#98: Cuzco (Page 840, 2nd Ed pg 1040)

May 2006: A trip of a lifetime -- Dave and I flew to Lima, Peru where we met up with my sister Maret and my brother Ryan and his wife Carrie. After spending our first night in Lima, we flew to Cuzco. Here we are overlooking the city.

We saw these cute little babies being toted all over the place wrapped in these colorful cloths attached to their mother's back.

Shopping in Cuzco

Another photography disclaimer -- Oh, to do this trip over with a nice SLR digital camera! Not only did we use a 35 milimeter, but after we developed the film, we realized it was old film and the pictures all looked grainy. What a travesty on a trip like this! Thankfully, my brother took some video and that turned out better!

The Baroque cathedral in the Plaza de Armas.

Verdict: Maybe. Here's the thing... Cuzco is the birthplace of the Incan Empire and was founded in the 12th Century. It's a VERY cool city! Even so, I wouldn't necessarily put it as a MUST SEE before you die.... except for the fact that it also happense to be at 11,000 feet above sea level. And therefore, would-be hikers of the famous Incan Trail to Machu Picchu are advised to stay in Cuzco for a few days to acclimatize to the elevation before beginning the hike. And hiking the Incan Trail to Machu Picchu is an ABSOLUTE MUST DO BEFORE YOU DIE. So, when (when, not if!) you go to hike the Incan Trail.... stay a few nights in Cuzco!

#97: The Southshore Beaches (Page 860; Listed as Bermuda in 2nd Ed, pg 1067)

September 2007: Welcome to Bermuda! We, along with Dave's parents and our 7 moth old baby girl, hopped on a 7-day cruise from Philadelphia to Bermuda.

One of our favorite things abour Bermuda was that, when visiting the beaches, with a little exploring, you came across all of these little hidden coves. This one has a few people in it, but none of them were crowded and most of them were completely empty. It was like having your own private beach!

Beautiful Bermuda...

Our first stop: Elbow Beach. We visite several beaches on this trip, went snorkeling and exploring through the towns as well.

Beautiful Hamilton.

Verdict: Yes, Of all the islands I've been to, this is absolutely one of my favorites. Uncrowded, pink sand beaches. Everything was clean and pristine. Towns were well cared for. Nobody was trying to sell you things as you tried to enjoy the beach. It was just a perfect, beautiful place to vacation.

#96: Galapagos Islands (Page 836, 2nd Ed pg 1032)

April, 2010: Here we are arriving in the Galapagos. Dave and I flew to the mainland of Ecuador, where we met up with my sister Maret and our family friend Dave (so we had two Daves on this trip!) After arriving on the island of Baltra from the mainland, we then took a ferry across to Santa Cruz.
Once in Santa Cruz, we checked into our hotel and then hopped on a boat to start checking out the islands and wildlife.

One of the most famous animals on the Galapagos is the blue-footed booby seen here.

Santa Cruz served as our home base, but we took boats out every day to check out the other islands. Here we are arriving on the island of Floreana. This day was the most fun of the entire trip!

As we explored the island, we came across this. Doesn't it look Easter-island-esque? We asked our guide and he said that they don't know the history of this in regards to how old it is, who made it etc. But it sure was fascinating in the middle of absolutely nowhere on this remote island.

And of course the main reason why many come to the Galapagos... the Turtles!

We also saw tropical penguins.

And we were able to visit the Charles Darwin Research Center, where the most famous (and oldest) turtle in the world resides. He is the last of his species, so once he dies, this particular species will be extinct. They have tried everything they can think of to get him to mate with similar species, but have thus far been unsuccessful.

Verdict: Yes, Yes, Yes. This place is so exotic that it just has be seen and experienced in person! We visited four of the 58 islands and it was just such a cool experience to feel so far removed from the rest of the world. In the same breath, I was surprised to see that Santa Cruz was a built up town. There were hotels, restaurants, shops, etc. However, visiting some of the other islands, you truly felt that "there are no other people as far as the eye can see" feeling and that was neat. I was pregnant with Baby #3 on this trip, so no scuba diving for me, but my sister and our friend Dave went and they said it was amazing!

#95: The Smithsonian and Beyond (Page 735)

May 2010: As stated in my previous post, because I have lived in the DC area for the past 6 years, I have been to the Smithsonian institutions many, many, many times. However, every time I have a friend come visit, I get excited to go back and see them again! My friend, Vicki, came out for a visit in May of 2010 and Visiting the American History Smithsonian was a definite highlight of our DC sight-seeing! The American History museum is one of my favorites. It houses the kitchen of Julia Child (shown here)

And Dorothy's red shoes from the Wizard of Oz. It also has the exhibit which shows all the inaugural gowns of the First Ladies and, of course, the original Star Spangled Banner. It's a fabulous museum!

