Tag: san francisco

The summer season is currently on full blast, and the hot sunny days mean it’s time for a vacation! And if you live in the USA, you’re in luck: There are so many summer-perfect destinations that it can be difficult to decide where to go. Whether you’re heading to the beach, going on a cross-country road trip, exploring a new city, or camping in the mountains, you’ll certainly find your preferred activity in the United States, and there definitely will be no shortage of fun!

Not sure about which of the 50 beautiful USA states will be best for your vacation? We’ve got you covered. Here are some of the best summer destinations in the U.S. that you should add to your travel itinerary.

Manitou Island, Michigan

If you’re looking for an undiscovered beach destination, then Manitou Island is the place to go. This breathtaking island offers an escape for those who are looking for solitude in nature. The place offers a lot of outdoor activities like hiking, swimming, paddling, kayaking, and camping. Visitors interested in wildlife will also find diverse flora and fauna on its beaches and wilderness areas.

You can learn more about the history of Manitou Island by exploring the North Manitou Village and the ghost town of Crescent, taking care to respect the privacy of those who are living on the island. Manitou Island is accessible only via a boat, but you’ll surely have a great trip across Lake Michigan to get there as there are wonderful views in any seat on the boat.

Cape Cod, Massachusetts

You’ll never run out of things to do in Cape Cod. This part of Massachusetts offers every kind activity you could want—no wonder it is one of the top vacation spots in the country! Enjoy gorgeous beaches, dine on fabulous seafood shacks, explore picture-perfect lighthouses, or simply lounge on the sand while stargazing or watching the seals play in the waves. The shoreline also offers a range of outdoor activities like sunbathing, swimming, beachcombing, kayaking, snorkeling, and sailing.

Visit the Salt Pond Visitor Center, the town’s main visitor facility that features a museum, bookstore, and an indoor theatre. Don’t forget to add the Province Land’s Visitor Center to your itinerary—it features an observation deck with a stunning 360-degree view of the Province Lands dunes, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Outer Beach. Get your camera loaded with lots of storage as there are plenty of scenic surroundings in Cape Cod, and you’ll surely love to shoot photos at its colorful downtown area.

San Francisco, California

San Francisco is without a doubt one of the greatest cities in the world. People are drawn for its lively crowd, eccentricity, beautiful scenery, and rich history. The place has been a famous destination for foodies for its variety of great restaurants, as well as food markets where they do market-to-table demonstration by local chefs. Thousands of visitors also take a cruise on the bay for a tour of the infamous Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary and the country’s first lighthouse. It’s not all grim history at Alcatraz, though: the island offers the most breathtaking views of the San Francisco skyline.

Summer is the most fun time of the year in the Bay Area. San Francisco offers many activities to do and discover during summer, with festivities, races, attractions happening almost every day of the week. The longer days of summer opens up more opportunities to experience everything the City by the Bay has to offer. And surely, nobody will go home without taking a picture with one of the seven modern wonders of the world, the Golden Gate Bridge. Take a selfie on San Fran’s famous cable cars and make the Lombard Street, dubbed the most crooked street in the world, your photo background!

Ocean City, Maryland

Ocean City is a family-friendly and affordable summer destination in the Mid-Atlantic. This resort town has ten miles of family-friendly beach, a famous Boardwalk, delicious bites, exciting attractions, and free events. The place receives up to 8 million visitors each year, making it one of the east coast’s most popular destinations. Tourists flock here for its warm sands and the fun-filled water adventures it offers, such as swimming, surfing, fishing, kayaking, and canoeing. If you love the view of the ocean then this is the place for you!

It’s also worth noting that the Ocean City Boardwalk has long been a favorite American summer destination as it offers several amusement park rides, stores, and arcades. The place is perfect to explore on a bicycle or roller skates. Don’t miss the chance to visit Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum, where both kids and adults can discover and enjoy fun & quirky stuff, and ride the Boardwalk’s Ferris wheel, where you’ll get a picturesque view at the top!

The Grand Canyon, Arizona

The Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, is a destination that all Americans should see at least once in their lifetime. 6.38 million visitors flock here annually for the breathtaking natural scenery that stretches for 277 miles. You can explore the canyon as you wish, and we recommend taking your time as a day trip could be too short to truly immerse yourself in all the place has to offer.

