Tower Bridge at the Tower of London

Tower Bridge at the Tower of London
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck

The Tower of London is not as spectacular as you might expect given the prominence of the Tower's role in the history of England. It was here that many prisoners were brought before public executions which were held in front of the Tower.

The edge of the Tower building is to the left and Tower Bridge (often misnamed "London Bridge", is in the background, a short walk from this location.

London is surprisingly easy to see on foot or combined with a double decker bus tour, as many of the major attractions are clustered within a few miles of each other along the Thames River.

Tower of London, London England

Tower of London, London England
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck

The History of England has always been a popular subject in the USA as England's past is inextricably entwined with that of the USA.

A new TV series "The Tudors" will feature the amourous and political adventures of that royal family, and the upcoming film "The Other Boleyn Girl" is likely to spark renewed interest the Tower of London, where Anne Boleyn awaited her execution just below the tower pictured here, at the Tower of London along the Thames River near Tower Bridge.

Oregon Road Conditions

Thanks to some excellent work by the web team at the Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon has one of the nation's top websites for road condition information. TripCheck offers conditions, traffic cameras from all over the state, and a lot more information. Check out the custom camera feature where Oregonians can create a page showing the traffic and road condition cameras for the routes they travel regularly.
www.TripCheck.com

ODOT, the Oregon Department of Transportation, is the agency in charge of maintenance of state and national highways in Oregon. Caltrans is the California agency for California roads as WADOT is the equivalent agency for Washington State.

Oregon Travel
Oregon History

Vietnam War

Few events in US History influenced the nation as much as the Vietnam war. France had created a colonial empire in Indochina but extreme nationalist tensions led the French to abandon their war against the communist nationalists and leave the country. Enter the USA which escalated the war against Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese nationalists and insurgents in the South. Ironically Ho Chi Minh had been a US ally in the war with Japan, fighting alongside the American CIA.

Despite dramatic military superiority, a massive bombing effort, and complex political tactics to enlist the support of the Vietnamese, the USA failed to quell the insurgency in the South

By 1975 unrest in the USA combined with instability in Vietnam led the US to pull out of the county abruptly. The North Vietnamese Army quickly overran the South and created a unified Vietnam under the communist form of Government.

Today, Vietnam and the USA are enjoying renewed relations and a tentative national friendship. Travel to Vietnam is increasing in popularity and offer the tourist very rich natural, cultural, and culinary experiences.

History of Vietnam War

Vietnam Travel from Lonely Planet Guide

Hollywoodland, California and the Hollywood Sign

Hollywood California's most famous landmark are huge sheet metal letters spelling "HOLLYWOOD" that sit up on the hillside several miles from downtown Hollywood. The history of this sign is very interesting as it was designed as a way to sell real estate in this area in 1923. After construction of houses in the area many neighbors asked to have the massive letters, falling into disrepair, removed. But protests from city leaders and others led to a change to "HOLLYWOOD" to advertise the burdgeoning film and TV industry of Hollywood.

Depression of 1929

With all the talk of a coming US recession this photo of a depression era breadline should remind us that things could be a lot worse than they are likely to be here in the USA ever again.
Here is a lot more about the US Depression at our travel and history pages.


Following the crash in 1929, the USA continued to decline steadily into depression.

Banks failed, leaving millions without savings. Factories locked up, shops closed, and most remaining businesses struggled. Governments faced great difficulty collecting taxes.

New York City

New York City is such a huge cultural and tourism icon it is very hard to effectively write a great set of New York travel tips. New York City remains one of the world's great cities and most significant business addresses with tens of thousands of corporate headquarters and company offices. The New York Stock Exchange and Wall Street rank among the most important business venues in the world. New York is also a tourist mecca with restaurants and lodging of almost every conceivable type as well as globally known attractions like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. I have not been to New York City in many years, though I was lost in the Statue of Liberty as a kid. I still remember that lady of liberty with some trepidation.

Some excellent New York City Travel information links:

History of New York State

Intro Video from NYC Tourism (a very cool New York Video)

NYC Tourism Website

CitySearch New York City

The Gothamist - a savvy New Yorker Blogs about her city

Online Highways New York