Things to see and do The United States Of America

The "Aiguille de verre" attracts nearly 1.3 million visitors per year, and nearly 60 million since its opening. It dominates the city in its green park where there is also the Chihuly garden, the moPOP, a restaurant hall, children's playgrounds and lots of entertainment all day long. Recently renovated for $100 million, it inaugurated its The Loupe platform at the end of 2018, a glass floor on the first floor, guaranteed to thrill! This futuristic tower, at the time the tallest building west of the Mississippi, became the city's landmark. A "space needle" 185 metres high. Once out of the glass elevator, which climbs at a dizzying speed for 43 seconds, you discover the city through glass windows: downtown, Elliott bay, Queen Anne, Lake Union and even the Cascade Mountains and the Olympic Peninsula. You can sit at one of the tables of the panoramic bar Atmos café & Wine bar, which serves as a pretty mixed board with its glasses. Go there during the day if possible on a day when the horizon is clear, and once night falls to admire the city and its lights, a magical moment (a 24-hour double entry ticket exists). Then go down to the first floor for the big thrill of the glass floor which almost goes around the needle. We can follow the path of the elevator that goes up and down under our feet, the tiny cars at the bottom, what a vertigo It is in continuity with the side windows offering a vertical and horizontal view!

History. It was built during the 1962 Universal Exposition, called the Century 21 Exposition, which focused on the "21st century and the progress of science and technology in a perspective of world peace". In the middle of the Cold War, its main purpose was to show American omnipotence against its Soviet rival, haloed by the success of its Sputnik satellite launched in 1957. The first steps on the moon would wait until 1969, but already the Space Needle and its flying saucer look testify to the Americans' desire to embark on the race to space. The Monorail, which links the Seattle Center and its Space Needle to the Westlake Center, also dates from the World Expo and also looks futuristic.

It is Seattle's most renowned commercial and cultural institution. It is also one of the largest and oldest markets in the United States.

History. In 1907, Seattle Mayor Charles A. Burett, instituted a free market day on which farmers could sell their products directly to consumers to lower the exorbitant price of food by allowing farmers to sell their products directly at reasonable prices. Gradually, buildings and shopping malls replaced trucks and carts, without preventing the market from developing freely, soon occupying the entire hillside. In 1927, more than 400 farmers gathered on Pike Place and following the 1929 crisis, the market became the nerve centre of Seattle.

During the Second World War, the market declined. The city defended it, the market being an inseparable part of Seattle's history and future. Today, the Pike Market occupies two floors below street level. They are occupied by curiosity shops, restaurants... The Pike Market Hill Climbs Corridor connects the upper level with the waterfront through a series of stops with green spaces.

Since the 1960s, there have been as many market gardeners as there are artists and florists. The market with its colourful stalls of regional products or handicrafts, the moving crowd, the cries, the smell of the tide, the booksellers and the antique dealers constitute a living picture that many painters have enjoyed restoring. Tourists hurry to watch the famous fish throw (fishmongers throw the fish at each other screaming when there is an order). The neighbourhood is now classified, and that's good.

Visit in practice: some definitions must be given to some words used in this market. Highstalls are permanent displays of fresh produce. Farm Tables are low metal tables where local products are occasionally displayed.

The market is spread over several floors, so don't hesitate to explore it, to go down the small stairs not necessarily very welcoming at first sight or to explore the surrounding alleys. All around the market, there are dozens of shops, restaurants and producers all year round. The best known is certainly the Original Starbucks brand, which holds its very first coffee shop here in 1971. Expect a nice line of tourists waiting for a latte or cappuccino. You can also have a butter croissant at Le Panier, a French bakery that offers the best of French pastry... but with an American sauce (price and taste). There are also many souvenir shops in the area. One of the best is certainly Made in Washington which offers articles made by artists from the region and sometimes unfortunately a little hidden by the made in China.

Good plan. Feel free to taste what we have to offer, the market traders are happy to have their products tested, take a walk and let your taste buds travel! Avoid going there on Saturdays and Sundays that are too busy, and at the end of the market when it starts to fold around 4:30 pm.

To see. Don't forget to save a few pennies for Rachel the Bronze Pig, the huge sculpture in the shape of a sow at the market entrance. This work is in fact a piggy bank that helps several local charities every year. You can also take a detour to the Gum Wall and its chewing gum-covered facades. Then go down to Victor Steinbrueck Park (facing Puget Sound, to the north). And also visit the nearby Seattle Art Museum, another must-see tourist attraction and culture in the Pike Place Market area.

Guided tours of the market and the district, lasting from one to several hours, are organized (see guided tour). You can choose a thematic tour with the best local brands, emblematic restaurants or behind the scenes of the market (for early risers) as the subject. Also check out the events (on the market website): cooking classes, street concerts, festivals and other events are organised all year round.

It is the heart of the American legislature and at the same time the heart of the country in the federal capital. The building itself consists of a huge dome (imitation of the Rome Pantheon) and two wings, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The dome, recently renovated, consists of more than 4000 tons of cast iron.

In 1791, President George Washington, in collaboration with the French architect L'Enfant, decided that the Capitol would be built at the meeting point of the four main districts of Washington. The construction was entrusted to the German architect Henry Latrobe. However, in 1815, the English destroyed what had been erected. Architect Charles Bulfinch took over and completed the construction of a part of the building in 1824. The whole was completed only in 1867. At the top of the Capitol Throne the statue of Liberty (an eagle on the head of the woman and a leg of the animal hide her ear), emblem of the freedom of individuals and the end of slavery in Washington in 1863. The statue, inspired by Greek and Roman models, was carried out in 1855 by sculptor Thomas Crawford.

To learn more about the history of the construction of the Capitol and the training of the Congress, an exhibition recounts the life of the institution on the ground floor of the building. Attention, since it is a federal building, security checks can be drastic at the entrance.

It is the oldest public building in the Columbia district. The White House is the official residence and the office of the POTUS (President of the United States) and FLOTUS (First Lady of the United States). This building in Aquia sandstone was built between 1792 and 1800. The site was chosen by George Washington, the first president of the United States who died shortly before the end of construction. Although originally white, the building was repainted following the fire that ravaged it in 1814 on the occasion of the Burning of Washington (Washington Fire) by English soldiers in the framework of the Anglo-American war of 1812. James Madison, then president, and his wife found refuge in the small town of Brookeville in Maryland.

In total, the White House has 6 floors and 132 rooms, and it has a swimming pool and a green. The administration offices are located in the west wing, and among them the president's famous oval office. After carrying the names of «President's Palace», «President's House» and «Executive Palace», she was officially named «White House» in 1901 by President Theodore Roosevelt. The last major renovation took place in 1989 and required more than two thousand liters of white paint. It was the last time that the building was fully repainted, whereas in the middle of the twentieth century, the exterior of the White House was systematically repainted every four years before each investiture ceremony. During the great renovation, the building had to be stripped of the many layers of paint that made it difficult to maintain. At the White House Information Center, you will find brochures in French describing the interior of the presidential house, since it is unfortunately impossible to visit. Since the inauguration of President Donald Trump in January 2017, it is not unusual to see groups of demonstrators waving signs in front of the White House grids.

New to Las Vegas, the Bliss Wedding Chapel is located right on the Strip. Elvis can perform the service, but it is also possible to opt for a traditional ceremony, which can be attended by 50 people. A plus: the possibility of getting married in Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire State Park, Lake Las Vegas or Nelson's Ghost Town after driving in a limousine or a Rolls. The Bliss Chapel is particularly suited to French speakers, thanks to its French assistant who facilitates the administrative formalities.