Carole Terwilliger Meyers's Blog, page 40
October 19, 2015
Sights to See: The Neon Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada
The Neon Museum 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North, (702) 387-NEON. $18-$25, under 6 free. Most of the rusty old signs in the outdoors “Boneyard” collection here date from the 1930s on and are unrestored. Pigeons hang among the artifacts, and flitter around as you walk over the stone-lined gravel path on an informative guided tour into the deep history of these rescued landmark signs that are described informally as “Jetson California, fast food style, coffee shop modern from the ‘50s and ‘60s.” When the Stardust casino opened in 1959, it was the largest casino in the world. Now little remains of that casino save the neon sign stored here. The original lamp from the Aladdin is also here. Seven signs light up and can be seen on night tours; the others are lit from below by light cans. It is interesting to know that although this is the neon museum, the sign used to mark the museum in front is all LED due to city policy.
More things to do in Vegas.
image c2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
October 16, 2015
Travel Articles: Death Valley National Park
Three nights with two full days of sightseeing is an adequate visit to Death Valley. One or two more days is better if you want to slow down and take it easy. Fewer days just isn't enough to experience the valley. And it's good to remember that it is so far in and so far out and so hard to reach that, most likely, you'll never get this way again. More . . .
More travel articles to inspire you and help you plan some spectacular getaways.
image ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
October 14, 2015
Good Eats: The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, Lake Louise, Canada
The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise 111 Lake Louise Dr., Lake Louise, (866) 540-4413. Sleigh rides mid-December through early April. Situated within Banff National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this exquisitely positioned grand hotel on scenic Lake Louise provides guest with pleasures galore. Perhaps my favorite is Afternoon Tea in the Lakeview Lounge, with pastries, finger sandwiches, and a view of the lake and Victoria Glacier. In winter, guests are picked up at the hotel for a draft horse-drawn sleigh ride along a lakeside trail featuring spectacular mountain scenery. The one-hour excursions are available in both day and evening.
More things to do in Canada.
Travel articles to inspire and help you plan some spectacular local and foreign getaways.
images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
October 12, 2015
Things to Do: ElephantStay, Ayutthaya, Thailand
ElephantStay 74/1 M.3 Tumbol Suanpik Pra Nakhon Sri. Started 17 years ago, this innovative working elephant village is dedicated to conserving these animals. The program here involves caring for and learning about elephants, and the facility has had 40 births in 10 years. I got to feed the elephants, watch the babies playing in their bathtubs, and see mature elephants painting.
More things to see and do in Thailand.
More travel articles to inspire you and help you plan some spectacular getaways.
image c2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
September 30, 2015
Sights to See: Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand
Ayutthaya Historical Park Ayutthaya--pronounced “a-you-tat-ya”--was named after the city of Ayodhya in India, the birthplace of Rama. Once the capital of Siam, it was one of the world's largest and most sophisticated cities before being ransacked in 1756 by the Burmese. Today it a historical treasure and UNESCO World Heritage Site. More than 300 historic temples dot the city and encircling rivers.
● Wat Rajburana Daily 8:30am-5pm. 50 Baht/US$1.39. This beautiful stupa dates to 1424, when King Boromaraja II built it to hold the ashes of his elder brothers, who killed each other in a battle for the throne.
● Wat Phra Mahathat (Temple of the Great Relics) Museum 8am-4:30pm. To enter courtyard of giant chedi, 30 Baht/US$0.83; museum, 20 Baht/US$0.55. Located almost right in the center of the park, this important temple is believed to date from the 14th century. Don’t miss the Strangled Buddha--a Buddha statue head embraced by the roots of a banyan (bodhi, pho) tree. In addition to holding Buddha's enshrined relics, this temple was also the residence of the leader of the Thai Buddhist monks.
● Wat Phra Sri Sanphet Ayutthaya’s most important site was established as a center for important religious rituals and ceremonies. It served as a model for the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok. Three Sri Lankan-style chedis built in the 15th century hold the ashes of three Ayutthaya kings. In 1767, invading Burmese attempted melting the gold off a Buddha statue and started a fire that destroyed both the statue and the temple. The Buddha seen today is a replica. A large covered market holds stalls selling souvenirs and street food.
● Wat Chaiwatthanaram Daily 7:30am-6pm. 50 Baht/US$1.39. Located scenically on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, this large, peaceful compound is southwest of the old city and can be reached by road or boat. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Modeled on Angor Wat, it has a central high prang (tower), four smaller prangs, and eight chedi-shaped chapels. Most of the 120 Buddha statues are, unfortunately, missing their heads through looting.
More things to see and do in Thailand.
More travel articles to inspire you and help you plan some spectacular getaways.
image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
September 28, 2015
Sights to See: Palm Springs Air Museum, Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs Air Museum 745 N. Gene Autry Trail/Vista Chino, (760) 778-6262. Located near the airport, this collection of flyable World War II aircraft is one of the world’s largest. Displays include art, photos, and continuous movies and videos chronicling the war’s European and Pacific Theaters. The primo exhibit is a tour of a B-17 Flying Fortress. Many of the docents are veterans who actually flew the planes, and they are happy to share their personal experiences. One of the most famous “warbirds” here is a P-40 that starred in the Disney film, Pearl Harbor. Children’s programs and activities are scheduled regularly, and “A Wild Goose Hunt” activity sheet appropriate for grade-schoolers encourages kids to open their eyes and use their imaginations to find the answers. Flying demonstrations are scheduled October through June, and events related to the Young Eagles program are scheduled.
More things to do in Palm Springs.
