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Daytona Beach, FL |
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Fort Lauderdale, FL |
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Fort Myers, FL |
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Jacksonville, FL |
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Key West, FL |
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Las Vegas, NV |
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Los Angeles, CA |
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Melbourne, FL |
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Miami/South Beach, FL |
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New York, NY |
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Orange County, CA |
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Orlando, FL |
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Palm Springs, CA |
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Tampa, FL |
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San Diego, CA |
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San Francisco, CA |
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Sarasota, FL |
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West Palm Beach, FL |
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Too often we think a vacation is the Caribbean, Mexico or Hawaii however we have many popular destinations right
here in the Continental United States -- Florida, California, Nevada and New York to begin with.
Try your luck in Las Vegas -- visit Disneyland, San Francisco or Los Angeles in California -- New York is always hopping
with things to do and Florida has some pretty nice, affordable beaches to keep you warm in the winter!
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California is blessed with a unique geological landscape that offers a wide array of scenic attractions and a variety of climates. It has sandy beaches and rugged rocky coasts, bountiful farmlands, barren deserts, dense forests and snowcapped mountain peaks. It is a favorite tourist destination for US natives as well as world travelers.
The warm tropical beaches and surf of Southern California draws many sun-loving vacationers to this state. Los Angeles, that great multi-cultural metropolis with its glamorous suburbs of Hollywood and Beverly Hills, attracts shoppers and sightseers, while the picturesque charm and beauty of San Francisco makes it a tourist favorite. The spectacular beauty of the rugged coastline at Big Sur, the alpine splendor of Yosemite Valley, the impressive grandeur of the giant Sequoia forests all combine to make this one of the favorite vacation destinations for hikers, bikers, campers, wilderness backpackers, skiers and just plain tourists. Here are a few of the most popular tourist attractions in California.
A large cosmopolitan center along the southern coast of California is the second largest city in the USA. Los Angeles is really a conglomeration of many smaller communities that have combined into one large metropolis with a diverse multicultural population and an interesting variety of neighborhoods. The most famous LA communities are Hollywood, home of the movie studios, and Beverly Hills, home of the movie stars. The Southern California surfing communities of Santa Monica Beach, Venice Beach and Redondo Beach lie on the western edge of the city, and the original Disney Land is located in the community of Anaheim.
This northern California city lies about 400 miles up the coast from Los Angeles and is considered to be one of the most picturesque cities in the USA. It is situated on a series of hills overlooking a vast blue bay nestled among the coastal mountains. San Francisco is famous for the Golden Gate Bridge and its antique cable cars that ascend steeply inclined streets lined with grand old Victorian houses. It is very near the magnificent coastal scenery of the Marin headlands and is not far from the world famous technology district known as "Silicon Valley".
A vast alpine preserve, known for its exquisitely beautiful Yosemite Valley, is located about 150 miles east of San Francisco in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The glacially eroded vale is only 12 miles long and less than one mile wide but has 2000 feet-high walls of sheer granite with nine waterfalls cascading over a thousand feet down its sides including the 2400 feet-high Yosemite Falls. This immensely popular attraction is a favorite for sightseers, backpackers and rock climbers.
As the largest producer of wine in the USA, California has established a reputation for fine wines. Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley, located about 50 miles north of San Francisco, are the most recognized wine growing regions. The Central Coast Area from Monterrey to Santa Barbara is nearly as famous, and a number of lesser-known wine growing districts are scattered throughout the state. Many wineries are open to the public for free tours and free wine tastings.
Located at the extreme southern end of the coast near the Mexican border, San Diego is known for its exceptionally pleasant climate and warm tropical beaches. With less traffic and congestion than its colossal neighbor, Los Angeles, this city offers a more relaxing atmosphere. San Diego has one of the best zoological parks in the world. It is located only a few miles from the Mexican border town of Tijuana.
The California Coast extending for about 100 miles south from Monterrey is known as Big Sur. Here, the Coastal Mountains dip their feet directly into the Pacific Ocean to form some magnificent scenery with sea cliffs, rocky headlands and tiny beaches tucked into secluded inlets. Highway 1, hugging the slopes of the mountainside, offers exquisite vistas at every turn.
Located about 150 miles east of Los Angeles near the Nevada border, Death Valley contains some of the most desolate scenery in the USA. This narrow flat basin situated amid parched barren mountains often experiences daytime temperatures above 140 degrees F and is nearly devoid of life. Yet, the austere arid landscape with its multicolored rock formations and its gleaming white salt flats is strangely beautiful.
The town of Palm Springs, in a desert valley 100 miles east of Los Angeles, has long been the winter hideaway for movie stars and wealthy Californians drawn to its year round sunshine and warmth. It contains numerous golf courses, upscale shops and classy restaurants catering to the affluent visitors.
These twin wilderness preserves are situated in the Sierra Nevada Mountains midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Less popular than Yosemite and less crowded, they offer some of the best hiking, backpacking and wilderness exploration in the state.
