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A Geek's Tour Of North America?
PlanetThoughtful writes "Later this year I'm taking advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to backpack around the U.S. and Canada (Sept 2003 to whenever I have to come home again). Being a lifelong Australian geek (think of Steve Irwin and then stop, because I'm nothing like that and neither is anyone else, Steve Irwin included) I'm desperately curious: what would make it to the travel itinerary of Slashdot's all-time geek-tour of North America? Think electronics, architecture, astronomy, enlightenment! Think gadgets, bookstores, software, comics, The Library Of Congress, The Smithsonian, Wanting To See Really Amazing Things! Think travelling on a budget, then forget about that if it's a 'You Must See This Before You Die' sort of suggestion. And then stop thinking about these things, and actually tell me!"
You must go to graceland/Memphis. There are so many neat things to see there.. not really a techie mecca, but it will give you ideas on what to spend your money on... make a waterfall in your tv room!
http://www.burningman.com
you will not be disappointed
Montreal!
Twin Falls, Idaho is a technoplogy SINKHOLE! in fact, it might be a good idea to avoid Idaho completely, unless you're interested in Micron, the company behind Crucial Memory, which is in Boise, Idaho. but stay AWAY from Twin Falls! there's nothing but HICKS here!
grey wolf
LET FORTRAN DIE!
Wanting To See Really Amazing Things
Atlanta's Gold Club.
Of course, there are many, many other places to see, but I'm a space program nut and highly recommend seeing NASA, and do your best to time your arrival during a launch (of course, they launch may not happen, but you can check in "Florida Today" to see when the next launch is due).
You absoloutely have to come to the Bay Area, this is a technology haven, AND its a beautiful place in its own right. One of my most favorite places is the Golden Gate Bridge. Cross the bridge and head to the Sausilto side, then take a uturn right away, and you'll be heading back towards the bridge, but take the first right turn that goes up. And just keep going up, and up, and up and the top has one of the most spectacular views I've seen! Definitly don't miss it...
Why in god's name would you want to come up here during the winter? (Hint: don't visit South Dakota in January.)
:-)
You might visit the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City Utah. It's just a stone's throw from Linden
At Washington DC, it's the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. See them now before they go away completely.
So rise up, all ye lost ones, as one, we'll claw the clouds.
This is #1 on my list of shit to do before I die. I was planning to do it this year in the spring or summer, but had to put it off a little for obvious reasons.
Be prepared to spend LOTS of time in this city. The museums alone can take weeks to really get through well. I'm kinda partial to Cleveland as well, but that's because i'm from there. The Rock Hall is quite interesting to go through, and the Great Lakes science center is next door.
The view of mount olympus from the ridgeline trail above the north fork of the Quinault River in Olympic National park in Washington state... sweet.
What you want to see if Fry's Electronics. They have them in Texas and California and a few states in between. Imagine something the size of that big desert you guys call Australia, and imagine it full of electronics at a decent price. It's not quite so big as the great aussie desert, I guess, but Fry's is huge. I'm not ashamed to admit I shed tears of joy on my first visit to this mecca of geekdom.
when I find myself you'll be the first to know.
Then you'll probably want to stop by a few strip clubs in Montreal, Super Sexe and Chez Paree have top notch girls but no contact. Check out Teasers for a good mix of hot girls and the all important $10 danse contact!
You could spend a whole year just in Washington alone. But if you only have a short time there, go to the Air & Space Museum first. I've been there three times now (I'm from Canada, don't get to DC much) and every time it just blows my mind.
My law firm had a dinner there one evening last year in the great foyer hall, under all the oribters and rockets and planes, and we got hours of uninterrupted time in the museum. I've never been happier with my job, not ever.
Why is it that Australians seem touchy about Steve Irwin?
Many Americans like his show (myself included), but that doesn't mean that we think of Steve Irwin as the prototypical Australian, no more than Paul Hogan, or Russel Crowe, etc.
I would hate for other to judge all Americans by, say, George W. Bush.
-----
How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?
Sedona Arizona, a must see
The gun is good - Zardoz
Come visit Cedra Point ! The mecca of roller-coasters with many of the biggest ones in the world ! Very nerdy stuff.
Whatever you do, do NOT, I repeat, do NOT forget to bring along the most important piece of equipment.
...
a towel!
Game Overdrive - Gaming News
Plus nice beaches on the Cape, although it is kind of crowded sometimes. Whale watching is fun too.
-- ac at work
Powells Books in Portland, OR. Allegedly the second largest bookstore in the world.
If you consider geology "geeky" or at least fascinating, then Northern Arizona
is not to be missed. Underground lava tubes, cinder cones, The Canyon, plus don't forget Meteor Crater.
really? wow... that's reallywow.
This one looks like a winner!
If you're in Toronto try the Ontario Science Centre if you want geeky. It's one of the better science museums I've been to.
This post cannot be rebroadcast without the express written constent of Major League Baseball.
Guns are very geeky, they're very central to libertarianism and freedom. Check out any ranges along the route. Maybe vermont has more because of its libertarian gun laws.
-Libertarian secular transhumanist
But I'd suggest warm clothing if you plan on staying past october, particuarly if you spend any time in canada or much of the central to northen US after that point.
Let's just say it gets a mite chilly.
That is always a favorite of mine. But if you just look for what you are talking about, you will be missing most of America's real treasures. The Grand Canyon, Yosemite park (however you spell it). Niagra Falls, Blue Ridge mountains etc. So many places and so little time!
Oh and on the techie side, don't forget NASA in Houston.
-- Many men would appreciate a woman's mind more if they could fondle it
In Portland, you need to visit Powell's Bookstore. It is huge (a couple of city blocks in downtown) and has all kinds of cheap used books to read on your travels. Portland is also generally a cool place to visit, and if you're in the Northwest anyway it would be a good time.
Why should a billion dollars of my tax money be wasted so that you can see a fireworks show ? Real Americans pay their own way to space (armadilloaerospace).
come to saint john, new brunswick, canada. we have some of the finest architecture on the east coast!
Any and every air and space museum. You'd be suprised how many there are.
I've never been there, but there you go.
There's also a dinosaur museum there.
Also, Drummheller, Alberta has a big dinosaur museum, which I have been to and enjoyed. They find a lot of dinosaurs out there.
"Would it kill you to put down the toilet seat?" -- Maya Angelou
Heck, the whole city of Boston, if you have any interest in American history at all. Plus MIT and Hahvahd.
But the Computer Museum is pretty high-quality. And Boston's an easy city to get around by mass transit, as opposed to much of the rest of this country. Resign yourself to the fact that you may have to rent a car a few times.
The thing which gave me the greatest thrill was to watch the launch of Columbia on STS-55 (a few years back now).
I don't think there's anything more amazing than seeing a space craft take off.
I'm planning to go back and take my wife and son to florida just to see another launch - it's an experience of a life time, and well worth it, whatever the cost in time an money.
"The best part? I became an ordained minister while not wearing pants." -- CleverNickName
the All-American Geek tour begins and ends at a single, broadband-connected computer.
His own.
Oh, with a year's supply of microwave meals.
Correct Horse Battery Staple: 72 bits of entropy. Enter "Correct H" into google. When it generates the phrase, that's
Lots and lots of home-grown invention: computers, bridges, tunnels, television, radio, transportation, manufacturing, agriculture, the sciences, etc., etc., etc. All the Smithsonian museums have good qualities but American History is my favorite.
Unfortunately, the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is being turned into a mall attraction. Come spend your money at Independence Mall(TM)!
A must-go. Even though now it is a shadow of its former self and a lot of abandoned buildings mark its high-water mark during the dot-com boom.
Intel has a museum in Santa Clara, The Tech museum in San Jose is a must-visit, and the Apple Store in Cupertino is a place people who aren't Apple staff can visit to pay respects to the first true success story of the area.
Mod this post -1 Obvious. ^_~
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
The Smithsonian Museum (Air and Space, especially) - Washington DC (there's some other stuff there, too)
Redstone Arsenal - Huntsville, Alabama
Kennedy Space Center - Cape Canaveral, Florida
I would skip the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas, as it's been turned into a Disney-like attraction instead of the very cool museum that it used to be.
Enlightenment? That's a matter of opinion...
If you're into flight, and still around next summer. Try the EAA Airventure in Oshkosh Wisconsin.
Experimental Aircraft Association, I think. There are people from ALL over that come to it, starts on Aug. 1 this year, goes all week I believe.
http://www.airventure.org/2003/about/index.html
-Coach
"Never upset a goalie, getting hit with a blocker is an unpleasent experience - facemask or not." -Me
on I-94 in Detroit. 'nuff said.
creation science book
"once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to backpack around the U.S. and Canada"
My advice: stay home and stop believing the spam you receive.
Whilst almost all of NY State is worth seeing, I really was blown away by Niagra Falls. It really is best from the Canadian side. The awesome power of nature is humbling.
It's not in DC, it's about 2 hours south. Pretty drive tho.
Funny enough, besides that I can't think of much interesting stuff here in the nation's capital. Um... you like raunchy strip clubs?
wordclock records
It harbors a mystical power that engulfs all which it touches. Men are strangely drawn to its all-consuming presence. Many never leave its grip.
Alamo Drafthouse In Austin, Texas. It's been mentioned a couple times on /., but it's an awesome movie theater where you can sit & watch your movie while enjoying a cool one and a tasty alfredo chicken pizza. They are quite geek friendly there, what with the 802.11b access, and the frequent live performances from the Mr. Sinus crew. They are like Mystery Science Theater 3000, but with movies like Top Gun & the Terminator.
A few placed a Geek could find intersting sites. I make no expressed warranty other than I've been there and can recommend them.
National Cryptologic Museum - http://www.nsa.gov/museum/ - Outside Washington DC
- The history is skewed, as you would expect from any government, but exhibits are cool
Most of the Major NASA centers have some sort of visitors center, a few:
Goddard - http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/vc/museum.html - Outside Washington DC
Jet Propulsion Lab - http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ - Near Los Angeles
Ames Research Center - http://www.arc.nasa.gov/ - Near San Jose, CA
Kennedy - http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/ (expecially if you can time it around a launch) - Florida, of course
Some West coast Observatories
Lick Observatory - http://www.ucolick.org/ - Near San Jose, CA
Griffith Observatory - http://www.griffithobs.org/ - In the Los Angele Area
-G "We love to buy books, because we are buying the belief we have time to read them" - Warren Zevon
also in NM: carlsbad caverns and the place where they buried all the ET cartridges
people only follow the rules they want to
In northern Arizona, you have to see the Grand Canyon. No ifs, ands, or buts.
In southern Arizona, around Tuscon, there's Kitt Peak (for the astronomy geek), the Titan Missile Museum (for the ICBM geek), and the Pima Air Museum (for the aerospace geek).
You are thinking of Yellowstone in Wyoming. I believe Yosemite is in California.
Who is John Galt?
Try to visit MIT computer meuseum if your route will fall close to Boston.
I'd suggest that you visit the Old Man of the Mountain in New Hampshire's Franconia Notch... but he recently committed suicide. Nothing to see there folks... move along.
Skiers and Riders -- http://www.snowjournal.com
As long as you are in the Chicago area, you might as well check out Fermi Lab (though it looks like security is a little more of a pain recently) and The Museum of Science and Industry.
Preventive War is like committing suicide for fear of death. - Otto Von Bismarck
You won't regret it! But seriously, Washington DC is a good place to start. Its not much of a tourist trap and theres huge quantity of museums. Just make sure you stop by the National Zoo there too. And if you really want some giggles stop and sit in on some Congressional hearings. If you want to learn about early US history for some reason, the PA/MD/VA/DC area is chock full of it. The Mississippi River, Grand Canyon, Smokey Mountains and Texas are all worth a look for general neat and historical places to go. I also hear Nova Scotia is quite nice.
Geek or nut, don't miss up.
Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash
35 Broad St
Red Bank, NJ
It's in Akron, OH
May I suggest the many fine establishments located in Nevada.
Very geek friendly.
Definitely check out the Appalachian Trail. It runs
for a few hundred miles, can be done on the cheap, and does offer some breathaking beauty.
One can pick it up in Virginia, so it is in close
proximity to the Smithsonian.
It's a great place to live, but there are NO tourist attractions here, unless you count the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which is nothing to write home about. In fact, you may want to skip Ohio completely, unless you like amusement parks, in which case I recommend Cedar Point in Sandusky.
No, really. Who are you? What kind of person? I really can't figure it out from your description above. Take this line, for example:
Think gadgets, bookstores, software, comics, The Library Of Congress...
It seems to me that gadgets and the Library of Congress are pretty much on opposite ends of the spectrum. The library is a collection that houses a significant body of knowledge in a format that has been used for centuries. Gadgets is a term usually reserved for fancy little electronic devices that feature more flash than substance.
It's going to be very difficult for us to give you suggestions on what might be of interest to you if you don't give us a better idea of what you're looking for: flashy things or "substance" things. There's nothing wrong with either choice: it's your vacation, after all. The only thing I can think of it that you are trying to take in a little bit of everything. If so, then I'm sure you'll get some good suggestions from the slashdot crowd. Contrary to what other's might think, we tend to be a fairly diverse crowd at times. But because your description of what kinds of things you are looking for is so unfocused and all-encompassing, I think you're going to get some pretty wild recommendations.
GMD
watch this
Cedar Point is my happy place.
They have the biggest, best, and most interesting roller-coasters in the world. Not to mention a rich history (The resort has been around since the late 1800s).
GeekNights!
Late Night Radio for Geeks!
Why are Australians so damn defensive when Steve Irwin's name comes up. He is practicly the ambassador to your country. You guys always claim he is stupid hick etc, and that you can't stand him. Yet when I was in Austraila any given video store I walked into, half the place would literally be dedicated to nothing but the Crocodile Hunter. You guys are obviously in love with him but just can't admit it.
Visiting the Smithsonian (check out Air and Space at the very least, but they're all worth visiting), make sure you visit the Albert Einstein statue and sit in his lap. Just so you can say "I once sat in the lap of Albert Einstein."
Lights, liquor and loose women!
And if you're looking for an example of applied technology, head a few hours north to the red-light district. Its the only place in the U.S. where you can pay for a blowjob with a debit card.
Hades, PoD: Official Advocate
Seeing the National Center for Supercomputing Applications in Champaign, Illinois was kinda neat...the birthplace of the WWW and all...
New Orleans: why? Coffee. Frankly, if you're the coffee-consuming sort of nerd, who could pass up the Cafe du Monde? Really? And beignets....yum.
And hell, if you find yourself in Rural MS (read: Starkville) and need a place to stay, drop me a line. As if. Starkville: A town full of engineering geeks with nothing to do.
Why bother seeing something, when you can see nothing, albeit you can see for miles, in Kansas?
I dont like it when people think about what I think (say). Rather I try to make them think like I think.
Thats where the HQ of the GNAA live. Or you can visit them on #gmaa on efnet.
Go to Europe
When I lived in the Bay Area, I thought it most wonderful that there was a place where I could get computer chips in one aisle, and potato chips in the next. And wash that all down with a case of Coke for .99 cents.
You said you're a geek, and you'll need to be one to appreciate this suggestion.
Their prices aren't that great, the service sucks, the "themes" of the stores are embarrasing. But you'll not find another place with the selection and diversity of geek-tronics anywhere.
I live in lovely Connecticut and I have an excellent stamp collection for you to visit.
The museum of atomic war in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The Trinity Test site where the sand is still glass.
It's one of the coolest hands-on science museums out there. The fact that it's in San Francisco is an added bonus. The US also has some cool nature--the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellostone should be on everyone's must see list.
All this thinking... and stop thinking.... that's hard stuff, man.
The Hoover dam. It's pretty amazing as engineering goes. Vegas is fairly interesting too, but make sure you've got a modicum of self control...
It's also worth noting, that the main Smithsonian musuem is open to the public, free of charge, as are most of the monuments in DC. This should help out your budget. They do have public transportation around DC, but I know of no plans now to have a shuttle run from downtown DC to the new Center when it opens.
Two definitely geeky things to check out in New Mexico.
The Very Large Array - Gigantic Radio Astronomy installation
The Trinity Test Site. Only open a few times a year, your chance to see where the first atomic bomb was tested.
'ARRGH! Pirate Designers of the Internet, we be!'
You already mentioned a lot of the things in DC that you want to see (Library of Congress, Smithsonian). You could probably also toss in the Spy Museum as a nifty place to go.
But, if you come early in September you can also hit the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, to get your Comic Book fix. (http://www.spxpo.com/).
I'm sure you can probably hit a few other Cons around the country, too. If you timed things right you could probably do an anime/game/comic convention tour and hit everything else in while travelling between them. Though, some of the cons can be expensive.
If your plan is to come here, hop on a bus to somewhere else for a while, then hit another bus...
Go to San Fransisco, there is a tech museum in San Jose that you should see. Hunt down Intel, Cisco, Sun, HP, and many others. Don't forget Fry's in San Jose, might want to hit that at the end of your trip though when you know what your budget is (tm)
Bus to LA, see Disneyland, Hollywood, etc.
Bus to Washington D.C. and see the Smithsonean museum (plan to spend a week, and not even see all of it then)... I like seeing revolutionary/civil war battle sights, so there is Williamsburg, heading up to Massecusetts there is a bunch of historical stuff around the Boston metro area.
If you want to just hike, there is the grand canyon, appalatian trail. Canoing I would suggest Boundry waters canoe area (N Minnesota so go early)
Might as well find Area 51 and see the UFOs, Los Almos, University of Chicago, MIT, Stanford, UC Berkley (if you can stand the hippies)
good luck
I have mod points and I am not afraid to use them
You can find comics, electonics, and other geeky things in pretty much every city in the US. I would suggest you go to NYC (for the food alone!) and Washington, DC for the large of amount of free things to do. Hit all of the Smithsonian sites for starters, ride the metro, get LOST, possibly mugged, and have a great time. Go to Arlington and hit a bar called "Iota", enjoy fine beer and deserts. Maybe even a great band if you are lucky. After that, try to hit places that are not so geeky, but happen to be in gorgeous surroundings. I suggest you look at the Great Smokey Mountains in TN and NC, the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevadas, maybe Idaho, Portland or Seattle, and pretty much anywhere in Canada.
Although you don't have to visit there, make sure you give the people at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump a call while you're going through Alberta. The area is neat in a National Park kinda way, but it's great to have someone answer the phone with "Head smashed in, how may I help you?".
Plus you might learn something new about Native Americans.
I read the internet for the articles.
Yellowstone National Park
IMHO the geekiest stuff to see while you are there would be the hydrothermal features.
"I'll have a Guinness, no wait, make that a Coors Light" -Grad student I work with, who shall remain anonymous...
Go to St. Louis, see the Arch. Architectural wonder, yah? The coolest elevator system you'll ever see, and it's all hand-welded.
the obvious should go without saying, Houston Space center, Kennedy space center. space.com has a running launch schedual.
just west of Wichita Kansas is a town called Hutchenson. they have a space museum called the Cosmosphere. i've seen larger museums, but this one has a number of items from the former soviet space program. if your in the area, it's worth a stop.
There's a small but very cool technology museum at MIT that even most people in Boston don't seem to know about. It has all kinds of very neat things, like an exhibit about MIT's research into robotic walking, an amazing collection of moving sculptures by Arthur Ganson, a very good hologram exhibit, and a lot more.
I don't know if you're looking for this sort of thing, but it was personally for me one of the best museum visits ever.
It's one of the most technologically packed areas in the USA. The whole park's monitored and run very efficiently. It's also a whole lot of fun. But last time I went, I was more interested in how much effort goes into making sure that paying customers are set up for the best time that is possible in a family-friendly environment. (Bring your own drugs, sadly they don't supply EVERYTHING!) The Disney Corporation owns such a vast amount of land that you're on their property before you even realize that you've entered Disney World.
Also, check out Downtown Disney, they have an excellent arcade there, where you pay ~$15 and you can play until it closes. Plus you can design and ride this cool virtual rollercoaster that rivals the real coasters there, if you make a point of making a very extreme virtual coaster. The guys manning the area can give you some pointers. Make sure you hit Epcot and MGM, you can speed through the Magic Kingdom (too much little kid stuff).
The important thing is, we're not talking Sears Roebuck or Wal-Mart, we're talking a park.
Please don't blaspheme! Steve Irwin is my hero!
You could go to Cupertino CA if you are an Apple geek, Redmond WA if you are M$ geek. You could swing by Mountainview CA if you want to check out Google's headquarters. Hmmm...geek tour is kinda general and North America is really big. You should be more specific. BTW, if Australians really aren't like Steve then I am not going to bother to travel to Australia.
FoundNews.com - get paid to blog.,
The Air and Space Museum is part of the Smithsonian. You walk in the main entrance and see the Wright Brothers flier, the Spirit of St. Louis, the X1, the Voyager, etc. all in one spot. It'll take your breath away. BTW, you can also touch a moon rock right there. An absolutely amazing place. My three sons and I can spend hours and hours there. If you get tired, walk across the mall to see the Museum of Natural History and look at the Hope Diamond. Best of all, all these places are FREE! That's right, just walk right in.
Montreal (great party town), Vancouver (including Whistler) BC and Vancouver Island are
places to see. Pass by the national village Ottawa
and skip Toronto (YABNAC - yet another boring north american city).
If you make it as far as the midwest, I'd seriously suggest you go to the Science Museum of Minnesota. they have had some fantastic touring exhibits, and have an impressive collection of permanent exhibits to look at, covering everything from biology to wave theory and particle physics. Plus, it's always a treat to see a feature on their 8-story high IMAX cinema screen. I saw one on Antarctica last year that absolutely blew my mind.
HTH
Socorro, New Mexico. Check out those dishes. Say hello to the radio astronomers. Cool place for a geek. Death Valley is ok. OTOH, living in Australia, maybe you've had enough deserts. Other than that, there is not much of interest however. I suspect you'll have an exceedingly dull trip. Remember that American girls will dig your accent, people in general will be more interested in talking to you because of it, and that Montreal has the largest number of attractive females per capita in North America.
Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.
While you're in the pacific northwest there's also boeing and fluke as well as a software company or two :)
Oh, and of course things like the olympic national rainforest - should you desire a little non geek in that itinerary.
Ad in classifieds: Pandora's Box (no box) $5
See an Enigma machine, a chunk of ENIAC, the PDP-1 on which SpaceWar was invented, multiple Cray supercomputers, and an Apple I, all in one day.
Unlike most "museums", which are geared to a young or general audience (you know what I'm talking about, big displays that talk about how binary means "made of ones and zeroes" and such), this is a museum built by, and for, geeks. The tour guides actually know what they're talking about, having worked on half the stuff in the collection.
A glance at their Lecture list should give you an idea of the caliber of the museum and its collection.
Last time I was there, the cost of admission was "whatever you wanted to donate". So even if you're traveling on a budget, You Have No Excuse For Not Seeing This Before You Die.
in San Francisco that is; i'll even give you the tour of the Haight & Hayes Valley.
P.S: By good beer i mean some seriously good stuff; no el cheapo Bud.
E-mail me if interested.
This is a science centre in Sudbury, Ontario and it's really an amazing place. Tonnes of live demonstrations, lots of interactivity, really interesting displays, etc. I've only been there once and it kicked ass. IMO it's even better than the Ontario Science Centre.
Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite are some of the real highlights. They're not geek spots, but DAMN, they're gorgeous.
c fm so you can hit the ones you'll be near.
See also http://www.nps.gov/. Looks like they have a good interactive map at http://data2.itc.nps.gov/parksearch/state/usamap.
If you go through South Dakota, wander through the badlands and then head up to Wall Drug and get your free glass of cold water.
I've found Roadside America to be a nice resource for the curious travel geek. They even have a review of the Big Duck, which I visited last year.
For more information, click here.
At least, this is what my friends in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco tell me. It must be true, because they're the elite of America.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
Cool stuff...science in action. I espcially like the laser beam that's pointed at the wall over your head that "draws" an image when you shake your head back and fourth.
Steve is cool btw... he's no Mad Max but he's cool.
D.C. is one of the best cities in terms of sheer volume of sites to see. Pretty much something for everyone.
Florida has the Disneyworld parks, Universal Studios, Bush Gardens, Cape Canaveral, etc.
I know your a "geek" but try to see a baseball game in a park like Wrigley Field (Chicago), Pac Bell (San Francisco), or Fenway Park (Boston). Very relaxing and tons of fun. Or go to a football game or something.
For god's sake avoid this place. We haven't even gotten the internet here yet!!!
***I GOT NUTHIN***
When in Maryland don't forget to stop by these 3 gems. All of them are free and educational:
Museum of Menstruation
Museum of Dentistry
Baltimore Tattoo Museum
The Surgeon General says sigs are bad for me.
If you're a gaming geek and plan on going through Canada (Toronto, specifically) then you have to check out the Playdium. It's like a huge video arcade where you'll see things you may never have seen before, as you're not likely to see anything like it anywhere else. I've been to the one in Mississauga (just west of Toronto) and I had a great time there. Check it out.
You're going to backpack across a continent? You know how long that will take? Hitchhiking is illegal, so don't go there.
What are you going to do? Pitch a tent in downtown Boston? Riiiiight. If you want big ticket items, then you have to stay in a metropolitan area. NASA. Universities. Labs (Argonne, Fermi, etc.).
It sounds like a good plan, but falls apart when you wake up from the dream. Do you have any idea how vast the distances are between some metropolitan area? We are talking about weeks worth of walking just to get from point A to point B. Think Australia, and then multiply it by 3. Then, add the fact that it's probably a bit more dangerous out there than in Australia.
I think you're insane and will be sadly disappointed.
"If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid." - Epictetus
You should go visit New Orleans during Mardi Gras. More T & A then you'll ever get. Bring lots of beads!
Then swing over to South Padre Island during Spring Break for more of the same.
It's not technical, but if you really want to see some hacking of nature, it's very much worth seeing. John McLaren took a mess of sand dunes in the late 1800s and hacked it into a beautiful, enormous park.
And seeing as you're from Australia, it would make sense to start from the west-side.
"Inattention makes clowns of us all" -Bean
It looks like a set from a James Bond movie and if you stand by the edge of the gorge (?) where the towers and wires come up, you can FEEL and HEAR waves of power just flowing all around you.
very very nice.
and it's free.
and its close to that Grand Canyon thingie.....
I've seen ones in San Francisco. Lots of technology there. The exploratorium and there's this Sony technology expo thing I've not seen but heard is cool. Lawrence hall of science in Berkeley, etc...
I would swing by UCLA. Not only was this one of the originalHa sites on the Internet, UCLA's Boelter Hall has one of the very first routers on display (from said first Internet site).
... and maybe Caltech and JPL in Pasadena.
Plus, tons of other geeky stuff happens there too!
Oh
See my previous post on attractions in Kansas.
www.eFax.com are spammers
If i were on this type of expidition i would, prior to visitting each region, contact some big businesses in the area and try to arrange a tour of their facilities.
I bet that you might be able to find alot of sweet server rooms and hardware that will bring a twinkle to your eye.
(you might even get some free lunch/software or something out of the deal: talk about cost effective.)
Six years ago I went to Cape Canaveral with my dad to install a piece of equipment his business made. Since we had a pass to move around the installation, we got to go away from the places the tourists see. One of the engineers their told us to go check out one of the abandoned launch pads - the one Apollo 11 left from. Rusted and overgrown with weeds, completely forgotten, but all I could think was "From this spot we went to the fuckin' moon". Amazing experience.
Some men spend their entire lives trying to kill themselves for having been born. --Ross MacDonald
You can take a tour of the Micron fab in Boise, Idaho. I took a tour with a class I had back in high school.
See as much of Alaska as you can... Mt. McKinley, the most massive mountain on earth (above sea level), rises from 300 ft. to 20,320 ft., and is indescribably awesome, in the literal sense of the word. The Northern Lights (aurora borealis) are significantly brighter than their southern cousins, but can only be seen in the winter. Watch humpback whales breech in Prince William Sound, and see glaciers calve on the same day.
I have been to 49 of the 50 states, and although I can't speak for Maine, there's nothing like Alaska!
We geeks think we're in control with all our devices and formulas and plans. Go see the Mt. St. Helens blast zone for an important lesson in just how puny we are on this earth.
It's truly awe inspiring.
I'm much funnier now that I'm a subscriber.
cool city and THE BEST strip clubs, the girls are insane beautiful.
The gun is good - Zardoz
If you can make it to Portland, Oregon, you simply have to go to Powell's Books. A full city block of bookstore, used and new on the shelf side by side, somewhere between 4 and 5 floors of books, books, books. Huge SF collection. Only bookstore I've ever been in where a greeter hands you a Map to help you find what you are looking for.
The food in the cafe is less than inspirational.
"Where am I going, and what am I doing in this handbasket?"
THE WORLDS LARGEST BALL OF TWINE cannot be overlooked. 1325 miles of twine! (That's 2315km down under)
The Monroe Institute in Virgina is where you need to be if you are seeking enlightenment (or the tools to get you there). They use the latest technologies with hemispeheric synchronization to get you into altered states of awareness. The scenery there is also not be be missed. However, if you can't afford one of their courses have a look at www.liquid-dream.com. Similar concept, similar method; only you can do it from the comfort of your own home.
I'd definitely reccommend the Science and Technology centers (centres, if you prefer ^_^) -- Exploratorium in San Francisco, OMSI in Portland OR ... and my favorite, Lawrence Berkeley Labs in Berkeley, CA.
Other places I've been that are interesting:
- Sedona, Arizona: very new-age hippyish. Be sure to check out the "vortexes". I'm the biggest skeptic in the world, but there was something odd going on there.
- New Orleans, Louisiana: The week before Mardi Gras. Leave on the Monday before Fat Tuesday
- Thermopolis, Wyoming: Whole town is built on a hot spring.
- Jackson Hole, Wyoming: The central park is neat, and there's sit-on bobsled type things during the summer.
- Alberqurque, New Mexico: But only for the ballon festival!
- Las Vegas, Nevada: Cheap (free) hotel rooms during the week, and TONS of activities! More expensive, but quite fun during convention season.
- Lake Havasu, Arizona: For spring break!!!!!!!! Hell of a bridge too!
- Reno, Nevada: For the air races!
- Baja, California: For whale migration or the Baja 500
- Indianapolis, Indiana: In September for the US Grand Prix (will be going myself for the first time this year). That and all the auto racing museums and the parties.
There's so much of this country to see... take your time doing it, and keep us updated! Fortunately as I kid, we travelled a lot and got to see everything on that list!--D
Go see Frank Lloyd Wright's Kaufmann House, also called Fallingwater. (Pennsylvania, US)
We're a wonderful, fucked up town. Come check us out before we get devoured by all the starving dot commers and crack babies.
Check out North Beach, and see all the titty bars that inspired the beat poets. And the Haight, where you can see the tattoo/piercing shops that the hippies came from. In the Mission district, you can see the crackheads that originally founded the city of San Francisco, when California was still owned by Mexico.
It's like Naples, with fog instead of smog. And we have street cleaning. Ok, sometimes we have street cleaning. And our crime is much less organized.
There are no trails. There are no trees out here.
Incredible inventions.
Free electricity.
Time travel.
Death rays.
Ozone generators.
Unlimited wireless power anywhere on earth.
Thought machines.
Radio anti-gravity airships.
These were all part of Nikola Tesla's life. He is also responsible for establishing alternating current as house current instead of direct current that Edison was promoting. Check Tesla out. He clearly was a man ahead of his time.
Well the Air and Space Museum in D.C. is a no-brainer. I've been there 23 times over my life and I never get tired of it. The Children's Museum in Chicago was pretty damn cool when I was 10, but I haven't been back in that area since then. Hit the top of the Sears Tower while you're there. Oh, Meteor Crater in Arizona. Must See. I found it even more impressive than the Grand Canyon because it was formed practically instantaneously. Yellowstone National Park, you could spend weeks there and still not see all the knock-you-on-your-ass stupendous things it has to offer.
---- El diablo esta en mis pantalones! Mire, mire!
If you get the chance come see North Dakota. Lots of wilderness contrasted with bustling cities. Probably the most wired state (per capita) in the USA. Example: my hometown (population >500) has DSL broadband and several leading agricultural-technology companies. The larger cities of Fargo, Grand Forks, Bismarck and Minot have various national and international technology companies. ND is the most beautiful and geeky part of the USA! (IMHO)
See www.discovernd.com for info.
If you're in the Midwest, pop by Dearborn, Michigan. (Southeast corner of the mitten.)
Lots and lots of technology history everywhere you look. Even if you skip the automobile stuff (which I do) there's at least two day's worth of stuff to look through. Very little stuff is re-creations.
Edison's lab, the Wright Brother's shop, more steam-powered machinery than you ever thought possible, every wheeled mode of transportation imaginable, gadgets, gadgets, gadgets, R. Bucky's Dymaxion house. Through the end of the year they've got quite a bit of James Bond stuff on display.
Henry Ford Museum
Get off my lawn.
Go see the BWCA (Boundary Water Canoe Area) MN, US and/or Quetico Park Canada. I've been all over North/South America, and quite a bit of Africa. This is one of my favorite places. You have to see it between June and August, otherwise it's too cold.
here.
"And this is my boy, Sherman. Speak, Sherman." "Hello." "Good boy."
Though backpacking through Canada in the winter isn't personally my idea of fun, one of the most exciting museums in the country is in Ottawa (well... actually across the river in Gatineau, Quebec). The building itself is something to see, glorious organic design. There are countless museums in this city, but if you're passing through, this is the one to spend some time at.
Canadian Museum of Civilization
For further geeky/educational good time, check out the Biodome in Montreal:
Montréal Biodome
And if you're travelling out west, definitely the Vancouver Aquarium...
Vancouver Aquarium
And finally, the further you go north, the more stars there are in the sky... (well not really, but there aren't too many cities up there to light pollute, if you see what I mean). Algonquin park at night is a sight to behold... Have fun!
backpacking has about as little to do with hiking through the wilderness as television ratings have to do with quality programming.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
If you're travelling all over, cruise by biglumber.com and arrange to meet a bunch of PGP/GPG nuts^H^H^H^H enthusiasts along the way. You could quickly build up a huge WoT with a lot of geographic diversity, making you a distinguished super-node -- an instant "star" among nerds. :-)
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
I'm skipping all of the relatively obvious must-see destinations to point out one that may slip by even someone born and raised in the US. It's in Portland, but heck, if you're hiking you're going to want to make a trip up to the Pacific Northwest, anyway.
Get a cup of good northwest coffee and spend the afternoon browsing the stacks. It takes up an entire city block, so you won't get bored. Portland's a pretty good town, too. I've had a lot of fun up there, and it's beautiful to boot.
I'll tell you what the 'effect' is! It's pissing me off!
Metropolis IL, http://www.metropolischamber.com/ is the home town of Superman, so they erected a 50 ft statue and installed a comicshop and museum that's well, fetishistic.
I'm finding, after having lived here for only 8 years, that you can't turn around here without running into someplace where something happened, or is still happening.
The MIT Swapfest, the Media Labs, Tech Square, the Museum of Science, The Harvard-Smithsonian Observatory...the list goes on and on. The Boston Perl Mongers are also a star studed group. Plan to spend a week, in the third week of the month (Swapfest).
See how the Real World is even more mind-blowing than the virtual fan-boy kind. Bonus: Slickrock (Moab) as an hors d'oeuvre!
You can't miss Philly. Sure it's dirty and smells funny in the summertime, but you can't pass up the historical section, nor the Franklin Institute. Not to mention, of course, the world's best cheesteaks at Gino's.
The NRAO in Greenbank, WV is an interesting visit if you're in the area. (I'm thinking about the Hiking part, and there is some great hiking in that area).
It has several HUGE antennas for radio astronomy, and they give the tour in an old 1950s diesel bus. Modern cars can only come within a certain distance, as they have too many electronics, and mess up the observations.
Very cool, although short, tour.
Don't miss the birthpalce of ENIAC at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
I have never regretted my speech,
but I have frequently regretted my failure to speak.
Dayton has the best museum of aircraft in the world. The 2003 Dayton Air Show just ended, along with the "Inventing Flight" centenial celebration, so everything should in top shape. Really, it's a must-see!
"Lord, grant that I may always be right, for Thou knowest that I am hard to turn" -- A Scots-Irish prayer
Visit the empty offices in what was once called Silicon Valley and if possible, smuggle out the trashed (but unused, though possibly with once-sensitive company information) computer equipment...
Forget about the geek business and hike the Long trail in VT. It partially overlaps with the Appalachian trail and runs about 250 miles from the Canadian to Massachusetts borders.
Scenic views and lovingly maintained trails.
Houston, Texas, home of the NASA Johnson Space Center, Compaq, and the Astrodome. There's also a Fry's, Microcenter, and an Apple Retail Store. :)
"The objective of securing the safety of Americans from crime and terror has been achieved." -- John Ashcroft
I recommend South of the Border at the north/south Carolina border on the I 95.
Rocket City in there is especially amazing.
Titusville Florida is where I caught a shuttle launch from. IF they ever restart the shuttle it will be worth the trip.
