New York Yankees & Yankee Stadium

Built in 1923, Yankee Stadium is the home of the New York Yankees, with capacity to seat more than 57,000 eager fans. Some of baseball’s greatest players have called the stadium home, including no less than Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio. In fact, the team is the most successful franchise in sports history, and that tradition continues today. Suite and party facilities are also available for those looking for something slightly more private. Admission is USD10 and up.

Church of Our Lady before Tyn

This fairy tale Gothic church with its twin towers is an Old Town landmark, and its ominous presence has dominated the square for centuries. Most noteworthy on the inside is the tomb of Rudolf II’s personal astronomer, Tycho Brahe. When lit up at night, it adds to the “magic Prague” effect the city has on many visitors. Work on the church began in the first half of the 14th century but it was not until the end of the 16th century that it was completed. Its 80-meter towers topped by four small spires were customary during the reign of Emperor Charles IV.

VILLA BÍLEK

Villa Bílek in the street Mickiewiczova in Hradčany was founded in 1911 according to the author´s own design and was the result of his search for authentic expression of explanation of the substance of the world. Bílek´s Prague villa expresses the author´s mystical conception of a cornfield and its layout plan is taken from concepts of the scythe- it is formed by annulus. The walls of fair-faced and brickwork masonry are rhythmically articulated divided by light pillars (“ear sheaf”), which with their morphology evoke Egyptian architecture. Even the interior layout with dominating spacious studio and interior decoration with fittings made mostly by Bílek himself was assigned with a mystical conception.

Since 1963 Villa Bílek has been maintained by the GHMP. In the permanent exposition located in the villa are presented Bílek´s works from his vintage creative period, as well as original interior fittings.

Antonin Dvorak Museum

There are modest displays on the life and works of the most famous of Czech composers, with his music ever-playing in the background. The charming upstairs hall is used for concerts during tourist season. The jewel-box-like house itself dates to the early 18th century, when a local nobleman commissioned the great Baroque architect Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer (best known for his two St. Nicholas churches in Prague, one in the Old Town and the other in Mala Strana) to design a weekend retreat in what were then the rural outskirts of town.

Tudor City. Manhattan

Tudor City is a historic district in Midtown Manhattan developed in the 1920s by Fred F. French. It comprises 12 buildings in Tudor style.
In the 1920s, the Fred F. French company started to buy lots on the east side of Midtown Manhattan for a large housing project. The run-down area consisted mostly of tenements and brownhouses, bordered on the east by a gas company, breweries and slaughterhouses, causing filth and an unbearable smell.

Tudor City
In 1925 Fred F French – also known for the Fred F. French Building and Knickerbocker village – started construction of what he called ‘The largest project in Midtown’. The project was named Tudor City.
Completed in 1928, it consisted of 12 apartment buildings containing 3000 housing units and 600 hotel rooms. The design by the architect H. Douglas Ives and his team was based heavily on the Tudor Style, an architectural style prevalent during the Tudor Dynasty. Characteristic for this style is the brickwork and the application of fine intricate stonework.

Attracting the Middle Class
In an effort to attract part of the middle class that had moved to suburban areas, the buildings featured many amenities and was well ahead of its time. It also boasted two private gardens in the center.
In order to shield the apartments from the slaughterhouses on the east side, the buildings all face inwards towards the parks and have very few windows on the east side.
The slaughterhouses were eventually demolished in the 1940s to make way for the United Nations Headquarters.

Tudor City Today
Tudor City currently houses about 5000 people and most of the apartments and hotel rooms are now co-operative housing projects. It is based on a plateau that seems to isolate it from the rest of Midtown, creating a quiet refuge from hectic Manhattan.

A Historic District
The area became a historic district May 17, 1988. It comprises an area from 40th street to 43rd street between First and Second Ave.

Curieuse

Although it is Seychelles’s fifth-largest granitic island, Curieuse is uninhabited except for a handful of people who work for Curieuse Marine Park and is only open to visitors during the day. A boardwalk enables visitors to stroll through the island’s huge mangrove swamp for a close-up look of the ecosystem. Also worth a visit are the ruins of the island’s old leper colony, including the Doctor’s House, a fine example of colonial architecture. The waters off Curieuse and the nearby islet of St Pierre are great for snorkeling.

Statue of Liberty

For the many immigrants that flocked from Europe to New York, the Statue of Liberty was the first image they saw of the USA. The statue was a gift from the French government for the 100th birthday of America’s Independence.

Design
The statue was designed by a young French sculptor, Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, who was striving to build a statue like the great Colossus that once stood at the Greek island Rhodos. The statue’s face was modeled after his mother’s and the story goes that the body was modeled after a prostitute. The steel framework was made by Gustave Eiffel, who also built the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Construction
The Statue of Liberty was constructed in Paris, France and sent to the USA in 214 crates. The biggest and most embarrassing problem was the construction of the pedestal, which had to be paid for by the Americans themselves. The statue’s torch was displayed in Madison Square park for six years in an attempt to spark interest and attract funds. But it was only after publisher Joseph Pulitzer published the names of those who donated money for the project that the funds started flowing in. Eventually, the statue was erected 10 years late, in 1886.

The Statue of Liberty is 46,5 meter (151ft) high and together with the pedestal it reaches 93 meter (305ft). You can take the staircase inside the statue and walk all the way up the 354 steps to the head from where you have a nice view on New York City.
Currently only time-limited tickets are available for those wanting to enter the monument itself. For more info on how to get tickets to the Liberty Island, take a look at this website.

What to Take

Light cotton clothing is best for Seychelles’s hot, humid climate. A good pair of walking shoes is essential. Though dress is casual and ties and jackets are seldom worn, men are expected to wear pants after sunset. Consider packing film and suntan lotion, which are available in Seychelles but are quite pricey.

Shopping

Local handicrafts include work with textiles (such as batik), fibres (such as basketwares, tablemats and hats) and wood (such as traditional furniture, ornaments and model boats). Pottery and paintings may also be bought. Special souvenirs might include jewellery made from green snail shells. Tea-growing and manufacturing in the Seychelles is done on a small scale. Local tea can be bought in the shops or when visiting the tea factory on Mahé, where many blends of tea may be sampled at the Tea Tavern. Vanilla is cultivated as a climbing plant around the base of trees as it can be pollinated by hand. Pods can be bought in shops and used as flavouring. Cinnamon grows wild on all the islands. It can be bought as oil or in quills made from dried bark which can be freshly grated before use.
Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1700, Sat 0800-1200. Some shops close weekdays 1200-1300.

Surfside Beach, Nantucket

Like Jetties Beach, Surfside Beach is considered a great family destination with all the fixings for a great beach day, including some decent surf. Lifeguards, restrooms, public phone, parking and a food stand are amongst the amenities found at Surfside. If you don’t have your own car on the Island, you can take the Nantucket Regional Transit Authority (NRTA) shuttle bus from town or bike along the 3 mile Surfside Bike Path directly to the beach.