Holkham Bay, Norfolk

Introduction

The 69km (43 mile) stretch of North Norfolk coast is a mix of sublime sandy beaches, velvet-green pine forests, flourishing saltmarshes, weird mudflats, windmills and pretty villages. Much is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and there are some lovely walking trails. It’s a wonderful area for birdwatching and wildlife, as well as watersports, and is as dramatically beautiful in the wilds of winter as it is basking in the summer sun. The insanely pretty village of Wells-Next-the-Sea is a great base, close to the coast’s finest beach: Holkham Bay.

Who goes there?

With traditional seaside entertainment and one of the region’s most beautiful beaches, Wells-Next-the-Sea and nearby Holkham Bay attract everyone, from families longing to build sandcastles to nature lovers who appreciate the dramatic scenery and varied wildlife.

Where in the world?

Holkham Bay lies on the west coast of England, on the North Norfolk coast, next to the village of Wells-Next-the-Sea. The nearest large town is King’s Lynn, some 40km (25 miles) to the east. The city of Norwich lies approximately 60km (37 miles) to the south and is also the location of the nearest airport for the region, Norwich International Airport (NWI).

When to go?

The climate is temperate with warm summers and cool, wet winters. The hottest months of the year, and the best time for hitting the beach, are from June to September, with temperatures reaching an average high of 26°C (78°F) in August. However, English summers are often unreliable and rainfall can be frequent throughout the year, so always remember to pack a jumper in case skies become overcast.

Beach

Do you remember Gwyneth Paltrow striding along a perfect, wild beach at the end of Shakespeare in Love? It wasn’t Hawaii, but Holkham. Holkham Bay is the finest beach on the North Norfolk coast, and a contender for one of the best in Britain. Around 5km (3 miles) of shimmering white-gold sand stretch as far as the eye can see, hidden away behind a pine forest. It’s a marvellous surprise following the short walk from the nearby car park.

Besides pines, the beach is backed by sea lavender and golden dunes, and a row of shabby-chic, brightly painted beach huts. Look out for dark green fritillary butterflies and peregrine falcons. But take care swimming – only swim where it is marked safe by red and yellow flags as there are strong tidal currents.

Beyond the beach

From the nearby village of Blakeney, several companies offer boat trips to see the seal colony on Blakeney Point. Around 500 common and grey seals live there, and the best time to see them is between June and August when there will be lots of furry, white pups, or in September when you might get to see their mating dance. Trips take around one hour and run every day from April to October.

Family fun

Holkham Bay is ideal for building sandcastles, flying kites, splashing around, picnics and running about. You might even spot the Queen, who has been known to walk her corgis here – her country retreat is only a few miles away at Sandringham. Pools of water often form on the beach, creating safe paddling pools where children can play.

A few miles from Holkham, Wells-Next-the-Sea is a charming little Georgian town that rewards a curious wander and attracts hoards of ice cream-toting tourists in summer. On the outskirts of town is the Narrow Gauge Steam Train , which puffs the 6.5km (4 miles) to Little Walsingham with its ruined abbey, or else take the toytown-like Wells Harbour Railway to the beach.

If stately homes are your bag, you’re in for a treat: the Palladian mansion of Holkham Hall is 3km (2 miles) away, set in a vast and verdant deer park close to the beach. Holkham is also on the Peddar Way or Norfolk Coastal Path, and you can walk a glorious section to the picturesque windmill at Burnham (and then take the bus back).

Retail therapy

Packed with bijou little shops selling souvenirs, crafts and clothes, Wells is a prime window-shopping territory. Pick up delicious provisions at Wells Deli (15 The Quay).

Eating out

There’s a basic cafe next to the beach car park, where you can buy sandwiches, ice lollies and cups of tea. However, it’s better to take a picnic with you (stock up in Wells), or try the Victoria Hotel at Holkham , which serves local produce both in its restaurant and bar.

Otherwise, there are lots of restaurants, pubs and cafes in and around Wells. The Norfolk Riddle (2 Wells Road, Little Walsingham) receives good reports and is recommended for fish; all ingredients are locally sourced. Walk through the same-ownership fish and chip shop to reach the relaxed, terracotta-and-wood restaurant.

Getting around

You can navigate Wells on foot, no problem. The steam train serves Holkham Bay; otherwise it’s a mere 3km (2 mile) walk. The Norfolk Coast Hopper  goes through Wells on its way between Hunstanton and Sheringham, and stops at Holkham too.

Exploring further afield

Head down the coast to Brancaster Staithe and take a boat trip to catch a sight of the seals and birds at Blakeney Point with Beans Boat Trips . From April to October visitors can head out with the knowledgeable crew to sea the cute creatures basking pn the sandbanks and swimming inquisitively around the boat – perfect for photo opportunities.

Splashing out

Have a look at the Big Sky Gallery on the way out of town, which sells ‘beautiful things’ created in Norfolk. Many of the sculptures and furniture are made from reclaimed materials found along the coast.

Flying in

Norwich International Airport (NWI)
London Stansted Airport (STN)

Aldeburgh, Suffolk

Introduction

The Suffolk coast is about as pretty and old-fashioned an experience of the English seaside as you will find, and the interesting, musical town of Aldeburgh is peaceful, is without an amusement arcade in sight. The town once sat further inland, but the sea swallowed the land and many medieval buildings. Today the town is famous for its cultural diary, the highlight of which is the June Aldeburgh Festival, founded by local composer Benjamin Britten.

Who goes there?

Music lovers flock to the seaside resort every year to catch the famous summer concerts. The quaint seaside feel also attracts families looking for a traditional British beach break.

Where in the world?

Aldeburgh is situated in the southeast of England on the Suffolk coastline. The large town of Felixstowe is approximately 25km (15 miles) to the south, whilst Ipswich is 30km (18 miles) inland to the southwest.

When to go?

The climate is temperate with warm summers and cool wet winters. The hottest months of the year, and the best time for hitting the beach, are from June to September, with temperatures reaching an average high of 26°C (78°F) in August. However, English summers are often unreliable and rainfall can be frequent throughout the year, so always remember to pack a jumper in case skies become overcast.

Beach

Aldeburgh’s pebbled, peaceful expanse shelves quite steeply to the sea and has a wide promenade running alongside it. Sandy areas are exposed at low tide. Maggi Hambling’s huge, love-it-or-hate-it beach sculpture Scallop, is set on the seafront as a tribute to local hero Benjamin Britten.

Beyond the beach

Inland and close to Bury St Edmunds, National Trust property Ickworth House is a magnificent rotund Italianate stately home containing works by Velasquez, Gainsborough and Titian. It’s set in idyllic parkland and woodland, which are crisscrossed by marked trails and a family cycle route. You can even stay here, at the Ickworth Hotel, in the east wing.

Family fun

Collecting pebbles and flying kites are the kind of action you’ll find here. There’s also a popular little boating lake for sailing model boats. The area around Aldeburgh is rich with walks, with plenty of coastal trails, including the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Path and the 8km (5 mile) Sailor’s Path to the village of Snape.

Just to the north of Aldeburgh is Thorpeness, built in the 1900s by local landowner Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie, who created it as a model seaside village. Featuring mock-Tudor architecture and fantastical water towers and islands, it’s a magical place that you can explore by rowing boat.

South along the coast is the pretty medieval town of Orford, with its stretch of shingle beach. The National Trust offers boat trips across to the Orford Ness Nature Reserve from April to October, though only at weekends outside high summer.

A night on the town

Aldeburgh’s calendar is culture packed. In June the Aldeburgh Festival, founded by Benjamin Britten, sees the town get busy and stage concerts galore. Most events take place at the wonderful concert hall the Maltings, once disused malthouses connected with the brewery. But that’s not all: there are more music festivals throughout the year, such as the Snape Proms in August. Outside festival time, an evening out is likely to be a meal followed by hunkering down in a local pub.

Eating out

The restaurant scene in Aldeburgh is not huge, but luckily the choices offer excellent quality. Go upmarket at the Lighthouse (High Street) or chic at Café 152 (High Street), or cheap and cheerful at the Fish and Chip Shop or the Golden Galleon, both on the High Street.

Getting around

Tiny Aldeburgh is easily walkable. To get further afield, buses serve Ipswich and Norwich, as well as towns along the coast.

Splashing out

Just along the coast at Orford you can eat fabulously fresh fish and shellfish at Butley Orford Oysterage (Market Square). This deceptively simple-looking place is the place to indulge in oysters – they are famous along the coast.

St Petersburg Beach -Florida

St Petersburg

Introduction

The city has outgrown its status as a pensioner-filled village to now boast downtown waterfront festivals alternately featuring Caribbeana, top restaurants, artwork competitions and best-of-the-South barbecue contests. BeachDowntown growth focuses on burgeoning medical centres, a public university, plus high-rise condos and gentrified neighbourhoods. Newer residents include yuppies, artists and international investors buying condos for their winter holiday. The town boasts a Grand Prix through city streets, won in 2006 by Helio Castroneves, and a major league baseball team, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Who goes there?

The city of 250,000 is popular with American families and Europeans. It was once even a destination for the granddaddy of no-frills flights, Sir Freddy Laker’s Peoples Express. Prices are more moderate and the pace slower than in glitzy Miami, 435km (270 miles) southeast.

Where in the world?

St Petersburg was named by a Russian émigré when the Florida village was founded in 1888 and is on the central-west coast of Florida.

Situated between the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay, this peninsula is flat and subtropical except for a few modest hills; residents grow their own citrus, palms, hibiscus, oleander and royal poinciana. Pelicans, snowy egrets, herons, osprey and the occasional eagle fly over backyards or light in trees.

When to go?

St Petersburg is subtropical and humid, with winter temperatures being an average of 16°C (60°F) and summer months around 27°C (80°F). The busiest times to visit are around Christmas when holidaymakers flock here for some winter sun and the summer school holidays from June to August, although the constant sunshine makes it a great year-round choice. Hurricane season in Florida is June to November.

Beach

Drive 15km (9 miles) west from Tampa Bay on Central Avenue to Treasure Island, on the Gulf. Or head south to one of America’s prime beaches, Fort DeSoto park (3500 Pinellas Bayway South), 21km (13 miles) from downtown. Spanning five small islands, the park comprises of 460 hectares (1,136 acres), with beaches lined by mangrove trees, fishing piers, campsites, picnic tables and marvellous big mortar guns for the kiddies to clamber over.

Beyond the beach

Arguably the finest works by the master of surrealism are displayed at the Salvador Dali Museum (1000 Third Street South), 1.5km (1 mile) from Central Avenue downtown . On a more somber note, visit the Florida Holocaust Museum (55 Fifth Street South), one of America’s largest on this topic.

Family fun

Stretching into Tampa Bay is the city’s landmark Pier (Second Avenue Northeast), ending in an inverted, five-storey triangle building aptly named The Pier. Buy food for the pelicans, fish the bay, watch boats, and enjoy the 11-tank aquarium inside. Often tied up at The Pier and open for visits is a sea-going replica of HMS Bounty, of Mutiny on the Bounty fame. Not far away is Great Explorations: The Children’s Museum (1825 Fourth Street North), 2.5km (1.5 miles) from downtown. It is full of interactive fun for the nippers: a lie detector, build-your-own (toy) race car and computerised art. To one side of the parking field is the recently updated, 72-year-old Sunken Gardens, a lush, 1.6-hectare (4-acre) display of tropical plants, waterfalls and exotic birds.

Retail therapy

Downtown choices are limited to shops inside and within a couple blocks of BayWalk (151 Second Avenue North), 300m (985ft) from Central Avenue’s starting point on the waterfront. BayWalk is an open-air restaurant-shopping-movie complex: take the kids to Johnny Rocket’s for American diner food, circa 1965. For more than 100 shops large and small, head to Tyrone Square (6901 22nd Avenue North), 11.5km (7 miles) from downtown.

