Cincinatti International Airport , Ohio

I had a transit thru this aiport while traveling from Seattle to Grand Rapids. Lot many Delta fights from west coast to east coast have this airport as a transit point. Airport looked almost same with other airports and without any distinctive features.

Denver International Airport, Colorado

My transit thru Denver Airport was when I was traveling from Grand Rapids , Michigan to Seattle , Washington. The airport was slightly different. It looked like the airport was built near an open space, may be a farmland. I could hardly see any big building near this airport. I could see some mountain ranges very far away from the airport, but it was scenic to see the outside nature withing the airport. The building dome was unique with a structure like lot many white tents placed close to each other.

Chicago O'Hare International Airport

My transit thru Chicago O'Hare International airport was when I was traveling from Seattle to Grand Rapids, MI. Compared to many other airports this is sligtly bigger. I didnt get much time to explore more here since my transit time was less than one hour. I could hardly find time for exploring after I had taken dinner from here.
Its modern and with all amenities which we expect. But it was crowded and it seems like the whole airport carries a good volume of passengers every year.

Space Needle , Seattle , WA

This is a must watch if you are at Seattle. This is in downtown Seattle and there are lot many parking lots nearby which come in different prices. Very nearby is Pacific Science center and Childrens museum is also nearby. Children under 3 are free and adults pay around 18 dollars.

The obeservation deck is almost 520 feet above sealevel. There is SkyCity Restaurant which is revolving deck. When the Space Needle was built in 1962 it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River.

some funfacts given here: http://www.spaceneedle.com/discover/funfacts.html



Visit here for more info http://www.spaceneedle.com/

Snoqualmie water falls, WA

The park and free viewing area are open from dawn until dusk. Pets are NOT allowed. The distance between the free parking lot and the viewing platform is approximately 200 feet and is wheelchair accessible. Snoqualmie Falls is one of Washington state's most popular scenic attractions. More than 1.5 million visitors come to the Falls every year.

Parking is free here.The hiking trail down to the falls is closed until 2013

Closest Address: 6501 Railroad Ave SE
GPS: 47.542932,-121.836834


more information here : http://www.snoqualmiefalls.com/

Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle , WA

This is my secong visit to Woodland Park zoo. The zoo is similar to other zoo's but one striking difference is about the greenary. The greenary is more natural and gives a soothing effect to eyes. Lucky we had a chance to see the elephants feeding since we reached there aroung the feeding time. There are some on the spot shows where an Raptors trying to catch its prey. Raptors are some of the fastest animals on the planet, with species such as peregrine falcons reaching dives approaching 140 mph!

There is a Historic carousal for children to play and we spent some time there. Then there is Humboldt penquin exihibit and an incredible underwater viewing of those penquins. There is an Australasia section where several creatures from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the thousands of islands of the South Pacific are displayed. Prominent among them are kangaroos and you can feed some parrot species.

Zoomazium is Woodland Park Zoo's nature-themed playspace especially for ages toddler through 8 years.African Savanna Exhibit consists of species from African continent like giraffes, Hippos etc.Northern Trail. Mimicking the habitat of Alaska's tundra and taiga region, the Northern Trail features the animals that make this area their home including brown bears, Roosevelt elk, river otters, arctic foxes, snowy owls, mountain goats, and northern bald eagles. Northern Trail includes the Taiga Viewing Shelter, an indoor viewing area where you see river otters swim playfully underwater and bears hunt for trout.

Whether they creep, crawl, fly (or all three!) Bug World contains a fascinating array of the often overlooked life that teems around us.The dense tropical forests of Asia hold some of the world's most endangered species including Asian elephants, orangutans, Malayan tapirs and more.There are exibhits which feature reptiles and amphibians including Komodo dragon.

Visit for more info www.zoo.org

Olympic National Park, Port Angeles , Washington

Olympic National Park is at the north-western tip of US. The whole area is scenic with its blue lakes and snow covered mountains. We approched the Olymbic mountain ranges traveling from the eastern side of mountain ranges to reach Port Angeles thru
Sequim by taking US-101.


