New York City Lights
Attention tourists: there is a hop-on, hopoff bus service in town that, at $7.50 a day, easily beats the price of the competing Gray Line or CitySights companies. In fact, it’s such a bargain that New Yorkers actually use it to get around town: the public bus system. So what if they don’t have tour guides or an upper deck from which to wave to passers-by. You can plan your own route (free maps at any subway station or at mta.info), and a window seat gets you not just good views but an entree into a room full of eclectic New Yorkers that shifts as neighborhoods do. Often there’s as much to observe inside the bus as outside. A recent test ride found two cute little girls in pink jackets making up a story to go along with pictures in a “Star Wars” book too complicated for them, a pro-Obama soliloquist annoying a politically allied but silence-loving bus driver, and two MetroCard-less visitors from Spain talking their way on with an Academy
Award-worthy portrayal of “Clueless Tourists No. 1 and No. 2.” (Unlike subway turnstiles, which inflict an abrupt jab to the lower abdomen if you try to enter without paying, the bus drivers are usually softies.) And oh, the cellphone calls. Here’s an itinerary (highlights at nytimes. com/travel) that allows you to see pretty much all of Manhattan in about three and a half hours of bus time, plus a quick subway trip and a few blocks’ walk. Stop for lunch somewhere, at a museum somewhere else, and to stretch your legs a couple more times, and you can still fit it all into a day. Start on West 32nd Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, where you catch the M4 at the beginning of its route, and choose the best touring seats: middle of the bus, on the left side. You’re almost immediately stuck in traffic going through Koreatown, giving you time to peer into the barbecue spots and shops of the city’s most central active immigrant enclave.
Symmetry
SYDNEY Opera House Sydney Opera House must be one of the most recognisable images of the modern world - up there with the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building - and one of the most photographed. Not only is it recognisable, it has come to represent ‘Australia’. Although only having been open since 1973, it is as representative of Australia as the pyramids are of Egypt and the Colosseum of Rome. The Opera House is situated on Bennelong Point, which reaches out into the harbour. The skyline of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the blue water of the harbour and the Sydney Opera House, viewed from a ferry or from the air, is dramatic and
Picture Window
Ironic, perhaps, that this Australian icon - the Opera House with a roof evocative of a ship at full sail - was designed by renowned Danish architect - Jorn Utzon. In the late 1950s the New South Wales (NSW) Government established an appeal fund to finance the construction of the Sydney Opera House, and conducted a competition for its design. Utzon’s design was chosen. The irony was that his design was, arguably, beyond the capabilities of engineering of the time. Utzon spent a couple of years reworking the design and it was 1961 before he had solved the problem of how to build the distinguishing feature - the ‘sails’ of the
Mountain on a Lava Dome! MammothMountainonaLavaDome!
Mammoth Mountain on a Lava Dome! Mammoth Mountain is a large
lava dome complex that lies to the west of the town of Mammoth Lakes, California in the Inyo National Forest. It is home to a large ski area. The mountain was formed from a long series of eruptions that started about 110,000 years ago and lasted to perhaps 57,000 years ago, although the volcano is still active with minor eruptions; the largest of which was a minor phreatic (steam) eruption 700 years ago. Mammoth Mountain is composed primarily of dacite and rhyolite; some of which have been altered by hydrothermal activity from fumaroles (steam vents). Mammoth lies on the South end of the Mono-Inyo chain of volcanic craters, some of which erupted as recently as 250 years ago. Mammoth Mountain is on the southwestern edge of Long Valley Caldera, a large area that subsided after an enormous eruption 760,000 years ago. The Mammoth Mountain magamatic system is considered distinct from that of Long Valley caldera and Inyo Craters.
Mammoth Mountain on a Lava Dome!Mammoth Mountain on a Lava Dome!
Mammoth Mountain on a Lava Dome!
