Stanford University

Stanford's Hoover Tower

Founded in 1891, Stanford is a leading American private research university situated near Palo Alto, California. The University's official name is in honor of the founder's only child who died of typhoid two months before his 16th birthday.

To the locals, the University is also known as the Farm, having been built in the former site of the founder's horse farm. Situated in 3,310 hectares of land, the campus is about 32 km. away from San Jose, California.

Stanford's Memorial Church is the University's architectural crown jewel and is one of my favorite churches in America. The building Romanesque design was dedicated in 1903 and has characteristic Byzantine in its details. Churches in the region of Venice inspire this non-denominational church.

"Die Luft der Freiheit weht" is the University's motto, which means "The wind of freedom blows." At the time of its inception, the University's founder visited Harvard and asks its president at that time how much it will cost the Stanfords to replicate Harvard in California, the amount was estimated at 15 million dollars. The rest is history.

Berlin Wall @ Rice University

Rice University is celebrating 100 years of its foundation this year. Situated near Houston Museum District and adjacent to Texas Medical Center, Rice is a leading private research university in the United States of America.

"The Berlin Wall separated the world of oppression from the world of freedom from 1961 to 1989. It was taken down by the heroic people of East and West Germany on November 10, 1989."

"This portion of the Berlin Wall represents a moment of freedom and was made available to Rice University by Browning-Ferris Industries."

US President John F Kennedy once made a speech in this stadium in 1962 announcing US intention to reach the moon.

http://www.rice.edu/

HOLLYWOODLAND

Hollywood Sign from a far at Hollywood Hills

Located on the southern side of Mount Lee in Griffith Park, Santa Monica Mountains, in Los Angeles, California, the Hollywood Sign is truly an American icon.

The Hollywood letters is about 14 meters tall and 110 meters long.

The sign was constructed in 1923 and the original Hollywood sign is "HOLLYWOODLAND".  This was use to advertise a new housing development in the area at that time.

View of Los Angeles from Mount Lee, Los Angeles, California

@ the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Location: Hollywood Sign

34°08′02.56″N 118°19′18.00″W

Elevation 1,578 feet (481 m)

Ellis Island @ NJ

After the 1998 final ruling of the US Supreme Court on  Ellis Island, it has been declared that officially the island belong to New Jersey. This island was the busiest gateway in the early 1890s for millions of immigrant wanting to enter the United States of America.

 Faces of immigrants to the US circa 1892 to 1954

Ellis Island is located in Jersey City, New Jersey

http://www.nps.gov/elis/index.htm

Lombard Crooked Street @ SF

San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge

Most tourists will typically associate Lombard Street as the crookedest street in America. This steep and hilly street is crooked but not the crookedest.  Although, one cannot argue that this is one of the San Francisco’s expensive area

Lombard Street 

Actually, the distinction as the crookedest street in San Francisco belongs to Vermont Street between 20th and 22nd streets in the Portrero Hill.

Vermont Street, San Francisco's Crookedest Street

So the next time you visit San Francisco, don’t forget to include Vermont Street as part of your itinerary. It might not be as scenic as Lombard street but you can say that you have been truly in the crookedest street in the city by the Bay.

Vermont http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermont_Street_(San_Francisco)

Manilamen of Louisiana

Manilamen lived in small houses which were supported above the water by stilts

According to the American Census of 2010, there are about 3.4 Filipino-Americans  (Fil-Ams or Pinoys) comprising of about 20% of the Asian-American population.


It all started when the First Filipino sailors reached America at Morro Bay, California (north of Santa Barbara) in October 1587. They were mariners under the Spanish galleon trade.


However, the earliest permanent Filipino settlers were first documented in Louisiana in 1763. It is believe that Saint Malo, were the site of early settlements. They settled in the marshlands of Louisiana and the people who settled in the bayous were called the “Manilamen”.


The “Manila village” rarely have women and this can be attributed to the isolated and harsh conditions of the settlement. Since there were no Filipino women, the Manilamen often wooed and pursued Cajun women.

 Saint Malo was a small fishing village in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana on the shore of Lake Borgne 

Aside from Saint Malo, the other settlements in Louisiana were Manila Village on Barataria Bay (largest) in the Mississippi Delta, Alombro Canal and Camp Dewey in Plaquemines Parish and Leon Rojas, Bayou Cholas, and Bassa Bassa in Jefferson Parish.

Among the heritage introduced by the Filipinos was the production of dried shrimp, known as "sea bob". To date, dried shrimp is still produced by the Cajuns of Louisiana.

Related Story:

http://eugene-tordecilla.blogspot.com/2011/07/filipino-american-friendship-day-fourth.html

http://www.mabuhayradio.com/history/the-real-first-filipino-settlers-in-louisiana

http://philipppines.tripod.com/reggie/manilav.html

 Philippine Consulate in New Orleans, United States of America - 2 Canal St., Suite 1843, 70130. Telephone: (504) 529-7561