The latest attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA is a tribute to the superhero franchise, Marvel Studios. Whether you’re a fan of the comic books, TV shows or Movies, Avenger’s Campus is the place to be.
Situated in Disney’s California Adventure, this new land brings the stories of the Marvel heroes to life. Train with the Dora Milaje, watch your favorite superhero, like Shang-Chi, battle villains or just take in the atmosphere of this former Stark campus.
Okoye from “Black Panther”, Captain America, Gamora from “The Guardians of The Galaxy” and Thor’s little brother, Loki, share the stage with the one and only Spiderman.
If you’re quick you may just catch Spiderman leaping high above the crowd.
A visit to Avenger’s Campus is ultimate adventure for anyone.
Graumann’s Chinese Theater has been a landmark on Hollywood Blvd. since 1927. Since then it has played a part in many motion picture premieres. In 1973 it became Mann’s Chinese Theater until Ted Mann divorced the wife, Rhonda Fleming. A year later he went bankrupt. It reverted to it’s original name until TCL, a Chinese electronics company purchased the naming rights 2013, renaming it the TCL Chinese Theater.
West Side Story, Mary Poppins and even Star Wars all premiered at the Chinese Theater over the years. Today it is still a hot property that Motion Picture Studios still try to book the theater for new movie premieres.
One of the most famous features of the theater is the celebrity handprints immortalized in cement. There are a number of stories about how they came to be, but the most widely retold, involves an actress, Norma Talmadge, accidentally stepped in wet cement.
Here you can see the handprints of John Wayne along with his fist. Whoopi Goldberg pushed a dreadlock into her cement and Mel Brooks wore a sixth finger on his right hand. Not all of the handprints are on display at any one time. With several hundred prints having been done, there are always some being repaired and just in storage.
Like many historic landmarks, The Chinese Theater is also haunted. In 1982, actor, Victor Killian was bludgeoned to death in his nearby apartment in 1982. He is purported to search the streets looking for his murderer. Employees have also reported strange noises and movement behind the theaters heavy curtain.
You can’t pay a visit to California without catching a glimpse of the Hollywood Sign. For the more adventurous among you, you can hike close to it via several trails. Be aware it could be a three hour undertaking. There are a number of stories about the sign and how it came to be. The publisher of the LA Times had the sign erected to advertise his upscale subdivision.
In 1923, the Hollywoodland Sign was erected on Mount Lee overlooking Lake Hollywood. Each letter is 30 feet wide and 43 feet tall. It was originally meant to last about a year and a half to advertise the new subdivision. It has been in place for over 80 years.
In the spirit of Halloween, the sign is said to be haunted by the ghost of an aspiring young actress. Peg Entwistle. On Sept. 18th 1932, a hiker found a woman’s shoe, jacket and purse under the sign. When she opened the purse, she discovered a suicide note signed P.E. Having climbed up a workman’s ladder, she threw her self off of the letter “H”.
Numerous hikers have reported seeing the figure of a beautiful blonde woman in 1930’s clothing. She is often seen on very foggy nights. Some say, they were overwhelmed by the aroma of Gardenias in the air. They were Peg’s favorite perfume.
Check out this website for more information about the Hollywood and how you can visit it.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame features over 2,700 stars and almost half of them are in the Motion Pictures category. Anyone can nominate someone for the honor, but the honoree (or their agent) must provide a letter of agreement to be considered. Each application also requires a sponsor to pay the $50,000 for the creation and upkeep of their star. The star is also obligated to appear at the star’s unveiling ceremony. Barbra Streisand was the only star that refused, however she did show up years later when hubby, James Brolin was honored.
Over the year’s four stars were stolen. Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas, Jimmy Stewart and Gene Autry all were the victims of star theft. Gene Autry had 4 other stars on the walk, so it wasn’t a big deal. Douglas and Stewart’s stars were recovered from the home of a construction worker who was hired to secure them.
Gregory Peck’s star on the corner of Hollywood and Gower, was stolen in broad daylight. Men wearing orange construction vests cut a perfect square around the star, loaded the 300lb slab onto a truck and never were heard from again. The star has never been recovered.
The Hollywood Property Owners Alliance is responsible for the upkeep but today many stars in poor condition. The pink terrazzo and brass stars are sometimes cared for by the celebrities fans. You would think that the 20 stars issued ever year at $50,000 each, there would be plenty of money to keep Aerosmith’s star in good condition.
