http://architekturban.eu/ ru Architect Phd, architecture conception, architectural design DataLife Engine http://architekturban.eu//12903-natchez.html http://architekturban.eu//12903-natchez.html Sixty miles south of Vicksburg, the river town of NATCHEZ is the oldest permanent
settlement on the Mississippi River. By the time it first flew the Stars and
Stripes in 1798, it had already been home to the Natchez people (see below) and their
predecessors, as well as French, British, and Spanish colonists. Unlike its great rival,
Vicksburg, Natchez was spared significant damage during the Civil War, ensuring
that its abundant Greek Revival antebellum mansions remained intact, complete
with meticulously maintained gardens. Interspersed among them are countless simpler
but similarly attractive white clapboard homes, set along broad leafy avenues
of majestic oaks, making Natchez one of the prettiest towns in the entire South.
Horse and carriage tours (see p.596) explore the downtown area, while fourteen
individual mansions stay open all year round, among them the elaborate, octagonal
Longwood, 140 Lower Woodville Rd (daily 9am–4.30pm; $8), with its huge
dome, snow-white arches and columns, and the palatial Stanton Hall, 401 High St
(daily 10am–4pm; $8). All these and more can be seen on tours that set off from 200
State St during the twice-yearly Natchez Pilgrimage (mid-March to mid-April &
first two weeks in Oct; $32; wwww.natchezpilgrimage.com).
While Natchez proper perches well above the river, a small stretch of riverfront
at the foot of the bluff constitutes Natchez Under-the-Hill. Once known as the
“Sodom of the Mississippi,” it now houses a handful of bars and restaurants, plus
the 24-hour Isle of Capri riverboat casino, a cacophony of slot machines and craps
tables (wwww.isleofcapricasino.com).
Natchez takes its name from the Natchez Indians, regarded as one of the most
significant flowerings of the widespread Mississippian culture. They survived
here until 1729, when they rose against French plans to replace one of their villages
with a tobacco plantation. Joined by African slaves, they killed 250 colonists
before the French and their Choctaw allies crushed the rebellion. The former
Natchez spiritual center known as the Grand Village, home to a leader revered
as the “Great Sun,” can now be explored at 400 Jefferson Davis Blvd (Mon–Sat
9am–5pm, Sun 1.30–5pm; free). It’s an atmospheric place, holding a visitor center
and reconstructed dwellings, as well as a large park-like area with an imposing
ceremonial mound at either end. Another Natchez site, the much larger Emerald
Mound, stands just off the Natchez Trace northeast of town (free 24hr access).
Natchez’s rich African-American heritage – Richard Wright, the author of
Native Son, was born nearby and lived in the town as a small boy – is chronicled in
an excellent 26-page free booklet, available from the visitor center.
Practicalities
Natchez’s vast Visitor Reception Center occupies a panoramic location overlooking
the river at 640 S Canal St, alongside the Mississippi River bridge (March–
Oct Mon–Sat 8.30am–6pm, Sun 9am–4pm; Nov–Feb Mon–Sat 8.30am–5pm,
Sun 9am–4pm; t601/446-6345 or 1-800/647-6724, wwww.visitnatchez.com).
It’s the starting point for all kinds of trolley and bus tours of town, and sells
tickets for the carriage tours ($12; 45min) that leave from Canal and State streets,
slightly closer to downtown.
As for accommodation, the Ramada Inn, across from the visitor center at 130
John R. Junkin Drive (t601/446-6311 or 1-800/256-6311, wwww.ramada.
com; 4), enjoys much the same magnificent views, while the Natchez Eola, 110 N
Pearl St (t601/445-6000 or 1-866/445-3652, wwww.natchezeola.com; 5), is a
venerable downtown hotel of considerable charm. The Mark Twain Guesthouse,
33 Silver St (t601/446-8023, wwww.underthehillsaloon.com; 3), is an atmospheric
option down by the river; its three simple rooms share a bathroom. For a
quintessential Natchez experience, consider staying in a more upmarket B&B,
such as the opulent Burn, 712 N Union St (t601/442-1344, wwww.theburnbnb.
com; 6), which has a beautiful pool.
For food, Cock of the Walk, on the bluff at 200 N Broadway (t601/446-
8920), serves irresistibly tasty catfish, while the Marketplace Caf?, 613 Main St
(t601/304-9399; closed Mon), occupying most of a large open-sided market
building downtown, sells good, inexpensive breakfasts and lunches. Biscuits and
Blues, 315 Main St (t601/446-9922), combines burgers and barbecue with live
blues on weekends.]]> Oleg Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:01:44 +0200 http://architekturban.eu//12909-hot-springs.html http://architekturban.eu//12909-hot-springs.html Fifty miles southwest of Little Rock, the low-key, historic, and somewhat surreal
spa town of HOT SPRINGS nestles in the heavily forested Zig Zag Mountains
on the eastern flank of the Ouachitas. Its thermal waters have attracted visitors
since Native Americans used the area as a neutral zone to settle disputes. Early settlers
fashioned a crude resort out of the wilderness, and after the railroads arrived
in 1875 it became a European-style spa, its hot waters said to cure rheumatism,
arthritis, kidney disease, and liver problems. The resort reached its glittering heyday
during the Twenties and Thirties, when the mayor reputedly ran a gambling
syndicate worth $30 million per annum, and players included Al Capone and
Bugsy Siegel. Movie stars and politicians, aristocrats and prize fighters flocked to
“quaff the elixir,” and Hot Springs became the place to see and be seen. The resort’s
popularity waned, however, when new cures appeared during the Fifties, and all
but one of the bathhouses closed down. There was a surge of interest in the place
after Clinton’s election – he lived here between 1953 and 1964 – and today, with
its combination of vaguely artsy stores, faded grandeur, and charming small-town
sleepiness, it has a strangely haunting appeal.
