Built in 1923 in the Italian-Spanish Renaissance style, the Millennium Biltmore Hotel is the grande dame of Los Angeles hotels.

This lavish property served as a set locale for many films including Chinatown, Ghostbusters, A Star is Born, and Wedding Crashers, as well as dozens of television shows like The West Wing, 24, Nip/Tuck, and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. It was also an early home to the Academy Awards.

With 683 guestrooms and suites, two restaurants, the famous Rendezvous Court for afternoon tea, and the Gallery Bar, the Biltmore takes up a full city block. The location on Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles is close to the Staples Center, the NOKIA Theater, the Museum of Contemporary of Art, and Dodger Stadium.

The sumptuous interior of the Biltmore Hotel.

The Biltmore also has a touch of macabre history. It was here that Elizabeth Short was last seen alive walking through the lobby in January, 1947. Short was a victim of a disturbing murder that remains an unsolved mystery. She will forever be known as the “Black Dahlia” and some believe that she continues to haunt the hotel today.

Photos by Dan Dion

Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles
506 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA
USA 90071-2607
tel: (213) 624 1011

I suspect that even Chuck Norris would quiver a little at the sight of Niagara Falls. I’m sure many turn up thinking they’re about to see one of the highest waterfalls in the world, but that’s a mistake. The Falls at Niagara aren’t particularly lofty, but they sure are powerful. It’s the force and volume of water passing over the brutalised escarpment that are spellbinding, not where the water is dropping from.

The falls at Niagara have the power of four Great Lakes behind them. The water is bottle-necked in the Niagara River after passing through the system in Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie and Michigan. It will eventually make its way to the Atlantic Ocean via Lake Ontario and the St Lawrence River.

And this bottleneck, coupled with the need to drop elevation over the escarpment, has created what is justifiably one of the world’s greatest natural tourist attractions. Standing by the side of the falls, you can feel the ferocity as well as hear it. You’re constantly spat at from the angry, watery snake pit beneath the Horseshoe (or Canadian) Falls, where the river smashes and explodes after being thrown over the edge.

You can forget everything else at Niagara – it’s worth coming just to watch this constant bombardment, which is a reminder of how nature can easily pummel man’s best efforts into oblivion.

The Horseshoe Falls

Niagara’s Fury: The Creation of the Falls

Niagara Falls isn’t a peaceful spot (which perhaps befits the falls themselves). It has been turned into something of a resort town over the years. There are all manner of things to do – some great, some tacky. Fitting somewhere between the two is Niagara’s Fury: The Creation of the Falls. This ‘4D experience’ is divided into two parts. First up, you’re given a cheap plastic raincoat and shepherded into a room to watch a film about how Niagara Falls came to be on a big screen. It’s clearly aimed at the kiddy audience, with far more emphasis on graphics and talking animals than on the science.

Following that, you’re ushered into a separate room, where a screen stretches 360 degrees around the wall. The images flashing up on those screens – glacier, melting ice, lightning strikes and tumbling water – mirror the broad history. But the experience is multi-sensory – temperatures drop, snow blowers create a wintery storm, the floor jolts around in time to the lightning flashes and liberal amounts of water are repeatedly thrown over the mugs in the middle.

It’s good fun, if not exactly great value or what going to Niagara Falls is really about. If you’ve only got a limited time there, it’s probably best skipped.

Journey Behind The Falls

The same applies to the Journey Behind The Falls. Tickets for the two attractions can be bought as a combo, but the timed ticketing system is a shambles. I was given a 12.20 ticket when I needed to be back at the bus for 12.45. I got to the queue at 12.10, and it was so long that I didn’t get to the elevator that takes you down to the fall-side lookout until 12.30. Essentially, I had about three minutes down there before having to queue to get the elevator up again. Selling timed tickets is staggeringly pointless if they’re not limited or enforced.

Anyway, you’ve got a couple of holes to look through where you can see the water thundering down before your eyes, and another viewing platform where you can brave a forceful barrage of spray to sidle up right next to the falls. If you’ve got the time and the money, it’s possibly worth doing, but if it’s a case of picking one thing to leave out, this is probably the option to skip.

