BL Travel Guide: A Locals Guide to YOUR TOWN!

[Pander Bear]

^^
no pics of Vandy, and no pics of what very well may be the southern-most Whitecastle franchise in the US of A. What kind of nashvillian are you.

I'll do Athens, GA sometime soon.

 

[FoxxyLady]

the parthenon is a museum that is beautiful but it did not have alot on the inside, though that could have changed. it is at centennial park and gardens.

the inside, second floor of the parthenon

this is Vandy(Vanderbilt University) don't know much about it.

and finally our naked orgy statues(another thing on music row)

 

[TheInstigator]

I just want to add, you forgot the zoo, which is also a stones throw away from the city. You could make some mention of the ferrys too, through rough waters they can be quite fun. Also the sydney museum blows, and from what I remember I had to PAY to get in. Good thread though. If I can be fucked after work tomorrow I'll take my camera and cruise through the streets of my city and take some happy snaps for ya'll

 

[Pander Bear]

Athens, Georgia - United States

I'll only be here for a few more weeks, which has got me waxing nostalgic a bit prematurely about my on and off home for the past 6 years. Here's where I'd Take an out of towner. Bear in Mind that Athens is only a town of 100,000 (as of the last census), so you wont be swimming with killer whales, or climbing mountains, but you wont have to settle for tipping cows either.

1) The 40 Watt Club

One of the most well known rock clubs in the united states, and easily the best in the South. This is where Pylon, R.E.M. the B-52s, Sound Tribe Sector Nine, Widespread Panic, The Olivia Trmor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, Of Montreal, Circulatory System, and Vic Chesnutt all got their start.

2) The Tree That Owns Itself

I've Heard that Thomas Jefferson sat beneath it and that's why it was willed it's freedom upon the death of the landowner. Wikipedia has some more detailed information about it. I like the Jefferson Story, myself.

3) Sanford Stadium

Well, there it is, the Sanctum Sanctorum. It seats approx. 93,000, and is used for about 20 hours a year. It cost 360,000. Its worth every penny tho In one corner, by the home team locker room, is the mausoleum wherein the earthly remains of Uga I-V repose. Uga is the University of Georgia's mascot, an English Bulldog.

4) The Arch / downtown / UGA Campus

Scenic Gateway to UGA's North Campus (modeled after Yale University) or Historic downtown Athens, depending on which way you're walking. On campus you can see where the President of the Confederate States of America lived his freshman year (he shared a room with Crawford Long, the first guy to use ether for medical anesthesia). Opposite the Arch is a Ben and Jerry's and a Starbucks.

5) Hot Corner Coffee

Not much to look at, but very, very fresh coffee. Roasted on-site daily and allowed to sweat/mature for a day or two. I'll put this up against fairnymph and Finder's coffee houses any day. I'd take you all to the roasting facility for the other cafes in town, but thats a secret and has no pictures.

6) The State Botanical Garden of Georgia

300 acres of formal gardens, hiking trails, and good places to dump a body. It border the Oconee river, which is a nice place to go rafting. Also, this one time, I got lost on a trail, and stumbled upon a fenced off area with razorwire on top, and radiation hazard signs on the fence... awesome.

7) a tour of the Dive-Ass places I've lived

This last place, (not pictured), gives any urban crack hosue a run for its money. Used hypodermic needles everywhere, coke bags, straws, use condoms, random stains on the wall, broken glass everywhere, semen on walls, bullet holes, stolen car stereos, crackheads for neighbors, hookers. SO ALIVE, THIS CITY!

8) The Middle of Fucking nowhere.

Athens, the city proper, is convienently located 30 minutes from the middle of nowhere in all directions. Whether your bag is boiled peanuts, shooting animals, white supremacy, or just kudzu and the absence of light pollution (my personal favorites, just barely beating out white supremacy), Athens offers the perfect staging ground for your Deliverence-style Southern experience.

We'd also totally stop by a waffle house, gumbys, and my dealer's place.

