Maritime Travel – Halifax, Nova Scotia

Compared to locations like Toronto and Vancouver, Halifax hardly qualifies as a city. However, this seaside town offers more than its size: it is dotted with a landmark citadel, public parks, and red-brick heritage buildings, blessed with some world-class museums, and home to an epic 4-kilometer seafront boardwalk. Some friends of mine who own an Edmonton siding company take frequent trips back to the east coast to visit friends and family. Thanks to their help and my recent adventure to the Maritimes, I’ve put together the top must-see attractions in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Canadian Museum of Immigration
There is an argument that this museum is the most important institution in Canada. Pier 21 was once the Canadian version of the Ellis Island of the USA, where all the potential immigrants arrived. Over a million people went through the halls, and it is a passionate experience to pass through the same doorways where immigrants from different parts of the world started new lives. A combination of personal testimonies, poignant artifacts, and audiovisual exhibits make for a moving and powerful museum.

Citadel Hill Historic Site
Sitting on the grassy hillock overlooking the town, this fort played a significant role in the founding of Halifax. Construction started in 1749; the present citadel is the 4th, built from 1818 – 1861. The battements and grounds inside this star-shaped fort are open to the public year-round. The exhibits are usually closed between November and April, so we advise that you visit between May and October when visitors are allowed to visit the gunpowder magazines, the engineer’s store, the signal post, the guard’s room, and the barracks.

Halifax Central Library
Built on what used to be a parking lot, this impressive modern library, comprising glass boxes artfully stacked atop each other, has become a popular meeting point among Haligonians ever since it was opened to the public in 2014. Inside, there are concrete staircases ascending Escher-like via the central atrium, leading to a rooftop where there are a viewing garden and an excellent café.

Nova Scotia Art Gallery
This art gallery is a premier art institution in this province and is a must-see when you are in this region. It has a wide variety of local art collection, especially the artwork of Maud Lewis, a folk artist. The major exhibit in the lower hall regularly changes and features anything from the avant-garde to ancient art.

Halifax Public Gardens
Established to mark Confederation in 1867, but in 1875 opened formally to the public, Halifax’s delightful public gardens are a good sample of Victorian horticultural planning. It is stocked with ponds, bridges, fountains, statues, lakes, and a wide variety of formal flower beds and trees.

10 Must See Places in San Francisco

While Colorado is a beautiful state with tons to see and do, if you’re looking for a little more sun and sand, California may be a good option for some travel fun. Specifically, the city of San Francisco is a fairly short flight away.

Golden Gate Bridge
The first place you have to visit is the famous Golden Gate Bridge. Don’t be lazy, walk on the bridge itself it’s worth it. There are also free attractions that are located next to the bridge to add to your visit.

Fisherman’s Wharf
This is one of the oldest neighborhoods in San Francisco and it is where you will find the most family attractions in the city. So if you are traveling with your kids ensure you mark this place.

San Francisco Bay
Don’t stay on the land, take a cruise, see the city from the sea, search for whales, or visit the most famous prison in the world, Alcatraz. Be aware though that the cruises to Alcatraz fill up quickly on weekends and during peak season.

Castro District
The beautiful Castro district is the next top attraction in San Francisco where you can even get a free tour. While visiting the district, I suggest visiting the historic Castro theatre and catching their classic movie of the month.

Take a Walk in Chinatown
This is in Chinatown and it is the oldest Chinatown neighborhood in the USA. In Chinatown, you can experience a mix of the San Franciscan and Chinese cultures and learn about the unique history of the Chinese people while exploring the many shops.

Palace of Fine Arts
Spend some time in the beautiful Palace of Fine Arts watching the Swans and enjoying the ancient Greek architecture. Check out the Exploratorium next door with over 475 art and science exhibits.

Union Square
If you enjoy shopping, there’s no better place than Union Square. Here, you can purchase anything your heart desires from clothing to fine jewelry. You can also check out some street performers around this square from juggling to opera, acrobatics, and other forms of street art.

