World Tourism: Top 10 Most Visited Places in The World

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Friday, 3 June 2011

Times square photos

Times Square is the site of the annual New Year's Eve ball drop. On December 31, 1907, a ball signifying New Year's Day was first dropped at Times Square,and the Square has held the main New Year's celebration in New York City ever since. On that night, hundreds of thousands of people congregate to watch the Waterford Crystal ball being lowered on a pole atop the building, marking the start of the new year.

It replaced a lavish fireworks display from the top of the building that was held from 1904 to 1906, but stopped by city officials because of the danger of fire. Beginning in 1908, and for more than eighty years thereafter, Times Square sign maker Artkraft Strauss was responsible for the ball-lowering. During World War II, a minute of silence, followed by a recording of church bells pealing, replaced the ball drop because of wartime blackout restrictions. Today, Countdown Entertainment and One Times Square handle the New Year's Eve event in conjunction with the Times Square Alliance

A new energy-efficient LED ball, celebrating the centennial of the ball drop, debuted for the arrival of 2008. The 2008/2009-ball, which was dropped on New Year's Eve (Wednesday, December 31, 2008 for the arrival of 2009, is larger and has become a permanent installation as a year-round attraction, being used for celebrations such as Valentine's Day and Halloween. On average, about 1 million revelers crowd Times Square for the New Year's Eve celebrations.[24] However, for the millennium celebration on December 31, 1999, published reports stated approximately two million people overflowed Times Square, flowing from 6th Avenue to 8th Avenue and all the way back on Broadway and Seventh Avenues to 59th Street, making it the largest gathering in Times Square since August 1945 during celebrations marking the end of World War II

The Times Square neighborhood, notably its busiest intersection, has been featured countless times in literature, on television, in films, in music videos and recently in video games. An immediately recognizable setting, Times Square has been frequently attacked and destroyed in a number of movies, including Knowing, when a solar flare destroys New York City, Deep Impact, when a tsunami created from a meteor impact destroys New York City, Stephen King's.

The Stand, where the intersection is overcome by total anarchy, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Films have also employed the opposite tactic, depicting the typically bustling area as eerily still, such as in Vanilla Sky, as well as the post-apocalyptic I Am Legend, in which Will Smith and his dog go hunting for deer in the deserted urban canyon.

Times square beautifull photos and history

Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets.

The extended Times Square area, also called the Theatre District, consists of the blocks between Sixth and Eighth Avenues from east to west, and West 40th and West 53rd Streets from south to north, making up the western part of the commercial area of Midtown Manhattan.

Before and after the American Revolution, the area belonged to John Morin Scott, a general of the New York militia where he served under George Washington. Scott's manor house was at what is now 43rd Street, surrounded by countryside used for farming and breeding horses. In the first half of the 19th century it became one of the prized possessions of John Jacob Astor, who made a second fortune selling off lots to hotels and other real estate concerns as the city rapidly spread uptown.[3]

In 1904, New York Times publisher Adolph S. Ochs moved the newspaper's operations to a new skyscraper on 42nd Street at Longacre Square. Ochs persuaded Mayor George B. McClellan, Jr. to construct a subway station there, and the area was renamed "Times Square" on April 8, 1904. Just three weeks later, the first electrified advertisement appeared on the side of a bank at the corner of 46th Street and Broadway.[4]

The theaters of Broadway and the huge number of animated neon and LED signs have long made them one of New York's iconic images, and a symbol of the intensely urban aspects of Manhattan. Times Square is the only neighborhood with zoning ordinances requiring building owners to display illuminated signs.[10] The density of illuminated signs in Times Square now rivals that of Las Vegas

On February 26, 2009, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that traffic lanes along Broadway from 42nd Street to 47th Street would be de-mapped starting Memorial Day 2009 and transformed into pedestrian plazas until at least the end of the year as a trial. The same was done from 33rd to 35th Street. The goal is to ease traffic congestion throughout the Midtown grid. The results will be closely monitored to determine if the project works and should be extended."[15] Bloomberg also stated " he believes the street shutdown will make New York more livable by reducing pollution, cutting down on pedestrian accidents and helping traffic flow more smoothly."[16]

The original seats put out for pedestrians were inexpensive multicolored plastic lawn chairs, a source of amusement to many New Yorkers. They lasted from the onset of the plaza transformation until August 14, 2009, when they were ceremoniously bundled together in an installation christened "Now You See It, Now You Don't" by the artist Jason Peters.[17] They were shortly replaced by sturdier metal furniture, and on February 11, 2010, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the pedestrian plazas would remain permanent

On May 1, 2010, Times Square was evacuated from 43rd to 46th Street following the discovery of a car bomb. A dark-colored Nissan Pathfinder with smoke coming out from it was parked at 45th and Seventh Avenue. Bomb squads were shown, but Homeland Security did not consider it a terrorist threat. A flash was seen coming from the car, and between 6 and 6:30pm, a small explosion went off. It was found to have explosive materials including three propane tanks, consumer grade fireworks, and containers full of gasoline, burnt wires, two clocks with batteries, and other materials.

Bomb squads extinguished a small fire. No one was killed or injured in the incident. It was found to be a failed bombing.Several days later, on May 7, streets in the area were closed briefly while police examined an abandoned cooler found near the Marriott Marquis Hotel.

National Mall and Memorial Parks

Introduction

Officially established in 1965, National Mall and Memorial Parks actually protects some of the older parkland in the National Park System. Areas within this premier park provide visitors with ample opportunities to commemorate presidential legacies; honor the courage and sacrifice of war veterans; and celebrate the United States commitment to freedom and equality.