A night on the town

A sprinkling of small clubs feature live music; it is best to get a copy of the St Petersburg Times paper any Thursday and check its Weekend magazine for the full list of who’s playing what within a 35-mile range. For a taste of home, stop at The Moon Under Water (332 Beach Drive NE). Across the street from a tree-lined waterfront park, it resembles a pub from the days of the British Raj, with modestly priced Indian and US food, and a good selection of beers on draught. Then walk three blocks along the park to the upscale Marchand’s Bar and Grill inside the beautifully restored, 1920s Renaissance Vinoy Resort (501 Fifth Avenue Northeast). It offers Mediterranean cuisine in an airy room, and this is where the city’s elite stop for cocktails or a full dinner. Afterwards, check for live jazz or rock at the Ringside Cafe (2742 Fourth Street North), 3km (2 miles) north from the Vinoy.

Eating out

The mix of Florida seafood and Caribbean/Cuban seasonings are menu staples at cosy Tangelo’s Grill (226 First Avenue North). For a wider choice of seafood, head for the pricier Bonefish Grill (5901 Fourth Street North), 6.5km (4 miles) from downtown. It has a lively bar, too.

Getting around

Downtown, with its grid of numbered streets, is easily walkable. Or step aboard the Looper Downtown Trolley, which is actually a small bus that serves each of its 14 stops about every 15 minutes. Car hire is available at Tampa International Airport, 34km (21 miles) to the northeast; there is plenty of parking downtown.

Exploring further afield

The number one tourist attraction around here is the world-famous theme park Walt Disney World, about 153km (95 miles) to the east, near Orlando. Take your sunscreen, hat and camera.

Splashing out

Take a four- or five-night cruise on one of the giant, glitzy cruise ships sailing out of Tampa. The main cruise lines are Carnival, Holland America and Royal Caribbean.

Bondi Beach

Introduction

Best known as Sydney’s most notable surf beach, this world-famous 1km (0.6 mile) crescent of sand blessed with rolling surf, sun and thriving beach life captures the very essence of Sydney. Bondi Beach is home to the oldest surf life-saving club in the world, and is both a local and international mecca for swimming, surfing, sunbathing, jogging, beach volleyball and people watching. Bondi Beach is only 7km (4 miles) from central Sydney and is named after an Aboriginal word meaning “noise of water breaking over rocks.” One of Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Bondi is a thriving resort year round, with surf carnival, topless sunbathing, vibrant nightlife, outdoor film festivals, cafes, shops, and scenic cliff walks.

Who goes there?

Bondi Beach is an international tourist beacon and national icon that draws lovers of sun, sand, surf and fun from around the world. It is also a residential Sydney suburb with a significant population of immigrants from Europe, Russia, Israel and South Africa. The beach lures surfers plus local and international tourists who come to savour Sydney’s balmy summers, laze in the sun, or indulge in all the facets of Australia’s popular beach culture.

Where in the world?

Bondi Beach is 7km (4 miles) east of Sydney’s Central Business District, a 1km- (0.6 mile-) long sandy south-facing beach on Australia’s eastern Pacific shore. It is backed by attractive parkland and the residential suburb of Bondi. A coastal walk links it with beach suburbs to the south, and Sydney Harbour and Port Jackson’s South Head to the north.

When to go?

The temperate sub-tropical climate allows for outdoor activities year round. Summers are more humid, and winters crisp and cool. Sydney averages 340 days of sunshine a year.

Beach

Bondi is one of the best surfing locations in the world, and is patrolled by the Bondi Bathers Surf Life Saving Club. There is something for everyone at Bondi – topless bathing, surfing lessons, beach volleyball, safe swimming between the flags, an underwater shark net, and quiet rock pools. The southern end of the beach, where the riptide is strongest, is reserved for surfers. Boogie boards and surf boards can be rented from the Bondi Surf Company. Pods of whales and dolphins may be sighted during migration season. Watch Bondi Icebergs Club members ritually plunge into the icy outdoor pool every Sunday morning throughout winter, or enjoy festivals, theatre, films or craft shows at the Bondi Pavilion. A spectacular coastal walk extends 6km (3.6 miles) southwards from Bondi through several scenic beaches to picturesque Coogee.

Beyond the beach

Sydney is one of the world’s most energized cities, with a splendid harbour, extensive waterways, bushland, historic districts, galleries, museums, art, culture, beautiful beaches and a national fervour for outdoor activities, boating and water sports. Spend all day cruising the harbour by ferry or hydrofoil, climb Sydney Harbour Bridge for a view unlike any other, or take in a concert at the Sydney Opera House. Kids will enjoy the Aquarium at Darling Harbour, or a day spent at Taronga Park Zoo where Australia’s unique bird and wildlife can be seen up close. Dinner cruises aboard grand old sailing ships depart from the historic convict-era Rocks District. Nearby national parks offer great hiking in semi-tropical rainforests filled with waterfalls and wildlife.

Family fun

Bondi offers surfing lessons for all ages, and safe swimming on life-guarded beaches. Central Sydney is a smorgasboard of family activities. Ride the ferry to Taronga Park Zoo or Manly Fun Park and Oceanworld. Darling Harbour, a short monorail ride from the ferry hub of Circular Quay, showcases marine life at the Sydney Aquarium, tours of submarines and tall ships at the Australian National Maritime Museum, a new Wildlife Centre, IMAX Theatre, and the Harbourside Festival Marketplace.

Retail therapy

Bondi’s Campbell Parade runs through town parallel to the beach, lined with restaurants, cafes, bookshops, surf and beach clothing shops, and numerous souvenir stores. The Bondi Surf Company rents surf boards and boogie boards. Coo-ee Aboriginal Art, on Lamrock Avenue, sells Aboriginal artifacts and paintings. The Bondi Markets take over the grounds of the Bondi Beach Public School every Sunday, a fun venue for designer or second-hand clothing, homemade jewellery, arts, crafts and homewares. Serious shoppers can hit central Sydney for some intense retail therapy.

A night on the town

Bondi’s Campbell Parade is lively day and night, and its restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs are frequented by tourists and local Sydney-siders. Casual dress is acceptable everywhere. The Bondi Hotel (178 Campbell Parade), a popular pub with several different bar areas, is a rowdy venue for backpackers. A more kick-back beach bar, the Bondi Iceberg Club (1 Notts Avenue) offers great ocean views, inexpensive beer, and live music on Sunday afternoons. The beachfront Bondi Pavilion (Queen Elizabeth Drive) often hosts dance parties, film festivals, theatre and live entertainment.

Eating out

Trendy seafront cafes and restaurants line Bondi’s Campbell Parade, many with great ocean views. A cosmopolitan array of eateries offer seafood, vegetarian, Thai, Mexican, Asian, Mediterranean and modern Australian fare. Al fresco dining is popular in this beach-side suburb, and the Paris Cake Shop (91 Bondi Road) offers delicious cakes, pastries and French specialities. The local Australian favourite is fish and chips eaten on the beach to the sound of mewing seagulls soaring on a brisk ocean breeze.

Getting around

Bondi Beach is best explored on foot. A brisk coastal walk with spectacular ocean views links Bondi with its neighbouring beach resorts. The beach and surrounding parkland is popular with cyclists, joggers, roller bladers and skaters. Sydney has excellent public transport, including trains, light rail, extensive bus system, and ferries and hydrofoils that ply all the waterways. All Sydney trains connect with Bondi Junction, and buses feeds into Bondi from Circular Quay or Sydney’s CBD. Car hire is readily available.

Exploring further afield

To the west explore Katoomba and the Blue Mountains, cut with deep valleys, waterfalls and fascinating flora and wildlife. Descend into the nearby Jenolan Caves and explore underground rivers and spectacular formations in Australia’s most outstanding cave system. Rent a sailboat or cruiser and navigate the beautiful waterways of the Hawkesbury River to the north, or take a flight in a float plane over Pittwater, criss crossed with every imaginable watercraft throughout the long summers. A trip further north to the Hunter Valley wine region holds many delights for sampling some of Australia’s award-winning wines.

Splashing out

Time your trip to Bondi for the September Festival of the Winds, and enjoy a beach spectacular of kite flying, music, dance and beach volleyball. Take in a concert at Sydney’s famed Opera House, a mere 7km (4 miles) away overlooking Sydney Harbour. Keep your eye out for celebrities at Bondi’s legendary Icebergs Dining Room and Bar while sipping on one of their signature cocktails.

Santa Barbara Beach -Florida

Introduction

Santa Barbara may lack the celebrity glitz of Los Angeles, but it has much in common with Tinseltown. For instance, it not only had California’s first movie studio, in 1910, but scenes from about 1,000 movies – and more recently, TV shows including Psych, Monk and Curb Your Enthusiasm – have been shot here. That’s because Santa Barbara is beautifully situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez (ee-NEZ) Mountains, near a vast national forest. The city calls itself the American Riviera and is a cityscape of whitewashed stucco topped by red-tile roofs and palm trees on the roadways. The architecture reflects Spanish, Moorish and American Indian themes, with cobbled shopping arcades and fountains. In 2009, Santa Barbara was anointed one of America’s top 12 places because of its preservation of historical structures and way of life.

Who goes there?

From the 1920-60s, Santa Barbara was a weekend retreat favored by Hollywood stars such as Charlie Chaplin and Clarke Gable. Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier were wed at one of Santa Barbara’s resorts, and John and Jackie Kennedy honeymooned here. Now, TV megaforce Oprah Winfrey has a vacation villa on 16 hectares (40 acres) nearby – though plenty of average folk of all ages drop in for the beaches, restaurants and art scene.

Where in the world?

The Spanish missionaries and soldiers that first populated the area could not have realised that this settlement would become such a choice location. Far enough from Los Angeles, to the south, that it is not burdened by smog or traffic jams, the city of nearly 93,000 has ocean beaches, a low mountain range and an enviable year-round climate. About 10m (32 ft) above sea level, the city sits where California’s 1,351km (840-mile) coastline juts into the Pacific, less than a third of the way north from Mexico to Oregon.

When to go?

The wettest and coolest months are October to March, with overnight lows approaching 4°C (40°F), yet the afternoon highs are typically around 18°C (65°F). The hottest months are from April to September, but ocean breezes keep the weather pleasant with the temperature seldom going above 26°C (80°F). Weekends are the busiest times on the several beaches in the county.

Beach

The city’s most popular beaches, East and Leadbetter, are south of the commercial area. The sandy beaches flank Stearns Wharf, a wooden structure dating to 1873 that has shops and a small museum. Some beaches have lockers, showers, restrooms and food concessions. For rent along the sands are bicycles (seating from one to nine), surfboards and personal watercraft. Paved paths invite biking, rollerblading and skateboarding. Scuba-diving is excellent, though it requires hiring a boat or booking aboard a concessionaire travelling to the Channel Islands National Park, about 45km (28 miles) offshore.

Beyond the beach

Boutique- and cafe-lined State Street is unusual for car-crazed California: it’s pedestrian friendly. Built in 1929, the County Courthouse (1100 Anacapa Street) features a Roman triumphal arch, turret and sunken gardens. Nearby is the last military outpost the Spaniards built in California, El Presidio de Santa Barbara, now a historic park. And Mission Santa Barbara is one of the grandest of the 21 Spanish missions in the state. Use a map available from the visitors centers (County Courthouse and the Stearns Wharf, in the harbor) for the 12-block ‘Red Tile Walking Tour’.

Family fun

Even the lions have a view of the ocean at the Santa Barbara Zoo. There are about 400 animals kept in lush landscaping here. Narrated whale-watching cruises take advantage of the migration patterns of blue, humpback and gray whales. Youngsters can crawl through a 1,500-gallon tidepool tank to learn about marine life. Horse-drawn wagons and carriages in the Carriage and Western Art Museum reflect pioneer days.

