Things to Do in North America

An outdoor mall of shops and restaurants in downtown Denver, Larimer Square is the historic origin of the city, the site of the 1858 pioneer camp from which Denver ultimately grew. Today, Larimer Square is not only one of the Mile High City’s most lively and popular downtown destinations, but it’s also a great place to explore Denver’s most historic buildings.

One of the most popular, influential comedy clubs in L.A., the Laugh Factory bills itself as being in Hollywood – but is actually a few blocks shy of that neighborhood.  First opened in 1979, the club was a then 16-year-old’s enterprising answer to a comedian’s strike just up the street at the Comedy Store; young Jamie Masada got a loan from a family friend, bought a building, and started the city’s first comedy club that paid all of its performing comics for their work.

Masada would go on to become a comedian, manager and producer, helping the cast of  1990s TV comedy “In Living Color” achieve fame, and continuing to support minority comics via the Laugh Factory. The club is an ideal place to see emerging acts, watch showcases headlined by Kevin Nealon, Tim Allen and Tom Arnold, and witness comedy stars like Dane Cook and Dave Chappelle test their endurance by vying for the title of longest one-person comedic performance – presently longer than seven hours.

Mining cars, railroad lines, train repair sheds – there’s all this and more at Juneau’s Last Chance Mining Museum and Historic Park.

The venue for this evocative gold-mining museum is the former compressor building of the Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Company, which operated here from 1916 to 1944.

On display are the locomotives and rail cars that transported the goldminers to the mine. Industrial artifacts include one of the world’s largest air compressors, used in the mining of gold to bring air to the miners.

Old mining shafts surround the site, and you can get an idea of the mine’s original extent by studying the museum’s model.


Photo courtesy of CityProfile.com

The private beach resort of Las Caletas is a day-trip destination like no other for spoiling the senses.

The former home of maverick movie director John Huston, this tropical beach haven is surrounded by protected rainforest and palms.

There’s everything you could possibly need for a relaxed, luxurious day at the beach. Chill-out in a hammock, de-stress with a soothing massage, take a guided diving or kayaking tour, snorkel with sea lions, learn to cook paella or stroll through the bird-filled orchid gardens.

Las Caletas can also be visited at night for a magical dinner under the stars and Mexican dance show.

While we can’t exactly claim it as fact, there’s a good chance that at some point in time Lanikai Beach was a finalist for a Corona commercial. With sand as white as the clouds above and water which is a welcoming and rich shade of turquoise, this tranquil beach on Oahu’s windward shore is the Hawaii you’ve always dreamed of.

Because it’s on the island’s eastern shore, Lanikai is often graced with gentle tradewinds which cool you just to the point of comfort. Afternoons in the summer months can get a little blustery, although kitesurfers and windsurfers who have launched from Kailua Bay opt to make the most of the wind and zip across the turquoise waters which are capped in flecks of white.

Since Lanikai is set in a private neighborhood the beach is accessed by simple footpaths and isn’t too visible from the road, and while this semi-isolation thins out the crowds, it also means there aren’t any facilities and parking can come at a premium.

Nevertheless, Lanikai is the perfect place for a comfortable chair, a good book, and the view looking out at the Mokulua islands graces the cover of many Oahu postcards. The white sand of Lanikai is the perfect place to spend the morning, or, if you happen to time it right, watch the full moon rise over the eastern horizon and as illuminates the cliffs of the Ko’olau Mountains.

While nowhere near as developed as Waikiki Beach or as family-friendly as Kailua Bay, Lanikai Beach is a place you come if you simply want to the put the world on pause for a while. It’s as idyllic a stretch of shore of you could ever hope to find, and it’s no wonder why Lanikai consistently ranks as one of the nicest beaches in the world.

Steeped in history far richer than the former plantation owners could have dreamed of owning, the Laura Plantation lies just beyond the reaches of the Greater New Orleans area. Originally built in 1804 by a French naval veteran of the American Revolution by the name of Guillaume Duparc, the plantation was erected on the site of an old Colapissa Indian village. A Creole-owned sugar plantation, the Laura Plantation differed from most plantations in its Code Noir ethics, its somewhat removed societal circumstances, and its beautiful sprawling sugar plantation landscape. Touring this iconographic plantation, you’ll learn the difference between Creoles and Cajuns, hear chilling ghost stories, and see how a bygone way of life now heralds itself as one of the top Louisiana cultural attractions.