View Larger Map


We approched the visitor center and gathered information about all the locations of interest. Our plan was to visit all the places possible on a single day. The whole area is so wide that some of the beaches are far away and you may end up loosing time traveling.

We started journey towards Hurricane Ridge. As we started our ascend towards the Ridge , clouds engulfed our route and the visiblity was almost zero. It was turning out to be a dangerous car drive thru the hair pin turns and twists. Both sides of road where full of tall , green , wet trees. Once we crossed the mist we could see snow covered mountains and the seen was awesome and I dont know the apt words to describe !



We came back to Port Angeles and then took the route towards to Crescent lake. The lake water was so cold and we spent time on the shores spenting time in some photography. We returned back towards Bellevue by late night and it was US Independece day and we could see fireworks all thru our route. And I started my account by opening the first traffic ticket after coming to US !

Mount Rainier National Park , Washington

We planned a journey to the Mount Rainier Scenic rail road which starts from Elbe during the morning time. The jounery is by a old steam engine which takes you towards a nearby lake. From Seattle , Tacoma , Olympia and other areas to the north, you have to follow Interstate Hwy 5 to Hwy 512 toward Puyallup. Exit 1 mile to State Highway 7 to Elbe . Approximately 40 miles directly located on Hwy 7, which is also known as Moutnain Highway. Although we reached a little early some delay was caused due to the repair work being carried on one of the rail engines.


The journey is scenic and mostly thru Forest. We could see lot many campgrounds on both sides of the route where people where enjoying their camping. One way journey is around 45 minutes and then 15 minutes stay at the lake. The whole journey is thru the foothills of Mount Rainier. After return we moved ahead to visit the Mount Rainier National Park.




It almost 30-45 minutes from Elbe and as we reach the Entrance to Mount Rainier National Park we have to pay a 15 dollar for entering the park. Once we enter the park the route is green and vivid. Dense forest surronds both sides of the route. We took our lunch from Copper creek hotel and then started our upward journey towards the Paradise point. As we travel ahead we could see lot many snow covered moutains in and around. At one point we just stopped our car and went out to stand above massive snow body we saw near the road but as we tried to stand on the edge of the snow it got crushed and we all got wet as there was stream underneath the snow.



We further went ahead to reach Paradise point by noon time. It was one of the spendid seens in a long time. There was trail one could climb covered with snow. We tried hiking the snow covered trail and eventhough it was easy climb intially as we gained the altitude things were becoming hard. So we spent time playing in the snow and then took some snaps near a snowman made by someone before we started our return journey to Seattle.

Journey across the Pacific Coast

This was one of the most exciting thrilling and tiresome journey ever I had taken. But it was worth many ways. The journey was planned from San Diego to Seattle. San Diego California is at the South-West tip of US near to the Mexico border city of Tijuana and Seattle is on the North-West tip of US, near to the Canadian city of Vancouver in British Colombia. Most of the route is straight forward without twists and turns, straight from San Diego to Seattle and one has to to catch the Interstate -5 all through the journey. But still we went into some trouble due to the GPS system errors and sometimes due to our bad decisions. But still overall it was a pleasant journey without much troubles.


View Larger Map

The total journey is of almost 20 hrs by car. A total distance of 1256.2 miles (2021 kms approximately)was covered in three days taking two breaks , one at Coalinga in California and another one in Portland, Oregon. This is almost like cutting US into two across the pacific coast.



