abbytraveloguep2

//**Due to the overwhelming response, I've created this second page because the first page had so much on it it was becoming unwieldy to edit. Please add all new entries on this page. Thanks to everyone for participating!**//

This wiki is for folks that would like to contribute to [|Abby]'s Travelogue assignment (read more at [|this post]). If you have any questions or need help with this wiki, please email karlfisch {at} gmail {dot} com. Thanks for participating.

(**Note**: When multiple people are editing this wiki at the same time, sometimes your changes will be lost. If you go into Edit mode and it shows that someone else is already editing, //please don’t try to edit//. Simply click on **Cancel** and then try again in a few minutes. It’s very helpful to type your info into Notepad/Text Edit or something else offline, then you’re able to quickly paste into the wiki when it’s your “turn.” Thanks for the great response and sorry for the inconvenience.)

Dear Friend,

I am a student in the third grade at [|Renaissance Elementary School] in [|Castle Rock], Colorado, USA. I am learning about world geography. With your help I can learn more about many different places. Here's how you can help:
 * 1) Complete one row in the table below. Enter only as much information as you're comfortable having everyone know. If you're under 18, ask a parent to be sure. [If you need instructions for how to add to this wiki, here's a [|basic guide (pdf)].]
 * 2) //Optional//: If you wish, send a postcard to my school. [[|instructions (pdf)]]
 * 3) //Optional//: If you wish, ask friends or relatives you know anywhere in the world to visit this page and contribute.

Thank you in advance to everyone that helps.

Sincerely,

Abby

Initial ||~ City ||~ State or Province ||~ Country ||~ Picture that's representative of where you live (link or actually upload into cell, 320 by 240 pixels) ||~ Write something descriptive of where you live ||
 * ~ First Name ||~ Last
 * Austin || H || Oaks || PA || USA || media type="custom" key="2060252" || Oaks is near [|King of Prussia, PA.] My mom is a teacher with computers in King of Prussia. King of Prussia has one the biggest [|malls] in the United States of America. we also live near [|Valley Forge].

Here is a [|website of stories] I am writing. Please put a mark on MY MAP too. Thanks from Austin || home of University of Michigan. It's about 45 miles west of Detroit. || Lawrence is one of few cities actually founded for political reasons. It was settled as an anti-slavery town by people from New England and it was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Lawrence recovered from a series of raids over the issue of slavery by neighboring Missouri early in its history; buildings stand today that were re-built after being burned to the ground during these conflicts.
 * Sue || W. || Ann Arbor || Michigan || USA ||  || Ann Arbor, Michigan is a college town,
 * Sarah || F. || Lawrence || Kansas || USA || [[image:http://tiredblogger.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/jayhawk.jpg]] || We live in Lawrence, Kansas, home of the Jayhawks!

Today, Lawrence is a college town with immense support for the champion basketball and football teams. The University of Kansas is undeniably the focus in this town.

If you're ever passing through, stop and see us! ||
 * Rich || M. || Orlando || FL || USA || [[image:http://www.landscapeonline.com/research/lasn/2007/09/img/Lake-Eola/side-1.jpg]] || I live in Orlando, Florida. You may have already heard about some of our more famous places to visit (Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios) but we've also got Gatorland, we're less than an hour from the Atlantic Ocean and less than two hours from the Gulf of Mexico. Kennedy Space Center, where NASA launches the space shuttle, is about 45 minutes away.