DO NOT MISS VEGAS!
Have fun!
It's Christmas everyday with BitTorrent.
Someone mentioned the Museum of Science and industry, but also check out the Sears Tower (where I'm writing from), and the Art Institute for a touch of culture.
Let me know if you need a Chicago tour guide!
- drfs_rich -- that, @yahoo.com
PS - Don't forget your towel!
I'm biased of course, but Seattle is an excellent place for Geekiness. The Boeing Aerospace museum is a great (and inexpensive) place to start. If you are into music you want to go to the Experience Project. There are many other free or cheap museums and attractions. Plus you will find wired (and wifi) coffee shops everywhere.
In the suburbs there are many more interesting things, including a giant software corporation you might have heard about.
Then there is the countryside. If you into hiking at all, or even just willing to drive a little, there are hundreds of places with amazing scenery within a two hour drive of Seattle. Between mountains, seaside and forests of giant cedars the area has it all. Plus you can take a $50 guided whitewater trip and scare the piss out of yourself (well worth it).
Finally there is me and others like myself: Finding a free place to crash on a couch for a few days in Seattle is never hard if you are into Science Fiction (Fandom there is entrenched and welcoming).
- -
Are you an SF Fan? Are you a Tru-Fan?
If your in Ottawa you have to see this. It was decomissioned in the 90's and is now a museum.
The four level underground bunker would have housed government leaders, Gold, a radio station, and more in the event that we were ever attacked with nuclear weapons.
Check the site out it is very cool. I don't know anywhere elese you would be able to tour something similar.
Hey! You're from Austrailia? Do you know Karen? She's a friend of mine, lives in Queensland.
Oh yea, get used to question like that from North Americans.
"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme." Mark Twain
Vegas may cost _some_ money, but it's definitely worthy. Plus, think of all the money you might win. I would say stay here for 5 days and then go to the Grand Canyon or Lake Mead, Arizona for a good time.
- A Jacquard loom. This is a big freakin' thing, and includes some giant punched cards (compared to "modern"
cards, that is). The display also has two examples of silk weaving done on the loom. One is the famous portrait of Jacquard himself, and the other is a much more finely detailed weaving of some folks showing off the famous Jacquard portrait. Amazingly, this is all in the Textiles exhibit, not the information technology exhibit!
- A Scheutz Difference Engine. Built in 1853, it uses the same principle of differences, but a different mechanical design than Babbage's. The Scheutzes (father and son) knew Babbage, though, and he apparently approved of their invention. They were even somewhat commercially successful, unlike Poor Old C.B.
- A Hollerith card sorter used for the US Census. I've read about them, but was interested to finally see one.
- The very first Integrated Circuit, built by Jack Kilby in his lab at Texas Instruments. It's a freakishly kludged together thing by today's standards, nothing more than a hand-carved hunk of silicon about
.25" long. It's got tiny gold wires sprouting up out of it, because Kilby hadn't yet figured out how to print the connecting circuitry onto the chip itself. This was just his proof-of-concept that you could make electrical components out of solid hunks of semiconductor.
- An original Apple (the type now known as the Apple I) in it's period wooden case.
Actually, the entire first floor of the museum is devoted to the history of American technology and science, so an open-minded geek could probably spend the whole day on that floor (like I did).BTW, as a geek, you might be tempted to check out the International Spy Museum. Don't. It blows. It's mostly comprised of things you read on the wall, which you could get from a good book. There are some interesting exhibits, but at $13/person it's a bit steep. Also, they have serious overcrowding problems that tended to get in my way of enjoying the place.
Check out my eclectic infosec blog at InfoSecPotpou
The Johnson Space Center is worth visiting.
Seeing a shuttle launch at Kennedy is hard to beat though.
No tour of the US would be complete without a stop in Las Vegas. While I hate every inch of the City in which I presently reside, it is worth seeing once. Just don't stay. Here's some worthwhile attractions:
Hoover Dam - Take the "dam tour."
Red Rock
Grand Canyon
King Tut's Tomb @ Luxor
Shark Reef @ Mandalay Bay
Indoor Skydiving
Freemont Street Experience - booze, drunks, hookers, gambling, and a 4-block-long light show.
As for shows, it'll all depend on when you're here, but I highly recommend the Blue Man Group (also @ Luxor) and Rita Rudner @ New York, New York.
Some people have a way with words, and some people, um, thingy.
I second the comment to visit Kennedy Space Center. It is a very enjoyable trip; a great way to spend the day. The Saturn V exhibit alone is worth it! Also, about 3 hours from Titusville, in the central part of the state, are the burgeoning metropoli of Bartow and Mulberry (ha). There are a great many working phosphate mines around there - huge, open-pit monstrosities. Several will give you tours. The drag lines (gigantic cranes) are simply amazing, and some mines will even let you dig for fossils! I found several - some dinosaur bones and fossil sand dollars. Very cool. Not much else in that area though.....
We have to eat happy eggs from happy chickens.
It's Very Hard To Get To
The Very Large Array has a nice but small visitor's center. You can also watch the individual dishes move all in unision.
The VLA is also way out in the middle of nowhere, so you can spend a lot of time hiking in New Mexico.
Nothing beats the East Coast for things related to history. D.C. for all of the museums and monuments, countless places all down the coast that reinact revolutionary war/civil war battles. Philadelphia where independce was declaired and the constitution written. New England has a lot as well since many major battles in the beginning of the revolutionary war were fought around Boston.
For fun, Florida can't be beaten. Disney World, Universal Studios, Cape Canaveral, and warm weather.
Nothing geeky about them, but many of the National Parks in the US are amazing.
Moab, Utah is situated near the entrances to both Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park. You can easily spend two weeks or more in these parks alone. If you do go to that area, make sure to go to Goblin Valley State Park (About 1.5 hours from Moab, it's REALLY neat.)
Bryce Canyon and Zion Canyon in Utah are really neat too.
If you include Canada, don't forget the Canadian Rockies (Banff and Jasper National Parks) - My family has gone on at least three two-week vacations to that area and there's still more to see.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
Near Dayton, Ohio... if you've ever seen the Discovery channel's series "wings", it's like that but in real life. Best of all, It was free when I went a few years ago!
You really don't need to backback all over America to see the sites. Our country is soooo homogenous these days that pretty much anywhere is just like most other places. Burger King, Wal-Mart, Krispy Kreeme, Block Buster, Univiersal Studios, Disneyland, Six Flags, Costco ... they're all the same whether you are in LA, Orlando, Dallas, Chicago, Seatle, Portland, Newark, Boston. And no need to go to Canada either, eh. The only difference up there is you get coffee with your sandwich at the Tom Hortons instead of a Coke at Subway.
Enlightenment? If you are looking for that go to Europe and leave us Hillbillies, Yanks and, Crackers alone. We "ain't got none hereabouts".
Also remember Portland is one of the most un-wired cities around. Check out PersonalTelCo for info and hotspots.
Definately check out Powells as the parent post mentioned. But make sure you check Powell's Technical Bookstore located 8 blocks or so away. Computer stuff, math stuf, history of science stuff, just crazy fun nerdy stuff. Must see.
Take a look at Wacky Willys too. Just plain nerdy weird stuff. Like McGyver's play house.
Check out Hawthorne street for some good hostels and also interesting and typical portland life. Fun shops, good eats, interesting people.
And if you're here in the summer time, a little secret- the women around here are extremely easy to look at.
Above all, if you're backpacking around Oregon, welcome to one of the coolest outdoor states around. Take your pick, and within 2-3 hours (drive) you got mountains, ocean, forests, desert, and just some fun adventure potential.
And since I'm here, let me mention that if you're interested at all in white water kayaking, check out pdxkayaker.org. An incrediblely fun groups of alcoholics with a kayaking problem.
Jason
I am a geek who grew up in the DC area.
... it has all sorts of signs around it reasuring visitors that it is not "radioactive." The natural history museum is pretty cool too ... just don't take a serious girlfriend there ... they have some MASSIVE diamonds for her to droool over, it makes anything you have/will give her seem kind of paltry. Check out: http://www.si.edu/museums/ for more info, and remember all the museums are free! Also, while in DC you could visit all the usual spots: the White House, the Washington penis^h^h^h^h^h monument, and several sundry memorials. Personally I have never tried going to the Library of Congress so I cannot recomend either way for or against it.
;).
I would highly recomend taking a day (or even a week) to work your way through all the smithsonian museums you are interested in. My favorite is the air and space museum which has such things as the Spirit of St. Louis and one of the planes that dropped an A-Bomb on Japan
Also, while in the dc area you could drive ~ 10 miles out to college park and see if you could sneak in to see D.root-servers.net (I think it is either in the Computer and Space Sciences building or the A. V. Williams Building) I went there for 4 years and never could get a straight answer as to where it is.
hmmm, maybe visiting all the DNS root servers would provide for an interesting place to start planning your trip
Thoughts on tech, Software Engineering, and stuff
Find out where Slashdot is hosted/run, then camp out on the sidewalk with a cardboard sign that reads: "Will work for karma." ;-)
Washington D.C.
New York City
Los Angeles
Then when you've visited all these hellish metropolises, do yourself a favor and visit the real America. The mountains of the Carolinas, Kentucky, Tennesee, Colorado, Montana... the redwood forests of northern California. The lakes of Minnesota, and the nearby Great Lakes (go in the summer). Go see some rodeos in Texas, eat some TexMex and see real honkeytonk bands in real honkeytonks in the Dallas area. Go laugh at all the hippies in Seattle (just don't trust them to watch your backpack or anything).
Let's see... Florida / Southern Texas / Arizona / or Southern California in the winter. Southern California is gorgeous, the climate is incredible... it really is too bad about the people that live there, heheh.
The biker rally in Sturgis, South Dakota is a blast, you're sure to be popular with your Aussie accent if you're not too uncomfortable around rough and rowdy (but basically decent) men.
The Grand Canyon and the Colorado Springs / Denver area are beautiful natural wonderlands.
I would also recommend just going where the Americans go on vacation (Yellowstone, Florida Keys), or go for fun (concerts, festivals, rallys).
Then hop across the country to New York and check out the best of the Barne's and Nobles, the one in downtown Manhattan. Not what you are thinking. This isn't just some big bookstore like every other big bookstore. This is the one that caters to the university students, and they have every textbook imaginable through the annexes. A very geeky way to spend your afternoon.
Then wander down to 13th and Broadway to see Forbidden Planet comics shop, or really any of these comic shops in New York to get your comic jones. While in New York, you might as well check out all the tourist things anyway, cuz you know you will. And when you do, being Aussie and all, you'll want to hit the bar scene at night. Lots of good bar-hopping in Manhattan in the East 70s on 2nd and 1st Avenues.
Computers, books, comics, beer -- what more could a geek ask for. Have fun, mate!
1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014 One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052-6399 1 Commerce Valley Drive East Markham, On L3T 7X6 2701 San Tomas Expressway Santa Clara, CA 95050
Two places which fall under the "you should see this before you die" category are Yosemite (California) and Yellowstone (Idaho, Montana, Wyoming). I'm no tour guide, but they are two of the largest and most impressive national parks in the United States. You could go the typical Grand Canyon route, but if I had to choose one national park in the United States to go see, it'd be Yosemite.
Link.
They have one of the largest earthen mounds in the world.
Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
-- Pablo Picasso
If something is big, flashy, obviously costs unholy amounts of money to build, totally-mind-fsckingly-amazing and gut-wrenchingly tasteless it's probably in Las Vegas.
You'll be staring at things and saying "naaaah... even americans are not that crazy".
Stop worrying about the risks of nuclear power and start worrying about the risks of not using nuclear power.
Your reply has even less relevence to my comment.
The US is a shitty place for backpacking, if he insist on coming here, I recommend the Trail...
I live in Texas and just recently got to go to Boston, MA. A lot os the US's history resides in this city... Not to mention MIT & Boston College!!! I saddly enough didn't get to check out either campus, but the history in the city is cool. I loved walking the "Freedom Trail" through the city. (a red stripe that will take you by all the major sites to see in the city).
Just remember to have fun, long trips suck when you're not having fun.
Oh! And this one time, at band camp...
The Eads Bridge was the first bridge across the Mississippi (and it has a newly opened pedestrian walk-way. Be one of the first Australians to walk across the River!).
The Gateway Arch is more amazing than you think, and standing at it's foot, touching the metal is the only way to really know that.
The City Museum is 4 story Fantasyland full of lifesize whale sculptures, old airplanes, hollowed out trees, and crazy plastic tubes and wire tunnels that will be taken away once the insurance company gets wind of how cool it all is.
Plus, get here on a Friday and hang out with the rest of us Geeklifers at our weekly Geeklife Happy Hour, likely followed by all night Planetside playing.
I know the place is a kids field trip, but when in San Francisco, visit the Exploratorium. It is the only place I know of with a live brain cell hooked up to electrodes and an oscilliscope. I love it. I could spend the whole day there and not want to leave. There are all kinds of techie experiments all over the place. I saw my first 3D shadows there. What a wonderful trick of polarized light. One cool thing is that many of the exhibits there can be replicated at home.
P.S. I envy you. Too many responsibilities now to take off and return "whenever."
My name fits again.
I'm a Memphian, btw, and no I'm not recommending this technological backwater unless you have a desire to see FedEx, PC/MacMall, or whatever, but here's some things I've seen in my "travels" that might interest you:
Huntsville, AL: NASA and all that stuff
Portland, OR: Powell's motherfucking City of Books. My god, I'd move to Portland just to have access to that place.
Los Angeles, CA: LaBrea Tar Pits (if you like paleontology and stuff), various other museums, and the Burbank Frye's. Well, I miss the Burbank Frye's now that I'm back in Memphis.
If you like aquariums: The Tennessee State Aquarium in Chattanooga, TN is pretty awesome for freshwater stuff (and not too far from Huntsville!). Then there's the nice big aquarium down in New Orleans. I'm sure others will direct you to cool stuff on the W. Coast (Seaworld and what-not).
Hope this helps some.
If you were me, you'd be good lookin'. - six string samurai
Roswell, NM, naturally. Ok, so if you're really looking for something educational, you're more likely to miss here. But if you're in New Mexico - perhaps for Carlsbad Caverns - and depending upon your interests - it might be amusing enough to stop.
Well, If you want Geeksih how about this:
Palamar Telescope.
Then again there is Cal Tech in Pasadena.
Next you can stop at JPL.
There is also Mt. Wilson above Los Angeles.
Of course you could also goto Griffith Observatory but it's closed for a renovation.
All these are in the San Diego/Los Angeles area.
Heck, if you are into art/old books/old stuff there is the Getty.
And of course the Huntington with their copy of the Guttenburg bible.
We also have Edwards Airforce Base which is where the shuttle use to land, but they put on a heck of an air show.
And when traveling to the LA area you need to fly into the Burbank airport. They built the SR-71, the F117 and several other toys right there...
When you are done with Los Angeles area head on up to the San Fransisco area and check out the Valley. I'm sure a couple more people here can fill you in on those spots.
MAn I think I'm going to love looking at this thread!
Fantasy remains a human right; we make in our measure and in our derivative mode... -- JRR Tolkien
I haven't been there in a while, but if you find yourself in the Midwest (which has some beautiful places, so long as you avoid winter!), the $3 admission is definitely worth the stop. It's located in Chippewa Falls, WI.
I hear GameWorks in Chicago is pretty cool, though I can't say I've been there myself.
The house on a Rock is interesting.
As is the annual experimental aircraft airshow in Oshkosh. (This is the site for 2003, but maybe you'll make the 2004 show).
Good camping in Wisconsin, especially in the northern areas near the Wolf River.
Definitely, the Very Large Array radio telescope outside Socorro, New Mexico. Also Kitt Peak National Observatory,/a>.
We have Powell's bookstore, which is just amazing. It's like a full city block ... parts of it two stories and parts of it four stories ... and that doesn't even include computer/tech books, which are in a separate building down the street!! If you go in there and spend less than US$200, you're doing good!
:)
And since you want to backpack, the Oregon Cascades are not to be missed. I recommend Mt. Jefferson Wilderness area, east of Salem (where I live). Drive up to Britenbush Lake and hike on the Pacific Crest Trail over a ridge to Jefferson Park, which is right at the base of Oregon's second tallest mountain. Very, very pretty. What the heck, this isn't Jefferson Park, but here is a picture of me with Mt. Jefferson in the background, taken just last Saturday, so you can kind of see the area. At Jefferson Park, you'll be on the mountain just below the lowest glaciers. The hike in is, IIRC, about 9 miles.
For more of a challenge, you can go to the Three Sisters Wilderness and climb the South Sister. It's the third highest mountain in Oregon and the highest you can walk up with no technical climbing. I have not yet done it, but hope to next month.
Yes, technology is great, but sometimes you just have to get away from it all, and the Cascades provide ample opportunity to do just that.
...is located at 2066 Crist Avenue, Los Altos, CA
I can give you a couple of hints for the area around Baltimore and Washington:
As well as checking out the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum go see the restoration facility where they actually work on the planes. They have so many planes they will be working on them for years. You can tell the un-restored ones by the oil dripping from the engines
Skip the spy museum and go see the the real spy museum, the NSA museum. They let you play with a real German Enigma machine that is right next to the electro-mechanical computer that cracked it's codes. The NSA is so secretive with their information that I didn't find out until later what was the key that allowed a machine to recognize when it found the right key in an encrypted message. It was because the German message always started with the same format.
For the best collection of railroad engines in the world check out the B&O Railroad museum in Baltimore, just visiting the parking lot you can see, touch, and climb on 15 or 20 historic steam engines
Free cell phone tracking
There are so many cool things to look at in NYC, I don't even know where to start, but here are a few I kinda like:
Canal Street: the closest thing New York has to a technological flea market. All sorts of weird tech stores there -- but they're heavily industrial, not consumer-oriented. Motors, rotors, 4'x8' sheets of lexan, ancient keyboards for obsolete mainframe terminals, you name it. And, the Trader! Possibly one of the coolest army/navy stores ever. I once saw the heads up display and targeting system from a Huey Cobra on sale there for 1500.00. Foot-and-a-half wide IR spotlight and all, ready to mount to your VW!
Any of a number of museums around NYC, but some really good ones are:
* The metropolitan museum of art
* the museum of natural history and Hayden planetarium
* the museum of modern art
* (way, way uptown -- get a cab) The cloisters, which are an absolute MUST SEE. The man who built this museum actually acquired a number of real monasteries from Europe and flew them to New York stone by stone, rebuilding them into a huge complex which houses a collection of medaeval art that just has to be seen to be believed. During the summer, the cloisters for which this museum is named are in bloom, and you can hang out in them (cloisters are small meditation gardens that were maintained by monks, usually with an arrangement of pillars around a central clearing).
Check out the subways, but stick to the downtown and midtown areas. If you get off at West 4th station, you can hang out in the village! Lotsa fun. Great bars on Bleecker street. I mean GREAT.
I don't remember the exact location, but I think Sony maintains a technology visitor's center with all sorts of interesting displays. It should be in the phone book, I think it's in midtown.
Definitely check out a few cybercafes, and you'll want to see the huge recreation center they built on the West side, on 12th Avenue.
You should check out the statue of liberty if you can, and Ellis Island as well; the ferry rides are wonderful.
And, just to see what it's like, take the Staten Island Ferry. It's huge, weirdly colored, and a nice ride. Don't wander around Staten Island, though. It's, ah, what's the word I'm looking for? SEEDY. And, there's a chance you'll get mugged, especially later on in the day. Hang out on the dock until the Ferry goes back to Manhattan.
Farewell! It's been a fine buncha years!
The Bay area also has:
The best electronics store with the worst sales staff possible. But a hardware geek paradise. Don't ask the employees for help..the customers are more savvy.
Also the new Computer History Museum is great (Mountain View) at http://www.computerhistory.org/
The Tech Museum www.thetech.org for cool hands on science stuff.
The Winchester Mystery House (for a physical incarnation of eccentricity)
This isn't techie at all, but try to go to a place in New Brunswick, Canada, about 1/2 hour west from a city called Moncton. Follow the highway along the Bay of Fundy, and you'll reach a park called 'The Rocks'.
You can see the tide come in, and rise up 20 feet. Every 6 hours the Tide changes (comes in, goes out). There's a stairwell that you can go down to the beach and roam through some of the caves, just keep an eye on the tide!!!!
The MIT museum in Boston. I forget the exact location, I just know I was walking around MIT campus and stumbled across it. I'm sure any information source about MIT can point you at it. They have it set up in an old academic building. There was a section devoted to MIT "hacks" (things like the "breast of knowledge" made from the great dome, and other odd things like a cow and a cop car put up on top of the dome, as well as other stuff. But more impressively, there was a section devoted to the kinetic sculpture done by "this one guy" (sorry, I'm not doing him justice) that was all exceedingly cool. Basically they were all little mechanisms run either from small motors or hand cranks that did amusing, puzzling, and eventually basically useless stuff, but still looked interesting and were cool to play with and/or look at. I would highly recommend it.
7 November 2006: The day Americans realized corruption and incompetence weren't addressing 11 September 2001
If you're looking for architecture, try Toronto. We have the CN Tower, which was the world's tallest free-standing structure for several decades (and still might be; I'd have to doublecheck). We have plenty of other strange architecture as well - City Hall looks enough like an alien city that it was featured as one on ST:TNG, and Robarts Library in the University of Toronto was built with wierd threefold symmetry (the only right angles in the place are vertical).
If you're looking for science, try the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, and Science North in Sudbury (though between that and the giant nickle, that's all there is to see in Sudbury that I'm aware of).
For more tech, maybe email University of Toronto, York University, Waterloo University, and other places and see if you can schmooze a tour of the engineering or physics laboratories. I managed to get a tour of a lab with a "T3" laser by a friend-of-a-friend route ("Table-Top Terawatt"; a laser that uses the "chirped pulse" method to stuff a few joules of energy into a 100-femtosecond pulse).
It may also be worthwhile taking a tour of ATI while you're in the country, though if I recall correctly they were in Montreal, Quebec (which is also a great place to visit; just remember that "pedestrian == fodder" as far as the motorists are concerned).
Lastly, if you're literally into backpacking, try Algonquin Park. Rent a canoe for even more fun - there are routes that can take weeks to paddle through. For something shorter and closer to Toronto, Mono Cliffs Provincial Park has a very beautiful set of trails that you can easily spend a day walking through.
Enjoy.
Along the eastern states, you've got to visit a couple sections of the Appalachian Trail! Since you'll be backpacking anyway, it'd be really easy to hike a few days along the trail and then head back to civilization. I would suggest the following sections: Great Smokey Mountain National Park (NC), Mount Rodgers or the Shenandoah (VA), the White Mountains (NH), or anything in Maine! You won't be disappointed... there is some beautiful territory out there! and you just can't see the same views from a car.
NPS Appalachian Trail Site
What a time to go, hope you don't get imprisoned with no rights for being 'combatant' or 'terrorist' or just for being different by all the xenophobes.
GPLv2: I want my rights, I want my phone call! DRM: What use is a phone call, if you are unable to speak?
Down in DC you simply must, must, must visit the National Air and Space Museum. It's part of the Smithsonian Institution, and it's geek paradise. Things that go zoom zoom through the air, on a grand scale. And astronaut ice cream in the gift shop. All Smithsonian museums are free. A+
About halfway between Baltimore and DC is the National Cryptologic Museum. It's part of the National Security Agency's campus in Fort Meade, MD. Find some geeky folks at the Air & Space Museum to drive you there, as sadly it's impossible to get there via public transit. You can also drive around the Fort a little bit and take in the scope of one of our country's most mysterious entities, but not too much. Admission is free! B+
In Baltimore there are a number of great places for geeks to go, the Museum of Industry (B+) and the Public Works Museum (B) are both fun, and the National Aquarium (B-, unless you can go when it's not crowded, then it's an A+) is in Baltimore too. Skip the Maryland Science Center (C)..it's okay if you can sneak in for free but it's not worth the price of admission. If you go to Baltimore on a first thursday of the month, most tourist attractions are free.
Also, I've always found it helpful to make contact with any geeky organizations you could align yourself with in the area in advance. If Linux is your thing, check http://www.tux.org in advance for LUGs in the area, make some contacts. You may be surprised how hospitable and helpful the locals can be!
Bon voyage!
-Prote
In Minneapolis: The Bakken Museum
Across the river in St. Paul: The Museum Of Questionable Medical Devices which is now in the Science Museum of Minnesota
http://www.geocaching.com/
Go see the radio telescope at Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
1. In Boston, The Museum of Science home page is pretty good way to spend a day or half day. I mention it only 'cause I live there.
...and if you do a blog with pictures, let us know where.
2. Also, if you're into that kinda thing, the Monster Garage vehicles are on semi-tour, you can check when and where they're being displayed here
3. The Computer History Museum here . Never been, but they used to have a part of it here in Boston.
For one week each summer, Wittman Field in Oshkosh Wisconsin is the busiest airport in the world. If you have any interest in aviation, consider this your Mecca. Check out http://www.airventure.org/ for a preview. If scheduling problems prevent you from getting there during the fly-in, at least visit the mueseum: http://www.airventuremuseum.org/
Greenbank Observatory is located in the gorgeous mountains of West Virginia and hosts the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope !! What could be more geeky?
geek places you must visit:
- national air and space museum, Washington DC
- Cape Kennedy (Florida) and/or Johnson Space Center (Houston, Texas)
- air force museum, South Dakota
- computer museum, presently at NASA Ames (Mountain View, CA)
---
if you wanna get "geeky" about rock climbing & hiking you can... people do.
meanwhile don't pass up a chance to see as much of the american west as you can: Yellowstone, Arches, Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Death Valley. do all this in the spring (better) or fall, to avoid the hottest weather and most crowds.
The MIT Museum in Boston is pretty cool, and Boston overall is a great city to be in. While you're here you can sample some of the delights of New England and Quebec. Fall/winter/spring is great in Boston due to the throngs of college students.
Skip the tech shit though, it'll all filter down to Australia sooner or later. Spend your time seeing things that aren't at home!
http://www.meteorcrater.com/Mcrater.htm
My family was visiting Illinois several years ago and one of our friends there knew one of the scientists at Fermi Labs. We got a personal tour through the whole place, and I have never seen a similar concentration of such geeky delights! If you can possibly see it don't miss it.
"Prefiero morir de pie que vivir siempre arrodillado!"
And Portland really is beautiful.
And we can use the money. (No joke. We have everything you could possibly want here except jobs.)
Finding God in a Dog
Last month I've been to the Bay Area for 10 days, and wondered where I could find "Geek Tour" recommendations. I even asked slashdot, but it haven't been posted. Anyway, I found the two following links, which have some good recomendations: Geek Tour and The Geek Guide to Sillicon Valley. Enjoy.
Air & Space: Wright-Patterson Air Force Museum, Dayton, OH; Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C. (don't forget its Annex, a.k.a Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA)
Science & Tech: Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA; American History Museum in Washington, D.C.; The Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago, IL; maybe Biosphere II, Oracle, AZ
For Geology: Grand Canyon, AZ; Dinosaur National Monument, CO; Carlsbad Caverns, NM; Meteor Crater, AZ; Yellowstone National Park, WY; Yosemite National Park, CA
Banff and Jasper parks in Alberta in the Rockies. the northwoods of Minnnesota ( especaily the boundry watters), Yellowstone. The olympic pennsula in Washington. and anywhere in brtish columbia and alaska. None of these are "geeky" but for sheer natural beauty they are the best I've ever seen
Hamvention® is the world's largest amateur radio gathering and trade show. I'm not a ham, so I just go to shop for computer junk... but the folks at this show are *so* geeky that its fun to just watch them.
"Lord, grant that I may always be right, for Thou knowest that I am hard to turn" -- A Scots-Irish prayer
(1) Like nature? Big sky? Try Dolly Sods in West Virginia.
(2) Like caves? Not really into spelunking? Find out some local walk-in natural caves in your area. I know in Virginia, there are lots. You need to get permission from whatever farmer owns the land, and you need a Nat. Geological Survey map [try the nearest university library], and you need a friend.
That's it.
(3) Here's something really cool, one-in-a-world. If you like it, fine. If you don't, then skip it. But it's Tide Spring. There's a river that flows out of a spring, every *other* thirty minutes. Then for thirty minutes, it's dry. If you want to know where it is, ask Dr. Rudmin at the Physics department at James Madison University. By my memory, it's about 20 minutes to the west of Harrisonburg, VA.
(4) Go see a Shipbuilding company, or alternatively the space shuttle repair facility, or one of the coal strip mines. Any of those will have some really big equipment.
(5) Go fossil hunting. Contact the geology department at a local university, and find out what there is. We used to hunt trilobytes (read cockroach sculpture), and found a number of them.
(6) Tour CEBAF/TJNAF. Get someone who works there to show you around.
(7) Learn about the plant life you see, as you go. For example, wild parsnip can give you a bad sunburn, when you contact the leaves, and then are exposed to X-rays. But find out what you can eat, and can't, and then (1) find it (2) pick it (3) check it with someone who really does know (4) try it. Just not mushrooms. Although the False Morel contains rocket fuel, and is very geeky, it should be noted that it can cause a very painful drawn-out death via liver/kidney/renal failure.
(8) Spend a week or a month working on an old-order (Amish, mennonite, etc.) farm. Find out how food is really made. Then find out how we do such things as homogenize or pasteurize milk.
(9) Find an old hill-fort (the indians and earliest colonists both used to build 3-sided earthen forts) and use cheap architectural tools to map it out.
(10) Hunt for indian arrowheads and musketballs in an old battlefield.
There, that's ten. For a geek, I really think that the important part is that you come back with some interesting bit of information that you never would have found out before. For example, I just discovered in my town an old hill-fort, 75 feet by 100 feet, with a good kilometer of earthen wall in front of it. Nobody knew it was there: they assumed that the craters had been from WWII bombs. But it is there. (I should note that in this country, the size of W. Va, there are 450 others. It isn't unusual here.)
But I really think that finding out unusual stuff is extremely geeky.
Correct Horse Battery Staple: 72 bits of entropy. Enter "Correct H" into google. When it generates the phrase, that's
The greatest assembly of geeks in the world must be the Dayton Hamvention, usually held in mid-May in Dayton, OH. This three-day-long amateur radio convention has been referred to as a "Woodstock of the Nerds" and usually attracts around 25K visitors. There's a huge outdoor flea market with all kinds of interesting stuff ranging from ham radio gear to mil-surplus missle parts.
-f
Most of the geeks I know (self included) like beer. If you're that kind of geek, don't waste your time in the States-- come straight to Canada. ;-)
So long, and thanks for all the Phish
Well, everyone should read that book, but you in particular might enjoy it, since it's chock full of bizarre touristy attractions that you might enjoy.
Visit Abovenet, which is just under MAE-East. Cool setup, and you get to be at a place where the majority of internet traffic gets routed through on any given day. See if you can get a tour of the colo space.
It's not in San Jose actually. But I agree its great!
Be sure to stop in at Daddy's. Tell them CowboyNeal sent ya!
On your way to or out of DC, stop at the Capitol of the Confederate States of America. Aside from the statues of Confederate War Heroes/Traitors (depending on where you live) on scenic Monument Avenue, there is the Edgar Alan Poe Museum, Confederate White House, Virginia Museum of Art, as well as some other historically interesting areas (Like the Fan - one of the best examples of Victorian architecture still around in the US).
Technologically speaking there isn't much - the Virginia Science Museum has an old school computer exhibit - teach you to count in binary, example of a sorting algorithm, space invaders implemented on a red led field.
Circuit City HQ is there, and Phillip Morris HQ just relocated there as well.
What also makes for a fun trip is to visit the plantations on the way to/from Williamsburg and Richmond. Learn about some past US presidents and life in the antebellum south in a beautiful setting.
Don't forget everyone's favorite micropayment system!
That being said [eye roll at breezy eco-elitist assertion made by a guy who probably summers in the Amazon], the southern part of the Appalachian Trail has got some nice scenery. Oldest mountains in the world (along w/the Urals), so they're nice and rounded and lush, as opposed to being all rocky and craggy and dramatic. Rich ecosystem.
John.
Took my honeymoon there... an awesome place.
-Shane
I love teh int4rw3b!!!!!111one1
The Kansas Cosmosphere Museum has "a U.S. space artifact collection second only to the National Air and Space Museum and the largest collection of Russian space artifacts found outside of Moscow, the Cosmosphere's Hall of Space Museum is uniquely positioned to tell the story of the Space Race. By focusing on the human story of space exploration--and punctuating that story with one of the finest collections of international space artifacts in the world--the Museum places space exploration in a broad historical context and presents the story of the Space Race in a way that no other museum in the world can."
Of course, there's also Area 51.
The Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown area is great if you want colonial history. Pretty cool area!
And while there, take a trip to Livermore Fire Station #6 and see the lightbulb that has been burning for more than a hundred years!
SIGBUS @ NO-07.308
There are lots of neat parks to go to. A buddy and I travled around quite cheaply. Skip the tourist stuff and hit lesser known parks. Yellowstone sux.
Darwin, Minn. Home of the largest ball of twine wound by one man. All hail crazy twine ball creators.
I am Sp0r, Scourge of the Cosmos!
However, I would highly recommend New Orleans, Louisiana. The folks there know how to cook.
If you're into mega-construction it doesn't get any bigger than the Big Dig in Boston. They used to do tours but now that a large part of the project is open to traffic, I'm not sure they do anymore.
Yuengling, America's oldest brewery. A great place, and great beer.
In 1996, we took a tour of the birthplace of our Chevy Suburban, which was in Janesville, Wisconsin. I don't know whether that plant is still in operation to that scale though. You might do a little investigating on the Web and figure out a good one to visit that happens to be close to whatever route you decide on.
There is nothing on earth that compares to the Yosemite Valley in california. You can get a wilderness permit and backpack for a couple days with no reservations. This is a must see before you die, or are to old and frail to hike
Niagra Falls (From the Canadian and/or American Sides)
Any power dams/plants that Still Offer Tours(rarer since 9/11)
If you're in the real "Upstate NY" check out the St. Lawrence SeaWay:
- Alexandria Bay - 1000 islands Boldt Castle Tour
- Massena - THe Eisenhower(sp?) and Snell Locks
- Massena the Long Sault Dam and Robert Moses Power Dam
The Adirondack Mountains - Lake Placid area: You can ride the Olympic Bobsled&Luge runs for a fee. The adirondack/Lake Champlain area has a lot of natural and historic sites.Go Skating on the Canals in Ottawa, Canada
Any New England Lobster Festivals
Finger lakes(NY) or California Wine Regions
Any Pacific Beaches in Central California
and not to be morbid or anything but WTC-Ground Zero, SHould be on everyones list to see as should Pearl Harbor(although not feasible by backpacking),
Just some places I've been that have inspired me
--Im an oven mitt, not an engineer! (SLArbys Radio Commercial)
Boston, Massachusetts and its environs are filled with incredibly geeky things. Boston is the home of the Free Software Foundation, Ximian, and OSDN. Just across the river, Cambridge is the home of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, undeniably a geek Mecca. Next door to MIT is Harvard University (as the MIT t-shirts say, "Harvard: Because not everybody can get in to MIT"). Plus we've got the Big Dig, which despite its infamy for budget overruns, corruption, and defacement of the city landscape, is also home to some incredibly geeky marvels of engineering! And of course, many other geeks of note live and work in and around Boston.
Ft. Hays Kansas is pretty much the only place to stop and stretch on I-70 between Denver and Kansas City, and it happens to be the home of a pretty cool museum dedicated to the permian basin.
http://www.fhsu.edu/sternberg/
In particular, you can see the ultra geeky Fish-Within-A-Fish and enjoy a cold beverage.
Nothing beats the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (Washington DC). Just about every first in flight and space is there. www.nasm.si.edu
The original Van de Graff generator is demonstrated at the Museum of Science in Boston...huge thing...awesome lightning show.... (M.I.T. is also here and has a variety of stuff of interest to geeks).
if you're able to trek out to northern nevada the last week of august, an event not to be missed is burningman you can usually hitch a ride from the bay area. plenty of info on their page. it's 225$ for a ticket now but for a weeks rent in the most eclectic place on earth it's a good deal.
yellowstone is one of the most amazing natural spots in the world. more geysers at that park than the rest of the world combined. beautiful to every sense.
Oh I almost forgot, if you are in Orlando (Disney, Epcot, etc etc, not far from Kennedy Space Center) do check out the Keyboard Museum (http://www.keyboardmuseum.com/play.html) if you have any interest in vintage synths and electronic keyboards. Awesome collection. And the Orlando Science Center (http://www.osc.org/index.htm). Mostly for younger folk but a lot of neat stuff there for others!!
We have to eat happy eggs from happy chickens.
There are a lot of nerdy attactions in the San Francisco Bay Area, so you may want to go there.
Possibly the attraction of the greatest interest to the astronomically inclined in the SF Bay Area is the Lick Observatory, and in the summer months they allow the public to look through their 36" refracting and 40" reflecting telescopes.
Details here.
If you like architecture check out Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio in Oak Park, IL. http://www.wrightplus.org/
If you like Mark Twain check out Hannibal, MO. It's at least cheap.
