Thursday, September 29, 2011

Orlanding Florida Keys


Florida was a planned trip cum family get together for us. It's a state full of tourist attractions right from children to oldie goldies!!!!! The plan was very ambitious as it was a road trip upto Key West all the way from Herndon - Virginia!!!!!! The drive was really a tempting one; crossing all the 4 states down the line on east coast till Florida..................

It was straight drive on I-95 South which ended up to US - 1 South at Key West. The route was Herndon Virginia , North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Orlando - Florida, Miami - Downtown on the way, Key West - Florida and same way back to Herndon - Virginia.

For the longer routes with tourists number more than 5 upto 7 Minivan is the best option. So obviously finding better deals with the rental cars and choosing the lowest one with good insurance coverage becomes one of the prime tasks. Second on radar is the accommodation!!!!!! Here again the halt - one night stay on the way is manageable but an advance booking always helps to avoid last minute kayos. There are various sites which help you to get better accommodation + car + flight deals. There are quite a few sites which negotiate for the best deals on your behalf. To name few of the best deal sites :-

www.bookingbuddy.com (This site is the best one as you can compare your deal with more than 7 other sites and choose the best one)
www.priceline.com (This site negotiates on behalf of the customer to bag the best available deal)
www.hotel.com (Good choice and listing of hotels)
www.orbitz.com
www.bookit.com

As usual we banged the best minivan deal with Enterprise for 10 days with comprehensive insurance. Resort booking was done with the Bahama Bay Resorts - Orlando, kind of a fully loaded service apartment.


The ambitious journey started with a halt at Fayetteville - North Carolina (Days Inn on I - 95 South). As planned next day we reached the Sunshine state and experienced the real pie line.............." Sunshine State"!
Orlando is one of the most visited and rated destination in the world.

www.visitflorida.com is the official travel and tourism website of the Florida State. The major attractions are




The entrance ticket is around $85 which can be booked online. The parking fees are around $14-15 which are extra apart from your entrance ticket. Park hours are from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. In order to cover the complete park with all the shows and bang on the best parking lot it is advisable to reach exactly at 9 a.m.
One of the best attractions is the One Ocean show at the Shamu Stadium performed by the black and white killer whales. Few to name and must watch shows are The Sea Lion (Unique and entertaining seal and walrus show) , Blue Horizon (Dolphin show with adventurous aquatic acrobats). It's good to go back to your childhood and enjoy the Atlantis Ride kind of an adventurous ride.
https://picasaweb.google.com/114911997218491274226/SeaworldOrlandoFlorida

2. Universal Studios - http://www.universalorlando.com/


The entrance ticket differs as you go on selecting the theme parks. To name few of them - Universal Studios,Universal Island of Adventure, World of Harry Potter.... But the cost per adult roams around $85 - 100 again exclusive of the parking ticket $14.Park timings differ are available over the website but overall opening time is 9 a.m.

Universal Studios are nothing but the famous Hollywood studios/sets used in movie making. The different techniques, make up styles etc. There are various sections where you can visit and get the exact idea of special effects, display techniques, etc. and at some of the places you can experience by actually participating in the events like Disaster Studio, Horror Make Up show.

https://picasaweb.google.com/114911997218491274226/UniversalStudiosOrlandoFlorida



Let the Memories Begin...................at Magic Kingdom -  Theme Park of the Disney World. Yes again here there are different theme parks and you can choose any of them or all of them. But the feasible option is one park per day!!! The tickets are again in the range of $85-100 per head and couple of dollars less for the kids. Park timings differ during summer and fall as per the occasion parties. The Disney Magic Kingdom is the most visited theme park by the kids as they can meet in real their dream cartoons Micky, Mini, Goofy, Pluto and so on............... The famous Disney Castle is also situated inside this theme park. Accommodation is available in Disney Resorts which can be booked online and well in advance and closer to your selected theme parks!!!!!!1


Disney Characters' Pared is the must watch show of this theme park. All the characters come on the street and you can see them, hand shake with them. So for the kids really the pie line makes a lifetime difference - "Let the Memories Begin................" 
4. Kennedy Space Center - http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/



