Today is Admission Day for New Mexico, our 47th state, admitted to the union on January 6th, 1912. The culture of the area is heavily influenced by the large population of Spanish, Mexican and Native Americans who live in the state, and who, generations earlier, occupied the territories of what is now New Mexico.  The state has the highest percentage of Hispanic Americans (some immigrants, some descendants of Spanish colonists) and the second highest percentage of Native Americans (mostly Navajo and Pueblo).  This blend of culture has always fascinated me, and I regret that I have not yet had the opportunity to visit New Mexico. Santa Fe is New Mexico’s capital city, and Albuquerque its largest city, followed by Las Cruces, Santa Fe, Rio Rancho, and Roswell. It ranks 36th in the country in population. Popular visiting spots include:  Carlsbad […]

Today is Admission Day for Utah, admitted as our 45th state on January 4th, 1896. Utah is one of the Four Corner states (the others are Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona), the only place in the Unites States where four states come together at one point.  Utah is ranked 13th in geographical area, and 34th in population.  The largest city is the capital city of Salt Lake City. Utah has a large tourism industry, given a boost when it was host to the 2002 Winter Olympics.  The state is known for its many ski resorts, national parks (Zion and Bryce Canyon, for example), the Great Salt Lake, the Bonneville Salt Flats (in photo), the Sundance Film Festival and the Mormon Temple. I’ve only been to Utah once, and that was to visit Salt Lake City in 1987.  It was a […]

(As part of my quest to visit every state, I will be spending some time throughout the year highlighting each of our 50 states.)   Today is Admission Day for Alaska.  On January 3rd, 1959, Alaska (purchased from Russia in 1867) became the 49th state. Although Alaska is the largest state in geographical area, it is one of the least populated, ranking 47th of 50.  Due in large part to its connection with the oil industry, it is one of the wealthiest states.  Alaska is a rugged state, with lots of outdoor adventure opportunities:  fishing, hunting, hiking, snowshoeing, dog sledding, etc.  During the summer, the coastal cities in Alaska are popular ports of call for many cruise lines, and cruising the Inside Passage is an opportunity to see nature in all its glory.  Other popular sites:  train rides through the […]

Another day, another wonder, and this one will also stir the debate about whether wonders should be man made or natural.  Regardless of your position on that issue, there is no doubt as to the beauty of the underwater world of the Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument. The national monument encompasses nearly 140,000 square miles of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and provides for protection and preservation of the marine area.  It is the largest single area dedicated to conservation, and the largest protected marine area in the world.  To get a sense of just how big we are talking about, it is larger than 46 of our 50 states.  The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands include ten islands and atolls, and stretch over nearly 1,400 miles.  The undersea forests and mountain ranges of this area comprise a coral reef habitat that exceeds 4,500 […]

This neighborhood just isn’t like it used to be!  No one can argue with how the Pioneer Square area of Seattle has changed over the last couple of decades.  Before it was what you see now, there was a whole other neighborhood of streets and storefronts, all of which were destroyed in the Seattle fire of 1889. The fire turned out to be a good thing for the city.  Although it totally devastated 29 square blocks of the city, including nearly all of the business district, most of the wharves, and the railroad terminals, the rebuildding of the city post-fire was a turning point in Seattle’s history.  At that point, Seattle began the proess of becoming a real city. The day after the fire, a town meeting was held, and it was agreed that the city would be rebuilt with […]

75 years ago, on May 1st, 1931, the Empire State Building opened to the public. The idea for the skyscraper came from John J. Raskob, whose goal in the project was merely to outdo his former competitor, Walter Chrysler, and the Chrysler Building.  Raskob, and then Governor Al Smith, conspired to make sure that the new building would surpass the Chrysler building in its height, 103 floors, and its magnificent design.  Including the antenna on top, the Empire State Building stands 1,454 feet tall. Amazingly, this ambitious project only took 410 days to complete, an average of about four-and-a-half floors completed per week.  View the photo history of the building of the Empire State Building here. The building, Fifth Avenue at 34th, seems to float above the street, and the rest of its surroundings, when viewed from a distance.  It is one […]