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Liverpool is located in England and covers an area of forty-three square miles and has a population of over four hundred and thirty-four thousand residents. The city was incorporated by letters of patent from King John in 1207, but over the period of a hundred years, the city’s population only rose to about five hundred residents. The population of the city continued to grow at a slow, but steady pace until the seventeenth century. In 1699, the city was turned into a parish by Parliament and a trade port was established. As trade expanded, so did the population.

During the nineteenth century over forty percent of the worlds trade flowed through Liverpool, and as a result the city enjoyed a period of increased wealth. As infrastructure was improved and a rail network implemented the population of the city began to grow at a much faster rate. The Great Potato Famine of the 1840′s brought thousands of Irish immigrants to the city, and Liverpool’s population started to explode.

Today, Liverpool is a city that is attempting to recover from the loss of economic activity that came at the close of World War II.

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The economy of the city has switched from manufacturing to service related industries. Another important part of this city’s economy is tourism. Tourist activity has caused the city to invest heavily in the erection of hotels, restaurants and clubs. This city has also began a restoration of many of its prime tourist attractions.

One of the most famous attractions in the city is Pier Head. Pier Head is a riverside area that contains a fair number attractions located there and is listed as a Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City UNESCO World Heritage Site. The first building is the Royal Liver Building. This building was founded in 1911 and was home to the Royal Liver Assurance. It was one of the first buildings in the United Kingdom to be made of concrete and it stands over two hundred and seventy feet high. At the top of the building are a pair of clocks. The next building in this area is the Cunard Building. This building was built in 1917 and is an interesting mix between the Greek Revival and Italian Renaissance architectural styles. On the west side of the building is the Cunard War Memorial.

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This memorial was established to honor those who have died during the first and second world wars. It was built in the 1920s and features a large bronze statue set upon a column. The last building on Pier Head is the Port of Liverpool Building. This building was erected in 1907 and was the original home of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board. These three buildings on Pier Head are colloquially known as “the three graces”. Pier Head also contains a number of memorials which include The Titanic Memorial, the Alfred Lewis Jones memorial, the Merchant Navy war memorial and the previously mentioned Cunard War Memorial.

Another prominent attraction in Liverpool is the Liverpool Cathedral. Liverpool Cathedral was founded in 1904 and is located on St James’ Mount. This cathedral has an area of one hundred and four thousand feet and is constructed primarily of sandstone. Its bell tower rises three hundred and thirty feet and contains bells weighing a total of thirty one tons. This cathedral also contains the largest pipe organ in the United Kingdom. It contains over ten thousand pipes and has a Trompette militaire. The other cathedral in the city is the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.

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It was originally built in 1856 on St. Domingo Road in 1856. It remained there for over seventy years until it was moved to its current location at Brownlow Hill.

St. John’s Beacon is a tower that was erected in 1969 and opened by Queen Elizabeth II. It stand four hundred and fifty-two feet high. Originally this tower was erected to serve as St. John’s Market’s ventilation shaft, but was never used for that purpose. At the top of the tower was a restaurant, and on top of that an observation deck. In 1984, it was close due to it being in violation of fire regulations. In 2000, the tower reopened as a radio station. The observation deck was changed into a second floor and now houses offices. The tower was also brought up to fire code by the addition of a fire proof shaft enclosing the staircase. From the ground to the top there are five hundred and fifty-eight stairs. Due to the additional weight of the added floor this building is no longer able to rotate.

West Tower is a tower that was built in 2007 to be used for apartments, restaurants and offices. This is Liverpool’s tallest building. It rises over four hundred and twenty feet and contains forty floors.

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The bottom five floors contain the offices for the Beetham Organization and the rest of the building is dedicated to luxury apartments and penthouses. Other towers in Liverpool include the Beetham Tower and the Alexandra Tower.

St. George’s Hall was built in 1854 and houses a concert hall and law courts. The largest feature of this building is the concert hall which is rectangular in shape and is situated in the center of the building. North of the concert hall is the civic court. To the south of it are the crown courts and grand jury room. The basement contains jail cells. The concert hall measure one hundred and sixty nine feet by seventy-seven feet and is eighty two feet high. The walls of the concert hall have niches where various busts are located. These include E. Whitley by A. Bruce Joy, William Roscoe by Chantrey, Sir William Brown by Patrick MacDowell, Robert Peel by Matthew Noble, Rev Jonathan Brookes by B. E. Spence and Rev Hugh Boyd McNeile by George Gamon Adams.

Other prominent attractions in the city include New Hall Place, 1 Princes Dock, Metropolitan House, Aintree Racecourse and the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology.