Maid of the Mist

On the flip side, if you’re choosing one thing to leave out on a visit to Niagara, it should on no account be the Maid of the Mist boat cruise. It may only last twenty minutes, and the boats may try and fit far too many people on for prime viewing comfort , but the experience is incredible. Again, everyone is given a cheap blue plastic raincoat – it looks disturbingly like a marker for those about to be sent to their death by an evil harbourmaster.

Maid of the Mist at the American Falls

You soon stop worrying about not being able to get room at the edge of the deck as the boat takes off towards the American Falls. These are, in a way, more picturesque. The water rages over the top, then cascades its way through the fallen rocks at the bottom. The boat gets up pretty close, and you get a proper perspective on the ferocity of the water thrown over the edge. But only 10% of the water goes over the American Falls, and it’s when the boat starts inching its way into the chasm created by the Horseshoe Falls that the excitement really builds. Position doesn’t matter, as people soon realise that trying to take photos is an exercise in futility. The angry squall of the fracturing water plumes ensures a good shower for all. Cameras go away to the safety of pockets and the thrill of being sucked into an apocalyptic maelstrom becomes the joy. It’s one of those classic experiences where living in  the moment is far more important than trying to capture it.

Maid of the Mist cruise from above

The journey back to Toronto

It takes ninety minutes to two hours to drive back to Toronto, but there are a couple of worthwhile stops on the way. The town of Niagara on the Lake is everything that the town of Niagara Falls is not. The latter is a mini-Vegas, all giant hotels, casino resorts and rather tacky tourist attractions. Niagara on the Lake is a cute little 19th century time-warp, where no shop can sell too many antiques or too much fudge.

It’s also noticeable that there are a fair few vineyards on the outskirts of Niagara On The Lake. Believe it or not, Canada does have a wine industry and it has to be remembered that Niagara is roughly level with southern Oregon or the South of France. White varietals do best, but ice wine is the regional specialty. This is ultra-sweet and is made when the water inside the grape is frozen – the grapes have to be picked and pressed in the middle of night during the coldest hours of winter.

On the way back to Toronto, we stop at the Niagara College Teaching Winery, where students learn about viticulture and help with the wine-making process. We get three glasses to try, including an ice wine. I can’t say I’m overly impressed with any of them, but I can see who the ice wine would work for. There’s potential there.

Wine tasting at the Niagara College Teaching Winery

Of course, wine is just the ticket to make everyone sleepy for the drive back. It’s a fairly long day, but it’s unquestionably worth it. In fact, it’s worth it just for the falls and the Maid of the Mist Cruise. Anything else is just a bonus.

- David Whitley

The Large Pool at Holiday Inn Resort in Panama City Beach, FL

If you’re planning on making PCB your Spring Break HQ, the Holiday Inn Resort (formerly the Holiday Inn Sunspree) is probably where you’ll want to book. Its 340 Gulf-front rooms with private balconies and the capacity to sleep up to six, depending on the room.

Ever since MTV started filming Spring Break segments there, the resort has been party central for those that come to town.

It’s situated right on the Gulf of Mexico beach, and the resort has a stage where they hold bikini contests, “macho man” contests, and more. They also bring in corporate sponsors like Australian Gold sun tan lotion and Victoria’s Secret to give away free samples to the guests. And only guests are allowed access to resort-sponsored activities.

Guests of the resort during Spring Break will also get a wristband for their stay good on food and shopping discounts. These wristbands are also good for free or discounted entry into many of the popular Spring Break bars like Club La Vela and Harpoon Harry’s.

For even more things to do during Spring Break (when not partying), check out the Uptake playlist for Panama City Beach.

Rates start at $159, but rooms are filling up fast for March dates.

[11127 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach, FL 32407; Phone 800-633-0266]

[Photo courtesy Holiday Inn Resort/Paradise Found Resorts & Hotels]

Forget Santa and his workshop, for the holidays Bergdorf Goodman’s windows will take you on a fantastical journey. To where I don’t exactly know, but it is sometime in the past before body scanners and weighing your carry-on became mandatory.