Retail therapy

The high street is 3km (2-mile) -long State Street, which begins at the waterfront and runs inland. On State is the prime shopping center, Paseo Nuevo. The upscale leaders among its more than 80 shops and restaurants are Nordstrom’s, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Ann Taylor Loft. A Saks Fifth Avenue store is just one block farther along State. There are more than 20 art galleries downtown, and there is an arts-and-crafts festival most Sundays, in a waterfront park.

A night on the town

Although the city is populated by the upper middle class, it maintains a youthful feel. Students from University of California Santa Barbara influence the nightlife selections, though events range from bluegrass to ballet. Most of the clubs are, again, on State. Drink specials are the standard at Sharkeez (416 State Street). If you’d rather have a meal with your beer, choose from a full menu and about a half-dozen fresh brews at the S.B. Brewing Co (501 State Street).

Eating out

Common to restaurant menus are the words ‘fresh’ and ‘California’. This can mean avocadoes in the salads and sandwiches, or chipotle dressing and raw honey drizzled around. But with so many vineyards nearby, the wine list can be dominant. At Bouchon (9 West Victoria Street), the staff help you match each of its American cuisine items to one of about 50 local wines. Want more options? The Wine Cask (813 Anacapa Street) claims having more than 1,000 wines to go with its Italian cuisine.

Getting around

To battle auto-emissions, Santa Barbara has an electric shuttle serving the downtown and waterfront; the ride is very cheap and free for children shorter than 115cm (45 inches). Free, too, are transfers between the two routes. The city web page, explains how to reach top attractions in and nearby the city without a car and lists discounts for those visitors without wheels. Public buses link the city to nearby towns and the university, and there is train service to Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Exploring further afield

For the first half of the 20th century, this was cattle and horse country. A few ranches still exist, though they cater more to cityslickers, offering trail rides, bike riding and even croquet. In the later part of the previous century, grape-growers began cultivating what is now an estimated 8,500 hectares (21,000 acres). There are more than 30 vineyards and 100+ wineries in the county – five wineries are within city limits. This is where Oscar-winner Sideways was filmed. Nearly 20 companies offer vineyard tours on everything from bikes to limos.

Splashing out

Built as a mining executive’s mansion in the 1920s, the Four Seasons Biltmore is one of California’s prime destinations. Celebrity guests include Bing Crosby, Lana Turner, Oleg Cassini and Natalie Wood. The driveway is still filled with Bentleys and Rollses. Lush landscaping frames Spanish-Moorish walkways, accented by Mexican tiles. The bar seems to have been lifted from an elegant Astaire and Rogers film. The resort has tennis courts, putting green, spa and an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Discover the UK’s best beaches

With summer 2009 seeing a record number of Britons seeking their sun, sea and sandy pleasures a lot closer to home, we’ve picked out the UK’s best beach spots to suit all seaside needs.

The UK might be a teeny isle hovering on the outskirts of the European landmass, but a substantial plus point of small-island status is that a splashing stretch of coastline is never far away.

Best for… surfers

Croyde, Devon
Set in a sleepy and scenic pocket of southwest England, Croyde offers some of the most reliable waves in the country. Expansive golden sands, a friendly surfing community and plenty of crashing waters make this Devonshire beach a massive draw to surfers of all ages and abilities. As a result, Croyde has played host to the British Surfing Championships on three occasions. The summer months see the beach and waters get pretty packed, with a host of surf schools taking to the waves, but the cheerful crowds just add to the buzz, and satisfied surfers continue to return to Croyde year after year.

Also try: Newquay, Cornwall
While there are grumbles that excessive tourism has worn away Newquay’s charm, great waves, clear Gulf Stream waters and swathes of dedicated surfers keep this stretch of Cornwall coast a firm contender for the UK’s surfing top spot.

Best for… swimming

West Wittering, Sussex
For rippling sand and Blue Flag waters, West Wittering really does come up trumps. The calm shallows of low tide are perfect for paddling water babies and relaxed sploshing, while the more undulating waters of high tide are ideal for a refreshing dip. With the Isle of Wight providing a barrier from the Channel in front and the protective backdrop of the South Downs behind, West Wittering enjoys its own balmy microclimate. Being by far the best beach for miles, things can get rather crowded when the sun’s out, but it’s always relaxed, and the vast sands are definitely big enough to accommodate everyone.

Also try: Tyrella, Co Down
Broad, flat sands with lapping water well worthy of their Blue Flag status make Tyrella ideal for the avid swimmer, and a pretty conservation area adds to the beach’s simple charm. Tyrella has been proud owner of a Blue Flag for over a decade, and lifeguards are on duty in July and August.

Best for… scenic views

Holywell Bay, Cornwall
Even with some seriously stiff local competition, Holywell Bay undoubtedly ranks as one of the most beautiful beaches that the UK has to offer. Backed by sandy dunes punctuated with tufts of long grass, and with the looming figures of the Gull Rocks off shore, this striking spot is a picture postcard of idyllic British beach. Holywell’s clear waters are popular with swimmers, and the extensive beach area is ideal for brisk walks, family ball games and pretty picnics. Plenty of scenic walks can be found along the coastal path, and to the north of the beach lies the Holy Well from which bay gets its name.

Also try: Sandwood Bay, Scotland
For a refreshing walk along a deserted beach, you won’t do better than Sandwood Bay. This piece of Scottish coastline is said to be the most remote beach in mainland Britain (it’s a 7km (4.5 mile) trek across the moors just to reach it) but the peachy sand, ice-silver Atlantic, wild rocks and achingly blue loch make it all worthwhile.

Best for… families

Bournemouth, Dorset
This bubbling south coast location is a magnet for beach lovers of all ages; lively Bournemouth bursts into action the moment the sun peeps out, and, as well as crystal seas and tons of sand, a family friendly Kidzone scheme means added fun for children and less stress for parents. Bournemouth’s Blue Flag beach is noted for its cleanliness, and the 11km (7 mile) stretch has received several accolades, including the Quality Coast Award. With all it has going for it, Bournemouth can certainly attract a hefty crowd, but this always ensures a constant supply of family frolics and plenty of action.

Also try: Weston-super-Mare, Somerset
Find a clean, sandy beach and a wealth of traditional seaside attractions at Weston, one of the UK’s most famous seaside towns. Paddle in the clear waters, take a ride on one of Weston-super-Mare’s famous donkeys, and cool off with a brightly coloured ice cream.

Best for… stripping off

Morfa Dyffryn, Wales
Situated on the Welsh coast, between Barmouth and Harlech, the golden sands and grassy-green backdrop of Morfa Dyffryn are a beautiful piece of coastline, a regular dolphin-sighting spot, and one of the UK’s premiere naturist beaches. The naturist section, which is 1km long and found in the northern end of the beach, is popular with singles, couples and families alike; although naturism has been practised here since the 1930s, it wasn’t until early this decade that a section was specifically set aside for naturists.

Also try: Studland Bay, Purbeck, Dorset
This soft and sandy National Trust beach boasts clear waters and pretty surrounds. A designated section is reserved for naturists.

Texas nightlife

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Texas’ fine cities have everything to offer in the way of nightlife that you could possibly desire: Austin has music, Houston culture, Dallas a unique blend of fine dining and sweaty sports, whilst San Antonio’s twinkling cityscape is very easy on the bleary eyes of night owls.

Spain, France and Mexico are just three of the countries that have tried to lay claim to Texas over the years. From a distance, the Lone Star State, America’s second biggest just behind Alaska, might look like an arid landscape dotted with errant steer, granite-chinned cowboys and oil wells spurting into lucrative life. Look a little closer though, and you’ll see why nations fought to call it their own.

While such landmark sites as The Alamo can draw over two and a half million visitors a year and should definitely be on your list of things to see, point at and get photographed in front of, it’s the vibrant and diverse nightlife of Texas’ cities that will demand your attention as the day’s light cools. From Austin’s enigmatic and willfully eclectic music scene to the extensive and glittering haute cuisine eateries of Dallas, the extensive art houses of Houston and the sublime delights of San Antonio, Texas will make you put your preconceptions on hold, leaving you to marvel at your surroundings as the sun finally goes down and the state really begins to light up.

Austin

The Live Music Capital of the World is home to almost 200 venues and hosts the annual music industry shindig SXSW as well as the Austin City Limits Festival at Zilker Park. Though the city has numerous bars and restaurants, with seven distinct music districts, Austin has all the best tunes.

It’s seen better days, but the city’s infamous Sixth Street district is still home to the acclaimed Parish Room, a venue that famously played host to an impromptu super-group that included The Who’s Pete Townshend and mop-topped guitarist Slash

Antone’s was originally the first club on Sixth, but has now moved across to Fifth Street on the borders of Market and the Warehouse and Downtown districts. Thirty-four years after it opened, this unassuming blues venue – you’d imagine that it might have fallen out of the sky – is still going strong. It helped foster the reputation of stars like Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

If you fancy something a little more rowdy or punk rock, stroll over to the Red River district where Emo’s should meet your needs. Johnny Cash popped in there in the 1990s. The bar stool he sat on still hangs from the ceiling; it’s that kind of place.

Dallas

There’s nothing quite like watching a baseball connect with a bat then enjoying the spectacle of the diminishing red and white sphere describing a wide arc out of the Rangers Ballpark and into the dome of the starry Texan night. After a long day of shopping and sightseeing, a beer and a hotdog in the balmy Texan evening is hard to beat.

If you want something more than a hotdog, then this most well heeled of Texan cities is also for you. The celebrated and very successful Stephan Pyles Restaurant is down in the Dallas Arts district. Pyles made his name cooking on Good Morning America with his ‘new millennium Southwestern cuisine’ – go and see why.

Fine dining of the new-American cuisine kind can be found at the acclaimed Bolla restaurant, linger in the art deco bar first; its vibrant décor will only be enhanced by working your way through the extensive cocktail list.

Finally, bring your wallet and perhaps someone else’s too, and visit (deep breath) the Mansion Restaurant at Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek for more exquisite new-American cuisine. Try to wangle one of six places at the ‘Chef’s Table’ where the chef conjures up unique meals, seemingly on a whim.

Houston

As night falls, the sound inside Kicks sports auditorium can reach deafening levels and the language becomes so colourful that it runs right off the spectrum and that’s just on the track. Welcome to Roller Derby Houston where all-girl teams with names like the Psyche Ward Sirens, Burlesque Brawlers and  – perhaps most pleasingly – the Machete Betties struggle to impress their femininity on their fellow racers as they jostle for position around the oval track, or failing that, chip someone’s tooth. This neon lit, lipstick-smeared spectacle is great fun and perfect entertainment for those of you who were disappointed when the Romans stopped pitting fighters against each other in gladiatorial combat.

From the ridiculous to the sublime, and Texas’ biggest city is a cradle for the arts, with four world-class companies; the Houston Symphony, the award winning Houston Grand Opera, Alley Theatre and the Houston Ballet are all prominent features of the city’s social landscape.

San Antonio

San Antonio is home to basketball stars the Spurs, so take in an evening game at the AT&T Center and marvel at the gangly dexterity of the former world champions. Then, out into the night, try a cocktail or two at Bar Rojo, situated in the Grand Hyatt San Antonio, a setting so ornate and vibrant you’ll be lucky not to lose an eye.

If it’s the first Friday of the month stroll down to Southtown – an area that acts as an enclave for artists – where you’ll find galleries open until late and the streets filled with vendors selling food and crafts.

Try the famed River Walk at night, the bars and restaurants twinkling beneath strings of multi-coloured fairy lights. Pop into Dick’s Last Resort and swoon over nachos laden with chili tequila queso and sour cream washed down with draught beer. Avoid taking an unintentional dip in the still (and sometimes unfenced) waters and head to Market Square and the 24-hour Mi Tierra Café y Panaderia, or if you’d rather the quiet life, take the elevator to Bar 601 near the summit of the Tower Of The Americas and watch the city fall away and glimmer silently beneath your feet.