Located just east of Palm Springs, this park preserves the curious flora and fauna of the Mojave desert country including many thousands of the strange looking Joshua tree. It is relatively unknown and draws few visitors except for serious rock climbers and campers.
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Marvel at the pulsating excitement of Times Square, where bustling crowds are dwarfed by glittering neon. You can pick up a half-price ticket for a Broadway evening performance at TKTS Ticket Booth in Times Square. For more information, call the Broadway Line, 212/563-2929.
Meet the city on a bus tour (most companies offer several to choose from), then spend time exploring those that captured your imagination. You can try Gray Line/Short Line Tours, 212/397-2600, which offers trolley tours, double decker buses and bus tours of the city from two to nine hours long. On New York Apple Tours, 800/876-9868, visitors can see the sights by hopping on and off authentic London double-decker buses at 48 locations an unlimited number of times for two consecutive days. New York Double Decker Tours, 212/967-6008 runs a continuous loop throughout Manhattan; pay one price and step on and off at your leisure.
Wander through Grand Central Terminal at 42nd and Lexington, with its ornate early urban architecture and cavernous grand concourse.
You will love a quiet carriage ride around Central Park, then watch wildlife in their natural habitats recreated at the Central Park Wildlife Conservation Center, at 64th and Fifth Avenue.
Tour Rockefeller Center, between 42nd and 57th Street and from 5th to 6th Avenue, 212/632-3975. Here you will find Radio City Music Hall and the NBC studios, where you can watch the live broadcast of the Today Show from ground-floor studios at Rockefeller Plaza. The building itself is one of the great art deco masterpieces of the city.
Take an elevator to the top of the Empire State Building, 212/736-3100, once the tallest but still with the most spectacular view in the world. Walk out on the deck and see the city from above.
New York has some of the greatest shopping in the world.
Nothing is quite like shopping on Fifth Avenue, between 40th and 59th streets, in the heart of Manhattan, where you will find Tiffany's, 727 Fifth Ave at 57th Street, and F.A.O. Schwarz, 767 Fifth Avenue at 58th Street.
Macy's, the world's largest department store, 151 West 34th Street, is located at Herald Square, famous for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Other great uptown shopping can be found on upper Madison Ave., from 59th to 79th street, where you will find the Giorgio Armani Boutique, 815 Madison Avenue; or on Third Avenue, where Bloomingdale's is located at 1000 Third Avenue at 60th Street.
On 57th Street from Sixth Avenue to Second Avenue, there's a plethora of boutiques, with everything from sporting goods to electronics.
For bargains, try the Lower East Side between Orchard and Delancey streets. Expert shoppers will come prepared with a list and will enjoy haggling over a staggering assortment.
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In Miami you're likely to hear the language and music of many cultures; dine in her restaurants and take a mini tour of the world. Although this sophisticated destination boasts miles of wide, white sand beaches, Miami offers much more. Visitors can have a cup of café con leche in Little Havana, Miami's Cuban community; stroll past art deco architecture in the city's artsy South Beach district (dubbed SoBe); explore trendy Coconut Grove; visit attractions such as the Miami Seaquarium and the Miami Metrozoo, or take a cruise from the "Cruise Capital of the World." Nightlife is both sophisticated and varied here.
Besides offering visitors 47 miles of wide, sandy beaches, Palm Beach County offers nearly 160 golf courses, more than any other county in the nation. Art lovers also flock here for ballet, opera, theater, music and modern dance. The town of Palm Beach, with its sunny palm-lined street, elite shopping and oceanfront estates has the most concentrated wealth in the region. Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, Delray Beach and Boca Raton are trendy, upbeat and fun, offering quaint shopping districts and outdoor festivals year-round.
Besides the major attractions, there is so much more in the Orlando/Kissimmee area to spark the imagination. Orlando, the theme park capital of the world, is best known for its major attractions - Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom; Universal’s Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure; and Sea World’s aquatic entertainment. Besides the parks, non-stop nightlife, plentiful shopping, dining and accommodations are throughout the Orlando and surrounding Lake Buena Vista, Kissimmee, Winter Park and Altamonte Springs. Just a short distance from the hustle and bustle of Orlando's attractions, several destinations offer back-to-nature experiences and small town charm. Travel to tiny, charming towns like Mount Dora and Bartow for antiques and other treasures. Mount Dora has often been called the "antiques capital of Florida," but it is also noted for its festivals.
For a taste of life in the big city, visitors cross the bay to Tampa, where they encounter a glittering metropolis that's home to the region's top attractions -- Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, The Florida Aquarium and the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI). Visitors will also discover a revitalized downtown waterfront, notable museums and an extraordinary performing arts and sports calendar. Ybor City, Tampa's historic Latin Quarter, is rich in Spanish and Cuban tradition and was once known as "the cigar capital of the world" and offers the area's liveliest nightlife. Much of the northern part of this area is rural, having been set aside as national, state and county parks and preserves.
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