The Grand Canyon Village is the most popular entryway into the park. Visit Yavapai Point, one of the best spots to view the canyon. The Horseshoe Bend is another top attraction for tourists coming from the eastern end, offering visitors and photographers with stunning views. Havasu Falls may be difficult to reach, but you’ll be rewarded with its famous jaw-dropping sceneries resplendent with turquoise-hued waters. Visitors must hike 10 miles into the canyon and 10 miles back up to the rim to get here, but the trip is well worth the effort.

Ready your travel bags and your cameras, because you don’t want to miss out on the precious moments of this summer! Of course, we would love to remember every moment of our summer trips, and there is no better way to keep them with Nixplay frames. These smart frames not only display a great assortment of your photos, but also play video clips of the summer you’ll never forget.

Edward Cruz

Edward Cruz is a staff writer for VIPpromocodes.com, a website that provides the latest promotional codes, exclusive sales, and offers for all of the top stores in the U.S.A.

http://VIPpromocodes.com

Capture Chinese New Year in the US

By Beatrice Bisais

On February 14, 2018

In Holidays

The good thing about the Chinese New Year is that anyone can experience it, whether you are in the US or Europe, you don’t need to make a pilgrimage to China as through their long and extensive history of trade, there are sizable Chinese diasporas in nearly every country in the world. We’ve compiled a list of the top places in the US to take in and capture the wide array of festivities to welcome to year of the Earth Dog – one of the biggest celebrations in the world – right in their backyards. There’s something for everyone and the best thing is, it’s all family friendly.

San Francisco: In the US, most Chinatowns will be dazzling in red and gold. Our top recommendation is the one in San Francisco, being the oldest Chinatown in the country, they have things on for around 15 days including a massive parade that includes more than 100 floats, as well as performances with a 28-foot dragon dance as the highlight.
Los Angeles: Fancy a scavenger hunt? The Firecracker 10k is the place to be. Whilst you can dazzle in the auras of the flower fair in Monetary Park. There is much more than celebratory spotting and plastic surgery contemplation as this time of year.
The LA Fire Cracker 10k. Photo Credit: Mike Danenberg.
New York: Still getting over the magical New Year’s Day countdown? Well, New York New York comes in third with its own very unique surprises. The extravaganza starts with New Year’s Day Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival at Sara D. Roosevelt Park. The highlight of the festivities can be found by heading out to Manhattan, which has a large scale parade on February 16th taking place in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The China Institute of America also conducts workshops during the Chinese New Year weekend.
Chinese New Year parade in New York City
Washington DC: No, Donald Trump isn’t coming out dressed as a dragon, but there’s plenty to do at this time of year in the nation’s capital. A lot of the buzz revolves around restaurants such as Ping Pong Dim Sum with its party brunch and the folks at Toki Underground will host cooking classes, there is no better way to get into the spirit by getting your hand dirty. This all culminates with yet another lively parade in Chinatown, which features much more than floats – kung fu is very much in the mix. An enriching experience can be found as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, which hosts a Chinese New Year event.
Dragon head from Chinese New Year Parade in Washington DC.
Boston: Being home the third largest Chinatown in the US, has its perks. From, restaurants to traditional Chinese displays of lion dances makes it a perfect time to take in the sights and sounds.
Chicago: We round of our list with Chicago, which takes a more scholarly approach that will leave you feeling somewhat enlightened by learning more about the Lunar New Year. Being home to the Chinese American Museum, there are a series of informative sessions where you can even see how the all-famous lion dance is made. Not only that, but there’s a special (encore) performance by the Chinese National Opera.
Entrance to the Chinese American Museum in Chicago

This is just a sample of the best Chinese New Year events out there; most States have some form of celebrations so you should have no problem finding Chinese New Year closer to home. All these events happen during the Chinese New Year period, which is on February 16 in 2018 – most things in the US happen in a window of 7 days, and nothing beyond 15 days, so don’t miss out. The above festivities also happen on an annual basis, so if you’ve missed it out on this occasion, make sure you plan early for 2019, which will welcome the year of the Pig on February 5.

Remember all these entertaining and dazzling occasions are best for photography, making lasting memories. Make it count by purchasing and displaying it on a NIX/ Nixplay digital photo frame. The new NIX Lux collection’s elegant design can complement a large collection of those beautiful Lunar New Year photos captured; whilst grandma can enjoy her stunning Nixplay Iris WiFi cloud frames and see what all the fuss is about without leaving her front door!

Beatrice Bisais

Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.