National Mall Plan

The National Mall Plan - Planning for the future of Our American Symbol; Our Front Yard and Our Democratic Stage.

After four years and more than 30,000 comments the National Mall Plan Record of Decision (ROD) was signed at a Thomas Jefferson Memorial ceremony. The plan defines a vision to protect and refurbish the National Mall so that high levels of use can be sustained and the needs of visitors can be met.

The Trust for the National Mall,The official fund raising partner of the National Park Service for the National Mall - dedicated to improving the National Mall for the American people and our many visitors from abroad.

Icons

National Mall and Memorial Parks includes the following Icons:

•National Mall
•Washington Monument
•Thomas Jefferson Memorial
•Lincoln Memorial
•Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
•World War II Memorial
•Korean War Veterans Memorial
•Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Climate

Washington has a temperate climate typical of the Mid-Atlantic U.S., with four distinct seasons. Summer tends to be very hot and humid. Spring and fall are mild. Winter can bring cold temperatures, frozen precipitation and, on occasions, major snowstorms.

Walt Disney World Resort

Walt Disney World Resort (also known as Walt Disney World, and colloquially as Disney World), is the world's largest and most-visited recreational resort. Located approximately 21 miles (34 km) southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of 30,080-acre (47.00 sq mi; 121.7 km2) and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels (excluding eight that are on-site, but not owned by the Walt Disney Company), including a campground, two health spas and physical fitness centers, and other recreational venues and entertainment.

It opened on October 1, 1971 with only the Magic Kingdom theme park and has since added Epcot (October 1, 1982), Disney's Hollywood Studios (May 1, 1989) and Disney's Animal Kingdom (April 22, 1998).

To avoid a burst of land speculation, Disney used various dummy corporations to acquire 27,443 acres (11,106 ha) of land.[2] Some of these names are memorialized on a window above Main Street, U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom

Despite marketing claims and popular misconceptions, the Florida resort is not located within Orlando city limits and is actually located about 21 miles (34 km) southwest of Orlando within southwestern Orange County, with the remainder in adjacent Osceola County. The property include the cities of Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake which are governed by the Reedy Creek Improvement District.

The 25,000 acres (101 km2; 39 sq mi)[4] site is accessible from Central Florida's Interstate 4 via Exits 62B (World Drive), 64B (US 192 West), 65B (Osceola Parkway West), 67B (SR 536 West), and 68 (SR 535 North), and Exit 8 on State Road 429 (Florida), the Western Expressway. At its peak, the resort occupied approximately 30,000 acres (120 km2) or 47 square miles (120 km²), about the size of San Francisco, or twice the size of Manhattan. Portions of the property since have been sold or de-annexed, including land now occupied by the Disney-built community of Celebration

During the resort's early planning stages, Walt Disney referred to the project as Project X, The Florida Project, Disney World, and The Disney World. Early visual references used the same medieval font as Disneyland. Walt Disney was very involved in the site selection and project planning in the years before his death. The secretive names were chosen because of the high confidentiality of the project during the initial planning. After Walt Disney's death, Roy O. Disney added the name Walt to Disney World as a permanent tribute to his brother.

The resort's original logo had an oversized "D" with a Mickey Mouse-shaped globe containing latitude and longitude lines, with the property's name presented in a modern, sans-serif font. Walt Disney World Resort retired its original font and symbol during its 25th anniversary celebration in 1996–97. The old "D" symbol still can be found in many places, however, including the SpectroMagic title float, the front car of each monorail, manhole covers, select merchandise items and flags flown at several sites across the property.

As part of a competition run by Disney for 2010, Walt Disney World Resort has an unofficial twinning (sister city) with Swindon, England, since 2009

Trafalgar Square in London

Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of contemporary art. The square is also used for political demonstrations and community gatherings, such as the celebration of New Year's Eve.

The name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), a British naval victory of the Napoleonic Wars. The original name was to have been "King William the Fourth's Square", but George Ledwell Taylor suggested the name "Trafalgar Square".[1]

In the 1820s the Prince Regent engaged the architect John Nash to redevelop the area. Nash cleared the square as part of his Charing Cross Improvement Scheme. The present architecture of the square is due to Sir Charles Barry and was completed in 1845.

Type Square
Managed by Greater London Authority
Country England
Region London
UK Grid square TQ 299 804
Address City of Westminster, London
Postcode WC2

The northern area of the square had been the site of the King's Mews since the time of Edward I, while the southern end was the original Charing Cross, where the Strand from the City met Whitehall, coming north from Westminster. As the midpoint between these twin cities, Charing Cross is to this day considered the heart of London, from which all distances are measured.

In 1826 the Commissioners of H.M. Woods, Forests and Land Revenues instructed John Nash to drawe up plans for clearing a large area in front of the King's Mews. His plans left open the whole area of what is now Trafalgar Square, except for a block in the centre, which he reserved for a new building for the Royal Academy. The Charing Cross act was passed in 1826 and clearance of the ground started soon after. [3] After the initial clearance things moved slowly. A plan for the laying of the square was approved by the Treasury in 1837, but not put into effect. In April 1840, a new plan, by Charles Barry was accepted, and this time construction started within weeks

A major redevelopment of the square to plans by Foster and Partners was completed in 2003. The work involved closing the main eastbound road along the north side, diverting the traffic around the other three sides of the square, demolishing the central section of the northern retaining wall and inserting a wide set of steps leading up to a pedestrianised terrace in front of the National Gallery. The construction includes two lifts for disabled access, public toilets, and a small café.