Bistrot Aki

When in the United States, there is an endless list of places to visit and much will depend on your interests, the time you have to spend, and how far you wish to travel.

In the state of Arizona, you will find the Grand Canyon. Created by the Colorado River over 6 million years ago, the Grand Canyon is a spectacular gorge stretching 277 miles with widths between 4 to 18 miles and depths of more than a mile.

California boasts some really interesting places to visit, including the infamous Alcatraz Prison; Death Valley National Park, which is the hottest, driest and lowest desert on earth; The Hearst Castle; the J.Paul Getty Museum and the Griffith Observatory, which are both in Los Angeles. Depending on what time of year you plan to visit, Yosemite National Park will offer you sights that you can tell your grandchildren about. A visit to California would not be complete without a tour of Warner Brothers Studio in Burbank.

The Mystic Seaport Maritime Museum and the USS Nautilus Submarine Museum make Connecticut a must stop for those of you interested in the sea and the vessels that traverse under and over the waves.

The Historical Society of Delaware takes up a 500 block area of a mall in Wilmington and includes the Delaware History Museum, the Old Town Hall, Willington Square and HSD’s research Library.

High on the list of places to visit in the USA would have to be NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where for over thirty years tours groups have heard stories about men in space and voyages to the moon. Castillo de San Marcos and the Florida Museum of Natural History are well worth a look as well.

Popping over to Hawaii, you can visit the great beaches and many monuments and sights, but the one that immediately comes to mind is the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.

Back on the mainland, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and Lincoln’s Home at Springfield, Illinois, are places any traveller would love to see. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio at Oak Park are architectural marvels that you should visit while in Illinois.

Lincoln City, Indiana, is home to Abraham Lincoln’s Boyhood National Memorial, and Louisiana boasts the National World War II Museum in New Orleans and Oak Valley Plantation in Vacherie.

In Maine, there is the Maine Maritime Museum for sea lovers and the Seashore Trolley Museum for land lovers. While in Maryland, you can see the Antietam (Civil War) National Battlefield and the Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture.

Massachusetts offers a smorgasbord of places to visit, including Historic Salem, famous for the Witch Trial. You can visit Plymouth Plantation and the Pilgrim Hall Museum, both at Plymouth. If you find yourself in Boston, you can visit Paul Revere’s House, the John F Kennedy Presidential Library, the Museum of Fine Arts, the USS Constitution Ship Museum, and The Freedom Trail. Do not forget Harvard University and Historic Deerfield, as well as the National Heritage Museum at Lexington and Battleship Cove at Fall River.

In Michigan, there is the Henry Ford Museum at Dearborn and the Gerald R Ford Museum at Grand Rapids.

Missouri is home to the Harry S Truman Presidential Library.

Nevada has the Hoover Dam.

In New Jersey there are the Morristown National Historical Park and the Thomas Edison National Historical Site.

Places to visit in New York are the Empire State Building, the world Famous Statue of Liberty, Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, Ellis Island Immigration Museum, National Baseball Hall of Fame, West Point (US Military Academy, and the American Museum of Natural History.

The home of the Vanderbilts, Biltmore Estate, and the historic Latta Plantation are both situated in North Carolina. South Carolina is the home to Fort Sumter, the fort where the American Civil War began.

The United States Air Force Museum is near Dayton, Ohio. In Oregon you can visit the Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks.

Steeped in history, Pennsylvania is the home of several historical must-sees: Gettysburg Battlefield, National Civil War Museum, Independence Hall, National Constitution Center, and the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

Mount Rushmore National Park in South Dakota is known the world over. While you are in the area, don’t forget the Badlands National Park and Black Hills National Forest as well.

In Tennessee, there is the National Civil Rights Museum. In Texas, there is the home of The Alamo and NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

In Virginia, there are several historical sites and atrractions: the Home of Thomas Jefferson, Monticello; the Home of George Washington, Mount Vernon; and the birthplace of Robert E. Lee, Stratford Hall Plantation.

The name Washington D.C., the Nation’s Capital, speaks for itself: The White House, Arlington National Cemetery, Smithsonian Museums, Lincoln Memorial, and the Memorials for the Holocaust, WWII and Vietnam Veterans and Ford’s Theatre.

In Wyoming, there is the beautiful Yellowstone National Park.

And for the young and the young at heart, one of the most popular places to visit is, of course, Disneyland.

Situated in the north of Italy, Venice is also popular with names like city of water, La Dominante, city of bridges and many more. This fairy tale city has no cars allowed and the only way to move around this city is either by water or foot. The city has a touch of romance and architecture to it, making it a great holiday destination.

When visiting Venice or holidaying in Venice following are some of the things to do and see:

Piazza San Marco

St. Mark’s Square is a popular tourist attraction and also is the most important square in Venice. The square also has Basilica, clock tower, major religious and political construction, shops, bars and amazing cafes such as caf?uadri and caf?lorian. The square is usually crowded with lots of tourists and visitors holidaying in Venice as well as large flock of pigeons.