We started by evening around 4 PM from San Diego and reached Los Angeles in around 2.5 hrs. As we cruised thru the I-5 on the right hand side we could see the Camp Pendalton which is a US Marine Base. On the left side you will be having the Pacific ocean shores. Across Los Angeles we had to go thru traffic rush so had to slow down. Cutting across the Los Angeles city thru the Interstate - 5 route was a hardship but we could compensate it during the journey from Los Angeles to Coalinga.
After Los Angeles its a journey thru less populated areas and some portion is thru forest area. It was dark around by the time we crossed this section but still figured out that we are surrounded by mountains. About 11 PM we reached Coalinga and stayed overnight at the hotel. We started early the next day (5.00 AM) from Coalinga.

The route from Coalinga towards Portland is scenic and beautiful. We were lucky that weather was also sunny throughout our journey. The places from Coalinga to Sacremento was having lot of herd farms. We could see many horses and Cows grazing in the meadows surrounding hilly regions. Lot of cultivations are done in this region and its very scenic to see this part of the countryside.


Most of the places are of hilly terrain and was covered with sparkling white snow. The routes were thru the snowy mountains and we saw numerous water bodies surrounding all through the region. Our GPS made wrong calculation of the route and we had to circle around the Shasta Lake region. But it was like a boon than a suffering since this gave us chance to see the beautiful mountainous region surrounding Shasta Lake We took a break just near to Portland , Oregon at Willonville.

Next day we started the journey from Portland and downtown Portland was full of cris-cross over-bridges and even God will get confused which way to take to the destination. Once we crossed the Portland part it was again scenic journey but there were no snow covered mountains. We reached Renton in 2 hrs time and we reached Redmond near the Microsoft HeadQuarters in another one hour and we stopped the journey for the day there.

At the Birch Aquarium , San Diego , CA

Birch Aquarium is small but is a must see place in San Diego. It gives lot of information about modern day environmental challenges like carbon emission , climate chage etc. The aquarium is one of its class , where they had manitained uniqueness in the fact that you could see several flora and fauna you had never seen in other aquariums around the globe.

The aquarium is maintained by Scripps Ocenographic Institute , University of California at San Diego. One could easly spend anytime between 3 to 5 hours here seeing sea creatures you had never seen.

More details here:

http://aquarium.ucsd.edu/

At San Jose Airport (Sillicon Valley)

San Jose airport is small but has its own differences compared to other airports around the city. Mostly the airport is busy since you could see lot of business people traveling around since this is one of the city where all tech companies had setup there shop.

There are very less number of tall building near the airport and that is one thing which is different from others. There were lot of renovation or extention work going thru out the airport. You could see billboards of all tech majors google , apple you name it they are there in different sizes and forms. There are lesser number of restaurants inside compared to other major airports in US.

At the Venetian Resort Hotel & Casino , Las Vegas , Nevada , US

The Venetian Resort Hotel & Casino is one of the costliest hotels in and around Las Vegas. It consists of several restaurants for dining. We had a nice time dining at
Pinot Brasserie. Pinot Brasserie offers the warm, bustling ambiance of an urban Parisian brasserie. The hotel is having all the amenities one could think of and beyond.

More details here http://www.venetian.com/

There are lot of show houses within the hotel. There is a Venice like structure built within the hotel , which takes you to the back waters of Italy. We saw the "Phantom of the Opera" show and the man made sets of the show are one of the finest i had ever seen. This lavish production was named the “#1 show in Las Vegas” by the Las Vegas Review Journal and continues to thrill audiences night after night.

From the moment you enter the magnificent $40 million custom-built theatre, you are in the storied Paris Opera House and part of The Phantom's world and all its signature songs, lyrics, costumes, and more. With spectacular sets, new illusions and a breathtaking chandelier experience unlike anything you have ever seen, Phantom is a can't-miss experience that promises surprises that will astound new audiences and loyal Phantom fans alike, and it’s only at The Venetian. Get your tickets today
its costly 259$ for a show :)

More details here http://www.phantomlasvegas.com/

At the Flemmingo Resort Hotel & Casino , Las Vegas , Nevada , US

Flemmingo Resort Hotel & Casino was one of the Biggest hotels I had seen ever. The hotel is a central attraction of Las Vegas gambling pools. After a party at the hotel during the noon time we were given Cash by our company to engage in a game where one need to play gambling and come back with all there earnings, the one team who earns the maximum wins the game.