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Munich is the third biggest city in Germany and is the capital of Bavaria. The city sits on a land area of one hundred and thirty-five miles and has a population of approximately one and a half million people in the city proper. If the surrounding areas of Augsburg, Ingolstadt, Rosenheim and Landshut are taken into consideration then the population stands at around five million residents. The name Munich comes from the German word Munchen, which in English means “monks”. This is because the city was founded by the Benedictine order of monks. It is also the reason that the colors of black and gold are the primary colors of the city, because these were the colors of the Holy Roman Empire. As of 2006, Munich’s motto was “Munchen mag Dich”, which translates into English as “Munich Loves You”. A slogan that is aptly fitting for the city.

Munich is a city that has paid a great deal of attention to the education of its residents. Its also a city that is considered to be at the forefront of scientific research as is evidenced by its long list of Nobel Prize winning laureates.

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The city also has an extensive collection of universities, many of which were founded in the nineteenth century. Some of the more prominent ones include Munich Intellectual Property Law Center, Universität der Bundeswehr München, Pionierschule und Fachschule des Heeres für Bautechnik, Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, Akademie der Bildenden Künste München, Hochschule für Philosophie München, International Max Planck Research School for Molecular and Cellular Life Sciences and Deutsche Journalistenschule.

Munich not only has the lowest unemployment rates of any city in Germany, but it also has one of the strongest economies in the country. This city is also one of the largest publishing cities in all of Europe, publish daily newspapers such as the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Munich is also home to many biotechnology, software and service industries, as well as being a major financial city with a large number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered there.

Another thing that Munich is well known for is its breweries.

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Breweries in the city include Augustiner Bräu, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu. The city also host over twenty beer gardens with the most famous being in Englischer Garten. Englischer Garten, also known as English Garden in English, is Munich’s largest park. This park was founded in the eighteenth century by Archduke Carl Theodor. In this park is Chinesischer Turm. This tower was built in the Asian pagoda style and was built in the late eighteenth century. It stands over seventy-five feet high and is Munich’s second largest beer garden. Other attractions in the park include Kleinhesseloher Lake and the Japanese Tea Room. In between these two locations is a large meadow where locals frequently sunbath in the nude.

The most famous landmark in Munich is the Frauenkirche. This church was founded in 1468 and is three hundred and fifty feet high and one hundred and thirty feet wide. The church is well known for its unique domes, which would inspire many future building projects in the city. Inside the church is the black marble grave of Prince Elector Kurfürst Maximilian I.

Another prominent attraction is Marienplatz or St.

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Mary’s Square. At the center of the square is a large tower topped with a statue of the Virgin Mary called Mariensäule. It was built in 1638 to celebrate the end of the Swedish Invasion. Also located in the square is the Neues Rathaus or New Town Square. This building is done in the Gothic style and was built in 1909. It stands two hundred and sixty feet high. This square also features the Carillon, the Fischbrunnen and the Old Town Hall or Altes Rathaus. No visit to Munich would be complete without a trip to Viktualienmarkt. This market area was established by Maximilian I in 1807. This market covers over five acres and is home to over one hundred and forty shops selling everything from fruits and nuts to venison and poultry. There are also stalls that sell flowers, exotic foods and botanicals.

While in Munich don’t forget to take a trip to Olympiapark. This Olympic park was built in preparation for the 1972 Olympic Games, but is still a frequently used location in the city. It contains the stadium, student dorms, an indoor pool, a residential district and an ice rink.

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After your visit here swing by the Residenz Palace. This palace was built in 1385 and served as the home of various Bavarian monarchs from the fourteenth to the beginning of the twentieth century. It has over one hundred and twenty rooms and is decorated in seventeenth century frescos. It is also filled with antique rugs, porcelain, furniture and art.

Another museum is Munich’s museum of technology and science called Deutsches Museum. This museum was built in 1925 and has ever since then featured many exhibits of famous technological masterpieces. This museum has exhibits that cover the gambit of disciplines from aerospace, astronomy, agriculture, computers and chemistry to marine navigation, mining and music. This museum offer tours to visitors in both German and English, and most of the exhibits placards are also written in German and English. Other prominent tourist attractions in Munich include Peterskirche, Ruhmeshalle, Nymphenburg Palace Müllersches Volksbad and Isar. There are also a great varieties of restaurants, cafes, street vendors and beer gardens in this beautiful and historic city.

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Located in northern Italy, Venice is a city that has a population of just over two hundred and seventy thousand people. Venice is a city with a very unique geography. The city itself stretches over one hundred and eighteen islands in the Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea. Venice is a city whose origins may seem lost in time, but a few experts agree that the city was founded by refugees from various ancient cities such as Concordia, Altino and Padua.

