Archive for the ‘Tourism’ Category

By Emily Smith for CNN

(CNN) — With its winding canals and large public parks sitting alongside a busy port and bustling business district, Hamburg is a city that contradicts itself.

But by combining its industrial strength with a commitment to reduce its impact on the environment, Germany’s second-largest city is becoming a model for major metropolises around the world.

It’s already lowered its carbon emissions by 15% since 1990, thanks largely to its efficient public transit system, and it’s set a target of reducing its emissions by 40% by 2020 and 80% by 2050.

Hamburg’s eco-friendly credentials aren’t immediately obvious to those visiting the city located on the River Elbe. Read the rest of this entry »

By MARK BITTMAN

ABOUT 20 years ago a friend took me to Caffe Trieste in San Francisco’s North Beach for an espresso. It wasn’t easy to find a stand-up espresso in those pre-Starbucks days, but — more to the point — it helped me to recognize the strength and authenticity of that city’s not-especially-large Italian community.

Northern Italians, mostly from Liguria (specifically Genoa), were among the first European immigrants to arrive in San Francisco in significant numbers, right about the time of the Gold Rush. Perhaps because their arrival coincided with the region’s development, and because much of California is essentially “Mediterranean” in both climate and topography, their impact was profound. Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine yourself cold and shivering on a damp and thickly fogged-in morning. Heavy steel shackles squeeze your wrists and ankles, and the constricting metal seems to amplify the cold. Your movements are constrained, which makes it difficult to maintain your balance as you embark on the island ferry. You catch a brief glimpse of what will soon be your new home across the foggy bay…

Your new roommates are considered the most hardened criminals in the American penal system. Their resumes boast crimes ranging from kidnapping to espionage, bank robbery to murder. As you disembark with the firm assistance of a correctional officer, he smiles, looking up toward the cellhouse, and utters words that will never leave your memory: “Welcome home, welcome to Alcatraz.”

Each year over one million tourists board the Alcatraz ferry and visit what was once considered the toughest Federal prisons in America. Today, Alcatraz is one of the biggest tourist magnets and most famous landmarks of San Francisco. The island’s mystique, which was created primarily by books and motion pictures, continues to lure people from all over the world to see firsthand where America housed its most notorious criminals. Cramped cells, rigid discipline, and hard-line routine were the Alcatraz trademarks, and it was the last stop for the nation’s most incorrigible prisoners. Read the rest of this entry »