This year, the windows are a postmodern mélange of references, including the works of the French writer Jules Verne, plus steampunk with a strong dash of fashion. Each scene takes a good long while to digest, so bring your scarf and mittens. There’s a healthy dose of travel references, too—including an antique caboose, a Victorian-style flying machine (concocted out of a bicycle and parts of a hot-air balloon), a gigantic taxidermy winged Pegasus, lots of antique maps and globes, an 18th-century-type stage coach, model airplanes, and more. This holiday netherworld comes courtesy of David Hoey, Bergdorf’s director of visuals.

If you are in New York City for the holidays (the only place to be, as far as I am concerned), you must see Berdorf’s windows on 5th Ave between 57 and 58 Streets. Hot Tip: stop in for a Mariebelle’s hot chocolate at the BG restaurant on the 7th floor. $6.

Unfortunately, we went when all those fires were happening, and I was sorely disappointed to find that the air and weather was actually better in L.A. Until that point, the only place I’d ever been to with crummier air than L.A. was Houston. I was a bit bummed to find that we actually left footprints in the thin layer of ash that was coating everything.

I bring this up because a couple weeks ago, there was some kind of fire in the Grand Canyon, and it covered a lot of area in a grim, smoky haze. If I had been camping, I’d have been disappointed. Vacations ruined by a wildfires (not to mention everything else ruined by wildfires) has probably cracked my personal Top Ten Bummers in Life list. Or at least the top twenty.

Anyway, I went to Vegas a couple weeks ago with my friends Cam and Kyle. This is probably our third or fourth time making this trip, and for the first time, we all got sick of gambling. Well, Kyle didn’t, but that’s probably because he didn’t blow through his blackjack fund after the first night. We were staying for five days; by the time the third one rolled around, Cam and I needed something else to do, like ride in an air-conditioned 4×4 to this really remote part of the Grand Canyon.

The 4×4, which we christened the Frankentruck, was a huge four-wheel drive truck combined with the passenger part of an airport shuttle bus. And then painted pink, as if it were a shuttle bus from Barbie International Airport. And wouldn’t you know it, the tour company was called Pink Jeep Tours and the tour rigs were called Tour Trekkers.

We were supposed to leave at 7:45 am, so we just didn’t go to bed. Well, except for Kyle, who said he was just going to “rest his eyes,” as if he were my dad or something. I’d like to think someone else on our Tour Trekker was as haggard as we were, but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the case. Cam conked out immediately; I dozed in an out, which was too bad, because the guide was pretty funny (and had no loss for information) and the scenery outside the windows was awesome. We drove through Nevada, Utah and Arizona, and then headed up to this spot called Torroweap.

Torroweap, or Torroweap Overlook if you prefer, is apparently one of the most isolated spots in the country, and I made a mental note to be sure to be back in time for bus call. We got out and looked around, and I’ll tell you what—I didn’t used to be afraid of heights, but now I’m not so sure. The overlook gives you a dizzying stare at the Lava Falls rapids from a mere 3,000 feet up. With a drop like that, you can kind of see how Wiley E. Coyote has time to show all those dialogue signs—I’m pretty sure you’d fall for a while.

The coolest part about the trip was that I did actually feel isolated. It’s obvious that part of the park is pretty much untouched, and the scenery was amazing. Not only that, lunch was included. Cam made a joke about being “high rollers,” and then by the time we got to Torroweap Overlook, the high roller jokes became really awful puns. Next time, I’m going by myself.

There are several places in Texas which are considered to be haunted. The most interesting fact is that many Hollywood film directors have claimed that Texas has been an ideal place for them for shooting their movies, since the atmosphere and the paranormal past of the place adds to the climax of the film!

Austin’s Inn at Pearl Street is believed to be haunted by a woman who carries her baby in her lap. Many guests a the inn have claimed to seen the woman.

The Austin Pizza Garden has a very interesting story to offer. It is said that faces appear and disappear on the walls of the Garden.

