Western States of America |
| ©1996
by Jonathan Edelstein Created by Eric Palo ©1996 |
| Tourists from Deseret are warned that there
is consider- able prejudice against Mormons in Houston, and the
practice of polygamy is especially disapproved of. It may thus
be difficult or impossible to obtain a hotel room when traveling
with several wives. (From the Travel Guide to the WSA) |
Neu Nederland |
| ©1996 by Jonathan Edelstein |
| Visitors are warned to stay away from the Patroons
Club, as it is occupied primarily by teenagers from Connecticut
and New Jersey taking advantage of legalized prostitution and
narcotics across the border. (From the Travel Guide to New Amsterdam) |
| Hey its only pot, but those Grow shops
in New Amsterdam produce some good stuff,almost as good the shops in Curacao. But if your coming from Quebec don't forget to stop in the shops around the roads going through lands of the Iroquois league for some beautiful Jewelry,but watch out for those Iroquois women at the tourist shops,they are sly at conning you out of money, by telling you how much your (girlfriend,boyfriend,etc) will love that more expensive piece. Another piece of advice,if you are looking for a trick,think twice before looking at an Iroquois. There is a custom Indian men dressing as women. This is not unusual for this culture,since cross gender themes are common in indian culture but thanks to 20th century technology some legends can take their custom one step further with hormones and implants,there are reports from the last couple years of naive tourists going through there...getting suckered and then getting robbed. (heard from a Source in the Iroquois travel bureau) ©1996 By Steve Voss |
Reconstruction Period Earth |
| ©1996 by Jonathan Edelstein |
|
... In front of the State House in Raleigh stands the Freedmen's Monument, depicting a Black farmer receiving the deed to the land he once worked as a slave. Erected in 1879 at the height of the Reconstruction period, the Monument still bears the scars of the infamous Railroad Riots of 1897. The Railroad Riots were instigated by members of the Redeemer Party, a white supremacist organization which had won 31 seats in the General Assembly elections of 1895. Although the primary catalyst for the riots was the Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson that segregated railraod cars were illegal under the Civil Rights Act of 1871, much of their ferocity was due to residual anger at the increasing prosperity and influence of Raleigh's Black community. This was evidenced by the sack of the State House and the downtown business district by rioters on June 19, 1897. Widespread public revulsion at the excesses of the riots - in which several Redeemer leaders, including two members of the General Assembly, were implicated in the rape and murder of Black women and the massacre of children at the Baptist Negro Children's Home - led to the Redeemers' crushing defeat at the polls in November 1897. In that election, the Republicans regained their firm majority in the General Assembly and Raleigh's first Black mayor, James T. Ford, was elected on a reconciliation platform. Ford, who later served as Governor (1905-1913) and Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court (1916-1922), is widely credited with keeping the city calm when racial tensions again came to the surface after the accidental shooting of a Black teenager by a White municipal policeman. It was also Ford who suggested that the Freedmen's Monument not be repaired, in order that the atrocities of the Railroad Riots should not be forgotten. As a symbol of the turbulence of the Reconstruction period and the struggle for civil rights, the Monument has figured prominently in African-American prose and poetry. Among the most moving examples of this is Countee Cullen's poem, titled simply "Freedmen's Monument," written two years after he arrived in North Carolina to become one of the leading figures of the "Raleigh Renaissance." (This poem may be found in Cullen's 1929 anthology, "The Birth of a Nation.") The Monument was also cited in Chief Justice Charles Hamilton Houston's 1937 decision in Sparks v. Landon, upholding the Civil Rights Act of 1936. For more than 20 years, the Freedmen's Monument has been the site of an annual reading of contemporary African-American poetry. In recent years, a prominent figure in these readings has been Governor Maya Angelou, the first Governor of North Carolina ever to have previously served as Poet Laureate of the state. (From the 1996 Michelin Guide to Raleigh) |
Saturnalia Night Live |
| ©1996 by Jonathan Edelstein |
|