The Dock Seals
If you are going to San Francisco, then you have to see the Dock Seals that lie around Pier 39. They sure are noisy but fun to watch. If you are passionate about sea life, you can also take a whale watching cruise to spot some sea giants.

Ride World-Famous Trolleys
It’s fun and an experience you will never forget. You can take the regular trolleys or you can book a hop-on-hop-off charlie.

Ghiradelli Square
The last but not least on the list is Ghiradelli Square. It is home to the world-famous Ghiradelli chocolates and many other Queen shops. Stop by to grab some delicious chocolates here.

5 Safety Tips for Women Traveling Alone

Shifting gears a bit, I want to focus some upcoming posts on the travel. Having done some traveling recently, I feel compelled to share some of the places I’ve been and things I’ve learned along the way.

Female travelers are afraid to travel by themselves because they feel that being a solo female traveler somehow inherently puts them in danger. I think solo females should go out there and conquer the world and not wait to be accompanied by a friend or a partner or a relative. That being said, I totally understand the reluctance and the fear that can come with the prospect of traveling by yourself. So I have a few guidelines that will hopefully help ease your mind and will hopefully prompt you to get out there and go see the world by yourself even if you are a girl.

Be Prepared
A lot of the fear and insecurity that comes from traveling on your own is not having an idea of what you’re doing and where you’re going. If you are not an experienced solo traveler, I would recommend that you plan out at least the first 48 to 72 hours of your trip. You should plan your accommodation and your transportation. If you are landing at an airport, know exactly how you will get from the airport to your accommodation. You should know which areas of the city are best to stay in and which modes of transportation are the safest. These are all aspects to plan before your trip so that you can be prepared for all eventualities.

Remain Inconspicuous
When you travel, try to stay under the radar because undue attention especially from lecherous men can be fairly unnerving if you are a woman who is traveling on her own. Make sure you cover your shoulders, arms, and head if necessary. This is not only respectful of the culture but also to avoid any extra attention or to deflect potential harassment. The name of the game in this case is trying to keep as low a profile as possible because if you really want to go local the best thing to do is to blend in.

Be Vigilant Especially When you Party
I understand you want to let your hair down when you travel but successful solo travel as a woman often hinges on common sense. Keep your wits about you and don’t make yourself a target, leave the expensive jewelry at home, don’t flash your cash on the street and don’t trust strangers. If you go out to sample the local nightlife, it is important to limit your alcohol intake if you really must drink at all. The reason is that alcohol can impair your senses and can make you vulnerable to any creeper out there who are looking to take advantage of you.

Partner with Other Solo Female Travelers
Traveling solo doesn’t mean that you have to be alone all the time. It is helpful to partner with other female solo travelers simply because you will understand each other’s concerns, triumphs, and challenges and often you can trade tips and tricks for traveling solo.

Keep Friends and Family Updated
Finally, I would recommend that you keep friends and family informed about your whereabouts. Honestly, this seems really obvious but you may probably go on your trip and have such a good time that you forget to write your family friends back home. It’s super important to keep them up to speed and up to date with what you are doing. I would recommend sending them a copy of your itinerary so even if you don’t have the chance to contact them daily at least they can kind of have a running schedule of what you are supposed to be doing and where you are.

Make sure you not only include an itinerary of where you will be and on what dates but that you also include the contact information for the accommodation and tours you may have booked. Also, if you find that updating them individually is onerous or annoying make sure you point them toward your social media channels which you’ll surely be updating so they can be privy to what a good time you are having on the road.

Buffalo Bills Hall of Famer Jim Kelly And His TD Passes

Jim Kelly, the Hall Of Famer, was an extraordinary player as compared to other athletes, the Bills ever had. He apparently was able to do everything from the quarterback point. Kelly was sufficiently intense to hang in the pocket while being hurried; he had an arm like a rocket to toss the ball down field. He had the exactness and complete command over the short passes, and he had the mental durability and administration characteristics which are expected by a team from its quarterbacks.

