I've been writing about different countries but wanted to touch base with my home which is Los Angeles, California. When people think of Los Angeles, naturally entertainment comes into play and Disneyland. Well most people may or may not know that Disneyland is not really in Los Angeles but in a totally different county called Orange County. I'm here to really write more about some of the best places to visit that really experiences the Los Angeles life.
Los Angeles is a very unique city. We sometimes lump Los Angeles into five counties which includes, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside (SB and Riverside collectively known as the Inland Empire), and Ventura County. There are three counties located along the coast which are Los Angeles, Orange (the smallest of the counties) and Ventura. What we will cover here are not your typical places you will visit when you come to Los Angeles. I will not be writing about Universal Studios or Disneyland in this series of segments, rather some of the unique things that makes each of these counties unique and makes Los Angeles, well........Los Angeles.
One of the interesting sites in Los Angeles is the Watts Towers. When people think of Watts, we think of the Watts riots in 1965. But here at Watts Towers is an interesting architectural piece. The towers are modern build and are at least 100 feet high. Originally built by an Italian named Simon Rodia who lived in a house nearby. The structure is basically steel rods and concrete with exterior base consisting of seashells, pottery and glass. It is an unique site. Rodia constructed this as art and deeded the property to the city after 1957 when a fire burned down his house. The city at one point wanted to demolished the towers, but has become an iconic symbol in Watts. You can make this an easy day trip here and spend an hour or two here.
We will explore more of Los Angeles in later blogs so do tune in.
Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Monday, May 4, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
When in Rome Part 2
Trevi Fountain........why is it called Trevi? The answer to that is the fountain is located at the junction of three roads. The three roads is the ending point of one of Rome's ancient acqueducts.
The Trevi Fountain is famous for tossing coin and making one of your wish for returning to Rome come true. This magnificent Baroque style fountain and the largest Baroque fountain in the city of Rome. Italians love their fountains as a way of gathering and their strong beliefs that you drop a coin in a fountain with a wish, the wish will come true.
The Fountain took 30 years to complete by two designers, Nicola Salvi was the first designer to work on it during a contest which he actually lost but won due to the people at Rome wanted the designer to be a Roman instead of a Florentine (who was named Alessandro Galilei that won). Nicola didn't finish the work since he died 11 years before the completion. Giuseppe Pannini took over the work and completed by adding the Roman virgin Trivia. The latest restoration of the fountain occurred in 1998. It is estimated that nearly 3,000 Euros are collected each day from tourists that toss coins into the fountain.
A good eatery destination is this Trevi Gelato place which is just steps across from the fountain. Enjoy a gelato as you stroll around the fountain area. When you go to the gelato place, go and pay for the ice cream first before choosing your ice cream. The cashier will hand you a receipt which you will show it to the server and then pick if you want it in a cup or a cone and the flavor. You can combine flavors if you like and the flavors depends on the weather. On a hot summer day, go with more fruity flavors. On a cold day, go with coffee, pistachios, or chocolate flavors.
If you walk further down the path, you will hit the Spanish steps. You need to try chestnuts roasted from the street vendors. A little pricey but on a cold day, they are very good.
Becareful again around these areas since there are a lot of people at any given time. You'd be surprise. I went on a weekday and there were tons of folks there even in the late afternoon to evening. Be watchful of any pickpocketers. If you have a backpack, try to make sure you have a lock or at least keep it in front of you. Do not put your wallet in your backpack, and for men, do not put your wallet in your back pocket at any time. Go in groups if possible, its more fun than going alone.
Please post any comments on my blogs. That would be great! Thank you for reading.
The Trevi Fountain is famous for tossing coin and making one of your wish for returning to Rome come true. This magnificent Baroque style fountain and the largest Baroque fountain in the city of Rome. Italians love their fountains as a way of gathering and their strong beliefs that you drop a coin in a fountain with a wish, the wish will come true.
The Fountain took 30 years to complete by two designers, Nicola Salvi was the first designer to work on it during a contest which he actually lost but won due to the people at Rome wanted the designer to be a Roman instead of a Florentine (who was named Alessandro Galilei that won). Nicola didn't finish the work since he died 11 years before the completion. Giuseppe Pannini took over the work and completed by adding the Roman virgin Trivia. The latest restoration of the fountain occurred in 1998. It is estimated that nearly 3,000 Euros are collected each day from tourists that toss coins into the fountain.