You've celebrated Saturnalia in your home town, and you may even have celebrated it at Rome, but you haven't seen Saturnalia until you've seen it in New Orleans. In this charming city - originally a colonia established by Gallic settlers, but with a population that has been enriched by Iberian, Britannic and African immigration - a well-developed sense of play has refined Saturnalia to a fine art. Saturnalia in New Orleans is the standard by which all Saturnaliae are judged. Preparations for Saturnalia begin months before the holiday every year. In the week before the celebration begins, millions of visitors from throughout the civilized world descend on New Orleans to take part in the greatest Saturnalia of them all. The celebration begins just before dawn, when the chieftain of the Aquilae - New Orleans' oldest secret society - takes to the streets with his twelve lictors. As the sun rises over the city, the chieftain selects a spectator at random to be King of Fools. Anyone - nobilis, capite censi, or even a slave - may be chosen ruler of the city for a day. If you, the tourist, are touched by the fasces of the Aquila lictors, you will be carried to the imperial palace where you will be feasted, entertained in royal style, waited upon by the Emperor himself, and given complete control of the city for the duration of the festival. Even if you are not chosen, however, there is still plenty of fun in store for you during Saturnalia. With the city turned topsy-turvy, citizens and slaves parade through town in outrageous costumes, and the streets are filled with the music for which New Orleans is famous. All sumptuary laws and morals legislation are rescinded for the duration of the holiday; during Saturnalia in New Orleans, anything goes and the more outrageous the better. Bring your kids, bring your slaves; Saturnalia in New Orleans is an unforgettable experience for the whole family! (From Fodorius' Guide to Terra Nova, AUC 2749) |
Commune of America |
| ©1996 by Jonathan Edelstein |
|
... Often neglected by contemporary tourists, the ruins of the Peace and Freedom Monument provide a fascinating glimpse into a turbulent time in pre-Confederation American history. The Peace and Freedom Monument was commissioned by the short-lived Commune of America, which took power after the Chicago riots and the General Strike of July 1968 (which was modeled after the successful French general strike which had toppled the Fifth Republic the month before). The Monument contains the symbols of the various radical and liberal groups which participated in the strike and the subsequent Commune Government. Among the surviving symbols are those of the Black Panther Party, the Young Lords, Students for a Democratic Society, the National Organization of Women, and the War Resisters League; the last of these is credited with fomenting sufficient dissension within the ranks of conscripted soldiers to thwart the military's attempt to suppress the General Strike. Also noteworthy is the half-finished emblem of the NAACP, which was expelled from the Communal Council and outlawed for "insufficient revolutionary commitment" midway through the completion of the Monument. In this, the NAACP shared the fate of many other liberal organizations during the increasingly radical phase of the Commune Government in 1969. The Monument was destroyed shortly before its scheduled completion in the riots which followed the May 19, 1970 massacre of conservative protesters outside the courthouse where former President Nixon was being tried for crimes against humanity. The brutal suppression of the riots by a Black Panther-led security force drastically weakened the Commune Government by causing the defection of many members who opposed violent suppression of dissent. After further convulsions, including the July Purges of 1970, the Commune fell, due in large part to the surfacing of a long-festering quarrel between President Eldridge Cleaver and Self-Defense Minister Huey Newton. The Emergency Council, headed by Chairwoman Angela Davis, which took power following the fall of the Commune, briefly debated restoring the Peace and Freedom Monument. Rehabilitation of the Monument, however, soon gave way to more pressing concerns, and was abandoned entirely when the Emergency Council collapsed in October 1971. The Constitutional Convention of 1972 and the establishment of the libertarian Confederation of North American Nations ended the period when Washington was a center of government. The ruins of the Peace and Freedom Monument, however, still stand in Washington as an ironic reminder of a time when America had very little of either peace or freedom. (From the Dollarwise Guide to the Nation of Maryland, 1995 ed.) |
Castro's In NYC |
| ©1996 by Marty Busse |
Visitors to New York City chould be sure to visit the colorful
sites that make
it such a great city. In addition to the usual spots, two new
entries stand out.
Castro's is a sports bar run by the former Senators and Yankees
great, now retired.
It is famous for it's rum drinks and Castro's encouragement of
indoor smoking,
especially of the Cuban cigars he providesfree to customers with
each meal.
