More reasons to head to South Dakota: The Black Hills

by Jamie Rhein on

Catherine’s already told us about South Dakota having the geographical center of the United States. I thought of this last night when a friend was telling me about her road trip by herself to Montana from Ohio. There are many reasons to head here. My friend mentioned the Black Hills and the Badlands as high points. I’ve been through this part of the U.S. a few times myself and can say, it is truly spectacular and worth a trip or two. Both my friend and I said that this is a part of the U.S. to visit more than once. You can’t possibly take in all that’s fantastic in one sweep.

There’s a new blog to help travelers plan out their trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. It’s easy to remember the name of it. The Black Hills Travel Blog is one of those that shines. Here you’ll find info about the attractions, tips, traveler’s tale and features.

I remember after we left Mt. Rushmore (I recommend it. There’s a reason why it’s a National Park), I thought that the area around it would be a fine place to park for a few days of exploring. Nice to know there’s another resource to help plan a trip. This is a slick, well done Web site with lush photos and videos.

Where do most Americans go on holiday?

by Abha Malpani on


The Guardian 2007 Travel Awards gave us an idea of British travel trends, so I thought it would be interesting to see some American ones.

Compiled by the US Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, the top 10 countries Americans visited the most in 2006 are:
1)Mexico
2)Canada
3)UK — gives Americans “the feeling that they’re going somewhere different, but also that they’re home.”
4)France
5)Italy
6)Germany
7)Jamaica — Americans feel it’s “familiar yet mysterious”.
8)Bahamas
9)Japan
10)China

The list isn’t a surprise; however it’s hard to track where Americans go once they’ve left the States.

Nevertheless, basis this list, the article draws some conclusions:

  • Americans are generally drawn to the familiar.
  • A good section of Americans are adventurous as they venture to different continents (China has broken into the top 10), and are exploring non-cliché parts of destinations such as the UK and France.
  • The economic and political image of the country Americans travel to, matters.
  • The fall in the dollar is compensated for in European countries simply by spending less!

The full piece and statistics can be found here.

A Rittenhouse Gem: The Rosenbach Museum

by Kelly Amabile on

While engrossed in my entertaining introduction to vampires last week, I learned about a fantastic museum in Philadelphia that I’m eager to visit. The Rosenbach Museum and Library is housed in the former residence of two brothers: Dr. A.S.W. and Philip Rosenbach. The siblings were experts in decorative arts and collected rare books and manuscripts, many of which became part of this unique museum and research center.

Eric Nuzum visited the Rosenbach to review Bram Stoker’s notes and outline for Dracula, which are part of the museum’s permanent collection, along with a celebrated first edition copy of Don Quixote, more than 600 letters written by Lewis Carroll, and over 10,000 drawings and sketches by author and illustrator Maurice Sendak. The museum hosts a variety of creative exhibits and programming throughout the year, and runs guided tours of the home. Recently, they began offering a hands-on tour: Made in Philadelphia, which focuses on decorative arts created in the city between 1750 and 1850. Visitors are invited to look closely and even handle selected pieces of furniture and silver.

A museum that hosts an annual Dracula Festival and lets you touch things?! Sounds like a place not to be missed. They’ve got a blog too.

Diwali–Festival of Light

by Jamie Rhein on

This year Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Light is November 9. As with many celebrations that involve candles, it symbolizes the rescue from a dark period of time where evil has had control into a time of peace, goodness and well-being. Diwali,signifies when Lord Rama, his wife Sita and brother Laxman returned to Aydhoya from their 14 years of exile after Rama killed King Ravana, the demon. Ravana was one nasty fellow. After Ravana’s death, Lord Rama is crowned king and all is right with the world.

The story of Rama is a long one with many chapters and is the subject of much drama, story-telling, dance and art throughout the year. This segment is my favorite. In India, the different regions have different Diwali traditions.

I first learned of Diwali when we lived in Singapore. In Little India, during the days leading up to it, you could buy wonderful brightly colored decorations depicting Rama and Sita. But, my favorite items were the simple, shallow clay candle holders that held small tea light-sized neon candles.

People place these candles everywhere-on window sills, on tables, along walkways– to symbolize the light that comes after darkness. In India, Diwalli decorations are as plentiful as Christmas decorations are in the U.S.

For Hindus, this is a time for giving thanks for one’s wealth and prosperity no matter how poor one might be. This is a time of year when people exchange cards, sweets, clean their houses in preparation, wear their nicest clothes and go to temple to pray. The temples are decorated as well. Here are some pooja decoration ideas you can try at home.

There are other places in the world where you might come across Diwali celebrations. For example, in Kenya and Tanzania, 1% of the population is Hindu and live in closely knit communities. There are enough Hindus that Diwali is a national holiday. Other Diwali hotspots: Mauritius, Nepal, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Japan Thailand, South Africa, Britain, Australia,Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Surinam, Fiji.

We do have a few candle holders left. I gave some away as presents. I need to remember to get them out. The street scene photo is at the entrance of Little India off Serangoon Rd. in Singapore. It was posted on the Diwali entry on Wikipedia.

Are diamonds forever? a best friend? Best place to get them

by Jamie Rhein on

I’m not a diamond kind of gal. I don’t quite get the fuss, but when I saw the Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History this summer I thought, now that is impressive. If you are a person who is into diamonds, heading to the Diamond District in New York is one way to save lots of money for a gem–more than 50 % if you hit the right dealer who is willing to bargain down.

That’s because almost all diamonds entering the U.S. have a New York City stopover where they are cut, polished and sold before they end up in jewelry stores elsewhere. Reading about the Diamond District in Si Liberman’s article in the Columbus Dispatch reminded me about going a mall of outlet stores, but the deals are better on the diamonds.

I did receive a diamond as a gift once. It came in a small plastic bag, with a zip-lock top. From what I recall my friend got it from his sister’s best friend’s father’s jewelery store. The store was out on Long Island, but the father made frequent trips to the Diamond District for his diamond goods. My friend explained how he picked it because it had the elements of an excellent diamond: cut, color and clarity. It wasn’t big (carat weight is the other value marker) because that would have knocked it out of his price rang. He bought the best he could afford and I had it made into an earring, but alas, it was stolen one of the few times someone broke into my apartment when I was living in Albuquerque. This was one of the only two pieces of jewelry taken. Someone knew what he was doing. (The photo diamonds are fake.)

If you do go to the Diamond District don’t just buy from anyone. Make sure you are at a reputable dealer and find out if the diamond has been altered to get rid of flaws. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy it, but the value isn’t as high.