FASCINATING UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Dr.(Mrs.)S.SelvaRani, Principal
Sri Sarada Niketan College for Women, Karaikudi
Social, cultural and educational knowledge can be gained by visiting
advanced countries like USA. We had the opportunity to visit the United
States of America twice .
Friendly smiles, warm welcome of Americans by saying Hai, How are you?,
Hello rejuvenated us when we landed in Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) airport,
Dallas, Texas, our first -visited city in USA. During May 2014 we had our first
trip to USA and visited Newyork, New Jercy, Los Angeles and Hollywood. In
our next trip during May 2015, we were blessed to visit the city which has
been sanctified by the footprints of Swami Vivekananda, Chicago, the worlds
most beautiful water falls Niagara, the city of ten thousand lakes Minneapolis
and St. Paul. Also, I cherished the moments of memorable things, a paper
presented in an
International Conference held at LOS Angles, USA. Here, let me share my
experiences.

DALLAS
We are impressed by the park-like atmosphere everywhere in the streets of
Dallas, blossoming flowers and blooming trees. The streets have been
loaded with cars than humans. Not only in Dallas, every part of US has the
same atmosphere. The arboretum and aquarium visited in Dallas speak
volumes about the flora and the fauna. The spectacular species in the Dallas
Arboretum and botanical gardens dragged us to the world of wonder. We
realized the Beauty at every turn.

A Park in Dallas

Aquarium in Dallas

Klyde Warren Park and Dallas Museum of Art are the tremendously
enchanting places we visited. The moment of joy has not still evaporated,
when we starred at the stunning beauty of peacocks, shaped and designed
with blossoming shrubs and budding plants in a park. Lake walking is a
pastime for the people in Dallas. And we also enjoyed the same. We also
visited a temple in Irwing situated in a serene setting.

Park in Dallas: Floral Peacock.

Temple in Dallas

NEWYORK

Ellis Island, New York

Rock feller Center, New York

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY ENLIGHTENING THE WORLD is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbour. It was a gift of
friendship from the people of France to the US and is recognized as a
universal symbol of freedom and democracy.
The Liberty Goddess made of copper who bears a torch in one hand and a
tablet with the inscription of the date of the Declaration of American
Independence July 4, 1776 on other, welcomed us from the Liberty Island,
when we were boating in the Atlantic ocean.
Wow! Here is no space to
describe either the scenic beauty of Nature or the stunning beauty of the 93
meter-tall Liberty Goddess. We just made some camera clicks and panorama
of the astonishing attractions, within our limits. When we reached the base
pedestal of the statue, we were thrilled to look around the Atlantic Ocean
and the Hudson river, flowing into it. In 1984, the Statue of Liberty was
designated by the UNESCO world heritage site and a master piece of the
human spirit. It is a great place to visit and we had a wonderful time.

Actually, the Statue of Liberty is located to the south of ELLIS ISLAND, where
we know much about the history of United States from the American
Museum of Natural History.
When we walked along the streets of Newyork, we were astonished to look at
the majestic skyscrapers all over the city.
When we were lifted to the 102 nd storey sky scraper-the world famous
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING located in midtown Manhattan, New York City, we
enjoyed the proud moment of footing in one of the most iconic structures of
the world. We enjoyed the Panoramic view over the city from the 86 th floor
observation deck. The marvellous and glossy skyscrapers of Newyork
glittered and dazzled, since it was the night time.
Believe it or not we had the privilege of standing with the American President
Obama! Yea, it was a great moment of fun when we took snaps with
celebrities like Obama and Kennedy sculptured in wax in Madame
Tussauds Celebrity wax Museum, located near Times Square.
Also, we carried home our cherished visit to the Central Park, Rockfeller
Center, Times Square, Brooklyn Bridge and other iconic sites of the Newyork
city.
Newyork City is a fast-paced, globally influential center of art, culture,
fashion and finance.

Statue of Liberty, Newyork

Newyork

Time Square,

Madame Tussauds wax Museum, NewYork.

MINNESOTA

St. Paul Cathedra, MN

Arboretum, Minneapolis
Minneapolis, a beautiful city of Minnesota, State of ten thousand lakes
greeted us in May, 2015, at the early of spring. The MN landscape

Arboretum, legendary parks, rivers and lakes of Minneapolis are a feast to

our eyes.
The spring season sparkles the beauty of Nature all over
Minnesotas lakes, landscapes, trees, flowers & falls.
Emerald spreads its blanket of soft grass across meadows and landscapes.
Ruby reigns among the roses.
Diamond glitters by the wings of Infinite
daffodils. Sapphire sprays its vibrant blue across the sparkling sky.
During the stay of one month, we enjoyed the quintessence of Natures
beauty which make me write this poem.