To experience an altogether different world one has to visit Kennedy Space Center. Various ticket options are available starting from $45 and finally inclusive of the parking. The center is open from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
In order to cover the complete center activities along with the site visits and the 3D shows one day is not enough!!!!!
Hubble 3D, International Space Station are some of the Eye max and 3D major shows to name and must watch. It's worth taking a shuttle launch experience at the Kennedy Space Center which is a very successful simulation experiment. Bus Ride is worth to watch the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), Launching Center - LC, Crawler Road, Space Shuttle Models and Capsules.
Success and failures of the various space missions, rising from the scratch and history of astrophysics for USA, knowledge sharing are incredibly displayed here in front of you.
Kennedy Space Center is separately operated by the NASA Institute from North Delaware and outside preview and influence of Federal Government. The name to the Center was given in memory of Late honorable President Kennedy being a father of space revolution for USA.

https://picasaweb.google.com/114911997218491274226/KennedySpaceCenterOrlandoFlorida

Key West 


4 days fully loaded fun journey of Orlando ended up at Kennedy Space Center and the same day we headed towards Key West the southernmost point of United States Continent and part of Florida Keys.
Driving through Miami downtown roads by night on the way to Key West was an unforgettable experience. Illuminated and well maintained Miami downtown found to be more rocking by night. Miami is always been a hot youth destination and found to be correctly described!!!!!!!!!

Finally the long stretch of I - 95 South ended up at Florida Keys and US - 1 South started. Florida Keys is the collection of small islands like Key West, Key Largo, Islamarda, etc. Road is superb, scenic and worth travelling during the day as the road is surrounded by sea only!!!!!!But at the same time there is a curb on the speed limit which is 45 Mile/ hr and needs to be adhered to because of the single lane road.


With a monotonous drive (with constant speed) on US - 1 South we reached Florida Keys - Key West. small Island surrounded by sea but now a days a hot destination for tourists!!!! It's the southernmost (Endpoint) of US Continent. 

Accommodations are available in the chain hotels like Marriott, Holiday Inn, etc. Apart from that one can rent out a bungalow and enjoy the lavish stay. The locations are also unique and scenic and well designed for such rent out bungalows!!!  My personal opinion - I found it like more like Kokan - A coastal belt in the western ghats of India but off course more advanced and well maintained!!! 



The place is famous for beaches and beach activities and other tourist spots like the end point of continent. Just 70 miles from key west (by boat) stands the Tortuga Island (Dry Tortugas National Park) surrounded by the gulf of mexico. One day can be spend with a tour package from NPS inclusive of food, water sports, beach/coastal activities. 

http://www.nps.gov/drto/index.htm

One of the most visited beaches is "Higgs Beach".  The boards that catch most of the tourists' attraction are "Beware of Portuguese Man-Of-War". It's a dangerous and a poisonous sea creature!!!! The beaches in key west are full of Jelly Fish and Portuguese Man of War!!!! So the warnings are displayed at most of the beaches. 



Higgs Beach has extended wooden bridge for tourists to carry out lot many activities like fishing, watching sea creatures and scenic beauty around the beach. The beach also provides shower, changing rooms, grill, seat outs/family benches, parking facilities. 


Couple of minutes of walk takes you to Earnest Hemingway's Residence - the famous writer!!!!! It's again a memorial cum tourist attraction!!!! Another way to earn money in US Way!!!! :)
थोडक्यात सांगायचे झाले तर - आपल्याकडचे कै. विष्णूशात्री चिपळूणकर येथे राहत होते!!!!! अश्यापद्धतीचे काहीतरी!!!!


All the tourist spots are on walk-able distance. In between if you are hungry you can enjoy the food outlets and cool down yourself by having a sip of drink of a cone of an ice cream. 

If you are not that walk freaky then the options like bikes, bicycles on rent etc are available and if you are not even ready to take that much effort then the bicycle rickshaws - "The Perfect Pedicab" is available at your service. You can rent any of the above options with some deposit amount for any number of days or on hours basis!!!! 


The next and most visited tourist spot and a must have snapshot point is the endpoint milestone of US Continent!!!!Southernmost Point of US Continent!!!! Just 90 Miles from Cuba!!!!