 

[dr seuss]

awesome thread, and great to see some bluelighters' respective abodes!

Cambridge, UK

Cambridge is a not-quite-bustling town in East Anglia, about an hour away from London. it is not to be confused with Cambridge, MA, even though both places have a) great universities and b) fuckloads of americans :D

Cambridge has just celebrated its octocentennary. i'm no mathematician, but i can remember australia's bicentennary. incidentally, the Mathematical Bridge is where people go to figure out the difference between bi & octo:

it is also well known for its collection of Knobs, Wankers and Toffs. there genuinely are people who dress like this:

non-ironically.

but really, Cambridge is famous for its beauty and its Colleges. it lies on the river Cam...

and is home to famous Colleges such as...

King's

Trinity

St John's

Corpus Christi

Magdalene

along with the monolithic University Library, which holds a copy of every printed work published in the UK (and plenty of others too!)

 

[rashandreflex]

One thing it's known for is the salvador Dali Museum

that is really cool. i'd like to go.

 

[Belisarius]

Don't feel like posting any pictures, so I'll just list the highlights:

1.) The Riverwalk: Glitzy outdoor-indoor mall and tourist trap par excellence.

2.) Sea World: One of only three in the country, IIRC. Great place to spend the day.

3.) The Bonham: The city's most famous gay bar and club, frequented by plenty of straights as well.

4.) Hog Wild: A specialty music store that's been around forever; the only place in town to find some obscure rock and alternative albums.

5.) The White Rabbit: A thoroughly dingy dive that's been a staple of the punk and heavy metal community for years. Lots of bands open here.

6.) Sam's Burger Joint: Recently discovered this gem; it's a pretty laid back place that has all sorts of things go on through the year: poetry readings, swing dancing lessons and nights, fetish parties.

7.) Six Flags Fiesta Texas: Rather small as theme parks go, but worth a day for the rides.

8.) The Missions: I mean the missions *besides* the Alamo, the ones that will give you a real feel for Spanish Texas. If you're willing to go well off the beaten path, Mission Espada and Mission Concepcion are beautiful locales.

 

[rm-rf]

Derpstown, Pennsyltuckia

Theres like, a grocery store, some ahmish run foodstuff stores, bunch of gas stations, a wal mart, unmaintained roads, tons of herbs and like dope and shit, and about 37 bars. Oh we had a kmart but like walmart kind of...ate it. Oh lots of fast food resteraunts, but i prefer to eat at the bars. You can travel about 25-30 mins and go to a mall too.

Great place to throw field parties tho

 

[DG]

boston

Trinity Church

Old North Church...one if by land...two if by sea

Fenway Park

Old state house from 1700s i believe, oldest building in boston

Faneuil Hall

Newbury Street

State house

Green line train (there is red, purple, green, blue, and orange)

 

[DarthMom]

the most interesting picture i could find while googling my town was a naked old man holding his penis. poor guy, bet he didn't realize his kids would see his pic when searching for information on their hometown.

http://images.google.com/images?q=m....mozilla:en-US:official&start=18&sa=N&ndsp=18

aside from that, we have beaches.

so basically, if you visit me here, you can see beaches and penises. both at the same time if we drive 30 minutes north to the nudie beach.

 

[L2R]

nice work everyone! keep em coming

 

[Bi KaNd*E* RaVeR]

Middletown, NJ
full of history, pretty parks and water and rich people! :D

Pews Creek

Poricy Park

Where i hide dead bodies

hehe

We dont have sidewalks.. i hate that!

Waackaack Creek (i just like the name hehe)

Gove dedicated to the 9/11 victims of the town..

The Navesink River

(derek jeter has a house here)

our beach

This is our liquor store mascot.. he's jerking off into your beer!

more latah..

 

[Bi KaNd*E* RaVeR]

oh fuck you flickr.. you suck at pictures!!