Lebanon Hills Regional Park, MN

Starring through the window!
Seeing the trees shadow!
Lavishing Lush of greens!
Looks like emerald screen!
Dazzling dews on grass tips!
Declare arriving splendid spring!
Merry birds mellifluous singing!
Morning wishes fill all-along!
Amazing sight of lustrous lakes!
Can cure all earthly aches!
Flowers blooming around the lakes!
Fragrance keeps us awake!
Ducks and birds around!
Inviting us to surround!
Drizzling from the falls!
Welcome showers of infinite calls!
Quintessence of Mississippi water!
A great feast to our chapter!
It is the city of Minneapolis!!

Arboretum, MN

Arboretum, MN
A Park in Minneapolis
Minneapolis-Saint Paul is a metropolitan area built around the Mississippi
river, commonly known as twin cities. Fishing in lakes is a common sight and
it is the pastime for more Minneapolitans.
Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan, MN we visited is a paradise to walk
amongst the trees and ponds. I love the fantastic forest setting and
solitude. Stone Arch bridge in Mississippi river, many lakes, museum,
Aquarium and parks are the other places we visited.
It is a blessing for us to enter into the architectural gem, the Cathedral of
Saint Paul. We are stunned to stare at it from 90 angle of elevation and
couldnt to move. What a marvellous structure!

Mall of America, Minneapolis

A Lake in Mineeapolis

A Park in Minneapolis
Mirror, Chicago

Millenium Park Reflecting

It is an exhilarating experience for us to enter into the college of Food,

Agricultural and Natural Resource Science (CFANS) which belongs to the
University of Minnesota that resides exclusively on the beautiful and
pastoral St. Paul campus.
The Mall of America Bloomington, Minnesota is the largest shopping mall in
the USA consisting of over 520 stores, 50 restaurants, indoor theme park,
Nickelodeon Universe, aquarium, etc. we raised our eye brow over the huge
space and spent more time to explore the gigantic size of the mall than
shopping. More over, all the items are rated thrice of our Indian prize. We
purchased some gift articles and left the mall with the pride of having visited
the biggest Mall of America.

Arboretum, Minnesota

Mississippi River, Minneapolis

CHICAGO

Venkateshwara Temple, Greater Chicago

Michigan Lake, Chicago

We were excited and rejuvenated when got down at the International

Chicago Airport with the proud feeling that we landed in the city which has
been blessed by Swami Vivekananda and where the West was first taught
the greatness of Hinduism by Swamiji. The gentle smiles of Brothers and
Sisters of Chicago greeted us!

Chicago Art Institute

(Swami Vivekananda addressed here)

Arts Institute of Chicago

First, we visited the wonderful Vivekananda Vedanta Society which is

located in the outskirts of the city at Homer Glen. We were greeted by a
sister from calcuta and she was pleased to explain the bondage between
Swami Vivekananda and Chicago City.
We were happy to know that 150 th
birth Ceremony of Swami Vvekananda was celebrated in a grand manner and
Swami Gowthamananta, President, Sri Ramakrishna Mutt, Chennai was the
Chief Guest. Sri Ramakrishna, Annai Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda
Temple is beautifully enshrined at the first floor. The Ashram has a library
with a good collection of Vedanta books and we felt proud of seeing many
Americans attending Vedanta classes.
Nearby, an amazing Venkateshwara temple of greater Chicago is located.
We were excited to see a spectacular statue of Swami Vivekananda in front
of the temple. We were delighted to find a little India there; Pleased to see
many Indians in dhotis and sarees, mellifluous to hear our Tamil language
spoken by many and felt happy to note the Tamil priests offering pooja in the
temple.

Michigan Lake

Michigan Lake

The Michigan lake has a special connection with Swamiji where he used
to walk on its bank during his stay at Chicago. We cherished a walk along
the entire stretch of Michigan lake in the area of Navi Pier which had foot
prints of Swamiji on the sands of time and we experienced the vibrant
holiness and the place imparted us some aura of Swamiji. When we cruised
in the Michigan lake, I recalled poet Wordsworths lines.
How rich the wave, in front, imprest
With evening-twilights summer hues,
While facing thus the crimson west,
The boat her silent path pursues!
We were astonished to view the colourful and sparking fireworks at Michigan
lake, which was performed once in a month.
Every Indian must feel a sense of a pride and honour to look at the street
Swami Vivekananda Avenue (Dearborn) in Chicago, where the house of
Mrs.Hale in which Swamiji stayed during his visit to Chicago is located.
Swamijis most famous Address in the Parliament of Religions was delivered
at the Hall of Columbus at the Art Institute and we were privileged to
visit the place.
Sky deck (Willis tower), Millennium park, 360 view chicago, and Museum
are the other wonderful and unforgettable places we visited. The reflection
mirror in the Millennium park enlightened us. The sparkling skyscrapers of

