While scanning my mom’s old photographs, I found a few snapshots from the debut of the It’s A Small World attraction that Disney showcased at the 1964 World’s Fair. You can see them here:
Seeing these photos reminded me that I have a photo of the It’s a Small World ride at Disneyland from 1984:
The ride changed a lot from 1964 on its way to Disneyland in 1984. Twenty years later, the story is still the same. It’s a small world, even between mother and daughter.
When I was scanning in my mother’s old photos, I found these from the 1964 New York World’s Fair:
You can see the rest of them here:
The observation towers can still be seen today in Queens, New York. If you would like to take a miniature vacation back in time, you can watch these videos about the New York World’s Fair from the Prelinger Archive.
Here are some home movies from the 1964 World’s Fair:
Here is a newsreel about the monorail:
It’s possible to still visit the site of the 1964 New York World’s Fair, but all of the Futurama is gone to be replaced by the real future.
Las Vegas has snow for the first time in years, and they got 6-8 INCHES! That’s probably the best Christmas present they could get this year.
Mike and I were caught in a snowstorm in Vegas once. It was that flurry of dandruff-like snow that we Utahans are very used to dealing with, so we drove right through it without a second thought. It melted before the end of the day.
To see my beloved Luxor Hotel covered with snow like this is so strange. It’s almost as if the black pyramid has been turned white.
More photos after the break: (Continue Reading…)
NakedJen moved to Salt Lake City less than a year ago and has been eagerly exploring the culinary delights that the city has to offer. Here is her review of Hatch Family Chocolates:
I took a straw. I took a sip. It was so thick, so creamy, it got stuck washing over my tongue and coated my throat like a warm, chocolate flavored river. I couldn’t help but think of Augustus Gloop slurping from the river in Willy Wonka. I thought perhaps that’s why Calvin insisted on the straw?! So I don’t slurp like Augustus Gloop and end up drowning in my eagerness to drink it all.
If you would like to try Hatch Family Chocolates, here is their information:
Hatch Family Chocolates: Hand-Dipped Chocolates, Hot Chocolate
390 4th Ave
Salt Lake City, UT 84103
Google Map
Phone: (801) 532-4912
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-10pm
Hilarye at Dotting the Map has done the research on a number of Hotel Rewards Programs. Her goal was trying to find out which one is the best to go with.
In the end, she really had a hard time making a decision:
I guess what it really comes down to is what you personally prefer and what you find convenient. I would take time and figure out which program is right for you and your travel needs.
Personally, I think that Hotel Rewards Programs are a waste of time if you only travel once or twice a year. If you travel more often (i.e. for business), then you should be a member of ALL of them. Whichever is the best hotel for the location you’re traveling, make the reservation and use your rewards card. Don’t limit your choice based on the promise of rewards.
Megan Wallent went to Israel and was nice enough to share her experience with us. She found the Hummos Nazi:
He told us about his favorite local place. He described it as “The Hummos Nazi” – like the Soup Nazi in Seinfeld. I was more in than ever for this place! We set of on our hummos adventure for the Hummos Shack (my term, not his!) which was tucked in a small retail space in another office complex. (Its in the Ramat-Gan neighborhood)
She also ran into some extremely tight security at the airport.
There were no fewer than four more checkpoints to go through before going to the gate. I’ve written about the Bee Watcher Watchers in Paris, where there are multiple lines to go through, each with some perfunctory check. This is not the case here – every line had some purpose, and they were checking and rechecking to make sure that you were okey dokey. One thing I was surprised by though – at the xray machine, you do not need to pull out your small baggie of liquids or take off your shoes. They scan you, and your stuff, right there.
If you have been dreaming of visiting an exotic locale like Israel, click on over to Megan’s site and read about her adventures in Israel.
Jere Keys moved to Cincinnati recently and can see the city with the fresh eyes of a tourist. He shared his photos with us here:
After being left alone by his housemates, he decided to skip television for the night and take a walk:
I took a long walk down into the largely industrial neighborhood known as Camp Washington. Sure, there’s a lot of gritty, out-of-date reminders of a different time, abandoned buildings, even evidence of a homeless encampment, but I found it to be pretty (if you could ignore the smell of the giant aluminum casting factory).
Thanks for sharing your photos of your new home base, Jere!
Nicole Lee took a trip to Mixt Greens.
She called it a yuppie salad bar and then went on to specify that it was Yuppie with a capital Y!
Their sign says, “Lettuce rock your world.” Yep, that’s the same slogan I used when I ran for 7th Grade Vice President. Still a knee slapper.
Her verdict that the place didn’t live up to its price tag. If you’re looking for more atmosphere than salad, then maybe Mixt Greens is for you. Otherwise, opt for the salad bar at Whole Foods.
Where:
Mixt Greens
120 Sansome Street San Francisco, CA
475 Sansome Street (on Commercial) San Francisco, CA
560 Mission Street San Francisco, CA
firecakes by land_camera_land_camera from Flickr
These delicious cakes were cooked within a campfire. You can find the recipe here:
They used a yellow cake mix and cooked them in the campfire after hollowing out the oranges. She enjoyed the camping, despite the cold:
I know it’s getting a little late in the season for camping (we froze our butts off!) but if you manage to get out, seriously- I don’t even think I have to tell you to try this.
There is still some good camping to be had, even this late in the season. Lake Mead, in southern Nevada, is beautiful at this time of year, so get out there and let yourself enjoy the outdoors.
Trailer by unwiredadventures from Flickr
I have an image in my mind of the perfect trailer I would like to travel the country with. Something small and compact, but more livable than VW Westfalia bus conversion. If the aqua stripes were replaced by maroon or red ones, this would be my dream trailer.
Thank you, unwiredadventures, for taking photos of my dream trailer.
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