(1 cigar per customer per meal.)
Also be sure to visit the Leningrad, as restuarant run by the
family of former
Bolshevik and former B-Movie actor Leon Trotsky. Trotsky, famous
mainly
for his portrayal of a mad scientist in the movie "Forbidden
Planet," made a
fortune in stocks, which he left mainly to his family and the
CPUSA. Borscht
is a particular speciality, and the "Party Purge" drink
is guranteed to put you on
ice for a while.
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Stalin's in Chicago |
| ©1996 By Marty Busse |
|
This rather tacky tourist trap showcases life in Chicago during the mayoral term of Joseph Stalin. (1930-1953.) Many of the famed events from Stalin's mayoralty are shown here, as well as reconstructions of what might have happened. The Cermak murder is recreated in especially nasty detail, with Stalin's henchman Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti portrayed as the killer, instead of the Democratic Party underlings Stalin showed as guilty. There is also a fascinating, though still tacky, audioanimatonic exhibit on Mayor Stalin's life. Everything is there: his upbringing in Gori, Georgia, his years as a revolutionary, the Revolution, Lenin's murder at the hands of Fanny Kaplan, the subsequent political struggle, which led to the SRs and Bolsheviks forming a coalition government, Stalin's exile (along with other Bolsheviks, most famously his rival who became an actor, Leon Trotsky), and Stalin's subsequent creation of the Midwestern Labor Party during the 1930s, and his rise to Mayor. Some of the famous moments of Stalin's mayoralty are also shown: the big construction projects, of course, as well as Stalin's refusal of permission to hold the Democratic Naitonal Convention in his city. WWII has a high place here: Stalin's appointment as economic supervisor for the greater Chicago region, and his successes (and failures) there are shown. The picture of Stalin and Hitler (during Hitler's 1938 visit to Chicago to drum up support for the idea of collective security against the Bolshevik menace) is still striking: it's almost as if the two men were destined to come together in a political alliance. Of course, what really draws the attention of this museum are the "atrocities" of Mayor Stalin's term in office. He is completely blamed for the Cermak murder, although, as everyone knows. there is no real evidence connecting him to this tragedy. The purges of Chicago's gangster population that the police conducted during the late '30s are represented as excessive and misdirected: according to the exhibit, Stalin really put most of the former Capone mob to work for him. The owners of this smear factory even claim that the Capone trial was fixed-that it was a "show trial," and that prosecutor Ness was allowed to bring in all sorts of illegal evidence. Even if this is true, who cares? Everyone knows Capone was a crook, and he got what he deserved. The wreckers who own this joint are especially fond of Daley's "secret speech" denouncing Stalin's "excesses" as mayor. This two faced Judas is shown, believe it or not, in a positive light. None of his failures (such as the 1968 convention, or the 1979 blizzard) are shown here. Daley's death of heart attack in 1980 is represented as murder, and the drive by shootins in which his sons died are, according to this place's version of history, part of some plot by Stalin's former henchmen. After seeing this exhibit, it is obvious to me that Stalin's Chicago deserves to be torn down. And, if it was in Chicago, I have no doubt it would be. Mayor Vrdolyak would not allow such a smear on the reputation of a great man to be displayed. However, it is in Gary, Indiana, at least until the Gary authorities show some sense and close it down. Mayor Stalin left Gary alone during his incorporation drive of the 1950s, when many Chicago suburbs were annexed into the city: this was one of his few mistakes, and it isn't shown in this museum of wrecking. Perhaps Mayor Vrdolyak should correct this oversight. From an editorial/restaurant review in the Chicago Truth, the official newspaper of the city of Chicago. |
Republic of Columbia |
| ©1996 By John H. Reiher Jr. |
Visitors capital of the Republic of Columbia, will marvel at
the monuments raised
for the heroes of the Revolution. Seated in the most exalted place
of honor is
Thomas Jefferson, the architect of the Constitution of the Republic,
and the First
President of the Republic. He lead the nation in peace, healing
the wounds between
the Republic and New England Commonwealth, and helping Neu Nederlands
gain
independence. Visitors are warned not to speak to highly of the
traitor to the Revolution,
George Washington, lest they be strung up by an angry mob.
