NorthWest Carrollton

Cleveland sits on the southern banks of Lake Erie at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River a city of green parks, lively neighbourhoods and historic buildings. Local residents are proud of its high quality of life and recent awards that attest to its liveability. Miles of parkland encircle the city, while museums, sporting and cultural events and visitor friendly attractions lure residents and visitors alike to Downtown areas. It is one of the few American cities with park access in the heart of the city. Visitors, especially, are often surprised to discover a vibrant Downtown with distinct neighbourhoods and a lively urban atmosphere. True, its roots are certainly more prosaic than those of New York, Los Angeles or Boston, but Cleveland has outgrown its industrial past. Once known as a steel town during the Industrial Era of Ohios development, it is now a healthy mix of manufacturing and service industries.

Clevelands Public Square provides a skyline of skyscrapers now, but its origins go back to wilderness beginnings when Moses Cleaveland arrived from Connecticut to survey the region in 1796. It is difficult to imagine an old time village green amid horse drawn carriages and farm animals ready for market instead of the mass of traffic and one-way streets there today. Cleaveland drew up the plan for the town that would later bear his name (the awas dropped in 1834 in order to fit the citys name on a newspapers masthead). The city saw a growth spurt in 1825 with the opening of the Erie Canal, establishing a water route between Lake Erie, the Ohio River and all ports south. Subsequent railroad development advanced Cleveland further and, by 1855, it had become a hub for lumber, ore, coal and farm produce. Later still, it developed as a centre for metal fabrication and oil refining and, by the 1930s, it had the vibrant look and feel of a major city. Today, Cleveland still possesses a strong industrial base, although its economy has diversified into the service sector, as well as science, education and technology.

Unlike many American cities, Clevelands Downtown is not only lively, it is the focal point around which the rest of the city nestles. In the middle of the Downtown area is the historic Public Square, a European-style square with statues and fountains. The lakefront, having benefited from committed renewal, is home to the stunningly designed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, which, when it opened in 1995, epitomised not only the renewal of Cleveland’s Downtown but the citys growing cultural presence as well.

More recent additions to Clevelands Downtown include Jacobs Field, home to the Cleveland Indians baseball team, and Cleveland Browns Stadium, where the Cleveland Browns play football. The Great Lakes Science Center with its Cleveland Clinic OMNIMAX Theater, nestled between the Rock Hall and the stadium, features a hands-on look at science. Downtown areas, such as the Theater District, the Historic Warehouse District, the Flats Entertainment District and the Historic Gateway District, are only a few of the trendy spots that continue to grow and prosper.

Cleveland is blessed with long, hot summer days, during which locals enjoy the many restaurants featuring alfresco dining, picnic in the surrounding state, national and municipal parks, or gather around the barbecue for casual entertaining. During the cold, sometimes snowy winters, the citys cultural attractions, including theatre, symphony, opera and museums, thrive. Cleveland offers all the trappings of any American city (shopping, sightseeing, excellent service) and, although it possesses a historic flavour popular with tourists and residents, it is most definitely a city that keeps moving forward.

The city was founded on August 15, 1519, by Pedro Arias de Avila, also known as Pedrarias Davila.

Within a few years of its founding, the city became a launching point for the exploration and conquest of Peru and a transit point for gold and silver headed back to Spain through the Isthmus.

In 1671 Henry Morgan with a band of 1400 men attacked and looted the city, which was subsequently destroyed by fire.

The ruins of the old city still remain and are a popular tourist attraction known as Panama la Viejo Old Panama.

It was rebuilt in 1673 in a new location about 5 miles west-southwest of the original city.

This location is now known as the Casco Viejo or Old Hull of the city.

The year before the discovery of gold, the Panama Railroad Company was formed, but the railroad did not begin operation until 1855.Between 1848 and 1869, the year the first transcontinental railroad was completed in the United States, about 375,000 persons crossed the isthmus from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and 225,000 in the opposite direction.

That traffic greatly increased the prosperity of the city during that period.

Visitors who wish to experience more of the local atmosphere are advised to look for accommodations nearer the commercial and financial centre of the city, that is the neighbourhoods of Bella Vista, Marbella or El Cangrejo.

For the tighter budgets Casco Viejo is a better option. In the neighbourhood known as Bella Vista, Calle Uruguay is home to Panama’s newest cosmopolitan restaurants among them La Rojas, Bistro 10, Peperoncini and La Posta.

The city is also growing as a haven for seniors of the United States due to low tax incentives and a tropical climate.

The demand for space in Panama City has sparked a construction boom and skyscrapers are being to built as condos to supply the number of people entering the city.

A new building, currently under construction in the city, the Ice Tower will be nearly the height of the old World Trade Centre.

Billionaire tycoon Donald Trump sees the citys future as a bright one. In 2006, he moved into the construction frenzy in Panama City with a tower that is to be more than 800 feet tall.

The city is emerging as a regional player in finance and chances are that more buildings are on the way to supply all the business arrivals the city is getting.

Unfortunately, the waters in the coast of the city are polluted, and bathing in them is not allowed.

However, there are beaches available nearby. The closest is the Playa Bonita Complex, right next to the city, crossing the Bridge of the Americas.

There are also many more beaches, in the Pacific and Caribbean side one of the advantages of Panama is the possibility of bathing in two oceans easily, as they are just hours apart. In recent years there has been huge development of beach hotels.

The City of Miami known as the Magic City is located in South East Florida, in Miami-Dade County and is on the Miami River. The city is rich with history.

Miami is the third most popular American city for international tourists.

The city has 13 different neighbourhoods that contain several historical locations and landmarks. Each neighbourhood is fully equipped with its own full service parks, fire and police stations.

Miami Florida boasts great weather year-round with sunny days and breezy nights. The hottest month is August when the average high temperature is 89.8 F. The average low temperature in January, the coldest month.

Little Havana is a distract named after Fidel Castro who took power in 1959, refugees fleeing Cuba settled just west of downtown Miami, in a neighbourhood known as Little Havana. Today, 800,000people live here.

Lincoln Road is full of stores, boutiques, museums and art galleries, seven blocks of this ten-block mall have been closed to auto traffic. The unique atmosphere lends to some interesting people showing up, and you never know who you might see.

Downtown Miami is the metropolis nerve centre the commercial heart of the city distinguished by its sleek skyscrapers, impressive government buildings and cultural centres and edged by the Port of Miami and the largest cruise ship port in the world. Brickell Avenue is home to major international banks and businesses, as well as Brickell Village.

Miami night clubs offer a sizzling variety of music. In Downtown Miami, the oldest bar serves up live jazz and blues bands in a smoky, bluesy atmosphere. In Little Havana, area the air is filled with Afro-Cuban rhythms and rumba rap as well as a fusion of funk beats and Latin rhythms. In South Beach, club hoppers can stroll streets that teem with activity all night long. They can also find lots of party action and live music in the Design District area. In nearby, Downtown Miami is giving South Beach a run for its money with new emerging hot spots, while Coconut Grove is a favourite late-night stop for fun-seekers.

For some 35 years, the Everglades Safari Park has provided a river of grass showcase, becoming one of the Florida Everglades largest, most complete attractions. The park offers several ways to observe the Everglades, including Alligator Show, an Airboat Ride, and a Jungle Trail. Airboat rides are guided by skilled narrators familiar with Everglades history, vegetation, and wildlife.