Mammoth Mountain on a Lava Dome!Mammoth Frame
The heart of Catalina
Catalina Island is a place where the gentle rhythm of the waves makes time slow down. It’s a place where paddling through crystal clear waters in the crisp morning air is followed by Mai Tai’s and sun soaked massages on the beach. Where moonlit walks are the norm and a sense of timelessness surrounds you. That Catalina feeling of tranquility is better known as Island Time. Island Time is time with the edge taken off, so you have time to do all the things you love to do, at your own pace. Catalina Island features fabulous land and water activities, luxurious and romantic lodging for every taste and budget, a diversity of dining experiences, and extraordinary venues for weddings and group events. It’s all waiting for you here, and now, on Catalina Island. Because when you’re on Island Time, you’re always having the time of your life!
Mondrian
Christmas Village A
Christmas village, (or putz), is a decorative, miniaturescale village often set up during the Christmas season. These villages are rooted in the elaborate Christmas traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch. Mass-produced cardboard Christmas villages became popular in the United States during the early and mid20th century, while porcelain versions (especially those created by the company Department 56) became popular in the later part of the century.
T
he tradition of decorative Christmas villages is rooted in the holiday traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch. In earlycolonial American Moravian homes, the construction of a nativity scene, at the base of a Christmas tree was a very common holiday activity. The term was derived from the German verb putzen, which means “to clean” or “to decorate.” These nativity scenes soon became very elaborate, and often included sawdust or fine dirt spread to represent roads leading to the manger; stones and fresh moss to represent grottos or caves; Grid
Plants in our Environment Any of several flowering plants of the genus Dianthus in the pink family, grown widely in garden borders. The approximately 300 species in the genus are nearly all natives of the Eastern Hemisphere and are found chiefly in the Mediterranean region. The perennials will bloom the following summer and may be increased by cuttings or division of clumps.
These plant communities cover approximately 9.4% of the Earth’s surface. A woodland is ecologically distinct from a forest.
A forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on various criteria.
The flowers of the Frangipani come in gorgeous rose-pink color brushed with bronze. Frangipani flowers are highly scented during nights and often used in bouquets. Frangipani flowers have wonderful tropical essence.
Multi Panel
ere c in ra g eol
w al
Very Nutritunal
milk ith
Breakfast Essentials
and citrus juic e ca
np rov ide 100 p
erc
ent o
A
wh
The m ost imp ort
y a d e h t f lo a e m t an
Circus
f the
Breakfast is generally recognized as the most important meal of the day. At breakfast time, it’s been a while since you have put some calories in the body and you are preparing to start the most active part of your day.
Healthy and Easy vitamin
ply C, calcium, sup
o er, ir b i f f o
n
a Se at e re tl G r u T Sea turtles are turtles found in all the world’s oceans except the Arctic Ocean. There are seven living species of sea turtles: flatback, green sea turtle, hawksbill, Kemp’s Ridley, leatherback, loggerhead and olive ridley. The East Pacific subpopulation of the green turtle was previously classified as a separate species, the black turtle, but DNA evidence indicates that it is not evolutionarily distinct from the green turtle. All species except the leatherback are in the family Cheloniidae; the leatherback belongs to the family Dermochelyidae and is its only member. Although they have been around for tens of millions of years since the Mesozoic, the body plan of sea turtles has remained relatively constant. Sea turtles possess dorsoventrally-flattened bodies with two hind legs and highly-evolved paddle-like front arms. Sea turtles are one of the only reptiles with a hard shell.Their shells are made of solid bone covered by large, thin scales, and they protect the whole of the animal’s body with the exception of the head, legs and tail. However, to make up for that vulnerability, they have the ability to pull their heads inside their shells when threatened. Many can also pull their legs and tail into their shell. Sea turtle flippers are highly evolved; some species of sea turtles can even climb rocky shores with their adapted flippers for their advantage to elude predators.Sea turtles possess a salt excretory gland at the corner of the eye, in the nostrils, or in the tongue, depending upon the species; chelonian salt glands are oriented in the corner of the eyes in leatherback turtles. Turtles can rest or sleep underwater for several hours at a time but submergence time is much shorter while diving for food or to escape predators. Angle
The Power of PLASMA TV
A
plasma display panel (PDP) is a type of flat panel display now commonly used for large TV displays (typically above 37-inch or 940 mm). Many tiny cells located between two panels of glass hold an inert mixture of noble gases. The gas in the cells is electrically turned into a plasma which then excites phosphors to emit light. Plasma displays are commonly confused with LCDs, another lightweight flatscreen display but with very different technology. Alignment
Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a United States Presidential memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior murals was Jules Guerin. The building is in the form of a Greek Doric temple and contains a large seated sculpture of Abraham Lincoln and inscriptions of two well-known speeches by Lincoln.
