Monthly Archives: February 2015

Passion

Santa Monica ( I wish I was there instead of here)

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Just to be clear, I love Penn State, but you must agree the weather has been less than pleasant lately. Snow is beautiful, and I love every bit of it unless its hitting me in the face aggressively. So I thought this week we should travel to a warmer part of the country. This city may not be the most glamorous or famous, but it’s beautiful. When I think of Santa Monica, I have a picture of pure happiness. The sun is shining and the sand is warm. Do you feel better yet?The city is even trying to do a complete eco friendly revamp. The city is actually home to Global Green USA. It is one of the greenest cities in the US and it’s working on trying to become even greener. Their ferris wheel is solar powered, they are a super bike friendly city, they have a few community gardens, and they require every new house to be solar power equipped. Santa Monica has just partnered with LivingHomes to create floor plans for net zero houses. That means the house uses just as much power as it emits. The city is excited to see how the plans work out!

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According to Tripadvisor, the 26-Mile Bike Path is absolute best thing to do in Santa Monica. I believe that completely. Santa Monica is the quintessential California town. One commenter wrote that its a perfect ride with beaches on one side and shops on the other. The amazing views are all around you, its supposed to be the best way to see all the areas around Santa Monica. It’s also not supposed to be too strenuous of a ride. The path is mostly flat the entire way. A must do in Santa Monica, the 26 mile bike path is something I would like to in the future!

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On your way back from your 26 Mile Beach Path, I would suggest (as would tripadvisor) to stop at the pier and relax at the beach. The pier is a great place to hang out and have some fun. They have the good old boardwalk rides and foods. Travel and Leisure magazine ranks the Santa Monica Pier as the number one attraction in Santa Monica. I wouldn’t skip it if I was you! They also have tons of little souvenir shops so you never forget you went to Santa Monica. I doubt you could if you wanted to! As far as the beach goes, it’s a lot different from the beaches we have here on the jersey coast. The water is much warmer, the sand is soothing and soft, and it feels like the sun is always out. It is also the best place to see a sunset from. I can’t imagine spending a better day relaxing.

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A good place to eat lunch and see some unique art is the Bergamot Station. The Bergamot Station is located on an eight acre plot of land. It happens to be the largest art gallery complex and cultural center in Southern California. It is comprised of galleries, museums, cafes, design firms, and shops. The Bergamot Cafe is a very cost friendly place to grab lunch. They offer soups, sandwiches, and salads, offering new specials almost every day. After picking up a sandwich, you should head over to the Santa Monica Museum of Art. They are always getting new exhibitions. Bergamot Station is definitely the best place to explore all types of art. imgres-8

I thought I would include a fun top ten list made by someone who is very familiar with Santa Monica.

10 BEST IN THE #1 CITY

Submitted by Lise Hill
1. Best Sunset View – Marisol on the Santa Monica Pier
2. Best Happy Hour – Xino Santa Monica Place
3. Best 1st Date – Third Street Promenade
4. Best Place for a Birthday Party – Pacific Park Santa Monica Pier
5. Best Gallery – Bergamot Station 2525 Michigan
6. Best Family Restaurant – Norms
7. Best Place to Work Out – Running at the Beach in the Early Morning
8. Best Transportation – Big Blue Bus
9. Best Entertainment – Free Twilight Dance Series Concerts
10. Best Stage Plays – Santa Monica Playhouse

http://www.santamonica.com/10-best/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g33052-Activities-Santa_Monica_California.html

http://www.travelandleisure.com/weekend-getaways/los-angeles/los-angeles-tour-santa-monica

Passion

Yellowstone: My most favorite place ever!

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A couple summers ago we went to Yellowstone National Park! Yellowstone was America and the world’s first National Park. It was established in 1872. Today it is still one of the most visited National Parks in the world. Recently the Lake Yellowstone Hotel was named a national historical landmark. The hotel was constructed in 1891 and is going to go through some renovation to restore it to its full glory. Yellowstone is a place filled with history. I had loads of fun when we went! We went for about a week. I fell in love almost immediately with the beautiful landscapes and the serenity of my surrounding.