Let us see five other fascinating facts about Jim Kelly, the great.

#1 The main touchdown pass Jim Kelly at any point tossed in the NFL came in the principal quarter of the primary round of the 1986 season which was a 28-24 misfortune to the New York Jets. It ran for only two steps and was captured by moving back Greg Bell. The same game was Kelly’s opening match at QB for the Bills. It was the first game for long time Bills fans and owners of Calgary Massage. It was the first of three touchdown passes he tossed in the match.

#2 During the career of Jim Kelly, his team tossed the most touchdown catches against the rival, New York Jets. Kelly tossed 33 goals catches versus them. It made four more than he passed facing the second place group the New England Patriots and a memorable 52-34 prevails upon the Pittsburgh Steelers, back in 1991, he turned into the main Buffalo’s quarterback to toss six goals in a single match.

#3 Jim tossed some huge touchdown scores, yet he tossed a greater amount of them passes in the second part than he tossed in the later parts of the match. He tossed 237 passes amid his NFL profession. Kelly tossed 47 in the main quarter, 55 in the second from last quarter, 60 in the final and one in extra minutes. Though, during the second half, he finished 74 passes for touchdowns in nut cracking match.

#4 None of the team mates got more touchdown catches from Kelly amid his vocation than the considerable Andre Reed. Indeed, Reed’s 65 touchdown gatherings are about three fold the number of as the second place athlete on the run down as Pete Metzelaars had with 22. Kelly tossed more catches facing the New York Jets, a sum of 33 than he tossed rivaling other oppositions in the alliance.

Jim Kelly and Ralph Wilson – A look back

James Edward Kelly

James Edward Kelly is a renowned, American football player. For more than ten seasons, he competed as a quarterback in the National Football League. His whole life was gone through with NFL as he labored his life performing for the Buffalo Bills. He additionally played for Houston Gamblers for two seasons in the United States Football League. The Buffalo Bills group had Jim Kelly as their quarterback. He is adored and loved by the Buffalo Bills supporters everywhere throughout the world. They want to see Kelly, despite the things starting off in an undesirable way among him and the city. He was unwilling to play not in a cold atmosphere. He generally ruined from the cool climate and selected to play in the USFL for two summers instead of for the Buffalo Bills, who enrolled Kelly in 1983.

It was not till the USFL collapsed that he confirmed an agreement to perform with the Buffalo Bills. Kelly’s own life has been loaded with difficulties. Hunter, his child, had a deadly degenerative illness and passed on in 2005. Kelly was determined to have an uncommon type of tumor in 2013 yet after operation and loads of radiation and chemotherapy, he is said to be clear from cancer now. Bills fans relate to individuals who encounter such difficulties, and the way that Kelly has stayed in a village close to Buffalo all through every last bit of it include vigorously his support.

Ralph Wilson

Ralph Wilson asserted Buffalo Bills for more than fifty years until the point when his death in 2014 as he was the beginning proprietor of the group in 1959. Ralph is ascribed with helping to hold American Football League and few of its gatherings living. He credited assets to the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders. Wilson was a dynamic proprietor when he spent his vocation in NFL. He generally encouraged the relationship of NFL toward the way he thought best.

He was among the proprietors who crusaded then operator Pete Rozelle to put off amusements following the JFK demise rundown. Pete continued with the games and later he said that it was his most prominent slip-up. Wilson was reviewed as an intense and fearless visionary proprietor toward the finish of his donning profession. He declined to sell the name of his stadium and was made plans to keep the Bills in Buffalo paying little respect to its little market quality.

History of the Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills started their ace football season as the seventh group to be adopted by AFL (American Football League). In 1959 the establishment was granted to the legendary, Ralph Wilson. After that, the Bills have met expanded times of both title strength and second-division disappointment.