Murano

Situated in the northern Venice, Murano is a well known glass industry and is a must to visit tourist attraction when holidaying in Venice. The island can be reached by free boat rides from the St. Mark Square and is often visited by foreign tourists and local visitors. Murano has lot to offer from glass making shop and factories to glass museum. When on a holiday in Venice, do not forget to buy a lovely glass souvenir to take back with you.

Basilica San Marco

Situated at the St. Mark’s square, this gothic church of Venice goes back to 1063 and is a beautiful tourist attraction not to be missed, when on a holiday in Venice. The church has rich archeological structure and also possesses domes, mosaics, altar and amazing statues.

Gondolas

Experiencing this city over water through gondolas is a not only romantic, but something that can’t be done in any other city. While many tourists are found enjoying their gondola ride in the dusk and dawn, the gondolas are also famous among local country visitors. A holiday in Venice is always incomplete without a ride through the canals of this city over water, via amazing gondolas.

Grand Canal

This 3 km in length and 70 metres in width canal is the largest and most popular canal in Venice; it also acts as one of the route of this city over water. The Grand Canal takes has a spectacular view of beautiful structures or buildings, which includes baroque church of Santa Maria Della Salute, the Ca’d'Oro, the Accademia Gallery, the Grassi as well as the Palaces Grimani and Corner-Spinelli. The Grand Canal undergoes three major bridges Rialto, Scalzi and Accademia.

Markets

Venice or city over water has some amazing collections of shops in its markets. One major market of Venice, visited by tourist and visitors on frequent bases, is Rialto market. This market is known for fruits, vegetables and fresh fish (which come straight from the lagoon). Apart from stalls of fruits and vegetable, the market also boost nearby streets of butcher shops. Other such famous local markets are Campo Santa Margerita and Strada Nuova, Cannaregio.

Lido

When holidaying in Venice taking a ride to Lido can be a good idea. The island is situated between the sea and Venice. From private beaches, public beaches and Cabanas on rent are not the only fascinating attractions in Lido; you can always enjoy the restaurants, cafes, hotels and the beach activities for that great holiday.

Best time to visit or holiday in Venice

Best time to holiday in Venice is the busy season of June all the way through September. Many tourist and visitors also plan a holiday in Venice during the carnival month of February

Mexico is known for its climate, cuisine, cathedrals and colonial architecture. With some of the best tourist destinations for travelers and tourists from all over the world, Mexico dazzles all with its glittering and vivid nightlife, historical places, museums, theatres and striking cities.

The following are some of the places you must visit when holidaying in Mexico:

El Zocalo

This famous tourist spot is a plaza surrounded by a cathedral, coffee shops and has a rich historical and architectural value. The best time to enjoy the plaza is at night, when it’s surrounded with tourists and visitors, their to enjoy a band playing in the center. When on a holiday to Mexico, you can always enjoy a great evening by visiting the plaza and watching dancing and listen to music out in the open.

Palacio de Bellas Artes

This white structure of marble is another famous tourist spot in Mexico and is situated at one corner of Alameda Central. The Palacio also displays museums like Museo de la Arquitectura and Museo Del Palacio de Bellas Artes. With an art centre and a huge concert hall, the place is often surrounded by tourists and visitors waiting to experience the richness of sculptures, arts and paintings during their Mexican holiday. The museums also hold a collection of renowned artists like David Alfro Siqueiros, Rufino Tamayao and Diego Rivera. The glass curtain of the theater’s stage is another major attraction that draws large number of tourist and visitors to it.

Templo Mayor

A holiday in Mexico is not complete without a visit to the major temple of Aztecs which has a rich historical value to it. Built in the year 1375, this temple was later rebuilt and enlarged in different phases. The museum also has a remarkable museum, exhibiting artifacts or objects excavated from the original site and these relic objects also provide an outline to Aztec civilization. The stone art work is also a reason for those holidaying in Mexico to visit this tourist spot.

Guanajuato

Found in 1558, this colonial gem of Mexico is a city with a rich historical background and is worth taking a trip to when on a holiday in Mexico. This city adds a touch of history and beauty to your Mexican holiday with its amazing architecture, ancient buildings, narrow valley, museums, churches, irregularly but gorgeously positioned streets and houses, hidden plazas, underground tunnels and steep stairways to reach the houses built on slopes. The city is a major tourist spot because of being it declared a world heritage site by UNESCO.

Zona Rosa

This downtown region is great tourist spot for tourists and visitors looking for relaxation during their Mexican holiday. The place is home to shopping, dining and dazzling nightlife with streets displaying amazing shops, bars, cafes, hotels and restaurants.

Best tome to holiday in Mexico

The ideal time for a Mexican holiday is in the months of July and August, but October and May are also the right time because of the pleasant weather.