Los Angeles

Los Angeles

Los Angeles  is the largest city in the state of California and the Western United States as well as second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles is rated an alpha world city, has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over 498.3 square miles (1,290.6 km2) in Southern California. Additionally, the Los Angeles metropolitan area is home to nearly 12.9 million residents, who hail from all over the globe and speak 224 different languages. Los Angeles is the seat of Los Angeles County, the most populated and one of the most diverse counties in the United States. Its inhabitants are known as “Angelenos” (/ændʒɨˈliːnoʊz/).

Los Angeles was founded September 4, 1781, by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de la Porciúncula (The Village of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels of Porziuncola). It became a part of Mexico in 1821, following its independence from Spain. In 1848, at the end of the Mexican-American War, Los Angeles and California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States; Mexico retained the territory of Baja California. Los Angeles was incorporated as a municipality on April 4, 1850, five months before California achieved statehood.

Los Angeles is one of the world’s centers of business, international trade, entertainment, culture, media, fashion, science, technology, and education. It is home to renowned institutions covering a broad range of professional and cultural fields, and is one of the most substantial economic engines within the United States. Los Angeles leads the world in producing popular entertainment — such as motion picture, television, and recorded music — which forms the base of its international fame and global status.

History

The Los Angeles coastal area was first settled by the Tongva (or Gabrieleños) and Chumash Native American tribes hundreds of years ago. The first Europeans arrived in 1542 under Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese-born explorer who claimed the area as the City of God for the Spanish Empire. However, he continued with his voyage and did not establish a settlement. The next contact would not come until 227 years later, when Gaspar de Portola, along with Franciscan missionary Juan Crespí, reached the present site of Los Angeles on August 2, 1769. Crespí noted that the site had the potential to be developed into a large settlement.

In 1771, Franciscan friar Junípero Serra built the Mission San Gabriel Arcangel near Whittier Narrows, in what is now called San Gabriel Valley. In 1777, the new governor of California, Felipe de Neve, recommended to Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa, viceroy of New Spain that the site noted by Juan Crespí be developed into a pueblo. The town was officially founded on September 4, 1781, by a group of forty-four settlers known as “Los Pobladores.” Tradition has it that on this day they were escorted by four Spanish colonial soldiers, two priests from the Mission and Governor de Neve. The town was named El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula (The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels on the Porciúncula River). These pueblo settlers came from the common Hispanic culture that had emerged in northern Mexico among a racially mixed society. Two-thirds of the settlers were mestizo or mulatto, and therefore, had African and Indian ancestry. More importantly, they were intermarrying. The settlement remained a small ranch town for decades, but by 1820 the population had increased to about 650 residents. Today, the pueblo is commemorated in the historic district of Los Angeles Pueblo Plaza and Olvera Street, the oldest part of Los Angeles.

New Spain achieved its independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821, and the pueblo continued as a part of Mexico. During Mexican rule, Governor Pío Pico, made Los Angeles Alta California’s regional capital. Mexican rule ended during the Mexican–American War: Americans took control from the Californios after a series of battles, culminating with the signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga on January 13, 1847.

Railroads arrived when the Southern Pacific completed its line to Los Angeles in 1876. Oil was discovered in 1892, and by 1923 Los Angeles was producing one-quarter of the world’s petroleum.

By 1900, the population had grown to more than 102,000 people, putting pressure on the city’s water supply. 1913’s completion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, under the supervision of William Mulholland, assured the continued growth of the city.

In the 1920s, the motion picture and aviation industries flocked to Los Angeles. In 1932, with population surpassing one million, the city hosted the Summer Olympics.

The post-war years saw an even greater boom, as urban sprawl expanded the city into the San Fernando Valley. In 1969, Los Angeles became one of the birthplaces of the Internet, as the first ARPANET transmission was sent from UCLA to SRI in Menlo Park.

Also in the 1980s, Los Angeles became the center of the heavy metal music scene, especially glam metal bands. In 1984, the city hosted the Summer Olympic Games for the second time. Despite being boycotted by 14 Communist countries, the 1984 Olympics became the most financially successful in history, and only the second Olympics to turn a profit – the other being the 1932 Summer Olympics, also held in Los Angeles.

During the remaining decades of the 20th century, the city was plagued by increasing gang warfare, drug trades, and police corruption. Racial tensions erupted again in 1992 with the Rodney King controversy and the large-scale riots that followed the acquittal of his police attackers. In 1994, the 6.7 Northridge earthquake shook the city, causing $12.5 billion in damage and 72 deaths.

Voters defeated efforts by the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood to secede from the city in 2002.

Gentrification and urban redevelopment have occurred in many parts of the city, most notably Hollywood, Koreatown, Silver Lake, Echo Park and Downtown.

Geography

Los Angeles is irregularly shaped and covers a total area of 498.3 square miles (1,291 km2), comprising 469.1 square miles (1,214.9 km²) of land and 29.2 square miles (75.7 km²) of water. The city extends for 44 miles (71 km) longitudinally and for 29 miles (47 km) latitudinally. The perimeter of the city is 342 miles (550 km). It is the only major city in the United States bisected by a mountain range.

The highest point in Los Angeles is Mount Lukens, also called Sister Elsie Peak. Located at the far reaches of the northeastern San Fernando Valley, it reaches a height of 5,080 ft (1,548 m). The major river is the Los Angeles River, which begins in the Canoga Park district of the city and is largely seasonal. The river is lined in concrete for almost its entire length as it flows through the city into nearby Vernon on its way to the Pacific Ocean.

Geology

Los Angeles is subject to earthquakes due to its location in the Pacific Ring of Fire. The geologic instability produces numerous fault lines both above and below ground, which altogether cause approximately 10,000 earthquakes every year. One of the major fault lines is the San Andreas Fault. Located at the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, it is predicted to be the source of Southern California’s next big earthquake. Major earthquakes to have hit the Los Angeles area include the 2008 Chino Hills earthquake, 1994 Northridge earthquake, the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, the 1971 San Fernando earthquake near Sylmar, and the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. Nevertheless, all but a few quakes are of low intensity and are not felt. The most recent earthquake felt was the 5.4 Chino Hills earthquake on July 29th 2008. Parts of the city are also vulnerable to Pacific Ocean tsunamis; harbor areas were damaged by waves from the Valdivia earthquake in 1960. The Los Angeles basin and metropolitan area are also at risk from blind thrust earthquakes.

Climate

Los Angeles has a Mediterranean climate or Dry-Summer Subtropical (Köppen climate classification Csb on the coast, Csa inland). Los Angeles enjoys plenty of sunshine throughout the year, with 263 sunshine days and only 35 wet days annually.

Summer or dry period of May thru October is warm to hot and dry with average high temperatures of 74 – 84°F (24 – 29°C) and lows of 58 – 66°F (14 – 19°C), however temperatures frequently exceed 90°F (32°C) and occasionally reach 100°F (38°C) in inland areas (away from the moderating effect of the ocean). Winter or rainy period of November thru April is mild and somewhat rainy with average high temperatures of 68 – 73°F (20 – 23°C) and lows of 48 – 53°F (9 – 12°C).

The Los Angeles area is also subject to the phenomenon typical of a microclimate. As such, the temperatures can vary as much as 18°F (10°C) between inland areas and the coast, with a temperature gradient of over one degree per mile (1.6 km) from the coast inland. California has also a weather phenomenom called “June Gloom or May Grey”, which sometimes gives overcast or foggy skies in the morning at the coast, but usually gives sunny skies by noon, during late spring and early summer.

Los Angeles averages 15 inches (385 mm) of precipitation annually, which mainy occurs during the winter and spring (November thru April) with generally light rain showers, but sometimes as heavy rainfall and thunderstorms. The coast gets slightly lower rainfall, while the mountains gets slightly higher rainfall. Snowfall is extremely rare in the city basin, but the mountains within city limits slopes typically receive snowfall every winter. The greatest snowfall recorded in downtown Los Angeles was 2 inches (5 cm) in 1932.

Economy

The economy of Los Angeles is driven by international trade, entertainment (television, motion pictures, recorded music), aerospace, technology, petroleum, fashion, apparel, and tourism. Los Angeles is also the largest manufacturing center in the western United States. The contiguous ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach together comprise the fifth busiest port in the world and the most significant port in the Western Hemisphere. They are some of the most important ports in the world, and vital to trade within the Pacific Rim. Other significant industries include media production, finance, telecommunications, law, health medicine, and transportation.

The University of Southern California (USC) is the city’s largest private sector employer.

Until the mid-1990s, Los Angeles was home to many major financial institutions in the western United States. Mergers meant reporting to headquarters in other cities. For instance, First Interstate Bancorp merged with Wells Fargo in 1996, Great Western Bank merged with Washington Mutual in 1998, and Security Pacific Bank merged with Bank of America in 1992. Los Angeles was also home to the Pacific Exchange, until it closed in 2001.
The city has six major Fortune 500 companies, including aerospace contractor Northrop Grumman, energy company Occidental Petroleum, healthcare provider Health Net, homebuilding company KB Home, metals distributor Reliance Steel & Aluminum, and real estate group CB Richard Ellis.

Other companies headquartered in Los Angeles include 20th Century Fox, Latham & Watkins, Univision, Metro Interactive, LLC, Premier America, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, DeviantArt, Guess?, O’Melveny & Myers; Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, Tokyopop, The Jim Henson Company, Paramount Pictures, Robinsons-May, Sunkist Growers, Incorporated, Fox Sports Net, Capital Group, 21st century Insurance and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Korean Air’s United States passenger operations and cargo operations headquarters are located in two separate offices in Los Angeles.

The metropolitan area contains the headquarters of companies who moved outside of the city to escape its taxes but keep the benefits of proximity. For example, Los Angeles charges a gross receipts tax based on a percentage of business revenue, while many neighboring cities charge only small flat fees. The companies below benefit from their proximity to Los Angeles, while at the same time avoiding the city’s taxes (and other problems). Some of the major companies headquartered in the cities of Los Angeles county are Shakey’s Pizza (Alhambra), Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Beverly Hills), City National Bank (Beverly Hills), Hilton Hotels (Beverly Hills), DIC Entertainment (Burbank), The Walt Disney Company (Fortune 500 – Burbank), Warner Bros. (Burbank), Countrywide Financial (Fortune 500 – Calabasas), THQ (Calabasas), Belkin (Compton), Sony Pictures Entertainment (parent of Columbia Pictures, located in Culver City), DirecTV (El Segundo), Mattel (Fortune 500 – El Segundo), Unocal Corporation (Fortune 500 – El Segundo), DreamWorks (Glendale), Sea Launch (Long Beach), ICANN (Marina del Rey), Cunard Line (Santa Clarita), Princess Cruises (Santa Clarita), Activision (Santa Monica), and RAND (Santa Monica).

Culture

Main article: Arts and culture of Los Angeles
See also: List of people from Los Angeles and List of songs about Los Angeles

The people of Los Angeles are known as Angelenos. Nighttime hot spots include places such as Downtown Los Angeles, Silver Lake, Hollywood, and West Hollywood, which is the home of the world-famous Sunset Strip.

Some well-known shopping areas are the Hollywood and Highland complex, the Beverly Center, Melrose Avenue, Robertson Boulevard, Rodeo Drive, Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, The Grove, Westside Pavilion, The Promenade at Howard Hughes Center and Venice Boardwalk.

Religion

The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles leads the largest archdiocese in the country. Cardinal Roger Mahony oversaw construction of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, completed in 2002 at the north end of downtown. Construction of the cathedral marked a coming of age of the Catholic, heavily Latino community. There are numerous Catholic churches and parishes throughout the city.

