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Garfield Park Conservatory
Built in 1907, these 4.5 acres under glass are the Park District’s pride and joy. Designer Jens Jensen intended for the palms, ferns and other plants to recreate Chicago’s prehistoric landscape. Today the effect continues – all that’s missing is a rampaging stegosaurus. Newer halls
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Big Cypress National Preserve
The 1139-sq-mile Big Cypress Preserve (named for the size of the park, not its trees) is the result of a compromise between environmentalists, cattle ranchers and oil-and-gas explorers. The area is integral to the Everglades’ ecosystem: rains that flood the Preserve’s prairies and
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Kitt Peak National Observatory
From Tucson, Hwy 86 heads west into some of the driest and emptiest parts of the Sonoran Desert. West of Sells, the Kitt Peak National Optical Observatory features the largest collection of optical telescopes in the world. Guided tours (adult/child $10/3.25; at 10am, 11:30am and 1:
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Waimea Valley
Craving land instead of sea? This 1800-acre Hawaiian cultural and nature park, just inland from Waimea Bay, is a sanctuary of tropical tranquility. Among the junglelike foliage you’ll find up to 5000 native and exotic plant species. Wander the numerous paths alongside Kamananui Str
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Siesta Key
At 8 miles long, Siesta Key is the areas most popular beach hangout with a family-friendly village and a public beach of pure quartz sand so fine its like confectioners sugar. The enormous parking lot (at the corner of Beach Rd and Beach Way) has an information booth dispensing inf
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Rock of Ages Quarries
The worlds largest granite quarries, four miles southeast of Barre off I-89 exit 6, cover 50 acres, tapping a granite vein thats a whopping 6 miles long, 4 miles wide and 10 miles deep. Most fascinating is the 35-minute guided minibus tour of the active quarry, where you can gaze d
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Puʻu Kekaʻa
Youll find the best underwater sights off Puu Kekaa, also known as Black Rock, the lava promontory that protects the beach in front of the Sheraton. First-time snorkelers will be happy with the coral and fish at the protected southern side of Puu Kekaa, but the real prize is the ho
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Chinese Telephone Exchange
Californias earliest adopters of advanced technology werent Silicon Valley programmers but Chinatown switchboard operators. This triple-decker tiled pagoda revolutionized communication in 1894. To connect callers, switchboard operators spoke fluent English and five Chinese dialects
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Bushnell Park
The Capitol overlooks the 37-acre Bushnell Park, the first public park in the US built with taxpayers money. It was designed by Jacob Weidenmann and opened in 1861. Weidenmanns unique vision – an informal, natural style – broke from the traditional New England central green, and in
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Bohemian Club
San Franciscos most infamous, secretive mens club was originally founded by bonafide bohemians – but they couldnt afford the upkeep, so they allowed the ultra-rich to join. Todays member roster lists an odd mix of power elite and artists: apparently both George W Bush and Greatful
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Northern Lights
For many visitors, Fairbanks primary pulling power lies in a natural phenomenon: the Aurora Borealis, better known as the Northern Lights. As solar winds flow across the earths upper atmosphere, they hit gas molecules which light up, much like the high-vacuum electrical discharge o
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Pasadena Civic Center Area
Pasadena’s Civic Center, built in the 1920s, is a reflection of the great wealth and local pride that have governed the city since its early days. Highlights include the Spanish Renaissance–style City Hall and the Central Library . Nearby, the Jackie & Mack Robinson Memorial ho
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Bushwick
A couple of subway stops to the east of Williamsburg on the L train, the ramshackle blocks of Bushwick begin to appear. Today, Bushwick is home to artists and musicians, who’ve packed the hood in search of cheap rents. The neighborhood’s western fringes are dotted with bars and ind
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Naumkeag
Designed by the renowned architect Stanford White in 1885, this 44-room Gilded Age cottage was the summer retreat of Joseph Hodges Choate, a former US ambassador to England. The estate retains so much of its original character that you almost expect Choate to be sitting at the brea
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Victor Steinbrueck Park
When you’ve had enough of the market and its crowds, wander out the end of the North Arcade and cross Western Ave to Victor Steinbrueck Park, a small grassy area designed in 1982 by Steinbrueck and Richard Haag. A historic armory building once stood on the site, but it was knocke
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Woolworth Building
The worlds tallest building upon completion in 1913, Cass Gilbert’s 60-story, 792ft-tall Woolworth Building is a neo-Gothic marvel, elegantly clad in masonry and terracotta. Surpassed in height by the Chrysler Building in 1930, its landmarked lobby is a breathtaking spectacle of da
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Harrison Street Houses
Built between 1804 and 1828, the eight townhouses on the block of Harrison St immediately west of Greenwich St constitute the largest collection of Federal architecture left in NYC. Yet only the buildings at 31 and 33 Harrison St remain where they were originally constructed. The o
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Jack Kerouac Sites
Dedicated in 1988, the Jack Kerouac Commemorative features a landscaped path where excerpts of the writers work are posted, including opening passages from his five novels set in Lowell. They are thoughtfully displayed with Catholic and Buddhist symbols, representing the belief sys
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Indian Key Historic State Park
This quiet island was once a thriving city, complete with a warehouse, docks, streets, a hotel and about 40 to 50 permanent residents. There’s not much left at the historic site – just the foundation, some cisterns and jungly tangle. Robbie ’s used to bring boats this way, and stil
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Imnaha River Valley
Just west of Hells Canyon, the Imnaha River digs a parallel canyon that offers pastoral scenery in addition to astounding cliff faces.The gravel Imnaha River Rd follows this narrow valley between Imnaha and the junction of USFS Rd 39 for about 40 miles. The northern end is very dra
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