Verdict: Yes. Admittedly, I haven't been to all of them (I used to think "The Smithsonian" was one place, when in fact there are 19 museums/galleries and 1 Zoo for a total of 20 Smithsonian institutions). My favorites are the Air and Space Museum, the American History and the Natural History Museum. I also like the Zoo because of the Panda bears, but I have to say, if you've been to some other fabulous zoos like San Diego or something similar, you will likely be disappointed. Having said that, most of these museums (including the zoo) are free, so you can't beat free!

#94: The National Mall and Its Monuments (Page 734; Listed as Washington D.C. in the 2nd Ed, pg 894)

Hundreds of times over the span of my life: I can't put a date here like I usually do because I started going to DC as a very young child to visit my Aunt and Uncle that lived in the area. We came out almost every year from the time I was four until I was in Junior High. Then I moved to the area for a year (1998-1999) and then moved back in 2005 and remain in this area now (2011), so I have been to DC many, many, many times. But I still love it. And I love showing it to my kids. Here I am with my 2-year old and baby in 2009 in front of the White House.

And this is in 2006, during the Cherry Blossom festival - a gorgeous time to walk around the Tidal Basin!

With my Dad

The Washington Monument in the background

The WWII Memorial, meaningful to me because, among other things, my grandfather faught in this War.

Verdict: ABSOLUTELY! And when you go inside the monuments, read the words of our founding fathers inscribed on the walls. Very moving.

#93: Pike Place Market (page 733, 2nd Ed pg 900)

July 2003: I have been to Pike Place Market twice (again in July 2005), but this was my first trip to Seattle to visit my friend, Vicki.

And a definite highlight was seeing the "flying fish" at Pike Place!

Pike Place Market is located on Elliott Bay and is, as 1000 Places states, "a Seattle institution since 1907, making it the oldest continuously operating farmer's market in the United States." There are hundreds of vendors covering approximately seven blocks.

Verdict: So here's the thing... is it something you HAVE to do before you die? No. But is it something you HAVE to do if you find yourself in the Seattle area? Yes!

#92: Colonial Williamsburg (Page 731, 2nd Ed pg 893)

December 10-11, 2005: Living just a few hours from Williamsburg, VA, we decided to take a weekend trip. We went at Christmastime. The downside of that was that it was cold, but the up-side of that was that it wasn't crowded and all the colonial homes were decked out for the holidays which was beautiful!
Colonial Williamsburg does a fabulous job of re-creating the period between 1750-1775 leading up to the Revolutionary War.

There are four historic dining taverns and we had a fabulous time eating at one of them. We were seated with several other people and they provided colonial table games for us to play as a group while we were waiting for our food. The servers were dressed in period-appropriate attire and it was a lot of fun!

Verdict: YES. Williamsburg is interesting and fun and has been meticulously restored, so you really get a sense of the time period. It's very family-oriented, but to really get something out of it and to be patient enough to really listen to what guides and such are telling you, I would recommend being at least 10-12 years old.

#91: Shenandoah Valley (Page 729, 2nd Ed pg 891)

September 2008: Despite the fact that we had a 20-month old (shown here) and a 3-month old, I got it in my head that I wanted to see Shenandoah Valley, so my husband, being the good sport that he is, went along with my crazy idea and off we went! After checking in to our lodge, located about half-way up the famous "Skyline Drive", we set off on a hike. Lucky for us, our lodge was located close to a "wheel-chair accessible trail" and that for us, meant (jogging) stroller accessible, so off we went. And here we are about to start our hike on Limberlost Trail.
I had relatively low expectations of this hike, being that it was stroller-accessible, but we weren't disappointed - we saw a bear! I was probably crazy to have my 3-month old baby this close to a bear, but we didn't bother him and he didn't bother us!

Another shot of the Bear. What a fun sighting! I love seeing animals in their natural habitat.

Here is a picture of our room and the view.

We are standing on the balcony of our room overlooking the beautiful Shenandoah Valley.

Verdict: Yes. The view along Skyline Drive, especially in the Fall is amazing! But don't just drive through, stay overnight! We loved the lodge; there was a playground, activities every evening and a fabulous restaraunt with delicious food and surrounded by windows boasting gorgeous scenery!

#90: Zion National Park (Page722; Listed as Zion and Bryce National Parks in 2nd Ed, pg 883)

Fall 1997: One of the best parts about going to college in Utah was the abundance of gorgeous scenery and National Parks within driving distance. A group of us (including my sister on the far left) went camping in Zion National Park one weekend.

Again... pre-digital camera, but can you get an idea of this unbelievable scenery? Gorgeous!

Zion National Park is a 229-square-mile covered in gorgeous sandstone cliffs. There are tons of hikes and each one is worth the effort.

Verdict: Yes! The scenery is something that has to be scene in person. There are many gorgeous photographs on postcards of this beautiful National Park... yet none of them do it justice once you see it in person!

