Our Life - Travel Guides & Photography » Modern Landmarks

Millennium Park Chicago

admin — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 16:06:27 +0000

Millennium Park is a public park and a popular Tourist Attraction located in DownTown Chicago near the shoreline of Lake Michigan. The Park was opened in 2004. It is a part of the larger Grant Park. The Park features attractions like Cloud Gate, Crown Fountain, Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Lurie Garden and Nichols Bridgeway. Millennium Park has free admission.

Cloud Gate is a three-story steel sculpture that has more often known as “The Bean” , because of its legume-like shape. The sculpture is the first public artwork in the United States by world-renowned artist Anish Kapoor.

The Crown Fountain is an interactive fountain, named in honor of Chicago’s Crown family and designed by Jaume Plensa. The fountain has a pair of transparent glass brick towers and water cascades down the two towers, spouting through a nozzle on each tower’s front face. Digital videos are displayed on the inward faces of the towers. The water appears to be flowing from a person’s mouth. The park and fountain are open to the public daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Weather permitting, the water operates from May to October. Kids can splash in the fountain and have some fun.
The centerpiece of Millennium Park is the Jay Pritzker Pavilion with 4,000 fixed seats, plus additional lawn seating for 7,000. The Pritzker Pavilion is Grant Park’s outdoor performing arts venue for small events.

Here are some photos from our visit to Millennium Park.

Belmont Abbey

admin — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 13:53:36 +0000

Belmont Abbey (Mary Help of Christians Abbey) is a monastery of the Benedictine Order located in Belmont near Charlotte, North Carolina. Belmont Abbey is a monastery of about twenty Benedictine monks, founded in 1876. Its members pray and work together according to the teachings of the Gospel and the wisdom of Saint Benedict. The Abbey is situated on a 700-acre campus in the Piedmont area of North Carolina. The monks also are the benefactors of Belmont Abbey College.

Belmont Abbey Church is the most prominent building on the Campus. It was completed in the year 1894. The church is constructed in the gothic-revival style out of brick and granite and built in the shape of a Latin cross. There is a statue of St. Benedict in front of the Church. The towers of the church can be seen from most of the college campus. The Great Tower holds bells which ring to signal the celebration of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours. The monastic community continues to hold daily services which are open to the student body and the public. In 1998 Pope John Paul II named the Abbey Church a Minor Basilica in recognition of the historical and aesthetical significance of the structure.

The monastery’s Lourdes Grotto was created in 1891. Intended to foster prayers for vocations, it was blessed as a Pilgrimage Shrine.

Here are some photos from our trip to Belmont Abbey. We attended the Holy Mass at the Basilica on a Sunday and it was really beautiful. Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is also in Belmont. You can cover both places in a day.

Cape Henry Light House

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 18:57:37 +0000

Cape Henry Lighthouse is located within Fort Story military base in the City of Virginia Beach. The lighthouse silently guards the entry way into the Chesapeake Bay. The Old Cape Henry Lighthouse was the first lighthouse authorized by the U.S. government, dating from 1792. It is 26 feet in diameter at its base, and 16 feet at its top. The Old Lighthouse stands near Cape Henry Memorial and First Landing Cross – the spot where Captain Newport raised a cross in 1607, to offer thanks for their safe crossing of the Atlantic. The Old lighthouse is a National Historic Landmark. Within view of the old Cape Henry Lighthouse is its 1881 replacement. The new Cape Henry Lighthouse is equipped with electrical and mechanical systems which still guides sea traffic safely into the harbor.

The Lighthouse is opened to the public on a seasonal schedule. To visit the lighthouse, you must pass through the security gates of Fort Story, and you need to have Photos Ids. You can enjoy beautiful views from the Observation Platform atop the old Lighthouse. The beach near the Lighthouse is wonderful and you can take a stroll and relax without worrying about the bustling crowds.

Here are some photos of Cape Henry Lighthouse from our Virginia Trip.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel

admin — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:52:24 +0000

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT) is a 23-mile (37-km) long bridge-tunnel crossing the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and connecting the Delmarva Peninsula’s Eastern Shore of Virginia with Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads, Virginia. It is a modern engineering marvel and is considered the world’s largest bridge-tunnel complex. It was opened in 1965. It includes two one-mile (1.6 km) long tunnels beneath Thimble Shoals and Chesapeake navigation channels, four artificial islands, two high-level bridges over two other navigation channels: North Channel Bridge and Fisherman Inlet Bridge, Fishing Pier and more. The CBBT promotes the bridge-tunnel as not only a transportation facility to tourist destinations to the north and south, but as a tourist destination itself.

There are 2 Scneic Overlooks where drivers may stop to enjoy the views of the Atlantic – at the north end of the bridge and at Sea Gull Island, near the south end. At Sea Gull Island, passing ships may include U.S. Navy warships, nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers, as well as large cargo vessels and sailing ships. The CBBT authority runs a restaurant and gift shop on the island. Fishing is encouraged from the 625-foot (191 m)-long pier, which is open 24 hours a day, year-round. Restrooms, fish-cleaning stations and a certified weighing station are at the pier.
Toll collection facilities are located at the both ends of the facility. Tolls are paid in each direction. For Toll Information, please visit the Official Site.

Here are some photos from our Trip to Chesapeake Bay.