(From the travel guide "Places to Visit on the North
Columbian Continent")
Colonial America |
| ©1996 Alan Lothian |
" ...the most remarkable collection of paintings to be
found
not only in Albany but all of North America . Unfortunately, from
March, 2076 until the end of the Tercentennial Year, the
ancestral home of the Dukes of New York will be closed to the
public. The Washington Wing is to be the official residence of
the King-Emperor throughout the festivities, as the Royal
Standard flying at the masthead will testify. His Majesty has
expressed his regret at this inconvenience to his subjects and
their foreign guests, but hopes to compensate by inviting the
the best of society throughout the Twenty-Four Dominions to one
of the many garden parties arranged in the magnificent parkland
laid out by the first Duke, Benedict Arnold, back in 1796."
From "Tercentennial Albany", available on the
Difference
Network, hrh://royal.america.gov/celebration/wlcm.tml.
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Commonwealth of Oregon |
| ©1996 Gavin Weaire |
"When in London, North American visitors may wish to see
the new Oregon
Monument in Cromwell Square. The Lord Protector, Abraham Jehosaphat
Pilger, erected it last year to congratulate the Commonwealth
of Oregon
on its grant of self-governance. God-fearing visitors need not
worry
that the Monument will offend their sense of piety. It is plain
and
unadorned, and in all ways consonant with true and austere Christian
sentiments."
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Camp Angeles |
| ©1996 by David Johnson |
|
Camp Angeles is a small tourist town of about fifteen-hundred permanent residents, hidden deep in the Sierra Madre backcountry, on what use to be called "Horse Flats." Most of the people their live along the trolley line that's both their link to the outside world, and financial support for the town. The remaining one-hundred-fifty, two-hundred folk live within five miles of the rails, in buildings that range from the overblown, mansion-sized "hunting cabins" of those with lots of money, but little taste, to lean-tos, banged together out of deadwood and old tin-cans. The town got its start back in the early 1900's, when the city of Los Angeles staked out the land, intending to use it for a city campground. They set up some cabins, a big meeting hall/cafeteria, and carved out a handful of trails to the surrounding peaks, waterfalls, and other scenic spots. Then, they advertised it as "Los Angeles's Own Mountain Playground." For the first couple of years, the tourist trade remained light. At the time, the only ways into the area were to either take the main Arroyo Seco trail up from Silverstone, then the Diablo Canoñ Ridge trail for the rest of the trip, or shave about fifteen miles off your hike by taking the trolley to Camp San Gabriel, and the West Fork trail to the Diablo. Even the short route was twelve miles, and this scared off all but the most dedicated hikers. So Los Angeles asked the Silverstone & Jade (still the Silverstone & San Pedro at that time) if they'd build a rail-line from their Camp San Gabriel terminus to Camp Angeles. The S&J said yes if L.A. would pay for construction. Surprisingly, Los Angeles did. So the S&J carved their mountain railway another eleven miles of track, built a small, rustic station and hotel at Camp Angeles, and started running four trolleys a day there from downtown L.A. to go along with their six Silverstone to Camp San Gabriel trolleys. With a way to get there that didn't take eight hours of walking, Camp Angeles became very popular, both among the rich who tended to stay at S&J's Alpine Hotel (which was soon revamped and expanded) and those of more modest means who leaned towards staying at the cabins and campsites. Not surprisingly, within a few years some of those who visited were working out ways to stay on a more permanent basis. They'd build small stores (usually with a cabin attached), work as tour-guides, or maintenance personnel for the hotel and campgrounds, or just provide whatever services in general for the tourists they could. By 1920 at the height of the area's popularity there were close to three-thousand living there, servicing more than one-hundred-thousand visitors a year, and almost three-hundred of Southern California's richest were maintaining summer homes at the site. Construction began on a new shorter railline from Silverstone to the area up the Arroyo Seco. The town's fortunes declined after that. Thanks to the new S&J line to Jade, the big tourist draws of the Widney Sea began to draw off many of those who had stayed at Camp Angeles long-term, and newly created Verde Lake, to the south of L.A., picked up much of the day-trip trade. Then, the Angeles fire of 1924 burned down much of the town, including the S&J's trolley station and the Alpine. After the fire, S&J replaced the tiny station, but not the hotel. The "Arroyo Route" project was canceled, with only three kims of the line completed (to the current site of "Hiker's Station"). By 1925, both visitors and residents were down to a third of their peak numbers, and they were still dropping. Los Angeles officially abandoned the camp in 1928, and those still living there incorporated the area as the town of Camp Angeles in 1929.
