10451 Best Sights in USA

The marquee destination for big-name shopping in the city and within walking distance of many hotels, Union Square is home base for many visitors. Four globular contemporary lamp sculptures by the artist R. M. Fischer preside over the landscaped, 2½-acre park anchored by the monument to Admiral George Dewey. The area also has a café with outdoor seating, an open-air stage, and the city's favorite holiday season ice-skating rink. The square hosts a kaleidoscope of characters: office workers sunning and brown-bagging, street musicians, shoppers taking a rest, kids chasing pigeons, and a fair number of homeless people. The constant clang of cable cars traveling up and down Powell Street helps maintain a festive mood.

This neighborhood is located in the southeastern part of Somerville. Used by the Union Army during the American Revolution, today it's home to numerous restaurants, shops, and bars and is considered one of the area's most under-the-radar hot spots. The Union Square Farmers Market is held on the plaza every Saturday from mid-May through October.

Incorporating elements from Ogden's original 1870s train depot that was destroyed by a fire in 1923, the impressive Spanish Revival replacement has been developed into a landmark cultural center with two art galleries and four diverse museums. The Browning Firearms Museum celebrates the many achievements of the museum's namesake and showcases the sporting and military firearms that were popular in the Old West before Browning formed his own company. The Browning–Kimball Classic Car Museum pays tribute to the golden age of automobiles with a small but dazzling collection of restored cars from the first half of the 20th century. The Utah State Railroad Museum thrills train enthusiasts with its meandering exhibits detailing all phases of Utah's railroad history; a highlight is the outdoor Eccles Rail Center, which includes half a dozen restored train cars. The smallest museum of the bunch, the Utah Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, features the Utah Cowboy Hall of Fame and honors artists, rodeo champions, entertainers, musicians, ranchers, and writers who have promoted the Western lifestyle. The Myra Powell Gallery mounts monthly photography exhibits, while the Gallery at the Station showcases local art in an enclosed passenger platform.

You can always find your way to Union Station by heading toward the huge neon "go by train" sign atop the 150-foot-tall Romanesque Revival clock tower that looms high above the building. Originally opened in 1896, the station's vast lobby area, with high ceilings and marble floors, is worth a brief visit if you hold any nostalgia for the heyday of rail travel in the United States. Amtrak trains stop here, and the old-school restaurant adjoining the station, Wilfs, is an elegant spot for a bite to eat or watching live jazz in the evening.

Even if you don't plan on traveling by train anywhere, head here to soak up the ambience of a great rail station. Envisioned by John and Donald Parkinson, the architects who also designed the grand City Hall, the 1939 masterpiece combines Spanish Colonial Revival and art deco elements that have retained their classic warmth and quality. The waiting hall's commanding scale and enormous chandeliers have provided the backdrop for countless scenes in films, TV shows, and music videos. Recently added to the majesty are the Homebound Brew Haus and the Traxx Bar, two bars that pay homage to the station's original architecture while serving homemade brews and inventive classic cocktails. Walking tours of Union Station are on Saturday at 11 and cost $15.

This imposing structure dates from 1911, when Tacoma was the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Built by Reed and Stem, architects of New York City's Grand Central Terminal, the copper-domed, beaux arts–style depot shows the influence of the Roman Pantheon and Italian baroque style. The station houses federal district courts, but its rotunda contains a gorgeous exhibit of glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly. Because it's a government facility, be prepared to walk through a metal detector and show photo ID.

The massive limestone-and-granite building has 47-foot-high vaulted ceilings, marble pillars, a terrazzo floor, original steam-heated wooden benches, and a vintage barbershop that still gives haircuts. Train tours operated by Adirondack Scenic Railroad leave from the 1914 Italian Renaissance–style station for day trips into the Adirondack wilderness.

Officially an \"international zone\" in the city's heart, the UN Headquarters sits on an 18-acre tract on the East River, fronted by flags of its 193 member states, who are charged with helping maintain international security and peace. Built between 1949 and 1961, the complex completed an overhaul in 2015—the 70th anniversary of the UN's founding—that retained the 1950s look while upgrading its infrastructure. The only way to enter the UN Headquarters is with the hour-long weekday standard guided tour, available in all six UN official languages; reservations can be made online, and you'll need a security pass from the visitors office at 801 1st Avenue.  Arrive 60 minutes before your tour's start for security screening. The tour includes the General Assembly, Security Chamber Council, and exhibitions and educational details. Youngsters under five are not admitted. Other scheduled tours cater to different aspects of the UN such as art and architecture, or emphasize Black history or women and children; virtual versions are also available.

