Today is Admission Day for Tennessee, our 16th state, admitted to the Union on June 1st, 1796. Long before I knew all the states, or had visions of traveling to all of them, I knew about Tennessee. Although I may be dating myself here, it all goes back to watching the Disney movie, Davy Crockett, who was “Born on a mountain top in Tennessee, The greenest state in the land of the free. . . .” (If you’re not familiar with the song you can listen to it here.) Well, maybe that didn’t tell me much about the state, but the belief that it was lush and verdant stuck with me. Tennessee is a southern state, bordered by eight other states. (Missouri also borders eight states.) It’s been known as the “Volunteer State,” a nickname going back to the War […]
Read MoreWisconsin: The 30th State
Today is Admission Day for Wisconsin, our 30th state, admitted to the Union on May 29th, 1848. Wisconsin in located in the Great Lakes region, and is bordered by Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Originally the state’s boundary line was to have been much further south (it would have encompassed the city of Chicago), but political expediency won out, and the boundary was established where it is today. Originally, Wisconsin’s economy centered around farming, primarily dairy farming. Even today, it is known as “America’s Dairyland,” and leads the nation in production of cheese. It is second in total dairy production, behind California. On the Wisconsin Commerative Quarter, you’ll find a design that includes a Holstein cow, an ear of corn, and a wheel of cheese. The economy has changed with the times, and although agriculture is still important, mining, timber […]
Read MoreGolden Gate Bridge 70th Anniverary
The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, linking the city to Marin County. I’ve written before about the Golden Gate Bridge, but noticed that today was the 70th anniversary of its opening. ____________________________________________________________ Tags: architecture, b5media, California, flight attendants, Flyaway Cafe, San Francisco, travel, travel blogs, vacation, Golden Gate Bridge
Read MoreJust One!
A few weeks ago, I overnighted in Las Vegas. Although I was with a group of people, when it came time for dinner, I really just wanted to go off on my own. Las Vegas does a huge conference and convention business, so you would think that businesses and restaurants would be used to a patron dining alone. My guess however, is that while that may be true if you’re a man, Las Vegas still isn’t used to women dining alone. Here’s my experience: After spending some time shopping, I had worked up a real appetite. Shopping sometimes has that effect on me. I decided to have dinner at a nearby, mid-priced, casual, but still nice, restaurant. It was after the main dinner rush, and while there were still a number of diners in the restaurant, there was no line. […]
Read MoreWalk on By the New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), often called “The Big Board,” is the largest stock exchange in the world by dollar volume and ranks second in the number of companies listed on its exchange. The exchange is located in Manhattan at 11 Wall Street (between Broad & New), but actually consists of five building, or “rooms,” that are used for trading. The main building (18 Broad Street, between Wall Street & Exchange Place) is a National Historic Landmark. The roots of the NYSE reach back to 1792 at the Buttonwood Agreement. From that agreement, named for the buttonwood tree that it was signed beneath, the current concept of trading grew. The exchange’s current location is not far from its original location at 40 Wall Street, but the building, like the system of trading, has grown exponentially since the beginning. When […]
Read MoreAnniversary of the First Flight Attendant
Today is a historical date in the travel business. And more specifically, in the airline business. On May 15th, 1930, Ellen Church became the first Flight Attendant in the industry. She was employed by United Airlines, and worked a flight between San Francisco (California) and Cheyenne (Wyoming). And the rest, as they say, is history. . . . Photo credit: flickr ________________________________________________________________ Tags: airlines, b5media, flight attendants, travel, vacation
Read MoreMinnesota: The 32nd State
Today is Admission Day for Minnesota, our 32nd state, admitted to the Union on May 11th, 1858. Minnesota is the 12th largest state (geographically) in the U.S., and is the northernmost of the contiguous 48 states. Most of the residents of the state (60%) live in the Minneapolis-St Paul area, which is generally referred to as the Twin Cities. The state ranks 21st in population. The Twin cities of Minneapolis/St Paul combine the largest city in the state (Minneapolis) with the capital city (St. Paul). It is the hub of the state, and the center for business, industry and culture. The rest of the state is primarily rural, and consists of prairies, forests, farm land, and lakes. Let’s not forget those lakes, as Minnesota is known as the “Land of Ten Thousand Lakes.” Minnesota has extreme weather, both frigid winters […]
Read MoreLouisiana: The 18th State
Today is Admission Day for Louisiana, our 18th state, admitted to the Union on April 30th, 1812. If you remember your U.S. history, you will recall that the Louisiana Purchase was negotiated with Napoleon Bonaparte for the princely sum of about $15 million dollars (a price of less than three cents an acre), representing a combination of bonds and forgiveness of debt. The purchase was for far more than then president Thomas Jefferson has been looking for, and doubled the size of the country. Political foes argued that this was a worthless piece of land, but were really more concerned about their own New England influence in government would be diminished by the new states to be formed in the South. Louisiana has always marched to the beat of a different drummer, and I remember in law school that many […]
Read MoreFiesta for Ten Days in San Antonio
This weekend kicks off Fiesta San Antonio, a 10 day city-wide, fun-filled, multi-cultural, family-oriented celebration. It’s a huge party — with an estimated three and a half million people attending — a real fiesta, lasting for days and days, with over 100 different events. The annual Fiesta honors the memory of heroes of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto, with the origins tracing back to 1891 when a group of women decorated horse-drawn carriages and paraded in front of the Alamo, throwing flowers at one another. That event became a parade known as the Battle of Flowers Parade, and it has become the largest parade in Fiesta. Interestingly, it is the second largest floral parade (the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena is the largest), and is the only parade in the country to be planned and completely […]
Read MoreThe House that Ruth Built: Yankee Stadium
As a big fan of baseball, I’ve been meaning to write about Yankee Stadium for some time. As a fan of both the sport and the history of the game, I can’t think of many with a more storied history than “The House That Ruth Built.” Opening on April 18th, 1923 in the Bronx, as the home of the New York Yankees, the team won that opening game at the new stadium, defeating the Boston Red Sox, 4-1. Oh yeah, the stadium was once the home of the New York Giants football team, was the site some impressive boxing bouts, and hosted a variety of other special events, but to millions of people, it’s all about baseball. Yankee Stadium was the first three-level sports facility in the United States, and it was the first to used the term “stadium” instead […]
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