The town's population hit its nadir of 538 people in 1933, the same year as the big San Pedro quake. The quake damaged many of the facilities at Verde Lake, and most of its visitors, now temporarily destination-less, chanced once more upon the resorts of the Sierra Madre's, and Camp Angeles got a second chance on life. Even after repairs had been made to the quake-damaged Verde Lake area, many of this new generation of vacationers continued to travel to Camp Angeles. In 1939, the town rebuilt the Alpine Hotel -- though it now catered to a less well-to-do crowd than before -- and many abandoned cabins from the "Golden Era" were spruced up and inhabited once more. As trade picked up, the S&J resumed a four trolley a day, eight on holiday weekends schedule (the town had been down to one round-trip trolley on weekdays, three on weekends). Since that time, visitor numbers have continued to grow, if slowly. By 1975, visitors passed the eighty-five-thousand mark for the first time since 1917, and the population of this quiet mountain resort stabilized at it's current level. Once seemingly destined to be yet another ghost town, Camp Angeles now looks here to stay. from Trails of the Sierra Madres, |
Hamilton, Capital of Canada |
| "Hamilton, formerly Chicago, acquired this name in 1893, after it replaced Ottawa as the federal capital of the Dominion of Canada. It is named after Colonel (later Lord) Henry Hamilton, whose defeat of Clark at Fort Sackville during the American Revolutionary War secured the Illinois Territory, and with it the route to westward expansion, for Britain, and thus for Canada. Hamilton's imperial magnificence makes it a worthy capital for the world's greatest superpower. Even the petty and jealous citizens of the troubled United States of America cannot help but agree!" |
Sights And Sounds Of New London |
|
©1997 by Sean Rodgers |
(taken from "New London on 10 pounds a Day" travel guide.)
Visitors to New London, situated on the St. Lawrence River, may be confused at first with the city's complicated layout. But its many monuments and tourist attractions are certainly easy to find. New London, founded in 1611 by British settlers, had its name selected from a number of proposals (including one laughable name, "Ottawa.") It was large enough to warrant the moving of the capital of the British Empire here in 1810, a decision made by King George III. It has over 11 million people- larger than Nieuw Amsterdam or Tenochtitlan.
First of all, every visitor to the city surely must visit the Royal Palace. This beautiful edifice recalls the old Westminster Abbey in England (before the Abbey was burned by Napoleon's troops in 1821). The Royal Guard, personal protectors of King Henry X, march in stately manner across the Grand Square before the palace. This mighty body of warriors have pledged their lives to the King. The greatest example of this loyalty was when they were massacred to a man in 1943 by rioters, during the March Rebellion, while protecting the present King's father, George VII.
The next place you should put on your itinerary is the Aztec War Monument. Erected in 1961, it commemorates the 15 million Canadian, Dutch, Aztec, and Russian soldiers who died in the Great War of 1944-59. It is an angel with wings outstretched above a group of soldiers, one from each nation that participated. If one wishes, they may make the short 1-hour bus trip to New Plymouth to view the laboratory where the first atomic bomb was created and then later dropped on St. Petersburg.
The city contains many sights, such as the Parliament Buildings, the Adolf Hitler Memorial Stadium (home of the world-famous New London Kings), and the King George VI Art Gallery, whose most famous piece is "The Eternal Struggle," by Russian/Canadian painter Josef Stalin. The piece is valued at 15 million pounds.
The city of New London, and indeed the entire nation of Canada, welcomes you and hopes that your stay here is enjoyable.