Theme Park in New England

If you are looking some thrilling, exciting activities for coming summer for vacation in Northeast, I'd like to suggest you: Six Flag New England. It's a family theme park and water park for all ages. There are ten coasters and kid/family rides.

The park is located in Springfield, MA also you don't need go to Disney World in New Orlando, Florida. The general ticket is $49.99 but if you buy online, you will pay only $44.99 (save $5) There are special prices for kids and junior. Besides, you can go in group or have a party at there. The minimum people is 25 people. Anyway, please note that the parking fee is $15.

Now, Six Flag New England has been closed during winter and it will be opened on April 14 (that is the first day) Its normal operation hour 10.00 am - 7.00 pm. However, you should check about the exact time again on its website.

For map, shop/food, group reservation, special event, or any further information, please check at www.sixflags.com I hope that you'd enjoy it and when I go there, I'll tell my experience at here

Philadelphia Attraction

In the past, I introduced you about Philadelphai briefly and today, I tell you about the tourist attractions in there. The famous places are Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, National Constitution Center, Philadelphia Musuem of Art and etc. However, I will give the detailed information for the Independence Hall and Liberty Bell because they are the must-to-visit places.

I'd recommend you to start at the Independence Visitor Center because at there, you will get all tourist information and timed-entry tickets for the hall. The ticket is free and avaible untill 3 p.m but it can be out before that.

Indepence Hall. The ticket includes the entrance to the hall and tour guide informing you the details and history. Constructed between 1732 and 1756 as the State House of the Province of Pennsylvania, it is considered a fine example of Georgian architecture. From 1775 to 1783 (except for the winter of 1777 - 1778 when Philadelphia was occupied by the British Army) this was the meeting place for the Second Continental Congress. It was in the Assembly Room of this building that George Washington was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army in 1775 and the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. In the same room the design of the American flag was agreed upon in 1777, the Articles of Confederation were adopted in 1781, and the U. S. Constitution was drafted in 1787. The building, inside and out, has been restored whenever possible to its original late-18th century appearance. Most of the furnishing are period pieces. The "rising sun" chair used by George Washington as he presided over the Constitutional Convention is original.

Liberty Bell: it is one of the greatest world's symbols of freedom. Since the bell was made, the words of the inscription have meant different things to different people. When William Penn created Pennsylvania's government he allowed citizens to take part in making laws and gave them the right to choose the religion they wanted. The colonists were proud of the freedom that Penn gave them. In 1751, the Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly ordered a new bell for the State House. He asked that a Bible verse to be placed on the bell - "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof" (Leviticus 25:10). As the official bell of the Pennsylvania State House (today called Independence Hall) it rang many times for public announcements, but we remember times like July 8, 1776 when it rang to announce the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.

A bell for the Pennsylvania State House was cast in London, England, however, it cracked soon after it arrived in Philadelphia. Local craftsmen John Pass and John Stow cast a new bell in 1753. By 1846 a thin crack began to affect the sound of the bell. The bell was repaired in 1846 and rang for a George Washington birthday celebration, but the bell cracked again and has not been rung since. No one knows why the bell cracked either time.

Old City Hall : Built as the City Hall of Philadelphia, the building was used by the U. S. Supreme Court from the time the building was completed in 1791 until 1800 when the Federal Government was moved to Washington D. C.. The municipal government and courts occupied the building during the 19th century.

Anyway, you should go to take the photo at the Love Park . LOVE Park (JFK Plaza) was built in the 1960s at the eastern end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and across from City Hall. In the late 1980s, by an accident of history, young people discovered that the park's curving stairs and ledges were perfect for skateboarding. I'm unsure the city allow to play the skateboard or not but I saw the young people did it.

For more information, you can click to

Introduction of Philadelphia

My past posts mentions Boston many times and now I'll move to Philadelphia - historic and modern city. Philadelphia is located in Pennsylvania along the Delaware River. Its population is around 1.5 million people. Philadelphia has the historic importance because the Declaration of Indepence was signed at here in 1776 which is the beginning of United States. Besides, the US Constitution was approved in the Indepence Hall, Philadelphia. From this reason, you will understand the foundation of US more when you visit Philadelphia.

To appreciate the attractions in Philadelphia more, I will give you the brief American history. By the middle of the eighteenth century, differences in life, thought, and economic interests had formed between the colonists and England. The British government tried to regulate colonial commerce in the British interest. The Stamp Act passed by Parliament in 1765 roused a violent colonial outcry as an act of taxation without representation.The Townshend Acts (1767) led to such acts of violence as the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party(1773). In 1774 Britain responded with the coercive Intolerable Acts. The first Continental Congress met in September, 1774 and petitioned King George III for redress of their grievances. The king ignored the colonists' complaints and declared the colonies were in rebellion. In June, 1775, the Continental Congress created a committee of five members to draft a statement of independence.

Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston comprised the committee charged with drafting the Declaration, but the task fell to Jefferson, as he was considered the most eloquent writer. After Jefferson drafted the document, the committee and Congress made a total of eighty-six changes. He also used many ideas from his own draft of the Virginia Constitution, as well as the Virginia Declaration of Rights by George Mason. The Declaration of Independence included a long list of the ways the British king had oppressed the colonists.