The complex's buildings (the slim, 550-foot-tall green-glass Secretariat Building; the much smaller, domed General Assembly Building; and the Dag Hammarskjöld Library) evoke the influential Swiss-born French modernist architect Le Corbusier, and the surrounding park and plaza remain visionary. The public concourse has a visitor center with a gift shop, a bookstore, and a post office where you can mail postcards with UN stamps; bring your passport to add the commemorative UN stamp.

On a beautiful hillside in Arlington, the Air Force Memorial honors the service and sacrifice of America's airmen. Three stainless-steel, asymmetrical spires slice through the skyline up to 270 feet, representing flight, the precision of the "high bomb burst" maneuver performed by the Air Force Thunderbirds, and the three core values of the Air Force: Integrity first, Service before self, and Excellence in all we do. The spires are adjacent to the southern portion of Arlington National Cemetery and visible from the Tidal Basin and Interstate 395 near Washington. At the base of the spires are four 8-foot statues standing guard, a glass wall engraved with the missing man formation, and granite walls inscribed with Air Force values and accomplishments.

Better known simply as "the Iwo Jima," this memorial, despite its familiarity, has lost none of its power to stir the emotions. Honoring Marines who gave their lives since the Corps was formed in 1775, the statue, sculpted by Felix W. de Weldon, is based on Joe Rosenthal's Pulitzer Prize–winning photograph of six Marines raising a flag atop Mt. Suribachi on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945. By executive order the U.S. flag flies day and night from the 78-foot-high memorial. On Tuesday evenings from early June to mid-August there's a Marine Corps sunset parade on the grounds of the memorial. On parade nights a free shuttle bus runs from the Arlington Cemetery visitors parking lot.

Also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial, it is inspired by the iconic photograph taken during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. The memorial depicts six marines raising the current U.S. flag and honors all U.S. Marine Corps personnel whose lives were lost since 1775. It's a 15-minute walk from the Metro station at Arlington National Cemetery, some of it uphill.

The first U.S. mint was built in Philadelphia at 16th and Spring Garden streets in 1792, when the Bank of North America adopted dollars and cents instead of shillings and pence as standard currency; the current mint was built in 1971. During a self-guided tour you can see blank disks being melted, cast, and pressed into coins, which are then inspected, counted, and bagged. Historic artifacts such as the Key to the First Mint and the gold medal awarded to General Anthony Wayne for his capture of Stony Point during the Revolutionary War are displayed. Seven Tiffany glass tile mosaics depict coin making in ancient Rome. A shop in the lobby sells special coins and medals—in mint condition.

Although Pierre L'Enfant included a Navy Memorial in his plans for Washington, D.C., the memorial did not come to life until 1987. The main attraction here is a 100-foot-diameter granite map of the world, known as the Granite Sea. Fountains, benches, and six ship masts surround the map. The Lone Sailor, a 7-foot-tall statue, stands on the map in the Pacific Ocean between the United States and Japan. The Naval Heritage Center, next to the memorial in the Market Square East Building, displays videos and exhibits of uniforms, medals, and other aspects of navy life. If you've served in the navy, you can enter your service record into the log. Bronze relief panels on the Pennsylvania Avenue side of the memorial depict 26 scenes commemorating events in the nation's naval history and honoring naval communities.

The free has three galleries with frequently rotating contemporary-art exhibits. The museum's permanent collection includes works by Richard Diebenkorn, Donald Judd, Ellsworth Kelly, and Robert Rauschenberg.

The University Museum, housed in a grand 1930s white stucco, red-tile-roof WPA building, shows off NMSU's role in regional archaeological research. Exhibits draw on extensive holdings of Southwestern and Mesoamerican pottery, and temporary exhibits delve into both regional and international subjects, from Diné (Navajo) weavers to African art.

Thousands of minerals and jewels from around the world, with a focus on those from Arizona and Mexico, are on display at this newly opened museum. The university's vast collection---including a massive quartz geode and a rare tapestry made of diamonds, gold, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds---can be seen here. You can also learn about the process of extracting minerals from rocks, as well as the university's collaborative research project with NASA that involves collecting and analyzing mineral samples from asteroids.

This small campus museum houses a collection of more than 6,000 artworks, mainly European and American paintings from the Renaissance through modern day, including works by Georgia O'Keeffe and Jackson Pollock. A highlight is the Kress Collection's retablo from Ciudad Rodrigo: 26 panels of an altarpiece made in the 1490s by Fernando Gallego.

The giant mirrors used in the world's most advanced telescopes take about five years to create, and on this guided 90-minute tour you can view them in the different stages of the production process: glass melting, casting, grinding, and polishing. Reservations for the tours, offered weekdays for ages 10 and older, must be made in advance; closed-toe, flat shoes are a must.