If you're interested in the history of computers, this is the place to visit.
Check out their website www.computerhistory.org.
They have some amazing collection of *old* computers...
They also have a tour you can take of the off-site facilities where they store exhbitis they don't have room for in the main facilitiy. There's some really cool stuff there. When I was there (at least a decade ago), they had a lot of the experimental WW2 Axis planes.
The hilight was a one-man japanese bomber. To allow the pilot to protect his tail, they had a gun mounted in back. He would look through a periscope that pointed backwards to see what he was shooting at. To steer the gun he would wiggle his butt.
This sig has been temporarily disconnected or is no longer in service
Some of these have begun to disappear: the Interstate system of highways discourages stopping for tourist attractions.
Go read "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman, and then you'll have to stop at Rock City near Chattanooga, Tennessee, and especially House on the Rock which must be seen to be believed. If anything, Gaiman downplays its true strangeness.
Design for Use, not Construction!
how about you get yourself a fuckin life homo?
30 minutes north of DC, lots of neat stuff, including one of the few surviving ENIGMA boxes
If you're in Kansas, swing by the Walnut Valley Music Festival in Winfield. Not exactly a geek haven, but it would be a nice place to cool your heels for a couple of days. http://www.wvfest.com
Never argue with a man carrying a water buffalo
I definitely 2nd that Washington D.C. is a must. The Smithsonian museums will show you why most of us love what the U.S. stands for, and at the same time you can see our government and why we despise it on so many levels. I haven't traveled in search of geeky hotspots but for nature backpacking you can't go wrong with the southern appalachian mountains. Me being in southern Michigan the best thing we have for the geek in most of us is Wizzywig (http://www.wizzywig.com). It's the only "all things anime" store in Michigan and if you're into anime it's quite impressive.
However, if you're going to be on the western U.S. you must see the following (in no particular order):
Yellowstone National Park
Las Vegas
Burning Man
I suppose those 3 do go in order: werid, werider, weridest. Can't go wrong with any of them.
Those are my thoughts on the matter. Sorry if my spelling is horrid.
Well if you want to go in true tech style there is a certain amount of gear that you will need to pack. 1) A GPS with visual maps not the ones without them. You can look for favorites within the GPS for cool places to visit plus you won't get loss...unless you're an idiot. 2) An IPOD so you can travel with your pirated/copyright infringed tunes to listen to at will without fear of a RIAA subpoena ending up on your doorstep. 3) Fujitsu Lifebook (built in Wifi) w/dvd player so you can carry around a db of numbers and contacts as well as the very important "Pr0n" for the road (movies, virtual girl, etc.). If you're not traveling with your gf/wife then you're going to need this release! 4) Digital phone for emergencies and/or road ho's you might want to contact you. 5) PDA for instant access to your contacts instead of booting up the Fujitsu. You really do need both!
Now points of interest and in no particular order...Nasa, The Bunny Ranch, Hollywood, Grand Canyon, Area 51, NV, Las Vegas, New York, Roswell, NM, Kenai, AK, Bigfoot Country in Washington/Oregon, Burning Man Festival, Family Values Tour, Tijuana, MX, Astroworld in Houston, TX, Bourbon St, in New Orleans, Scores in NY, and more if need be but that would encompass a lot. You should also stay true to backpacking and only travel on trains and by hitchhiking. What's cool about hitchhiking is when you get a ride and like the vehicle you can just steal it! This is what makes America so fun, safe, and GREAT!!!!
P.S. Buy a life insurance policy and don't let the people in Florida know you're a tourist..
You aren't free to do anything, until you've lost everything.
Carhenge!
In the SF bay area there's NASA Ames. I haven't
taken a tour in several years but they have an
amazing collection of wind tunnels and
supercomputers.
http://www.arc.nasa.gov/about_ames/tours.html
If you're lost in Nevada... The NTS National Test
Site is a blast. I'm not sure if you can get in
being an Aussie but it's worth trying. (Remember
to apply BEFORE YOU go.) Sedan crater really is
amazing.
http://www.nv.doe.gov/nts/tours.htm
In Washington DC I recommend the Air and Space
Museum and the NSA Crypto museum (Just North of DC). There's something special about being able
to sit on a Cray.
http://www.nsa.gov/museum/index.html
In Chicago, IL. Very nice.
"Working" 727 jet, huge model train set, OmniMAX
(IMAX surrounding you), and one of three
U-boats on display in the world, and only
one captured by the USA. They have an Enigma
machine there too.
Highlight of my visit to Chicago, and I only
had half a day to try to take it in.
Well done, Chicago!
Vip
Come on over to Santa Cruz, have a beer at Seabright Brewery, and then take a nice trip over to the local CostCo to reprovision and tour the campus that once housed SCO (back when they were just a nice little Win32 UNIX variant).
(sorry, but SOMEONE had to make the ObSCO reference)
I have something in common with Stephen Hawking...
We have a lot of strip clubs. I suggest you "Chez Pare". There's some fine honeys up in that place.
Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought.
Never been there but the story is quite interesting and I'm sure seeing it in person wouldn't hurt either...
Coral Castle Link
I'd recommend the "Who's Ed?" link.
I enjoy nature a bunch. I also get a kick out of what we humans have done to nature (parks, billboards, giant concrete statues).
I spent a couple years as a field service tech and zipped around north america. I would say you need to set foot into Mexico, go to the Utah Salt flats, visit Rocky Mountain National Park, Niagra Falls, Washington D.C. (Smithsonian is AWESOME), Savannah GA is just plain beautiful (drive north into southern South Carolina... Beaufort is gorgeous).
The next week you'll want to get up to Duluth/Two Harbors MN, and Bayfield, WI. Maybe zip over to Traverse City, MI and go to Mackinaw Island. Drive from Oklahoma City to Dallas, TX... it's very surprising. Spend some time in New Mexico near the border with TX... watch a sunset here on a partly cloudy day... you'll never want to leave.
Visit the Central Coast of Californ-I-A, San Luis Obispo is a great little town, and the wine is exceptional (Dry Reislings, Pinot Noir, etc). Spend a hot humid day in Houston TX, and you'll appreciate a hotter dry day in Phoenix AZ.
Drive up through Lake Tahoe and Trukke... maybe pop into Yosemite. On the other end of the continent visit Gettysburg, PA.
This is a great country, continent, and world. I appreciate having been able to go to so many cool places, but I also know that I haven't even wandered into the woods near my house. You could stay at home and find as many amazing places!
Take care, have fun, bring a camera, and stay safe,
Ben
"If voting could really change things, it would be illegal. " - Revolution Books, NY
Don't forget to visit JFK to see concorde take off.. she stops flying towards the end of October and will probably end up in the smithsonian afterwards, but it just won't be the same...
:)
and if you want REAL museums with LOTS of stolen items, go visit london for the day and come back
Now for some hearsay.. MOMA is apparently a very interesting place to visit although I've never been there myself...
If you are coming through New Mexico, I would recommend Los Alamos if you are to the north. They have a FREE museum.
http://www.lanl.gov/museum/defense.shtml
If you time it right, they sometimes also have cool tours (but they can be strange about people from out of the US). Or, if you are going to the south in New Mexico, you can see the spot where the worlds first atomic bomb was tested.
http://www.alamogordo.com/trinity.html
Both places have some great hiking, Lots of cool mountains in the north, and White sands to the south. They are worth the stop if you are going through New Mexico anyways.
1. National Cryptologic Museum
o v/
http://www.nsa.gov/museum/
Located between Washington, DC and Baltimore at the HQ of the NSA this is a tiny and fascinating museum. You can even try out a real Engima machine.
2. Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley
http://www.computerhistory.org/
This is a good place to get an overview of the history of computing and it's a good excuse to visit Silicon Valley (which is worth seeing but not worth staying in for long because it's essentially a big suburb).
3. Intel Museum
http://www.intel.com/intel/intelis/museum/
Also in Silicon Valley and worth seeing to get an overview of the history of the microprocessor. Of course it's skewed to Intel but worth it.
4. Microsoft Campus and Museum
http://www.microsoft.com/museum/
If you really want to understand the power of Microsoft go to the HQ. There's a great little Microsoft Museum that takes you through the company's history and the sheer size of the campus is worth contemplating.
5. MIT Museum
http://web.mit.edu/museum/
A lot of very important stuff has happened at MIT and the museum is a good way to get oriented to the place. Plus Boston has its own computer museum and is a cool city to visit.
6. HP garage in Palo Alto
Visit the place where HP started: 367 Addison Avenue, Palo Alto, CA. While in Palo Alto take a walk around Stanford University's campus and contemplate the Bills Gates center.
7. Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC
http://www.nasm.si.edu/
You can spend at least 2 days here looking at, sitting in and understanding more things than you ever wanted to know about earth and space flight.
8. Kitty Hawk, NC
http://www.kitty-hawk.com/
Visit the place where (4 miles south on Kill Devil Hill) the first human controlled power flight occurred).
9. Houston, TX or Cape Kennedy, FL
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/
http://www.ksc.nasa.g
Either will give you a good idea of the history of NASA and the exhibits are great.
10. Boeing Field/Museum of Flight
http://museumofflight.org/
Another great place to visit in Seattle, WA after you've had your fill of Microsoft.
11. FBI HQ Tour
http://www.fbi.gov/aboutus/tour/tour.htm
Worth it for the tour of the forensic labs and (currently closed) the live fire demonstration.
John.
I can't beleive that I read through all of the postings on this subject and nobody mentioned perhaps the most amazing national treasure of all...JELLYSTONE. Where else in the United States can you find such virgin lands populated wholly by talking animals (a feat in and of itself) not to mention the chance to meet an American icon Yogi Bear. No not that foolish man who has tried to gain fame by naming himself Yogi Berra, but the indomitable, unsurpassable and original talking Bear...
If you can only go to one place, I vote for Jellystone.
okay here's the skinny on a few southern towns from an American who travels city to city a few years at a time:
;)
Oklahoma - Route 66 (old dusty cross country road that holds mystique for car buffs who love gas gussling classics) runs through Oklahoma City, home of the Shopping Cart, and the Parking Meter. Also, AWACS, Seagate (CHEAP HUGE HARDDRIVES!!!), fossils GALORE in the eastern mountain ranges, and more astronauts come from Oklahoma, so I suppose you could go see their graves or something..
Texas - If you can just transport yourself to Austin Texas, somehow, it is well worth it. There you will find plenty of cyber cafes, vineyards, water sports (either variety), climbing, great food, wi-fi hot spots galore, a surviving tech industry, independent arts, the first known photograph and a gutenburg bible (univ. texas), live music, a large hacker community, and 6th street. I don't think there's much else in the rest of Texas.
Louisiana - Skip the rest of it and go straight to New Orleans. There you find beer. I can't remember much else of wh.. oh yes, history, jazz, culture, archaic rules and venues, colorful plants, smelly smells and.. wow.. just about a bit of everything. One can truly escape in New Orleans. Beware, as equipment tends to get wet and pots tend to get dirty in NO. Also, check out Grand Isle State Park.. it looks and smells like the garden of eden. its just an hour or so south of new orleans. The beach is beautful, you can camp there, and there's even lots of porpoise swimming about.
California - Skip everything and go straight to San Diego. Hit the 5 north or south to the 8.. head west to the beaches.. follow it into Ocean Beach via the Sunset cliffs blvd exit. Ocean Beach is the only place in san diego that time forgot. There is a mixed demographic makeup, rich in home owning ex and current hippies, along with every other facet of live available, including street life. There's even a wi-fi star bucks a block from the beach. just beware, ob'ceans HATE starbucks. You might get dirty looks on your way to the surf. Try the Hoodads for burger and a beer, and then head downtown to the San Diego Computer History museum. After that get some cheap wine (it's california) and settle into a fireworks show from Sea World.
-p
** "It's not my job to stand between the people talking to me, and the ones listening to me." -- Pego the Jerk
7 words: The Star Trek experience in Las Vegas.
If you hit Philly, check out this little museum of medical oddities.
Since you mentioned astronomy, and you will be here in the Winterish months, be sure to check out the Orion Nebula. Maybe not up to par with the Large Megellanic cloud, but definately the best in the Northern Hemisphere.
See my Home Theater
comdex - big trade show thingie. one of the biggest events in las vegas right behind the porn convention I think. Nov. 17-20 in Las Vegas or even better, September 16-18 in Toronto
...no two people are not on fire.
I've actually been to Holland several times, but this was before there was a slashdot. I know Cmdr Taco would hate having tons of people knocking on his door everyday, but it would be cool for about 15 seconds to see him in action. Then it would be time to visit the wooden shoe factory.
Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
I went in the summer and it is spectacular. I don't go above I-10 in the winter (and I recommend this to you), so I don't know, but I suspect that you wouldn't want to camp or visit if it's snowing, and I think it may even be closed in January. Pennekamp is great, it IS the place to be in January, do Canaveral and Miami Beach on the way too.
Vote Quimby!
Definitely one of the places you want to visit.
AC comments get piped to
If you find yourself on the east coast in December, you should really consider coming out to Kitty Hawk (Kill Devil Hills, actually, but who's counting?) for the 100th anniversary of Wilbur and Orville Wright's first controlled flight. It's going to be a very big deal, including a reenactment of the actual flight.
Boston is an excellent place, its a big city packed into a smallish space. More universities than you can count (you could try and see the Media Lab at MIT and talk to some geeks) Catch a Redsox game (hopefully against the Yankees). Hang out in Harvard Square and check out book stores, cafes, brewpubs and try to get in a conversation with some of the residents, both permanent and transient.
Banff and Jasper contain some of the most beautiful mountains and natural areas on this continent, its close to Calgary and several hundred km's to Vancouver so it is a good respite from the big cities.
Have a great time!!!
I dont know how you feel about art ... but Philaldelphia Museum of Art is pretty cool. And for the budget-minded .. Sunday is "Pay as much as you want day" .. Also nearby .. The Franklin Institute and the Please Touch Museum. I personally think the Franklin Institute is a lot of fun.
Get yourself to Colorado Springs, CO and ask a local how to get to Manatou Springs. Your looking for the Barr Trailhead. Leave 9 hours for the ascent. There is no technical climbing here, but you will start at ~6000ft above sea level and end at 14,110ft - a mile and a half up and ~14 miles of walking.
There is a gift shop up there but you lowlanders won't be interested in the trinkets. You'll want to head straight to the back and into the EMS station for some oxygen. Then go have some food.
Bring cash. You won't have the daylight to hike back down to the car so you'll want to take the cog railway down. Unless you are into taking your time.
Just a couple of miles up the trailhead is a campground. Leave the RV, this is by foot only. You can stock up on water here.
Half way up, at the tree line, is an A-frame that will provide good shelter. There is a clean stream there that feeds the black flies and provides home to Giardia, so bring bug spray if you stay the night and filter or treat any water you take from the stream. There should be some firewood stacked nearby for the fireplace in the A-frame. It may be 90 F in the city but it will be cold at 10,000ft. (Pilots use oxygen at 10,000ft.)
From the A-frame you have completed the easy half of the hike. From here everything is uphill and rocky. The mountian looks like velvet from the city but the rocks are half the size of minivans. Watch for Yellow-Bellied Marmots. They are like giant ground squirrels. Cute and funny, the present no danger.
Eat some small snacks along the way, but don't give in to any hunger. Hypoxia is nothing to mess with and it's all the harder on a full stomach.
The last 200ft before summit is stepped - called the Golden Stairway. Stop halfway up these, turn around and sit down. This is the summit you are hoping for. The true summit with it's cog-railway and vehicle access is touristy and detracts from the elation and beauty of the days work. The people up there will ask if you hiked. You'll say yes and they will look at you funny. Just look back and smile. To them this is a check mark on a vacation list. To you it's a lifetime achievement to summit a Fourteener.
There are other trails that spur off of Barr Trail. If you wanted to make a week of the area this is a good way to do it.
Also in town (north end) is the Air Force Acadamy. Worth the tour. Peterson Air Force Base (east, near the airport) is also worth the tour if you can get it.
If you are planning a year ahead you can arrange to have a tour of Norad under Cheyenne Mountain, the next peak south of Pike's Peak. You'll see it coming in to town, it's the one with all the antennas on top.
If you want any info on the trail, what to look out for and where to find resources, contact the AdAmAn Club
--- "1.21 Jigawatts!" -Doc
I suggest visiting some of the national parks in North America. The four listed below have made the biggest impact on me. All of these have great backpacking trails and areas once you get there.
These are not what I would call "geeky" but in all honesty, most of the geek destinations have been a let down. I usually get more enjoyment out of books and articles than visiting a place. (Unless you absolutely need to make a stop by micro$oft headquarters)
If you make it to Washington DC, make sure to stop at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, if you are into that sort of thing.
Mackinaw Bridge...if I remember correctly there is a time of year (Labor Day?) that they have a scheduled walk across the bridge and there are plenty of nice places to camp near the bridge. Henry Ford Museum and the related properties, great geeky stuff including Edison's labratory. Also, make sure to hit the Dearborn area and see some of the Ford family houses and his own electric plant he had. How about hitting the US big three, Ford, GM and Chrysler (no particular order) and going on some visitor trips through their buildings if possible. Finally, how about the Detroit Institue of Arts (DIA) It's still a pretty nice place to go.
in silicon valley, i suggest two seemingly unremarkable items: for the past (the office building on el camino real in menlo park, formerly housing Be Inc.); for the future: the front of the Gates building at Stanford, where every replace ment of one of the large palm trees dies...
Howdy (I lived in Texas for several years),
u mbfal2-body.htm
:)
Here in central Kentucky we have a very rare waterfall. Our big waterfall is one of only TWO in the world that have "Moonbows"!
http://www.state.ky.us/agencies/parks/i75frames/c
At each full moon you can see a beautiful Moonbow over the falls. The falls are located in a great forested area not far from Somerset, KY. This area is about 2hrs south of Lexington, KY.
In Lexington there is the great Kentucky Horse Park which has just about anything you ever wanted to know about horses and horse racing. If horse racing is of interest there are two tracks in Lexington and Churchill Downs (The home of the Kentucky Durby) is about 1 1/2 hours to the west in Louisville, KY.
http://www.churchilldowns.com/
Something else we have here in KY is the worlds longest cave system, Mamoth Cave! There are many tours through the cave system and lots of information about the history of its use and exploration. No matter how many times I have been in there it is always impressive!
http://www.mammoth.cave.national-park.com/
Feel free to stop by this great state if you get the chance.
Cy
"gadgets, bookstores, software, comics,"
Chuck that stuff and cut loose. TAKE A VACATION FROM BEING A GEEK!
Sure the Smithsonian etc. wouuld be great, but I would suggest a non geek vacation... who knows, maybe you'll find something more enjoyable than a 20 hour codeing marathon or a weekend of watching SciFi network.
Go to Yellowstone National Park in September when all the school kids and boy scout troops are gone.
Spend some time biking in Moab (Southern Utah). While you're their check out Zion, Bryce and Arches National Park then jaunt over to Colorado and check out Mesa Verde NP.
Check out local festivals in the midwest. I know in my state ever other town seems to have a "Strawberry/Corn/Dairy/Watermellon days" frestival.
Find out if you like fly fishing, hikeing, rowing, swimming, running, boating, water skiing, or basket weaving. GO CLIMB A TREE!
Read some Thoreau at Walden Pond.
Go to Canada and visit their national parks (Banff is an INTERNATIONAL treasure). Go to some the the AWESOME festivals in Edmonton.
But please... turn off you cell phone. If I hear it ring while I'm watching a wolf pack in near Yellowstone this fall I'll be very upset.
~Z
I promise you will never be the same again.
The Museum of air and space is cool too, but not as enlightening.
Holy s-, it's Jesus!
In Chicago there are a couple cool "geek" placs to try out:
1) Museum of Science and Industry
2) Planetarium
3) Architectural tour of the loop area.
It's so huge, it's definitely a "must see before you die".
Of course, you really only need to be on the same hemisphere as me to see it, so you don't need to come all the way to the States...
The greatest thing a geek who likes the outdoors can do is go Geocaching!
:-)
You go to the website, enter a ZIP code, or city, or similar, and you'll get a list of hidden "geocaches." You put some coordinates into your GPSr, print out a map (and sometimes some hints) from the website, and see if you can find one. From experience, I can tell you that it's pretty easy to get within 10 feet of the cache . . . it's those last 10 feet that are tough.
It's incredibly fun, and here in my hometown of Los Angeles there is a geocache at Cal Tech, so you can take out two geeky birds with one stone. (It's easy to spot the geeky birds -- they have tape on their beaks.)
Nearly all the monuments and museums in Washington DC are free to the public. Some require waiting in line for tickets, but again those tickets are generally free, they're just used to limit the number of visitors per day. Plan to spend at least a few full days in the DC area, to see everything. Natural and American History museums, various Art museums, war memorials, the Air and Space museum, Air and Space II out in Dulles, VA (a 30-45 minute drive from downtown DC), and much, much more. Northern VA also has the Spy Museum, which might be fun if you're into cryptography and the like. I think they even have a hands-on exhibit of the Enigma machine.
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See Bay Model Visitor Center
In Madison, WI, you can tour Monona Terrace, a convention and exhibition center on the lake in Madison, WI, that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. While the structure was designed in the 1930s, it was built in the 1990s. A little west of Madison, in Spring Green, is Frank Lloyd Wright's estate, Taliesin.
For a slight change of pace, you can check out a house (and the kitschy museum that goes along with it) designed by one of Wright's students. The House On The Rock is an interesting tour, but I found the house itself quite a bit more interesting than the museum attached to it.
Seriously. June and July in North Dakota are gorgeous.
The sun shines, the temp stays in that perfect 70 - 80 degree (F) range, the humidity is low, everything is green and beautiful, and the residents are all super friendly.
The central part of the state, especially the north-central part, is wonderful for bird watching. North Dakota is the central flyway for most bird's migrations. (This bed and breakfast will put you up nicely. I've been there and the host is a great man with tons of stories who can guide you around. Even has Internet and Digital Cable!)
Devils Lake, Lake Sakakawea, and the Missouri River are great fishing and boating spots. The city of Washburn on the Missouri River has the Lewis and Clarke interpret center. This is a must see where you can learn about their epic voyage through the Louisiana Purchase.
The Bad Lands in south-west North Dakota feature epic, rugged scenery. The city of Medora is a must see with its Musical and pitch-fork fondue.
The Maah Daah Hey trail that connects the north and south units of the Theodore Rooselvelt National Park is one of the top five in the nation. Great for backpacking, biking, or horseback riding. If you don't do anything else in ND, travel this trail.
If you can't make it here during June or July you need to stop by in January. If you are lucky you'll get hit by one of our world famous blizzards. Unforgettable.
obviously no deficiencies vs. no obvious deficiencies
Any Geek tour of America should include the following sites:
The NSA National Cryptologic Musuem
The INEEL nuclear labs in Idaho - Home of the world's first nuclear power generation facility.
Tour of the Hanford Site near Richland, Washington. Home of the worlds first large-scale nuclear reactor for production of weapons grade plutonium. Nuclear reactors, Plutonium Generation plants, lots of nuclear waste,... a must see!
Grand Coulee Dam, The largest hydroelectric dam in North America and one of the largest in the world.
If you're in the area you might also want to visit one of the various lower Dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers, which feature huge locks for transporting boats and barges above the dams.
If your into Natural Disasters and biological recovery, visit Mount St. Helens, the volcano that erupted in 1980.
There is a really cool computer history museum in Boston, Mass. I didn't know about until after I moved from Cape Code.
Come see the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio (http://www.profootballhof.com/). While your at it, take I-77 North 60 miles to Cleveland and take a tour of the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (http://www.rockhall.com). Both worth the price of admission and then some!
'nuff said
Book your reservation now, before its too late!!
C - A language that combines the speed of assembly with the ease of use of assembly.
If it happens to take you four days to hitchhike from Saginaw (Simon & Garfunkle reference) perhaps you can stop in Dearborn and check out The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. Sure, its an historical preservationists nightmare, as most of the buildings in GV are completely out of context, and out of their original state or country for that matter. But you get to see Edison's orgininal lab and Webster's home where he wrote his dictionary. In the museum you can see Lincoln's Ford Theater chair and JFK's Dallas limo. And some really freakin' huge steam engines and locomotives.
What?
If you go to LA you should take a peak at the Getty museum. It doesn't have a huge collection yet, but the architecture is amazing, and the view of LA is unbeatable. The parking is miserable though. Pasadena also has some nice old-style theaters that are off the beaten path, but I hear worth a gander.
And so far as science museums go, I've always been partial to the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry - though the last time I went was a while ago. They have a German U-boat outside though, which is kinda fun. The Smithsonian is a must.
On another architecture note, if you pass through Dallas I'd see the Meyerson symphony center. It was designed by I.M. Pei, and has great sound if you like concerts with your buildings.
Other good stuff in Texas is McDonald's observatory in West Texas somewhere. Also nearby that is the Marfa lights, if you like unexplained phenomena. And if you like geology stuff, on the border between New Mexico and Texas is Carlsbad Caverns, a huge set of caves making up this monstrous national park. And for something particularly nerdy you can pass by the failed Texas supercollider. I don't think there's much there to see though; I'd much more recommend SLAC (outside Palo Alto, CA).
And if you happen to be in eastern Texas, then you have to see Austin, too, because it's kinda like a small, Texan version of San Fransisco - or at least we like to think so, but it really is a fun tech city with lots to do, particularly for outdoorsy people (think monstrous hilly parks with spring fed creeks with bathing holes etc).
Punkin' Chunkin' festival in delware around Halloween every year. Get to see pneumatic cannons launch pumpkins close to a mile and marvel at the physics behind the Centrifugal devices. Gives new meaning to BFG!
Rice University Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology- "Engineering the freaks of tomorrow"
I thought he was going to be on VACATION........
Having to deal with anyone at Frys will certainly make him enjoy beautiful California.....
Might as well have him make his case in the return line to top off all that excitement.....
if common sense was common, wouldn't everyone have it?
my home (thus the name)
u m= 4&topic=38
;-)
geek angle:
pay homage to the great diode gods of commerce
http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/topic.cgi?for
bonus geek angle: get caught on 20 different cameras, wind up in 20 different govt databases lol
http://www.notbored.org/times-square.html
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
I'm logged on to a high-speed line at the university here in Brookings, SD (with my 12-inch Powerbook), so I hope you're kidding. I also have access at home. Certainly some isolated, rural areas(i.e. farms) may have trouble getting proper internet access, but that does not give you the right to insult the whole state. Do you even live in South Dakota "newt_sd"? If so, what town?
----
"Ours was a free culture. It is becoming much less so."-Lawrence Lessig
Frankin Institute
It's in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota... 800 stores, an aquarium, a cereal adventure and an amusement park all under one roof.
If you make it to Chicago check out the SkyDeck high atop (103 floor) the Sears Tower, don't forget to lean forward ala Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I also recommend the architectual boat tours up the Chicago river and on lake Michigan. While you are in Chicago see a Cubs baseball game at historic Wrigley Field built in 1914.
If you are backpacking and spending some time in the U.S. and Canada, sometime between Memorial Day and Labor Day please take a week or two to visit America's most inaccessible national park.
Isle Royale is located in the middle of Lake Superior. It has very little habitation on it and many many miles of hiking trails and lots and lots of nature. You will probably see moose and if you are lucky you may see a timber wolf.
Please note this trip will involve either a flight by float plane or by boat. It isn't geeky in the least beyond that but I promise you that if you take the trip, it is something that you will cherish.
Oh, and don't try to wrestle the moose or the wolves. We don't do that here.
There is a replica of the Atanasoff-Berry computer at Iowa State University. The ABC is arguably the first ever digital computing device. Betcha didn't know it came from Iowa.
l e. html
http://www.scl.ameslab.gov/ABC/Articles/Chronic
Besides that, ISU has enough geekiness going on to keep you busy visiting labs for a long time.
If you're in Mesa, Arizona, you must go to Organ Stop Pizza, home of the world's largest theatre pipe organ.
Actually I thought this one other building was more interesting. It was like ten stories tall, and was barely big enough for one lecture hall per level, so that's exactly what they put in it.
A different year's MacWorld Expo had an appearance by Stephen Hawking, and was well worth the effort.
A trip I took some years before that was a week in London. One place I made a point of going to was Fencurch Station, because of the mention in the Hitchhiker's Guide series. Another place was the 200 block of Baker Street, where I was amused to find a computer store selling Apple gear. If I went now, I'd add Mornington Crescent to that list. But really, the coolest place of all during that trip was the British Museum, where I got to see the Rosetta Stone.
Another place worth seeing if you're in the area is the Infomart in Dallas. The escalators are freaky, because after you get to the top, you have to cross three feet of glass floor. Not fun if you're acrophobic.
--
"Open source is good." - Steve Jobs
"Open source is evil." - Microsoft
The Kennedy Space Center offers two bus tours:
:)
- The "regular" bus tour which rides around some launch pads, gets you within a mile of the Shuttle launch facility. 45-60 minutes long
- The "space geek" premium bus tour. My wife and I took this April of last year, and I recommend it. Costs an extra $25 each per person, but you get a couple out in the launch area, drive within 1/4 mile of the Shuttle launch pad, and several hundred feet from the giant Shuttle housing building (if you're lucky, you might see part of one of the shuttles itself). Those things are HUGE!
The people who take the premium tour are very geeky. When we saw the left rocket and the giant fuel canister of one of the shuttles, people were hooting and hollering and clawing all over the bus to get a glance. Like birders who saw the super endangered blue-tufft penguin for the first time. Very funny
The premium tour doesn't happen during times of heightened security, and only runs a few times a day, so plan ahead. It was closed from Sept 11 - Mid April 2002. My wife and I were on one of the first dozen tours of 2002.
If the tour is running that day, consider yourself lucky, and jump at the opportunity. It's worth it.
"Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
Hays, KS: Sternberg Museum of Natural History
http://www.fhsu.edu/sternberg/.
Hutchinson, KS: Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center
http://www.cosmo.org. "With a U.S. space artifact collection second only to the National Air and Space Museum and the largest collection of Russian space artifacts found outside of Moscow, the Cosmosphere's Hall of Space Museum is uniquely positioned to tell the story of the Space Race. By focusing on the human story of space exploration and punctuating that story with one of the finest collections of international space artifacts in the world the Museum places space exploration in a broad historical context and presents the story of the Space Race in a way that no other museum in the world can."
Kansas City, MO: Linda Hall Library :)
...brig
http://www.lindahall.org. "The Linda Hall Library, opened in 1946 is the largest privately endowed science, engineering and technology library in the world." I work at Linda Hall, so I'm a little biased, but we really do have tons of journals, monographs, and rare books on just about every geek topic you can think of.
-- When I grow up I'd like to be a systems defenestrator.
And if you're big on water parks, Schlitterbahn, in New Braunfels, TX (between San Antonio and Austin) is a great geek stop. Not only is it consistently rated the best waterpark in the country, it has some really interesting engineering feats: roller-coaster like water slides/rides that include lots of uphill sections where you're pushed by huge jets of water. Also lots of other cool rides, wave pools (and a wave canyon), etc.
the cartoon art museum
slac(stanford linear accelerator)
lawrence livermore labs
also a webhost here in town ( laughing sqhid) maintains the squidlist for non-conventional and geeky events.
I'm assuming you'll be flying into SanFran or LA. Skip LA, that place is the pits. SanFran has the Bridge and lots of tech, then up to Seattle to the neat stuff there, then thru the wonderful Rockies down to New Mexico to check out Roswell (NM is where that's at, right?), then over to Chicago for the Sears Tower and stuff, down around the Lakes to Philly (stop in Pennsylvania to see the Frank Lloyd Wright stuff) then NYC. Then down to DC, skip my neck of th' woods and head down toward Florida...
But seriously, the Ontario Science Centre has the most in common with it.
You should definately make Metropolis Illinois(the Home of Superman) a stop on your tour. The museum is very cool.
In Boston, check out the Computer History Museum
In Chicago
In the Bay Area there is
If you're an animal-science sort of geek, San Diego is a good place to visit. There's the Zoo and the Wild Animal Park. There's also Sea World, which is more about entertainment than science, but it's still animals. Figure one day each for the three sites.
If you can get to Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water outside of Pittsburgh, PA, it is most definatly worth the trip. It's thought to be Wright's trademark creation, and though perhaps not totally geeky in a computer way, there is something about being there that I'd highly recommand to anyone who can be there. It will highly contrast to the majority of American architecture, that's for sure.
To write a haiku - all you need is the correct - number of syli...
Because geeks are just about computers....
...especially the Air and Space Museum ...especially Niagara Falls (both sides)
Hoover Dam (because its really cool)
CN Tower (tallest observation point)
St. Louis Arch (tallest free standing monument)
The Smithsonian Museums (as many as you can)
Any portion of the Great Lakes
Las Vegas (try to find all the security cameras)
New York City (you try to fit that many people in that small a space)
Golden Gate Bridge (and the Rock)
Erie Canal (though the Panama Canal is even better)
42 - So long and thanks for all the fish.
If you are a geek who likes 80's arcade games, may I suggest the Ground Kontrol Retrocade
Recently bought by a number of well known collectors, including the maker of many arcade multigame kits Clay Cowgill. Checking their web site, they now have free wireless net access.
If you go let me know what you think, as I'm all the way in NY.
Just found pictures of the arcade - http://www.multigame.com/arcade/
Sure you looking for enlightenment ... just so happens that list of great sites would make a handy target list. We're on to you fella.
If you are in DC then you won't be too far from Baltimore where you can go to the Inner Harbor area and see the National Aquarium, very cool and very worth the trip. And if you happen to be an Aquarium nut, one of the Largest is in Chattanooga, TN right at the Base of Lookout Mountain where on a clear day you can see 7 states (and probably Dollywood too.)
If you make it to chattanooga, you might want to come north a bit to Bowling Green, KY where you can visit the National Corvette Museum and tour the facility where every Corvette is built and possibly get a glance at the new Cadillac XLR based off the Corvette.
Now if you've made it to the Corvette Museum you are only 15 miles from the worlds Largest Cave System Mammoth Cave National Park
South of here is is the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama and of course others have mentioned The Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral.
Of course I'm sure there's plenty interesting things I have forgotten about. Those are some pretty good things to do while you are in the eastern half of the US.
I went to Niagara Falls a couple of years ago and it is really amazing. I recommend going in from the Canada side though because it is much prettier over there. From what I saw, the Canada side surrounding the falls was pretty much like a big flower garden and the US side (where I'm from) was just a run-down town in New York with a waterfall beside it.
In my neck of the woods (New England), the Hay Library at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island is well worth a visit. They have a bunch of unique MS collections ("manuscript," not "Microsoft"), including an unrivalled selection of H. P. Lovecraft. They also have a huge collection of comic books donated by a professor from my alma mater.
In Worcester, Massachusetts is the The Higgins Armory Museum, which features the collection of arms and armor accumulated by John Woodman Higgins. It is, as the curators will happily tell you, the only museum in the Western Hemisphere dedicated to arms and armor.
Also, probably not worth a visit, but interesting to note if you happen to be passing by, the Quabbin Reservoir in central Massachusetts was made by evacuating and flooding four towns. If you hear anyone talking about the Lost Towns, that's what they mean. Always creeps me out to drive past it.
-Carolyn
Like Daddy always said: if you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit.
I second this suggestion. I particularly like the cheesy little cardboard cutouts of astronauts at the bottom of it. He he he.
In camden nj....
love is just extroverted narcissism
Visit the Einstein Memorial in Washington, DC at the National Academy of Sciences. Not real easy to see from the road. Most people don't know it's there.
If you're in and around Silicon Valley (a geek must!) stop by Lick Observatory, 20 miles from San Jose.
Banff National Park (Canada) is the most beautiful place on earth. Don't miss it.
If you like astronomy, geology, and/or archaeology Flagstaff is a cool place to go. The biggest attraction (pun intended) is the Grand Canyon about 100 km north. Geologically, you also have a bunch of volcanic formations, the Pertrified Forest, and Meteor Crater all relatively close. If you head onto the Navajo Reservation, there are a bunch of dinosaur tracks near Tuba City (normally a cardboard sign points the way from the highway).
If you're into space sciences, the Lowell Observatory is in Flagstaff. It houses a very nice refracting telescope in a wooden dome build by bicycle mechanics about a century ago. Finally, there are tons of archaelogical sites scattered around. The biggest is Walnut Canyon, a cliff dweller site. But you will find all sorts of old dwellings sitting in the desert.
At the risk of starting (yet another) flamewar over where the modern computer was born...
If you find yourself in Iowa, trek on over to Ames. You can visit the Computer Science department that produced the Atanasoff Berry Computer. Even if you place more stock in other early computers, it's interesting to learn where Mauchly got some of his ideas.
While you're there, I recommend grabbing some pizza at the Great Plains Sauce & Dough Company. Only pizzaria in Iowa recommended by Let's Go!
I am concerned about any program, any piece of hardware, any treaty, any law that treats me as a consumer, not a citizen
Spend a week in San Diego. Great weather, beaches and mountains.