 

[saturnine]

Chicago

Chicago (pron. ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ (help·info)) is the largest city in Illinois and the third-most populous city in the United States, with approximately 2.9 million people. "Chicago" also refers to the Chicago Metropolitan area, known as Chicagoland, with a population of 9.4 million in three states. It is located along the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan and is a center of transportation, industry, politics, finance and higher education.

Chicago is known as the "Second City," the "Windy City," the "City of Big Shoulders", "Chi-City,"and "Chi-town." When combined with its suburbs and nine surrounding counties in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana, the greater metropolitan area known as Chicagoland encompasses a population greater than 9.4 million,[1] making it the third largest in the United States. Chicagoland is predicted to have a population of 10 million by 2007.

Since its foundation in 1833 as a frontier town of the Old Northwest, Chicago has grown into one of the ten most influential world cities.[2] Chicago today is the financial, economic, and cultural capital of the Midwest, and is recognized as a major transportation, business, and architectural center. The city's skyscrapers, local cuisine, political traditions, and sports teams are some of its most recognized symbols.

Chicago RIver

Museum of Science & Industry

The CTA Blue Line at O'Hare Airport

The Field Museum

The Adler Planetarium

Built in 1930, The Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum was the first planetarium built in the Western Hemisphere and is the oldest in existence today.

Shedd Aquarium

Art Institute of Chicago

Navy Pier

Wrigley Field

The DuSable Museum of African American History

Lincoln Park Zoo

The Picasso

Frank Lloyd Wright's Home & Studio

Millennium Park

Museum of Contemporary Art

Chicago Botanic Garden

 

[saturnine]

Bridge near Wrigley Building

Chicago Tribune Building

Buckingham Fountain

Abraham Lincoln Statue in Lincoln Park

 

[saturnine]

this is one of my favorite buildings in the Chicagoland area..

The Baha'i Temple

 

[Wild]

Damn I really need to travel more...

And now time to hear the angels sing:

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 

[_a_A_C_c_]

cleveland, OH

we have the rock n roll hall of fame. its over rated if you ask me...

its located right on lake erie...

and yes, people actually surf on the lake.

the cuyahoga river drains into the lake.

the warehouse district

and tremont

have good restaurants and bars. they are the "hip" parts of cleveland.

tower city

key tower

and the BP building

are the tallest buildings in the city.

here is a view of the clevaland skyline from the salt mine.

the cleveland indians play at jacob's field.

and the cleveland browns play at the stadium.

but cleveland has more than bars and sports. we have a world famous orchestra that plays at sevence hall.

and the second largest theater district in the US, playhouse square.

one of the best FREE art museums.

and the largest, gay bathouse in the US

 

[AmorRoark]

Chicago, IL
I'm going to start with all the obvious touristy things and work out from there

1. Sears Tower

Yes, it's true you can see 4 state borders up there on a clear day

2. Water Tower on the Magnificent Mile

The mag mile actually is really fun to shop on but venture to the west a little and you'll get some even cooler shops to browse through

3. Sculpture Tour/Millenium Park

We have great sculuptures all over the city, and I'd highly recommend you check them out... I mean we have "The Picasso", Buckingham Fountain (think Married with Children), "De Flamingo" by Calder, and as pictured above "The Cloud Gate" by Anish Kapoor. The Kapoor is in Millenium Park which is really fun to see. Also there is "The Jay Pritzker Pavilion" by Gehry.

4. Chicago Style Food

You have to try both the Hot Dogs and the Pizza. I don't really like the Hot Dogs and it really doesn't matter where you pick one up because they're all the same (try a vender). But for the Pizza I recommend you go to Gino's East; as I think they have the best deep dish.

5.Wrigley Field

This is definetly one of the landmarks that makes Chicago CHICAGO. Its fun to watch a game there (but only one because I hate Cubs fans) and then walk a block to my apartment.

6. Ride on the Loop

While downtown jump on the L train loop tracks. It's fun because you're elevated allowing for you to view all the buildings as you travel. Also, it's a pretty safe and easy way to get around without taxis or getting turned around walking.

