All Landmarks in United States

Philadelphia City Hall, located at 1 Penn Square, is the seat of government for the city of Philadelphia, in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.At 548ft, including the statue of city founder William Penn atop it, it was the tallest habitable building in the world from 1894 to 1908. It remained the tallest in Pennsylvania until it was surpassed in 1932 by the Gulf Tower in Pittsburgh; it was the tallest in Philadelphia until the construction of One Liberty Place (1984–87) ended the informal gentlemen’s agreement that limited the height of buildings in the city. Today, it is the state’s 16th-tallest building.City Hall has been the world’s tallest masonry building since at least the 1953 collapse of the pinnacle of the Mole Antonelliana in Turin. Its weight is borne by granite and brick walls up to 22ft thick. The principal exterior materials are limestone, granite, and marble.In 2007, the building was voted #21 on the American Institute of Architects’ list of Americans’ 150 favorite U.S. structures.

Mount Sinai is a mountain situated on the Sinai Peninsula in Southern Egypt. At its highest point of elevation, Mount Sinai stands at is 2,285 m (7,497 ft)– the second highest mount in Egypt. The site is considered sacred by Muslims, Christians, and Jews, and one of the main objective for visitors is climbing the mount. Access to Mount Sinai is only available by road (bus or taxi). Popular things to see at the mount include the Church of St Catherine. Dining and lodging options are available for travelers to the mount.

Petra was rediscovered in 1812 by the Swiss explorer Johan Ludwig Burckhardt during his expedition, which was funded by the British Royal Geographical Society, in the Levant, Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula. Due to the centuries that lapsed before the rediscovery of the city by the outside world, Petra was named the “Lost City”. It was also described by the English poet Bergen as the unique, astonishing Eastern city. In its heyday, the Nabatean Kingdom flourished to reach the north-west of the Arabian Peninsula where the city of Madian Saleh lies. It further extended its influence to the Red Sea shores of Sinai and the Horan Fields in Syria to Damascus. The Nabatean Kingdom, along with its capital Petra, was surrounded by many ancient kingdoms and civilizations including the Pharaohs to the west, Tadmor to the north, and Mesopotamia to the east. The archaeological park in Petra covers 264 dunums (264,000 square meters). Visitors are met with an amazing landscape of pink-hued rock mountains and the ancient Nabataean city of Petra, carved into the rock over 2,000 years ago.

Isolated in the mid Pacific, the Hawaiian Islands are the most remote major island group on Earth. They were formed as the Pacific Plate moved across a volcanic “hot spot” within the earth’s mantle. Lying 2,400 miles (3,862 km) from the nearest continent, they have never had connection to any other land mass. Natural crossings across this great expanse of ocean by animals and plants were extremely rare and very surprising occasions. After such accidental arrivals, and isolated from mainland populations, these pioneer organisms took strange courses of evolution and allowed a unique biota to develop. Unaccustomed to mainland competition, however, these remote native island ecosystems are defenseless against mainland alien species, and have been decimated by new grazers, predators and diseases. Haleakalā National Park, and its East Maui Watershed Partner neighbors, still harbor an astonishing relict of these native island ecosystems. The major effort of Haleakalā’s resource stewardship is to preserve intact this superb example of the Hawaiian Islands’ native ecosystems.

Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more.

The Pikes Peak Highway entrance is conveniently located 15 minutes west of Colorado Springs on Highway 24. The beauty of being so close to the city is that you can spend your time enjoying the mountain instead of getting to the mountains. Plan for your round trip journey to the summit to take 2-3 hours. The safe, scenic highway provides you the opportunity to enjoy Pikes Peak at your leisure. From the gateway at an elevation of 7,400 feet, you‰Ûªll encounter some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world as you wind your way through an alpine wonderland of scenic beauty, mountain reservoirs, beyond timberline, overtaking the clouds‰Û_all along the way to the 14,115 foot summit of America‰Ûªs most famous mountain. Along the way, you‰Ûªll discover the North Slope Recreation Area, Crystal Reservoir Gift Shop, Historic Glen Cove Inn, and the Summit House. There are three lakes, picnic areas, hiking trails, and breathtaking views. Pikes Peak is classified as a “National Historic Landmark” and not a “National Park”, so National Park Passes can not be used here.

Central Park is so much more than just a large park in the middle of Manhattan. From people meditating, and practicing tai chi, to bikers, strollers, runners, & rollerbladers, and people playing every sport imaginable, Central Park has it all. And for those looking for a bastion of peace and tranquility, it is beautifully landscaped with ponds, rolling hills, and the most gorgeous trees – especially the Cherry Blossom trees in the spring. It has a couple of cafes and restaurants, but most people bring their own food and snacks and picnic in the park, enjoying each other’s company and a bit of people watching. For us vegans, I would highly recommend bringing your own food and enjoying a casual picnic in the park. There’s a wonderful vegan takeout named Blossom Du Jour, a couple of blocks away on Amsterdam Avenue between 67th & 68th Streets. There is also a vegan sushi takeout named Beyond Sushi a few blocks away on 56th near 6th Avenue, and there is a Whole Foods right on Columbus Circle (south west corner of the park) with lots of yummy vegan buffet items and vegan deserts for your picnic in the park. Here’s some notes from the Central Park Conservancy on Running in the Park: Offering both hilly and flat terrain and a combination of surfaces, Central Park is a runner’s paradise. The site of the TCS New York City Marathon’s final 3.2 miles, Central Park offers both a scenic and challenging course to all levels of runners. There are three optimal places to run in Central Park: The Reservoir: A soft surface, the Reservoir track is a 1.58-mile loop offering some of the best skyline views in the Park. In spring, cherry trees alongside the track are in bloom. Central Park Conservancy is renovating the Reservoir Running Track. Renovation work will occur in sections to cause as little disruption as possible. Runners will be diverted to the nearby bridle path, which has been prepared in anticipation of the increase in use. Learn more about the Reservoir and the renovation project here. Bridle Path: Runners can choose from three conjoined soft surface routes: The Reservoir loop, adjacent to the Reservoir Track, totals 1.66 miles; the North Meadow loop totals 1.1 miles; and the southern spur totals 1.5 miles. Park Drives: Circling the entire Park, the drives provide three long-distance routes – 6.1 miles, 5.2 miles, or 1.7 miles, or shorter distances if you cross the Park at a number of scenic locations. The best time to run on the drives is when the Park is closed to traffic: Monday through Friday, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm, and weekends from 7:00 pm Friday to 6:00 am Monday. When the Park is open to traffic, a runners’ lane is always available, but we do not recommend running along the Park drives when they are open to traffic. The Park is officially closed from 1:00 am-6:00 am. New York Road Runners is the premier sponsor of running events in Central Park. Visit NYRR.org for a list of upcoming events.