_ info.html
e n_gate /goldengate.asp
m /
In San Diego's Balboa Park
http://www.balboapark.org/
San Diego Aerospace Museum
http://www.aerospacemuseum.org/
The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
1875 El Prado
San Diego, CA 92101
http://www.rhfleet.org/
Near San Diego is:
The San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park
15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, California 92027-7017.(760) 747-8702.
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wap/visitor
In San Francisco go to Goldengate Park
http://www.goldengateparkconcourse.org/gold
MORRISON PLANETARIUM
http://www.calacademy.org/planetariu
Also in SF:
The Exploratorium
3601 Lyon Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) EXP-LORE
http://www.exploratorium.edu/
In Texas visit the
HOUSTON SPACE CENTER
http://www.spacecenter.org/
If you want to do a historical geek tour, you should start with Benjamin Franklin. The Franklin Institute is really really cool, at least I remember it being very interesting when I went there (I think I was 12). http://www.fi.edu/ Philadelphia also has Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell if you want to get some historical perspective on the founding of the country. Another historical geek to check out is Thomas Edison. If you happen to be passing near New Jersey (er... it could happen), you might try visiting the Menlo Park Museum.
I second that; I've worked at Fermilab over 10 years, and I still think it's neat...
- "History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of men" -- Blue Oyster Cult, 'Godzilla'
You've got everything. The archetecture of Chicago is amazingly diverse. The Sears Tower and Hancock building are so amazingly huge your mind will boggle. Standing next to the ST and looking up is a little bit like what I imagine being in the Total Perspective Vortex must be like. Then there's the Adler Planetarium, the Field museum, the Museum of Science and Industry...and you need to go to the Art Museum and examine the Seurat up close. AMAZING.
Sure you want to meet the people who send you all the penis and enlargeners?
At Boca Raton, the spam capital
Some of the more intresting addressess: here and here
Boca Raton, proudly supporting spammers and defending their rights to spam!
signatures pending - ansa@kos.to - (dont mail there)
Please stay away from Boulder. It has NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research), LASP (Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics), CASA (Center for A... and Space Administration), NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technologies), NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), a kickass physics dept at University of Colorado (Last years Nobel winners for physics), a lot of beer, Denver of course has a cool aquarium, and the worlds largest (at least used to be) bookstore in the Tattered Cover at Cherry creek.
Please don't move there though, there are already too many people.
Sig adapted slightly from Full Metal Jacket - This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is mine. My sig is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my sig is useless. Without my sig I am useless. I must write my sig wittily. I must write clearer than my enemy, who is trying to slashdot me. I must slashdot him before he slashdots me. I will. Before God I swear this creed: my sig and myself are defenders of my OS, we are the masters of my enemy, we are the saviors of Linux. So be it, until there is no enemy, but peace. Amen.
How to have the Burning Man experience from the comfort of your own home:
Pay an escort of your affectional preference subset to not bathe for five days, cover themselves in glitter, dust, and sunscreen, wear a skanky neon wig, dance close naked, then say they have a lover back home at the end of the night.
Tear down your house. Put it in a truck. Drive 10 hours in any direction. Put the house back together. Invite everyone you meet to come over and party. When everyone leaves, follow them back to their homes, drink all their booze, and break things.
Buy a new set of expensive camping gear. Break it.
Stack all your fans in one corner of your living room. Put on your most fabulous outfit. Turn the fans on full blast. Dump a vacuum cleaner bag in front of them.
Pitch your tent next to the wall of speakers in a crowded, noisy club. Go to sleep. Wake up 2 hours later in a 110+ degree tent.
Only use the toilet in a house that is at least 3 blocks away. Drain all the water from the toilet. Only flush it every 4 days. Hide all the toilet paper.
Visit a restaurant and pay them to let you alternate lying in the walk-in freezer and sitting in the oven.
Don't sleep for 5 days. Take a wide variety of hallucinogenic/emotion altering drugs. Pick a fight with your boyfriend/girlfriend.
Cut, burn, electrocute, bruise, and sunburn various parts of your body. Forget how you did it. Don't go to a doctor.
Buy a new pair of favorite shoes. Throw one shoe away.
Spend a whole year rummaging through thrift stores for the perfect, most outrageous costume. Forget to pack it.
Listen to music you hate for 168 hours straight, or until you think you are going to scream. Scream. Realize you'll love the music for the rest of your life.
Get so drunk you can't recognize your own house. Walk slowly around the block for 5 hours.
Sprinkle dirty sand in all your food.
Mail $200 to the Reno casino of your choice.
Go to a museum. Find one of Salvador Dali's more disturbing but beautiful paintings. Climb inside it.
Spend thousands of dollars on a deeply personal art work. Hide it in a funhouse on the edge of the city. Blow it up.
Set up a DJ system downwind of a three alarm fire. Play a short loop of drum'n'bass until the embers are cold.
Have a 3 a.m. soul baring conversation with a drag nun in platforms, a crocodile, and Bugs Bunny. Be unable to tell if you're hallucinating.
The primary focus is on aircraft radar, of which they have a large number of physical examples. The Museum's library is formidable. I wrote down several pages of book titles while I was there, but most of them are simply unavailable elsewhere.
I advise spending on day in there for the exhibits, and another day on the library. The person manning the door was a veteran who had worked with many of the systems in there, I talked to him for about three hours.
If you go, consider bringing a very good digital camera and photographing everything and making a large web page. That is my only regret, that I had no camera when I went there.
Except women's sanitary products... (re: Microserfs)
In Colorado, there are a few things that I can think of right off the top of my head. Just north of Fort Collins is the WWIV radio towers -- you know, "At the tone the time will be". You can't tour the site, but it might be a nice place to stop and get a picture of yourself.
In Boulder there's the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which you probably can get a tour of. They have the atomic clock there. There's also the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), which apparently gives a pretty good tour.
Note that southern Colorado has Cheyenne Mountain, the military complex built into the mountain that was in War Games, the movie? They apparently don't do tours any more, however (at least not when I checked 3 or 4 years ago).
Colorado also has the Rocky Mountains, which has some really good backpacking.
Finally, in Colorado we have quite a lot of Linux activity. The http://lug.boulder.co.us/ http://nclug.org/ http://clue.denver.co.us/ to name a few. Those are monthly meetings. There are also Hacking Society meetings http://hackingsociety.org/ a couple of times a week -- Tuesdays in Fort Collins and Thursdays in Boulder. If you're here for the better part of any week, we can probably hook you up with at least two groups of geeks.
If you find yourself in Millwauke, Wisconsin, make sure you visit The Safe House. It's a bar/restaurant with a heavily spy-oriented theme. Not directly geek stuff, but geeks seem to like spy stuff. The food is not so great, but you should definitely order a "Martini, shaken, not stirred".
In Washington, D.C., there's (of course) tons of stuff. The Air and Space museum is pretty sweet, and many of the museums there are free. The Spy Museum is also fun, but very hard to get into. IIRC, it costs $16.
Sean
For Architecture, check out Arcosanti in Arizona. The brainchild of Paolo Soleri, inventor of the Arcology. Also check out the Gamble House in California, the masterpiece of the great Arts & Crafts architects Greene & Greene. Avoid at all costs, the EMP (Experience Music Project) in Seattle, if you love architecture. I'm told the stuff inside is fine (activity-wise), but I just can't bring myself to enter that architectural abomination. The Monorail in Seattle is fun, and any self-respecting geek has to appreciate a monorail (cue Simpsons Monorail song)! While in Seattle, do the Underground Tour - a tour of the underside of the city. Check out the overpriced Space Needle, and eat fantastic Thai food at Tup Tim Thai on West Mercer. Or eat at Torero's on Broadway and have the sour cream chicken (pollo con crema). *yum* For more old-skool architecture, check out the Pioneer Square area of Seattle, too. Lots of older brick buildings, built after the fire. (the Underground Tour is in Pioneer Square, so this would be convenient). Lots of people seem to like the Pacific Science Center, but I gotta admit, I think it's overrated. However, there are now 2 IMAX theatres there, so there may be something interesting to see. If you're there, check out the giganto water fountain in Seattle Center. The Space Needle is also in Seattle Center along with the science center. For something weird, check out the Fremont Troll under the Fremont Bridge (Fremont is a funky little neighborhood in Seattle). Check out Gasworks Park - an old abandoned gas factory converted into a park, with some of the best views of Seattle & Lake Union. Check out the waterfront - there's a place called Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. There you can see, among a bunch of touristy crap, real shrunken heads and mummies. Also in Seattle is the Boeing Museum of Flight. And don't skip the Pike Place Market! A great place, and most people never even realize there are multiple floors. There's a great collectibles (comics, etc.) there with lots of great toys to buy. Sit on the brass pig, and watch out for low-flying fish. Go out the back way and check out the amazing view. Eat the crusted Romano Chicken at the Cheesecake Factory downtown. Yum. Or while at the Pike Place Market, eat at the Pervian restaurant 'Copacabana'. I recommend the Lomito Soltado (or Pollo Soltado if you're not into red meat) or the Paella. For dessert: Nicaraguan Whitecake. You'll never forget it. I'm told the Arboretum is nice, though I've yet to check that out personally. Check out Snowqualmie Falls, east of Seattle. 100 feet taller than Niagara Falls! Oh yeah, while in the Fremont area, check out the locks that connect Elliott Bay with Lake Union. Very nice.
In Vancouver, BC, you must eat at the Afghan Horseman. Amazing food, awesome atmosphere. Hit the aquarium - the best aquarium I've ever been to.
San Francisco, California, for the architecture and culture, and the amazing natural beauty of the area. If it wasn't so amazingly expensive, I'd live there instead of Seattle (poor man's San Francisco).
On to Arizona, check out the big ass meteor crater. There is nothing else to do in Arizona. Oh, okay, Antelope Canyon, if you're not afraid of drowing in a flash flood, and the Grand Canyon, too.
In Wyoming, any geek must see Devil's Tower, where the aliens in Close Encounters of the Third Kind landed. It is a surreal exerience, to say the least. Watch out for the prairie dogs. If you're in Wyoming, you might as well see the most beautiful place in the U.S.: The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park - they're on the West side of Wyoming, whereas Devil's Tower is on the East side of the state. From Devil's Tower, it's a short hop across the border into South Dakota to see the only thing worth seeing in that state: Mount Rushmore. Don't speed as you're about to cross the border: major speedtrap.
Montana: Glacier Park. Flat-out amazing.
I can tell you from bitter personal experience that the only thing to see in the state of Missouri (misery) is the
Off the beaten path (not is it only in Puerto Rico, but it's even off the beaten path in Puerto Rico!) is Arecibo Observatory. It's BIG!
Your first stop is San Francisco's Exploratorium, an absolutely amazing hands-on museum dedicated to "science, art, and human perception." Exhibits range from the fun and simple to the complex and educational. Look at live chicken embryos; build a catenary arch; mess with your depth perception; stick your (gloved) hand into a mulch pit to feel the heat; explore crystal formation; spin like a top! Nothing beats this place - my wife and I even had our wedding reception there.
Your second stop will be the main branch of the New York Pubilc Library, a gorgeous 19th/early 20th century building that simply looks like a library should. If anyone gives you trouble, this is the right place to use the line, "Back off man - I'm a scientist."
*******
"What good is science if no one gets hurt?!" - Professor Chromedome
New Orleans is a must see. Bourbon street, is awesome! The food is amazing, the drinks are better. Go to Pat O'Briens and order a Hurricane. This is one "tourist trap" that hasn't lost its original charm. Head to Cafe du Monde and have some Beignets. You absolutely need to try a lucky dog from a street vendor, and make sure you get chili on it. Whew! Awesome stuff.
The airplane graveyard outside of Phoenix, Arizona is also pretty cool.
You have to checkout Taliesin West. This is the winter home of the Frank Lloyd Wright Architect school. Very cool things to see and do. There are are also a number of buildings in the surounding area that are very cool as well.
If you feel the need to come to Seattle do so but be warned of two things. 1) Do not go outside of the city of Seattle 2) It does not rain all the time.
What could possibly go wrong?
Ooops! The link for the Atanasoff Berry Computer is really http://www.cs.iastate.edu/jva/jva-archive.shtml.
I am concerned about any program, any piece of hardware, any treaty, any law that treats me as a consumer, not a citizen
the World Trade center. Oh, wait a minute. That's not there anymore, right?
NCAR - Atmosphere research center. On a bluff above Boulder. Exhibits, Cray supercomputers, and more.
NREL - Lakewood (West Denver). Alternative energy technologies.
NORAD - SW of Colorado Springs. You'll need to make a tour reservation months ahead of time.
Missile Silos - there's a bunch in the NE part of the state.
Air Force Academy - Colorado Springs.
Rocky Flats - West of Denver. Made plutonium triggers. If you call, you might be able to arrange a personal tour.
John Kerry is a Joke!
Come to Santa Monica. Great beaches, in close promimity to 2 Fry's, and is home of the inventors of the spy satillite (sp?), packet switching, and study of terrorism: the RAND Corporation www.rand.org they're building a new build next door and the old RAND building is a neat piece of 50's architecture across the street from the beach where the most watched TV show in the world was filmed (Baywatch).
I'm from the US now living in NZ and the major bookchains here don't even carry Heinlein let alone decent computer books (can you say "Windows for Dummies"?). Find one of these. Radio Shack is like Dick Smith in Oz/NZ, meaning it sucks, but Fry's (or however it's spelled) Electronics often has some cool stuff.
- National Galleries in Washington D.C. - Amadeo Modigliani's "Nude Reclining on a Divan" will make you ponder the true nature of beauty.
- The Museum of the Art Institute of Chicago - Solid collection of Impressionist works featuring one of my favorites - Gustav Caillebotte's "Paris Street, Rainy Day", an excellent example of an aesthetic that had a profound effect on the development of the discipline of street photography.
- The New Orleans Museum of Art - Their collection of Faberge items commissioned by Tsar Nicholas, et al. makes you truly understand why the Bolshevik revolution was inevitable.
In Washington D.C., eat, drink and be merry at the Bierskellar in the Dupont Circle/Embassy Row area. The Largest beer selection in the U.S. and buckets of tasty steamed mussels can make most things better.While in New Orleans, stay at the Edgar Degas house. It's a Bed & Breakfast now and the proceeds go towards restoration. It's on Esplanade. When I was last there, the chef made the best grits I have ever had.
I also recommend eating at the Waffle House chain. The decor and menus are so chaotic as to cause seizures. In fact, I'm twitching now.
Go figure.
The Royal Tyrell Museum of Paleontology in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada is one of the most exceptional museums I have ever been to. It truly feels like you are stepping back millions of years, and is a world-class facility.
While you're out there, check out the Banff-Jasper corridor of the Rocky Mountains, particularly the Columbia Icefields and Johnston Canyon. Spectacular geographic features of North America can be found there, and the glaciers date back to the last ice age!
... who lived in LA for 15 years (before moving to Europe last year) I would have to say that you definitely need to see LA. Climb Griffith Park, look out on that big bad city, and smile - there is *nothing* like that in Australia.
Then turn around and look out over The Valley, just for a followup.
Check out all the usual geek stuff: Fry's, the Sony center in SF, etc. Then leave California behind and head out to Arizona, the Grand Canyon, Nevada, etc. America has some great big wide open spaces - not quite as great, and big, and wide, and open as ours, mind you, but they do have some.
I would definitely do the LA->SF drive up the coast, also, it is worth it just to get a feel for the state of California coastline (not as good as ours, but still good).
Then when you're finished, go home and have a swim! The Yanks don't have beaches anywhere like ours!
(Or the Germans either, curse it!!! CURSE THE RUHRGEBEIT IN SUMMER TIME!)
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
Don't miss the museum of American History. It's not the most exciting title for a museum, but it's got trains, racecars, scale steam generation plants, computers, and other amazing geeky stuff that escapes me at the moment...it's a close second to the Air and Space Smithsonian.
Speaking of the Air and Space Smithsonian, it sure is wierd to walk in the front door and see THE Rutan airplane that flew around the world, and THE airplane Yeager broke the sound barrier in and THE first capsule to put an American in space.
They're not mockups, they're not models or 'artist representations', they're the _actual_items_.
"Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus."
sign up for the free course at the safest town in America!
I also love the Smokies & the Blue Ridge (grew up in GA). However, I must gently correct you: the Adirondacks in upstate New York are even older than the Appilachians. Many geologists believe the Adirondacks were actually lifed and worn down once over and then relifted with the Appilachian mountain building event.
Well, here in RTP we've got IBM. You better come see it before it gets moved to India or China.
There's also a nice gas station that sells Krispy Kremes $.10 cheaper than the sundry store inside of IBM.
I love this place.
I live in Calgary, Alberta Canada. If you want your mind blown by a museum, visit the Royal Tyrrell Museum near Calgary at Drumheller Alberta! Other than that Calgary is about 1.5 hours from Banff.
P.S. Our beer is just great! Look for just about any micro brewry.
You have to come to Montreal for 2 things actually.....night life is pretty good...but mostly womans.
:)
During summer....in winter you don't see them....the hunt season is summer....you can't miss them....they are everywhere.
Montreal is well known for the georgous girls.
You won't get WIFI at your favorite restaurant though.....but who cares....you can send your pictures of those ladies later
Karma: Very Very Very Very Bad
Visit the numerous Apple Stores across the States, and bring a wi-fi laptop so you can sit outside the stores and surf for free.
In case you need to take a leak.
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
I suggests browsing the database of the Center for Land Use Interpretation. Under "Browse by Category", choose "Cultural Sites" and check out all the wierd and abandoned stuff throughout the US.
Forget gadgets, they are everywhere. In the Detroit Area I would recommend a few things.
1. Henry Ford Museum, just because its here and historically important.
Aside from that, visit the various communities to see how people live away from their native lands.We have a large arabic community, a large polish and eastern European community, handful of Asians, lots of African Americans, etc.
Try to make friends with someone that will show you a little piece of their community. That is what America is all about, and if you miss that, you have not see her.
The technical bookstore at powells is about 3 blocks from their main store, and it is AWESOME. I was just there yesterday, and picked up $80 worth of O'reilly books for $26 (they were both one edition old, but who cares at that kinda discount?) Not only is it filled to the brim with thousands of new and used computer texts, but it also serves the math and science enthusiast as well. A definant MUST!
If you were from Europe or the pacific islands, I woudl suggest some of the attractions that only America has. The below seem to appeal to these demographics:
*The Grand Canyon: Utah / Arizona border. No really, it is huge. Check it out.
*Banff Canada: B.C. / Alberta border. Mountains, glaciers, bears. Etc. Most beautifull scenery ever.
*Yellowstone: Wyoming. Tetonics at work. worth it for its earth science geek factor.
Sept is a good time to go to all of these. Few visitors that late in season, but check for road closures due to snow.
Since you are from down under, you know about (or have the ability to see up close) large open spaces so these may or may not appeal to you. If you hate the out doors, as some are want to do, then the big famous cities are probably for you. I tend to avoid them at all costs, only having been to Chicago, Denver, Atlanta, San Fran, and others to change planes going someplace more interesting. Washington D.C. would be a great visit; Especially for the museums.
robi
Ok, like, don't go really far out of your way to do this. There's nothing really to see or do, other than walk the same streets that were walked by Thomas Edison, Nicola Tesla, Charles Stienmetz and Hans Bethe.
The same streets were also walked by Geo. Washington and LaFeyette. Stories such as The Last of the Mohicans and Drums Along the Mohawk took place here. It's smack dab in the middle of old colonial America.
And I guess thats part of the point too. Don't forget to see America while you're here. NY State isn't NY City. Get out into the millions of acres that are still forest inhabited by lions, bobcats and bears. Places where the American equivilent of Steve Irwin ( and Red Green) actually exist "in the wild."
See the country, not just the cities and bars.
KFG
If you're going anywhere near this area, go ahead and reply and I'll dig up more information, or look at replies to this, I may have already posted links to Oak Ridge tourist sites. (BTW the Oak Ridge Playhouse is usualy visited by the locals only, and if you make a show it is really good, and priced for real people, not tourists.) Oh, and if you come to Murfreesbor, TN (Middle Tennessee) you can see the world's larget ceader bucket. :)
Little Brother, watching the watchers
For natural wonders, it's hard to beat Grand Canyon National Park. And while you're in Arizona/New Mexico, check out one of the ancient Anasazi Indian sites like the Chaco Culture National Historical Park in Nageezi, NM or Mesa Verde National Park between Cortez and Mancos, CO. For a technically geeky side trip, you could visit the National Radio Astronomy Observatory Very Large Array about 50 miles west of Socorro, NM.
I went in 1996 and spent 3 months backpacking around the western and southern states. Been back 1/2 a dozen times since. As Glynn Nicolas said "Don't hate America until you've been there!"
;)
Immigration:
- Expect the rubber glove treatment upon entry to the US if you fly in. They will want to know why you are spending so long there. I had a rather nice lady go through my bag looking for resumes and anything else thay may mean I was job hunting. Be warned and leave the tie and shiny-shoes at home.
Note post 911 getting into the country for even the 4 day to 3 week visits I've had to the states has been a sh*t. (Australians arrive on a "Visa Waiver" meaning the immigration officer decides whether you can come in or not... and there is no appeal).
California:
- Stanford Linea Accelerator was kinda cool. Having said that, its now 7 years older. Don't touch the big red button.
- Being in Berkeley CA the day that Tim Leary died was kinda surreal. Everybody was in mourning. Of course, you can't do that
- Go see Alcatraz. Allow more than the 2 hours they recommend. I spent nearly a whole day there.
- Go to "The Stinking Rose" restaurant. Don't kiss anybody for a week.
- Hire a car and drive the coast road to LA. Get the hell out of LA real fast. Go to San Diego and crash on the beach for a few days.
Nevada, Arizona, Utah:
- Vegas. Ya gotta. I survived 36 hours and had to get out.
- Bryce Canyon. Amazing. Probably one of the most beautiful landscapes I have seen in my life.
- Grand Canyon. Do the three day Hike from South to North if you can. (A day trip means you won't get past the donkey piss on the trail from the mules they use to cart overwweight tourists). If you are insane, try to run it in a morning.
Texas:
- I only went to San Antonio, but it was really interesting learing the history of the Alamo.
Lousiana:
- New Orleans. I hated it. All strip joints and Karioke bars. I've heard that there has been an effort to restore the Jazz to Bourbon St tho.
Memphis:
- You gotta see Graceland. Make sure you get the audio tour done by Priscilla Presley. She is so sickly sweet that you will want to vomit.
- Also recommend taking the paddle steamer jazz cruise out of Memphis. The Mississippi is more of a port in New Orleans and less mystical.
- The Civil Rights Museum. Probably the most important place I visited in the US. Converted from the Motel where Martin Luther King was shot. It blew me away how recently all this stuff happened.
Colorado:
- If you are in Denver during winter, go down to Winter Park and hire a snowmobile. Enjoy destroying some other Country's national parks.
NY City.
- Go. It costs and arm and a leg but it is so different from any other place in the US. Almost worthy of being call a separate country.
Boston:
- Interesting for the concentration of brain power. Find somebody who goes to MIT on the web and bug them for a tour.
Washington state:
- Seattle was a dump in 1996. All the smack addicts migrated there on the tails of the grunge scene. Still, the surrounding countryside is amazing. Go hiking.
If you want any more ideas, I'll try and find you among the spam: yamahasw40@latinmail.com
Matt
The original home of Cray supercomputers. I don't know if they offer tours, but it'd be cool to see. Cray Inc. 900 Lowater Road Chippewa Falls, WI 54729 Main Phone: 715-726-4000 Fax: 715-726-4099
"It's real and we can touch it, so least we know where we stand." - Jack Burton
First of all you should check when "whenever I have to go home again" is. The US is not that open to longterm visitors. Especially the last few years. If you want to stay within the Visa Waiver limit you have a maximum of 3 months, but be prepared to very clearly state your reasons for staying that long, and especially how you will pay for all that.
:) then some things I can recommend, even though im not even American myself.
:)
:) San Francisco is a very cool place to be.You feel right at home. Visit Silicon Valley, drive along Route 1 (very nice scenery), visit national parks like Yosemite.
Possibly you could apply for a B1/B2 visitors visa, maybe even from the Embassy in Australia. But again, they want certain assurances concerning finances.They just don't want you to become a 'burden to the US'.
Now, assuming you can take all those hurdles (or are staying less than say 2 months
Going from north-east to south-west.
- New York. It's just an amazing city for a European. I can imagine the same for someone from Australia. Maybe check out if 2600 has any of their meetings while you're there.
- The Mall in Washington. Visit the museums there. I believe they're all free. Maybe the Pentagon.
- Kennedy Space Centre. And hit the beach
- Vegas! I just loved the insane atmosphere there. Also, with Vegas as a base you can visit a lot of cool scenery like the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Death Valley etc.
- Im totally biased towards California, so i'd say, spend 50% of your time there
- while you're in that area, try and find Meteor Crater, if you like Astronomy. Ohh and maybe go to an astronomy inn like StarHill Inn in New Mexico. Talk about dark skies.
Most important piece of equipment to take with you during your whole trip: Binoculars!
And now you have to promise something to us. While you're out there, visit Lindon Utah. Find the SCO headquarters and do 2 things.
First, go dumpsterdiving and find us the missing source!
Then, go and throw a rock through their corporate window with a Tux painted on it.
Have fun!
If you happen to be in the middle of the nowhere that is Kansas ...
Kansas Cosmosphere
"... a U.S. space artifact collection second only to the National Air and Space Museum and the largest collection of Russian space artifacts found outside of Moscow..." and a chunk of the Berlin wall.
Make sure to stop at the Halton County Radial Railway Museum -- this place is rather amazing. They have a private track loop and operate electric rail cars (ex TTC and ex Inter Urban Transit) as well as the restoration shops and the most amazing collection of partially complete cars for parts. You're free to wander around, take a few rides on some vintage technology, and marvel at the fact that Ontario had a commuter rail system that was just as expansive as the current diesel one almost a hundred years ago that ran from clean, renewable hydro electric power from Niagara Falls. Well worth the drive to Rockwood (don't stop in Acton, the leather is cheap and shoddy and the people are creepy). Since you're backpacking, there is decent camping about 5kms from the site (look on the website's map for Rockwood Conservation Area) and there is a commuter bus that runs along Hwy 7 from Toronto to Guelph stopping fairly often at the conservation area entrance.
here in Colorado, we have some excellent tours of some of the bigger breweries around, Budweiser and Coors. Better yet, make a side trip to New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, now a contract brewer, they are large (not as huge as the others)and very automated, a short but very interesting tour.
Get tours of any manufacturing you can, Jelly Belly has a tour, Hershey, some of the automakers have tours.
Oh... we have mountains too. not super geeky, but who could resist a ride up to 14,110 ft! (must be done in the summer of course!)
Remember, September in the states is the beginning of Fall and it starts to get cold in 50% of the states about November 1st. Just keep that in mind.
So, starting in Washington DC and working counter-clockwise this is what I'd do. I'm sure there's a lot of places I'm missing, but it's pretty good start:
Smithsonian Institution - lots and lots of geek appeal here.
Pentagon - largest building in the world, iirc.
Gugenheim in DC - might as well get some culture.
Niagra Falls - one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. This is a must see from the Canadian side, of course (eh).
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore - really, really tall sand dunes on the shore of Lake Superior, which is the 1st or 2nd largest fresh water lake in the world (bonus item).
Devil's Tower - remember "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"? That thing. Very cool.
Glacier National Park - September is getting late in the season to see this, though. They'll start closing the roads soon after you arrive here.
Yellowstone National Park - Old Faithful geyser. 'nuff said.
Craters of the Moon Nat'l Monument - where the astronauts practiced for their moon walks back in the day.
Grand Canyon - one of the other 7 natural wonders of the world.
Kitt Peak National Observatory - largest concentration of astronomical telescopes in the world. Definite geek appeal.
San Francisco and Silicon Valley
If you make a swing through the Northwest and are in Portland, stop by Powell's Bools downtown. HUGE. Great selection of anythign you could ask for. Lots of used, cheap copies of books as well. Not just new.
If you're going to visit the club, read the book first to fully appreciate this den of inequity.
(Just an unsolicited endorsement from a /.er who heard the author speak recently on a local radio interview show.)
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
1. The top of the Empire State Building. It's pretty cool up there. Especially at sunset or at night. Though for this you want to get your tickets very early (like in the morning when they open) because the wait to buy the tickets is rather long, as is the line to take the elevators.
:)
2. Bar Code at Times Square is a gaming bar (like Dave N' Buster's)
3. Ground Zero. Since you're here.
4. Union Square Park (that's where the above B&N is), Washington Square Park (where NYU is) and Central Park (goldmine of NYC). The first 2 are 20 blocks from each other, 1 mile, walkable distance by NYC standards. Central Park is at 60th st. Go there during daytime in the summer or the weekend.
5. Guggenheim (sp) wasn't mentioned above.
6. Bronx Zoo. It's not just any other zoo.
7. Botanical Gardens - if you're into that.
8. There is a Libery Science Center (close by in NJ) type thing (pretty cool) in Queens, but I forget the name, so perhaps someone else can list it.
9. Baseball game - Yankees or Mets, but Yankee stadium is a little nicer and has more to see. Go early enough so you can check out Monument Park.
10. Coney Island - get yourself a Nathan's hotdog from there and go on the Cyclone (wodden roller coaster)
11. Make sure you take the subways
I'd say don't go to Statue of Liberty, you can't even go up and it's a long line and wait. Seeing it from Battery Park City is nice enough really. Just my suggesstion.
"Time is long and life is short, so begin to live while you still can." -EV
if you want to see what is arguably the most beautifully set city in North America, then by all means come on over. There's the ocean on one side, the mountains on another, an excellent park with a great walkable seawall.
:-)
What we lack in electronics we make up for in natural beauty
"In Worcester, Massachusetts..."
That's not "War Kester", its "Wusster". No, really.
I know, I know.
--- "1.21 Jigawatts!" -Doc
If you can time it for the 4th of July it is a must see.
http://www.phila.gov/
Franklin Institute, Sciences, IMAX, all kinds of neat stuff: http://sln.fi.edu/
South Street: Some amazing people watching
All of the Historic stuff: Liberty Bell, walking routs of historic downtown, Independence Hall, http://www.nps.gov/inde/indep-hall.html
If you are going to visit, I would say you have to visit its birthplace.
"The way you think it is may not be the way it is at all." St. Oran
We are geeks, we sit in front of the computer all day and don't know what "outside" or "sunshine" is. Why ask us?
No geek trip to the U.S. would be complete without going to the top of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. I've been there, and believe me, the Arch is an architectural wonder. You can find more info here and here.
JA
http://www.johnalex.org/
My suggestion would be Cape Breton, which is on the east coast of Canada. You wouldn't want to come here unless it were the summer, because the museums aren't open until the summer. But you could visit the Alexander Grahm Bell museum (you know, they guy with the phone) and the Marconi Museum. In Glace Bay (small small harbour town, nicest people on the face of the earth) you can visit the site of the first wireless broadcasts across the atlantic, and you can also see where the first broadcast of live music ever took place from. And there's all kinds of fishing and mining museums, and the fishing culture and all. There's also the Cabbot trail, which is possibly the most scenic route around the island that you could imagine. That's just my $2.00 x 10^-2
...and if you like weird shite and getting screwed, remember to go to Rael's place : UFOLand !
;)
Remember though that Québec's government is pretty good itself in screwing people in various ways
United States of America, good ol' backers of world peace.
So, let me see if I've got this right. You have an indeterminant amount of time to spend in the US. You can go anywhere you want to go and do anything you want to do. And you want to spend it in computer museums, big bookstores, and the Smithsonian? Granted, these are all neat places to visit, but why do you want to geek up a perfectly good vacation?
My advice? Ditch the nerd stuff and do something outside.
Learn to kayak in Colorado.
Hike in one of the last beautiful places on Earth.
Play in the water at a beautiful beach in Florida.
Or go to one of the best beaches in Mexico.
Slide around on snow on purpose.
Go to one of the last truly wild places.
There is so much to see in North America. Please don't spend your whole trip at Frys.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside a dog, its too dark to read.
I think you must visit the observatories and NASA at Houston and the Kennedy space center in Florida. My favorites (open to the public):
George Observatory, Houston, 36 inches
Rainwater Observatory, Mississippi, 32 inches
Goldendale Observatory in Washington, 24 inches
Custer observatory, NY, 13 inches
Are you people out of your minds? Backpacking is ALL ABOUT hiking through the wilderness. That's why there's a place in your pack for a tent and sleeping bag. Bussing around town with a pack on, staying at Motel 6's is not really backpacking, although it is fun.
But the point here is that this country is AWESOME for wilderness backpacking.
You mention the world famous Australian nature-boy so I assume you're interested in hiking through some of the areas that cause us to sing "America the Beautiful".
Try any National Forest, google for the site that lists them all then hit the one that most strikes your fancy. The Redwoods come to mind.
The Grand Canyon on a Burro. The Grand Canyon is something you must see before you die.
Set out on snow shoes from Steamboat Springs or Breckenridge Colorado. The views are indescribable. The powdered snow is amazing and unique. The smells are intoxicating. Carry a travel sized fishing rod and enjoy fresh trout. Make your way through an old abandonded gold-rush ghost town complete with tumbleweeds. Then walk out across a frozen mountain lake for the best view of northern hemisphere stars I know of. Now that is backpacking.
Hike through the Smokey Mountains and see a mama black bear and her cubs (from a distance if you're smart), then head for white-water rafting in the Nantahala River Gorge. Get clean and eat a heart-stopping southern breakfast at a Bed & Breakfast while you're there and find out what "southern hospitality" really means.
If you're really adventurous head to Maine and hike some or all of the 100 mile wilderness. Stop at L.L. Bean for a geeks paradise of outdoor gear. Then head to the coast for historic lighthouses, lobster, whale watching, and see the amazing sheer granite cliffs meet the pounding waves. I'd do it in late summer and then hike down through New England in the fall when the leaves are changing. You won't believe it. It looks like God hired Salvador Dali to paint the trees. Then on to...
New York City, enough said there, you just have to see it, and man what a contrast to the rest of this post. From there you can take the train down into Pennsylvania Amish Country and/or on to Philladelphia... and on and on.
This country is AMAZING to backpack. I'm jealous of you.
Operator, give me the number for 911!
Must visit the crazy horse memorial in South Dakota. I would definitely visit that and also Mount Rushmore.
Those two rather tallish buildings on Manhattan. They're spectacular!
How small a thought it takes to fill a whole life
If you're in the New Jersey area, go to Grovers Mill and go to the field where the aliens landed in "War of The Worlds"... and within an hour from there, hit Lucent Bell Labs and check out the first telephone and transistor. :D
I'm a UK nerd who spent a brief time in Pittsburgh P.A, Washington and New York - not a fully rounded American experience I'm sure, but a fun opportunity that I'm still greatful for. I have to say that I love Washington as a city, but by far the most interesting things I found were those that no-one tells you about:
fireflys - Americans seem to hate these things, or at best be very indifferent - I loved them - wandering around all the mad touristy bits in Washington at night it was very pleasant just to sit back and watch them dance a little in the dusk. I'm sure all the monuments are very stirring for partriotic American folk, but for outsiders there is little interest beyond the quality of the sculpture and the history, which whilst interesting can get very dry. Take some time to look around you for little gems like that.
new york - was visited towards the end of our trip. Very impressive city, but probably not for the weary. Also note that it absolutely honks on hot days - the sewers do actually steam like in those teenage mutant hero turtle films. Beware of overly pleasant men bearing Siny or Kompak PDA's who shout, "What country you from?" and then tell you how they love Northern Ireland, and desperately want to sell whatever they happen to be holding to you for a "special" price. To pass time in a peurile manner, try making up words and asking if they're compatible with it. Good fun with uk swear words, although they are a lot more widely used now - curse you Austin Powers. "Does this support wanking?" if further questioned, just make something up along the lines of "Wide Area Network Conferencing". Of course if does, it supports everything - I never quite worked up the courage to ask if they found me more attractive when I was holding it, but it would be fun to see the reaction. If they won't leave you alone just tell them how much it costs at home if you shop around and they'll back off nervously.
Pittsburgh - a great place, which I really liked, but found a little homely, which was a bit disappointing. In one of the places we stayed there was a maid, which I really hadn't expected. I felt incredibly guilty and chased the poor woman around trying to help - I think she was a little confused. She couldn't quite get my accent nor I hers, so a lot of time was spent doing cleaning charades. I suppose it would have saved her time and effort if I'd left her alone, but I'm still not sure I could, tree hugging bleeding heart linux zealot vegetarian hippy that I am.
Ben and Jerrys - remember to try the chocolate milkshakes. Frown at the price then give in and order another. Remember, this will be your only decent encounter with chocolate - americans just do not understand the stuff - even common brands such as M&M's, Mars etc. just taste awful. The Ben & Jerry's milkshakes were the only satisfactory chocolate hit I could find.
Prices that may confuse:
Get films developed when you go back - they seem to cost loads to do in America.