Most people who have visited our tourist attractions might think that I ride Disney's monorail to work, or that I walk on Main Street USA each day, but actually it's a long drive from my house downtown to those places! I teach math at a K-8 school that is downtown, and I only go visit the tourist attractions every few years. || P.S. Love this town, one of the best places in the world. ||
 * Sue || I || Adelaide, || South Australia || Australia || Click [|here] for e-postcards of my beautiful city || This is the website of a local TV show which visits new places in South Australia each week, more information and pictures than I could ever give you. http://www.postcards.sa.com.au/
 * Barb || R || Hamilton || Waikato || New Zealand || [[image:99110-004-30C9C419.jpg width="282" height="218"]] || I live in Hamilton New Zealand. Our city is divided by our longest river, the Waikato. We have several bridges which cross over it. Our region is New Zealand's main dairying area and is very lush and green. We are fast becoming a centre for many international events. We host a large agricultural fieldays, V8 street car races and recently we were part of the World Car Rally championship circuit. ||
 * Cath || R || Birmingham || West Midlands || UK || http://www.virtualbrum.co.uk/bournville.htm || I live in Bournville in Birmingham, UK very close to the Cadbury factory where the delicious chocolate is made. The city itself is a wonderful place to live :-) ||
 * Dai || B || Ealing || London || UK || [|Picture] || I live in the north of Ealing. Between a village type area called Pitshanger and a big park. The image is of football being played in the park. I work up the road from here in a school which my three children attend. Excellent place to raise a family in London. Houses all around. Good bus and tube/rail links nearby. Local shops in walking distance and much more by short bus ride. Big park for sport and dog walking and jogging. ||
 * Liek || S || Amsterdam || NH || Netherlands || [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3230/2884048209_3346dd0a3e_m.jpg]] || I live in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, allso called Holland. We have al lot of canals where we like to be there for pleasure. When I go to work I get the bike like a lot of the Dutch people. ||
 * Karen || J. || Antwerpen || Antwerpen || Belgium || [[image:antwerpen.jpg]] || Hi Abby! I'm Karen and I live in Antwerp, Belgium. On the picture you see our cathedral, which I think is really beautiful. Do you notice that only one tower (the left one) is actually finished? It's alrready like this since ages (centuries in fact), so I don't think we will ever have two complete towers! One funny anecdote: the story says that the name of the city, which is in dutch 'Antwerpen' is derived from the dutch words 'hand werpen' which means 'throw a hand'. The story goes as follows: back in the middle ages Antwerp was a very welfaring town because of its important harbor. However some day a giant called 'Antigoon' turned up and closed the harbor so no more ships could come in, unless they paid a huge amount of money to this giant. Luckily, there was a brave soldier, called Brabo, who managed to cut of the hand of the giant (the hand that he used to collect the money) and threw this hand into the river. Antwerp was saved! On our main marketplace, there is a statue of Brabo throwing a hand (you can see a picture of this [|here]. ||
 * Elizabeth || D. || Scranton || Pennsylvania || USA || [[image:2385080_284adf3cc4_m.jpg]] || Scranton, PA was the first city in America to have Electric Trolley System and are known as The Electric City. We are an old coal mining town in Northeast PA and have had recent popularity with the show, The Office, which takes place in Scranton. ||
 * Kathy || E || Geneva ||  || Switzerland || [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3126/2885511842_946f974ec7_m.jpg caption="August afternoon beside Lake Geneva. Warm and sunny, and cool under the trees in the park. " link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/isg-online/2885511842/"]] || I live in Switzerland. I teach in Geneva, but live in the Préalps, in Gruyère. Switzerland is a tiny country in the middle of Europe, and Geneva is a French-speaking canton that sticks into France like a finger. It is a beautiful country, with good food, nice people, great art and science museums, excellent public transportation. It's true, we do make chocolate, and watches, and have lots of cows! I have more pictures on Flickr [|here] ||
 * Michael || M || Belleville || Ontario || Canada ||  [|Picture of Belleville] || Belleville is a city of 40,000 people across the water from Rochester, NY. It's a pretty low-cost place to live in Ontario, and we're only 2 hours drive from Toronto. Outside the city you can buy an acre of land, with a house, for under $200,000. We are lucky to have all kinds of fresh produce at our weekly downtown farmer's market, including lots of organics. For fun, people like to visit Sandbanks Park on Lake Ontario, which has some huge sandunes. One of my friends regularly visits the Adirondack Park Preserve in upstate NY, which is only 4 hours away by car. ||
 * Ann || F. || Butler || Pennsylvania || USA || [[image:http://hometown-web.com/butler/butler1.jpg]] || Butler, Pennsylvania was named for a Revolutionary War hero, General Richard Butler. The county seat, the Borough of Butler, was laid out in 1803, and on April 2, 1803, the county was formally organized for judicial purposes.

Butler County is home to 175,000 residents who live in 33 townships, 23 boroughs and one city. Half of the county is considered forest land, quite remarkable considering that the city of Pittsburgh is just 20 minutes from the county’s southern border. Major highways including Interstates 79 and 80 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike make the county easily accessible to visitors.