Downtown Hot Springs threads through a looping wooded valley, barely
wide enough to accommodate the main thoroughfare of Central Avenue. Eight
magnificent buildings here, behind a lush display of magnolia trees, elms, and
hedgerows, make up the splendid Bathhouse Row. Between 1915 and 1962, the
grandest of them all was the Fordyce Bathhouse, at the 300 block of Central,
which reopened in 1989 as the visitor center for Hot Springs National Park
– the only national park to fall within city limits. Apart from the Buckstaff (see
below), this is the only bathhouse you can actually enter: the interior, restored to
its former magnificence, is an atmospheric mixture of the elegant and the obsolete.
The heavy use of veined Italian marble, mosaic-tile floors, and stained glass lend it
a decadent feel, while the gruesome hydrotherapy and electrotherapy equipment,
including an electric shock massager, seem impossibly brutish (daily 9am–5pm;
free; t501/624-2701; wwww.nps.gov/hosp).
It’s still possible to take a “bath” – an hour-long process involving brisk rubdowns,
hot packs, a thorough steaming, and a needle shower – on Bathhouse
Row. The only establishment still open for business is the 1912 Buckstaff, 509
Central Ave, where a thermal mineral bath costs $20.25, a twenty-minute massage
$23 (March–Nov Mon–Sat 7–11.45am & 1.30–3pm, Sun 8–11.45am; Dec–Feb
Mon–Fri 7–11.45am & 1.30–3pm, Sat 7–11.45am; t501/623-2308; wwww.
buckstaffbaths.com). This is good fun, but Aveda it’s not; swathed in cotton sheets,
you are marched by no-nonsense guides from bath to shower to massage table in
a municipal, rather prosaic, atmosphere. Full bathing facilities are also available
at several hotels. Hot Springs’ water lacks the sulfuric taste often associated with
thermal springs; fill up a bottle at any of the drinking fountains on and near Central
Avenue. Most of them pump out warm water – if you prefer it cold, head for
the Happy Hollow Spring on Fountain Street.
Behind the Fordyce, two small springs have been left open for viewing. The
Grand Promenade from here is a half-mile brick walkway overlooking downtown.
Trails of various lengths and severity lead up the steep slopes of Hot
Springs Mountain. To reach the summit, take a short drive or any of several different
trails, including a testing two-and-a-half-mile hike through dense woods of
oak, hickory, and short-leafed pine. The observation decks of the 216ft Mountain
Tower at the top (daily: summer 9am–9pm; spring and fall 9am–6pm; winter
9am–5pm; $6) offer superb views of the town, the Ouachitas, and surrounding
lakes.
Quite apart from its waters, Hot Springs prides itself on its small galleries,
plenty of which line Central Avenue. Even better, it boasts some wonderfully
weird Americana. Disregarding the woeful National Park Aquarium at 209 Central
Ave – which bears more resemblance to a classroom project than anything else
– those of an eccentric disposition will enjoy the Josephine Tussaud Wax Museum,
250 Central Ave ( June–Aug Sun–Thurs 9am–8pm, Fri & Sat 9am–9pm;
Sept–May Mon–Thurs & Sun 9.30am–5pm, Fri & Sat 9.30am–8pm; $9). “They
Seem Alive!” shrills the brochure, referring to their atrocious dummies; you can
thank your lucky stars that they aren’t. Combo tickets ($19) include admission to a
local winery and a 75-minute amphibious “duck tour”, which circuits downtown
and has a quick splash on Lake Hamilton (usual price $14, $8 children; t501/321-
2911; wwww.rideaduck.com).
Practicalities
Greyhound pulls in to 1001 Central Ave; most places of interest, including some
good accommodation options, are within easy distance of Central Avenue, the
city’s main thoroughfare. Though rates can rise during the lengthy high season
(Feb–Nov), luxury accommodation is surprisingly inexpensive, and there is a good
choice, from spa hotels with their own bathhouses to chain motels and B&Bs.