Petrol is astoundingly cheap. Cars are just like European ones, only twice the size and half as efficient. We have travel chess to play in the back seats, they can probably manage travel badminton. All seem to have air conditioning systems which could blast the car along at an even thirty on their own without the engine being started.
oh yes:
Get accomodation with air conditioning. No matter how broke you are, this you must do. Hrmmm, have just remembered that you're Australian, but I really did have trouble with the heat.
I'll shut up now.
Consider doing some GeoCaching. After you've picked your travel route, check the caching web pages to find caches located along your route, there'll be plenty of them. They're usually located in parks and other public areas, and the cachers usually place them at locations that have a scenic or other special value for having found the location. It's a bit like hide-and-seek, and all you need is a GPS. It'd be interesting to see a string of GC sign-in's running across the USA by someone.
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
If you have read American Gods, There is a nice description of The House on the Rock in Wisconsin. This is a pretty odd place to go with lots and lots of wierd things. The guy who built it has way too much money and way too many odd fetishes.
See it.
Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
In Philadelphia, PA; there are some other great sites in Philadelphia, but this one is a bit more unusual.
The Museum's collections include over 20,000 objects, including fluid-preserved anatomical and pathological specimens, medical instruments, anatomical and pathological models, items of memorabilia of famous scientists and physicians, and medical illustrations.
I haven't been there yet, but it appears to be really neat.
The part of America I live in is not kind to people who just want to backpack around on a budget, and short of the Appalatian Trail, I don't know of anywhere that is.
It's not like Europe where you can find a bed and breakfast anywhere, for a pittance. I suspect you'll end up as a regular of Motel 6.
My knowledge of this country is not complete, and I would love to be corrected. Please, let me know places where you can backpack during the day and sleep in a bed at night!
Online Starcraft RPG? At
Dietary fiber is like asynchronous IO-- Non-blocking!
You can't pass up the world's largest hyperbolic sine/optical illusion. Head straight to the St. Louis Arch. http://www.stlouisarch.com/
Think through some of this country's more offbeat celebrations and attend them, if possible. Burning Man is already at the top of the list, for good reason. Some others to consider:
Bike week, Daytona Beach FL. Harley motorcycle heaven, right on some of the world's best beaches. Catch a launch from the nearby Cape if at all possible.
Jazz Fest, New Orleans. World class music, food, and wine. What more could you need?
Fantasy Fest, Key West FL. Makes Mardi Gras in New Orleans look like a church social. Usually followed by 'Meeting of the Minds', an annual Jimmy Buffett parrothead convention.
Spoleto Festival (and Piccolo Spoleto), Charleston SC. Literally one of the best arts festivals in the world. Theater, dance, music - there is something for everyone. It is simply amazing. Doesn't hurt that it's set in one of the most gracious southern cities.
New Year's Eve, Times Square, NY, NY. It's one of those things ya really ought to do once.
Crush, Napa Valley CA. Some wineries will let you help pick grapes and bring them in to be pressed. Great time to see the action part of winemaking in action.
-- "Never underestimate the power of human stupidity." - R.A.H.
"My opinions are my own, and I've got *lots* of them!"
Toledo, Ohio: The Toledo Museum of Art, world reknowned for its works of art. The Toledo Zoo, one of the best zoos in North America.
Surrounding areas: 20 miles southwest of Toledo is Oak Openings Preserve. One of America's prized Oak Savannas that includes a 17 mile hiking trail. 50 - 75 Northeast of Toledo are several Lake Erie Islands, one of which is home to Put-In-Bay, a really nice place to pick up chicks and get stoned frickin' drunk. Be sure to visit the Perry Monument on Put-In-Bay Island, it provides a wonderfully breathtaking view that allows you to see all along the coast of northern Ohio and Southern Canada. Also, there are plenty of Hooters in this area and a host of coed colleges and universities to supply them. Also in this general area is Cedar Point, home of the highest, fastest rollercoaster in the World (Top Thrill Dragster: 120 mph in 4 seconds!), and home to more rollercoasters than any other amusement park in the world. North of Toledo is Detroit, home of the Big TWO automakers, used to be the Big Three, until DaimlerBenz purchased Chrysler and renamed itself DaimlerChrysler. You can visit the Dodge-Wilson Estate (the Dodge of Chrysler) or the Ford Estate that is REALLY cool if you like seeing Automakers' family living quarters.
Oh yeah, forgot (I don't know how): Portland, Oregon - Powell's books - the best bookstore in the friggin' world. A 'nice' bookstore in Seattle is Elliott Bay Books (in Pioneer Square), but honestly, once you've been to Powell's, all other bookstores pale in comparison.
And more architecture: Las Vegas - they're recreating small scale versions of the great cities of the world, and that's a lotta fun. And the big-ass pyramid (The Luxor) is awesome at night - a huge spotlight shines out of the top of it - rather impressive, really.
If you are leaving to the west, do stop and spend an afternoon on the sand dunes on Lake Michigan. Unique ecology, beautiful beaches, and over 20% of the worlds fresh water.
Admittedly, a beach is a beach is a beach, and someone from Australia (which has beaches!) probably wouldn't care other than the fresh water part.
Personally I would like to spend some time travelling around Australia....
McFly777
- - -
"What do people mean when they say the computer went down on them?" -Marilyn Pittman
Try the Exploritorium. Excellent hands on science museum. Also, the Bostom Museum of Science. Make sure you see the lightning demo.
You can't miss a couple of days in Las Vegas. Even if you don't gamble, it's worth it for the wackyness of it all.
I've always wanted to tour the hover dam
Err, that share that title with Caledonian mountains in the UK, and whatever the ones in Ireland, Norway, Greenland and Eastern Canada are called. Why? They're all part of the same mountain chain formed during the orogeny of Iapetus (proto-Atlantic) closing as N. American collided with Europe (800 million years ago?) Sorry, I can't remember the dates, by I do remember looking at Silurian and Ordovician rocks in Dudley (near Birmingham, UK) from that event.
Not saying this isn't a great topic to discuss, but next time you guys get an Ask Slashdot question, how about junking it if there isn't a "please" or a "thanks in advance" somewhere?
[o]_O
As a geek, I'd co to the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California - The Head Curator, Michael Williams is an amazing person and has millions of interesting stories - He used to teach a computer history course at my university that everyone raved about (heh, he tought me COBOL in my second year).
No sig for you.
Vulcan Alberta
h tm
http://www.town.vulcan.ab.ca/
The Worlds First UFO landing pad
http://members.mcsnet.ca/chamber/ufolanding.
Particle Accelerator in Vancouver B.C.
http://www.triumf.ca/
the CN Tower
http://www.cntower.ca/
thats all for now
--meh--
Fermi Lab. Ok, so it's Batavia, Il, but close enough. And how about Argonne ?(the lab, not the guy from LOTR) Not to mention UofI, birthplace of Mosiac. And the ultimate geek stop The Mystery Spot! Or this one. Isn't there one of these in just about every state in the Union?
Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.
It is even better from the tunnels the bring you through the cliff face to see the astonishing sight of The Back Side of Water.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
The way I figure if you are touring across the states St Louis is the gateway to the west. Get a plate of spaghetti from The Old Spaghetti Factory at Laclede's Landing. Ride the elevator to the top of the St Louis Arch. Take a tour of Anheuser Busch's headquarters (free samples). See The Matrix Reloaded in OmniMax format at the Science Center (November). Gaze at the stars in the planetarium. Gamble your fortune at one of the riverboat casinos. Union Station. Museums. Enjoy a 3am face down breakfast at The Waffle House. Ahhhh, the American Life...lol
Seriously... it's not just a hole in the ground.
Take a raft trip.
McFly777
- - -
"What do people mean when they say the computer went down on them?" -Marilyn Pittman
Fermilab National Particle Accelerator lab in Chicago is a neat place. It's worth it just to see the building. They also have an underground concert hall so you might check out their schedule. I saw Philip Glass play there back in 1997 and it was really cool.
(I'm sure people have mentioned places like National Parks etc already, so I'll skip them)
Glenwood Canyon, along I-70 in Colorado, is not only a stunning vista but also represents the most complex and expensive 12 miles of road in the world. I believe it can be hiked, and you can travel through it by train and raft as well.
If you take the train, start from Denver - you'll go through the 29-mile-long Moffit Tunnel, also rather a feat of engineering, and a couple days later you'll be in San Francisco.
The highest paved road on the continent is Mt. Evans, just south of Idaho Springs along I-70 in (you guessed it) Colorado.
Um, where I live is a veritable forest of big satellite dishes, since southeast Denver is home to almost every cable company in the nation... so if you're into that kind of thing...
I'm pretty sure there's a Nikola Tesla museum/historical site south of Colorado Springs, too - lots of geek porn there no doubt - but I've never been and I'm too lazy to look it up now.
For non-Colorado ideas, how about the Hoover Dam? It's about 40 mins outside of Vegas, and there's a cool tour.
If you can wait 'til winter, check out Death Valley. (or just go home and visit the NT...)
Meteor Crater in Arizona - about 10 miles south of I-10 as I recall? You can see Apollo training equipment NASA left behind.
And don't be afraid to trade on your accent - at least in rural areas where foreigners are rare... my wife tells me about a trip through the southeast which she took before we met, where she never had to buy her own drinks - people would pay to hear her talk (then again, she's a charmer in any language).
Perfectly Normal Industries
You might try and see one of the few missile silos that have been converted to museums. Very interesting old dead tech.
Good things don't end in 'eum'. They end in 'teria'. Or 'mania'.
- Homer Simpson
If you're into architecture, you probably should not miss Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water.
http://www.wpconline.org/fallingwaterhome.htm
The / in
In my area, Washington, DC, the Smithsonian Air & Space museum is a good bet.
In Florida, you HAVE to go to the Kennedy Space Flight Center. Awesome tour there!
This isn't strictly "geek", but since you'll probably get to California at some point, go and see Sequoia National Forest. There are trees there that are 2,000 years old, and GIGANTIC. For me, being there a few years back helped me regain perspective (name one gadget you have now that will still be operational in 2,000 years!).
hmm.. canada....
;)
2 1&drawingID=21
the sears tower, 2nd tallest roof-wise (otherwise the Ostankino Television Tower in moscow is actually higher -- 540 meter antenna BUT it only has a 385 meter roof) is still only 442 meters tall (527m w/ anttena) whereas the CN tower is 553 with antenna, 457 without.
so yeah, thats a must-see.
downtown toronto is just really nice, spend at least a day or two here just taking everything in... try the areas around the eatons center, the docks, and some cultural areas (little italy, the danforth (greek)...)
umm... thats about it from my personal experience Canada-wise. US-wise, cape canaveral is a must, i mean.. its cape canaveral. 'nuff said.
well, you should really see the expo stadium in montreal, which is really just magnificent.. its a work of art.
only costs like 5 bucks to go to the top, iirc, and its a nice view of montreal anyways...
umm.. cathedral de notre dame is really cool.. very intricate... almost made me wanna stop being an athiest!
(which of course makes it an absolute must if you ARE religious)
other than that... oh, by the water theres this really cool place that you MUST go.. just trust me on this, you wont regret it even if it doesnt sound *that* amazing -- it really is. i dont remember exactly where it is, just that its along the water (yes, there is alot of places along the water -- but you'll end up there, trust me.) actually, its a few blocks away from notre dame iirc... you can see the expo 67 habitat from it (which btw is also a must-see... just check the link i jsut provided to see what i mean. --yes, those are apartments.)
anyways.. you'll be walking along the street and you will come to a fork in the road. there will be this giant wedge shaped building.. that is where you want to go.
basically, it is this building where they found ruins of old civilizations.... you go in, and go down some stairs... and suddenly it is all stone. theyve left these big native graves untouched, and you can see the remains... then it goes across the street, all the while gaining time --- literally. as it goes back up to street level, you'll see all these civilizations that have been uncovered after like 1000 years... really crazy. i just cant express how underrated it is. umm.. thats about it for montreal i guess. we'll skip ottawa, which is cool, but most of the attractions there are museums; and what isnt is really only cool in the wintertime (the rideau canal -- worlds longest public skating rink) on to toronto..... you MUST check out the CN tower, still the worlds tallest free-standing structure. YES! the worlds tallest structure IS in canada! http://www.skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=
Newsie, Moderator, www.tauniverse.com
Any sufficiently unpopular but cohesive argument is indistinguishable from trolling.
and stop by my house for a cold beer. Not the most technological advanced place in the world, but worth a cold beer.
Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.
As in, if you want to bike the mountains for exercise, head up the hills near San Diego to the Palomar observatory.
While in San Diego, bike through Balboa Park and hit the Zoo ('cause its there) and the Air and Space museum.
In DC, in a few months time, you can bike 20 miles down the W & OD trail (a former railroad track now a paved park a total of 47 miles long) to go from downtown to the new Air and Space Museum annex located near Dulles Airport. It's where the Air France Concorde that just made its last flight will sit, among other things.
"But remember, most lynch mobs aren't this nice." (H.Simpson)
-- Joe
Everything's been downhill since the TRS-80
( http://noaa.gov )
See the IBM Black Forest Supercomputer, and watch the tape librarian robots whizz arond the drives with live-cams.
and actually sit on the bench of a Cray 1 (sort of hidden downstairs, not getting half the love it deserves.)
nist.gov is also here, with the home of THE atomic clock, to which all other US atomic clocks are compared!
Plus Boulder has some of the finest hiking and bike trails in North America. And those Rocky Mountains...
Kremvax
--- Little Atomo - The Amazing Thinking Robot from Atomocom! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIP9KisHi4k
my home (thus the name)
;-)
geek angle:
pay homage to the great diode gods of commerce
bonus geek angle: get caught on 20 different cameras, wind up in 20 different govt databases lol
here's one
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
The Baltimore Inner Harbor area is a pretty awesome place to visit regardless of whether you're a geek or not.
:(
Visit the Maryland Science Center for the real geeky stuff (more info at their website, check the fishes at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
When I visited they had the excellent Videotopia video game history exhibit there, but sadly that's no longer there
In Soviet Russia, I ruled you
Well worth the trip to the Spy Museum...lots of great spy stories and cool gadgets.
This is a road trip, but I kinda liked it: greenspun "road trip".
If you happen to be hiking in Virginia I'd check out some of other caves besides Loray, Loray is too well lit for a , so this is what it feels like to be in a cave feel. I can't remeber the names though. Just don't start complaining that you haven't found the phial of galadrial yet... (Angand)
http://www.nsa.gov/museum/index.html
If you just so happen to be passing through Southern Illinois, you should stop in a town called Metropolis. Metropolis is the official hometown of Superman.
m l
http://www.supermancollectors.com/metropolisil.ht
Get yourself to somewhere in the middle of Wyoming. Bridger Teton forest is a good place. Find a clear night with no moon. Then look up. Never will you see the Milky Way as thick as you will see it there. Sometimes you want to crawl back under a rock you feel so small. I've been to many rural places, but none are better than Wyo for star gazing.
If you're into atomic tourism then the Sedan Crater is much more impressive than Trinity test site. The Titan Museum is also said to be very interesting.
Another spooky monument to technology (not atomic) is the Airplane Graveyard near Tucson.
Stop worrying about the risks of nuclear power and start worrying about the risks of not using nuclear power.
Sometime you're going to be bridging the area in between the coasts, and I would highly reccomend the birthplace of nuclear power here in SouthEast Idaho. The biggest attraction is the EBR1 http://www.atomicheritage.org/ebr1.htm where you actually get to tour a historical decommisioned reactor and see huge 3-story tall nuclear-powered jet engines. Very cool. We also have a museum of the birthplace of Philo T Farnsworth (who figured up the workings of TV while still in High School.) It's out of the normal techie path, (both with the location and atomic subject) but that may be just what you need.
You can't get to any of the good stuff, like the actual collections.
The area somewhat north and east of Duluth, MN is called the "North Shore" and is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. If you want to camp, try Tettegouche State Park. There is definately some cool stuff in this area.
Enjoy!
Right near the NRA HQ... National Firearms Museum ;)
I should put something clever here. Maybe someday.
United States Military Academy at West Point
How can you miss a place that has been producing engineers for two centuries? Plus you get great scenery, lots of history, interesting architecture, and if you time it right, you might be able to catch a show at Ike Hall.
Some other places to consider would be the Johnson Space Center, the Boston Museum of Science, the Las Vegas strip, and, to see what our lives will be like in the future (minus a few decades...), Epcot Center. Those are just a few places I can think of that I've been to that would be of interest (other than what has already been mentioned several times).
I'm not quite there on the 'largest collection of beer on the planet', but then again, I'm a military brat, and spent some time in Europe. The couple of times I've been to The Brickskeller, they've been surprisingly out of a number of things. They stock the stuff people drink on a regular basis, and they keep a token bottle up there so they can claim they have a lot of variety.
I was more impressed with Marikkas, in Lexington, Kentucky, which seemed to have a larger selection when I was there. [And good German food, too]. Of course, geek wise, there's not much reason to go to Kentucky, unless you're looking for alcohol, as there's not much else there but horses and basketball. Except for Lexmark, I guess... and the place they used to make the old heavy duty IBM keyboards.
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
About 20-30 miles west of Chicago. The visitor's center is more like a science lab for grade-schoolers. Real basic.
Finagle a visitors pass from one of the desk clerks there (or it may not even be necessary - I didn't see any security except for a couple vehicle checkpoints). On around the 15th floor of the main admin building (sort of looks like a big "A") there's a ton of displays explaining all about the lab, what everything is/does, the current state of knowledge of particle physics research, history, and more. Great views out over the lab and surroundings too.
John Kerry is a Joke!
Visit the garage where Hewlett Packard got started:
Hewlett-Packard Garage
367 Addison Ave
Palo Alto, California
no telling what you'll see (or do) there...
www.greendoorlasvegas.com
Are we all too grown up to mention a kid's museum?
As far as I am concerned, the Exploratorium is one of the best science museums in the country. It was started by Frank Oppenheimer - Communist and assistant to brother J. Robert on the Manhattan project. There is a show up currently on light and vision that is awesome. And The Tactile Dome is a crazy/fun experience.
Not only that, The Exploratorium is located at historically significant and beautiful location - the Palace of Fine Arts
Chemical enhancement is recommended....
They should meet your qualifications presented and definately qualify as _geek_.
I completely forgot about that museum. You'd think after living for 4 years in dayton for school it would be the first thing to mention. The museum covers several hangers worth of planes, gear, and information about everything the air force has done. Quite a site to see, actually. And completely free too!
But make sure to check out Vancouver Island, Stanley Park in Vancouver, Victoria, and the Banff/Jasper area in Canada. All are stunning scenery if you are not used to it.
aside from the typical california perks (weather, diversity, rad food, etc) this is where you can see lots of companies that make cool shit and museums that show cool shit. there are several hostels in the area, and public transportation is decent, although renting a car for a day or two might be advisable if you're trekking out to business park country. a quick google search turns up a decent article on geeky destinations around the valley, worth checking out for the list at the end. there are some guide sites out there tha cover lots of this stuff: let the big g be your friend.
you could do the super mega geeky thing, of course, and get pictures of yourself in front of company signs around they valley - we're riddled with them from san jose to san mateo. give corporate people a holler via email far enough ahead of time and you might even score a tour or the location of a museum. email SGI and ask if tours/demos are available for the Reality Center. visit fry's electronics for a geek-mecca epiphany (i suggest the cavenous san jose location); but beware, traveler, for to ask for help of a sales associate at fry's is to ask satan to take a little piece of your soul. this is also the time of your journey where you'll be asking "i wonder how much money i have, and how much it would cost to ship some hardware home..."
san francisco is beautiful and cool and yadda yadda; check out the museums, the parks and the nightlife. the exploratorium is big and WAY FREAKIN' COOL. make sure to get a good afternoon for just that and the nice area around it. check out the SFMOMA and the whole area around there - right across the street is the geeky-cool Sony Metreon with a sony store that has pretty much everything they carry in north america, plus big expensive video games and theaters. san francisco is also the terminal for many green tortoise bus tours that take you to beautiful parks around the west coast (quickly cementing your preference for it, trust me). they also have a hostel and buses that take you to seattle, portland and los angeles.
other things to do in california... rent a car and drive the coast on hwy 1 - if you can, from san francisco to los angeles! it is quite solidly some of the most beautiful coastline in the world, from smooth white beaches in the south to how-the-hell-did-they-wrap-a-road-around-that sharp rocks in the north. skip disneyland in southern california and go to six flags or universal studios. do all the usual touristy stuff, and check out venice beach, i'm sure you'll run into some crazy aussies there, plus there's a hostel nearby. visit a national park (do this on green tortoise, probably). get clam chowder at the jenner inn in jenner, ca. avoid the central valley (the "midwest" of the united states pretty much starts 60 miles inland california).
also, you'll be sorely disappointed to find that 99% of the country thinks that fosters is what all aussies drink. some well stocked british or hipster pubs might have VB, as well as the occasional aussie pub. bring your own marmite/vegemite/donteverconfuseitfornutellamite, because you australians are just freaky. no one knows what a "cone" is, we call them "bowls." if you're a crazy eastern aussie, like all the others i've met, people will probably love you and buy you drinks and tell you about the great fosters commercials you've been missing. the chicks (guys?) will dig you. if you're from the west... i don't know.
good luck!
- emilio
neurostyle dot net - it's all in your head
In San Diego, you could check out The computer museum of America . In Arizona, you could check out The Titan Missile Museum as well as the not-so-successful Biosphere 2
But the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn MI has some really cool stuff like Thomas Edisons laboratory and his last breath. Henry Ford was quite Morbid, he has JFK's limo, and Lincolns chair as well.
Harder.. Better.. Faster.. Stronger
Is worth a stop if you're going through TX. They've got a visitor center which is sort of an annoying combination of Disneyworld meets dumbed-down NASA, but the tours of the actual mission control center and such are quite cool. Also the Neutral Boyancy Lab is a blast. On the lawn out front they've got a Redstone rocket with a Mercury capsule up top, and also a Saturn V which is truly spectacular to walk beside (the various pieces would've been Apollo 18-20 but for the project cancellation).
ehintz
The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry is the largest science museum in the nation with over 350,000 square feet of exhibit space. Definitely check it out.
you have to get reservations (online now) from the tribe, but it is the best part of the grandcanyon including waterfalls to swim in and out of and dive through. It is an awesome place. Not too expensive. A decent hike (less than 10 miles into and out of the canyon) but killer switchbacks. If you need a place to stay in Phoenix (Mesa) let me know and if your a decent sort I can put you up.
Avrice
http://www.angelfire.com/de2/detroitpix/1GiantTire .html
creation science book
Go to the Minnesota Science Museum in St. Paul. Find the section that contains the exhibits that belonged to the now-defunct Museum of Questionable Medical Devices. For a preview of the awesomeness within, visit this website and prepare to be amazed.
I visited the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices before the curator retired and left everything to the Science Museum. It was incredibly cool.
Also, you should check out the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
While I've got people's attention, I'd like to warn you to avoid South Carolina like the plague -- from a geek's perspective, it's a cultural wasteland!
Steve
So you will be arriving in time for winter, so don't leave Quebec or Ontario for December or January. Maybe for a quick visit to see what SERIOUS winter is all about, but autumn in Quebec is awe inspiring when the leaves change.
Plan a great circle tour, starting on the west coast of California, Disneyland (animatronics), SiliValley (nothing for a tourist to see, make contacts well in advance and get some great tours) head up to BC, then train across to Calgary (almost real cowboys), then further east.
At this point, I should warn you, if you plan on entering the US more than once, you must have a multiple entry visa. Explain it clearly to the US visa officer in simple words, using up to an entire sylable per word. I forget the designation, but I've heard countless stories of people with single entry visas stuck in Montreal or Tijuana (either are quite nice for an adventure) and can't get back to their friends who stayed stateside.
As winter progresses, then head south. Memphis, Miami and Key West, the Kennedy Space Centre (take the expensive day long tour, your geek self will always remember it). Then head back towards the west, NawOrleeens, Texas, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, LA.
Don't waste the summer in the south, its hot like Queensland and not very good for backpacking/hitching. And Canada winters are worse than any ever seen down unda (think antarctica, with hockey)
the AC
Hemos is like...sci-fi fans;he thinks technology is cool, but he hasn't bothered to understand the science it's based on
Don't miss Monticello, home of our nation's nerdiest President. Yes, he was nerd enough to proudly proclaim "I cannot live without books." His house exhibits some of the crazy gadgets he invented (amazing for his time), definitely worth a look. Plus, they give clean, crisp $2 bills as change at the admission booth -- a great souvenir.
well, the Henry Ford Mueseum is worth seeing in Dearborn, MI, but it is a little pricey.... For something more interesting and cheaper, I recomend the TreeHouse on Mooney St. in farmington MI (15-20 NW of Detroit). The owner is a pre-geek geek... dual PHD'd in the late 20's early 30's, he spent his life reasearching what we all call wierd science... Solid Matter travel, anti-gravity, Orgonne and Atlantean Electronics..... Make sure you ask him about the Atlantean Origin of the word "fuck".... Seriously.... It was a key part of their scientific practices appararently... And the definition has nothing to do with what you think it does.....
Words are only yours until someone else uses them...
While in Arizona you can check the Titan missile museum, which has the Titan intercontinantal missiles of the cold war, and in Oracle you can visit the biosphere 2 lab. Just for real nerds.
Then again there is Cal Tech in Pasadena.
I was a grad student there for over five years and it never really struck me as an interesting destination for visitors. There's not much to do there. I do remember walking home from classes one day and being stopped by a family of three who were looking at a map of the campus. They asked me if I knew where "they made minature listening devices." Since I looked as confused as I was by the request, they told me that they were visiting the campus so that they could purchase some listening devices that could fit in a car without the driver or passengers being aware of them. I was hungry and in no mood to be dealing with nutcases so I gave them the name and office number of my roomate and told them that he could "hook them up".
So, of course, that evening when my roomate comes home he tells me "You'll never believe what happened to me today."
"Let me guess..."
GMD
watch this
Kentucky:
Horse farm in Lexington, Corvette factory in Bowling Green, mammoth(spelling?) caves
Chicago:
Museum of Science and Industry (Easy one)
Pizza, Italian Beef, Italian Sausage
Milwaukee:
Tour of Miller Brewing Company
brats, cheese
go eat some frozen custard, trust me on this one.
Indianapolis:
Indy 500 track: Usually surprises people how big it is.
Children's museum(one of the best in the country and cheap)
Pork tenderloin sandwiches
and think of anything else..
You might as well head south to Akron and visit "The Inventors' Hall of Fame". There are lots of geeks there.
There's a new Spy Museum in D.C. that you ought to check out. I toured it earlier in the year and it was a blast: lots of history, lots of gadgets and interactive exhibits. It's not free, but it is definitely worth the admission price.
The Museum of Science and Industry is a must see if you are already in Chicago. The Field Museum is also excellent and well worth the time. However, before you decide on the best science museum, you have to see the Museum of Science in Boston.
The net will not be what we demand, but what we make it. Build it well.
And that's just the main store. The Technical store, which would have seemed huge if you hadn't seen the main store, is a couple of blocks away.
One of the best moments of my life was seeing a book I wrote on the shelves there...
My video compression blog
Yellowstone is a sweet place to spend some time in the summer. If you are really prepared I'd recommend it any time of the year, but if you haven't studied survival, go in the summer. The problem, of course, is that there are only a very few roads, all of which are crammed to the gills with cars. Cars everywhere. Anytime there is an interesting animal, which live by the millions in the park, traffic jams up for miles. The easiest way to avoid a traffic jam and actually see Yellowstone is to take a hike through the backcountry. There are a bunch of really neat hikes and the ranger stations could give information on what areas are best in that time of year. Also, as the grizzly bears migrate around the park, different areas are restricted to keep bear / human encounters down to a minimum.
Take a good camera. If you can only use a point-n-shoot camera, consider spending some bucks to get a decent, interchangeable lens camera and learn how to use it. Prepare to mail back film to your mom and have her store it in the fridge 'till you get home. Plus, it'll be a fun gadget to use while away from the computer.
I highly recommend a jaunt through West Texas, though it is a bit out of the way from anywhere (except El Paso, and no reason to go there! apologies to an El Pasoans here). Visit Big Bend National Park, McDonald Observatory, (one of the biggest & best in North America), the Marfa Lights (creepy, literally unexplained phenomenon).
ok, i couldn't really find what it was in a minute scan of the website and i'm too lazy to research further... can anyone sum up what it is? i mean, from the FAQ: "Burning Man is an annual experiment in temporary community dedicated to radical self-expression and radical self-reliance."... so is it a music festival or what?
If you make it up to Ontario, Canada you may want to check out the following:
If you start from New York, you can enter Ontario near the north-east tip of Lake Ontario, hit the Locks, C. N. Tower, and then Niagra Falls. You can then re-enter the US at Niagra Falls.
Or vice versa (enter through Niagra Falls).
Since you want to travel the country, here's a striking place in the middle:
http://www.compustory.com/
It's a cute little place, with pretty much every personal computer you've ever heard of on display (except for NeXT...). It'll only take you an hour or two, but it's entertaining, and no lines.
I don't know about Australia (although I'm hoping to be teaching some video compression classes there this "summer"), but Americans have a huge tendency to start little exhibits like this all over the place. Definitely part of the experience.
My video compression blog
If you're interested in Architecture, especially Architecture in the middle of the desert, I recommend Arcosanti.
The Architect is Paolo Soleri, the man who created the idea of an "Arcology", a dense, urban structure where the architecture and living spaces are integrated on a level you'll rarely see elsewhere. It's the anti-thesis of "suburbia".
Facinating to see, and many good ideas. Arizonians spend billions of dollars on air-conditioning, yet you can stand in the middle of a covered-but-outdoor spot in Arcosanti, and it's 20F cooler then elsewhere.
It's a constant work in progress, and the group is having some financial problems. But still great to see if you're in Arizona.
"Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
There are plenty of observatories, so astronomy is pretty well covered. If biology is of interest, then while you're in California, you will probably want to visit one of the Redwood forests and the Bristlecone pines. (Bristlecones are the longest-living complex species on the planet.)
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
Mt Rushmore is in the area, too, and you could probably get the hoover damn without too much effort.
If you could start your trip earlier, then I would suggest Toronto, Ontario for the World Science Fiction Convention being help August 28 through September 1. Info at the Torcon 3 website.
Other geek places to visit are Comic Vendor, the world first comic book store in Torrance, California; The Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society in North Hollywood, California; and (if you are a baseball geek) Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
What I think would be pretty cool is to stay with slashdotters along the way and document the heck out of your trip and let us all know how it went and who you met when you get back home.
if you ever stop by milwaukee for oh, I dunno, a tour of miller brewery or any one of about a bazillon other breweries here, you can stay with me! and you'll be about an hour and a half from the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry which I consider to be a must-see!
cheers!
If you're going to be bumming around for a full year be sure to be in New Orleans for Marti Gras. It's not exactly Geek, but it's a wild experience that everyone should have at least once. Amazingly fun!
And after Martis Gras you can check out the amazing Aquarium they have there and the science center which is pretty cool too.
Kintanon
Check out JoshJitsu.info for Brazilian Ji
Chicago also has some of the best architecture in the country, all packed into about three square miles. There's a boat tour of Chicago architecture that's so cool my girlfriend's grandmother didn't complain once the whole 3 1/2 hour tour- which made it worth the price alone. There are dozens of buildings by prominent architects in different styles covering the last hundred years or so. Also, in the west burbs there are half a dozen Frank Llyod Wright houses, which are also incredible. I could go on... But if you are interested in architecture, Chicago is THE place, on top of having four of the top six museums in the country.
Eagles may fly, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
As for stuff in North America, I've taken living here for granted and hardly done much local traveling so all I can think of in my neck of the woods is Science World in Vancouver. It's aimed more towards the kids though but the domed IMAX theater is impressive.
No matter what you see or do you're going to have a fantastic time. Just don't try to plan too far ahead or expect to stick to a schedule or budget or you'll spend all your time worrying and won't have any fun.
There are quite a few 'Smithsonian' museums that aren't the American History or Air & Space. [Although, they both do have some nice stuff in 'em]. There's also plenty of stuff in DC that's not run by the Smithsonian.
If you prefer the European style air museums (a hanger, lots of planes) , the Air & Space had an annex, they're working on building a new building out near Dulles Airport, and they're moving the stuff.
For geeks, there's the International Spy Museum, theNational Building Museum and the Arts and Industry building of the Smithsonian.
Oh...and if you want to see the monuments, and it's the summer, take the night tour. You can't go up the Washington, but the Jefferson and Lincoln are much better when they're lit up, it's not crowded, and you're not melting in crappy DC weather.
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
Stop telling me what to do motherfucker.
Sorry, that's hiking/tramping.
Backpacking is traveling to foreign countries with your luggage on your back, staying in hostels or other budget accomodation, arguing with taxi drivers over 5-cent differences in the fare, and failing to shower for months on end. Technically it also probably requires visits to Kathmandu, Kuta, and Khao San Road.
"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." -- GBS
Great mountains: Seymour, Grouse (try the Grouse grind, a hike up the mountain), and of course the Whistler area
Interesting areas: Go down to Granville Island (market type area, but so much more), Stanley Park, Chinatown
Beaches and Forests: Spanish banks, UBC endowment lands, Seymour demonstration forest
Vancouver is a very beautiful place and a great area to take a break from the geekiness...
For architecture, Buffalo NY. World class modern art museum also. Quick trip from there to Niagara Falls, and then Toronto.
This space available.
Geocaching started in the northwest and still has one of the more dense areas of caches.
Oh, and lots of good beer. And movie theaters that show good movies (rarely anything recent) and serve good beer while watching the movies. Check out McMenamins and the Laurelhurst Theater.
Jason
I remember going there when I was about 10, and if I ever get back to Oklahoma, I'm stopping there. Well worth a long drive, if you're interested in guns, old guns, really old guns, knives, swords, Damascus swords, Oklahoma history, Oklahoma Indians, and so on. It is a private museum, so doesn't have the breadth or trendiness of the Smithsonian, but if you're interested in what they have on hand, those are big advantages.
Also, where ever you go in the middle of the country, try to stop in small university towns. You'll find cheap food, cheap beer, good libraries, good coffee, specialty stores with real Chinese and Indian foods, which carry brands from Taiwan and India, concerts (classical, jazz, modern noise) and generally everything which makes life good. You'll also find a lot of corn fed idiots who are drinking their way to a degree and a good job, but they're largely harmless.
See what I've been reading.
Aside from being a beautiful coastal city surrouned by mountains and forests, there nice variety of things to do, see and experience.
I'm more into the arts but there are very other interesting things to have a look at:
Things that should not be missed if it can be helped
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HSBC Celebration of Light 2003
July 30 & August 2, 6, 9
www.celebration-of-light.com
The HSBC Celebration of Light will once again light up Vancouver's skies over English Bay this summer as Canada, Czech Republic and China compete for top honours in this fireworks extravaganza set to music on July 30, August 2, 6 and 9.
The Vancouver Fringe Festival
Early - Mid September, 2003
www.vancouverfringe.com
The Vancouver Fringe Festival is Vancouver's premier theatre festival, dedicated to its mission of providing "Theatre for Everyone". The 11-day Fringe Festival draws crowds of over 35,000 each year and brings together performers from local, national and international theatre companies in traditional and non-traditional venues. Come join the festival on and around Granville Island.
upcoming / current events well worth checkingout.
---
Communication
Dates: Apr 05 - Sep 22
Category: Family
Location: Science World, 1455 Quebec Street, Vancouver, BC
Details: Explore the similarities and confusing differences between languages. Use a fiber optics to watch a video. Adjust a satellite dish to send and catch your own image, and control a computer with the loudness of your voice. These and other hands-on experiences will help you better understand today's information society.
Event URL: www.scienceworld.bc.ca
Event Phone Number: 604.443.7440
Emily Carr: Art, Place, Culture
Dates: Feb 22 - Sep 30
Category: Museums, Visual Arts / Galleries
Location: Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC
Details: One of Canada's most important and beloved artists, renowned for her unique depictions of the landscape and First Nations cultures of coastal British Columbia, this exhibition covers the full spectrum of her career as an accomplished painter.
Event URL: ww.vanartgallery.bc.ca
Event Phone Number: 604.662.4719
free or almost free things worth seeing
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The Grouse Grind
A 2.9-kilometre (3700 ft) trail straight up to the top of Grouse Mountain. And when we say straight up . . . we mean it. When you do the "Grind" it is recommended that you wear hiking boots and carry water. For those in good shape it takes about an hour. An average time would be between one and a half to two hours. The world record for doing the "Grind" is under 27 minutes. It is free to hike up, but it's not wise (or advised) for you to hike back down so you'll need $5.00 to pay for the gondola ride to the bottom. Call 604.984.0661 or the Grouse Grind information line at 604.451.6107.
