My Undiscovered America

My Favorite Websites

The American Diner

Roadside   News and views from the backroads and main streets of America  http://www.roadsideonline.com/

Wikipedia.  History, architecture, cultural significance of that piece of Americana known as the roadside diner http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diner

Diner: The Movie   Internet Movie Data Base (IMDb A summary of the 1982 movie, Diner, directed by Barry Levinson, about five  young men whose lives revolve around a busy Baltimore diner in 1959. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083833/

Roadside Curiosities

An eclectic collection of signs, restaurants and other eye-stoppers along the highways and by-ways of the U.S. http://curiousroad.blogspot.com/

A gallery of oddball attractions, photographed by Joel Fletcher-- a site he describes as "featuring outlandish buildings, unusual signs, and giant statues designed to grab your attention" http://www.joelfletcherphoto.com/

And still another gallery of "photos of interesting things I have seen along the road locally or while traveling"-- from RetroChick  http://public.fotki.com/RetroChik/roadside_curiosities/.

Traveling with Kids

Are we there yet? Wouldn't you know someone would come up with a game idea on that theme? That and the old reliable license plate games, I Spy, What did I bring on my trip? A to Z and some other games to keep the kids occupied while you're all cooped up in the car. If that doesn't do the job, swing on over to Mom's Minivan where you'll find 101 games-- arranged by age-- to entertain the kids and help you preserve your sanity.

Travel Insurance

Site discusses (and sells) various types
of travel insurance, such as trip protection, 
accidental death & dismemberment, 
 international medical insurance, annual 
medical and emergency medical evacuation
 http://www.worldtravelcenter.com/eng/
helpdesk/travelinsurance_primer.cfm

You've seen them in your travels. Maybe you've even stopped to read a few. They are the distinctive historical markers that identify places, people and events, both large and small, that collectively paint a colorful portrait of our nation's history. You'll find an exhaustive collection of these markers in the Historical Marker Database, including markers in Indianapolis where Robert F. Kennedy delivered a speech on the death of Marin Luther King in 1968, at the Old Willard Hotel in Washington, DC, where Julia Ward Howe penned "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" on Nov. 21, 1861 and at the 200-foot high, semi-elliptical natural limestone bridge in Natural Bridge, VA. 

A glimpse into the past, courtesy of the Library of Congress, is what you'll find at the Library's Map Collection website. The items displayed here are only a small part of the 4.5 million items in the Geography and Map Division's collection. The Cities and Towns category alone can occupy you for hours. Included are "maps that depict individual buildings to panoramic views of large urban areas. These maps record the evolution of cities illustrating the development and nature of economic activities, educational and religious facilities, parks, street patterns and widths, and transportation systems" 

Passport Information

Occasionally, you may get the urge to discover other countries. If so, you'll need a birth certificate and you'll also need passport information. Here's a good starting point for your trip.

Travel Documents

And here are a few good State Department sites:

Site offering passport information and other requirements for entering foreign countries-- on a country-by-country basis.  http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1765.html

A listing of passport fees.  http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/fees/fees_837.html

How to apply for a passport   http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_830.html

Travel news and advice from Smart Traveler, including advice and information about club memberships, air travel, passenger "bumping," packing for airport security, travel insurance, car rentals, destinations, European rail passes, cruises and more.

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