USA
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Haleakala, Hawaii – the house of the rising sun
Haleakala is one of the best places which I visited in Hawaii. This was the most sublime spectacle I’ve ever seen…- that’s how Mark Twain describes Haleakala in his book Roughing it. I think that it doesn’t need a better recommendation. This is an exceptional place, which must be visited especially at sunrise and sunset while in Hawaii. Dormant vocano The Haleakala National Park includes two volcanoes that form the Hawaiian island of Maui. The beginnings of Haleakala volcano are about a million years back. At that time the volcano began to raise above the Pacific Ocean creating Maui island. Actually, Haleakala isn’t a crater, what you can see from…
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Williamsburg – two different sides of New York
I visited Williamsburg at the end of my trip to New York. Actually, I had no special ideas about this part of NYC as it isn’t covered very widely in guidebooks. However, the moment I got off at Bedford Av Station, I knew I was in the right place. Williamsburg is located in the north of Brooklyn and is named after the bridge that is often confused with the Brooklyn Bridge. It is quite quiet here compared to Manhattan, there are no perpetual traffic jams in the streets and the pace of life seems to be significantly slower. Williamsburg consists of two completely different parts. The first belongs to the…
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Brooklyn Bridge-21 elephants and 17 camels…
The Brooklyn Bridge – an icon of New York and one of the most recognisable symbols of the Big Apple. I admit I didn’t expect that it would make such a big impression on me. By the way, just knowing that this is one of the oldest span bridges in the world it’s a sufficient reason to be under big impression. Actually, when it was built in 1883 was also the longest suspended bridge in the world. Less than a week after its opening ceremony, the bridge became a place of tragedy, 12 people died on it. During Memorial Day celebrations false alarm about the alleged risk of bridge collapse…
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Central Park, New York – surprising discovery
Central Park was opened in 1857 and since then it has become one of the most recognized places in NYC. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen it in films no wonder it is considered as one of the most frequently filmed park in the world. This is an amazing place that looks even more amazing from the bird’s eye view. Central Park turned out to be a big surprise for me, especially one place I hadn’t read about in any of the guidebooks before going to NYC (believe me, I did my homework througly). You’ll find out more about this place in the next part of the post…
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New York skyscrapers – how to eat your cake and have it?
Skyscrapers – this is probably the most distinctive element of New York. I won’t hide that when I was going to NYC I was fascinated by the number of skyscrapers I would see on the spot. Meanwhile, New York skyscrapers have surprised me in several other ways. First of all, I didn’t expect them to be so tall. Buildings in the size of the Palace of Culture an Science in Warsaw are let’s say of medium size. This makes a huge impression, but on the other hand, it also has some drawbacks. Manhattan’s high and dense architecture makes it very dark, virtually there’s no light. Another issue is the problem…
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Coney Island – spooky funfair and incubators on the promenade
Sometimes it happens that when being in New York, the only thing you just want is to quit this city and go… just to the beach. The optimal solution is just an hour trip from Manhattan (Q subway line) to Coney Island, located at the southern end of Brooklyn. Getting off at Ocean Parkway station I have only a few minutes of walk to the famous beach. First glance, it looks similar to other kinds of beaches – promenade, sand, water… However, I see a few things that make this place unique during low season:– it’s quiet,– there are no people,– it’s clean,– it’s bright, there are no skyscrapers that…
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San Gennaro, Little Italia and Chinese vibes in SoHo NYC
It was a beautiful September morning, while eating breakfast I started checking Manhattan’s map to organise a sightseeing plan. I actually didn’t have any specific plans for that day, I just wanted to go around the city, watch people and take a couple of pics, okay, I admit, maybe not a couple, but at least hundred photos 😉 While browsing the google map, suddenly my attention was caught by a purple spot in place of some streets in southern Manhattan, more specifically around SoHo. Well, what is SoHo actually?SoHo is an acronym used by New Yorkers for the part of Manhattan located south of Houston Street. Obviously, this is not…
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Na Pali from the air – a story of two flights
How did it happen that I landed on board of a helicopter to watch the wonderful Na Pali cliffs, actually on board of two helicopters? The larger part of the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i is not available from land due to inaccessible mountains. That’s why a helicopter trip is the best option to see the whole island. When you look at photos from Hawaii, you can get the impression that there’s always a great sunny weather. However, the location of the archipelago in the middle of the ocean and the mountainous terrain make a specific climate that is characterised by high rainfall and moderate temperatures. A large amount of precipitation…
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Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum – New York from the aircraft carrier deck
I’ve always liked visiting places and museums of a military character. I love getting back to my visit in Pearl Harbour or crawling through the tunnels in the former Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone. Therefore, I won’t even try to describe my reaction when browsing tourist attractions in NYC, I saw a picture of USS Intrepid aircraft carrier. What happened next when I read that Intrepid is just one of the many exhibits at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, you can only guess 😉 Intrepid had been in service since World War II (1943) until 1974. Apparently, it could accommodate 3 thousand people and around 82 planes. During World War II it was…