Dominating the town center, the atmospheric 1920s a Arlington Resort/Spa, 239
Central Ave (t501/623-7771, wwww.arlingtonhotel.com; 4; bath and whirlpool
$26, massage $34), is by far the nicest place to stay, oozing faded grandeur
– Al Capone rented the entire fourth floor when he stayed in town, and President
Clinton attended his junior and senior proms in the ballroom. The tasteful rooms
are airy and comfortable, if a little small. Nearby, the Downtowner, 135 Central
Ave (t501/624-5521, wwww.angelfire.com/ar/downtownerhs; 3; bath and
whirlpool $19, massage $20), is another timewarped old hotel, far less fancy with
large but dark motel-type rooms. The nearest place to camp is Gulpha Gorge
Campground in the national park, two miles northeast on Hwy-70 B, off Hwy-70
E (t501/624-3383; $10 per night)
Hidden among the cheap family restaurants along Central Avenue, Rolando’s
at no. 210 is a cheery Nuevo Latino place serving up delicious, creative food
(t501/318-6054). Nearby, the Arlington’s restaurant presents Hot Springs’ version
of haute cuisine – including a fine Sunday brunch – in elegant environs. Mollie’s,
near downtown in an old house at 538 Grand Ave, specializes in tasty comfort
foods like chicken in the pot and matzo ball soup (t501/623-6582; closed Sun),
while at McClard’s Bar-B-Q, three miles south of downtown at 505 Albert Pike
(t501/624-9586; closed Sun & Mon; no credit cards), the mouthwatering pork
ribs, slaw, beans, and hot tamales are all prepared by hand. a McClard’s is not to be
missed; even Bill and Hillary stopped by here on their wedding day.
As you might expect, Hot Springs’ nightlife is marvelously cheesy, ranging
from variety shows and jamborees to The Witness, an outdoor musical of
Christ’s life as sung by the Apostle Peter; it’s held six miles from downtown at
1960 Millcreek Rd ( June–Sept Fri & Sat 8pm; $12; t501/623-9781, wwww
.witnessproductions.com). Those with more secular tastes might prefer the Theater
of Magic, 817 Central Ave (summer Tues–Sat 8pm; $14; t501/623-6200, wwww.
maxwellblade.com), starring “Master of Illusion” Maxwell Blade. On a different
note, there’s a prestigious documentary film festival held each October (wwww.
hsdfi.org), and a classical music festival in June (wwww.hotmusic.org).]]> Oleg Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:04:19 +0200 http://architekturban.eu//12953-ybor-city.html http://architekturban.eu//12953-ybor-city.html In 1886, as soon as Henry Plant’s ships had ensured a regular supply of Havana
tobacco into Tampa, cigar magnate Don Vincente Mart?nez Ybor cleared a patch
of scrubland three miles northeast of present-day downtown Tampa and laid the
foundations of YBOR CITY. About twenty thousand migrants, mostly Cuban,
settled here and created a Latin American enclave, producing the top-class, handrolled
cigars that made Tampa the “Cigar Capital of the World.” However,
mass production, the popularity of cigarettes, and the Depression proved a fatal
combination for skilled cigar-makers: as unemployment struck, Ybor City’s tightknit
blocks of cobbled streets and redbrick buildings became surrounded by drab,
low-rent neighborhoods.
In the midst of a revival, Ybor City buzzes with tourists, and at night the atmosphere
reaches carnival proportions, especially on the weekends. The town is trendy
and culturally diverse, yet its Cuban roots are immediately apparent, and explanatory
background texts adorn many buildings. The Ybor City State Museum,
1818 9th Ave (daily 9am–5pm; $3; t813/247-6323, wwww.ybormuseum
.org), helps you grasp the main points of Ybor City’s creation and its multiethnic
make-up. The museum also offers cigar-rolling demonstrations (Fri–Sun 9.30am–
1pm) and historic walking tours (Sat 10.30am).
Busch Gardens and the Museum of
Science and Industry
Busch Gardens, located two miles east of I-275, or two miles west of I-75,
exit 54, at 3000 E Busch Blvd (opening hours vary almost day to day but generally
daily 10am–6pm; $61.72, children $51.07; parking $9; t1-888/800-5447,
wwww.buschgardenstampabay.com) is one of Florida’s most popular theme
parks, based on a re-creation of Colonial-era Africa and offering some of the
fastest, largest, most nerve-jangling rollercoasters in the country. A sedate
pseudo-steam train or cable car journey allows inspection of a variety of African
wildlife, but by far the most popular of the twenty-odd rides are the rollercoasters:
Sheikra, with its terrifying 200-foot, 90-degree dive; Montu, where your
legs dangle precariously in mid-air; Gwazi, a giant wooden coaster; and Kumba,
with plenty of high-speed loop-the-loops. After this excitement, retire to the
Hospitality House for two free cups of Budweiser beer.
Two miles northeast of Busch Gardens, the colossal Museum of Science
and Industry, 4801 E Fowler Ave (daily 9am–5pm; $19.95; t813/987-6100,
wwww.mosi.org), demystifies the scientific world through hands-on exhibits and
a program of shows where you’ll get to feel what it’s like to sit in a 74mph wind
or ride a bicycle along a tightrope. The ticket price includes one of several different
IMAX movies shown throughout the day.
