What places, structures or geographic features should be (inter)nationally famous?

[dchan]

Originally Posted by tdawg

ha, the Pulaski Skyway post made me guffaw. That thing is terrifying to drive-on. I white-knuckle it over that and the Goethals Bridge every time.

It may be terrifying to drive on, but do you know what's even more terrifying? Not being able drive on it, and taking the alternate truck route to the Holland Tunnel ... that is, if you're lucky.

I was not so lucky one early morning when I picked up my parents from Newark Airport. Police closed down the alternate route with nary a detour route laid out, and everybody was forced to follow the car in front of them with sheer hope that driver would know another alternate route to the Holland. So of course the car in front of us knew bupkus of how to get to the Tunnel, and we had hit a U-Turn and make our way through some of the most depressing industrial wasteland known to man.

[Double L]

About The Williams Tower

It's the fact that it stands out so much and has the cultural impact of a beacon that can be seen from many neighborhoods. It also successfully combines Post Modern and Art Deco architecture which is very difficult to do.

[ThePhun1]

^

I've got to agree with the others, it just seems like an ordinary skyscraper, only unique because it's not in a major financial or downtown district (and as a result, it towers over everything in the immediate vicinity).

[Double L]

I think the experience of driving around and seeing a 900 ft tall building, standing entirely alone with a beacon atop bringing attention to its location from many miles away, should be internationally famous.

[KevinFromTexas]

I think a better idea for a thread like this is to post a photo of whatever structure you are hoping is internationally famous, and then allow international forumers to guess what it is. Insisting something is well known is like saying you're cool because your mom says so.

But anyway, whenever I'm in Houston the Williams Tower is the one I'm looking for, but that's just me.

[Double L]

You know, just to reiterate something here, I'm not trying to say The Williams Tower should be internationally famous because like I said, it has to do with exposure from the media. I'm just saying I would like it to be because I think it would play the role well.

[StethJeff]

- Ha Long Bay ought to be one of the most famous geographic wonders on Earth. Unbelievable that it isn't. It's in that second tier of ultimate natural sites (Grand Canyon unquestionably standing firmly alone at the top).

- Tikal doesn't get nearly as much love as Machu Picchu, Teotihuacan, or Chichen Itza, and I have no clue why. Tikal is the ultimate Indiana Jones experience.

- Banff is as beautiful as the Swiss Alps but the only people that seem to have ever heard of the place are Canadians.

- Jokulsarlon is far too picturesque to not at least be featured in random Facebook/HuffPost clickbait.

- Okavango Delta (and Botswana in general) should be synonymous with "safari" but people tend to always think of places like Kruger or the Serengeti.

- Meteora is totally overshadowed by all of the 2000-3000 year old ruins throughout Greece. It's a shame because the monasteries and geology here are stunning.

Then there are those places that are the exact opposite: the ones that are unnecessarily waaaaaaay too famous. Niagara Falls, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, Singapore, Santorini, Phuket, Grauman's Chinese Theater, Hollywood Sign, Hollywood, Death Valley . . .

[ThePhun1]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

I think a better idea for a thread like this is to post a photo of whatever structure you are hoping is internationally famous, and then allow international forumers to guess what it is. Insisting something is well known is like saying you're cool because your mom says so.

But anyway, whenever I'm in Houston the Williams Tower is the one I'm looking for, but that's just me.

Eh, I'm new to posting here (though a reader for many, many years), so I'll learn the customs here soon enough.

[SignalHillHiker]

The only one that I could suggest for Newfoundland and Labrador is the Fogo Island Inn, but I suspect it's not all that interesting in a global sense, just a well-executed knockoff of Scandinavian style.

It's a very expensive hotel, and has equally architecturally interesting artists' studios scattered about the island on which it's built. The interior is fully decked out in traditional Newfoundland folk crafts and art, from the quilts on the beds to the wood stoves.

It's won just about every international award available for hotels since it was built.

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[MolsonExport]

Barad-dûr, Mordor.

[Leo the Dog]

I think this bridge is under rated. There are proposals to build a pedestrian/bicycle tube underneath the roadway. It has incredible views of downtown and the mountains going eastbound and while driving westbound toward Coronado, great views of the Pacific and the islands in Mexican waters. The bridge is tall to allow navy vessels to pass underneath and has a sharp turn as you approach Coronado.





Source: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_D...oronado_Bridge

[hudkina]

I agree. Nothing about the tower makes it seem extraordinary. There are plenty of similar buildings throughout North America.

[AviationGuy]

Originally Posted by hudkina

I agree. Nothing about the tower makes it seem extraordinary. There are plenty of similar buildings throughout North America.

People who haven't seen the Williams Tower close up won't have the appreciation many of us do. By close up, I mean really close up, from the base looking up at the beautiful lines and angles.

Architectural opinions are fine, though. You better watch out, though. I may have some things to say about your neighborhood Walmart recommendation.

[mrnyc]

i'll just leave my 'ol pic of cleveland's deco guardians of transportation right here




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Memorial_Bridge

^ if you can believe it, al porter aka cleveland's robert moses, a guy who canceled cleeveland's subway plan after it was passed by the voters, had this to say about the guardians when he wanted to widen the bridge: "Those columns are monstrosities and should be torn down and forgotten. There is nothing particularly historic about any one of them. We're not running a May Show here (may show=annual art show)."

[hauntedheadnc]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

i'll just leave my 'ol pic of cleveland's deco guardians of transportation right here




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Memorial_Bridge

Irrelevant anecdote: There is a novel called Dragons of the Cuyahoga in which one of the eponymous dragons is murdered and comes to rest against that bridge. Then, of course, it's time to call out the forensic mages. Best melding of fantasy, crime fiction, and Art Deco EVAR (sic).

[MayDay]

Not sure why the wikipedia entry fails to mention - the lower deck was to also have rail transit (streetcar I believe) and if you look at the base of any of the Guardians, you can see where the entrance would have been:

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Leo the Dog

I think this bridge is under rated. There are proposals to build a pedestrian/bicycle tube underneath the roadway. It has incredible views of downtown and the mountains going eastbound and while driving westbound toward Coronado, great views of the Pacific and the islands in Mexican waters. The bridge is tall to allow navy vessels to pass underneath and has a sharp turn as you approach Coronado.





Source: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_D...oronado_Bridge

A great drive. And featured in the opening theme of "Simon and Simon" (TV show from the eighties)

[dc_denizen]

DC has few statues/sculpture compared to a European capital city, but what is does have is pretty high-quality IMO; a notable collection from an artistic standpoint really that is worth visiting and should be more famous.

Obviously Lincoln memorial



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Korean war memorial



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Grant, staring implacably down the mall at Lincoln



next to Grant, battle scene:



Methodist preacher in Columbia Heights



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Iwo Jima memorial



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And of course, Washington DC's weirdly buff statues on the bridge into Arlington cemetery:



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[Ch.G, Ch.G]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

A great drive. And featured in the opening theme of "Simon and Simon" (TV show from the eighties)

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[RCDC]

Chesapeake Bay Bridge is one of my favorites and perhaps not too many people outside Balt-Wash know about it. It's chronically congested, looks flimsy and is kind of unsettling to be on but I find it oddly beautiful.


Source and article


http://ndcott.deviantart.com/
http://ndcott.deviantart.com/art/Che...nset-327835330