Apart from the above destinations there are beach activities like speed boats, paragliding, snuba diving, snorkling, scuba diving, etc. 
Few of the agents and local authorities which carry out such sea/beach sport activities are

Key west Snuba - 877-243-2378 (Snuba is nothing but a combination of Snorkling +Scuba Diving)
Snuba of Key West - 305-292-4616

There may be discounts for a large group, combo package like Paragliding + Snuba Dive, etc. 
The charges start from $40 -$100 for any sea activity.  

But keep in mind that the weather plays an important role in all those sea activities!!! 

Last but not the least choosing a right season for this destination is the most important thing!!! Summer is hottest and Winter/Autumn are pleasant.


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Friday, September 9, 2011

Newyorker's New York...............

The most visited and famous tourist spot on the East Coast............. Newyorker's New York!!!!! Why not???? It was a port of entry for the immigrants since 19th Century...... USofA opened it's doors for immigrants when it was revealed that the intelligence and manpower would be required to reach the tag of an advanced and developed country!!!!!!!!!!

The New York City commonly known as NYC has become a heart of the east coast of USA and financial ramp for the new entrants in the market. NASDAQ, NYSE are the common names in the financial world - those are nothing but the financial brads of NYC - now not only limited to NYC but for the whole world.

Kept aside as a special tour along with parents or with in laws, just like Niagara Falls ;NYC was another destination. After terrific heat wave for 2 weeks where temperatures reached 48 Degree Celsius (Feels Like) this short visit was supposed to be relaxing one with pleasant weather.

Started our journey late by an hour with Megabus. Double Decker Megabus was well equipped with the 110V power outlets, free Wi-Fi and a WC too. So the journey was not that tiring.

After 5 hrs of delayed journey we were enlightened to see Newark Airport on our left which was ready to greet us and welcome us to NJ - New Jersey along with it's huge fleet of aircrafts!!!!! New York City and Jersey City are like twin sisters. Even though Hudson river separates those two cities from each other, courteous Lincoln Tunnel rejoins them. From the dark of the midnight sun rises on the east, same way when we cross the darken Lincoln Tunnel Sky Scrappers rise to smooch the sky on the east coast of USA and this rise is NYC - The New York City!!!!!!!!!!

The bus started roaming on the busy one way streets full of traffic ;coming to the full stop at the 7th Aevnue between the 28th and the 31st Street. The streets and avenues are the unique identification of an address in NYC.  We saw the first glimpse of Empire State on 33rd Street and the biggest Macys' store (10 storey) in USA. With an intention to visit Empire State and Times Square by night the late bus tickets were booked.


Many tourists prefer the New York Pass in order to avoid long awaiting queues and save money. It has lots of attractions covered in it more than 55!!!! Majority of attractions are the museums which are paid in NYC; but free of cost at Washington D.C. The pass is available from 1 day to 7 days and flexible too. Off course the cost differs day by day. More the days more is the cost. 

New York is connected by Subways, paths and metros and the metro buses. So for a travel freaks Unlimited Metrocard valid for 7 days is the best option subject to the travel by Subway and metro/bus. Or else the two trip metro/path ticket is the best option. The Subway and metro maps are available on the following site


The observatory main entrance is on 5th Avenue between the 33rd and 34th Street. Ticket to visit the observatory is available online. (More about the Empire State and online tickets in the hyper-link)

Post the 9/11 incidence ;Empire State gained importance and pride of the tallest building in USA. Observatory admissions are open upto 102nd Floor. NYC view from Empire State by night is an altogether different experience. The flickering and twinkling lights spread across the NYC, cars feel like a toy car and broadways seen as small lanes from the 86th/102nd Floor.Morning visit helps to  watch clearly  the attractions like Central park, Brooklyn Bridge, NY Islands and Statue of Liberty. The ticket upto 86th Floor is $22 and additional $15 for 102nd Floor. 


The continuous rock and roll of young generation is Times Square.......................
जवाँ दिलोंकी धड़कती धड़कन धक् धक्.............कभी न सोनेवाली रात ............ टाईम्स स्क्वेर...................
This is a free attraction :) and to be seen by night only to see the sparking Neon Signed NYC. 


