USA

Little Saigon

Little Saigon didn’t really look like much, it looks like a strip mall. My San Diego cousin was puzzled why I asked her mom and brother to take us there. When I travel I like to get in there, see every nook and cranny. July 4 2021, we went to Philly and while we waited for our train home, a Vietnam War vet started chatting with us. He got me in the mood to learn about the Vietnam War. I tried reading about it a few times over the years but wasn’t in the mood. That’s why I love traveling… meeting strangers that I’ll probably never talk to again but they affect my life in a big way. After reading that California has a very large Vietnamese population, I HAD to check it out.

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Adventures with Travel Gourmand: Pike Place Market & Snoqualmie Falls

We spent our last day in Seattle exploring with Travel Gourmand (other bloggers that we didn’t get to meet, we’ll try and meet up next time, there’s a time and place for everything) and she surprised us with a dose of nature before we departed the west coast for good. Continue reading →

Smith Tower

Smith Tower stands at 38 story (484ft/147.52m) in Pioneer Square and was completed in 1914. It was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. In 1931, Kansas city Power and Light became the tallest building and in 1962 the Space Needle took the title. Continue reading →

Seattle Underground with Beneath the Streets

Beneath the streets of Pioneer Square lies the remnants of ‘Old Seattle’, where you can get a glimpse of the city’s early days. The Underground is a network of basements, tunnels, and passageways underneath Pioneer Square in downtown.  On June 6, 1889, a cabinet maker accidentally lit up and overturned a glue pot. What ensued was the Great Fire of Seattle. Continue reading →

Seattle

We didn’t want our Canadian half of the trip to end because Seattle meant we would be flying home in 2 days. But Seattle also meant meeting a new friend, blogger Travel Gourmand. We tried to link up with a handful of other bloggers but it just didn’t work out (there’s always next time:) ). Our 2 days in Seattle were a pleasant surprise and a lot easier to fly back to NYC. Flying home from Victoria would require making a transfer but we found a new way – Seattle. We will take the ferry to Seattle, stay a couple nights, and fly non-stop home from now on. Continue reading →

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey Bay Aquarium was founded in 1984, is non-profit and open to the public. It’s located on Cannery Row in Monterey and the site was a former sardine cannery. The aquarium utilizes the ocean by using pipes to pump in and circulate fresh ocean water. There are over 600 species of animals and plants on display. They don’t house any animals except sea otters which are rescued through it’s Sea Otter Program.  Continue reading →

Carmel by the Sea

Walking around Carmel by the Sea is like stepping into a fairy tail. It’s kind of hard to describe our first impression of this town. It’s a very unique, wonderful place. One of the first cottages we noticed was the Cottage of Sweets. Cottages like these are commonplace. The best way to describe it is walking into a story book.  Continue reading →

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire 106th Anniversary

March 25, 1911 was one of the deadliest industrial disasters in NYC and one of the deadliest in US history. It occurred at Triangle Shirtwaist Factory at 23-29 Washington Place in Greenwich Village. 146 garment workers  – 123 women and 23 men died. Some jumped to their deaths because entrances were blocked, others died from smoke inhalation, falling, and fire. The oldest victim was Providenza Panno, 43 and the youngest Kate Leone and Rosaria “Sara” Maltese, 14. Most garment workers were Jewish and Italian immigrants. Continue reading →

Bialystoker Synagogue & Congregation Beth Hachasidim De Polen

Bialystoker Synagogue is at 7-11 Bialystoker Place which use to be known as Willet Street. The building was constructed in 1826 and was the Willet Street Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1905, the synagogue bought the church. Continue reading →