The Central Market was formerly the site for Austin State School. It is said that “there are several buildings that have had sightings and sounds by staff members”. It is believed that this place is built over a cemetery. The cemetery houses the bodies of those patients who expired in the early days of this century. A coffin had once been seen near the building. The school has been uprooted from the place and the bodies which were found around had been removed.

Bedicheck Middle School is said to be haunted by the spirit of Billy a student who was performing the role of Phantom in his school play, “Phantom of the Opera”. While he was doing the catwalk a rope slipped and he fell down. Later he hung himself. It is said that now when a play is held in the same auditorium, the kids who perform for the catwalk are pushed off the auditorium by the spirit of Billy.

Jacob’s Hill is said to be haunted by the spirit of two children who were murdered by the father on the highway. The hill is supposedly a highway. It is said that if you park your car on the road it is pushed off by the ghosts of the two children.

The Doyle Hall which is the female’s dorm at St. Edward’s University is said to be haunted by a nun. It is said that the spirit is harmless but wierd noises can be heard from the shower room and the dormitory.

The treasury Department has reported to strange happenings. There have been certain wierd instances with the employees at the library, their names have been called by someone, but nobody could find out who was calling out for them.

The littlefield home is said to be haunted by the daughter of Littlefield for whom this dorm had been built. She still haunts the dorm and the spirit is believed to be quite harmful.

On a hill outside St. Edward’s University is said to be haunted by the spirit of a girl who was pushed off the hill. Nobody has found her body till date and when and how the incident took place noone knows. The hill is supposedly the most haunted location in Austin and nobody dares to venture in this place.

These are some of the most interesting places in Austin which have been claimed by many as haunted. These stories are for real and many movies have gained their themes from such places.

“We started free thinking here,” he says, pointing to the ground inside Caffe Trieste in North Beach. “Cal-Berkeley was the home of the atomic bomb; we need some creativity back in San Francisco! That’s my platform.”

The crowd nods approvals. He turns and leaves.

Welcome to San Francisco, that exotic city of hills where east meets west, high tech lives with crunchy granola and bohemian culture births movements and culture known around the world. The Beats, the Hippies and the Summer of Love flowered here as well as music from the Grateful Dead to The Dead Kennedys. The cities fabled attractions are seen on countless postcards and TV programs; Fisherman’s Warf, Pier 39, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge and the famed cable cars. But we’ve done the tourist trail on previous trips. This time we’re exploring neighborhoods.

SF Downtown & Nob Hill

We toast our first night at the bar of a beautiful art nouveau gem called the Petit Café in the Hotel Monaco and staying on the French theme move to the second floor lounge at Le Colonial, a French colonial Vietnamese inspired establishment right out of 1920’s Saigon. We walk up Nob Hill and along Post and Sutter are cafés & bars with people spilling out onto the sidewalk. It’s dark and the comfortable architectural density, street life & cafes are not unlike London or lower Manhattan.

On the corner of Leavenworth and Post we see a three-piece combo in front of a royal red draped stage and displayed in the window is a great wine list. We’re in!

The bass player is laying down a groove. The notes come like heavy drops of rain on a tin roof while the rhythm guitar plays quarter-note chords. The drummer beats an old school drum kit to life prompting the guitar player to take the lead. He screams up and down the frets throwing notes like sparks off a welder’s torch. The room is buzzing. We’re in Cafe Royale and it’s full of locals savoring the bohemian art & jazz scene here. I feel like Sal Paradise in On the Road having just rolled into San Francisco and enjoying the “scene.”

We get a tip for a nightcap and enter a secret world on the corner of Jones and O’Farrell at a place called Bourbon & Branch. It’s a ’20s style speakeasy and a great place to stop for cocktails. The dark wood, red flocked wallpaper and “secret�? bookcase entry into the backroom add to the vibe. The select and rare bourbons, rum, tequila and whiskeys don’t hurt either!

The Quiet City

I’m out early the next morning so I can have the city to myself. As I walk Geary Street the sidewalks are being hosed and cleaned. The echoing calls of seagulls bounce off the downtown buildings breaking the quiet. The air is crisp and the sky a brilliant blue.