CLAIMS TO FAME:
 * The modern [|Jeep] was invented in Butler, by the [|American Bantam] Car Company, an early producer of small fuel-efficient vehicles. Big military contracts eventually went to Willys and Ford, and the Bantam factory failed during [|World War II].
 * Cult classic [|Night of the Living Dead] was filmed in Butler County, in [|Evans City]. Butler is referenced in the movie when the city's name appears on a television set.
 * In the 1950s, Butler became one of the first cities to install bells at crosswalks, a common practice today.
 * For those interested in the [|paranormal], Butler is also home to a famous Haunted Cemetery known as [|Snyder's Cemetery].
 * The first all steel rail car was manufactured at the [|Pullman Standard] plant in Butler.
 * The [|Connoquenessing Creek], which was ranked the second most polluted waterway in the United States in 2000, flows through the city. ||
 * Marko || P || Tallinn || Harjumaa || Estonia || [[image:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3259/2558684272_d60d9fb73e_m.jpg caption="A view on Tallinns old town from the sea. " link="http://www.flickr.com/photos/claudio_ar/2558684272/"]] || I live in the capital of a small country called Estonia. Estonia is situated in the eastern part of North-Europe. Tallinn is 80 km south from Helsinki (the capital of Finland).

Although Tallinn is the biggest city in Estonia it still has a population of only 350 000 people - so the city can be called cosy. I live at the edge of the city just next to a natures reserve in an apartment building.

If you ever have a possibility to travel, then definetly also visit Europe and the northern part of it ;) ||
 * Debra || A. || Irving || Texas || USA || [[image:irvingtx.jpg]] || The picture is one of the most well know landmarks in Irving. It celebrates the wild mustangs that originally roamed the area. Other sites of interest close to Irving are Six Flags, Texas Stadium (home to the Dallas Cowboys for at least one more year) American Airlines Building where both the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars play. ||
 * Mr. H's Grade 3 Class || Mr. Hancock || Chilliwack || British Columbia || Canada || [[image:chilliwack.jpg]] ||  ||
 * Dawn || G. || Brattleboro || VT || USA || [[image:http://farm1.static.flickr.com/73/198945468_33790e8515_m.jpg]] || Brattleboro is a beautiful, artsy small town in southern Vermont.

Once a farming community and then a mill town, our community is now full of small businesses, artists, and very few national chains.

We are locally (New England) famous for our annual Heifer Stroll. A cow parade that promotes local agriculture. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brattleboro || || Montgomery, Alabama, is the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement.
 * Emily ||  || Montgomery || AL || USA ||

Montgomery is where Rosa Parks, an African American, was arrested in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man. In response to Mrs. Parks’ arrest, people boycotted the public buses for 381 days. Eventually, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that segregated public transportation was unconstitutional.

The city is also home to the Civil Rights Memorial Center. For more information, visit http://www.splcenter.org/crm/memorial.jsp. ||
 * Shelley ||  || Princeton || NJ || USA || [[image:http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i174/butwait/P2172482.jpg width="275" height="359"]] || Abby, [|Princeton] is located almost exactly halfway between Philadelphia, PA, and New York City, NY. Near the Delaware River, Princeton was the site of a famous [|Revolutionary War battle] (just after [|Washington's Crossing]), and is the home to [|Princeton University]... the boy in the picture is jumping off a stone wall next to the [|University Chapel], which is the third-largest collegiate chapel in the world. If you come visit, you should get some pizza from Conte's... it's the best in town! More "slices of Princeton life" at [|http://butwait.blogspot.com] ||
 * Shelley ||  || Princeton || NJ || USA || [[image:http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i174/butwait/P2172482.jpg width="275" height="359"]] || Abby, [|Princeton] is located almost exactly halfway between Philadelphia, PA, and New York City, NY. Near the Delaware River, Princeton was the site of a famous [|Revolutionary War battle] (just after [|Washington's Crossing]), and is the home to [|Princeton University]... the boy in the picture is jumping off a stone wall next to the [|University Chapel], which is the third-largest collegiate chapel in the world. If you come visit, you should get some pizza from Conte's... it's the best in town! More "slices of Princeton life" at [|http://butwait.blogspot.com] ||

Initial ||~ City ||~ State or Province ||~ Country ||~ Picture that's representative of where you live (link or actually upload into cell, 320 by 240 pixels) ||~ Write something descriptive of where you live ||
 * ~ First Name ||~ Last
 * Heather || V || Amarillo || TX || USA || [[image:amarillo.jpg]] || Amarillo is in the panhandle of Texas, and seems utterly flat until you travel 16 miles south to [|Palo Duro Canyon State Park]. This canyon is second only to the Grand Canyon. It is the home of the [|Texas Musical Drama], which is attended by visitors from all over the world every summer. They always recognize the visitor who has travelled farthest to see the show, and in my 40-something years, I have never attended when the visitor was from the U.S. We are also home to the [|Cadillac Ranch], a quirky but fun must-see in our area. ||
 * Jamie || K || East Berlin || PA || USA || [|Link to East Berlin's history website, with pics] || East Berlin is a little town in Adams County near Harrisburg, York and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was founded by German immigrants (thus the name East Berlin) and is still populated by many descendants of those people. Adams County is home to quite a few apple orchards, and also to the Lucky Leaf and Musselman's brands.