Nightlife and entertainment
Ybor City’s renowned nightlife tends to be younger and more raucous than the
city’s other entertainment areas of Channelside, downtown next to the Florida
Aquarium, and the International Plaza and Bay Street, near the airport at the junction
of West Shore and Boy Scout boulevards. The free Weekly Planet (wwww.
weeklyplanet.com) has listings, as does Friday’s Tampa Tribune.]]> Oleg Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:31:14 +0200 http://architekturban.eu//12960-the-panhandle.html http://architekturban.eu//12960-the-panhandle.html Rubbing hard against Alabama in the west and Georgia in the north, the long,
narrow Panhandle has much more in common with the states of the Deep South
than with the rest of Florida. Hard to believe, then, that just a century ago, the
Panhandle was Florida. At the western edge, Pensacola was a busy port when
Miami was still a swamp. Fertile soils lured wealthy plantation owners south,
helping to establish Tallahassee as a high-society gathering place and administrative
center – a role which, as the state capital, it retains. But the decline of cotton,
the chopping-down of too many trees, and the coming of the East Coast railroad
eventually left the Panhandle high and dry. Much of the inland region still seems
neglected, and the Apalachicola National Forest is perhaps the best place in
Florida to disappear into the wilderness. The coastal Panhandle, on the other
hand, is enjoying better times: despite rows of hotels, much is still untainted,
boasting miles of blinding white sands.
Tallahassee and around
State capital it may be, TALLAHASSEE is nevertheless a provincial city of oak
trees and soft hills that won’t take more than two days to explore in full. Around
its small grid of central streets – where you’ll find plenty of reminders of Florida’s
formative years – briefcase-clutching bureaucrats mingle with some of Florida
State University’s 35,000 students, who brighten the mood considerably and keep
the city awake at night.
Tallahassee was built on the site of an important prehistoric meeting place, and
takes its name from the Apalachee Indian: talwa meaning “town,” and ahassee
meaning “old.” The city’s history really begins, though, with Florida’s incorporation
into the US, and Tallahassee’s selection as the state’s administrative base; the
first Florida government convened here in 1823. Since then, Tallahassee has been
the scene of every major wrangle in Florida politics, including the controversial
ballot recount of the 2000 presidential election. Today, in contrast to the lightning-
paced development of south Florida, Tallahassee has a slow tempo and a
strong sense of the past, evoked in its historic buildings and museums.
Arrival and information
Tallahassee’s Greyhound bus terminal is at 112 W Tennessee St (t850/222-
4249), within easy walking distance of downtown, which can easily be explored
on foot. For stacks of background information, drop by the Visitor Information
Center, 106 E Jefferson St (Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, Sat 9am–1pm; t1-800/628-
2866, wwww.seetallahassee.com).
Accommodation
Accommodation in Tallahassee is in short supply only during the sixty-day sitting
of the state legislature, from early March, and on fall weekends during home
football games of the Florida State Seminoles. Hotels and motels on N Monroe
Street, about three miles from downtown, are far cheaper than those downtown.
The Town
A fifty-million-dollar eyesore dominates the square mile of downtown Tallahassee:
the vertical vents of the towering New Capitol Building, at Apalachee
Parkway and Monroe Street (Mon–Fri 8am–5pm; free). Florida’s growing army of
bureaucrats had previously been crammed into the more attractive 1845 Old Capitol
Building (Mon–Fri 9am–4.30pm, Sat 10am–4.30pm, Sun noon–4.30pm;
free), which stands in the shadow of its replacement.
For easily the fullest account of Florida’s past anywhere in the state, visit the
Museum of Florida History, 500 S Bronough St (Mon–Fri 9am–4.30pm, Sat
10am–4.30pm, Sun noon–4.30pm; free; t850/245-6400, wwww.museumof
floridahistory.com). Detailed accounts of Paleo-Indian settlements, and the significance
of their burial and temple mounds, some of which have been found on the
edge of Tallahassee, are valuable tools in comprehending Florida’s prehistory. The
colonialist crusades of the Spanish are outlined with copious finds, though there’s
little on the nineteenth-century Seminole Wars – one of the bloodier skeletons in
Florida’s closet. There is plenty on the building of the railroads, however.
The Black Archives Research Center and Museum, in the nineteenth-century
Union Bank Building, along Apalachee Parkway from the Old Capitol’s entrance
(Mon–Fri 9am–5pm; free; t850/599-3020), holds one of the largest and most
important collections of African-American artifacts in the nation, with oral histories
and music stations, as well as some chilling Ku Klux Klan memorabilia.
Eating
With so many politicos and students, there’s plenty of good food for all budgets
in Tallahassee.
Wakulla Springs State Park
Fifteen miles south of Tallahassee, off Route-61 on Route-267, Wakulla Springs
State Park (daily 8am–sunset; cars $4, pedestrians and cyclists $1; t850/224-
5950) holds what is believed to be one of the biggest and deepest natural springs
in the world. It pumps up half a million gallons of crystal-clear pure water from
the bowels of the earth every day – though you’d never guess it from the calm
surface.
