Gare Du Nord Travel

Although a lot of people believe that New York is one of those big bad cities with crime rates that would make your heart palpitate in fear, official reports actually claim that New York is one of the safest places to be these days, with crime rates reaching an all time low since the 1960’s.
If it’s your first time to travel to New York, here are a few tips for you to make your visit in New York safer, cheaper and more memorable.

Where To Stay

If you don’t have some friends with pads in New York that you could bunk in for a night or two then there are a wide range of hotels for you to choose from. Most of the hotels in New York are concentrated in Manhattan but if you’re flying for business purposes then maybe you’d prefer to stay somewhere near Wall Street. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for something quirky and fun, then maybe Chelsea and Greenwhich are good places to start.

Where To Eat

One good thing about New York: the food is a fusion of a bit of everything from the four corners of the globe. If you desire lasagna, then Italian eateries are just around the corner. If you desire some good old fashioned beef stew and yangchow rice then there are a lot of Chinese delis that are willing to deliver food right on your doorstep. From ultra-posh, exorbitantly expensive first class restaurants to bohemian dining to fixed rates for eat all you can buffets, New York will have no problems in satisfying your gastronomical inclinations.

Where to Go

New York has a lot of points of interest to boast of and the list just keeps getting longer and longer. Remember the animation movie, Madagascar? Well, that’s Central Park in drawing but wait till you see the real one and all eight hundred acres of it. And then there’s Madam Tussaud’s Wax Museum. They say that a visit to New York isn’t complete until you check out the lifelike “creatures” in that particular museum. And who can forget the Empire State Building, once the tallest among them all high rise buildings? And of course there’s the Statue of Liberty, the very symbol of American welcome. Then there’s the Rockefeller Center, with its famous Christmas tree right in the middle of all the action.

How to Stay Safe

Although New York is considered as “safe”, it wouldn’t hurt to take the necessary precautions and avoid the attention of pickpockets on the lookout for out-of-towners. Don’t make a fuss when going to the ATM and always go out in groups.

How Not to Get Lost

New York is a very busy city so the bustling city may end up overwhelming first time visitors. Hence, it’s advisable that you always carry your map and cellphone with you. If unsure of the destination, don’t just board the subway but instead, spend extra cash for a cab ride.
Lastly, enjoy your New York tour!

The UNESCO convention for world heritage adopted in 1972 allowed for the designation of sites with an exceptional universal value: such as the pyramids in Egypt, the Galapagos Islands or Kilamanjaro. There are now 730 sites of which 144 are natural and 23 mixed (natural and cultural) in 125 different countries. 57 of these sites are mountains, or mountain ranges but Mont Blanc doesn’t feature.

Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in Western Europe with an altitude of 4807m. With new technologies the altitude of Mont Blanc can be accurately measured and its oscillations measured (between 4807m and 4811m). This constant fluctuation is due to the level of snow which accumulates on the rock summit (which is estimated to be 4780m) which is in turn dependant on precipitation and temperature. It is foreseeable that with global warming there will be an augmentation in precipitation and this will favour an elevation of Mont Blanc. The rise of the massif continues today at a rate of 1.5mm a year but is in competition with the forces of erosion.

Due to the fascination with which Mont Blanc captures the spirit and the imagination the massif has played a leading role in the birth and evolution of geology. Literature, natural history and the history of science converge when one talks about the rock structures of the massif. This interest in Mont Blanc started with Saussare in the 1700s who studied Mont Blanc as the key to understanding the formation of the Alps and all mountain chains. So the massif du Mont Blanc was and continues to be an object of scientific interest of the premier order, which has permitted the advancement of our knowledge of the Alps. A heritage which must be developed and conserved for the future.
The Mont Blanc Massif is also an important entity for flora and fauna. It is surrounded by deep valleys, has a very marked altitude range from 800-4807m and a large number of different and varied valleys. One can find all the animals symbolic of the Alps - royal eagles, marmottes, choucas, chamois - all of whom have developed and adapted very specifically to the alpine life and harsh winters. The region is also a botanical garden with a number of rare and protected plants with a richness in variety due as much from the variation in altitude as the various orientations of the massif, the chemical composition of the rock and the ancestral ways of man in the lower regions. The importance of several habitats: pine forests, rocks, meadows and moraines assure a good representation of species.

The glaciers of Mont Blanc cover a surface area of 170 square kilometres and is characterised by a great diversity of glacial forms - a nearly complete collection. The enormous accumulation zones at altitude form several currents of ice from the famous Mer de Glace (with over 5 million visitors per year the most visited glacier in the world) the second largest glacial complex in Europe after Aletsch, to hanging glaciers such as Le Tour or the long cascades of ice like Les Bossons - which starts practically at the top of Mont Blanc and culminates in the depths of the valley below (3400m of declivity, the largest in Europe). The aesthetic value and pedagogic quality of this range of glaciers merits them to be made a sanctuary for the benefit of all.

