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Washington DC is the capital of the United States Of America and was founded in 1790. Originally, the city of Washington was a separate municipality located within the Territory of Columbia. This was changed in 1871 when an act of Congress merged the city and the Territory of Columbia into one entity called the District of Columbia. This is why the city is known as Washington DC and not merely the District of Columbia, which is its legal title. This city covers an area of sixty-eight square miles and has a population of over a half a million residents.

Washington DC is the location of all three branches of the federal government of the United States, the legislative, the executive and the judicial. This city also contains over one hundred and seventy-four embassies and is the home to the headquarters of many institutions including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Organization of American States and the Pan American Health Organization.

The city of Washington DC was formed out of the need of the federal government to have its own area of the country, separate from the states, to ensure its own security. In 1790, by order of the Residence Act, Washington DC was created.

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Washington is a planned city designed by Pierre Charles L’Enfant who was commissioned by George Washington in 1791. His original plan included a stately capital decorated with large Baroque buildings, vast public parks and historic monuments. Instead, the city become overrun with slums, randomly place buildings and other eyesores by the late eighteenth century. This would be rectified by the McMillan Plan, which was an architectural plan for the city that was enacted in 1901 and provided much needed improvements to the city. These included the construction of new monuments, the clearing out of slums, landscape work done on the Capitol grounds and a new park system. Today the city is noted for its low skyline and a combination of architectural styles that include Georgian, Gothic, Neo-classic and modern styles. As a result, the city is often a popular attraction for both domestic and international tourist.

One of the most recognizable monuments in Washington DC is the Lincoln Memorial. This monument commemorates the life and presidency of the sixteenth president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. After his assassination, Congress formed the Lincoln Monument Association. This association was to plan the design and location of the monument, though a site for it wasn’t chosen until 1901.

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It would take another years for President Taft to sign into law the Lincoln Memorial Bill which provided over two million dollars for the monuments construction. In 1914, construction started and was based on a design by architect Henry Bacon who modeled the monument in the style of a Greek temple. This monument has thirty-six Doric columns, each one representing one state in the Union at the time of his assassination. Since 12 new states had been added to the Union before it was completed, the names of these states were carved on the outside memorial’s walls. In 1922 the monument was finally completed. It stands ninety-nine feet high and has a sculpture of Abraham Lincoln seated in a chair and is nineteen feet high.

The Washington Monument is another readily recognizable symbol of the city. This obelisk shaped monument stands five hundred and fifty-five feet high and was completed in 1848. The monument opened to the public in October of 1888. Another famous monument, and one of the most photographed monuments in the world is the Jefferson Memorial. This monument was dedicated in 1943 and contains a nineteen foot high bronze statue of the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson.

Another key fixture of the city is the White House.

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This white painted building has been the official residence of every president except for George Washington. Construction of the building began in 1792 and John Adams moved into the residence in 1800. In 1814, British soldiers invaded the city and burned the White House down. All that was left were its outer walls, but the build was subsequently rebuilt.

Also located in Washington is Capitol Hill. This is the location where the legislative branches of the United States are housed. The Senate occupies its north wing and the House Of Representatives are in the south wing. This building is over seven hundred and fifty-one feet long and three hundred feet wide. The building has five floors and five hundred and forty rooms. Its prominent dome reaches a height of one hundred and eighty-eight feet. Washington DC is also home to the Library of Congress. This library was opened in 1897 and its design is modeled after the Paris Opera House. This library also features many classic Greek inspired designs and has over five hundred and forty miles of shelves containing over ninety million items.

Not far from the Library of Congress is the National Gallery of Art. The gallery was completed in 1941 and contains a large collection of pre-20th century European art, including Italian works, Dutch, Flemish, French and British collections.

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Artist represented here include Monet, Rubens, Raphael and Rembrandt. Another prominent gallery in the city is the National Portrait Gallery. This gallery is housed in the building that was originally supposed to house the United States Patent Office. This building was constructed in 1867 and is also shared by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The collection here includes over twenty thousand portraits done by American artist.

Washington DC is also home to a variety of other attractions including museums, war memorials and historic buildings. Museums located here include the National Air & Space Museum, National Museum of Natural History, National Museum of the American Indian, American Art Museum and National Building Museum (Pension Building). Famous war and military memorials include the Iwo Jima Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, World War II Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, US Navy Memorial and the Air Force Memorial. Historic buildings include the Old Post Office, Ford’s Theatre, Union Station, Lafayette Square and the Smithsonian Castle. Other notable attractions include The Pentagon, the National Cathedral, the National Zoological Park and the National Mall. This city is also home to famous neighborhoods such as Georgetown, as well as fine restaurants and hotels.

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Vancouver is a Canadian city that is situated in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. It covers an area of forty-four square miles and has a population that exceeds five hundred and seventy thousand residents. It is named after the British Captain George Vancouver who first explored the area in the late eighteenth century. Vancouver is the biggest urban area in Western Canada and is the third biggest in the country. The city has consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities in all the world for over ten years. It has also been home to many national and international events, including the 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication. In 2010, the Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held here.

