7 things every visitor needs to know about Arizona

Grand Canyon Arizona

 

Arizona residents have a reputation for being extremely friendly toward strangers, which is sometimes attributed to the fact that with a few exceptions it is legal for just about everybody to carry a concealed weapon.

The popularity of tequila at Arizona resorts is not believed to be connected to a state law prohibiting donkeys from sleeping in bathtubs.

The shoestring-shaped bola tie is recognized as the official Arizona state neckwear. Visitors are cautioned that an Arizona native wearing one will often be running for political office.

Among the 12 or so fatalities that occur annually at the Grand Canyon, only a few have involved people backing off the canyon wall while taking selfies.

In the Phoenix suburb of Cave Creek, Big Earl’s Greasy Eats is still a popular dining spot, even though the outdoor accommodation for pole dancing is gone.

Of the 44 million people who visit Arizona each year, many will refuse to take part in any conversation that uses the words “dry heat”.

The average winter temperatures in many northern states are thought to directly correlate with how smart their residents consider Arizonans to be.

BobCarriesOn Humor Editor Bob Payne misses the pole dancing at Big Earl’s Greasy Eats no more than the next person.

Fourth-ranked travel attractions gain long-overdue recognition.

Jumeirah Emirates Towers

It is becoming clear that in an increasingly crowded world, fourth-place deserves more recognition than it has traditionally received. And nowhere is that more apparent than among travel attractions. To help set things right, below are some of the best of the fourth-ranked.

 

Fourth Tallest Hotel

Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

 

Talk about getting a bad break on location, the 1,014-foot Jumeirah Emirates Towers is not only just the world’s fourth-tallest hotel, it also fourth-ranked in Dubai alone. That city, with all its other travel attractions,  is home to seven of the world’s top ten tallest hotels, including the tallest, the 1,165-foot JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, which, it is worth noting, doesn’t serve as good a breakfast.

 

Fourth Longest Non-stop Flight

Abu Dhabi, UAE – Los Angeles

 

This Etihad Airways flight of 15 hours, 39 minutes is not only almost two hours shorter than what would be the record holder, from Dubai to Panama City, Panama, if the latter finally goes into service, it would allow passengers to disembark without having to ask themselves what in the world they are doing in Panama.

 

Fourth Most Expensive Theme Park

Universal Studios

Hollywood, California

 

Visitors in search of travel attractions who mistakenly end up at Universal Studios in California instead of the one in Florida, which is ranked as the world’s most expensive theme park, can plunk down their $90 one-day entrance fee at least knowing that they’ve saved $15 per ticket. A downside of Universal Studios Hollywood, though, is that there is no Margaritaville.

 

Fourth Tallest Fountain

Port Fountain

Karachi, Pakistan.

Although rising only 620 feet, or 233 feet less than the world’s highest, King Fahd’s Fountain in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, this pride of Pakistan can claim to be the only one of the world’s major fountains that was inoperable for a time because someone stole the parts that make it go.

 

Fourth Priciest Cocktail

The Winston, Club 23

Melbourne, Australia

 

At a mere $12,040, this Winston Churchill-inspired libation may not have the three 1-1.5 carat diamonds sitting at the bottom of it that accompanied the record-setting $50,000 cocktail served at Moscow’s Reka Restaurant in 2014. Not does it contain the scattering of rubies that gave a glow to the $40,000 drink the White Barn Inn in Kennebunk, Maine, created to celebrate their 40th anniversary. But unlike those glittery concoctions, The Winston does contain slugs of 1858 Croizet cognac, which goes for $157,000 a bottle, or $6,000 a shot. And you don’t have to worry about getting something stuck in your throat and realizing you’ve just made a very costly mistake.

 

Fourth Busiest U.S. National Park

Yellowstone National Park

 

Many people are surprised to learn that Yellowstone, one of our most iconic travel attractions, covering a vast wilderness area in parts of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, is not the busiest U.S. national park. That title goes to Great Smoky Mountains, whose nearly 10 million annual visitors number more than twice as many as second place Grand Canyon, in part, some say, because Great Smokey Mountain is one of the few national parks without an admission fee. Of course if the super volcano that sits below Yellowstone ever erupts neither of those more heavily visited parks will have nearly the view Yellowstone visitors will of two-thirds of American being engulfed in fire and ash.

 

Fourth Largest Hamburger

Ted Reader, Toronto

 

In 2010, Canadian Chef Ted Reader produced a world-record 590-pound hamburger at Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square. We mention this only because Reader’s burger now ranks as the world’s fourth largest, with the champion, created at the Black Bear Casino Resort in Carlton, Minnesota, in 2012, weighing in at 2,014 pounds. Condiments on Reader’s burger included wheelbarrows full of lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, pickles, and onions, but, for health reasons, no bacon.

 

Report finds animals in national parks prone to nervous eating during government shutdown

buffalo in national park

 

A study just released by the U.S. National Park Service has found that while most aspects of life in our national parks are back to normal following the recent government shutdown one exception has been the effect on park wildlife, as many animals are now overweight as a result of nervous eating during the days the parks were closed.

“The uncertainty brought about by the shutdown caused general stress, relationship conflicts, and fears of unemployment among virtually all park animals, many of whom reacted, as we all often do in such situations, by overeating,” said Bob Payne, a quality of life activist for national park wildlife (except mosquitos).

Payne said that unhealthy calorie intake had been especially pronounced among the parks’ larger carnivores who, more as a distraction than because they were really hungry, routinely preyed on tourists who had entered the parks illegally.

“The French and the Germans were a particular problem,” said Payne. “It got so bad we had to run ads in the European press, warning visitors to our parks of the harm that an unnatural diet could cause the animals.”

Payne said the situation was slowly returning to normal, with many of the large carnivores now back to exercising portion control and eating only healthy snacks, primarily consisting of West Coast and Asian visitors.

“Thank goodness the government shutdown lasted only as long as it did,” Payne said. “Otherwise we would have had to start getting the park animals signed up so that they could take advantage of the Affordable Care Act. And the stress of that would have had its own health repercussions.”

When not working on behalf of national park animals travel humor writer Bob Payne is the editor in chief of BobCarriesOn.com, which has been sharing accurate travel news and advice since before Columbus landed at Plymouth Rock.

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