The ground floor of the Hotel is filled with gambling tables and you could see all type of gambling going on 24/7 . Drinks and beverages are served all thru the session. The lower floor is polluted by people who smoke. So hard time for those who are having breating troubles. But there is a park like structure in the middle of the hotel which is open and give plenty of fresh air.

We enjoyed playing the game but almost lost all the money we had. Anyway we tried our best. Our night stay was arranged in this hotel, but we spent all night walking thru the streets of Las Vegas which was lively all thru the night. People spent lot of money there and one could see desperate faces who lost money , people who had drunk till nose end, people engaged in gambling business, lot of sex workers all fill the roads and gets roads gets crowded by midnight.

Balboa Park, San Diego , CA

Balboa Park in San Diego is located near to downtown. It is adjacent to the San Diego Zoo. Balboa park consists of several museums and other recreational facilities.
There is a puppet show theater which could be a place for entertainment for kids.

You could see more information at Balboapark.org. Some of the attractions in the park are explained below

Centro Cultural de la Raza
A multidisciplinary cultural arts center

Japanese Friendship Garden
The Garden originated as a teahouse during the 1915–16 Panama-California Exposition

Marston House
This classic 1905 Arts and Crafts style museum home was built for noted civic leader and merchant, George W. Marston

Mingei International Museum
Dedicated to art of the people (mingei) from all eras and cultures of the world.

Museum of Photographic Arts
One of the few institutions in the US devoted to the photographic arts

Museum of San Diego History
The museum showcases the region's unique, colorful, and diverse history exhibiting artifacts, costumes, textiles, art, and photographs detailing San Diego

Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
The Fleet is home to Southern California’s only IMAX® Dome Theater and 100+ hands-on science exhibits for all ages.

San Diego Air & Space Museum
Science, space and aviation history all unfold at the San Diego Air & Space Museum—California’s Official Air and Space Museum

San Diego Art Institute (SDAI): Museum of the Living Artist
A new exhibition of works by San Diego artists opens every four to six weeks in this 10,000-square-foot gallery

San Diego Automotive Museum
A nostalgic look at the icon of the 20th-century features more than 80 historic autos and motorcycles.

San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum
The nation's largest multi-sport museum boasts memorabilia reflecting San Diego's sporting legacy.

San Diego Model Railroad Museum
At 28,000 square feet, the museum is the world's largest operating model railroad museum.

San Diego Museum of Art
As the region's oldest and largest art museum, the San Diego Museum of Art's.

San Diego Museum of Man
Located beneath the ornate 200-foot California Tower, the San Diego Museum of Man is the city’s only museum devoted to anthropology.

San Diego Natural History Museum
Founded by a handful of citizen-naturalists in 1874, the museum is an active research institution

San Diego Zoo
Home to more than 4,000 rare and endangered animals representing more than 800 species and subspecies

Timken Museum of Art
Considered one of the great small museums in the world, the Timken houses the world-class Putnam Foundation Collection

Veterans Museum & Memorial Center
Located in the historic Old Navy Chapel, the museum preserves and honors the memory of men and women of the Forces.

WorldBeat Center
Housed in a colorfully painted former water tower, WorldBeat Center opened in Balboa Park in 1996.

The Performing arts related show include

Bon Temps Social Club , Civic Dance Arts , Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater ,
San Diego Civic Youth Ballet , San Diego Junior Theatre ,
San Diego Youth Symphony, Spreckels Organ Pavilion , Starlight Theatre and Starlight Bowl , The Old Globe.

There are several attractions which include restaurants, gardens, recreation etc.

San Diego Bay , Maritime Museum , San Diego, US

San Diego Maritime museum conducts cruises across San Diego Bay. The one ship I was travelling was named Californian. The ride starts at around noon time, takes you towards the outer sea and returns back from there. The different scenes the journey provides itself is worth the trip.