It’s refreshing to swim in the cool pool (in a small roped-off area – this is gator
territory), but to learn more about the spring, take the thirty-minute glass-bottom
boat tour ($6), and peer down to the swarms of fish hovering around the
180-foot cavern through which the water flows. Forty-minute river cruises
($6) let you glimpse some of the park’s inhabitants: deer, turkeys, turtles, herons,
egrets, and the inevitable alligators. Built in 1937 beside the spring, the lovely
wooden Wakulla Lodge (t850/224-5950; 4) is a serene hotel, with an excellent
restaurant serving home-cooked country food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The Apalachicola National Forest
With swamps, savannahs, and springs dotted liberally about its half-million acres,
the Apalachicola National Forest, which fans out southwest of Tallahassee, is
the inland Panhandle at its natural best. Several roads enable you to drive through
a good-sized chunk, with many undemanding spots for a rest and a snack. To see
deeper into the forest you’ll need to make more of an effort, by following one of
the hiking trails, canoeing on the rivers, or simply spending a night under the stars
at one of the basic campgrounds. On the forest’s southern edge, the large and forbidding
Tate’s Hell Swamp is a breeding-ground for the deadly water moccasin
snake, and though gung-ho locals sometimes venture in hoping to catch a few to
sell to zoos, you’re well advised to stay clear.
The main entrances to the forest (free) are off Hwy-20 and Hwy-319; three
minor roads, routes 267, 375, and 65, form cross-forest links between the two
highways. Accommodation is limited to camping; apart from Camel Lake and
Wright Lake ($8 per night for both; hot showers available), all the campgrounds
are free (except for a $3 daily vehicle charge), with very basic facilities (no running
water). For more information, call the ranger stations at Apalachicola
(t850/643-2282) or Wakulla (t850/926-3561).]]> Oleg Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:46:22 +0200 http://architekturban.eu//12962-pensacola-and-around.html http://architekturban.eu//12962-pensacola-and-around.html You might be inclined to overlook PENSACOLA, tucked away as it is at the western
end of the Panhandle. The city, on the northern bank of the broad Pensacola
Bay, is five miles inland from the nearest beaches, and its prime features are a naval
aviation school and some busy dockyards. Pensacola is, however, worth a visit. The
nearby white beaches are relatively untouched, and it boasts a rich history, having
been occupied by the Spanish as early as 1559. The town repeatedly changed hands
between the Spanish, the French, and the British before becoming the place where
Florida was officially ceded by Spain to the US in 1821.
Pensacola was already a booming port by c.1900, when the opening of the
Panama Canal was expected to boost its fortunes still further. The many new
buildings that appeared in the Palafox District, around the southerly section of
Palafox Street, in the early 1900s – with their delicate ornamentation and attention
to detail – reflect the optimism of the era.
In earlier times, Native Americans, pioneer settlers, and seafaring traders had
gathered to swap, sell, and barter on the waterfront of the Seville District, just
east of Palafox Street. Those who did well took up permanent residence here,
and many of their homes remain in fine states of repair, forming – together with
several museums – the Historic Pensacola Village (Mon–Sat 10am–4pm; $6;
t850/595-5985, wwww.historicpensacola.org). Tickets are valid for one week,
and allow access to all of the museums and former homes in an easily navigated
four-block area. Inside the US naval base on Navy Boulevard, about eight miles
southwest of central Pensacola, the Museum of Naval Aviation (daily 9am–5pm;
free, IMAX movie $8; t1-800/327-5002, wwww.naval-air.org) exhibits US
naval aircraft. They range from the first flimsy seaplane, acquired in 1911, to the
Phantoms and Hornets of more recent times.
Pensacola Beach
On the other (south) side of the bay from the city, glistening beaches and windswept
sand dunes fringe the fifty-mile-long Santa Rosa Island. On the island
directly south of Pensacola, PENSACOLA BEACH has everything you’d want
from a Gulf Coast beach: fine white sands, watersports rental outlets, a busy fishing
pier, and a sprinkling of motels, beachside bars, and snack stands.
Practicalities
The Greyhound bus station is seven miles north of the city center, at 505 W
Burgess Rd (t850/476-4800); ECAT buses #10A and #10B ($1.50; t850/595-
3228, wwww.goecat.com) link it to Pensacola proper. A good local taxi firm is
Yellow Cab (t850/433-3333). ECAT buses serve the city, while #21 goes to the
beach three times daily; the main terminal is at 1515 W Fairfield Drive. At the foot
of the city side of the three-mile Pensacola Bay Bridge, the visitor center, 1401
E Gregory St (daily 8am–5pm; t1-800/874-1234, wwww.visitpensacola.com),
has the usual worthwhile handouts.
Plenty of budget chain hotels, charging $45–60 per night, line North Davis and
Pensacola boulevards, the main approach roads from I-10. Central options are the
Seville Inn, 223 E Garden St (t1-800/277-7275, wwww.sevillepensacola.com;
3), and A Noble Manor, 110 W Strong St (t850/434-9544, wwww.noblemanor.
com; 4), a charming B&B. At Pensacola Beach, try the comfortable Best Western
Resort, 16 Via De Luna Drive (t850/933-3300 or 1-800/320-8108; 5). For eating
in town, Fish House, 600 S Barracks St (t850/470-0003), has sushi and steaks
along with the seafood. For beachside dining, Peg Leg Pete’s, 1010 Fort Pickens Rd
(t850/932-4139), is known for its Cajun food and excellent raw bar.]]> Oleg Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:47:13 +0200 http://architekturban.eu//13025-el-paso.html http://architekturban.eu//13025-el-paso.html Back when Texas was still Tejas, EL PASO, the second oldest settlement in the
United States, was the main crossing on the Rio Grande. It still plays that role
today, its 600,000 residents joining with another 1.7 million across the river in
Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to form the largest binational (and bilingual) megalopolis
in North America. At first sight it’s not an especially pretty place – massive railyards
fill up much of downtown, the belching smelters of copper mills line the riverfront,
and the northern reaches are taken up by the giant Fort Bliss military base.