The history of the city can be traced back to 1792, when Captain George Vancouver explored the harbor of Burrard Inlet and assigned British names to various key locations in the area. Captain George Vancouver did not ever set foot on the actual location however. The first explorers to actually land here were Simon Fraser and his crew, who worked for the North West Company.

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At the beginning of the nineteenth century, they traveled down the Fraser River to the area of where the University of British Columbia would eventually be located. In 1862, the first European settlers colonized the area and a sawmill was established a year later. Vancouver was then founded in April of 1886. That same year, the Great Vancouver Fire burned the city to the ground. It was promptly rebuilt however, and the Vancouver Fire Department was established. Through much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the city grew at a steady pace and developing a thriving logging industry.

Today, Vancouver is one of Canada’s biggest industrial centers. Its port does more than seventy-five billion Canadian dollars worth of trade with over one hundred and thirty different economies each and every year. The economic activities of the port generate over ten billion Canadian dollars in Gross Domestic Product and over twenty-two billion dollars in economic output. The city is also the headquarters for many logging and mining companies. Besides its industrial production, Vancouver has also become an important center for software development and the service sector. Due to the scenic beauty of the city, Vancouver has become a major destination for tourist. Visitors from all over the world come to the city to see its municipal gardens, parks and forest.

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Visitors also come to the city to see the breathtaking panoramic views of the mountains and to see the city’s many attractions.

A popular attraction in the city of Vancouver is Vancouver Aquarium. Vancouver Aquarium is a public aquarium that is situated in Stanley Park and is not only a major tourist attraction, but is also the center for marine animal research, rehabilitation and conservation. It was founded in June of 1956 after receiving grants from the government and logging baron H.R. MacMillan. It is the largest aquarium in Canada and the fifth largest in North America. The aquarium covers over one hundred thousand feet and has over two and a half million gallons of water spread out over one hundred and sixty-six displays. The main exhibit located here is the Pacific Canada Pavilion. The Pacific Canada Pavilion contains a two hundred and sixty thousand liter tank that lies adjacent to the entrance and contains invertebrates and fish from the Straight of Georgia. The Wild Coast is an exhibit that has several indoor pools. Inside these pools are dolphins, sea otters and porpoises that are on permanent display. Other types of animals are rotated in and out of the display. These animals include seals, sea lions and northern fur seals.

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Other exhibits included at the aquarium are the Arctic Canada Exhibit, Treasures of the British Columbia Coast, Tropic Zone, Frogs Forever Gallery, Amazon Rainforest and the Canaccord Exploration Gallery. The aquarium is home to thirty thousand invertebrates, three hundred species of fish, sixty mammals and fifty-six species of reptiles.

Another popular attraction is the The Vancouver Art Gallery. This art gallery is the fifth largest art gallery in Canada and is the biggest in Western Canada. It was founded in 1931 and contains over forty-one thousand square feet of exhibition space and contains over nine thousand works of art. In front of this gallery is the 2010 Olympic Countdown Clock, which is counting down the time to the winter games. Works of art located here includes ‘Spring in Provence’ by Roger Fry, ‘The Red Paper’ by Dana Claxton, ‘Autumn in the Laurentians’ by Henrietta May, ‘Colonnades of Commerce’ by John Vanderpant and ‘Bridge Over Lynn Canyon’ by Frederick Varley. The gallery is home to a cafe, a library and a gift shop. Science World at TELUS World of Science is another favorite among tourists to the city. This science center is situated at the end of False Creek and contains a large variety of interactive displays and exhibits.

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In 1982, this science center was opened to the public and attracted over half a million visitors its first year. It also contains a four hundred seat Omnimax theater that was built in 1988.

Other popular attractions in Vancouver include Grouse Mountain, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Vancouver Lookout, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Burnaby Village Museum and Carousel, Minter Gardens, Hell’s Gate Airtram, Lynn Canyon Park, Seawall Promenade, Granville Island, Whistler Mountaineer, Queen Elizabeth Park, Miraj Hammam Spa, University of British Columbia Botanical Garden, Granville Public Market, English Bay Beach, Cypress Mountain, Vancouver Trolley Company, Van Dusen Botanical Garden, Yaletown, Aquabus Ferries, University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology, Capilano Salmon Hatchery, Vancouver Police Historical Society and Centennial Museum, Wreck Beach and Barclay Heritage Square. The city is also home to a number of fine restaurants and hotels. Restaurants in the city include The Naam Restaurant, Vij’s Restaurant, Boathouse Restaurant, Tojo’s Restaurant, Lumiere Restaurant and West Restaurant. Popular Vancouver hotels include Century Plaza Hotel & Spa, Empire Landmark Hotel, Opus Hotel, Shangri-La Hotel, The Fairmont Hotel and the Granville Island Hotel.

