As Good As Being There

Giza pyramid complex - Cairo, Egypt

The Giza Necropolis stands on the Giza Plateau, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. This complex of ancient monuments is located some eight km inland into the desert from the old town of Giza on the Nile, some 20 km southwest of Cairo city centre.

This Ancient Egyptian necropolis consists of the Pyramid of Khufu (also known as the Great Pyramid and the Pyramid of Cheops), the somewhat smaller Pyramid of Khafre (or Kephren), and the relatively modest-sized Pyramid of Menkaure (or Mykerinus), along with a number of smaller satellite edifices, known as "queens" pyramids, and the Great Sphinx.

The ancient remains of the Giza necropolis have attracted visitors and tourists since classical antiquity, when these Old Kingdom monuments were already over 2,000 years old. It was popularised in Hellenistic times when the Great Pyramid was listed by Antipater of Sidon as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Today it is the only one of the ancient Wonders still in existence.

Did you know: While, due largely to nineteenth-century images, the pyramids of Giza are generally thought of by foreigners as lying in a remote, desert location, they are located in what is now part of the most populated city in Africa. [1] Consequently, urban development reaches right up to the perimeter of the antiquities site, to the extent that in the 1990s a Pizza Hut restaurant opened across the road.

Satellite view - via Google Maps
Pictures - via Google Images
In the News - via Google News
Hotels and Motels - via Google Local [N/A]
Official website

Tatara Bridge - Seto Inland Sea, Japan

The Tatara Bridge (Tatara Ōhashi; 多々羅大橋) is a cable-stayed bridge that is part of the Nishiseto Expressway (Commonly known as the Shimanami Kaidō しまなみ海道). The bridge has a center span of 890 meters (2,290 ft). As of 2005 it has the longest span of any cable-stayed bridge. The expressway is a series of roads and bridges that is one of the three routes of the Honshū-Shikoku Bridge Project connecting the islands of Honshū and Shikoku, across the Seto Inland Sea in Japan. The Kurushima-Kaikyō Bridge is on the same route.

The bridge, which opened on May 1, 1999, carries two lanes of traffic in both directions and has additional lanes for bicycles, motor bikes and pedestrians.

The Tatara Bridge was originally planned as a suspension bridge in 1973. In 1989 the design was changed to a cable-stayed bridge with the same span. By building a cable-stayed bridge a large excavation for an anchorage would not be needed, lessening the environmental impact on the surrounding area. The steel towers are 220 meters high and shaped like an inverted Y.

Construction of the bridge took a little more than six years and was accomplished without any accidents. Many technological advancements were part of the design and testing of the bridge.

Satellite view - via Google Maps
Pictures - via Google Images
In the News - via Google News
Hotels and Motels - via Google Local (N/A)
Official website

Golden Gate Bridge - San Francisco Bay, CA

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening into the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. It connects the city of San Francisco on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula and a portion of the south-facing Marin County headlands near the small bayside town of Sausalito. The entire bridge including the approach spans is 1.7 miles (2,727 m) long, the distance between the towers ("main span") is 4200 feet (1280 m), and their height is 746 feet (230 m) above the water.

The construction of the bridge began on January 5, 1933.  The bridge was completed in April 1937 and opened to pedestrians on May 27 of that year. The next day, President Roosevelt pushed a button in Washington, DC signaling the start of vehicle traffic over the Bridge. The cost to build it was $35 million in principal and $39 million in interest. A unique aspect of the construction of this bridge was that a safety net was set up beneath it, significantly reducing the number of deaths that were typical for a construction project such as this in the early 1900s. 11 men were killed from falls during construction, and approximately 19 men were saved by the safety net. 10 of the deaths occurred near completion when the net itself failed under the stress of a scaffold fall. The 19 workers whose lives were saved by the safety nets became proud members of the (informal) Halfway to Hell Club.

In each of the last five years, on average, there is one jump every two weeks, with a total of over 1,300 suicides (the official count ended in 1995 when the number approached 1,000).People jump from the east sidewalk as it is open to pedestrians and bicycles. The western sidewalk is reserved for bridge workers during the weekdays, and bicyclists on weekends. The 220-foot (67 m) fall takes four seconds and jumpers hit the water at 75 miles per hour (120 km/h). As of 2003, only 26 people have survived the jump. The survivors, many of whom report that they regretted the decision in mid-air, all struck the water feet first at a small angle and suffered multiple internal injuries and broken bones.

Satellite view - via Google Maps
Pictures - via Google Images
In the News - via Google News
Hotels and Motels - via Google Local
Official website

Hoover Dam - Black Canyon, border betwwen Arizon and nevada

Hoover Dam is a concrete gravity-arch dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between Arizona and Nevada. The dam, located 48 kilometres (30 miles) southeast of Las Vegas, is named after Herbert Hoover, who played an instrumental role in its construction, first as Secretary of Commerce and then later as President of the United States. Hoover Dam was built by Six Companies, Inc., under Frank Crowe. Construction began in 1931 and was completed in 1936, over two years ahead of schedule.

• Construction period: April 20, 1931 - March 1, 1936
• Construction cost: $165 million
• Dam Height: 726.4 ft (221.4 m), 2nd highest dam in the United States.
• Dam Thickness: 660 ft (200 m) at its base; 45 ft (15 m) thick at its crest.
• Concrete: 4.36 million yd³ (3.33 million m³)
• Traffic across the dam: 13,000 to 16,000 people each day, according to the Federal Highway Administration
• Lake Mead surface area: 247 square miles (640 km²), backing up 110 miles (177 km) behind the dam.
• Lake Mead water volume: approximately 46,000,000,000 yd³ (35.2 km³), or 28.5 million acre-feet.
• With 8 to 10 million visitors each year, including visitors to Hoover Dam but not all traffic across the dam, the Lake Mead National Recreation Area is the 5th busiest U.S. national park. 

Satellite view - via Google Maps
Pictures - via Google Images
In the News - via Google News
Hotels and Motels - via Google Local
Official website

Mount Rushmore National Memorial - Keystone, SD

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, located in Keystone, South Dakota, memorializes the birth, growth, preservation and development of the United States of America. The Mount Rushmore National Memorial Park has 1,278 acres.

Between 1927 and October 31, 1941, Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers sculpted the 60 foot colossal busts of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln to represent the first 150 years of American history. 

Satellite view - via Google Maps
Pictures - via Google Images
In the News - via Google News
Hotels and Motels - via Google Local
Official website

Empire State Building - New York, NY

The Empire State Building, a 102-story building in New York City built in 1930. The tower takes its name from the nickname of New York State.  The Empire State Building is the tallest building in New York, and was the tallest building in the world for many years. It is currently the 2nd tallest building in the United States (see the 50 Tallest buildings in the U.S. list).

The building rises to 1,250 feet or 381 m at the 102nd floor. A broadcasting tower added in the 1950's brings the total height to 1,455 feet or 443.5 m. 

A public observatory at the top of the building offers impressive views of the city, and is a popular tourist destination. Floodlights illuminate the top of the building at night, in colors chosen to match seasonal and other events; they were red, white, and blue for several months after the destruction of the World Trade Center, then reverted to marking holidays.

Satellite view - via Google Maps
Pictures - via Google Images
In the News - via Google News
Hotels and Motels - via Google Local
Official website