On the first day we arrived in Bozeman, Montana in the afternoon and decided to do some grocery shopping since we would be staying inside Yellowstone National Park most of our trip. Then we drove to Yellowstone through the north entrance:Livingston. The trip down to Yellowstone was so breathtaking! This was only the beginning of what was to come. We took some pictures with the famous arch and the Welcome to Yellowstone sign. We continued on towards our lodging, which was the Mammoth Hot Spring Cabins. We left all our luggage in the cabin and went to see the Mammoth Hot Springs,which are sulphur hot springs. They look like frozen waterfall but there is hot water running over them.

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The next day we started at Mammoth Hot Springs and saw both the upper and lower terraces, the smell of sulphur just surrounds you. Then we headed east towards Lamar river valley. The Lamar valley is supposed to be the serengeti of Yellowstone. We saw tons of bison everywhere. Sunset magazine says Lamar Valley is one of the top “wow” spots in all of Yellowstone. Then we continued towards Fishing Bridge. On our way we saw the Sulphur Cauldron, and Mud Volcano. Mud Volcano was an amazing thermal activity area. You could see the giant mud pot, which bubbled and the steamy sulphuric water. My favorite was the Dragon Mouth Spring. It was a cave from which huge amounts of steam emitted, which carried the strong smell of sulphur with it. I loved the mysteriousness of it. Then we drove down to Yellowstone Lake. The lake is humongous, you can never see the end. While driving back to Canyon Village, which is where we were staying, we saw the upper and lower falls, which were magnificent. The falls are actually located on a loop, which is called the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Image result for lamar river valley

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The third day we took a detour to Grand Teton National Park, which is right on the other side of Yellowstone and just as magnificent! Once we got to Grand Teton, we stopped at the info center and drove on to find a picnic spot right on Jackson Lake. I don’t think I’ve ever had lunch in a more picturesque location. I was eating good old cucumber sandwiches surrounded by massive glaciers and a bright blue lake right by me. It was definitely a day to remember! New York Times Travel agrees in that the scenery at Grand Teton is stunning. Conde Nast highlights the beauty of the peaks by stating, “so differently does the light play in their snowy crevices than on the meadows below, that you might imagine you’re looking at a movie backdrop.” I have to agree full heartedly on that statement.

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Our fourth day we saw a grizzly bear from about 15ft away! This is was while we were headed to Old Faithful. The hot springs is one of the most active springs. We saw it erupt and many others in the upper geyser basin. In fact we saw about 8 eruptions! On our drive to our cabin my father and I took an amazing hike to a spot called artists paint pots. There were so may different colored mud pots. It was just gorgeous. The mud pots also have small “mud eruptions”. Since these were so many different colors, it looked like it was out of a Tim Burton movie.

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Our last day  we were traveling towards Norris geyser basin. On the way we saw a mama grizzly bear with two baby cubs. They were crossing the street! We got to Norris and we did most of the back basin. We saw the porkchop, steamboat, green dragon, and many other active thermal sites. Then we saw the museum and saw the porcelain basin, which was a group of very colorful pools. Then we went towards the west entrance. This where we left Yellowstone officially. We just drove toward Bozeman, because we were leaving the next day from the local airport. I would just like to add, when you leave Yellowstone, it feels so strange to be back in society. Not that the areas surrounding Yellowstone are new york city or anything, but still it feels like you’ve just entered a different world. 

