Carnival of Cities

Welcome to the December 8, 2008 edition of the Carnival of Cities!

This is a blog carnival, when one blog hosts a gathering of posts from many other blogs, all on a similar topic. The “home blog” for this Carnival is my own Family Travel Logue, but I’m going to be working with the good folks at UpTake to periodically help host the Carnival on this blog over the next couple of months.

A carnival stays livelier when it travels away from its host blog (just like a real carnival is meant to be on the road!)

This Carnival features posts that focus on any aspect of one single city, anywhere in the world. We normally only take one entry per blog per carnival, but there are a few multiple entries today because we’ve combined submissions for two previous Carnival editions that were stymied by technical difficulties. Those problems are now fixed and we can “set the links free.”

So step up and take a tour around the world in a single blog post….

Cities in the Americas

Washington, DC, USA Jon Rochetti presents Christmas at Mount Vernon with Mrs. Washington posted at The DC Traveler, saying, “Make a holiday visit to the the home of George Washington, and look for the live Christmas camel, just like George had during the Christmas of 1787.”

Seattle, Washington, USA Pam Mandel presents S’abadeb, The Gifts: Art of the Coast Salish People at Seattle Art Museum posted at Nerd’s Eye View, saying, “The native people of the Pacific Northwest deserve their own museum. This show is at the Seattle Art Museum is a nice start towards their recognition, but a lot more could be done.”

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Gil Ortiz presents Las Vegas, Nevada posted at gilocafe, with a video on the “Vivrating Las Vegas strip!”

Bentonville, Arkansas, USA Silicon Valley Blogger presents When Black Friday Deals Are Not Worth The Risk posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Crazy Black Friday crowds in Bentonville!”

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA BW presents 41 Ideas to Keep You Busy in Old San Juan posted at Visit The Coqui, saying, “There is plenty to see and do in Old San Juan; here are 41 ideas to keep you busy.”

Tucson, Arizona, USA Judy Vastine presents This Week 12/08-12/14 2008 posted at Tucson Snowbird (Editor’s note – I took some liberties with Judy’s entry and linked to her most recent roundup post, since we didn’t get to run her original one which covered This Week events that are now out of date because our posting was delayed. Thanks for your patience, Judy!)

Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA Kathy Torline presents 33 Unique things to do – #5 Van Briggle Pottery and Museum posted at Colorado Springs Vintage Homes Blog, saying, “Van Briggle Pottery, a hidden gem in Colorado Springs.”

Canton, Ohio, USA Kilroy_60 presents The Genius Of Frank Lloyd Wright Shines Through On An Autumn Afternoon posted at The Lives and Times… of Anthony McCune, saying, “A unique Frank Lloyd Wright home in Canton, Ohio, with lots of landscape photos.”

New York City, New York, USA GrrlScientist presents Election Eve 2008 Celebration in NYC’s Times Square posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, “One of the nice things about living in NYC is the fact that there are often fun things happening that are both spontaneous and free-of-charge. One of those events occurred last evening and continued through the wee hours of today, when I spent election eve in NYC’s Times Square, along with half a million other people.”

Washington, DC, USA Jon Rochetti presents Tickets to President Obama’s Inauguration posted at The DC Traveler, saying, “Some ideas of how to get tickets to (or at least attend) President-elect Obama’s Inauguration in Washington, DC in January 2009.”

Orlando, Florida, USA Matthew Paulson presents Eat & Drink Yourself Around the World Disney Style (at Walt Disney World’s Epcot theme park) posted at The Travel Advocate.

New York City, New York, USA GrrlScientist presents Manhattan in Autumn at the Anne Loftus Playground posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, “The Anne Loftus playground, which is located in the northeast corner of Fort Tryon Park in Inwood (Manhattan), was named in honor of Anne Loftus (1925-1989), who was a businesswoman and a neighborhood administrator. The park itself, which covers 67 acres, was named for Sir William Tryon, who was a Major General and the last British governor of colonial New York.”

Pebble Beach, California, USA Machione presents A Long Weekend That Turned Into A Week, Thanks To The McCain/Palin Ticket posted at Fear And Loathing – The Gonzo Papers, saying, “As beautiful as I thought Pebble Beach was before going there, it was overwhelming to see in person. I shot one photograph of the course from the clubhouse and then put the camera away.”

Destin, Florida, USA Amy @ The Q Family presents Little piece of paradise in Destin posted at The Q Family Adventure.

New York City, New York, USA Jennifer Miner presents Idea for Holiday Family Vacation in NYC – The Muppet Whatnot Workshop posted at Traveling Mamas.

Orlando, Florida, USA Brooke Morton presents Portofino Bay Hotel and Resort in Orlando, Florida posted at UpTake Lodging.