The campus of one of the country's most prestigious research universities spreads over 1,200 acres of coastal canyons and eucalyptus groves, where students and faculty jog, bike, and skateboard to class. If you're interested in contemporary art, check out the Stuart Collection of Sculpture—20 thought-provoking, site-specific works by artists such as Nam June Paik, William Wegman, Niki de St. Phalle, Jenny Holzer, and others arrayed around the campus. UCSD's Price Center has a well-stocked, two-level bookstore—the largest in San Diego. Look for the postmodern Geisel Library, named for longtime La Jolla residents Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel and his wife, Audrey. Bring a credit card for the pay stations and park in lot P704.

There are free outdoor walking tours offered at various times for the public. For scheduled tours, visit www.admissions.ucsd.edu.

Thanks to Berkeley's temperate climate, more than 10,000 types of plants from all corners of the world flourish in the 34-acre University of California Botanical Garden. Free garden tours are given regularly with paid admission. Benches and shady picnic tables make this a relaxing place for a snack with a breathtaking view. Call or go online before you travel to reserve your visit.

A top research university, UC Davis educates many Wine Country vintners and grape growers. Top majors include psychology, biological science, and economics. Campus tours depart from the welcome center, near the Mondavi Center, a striking modern glass structure that presents top-tier performing artists. Other worthy stops include the Arboretum and the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art.

The New York Times has called the university "one of the most architecturally dynamic campuses in America today." It's not surprising, perhaps, given its renowned College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP). The school's $234 million Main Street project has codified the campus identity, created an enhanced sense of community, and brought more student housing to what's still largely a commuter campus. Self-guided tour maps of the campus are available, as are guided architectural tours for parties of four or more. U.C., which joined the Big East conference in 2005, has an enrollment of 35,000 students and fields 18 Division I athletic teams. The university is in the uptown area in the rolling hills above Downtown, adjacent to the neighborhoods of Corryville, Clifton Heights, Clifton, and Avondale.

The campus of the University of Colorado Boulder began in 1876 with the construction of Old Main, which borders the Norlin Quadrangle, now on the National Register of Historic Places, a broad lawn where students hang out or play Frisbee between classes. The university’s red sandstone buildings with tile roofs, built in the “Rural Italian” architectural style that Charles Z. Klauder created in the early 1920s, complement the campus’s green lawns and small ponds. You can take a walking tour (reservations required) of the campus year-round.

UConn's large, sprawling main campus offers lots for visitors to see and do. The William Benton Museum of Art's permanent collection includes centuries-old European and American paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, and sculptures, and the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts presents a series of 25--30 music, dance, and theater programs during the academic year. The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry has more than 2,500 puppets on display (UConn is one of two colleges in the country that offer a puppetry degree); and, depending on the season, you might catch a Connecticut Huskies football game at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, or watch the amazing national championship-winning men's and women's basketball teams play at home in Storrs.

Athens has several splendid Greek revival buildings, including two on campus: the university chapel, built in 1832, just off North Herty Drive, and the university president's house that was built in the late 1850s. Easiest access to the campus in downtown Athens is off Broad Street onto either Jackson or Thomas Street, both of which run through the heart of the university. Maps are available at the visitor center in the Four Towers Building on College Station Road.

On campus are two art galleries: the Ridderhof Martin Gallery, which hosts art exhibitions from various cultures and historical periods, and the duPont Gallery in Melchers Hall, which houses paintings, drawing, sculpture, photography, ceramics, and textiles, by art faculty, students, and contemporary artists. Free parking is available for visitors in the lot at the corner of College Avenue at Thornton Street.

One of the largest campuses in the country, the University of Maryland at College Park has an enrollment of about 37,000. The College Park campus began as an agricultural college in 1856, and became part of the University of Maryland in 1920. The university's athletic teams (the Terrapins) participate in the highly competitive Atlantic Coast Conference and draw large crowds to Byrd Stadium and the 17,950-seat Comcast Center. In Turner Hall, visitor-center staff provide information about the university and maps for getting around the sprawling campus of 1,200 acres and 270 buildings. At the dairy, ice cream made from campus cows' milk is available by the cone or carton.

Franklin Street runs along the northern edge of the campus, which is filled with oak-shaded courtyards, stately old buildings, and tucked-away gems like the mystical Forest Theatre and the gorgeous Coker Arboretum. Regarded as one of the top public institutions in the United States, UNC–Chapel Hill is also one of the country's oldest public universities and was the first to admit students in 1795. To this day, it remains the very heart of Chapel Hill, which has grown up around it for more than two centuries.

The true heart of Eugene lies southeast of the city center at its university. Several fine old buildings can be seen on the 250-acre campus; Deady Hall, built in 1876, is the oldest. More than 400 varieties of trees grace the bucolic grounds, along with outdoor sculptures that include The Pioneer and The Pioneer Mother. The two bronze figures by Alexander Phimster Proctor were dedicated to the men and women who settled the Oregon Territory and less than a generation later founded the university.