I know I didn’t officially bring in a lot of outside input on this post, but everything we did was planned my amazing mother who I remember spent weeks compiling an itinerary. She must have read 5 different books and spent hours on trip advisor to figure out the best way to spend five days in yellowstone. So in a way this entire trip was successful because of others past experiences.

http://www.sunset.com/travel/rockies/yellowstone-national-park-guide

http://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/01/travel/rediscovering-the-grandeur-of-the-tetons.html?pagewanted=3

http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2009-10-08/10-perfect-days-in-big-sky-country-montana-and-wyoming

Passion

Singapore

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I am going to Singapore this summer for an Engineering class and I thought I would do some research on what I should be looking forward to. I thought it was exciting that in June, Singapore would be hosting one of the biggest sport festivals in  Asia, the South East Asian Games. Starting June 6th, Singapore will be transformed into a sports enthused community. The games consist of 36 games and 406 events overall. This is very special for Singapore since this year they are celebrating their 50th year of independence as a country. In celebration of 50 years of independence, Singapore is also pumping 20 million dollars of promotions and special deals for tourists. If you want to see Singapore, this year would be a good time to go! Here are some main attractions with some first hand advice from my friend Trishita, who has been there a few times before.

Helix Bridge- The Helix Bridge is the world’s first curved bridge. The bridge links Marina Bay to Marina Centre. It was opened on 24 April 2010. It’s a 280 meter pedestrian linkway, unlike any other in the world. It is the world’s first double helix structure. The bridge is inspired by the asian yin and yang symbol. It is supposed to bring wealthy, happiness, and prosperity to Singapore. It is a symbol of life and continuity, renewal, everlasting abundance, and growth.

helix_bridge_w100810_cfj1http://www.yoursingapore.com/content/traveller/en/browse/see-and-do/arts-and-entertainment/architecture/helix-bridge.html

Gardens By The Bay-My friend’s sister went to the National University of Singapore for her undergraduate degree. Since her sister was there for four years, my friend, Trishita, was able to explore Singapore when she would visit. I talked to her about what her favorite attraction was in Singapore. Her response, Gardens by The Bay. It is supposed to be a significant site if you’re interested in beautiful gardens and natural life. However, there is one very innovative part of the park. They have these huge tree like structures which are very pretty, but actually have a different use. They capture solar energy to power Sentosa Island ( theme park) and the entire gardens by the bay. They also do seasonal displays. Trishita went in the fall so they had a show of pumpkins and scarecrows. Conde Nast Traveller magazine also had the site as an editor’s pick, calling it “impressive” and “stunning”.

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Marina Bay sands- This is a very famous hotel because of its unique architectural style. Often referred to as the Boat Building, the Marina Bay has a rooftop infinity pool that spans over its’ three buildings. It is the world’s largest rooftop pool measuring to 150 meters. There is an elevator that goes to the Ku De Ta( 57th floor). You’ll be able to see the entire city from the sky. The hotel has several wonderful restaurants as well. The Marina also has a ArtScience museum which features special exhibitions. They have a permanent exhibit in the museum called A Journey Through Creativity.

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http://www.marinabaysands.com/hotel.html

Jurong Bird Park- This Bird Park is the biggest bird park in Asia. Conde Nast calls it “one of the best in the world”. It has more than 8,000 birds and 600 species. The park was opened in 1971 by Goh Keng Swee. Goh was working in finance when he visited an aviary in Rio De Janeiro. After his visit, he wanted Singaporians to be able to have that same type of experience. Now the park is a major attraction for locals and tourists. It is a beautiful park because the exhibits mimic the natural habitats of the birds. The bird park has the world’s largest aviary, which also contains the world’s tallest man made waterfall. I think its so cool that they have a Penguin exhibit. I would have never expected penguins to be in Singapore. Trishita also said a really interesting thing to do in the Jurong Park is to take their Night Safari. It is a walk through the forest that is accompanied by a short show afterwards. She said it was great fun, and the performance they do at the end has a crazy surprise for the audience members. I won’t spill the secret, but I’m sure you can find out if you want to.

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http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_444_2004-12-16.html

http://www.cntraveler.com/activities/gardens-by-the-bay

http://www.cntraveler.com/activities/singapore-zoo-night-safari-and-river-safari