More aviation museums.
Travel articles to inspire and help you plan trips.
images courtesy of venue
September 23, 2015
Sights to See: Guilin and Yangshou, China
Though I have not had the pleasure of visiting either Guilin or Yangshuo in China, the beauty of these two UNESCO World Heritage Sites is obvious via this drone-captured video. Both are convenient to Hong Kong.
Things to do in China.
Taking an organized tour to China.
More China items.
More travel articles to inspire you and help you plan some spectacular getaways.
September 21, 2015
Great Sleeps: Casa Cody Inn, Palm Springs, California
Casa Cody Inn 175 S. Cahuilla Rd., 2 blocks to downtown, (800) 231-2639, (760) 320-9346. 27 units, including 5 cottages. Some fireplaces and private patios. 1 solar-heated pool; 1 unheated pool; tree-shaded hot tub. Continental breakfast. Pets ok. Opened in 1920 by Harold Cody, who is believed to be a nephew of Buffalo Bill, this small inn is the town’s oldest lodging. Located in the desirable area known as the historic Tennis Club district, which was once upon a time the playground of the stars, it snuggles up against the San Jacinto Mountains and sprawls out over almost an entire block. After passing through decorative black-iron gates into a quiet courtyard, my husband and I stepped into the lobby inside one of the property’s single-story, adobe-style structures painted pinkish with a deep-turquoise trim. To help pass the short wait, I nibbled from a bowl of tiny jelly beans and contentedly petted one of the property’s three friendly cats. Our very spacious room had a rustic décor featuring lovely Mexican saltillo paver-tile floors and hand-painted accent stencils above doorways as well as some funky faux plastic and ceramic cacti. We preferred the cooling ceiling fan to air conditioning and did not light the wood-burning fireplace. We made use of the full kitchen for cutting up fruit we harvested from the property’s various citrus trees, and gorged on the sweetest grapefruit imaginable. The bed was made simply but adequately with cotton sheets and a quilted down blanket. Though the bathroom was dated--with vintage tiles in a yellow and orange combination of times gone by, it was clean and functional and had an extra vanity conveniently outside near a large walk-in closet. Nights were quiet, and we awoke to birdsong. Should I be so fortunate as to return, I would book Casa Cody’s best--the two-bedroom, authentic adobe home where long ago Charlie Chaplin slept and frolicked. It is a surprisingly well-priced option and boasts a formal raised dining room that doubled as a stage for Chaplin plus a large stone-tiled bathtub. For the bountiful continental breakfast served outside in the garden, I positioned us so that we could gaze at the adjacent mountains. Our afternoons were spent sunning by the pool, where we enjoyed being amid the property’s garden of colorful flowering plants and shady mature palm trees. At dusk, tiny lights strung across bushes turned the premises into a fairy land. We liked leaving then to walk the two easy blocks to downtown and dinner (some guests ordered out and enjoyed dinner by the pool).
More things to do in Palm Springs.
Travel articles to inspire and help you plan trips.
images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
September 18, 2015
Sights to See: The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Palm Springs, California
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens 47-900 Portola Ave., (760) 346-5694. This spectacular, beautifully landscaped zoo exhibits animals from the deserts of North America and Africa, and you’ll get a close-up view of bighorn sheep, which are native to this area but rarely spotted by visitors. The noteworthy Indian Ethno-Botanic Garden displays and explains how various plants were used in the daily lives of the local Indians, and Village Wa TuTu is an authentic reproduction of a trading village in Northern Kenya that includes two dromedary camels and a petting “kraal.” The zoo's premier exhibit, Eagle Canyon, displays mountain lions and a golden eagle in a state-of-the-art habitat designed with the actual desert as a backdrop. Personally, I was most impressed by the opportunity to walk out of the searing dry desert heat into the dramatic, cooling shade of a real oasis. Note that in the hot, hot summer this zoo opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 1:30 p.m.
More things to do in Palm Springs.
Travel articles to inspire and help you plan trips.
images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
September 16, 2015
Sights to See: Indian Canyons and Tahquitz Canyon, Palm Springs, California
Indian Canyons Located at end of South Palm Canyon Dr., 5 miles from Palm Springs, (800) 790-3398, (760) 416-7044. You can take a hike through these lush, scenic canyons that shelter the world’s two largest palm oases and are also the ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. The birthplace of Palm Springs, its waterfall-fed streams quench the thirst of more than 5,000 Washingtonia filifera palms--the only palms native to this continent. Pack a backpack picnic and plenty of water. Palm Canyon has a museum and well-stocked gift shop with some snacks—it is a modern oasis, with air conditioning and cold drinking water--plus an easy 1-mile round-trip hike. Some of the palms here reach more than 100 feet high. Easily accessible--you can drive right up to the stream and picnic tables--Andreas Canyon is popular with picnickers and artists (many painters set up here). It features stunning rock structures and also has an easy 1-mile round-trip hike. Murray Canyon has a 4-mile round-trip trail to the Seven Sisters Waterfall.
● Tahquitz Canyon 500 W., (760) 416-7044. A sacred place to the Cahuilla Indians, this beautiful desert spot starred as Shangri-La in the 1937 film “Lost Horizons.” The interpretive center has a sweeping view of Palm Springs. A 2-mile ranger-led hike from here follows a creek-side trail that winds through red rock canyons and leads to a 60-foot waterfall. One weathered ranger warns that “everything in the desert sticks, stinks, bites, or stings,” so take extra care.
More things to do in Palm Springs.
Travel articles to inspire and help you plan trips.
images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
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