Chicago scintillated us when we viewed the whole Chicago city from Willis
tower at 360 angle. Above all, we were wonderstruck with the construction
of huge tall buildings when we walked along the streets, remembering
Newyork city.

Art Institute of Chicago

NIAGARA FALLS

Wills Tower

Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls a sight to dream of-- was within our reach! We were
welcomed and thrilled by the splashing water from VIBGYOR. Yea, we were
very much fascinated and impressed by the flashing seven colours of the
Rainbow Falls and enjoyed the boat tour which operates at the foot of the
Rainbow bridge.
NIAGARA FALLS is a natural wonder of the world. It is considered as one of
the top ten tourist destinations of the United States. Niagara falls is located
at the international boundary between the United Stats of America and
Canada.
It was an awesome experience for us to view both the countries
USA
and
CANADA
from
Niagara
falls!
Travelling from Buffalo Niagara International airport to Niagra falls, we
were much delighted to see many Indian restaurants situated there and we
had the pleasure of dining our Indian cuisine after a long gap. Niagara falls
has many attractions including Cave of the winds behind the Bridal veil Falls
and Maid of the Mist. Both were exhilarating and adventurous. When we
were very near to the falls during our boat ride, our feeling was almost
indescribable. The three waterfalls are the Horseshoe Falls, American falls
and the Bridal Veil Falls.

Boating in Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls

View of Canada from

LOS ANGELES

Venis Beach, Los Angeles

Presentation in an International
Conference, Los Angles

We entered Los Angles, Southern California city with the proud feeling of
going to present a paper in an International Conference.
It was an amazing experience for me of having participated in an
International Conference on 13th May 2014 conducted by Global Academic
Network at South California University Los Angeles, USA, A great day in my
life! It was totally a new experience to meet presenters from various
countries like Canada, USA, Belgium, Scotland, Pakistan, Srilanka, UAE,
Sweden, etc. I gained more knowledge in various fields and of course, it was
a wonderful day. We took group photos along with all presenters. We were
excited to see the infrastructure & advanced technology of US Universities.
Next day, we toured the city famed as the centre of the nations film and
television industry, Los Angeles, the second largest city in US after Newyork.
The City of Angles showered a warm welcome by its lustrous palm trees.
Santa Monica beach located along Pacific coast is a wonderful feast for the
lovers of Natures. We were enthralled at the scenic beauty of the sunset and
the Santa Monica pier.
An amazing sight of Venice beach with pretty birds, enthusiastic tourists
from all over the world, skating heroes and rolling waves entertained us. It is
a common sight of seeing people rent bicycles and tour around the beach.

Down town Los Angeles is rich with historic Architecture and cultural
attractions.

HOLLYWOOD

Universal Studios, Hollywood

Hollywood

Universal Studios,

Next day, we visited the world famous city for film industry, Holly wood,
located in the central region of LA with a wonderful Universal Studio and
an amazing theme park. It is a great way to enjoy everything in the theme
parks. We were thrilled by experiencing some adventurous rides.
We had the proud moment of Universal Studio Tour which is the
signature famous attraction at the park. We sat in multi-car trams and rode
for about one hour. It covers various film sets on the lot and goes into a
working movie studio. We visited sets from the famous universal films like
War of the World etc and felt astonished to see the huge airplane- crash set
chopped into pieces.
We entered into the heights of joy and thrill to see a demonstration of a
simulated flash flood, an 8.3 earthquake, a short encounter with jaws, a
building with fire, etc. We cannot forget when our tram travelled between
the waves and we got the view of the mini island. We wore 3D glasses when
the tram entered into the skull island and viewed a great fight among
creatures! Wow! Unforgettable moments!

We returned after a spectacular experience of having seen many houses of

popular Hollywood Artistes. It cannot be described in words than being
experienced.
There is no space to share more about the ineffable experiences in USA. It is
no exaggeration to pay handsome compliments to cleanliness, social
responsibility of each individual, hospitality, greeting everyone with a smile,
punctuality, helping tendency and above all corruptionless society.