Negative Space
The Niagara Falls are massive waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the international border separating the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. The falls are 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York, 75 miles (120 km) southsoutheast of Toronto, Ontario, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York. Niagara Falls is composed of two major sections separated by Goat Island: Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side of the border and American Falls on the United States side. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls also is located on the American side, separated from the main falls by Luna Island. Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly-formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. It is the most powerful waterfall in North America. Headline Heavy
Thomas Jefferson’ s Monticello
T
homas Jefferson’s Monticello, located near Charlottesville, Virginia, was the estate of Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence, the third President of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia. The house is of Jefferson’s own design and is situated on the summit of an 850-foot (260 m)-high peak in the Southwest Mountains south of the Rivanna Gap. Monticello is Italian for “little mountain.” An image of the west front of Monticello was featured on the reverse of the 5 cent coin of the United States of America coined from 1938 to 2003 (the image returned to the reverse of the coin beginning in 2006) and on the reverse of the United States of America two dollar bill that was printed from 1928 to 1966. Monticello was designated a World Heritage Site in 1987, an honor it shares
with the nearby Universiy of Virginia. Work began on Monticello in 1768, and Jefferson moved into the South Pavilion (an outbuilding) in 1770. The original design was based on the classical style of Palladian architecture. When Jefferson left Monticello in 1784 for extended travels in Europe, the original design of the house was largely completed except for porticos and decorative interior woodwork. Upon his return, Jefferson expanded his vision for Monticello to incorporate features of Palladian buildings and ruins he admired overseas. Further work to the new design began in 1796. Construction of Monticello was substantially completed in 1809 with the erection of the dome. Jefferson died on July 4, 1826 and Monticello was inherited by his eldest daughter Martha Jefferson Randolph. Financial difficulties led to Martha selling Monticello to James T. Barclay, a local apothecary, in 1831. Barclay sold it in 1834 to Uriah P. Levy, the first Jewish American to serve an entire career as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy. Levy greatly admired Jefferson. During the Civil War, the house was seized by the Confederate government and sold, though Uriah Levy’s estate (he died in 1862) recovered it after the war. Lawsuits filed by Levy’s heirs were settled in 1879, when Uriah Levy’s nephew, Jefferson Monroe Levy, a prominent Copy Heavy
lawyer, real estate and stock speculator and member of Congress, bought out the other heirs and took control of the property. Jefferson Levy, like his uncle, repaired, restored and preserved Monticello, which was deteriorating seriously while the lawsuits wended their way through the courts in New York and Virginia. A private, nonprofit organization — the Thomas Jefferson Foundation — purchased the house from Jefferson Levy in 1923 and it was restored by architects including Fiske Kimball and Milton L. Grigg. Monticello is now operated as a museum and educational institution. Visitors can view rooms in the cellar and ground floor, but the second and third floors are not open to the general public. Monticello is the only private home in the United States of America that has been designated a World Heritage Site. From 1989 to 1992, a team of architects from the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) painstakingly created a collection of measured drawings of Monticello. These drawings are now kept at the Library of Congress. The World Heritage Site designation also includes the original grounds of Jefferson’s University of Virginia.