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Sedona is a city that lies on the border between Yavapai and Coconino counties in Verde Valley area of Arizona. It covers an area of eighteen and a half square miles and has a population of almost twelve thousand residents. The educational needs of the city is serviced by the Sedona-Oak Creek Unified School District. Prominent schools in the area include Verde Valley School, Sedona Red Rock High School, Sedona Charter School, Sedona Center for Arts & Technology and the University of Sedona. Sedona is a city that is known for its red sandstone formations, which are known as the Red Rocks of Sedona. When the rising or setting sun shines its sunlight on these magnificent formations then they appear to glow with a bright orange glow. This makes a majestic backdrop for just about any endeavor including biking, hiking and camping.

What many people don’t realize about Sedona is that there are a number of famous residents who currently live, or who have lived there in the past.

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These include Deborah Walley, Lucille Ball, Ann Miller, Donald O’Connor, Israel Regardie, Mary Wills, Sean Young, Jack Fry, Lois Moran, James Gregory, Orson Welles, Max Ernst, Joe Beeler, Sharon Stone, Glenn Scarpelli, Robert Shields, Ted Danson, Gerard Maguire, United States Senator John McCain, Diane Ladd, Michelle Branch, Eric Byrnes, Al Pacino, Justin Frankel, Samaire Armstrong, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Russell and Stanley Jordan.

Sedona can trace its history back to 1876, when fifteen hundred members of the Yavapai-Apache Native American tribe were forced off their land and moved almost two hundred miles to San Carlos. During this forced march, several hundred members of the tribe lost their lives due to the climate and starvation. It was during this time, that Anglo settlers established apple and peach orchards in the area. In 1900, two hundred members of the Yavapai-Apache were allowed to return to the town and two years later a post office was established in the town. The population of the town grew slowly and by the mid-1950s, their were only about two hundred people in the area. During the 1960s, the town was finally fully connected to the electrical grid and began a period of development. All during the 1980s through the 1990s, the town evolved into the tourist destination that can be seen today.

Sedona is a city that is very fond of its celebrations.

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One of the more popularly known festivals that is held in the city is the Sedona Film Festival. This festival takes place over a period of five days and features more then a hundred and twenty five films which include full-length features, student films, foreign films, animations, shorts and documentaries. During this festival, the Festival Workshop is held to teach and inspire the next generation of film creators. This workshop was founded by Frank Warner and it brings in film industry professionals to the town of Sedona. Awards that are given out during the Sedona Film Festival include “Best Feature Film”, “Best Foreign Language Short Film”, “Audience Choice Awards”, “Best Animated Film”, ”Best Documentary Film” and ”The Discovery Film Award”. Other festivals and special events that are held in the town of Sedona include the Sedona Jazz on the Rocks Festival, The Sedona Miracle Annual Charity Fundraiser and the Sedona Marathon.

A popular attraction is Slide Rock State Park. This state park is located just seven miles outside of Sedona in Oak Creek Canyon. The park takes its name from a water slide that was formed by the bed of Oak Creek.

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All around the park are the brilliant red rock formations that are common to the area. Also in the park is a forty acre apple farm. This area was first worked by Frank Pendley in 1907 when he showed up to the canyon to take advantage of land being given to settlers under the Homestead Act. In 1914, Arizona placed a road through the canyon and Frank Pendley ended up building several tourist cabins during the 1930s. These cabins still survive to this day. In 1985, Arizona State Parks acquired the area and turned it into a park two years later. The park has several scenic hiking trails which include Clifftop Nature Trail, Pendley Homestead Trail and Slide Rock Route. In 2009, Slide Rock State Park received over a quarter of a million visitors making it one of the most popular tourist attractions in the state.

Another popular attraction in the town is the Chapel of the Holy Cross. This beautiful Catholic chapel is built right into the majestic mesas of the town. This chapel is located on the land of the Coconino National Forest and was designed by August K. Strotz. The chapel was built over a period of a year and a half and cost over three hundred thousand dollars. It was finished in 1956. The following year, it received an award from the American Institute of Architects.

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In 2007, residents of the state of Arizona declared the chapel to be one of the Seven Man Created Wonders of the State of Arizona.

Other attractions in the town include Cathedral Rock, Evening Sky Tours, Sacred Earth Tours, Northern Light Balloon Expeditions, Avant Garden, Stoneman Lake, Sedona Arts Center, Bell Rock, Boynton Canyon Trail, Red Rock State Park, Oak Creek Canyon, Red Rock Balloons, Sedona Heritage Museum, Devil’s Bridge Trail, Bear Cloud Gallery, Mii amo a destination spa at Enchantment, Oak Creek Brewery, Oakcreek Country Club, Sedona Golf Resort, Rainbow Trout Farm, Exposures International Gallery of Fine Art, Tlaquepaque, Sedona Off Road Center, Arizona Safari Jeep Tours, Sedona Dream Theater, Oak Creek Vista Overlook, Gifted Hands Gallery, Mountain Trails Galleries, Center for the New Age, Turquoise Tortoise Gallery, Imagine Art, Lanning Gallery, Sedona Summit Resort, Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa, Kings Ransom Hotel and the Best Western Arroyo Roble Hotel & Creekside Villas. The city is also home to several notable restaurants which include Sedona Airport Restaurant, Takashi Japanese Restaurant, Red Rock BBQ Company, Hideaway Restaurant and the Orchards Grill Restaurant.