You don’t even need to be a real person to get your star on The Walk Of Fame. Mickey and Minnie Mouse have their own stars, so do Godzilla, Alvin and The Chipmunks and Shrek. Animal actors including Rin Tin Tin and Lassie have been honored with stars.
For more information check out this official website.
As of 2021, there are 41 skyscrapers in New York City. Among those are Central Park Tower, the tallest residential building in the western hemisphere. If you’re in the market for a new apartment a small studio can cost $1,000,000. If you need some more space be prepared to pay as much as $95,000,000 for a 4 bedroom apartment.
In 2020, the tallest office tower in Manhattan opened. One Vanderbilt Place is the 4th tallest building in the city. This structure boasts a glass elevator that travels up the outside of the building and an amazing observation deck.
Out of all of the buildings in The Big Apple, The Chrysler Building is my favorite. It was constructed by the chairman of the Chrysler Corporation but funded the entire project himself so that his children could inherit it. It was the tallest building in the city for only 11 months, losing out to the Empire State Building. Among it’s ornaments are gargoyles, 1929 Chrysler radiator caps and American eagles.
New York City has one of the unique city skylines. Out of all of the places I’ve visited, I always consider The Big Apple to be one of my favorites. Giant skyscrapers densely populate the city and the best vantage point is from high up.
Famously, The Empire State Building stands proud and tall. There are 1,872 steps to the Observation Deck on the 102nd floor. But don’t worry, there’s a high speed elevator if you prefer to save your energy. From the Deck of the most photographed in the world, you can see six different states on a clear day.
The upper deck was originally designed as a mooring post for Airships and Dirigibles. The building was part of a mad rush to build the tallest building in the city. The nearby Chrysler Building was topped off by a spire making it 1048 feet tall. The Empire State Building beats that at 1250 feet. It was the tallest building in the world until 1970 when the World Trade Center was completed.
If you want a great shot of the NYC skyline that features the Empire State Building, you have to venture to one of the other observations decks around Manhattan. I can recommend The Edge in Hudson Yards or Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center. Both will give you breathtaking views of this magical city.
The building is often lit in a myriad of different colors throughout the year. On the night I visited, the tower was bathed in red light to celebrate New York Comic Con. You can even see a schedule of when the tower is lit at this link.
Spanning the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Bridge is an architectural marvel of 19th century engineering. Opened in 1883, it is about 6000 feet long and sits 127 feet above the river. The pedestrian walkway is 18 feet above the traffic lanes.
The suspension bridge was the first of it’s kind to use steel for the cable wire. The bridge is open to cars, bikes and pedestrians. Although it only spans the river of about 1500 feet, being more than a mile long and often take an hour or so to traverse mighty East River.
Just before it was scheduled to open, someone started a rumor that the bridge was going to collapse. To put the rumors to rest (and to promote his circus)The Greatest Showman, PT Barnum led a parade of 21 elephants, including his star attraction Jumbo, across the Brooklyn Bridge.
The New York Times reported on the spectacle. “At 9:30 o’clock 21 elephants, 7 camels, and 10 dromedaries issued from the ferry at the foot of Courtlandt-Street… The other elephants shuffled along, raising their trunks and snorting as every train went by. Old Jumbo brought up the rear.” It went on to observe that “To people who looked up from the river at the big arch of electric lights it seemed as if Noah’s Ark were emptying itself over on Long Island.”
Did you know that there were hidden wine cellars in the bridges towers. New York City rented out the space in order to fund it’s construction. They were eventually closed in the 1930’s, but in 1978, a faded inscription was found.
“Who loveth not wine, women and song, he remaineth a fool his whole life long.”
When visiting Times Square, it’s very important to keep your eyes open and be aware of your surroundings. With 350,000 pedestrians visiting every day, the streets get very crowded and attract a lot of individuals looking to make a quick buck.
Unofficial costumed characters can be aggressive, pulling tourists to take pictures with them and expect a tip. These are not the same characters you might see at Disney World, so beware. Everyone from Elsa to Mickey and Minnie Mouse share the area with Bumblebee from transformers and The Incredible Hulk.
Other street performers try to get your attention even for a few moments in their quest to separate you from your money. Break Dancers, Musicians, Singers, Artists and Musicians can be found at all hours of the night.
Buddhist monks, evangelical preachers and others add to the overall chaos and mayhem that is Times Square.
Travels With Ackbar 