All Around HDC
 

The thread where we discuss different topics from HDCers throughout the world.

If you want to participate, that would be wonderful. Please use a decent format and post some good information on what you're suggesting. Links and pics are a plus.

First topic:

Things to see in my town if you visit
The Fremont Troll (Seattle, WA)

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1049/...3dde2fde51.jpg

Located under the Aurora bridge in the Fremont area of Seattle, the troll is a giant sculpture clutching a VW Beetle (it's a real car.) Not usually listed as one of the tourist attractions in my fair city, the troll is a local favorite and one of the coolest pieces of public art I've ever had the pleasure of seeing.

I got lots of trees.

That's ridiculously cool, Flayed! Also, incidentally, I had seen a picture of that sculpture a while back but had NO idea where it was from. Thanks for posting it.

...

This attraction is about an hour away from where I live, in Gloucester, MA.

Hammond Castle

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...water_view.jpg

Background: Tycoon John Hays Hammond, Jr. built this medieval-style castle between the years 1926 and 1929 to serve both as his home and as a backdrop for his collection of Roman, medieval, and Renaissance artifacts.

You Europeans may yawn and poo poo at this architecture, but keep in mind that castles aren't all that common in America and the fact that this one is only 80 years old makes it eccentric and really neat.

It's gorgeous, cool, and during Halloween they put on a fantastic haunted castle.

The Superlambanana

This is an infamous landmark in Liverpool. Its suppose to represent Liverpool's role in world trade back in the days of empire (wool was one of the largest commodities). I love it!

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...s/IMG_0245.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Fl0kFcs0xIE/SL...Y/IMG_3641.JPG
http://www.offbeattravel.com/port-tun.jpg

The Portland Shanghai Tunnels

In the early days of Portland it could be dangerous to get drunk. This series of tunnels criss-crosses underneath downtown and leads to the pier. There were trap doors in many bars and if someone was unlucky enough he would find himself stuffed down the tunnels and soon headed off as an unwilling crew member aboard a ship. The tunnels are reputed to be haunted and tours are available.

Castle Hill

This is about a ten minute walk from my house. It's an old Iron Age fort and was once home to the king of East Anglia (East England). Queen Boudica, a Celt who rebelled against the Romans also lived there. At that time, there was no large hill, but the trenches surrounding it were there. Many years later when the Normans came to England, it was turned into Motte and Bailey Castle and the hill was made. The Normans chose the location due to the large trenches already there, which added protection. It attracts many tourists each year and is one of the few Motte and Bailey hills still there.

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p...etfordhill.jpg

Thetford Priory

About the same distance away from my house, however in the other direction. This was an old Cluniac priory from the 12th century. Once a great collection of flint buildings father time and climbing children have worn it away to what you see in this picture. Though it is illegal to climb on the structures, this isn't enforced and many people still enjoy running along the flint walls. In fact, I once got stuck up a very tall bit of it. At around 5:00pm it turns from tourist attraction to a druggies hangout.

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p...iory_ruins.jpg

Thomas Paine Statue

My town, Thetford, was the birthplace and home of Thomas Paine, a man who believed in equal rights for all mankind and wrote books on the subject. Many people in England eventually turned against him due to his belief that America should be granted independence. He was also a great influence to the French Revolution. He died in New York at the age of 72. The statue depicts him holding a quill and his book The Rights of Man. Behind him the large house now used as the council's meeting place can be seen. Behind that is a very large public garden.

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p...homasPaine.jpg

Thetford Forest

Created after World War 1 to provide a strategic supply of timber, it is the largest lowland pine forest in Great Britain. It is entirely man made and is used for many recreational activities. There is a small woodland park, a large tree climbing team building structure that takes two hours to complete called Go Ape!. It constists of a lot of wires and jumps from tall trees. Mountain Biking and Hiking, a maze, camping and music concerts. Acts such as Blondie and Motorhead have performed there. It's about a five/ ten minute drive to get there and I have to run through it every sunday for my rugby warm up. Two mile run. The forest is HUGE. What I described probably takes up 10% of it at most.

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p...orest_dtab.jpg

Grimes Graves

An old Neolithic mine located in Thetford Forest. It was used between 3000 BC and 1900 BC! It is now a tourist attraction and they quite happily let people go down there to take a look, although in the past twenty years certain caves have been closed off due to safety reasons. At least 433 shafts were dug into the chalk and it takes up a space of around 96 acres. One pit was turned into a shrine by unknown people. There was an altar of flint, a bowl and antlers. There are also chalk models of a Venus like figure and a chalk penis. People think the shrine was made to improve fertility. The area around the mines is sadly littered with dead rabbits due to the man made disease Myxomatosis.

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p...7_59c1a8b7.jpg

We have Lovecraft's grave in our capitol city

http://musicalpeace.org/vyoma/Photos..._01_122407.jpg

also Mercy Brown....thats right...A VAMPIRE

http://hauntedsandiego.com/wp/wp-con...gravestone.jpg
In the late 1800s, Rhode Island was known as the center of strange spiritual activity. A mysterious epidemic called consumption killed thousands. In 1883, George Brown lost most of his family to consumption. His teen daughter dreamt of a shadowy figure that stole her breath and blood at night.