The Los Angeles California Temple, the second largest temple operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is on Santa Monica Boulevard in the Westwood district of Los Angeles. Dedicated in 1956, it was the first Mormon temple built in California and it was the largest in the world when completed. The grounds includes a visitors’ center open to the public, the Los Angeles Regional Family History Center, also open to the public, and the headquarters for the Los Angeles mission.

With 621,000 Jews in the metropolitan area (490,000 in city proper), the region has the American Jews third largest population of Jews in the United States. Many synagogues of the Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, and Reconstructionist movements can be found throughout the city. Most are located in the San Fernando Valley and West Los Angeles. The area in West Los Angeles around Fairfax and Pico Boulevards contains a large number of Orthodox Jews. The Breed Street Shul in East Los Angeles, built in 1923, was the largest synagogue west of Chicago in its early decades. (It is no longer a sacred space and is being converted to a museum and community center.) The Kabbalah Centre, devoted to one line of Jewish mysticism, is also in the city.
Because of Los Angeles’ large multi-ethnic population, a wide variety of faiths are practiced, including Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Sikhism, Bahá’í, various Eastern Orthodox Churches, Sufism and others. Immigrants from Asia for example, have formed a number of significant Buddhist congregations making the city home to the greatest variety of Buddhists in the world.

Government

The city is governed by a mayor-council system. The current mayor is Antonio Villaraigosa. There are 15 city council districts. Other elected city officials include the City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and the City Controller Laura N. Chick. The city attorney prosecutes misdemeanors within the city limits. The district attorney, elected by county voters, prosecutes misdemeanors in unincorporated areas and in 78 of the 88 cities in the county, as well as felonies throughout the county.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) polices the city of Los Angeles, but the city also maintains four specialized police agencies; The Office of Public Safety, within the General Services Department (which is responsible for security and law enforcement services at city facilities, including City Hall, city parks and libraries, the Los Angeles Zoo, and the Convention Center), the Port Police, within the Harbor Department (which is responsible for land, air and sea law enforcement services at the Port of Los Angeles), the Los Angeles City Schools Police department which handles law enforcement for all city schools, and the Airport Police, within the Los Angeles World Airports Department (which is responsible for law enforcement services at all four city-owned airports, including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), LA/Ontario International Airport (ONT), LA/Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD), and Van Nuys Airport (VNY).

Crime and safety

Los Angeles has been experiencing significant decline in crime since the mid-1990s, and hit a record low in 2007, with 392 homicides. The LAPD makes live crime statistics available on the LAPD crimestats and epolice web site.

Current mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition.

According to a May 2001 Drug Threat Assessment by the National Drug Intelligence Center, Los Angeles County is home to 152,000 gang members organized into 1,350 gangs. Among the most infamous are the 18th Street, Mara Salvatrucha, Crips, Bloods, and the Surenos street gangs. This has led to the city being referred to as the “Gang Capital of America.”

Education

There are three public universities located within the city limits: California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA), California State University, Northridge (CSUN) and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Private colleges in the city include the American Film Institute Conservatory, Alliant International University, American InterContinental University, American Jewish University, The American Musical and Dramatic Academy – Los Angeles campus, Antioch University’s Los Angeles campus, Art Center College of Design (Art Center), Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising’s Los Angeles campus (FIDM), Los Angeles Film School, Loyola Marymount University (LMU is also the parent university of Loyola Law School located in Los Angeles), Mount St. Mary’s College, National University of California, New York Film Academy in Universal City, CA, Occidental College (“Oxy”), Otis College of Art and Design (Otis), Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), Southwestern Law School, and University of Southern California (USC).

The community college system consists of nine campuses governed by the trustees of the Los Angeles Community College District: East Los Angeles College (ELAC), Los Angeles City College (LACC), Los Angeles Harbor College, Los Angeles Mission College, Los Angeles Pierce College, Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC), Los Angeles Southwest College, Los Angeles Trade-Technical College and West Los Angeles College.

Transportation

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and other agencies operate an extensive system of bus lines, as well as subway and light rail lines across Los Angeles County, with a combined daily ridership of 1.7 million. The majority of this (1.4 million) is taken up by the city’s bus system, the second busiest in the country. The subway and light rail combined average the remaining roughly 319,000 boardings per weekday. Altogether, public transit ridership is much lower than other large cities, with 11% of Los Angeles commuters riding public transportation.[not in citation given]

The city’s subway system is the ninth busiest in the United States and its light rail system is the country’s third busiest.

The rail system includes the Red and Purple subway lines, as well as the Gold, Blue, and Green light rail lines. The Metro Rapid buses are a bus rapid transit program with stops and frequency similar those of a light rail. The city is also central to the commuter rail system Metrolink which links Los Angeles to all neighboring counties as well as many suburbs.

New York (city)

New York (city)

New York (city) is a huge city with several district articles containing sightseeing, restaurant, nightlife and accommodation listings — consider printing them all.

New York  (also referred to as “New York City” or “the City”), the biggest city in New York state, lies at the mouth of the Hudson River in the southern most part of the state, which is part of the Mid-Atlantic region of the USA.

The New York Metropolitan Area spans parts of three states—lower New York, northern New Jersey, and southwestern Connecticut. It is the USA’s largest metro area, with a population of 18.7 million. As of 2007, it was 5th in the world, after Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Mexico City and Seoul.

New York City is a center for media, culture, food, fashion, art, research, finance, and trade. It has the largest and most famous skyline on earth, dominated by the iconic Empire State Building.

Climate

New York City has a humid continental climate and experiences all four seasons with hot and humid summers (June-Sept), cool and dry autumns (Sept-Dec), cold winters (Dec-Mar), and wet springs (Mar-June). Average highs for January are around 38°F (3°C) and average highs for July are about 84°F (29°C). However, temperatures in the winter can go down to as low as 10°F (-12°C) and in the summer, temperatures can go as high as 100°F (38°C). The temperature in any season is quite variable and it is not unusual to have a sunny 50°F (10°C) day in January followed by a snowy 25°F (-3°C) day. New York can also be prone to snowstorms and nor’easters (large storms similar to a tropical storm), which can dump as much as 2 feet (60cm) of snow in 24-48 hours. Tropical storms can also hit New York City in the summer and early fall. Overall, New York is warmer than inland cities like Chicago and Cleveland, but in winter, it may seem colder to visitors because they are likely to spend a lot more time outdoors, walking around the city.

People

The diverse population includes some of America’s wealthiest celebrities and socialites, as well as hundreds of thousands of immigrants. New York’s population has been diverse since the city’s founding by the Dutch. Successive waves of immigration—first Dutch, then British, African, Irish, German, Italian, Jewish, Eastern European, and later Jamaican, Chinese, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Mexican, Haitian, Korean, Indian, Arab, Colombian —make New York a giant social experiment in cross-cultural harmony.

The city’s ethnic heritage illuminates different neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs. In Manhattan, Little Italy remains an operating (if touristy and increasingly Chinese) Italian enclave, though many New Yorkers consider Arthur Avenue in the Bronx to be the “real” Little Italy. Chinatown remains a vibrant center of New York’s Chinese community, though in recent years the much larger Chinese neighborhood of Flushing in Queens has rivaled if not eclipsed it in importance, and two other Chinatowns have formed in Brooklyn. Traces of the Lower East Side’s once-thriving Jewish community still exist amid the newly-gentrified neighborhood’s trendy restaurants and bars, but there are Chassidic communities in Borough Park, Crown Heights and Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Harlem has been gentrifying and diversifying lately but remains a center of African-American culture in New York. East (Spanish) Harlem still justifies its reputation as a large Hispanic neighborhood. Little known to most tourists are the large Dominican neighborhoods of West Harlem and Washington Heights in upper Manhattan. Brooklyn and Queens are known for being home to many of New York’s more recent immigrant groups, which since 1990 have included large numbers of Russians, Chinese, Indians, Japanese, Koreans, Africans, Arabs, Mexicans, and Jamaicans.

Get in
By plane

New York City is well connected by air with flights from almost every corner of the world. Three large airports (and several small ones) serve the region. John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport are large international airports while LaGuardia Airport is a busy domestic airport. All three airports are run by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
All airports- It would be wise to allow a minimum of 90 minutes for trips between midtown and the airports whether you use public transport or a taxi. Rush hour traffic in New York is notorious, especially on the congested Van Wyck Expressway to Kennedy airport. The lack of elevators at most subway stations makes lugging luggage up and down subway stairs difficult and peak hours should be avoided. Refer to a subway map to find disabled access stations which will have elevators. Suburban shared ride vans are available: use the phones provided near baggage claim for information. If taking a taxi, go to the taxi dispatcher. Do not accept offers of rides from people hanging around in the terminal because there is a high risk of being cheated. Since only the subway runs 24 hrs, if leaving for an early flight with a two-hour check in, you may need to take a taxi. Check bus schedules carefully if your flight leaves during the wee hours.

If you are on extreme tight schedule and have to catch the flight or want something extra then US Helicopter  flies you in 9 minutes (plus connection time 35..70min heli>airline, 35..120min airline>heli) from Midtown to Newark or JFK for roughly $100 one-way.

Connection to Other Airports- Connections between airports are poor at best. New York Airport Express runs buses between LGA and JFK. ETS Air Shuttle runs (very infrequent) buses between LGA and Newark Airport. A taxi is your best, although slightly more expensive, option when changing airports in New York – unless you have plenty of time!

John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport (IATA: JFK) is in the borough of Queens to the east of the city. Many international airlines fly into JFK and it is a major international hub for Delta Airlines (Terminals 2 and 3) and American Airlines (Terminal 8). Air France (Terminal 1), Lufthansa (Terminal 1), British Airways (Terminal 7), and Virgin Atlantic (Terminal 4) each provide several flights daily into JFK. JetBlue, a large low-cost carrier in the US, occupies Terminal 5. A free AirTrain connects the terminals. Always make sure you know which terminal your flight arrives at or departs from.

Left luggage services are available in the arrivals areas of Terminal 1 and Terminal 4. There are plenty of ATMs (almost all charge a small fee). Luggage trolleys are available either for a fee of $3 (Terminals 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 and all departures) or free (Terminals 1 and 4). There are many hotels in all categories close to the airport and most run shuttle buses to/from the airport.

Taxi- The most flexible route into the city from JFK is a taxi, although the wait for one can be long when many flights arrive simultaneously. Cab fare runs a flat $45 anywhere in Manhattan, not including tolls (up to $4) or tips (15-20% depending on the level of service). Follow signs “Ground Transportation” and “Taxi” to the taxi line outside the arrivals area and look for the taxi dispatcher. Taxis to points other than Manhattan and taxis to the airport from anywhere use the meter (see taxis in Getting Around). During peak periods, you may have to wait up to 30 minutes for a taxi. Note that the arrivals terminals are filled with drivers hawking illegal livery rides at grossly inflated prices that prey on newly arrived tourists, so beware. If you feel comfortable doing so, you can sometimes bargain with the touts to get down to $35-40. (This saves the wait in the taxi line.)

Car Service/Limousines- A useful way of getting to the airport (see the Getting Around section) because it is not always easy to find taxis in Manhattan. You can always call ahead and have a car service pick you up from the airport ($60+ for points in Manhattan) if you want that convenience. One such service is offered by New York Airport Transportation and Transfers.

Airport Shuttles- A popular shuttle service comes from way of goairlinkshuttle, JFK Airport Shuttle. Rates from all major airports starting at $17 to $20 per person to Grand Central Port Authority, Penn Station, Bryant Park, and Midtown Hotels.

