Canyonlands National Park
This one is a humongous park with three different sections – Island in the sky, The Maze and The Needles. The Maze and Needles are not accessible from the Island in the sky. Our POI was Island in the Sky and the primary spots – Green River Outlook, Upheaval Dome and Grand View. From the Green River outlook, we could see the entire river valley with the canyons and the bends of the river.
Green River Valley
Geologically, the two mighty rivers – Green River and Colorado River flowing together in the park has created the three segments and the entire landscape of this area. There are not many paved roads for normal cars but if you have a 4×4, lot of off-roads are available to explore the canyon and the river banks. Find out more information about the national park system here.
town of Gaitlinburg. Some visitors choose to stay here for its proximity to the park and the charm of this town. Strolls around the town during day or night is relaxing and delightful. In the afternoon, enjoy a hot chocolate or cappuccino sitting in a little cafe while you indulge in deep conversations with your travel buddies or just do people-watching, whatever your game. Come night time, especially during holidays, the city structures and sidewalks lit up in bright light fixtures. You can also choose to hit the slopes by going up in the gondola to witness the beauty of the mountains from a nice vantage point.
camera with auto shutter capability, set a timer for taking pictures in a 2 minute interval from 15 minutes before and after sunset. The changing colors of the sky and the foliage in the foreground will make for scintillating snaps.
of the entire Pudong skyline is fascinating. After the city skyscrapers lit up the evening sky, and colorful barges roving on the river provide a great photo-op. One interesting observation, backed by some history lessons later on, was that all the transit vehicles travel through underground channels rather than bridges over the river due to the extremely heavy ship traffic. Monument of the People’s Heroes and the Bull on the Bund are a couple of other photo-ops you should not miss. There is always new construction going on in the city, and the newly constructed Maglev cars in the sightseeing tunnel gives a unique opportunity for viewing the city from an unusual perspective.
spheres, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower stands tall in the Pudong Park next to the river. It was the tallest tower in China until 1980’s, and still is the world’s sixth tallest TV tower. It is an architectural marvel with three slanting stanchions and 11 steel spheres connected vertically by three columns. Visitors can travel to the top at a break neck speed in the elevators but since it is no longer the tallest tower in the vicinity, we skipped it and rather went up to the top of the World Financial Center with 101 floors at 1600′ tall.
reach the marketplace. Along the way you will see some of the grand hotels, name brand shops, Ministry of Commerce, and the Oriental Plaza building. We found a local market and tried some street food, and had a ‘tea-tasting’ experience.
park hosts a number of stunning architecture, sculpture and landscape designs. The famous Cloud Gate is the star of the show with its curvy shiny surface molding the city-scape and humanoid figures within its reflective surface. Best time to see this marvel is in the early morning right after sunrise. There will be a crowd anytime after.
fountain of peace. The Art Institute houses some of the extraordinary pieces of artwork from surrealism, impressionism and renaissance age to modern cubism. Masterpieces include Manet, Monet, Dali, Matisse, Picasso, Van Gogh, Degas, and many more. This was also the place where the great Indian Monk Swami Vivekananda gave his eternal speech at the World Religious Forum in late 19th century.
the Chicago Marathon. Hotel rooms get sold out and traffic comes to stand still on the Sunday morning of the Marathon event.
Champs’16 Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field. Do Not Attempt to go to a White Sox Game though. Kidding (I am a Cubs fan).
permanent collection ranging from Gothic art, Victorian fresco and glass painting, Medieval Renaissance galleries. We spent less than 3 hours here.
view of the tower and the parliament. It is said that the clock tower was named after the clock maker Benjamin Vuillamy, and his large structure. But there are other theories that range from fantasy to semi-reality. But the hands and the face of this gigantic clock can be seen from more than 1 mile away and the first strike of the hour is accurate to the second. Shame that you cannot climb up to the top of the tower, but tours of the parliament are available. It is worth spending about an hour here (ticket price ~GBP 25).
Free art museum that houses some of the most exquisite artwork from the masters like Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Botticelli, Bellini. There are not many art museums in the world that houses paintings from 13th century to 20th century under the same roof and can tell a story from the Renaissance and Impressionism era at the same time. While you are here, sip some lattes and people watch in the famous Trafalgar Square. We spend close to 4 hours here, and the best perk – for free!
Holmes lovers. Expect a small line but if you are a fan, you must not give up on this opportunity. Even though we know it is not even worth the time and money, the thought provoking exhibits that link back to the stories brought back memories from our childhood days.
not a cricket match going on, you can buy a tour ticket that takes you through the history of the ground, reminiscing on some of the historic games and take you to the cricketers’ pavilion. A view of the pitch directly behind the wicket from one of the balconies drew vivid pictures, in my mind, of a few famous matches held here. Must go for cricket lovers.
using our NPS card. Through the visitor center, we walked and hiked through the mesmerizing landscapes of this huge national park. We walked through rivers with ankle high water, hiked to top of the canyons, drenched in emerald pools and sipped the beauty of the flora and fauna around barren yet beautiful landscape. Our favorite POIs were the lower and upper falls, emerald pools, checkerboard mesa, the narrows, and the main canyon. Honestly, one can spend 2-3 days easily and hiking every day all day, yet to cover all the spots. Half a day was crazily below average time people spend here. Nevertheless, we will cover the geology and the environmental tales of Zion in a separate post.