Harrisburg is the state capital of PA, York is a city with a rich and varied civil rights history, and Gettysburg was the site of one of the most pivotal battles of the Civil War. They're all within 45 minutes' driving distance from East Berlin. What a great place to live! || Janesville is also home to the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WCBVI). WCBVI runs the state school for the blind as well as outreach programs throughout the state. Perhaps what Janesville is best known for is its abundance of beautiful parks and recreational areas. Handy boat launches, numerous ball fields, playgrounds, two public golf courses, tennis courts, over 2,300 acres of parkland and 25+ miles of paved bike trail are just some of the amenities enjoyed by Janesville residents. ||
 * Jeremiah || B || Janesville || WI || USA || [[image:http://www.wcbvi.k12.wi.us/assets/images/mainpage.gif width="333" height="292" caption="external image"]] || Janesville is a moderately sized city with a population of 61,310 located on the Rock River in the rolling hills, rich fields and verdant woodlands of scenic south central Wisconsin. Janesville was founded in 1836 and has experienced steady growth and development ever since. Janesville’s long history of strong industry and economic success has helped turn the city into a major commercial and industrial center for the State-Line area.
 * Erin || G || Thutlwane Village || North West Province || South Africa || [[image:thutlwane.jpg caption="Thutlwane Village, South Africa"]] || Thutlwane Village is a small rural village between the towns of Mafikeng and Vryburg. We live about 50k from the Botswana border. Most people in Thutlwane have electricity but no running water so we get our water from a community windmill in the center of the village. There are two schools here, a primary school and a middle school. Kids have to walk about 5k to go to high school. There are a few small farms here where people grow corn (which they call "mealies"). People who live in Thutlwane are Batswana and they speak a language called Setswana. You can say hello in Setswana by saying "Dumela!" ||
 * Larry || C || Mt. Pleasant || SC || USA || [[image:mtpleasant.jpg]] || Mt. Pleasant is located directly across the new Cooper River Bridge (seen in picture) from Charleston, SC. Mt. Pleasant is home to Ft. Moultrie which is the sister fort to Ft. Sumter. ||
 * Ann || B. || Coeur d'Alene || ID || USA || [[image:http://www.cdaid.org/themes/cityweb/img/cityspring.jpg width="287" height="144"]] || Hi Abby, my city has a French name, which means “heart of an awl.” An awl is a sharp, pointed tool and the story is that the French traders that came here a long time ago thought the Indians living here were sharp bargainers.

It’s a beautiful city of about 30,000 people that sits right beside Lake Coeur d’Alene. Canada is 100 miles north. For most of its history it was a center for the logging and mining industries of North Idaho but that has changed in the last few years. Now Coeur d’Alene has become a popular resort town because of its beautiful setting and nearness to skiing and other outdoor activities. ||
 * Mike || K. || Franklin || WI || USA || http://fullyarticulated.typepad.com/sprawledout/images/img_0255.jpg || Franklin, Wisconsin is a medium sized suburb of Milwaukee with a population of just over 30,000. It is a rapidly growing community located in the southwestern corner of Milwaukee County. Franklin is mostly residential, with a few larger areas of undeveloped wildlife, such as wetlands and several parks. Located along the Root River is part of the Oak Leaf Trail, used for recreational activities such as walking, jogging, bicycling, etc. It is a very nice place to live. ||
 * Kim || C || Bangkok ||  || Thailand || [[image:http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2307/2093624549_39f261b1c6.jpg?v=0 width="258" height="173"]] || Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand, which is in Southeast Asia.

Bangkok is a thriving city of over 14 million people. There are people from many different cultures living in Bangkok, including expatriates from all over the world.