Coach services- That provide bus service from JFK and La Guardia to Grand Central Station and Penn Station.New York Airport Express provides services into Grand Central Station, Penn Station, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal for $15/person. Trans-Bridge Lines provides infrequent service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal for $12.SuperShuttle with blue vans provides service to Manhattan hotels for about $25. The ‘New York Airport Express’ service is not as well organized as made out on their website. They recommend which bus you take, however this does not take into account the huge delays in immigration queues at JFK, especially Terminal 4 (2hrs+ at peak times) upon arrival in Manhattan, the bus drops you off at Grand Central Terminal, and you transfer to another smaller bus. The whole situation at this point is chaos and confusion, the drivers are un-helpful and nobody seems to know what is going on. Also the website advertises a transfer to your hotel, but they just drop you off in the general area.

Commuter rail- The JFK AirTrain, which stops at each terminal, runs to Jamaica station on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). The LIRR runs frequent trains to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan, taking 20-25 minutes. Total time from the airport to Penn Station is about 45 minutes. At Jamaica, you can also catch trains to points further east on Long Island, to Flatbush Ave station in Brooklyn, or to Hunterspoint Ave in Queens. These trains are less frequent than the Penn Station trains. You may also take trains to Ronkonkoma, where you can get shuttles to Islip airport, useful for catching flights on Southwest Airlines. When going from the airport to Manhattan, taking the train can be significantly faster than a taxi, especially during peak travel times. This route is less attractive if you have a lot of baggage, though elevators are available at Jamaica and Penn Stations. Fare: the AirTrain will cost $5. To Penn Station, the LIRR will cost an addition $5.25 during non-peak times, $7.25 during peak times, and $3.25 on weekends for a total cost of $8.25-12.25. To get the weekend fare, you’ll need to purchase a special City Ticket.

Subway, from the airport to Manhattan: The JFK AirTrain runs to Howard Beach station to connect with the “A” subway and to Jamaica station to connect with the “E” and “J/Z” subways (Sutphin Blvd station). If you are travelling to the downtown area (the Financial District), use the “A” train from Howard Beach. If heading to the midtown area (including Times Square) use the “E” train. However, as the E train makes so few stops in Queens, it could be faster to take the E regardless. Late nights, the A runs as a local in Brooklyn and can be significantly slower than the E from anywhere in Manhattan. The JFK AirTrain costs $5; the subway costs $2.

Subway, to the Airport from Manhattan- Take the E Train to Sutphin Blvd, or the A Train to Howard’s Beach. If catching the A, board trains with destination signs marked with Far Rockaway via JFK Airport or Rockaway Park via JFK Airport. If you catch a Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd A, you will need to transfer to a train headed to the Rockaways. If you do end up on a train to Lefferts and miss an opportunity to transfer, IT IS OKAY. At Lefferts Boulevard, transfer to the Q10 bus on street level, which travels to JFK Airport. Or you can backtrack as well. When taking this route into or out of Manhattan during the overnight hours be alert of your surroundings as you will be passing through some rough neighborhoods.

The Cheap Option- If you really want to slum it and avoid the $5 AirTrain ticket, you can take NYCT bus Q10 ($2 or a free transfer to the subway if you buy a Metrocard) to Lefferts Boulevard station(20min) where you can catch an A train, or the B15 to New Lots Avenue, in Brooklyn, where you can catch a 3 train. Note that the latter option is right in the middle of East New York, which may not the best place to be if you’re not a local. You may also remain on the bus, and transfer to either the “L” train at Van Sindren Avenue (New Lots Avenue station), the (C) at Fulton Street (Kingston-Throop Avenues station, roughly two blocks west) or the (J) or (M) trains at Flushing Avenue, the last stop on the bus. ‘Transferring between bus and subway requires a MetroCard; the single ride ticket does not allow transfers so this is likely to cost you $4 unless you have a multiple ride metrocard, in which case it will cost you $2. Coins are needed to board the buses without a Metrocard. You won’t pay anything if you have a day, week, or 30 day pass. Metrocards are available for sale at Hudson Newsstands in Terminals 1 and 6. If the newsstands are closed, take the Airtrain to the Howard Beach Station where you can buy a multiple ride Metrocard from the vending machines without leaving the airport. Then take the Airtrain back to Terminal 4, where the buses are easiest to catch (on the right side of Terminal 4 when facing). The buses also stop at Lefferts but are more difficult to figure out.
Newark Liberty International Airport

Newark Liberty International Airport, 1-800-EWR-INFO, (IATA: EWR) is located to the west of the city in Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey. The airport has three terminals labeled A, B, C. Terminal C is the home of Continental Airlines which has a major hub at Newark. Most other international airlines use Terminal B while domestic flights are from Terminal A but there are exceptions, so check your terminal before you head for the airport.

Taxi- Taxis are available outside the terminals (look for signs labeled ‘Ground Transportation’ and ‘Taxi’ when leaving the arrivals area). Travelers to New York City are charged a flat rate based on the destination (the dispatcher will note the fare and destination on the taxi form). The fare to most parts of Manhattan is $50-70. Tips (15%-20%) and tolls are extra (except for destinations to Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, expect to pay $8 for bridge or tunnel entry into Manhattan. You may also pay a small toll, under $2, if the driver uses the New Jersey Turnpike).

Train- From Newark Airport, take the AirTrain (easy elevator and escalator access from Terminals) to the Newark Airport Train Station (about 10 minutes) to connect to a NJ Transit or Amtrak train running along the Northeast Corridor line for connecting service to New York Penn Station (34th Street and 8th Avenue in Manhattan). Expect to spend around 5 minutes getting ticketed and to the correct platform. One-way fares to Penn Station are $15.00 if you take a NJ Transit train, and between $20 and $30 on Amtrak. Note that if you take the NJ Transit train there is also a stop at Penn Station, Newark, New Jersey – stay on till Penn Station, New York. The NJ Transit train from Newark Airport to Penn Station, New York takes about 30 minutes and trains come every 15-30 minutes. Note that NJ Transit tickets are not valid on Amtrak so, if you are going to Manhattan, don’t get onto an Amtrak train at the Newark Airport Rail Station. The Amtrak connection is only useful if you are traveling away from the New York Metropolitan Area to areas not served by NJ Transit (New Haven, Philadelphia, or even Washington D.C. and Boston). Port Authority personnel are available at the rail station to help you figure out what ticket you need and what train to take.

Airport Shuttles – A popular shuttle service comes from way of goairlinkshuttle, Newark Airport Shuttle. Rates from all major airports starting at $12 to $15 per person to Grand Central Port Authority, Penn Station, Bryant Park, and Midtown Hotels.

Airport Bus – Olympia Trails ($14 one way, $23 round trip) runs buses every 15 minutes to Manhattan, with stops at the Port Authority Bus Terminal (41st Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenue), Bryant Park, and Grand Central Station. One-way trip time is about 40 minutes depending on traffic.

Private Car Service – New York Airport Transportation and Transfers arranges private transport services between New York’s airports, hotels and cruise terminals. Individuals, small groups and large groups are accomodated with flat-fee pricing, inclusive of fare, tolls and gratuity. There is never a charge for waits due to flights, customs or luggage delays. There are no fuel surcharges or any other fees added at the end.

Public Transit – For the most inexpensive option, take the New Jersey Transit bus #62 from in front of the terminals to Newark Penn Station (one-way fare $1.35; must have change; 25min). From there, you may take a PATH subway train ($1.50) either to World Trade Center station in lower Manhattan (25min), or, by transferring at the Journal Square station to the 33rd St. train (across the platform), to the following stops along Sixth Avenue: Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, 9th Street, 14th Street, 23rd Street, and 33rd Street. Note that transfer to the New York Transit subway system almost always requires an exit onto the street. The combined fare for the bus/PATH option ($2.85) is significantly lower than the EWR AirTrain with NJ Transit, but will take longer —plan on 1.5–2 hours with waiting times— and requires 1-2 transfers. As a word of caution, note that this is not a well-publicized option; you may well find yourself to be the only tourist on the bus, so don’t expect much help or companionship in finding your way.

Since public transport will drop you off at only a couple of points in Manhattan, you should make your choice of transport depending on where you are headed and how much luggage you are carrying. For points near New York Penn Station, the AirTrain/NJ Transit option works well. For points downtown, it may be faster to take the NJTransit bus and then a PATH train. For places on the east side, near Grand Central Station, the airport bus would be perfect. Be aware that, if you have luggage, getting into Manhattan and then looking for a taxi, while cheaper, won’t be easy during rush hour.

LaGuardia Airport

LaGuardia Airport (IATA: LGA) is a smaller, older airport providing many of the domestic services for the city including the shuttles to Boston and Washington, D.C.. The Marine Air Terminal, currently the terminal used by Delta Airlines for shuttle services to Washington D.C. and Boston, is one of the oldest, still-in-use, airport terminals in the world. LaGuardia is conveniently located for getting to and from the city and is well connected by public transport.

Taxi – Taxis to and from most points in Manhattan cost $20-$30 plus tips and tolls. You can save on tolls by asking the driver to use Queensboro Bridge for points midtown and on the upper east side, the Williamsburg Bridge for the Village and downtown, or Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges for points downtown. If going above about 72nd street, it is better to pay the toll and take the triboro bridge into Manhattan.

Public Transport – LaGuardia is served by three city bus lines. The M60 bus connects with N and W trains at Astoria Blvd., and crosses Manhattan using 125th St. It connects with the Lexington Line (4, 5, and 6 trains) at Lexington Avenue, the 8th Avenue (the A and C) and 6th Av. (B, D) Lines at St. Nicholas Av., and the IRT Seventh Avenue Express 2 and 3 at Lenox Avenue (officially called Malcolm X Boulevard), and Broadway (for the 1). This is a useful service if you are staying in Harlem, the Columbia University area or Hostelling International New York, as it goes south on Broadway (west side) to 106th St. The Q33 and the Q47 bus to Roosevelt Avenue/Jackson Heights connect to the E, F, G, R, 7, V. For points downtown, use the Q33/Q47 and then the E. For points on the upper east side, connect to the 4,5,6 from the M60. For the upper west side, take the M60 and connect to the 2,3. For Morningside Heights/Columbia University, stay on the M60 all the way. For midtown/Times Square, the Q33/Q47 and then the 7 train or E train is the best option. (The 7 train is above ground through most of Queens, enabling visitors to see more of the city than the below ground E train.) For all buses you need $2 in coins or a Metro Card. There is a change machine in the airport terminal and Hudson News, the newsstand operator for LaGuardia, has some types of metrocards for sale.

Airport Shuttles – A popular shuttle service comes from way of goairlinkshuttle, LaGuardia Airport Shuttle. Rates from all major airports starting at $12 to $15 per person to Grand Central Port Authority, Penn Station, Bryant Park, and Midtown Hotels.

Airport Bus – New York Airport Express runs buses to Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station for $12. There are also shuttle buses that will take you straight into Manhattan and cost $12. These run about every 10-15 minutes from LGA and stop off at Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station.

Private Car Service – New York Airport Transportation and Transfers arranges private transport services between New York’s airports, hotels and cruise terminals. Individuals, small groups and large groups are accomodated with flat-fee pricing, inclusive of fare, tolls and gratuity. There is never a charge for waits due to flights, customs or luggage delays. There are no fuel surcharges or any other fees added at the end.

By train

Amtrak

Amtrak, 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245), operates from New York Penn Station, which is directly under Madison Square Garden, its largest hub in Amtrak’s east-coast system, with dozens of arrivals and departures daily. Amtrak’s Acela express train provides regular fast commuter service between major points on the east coast from Washington, D.C. up to Boston, with stops at Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Haven, and Providence. Direct Amtrak services are available to points along the East Coast down to Florida; to points between New York and Chicago (including Pittsburgh, and Cleveland); to New York State (including Albany, Rochester, Buffalo and Niagara Falls); and to Toronto and Montreal in Canada. Service to California (three days) requires a change of train in Chicago. Popular trains leaving near rush hours can fill up quickly: it’s a good idea to make reservations online , or via phone, and pick up your ticket at one of the electronic kiosks.