Californian was built from the ground up in 1984 at Spanish Landing in San Diego Bay. She was launched with great fanfare for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. In July 2003, the Governor signed a bill into law designating the Californian as the official tall ship of the State of California. She is the only ship to carry this prestigious title.

Since her launching in San Diego the ship has played host to thousands of adventure travelers, sailing enthusiasts, students and history buffs up and down the West coast. She has also made voyages to Hawaii, Mexico and the East coast of the United States. Californian casts a distinctive and instantly recognizable silhouette and has become one of the most well known tall ships in America.

The Californian is a replica of the 1847 Revenue Cutter C.W. Lawrence, which patrolled the coast of California enforcing federal law during the gold rush. The Revenue Cutter Service, along with four other federal maritime agencies, was consolidated into the United States Coast Guard in 1915.

The acquisition of the Californian by the Maritime Museum of San Diego in June 2002 was made possible by the Hughes and Sheila Potiker Family Foundation. In the winter and spring of 2003, she underwent a complete overhaul including a haul out, re-stepping the masts, replacing the standing rigging, new sails and mechanical systems and a re-design and re-furbishing of the areas below deck. The work was completed with a grant from the California Coastal Conservancy.

The Maritime Museum of San Diego uses her for a variety of dockside and at sea educational programs along with public adventure sails ranging from a half-day to more than a week. Her annual tour of the California coast each summer offers residents and visitors throughout the state an opportunity to enjoy the State’s Official Tall Ship.


Towards the end of the trip cannons are fired from the ship.

Tijuana , Mexico

My Mexico travel was planned for a long time, but then it happened when I was least expecting a travel. I wanted to renew my Visa in US and a travel to US Consulate abroad was impending. Tijuana US Consulate being the nearest one I decided to cross the US Border for first time after entering here.

US Consulte is almost near to the US Border with Mexico. From San Diego you can reach the border within 30-35 minitues of journey by car. There are lot of parking lots near the San Ysidiro subway station. For less than 4$ a day you will get parking here. You can cross the border with Vehicle but its not advisable since any repair or damages to the vehicle after crossing the border may not get the insurance coverage.

Once you reach the border you can cross the border by less than two minitus walk. There is a fly over which you have to cross to reach the other side of the border. You will be walking thru corridor like structure and after that finally you reach the other side of the border. There is no customs checking at the border and you could see some armed force and some border security force at the border from both sides.

I took a yellow cab from the border to reach the Benamax bank at the border. There you can convert your dollars to Mexican pesos. The taxi charge is around 6$ and most of the time the taxi drivers take dollars so it should not cause any issue. Most of the shops in Tijuana accepts payments in US dollars and they accept US credit cards too. The US consulte is also nearby the Bannamex Bank and its three or four blocks away from the bank. All of these points are located in a place called Zona Rio.

Language could be a problem as most of the people dont know English. But most of the cab drivers can understand English to a great extend. So travel thru a cab is easier.
Most of the time when the cab drivers see you at the border they expect that you are coming for a visa stamp. Although the Tijuana city is infamous for Mexican Drug Cartels and thier gangwars , from outside it looked a peaceful city.

The staff and security at the US consulate are very friendly and courteous. Sometimes due to rush you may have to extend your stay mostly to one more day (max) to get the VISA stamped. I got the VISA stamped next day and I stayed there in a hotel overnight. I returned back to border nextday. Tijuana is city with lot of hotels and other stores so staying there should not be a problem at all. You need to be careful while crossing the roads and all , especially when you are used to the US traffic system. There will be no push buttons for road crossings and all.

At FlowerFields , Carlsbad , San Diego

FlowerFields is one of the favourite tourist spots in Southern California, located at Carlsbad. This is near the InterState - 5 after the Batiquitos Lagoon, while travelling from San Diego. Its beautiful collection of giant tacolite rananculus bulbs, spread across 50 acres.