Venice is best known for its system of canals. The entire city is built on an archipelago system that is constructed of almost two hundred canals set in a shallow lagoon. Each of the islands in the system is connected by a series of almost four hundred bridges. In the older parts of the city travel is only possible by boat or by foot. In the newer parts of the city a causeway was added that allowed for automobile traffic. Though, even to this day most travel done by Venetians is done by either gondola or by water buses.

The Grand Canal is the main canal that splits the city of Venice in two.

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It is also one of the most popular attraction, mainly due to the fact that this is the part of the city that always appears in television shows and movies. One of the most popular activities on the Grand Canal is to take a nice leisurely ride the waterway in a gondola. This offers the best view of the city and visitors can see sights such as the Ca da Mosto and Ca d’Ora very well this way.

Piazza San Marco, or St.Mark’s Square as its commonly called, is the center of the city of Venice. This square is a popular gathering spot for locales and tourist alike. All along its borders are various cafes and shops. This square was also where the first Venetian churches were built, the Palazzo Ducale and the Basilica di San Marco. If one travels through the arches of the Torre dell’Orologio then visitors can gain access to the road named Mercerie. At the end of this road is the Rialto. One of the first things that visitors to St. Mark’s square usually see is the Torre dell’Orologio. This clock tower was built in 1496 and still keeps the correct time. Two bronze figures strike the bell every hour.

The Rialto is the historic place where the first bridge that stretched over the canal was built.

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Though the original wood structured bridge no longer exist, the current stone one was built in 1588. All around this area is a thriving market center.

Another main attraction in Venice is the Basilica dei Frari. This Gothic style church was built during the fourteenth century and is best known as being the final resting place of Titian and Antonio Canova. Not only is the outside of this building spectacular but the inside is as well. Inside this church contains the works of artist such as Donatello, Giovanni Bellini and Titian.

The Scuola di San Rocco is another famed attraction in Venice. This building, which is also known as the School of St Roch served a dual purpose. Members not only spent their time adorning the walls with their work but they also paid a tithe to the school to support fellow members. This school is probably best known for its extensive collection of work from the artist Jacopo Tintoretto that is contained there.

One of the greatest collections of art that can be found on the entire continent of Europe is located at Venice’s Gallerie dell’Academia.

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This collection of art from the fourteenth to the eighteenth centuries include works by notable artist such as Lorenzo Lotto, Giovanni Bellini, Paolo Veneziano and Vittore Carpaccio.

Another great collection of art can be found at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. The collection covers the art styles of Cubism, Surrealism and European Abstraction with important pieces by Jackson Polloc, Kandinsky Magritte,Picasso, Max Ernst, Dali and Brancusi. This collection was gathered together between the years of 1938 and 1947.

Campanile di San Marco was built during the ninth century and feature a three hundred and eighteen foot bell tower. It is one of the highest buildings in the city of Venice. Visitors who journey to the top will be rewarded with great views of the city. Sites that can be seen from the top of Campanile di San Marco include the top of St. Marks and the lagoons.

When you visit Venice you can be sure of one thing. There are definitely no shortage of fine hotels here. Some of the most prominent ones are Residence Venice, Albergo La Meridiana and the Alla Bianca Hotel Trattoria. Cafes in the city include the Taverna del Campiello Reme, the Caffč Lavena and Caffč Quadri. Venice also has some nightclubs for the adventurous tourist.

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These include the Piccolo Mondo and the Casanova on Lista di Spoagna. The city of Venice also has a staggering amount of restaurants and markets. Some of the restaurants in this city are the Fiaschetteria Toscana, Trattoria Altanella, Vino Vino and the Ristorante Quadri. Shopping venues in this city include Fanny, Francis Model, Atelier Marega and the Venetia Studium on San Marco.

If your looking for a place in Venice to keep the kids entertained then consider one of them many theme parks and family friendly attractions located here. These include Aqualandia, the Museum of Natural History, the Naval Museum, Murano, the Parco delle Rimembranze and Po Delta Natural Park.

Venice also has a number of special events available to visitors during various parts of the year. One of the most popular of these events is held just east of Venice. Its called the Barcolana and features thousands of boats that take part in a race off the shores of the Triest. Another popular event is the Suezo Peri Ponti. This is a marathon race that is held every year in Venice. And with all the bridge crossings that the runners must traverse, you can be sure of an interesting race each and every time.