Amtrak’s Metropolitan Lounge, located near the big security desk in Penn Station, offers Airline Business Class lounge amenities (and clean bathrooms). Travelers with sleeper tickets, First Class Acela tickets, or Continental Airline Business First tickets (for travel from Newark to Hawaii, Guam, Tokyo, HongKong, or Transatlantic destinations) can use this lounge.

Tickets for Northeast corridor trains can be purchased from QuikTrack machines with a credit card. Tickets booked online can be collected at these machines (keep the credit card or reference number handy). It is best to buy your tickets in advance for popular services.

Commuter Rail

New York City is served by three commuter railroads.

* Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) operates from New York Penn Station with service to points in Long Island with stops at Jamaica Station, Long Island City, Hunters Point, and others in Queens and Atlantic Avenue station in Brooklyn. The main LIRR lines include services to Port Jefferson, Montauk, Oyster Bay, Port Washington, and Greenport; with a number of branch lines to other points on Long Island.

* Metro-North Rail Road (Metro North) operates from Grand Central Terminal to points north and east of the city (Westchester, Putnam, Duchess Counties in New York_, and points in the state of Connecticut). The New Haven line serves cities along the coast with a branch line to Danbury. The Hudson Line serves points along the Hudson River to Poughkeepsie. The Harlem Line serves Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess Counties to Pawling and Wassaic. Trains also stop at the Harlem station on 125th street and Park Avenue in Manhattan. At New Haven, passengers may transfer to Amtrak or to the Shore Line East providing local service between New Haven and New London, Connecticut.

* New Jersey Transit operates from New York Penn Station to points in New Jersey. The Northeast corridor line goes to Princeton and Trenton. Services are also available for points along the Jersey Coast and along the Hudson River to points north of the city. Connecting service is available from Trenton to Philadelphia via SEPTA or to Camden (New Jersey) via RiverLINE. Connecting service to Newark Liberty International Airport is available from some Northeast corridor trains.

By bus

New York Airport Service (NYAS) is the only authorized scheduled bus service from the NY airports to Manhattan. It offer economical scheduled service to and from Manhattan (Penn Station, Port Authority, Grand Central Terminal), JFK and LGA Airports and Midtown Hotels.

Greyhound is the largest and oldest private bus company in the US, and operates its east-coast hub out of Manhattan’s Port Authority Bus Terminal. Recently Peter Pan Bus Company has come to dominate bus travel from New York to Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, coordinating some schedules with Greyhound, while competing vigorously against Greyhound on many routes. The terminal operates on a 24-hour schedule, with regular departures to practically every city in the country, as well as to Toronto and Montreal, Canada. Big cities like Boston, DC, Chicago and LA will have multiple departures daily—smaller cities may only have one or two, so be sure to check the schedules in advance! Remember that distances in the USA are large and you could be on the bus a long time—a very long time.

Port Authority Bus Terminal also hosts a dozen or so smaller bus companies, which generally offer service along the Boston-to-DC regional axis.

Limoliner is a bus service geared to the high end and business travelers with on board attendant, on board food service and Internet connectivity. It travels between New York and Boston daily.

Get around
Most of Manhattan is laid out in a grid. Accounting for Manhattan North, which is the convention stating that the island of Manhattan is oriented exactly north to south (it’s actually northeast to southwest), streets run east and west and avenues run north and south. This makes it relatively easy and straightforward to find your way. Streets are numbered (except in downtown Manhattan) and the numbering rises as you go north. Most avenues are numbered from east to west (so First Avenue is east of Second, etc.) below 59th Street. Building numbering on avenues starts at the south end of the avenue and rises as you move north. Above Washington Square, Fifth Avenue divides Manhattan into east and west; numbering starts at Fifth Avenue on each side (except where Central Park interrupts) and increases in either direction. Addresses west of Fifth are written as, for example, 220 W. 34th Street, while those east of Fifth are written as 220 E. 34th Street. However, for numbered streets below Washington Square (fortunately, there are only two, 3rd and 4th streets), Broadway divides the streets into East and West. Because of this dual-numbering system, it is always advisable to keep in mind the closest intersection to your destination (6th Avenue and 34th Street, Broadway and 51st, etc.). In Greenwich Village and downtown Manhattan (generally considered as below Houston (HOW-ston) Street), all bets are off as streets meander, dead-end and intersect themselves. Streets in Greenwich Village are particularly notorious for defying logic. For instance West 4th Street intersects with West 10th Street and West 12th Street, and you can stand on the corner of Waverly Place and Waverly Place. As a convenient guide to distance, there are 20 blocks per mile along the avenues (walking North/South). The average person can walk roughly 1 block per minute. Walking East/West on the streets, the blocks are generally much longer.

On foot

For shorter distances, there is no better way of getting around New York than hitting the sidewalk. If you use the subway or buses, you will almost certainly need to walk to and from stations or stops. In all areas of New York a traveler is likely to visit, all streets have wide, smoothly-paved sidewalks. For long distances, walking is also fine and a great way to see the city.

Jaywalking is extremely common among New Yorkers, but can be extremely dangerous. If you cannot properly gauge the speed of oncoming cars it is recommended you wait for the walk signal. An average New Yorker typically jaywalks 10-15 times a day, so do not blindly follow one as they are quite adept at making split-second choices — and while they might have time to make it across, the person behind them might not. If you do jaywalk, driving is on the right-hand side of the road on two-way streets so remember to look left to check for on-coming traffic on your side of the road. Be aware that most streets are one way, so you may have to look right. Most New Yorkers who know which streets go which way will only look in the direction traffic is coming from rather than looking in both directions. A useful mnemonic to remember which way streets (not avenues) go is “evens go east” — or if there are cars parked, look which way they are facing. This helps about 98% of the time. But beware of any bicyclists unlawfully going against the proper flow of vehicular traffic — or, for that matter, police or other vehicles doing the same. (It never hurts to just look both ways, even on a one-way street.)

If you do not wish to jaywalk, be considerate of New Yorkers by not blocking them from crossing at an intersection while you are waiting for your signal.
By bus

There are many different bus lines, which provide good transport away from the subway. Bus lines are identified by letters followed by numbers. The letters indicates the borough in which the line mostly operates (M=Manhattan; Bx=Bronx; B=Brooklyn; Q=Queens; S=Staten Island). Bus maps for each borough can be found at the MTA website

Even in Manhattan, with its dense subway network, buses can often be the best way of making a cross-town (i.e. east to west or vice versa) journey. And outside peak hours, a ride by bus from the tip of Manhattan at Battery Park to Midtown is a good and cheap way of taking in the sights.

Buses are particularly useful when going across Central Park (e.g., going from the Metropolitan Museum to the Museum of Natural History). The buses that traverse the park are the M66, M72, M79, M86, M96, and M106. These generally operate on or around 66th, 72nd, 79th, 86th, 96th, and 106th Streets, respectively; however, the eastbound M66 runs on 65th St on the West Side and 67th St. east of Madison Av., the westbound M66 runs on 68th St. on the East Side east of Madison Av., the M79 uses 81st St. to go around the Museum of Natural History on the West Side, and the M106 crosses the park at 96th/97th street and travels the same route as the M96 on the West Side.

When boarding a bus with a MetroCard, insert the card into the card slot in the top of the fare box by the driver. The fare box will swallow the card, read it and return it to you. You should see that the notched corner of the MetroCard will be in the far left corner when you place it into the fare box. It will be vertically oriented. This is different from entering the subway where you don’t stick it in as much, but slide it horizontally oriented through the swipe device, with the front toward you and the magnetic strip on the bottom.

The fareboxes also accept coins but not paper money as they are unable to read paper money, and even so, bills would be shredded in the “fare collection vacuum”. As a safety precaution, drivers do not handle money. Change is not given, so exact fares must be paid. The fareboxes accepts all coins (dollar coins included) except pennies. Rarely used half-dollar coins cannot be used because the coin slots on the fareboxes are not big enough.

By ferry

Ferries provide an interesting alternative to getting around New York. The most famous ferry is the Staten Island Ferry, running from the tip of Manhattan at Battery Park to Staten Island. The ferry carries passengers and bicycles only, runs every 15 minutes during rush hours, and is free. As it gives a really good view of the Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor on its way, this is a very popular trip for visitors. Ride on the starboard (right facing forward) side of the ferry from Manhattan and the port side from Staten Island for the best views (to the west).

Most of the other ferries you will see are operated by New York Waterway, connect the city with the New Jersey Hudson River Waterfront and are not free. Inquire as to fares before boarding.

New York Water Taxi runs ferries between points within Manhattan, with some connections to Brooklyn and New Jersey. Their boats are painted to look like taxis.

By taxi

Yellow Cabs- Real NYC taxis are yellow, have a metal seal on the hood (“medallion”), a light with a taxi number on the roof, a meter for billing, stickers on the windshield for various licenses, special taxi license plates, and a divider in the car. If only the medallion number on the roof is lit, the taxi is available for hire. If the medallion number on the roof is not lit or the off-duty sign on the roof is lit, the taxi is not available for hire. However, sometimes the taxi will stop for you even if the off-duty sign is lit, usually if you are going in the same direction as the taxi driver to turn the cab in after his shift, so if you are desperate, it’s worth a try to hail it. The meter starts at $2.50, and then $.40 for each 1/5 mile afterwards. There is a night surcharge of $0.50 (8pm to 6am) and a rush hour surcharge of $1.00 (4pm-8pm M-F). A tip of 10-20% is expected and passengers must pay all tolls. “Yellow cabs” cruise in most of Manhattan and are available at dispatcher lines at airports, but are harder to find in the other four boroughs. Some cabs accept credit cards for payment and all will be required to do so by the end of 2008.

Info on fares, flat fares, group rides and rules are online at the NYC.gov website.

Livery or Black Car- Known as car services or livery cabs, these cars may only be called by phone, are flat rate rather than metered (ask for the fare before getting in), and are not allowed to cruise the street or airports for fares. Their license plates will say either “Livery” or “TLC” on the bottom. Since yellow cabs are hard to come in the outer boroughs, limos are particularly useful for getting to the airport (your hotel can arrange one or look up the yellow pages). In some areas, livery cabs can be flagged on the street. Though this is technically illegal (the cabbie, not you, can get into trouble), it is useful in upper Manhattan and the outer boroughs and is accepted practice. Negotiate the fare before you get inside. A tip of 10-20% is expected and passengers must pay all tolls.

Tipping- Tips of 10-20% are expected in both yellow cabs as well as livery cabs. A simple way of computing the tip is to add 10% of the fare and round up from there. Thus, if the meter reads $6.20, you pay $7 and if the meter reads $6.50, you pay $8. Always tip more for better service (for example, if the cabbie helps you with your bags or stroller). Don’t tip at all if the service is lousy (for example, if the cabbie refuses to turn on the AC on a hot day). For livery cabs, tip 10-20% depending on the quality of the service but you don’t need to tip at all if you hail the cab on the street and negotiate the fare in advance (leave an extra dollar or two anyway!).

All licensed taxis and sedan limousines are authorized to take 3 passengers in the backseat and 1 in the front seat for a total of 4. However, some of the newer minivan and SUV yellow cabs can seat more passengers and may take more than four passengers (even though the licensed limit is posted in the cab). Larger than sedan limousines can be reserved, also useful for airport trips with lots of luggage, by calling any of the dozens of companies in the yellow pages.

Be wary of unlicensed cars (known as ‘gypsy cabs’) cruising for passengers, especially near the airports. While drivers may claim to offer you a cheaper rate than an actual taxi, your chances of actually getting this rate (not to mention getting to your destination safely and quickly) are slim. If you are in doubt, ask an airport staffer for help finding a cab or cabstand. Major airports have taxi information cards for passengers.

