THEME TRIP: Where can your imagination take you?

THE THOMS SUNDAY TRAVEL SECTION.

What is a Theme?

Recently, I made some suggestions about “Theme Vacations” involving an ethnic foundation. Upon this, you add the food, drink, and possibly the art of that specific country. Well, the American version of that country.

Many in the United States have the wrong idea about Mexican food. — Spend a day in Tubac Arizona, amongst Mexican pottery, jewelry, and REAL Mexican cuisine.

But there are other “themes” you could build a day, weekend or 3-day vacation around.

I believe there are many cities right here in the good ol U.S.A. that require numerous visits to truly experience. So instead of trying to see “everything,” why not choose one theme (topic) and focus on that.

See The Pyramids along the Nile.

We go to Europe and Asia, in part, to see incredible architecture. But we have that right here in America. You could spend an entire weekend ogling O. M. gosh architecture.

I wonder what a maid service would charge for that cleaning? — Biltmore Estate – America’s largest house.

And you could even break that down into subcategories.

Historical Themes

There are more than enough historical buildings to see in this great country.

Some are big.

The Capitol covers more than 175,000 square feet. — Not the largest building in Washington D.C., but it is one covering a large piece of real estate.

Some are small.

Im sure it felt smaller when General Santa Anna surrounded it with thousands of troops. — At approximately 60 feet wide, and 30 feet tall, The Alamo is smaller than what people expect.

And some cities have too many to see in one week.

The state of Massachusetts has another 131 National Historic Landmarks, not including Boston's. — Boston’s Acorn Street. There are 57 properties and districts designated as National Historic Landmarks in Boston city.

A Specific Style.

Or maybe you’re a Wright groupie or a Baroque junkie? Most of the east coast cities have numerous buildings and homes built by some of the best craftsmen from Europe.

The west coast has structures from both Europe and Asia.

Send Me Photographs and Souvenirs.

Maybe art, photographs, and paintings are your draw. You plan to see every museum in America. You better get started, there are more than 35,000.

A few – Too Many.

Some towns have a small museum; it may be in the back of a filling station. If you are under 40yo, look that term up.)

Some are medium size and require an hour or two to do them justice.

And then, there are the ones you have no idea where to start your visit. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City has more than two million works in three locations.

There are 17 specific departments holding more than 2 million works. — The Metropolitan Museum of Art dates from 1870. The Temple of Dendur on display, from around 10 B.C.

The Art Institute, The Getty, The National, The American, and the list goes on. These are just art museums. And you can break that down into, Modern, Asian, etc.

Historically Speaking.

There are historical museums. Some of these include The National WWII, Ellis Island, The American History, Pearl Harbor, Civil Rights, and on and on.

There are Museums to Industries.

The building is from the 1893 Columbian Exposition. The museum opened in 1933 during the Century of Progress Exposition and if full of themes. — Chicago’s The Museum of Science and Industry is one of the largest science museums in the world,

You can learn about planes, trains, cars, chocolate, even Science and Industry.

And then some cities have one of every kind of museum.

The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex. — The Arts and Industries Building (Castle) is the administration building for the Smithsonian Institution’s 19 museums, galleries, and zoo.

Watch the Sunrise on a Tropic Isle.

Who says all vacations have to be to a sizeable Cosmopolitan area? Although guestimates vary, most “experts” agree there are more than 80,000 miles of shore (not coast) line in America. This total includes lakes, great and small.

You mean sit on a beach? That is an option. Or in seven days you could see a good portion of New England’s or the Pacific Northwest’s coast.

There are more than 3,000 miles of coastline just in Washington State to fulfill your dream theme. — Lime Kiln Lighthouse on San Juan Island in Washington state.

You could start in Toronto and drive to Duluth touching every great lake along the way. Explore part of the Great River Road, as it stretches 3000 miles from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.

About That Tropical Isle Theme

Or start in Key West and meet the United States tropical Islands. Picture this: you watch the sunrise out of the Atlantic. Have breakfast, a day on the beach, and a tropical cocktail. Then walk to the west coast and watch the sunset into the Gulf waters.

The Taino, indigenous people of the Caribbean islands were the Spanish explorers first encounter with natives in the Caribbean. — A beach on one of the 1700 Florida Keys. The Spanish borrow the Taino Indian word Cayo, which means a small island.

The drive between Key West and Miami is almost bearable if spread over seven days. There are many islands in between where you can find motels and great seafood. And tropical adult beverages.

Just Remember When a Dream Appears, It Could be a Theme.

Do you have a dream? What do you want to be when you grow up? You can visit ranches for a day. You can tour a movie studio. Be an astronaut, or have lunch with one. Take a ballet class (or attend one.) Runaway to a circus… camp.

Clowning, juggling, even aerial acrobatics are taught. — They have circus camps and classes for adults as well as kids.

Theme trips can mean ANY darn thing you want them to. And there is no time limit.

How Big is Your Theme’s Dream?

I want to visit every Jazz club in New Orleans. Great, you can walk or taxi to most of those.

There are several theme shows a night lasting less than one hour. — New Orleans Preservation Hall opened in 1961 to honor Traditional New Orleans Jazz.

I want to try the best fried-pork tenderloin in every town in Indiana. (Or BBQ in Texas or Lobster Bisque in Maine.) This theme covers a little more territory.

I want to see every cliff dwelling site in the Southwest. They are fascinating but bring along several long books-on-tape for the drive in-between.

You can also follow your cliff dwelling theme in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. — The False Kiva Anasazi Indian Ruin, is in Canyonlands National Park in eastern Utah.

Or super-size it. I want to eat at every dive, drive-in, and diner in America. Pace this one or “super-size” may take on a whole new meaning.

Make a Dream a Theme.

So why are you waiting? There’s only one thing stopping you. Take “I can’t” out of your vocabulary. See? Now you can.

What is your theme trip?

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“See Nice France” Continued on Page T8. “Taste Naples Italy” Continued on T14

January 20, 2019 – Theme Trips

What is a Theme?