The residents of Rhode Island turned to folklore, saying that the dead must have been rising from their graves. George Brown was convinced to have his family’s bodies exhumed. When they opened the caskets of his wife and youngest daughter, only bones and dust were inside.

When the casket of his teenage daughter Mercy was opened, Mercy’s body was completely intact. The town’s citizens said she must have her heart removed and cremated because she was a vampire. This was done, and a potion made of the ashes from Mercy’s heart. The potion was fed to George Brown’s son, but he died a few weeks later. After Mercy’s second burial, the consumption epidemic stopped.

Anglican Cathedral

Im the worlds most ardent athiest but this is a fantastic place. Its difficult to appreciate the size of it, well worth a tour round.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...s/dscn1203.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...s/dscn1188.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...s/dscn1186.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...s/dscn1182.jpg

Wow, that's beautiful.

If we are talking horror movie related spectacles we have:
http://hamiltonparanormal.com/hopkinstomb/hopkin3.jpg
Hopkin's Tomb.
Too many theories and stories to really list. Was he a pirate? Is his tomb really cursed? Read about it here.
People come from all over to go ghost hunting in and around Port Colborne, but I don't think it's quite as interesting to them as it is to people living here. To know that this man once owned a lot of the buildings we walk by everyday. To be honest, I didn't thoroughly read that page until now and I got chills remembering all the times I was in the back room of Lewis Textiles and got this feeling like I was being watched.

http://hamiltonparanormal.com/bgt/btunnel45.jpg
Blue Ghost Tunnel
A lot of accidents happened here. A train wreck that killed 2 people in 1903. The Lock 6 disaster in 1928 where 8 men died, and exactly 2 years later another 8 men dies in the same place. There was a cemetery beside the tunnel and you can still find half burried, broken tombstones there.

http://hamiltonparanormal.com/screaming/scrtunnel5.jpg
Screaming Tunnel
Again, lots of different stories ranging from a girl being burned in a house fire and running to the tunnel where she died, to a girl being raped by her father and lit on fire in the tunnel. It's said that if you light a match or lighter in the tunnel it will blow out and that creams can be heard. Don't know if I believe this one, but it was a filming location for The Dead Zone so it's cool either way. There is also the home and gazebo used in the movie which you can find in Niagara on the Lake, Ontario.

As for not haunted or horror related places:

http://roselawncentre.com/fileBin/li...6bba0ae94e.jpg
Lock 8 canal. We have lots of boats going through, which for some reason is a tourist attraction. I guess some people don't see boats on a daily basis like me.

http://www.portcolborne.ca/fileBin/l...b959d921b2.jpg
Canal Days. aka Anal Days cause people here are so mature aka the second of 2 fun things to happen annually in Port Colborne. Small town, nothing to do except during the Lion's carnival and Canal Days. We have buskers, people dressed as pirates, tall ships, boat rides, food, a town crier competition, marine heritage museum, kite flying, fireworks, reptile exhibit, and a car show for 3 days, then things get boring again.

Another Place


100 cast iron statues on Crosby beach, placed up to 1km from the shore all looking out to sea. By the artist Anthony Gormley.

Its a strange sight

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...s/IMG_4794.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ce3_edit21.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...s/IMG_3830.jpg

damn.....I live in a boring state



wait........we have The Big Blue Bug [featured in Dumb & Dumber]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oUjmZeacI3.../s400/bug2.jpg

Don't you have Lovecraft's house too? And the graveyard he wrote about? Etc? There must be somebody that does Lovecraft tours.

i'm not going to post a picture of the CN tower.

the only other thing of interest in Toronto - is me.

There are tours.

Whoa! That's pretty freaky! I can't imagine seeing someone in the distance only to up to them and they are made of iron. LOL.

How are they mounted? Or are they just so heavy that they're not really going to get knocked over?

do I see metal genitals on that thing?

You see genitals on everything. :rolleyes:

They stand on a wide iron pole thats driven deep into the sand. Each statue weighs about 650kg (I think)


Yup. The statues are a cast of the artist and he spared no detail.

Baltimore, MD, USA

Fort McHenry:

Home of the Star-Spangled Banner, the US National Anthem. It was during the War of 1812, that Francis Scott Key witnessed the attack on Fort McHenry. After the attack was over, the US flag still flew at the Fort, and Key was so moved by this that he was inspired to write the Star-Spangled Banner.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l2...4-748CC8A3.jpg


Edgar Allen Poe House & Grave:

19th Cent. Horror Author, who lived and died in Baltimore. Every year, on the anniversary of Poe's Death, cognac is toasted (and a partial bottle left) along with three red are mysteriously left on his grave.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l2...e_and_Muse.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l2...g/poegrave.jpg


Washington Monument:

The first monument in the US to First President, George Washington, was modeled after Trajan's Column in Rome. It is made from local marble and sits in the center of Mt. Vernon Square.

