Reviews written by The Travel Penguin
Fort Zumwalt Park is a nice, mostly wooded 48-acre park located off the south service road of I-70 near Main Street in O'Fallon. The park is a nice place to take the kids including a wooded area playground and a pond. For local residents, one of the park's annual winter highlights is the Celebration of Lights when most of...
Although most St. Louisians know the name of Jefferson Barracks from the street signs and the nearby Mississippi river bridge named after the locale, I find that very few of them have ever visited Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery unless they lived nearby or were here to attend the funeral of a family member. But the cemetery is very large and...
If it was located elsewhere, there wouldn't be a great reason to visit the Victoria Memorial. However, being located right in front of Buckingham Palace, it takes on special significance and is a great place to meet friends and have one's picture taken. At the Victoria Memorial, you'll likely be surrounded by people from all over the world and be...
The location of many a coronation, Westminster Abbey is another of London's top sightseeing attractions. Those list of famous personages interned here is impressive. With over 700 years of history, Westminster Abbey is a must-see for anyone interested in the historical figures of the UK. It is also an impressive architectural achievement for the era in which it was built...
I mentioned this statue within Kensington Gardens in my review of Hyde Park to which it borders. If you are a fan of the Steven Spielberg movie "Hook" there is a scene near the end of the movie which portrays this statue when Peter returns from Neverland. A stroll through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park on a nice day makes...
Maxine's de Paris has been here for decades. It is definitely among Tokyo's top restaurants and a dinner here for a couple will easily set you back a few hundred US dollars. Everything is impeccable from the meals themselves to the service. Its a great place for a wedding anniversary meal (done that!). If you don't want to spend the...
The Imperial Palace is actually located within the castle grounds and cannot be toured by the public. What you will see here are the external grounds of Edo Castle. This is the one of the highlights of most escorted tour groups to Tokyo. The groups usually have a photo stop with what is referred to as the Double Bridge in...
It used to be that one could feed the pigeons at Trafalgar Square but those times are gone. However, Trafalgar Square is still known for its pigeons and the numbers of people who congregate in this open area landmark of London. It is a great place to see both visitors from all over the world and Londoners taking a lunchtime...
The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace is certainly considered one of the top sightseeing attractions of London. If you are going to tour Buckingham Palace, it just makes sense to time your visit to the changing of the guard (view the schedule online). Of course, that means you will also be touring the palace at the same time...
Hyde Park is large enough that you can get away from the sounds of London's traffic and enjoy its peaceful scenery and local people just out for a stroll. If you have ever watched the Spielberg movie "Hook" and are fond of the Peter Pan statue scene at the end of the movie, the real statue portrayed in the movie...
This destination isn't for everyone. But If you are interested in the history of World War II, the Churchill War Rooms should definitely be on your list of stops after covering the most popular attractions of London. You've probably seen movies portraying this underground bunker where PM Winston Churchill spent a good amount of time...
The Tower of London is one of the must-sees of London. Not only is this fortress of historical significance, you can also see some of the highly guarded Crown Jewel collection, the Tower Bridge, and relax with an outdoors sandwich lunch along the Thames. You can easily visit this area via the subway/tube or a hop-on-hop-off bus. But I prefer...