Thailand has a tropical climate, which means that we have summer weather all year round. There is a rainy season and a dry season, but it's always hot! ||
 * Heathers Daddy || D || Fairfax || Virginia || USA || [[image:DanielsRun.jpg caption="Daniels Run Elementary School in Fairfax, Virginia" link="http://www.fcps.edu/DanielsRunES"]] || Hi Abby!

The [|City of Fairfax, Virginia] is a small city in the center of Fairfax county, about 12 miles from our nation's capital in Washington, DC. We are located in the [|piedmont region of Virginia]. Our area has gently rolling hills with native deciduous forest. Our four season climate ranges from a high of 100 degrees F plus in the summer, to near 0 degrees F in the winter, although sometimes it is near 70 degrees F on Christmas Day, or snows in May. We often see wildlife such as whitetail deer, opossums, and foxes in our neighborhood, and of course, squirrels and chipmunks!

We are very proud of our [|Fairfax County Public Schools], a world class school system.

The [|Fairfax Courthouse] was built in 1800 and contains the [|wills of George and Martha Washington].

Our city changed hands several times during the Civil War, was the [|birthplace of the Confederate battle flag], the site of the first officer casualty of the war, and famous for [|Mosby's midnight raid] in March of 1863. You can find out more at the [|City of Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center]. Each May we have a [|Civil War Weekend] with an encampment recreating life during the Civil War.

I have been a fan of your [|father's blogs] and his work in education for several years. You should be very proud of him, and I am sure he is very proud of you.

I would send you a paper postcard if I could, but I haven't seen any for over ten years.

Your blog and this wikispace are very good ideas, and it has inspired me to create ones for my little ten plus year old daughter.

Best Wishes, and have a great school year! || I live in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Many people think of NYC as a very busy place with lots of tall, modern buildings, and it is! But there are also many quiet and pretty streets with lots of older, smaller buildings. The Greenwich Village neighborhood is a lot like that. In the spring, summer, and fall there are street fairs on many blocks on the weekends. People set up tables to sell food, jewelry, clothing, crafts, CDs and DVDs, and all sorts of things. Lots of times there are entertainers too. It makes it a lot of fun to just walk out of your door and have all this excitement right in front of your house! It's also nice when it's over and everybody goes home and it gets quieter again. ||
 * Jim || L || Greenwich Village New York City || New York || USA || [[image:streetfair.jpg align="center"]] || Hi Abby,
 * Louise || M || Punxsutawney || PA || USA || [[image:246044220_61b7e1562f_m.jpg]] || Punxsutawney is the home of the weather forecasting groundhog. It is a small rural town with many farms. PA Dutch settlers came to this town and brought with them the tradition of using the groundhog (hedgehog in Europe) to forecast weather. If the groundhog came out on Candlemas and saw his shadow, he would run away and their would be 6 more weeks of winter (farmers would have to wait longer to plant). If the groundhog did not see his shadow, they would be able to plant sooner as Spring was around the corner. Our community can see up to 30,000 visitors for groundhog day and has become a celebrated event based upon actual historical background of the original settlers to our area. ||
 * Donna || F || Lexington || KY || USA || [[image:MainPhoto08.jpg]] || Lexington is located in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky and is known as the “Horse Capital of the World.” Long ago the area was the hunting grounds for numerous North American Indian tribes. The city was founded in 1775.

Today it is surrounded by beautiful private horse farms. Although the famous horse race, the Kentucky Derby, is held in Louisville, Kentucky, Lexington is where the thoroughbred horses are born, trained, bought, sold, raced and retired. The 2010 World Equestrian Games are to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park, located just outside of Lexington.

Lexington is the home of two traditional universities: University of Kentucky and Transylvania University. There are many cultural activities available year-round for the people of the area. Lexington is a great place to live. ||
 * Steve || V || Haines || AK || USA || [[image:http://www.upnorthmedia.net/images/02.02.07_walk_round_032.jpg width="315" height="211"]] || Haines Alaska in located in the Inside Passage of Alaska. It sits along the Lynn Canal - which is actually a fjord (the deepest/longest fjord in North America).

The town is only about 2000 people and the nearest stop light is 6 hours away. The picture (left) is the Chilkat River. A very popular salmon river that attracts many bears and tourist in the summer.

Haines is also home to the largest congregation of bald eagles in the world. Eagles can be seen here year round, but in late autumn, a late run of salmon attracts as many as 3000 eagles. It's known as the Council of Elders.

We are also surrounded by ice fields and glaciers. All in all, a pretty spectacular place to live. ||