Vancouver: An Architectural Tour
From rough-and-tumble mill town to the grandiose terminal city of the Canadian Pacific Railway, Vancouver miraculously grew from a population of 500 to 6,000 in five short years! Whether you are a long-time Vancouver resident or just in the city for a few days, these tours promise to inform and enlighten. Get to know Vancouver intimately by attending one or all of the free six tours offered by the Architectural Institute of British Columbia. July 1 - September 30. Phone: 604.683.8588
Museum of Anthropology, UBC
Free Tuesday evenings from 5-9pm. A place of beauty and serenity. Northwest Coast Indian Art including towering totems and awe-inspiring bronze sculptures. Check out the traditional Longhouse or the mortuary chamber. Or the beautifully carved Haida buildings. Located at 6393 NW Marine Dr. (604.822.3825)
Definately check it out.
--- for more better life.
Check out Drumheller Lots of Dinosaur fossils and some cool landforms. The rockies are also really nice scenery (Banff and Jasper are the big tourist places there). You can also check out Vancouver and Toronto and see all the big american movies being made;)
./ers give this guy some good suggestions or them yankees will have him convinced we all live in igloos up here!
Com'on Canadian
I stole this Sig
Both these places are close to each other, bout 2-3 hour drive.
Devils Tower is that crazy mountain from Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, that is in Wyoming, then you got MT Rushmore which is really larger than life in South Dakota, then you keep driving east till you get to the "Bad Lands" its pretty much nothing the great thing about this place is that you can stop your car in the side of the raod and look up and see so many stars since your so far away from any major city.
This is going to be more than one lifetime experience. There is so much stuff to see, the hard part will be to decide what to see and do.
And then go watch Dr Strangelove.
I've been to "Bedrock", the home of the Flinstones. It's off some highway in the Nevada desert (we were on our way to Pheonix from Vegas). It's a $5 entry, and it's pretty much a bad funhouse version of bedrock, including the dino-slide. It was a riot, we spent something like 4 hours there.
Later, some half way to LA from Pheonix, there was a turn off for a petting zoo. In the middle of the desert. "A little odd, but what the hell" we thought. It was almost 30 miles out of the way and starting to feel a whole lot like a Stephen King novel by the time we rolled in. It was deserted. Completely. Not a car for miles, and you could see the road in and out of this little stop for 10 miles easy.
The 'town' was an old west replica in good repair, complete with a gift shop, soda store, etc. At the end of main street, just past the fully stocked and working saloon (we had a beer, left money on the bar just in case), was the petting zoo. Goats, pigs, chickens, a dog (?!), a pony, some screwed up looking desert creature I couldn't begin to explain (reptilian for sure)... and of course, a 'pet' vulture on stand (I think we called him moe). And still, an hour and half later, not a soul. After a serious case of the hebbie jeebies we burned out of there at just about as fast as the car would go.
Mall of America was silly, but the Corn Palace... ah, the Corn Palace. What can you say about Palace made of Corn. heh!
Side roads are by far the best, and the more you take the better you get at spotting them. Don't forget to take the time to see those places that are always behind and two streets over from the big places.
Why don't you go for a guinness record? the biggest tour, with the most tour guides - get a /.'r in ever city to give you a guided geek tour as you make your way across the continent!
----------------------------
Esobofh - Currently drinking fresh mango juice.
Let me be the first to welcome you to Canada (considering you're not here yet, I _assume_ I'm the first at least :) ).
First things first. Canada is a REALLY BIG PLACE. You do not backpack across Canada. I know that Australia is a big place (a whole continent in fact...), and the US has a decent size, but Canada is in a whole different ballpark. Think of Australia. Now think of another 1/5 of Australia. Stick them together, and you get a bit closer to Canada's size. Canada is nearly 10 /million/ square kilometres of land, sprawling across 7 seperate time zones. It's a big place to walk across :).
As such, a good geek travel system to your trip would probably to take the train from coast to coast, getting off in major cities of interest.
Once you've figured out how to get around, where to go? Some good suggestions include (in no particular order, and probably leaving out all sorts of funky places in between...):
Well, that's what I can think of off
If your still around late July try catching the Tri-State Antique Engine Show in Bird City, Kansas, and compaire that to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.
There is just someing odd about watching steam tractors and Model-T's drive by as people are talking on cell phones.
Hi,
Sorry. Not too many geek-related suggestions here. But, here are a few suggestions of nice things to see in Canada while you're there (off the top of my head):
- Vancouver, Victoria ==> many touristy things to see/do (nothing that specifically stands out as "geeky", but they're two cities well worth investigating)
- Banff and Jasper, British Columbia ==> very beautiful, be sure to ride up Sulphur Mountain in Banff, and between Banff & Jasper, visit the Columbia Ice Fields
- Niagara Falls, Ontario ==> A little touristy, but nice if it's your first time
- Drumheller, Alberta ==> Royal Tyrell museum, if you're into dinosaurs/paleontology
- Toronto, Ontario ==> CN Tower, Royal Ontario Museum, science centre (though the latter is geared more to younger audiences)
- Ottawa, Ontario ==> Parliament buildings, National Art Gallery
- Quebec city and Montreal ==> lots of interesting old architecture (especially Notre Dame Basilica, etc)
- a number of East-coast Canadian sites (la Roche Percee, for example, in Percee, Quebec), or Peggy's Cove, Newfoundland
There are many other places across Canada, without a doubt. These are just a few that came to me briefly.
Come to lovely Los Angeles and visit the Golden Apple, on Melrose. You may even see Stan Lee.
She sat at the window watching the evening invade the avenue.
I'm not seeing any architecture recommendations, as requested. For faith-in-the-future, space-age architecture, you can't beat Saarinen. In St. Louis, check out the awesome Gateway Arch; in NYC, fly into JFK and visit the TWA terminal, still the coolest space-age structure anywhere. Pictures don't do either justice.
Aside from Chicago, other posts have listed (re Cmdr Taco) Holland, Michigan, and (re Cedar Point rollercoasters) Sandusky, Ohio.
In any of these locations, you can take in a very strange sight -- namely one of the Great Lakes. Freshwater lakes (very fine for swimming) where it is easily possible to sail over the horizon out of sight of land in any direction. I imagine the experience would be especially interesting to someone from Dry Country.
National Cash Register is in Dayton as well. They created the scanner and the first one was installed in my neighborhood grocery store a long time ago.
You just missed the celebration of flight in Dayton, that would've been a good time to be here. Dayton is also within driving distance to Cedar Point (3 hours), which is the best amusement park in the world.
Is it really possible to backpack the US and Canada? It seems to me that transportation costs would be too high to do much of anything.
couple of things to check out in Vanbcouver area..
UBC Museum of Anthropology,
EA Games sports division
Molson Canadian brewery tour
then get out there and enjoy some of the amazing nature!!!!
Stay at the Don Q Inn.
Visit the astonishing Dickeyville Grotto.
Escape from the Harry Houdini Historical Center.
Learn the correct pronounciation of "calliope" at the original winter quarters of the Ringling Bros. Circus, Circus World Museum in Baraboo.
Get arrested trespassing on the antennae that communicate wth nuclear submarines while under water at Project ELF.
Hijack the Wienermobile!
Read Wisconsin Death Trip.
Explore the giant animal lover in you at Schettl's Freight Sales.
See a genuine MIR and other crap.
Finally, no visit would be complete without some scrounging at Delaney's Surplus which seems to have burned (oh no!) and a tour of the transcendental Forevertron.
Q:How many libertarians does it take to stop a Panzer division? A:None. Obviously market forces will take care of it.
A couple of places I would suggest:
:-)
Devils Tower in Wyoming - It was featured in "Close Encounters" and has that going for it, but it's an amazing mountain in its own right and was the first place designated as a U.S. National Monument, plus the area around there is quite nice, and if you're gonna be heading to Yosemite, it's not that far away.
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, in Tucscon, AZ. Tours are available of the huge aircraft boneyard there.
Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
Disneyland in Anaheim, California has everything that Disney World has without the rednecks.
Also, there's more rides per square foot and the cast members tend to be amiable.
Enough said.
Go see yosemite valley. Go rock climbing. Yes, you can climb in the Arapiles and BLue mountains in Australia. But go see the Valley.
Open Source Identity Management: FreeIPA.org
The Trinity test site - where the first atomic bomb was detonated.
This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
Yosemite National Park - you will NEVER forget it. It's so overwelming I get goosepimples even now allthough its something like 20 years ago I was there. El Capitan at sunset is a sight that's near to breathtakingly beautyfull.
:-) ))
The greater San Diego area
Joshua Tree (it rocks! (pun intended))
fill in a Silicon Valley there if you must, but it's basically just a large sprawl by now
A hike through the Rockies
I like Seatle as a northern town of the US
Boulder
New Mexiko
Route 66 (don't forget the pig side sandwich (it's actually patented!
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
The word unique is often abused.
However, the exhibit of glass flowers (and other botanical specimens made of glass) at the Harvard Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts ("Boston is a suburb of Cambridge across the Charles River") is truly unique and a must see.
the international spy museum in washington, DC. www.spymuseum.org
No matter how strong the urge, and no matter how much you have heard, resist at all costs!!! Do NOT buy ANYTHING from FRY'S!!!
Ya gotta see this house - it's in PA - Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. A creek runs under the house.
there are a few things that are worth looking at. hoover dam, Star Trek Experience at the Hilton, Cirque du Sole, cheap buffet dinners. huge expanse of water in the middle of a desert.
Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.
I just finished a cross-country trip myself a few weeks ago, and there are some places that you simply have to go to, geek or otherwise.
Hoover Dam. It's pretty geeky. They loved answering all of the technical questions I could throw at them. Plus, it's huge. Very impressive visual sight. And(!) it's right next to Vegas. While I wasn't interested in gambling, the sheer creativity, and overwhelming light and neon, and just general crap, is impressive.
Grand Canyon.
The anti-geeky place. Low low tech. Yet, of all the places I've been to in this country, the grand canyon takes the cake. We were there at sundown, and it's difficult to describe. A friend who was travelling with me put it best. "It looks fake."
Graceland.
It's not tech at all. Well, it's not 2000's tech, it's 1973 tech. A weird sort of time warp. Fun, and worth going to.
St Louis Arch.
(but only if you go up in it)
Now that was a fun engineering model. The guides knew all of the engineering behind how it was built, the materials used and the overall architecture. I've been up in higher things (it's only 630 feet ((192m)) but the "barrel" elevators are bizarre, and the 'room' at the top kept making me queasy. Fun stuff.
Chicago.
Great town, great architecture. If you're an engineering geek (vs. an electronics geeks) there's all sorts of neat stuff to keep you occupied and entertained there.
Plus you can go up in the Sear's Tower.
DC.
See the million other threads about the Smithsonian museums. 'nough said.
New York.
Surprisingly geeky, all dressed up like a hipster. (though they think it's not cool to admit how wired they really are.) You have to go.
Boston.
MIT, Harvard (ok they're not geeky, but they're smart), the Big Dig, and a surprising number of geek businesses. Very technology inclined city.
There's alot more out there, and there's a lot more places that are 100s and 100s of miles of nothing.
The 3600 miles we drove was a long drive. I can't see how it would be possible to hike it. The sheer vastness of the Western States would either kill you, or bore you silly. The trains aren't as good as in Europe, but they're better than the buses and they go to most major cities.
You might even want to consider figuring out how to buy a car or a motorcycle when you get here and using that to get around.
09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
Yeah, I know a lot of people don't even realize it's part of the United States but there really is some interesting stuff here to see. As much as I despise Santa Fe it is a popular tourist destination and was recently ranked the 10th best place to visit in the world. It is also the second oldest city (and oldest capital city) in the United States and is pretty unique architecturally. Several 400+ year old buildings and lots of native american arts & crafts stuff to see.
We have lots of native american pueblos, both inhabited and vacated throughout the state. Chaco Canyon dates back approximately eight hundred years and the masonry involved is really quite impressive. Canyon de Chele, Salmon Ruins, and Aztec ruins also come to mind. All in all the state has a lot of native american and spanish history to share.
Carlsbad Caverns is neat if you've never seen it before.
Los Alamos is a strange little city to visit and in Albuquerque we have Sandia Labs and the Atomic Museum located at Kirtland Airforce Base. It has lots of planes, rockets, missiles, and a nice history of the atomic bomb including actual size replicas of the two dropped on Japan. It's pretty amazing standing next to a Mercury(?) rocket and realizing something so small took men into space.
White Sands Missile Range is also pretty cool, both for technological reasons and for the fact that so much white sand is piled up there.
In Milan there are 'ice caves' which are fairly odd because they sit in the middle of a desert but have been full of ice for thousands (millions?) of years.
Bisti Badlands are fairly unique. San Juan Generating Station was (is?) the largest power plant in the United States and is sort of interesting if you're really bored.
Naturally we had plenty of dinosaurs roaming around here a few years ago so the Museum of Natural History in Albuquerque had a decent archaeological display.
Don't forget to visit the Icehouse! All nude dancers + live sex shows = banned in 48 states!
Hoover Dam's a pretty good tour, and it's a good excuse to spend a few days in Vegas.
The National Center For Atmospheric Research in Boulder, CO. It has more Crays and other monster hardware than you can shake a stick at. I have a friend who works in the basement there and he made the mistake of going to lunch without closing his office door. When he came back someone parked part of an old Cray in front of his door and he couldn't close it door for several days. Plus is is on an amazing site and the building were designed by Pei.
Niagra Falls! And Toronto!
One of the wonders of the world, and a large multicultural modern metropolitan city. Just don't bother with the US side of the falls.. or Buffalo for that matter.
-molo
Using your sig line to advertise for friends is lame.
But if you want to see something REALLY ONE OF A KIND: get your ass to the The Mütter Museum. It's a trip if you can stomach it. It's not for everyone, but it is certainly unique.
My girlfriend and I recently took a three week cross-country road trip (pictures here), and visited the following destinations (they aren't entirely geeky, but there are some geeky spots along the way):
Tallahassee, FL -> Madisonville, LA -> Austin, TX -> Elephant Butte, NM (silly name, cool place!) -> Williams, AZ (stopped to see the Very Large Array (VLA) on the way, near Magdalena, NM -> Grand Canyon, AZ -> Las Vegas, NV -> Yosemite National Park, CA -> San Francisco, CA (lotsa fun geeky stuff here) -> Lake Tahoe, CA -> Elko, NV -> Denver, CO -> Oklahoma City, OK -> Tallahassee, FL
I highly recommend this trip, as you get to see a lot of things in a fairly short amount of time. Some tips (in no particular order):
- Buy a national parks pass. See my other post for more information.
- In desolate areas, keep spare gas with you. Five gallons should do nicely, unless you have an SUV.
- Bring a camera. A digital camera is preferred, and a 128 MB picture card (or more) is highly recommended if you are using a digital camera.
- Go camping. All motels, regardless of location, are pretty much exactly the same -- four walls, a bed and a shower. Camping is different wherever you go.
- Carry a AAA membership. They can get you out of many hairy situations.
- Ride with two or more people. This makes the trip that much more fun, because you can share the experiences for a lifetime. It's also much safer to travel this way.
- Many of my other recommendations are here -- they are equally important to having a good trip.
Happy travels!
Slashdot's first reaction to VMware
Two years ago, the Wisconsin Capitol Building completed a renovation project that has left the building absolutely beautiful. The dome is only a few feet shorter than the National Capitol in DC, and the building is infinitely more accessible. Tours run all the time, and in this weather, you can still get out to the observation decks for a view across the isthmus that makes up the downtown. State Street (the local college crawl) runs from the Capitol to the University, an easy walk. And if you're in town the right night, MADLug is meeting at the Steep and Brew on State.
Believe nothing, not even if I say it, if it violates your sense of reason -- Buddha
How can you go wrong seeing the worlds largest truck? It is in Sparwood, BC (CAN). http://www.sparwood.bc.ca/titaninf.htm
It is over 17 meters tall with the box raised and it weighs 260 tons.
The area around Sparwood is also very beautiful. (Nestled in the heart of the Canadian Rockies) You will find alot of nice hiking and climbing all through the Crows Nest Pass area on into Vancouver, BC.
(and that's pronounced "Mack-in-aw") for the best fudge in the world and some neat views.
Of course, it's a tourist trap now.
Hmmm open .. source.. hardware.. store.. sure ok that will work :)
"It's so convenient to have a system where everyone is a criminal" - A. Hitler
Sept 2003 to whenever I have to come home again
Sorry about losing your job dude, it's a tough economy.
A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
that the headline read "A Greek's tour of North America?"
1: "Yeah mate, I pissed on McBride's car!"
2: "Cool!"
If you're touring the SW (you'll need a car, but it's well worth it) you could check out the Very Large Array telescope in central New Mexico. It's where Contact was filmed.
Not high tech, but Mesa Verde National Park in south eastern Colorado is also not-to-be-missed.
=P
Try the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. For the old school geek -- both Edison and the Wright Bros' workshops, plus 120 years of heavy-duty industrial goodness.
Also, just down I-75 in Dayton, Ohio, the United States Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB. Lots and lots of nifty (but decommissioned) military aircraft.
Historical Site: NO. 1000 SITE OF INVENTION OF THE FIRST COMMERCIALLY PRACTICABLE INTEGRATED CIRCUIT - At this site in 1959, Dr. Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation invented the first integrated circuit that could be produced commercially. Based on 'planar' technology, an earlier Fairchild breakthrough, Noyce's invention consisted of a complete electronic circuit inside a small silicon chip. His innovation helped revolutionize 'Silicon Valley's' semicondutor electronics industry, and brought profound change to the lives of people everywhere.
Location: 844 E Charleston Rd, Palo Alto
Right accross from the original SUN building PAL1 which is currently boarded up.
Historical Site NO. 976 BIRTHPLACE OF SILICON VALLEY - This garage is the birthplace of the world's first high-technology region, 'Silicon Valley.' The idea for such a region originated with Dr. Frederick Terman, a Stanford University professor who encouraged his students to start up their own electronics companies in the area instead of joining established firms in the East. The first two students to follow his advice were William R. Hewlett and David Packard, who in 1938 began developing their first product, an audio oscillator, in this garage.
Location: 367 Addison Ave, Palo Alto
Historical Site NO. 952 SITE OF WORLD'S FIRST BROADCASTING STATION - On this corner stood the Garden City Bank Building, where Charles D. Herrold established Station FN, the first radio broadcasting station in the world. As a pioneer in wireless telephony (radio), Herrold established the first station in 1909 to transmit radio programs of music and news to a listening audience on a regular basis.
Location: SW corner of First and San Fernando Sts, San Jose
Historical Site NO. 941 FARNSWORTH'S GREEN STREET LAB - In a simple laboratory on this site, 202 Green Street, Philo Taylor Farnsworth, U.S. pioneer in electronics, invented and patented the first operational all-electronic 'television system.' On September 7,1927 the 21-year-old inventor and several dedicated assistants successfully transmitted the first all-electronic television image, the major breakthrough that brought the practical form of this invention to mankind. Further patents formulated here covered the basic concepts essential to modern television. The genius of Green Street, as he was known, died in 1971.
Location: NW corner of Sansome and Green Sts, San Francisco
NO. 1002 SITE OF THE FIRST DYNAMITE FACTORY IN UNITED STATES - The first commercial manufacturing of dynamite in the U.S. occurred in what is now Glen Canyon Park. On March 19, 1868, the Giant Powder Company began production at its first manufacturing plant, under exclusive license from Alfred Nobel to produce his new explosive in America. The factory did not last long. On November 26, 1869, an explosion completely destroyed the entire facility, turning every one of the buildings on the place, and the surrounding fencing, into 'hundreds of pieces,' according to a newpaper account. The company moved its operations elsewhere, an action that was to be repeated again in the future under similar circumstances, until it moved to its permanent and final home at Point Pinole on San Pablo Bay.
Location: Glen Canyon Park, San Francisco
NO. 937 SITE OF INVENTION OF THE THREE-REEL BELL SLOT MACHINE - Charles August Fey invented the first coin-operated, three-reel slot machine in San Francisco in 1895. Fey continued to manufacture the popular 'Liberty Bell' gaming devices in a workshop located at 406 Market Street from 1897 to 1906, until the workshop was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and fire. The international popularity of the bell slot machines attested to Fey's ingenuity as an enterprising inventor whose basic design continues to be used in mechanical gaming devices today.
Location: Traffic island on N side of Market St between Bush and Battery Sts, San Francisco
There is no place on earth, except possibly the Himalayas- haven't been, yet- that compares to the sheer majesty of the grand canyon. words or pictures can't describe it. it is truly the most awesome thing i have ever seen in my entire life. i've been from one end of america to the other, and nothing compares- yosemite, yellowstone, grand tetons, all pale in comparison. if you can, spend more than a day there, and go down into it.
that said, there's lots of other cool thing to do in northern arizona, too. there's a thread up above that discusses that, but i wanted to be SURE that you saw this.
other places have been mentioned. california has tons of cool things to see, geek and non-geek. i grew up in central california, and santa barbara is about the prettiest town in the us.
washington dc and the smithsonian are mustsees, of course. the air and space is cool, of course, but the natural history and us history museums are nice, too. the us history has a slight section on us computer tech, but TONS of cool galleries on other types of tech. depending on when you're here, you might also get to see the new air and space adjunct museum out at dulles airport.
cape canaveral is way cool, too- i was born there, so i'm prejudiced.
can't say too much about tech here in athens, ga, but it's a cool college town.
stored on computers from birth to the grave
Seeing as you've asked for a North American tour and got simply an American tour, I'll speak up on behalf of all Toronto. I would visit a chunk of Yonge St. Just start at Bloor (at the north), and end around Queen (at the south). This stretch consists mostly of porn shops, arcades, restaraunts of varying ethnicity, strip bars, electronics stores, huge record stores, and cool bookstores (some new, some used, one all sci-fi). What more could a geek ask for? Skip the Eaton Centre (unless you were a big fan of The 6th Day (parts were filmed there), and head west on Queen to Silver Snail. This is a great comic book store, often with elaborate display windows. Lots of other stuff to do in TO, just not especially geeky stuff. Other Torontonians can fill in any activities they think I've missed.
"Now gluttony and exploitation serves eight!" - TV's Frank
If you head on towards Topeka, there is the Combat Air Museum which has a large assortment of combat aircraft from around the world.
In Kansas City, the Kansas City Zoo has undergone major renovations over the past 5 years and is quite a place to visit. The African veldt exhibit is huge and loaded with animals. You can also catch the Matrix Reloaded on IMAX while you are there. KC has a lot of other good attractions, perhaps get to the see the Royals actually leading their division in the fall too! Don't forget to stop by the Hereford House for the best steak in the country.
Not to mention that you should hit Portland anyway- it's the most wireless city in the US! Go downtown to Pioneer Courthouse Square, sip coffee, have a game of chess with the locals, and check your e-mail on the free wireless network all at the same time.
Good food, inexpensive, great public transit. Great place to travel to.
I lived outside of DC for a few years ... WHAT A DIRTY, STINKY, DISGUSTING, CRIME RIDDEN MESS... the only part of the entire city that looks "Cool" or "Majestic" is a couple mile square around the federal facilities .... go anywhere else and watch out for drug needles on the ground to poke through your shoes and give you a disease you normally wouldn't get unless you had unprotected sex with one of the lovely ladies you could pick up downtown for $10 (not a joke)
I don't remember the exact name of it, but you'll find it as a point-of-interest on any St. Louis map. It's got a lot of great scientific exhibits, both look-but-don't-touch and hands-on. (I remember using velcro building blocks to build an arch last time I was there.) And heck, while you're in the area, go see the Arch, and the museum at the foot of it. Watch the documentary on the Arch's construction--it's a truly amazing feat of engineering.
And while you're in St. Louis, don't forget to tour the Budweiser brewery--sure they make crap beer, but it's a fascinating tour as you get to learn all about the fermentation process, see the Clydesdales, and drink some free (-as-in-) beer after it's over. And for a related fun zoological experience, visit Grant's Farm just outside of town.
Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
Visit The Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto. What could be more nerdy than a entire museum about one of the most mundane aspects of life: shoes.
While in New Mexico, go a bit more north and see the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Geek or not, these mountains will make you be able to feel your place in the universe unlike any other mountain chain on the planet. Others may be bigger, but something about these sets them apart. They're big, but they're still accessible for an average Joe. They're magic too.
cuz you know, geeks wouldn't know what sex is.
Try to visit the Titan Missile Museum in Green Valley, Arizona. It's near Tucson. It's a missile silo, with missile, converted to a museum.
I was glad someone else mentioned the NSA museum. It's a fascinating place and it really isn't extremely well-known. I've been and I definately recommend it! If the NSA truly does employ the most mathematicians in the world, then I would say it's Musuem would be a sure-fire attraction for a Geek Tour!
indeed..
When backpacking across North America, I would suggest that you take "Weird Al" Yankovic's advice and venture off the beaten path:
:)
Like Elvis-a-Rama, the Tupperware Museum,
The Boll Weevil Monument, and Cranberry World,
The Shuffleboard Hall of Fame, Poodle Dog Rock,
And the Mecca of Albino Squirrels.
Oh, and don't forget to see the Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota while you're at it.
Yellowstone Park :-)
Grand Canyon
California Redwoods
Powell's Bookstore
If you ever come to Québec City, don't miss the "Musée de la civilisation" (Museum of civilisation or something). They've got tons of interesting expositions ranging from the pharaos and egypt to the early colonies of america and of course the inuits and indians of america. Depending of the time of the year, you will catch a different exposition, though inuits are supposed to be there all year long to complement the changing expositions.
You might also want to visit the "Château Frontenac" and the ruins of old Québec's fortifications. It quite interesting if you like history.
There's also a very nice Aquarium, but I suppose that when you've seen one, you've seen them all.
If you happen to go to Montréal city too, there's tons of things to see, but I suppose someone already posted them by now (I dont know Montréal very well yet so I'm not a very good reference anyway).
Little tip if you come to Québec, do so during late May, June, July or August... its the only time where its relatively hot here, and since you come from Australia, you might not like our harsh autumns and winters.
The Falls should be seen, but there is nothing in the City of Niagara Falls, Canada that is worth seeing. Unless you are into tacky wax museums, Ripley's, etc. Niagara Falls, U.S. has some nice parks and a mall but other than that is residential/industrial stuff and not very touristy.
/. member, you might be interested in wine technology, particulary in a new wine region.
Anyway, in Niagara Falls, take a ride on the Maid of the Mist and/or go in the tunnels under the falls, and then get out.
Since you're Australian and a
There are some fine wineries in the vicinity (Chateau des Charmes, Inniskillin, Cave Spring, 30 Bench, Henry of Pellham to name a few). Canada's (serious) wine industry is very new and you can take a tour. (Drinking age in Ontario is 19)
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Hearst Castle(Architechture)
Kings Canyon/Sequoya National Park(Nature!!!)
possibly....
Venice Beach, California(Freakiest of the Freak that the Big Blue Room has to offer)
dimes
Don't forget the W3C, which has its main office at MIT's Laboratory for Computer Science!
I didn't think they got much stiffer than the Triple Nickel.
The parent troll speaks like someone who flew into Detroit, visited Flint, stopped by Grand Rapids and hit nothing in between.
The Upper Peninsula has gorgeous old-growth forests and is wonderful backpacking country: you can walk for hours without seeing any signs of civilization and the stargazing is great. Michigan has more shoreline than any US state (except Alaska) which include the world's largest freshwater dunes, great swimming beaches, and limestone cliffs. There's also good canoeing and kayaking all over the upper Lower Peninsula.
Get off my lawn.
The award-winning, Fabulous Ruins of Detroit site:
http://detroityes.com/home.htm
If you happen to be around Denver, stop by the Argo Gold Mill. Not only can you walk by all the old equipment and figure out how the workers survived the conditions, but they also tell you about the most amazing industrial accident I ever heard about. Short version: they hollowed out to mountain digging for gold, built a tunnel underneath the mine to ferry out the ore, put the mill at the tunnel exit. After many years, most of the mine shafts filled with water which reached a pressure of 500 pounds per square inch at the tunnel level. Work crew accidentally blows away a retaining wall. Water blasts the ore trains straight out the tunnel and clear across the valley. Tunnel turns into World's largest squirt gun and causes mud slide. Mud slide dams river, mill floods, flood waters causes electrical short, part of mill burns down.
For God's sake, don't bypass the opportunity to rent an automatic weapon while you're in the States. Unless you've gotten burned out on them via military service, I know few things that will bring a bigger smile to a geek's face than watching that rope of big, fat .45 slugs spit out of a Thompson.
I've rented in Dallas and Las Vegas at the places shown below. I'm sure there must be a zillion other places, too. Here are a few links to give you a quick taste of what's available:
Robbinsdale, Minnesota
Bogart, Georgia
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Glen Burnie, Maryland
Dallas, Texas
Smithville, Texas
Las Vegas, Nevada
The first nuke reactor that actually powered a city in Arco, Idaho. Google for EBR-1 for lots more info. Stopped by there a couple of years ago when driving from Cleveland, OH to Portland, OR. Interesting geek stop.
"Burn the land and boil the sea You can't take the sky from me" -- Joss Whedon - Firefly
If you want to see a really fun city go to Montreal. Not really a geek city but once you are done with all the geeky things I would drop by and check out the night life. It's great.
War.
Its completely circular, and a park(ok, so i was really 100 yards down the hill from it), but it was kinda neat. Used to ride my bycle up and down the walls, made great jump ramps with the moat.
AS for the history, it wasnt much to look at, and is completely overgrown with trees, but i did a paper about it in high school, and learned a lot about my area. Pretty damn nifty.
All Troll + "offtopic" mods are meta moderated as "Unfair", because you abused the system.
The National Cryptologic Museum is a place I try to hit every time I'm in the Baltimore/Washington area.
Some favorite exhibits include their working Enigma unit, a cut-away Cray XMP, a WWII Bombe processing unit and Bletchley Park presentation, a rare book collection, and a working 800TB robotic tape "silo."
There's also a good chance you'll run into docents who share history with the machines and projects on display - be prepared to hear some cool (unclassified) stories.
~doug
For geographic marvels, I highly recommend Yosemite National Park, and of course, the Grand Canyon. If you do the canyon, try to hike below the rim, instead of just gazing down into it like 99.9% of visitors do. Just be prepared, the rangers have to rescue ill prepared tourists on a daily basis. One of the best hiking destinations in the Grand Canyon is Havasupai Falls, which is on the Havasupai Reservation.
And if you're in the Southwest, you'd probably like to see some other Native American sites. One of the best cliff dwellings is Bandolier National Monument, in New Mexico. Or in Arizona, Montezuma Castle National Monument. Other Native American sites worth seeing in Arizona are Canyon De Chelly National Monument, Wupatki National Monument, Tuzigoot National Monument, and the Hopi Villages, the longest continuously inhabited village in North America. In New Mexico, there's Chaco Canyon, Aztec Ruins National Monument and Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. While in New Mexico, it'd be a shame to miss Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
Another geeky destination in Arizona near the Grand Canyon would be Lowell Observatory, where Percival Lowell discovered the planet Pluto.
Next, I would like to recommend the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, if you like to paddle and portage. This is located in northern Minnesota. And if you're in Minnesota, check out the city of Duluth. It's the world's most inland seaport, and a very cool place, literally. It's located at the very tip of Lake Superior, the world's largest freshwater lake. And if you really want a good Lake Superior experience, check out Isle Royale National Park or at least the Apostle Islands. Both offer great hiking and see kayaking. Those are my recommendations. Hope you can make it to at least some of them! Tim Savage Phoenix, AZ
Annotated book store lists
- s.htm
a .htm
o kshop.htm
San Francisco/Oakland/Berkeley Book stores list
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4824/na-bay
LA Book stores
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4824/na-l
List of book stores in US/world
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4824/bo
--Highly recommended
..
Washington D.C. -- Smithsonion and Museum of Natural History
Cape Canerval Florida -- Watch a shuttle take off
GRAND CANYON - a MUST
Great Arches National Park
other things you MAY like to see
Pikes Peak
Yellowstone
Grand Tetons
New York City
L.A.
Some of the costal battlefields and battle monuments are cool..
NORAD in Colo. Spgs. -- tour.
Blue Angles in Pensicola FL
Fort Macon
U.S.S. Alabama (or any other WW II battleship)
--other random ideas
Redstone rocket testing grounds in Huntsville AL -- replica Saturn V rocket.
The Northern Lights (never seen them myself
yet)
Cave of the winds - maybe
Walt Disney World?
Universal Studios?
Sea World?
Anyway, try www.firstgov.gov for more ideas.
first?
It's in Pebble Beach (near Cape Canaveral). Giant surf shop with a stupid looking shark on all their brand stuff. Seriously, if you are coming to the US, go to Washington D.C. like everyone here is saying. It's an amazing city and the National Mall (museums, not cheesy stores) is simply one of the great wonders of the world. Unfortunately, it's a bit annoying with all the counterterrorism barricades everywhere... it was truly beautiful before our new age of terror funding. Nevertheless, spend loads of time there. You'll see some eye-opening exhibits that are explicitly critical of past US behavior so it's a legitimate place to learn about anything.
Laws are for people with no friends.
I'll probably get flamed for even suggesting this, but a visit to the Microsoft campus in Redmond, WA meets your criteria: inexpensive -- it's free to visit; of interest to geeks -- even the most vociferous free software advocates must admit Microsoft's significance in computing history; and the kind of thing worth mentioning to your grandkids -- "I visited Microsoft when Bill Gates was still alive!"
In particular:
Even if you're so anti-Microsoft that you wouldn't think of visiting it, you might as well hit the Pacific Northwest on your trip; it's a nice part of the country.
I'd recommend taking a trip up the Alaska Highway. Of course, you'll need to discover some mode of transportation to do it. There's cool scenery along the way. You might even combine it as follows:
Stop in Calgary, Alberta for whatever sights, visit Banff, etc., then head on up to Edmonton and see whatever sights there. Then ramble on up through Grand Prairie and then to Dawson Creek. The Alaska highway starts in Dawson Creek. Then head up to Whitehorse. Take a trip over to Dawson City (Klondike Gold Rush) and if you have time, mosey on up the Demptster Highway to Innuvik (cross the Arctic Circle) then head on into Alaska and make your way South along the Pacific coast. Insert any sites of interest into your trip through Alaska. Then wander around the Vancouver area for a while.
Of course, you should do the Arctic stuff in the summer, say around the solstice. Then you might get to see the midnight sun.
You'll probably end up hitchhiking much of this trip but a couple folks I've talked to have done just that and said it was a great experience.
If it works in theory, try something else in practice.
The Grand Staircase:
Bryce National Park (Southern Utah)
Zion National Park (Southern Utah)
Grand Canyon (Northern Arizona)
about a year and a half ago Richard Stallman came out to speak at Northern Arizona University and we took him to the Grand Canyon, painted desert, Sunset Crater (extinct volcano) He found everything somewhat intresting thus we can qualify some of these as geek locations.
The boston Museum of science hosts the worlds largest Van De Graph generator, still operational(used in the 30s for high energy physics).
They run a lightning show every 1/2 hour or so that is not to be missed!
On a related note, if you visit mit over the right weekends, you can come to swapfest, where you can buy old computer gear cheap and try to find it a good home...
It's a low tech way of how people used to "look high tech" - think of it as "ancient anime". You'll learn some really neat stuff if you do the 4 hour class that allows you to make your own puppet. You'll also see how some of the great animatronic stuff at Disney is made.
People from Henson Studios are trained there, work there, and teach there. They create some of the puppets for TV series there as well as do stuff for Disney World.
It's the most fun I think I've ever had.
Yell & scream & rant & rave... it's no use... you need a shaaaave ~ Bugs Bunny
It's Babylon 5 with Camp Snoopy in the middle. Solar and people heated in a land that gets to -0F.
And it embodies our highest values: Macy's, Hooters, Planet Hollywood...
"backpack around the U.S. and Canada"
Screw the around. Take a bus or something for the 'touristy' crap. Spend your backpacking time on the Appalachian Trail.
Maine to Georgia, beautiful scenery the entire way, and plenty of interesting towns along its entire length.
A geek's tour just would not be complete without a visit to this place.
United States Courthouse
Room 3035
280 South First Street
San Jose, CA 95113-3099
This is the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California, formerly known as Silicon Valley. Spend a day here and learn all about the new economy the hard way.
Another great location, depending on your particular interests, is the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park area. Until December 31, 2003, they have an exhibit of skulls that is amazing. A friend of mine saw it recently, and he said it is very impressive. I hope to go see it as well.
-Z
How about a visit to the National Security Agency's very own crytologic museum? NSA Crypto Museum --Dave
Visit Vulcan of course!
Vulcan was named by a Canadian Pacific Railway employee after the roman god of fire. Its mainly an agricultural community, but developed into a bit of a tourist destination as well, wonder if the name had something to do with it :)
Vulcan Web Site
another place, that *i* think would make the must-see-before-you-die list, is Lake Louise in the rocky mountains, not exactly a geek destination, but there is no place more beautifull.
"Nyquil - The stuffy, sneezy, why-the-hell-is-the-room-spinning medicine."
-Mark
Dovie'andi se tovya sagain.
While the Tech Museum in San Jose is okay, and has a few cool devices, the real science museum to see in the Bay Area is the Exploratorium. It *defines* geek!