Its dramatic setting, however, where the Franklin Mountains meet the Chihuahua
desert, gives it a certain bold pioneer edge, bearing more relation to old rather than
new Mexico, with little of the pastel softness of the Southwest US. Local legend
has it that when Wyatt Earp arrived in sharp-shooting El Paso, he thought it too
wild for him, and boarded the first train to Tombstone.
Arrival and information
El Paso’s airport is about twenty minutes’ drive northeast of downtown; a taxi
to the center will cost $18, although most downtown hotels offer free van rides.
Greyhound buses stop at 200 W San Antonio Ave (t915/532-2365), while
Amtrak (t915/545-2247) pulls in at the Daniel Burnham-designed Union Station
at 700 San Francisco St, slightly to the west.
The visitor center (daily 9am–5pm; t915/534-0601 or 1-800/351-6024,
wwww.visitelpaso.com) is at 1 Civic Center Plaza in the Convention Center
complex.
Accommodation
Room rates in El Paso tend to be reasonable. The usual cheapie chains line I-10.
The Town
Downtown El Paso holds surprisingly little to see other than a couple of passable
art museums; what character it has continues to be shaped by the US–Mexico
border. In times past outlaws and exiles from either side of the border would take
refuge across the river, and today’s traffic remains considerable and not entirely
uncontroversial. Manual workers come north to find undocumented jobs, and US
companies secretly dump their toxic waste on the south side. The border itself,
the Rio Grande, has caused its share of disagreements: the river changed course
quite often in the 1800s, and it was not until the 1960s, when it was run through
a concrete channel, that it was made permanent. An attractive, 55-acre park,
the Chamizal National Memorial, on the east side of downtown off Paisano
Drive, was built to commemorate the settling of the border dispute; it has a small
museum (daily 8am–5pm; free) and provides a pleasant green space for walks and
picnics. The small but engrossing Border Patrol Museum, 4315 Transmountain
Rd at Hwy-54 (Tues–Sat 9am–5pm; free), explains the work of the patrollers and
highlights the ingenuity of smugglers.
On the river itself, the Cordova Bridge – or Bridge of the Americas – heads
across into Mexico, where there’s a larger park and a number of museums; there
are no formalities, so long as you have a multiple-entry visa for the US and don’t
travel more than twenty or so miles south of the border. Crossing here is free; at
the three other bridges – two downtown and one near the Ysleta Mission – you
have to pay a small fee.
Although El Paso is predominantly Hispanic, there is also a substantial population
of Tigua Indians, a displaced Pueblo tribe, based in a reservation (complete
with the almost statutory casino) on Socorro Road, southeast of downtown.
The reservation’s arts-and-crafts center sells pottery and textiles. Adjacent to the
reservation, the simple Ysleta del Sur, the oldest mission in the United States,
marks the beginning of an eight-mile Mission Trail (t915/534-0630), with three
missions – still active churches – set among scruffy cotton, alfalfa, chili, onion, and
pecan fields. Two miles southeast, the Socorro mission, moved from its original
seventeenth-century site on the river, shows an unusually heavy Native American
influence; the crenellation on either side of the bell tower represents a Tigua rain
god. It is relatively unadorned inside, with hand-carved ceiling beams and lattices.
The most remote and intriguing of the three missions, the cathedral-style San
Elizario, lies six miles further along the trail. The chapel for the Spanish military,
it’s a striking place, with whitewashed walls, jewel-colored stained glass, and a
decorative tin ceiling.
In Concordia cemetery, just northwest of the I-10 and Hwy-54 intersection,
a shambling collection of crumbling stones and plain wooden crosses commemorates
assorted pioneers and desperados. The grave of John Wesley Hardin, the
much romanticized gunslinger, is marked by a crooked headstone northwest of
the Chinese graveyard, a section walled-off since the Chinese built the railroads in
the 1880s. El Paso is also the home of Tony Lama, makers of top-quality cowboy
boots, available at substantial discounts at three outlets across town.
Eating and nightlife
Dining is, naturally, mostly Mexican. After dark, downtown practically expires;
you’d do best to head to the university area (UTEP), northwest of downtown, and
in particular the gaggle of restaurants and bars at Kern Place at Stanton and Cincinnati.
Check the free monthly El Paso Scene (wwww.epscene.com) for listings.]]> Oleg Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:22:38 +0200 http://architekturban.eu//13041-st-joseph.html http://architekturban.eu//13041-st-joseph.html Sixty miles north of Kansas City, ST JOSEPH boomed as a supply depot for
the California Gold Rush, and today is a busy manufacturing town. For a brief
eighteen months, beginning in 1860, it was the home of the legendary Pony
Express, which delivered mail to Sacramento, California, by continuous horseback
relay in ten days. The Pony Express was a financial disaster, driven out of
business by its inability to compete with the transcontinental telegraph, but riders
such as Buffalo Bill Cody went on to become legends. Charlie Miller, the last
of the riders, rode from New York to San Francisco in 1931, and died aged 105
in 1955. The full story is told in lively dioramas at the Pony Express Museum,
914 Penn St (Mon–Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 1–5pm; $4), which is attractively set in
the company’s original stables.