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l2...sting/539w.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ktheRipper.jpg

The picture isnt the clearest but heres a link to google maps
http://www.google.com/maps?q=AIGBURT...n&ie=UTF8&z=16

Ive just learnt that where I grew up was just round the corner from where a certain James Maybrick lived up to his death.

James Maybrick is an infamous cotton wool merchant who died after being poisoned by his american wife Florence in 1889. Many believe, as I do, that James Maybrick was Jack the Ripper. The ties linking Maybrick to the Ripper case are very convincing, and although there will always be doubts over his identity, its a little strange to think that Jack the Ripper could be a Scouser who lived in my neighbourhood!

Jack was too clever to be a Scouser :p;)

You're not too big to get a clip round the earhole FC

I *LOVE* the Fairy Doors in Ann-Arbor

http://urban-fairies.com/locationspages/locations.html

http://urban-fairies.com/images/LAKEWOOD.pics/LWmed.jpg

I live not too far from the Reformatory, the one they used in The Shawshank Redemption, I still haven't been there for a tour :( There's tons of haunted stuff in Ohio,I have some books on some of the stuff, and maybe this Halloween I can go check some of the stuff out. I live a few hours away from the "Gore Orphanage, those are just a few haunted things around here,but as for non haunted stuff that might be interesting to see.
I live not too far from where Thomas Edison was born....not too exciting,and not as exciting in my opinion as the haunted stuff.. :)

Suppose it's better than the usual light hearted punishment from a Scouser.

Punch, Stab, Spit, Mug.

Not necessarily in that order. :D

There's not much here. We have Centennial Park, which is kindof cool, but it's downtown. I live 40 minutes outside the city, so we have suburbia, cows, and... me!

Ha! Not THAT far north of the city. That's a few more miles up.

All around HDC - Good eats in my city

Got a local haunt or two where you love to eat? Let us hear about it.

Zippy's Burgers
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:w...with-fries.jpg

Zippy's is an excellent little (and I mean tiny) burger joint located in the West Seattle/White Center area. It's always jam packed, and has great burgers and homestyle sodas for decent prices. If you're ever in the area, I suggest you wonder down and try the Number 11, my personal favorite.

Quoted from the website:
"We also have the Number 11, which is our spicy burger. It's named for the Fire Station across the street and comes with lettuce, house-made chipotle mayo, Mama Lil's spicy goat horn peppers, and both jack and smoked cheddar cheese. Yum!"

Mmm Gastroporn
 

Damn that burger looks good, probably tastes even better. We have a restaurant called The Works. All they do is burgers (nice place). A question for you do they have a delivery service?

Yes, I'll chime in here;

http://www.bahooka.com

Bahooka is located near me, in nearby Rosemead. (East of downtown Los Angeles, about 10 minutes on the freeway.) It is a Tiki restaurant. They have lots of carved Tiki statues everywhere. But that's not all. It is more awesome and beautiful inside than photos could really show--it is like an old maritime museum, lots of character. Fishtanks line the walls and decorate every booth. The whole place flickers within with an eerie light from the fishtanks and the many colored lamps. They serve various fare, sandwiches, fish, beef, salads...and some tasty mixed drinks if that is your thing. They have these crab puff appetizers that are delicious, you can dip them in a mustard sauce and they are just fabulous.

This restaurant combines good eats with a beautiful place to eat. A very special place.

I have...Amish. Yes. Lots and lots of Amish. For I live in the heart of Lancaster County PA. No I am not Amish. I get that all the time, when Im listening to my Ipod...On my Mac. (For those that are confused by that Amish people don't use electricity, except for the lights on their buggies.

http://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/me.../rth/Amish.jpg

Welcome to Idaho!

http://www.visitusa.com/idaho/images...oonhikepic.jpg

We have a pile of volcanic ash in the middle of the desert.

http://www.raingod.com/angus/Gallery...allHills01.jpg

Some pretty trees in the middle of the desert.

http://www.discoverymap.com/Boise_08...k-Memorial.jpg

The Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial.

http://chicken22.files.wordpress.com...pg?w=300&h=256

And of course potatoes.


Oh yeah, and illegal immigrants to farm the potatoes, redneck farmers to hire them and later complain that they are taking the jobs from away from "real Americans".

We have moved on to food, but thank you for the enthusiasm.

Yes! That is damn right.

Down by the shore in Jersey we definitaly have the best sub shops by far. Tons of fresh meats n cheeses. We make the biggest ones by far, they weigh pounds. The best one is right down the street from by house, Brunos. Started off selling em in the back of a friends resturant and now owns the resturant and the building. NY will say they make the best pizza but were pretty friggin good at that too.

....well we have potatoes....

Yes indeed we do:Dhttp://www.top-things-to-do.com/unit...york-pizza.jpg

I could go for a slice of Ray's. The real one on price st. Not the thousands of other fake Rays.