Time Square New York

admin — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 20:30:50 +0000

Time Square is a major commercial intersection in Manhattan, New York City. It was named after the Times building which was the former office of the “The New York Times“. Times Square, nicknamed “The Crossroads of the World” and “The Great White Way“, has achieved the status of an iconic world landmark and is a symbol of New York City and the United States. It is well known for the huge number of neon and LED digital advertisements and looks fabulous in the night. Times Square has become popular to tourists, locals and Manhattan business community. Times Square is the site of the annual New Year’s Eve ball drop.

Here are few pictures from our Night Visit to Times Square.

Billy Graham Library

admin — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 18:19:59 +0000

Billy Graham is America’s greatest Christian evangelist. It is said that Graham has preached in person to more people around the world than any other preacher in history. Billy Graham Library is located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It features Billy Graham’s life and his works.

You can tour the Library, Homeplace and Prayer Garden. The library is 40,00 square-foot and reflects Billy Graham’s journey from a humble farm boy to an international Gospel Preacher. Billy Graham HomePlace is where Billy Graham lived from age 9. The house and the gardens are really beautiful. The library is open Monday to Saturday 9 am – 5 pm and admission is free. You can spend around 3 hours in the library. This is one of the best attractions in Charlotte for free.

Here are some photos from our trip to Billy Graham Library.

Linn Cove Viaduct

admin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:52:58 +0000

Linn Cove Viaduct on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina is the most complicated concrete bridge ever built. Completed in 1983 at a cost of almost $10 million, the Linn Cove Viaduct is 1,243 feet long and contains 153 segments weighing 50 tons each. It is a masterpieces of engineering that was constructed to preserve the beauty of Grandfather Mountain as the viaduct curves with the contours of the mountain. The viaduct is a quarter of a mile long and offers spectacular views.

Linn Cove Viaduct Visitor Centre is located at Milepost 304.4. The area has restrooms and a trail to Linn Cove Viaduct. The trail is 1 mile round trip and is moderate. An accessible paved trail begins at the visitor center and leads to a beautiful view of the viaduct from underneath, and gives hikers access to the Tanawha Trail. You can continue up the remaining dirt trail and climb by huge boulders for another 1/3 mile to get some views of the surrounding areas.

Here are photos we took on Oct 11th, 2009. The Fall Colors were beautiful and the trail to the viaduct was colorful. Click on the thumbnails to view larger images.

Charlotte Motor Speedway

admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:16:49 +0000

Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously, Lowe’s Motor Speedway) was designed and built in 1959 by current chairman O. Bruton Smith. Three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, two NASCAR Nationwide Series races and a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event are among the major events held on the 1.5-mile superspeedway.The speedway’s total seating capacity is approximately 140,000.

If you happen to stay in Charlotte or Concord, North Carolina, then be sure to check out the Speedway Tours. The highlight of this half-hour tour is a comfortable van ride around the superspeedway where you will feel the full-tilt force of the 24-degree banking. Feel The Thrill Tours are available on non-event days Monday through Saturday 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and Sunday 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The zMAX Dragway is covered during the 11:30 a.m. or 3:30 p.m. tour Monday through Saturday.

Admission is $5 per person. Our tour guide was an excellent person. We had a surprisingly wonderful time racing through the speedway and the dragway feeling the rush of adrenaline. We were able to see NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage, travel down pit road and took a picture in Victory Circle. It was absolutely worth for the money we had spent.

Visit the official site for more information about the Tour.

For a good choice of hotels with discount prices, visit Where to stay in Charlotte NC for more information.

Here is the Gallery View of all Photos.

Centennial Olympic Park

admin — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:51:34 +0000

Centennial Olympic Part was designed as a glorious gathering spot for visitors and residents to enjoy during the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games and for years to come.

Today, this unique 21-acre park serves as Georgia’s lasting legacy of the Centennial Olympic Games held in Georgia’s capital city of Atlanta.

The Fountain of Rings is the centerpiece of Centennial Olympic Park and is one of the most recognized and photographed landmarks in Georgia.

It’s free to view the Fountain of Rings show, which plays four times a day, 365 days a year, at 12:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.

The Fountain of Rings is the world’s largest interactive fountain utilizing the Olympic symbol of five interconnecting Rings.

Visit the official website here.

Here are some photos from our trip to Atlanta.

Here is the Gallery View of all Photos.

World of Coca-Cola, Atlanta, Georgia

admin — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 03:49:26 +0000

World of Coca-Cola was the second place we visited in Atlanta, Georgia after Georgia Aquarium. It is situated right opposite to Georgia Aquarium at Pemberton Place. The World of Coca-Cola was opened in May 2007.

It’s a beautiful place to explore and learn the history of the world famous drink – COCA COLA. There are about 1200 artifacts from around the world.

You get to taste more than 60 varieties of drinks from all around the world. That was a really interesting tasting experience. We got to taste some good flavors like Bibo - a kiwi drink. There is a 4D show (3D with moving seats) which is quite good.

You also get to see a fully functional bottling line and get to take home an 8 ounce bottle of COCA- COLA.

There is a 7 foot tall Polar Bear who is always ready to pose with you for your snaps. Overall, it was a very enjoyable experience.

Visit the official site of World of Coca-Cola here.

Here are some photos from our Trip.

Here is the Gallery View of all Photos. Click on the thumbnails to view larger images.