Mont Blanc’s 17000 hectares of snow and ice also make it a huge reserve and of water and humidity and a great barrier to global warming. Its deep glaciers and their steep angle enable them to be more resistant to global warming than others. The subtle interactions of orientation, slope, altitude, latitude, the amount of solar energy reflected and the rate of precipitation are the origin of a number of very different microclimates from one valley to another. This unique richness make Mont Blanc the ideal laboratory to study climate change. Indeed, one can see in just the last 50 years an elevation of 300m in the alpine ecosystems.

Mont Blanc represents both nature and culture and stands at the heart of an overpopulated Europe as a last great wilderness. With its full representation of habitats, its offers opportunities to study the adaptation of life at altitude - in different seasons and microclimates - to study the development of the Alps, and to learn the history of the Alps. One of the unique characteristics of the Mont Blanc massif is that while it represents a mountain wilderness it is very accessible. This is part of what gives it its charm and equally its vulnerability. And this is why it needs and merit’s the protection and recognition of UNESCO.

One of the most popular family activities in Newport Beach is going to the beach. During the summer months, the beach is a very popular resort and getaway spot for the entire family. You and your wife or your friends can enjoy swimming, boat riding, or even hitting the waves on a jet ski. With temperatures in the summer hitting 75 degrees and above, nothing breaks the heat better than the beach.

For the kids, the beach holds many different activities. They can build sand castles in the sand, play around in the water, or simply bask in the glorious sun. If they get tired of playing in the sand, you can simply go back to your hotel room and enjoy the fun of the safe yet confined swimming pool.

Another popular activity in Newport Beach for the family is the Balboa Fun Zone. There is something here for everyone, with the Fun Zone keeping kids entertained the entire time they are there! If you’ve never experienced the Fun Zone before, you’ll be in for the treat of a lifetime!

The Balboa Fun Zone is comprised of many different areas, including restaurants and beaches. There is so much to do here that you’ll probably have to come back over the course of several days to see everything that the Fun Zone has to offer.

Another activity that yields a lot of fun in Newport Beach is rollerblading. You can rent rollerblades from many different providers, from kids sizes to adults. There are also many places to use your rollerblades, including the sidewalks along the beach. If you like rollerblading, Newport Beach helps to set a new standard of fun.

When it comes to the kids enjoying themselves, nothing will please them more than the Toy Boat. Located at 3331 East Coast Highway, the Toy Boat is the best place in Newport Beach to take the kids. There are hundreds of thousands of toys and activities here to keep your kids and probably yourselves entertained for hours.

After you have a day of family fun in Newport Beach or the surrounding areas, you can stop and have a relaxing meal at one of the fabulous restaurants. The food here is to die for, giving everyone in your family a chance to eat their favorite food.

With something for everyone, it’s hard to believe that Newport Beach is actually an undiscovered vacation spot for many. The area has so much to offer, that it’s just a matter of time before people start to discover everything the area will provide them with. When the time comes for your getaway - make sure you give Newport Beach a try - you’ll be glad you did!

Blacks Beach to the north and Windansea Beach to the south, the La Jolla shoreline consists of steep sandstone cliffs that are seperated by coves and sandy beaches.

They sunny yet beautiful breezes and picture perfect views are a vacation paradise for tourists and a water recreation highlight for locals. There are seven unique beaches that dot the seven mile coastline against a backdrop of real estate, resorts, cliffs, tall palm trees, and lush scenary.

Downtown La Jolla is conveniently located near most of the beaches which not only provide parking for beach visitors but plenty of fine restaurants, intimate cafes, culture, art galleries, and other types of commercial convenience.

Between mid day and 4 PM, the crowds at any of the La Jolla beaches can be very big. The best advice when visiting any of the beaches in La Jolla is to come to the beach early and stay late - so that you can enjoy the magic of the sunsets and dusk views from across the ocean horizons.

Each beach at La Jolla will offer you something unique with different ways to enjoy the bliss of your vacation. La Jolla Shores is the most popular beach for families with the largest expansion of flat, sandy beaches. If you enjoy people watching, sunbathing, and lazy days on the beach - La Jolla Shores is where you want to be.

La Jolla Cove is another excellent beach, with steep sandstone cliffs offering amazing views and the paradise of sparkling blue water the cove is known for. The La Jolla Cove is a swimmer’s dream come true because of it’s gentle water. Along with the Children’s Pool, the Cove is rich with reefs that attract scuba divers and snorkelers to the abundance of marine life.

There are several La Jolla Caves that were carved by nature into the sandstone cliffs between La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores that help attract ocean kayakers from around the world. There is one cave in particular, known as “Sunny Jim Cave” that can be entered through a man made tunnel that leads to a steep descent through a narrow underground tube to a wooden deck.

With plenty of beaches all along the coastline, La Jolla is the place to be during the summer months. La Jolla is a well known tourist attraction, with well over 7,000 people visiting on a daily basis. If you enjoy the beach, La Jolla is going to feel like heaven on earth.