Buenos Aires, Argentina

Bienvenidos a Bueno Aires!  For this blog post, I decided to go to Buenos Aires, Argentina.  

Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city in the country, as well as the second largest city in South America, after São Paulo.  It is located on the eastern coast of Argentina and on the Río de la Plata.  This city is full of life and embraces different cultures; from European immigrant settlements to Asian settlements. 

The coolest site to check out while visiting this city has got to be La Boca and Calle Caminito.  La Boca is one of Buenos Aires’s most colorful districts, literally: All the buildings are painted with bright colors!  The district was first settled by Italian immigrants and is mostly made up of working class citizens.  Calle de La Caminito, a large street in the district, was named after a popular tango song and is the center for local art sales and street tango performances. 

If dancing is not your thing, you can also visit Galerías Pacífico for some quality shopping time.  Once an office building, it was built by renowned architects and sculptors, then was abandoned for over 100 years.  In 1989, it was declared as a national historic monument then in 1991, the building reopened as a shopping arcade.  The mall includes high-end stores such as Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix, La Martina, Hugo Boss, Polo Ralph Lauren, as well as others.  If you’re not up for big spending down in Argentina, you can always enjoy the view: check out the inside of the building!

Buenos Aires is most definitely a city to visit when you get the chance.  It is lively and exciting, not to mention busy busy busy with over 12 million people surrounding you everywhere!  It is a huge metropolitan city with giant skyscrapers and beautiful European architectural masterpieces all meshed into one unique place.

Dublin, Ireland

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!! Staying with the holiday theme, I decided to adventure to Dublin, Ireland.  Dublin is located on the eastern coast of Ireland and serves as the country’s capital.  Dublin is also located at the mouth of River Liffey, which runs through the city.  The city is home to over 1 million people and embraces its history dating back to the era of the Vikings in the 12^th century. 

Dublin has many landmarks to visit and enjoy while you’re visiting this unique city: let’s get right to them!

Staying on topic with the holiday, the first landmark in Dublin to see is St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  This church was raised in 1191, but the present building seen in Dublin was built in between 1200 and 1270 then fully restored in between 1860 and 1900 by the Guinness family.  The current building is still the largest church in Ireland.  The cathedral serves as the National Cathedral and attracts 300,000 visitors a year!

St. James’s Gate Brewery was founded in 1759 by Arthur Guinness.  He leased the establishment for 9000 years for £45 a year…talk about a deal!  The Guinness Storehouse, a converted brewing factory, is Dublin’s most popular tourist attraction.  The Storehouse is a Guinness museum which you can take a tour of the 7-floor exhibit and end it at the top floor, called the Gravity Bar, with a free pint of the Guinness Draft Beer.

The Spire of Dublin, officially named The Monument of Light, was finished in 2003 in replacement of Nelson’s Pillar.  The monument is 121.2 meters tall (398 feet) and shoots up straight to the sky as the tallest sculpture in the world! 

Dublin is famous for its hearty cuisine, beer and whisky, and breathtaking sites to see especially on St. Patrick’s Day!  With unique places like these, who can stay away?

Gardner, Massachusetts, USA

For my first blog, I could think of no better place than which I am an expert at: my hometown Gardner, Massachusetts, USA.  I have been living here since I was nine years old and although it has lost its touch in many ways, it still holds a dear place in my heart.  Gardner, better known as G-Vegas or Gahdnah hey by locals, is located in central Massachusetts, about an hour drive west from Boston.  The population of this city is currently around 21,000 people and should be considered a town, yet it never lost the city nametag for its exploding population in the early 1900s.  Gardner has a rich history behind it that most locals are very proud of. 

Gardner, for a long time, was called The Chair City of the World for its history of chair production.  In the late 1800s to early 1900s, Gardner was home to twenty chair factories that produced over 4 million chairs per year.

That being said, the most unique monument still standing in Gardner is the “Big Chair.”  The giant is a whopping 20 feet 7-inches tall and you definitely cannot miss it while driving up Elm Street.  Gardner started and participated in a war of Who-Can-Build-A-Bigger-Chair and sadly was defeated in 1996 when Anniston, Alabama created a 30-footer office chair.  Although it may no longer be the biggest chair in the world, it certainly is a sight to check out!  

Gardner is also home to Mount Wachusett Community College, Gardner Municipal Golf Course, and the home of Lucy Stone, a women’s rights activist during the Temperance Movement.  The city is most beautiful in the fall for its foliage rides and while checking out the Big Chair, you can take a drive downtown to the Gardner Ale House for a bite to eat for its delicious sandwiches, pasta dishes and of course, the beer.

Restaurants You Can Visit While Visiting Gardner:

• Gardner Ale House
• http://www.gardnerale.com/
• Blue Moon Diner
• http://www.bluemoondinergardnerma.com/
• Gabby's Place
• Williams
• http://www.williamsrestaurantandtavern.com/