The U.S. is almost a magical place; like Hong Kong, it was built by immigrants and refugees who arrived with nearly nothing and faced with an uncertain future. With determination and grit, they resolved to make this a meritocracy where they believed anyone can make it with hard work. The Read more
The first time I heard the name Raleigh I was watching the Andy Griffith Show and thought it was spelt “Rawley.” Google promptly asked if I meant to search for “Raleigh” instead. I didn’t give visiting the state capital of North Carolina a shot until I saw it on a map and Read more
The first time I visited San Francisco was through GTA San Andreas on my computer screen. I parachuted off the top of the Transamerica Pyramid countless times after evading the police. The first evening I got into town by Uber I saw homeless people on every single street corner. Even Read more
Of all the nations that fought the second world war, Japan remains the only country whose government systematically denies the atrocities it had committed until this day. The memorial hall is less of a museum and more of a collection of stories of the war against Japanese aggression from Chinese Read more
The Disney Family was from Normandy in France originally called d’Isigny with the family name anglicized when they moved to to Britain. The family with infant Kepple Disney moved to Ireland before settling in Goederich in Ontario. Kepple married Mary Richardson in Goederich before moving to California during the gold Read more
Constructed in just 16 months, the USS Hornet aircraft carrier is the eighth and final ship to bear the name. It recovered the Apollo 11 crew after they landed in the ocean and performed it’s final mission retrieving the Apollo 12 crew. It’s permanently docked at the same pier the Read more
That pointy building in San Francisco that’s said to be earthquake resistant? I’ve parachuted off the top of it many times in GTA San Andreas while trying to evade the police. At 42-stories tall, it was the city’s tallest building from its construction in 1972 until the Salesforce Tower was Read more
The US made 2,710 liberty ships to carry supplies across the Atlantic Ocean during the second world war. It only took 60 days to make one, which helped because they needed to make ships faster than he German U-boats could sink them. This one moored in San Francisco is only Read more
This is the natural habitat of the San Francisco liberal arts student. The blue-haired, orange leggings, faux leather jacket-wearing, dark eyeliner-painting, frilly choker-donning type. Also, the latte-drinking, Lululemon bag-slinging, Apple watch-wearing, crop topping type. “My roommate did a thesis on chairs, but then she switched to cups,” one young lady Read more
The building doesn’t have much in it, just a few models of old shops with displays telling visitors about the role of each type of ship in history. San Francisco sees heavy maritime traffic from trade, tourism and military vessels alike. Entry to the building is free but you’ll have Read more
From 1982 to 1984, the tourist-attracting cable tram underwent an overhaul and a new powerhouse by General Electric. However, the city realized that it would lose tourist dollars if the cable tram didn’t run, so they started running old trams on Market Street instead and hoped the tourists would keep Read more