiger is an adventure when it comes to Ranthambore. It would be on the third day of the tour that the tourists would witness one of the wonders of the world-Taj Mahal, a symbol of extravagant love. This wonder was built in the memory of the beloved wife of the king Shah Jahan. Around 20,000 laborers worked on the beautiful creation.
It goes without saying that everything from the pick up from the airport, lodging, provision of meals to the guided sight seeing would be taken care. Selections of the hotels are on the basis of the hygienic conditions, service and the cordial behavior the inmates have shown over the years. The entire program is designed to provide first hand information as well as comfortable and fulfilling experience. All these holiday packages are aimed to give you unforgettable and mesmerizing experience.
source : http://www.indiansummerca.com/taj-mahal-india/index.html

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