I walk down through Chinatown where the morning bustle and activity increases. Big brown produce boxes line the sidewalks for blocks. Opened boxes create a wash of color as fruits and vegetables breathe the morning air. Butchers work their knives in front of hanging pigs while ducks, already golden brown, hang by their cooked necks with their sad faces bowed down.

My goal is Telegraph Hill. I climb up Greenwich Street and take the steps to the top. A glint of light flashes across my face drawing my eyes to an elderly Japanese man who’s practicing Tai Chi routines with a 3 foot sword. Is that even legal? The movement is beautiful and exotic, like a lot of San Francisco.

The view at the top offers a panoramic view of the Bay from the Marin Headlands to the East Bay. An exercise group steps through their Tai Chi too. They look like slow motion magicians pulling the fog into the Bay through the distant Golden Gate. I walk down the opposite side towards the Bay on the Filbert Steps and breathe in an aromatic bouquet of roses, lilies, banana trees and white sweet midnight-jasmine. The wooden platform trail descends an alpine woodland trail lined with cottages under the redwoods, oaks, palms, and rhododendrons – and if you’re lucky you’ll spy, and hear, the wild green parrots that roost here.

From the top of the hill I had spotted the renovated Ferry Building, cum a world-class food market. I bee-lined towards it thinking – coffee with a bay view! As I stride through the front plaza under the clock tower its carillon bells exalt my entry, and with a Pete’s coffee in hand I watch a departing ferry stern recede from view. It disappears into the famous San Francisco fog blanketing the Bay, spewing its wake towards me. Outside the wall of windows facing the Bay birds huddle against the cool morning with their heads pulled back inside their feathers and thick blooded natives take seats next to them. I pull my jacket close, cap my coffee and catch a cab back to the hotel.

SF Shopping

We hit a bunch of neighborhood main streets around the city. The Union Street shops in Cow Hollow are perched above the Marina District and below Pacific Heights. In Victorian and Edwardian buildings we sample cool art galleries, antique stores and specialty shops. The Marina District’s main drag is Chestnut Street which runs along the northern edge of this affluent pastel colored neighborhood and we mingle with neighbors and families. Our favorite strip however is Fillmore Street and lucky for us Fillmore’s Spring Festival welcomed our visit.

Most of the action is between Jackson & Bush where high end design shops mix with funky kitschy antique and “junk” shops. Every shop offers wine tastings and hors d’oeuvres. Bars and pubs are open to the street and a live band fills the warm air with rock and blues. Unlike a lot of the city the street is lined with shade trees and down the side streets, offset by a cerulean blue sky, are the grandest Victorian’s you’ve ever set your eyes on. This is where the young, beautiful, trendy, fashionable and affluent hang out.

I had to take a quick look at Billy Graham’s famous Fillmore Auditorium too – legendary for playing host to counterculture giants like The Grateful Dead, Jimmie Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane and Janis Joplin and continuing right through to Black Flag, The Dead Kennedys and Johnny Rotten’s PIL, it’s on the corner of Fillmore and Geary Streets.

Go West Young Man

Today we head to the western reaches of the city. We’re jumping on the subway system called BART. We take the N-Judah line to Golden Gate Park and the de Young Museum where we chance upon a retrospective of Vivienne Westwood. Vivienne was married to Malcolm McLaren and was the fashion force behind the Sex Pistols and the punk rock scene. Ah, glory days. We reveled in the exhibition. If you see the clothes you used to wear in a museum does that mean you’re a dinosaur?

We also went up the viewing tower at the deYoung. Definitely do this. It offers a sweeping view of the west side of San Francisco. You can look out across the verdant greens of Golden Gate Park, the hills climbing up Twin Peaks and across the rooftops of the Richmond and Sunset Districts as their elevations drop to the winking Pacific.