The place is a huge, warehouse-like space, chock full of amazingly cool exhibits which sometimes work and sometimes don't. That's because the exhibits are built right there, in the museum. In fact, they sell exhibits to museums all over the world -- chances are that lots of the stuff you've seen elsewhere originated here.
They have cool science stuff like cloud chambers (which I've never seen elsewhere), but the Exploratium really excels at the combination of art and science. For instance, they had a great exhibit last year showing how geysers worked -- but they were in the form of giant (10 foot high) martini glasses. The exhibit looked amazing, and clearly demonstrated how these things really worked.
This is one of the original science museums, and surely one of the best!
Portland is truly a place you should visit. Very 'traveler' friendly and the most free WIFI spots available of any city in the US. To save money you can sleep in the streets with the rest of the homeless or grab a room at the hostel.
Dont forget to stop by in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania! You can see the Amish, who seem to think its still the 1600's! They drive buggys with horses, strip tabaco all day long, and wash only once a year! It's such an exilerating experience, I swear!
> "I allege that SCO is full of it" -Linus
Drive from Sacramento to Ocean City (or vice versa, depending on which coast you're starting on) on US 50. It's a great time.
All's true that is mistrusted
Though this may be too far down to get read, it's sound advice.
Since you're starting in September, you would be wise to start in the northeast and work your way to the southwest of the US as opposed to the opposite way.
This may or may not seem obvious, but since you didn't really mention your plan of attack, I will assume nothing.
You don't want to be backpacking through the east in December, I can assure you.
In edison, nj you can visit the labs where Thomas Edison did most of his most famous work....it's pretty interesting, and definitely fits the famous nerd sites of america criteria. New Jersey really isn't as bad as everyone says :)
An awesome, geek-thrilling site is the airplane graveyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base outside of Tucson, Arizona. Thousands of military surplus jets, many lined up in weird symmetries, many half-scrapped, all baking under the desert sun. Plus, Tucson is a great town. I recommend a stay at the Hotel Congress.
"Luck is the residue of design" --Branch Rickey
No, not for the casinos and stuff. For one or both of these two shows:
Penn & Teller live at the Rio.
The Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton
In another few years, I expect the government will quietly put up a chain link fence around them one night and turn it into a detention center for potential terrorists.
and stay home. We've got enough people and problems as it is....
-The main lens is 6.5 meters (around 21 feet) across and cost in excess of $20 million to make. It is the largest active mirror in the continental US, as I believe the only larger mirror is the Keck in Hawaii.
-The mirror employs active optics, which is dozens of servos which sit beneath the glass and warp it in order to counter the light-altering effects of the atmosphere.
-The building surrounding the telescope is 5 stories and rotates independently of the scope itself (someone once parked too close to the building...imagine explaining to an insurance agent that a building hit your car)
The number of ingenius feats of engineering which have gone into this place is really staggering. Hope you'll come visit.
The first electronic digital computer. Well, the rebuilt replica anyway if you happen to come through my home state. =)
My poetry site welcomes the unusual.
--rant below
... like the body or the subject!)"
"Cat got your tongue? (something important seems to be missing from your comment
Thank you, Mr. Automated Computer, but I do not need you to think for me. My comment is (was) long enough to fit just inside the subject line, but unfortunately, you have forced me to digress.
See Crater Lake, Oregon.
Slashdot Eds Link Anonymous Posts With Logged Posts
They Are Vermin Feeding On Each Other's Feces.
I Hate \.
i dont think i've seen one person mention miami. granted its not much of a geek spot, but south has about the most attractive people i've ever seen, along with a starbucks on every corner, and all kinds of fun things to do like fishing in the keys, the beaches, and every watersport you can imagine
Dude.. this is AMERICA... things are far apart... backpacking the country would take you your entire lifetime. Buy a car.
I have lived in many parts of Canada and visited many more. Originally from, and currently in Toronto.
My only advice to you is:
Visit Montreal. Even at the expense of missing every other part of Canada. You will definately have a good time there.
-... ---
If you're coming to the Bay Area, you'd be well advised to make the three hour drive east and hit up Yosemite, if you've never been there. Huge slabs of mountainous Granite rising up out of nothing, amazing views from the valley rim, great rock climbing (if you're into that), and tons of great wildlife. Undoubtedly some of the best backpacking in California, as well, especially up in the high country around Tuolumne Meadows. Just be careful not to leave anything even remotely food-like in your car. A friend of mine once had a bear break his window and shred his back seats, all because of a power bar wrapper!
Other Portland Musts for any Geek - Try them in the following order:
1) Floating River walk - New $32 million dollar structure downtown that allows you to walk out ON the river, on a pontoon floating walkway. Interstate interstate on and off ramps arc over head. Very George Jetson. And Free.
2) Blues Festival on same River. Usually around July 4th, $5, 4 days of major Blues acts (and shitty beer) - supposedly largest in country.
3) Any one of a number of Microbreweries (largest number in the US to choose from) - you are Australian, so you'll need to go to one of these to tie on one after you laugh at the Miller served at the Blues Festival.
4) Powell's Technical Book store. See other posts. One of the largest selection of new and used Geeko Technical books in one place.
5) All night Church of Elvis. Open all night. For elvis. Go there after completing 1-3, then being thrown out of (4) above. 'nuff said.
I think, therefore I thought.
Alaska is seen as more outdoorsy than geeky, and it is (thank God). But if you find yourself up here, be sure to check out the Poker Flats rocket launching site. It's the only non-federal, university owned and operated range in the world and the only high-latitude, auroral-zone rocket launching facility in the U.S. You can find a launch schedule at the website, and the personnel are really into it and enthusiastic about what they do.
That said, few geeks are geekier than marine biology geeks, so if you fall into that category you'd probably like the Alaska SeaLife Center, where you can check out sea lions and puffins and things, and check out their research.
Finally, I want to give a shout out to one supergeeky site that someone else mentioned but was somewhat passed over: The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. I visited it when I was just a little mini-Alaskan, and was blown away by all the buttons you get to push, levers to pull, etc. Plus, you get to tour a real German U-Boat. 31337! Or, as I would have said at the time, neato!
I'm not kidding about being the BMG: there are camps that'll airbrush you blue, or any other color you want. There are percussive sculpture for you to play. You can animate yourself with el-wire (what they used for that animated desert). You can dance under strobelights.
But beyond that you can be the "Blue Women with Flamethrowers" group. You can be "the entirely blue Tiki bar towed by a lobster" group. Like another poster said, Burning Man is whatever you want it to be. Sure, you can be boring and do the drugs and drunk thing, but I think this is less common that others have said- you'd miss out on so much.
How about Motorolla where the 2000/2001 TECH LAYOFFS began. Nothing says geek like being layed off.
....google the first atomic pile...where the ultimate hackers started the atomic age.
The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio. Geeks love warmth in concreat slabs and blocks.
McDonalds National Headquarters and Hamburger U. ALmost all geeks started their oily complexion there.
The observation deck at the John Handcock is much less croweded than the sears tower and offers a better view of the geeks going broke on the north shore.
UIC (University of Illinois Chicago)
Indiana has gotten short shriff so far but if you like old american road iron there is an AUBURN-CORD-DUESENBERG MUSEUM, INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY HALL OF FAME MUSEUM , Door Prairie Auto Museum, Studebaker National Museum.
Purdue is the undergrad choice of more astronauts than MIT and STANDFORD combined. The largest(?) Van Der Graff Generator and more decent looking english speeking geeky coeds than MIT and Stanford combined (IMO). And Grand Prix is the only party weekend worth mentioning.
Michigan has Kellogs (TONY THE TIGER...there great!) and the Henry Ford Museum, if you missed anything on wheels during the journey through indiana.
And if your looking to talk to stonner geeks about the finner parts of getting lit up for Diffrential Equations Study Hall with some other techie geeks MADISON WISCONSON and BLOOMINGTON INDIANA.
Well both geek stuff and some natural wonders I suppose.
Boston, MA history and neat bridges and too much to even think of
I would like to see New York City, lots of geeky things there! The Stock Exchange, The site of the World Trade Center, Statue of Liberty, Subways, and countless things
Niagra Falls!
Montreal
Quebec City, Quebec A walled city in North America.
Maybe a leg of the Trans Canadian
Philadelphia, PA - American History, Architecture
The Great Lakes. You need to see them... then go to Chicago. The Sears Tower is nice, Navy Pier, Grant Park, Water Tower lots of things in Chi-Town a quick jaunt through Milwaukee, WI -starting to develop a good tech sector.
You said Back Pack, eh? How about the Apostle Islands - Just of the Northern Shore of Wisconsin on Lake Superior and Macinac Island (Between Upper & Lower Michigan - No Cars)
Minneapolis is a good stop too, then on to Yellowstone Park... lotsa neat nature stuff, giesers hot springs moose, bison lots of trails.
Mount Rushmore! See giant US presidents head carved out of a mountain in the middle of nowhere! Don't forget to go to WAL-DRUG the Dakotas are nice for that stuff.
US Interstate Highways I-90/I-94 through Montanna & Wyoming just follow them west and end up in Seattle/ Redmond, Washington - c'mon love 'em or hate 'em Gotta see Microsoft's world headquarters. Plus Seattle, Vancouver, BC and Portland, OR got lotsa stuff.
CALIFORNIA Find out why we Americans call it the Land of Fruits and Nuts. San Fransisco Apple Computer - Golden Gate bridge, Fisherman's warf - California Redwood Trees, Los Angeles, Hollywood, San Diego - Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Studios and the like. Sillicon Valley - If you got the right travel papers, Tiajuana, Mexico!!
Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, Lotsa neato stuff in Las Vegas! Gambling, and non Gambling. Prostitution is legal in the state of Nevada (maybe not within the city limits of Las Vegas)
The Grand Canyon
Stop by and see the Mormons in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Arizona, do some off roading in the desert. Land Sailing
New Mexico... um Roswell? UFOlogy? ain't Intel around here somewhere?
Texas!!!, Texas is real big it's like the size of Larger European Nations. I always thought the insects were real big there. Houston - NASA
Louisiana! Les boun tonnes roullet. The Big Easy, New Orleans is a MUST. Its actually a dirty smelly old place, but you won't have it any other way, it has a charm you will like. It's worth going even if you cant be there for Mardi Gras - Just NEVER STEP IN A PUDDLE --- that's not from rain boy, see the mounted police officer?
Alabama and Mississippi are worth driving through
Florida! yup beaches and theme parks, another Disney or four, another Universal or too as well. Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay, - Miami --- The Florida Keys. Have an Orange
Kentucky. Can any one say Bourbon? they got this kewl cave too
There are many more things to see, if you truely have an open ended trip, take your time.
See the Pictures of the Flood of '08
Don't miss the Museum of American History. There's an "Information Age" exhibit that every geek would love.
The Milwaukee Art Museum addition was recently completed (2001). The amazing thing is that the building can be considered kinetic sculpture. The "wings" of the Brise Soleil open or close, which control how much sunlight enters the atrium.
The art on the inside isn't all bad, either. There are usually some wacky installations that feature LED signs or electric motors, along with Old Masters and 20th Century Modern. If that doesn't do anything for you, I'll buy you a beer that doesn't suck.
If you visit between June and September, there are usually festivals for any occasion (we learned to appreciate summer weather around here). Summerfest is by far the biggest, with possibly the most musical groups playing this side of South by Southwest.
Sig Applied For
Except for Nepal perhaps some of the most incredible scenery in the entire world. Going to the Sun Road will stay with you a lifetime.
The Experience Music Project in Seattle. Say what you will about Microsoft but Paul Allen has to have spent his money in one of the cooest ways ever.
Glacier Park
http://www.nps.gov/glac
Experience Music Project
http://www.emplive.com
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts."
Start in Rocky Mountain National Park, just out of Denver, work your way through Yellowstone, up through Glacier National Park to Banff and Jasper National Parks on the BC/Alberta border. Short of the Swiss Alps, I've never been anywhere more beautiful and interesting.
in northern Oklahoma there is a salt lake that has a park where you can dig for selenite crystals.
s ma ll.jpg
http://greatsaltplains.com/images/CrystalHands_
http://greatsaltplains.com/crystals.htm
...wanna get high?
Don't get it?
Last post!
Poboys and transexual hookers.
you can't ack before you balls.. you just
I think it's called "pussy." So stay in youth hostels and you can meet and have sex with flea-ridden homeless hippie chicks.
In the middle of Hutchinson Kansas (middle of nowhere) there is this really cool place the Kansas Cosmsphere and Space Center. It's one of the best space science museums in the world (no kidding). I went there and was just stunned. What's this place doing here. But yet there it is. Whats so cool about it? They have a great collection of space hardware second only to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. and they have the largest collection of Russian space hardware outside of Moscow. When you walk in the door you are greeted by an actual SR-71 Blackbird spyplane mounted upside down on the ceiling. Highlights for me were a German V-1, V-2, I think the still have Liberty Bell 7 they were restoring it Liberty Bell 7 is the Mercury Redstone capsule that was lost when Gus Grissom freaked out and blew the hatch too early (squirming hatch blower from the Right Stuff or was it Earth to the Moon... I digress). They also restored the hardware for Apollo 13 the movie and they have the Apollo 13 capsule now in there collection I believe. They do a lot of restoration work there and you can watch through the glass where the do the work. They had a Lunar module mock-up a gemini capsule a lot of Russian hardware like the vostok 1 and 2 capsule and a cool rocket garden and much more. Anyway only thing worth stopping for in Kansas and that's no kidding. Check out the web site here http://www.cosmo.org/
And because my comment has too few characters per line (sorry): the rain in spain falls mainly on the plain, while my brain gwains about sprained pain waning in vain, so refrain but maintain while complaining about the LAME MOTHERFUCKING SLASHDOT MESSAGE FILTERS THAT ALWAYS SCREW ME OVER. (ahem) Ooga chaka ooga ooga ooga chaka ooga ooga I just get this feeling, like I've hit this crap before, and I (i i, duh duh duh) am stopped on a filter! (nah nah na-nah) I'm dumbfounded, bewildered, (nah nah na-nah) how I will get this pooooost through, I'm stuck on a filter! (grumble) I've added so much to this I don't know what to write.
StoneCypher is Full of BS
then check out the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio. They've got an amazing selection of military aircraft.
Actually most of the desert southwest is worth seeing, even if it is a bit touristy.
"Well, good luck finding a judge that doesn't run a bestiality site."
Some of these suggestions are not tech oriented in the least, but they are things I'd try to see on a North American Trip:
- Yosemite National Park
- Grand Canyon
- Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Ca
- Disneyland in the Los Angeles Area (sorry DisneyWorld in FL is NOT the same!)
- any place with a big IMAX screen, such as Paramount's Great America in Santa Clara, Ca.
- The Tech, in downtown San Jose, Ca
- Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. You'll see bear and buffalo and Old Faithful.
Hell, there's a zillion places and I know I can't think of them all, but I'm sure this thread will have alot of good suggestions. I hope that I was able to add at least one good one that wasn't already posted.
Sounds like you'll be having a great time on the trip, I wish I could do something similar...
Located in the Science Museum of Minnesota, it features quack medical devices throughout the decades that have been marketed to fools and skeptics alike. A neat collection. You'd be amazed what people would ingest or put their bodies through. (the vaccum-operated breast enlargement machine is interesting, as well as the sticks of radium that people would carry in their pockets).
Link Here. Creator's website is Here
Blog,Twitter
The Tech Museum in San Jose, CA.
The wind tunnel at NASA Ames in Mountain View, CA.
The balloon hangars next door.
Track down the Spruce Goose, I think it's up near Portland, OR somewhere.
Talk your way into Bert Rutan's Structured Composites in Mojave, CA and take a look at the top X-Prize contender.
Same thing with Armadillo Aerospace in TX.
See the Grand Canyon just because it's so cool.
Same for Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.
The St. Louis arch.
The museum(s) in Los Alamos, NM.
Air & Space museum in DC.
While you're there, the modern art museum. Just don't tell anyone you did it.
Wangle a tour of the MIT Media Lab in Boston.
Get tours of Sun, Apple, Microsoft, etc. Realize we're not as interesting as we seem.
The Space Needle in Seattle, WA.
A really expensive drink at the Top of the Mark in San Fransisco; watch the world revolve around you.
Hoover Dam.
The Queen Mary in Los Angeles, CA.
Disneyland and Universal Studios.
Fry's Electronics in Santa Clara, CA.
The Pompanito tour in SF, CA - a WWII submarine.
Lake Tahoe, CA. Check out the casinos on the South shore.
Boeing aircraft museum in/near Seattle.
Science and Industry museum in Chicago.
The Indianapolis motor speedway.
Cheers,
G
A beautiful redwood forest 30 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Easily one of the most beautiful spots on earth.
The difference between Canada and the USA is that in Canada healthcare is a right and gun ownership is a privilege.
Why does he need to travel all the way to Nevada for that particular experience? In many states of Australia, there are legal brothels all over the place. Heck, we even have one listed (well, sorta) on the stock exchange.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo
--Andy Finkel (J. Klass?)
The boeing tour in Everett, WA is cheap (5$) and really great if you want to see 747's being built.
Vancouver, Canada is the home of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. It also has a rich history of tech-related sites. One of the most fun is to visit the folks over at User Friendly. They're in New Westminster, about a 30 minute drive outside Vancouver, and are right next door to Paralynx, aka Mind Link, the company that inspired Illiad to start the User Friendly strip (he called the company "Columbia Internet" because Paralynx is at the Columbia Skytrain station stop).
They're a great bunch of folks to visit, so if you're on the West Coast of Canada, drop by and say hi to them.
Ruby on Rails Screencast
Oh man if you get to Colorado you should stop in and see Mile High Comics (Denver?). They have been and still are one of the biggest shops I've ever seented!
Hey, ;-) are awesome as well...
If you'd like a taste of europe while in North America, I suggest going to Montreal's Old Port but best of all, go to Quebec City. With it's french culture all around, it really gives you the taste of Europe. The buildings architecture and the feminin scenery
Give it a try,
You will not regret it... that's for sure
Alex
Cyrano de Maniac
I spend a whole day there in 1993, its really good,
http://www.exploratorium.com/index.html
Not 5 miles from the Sheltowee Trace, 260 mile hiking trail supposed to follow footsteps of Daniel Boone through Kentucky, is a radio telescope hosted by Morehead State University. Nice trail to hike. Backpacking and technology, yo.
The US Air Force Museum in Dayton is a can't miss. They have stuff there from pre-World War I all the way to a test version of the stealth fighter. It's not roped off or anything like that you can go right up to it and check it out. They have so much stuff there it will easily take an entire day to take it all in.
:)
Most interesting were the experimental aircraft from the 1950's and 60's. Especially the X-15
I did a quick search and no one seems to have mentioned the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA. I went there around the age of twelve. So, that was many years ago but I certainly remember it as being a terribly geeky place for young and old alike. (I should write brochures)
Not sure how you get your geek on but there's also the Baltimore Aquarium that I understand to be quite the place. When you're done there hitch on down to Hampton Roads, Virginia (look for Norfolk) and hit the Mariner's Museum (Ironclads have to be historically geeky at least), NASA Langley, Virginia Marine Science Museum, etc... Come to think of it Hampton Roads is a pretty geeky place.
-
Powell's Books takes up an entire city block, is four stories high and packed to the gills with books. I could happily wander the stacks for years. It's in downtown Portland, which is worth visiting on it's own because it's about the only American example of responsible and sensible city planning put into practice.
Enjoy mate !!
Robert H. Goddard did his rocket test flights in and around Roswell. The local museum has a replica of his work shop.
...is the ultra cool Boeing Factory Tour, where they assemble 747s, 767s and 777s in the "largest building in the world by volume." Here's a photo of what goes on inside.
1st, backpacking in the US is not as safe as in other countries. We have lots of wierdos just looking for people to pick up and kill, so don't plan on hitchhiking unless you are "prepared". It is illegal in most states. Best to rent a car, take the bus or fly between destinations. It might be most cost effective to purchase a $5000 car for the month and sell it when you leave.
San Francisco, CA - The center of hi-tech USA. There's lots to do, Stanford, Sun, HP, Xerox, Oracle, Alcatraz (get a swim team t-shirt!)
http://www.sfvisitor.org/
Los Angeles - Hollywood
Las Vegas - cheap buffets - don't gamble
If you time it right, there may be a huge consumer electronics show.
Hoover Dam http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/
Area 51 - http://www.ufomind.com/area51/
Yosemite National Park
Grand Canyon
Colorado Springs - NORAD http://www.norad.mil/
Mount Rushmore
Mall of America (Mn)
Chicago - there must be something to do here, Cubs Baseball??
Saint Louis Arch
New York City
Philadelphia, PA
Washington DC - plan 4+ days (Air and Space Museum; be sure to hit both on the mall and Langly)
Goddard Space Flight Center
Kitty Hawk, NC - see where the US claims to have been the first to fly
Atlanta, GA - Braves Baseball (if you missed the Cubs); Coca Cola headquarters; CNN tour; Weather Channel tour; Cheeta Club
Orlando, FL - See how Americans spend their vacations. Disney!, Universal
Kennedy Space Center - see if you can find someone that knows someone that can arrange a VIP tour. Try to be there on the 2nd launch attempt. They used to try to launch on Thursdays
Huntsville, AL - Space Center
New Orleans, La - PARTY!
Houston, Tx - Johnson Space Center; Enron, Compaq
San Antonio, Tx - Riverwalk; slowest drivers in the world
New Braunfeilds, Tx - Schlitterbaun and tube the Gatalupe river (seasonal)
Austin, Tx - PARTY on 6th Street!; Dell, Be there Oct 31 if you can arrange it! Austin has a music feastival almost every month.
Tour The University of Texas (Hook 'em!); learn how a Marine could shoot and kill 14 people and wound dozens more in 90 minutes from the UT Tower http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial/whitman/
Dallas, Tx - see where Kennedy was shoot (by another Marine); if you time is right, get football tickets for OU v UT (they meet halfway)
Roswell, NM - visit some aliens and their technology
Near the end of your tour, check out pricewatch.com for electronics and have them shipped "General Delivery" to a post office near your departure city. Be sure to allow for shipping times with your orders. Might be best to rent a box with Mailboxes Etc for the extra security.
There are so many places I've overlooked. Backpacking in Canada was fairly safe when I did it 15 years ago. I would hope it was just as safe. I was a skiier, so I did all the great ski resorts.
Powell's World of Books
Portland, OR
www.powells.com
A warning about the train is that you will likely spend some (like 8 at least) very boring hours going through the prairies where you basically see flat fields of crops. I've also heard that unless you're careful, your train will be going through the Rocky's at night, which would be a shame. For the geek interested in outdoor activities, I think BC probably has the most variety to offer and it is extremely beautiful. Your dollar will also go farther in Canada than the US.
You should try to visit BC when you can go to one of the beaches that has good low tides. Looking at critters in tide pools is very interesting. Usually requires getting up at an ungodly hour, though. This is free except for the transportation cost. Probably one of the best places to go is Botanical Beach, which google tells me is near Port Renfrew (on Vancouver Island). Here's one website.
New Brunswick has the Bay of Fundy which has extremely low tides and whale-watching and that sort of thing.
I've recently been to the National Aviation Museum in Ottawa, and it was very cool. The displays are really well done, and a lot of interesting old planes and Canadian bush planes. Since it's the capital, Ottawa has a ton of galleries and museums for just about everything. Hull, Quebec is just across the river, so a visit to Ottawa, can easily include visiting the Museum of Civilization.
I hope you're not pretending to be evil while secretly being good. That would be dishonest.
What's more American than our national pastime?
Try to name a company more associated with baseball than Louisville Slugger.
http://www.sluggermuseum.org
--------- Steve Martin once said, "Sex is the most natural, most beautiful, most wonderful thing that money can buy."
Rip the rear bumper off your rented RV
Find out the sewage drainage line on your rented RV has a leak in it.
...make sure you visit our screen door factory
1) Roebling Bridge Cincinnati. Construction started in 1857, longest suspension bridge in the world at completion, still operating, pedestrian friendly.e nsion.html
m l)
http://www.cincinnati-transit.net/susp
2) Museum of Jurassic Technology, Culver City, CA. Words do not suffice (http://www.mjt.org)
3) Minas Basin, Bay of Fundy. Largest tides in the world. The experience is enhanced by knowing a bit about the physics and mathematics of tide calculations, and about mechanical tide predictors (http://www.valleyweb.com/fundytides/)
4) Los Alamos Historical Museum. Friendly and informative introduction to nukes. While you're in NM, check out the VLA (http://www.atomictourist.com/alamos.htm)
5) Imperial Dunes, a/k/a Tatooine (http://www.desertusa.com/sandhills/du_sh_star.ht
I don't know enough about what Canada has to offer, so this is limited to the U.S.
When folks around here say they're "going backpacking" they usually mean they'll be hiking in the wildnerness with just what they can carry on their back. Such trips rarely include visits to bookstores, musea, and other geek centers. Such trips are best in mountainous areas -- I can't imagine backpacking in North Dakota, for instance -- and can be done on a pretty low daily budget (but make sure you invest in high quality boots, tents, etc.). Some folks have mentioned the Appalachian Trail, which spans from Vermont to Georgia. On the other side of the country are lots of swell backpacking areas from the Rocky Mountains west. The national parks in Utah and Arizona (Canyonlands, Staircase, Zion, Grand Canyon, etc.) are especially popular for such trips, though if you've spent much time in the outback you may be sick of such a climate (though the terrain here is more impressive). Almost any national park or national forest is a good backpacking experience, and entrance fees (especially if you get a year-long pass) are astonishingly cheap.
Unfortunately, you'll be arriving at the tail end of good backpacking season. Beginning in late September you can't trust in a lack of snow anywhere inland in the northern two thirds of the country, though places like southern Arizona are quite enjoyable. Unless you're staying until late next spring, you should hit any outdoor areas in the north first and work your way south.
Unfortunatey, U.S. public transportaion leaves much to be desired. There's nothing like a Eurail pass, and Amtrak stops mostly in larger cities, which is sad, because trains played such a large part in building America. Greyhound has excellent coverage and fairly reasonable rates, but if you're going to a lot of places, your pocketbook could take a big hit. Finally, hitchhiking across the country is probably no longer a viable plan, but it may be invaluable in a pinch. Hitchhikers are, generally, assumed to be dangerous until proven otherwise. On the plus side, most cities have a bus system decent enough for tourists to enjoy the town.
Unless you have access to a car, my advice is to pick a handfull of (relatively small) areas you want to visit and then figure out what all the great things to do there are.
Some geeky things in my neck of the woods (Boulder, Colorado): National Institute of Standards and Technology (home of the most accurate clock in this hemisphere) is right next to a branch of National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association and a beautiful two-hour mountain hike away from the National Center for Atmospheric Research. They've all got free tours and such, though I haven't taken one since security got tightened after 9/11/01. About 10 miles south of town is the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and more beautiful mountain hike areas. 30 miles or so to the north west is Rocky Mountain National Park, which gets pretty cold in September and later. Denver, CO has Forney Museum of Tranportation and also the nation's only major airport built in the last 20 years, so it's full of neat engineering bits.
Your post sounds quite ambitious, and there's no way you can really experience all of what's neat in America in even a year, so find some of it and enjoy the hell out of that! Cheerio!
Ceci n'est pas une signature.
When passing through Arizona (I'm sure you will be visiting that big hole in the ground we call the Grand Canyon) Overnight in Flagstaff at one of the local hostels/hotels. The Lowell Observatory (www.lowell.edu) has night viewing through the end of Sept and has Tours during the day. You see the actual telescope Percival Lowell used to find Pluto. Not techie but still geek worthy.
The world called out for a hero and all it got was me...
On The Back to the Future Tour of course!
Join the Free Software Foundation
- Spy museum in Washington DC
- North of DC, The NSA crypto museum
- The manly Rocketdyne F1 Saturn V Booster
- More thrust at the Alabama Space and Rocket Center
- Spam king Alan Ralsky's house
- A Lake Washington cruise past Bill's humble abode
- While in Seattle, the Museum of Flight
- North of Seattle is the largest building under 1 continuous roof at Boeing
- That Holy of Holies: Xerox PARC
- Another park, but of the vertical daqueri variety the Ouray Ice Park
Have fun! Don't drink & drive!!The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
Strand Books in New York City is really huge, which is impressive being in the middle of of a big city. It's a used bookstore with decend prices and a gigantic selection, including old books and a nice supply of art picture books.
City Lights in San Francisco is a great bookstore with a lot of history during the Beat Poet era.
If you're heading all over, I'd recommend both, as I'd recommend both San Francisco and New York to anyone visiting the United States.
And one of the really neat things they have at the Museum of Science and Industry is the U-505 U-boat
The house on the rock was designed by one of Wright's rivals. It was such a weird place partly as a satire of Wright's style.
Don't label something "offtopic" unless you know the topic well enough to tell what's on topic.
In the main hall. The Wright Flier, Spirit of St Louis, the Gossamer Condor, Voyager, Apollo 11, and a moon rock, all in one room.
It gave me goose bumps.
People who disagree with you are not automatically evil, greedy, or stupid.
And if you want something really disturbing to look at in the area, check out this:
d .h tml
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/WIMADdea
This is a real place, but the article was written several years ago and I don't know if the guy is still giving tours or not. He's pretty old.
Don't label something "offtopic" unless you know the topic well enough to tell what's on topic.
The NCM is just NW of Fort Meade (NSA), between it and the BW Parkway (aka 295). You can get to it via an exit off Route 32. It's pretty cool, especially if you get the old guy with pictures of his family on his tie; probably their most entertaining guide.
You might get a kick out of their computer room.
Lately democracy seems to be based on the skybox, the Happy Meal box, the X-box, and the idiot box.
it is not that hard, some pointers
go when college is in session
travel to towns with colleges
stay with friends, sometimes met that night, sleep on their floor, whatever, its cheap. sometimes they are beautiful, sometimes they are ugly, but always make sure its free, you have a good travel story, it should be free.
In any given place, there is more than enough to see within 200 miles, so just choose 2-3 weeks each in 4 or 5 east coast cities
hit the lakes from cleveland to chicago, buses work there
that will take 2 weeks tops
take the river south from chicago to memphis to the big easy. hit the big easy at the 'right time' get a free ride to whereever, prolly texas, austin that is.
from austin see how you can get to either the desert or the mountains, i suggest the desert, cause you hit Las Vegas, and las vegas to california is a cheap bus ticket.
you'll probably be in socal, do what you have to do, mexico is right there, then head north along the coast, bum it as much as possible, its easy, be friendly, talk to people, you'll go far, when you get to washington its time to head east, the train is the easiest, and it will give you the best view of the mountains and then the great nothings of the planes. you'll land back in chicago on the train, that'll work.
There are a bunch of aliens living and working in there, it's pretty unbelievable. You've gotta see it for yourself.
I recommend the Historical Electronics Museum near Baltimore, MD. I visited the HEM when I attended a Digital Communications Conference (check out tapr) a few years ago. The radar displays were fascinating. Other old military electronics stuff was interesting, too, e.g., the electronics in a torpedo. But the sophistication of the radars was amazing. Historical Electronics Museum
The "World's Biggest Bookstore" is located in Toronto. If you are looking for that extra geek motivation, though, then look no further... Short Circuit 2 was partly filmed there
I toured WWVH years back... big fun looking at the GIANT tubes that provide transmission power as well as the HUGE monopole antennas for the lower frequencies. I presume that WWV in Colorado Springs, CO has a similar tour.
"You might as well get your son a ticket to hell as give him a five string banjo." -unknown minister
The ultimate geek destination... the filming locations for The Goonies.
Somewhat related, if you're on a budget you're probably staying in hostels, so check out the hostel reviews first.
Even if you don'tbuy anything, I'm sure "The Black Hole of Los Alamos" beats Fry's as far as geekdom goes. Among other things, they sell surplus equipment from LANL (Los Alamos National Labs)
Their site is at
http://members.aol.com/blkholela/home/
Plus ca change, plus c'est les memes choses.
Visit every brewery you can.
If you like planes and such, I'd recommend the Airplane Graveyard in Tucson, Arizona. Don't go out of your way or anything, but since you will be visiting the Grand Canyon and Bioshere anyway... you might as well stop in. It's a great place if you are at all interested in aviation, history or aviation history. Great - now i sound like a commercial.
Is it true that the 'shampoo aisle' is like Upoo's 'non-alcoholic beer' fridge - It's just a front to the place where the 'real' employees hangout ?
Highway 375 in nevada is interesting. Driving north out of Las Vegas you will first drive through Indian Springs AFB where you have a good chance of seeing an F-117a taking off in front of you. Also further along on hwy 375 you will come to a town called rachael,NV. Stop at the Ale'e'inn and grab some food. You will run into interesting people in that place, I can assure you. Also near you is an very small ghost town called warm springs NV. Stop there, back off the road a bit is a warm spring coming out of the mountain running down into a small creek. Its not marked anywhere, but its an interesting place in the middle of nowhere.
And new representatives!
e ws /archive/2003/07/22/national1417EDT0629.DTL
http://www.sfgate.com//cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n
(07-22) 14:55 PDT SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) --
Unaware that a live microphone was broadcasting their words around the Capitol, Assembly Democrats meeting behind closed doors debated prolonging California's budget crisis for political gain.
Members of the coalition of liberal Democrats talked about slowing progress on the budget as a means of increasing pressure on Republicans.
The National Cryptologic Museum - I have not yet gone there, but plan to some weekend, maybe the next time i drive north to NY.
http://www.nsa.gov/museum/index.html
I can't imagine what'd be geekier.
as you go north from there, hit up The Book Thing in Baltimore. FREE BOOKS!!
The National Mall in DC - hit up the Smithsonians and stuff.
-- My Sig is a P228.
I'd pick one of the Laser Interferometric Gravitational-wave Observatories in Hanford, Washington or Livingston, Louisiana, and also Barringer Crater in Arizona.
Geek Travel Guide
http://www.glasswings.com/
If you manage to hike to Puerto Rico (a long wet walk, I know), head towards Arecibo. The Radio telescope is well worth the visit.
http://www.naic.edu/
"Choosy browsers choose
Cheap, beautiful, ubiquitous and nearly always empty. Probably the most underrated institution in the States. Here's a useful link.
Ok, so Sir Edmond Hilary made that discovery before me, but I thought I'd pass it on.
Well, even geeks have to chill out somewhere.
-- Free software on every PC on every desk
I visited the winter home of Thomas Edison in Florida once. It has stayed with me ever since.
I was inspired by the rows and rows of light bulbs. Tom just kept on trying over and over until he got it right. He tried everything he could think of as a filament, even bamboo soaked in brine.
He is, IMO, the First Real Geek. Pioneer, persistent, genius, self-sustaining. A real Geek hero, if ever there was one. You owe it to yourself to visit.
Remember he did all this before electricity was even popular. He knew he'd have to create electric light before he could ever sell electricity. He also invented the recording industry, so he's the father of every storage device we now use.
My Geek Hero!
The best bang for time and buck in the US is doing the Boston/New York/Philadelphia/Washington DC trip. Stay a few days in each city, take a tour, and go visit all the museums and attractions that you are interested in. I think the really big question is how much you plan to spend -- one decent option is to buy an Amtrak month US and Canada pass and train around to where you want to go. Flying cross-country can be a fairly big expenditure in a trip like the one you seem to be planning.
**When craziness is bliss, 'tis folly to be sane**
This is the view toward the city. Alcatraz is on the left side of the picture in the middle of the bay. They have an interesting tour there.
This is the view towards the ocean. The Pt. Reyes Lighthouse is at the end of the point of land. Some nice views down there, too.
Of course sometimes all you can see from up there is the top of the fog bank.
I can tell you the meaning of life,
but you have to promise not to laugh.
Top of the Sears Tower in Chicago. It's amazing. And while you are there, ride on the L... you'll meet some "interesting" people.
--
"What do you want me to do? Whack a guy? Off a guy? Whack off a guy? Cause I'm married."
Surplus stores vary by locale, of course. There was an ask.slashdot topic on this last March.
Basically, the most interesting are near NASA centers, followed by military bases and National Laboratories [sort of like CSIRO but not really]. Silicon Valley also has interesting surplus stores, of course.
"You might as well get your son a ticket to hell as give him a five string banjo." -unknown minister
Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. Largest military aviation museum in the world. Best memory I had: One plane had tires with a radius taller than me; the weight distribution broke too many runways so they had to replace the landing gear. That, and an SR-71.
Blue Man Group, any city they perform in.
Beyond that, I'd spend all my time at the Smithsonian and not worry about the fact that I was spending all my time in one place.
is competition good, or is duplication of effort bad?
It's in NYC, in Manhattan near Union Square. Eight miles of books. 'Nuff Said.
Kevin "Kev" Myrick
"Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky"-Pink Floyd
In Seattle:
Boeing Museum of Flight: F-18 simulator, Air Force One, B-29, Sopwith Camel, SR-71 cockpit, air traffic control tower exhibit, etc.
Take the Monorail to the Space Needle and Experience Music Project. (Seattle Science Center is redundant if you'll visit the one in L.A.)
