Jaunted - Tag: Monuments

Washington: The Kayaking Craze Means Prime Seats For Washington's Monuments

BS — 2009-07-20T15:41:22-05:00

New York’s Hudson River isn’t the only scenic-but-questionably-sanitary urban waterway getting in on the kayak craze. Boating down DC’s Potomac River yields an inexpensive and crowd-free way to see the Washington tourist sites.

The Thompson Boat Center in Rock Creek Park offers kayak rentals, from $8 an hour/$24 a day for single boats and $10 an hour/$30 a day for doubles. The Boat Center is right in the middle of the city, and with just a few paddles in either direction you’ll sail past the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and the Kennedy Center, as well as the picturesque Georgetown waterfront. For a more adventurous day, pack a picnic lunch and stop off for a hike at Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial, the relatively un-traveled, car-free park set on the DC-Virginia border.

The boat center opens at 8 am and in our experience, it’s best to get there before noon—kayaks can’t be reserved and are often rented out by early afternoon.

Oh, and as in the Hudson, try to keep your hands out of that water.

Related Stories:
· The Thompson Boat Center [Official Site]
· Kayaking Trend Going Strong Into 2009 a> [Jaunted]
· NPR Confirms Kayaks Are the Hotness for 2008 [Jaunted]

[Photo: Marciela]

Philadelphia: Jaunted How-To Guide: The Liberty Bell

BS — 2009-06-08T11:27:08-05:00

If you ever find yourself visiting Philadelphia for the first time, the Liberty Bell is going to definitely fall into that category of "I've got to see it once, but OMFG there are way too many people here!" Fortunately, Jaunted has your how-to guide for checking this must-do tourist trap off your list.

Washington: Jaunted How-To Guide: The Washington Monument

BS — 2009-05-28T13:52:05-05:00

Now that the cherry blossoms have come and gone and Screen on the Green is a no-go, it looks like it's back to the classic tourist sites for summer visitors to Washington, DC. First and foremost is the Washington Monument, a zoo of a tourist trap that has led many swearing 'never again.' But, if you can brave the crowds and make it to the top, the view of DC (and almost 30 miles beyond) is really to die for, so it's one of those things that's worth doing once. Luckily, Jaunted has your super-simple guide for how to get to the top:

Bratislava: Chasing the Queen: Today She's Opening a Fence

amandak — 2008-10-23T09:00:50-05:00

We didn't think ol' Queen Elizabeth II was getting so many gigs these days, but today she's journeying to the Slovak capital of Bratislava to do a spot of monument unveiling.

In fact she'll be just outside Bratislava at the old ruin of Devin Castle, on the border to Austria. Her Majesty will officially open an iron sculpture sitting on the spot where the Iron Curtain--in this case a barbed wire fence between Austria and Slovakia--used to stand.

Today it'll be all fanfare and nice cups of tea, but it wasn't that long ago that you could've been shot for trying to cross over that part of the border. Of course if the 82-year-old Queen tries walking around the rickety walls of Devin Castle, it'll be just as dangerous for her, so we hope plenty of Slovaks are there to catch her if she falls.

Related Stories:
· British Queen to Unveil Iron Curtain Memorial at Devin Border [TASR]
· Devin Castle [Official Site]
· Slovakia Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: themanwithsalthair]

Tokyo: Brit Posing as Spaniard in Tokyo Vies for World's Worst Tourist Title

ced138 — 2008-10-08T09:30:40-05:00

We've debated for years about who to call the World's Worst Tourists. Germans? Brits? Aussies? All of the above?

This week, the international incident award goes to ~~Spain~~ the UK*, whose citizen dove into the moat around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Even better, the guy proceeded to flail around like an obnoxious gaijin:

The middle-aged man jumped into the water, climbed the palace wall and splashed water at police who tried to catch him from a row boat.

Oh, yes, it gets better...

Washington: 48 Hours in Washington D.C. - Part 3: Popped Collars and Lacklustre Cuisine

Victor Ozols — 2008-09-06T13:42:16-05:00

Jaunted weekend editor Victor Ozols escaped from New York over the Labor Day holiday for a blissful getaway to Washington D.C. He recounts the hits and misses of his time in the nation's capital in this three-part series.

After getting cleaned up from our museum adventure, we walked down M Street in Georgetown. I grew up in Northern Virginia but really couldn't claim any good knowledge of DC prior to this trip, so I actually thought Georgetown was the hip place to hang out. John pointed out the preponderance of "popped-collar douchebags" in G-town, and he was right, though they didn't particularly bother us. Adams Morgan and the U Street Corridor (with places like the Black Cat) are much hipper locales. But we didn't really care, and enjoyed our stroll through Georgetown, peering into several restaurants before finally deciding to dine at Ristorante Piccolo on 31st Street. Our meal was an enjoyable disaster.

Washington: 48 Hours in Washington D.C. - Part 2: Loving Those Free Museums

Victor Ozols — 2008-09-06T13:07:41-05:00

It's crucial to have a good place to get take-out coffee near your hotel, and the Renaissance M Street had a great one, an Illy coffee bar located just off the hotel lobby. Two large caffe filtros only cost $4.18 and got us plenty fired up for a day of museums. We drank our coffees and then walked past the White House to the Mall, snapping pictures and entertaining the idea of someday leaving New York and finding a place in D.C.

Our first stop was at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History. It's great that all the Smithsonian museums are free. They just check your bags for bombs and stuff, but you don't need tickets or anything, just stroll your ass right on in the museum. In New York you'd have to pay like $15 for each adult ticket. That's a major point in D.C.'s favor.