For dinner we head to Cole Valley and a restaurant called EOS. The restaurant is at the corner of Cole and Carl. What a great little corner of San Francisco. I feel like we’ve found a secret little neighborhood. It’s a handsome residential neighborhood of three story Victorian homes and beautiful tree lined streets. What a comfortable place. Every bite of food at EOS was a surprise and a total sensation. The food was Asian Fusion. The chef was Asian magician.

Afterwards we walk down Cole three blocks to Haight Street; ground zero for the hippie movement in the late ’60s. We end up at Amoeba Records. This is one of the greatest hippy dippy, punk rock, alt music, all-music stores on the planet. I love all the Fillmore West concert posters for sale. That’s a bonafide San Francisco art style you don’t see anywhere else. As the Ramones squawked Gabba Gabba Hey at us over the store speakers we lingered and browsed. We looked at old Cramps records, Beatles and Bob Marley. Holding hands, we left.

SoMa & South Beach

Our last day here we walk under the elevated Freeway heading to the Bay Bridge into a diverse neighborhood of warehouses, auto repair shops, nightclubs, residential hotels, art spaces, loft apartments, furniture showrooms, condominiums, and technology companies. It’s not picture postcard San Francisco. There are no hills here, the fog doesn’t settle here and it’s usually sunny and warm! I like the freshness of the post modern and contemporary architecture peppering the area and the trendy bars & restaurants.

We stop in bacar on Brannan St. Young professionals pack the bar area and a three piece jazz combo plays in rhythm with the oyster shucker. It’s a big and handsomely designed space in an old warehouse with an extensive and very good wine list. We walk through South Park, modeled after a square in London. It’s an oval shaped park lined with warehouses turned offices, Post Modern and Contemporary townhouses, lively Victorians and a few dilapidated buildings not long for this world given the pace of development in the area.

The park is a green oasis and smells of eucalyptus. The clink of glasses, laughter and conversation float out from the South Park Cafe and Cafe Centro. We continue to 2nd street for a beer at the 21st Amendment. mingling with high tech professionals and blue jeaned internet millionaires. Further down 2nd Street we stroll the beautiful South Beach Marina where we take a lap around AT&T Park back to King Street and Berry Street where we see a completely new neighborhood along the China Basin channel. This is not the San Francisco of postcards. It’s all brand new. If I was an architect I’d move here because I get a buzz off the post-modern architecture. We sit a spell at District and retreat for Jalisco Mexican cuisine and tequilas at Tres Agaves.

Walking back to the hotel the kaleidoscope that is San Francisco spins for us. A woman is singing opera on the sidewalk outside the Hotel Utah as a rock band carries its gear inside. An assortment of geeks, Goths and hippies eat a late night meal at Whole Foods and a skateboarder barrels down 4th St. in his business suit. A homeless man asks us for money staring with a tired and stoned out face, tourists wait for the cable car, a drummer bangs on overturned pickle buckets, reggae wafts out from Starbucks, the café crowd sits under the palm trees in Union Square and we watch them watch us make our angled way up the street.

Instead of finding our plane tickets we want to find another place to hang out, to indulge in more California wine and artisanal food, to pull our jackets close as a visible fog rolls up the street, to crest the top of a hill and look down over descending rooftops to billowing sails on the blue Bay, to while away more time in the ever spring golden sunshine daze of the white city.

If you are not aware of, a sinkhole is a natural depression or a hole caused by the removal of the Earth’s surface. What remains only, is air. This happens due to the removal of soil, bedrock, or sometimes both, by water. It may vary in size, which can be from less than a meter to several hundreds of meters.

Florida is a destination where you can avail the maximum number of sinkholes. They are an obvious feature of the Karst topography in Florida. The sinkholes provide a pathway for rainwater to substitute groundwater. They are an important part of Florida’s aquifer system that supplies 95% of drinking water.

Lake Jackson is one of the foremost tourist attractions in Florida. The lake started to disappear in the year 1999 when suddenly a sinkhole started appearing on the surface. There are some amazing getaways to Florida’s state parks which provide frost free natural habitats for species which are cold sensitive and also may sports and recreation facilities. Some of the most famous sinkhole destinations is Devil’s Millhopper in Gainsville, Manatee State Park in Chiefland, Peacock Springs State Park in Fort White, Silver River State Park in Ocala, O’Leno State Park in High Springs and Falling Water State Park in Pennsylvania.