7. Shop/Eat/Drink on the Northside -- Clark St.
I'm not providing a picture because there's too many areas to go, and not good enough representations of each place.

• First, if you're kind of a yup hang out around the Lincoln Park area. You can go to Clark and Sheffield and find some decent Thai, Chinese, and Taqurias.
• If you want to check out a little bit of the punk/emo scene go about 6 blocks north of there to Clark and Belmont. Here's where you'll find a lot of head shops, Punk shops, tat places, odds and ends store and the like.
• If you want a big bar scene go to Wrigleyville and simply walk down Clark St. It's literally a massive row of bars on both sides of the street. Some of my favorite bars down there are Bar Louie, Yak-zies and Goose Island. You can also hit up The Cubby Bear if you want to be super touristy.

8. Go to a concert
We *constantly* have great bands playing in Chicago. And if you can't find them at the most popular venues like The Vic, The Auditorium Theater, House of Blues (last choice IMO), Civic Opera House, The Metro, jPark West (yuck, but go anyway), or The Rivera then find a smaller venue where you can listen to locals because we have a lot of good uns.

9. Museum Tour
Specifically hit up the

• The Art Institute of Chicago (one of the best in the world),
• Museum of Contemoporary Art (MCA) Seriously my favorite Contemp. Art Museum I've been to
• Field Museum A lot of locals hate on this museum but I LOVE it because it has a lot of artifacts that you'll never see anywhere else... ever.
• Science and Industry Museum It's a trek out to it (South side AHHH ) but it is one of the most fun museums you'll ever go to... especially if you have kids.

10. Alive One

Seriously the friendliest and warmest bar in Chicago. They have live music every Thursday and open mic nights other nights.. Best bartenders, the clientele is really "Chicagoan" aka friendlier than New Yorkers, and everyone's looking to have a good time and NOT just hook up. I'm sorry but I'm not really into the club scene so I can't give you a lowdown on that. But if you're looking for a fun place to chill out after a day of sightseeing this is it.

Ok Taylor, show me up.

 

[Mazey]

St. Pete Beach, Florida

St. Pete Beach, FL Profile


St. Pete Beach, FL, population 9,929, is located in Florida's Pinellas county, about 4.9 miles from St Petersburg and 17.0 miles from Clearwater.

It is estimated that in recent years St. Pete Beach's population has been growing at an annual rate of less than one percent.

Reports show that during 2003 property crime levels in the St. Pete Beach area were higher than Florida's average. The same data shows violent crime levels to be lower than the Florida average.

Statistics
Gender
Males: 4,946 (50%)
Females: 4,983 (50%)

As % of Population



Race
White: 98%
African American: 1%
Asian: 1%

As % of Population



Age
Median Age: 53.7 (Males: 52.5, Females: 55.3)

Males Under 20: 6%
Females Under 20: 5%
Males 20 to 40: 9%
Females 20 to 40: 8%
Males 40 to 60: 17%
Females 40 to 60: 15%
Males Over 60: 19%
Females Over 60: 22%




Economics
Median Household Income: $ 47,574


Law Enforcement
Violent crime in St. Pete Beach
Crime events per 100,000 people: 472
Murder, man-slaughter: 0
Forcible rape: 4
Robbery: 12
Aggravated assault: 32

Compared to Florida's Average



Property crime in St. Pete Beach
Crime events per 100,000 people: 5,231
Burglary: 107
Larceny-theft: 402
Motor vehicle theft: 23

Compared to Florida's Average

The Don Cezar Hotel
This area has 35 miles of powder-white barrier island beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. From undeveloped, isolated island hideaways to wide, soft city beaches, you find exactly what you want in this slice of Florida. Area beaches have won many awards for everything from sand quality to environmental management. Whether you are in town for a quiet respite or can’t wait to catch some waves, you are in the right place.

more beach
sunsets

and my house2 blocks from the Gulf of Mexico