A good eatery destination is this Trevi Gelato place which is just steps across from the fountain. Enjoy a gelato as you stroll around the fountain area. When you go to the gelato place, go and pay for the ice cream first before choosing your ice cream. The cashier will hand you a receipt which you will show it to the server and then pick if you want it in a cup or a cone and the flavor. You can combine flavors if you like and the flavors depends on the weather. On a hot summer day, go with more fruity flavors. On a cold day, go with coffee, pistachios, or chocolate flavors.
If you walk further down the path, you will hit the Spanish steps. You need to try chestnuts roasted from the street vendors. A little pricey but on a cold day, they are very good.
Becareful again around these areas since there are a lot of people at any given time. You'd be surprise. I went on a weekday and there were tons of folks there even in the late afternoon to evening. Be watchful of any pickpocketers. If you have a backpack, try to make sure you have a lock or at least keep it in front of you. Do not put your wallet in your backpack, and for men, do not put your wallet in your back pocket at any time. Go in groups if possible, its more fun than going alone.
Please post any comments on my blogs. That would be great! Thank you for reading.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
When In Rome
Rome is one of the traveller's delight. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to go to Rome and discover the ways of the Roman Empire. Rome is beautiful with lots of history and the architects are phenomenal.
This is only a brief overview of Rome and I'm no Rick Steeves. When you go you must be prepared to walk a lot. Plan out your day to see specific parts of Rome instead of just visiting one tourist attraction like the Coliseum, because most of the sites are so close to each other. No need to take the taxi, they have a good and easy subway system in Rome. Try to get your tickets to the attractions in advance to avoid standing in long lines, they do have will call lines. When you go to the Coliseum, make sure you don't stand in the long line to purchase a ticket IF you have a will call. There is an interior "line" that is for those who have will call tickets, this will save you a lot of time. Try to avoid taking pictures with the "Gladiators" outside the Coliseum unless you want to fork over 10 Euros.
When you are anywhere in Rome, DO NOT buy any bags, rugs, souveniers from street vendors. They are mostly unlicense and if you are caught buying them, guess who gets caught holding the bag.....literally YOU if you purchased a bag. The police will fine YOU the tourist who made the purchase and NOT the street vendor. They may be aggressive but the best way is to tell them "NO" or do not look interested at any of their products that they are selling.
You can go on your own to a lot of these places on self guided tours. They have audios that you ask for to be included in your admission fees. Be aware of potential pickpocketers especially in very crowded areas in tourist spots.
Till next time, will do a follow up blog on other destinations in Rome and Vatican and some places to eat. Will also follow up to other areas of Italy such as Siena, Capri, Sorrento, Pisa, and Florence.
This is only a brief overview of Rome and I'm no Rick Steeves. When you go you must be prepared to walk a lot. Plan out your day to see specific parts of Rome instead of just visiting one tourist attraction like the Coliseum, because most of the sites are so close to each other. No need to take the taxi, they have a good and easy subway system in Rome. Try to get your tickets to the attractions in advance to avoid standing in long lines, they do have will call lines. When you go to the Coliseum, make sure you don't stand in the long line to purchase a ticket IF you have a will call. There is an interior "line" that is for those who have will call tickets, this will save you a lot of time. Try to avoid taking pictures with the "Gladiators" outside the Coliseum unless you want to fork over 10 Euros.
When you are anywhere in Rome, DO NOT buy any bags, rugs, souveniers from street vendors. They are mostly unlicense and if you are caught buying them, guess who gets caught holding the bag.....literally YOU if you purchased a bag. The police will fine YOU the tourist who made the purchase and NOT the street vendor. They may be aggressive but the best way is to tell them "NO" or do not look interested at any of their products that they are selling.
You can go on your own to a lot of these places on self guided tours. They have audios that you ask for to be included in your admission fees. Be aware of potential pickpocketers especially in very crowded areas in tourist spots.
Till next time, will do a follow up blog on other destinations in Rome and Vatican and some places to eat. Will also follow up to other areas of Italy such as Siena, Capri, Sorrento, Pisa, and Florence.
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