It was in St Joseph, on April 3, 1882, that the notorious Jesse James was shot
in the back by Robert Ford, a 20-year-old member of his own gang who had
negotiated a $10,000 reward from the governor. Countless books and films
have portrayed Jesse James as a latter-day Robin Hood; in fact, he spent most
of the Civil War riding with a band of Confederate guerrillas. The Jesse James
Home Museum ( June–Nov Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 1–5pm; Nov–May
Mon–Sat 10am–4pm, Sun 1–4pm; $4), the one-story frame cottage where
James was living incognito while he planned his next bank job, now stands at
12th and Penn streets, having been moved closer to the main highway in the
hope of attracting sightseers. A ragged hole in the wall is pointed out as the
spot where the bullet supposedly hit, after striking James as he was hanging a
picture; you can also see where bloodstained splinters were chiseled from the
floor to be sold as souvenirs. As for the assassin, Ford was himself gunned down
ten years later, and his killer in turn was also shot.
There are thirteen museums in town, most about the Old West, but none really
warrants lingering, though the one next to the James home does purport to contain
the world’s largest ball of twine. If you do want to leave the drive to Kansas
City or Omaha for another day, you’ll find motels strung along I-29 as it passes
east of downtown, including a Motel 6 (t816/232-2311; 2) and a Days Inn at the
intersection with Frederick Blvd (t816/279-1671; 3).]]> Oleg Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:30:02 +0200 http://architekturban.eu//13058-crazy-horse.html http://architekturban.eu//13058-crazy-horse.html The life of Oglala Sioux leader Crazy Horse is shrouded in confusion, misinterpretation,
and controversy. So thoroughly did the most enigmatic figure in Plains Indian
history avoid contact with whites (outside battle, at least) that no photograph or even
sketch of him exists; unlike other Indian chiefs, he refused to visit Washington, DC,
or talk to reporters.
Crazy Horse earned his title as a youth, after he single-handedly charged rival
Arapahoe and took two scalps. The finest moment in a brilliant military career came
in June 1876, when he led a thousand warriors in inflicting a stinging defeat on the
superior forces of General George Crook at the Battle of the Rosebud River. Just
eight days later Crazy Horse headed the attack at the Battle of Little Bighorn, where
Custer and his entire company were killed (see p.894).
After Little Bighorn, US Army efforts to round up the Indians were redoubled. In
May 1877, Crazy Horse surprised friend and foe alike by leading nine hundred of his
people into Fort Robinson. They gave up their weapons, and Crazy Horse, keen to
stay in his native land (unlike Sitting Bull, who had retreated to Canada), demanded
that the buffalo grounds along the Powder River should remain in Indian hands. Tensions
at the army camp rose after a rumor went around the barracks that the Sioux
chief had come to murder General Crook. Crazy Horse was arrested on September
5, 1877; during a tussle outside the fort jail, he was bayoneted three times, and died
the next morning.
Quite why this undefeated warrior should have surrendered without a fight, and
whether he fell victim to a deliberate assassination, remains unclear. What is certain
is that his death signaled the closing chapter of the Indian Wars. The Oglala Sioux
were forcibly moved to the poor hunting country of Missouri, and settlers immediately
swept in their thousands into western Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, and
Montana.
Crazy Horse, so one story goes, was buried by his family in an unmarked grave in an
out-of-the-way creek called Wounded Knee – the very place where thirteen years
later three hundred Sioux men, women, and children were slaughtered in the bloody
finale to over half a century of barbarism (see p.820).]]> Oleg Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:37:36 +0200 http://architekturban.eu//13092-pikes-peak-and-the-royal-gorge-bridge.html http://architekturban.eu//13092-pikes-peak-and-the-royal-gorge-bridge.html Though there are thirty taller mountains in Colorado alone, PIKES PEAK, just
west of Colorado Springs, is probably the best known – largely because the view
from its summit inspired Katherine Lee Bates to write the words to America The
Beautiful. The 14,110ft peak was first mapped by Zebulon Pike in 1806, who never
climbed it himself. By the end of the century gondola trails had been built to
carry rich tourists like Ms Bates to the top. In 1929 it took Bill Williams, a Texan,
twenty days and 170 changes of trousers to scale the mountain, pushing a peanut
with his nose.
You can reach the top by a long hike, or by a difficult toll road (May–Sept
7am–7pm, Oct–April 9am–3pm; $10/person up to $35/car; t719/385-7325
or 1-800/318-9505, wwww.pikespeakcolorado.com). The thrilling Pikes Peak
Cog Railway (mid-May to Nov; $29, reservations advised; t719/685-5401,
wwww.cograilway.com) grinds its way up an average of 847ft per mile on its
ninety-minute journey to the summit; from 11,500ft onward it crosses a barren
expanse of tundra, scarred by giant scree flows. From the bleak and windswept
top, it’s possible to see Denver seventy miles north, and the endless prairie to the
east, while to the west mile upon mile of giant snowcapped peaks rise into the
distance. The train leaves from 515 Ruxton Ave in Manitou Springs, six miles
west of Colorado Springs.