A fascinating piece of Bills antiquity is the means by which they got their title; a naming competition followed in selecting the association after the AAFC Buffalo Bills. Hence, the first Buffalo Bills were elected after William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody. Billy Buffalo was appointed to be the official mascot of Bills. Despite the fact that there are three New York groups, (the Giants, Bills, and Jets) the Buffalo Bills are the main ones to really play their home matches in New York State.

Starting with the 2008 season, the Bills group included one match on their home ground, every year to be played in Toronto to their calendar. Bills are presently the main team to have two home grounds. Amid 1960, the NFL and AFL blended and made another establishment for the Bills. They initially performed at War Memorial Stadium and afterward, in 1973, traveled to Ralph Wilson Stadium. As specified before, now, they play one match every year at Rogers Centre in Toronto.

After getting the membership of NFL establishment framework, the Buffalo Bills history turned out to be considerably more distinguished. In 1973, the Bills began striking at their fresh arena while Joe Ferguson turned into their new gridiron. As a component of the history of Buffalo Bills, this gathering of professionals made numerous significant and collectible remarkable things in the commercial center.

Whatever is left of the 1970s and the 80s was a rough time for the Bills. There were many good and bad times and a lot of conquering and failing periods. Nonetheless, in the 90s, they attempted to switch to a pick up the pace attack and took them back to the limelight. Two noteworthy occasions in Buffalo Bills history is their outings to Super Bowl XXV and XXVI. The third successful presentation was given in 1992, and after that, in 1993. This succession of appearances made Bills the top team in NFL history to play in four back to back Super Bowls!

10 most popular Buffalo Bills fans

The most faithful fan support in NFL is with Buffalo Bills. There are many famous people among these fan bases. Performing artists and on-screen characters, competitors and correspondents are few of the people who are recognized for pulling for the Bills.

Let us overview the Bills’ well-known supporters.

Christopher McDonald
Christopher McDonald is popular for executing Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore, the however performer is likewise a Bills fan. He has bolstered the Bills for the duration of his life and he is also Kelly’s dear companion.

Chad Michael Murray
Chad Michael Murray is famously remembered for his chance on the CW’s One Tree Hill. He is a long lasting Buffalo Bills fan. The performing artist freshly performed Sam Phillips on CMT’s Sun Records. At the point when Murray is not performing, he can regularly be discovered backing the Bills via web-based networking media.

Wolf Blitzer
Wolf Blitzer is a well-known CNN journalist. He has constantly adored the Bills as he states in the NFL’s Why I’m a Fan series. He experienced childhood in Buffalo and went to Bills recreations regularly with his dad.

Chris Berman

Since the origin of ESPN in 1979, Chris Berman has been with it. He, as a studio host stays with the system and has supported Bills all through his life.

Scratch Bakay
Scratch Bakay is not just a performing artist, essayist and comic, he’s likewise a Bills supporter. He was conceived in Buffalo and is an influential fan of the Bills and Buffalo Sabers.

Bill Fichtner
Performer Bill Fichtner was brought up in Cheektowaga and it prompted him turning into a Buffalo Bills supporter. He made a short film on What it Means to Be a Bills Fan prior to the 2014 season. The performing artist as of late reported that he will be shooting the film “Cool Brook” in Buffalo in his directorial appearance.

Abby Wambach

Abby Wambach is a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

This FIFA ladies’ World Cup champion got birth in Rochester, New York. Just because of the soccer craze, the resigned football player began applauding for the Buffalo Bills.

Luke Russert
On account of his dad, the late Tim Russert, being a diehard fan, Luke Russert turned up to be a Bills supporter. He, once in the past of NBC News, is appeared here before a Bills diversion.

Taz
Lex Luger isn’t the main previous master wrestler who underpins the Buffalo Bills. Previous ECW champion and WWE icon Taz is a Buffalo Bills follower. He authoritatively turned into a Bills fan in 2014.

Kevin Connors
The anchor person of ESPN Sports Center became a fan of Buffalo Bills in Albany. He, being a devotee of Bills is evident on the internet and other web-based networking media.