Other than the U.S, one can also visit the truly remarkable islands of Muscat. Hidden away by a 20 km down the coastal road from Quriyat to Sur, the depression formed here is the meeting place of two rivers in Muscat. The sea water merges with the sweet water here. It is an amazing experience here. If you get into the water, you can actually count the number of pebbles. It is absolute cool crystal water. The water is green and blue is hardly salty and the entire pool of water looks dazzling.

There are many activities that one can do in place that has a sinkhole. These places are equipped with amazing activities like rock climbing, the sinkholes that have water in them are also made as pools, where people come from all over the world and dive into the “sinkhole pools”!

Not many people visit the places that are absolutely rich in experience. These are great tourist attractions and also have an interesting history behind it.

One must visit these places to experience the difference altogether!

As someone with busy schedule, you’re often traveling for your business and you are wishing to know hot spots for gay community in new place you visit. If you are planning to visit San Francisco, Gay Travel Buddy is one of the most interesting resources you can get. This is a blog about San Francisco, the city and its lifestyle from a gay’s perspective. You will love how the blogger wrote about his city and every hot spot he knows. It is like you have a direct conversation with the writer.

It seems like the blogger really know San Francisco very well. He can tell you everything about San Francisco. It ranges from best place to stay, best cuisine to eat, and best place to hang out. Off course he also describes gay’s lifestyle here in San Francisco. You will get complete information about gay’s clubs or gay’s pubs where the hottest bros in this city hang around.

This doesn’t mean Washington DC is stuck in the past. In fact there’s a growing collection of buildings here that speak the architectural language of today, hence this self-guided “Contemporary Architecture Tour.” The goal here is to showcase some of the capital’s finest contemporary spaces and places, from Chinatown to the National Mall and Embassy Row.

Swiss Ambassador’s Residence

Architect: Steven Holl Architects
Completed: 1996
Neighborhood: Woodley Park

Functioning as both a residence and a venue for official functions, the Swiss Ambassador’s Residence demands attention for its stark materials palette and pronounced modernism. The building in plan assumes the shape of a slightly skewed cross that reflects the country’s flag but also allows for many free-flowing spaces inside. Capped with a vegetated roof to both cool the building and manage its rainwater, the exterior is composed of slate-colored concrete walls alternating against planes of transparent and translucent glass.

Swiss Ambassador’s Residence, Washington DC

The overall effect is as cool as it is contemporary. Architectural history buffs will also notice how the building’s form, together with its simplicity of details and varying veils of glass, appears similar to the work of pioneer Modernist architect Mies van der Rohe (also the architect of Washington DC’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Chinatown). While access is restricted to the public, it’s clear to see (from even beyond the security fence) that the Swiss Ambassador’s Residence proves the Modernist adage that less is more.

Pentagon Memorial

Architect: Kaseman Beckman Advanced Strategies
Completed: 2008
Neighborhood: Pentagon (Arlington, VA)

The Pentagon Memorial was built to honor those who lost their lives in the attacks of September 11, 2001. It opened to the public on the 7th year anniversary of the attacks, with a layout of 184 cantilevered stainless steel benches, one for each person that died that day. The benches seem to hover over individual reflecting pools that are illuminated at night with a soft greenish light. The benches are organized in rows according to the age of the person when they died and are oriented to either face toward or away from the Pentagon depending on whether they died in the building or on the plane.

The Pentagon Memorial at night

The Memorial’s design succeeds in its purpose by allowing one to spend their time either seated on a bench to reflect a single life lost or walking between and around the benches to take in the collective loss of that day. Regardless of how you choose to experience the Memorial the best time to visit is at dusk when the crowds of tour buses depart and each bench begins to glow against the darkening sky. This dramatic effect serves to underscore the design’s message of remembrance.