For all cabs, you pay the tolls for bridges, tunnels and highways, even if the cab has an E-ZPass to use the express toll lane. Be careful of being overcharged by cabbies for toll crossings—on some bridges and tunnels (like the Queens-Midtown Tunnel) rates are not posted in plain view. So, a crossing which actually cost the cab driver $4 is easily passed onto the unsuspecting passenger as a $5 charge. Outside the city, other than flat fare destinations and Newark Airport, meter rates are doubled (when going to Westchester or Nassau County).

There are also bizarre van and shuttle services in different parts of the city. You will have to ask where it is going and how much it costs. Usually, you will see people lining up and some mysterious van will appear and they will board. There are services between Chinatown and Queens (you won’t have to make any transfers if it goes where you need to go!), and also there are separate services in Brooklyn, and Queens. Many of these services are branded as “Dollar Vans” (actually costing $1.25), and follow major bus routes. One should use good judgment before using these vans to prevent getting cheated out of money, or something considerably worse than losing money.

By bicycle

Cycling in Manhattan can often be quicker than taking the subway or a taxi, but it isn’t for the fainthearted. New York City’s tumultuous traffic makes biking difficult. Aggressive cab drivers, jaywalking pedestrians, potholes and debris on the roads create a cycling experience that might just as well have been taken from Dante’s Inferno. If you do venture into the concrete jungle on a bike, make sure you wear a helmet and have sufficient experience in urban cycling. Despite the hazards, around 100,000 New Yorkers commute to work by bicycle every day, taking advantage of the reasonably flat geography and compactness of the island. Conditions are likely to improve in future, as the city expands the cycle lane network and completes the traffic-free greenway encircling the whole of Manhattan.

PATH to Jersey City, Newark, and Hoboken

PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) is a subway type system connecting Newark and various points on the New Jersey shore of the Hudson River with New York City. Two lines pass under the Hudson and enter the city, one terminating at a temporary World Trade Center site station in downtown, the other at 33rd Street in midtown. The 33rd Street Station was once connected underground to Penn Station, but now, presumably due to security concerns, the underground passage is closed and you must walk a block west on the surface of 33rd.

Amsterdam – Netherland

Amsterdam – Netherland

Basic facts about Amsterdam

Although the seat of Netherlands government is in The Hague, Amsterdam is the nominal capital. It is also the country’s largest city, with a population of more than 750,000, and the most visited, with over 3,5 million foreign visitors a year.

The Netherlands is a country situated in Western Europe, bordering Belgium to the south and Germany to the east. To its north and west is the North Sea. Although the Netherlands is the country’s official name, people often call it Holland. The provinces of North Holland and South Holland form only part of the Netherlands.

Amsterdam figures:
Population: 751,000
Country: The Netherlands
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1
Telephone area code: 020                   

Currency
The currency in the Netherlands is the Euro ( € , EUR), which is used in almost all countries within the European Union. For details on changing money and methods of payment see our tips for visitors.

Climate in the Netherlands
The warmest weather is from June to August, with temperatures between 21 – 26 degrees Celsius. There are rarely extreme temperatures. The air is relatively humid and fog is common in autumn and spring. There are stronger winds from October to March. Click for weather.

History of Amsterdam
Amsterdam, probably the most planned city of northern Europe, has long been a well-known city. In the 17th century Amsterdam was the centre of world economy, and nowadays the city is known for its tolerant character.

Dutch holiday
A Dutch holiday can add a festive note to your trip, particularly if it involves a parade or special observance somewhere in the country. But expect banks, shops, and most museums to be closed, and public transportation to operate on Sunday schedules for the listed holidays.

Architecture
Amsterdam is where modern architecture developed organically between facades of historical buildings. Since it is not a big city, all sites of interest are within an acceptable distance. This is why Amsterdam is so popular with lovers of architecture.

Amsterdam in figures
Some interesting figures on how many bicycles, bridges, canals, cinemas or markets one can find in Amsterdam, as well as some statistics about the tourists and day visitors to Amsterdam.

Timing your visit
Any time can be the best time to visit Amsterdam. The peak of the tourist season is July and August, when the weather is the finest. Weather, however, is never really extreme at any time of year, and if you’re one of the growing numbers who favor off-season travel, you’ll find the city every bit as attractive during these months. Not only are airlines, hotels, and restaurants cheaper and less crowded during this time (with more relaxed and cheerful service), but there are also some very appealing events going on. For example, the bulb fields near Amsterdam are bursting with colour from mid-April to mid-May. The cultural season is in full swing between September and May in Amsterdam, along with The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and other nearby towns and cities.

Events
A variety of cultural events and festivals are held thoughout the year in Amsterdam, some of them with an English-speaking public in mind. For more on events in Amsterdam please visit the web site of Amsterdam Tourist Board:

Amsterdam tourist attractions and sights

Amsterdam has a broad spectrum of recreational and cultural sights that range from fascinating old buildings, like the Oude Kerk, to oddities such as the Hash Marihuana Museum.

Museums are the main tourist attraction in Amsterdam. Everyone knows the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum, but there is much, much more. Amsterdam has over fifty museums which attract many millions of visitors every year. Read more about the museums in Amsterdam. The following sites and monuments should also be of interest and are an essential part of the Amsterdam experience.

Oude Kerk
This old church with little houses clinging to its sides, remains a calm heaven at the heart of the freneric Red Light District. Its buildings, especially the Gothic-renaissance style octagonal bell tower, was used by sailors to get their bearings.

Dam square
The Dam is the very centre and heart of Amsterdam, although there are arguably prettier sights in the city. As an historical site however, it is fascinating and worth taking the time to appreciate. The Dam has seen many historical dramas unfold over the years, and was for example, the reception area for Napoleon and his troops during the 1808 take-over of the city. The impressive history of the square is well documented in the Amsterdam Historical Museum. The Royal Palace (Koninklijk Paleis) which dominates the square, was originally used as the town hall and its classical facade and fine sculptures were intended to glorify the city of Amsterdam and its government. In contrast to its turbulent history, the square is now a peaceful place and is home to hundreds of pigeons and tourists resting their tired feet.

Begijnhof
A narrow, vaulted passageway leads to this charming garden surrounded by old houses. The houses in the courtyard were once occupied by devout celibate Béguine nuns and are still home to single women today. In the centre of the lawns is a medieval church and at No.34 stands the oldest house in Amsterdam. The entrance is on the Spui and is indicated by a carved sign. Entry is free, but you must be quiet!

Amsterdam’s canals
The number of canals have led Amsterdam to become known as “The Venice of the North”. And thus, a trip to Amsterdam is not complete without a boat cruise. A canal tour can be both fascinating and relaxing by day and enchanting and romantic at night when many of the houses and bridges are illuminated. The four main city center canals are Prinsengracht, Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Singel. There are also numerous smaller canals in the neighbourhood of Jordaan, of which the Brouwersgracht, the Bloemgracht and the Leliegracht are especially pleasant.

Magere Brug
Of Amsterdam’s 1280 or so bridges, the Magere Brug, or “ Skinny Bridge” is the most famous. It is a traditional double-leaf, Dutch draw-bridge connecting the banks of the river Amstel. Approximately every twenty minutes, the bridge opens to let boats through. The original bridge was built in 1670, but as the traffic on Amstel increased, a wider bridge was built to replace the narrow one.

Jordaan
Once a working class area, Amsterdam’s Jordaan has become greatly sought after. The converted warehouses are especially popular, and the Jordaan is now inhabited by a colorful mixture of students, well-to-do businessmen and creative professionals. The Jordaan oozes atmosphere with its narrow streets, picturesque canals, brown cafes, art galleries and unique shops. You can easily lose yourself in a pleasant stroll in through the enchanting streets that connect the 3 main canals.

Rembrandtplein (square)

Rembrandtplein is lined with pubs, restaurants, cafes and hotels and is thus a tourist magnet. A popular centre for nightlife, it also includes traditional Dutch pubs which play real Dutch music. In summer, the terraces are packed with people enjoying a drink and watching the world go by. In the centre of the square is a small but pleasant park where you can relax or pay homage at the statue of Rembrandt. Around the area you’ll also find quality night clubs, venues, respectable diamond dealers and the inevitable tacky souvenir shops.

Leidseplein (square)

The Leidseplein or Leidse-square is one of Amsterdam’s most popular centres for nightlife. With many restaurants, clubs, coffeeshops, cinemas and  theatres in the area, the Leidseplein is vibrant and colourful. On warm summer evenings, tourists and locals alike take advantage of the pubs’ outdoor seating for a long, lazy drinks with friends. Street musicians, jugglers, fire-eaters and other performers liven up the square, often till the early hours.

Albert Cuyp market

The Albert Cuypmarkt is arguably the best-known and busiest outdoor market in Europe. It attracts thousands of visitors every day, and is especially popular on Saturdays. There are over 300 stalls and goods range from fresh produce, to clothes, to odds and ends, with prices among the cheapest in Amsterdam. The market is located in the Pijp district, surrounded by many pleasant cafes and small shops. There is another number of regular street markets in Amsterdam.

Artis ZOO

Right in the center of Amsterdam, you can also find the oldest Zoo of Holland. It consists of four main areas: Zoo, Planetarium, Botanical Gardens and Geological and Zoological museum. In the zoo itself you will find animals from all over the world. In addition, a unique canal aquarium shows you which animals roam the canals of Amsterdam. The planetarium offers children a trip trough the universe. In the peaceful gardens, you can find many old trees and statues of contemporary artists and aswell as an impressive, tropical rainforest greenhouse. The Geological museum shows you how the planet has evolved over the past 4 billion years.

Vondelpark
The Vondelpark is located in the south of Amsterdam, just five minutes walk from the Leidseplein and in walking distance from the Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk Museum and Van Gogh Museum. With 10 million visitors a year, the Vondelpark is the most famous park in the Netherlands.

Hortus Botanicus – the Botanical Garden
Amsterdam has a big and attractive botanical garden called Hortus Botanicus, one of the oldest in the world (est. 1632). It has more than 6000 plants and some of the plants are really unique as 2000 years old agave cactus. In the recently renovated Orangery of Hortus Botanicus, a beautiful café with a large outside terrace open to the garden welcomes the visitors. Located in a short walking distance from the Rembrandts House, very close to Artis – Amsterdam ZOO, the Jewish Historical Museum and the Resistance Museum, Hortus Botanicus remains a pleasurable oasis of peace in the busy and crowded Amsterdam centre.

Squares in Amsterdam
The city squares symbolize the whole areas of the city with their activity and the character. Big and open Dam square with the Palace of the Queen and the best department store has a central role in town; Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein are entertainment and tourism centers while the Museumplein name speaks for itself. Nieuwmarkt, Westermarkt and Noordermarkt are old markets, which found today a new function, each of them different. Even a small square called het Spui has its own special character, making it a real fun to visit.

Amsterdam parks
Amsterdam has a number of beautiful, quiet parks where you can relax during the busy day in town. The largest of them – Vondelpark is located in the very centre of the city. Other parks as Beatrixpark, Frankendael, Sarphatipark, Amstelpark, Westerpark are quiet, well-maintained community parks. An artificial forest just South of Amsterdam – Amsterdamse Bos is today a big nature reserve, with many attractions.

Amsterdam windmills
A trip to Holland just wouldn’t be complete without a visit to a windmill. Believe it or not, there are 8 stunning windmills in at the heart of the city just waiting to admired. Don’t forget to take your camera.
Landmark hotels of Amsterdam
Finally, Amsterdam has a number of the landmarks hotels, which stand out above the hundreds of buildings in the town. Among the there are the old and dignified historic hotels as Hotel Krasnapolsky and Amstel Hotel, and the modern, international hotels as Amsterdam Hilton and Okura Amsterdam, along with several other excellent, five-star hotels.