Madison, Wisconsin, USA Byteful Travel presents Madison Museum of Contemporary Art is Glass! posted at Byteful Blog, saying, “Whenever I visit a new city, I tend to do some research first and get an idea of what I want to see before I leave. A little bit of planning goes a long way, but sometimes you just stumble upon something by accident. Finding the Museum of Contemporary Art in Madison, WI was one of these happy accidents.”

Detroit, Michigan, USA Dominique King presents Midwest Guest: Monet to Dalí posted at Midwest Guest, saying, “Modern Masterworks collection from the Cleveland Museum of Art visits the Detroit Institute of Arts.”

Cities in Europe

Krakow, Poland Geoff presents Trapped 200 metres underground with only a Salty Pope for company posted at Itinerant Londoner, saying, “A post on the most disappointing World Heritage Site I’ve visited, in Krakow, Poland.”

Paris, France Jack Norell presents Parisian hidden gems posted at Eyeflare – Travel Articles and Tips, saying, “The real Paris is hidden away from the Champs d’Elysees, Eiffel Tower, and other such obvious locations. Here are some that me and my friends have found.”

Rome, Italy Caitlin presents Travel back in time with Google Earth posted at Roaming Tales, saying, “Take a trip back in time to ancient Rome.”

Helsinki, Finland GrrlScientist presents Hietaniemen Hautausmaa posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, “On my last day in Helsinki, my host and I walked through the northwestern portions of the city to visit several places, including Sibeliuksenpuisto (Sibelius Park) where the famous monument is located and Hietaniemen hautausmaa (Hietaniemi cemetery). This graveyard is the burial place for many famous Finns, including writers, artists, actors, and nearly all of its presidents.”

London, United Kingdom Kristainlondon presents My Top 10 London Restaurant Recommendations posted at londonelicious: a london restaurant blog, saying, “Well, after doing this blogging thing all over London for the last four years, I figured it was time to commit to my top 10 London restaurant recommendations. This list is subject to change as I review additional London restaurants, and you must remember that I am a “food for the people” kind of gal.”

Amsterdam, the Netherlands Mark presents Amsterdam: A City of More than Sex and Drugs? posted at Travel Wonders of the World.

Granada, Spain Christopher Cook presents Tickets To The Alhambra: how to get tickets and arrive at the Alhambra in Granada posted at noambit -Travel Europe, saying, “Headed to the beautiful city of Granada Spain? Well, if you’re like most people, you’re going to fill up on free Tapas with your beer purchase and tour the Alhambra. This article will provide you with all the ins and outs of getting tickets for the awe-inspiring palace, as well as let you know how to arrive at the hilltop fortress.”

London, United Kingdom HeatherOnHerTravels presents Step back in time at the Dennis Severs’ house in London posted at Heather on her travels, saying, “Heather visited a house in London where you can step back in time to the 18th century, catching the sights, sounds and smells of the imaginary family who once lived there.”

Berlin, Germany makingthishome presents How to Celebrate Autumn in (Berlin) Germany posted at Making This Home, saying, “Thanks for hosting this carnival. Here’s how we’re savoring autumn in Europe this year.”

Venice, Italy burgson maria presents Living in a museum posted at WORTH TO BE BLOGGED.

Cities in the Middle East and Africa

Dakar, Senegal Caitlin Fitzsimmons presents Photo Friday: Good and evil at Goree Island posted at Roaming Tales, saying, “Goree Island off the coast of Dakar has a sad history, but a happy present.”

Dubai City, United Arab Emirates Wendy presents Souk Madinat Jumeirah Dubai posted at Escape From New York, saying, “One of the perks of shopping at Souk Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai is the view from its outdoor terraces of the Burj Al Arab hotel.”

Cities in Asia

Manila, Philippines Toni presents Binondo Food Wokking posted at Wifely Steps, saying, “My friends and I explored Manila’s Chinatown (Binondo) with a wonderful tour guide. It’s called The Big Binondo Food Wok — aptly named because we ate, we walked, we ate, we walked. It’s a tour I highly recommend for foodies who also enjoy learning about a place’s culture and history.”

Kanyakumari, India AdmirableIndia.com presents Trip to Kanyakumari: Chapter 1: Vivekananda Rock Memorial, Kanyakumari and Thiruvalluvar Statue, Kanyakumari: Part 4 posted at AdmirableIndia.com.

Seoul, South Korea Tony Clements presents south korea’s having a bad day posted at t u e s d a y s, saying, “A two-month business trip, mostly in Japan, included a week in Seoul, South Korea (and why are those South Koreans so grumpy?!”)

That concludes this edition….whew!  This one is bigger than most because we had several weeks’ worth of entries.

Submit your blog post about any aspect of one single city to the next edition of the Carnival of Cities (hosted on December 10th on the Perceptive Travel blog) using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Thanks for visiting UpTake and touring the world with us!