The garden is nearby Legoland a popular amusement park in Southern California. Sea Life aquarium is very nearby. May and nearby months are blooming season and almost more than 65% of rananculus bulbs bloom during this period. The pecularity is the use of rananculus bulbs instead of usual tulips in these types of fields. There are eataries and other refreshments inside. If you cant walk long you can take a tractor ride throughout the farm, but to enjoy the beauty of the garden one should walk.






Nearby there are small garden of individual plants. Also there is one shop selling the seeds and other beautiful sundry items. The ticket cost is around 10 dollars which is minimal compared to the beauty experienced. Enough car parking is available infornt of the park. Its better to go either early morning or my evening becaue sun can turn really hot in some days.

At Las Vegas Airport , Nevada , US

Size of the airport is slightly bigger than most of the airports. Its also modern and looks quite flashy. The roof top is covered with steel railings look-alike which gives a royal fervor. The airport itself is in two floors with most of the baggage claims arranged at the ground floor. The top floor is mostly by security check, arrivals and departures.

There are huge display screens which display ads of attractions at Las Vegas , the scenary of Las Vegas from the airplane at night is breathtaking. I could see advs of MGM and other famous hotels of Vegas. The night view of Vegas is spectacular.

At San Francisco , California , US

I visited San Francisco on a company trip. The whole workforce was divided into several teams and we played a treasure hunt in the city which covers all the famous spots of the city. It was an exciting team building effort as well as an opportunity to see the city.

San Francisco roads are narrow , but there is a classical old town look with all modernity and affluence embedded within. Golden Gate bridge is one of the famous spots.
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, it connects the city of San Francisco on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula to Marin County. The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge span in the world when it was completed during the year 1937, and has become an internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco and California.


San Francisco is one of the costliest city in the US and may be in the world itself. Cost of living is so high and there is a remarkable difference in earnings for the same job across US when compared to San Francisco.

Fisharmans Wharf is another spot of interest. There is a marine museum nearby.
One of the busiest and well known tourist attractions in North America, it is best known for being the location of Pier 39, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, the Cannery Shopping Center, Ghirardelli Square, a Ripley's Believe it or Not museum, the Musée Mécanique, the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf, Forbes Island and restaurants and stands that serve fresh seafood, most notably dungeness crab and clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl. Some of the restaurants, like Pompeii's and Alioto's #8, go back for three generations of the same family ownership. Nearby Pier 45 has a chapel in memory of the "Lost Fishermen" of San Francisco and Northern California.

San Diego Zoo, California

One of the worlds best zoo. Thats what San Diego zoo is all about. I am tired of seeing zoos in different parts of the world. Most of them look similar. In my homeland India, some of the zoos are well maintained and some is running short of money and you could find starving animals within the cage.

The San Diego Zoo gives a different experience all together. Although I went with a prejudice that Zoos are a kind of prison for animals, San Diego Zoo is not even near to my assumption. The arrangements are made with the convinence of animals as well as tourists. A sprawling campus which is in the middle of the city is something eye catchy, more than that its almost like walking thru a planned thick green jungle.

You could see animals in a real life scenarios .Some of the attractions are Pandas , Polar Bear, Gorillas , Koala's ,Antelopes , lizards , snakes etc. Most of the variety of animals you could see are maintained in there natural environment. Sufficient and necessary facilities like rest rooms, restuarants are located conviniently. There is a sky safari over the park and it gives a good view of the greenary down. There is a bus safari which covers almost 75% of the zoo.

The exibhits include Monkey Trails, Panda Research Station, Absolutely Apes, Polar Bear Plunge, Ituri Forest, Gorilla Tropics/Scripps Aviary, Children's Zoo, Owens Rain Forest Aviary, Tiger River, Sun Bear Forest, Flamingo Lagoon, Reptile Mesa, Wings of Australasia and Kopje.