On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress met in the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) and approved the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration was written to influence public opinion and gain support both among the new states and abroad -- especially France.

Now, you have the clearer backgroud of American history and the next post will be about the important places in Philadelphia such as Liberty Bell, Indepence Hall, Old State House, etc.

Map - An useful tool for every tourist

Map is an absolutely important tool for every traveller. Without it, we can be lost and don't know how to arrive the destination. Besides, the map can help us to set up the travel plan easily.

Here is the link of USA map which I think it may be helpful for you to find out the nescessary information and design your journey where to visit.

Worldatlas Beyond the USA map, you can get one of 50 states, time line and travel information.

Maps Of World I like this website because it offers the information of the famous cities in US also it should be helpful for you.

RoadsideAmerica In this webiste, when you just click at the state you want to go, it will show you the fact of attraction places and tips.

Virtualtourist The content in the website includes the US state map, list of popular destination things to do, reviews and photos in each city as for your reference.

Yahoo Map In this site, you can find map in the street, city, state and country levels.

Google Map It's just the map which gives you the direction.

TravelingUSA The link will show the map of USA. I think the content in the website will be helpful for you because when you select the state you want to go, the information of the chosed place will be shown such as activies, places to stay, food.

Finally, I do hope the above information will be useful for you. Enjoy the trip!

Public Transportation in Boston

The public transportation in Boston is very convenient with subway, bus, commuter rail and boat. Normally, people in the city go somewhere by subway and bus and people who live in the suburb always go to Boston by communter rail whose fee is more expensive than subway and has the time schedule.

Subway in Boston is not complicated like one in another big city like New York or Washinton DC. Its usual fare is $1.25 and you can buy the daily pass at $7.25. However for traveller, I'd suggest you not to buy it because the attractions in Boston are not too far to walk except when you go to Harvard where takes around 5-10 minutes with subway.

As Boston is located on the Charles River and near the sea also it has the ferray service. It's a great way to see the city view of Boston from the boat.

You can study the link of public transporation in Boston from this link. You can check more information.

Harvard- The Oldest University in US

Harvard is not only the world-class university but only the oldest one in USA. It has many historic places and generated seven presidents of United States: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Theodore and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Rutherford B. Hayes, John Fitzgerald Kennedy and George W. Bush. Its faculty have produced more than 40 Nobel laureates and famous scholars. The below is the brief history of Harvard.

Harvard College was established in 1636 by vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and was named for its first benefactor, John Harvard of Charlestown, a young minister who left his library and half his estate to the new institution. During its early years, the College offered a classic academic course based on the English university model but consistent with the prevailing Puritan philosophy of the first colonists. Charles W. Eliot, who served as president from 1869 to 1909, transformed the relatively small provincial institution into a modern university. During his tenure, the Law and Medical schools were revitalized, and the graduate schools of Business, Dental Medicine, and Arts and Sciences were established. And now the University has more than 18,000 degree candidates, including undergraduates and students in 10 principal academic units.

Harvard University contains many historic places: Massachusetts Hall - it was built in 1720, during the Revolutionary War, the John Harvard Statue, located in front of University Hall - it is believed that you will be lucky if you rub John Harvard's shoe also now his shoe is very shinging as almost tourist do it, Widener Memorial Library constructed with funds given by Eleanor Elkins Widener in memory of her son, Memorial Hall, Science Center, etc.

Anyway, it has a tour by a Harvard student to take you see around the Harvard campus. The tours leave from the Events & Information Center. Not only will you discover the location of fascinating exhibitions and programs on campus, you will also see Harvard's rich sampling of American history and architecture from the Colonial period to the present.

The information center is located in the Holyoke Center Arcade at 1350 Massachusetts Avenue. It is in the Harvard Square, Cambridge. The Center is open year-round Monday through Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and is closed only on holidays. Here is its telephone no.: at (617) 495-1573 or e-mailing icenter@camail.harvard.edu You can find out more information about Harvard University: www.harvard.edu and it has the extension school for the part-time student: www.extension.harvard.edu

Thing to Do in Boston - Freedom Trail

As the town where I live is very near Boston, I'm glad to start the first place at there. In Boston, there are many famous places, especially the education places such as Harvard University, MIT (Massachusette Institute of Technology), Museum of Science, USS Constitution, The Old State House, Musuem of Fine Art, The Old North Church.

Today, I present you the Freedome Trail. It is a 2.5 mile red-brick walking trail that leads you to 16 nationally significant historic sites, every one an authentic American treasure. Preserved and dedicated by the citizens of Boston in 1958, when the wrecking ball threatened, the Freedom Trail today is a unique collection of museums, churches, meeting houses, burying grounds, parks, a ship, and historic markers that tell the story of the American Revolution and beyond.

Along the way, you can learn the American History by visiting the following places and see the beautiful city at the same time.

And here is the direct link of its information which includes map, activity calendar, etc : Freedom Trail.

The State House

Old South Meeting House

The Old State House/The Bostonian Society

Faneuil Hall

The Paul Revere House

Old North Church

USS Constitution

USS Constitution Museum

Bunker Hill Monument

People and Places