Smithsonian Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture (Kogod Courtyard)

Architect: Foster + Partners
Completed: 2007
Neighborhood: Chinatown

Set against one of Washington DC’s finest examples neoclassical architecture, the reputable London-based architecture firm of Foster + Partners has created a glass and steel canopy that floats atop the Old Patent Office Building. The soaring structure is supported alone by six slender columns that both funnel rainwater down from the roof and allow the adjacent historic buildings to remain undisturbed in their place. Also contributing to the Courtyard’s successful design are comfortable white marble benches that serve as planters for a few mature trees, as well as a series of minimalist water fountains that push thin sheets of water between discreet slots in the granite floor.

Kogod Courtyard at the Smithsonian Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture

One interesting fact of the nearly 30,000 square foot space has to do with its acoustics: over 9,000 pairs of denim blue jeans were shredded and installed just below the glass ceiling in order to provide an acoustically absorbent surface. The resulting public space created by all of these elements has become one of Washington’s favorite places to rest tired tourist legs, take lunch, or simply kill a few minutes between a myriad of other activities.

Embassy of Finland

Architect: Heikkinen-Komonen Architects
Completed: 1994
Neighborhood: Embassy Row

Far from the masonry mansions of traditional embassy design, the Embassy of Finland is a prime example of Scandinavian minimalism. Its architectural success stems from its simplicity, set against the backdrop of Rock Creek National Park. Granite, glass and translucent glass block materials represent a majority of the building’s materials palette. Large expanses of glass used on the north and south walls create a fluid transition from the gallery and administrative spaces on the interior to the dense forest beyond. Deciduous vines have been planted on a metal screen across the south elevation to shade the interior from the harsh summer sun while allowing the warming winter sun to enter.

This and many other sustainable design features helped the building to earn a prestigious LEED Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council. The Embassy opens up its doors to many free cultural exhibits throughout the year which make for the perfect opportunity to experience the simple elegance of Finnish architecture while taking in the charming character of its art.

U.S. Institute of Peace Headquarters

Architect: Moshe Safdie and Associates
Completed: est. 2010
Neighborhood: National Mall

Moshe Safdie and Associates’ addition to the National Mall wears contextual clothing with a distinctive top hat. The U.S. Institute of Peace’s new Headquarters just north of the Lincoln Memorial and just east of the Roosevelt Bridge seeks to be the setting for resolving conflicts and instilling peace whereas many of the adjacent iconic structures on the Mall honor the service of Americans in wartime. Integral to the design process was a study of the building’s surroundings and its client’s mission.

To acknowledge its Washingtonian neighbors and the scale of adjacent buildings, the Headquarters are clad in precast concrete and constructed of three separate forms. The space between the rather predictable, rectilinear five-story forms is captured beneath a sweeping, white-fritted glass roof that evokes the image of a dove in flight. Despite its literal connotation the roof succeeds in diffusing direct sunlight during the day and interior light at night as well as advertising the reason for the Headquarters’ existence.

The atrium created by this combination of iconic gesture framed by reserved surroundings should provide the city with yet another signature public space, scheduled for completion in October of 2010.

Smithsonian National Musuem of African American History and Culture

Architect: Freelon Adjaye Bond / Smithgroup
Completed: est. 2015
Neighborhood: National Mall

The newest Smithsonian museum on the Mall is set to open in 2015. NMAAHC’s prominent location on Constitution Avenue (near between the American History Museum and the Washington Monument) holds special significance because of its history as a shipping port for people and goods entering Washington, particularly slaves. The team of firms that won the prestigious design competition, Freelon Adjaye Bond / SmithGroup, have included plans to incorporate an actual slave ship into the building’s design. Another prominent architectural feature of the museum will be a gleaming bronze corona that harks back to ancient African traditions as well as stands as a distinctly contemporary capstone.

Coming soon: NMAAHC on The Mall

Beneath the corona lies a wealth of public, performance, and exhibit spaces. While today the site may sit empty, there are big plans brewing for the world’s largest museum complex. Three of the architectural firms involved with the project, Davis Brody Bond, David Adjaye, and The Freelon Group have also designed two neighborhood libraries each for the city that will open in late 20