#89: Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Page 722; Listed as Temple Square in the 2nd Ed, pg 883)

1995: This is my pamphlet I saved from when my roommate Kelli and I attended General Conference in the Tabernacle on Temple Square and heard the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

This picture was taken on a separate occassion. Because I lived in Provo for four years, I have been to Temple Square, home of the famous Tabernacle and Mormon Tabernacle Choir, more times than I can count. I'm so glad we were able to see the "Mo-Tab" in the original Tabernacle because now General Conference is held in the near-by Conference Center which is much, much larger than the origianl Tabernacle. But it is so fun to hear them in the original, acoustic Tabernacle.
Verdict: Yes. A visit to Temple Square is beautiful, interesting and entertaining (assuming you get a concert in while you're there!) no matter what religion you are!

Note: The 2nd Edition lists this "Temple Square" which is a much better listing.  Temple Square encompasses so much and is definitely a must-do when visiting the Salt Lake area.  So, I like that the 2nd edition doesn't isolate the entire Temple Square experience to just seeing the Choir.

#88: Park City and the Wasatch Range (page 721; Listed as Skiing the Wasatch Range in the 2nd Ed, pg 882)

Feb. 2002: I was lucky enough to be able to go to the SLC Winter Olympics in 2002 and even luckier that I had family and friends living in the area! My college roommate, Kelli (shown here with me) was staying in Park City during the Olympics because her parents owned a home there. Park City is known for skiing and boasts 3 ski resorts: Deer Valley, Park City Mountain and The Canyons. Deer Valley even has a ski-in/ski-out lodge (Stein Erikson Lodge).

Verdict: Yes. Park City and the environs (including Sundance, founded by Robert Redford) is absolutely worth seeing. Absolutely picturesque during all seasons. Fun to ski during the Winter, but a blast to bike-ride during the summer, hike during the Fall and drive and walk through in the Spring.

Note:  In the 2nd Edition, this is specifically listed as "Skiing the Wasatch Range."  At some point, I'll have to dig up skiing pics, which I hope I have somewhere.  I definitely skied the Wasatch as I went to college here (BYU) from 1994-1998! But of course, that was all pre-cell phone so most ski excursions went un-documented! And truthfully, I think the 2nd Edition has a more pertinent listing in terms of doing this before you die because skiing is ultimately what this area is known for. 

#87: Moab and Red Rock Country (Page 719, 2nd Ed pg 881)

I lived in Utah from 1994-1998 and I was fortuante to be able to visit Moab several times during those 4 years. But my first time was in the Spring of 1996. Here is a gorgeous shot of Delicate Arch, the most famous arch in Arches National Park.
Hiking with my friend Kelli

Another scenic view with my friend, Dave. Obviously, this is another posting of pre-digital photography! I've been camping twice in this area and even signed up to run a 1/2 marathon here (unfortuantely, I got injured and wasn't able to run, but I still spent the weekend there supporting my friends that were running).

Verdict: Absolutely. This is one of the most stunning National Parks. The whole area is breathtakinly beautiful. I would love to go back and do mountain biking, rafting or kayaking in this area.

#86: River Walk (Page 717, 2nd Ed pg 879)

October 25, 2003: I attended a conference with the American Dietetic Association (ADA) which was in San Antonio. I was excited about this because it was my first time to Texas. The River Walk, San Antonio's second most visited attraction (The Alamo being first) is a place with lots of shops and restaurants lined in a picturesque way along the San Antonio River that runs down the middle.

Verdict: Well, I didn't take any pictures while I was there (but did take several of The Alamo and am not quite sure how this made it into the book and not The Alamo!) and the only thing I wrote in my journal was "We also walked all around the River Walk and stopped for lunch." I remember enjoying it and thinking it was nice, but something you HAD to do before you die? No.

#85: Frank Lloyd Wright Tour (Page 627)

December 27, 2010: First of all, I have no idea why everything is underlined or how to turn it off. oh well! Anyway, this past week, we went to visit my family in Naperville, IL, which is just a 30 minute drive from Oak Park, the sight of Frank Lloyd Wright's first home and studio.

Here I am in front of the home at 951 Chicago Ave. We decided to take the "Frank Lloyd Wright Guided Interior Tour" which cost $15 per adult (kids age 3 and under are free, but I wouldn't recommend bringing small children here unless they are infants and attached to your body as you see I did. You are not permitted to touch anything inside the house, so having a toddler would be a nightmare!)

The tour is one hour in length. This home was built in 1889, when Wright was in his early 20's. He married and raised 6 children in this home and built a studio which is attached to the home.

Verdict: My husband and I both enjoyed the tour and learned a lot about FLW and architecture, but we both agreed that unless you are an architecture buff, this isn't something you have to do before you die.