About 45 miles south of Pikes Peak, beside the town of Ca?on City – via Hwy-
115 and US-50 from Colorado Springs – is the ROYAL GORGE BRIDGE
(daily 7am–dusk; $19; t1-888/333-5597, wwww.royalgorgebridge.com), the
world’s highest (and rather rickety) wooden suspension bridge that spans a vertiginous
1053ft crack over the roaring Arkansas River. The gorge is the focus of
several other attractions, which though quite commercialized, can still terrify you,
including an aerial tram, incline railway, and the Skycoaster – a bungee-swing that
for $25 will send to reeling over the canyon.
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Fifty square miles of silky shifting sand, the GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL
PARK huddles against the craggy Sangre de Cristo Mountains, around 170
miles southeast of Colorado Springs along I-25 and Hwy 160. Over millions of
years, fine glacial sands have been blown east from the San Juan Mountains and
deposited at the base of the Sangre de Cristo range.
A place of strange and eerie beauty, the dunes harbor a number of small, endemic
creatures, including the giant sand-treader camel cricket and the small kangaroo rat.
Most visitors go little further than the “beach” beside Medano Creek, which runs
along the eastern and southern side of the dune mass; but the climb up the dunes
themselves, though incredibly tiring, is not to be missed – for the fun slide down
(bring your own dune board) as much as for the views of the amazing desolate scenery.
A walk along sandy trails, squeezed between the dunes and the mountains, and a
night spent out at one of the underused backcountry campsites are also worthwhile.
The visitor center (t719/378-2312, wwww.nps.gov/grsa) is three miles
beyond the park entrance ($4 per vehicle), behind which lies the Mosca picnic
area – the main gateway for exploring the dunes. To pitch a tent on the dune
mass itself you’ll need to pick up a free backcountry permit at the visitor center;
the permit is also required for the park’s seven primitive backcountry sites ($14).
Most campers, however, stay at the large Pinyon Flats Campground ($14), the only
site in the park accessible by car and usually crowded with RVs; it’s run on a
first-come, first-served basis and is often full in July and August. The Great Sand
Dunes Oasis Store, 7900 Hwy-150 N (t719/378-2222) just before the monument
entrance offers showers, laundry, and arid tent sites ($10), as well a small number
of basic cabins (3). Behind the store the Great Sand Dunes Lodge (t719/378-2900,
wwww.gsdlodge.com; 4), has pleasant rooms with dunes views, an indoor pool,
and a restaurant that closes at 7pm. Otherwise, the closest restaurant is thirty
miles away in Alamosa, where cheery Mrs Rivera’s, 1019 6th St (t719/589-0277),
serves excellent Mexican food: great chile rellenos cost only $6.]]> Oleg Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:54:52 +0200 http://architekturban.eu//13100-wyoming.html http://architekturban.eu//13100-wyoming.html Pronghorn antelope all but outnumber people in wide-open WYOMING, the
ninth largest but least populous state in the union, with just 509,000 residents.
Above all, this is classic cowboy country – the inspiration behind Shane, The
Virginian, and countless other Western novels – replete with open range, rodeos,
and country-and-western dance halls. The state emblem, seen everywhere, is a
hat-waving cowboy astride a bucking bronco.
Well over three million tourists per year head to the state’s northwest corner for
the simmering geothermal landscape of Yellowstone National Park, and the
craggy mountain vistas of adjacent Grand Teton National Park. Between Yellowstone
and South Dakota to the east are the helter-skelter Bighorn Mountains,
likeable Old West towns such as Cody and Buffalo, and the otherworldly outcrop
of Devils Tower.
The meager supply of buffalo in early Wyoming caused fierce intertribal wars
and kept the Native American population down to around ten thousand. However,
Sioux, Cheyenne, and Blackfoot combined to inflict notable defeats on the
US Army before it could clear the way for pioneer settlement in the 1870s. The
cattle ranchers and sheep-farming homesteaders who followed engaged in violent
range wars over grazing rights to the wiry grasslands.
Unlikely as it may seem, this rowdy state was the first to grant women the vote
in 1869 – a full half-century before the rest of the country, on the grounds that
the enfranchisement of women would attract settlers and increase the population,
thereby hastening statehood. A year later Wyoming appointed the country’s first
women jurors, and the “Equality State” elected the first female US governor in
1924.
The absence of rivers to irrigate farmland has put a lid on agricultural growth.
Any weather-beaten, denim-clad stranger is more likely to be an oil roustabout
than a genuine cowboy, mineral extraction having replaced livestock as the
mainstay of the economy in the early twentieth century; today the state’s coffers
overflow with profits from the booming coal, oil, and natural gas industries.
Getting around Wyoming
Greyhound buses operate along I-80 through the south. The rest of the state is
covered only patchily by regional bus companies, so having your own car is definitely
the best option. Jackson has the state’s busiest airport, though flights also
go to Casper and Cheyenne. Cycling across northern Wyoming can be great fun,
although if you’re crossing the Bighorns you’ll need to pick your routes carefully,
as roads here have incredibly steep gradients.]]> Oleg Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:57:46 +0200