Situated on the 42nd street in the heart of the Manhattan and Park Avenue; glowed and made airy by our famous "Karu" - Karan Johar through his foreign shooted films for NRIs' - Grand Central Terminal becomes a must watch destination!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You feel like entering a palace with huge chandeliers welcoming you on board!!!! Yes this is nothing but a huge Railway Station with 117 tracks joining 100s' of destinations in US of A!!!!!!!!!



For the bookworms this is the place to hang around. Again a ticketless entry worth visiting place.
Bryant park is just next to the New York Public Library. Summer special events are held here like music shows, skits, plays, etc.
The above listed destinations are enough for a day and can be covered in a one go if you are ready to travel by Bus No. 11 :) Walkway........

To have "पेटपूजा" Falafal wraps, Hot Dogs, Burgers and what not; are available roadside. One of them admired by Bizarre Foods also. We had our dinner at the same spot.

 

Day - 2


The destination can be reached via subway of path. The station name itself is World Trade Centre.
The well-known ground zero is now rising up with 5 magnificent skyscrapers. Tower - I is already up with it's 76th Floor.......... and "Just" 26 more to go.......
So it's no more a ground zero. The ground zero memorial is ready and will be open for public soon in September. 
The ground zero tour costs $25 but again for the NY Passholders it's free. 


Situated on the Liberty Street with free tour for the tourists is - the NY Federal Reserve Bank. To take a tour; bookings are required to be done  a month in advance . An hours tour takes you around the history of money, Gold Vaults to store tons of Gold, Fed bank work and routines. 


Just 4 blocks ahead from WTC is Wall street. The famous Wall Street Journal is published based on the events in financial market across globe. This is nothing but the Dalal Street of Mumbai - India. The monetary heart of US economy - NYSE - The New York Stock Exchange impacting the world is situated here on Exchange place.


Representative of the prosperity and the bull phase in the stock market is the wall street bull situated in the middle of the Wall Street.  

Managed by the NYC parks authority, Battery park is another tourist spot. If you want to visit Statue of Liberty the Statue Cruises leave from this destination  also (New York Side). Cool and riverside spacious spot to have a lunch and hang around. 



Another free attraction providing an excellent view of Manhattan down town and NYC coastal sky scrappers is Staten Island Ferry. The terminal is situated just next to the battery park and there are free commuting tourist buses to reach battery park and the staten island ferry from Wall Street or Broadway.


One of the oldest bridges in NYC and in turn in USA. Karan Johar's Kal Ho Na Ho fame Brooklyn Bridge walkway becomes another tourist spot.

Day - 3


Statue Cruises are available from New York - Battery Park as well as New Jersey - Jersey City Liberty State Park. 

We opted for the Liberty State Park - Jersey City statue cruises........


Ellis Island was supposed to be the port of entry to USA for all immigrants across globe since 19th century to 20th century. Immigrants passing successfully through the thorough medical check up and stringent immigration norms and documentation would get an entry to USA as a legal and eligible immigrants.
45 Minutes documentary on the same is showed at Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Three Storey Building of museum portrays pictures, displays the documents, showcases old luggage of the immigrants and helps you to find out your blood relations who immigrated here through the ancestry records.

  
Liberty Island is the place where the Statue of Liberty is located. The people of France gave the Statue to the people of the United States over one hundred years ago in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution. Over the years, the Statue of Liberty's symbolism has grown to include freedom and democracy as well as this international friendship. Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design a sculpture. 

The news is around that from October 2011 the statue will be closed for renovation for a year; so the access to crown will be closed. One can travel upto the crown of the statue but a month in advance booking is required for the same. The statue visit tickets along with the cruise facility can be booked online. The ticket cost including access to the statue, immigration museum and the cruise ride is around $20. 

While returning from our visit to Statue of Liberty a thought revolved around that really the country gives Freedom of Speech, independence and Liberty and the statue is an exact idol of the same.............................

Even though the film "कभी अलविदा ना केहना" was an iconic movie sketching the NYC in NRI style we had a different experience and picture altogether about the city. But at the end of the day we had to say "कभी ना कहनेवाला अलविदा" to all Jersians and Newyorkers to return back to our home sweet home at D.C.!!!!!

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