Portland:
McMenamins Edgefield: brewery, b&b, Tie-dye golf tournament for Jerry Garcia's birthday, galss blowing, etc.
Saturday Market(also on Sunday), great local arts&crafts&music event.
Powell's books, one of the nation's largest bookstore sprawling over an entire city block, with another store down the street full of technical books.
Authentic Chinese Garden and Japanese Garden and a friendly Zoo with a good concert series.
Indie music from Music Millenium, offbeat movies from Movie Madness, the Church of Elvis, various other wacky things geek create after six months without sunshine.
You might not be able to get into the Pittock Internet Hotel unless you're a TCP or UDP packet.
The post with L.A. suggestions was excellent, at Caltech be sure to visit the gravity wave detector if possible.
The Airforce museum in Dayton is wildly incredible. It will ruin you for any other air museum. Besides all the well-known warbirds from the Sopwith Camel to Me-163, standouts include a B-36, the XB-70 Valkarie, and the X-15.
http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/index.htm
Sorry, the 28" of snow collapsed the roof of the museam and it's out of comission.
it's not going to stop until you wise up, no it's not going to stop. so just give up.
I see a number of recommendations for the computer exhibit at the American History Museum. And of course for the National Air and Space Museum.
However, the entirety of the Smithsonian is worth visiting. I recommend you spend at least a day per museum for the "quick tour" - I am not kidding. It's not called "America's Attic" for nothing. My personal recommendations:
When I was a kid, the Insect Zoo used to be well-hidden in a back corner of the Natural History Museum - with minimal signage - that it took us three visits to find it. My father joked that "insect zoo" meant "tour of the museum". These days there's more to it than dead mounted bugs and a glass-walled bee hive.
"You might as well get your son a ticket to hell as give him a five string banjo." -unknown minister
Thats the Pt. Bonita Lighthouse. Pt. Reyes is farther north.
I can tell you the meaning of life,
but you have to promise not to laugh.
When you were at school in Australia, we (the School Bullies of Australia Organisation[tm])
never referred to you as a "Geek".
You were always referred to as a "Nerd".
Within the bounds of Australia, the attachment of derrogatory names based on the intelligence
of person being derrided is the sole responsibility of SBAO.
By what rights are you now referring to yourself as a "Geek"?
http://jesus.everdense.com/
Growing up just outside of DC, we often went to the C & O Canal National Historical Park during the summer. Down at the south end of the park you can rent canoes and kayaks and then go paddling up and down the canal. It's an interesting part of our history and a pleasant place to visit in DC to get away from the city, as is Rock Creek Park, also a part of our National Park Service.
"You might as well get your son a ticket to hell as give him a five string banjo." -unknown minister
Duh!
As an Australian who spent some time in California in the bay area, I completely agree with seeing any of the Fry's stores... we have NOTHING on that scale in electronics stores here... the staff no less than nothing about anything they're selling, but the range and prices are supurb.
Here is a pic taken from Pier 39 in San Francisco that shows the bridge and the area the other two pics were taken from. This was taken in mid September when the days tend to be warm and the nights cool here in the Bay Area.
I can tell you the meaning of life,
but you have to promise not to laugh.
Don't backpack America....this isn't europe!
Do consider going in a winnebago or some sort of RV. Since the post world war II era, the RV is considered to be the true way to experience the US.
Don't go to any stupid theme park you never heard of.
Do go to Disneyworld AND Six Flags Magic Mountain. Disneyworld says it all, and Magic Mountain is the largest coaster park now in the world and still growing!
Whatever you do, if you get to San Francisco (which you probably will) please visit the Exploratorium.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/
A museum that should be called a geek mecca. Make the pilgrimage once in your life.
The Southwest contains incredible beauty and mystery. I have been more blown away by Chaco Canyon than just about any other place on earth. See the Soltice Project for info on how it may have been part of an giant atrononomical instrument.
The antidote for misuse of freedom of speech is more freedom of speech.
-- Molly Ivins
Of sitting under the humongous oak tree in City Park, getting a pile of great food from most anywhere around Tulane, and sitting around doing nothing on a vacation day!!! New Orleans is a real nice place... The Mississippi River is awesome.
HenryJamesFeltus.com
There you can meet hare krishna brothers, sanctuary for cows, famous rosegarden, etc. Almost like back in 60's. Nice stopover for one day or luchtime.
This may be a surprise to everyone but for architecture and samll town America, Columbus, IN is the palce to visit.t ecture
http://columbus.in.us/page.asp?page=Archi
"Columbus has earned world-wide recognition for its modern architecture. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects surveyed 829 of its members. They ranked Columbus 6th among U.S. cities in architectural quality and innovation. Only Chicago, New York, Washington, San Francisco, and Boston were ranked higher."
I would recommend staying at the B&B that is the old city hall. This is also the home of Cummins Engines. And the Cummins foundation pays for the fees of buildings in town that is why all the great architecture. I had a great weekend there once.
Marfa - proof you can drink enough that car headlights look like space ships.
been there...
So, Canada is a great place to backpack! Have fun!
A few memorable points: Visiting a computer startup in Boston, Washington to NY by train, Canadian Pacific train across Canada, a Californian diner with everyone in baseball caps, a walk across the George Washington Bridge to Hoboken late at night.
One thing I did not get to see was the subterranean cafeteria in the Carlsbad Caverns.
Oddly while I have written a few hi-tech travel reports and a book on the subject, it has never occurred to me to do a report about North America. On my one trip I found the place technically unsophisticated. Perhaps that was because it was a long time ago, or I just went to the wrong places.
ps: At one stage I found myself standing on a desk in the ABC office in NY, poking a hole in the ceiling with a screwdriver to put a computer cable through. I glanced down and got vertigo, as this way half way up the Rockefeller Centre.
Tom Worthington FACS, Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd
You say "september 2003" - if you can arrive just a hair earlier, try and get yourself out to the Burning Man festival in the barrenest, emptiest part of Nevada. For more info, see Burning Man or "Burning Man" search @ Google.
No gods, no demons, and no masters. Secular Humanism!
Too bad, when we've had such great presidents: Roosevelt (Teddy), Kennedy, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln.
Sheesh, I should know better than to make superlative assertions on Slashdot. Thanks for the diplomatic corrections, y'all.
John.
sorry, but you characterise burning man poorly. I imagine you to be up-tight, not willing to take risks or think outside the morality taught to you when you were younger.
back in '98, burning man changed the way i see life. the art and beauty and non-commercial nature of the event made me believe that someday humans can make a peaceful and beautiful society.
perhaps you went in more recent years, when you have more people (like yourself, perhaps) that are up-tight and didn't get into the spirit of the event. perhaps a BM regular can tell me if more recent years have gotten more "pretentious" as some people are saying...
It's gone. Most of the stuff is in the new museum in Silicon Valley.
Stay in Canada during your trip. =)
I'm not sure I'd want to be labelled a terrorist and my rights wiped away. At least in Canada you can hide in the snowdrifts or something.
in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni
as a very recently graduated UD student, I am proud everyday to be associated with an institution that could create a bag to keep my pizza warm. and to do crash test stuff with frozen chicken guns.
maybe you started using a later version of Linux, as many newbies do (like RedHat 9, perhaps) that aren't aware of the deep social roots of the OSS philosophy. perhaps someone who started with Slackware 1.0 can tell me if more recent distributions have gotten more pretentious as some people are saying...
How about thae worlds largest Space Museum in Huntsville Alabama. at http://206.166.221.131/spacecamp/museum/welcome.js p
We are Dead Stars looking back Up at the Sky
UFO's are geeky, right? Well, then don't miss Roswell, New Mexico. The Area 51 environs in Nevada are a good choice as well. Even if you're not into UFO's, it's still a famous airbase used to test secret aircraft projects. (I wouldn't suggest going to the actual base, unless you think the signs warning that you will be shot on sight are a bluff--at the very least you'll be arrested, fined, and at the mercy of the government). Rachel, Nevada is the closest town to Area 51, and it has the infamous Little A'Le'Inn.
In Repressive Burma, it's not just your connection that dies. slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=314547&cid=20819199
You can find lots of scientific equipment, computers, and generally obscure technological devices such as surplus atomic bomb detonating cables for $2.
Any time I travel, I almost always make it a point to check out whatever electronic surplus places are local to the area. The area around Melbourne, FL is amazing, probably thanks to the heavy NASA and aerospace presence. I found some amazing bargains on older Motorola radio hardware, to the point where I went to the trouble to ship it home. The transit time was such that it arrived the day after we got back.
For something a little closer to the west coast, you can have a look at my surplus store listings for the Bay Area, northwest Oregon (Portland and vicinity), and Washington (Puget Sound region) at this link.
Have a great trip.
Bruce Lane, KC7GR,
Blue Feather Technologies
Don't forget Amish Country. The Amish capital of the world is in Holmes County, OH. In addition, on the East side of the state above Dayton is Wapakoneta, OH. Birthplace of Neil Armstrong and Home of the Armstrong Air and Space Museum. Also, you have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Inventor's Hall of Fame, and The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH.
Another great place is Southern UT. They have some of the greatest hikes in the nation, with awesome scenery and rock formations.
Ranier National Park in Washington State is a great hike. Yellowstone National Park is a must see too. Just don't get gored by a buffalo.
Go west, young man....
"On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog!" - a dog
Do not attempt to climb the GG bridge unless you plan to get arrested. My friends and I tried and failed and spent a few months picking up trash in the park...and that was before 9/11. If you want to see the bridge, just look at it and walk around it, because going to goddamn Marin for court all the time SUCKS!!!!
You might consider purchasing a 'North American Rail Pass' for your trip. It costs somewhere around USD 650, for a month of travel in .us and .ca. The restrictions are fairly minimal-- I think essentially "you must visit both countries, and can't backtrack more than four times" May work well with backpacking-- I can see scheduling travel to reduce the time spent in hostels.
-Trains are cool in and of themselves. I'd personally love to try to spot every class of locomotive presently in use for passenger service.
-Often, they stop in interesting places. Washington DC Union Station is fascinating (essentially a terminus for the standard railways, the local subway, and a small mall in one historic building), and very centrally located for the cool government-oriented things to see (if you can arrange a tour of Congress through a Congressional office, it's pretty good) Rail's also good value for small-town destinations that would be expensive by air.
This is definitely on my lifetime to-do list.
Other interesting sites might include visiting a Mint (Denver or Philadelphia) or the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (the banknote production house-- Washington D. C.), but I think tours are less available recently.
It's just like a fascist dictatorship, without the punctual rail service!
You should come by the Titan Missile Museum just south of Tucson, Arizona. The place was a working nuclear missile silo until they shut it down in the 1980s. The best part is the retired military people that give the tours that don't quite understand everything that's going on, and the propagandistic stuff they have and say (e.g. "these people kept the peace for 40 years", or "of course, now that these are decomissioned its no longer a problem").
They have gigantic 2 ton steel doors that you can close by hand, hilarious 1960s computers, and a big concrete block on the surface so that the Russian spy satellites can verify that this is NOT one of the nuclear silos that count against our treaty allotment.
Anyway, while you're there, keep in mind that the real reason the Titan II sites were decommisioned, of course, is that in the 1980s we had a breakthrough in nuclear weapons technology -- small and light bombs! Now they have smaller, cheaper, and more reliable Minuteman missiles that took their place. The danger is as real as it ever was, and actually seeing the stuff in person is both cool and gives you the willies.
I've always wanted to go see the Lightning Field out in New Mexico. Supposed to be a very cool experience.
If you're into roller coasters, check out Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio. The park has the best roller coasters in the country and is consistently in the Guiness book for the tallest/fastest/most loops or some record or the other.
If you're able to get to the U.S. within 3 weeks: QuakeCon. The world's largest lanparty for a legendary game and the games powered by its engine. Meet the id software folks, attend workshops and of course play games.
... in upstate new york (finger lake region).
pick yourself a nice corelle begging bowl as well.
If you're really backpacking, my advice is to stick to the coasts as much as possible, especially the Northeast. Frankly, I'd avoid the South. I live here, and its not a very interesting place to be. You'll get more bang for your buck sticking to the coasts, as they tend to be much more densely packed with things to do, places to see, etc. I highly reccomend California, as its a very nice place to visit (though I'd never want to live there). The only exception... if you like national parks, Zion National Park in Utah is one of the most spectacular places in the world. If you go, make sure you check out all of the hikes, they're all good. Especially the river walk. -Mike
If you're in Cali in December, you should check out Gen Con. It's in the fair city of Anaheim and is loaded with geekness.
Brought to you by the Artificial Idea Factory.
If you're into hiking in Nature... Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes, and the largest body of fresh water in the world, has a lot to offer its northern visitors.
Minnesota Highway 61 which from Duluth, MN to the Canadian border is considered to be among the top few scenic roads in the country. (Especially between Two Harbors and Canada!)
There is an excellent system of hiking trails which follows generally parallel to the shoreline. The Superior Hiking Trail connects with scores of local trails, in the area, and ultimately joins with the Border Route Trail, the latter of which spans several states along America's northern border.
Think hiking, waterfalls, streams, ledgerock shoreline, hills, rocks, deer, [mostly harmless] moose, camping and/or lodging. Absolutely fabulous scenery, especially if you visit during the fall colors (mid-september to mid or late october), when all the deciduous trees in the area take on spectacular colors prior to dropping their leaves.
Along the border of Minnesota & Canada is the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). Gorgeous country, most of it virtually untouched. Canada has a vast amount of this treasured land, and this northern beauty does also extend a bit south and into the northern States.
Canoeing, kayaking, fishing, rock climbing, geocaching, artist colonies, great local beer, food... it's all there!
Superior Hiking Trail Association
links to area tourism
i would have to suggest eating at Denny's at 4 in the morning. It is a very rewarding experience enjoyed by many of america's nocturnal students. I'm not sure if Denny's is a national chain or only in the north-east.
-mike
The constitution center just opened. It is very tech oriented and interactive. You'll get to see the wonderful foundation of freedom that we Americans are giving up for "safety" nowadays. While you're in Philly you can check out the new museum of money, which is the history of the US mint. Of course, you can't leave without getting a famous cheesesteak at Pat's or Geno's.
I dream of one day going to Fry's where I hope to see... the actual components I want! Not like here with Maplins and their "any socket you want as long as it has 32 pins" policy :-(
For geeky stuff or stuff that you just shouldn't miss check out the Titan Missile Museum,Kitt Peak Observatory, The Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, lightning research center (nbot sure if it's open to the public,but they have some great storms near Tucson!)
For interest check out the reservations and Tombstone and visit the old mining centers - and if you're near the Grand Canyon, check Monument valley and sedona.
----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
I know its not totally geeky but does any one know when the Goodguys car show is in Ohio. Can't remember where but it is the biggest custom car show in the world and I am keen to see it.
-- Karma Karma Karma Karma, Karma Chameleon - Boy George
Of my several trips from Oz to North America, many of the best memories are of visiting with friends "from the industry", around half in the Bay area.
I'd better not start name dropping or I might never stop, but at least for my last visit in relatively early days of the commercial Internet, a couple of those were to people I only knew from the Net.
If there is a next time I will have no hope of getting around to all the Net friends I would like to visit.
-- Our systemic servants do not good masters make.
Outside Chicago are two national Laboratories that do some quite interesting things. Fermi near I-88 is primarially a partical accelerator. While a lot of basic research is done at Argonne near I-55. Great idea please publish the list when its complete
a real geek would do it all on-line, never leaving home.("Take a trip and never leave the farm".)
In North-Western Ontario, in and around Sudbury. Science North is quite the science museum. In Cleveland Ohio right next door to the rock and roll hall of fame is quite a nice museum as well.
Hope your trip is memorable.
You left out the Pima Air and Space Musem with their own Titan II Missle Silo in and near Tucson. See where they would have made the launch and how it would have gone down (turn the key and push the button!).
For pop culture geeks, there's a new reference guidebook: James Dean Died Here, from Santa Monica Press. It provides site, directions, and often photos for, as the title suggests, the place where Dean entered the stereo cabinet; also the Seven Year Itch subway grating, the Hindenberg crash, Heidi Fleiss's brothel, the garage where Apple Computer was born, the Ghostbusters headquarter, and hundreds more.
When my grandfather was a doctor in NY State, he helped an old indian, who told him how his grandfather had been a guide in the Revolutionary War, and the british had buried two cannons full of pay gold, and marked the spot with a spoon carved in a rock. Then they crossed the stream (they were running from American troops), were engaged, and were whipped. This was near Port Leyden, if I remember.
Essentially, nobody had dug up the cannons. Anyhow, as "payment" he told my grandfather the story. It was interesting. So they went out and poked around for the spoon on the rock (found it), and for the cannons (didn't find them).
But that same land was also owned by an ancestor of Winston Churchill, who was a fairly poor farmer. Anyhow, the ancestor one day picked up, sold his farm, moved to NYC, and began investing and trading like crazy, making a huge fortune, according to rumor. Then he moved to Britain, and married a British lady... the rest is history.
Very interesting history.
It makes me think that he maybe found the two cannons on his land, and then used the trading to launder the gold. But who knows. If Britain had any claim to the gold (America didn't, anyhow), it's more than repaid. And the farmer, well, he seems to me to match a certain biblical story about a person who found a treasure.
Correct Horse Battery Staple: 72 bits of entropy. Enter "Correct H" into google. When it generates the phrase, that's
My favorite destination in North America (so far) is Quebec City.h tml
Quebec City is a very inexpensive and beautiful place to visit. It is about 7 hours from New York City or 6 from Boston. You can stay in a high rise Holiday Inn for about $60 US a night. The Hotel Frontenac is expensive to stay in but beautiful to look at. Quebec City is nice in the winter or summer with winter carnival and mild weather in the summer. Quebec is a French city but they treat English speaking tourists very well. The city also boasts a mall with an indoor amusement park including a decent roller coaster.
A few pix of Frontenac are here:
http://homepage.mac.com/tadd/PhotoAlbum14.
If that gets busy, just search the web for
"Hotel Frontenac"
.. Blub falls right in the middle of the abstractness continuum. -- Paul Graham
Probably no one will read this lone post so late in the posting frenzy but...
If you where a friend asking me for advice, I would recommend you visit Europe instead. America is great, but it is expensive, distances are long, etc, when compared to backpacking in Europe. Also, YMMV, IMHO, depends in your taste, Europe is more diverse, has more 'real' stuff, older things and museums which make it far more interesting. Much more alternatives, its more pintoresque, varied, easier to travel diverse cultures in less time, etc. For a backpacker, lots more hostals, cheap means of transportationm decent public service and culture more open to the lone traveler. For a geek, there are MANY things to see. Besides much more open minded and liberated womnn from different countries, ethnic groups.
I am by no way saying the US in not interesting, but as a young backpacker I'd rather do Europe, 10 or 15 countries, than the US. And I did, a few years ago. In 2 monthes I am taking my motorcycle and travelling for 1 month around Europe. That should prove interesting too.
What I do want to do someday is make a long trip to the US, but to the great outdoors and small town america. Tired of the same old big cities and suburban america.
Just my 2c, as usual.
EPCOT is sort of like a worlds fair that got stuck. It has future science exhibits, some of which are modern but not too surprising and others which are future science from the 70s. The park is fantastically well designed and executed.
Spend a day wondering around the country pavilions. The restaurants are all four star quality although they are a bit expensive. The exhibits are manned even in the winter (the best time to see EPCOT).
Don't forget to ride the monorail. Wait until 9:30pm for the fireworks/light show.
Park costs about $70/day to visit per person. It's worth it once or twice even.
.. Blub falls right in the middle of the abstractness continuum. -- Paul Graham
This is an amazing museum and a great way to kill a day...
http://www.hfmgv.org/
The Henry Ford is located in Dearborn, Michigan on the corner of Village Road and Oakwood Boulevard, just west of the Southfield Freeway (M-39) and south of Michigan Avenue (US-12).
$24.00 for a day....
everything else looks like Texas. ~ Seen on a bumpersticker.
Dood, get a cheap VW microbus and a copy of Travels With Charlie & On The Road, oh, and stay at hostels. Try to balance your experience by visiting at least one slum, there's more than a few.
Oh, and visit Banff, Canada, the nicest place in America.
Where else can you get drunk and fight Klingons and Romulans legally?
"I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to the universe. It hates me, you know"
In my book, that makes the mountains the same age. An orogeny restarts the clock on the age of the mountains, IMHO. Sure, they contain some much older rocks, but you can go to continental shield areas to find the oldest (in N. America, it's the Canadian shield in Northern Ontario). They will be a lot of rock in those mountains that only date back to the orogeny, e.g. igneous rocks from related volcanic activity, metamorphic rocks from the compressional forces involved, and the sedimentary rocks that formed during the event.
For the record, I agree with you 100%. I live in SE Michigan, and just got back from spending a few days enjoying Lake Michigan at Hoffmaster State Park in Muskeegon, so that is what was on my mind.
I could name a quite a few other worthwhile stops.
Macinac Island.
Tahquamenon Falls.
More lighthouses than the rest of the US combined. (more boats too, IIRC)
Even things as simple as watching the ships go through the locks at Sault St. Marie can be quite a sight. Perhaps not one to travel half way around the globe for, but while one is in the area....
Believe me, I have traveled to most of the US, (I think I have only missed a few of the NE states, Vermont, Maine, etc.) and for enjoying natural resources, Michigan is probably only second to Alaska in many things.
On the other hand, the original query was for stereotypical "geek" vacation tips. So perhaps visiting the new Ford Rouge plant could be interesting. (haven't been myself yet, so I can't say for sure, but the news articles sound interesting.)
McFly777
- - -
"What do people mean when they say the computer went down on them?" -Marilyn Pittman
A good point indeed.
West Coast:
1)San Fran Science Museum
2)San Jose Technology museum
3)Fry's
East Coast:
1)Smithsonian....all of it. It will take you a week at least.
2)Ben Franklin Institute in Philadelphia
3)Nauticus in Norfolk, VA
Though it's fairly distant from anything else of interest, 20-ish miles north of Alliance, NE. Sidney isn't too far away, so you could use a stop at Cabela's as your excuse...
Quick Glance shows no one mentioning this event. While not Tech Geeky, you'll see a lot of interesting things there, and meet a lot of great people. http://www.pennsic.net/ has information on dates, costs etc.
Many Australians take year-offs to explore the world a couple time in their lives- during and after the university and after raising their families. So do many Europeans. I guess this partly cultural and partly economic. Americans are on an economic treadmill of student loans, consumerism, and retirement planning. These are lesser concerns in countries with more "civilized" economic systems.
Fremont Ohio is one of the many small towns in America. It is the home of Ruthford B Hayes and Roger Young. My personal favorite place to visit there is Rupps Comics and Cards, one of the nicest comic book stores. Not huge, but it draws signings from the biggests artists due to the personality of the owner, Chris Rupp.
Whish I had seen this thread earlier. Oh well if you make it to Boston be sure to check out the following:
MIT Computer Flea Market while you are there you will surely meet somone who will be willing you to help you explore the MIT Steam tunnels but before you go be sure to walk down the street to were Alexandar Graham Bell invented the telephone.
Then of course is the Boston Museum of Science.
- SR
Like uzi's and 9mm type hand guns.
Not according to Websters:
One entry found for backpack.
Main Entry: backpack
Function: verb
Date: 1927
transitive senses : to carry (food or equipment) on the back especially in hiking
intransitive senses : to hike with a backpack
- backpacker noun
I don't think there were many budget accomodations and taxi drivers in 1927.
Also not according to the majority of results returned when typing "backpacking" into google. Your definition is by far the minority definition. Hiking out from a base camp into the wilderness is not backpacking either. According to the majority of Google results "Backpacking" is when you carry all your food and camping gear on overnight hiking trips. You could argue that astronauts 'backpack' their oxygen, but again, minority definition.
Websters is out of touch with the vernacular, or is using a US-specific definition that is entirely different from how the word is used by the rest of the world.
"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." -- GBS
I thought Jay's line 'What the fuck is the internet' was one of the funniest things I ever heard. I would love to hear him say the subject of this post.
Acrata to Ferndale World Championship Kinetic Sculpture Race (http://www.kineticsculpturerace.org/) Human powered kinetic sculptures/vehicles in a 3 day race over roads, open water, mud bogs and sand dunes. Way cool and well worth the visit. Held every year on the last weekend in May (Memorial Day in USA).
While you're in Cleveland, and even if you don't go to Ohio for anything else-- check out Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. By far the best roller-coaster park in the world. Make sure you either go after school is back in session (September is fine) or during the week, or you'll waste most of your time standing in lines....
...in Texas, when you get to Ft. Stockton, fill your gas tank up. Then head north on SR 385. This will take you up into New Mexico. Just over the border is Carlsbad, where you can visit Carlsbad Caverns (Geo Geek). Continue north to the Infamous Roswell, where you can visit the Famous (cheesy, hokey) UFO Museum & Research Center. There, you can pay for a tour of the Ranch where Marc Brazel made his discovery. But before you leave town, visit the Goddard Space Flight Museum and Planetarium. Here you can see Robert Goddards shop where he pioneered American Rocketry, then see a movie projected onto the planetariums dome.
Leaving Roswell, you'll hang a left on 2nd Street, and leave town via SR 380, which takes you out through some of the most beautiful southwest steppe countryside in the country. You'll cross the San Andreas mountains. You'll leave 380 for 70, heading south to Las Cruces. Along the way, you'll go through the White Sands missile test range, and into the town of Alamogordo. Hang a left onto 10th street, and go to the end, where you'll hang a left on Scenic drive. There, you can see the Alamagordo Space & Missile Museum.
Back on 70, you're going to head south into Las Cruces, where you'll pick up I10 again. Heading west, you'll go through some of the most barren land on earth (ought to remind you of parts of the outback). Just before you reach Tucson, AZ hang a right onto Pima Rd, but don't drive all the way to Pima. You'll instead go to the Pima Air & Space Museum, which is the largest private collection of military aircraft in the world, and the third largest collection period (second only to the Smithsonian and Wright Patterson AFB). There you can also buy tickets to tour the AMARC facility, where you will see some very interesting aircraft parked waiting either their destruction (B-52's, Viet Nam era choppers), or their rebirth (D-21 Hypersonic Recon Drones, YC-17 VSTOL heavy lift cargo planes). When you're done, go back to 10, go through Tucson, then keep an eye out. You'll need to exit to Tangerine Road, and head east till you hit Oracle rd (77), and head North. There'll you meet Biosphere 2.
After B2, you'll want to get back to 79 and head north through the Coconino National Forest. This is some of the most beautiful desert you'll ever see - rich, densly packed flora. 79 will also take you into Coolidge Arizona, where you can visit Casa Grande National Monument. The star attraction is a series of ruins of enormouse pre-columbian structures. The museum there (operated by the National Parks service) contains a rich history of Native American culture and technical achievement. Don't be confused when you see Casa Grande on the map - that's the town, not the historic site.
Head back toward Florence, AZ and 79, and go North. Eventually, youll hit US 60, where you'll want to head West towards Phoenix. When you get to Apache Junction, hang a right on S. Idaho Trail, go north, then hang a right on Apache Trail. You'll go north until yousee Goldfield - an authentic gold mining town from the American West. The mine is dry, but the town is very educational from a historal perspective (I learned alot at the whore house wink wink). Goldfield is a bit of a tourist trap, so you may only spend a few hours there before you ned to move on. Find your way back to 60, and go West some more into Mesa. Exit at Greenfield, and go north past University, Brown,and hang a righto onto McKellips. Then, go left on Falcon drive. Welcome to Falcon field, home of the Champlain Fighter Museum. This museumis unique, because every plane there is flight worthy, and can be flown. In fact, every plane is flown at least once in a while to maintain them. Champlain Fighter Museum restores vintage WWII aircraft to full operating capacity. You can also visit the nearby Confederate Air Force - a private non profit organization who restores WWII aircraft and flys them to airshows worldwide.
Getting back to 60, you're going to head into Phoenix - may god have mercy on your soul if it's rush hour. 60
A couple more to add:
- Burning Man is NOT what slashdot geeks who never get out of the house (and instead choose to sit around and criticize everything) say it is.
- Burning Man is NOT something that can be summed up appropriately for everyone into a single, convenient tag line.
Talk to people who have been there, watch a few documentaries and form your own opinion. There are some poor documentaries out there and there are some good ones. Some have a slant that won't jive with some people, so be sure to check out a couple. I'd really suggest the Nightline special on BM as it's pretty close to being impartial (though they do take the freakshow stance).
More importantly, check it out if you can and form your own opinion. Really, asking "What is Burning Man?" or "What is Burning Man all about?" is about like asking "What's this life thing all about?"...
I know you asked for geeky things, but I can't resist recommending the Grand Canyon and Yosemite. Pictures of them are cool to look at, but you can't get the effect of being there except by being there. (BTW, the former is near Hoover Dam, and the latter is about 4 hours from the Bay Area.)
Washington DC is a great place for a geek. If you like beer, you are also in luck. The Brickskeller Inn holds the Guiness Record for most extensive beer selection (in bottled form). You can conduct a mini world or North American beer tour while sitting down.
Last time anyone at Powell's was keeping count (IIRC, this was in the early 1990's), they stated that they were *possibly* second only to the Strand in New York City.
A number of out-of-town folks at OSCON remarked that they were impressed by it as a place to go browsing -- although if you are looking for a specific book, the Internet is your best bet.
BTW, if you do come to Portland, definitely check out one or more of the local brewpubs. Portland Linux/UNIX Group gathers after their monthly meeting at the Lucky Lab, but Portland Brewing, Bridgeport, & Widmer all are good bets. If you can only visit one, don't pick a McMenniman's. (Not that there's anything wrong with one of the McM's chain, but going to the Northwest to sample a local brew & settling for a McMenniman is like going to Australia & having a Foster's.)
Geoff
I think I see a trend here. Maybe for them it really would be easier to muzzle the entire internet than to produce p
The Oregon coast has some really pretty cliffs and beaches. These are not warm, sunny, "lay in the sand and watch the girls" type beaches, but are "hike and climb around and take pictures of the rocks" type beaches.
Every wrong attempt discarded is a step forward - T. Edison
As beautiful as the best of ballet and fireworks combined.
Maybe a thousand nozzles with computer-driven aiming and flow controls in a huge pool (quarter mile long?). They are choreographed. They're at the Bellagio Hotel.
Google on [dancing fountains].
Tramping seems to be a New Zealand/Aussie term, with the Brits using it rarely. Here in the U.S. most people would think you were going whoring if you said tramping. whores=tramps. You'd get very funny looks.
New Zealand is NOT the rest of the world.
Again Backpacker.com agrees with me. And so does backpacker.net, and hikingandbackpacking.com, too lazy to link them all. And finally, this is a U.S. centric site. We don't talk about lorries, we talk about trucks, we don't talk about the loo, we talk about bathrooms. It's silly symantics yes, but don't come off like some version of the term used by rich kids on "walkabout" is the way the whole world uses it. Next your going to tell me Google biases results and then you'll have to argue that most backpacks are not sold to backpackers they're sold to trampers?
Whatever.
Tour EBR1 in Argo, Idaho! The worlds first nuclear power generating facility. Experimental Breeder Reactor One was built in 1950, EBR-I produced the world's first usable amount of electricity from nuclear power Dec. 20, 1951. The reactor was operated until late 1963 and decommissioned in 1964. EBR-I was dedicated as a Registered National Historic Landmark Aug. 25, 1966, by President Lyndon B. Johnson and Glenn T. Seaborg, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. EBR-I was also dedicated as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1979 by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, an Historic Landmark for Advances in Materials Technology in 1979 by the American Society of Metals and a Nuclear Historic Landmark by the American Nuclear Society in 1987. ( http://www.inel.gov/publicdocuments/factsheet/ebr1 -fsheet.pdf ) You can also tour The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in Albuquerque, New Mexico!( http://www.atomicmuseum.com/tour/index.cfm )
If you are in the west coast, you have to stop by a Fry's Electronics (for some who mentioned Fry's only thinking it was not nessisary to add the electronics part, there is a chain of Supermarkets in Arizona called "Fry's").
And if you are in Minnesoda, you have to stop by the Soudan Under Ground Mine. Why? Because they got one cool High Energy Physics Lab down there, and they give tours too!
snowulf.com
Go to the Milwaukee Art Museum an check out the Brooke Stevens exhibit on industrial design.
If you're looking for a great view of the stars, I recommend one of the many lakeshore campgrounds along the upper penisula of Michigan. Specifically, the northern side with Lake Superior. Bring your telescope or even binonculars and you'll be able to see all of the night sky (no light pollution) as well as the Aurora Borealis.
Best of luck on your trip.
-When going for broke, go for Ithaca!
...flying out of Carlsbad Caverns at dusk. This is one of the coolest things I've seen...ever.
Carlsbad Caverns
Bat Flight Program
Robinson Tunnel- the only subway in Portland has only one stop, and it's a doozy. 190-some odd feet below the zoo is the Robinson Tunnel stop on MAX, complete with core sample taken from the elevator shaft
Pioneer Courthouse Square- Portland's Living Room has free internet acess on 802.11b from Personal Telco Project
Powell's Technical Books- This branch of the famous Powell's City of Books has a museum of outdated technology.
SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
Of course. After I was done posting I realized that at that point it was the grandfather (not the father) of the post I was writing that was the troll...
Get off my lawn.
Ungeeky is Yellowstone Park, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Smoky Mountains (especially in the fall). You can add any performance Bass Hall in Fort Wort, the Spam Museum in Minnesota, the Lincoln Memorial in DC, the Mississippi river & blues festival & Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Big Bend in Texas. The badlands mazes in Utah. Atchafalya swamp in Louisiana - and check out the real gumbo and etouffe while you're there. Clam chowder in Boston harbor. Oysters on Padre Island. Crab in Maine. Prime rib in Missouri. Enchiladas and chili in Texas...
Oh, yeah, forgot... you guys don't have guns, to speak of, any more.
.
. cccpstc.org/armory.htmm /
We can fix that
While in Portland, there are at least two places to shoot full auto.. yeah, baby, rock'n'roll. Rent the Tommy gun or assault rifle of your choice, buy the bricks of ammo and have away.
Fairly Honest Don's Machine Gun Parlor
2020 NW Aloclek Dr Suite #110 Hillsboro, OR 97124
Phone: (503) 640 0750 Fax: (503) 648 8376
http://www.fairlyhonestdons.net/index.htm
Then, there's the Public Safety Training Center of Clackamas Community College, just about a mile south of our new Krispy Kreme (oooh, doughnuts) on SE 82nd.
http://www.cccpstc.org/map.htm
http://www
http://www.krispykreme.co
There is nothing wrong with yr Internet. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling the transmission - NSA
I do believe Percival Lowell worked out approximately where would be a good place to look though.
It is a vacation in a foriegn country. You can see technology anywhere. Look for people, because the culture is different, and you can't see someone else's culture by bringing them to you home. Don't forget that there are many cultures in America (US, Canada and Mexico), despite what our friends in Europe would tell us. Each state is different in subtile ways, and even within the states. I can tell the difference between someone from St. Paul, MN and Minneapolis, MN even though they border each other. (I doupt you can, I've lived here all my life)
Saddly there isn't enough time to expirence it all. So you will see a few things and miss what is more important. If you have an interest that isn't served back home, study that here, contacting people on the internet (really, be careful of the downside, but if you are interested in some strange hobbie get in touch with those people, and personally visit them to see their personal collection/setup)
You have picked too big an area to see it all. I've known some people to fly to New York and drive to Minnesota because they wanted to see the country before they visited us - they had no idea how long they would drive, and they didn't cross half the country) I'm sure that you have a better grasp of distances than those from Europe, but don't forget to account for it in your planning. Gas is cheap, but it still ads up. You might like driving, but do you really want to spend your entire vacation in a car? Perhaps you should choose some a couple key areas to visit, and see a bunch in those areas, and skip the rest of the continent.
Once you are somewhere, go to the little exibits. A historical farm for example, even though it isn't technology. Some rich person's mansion now on the historical list. (most are not that big) When you see some historical/geographical marker on the side of the road (rarely mark more than half a mile before, and likely not on your tour guide book) stop and read them.
Most importantly: have fun. This is a vacation. Don't worry about seeing everything. Pick a couple "must sees", and leave most of the schedual open for last minute changes. When you like something stay longer, don't like it go elsewhere. You know yourself and your family/friends, so you should have an idea before hand what you will like, but even still, somethings disapoint while others you will love.
That is why I live here. But if you accidently find yourself in the Twin Cities, go to First Ave to see the amp Prince humped in Purple Rain. ~out rj
~out rj
possibly Frank Lloyd Wright's best work, open to the public for tours. About an hour southeast of Pittsburgh. www.wpconline.org/fallingwaterhome.htm
http://www.google.com/search?q=24+hour+church+of+e lvis
nuff said
I recommend the NSA Encryption Museum in Washington D.C. Where else can you actually sit down and use an enigma machine. Be sure to note the lack of any mention of modern encryption, or the struggles over encryption control. Be sure to sign the guest book (Fidel Castro seems to visit a lot as does Whitfield Diffie)...