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Copenhagen is the largest city, and capital of Denmark. It covers an area of one hundred and seventy-five square miles and has a population of almost two million people, of which only about a million are in the urban center of the city. This city is situated on the Island of Zealand on its eastern shore. To the east of Copenhagen is the Oresund Strait. The city has three beaches which together cover an area of around five miles. The beaches are augmented by a collection of Harbour Baths along the waterfront. The origins of Copenhagen can be traced back to the eleventh century when it was a small fishing village, but the city didn’t officially become the capital of Denmark until the fifteenth century.

The city has a definite appreciation for history, art and culture and that is reflected in the great number of museums located here. The most prominent of these is the Statens Museum for Kunst, or National Museum. The collection here consists of art from the fourteenth century to the present day. There are over nine thousand paintings and sculptures, three hundred thousand pieces of paper drawn art and over twenty six hundred plaster cast of ancient art.

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The building itself was built in 1896 in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. Another museum to visit in this city is the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. It features a collection of art from the personal collection of Carl Jacobsen, son of the founder of Carlsberg Breweries. This collection consist of mainly sculptured art, but there is also quite a collection of paintings by famous French impressionist such as Monet, Pissaro and Degas. This museum was built in the nineteenth century and additional galleries were added on a regular basis.

But, true lovers of art should make the trip to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. It was built in 1958 and has a very unique circular shape. This collection include Pre-Columbian works of art consisting over almost four hundred objects. It also has a large collection of modern art that spans from World War II to the present day. The modern artist represented by the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art include Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Asger Jorn, Alberto Giacometti, Pablo Picasso, Yves Klein, Robert Rauschenberg and Anselm Kiefer. Around the outside of the museum is a sculpture garden that features works from artists such as Alexander Calder, Henri Laurens, Jean Arp, Max Ernst, Max Bill, Louise Bourgeois, Joan Miró and Henry Moore.

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Located near Jaegersborg Dyrehave is the Ordrupgaard Museum. This museum was founded in 1918 by Wilhelm Hansen. Ordrupgaard features a danish fine arts collection, a french fine arts collection and a collection of furniture and handicrafts. In the heart of Copenhagen’s suburb city Ishoj is the Arken Museum of Modern Art. The building is designed in a very modernist fashion and features modern works of art by Danish and Scandinavian painters. There are over four hundred works by artist such as Sherin Neshat, Wolfgang Tillmans, Damien Hirst, Olafur Eliasson and Michael Elmgreen. Other reputable art museums in the city include the The David Collection, The Hirschsprung Collection, Thorvaldsens Museum, Cisternerne and the Museum of National History.

One of the most photographed attractions in the world is Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid Statue. This statue was commissioned in 1909 by sculptor Edvard Eriksen upon order from Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen. In 1913, Carl Jacobsen gives the statue to the city of Copenhagen and it is placed at Langelinie Pier on Copenhagen Harbor.

Another prominent attraction in the city is Tivoli Gardens.

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This is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world and brilliantly combines its past history with many modern innovations. This can be seen by examining the stark contrast between features like modern roller coasters and the elegant historical features like the gardens located here. This park also features booths and vendors of every sort.

Visitors should also check out the residence of the royal couple Amalienborg Palace. Though many parts of this is off limits to visitors, there are still some unused royal chambers that can be checked out and many people seize the opportunity to have themselves photographed in front of it or to watch the changing of the guard. That palace takes its name from Queen Sophie Amalie. It was built in the seventeenth century but was burned to the ground in 1689. It was then rebuilt and today serves as the royal residence.

Another palace in Copenhagen is the Kronborg Castle. This famous palace is known worldwide as Shakespeare’s Hamlet. One of its primary features are the tapestries that were commissioned in the sixteenth century by King Frederik II. These tapestries feature over one hundred Danish kings and are currently on public display at the castle. Also in the castle are studios where up and coming Danish artist now reside.

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Inside visitors can find a magnificent ballroom and a statue of national hero Holger Danske.

For a stunning view of the city of Copenhagen then a trip to the Round Tower is in order. This tower also goes by the name Rundetaarn and it was originally built during the seventeenth century (though the current observatory is only from 1929) and it was used to observe the stars. Encircling the observatory is a platform where an unprecedented view of the city can be ascertained. Though the tower is only one hundred and eight feet high, to reach this platform, visitors must walk up a eight hundred foot spiral stair.

Before leaving Copenhagen visitors should be sure to take one of the many Canal Tours. These tours traverse the canals and the harbor of the old city and take visitors on an hour long ride past the cities many monuments and historical landmarks. Another location that must be visited in the city is the pedestrian street known as the Stroget. This is the longest pedestrian street in the entire world and boast an impressive shopping district. All along the route are hotels, restaurants and shops of various size and function. There are also some historical landmarks such as the Church of Our Lady, the court house at Nytorv Square, Christiansborg Palace, City Hall Square and the Stork Fountain.

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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.