Three Mesmerising Tourist Attractions That Stayed with Me

Note: This post is a part of the the second writing exercise. 
I have written about three tourist attractions that I visited.
I invite you, dear reader, to guess which are the two tourist attractions I have seen, and which sight is in my wish list (that I haven’t visited yet).

Each city has several tourist attractions that offer delightful experiences for the soul.

I would love to spend my vacations sitting on the beach doing nothing. Second best is to visit tourist attractions. They offer a slice of life we haven’t experienced. 

Here are three of the tourist attractions I visited that stayed with me.

Corning Glass Museum

“I don’t know how we’re going to do it, but when we ship in June, it’s going to be glass.” -Steve Jobs, talking about the display of the first iPhone

A museum on all things glass?

Look no further, Corning Glass Museum is the place. This museum which is situated in Corning, is in the middle of nowhere. Yet, visitors come in large numbers to see all the glass attractions this museum displays.

I’m here with my wife in 2013, visiting this most unlikely of sights.

There was glass here, glass there, glass everywhere. Big objects made with glass. Small ones. The most creative and unlikely things you imagine, the geniuses here have conjured them up with glass.

Corning became famous after it supplied the glass for Steve Jobs’s vision of the iPhone.

There was a glass-blowing session, but we didn’t have the time to take this class. That would have been a great experience. 

The Corning Glass Museum is quaint and offers a different experience. I heartily recommend it to anyone visiting Upstate New York.

Disney World

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney

Disney World is the happiest place in the world.

Mickey Mouse and his friends delight not just children. Adults worldwide throng to see the magic Mickey weaves together with his friends. My parents and I were no different. 

In 2010, my family and I visited Orlando and stayed in Orlando World Center Marriott, the largest hotel in the world. No kidding – going from the North Block to the South Block took 10 minutes(!).

Disney has 7 theme parks.

Each theme park has a zillion attractions. You need at least an entire day to see one theme park, two if you want a fuller experience. We had only one day to spare – the rest of the time we had a bridge tournament to attend.

Though my parents are engineers by training, we decided magic was the order of the day. We visited Magic Kingdom. 

We spent the entire day going in the rides, and watching shows. The ride in Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was exhilarating. We signed up for the 12:30 show at the Cinderella castle. And a lot more.

Disney really is the happiest place in the world.

The next time we go to Disney, we will plan to spend at least a week in all the theme parks. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Kingdom for sure.

Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco

“A painting is not a picture of an experience, but is the experience.” – Mark Rothko

George (in private to Jerry Seinfeld): “I don’t get art, Jerry”.
(later)
Jerry Seinfeld’s Girlfriend: “Are you an art lover?”
George Costanza: “I am an art adorer.”

I am as much of an art adorer as George Costanza.

Yet here I was, visiting the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) in San Francisco. There were several one-hour tours offered. I signed up for a tour about color.

The museum was filled with abstract paintings as well as normal ones. I saw pieces by Frida Kahlo, Mark Rothko and more. Right before I visited this museum, I heard a story where a person bought a Rothko painting for 87 Million dollars (!).

I learned more about art and more about color. 

The tour guide asked us to “take in” a painting, to watch the painting with great concentration. She also asked us to look at paintings from up close, and far away. She asked us to interpret what the artist is trying to convey with color.

The same way great writers make each word count, great artists make each brushstroke count.

I loved the experience and would recommend it whether you are an art lover or an “art adorer.”

The Last Word

If you can spend your vacations on the beach doing nothing, excellent. If not, visit tourist attractions. You will take home rich experiences.

And be inspired in ways you can’t imagine.

Now, can you guess which are the two tourist attractions I visited and which is the one I did not?
Update: I’m revealing the answer in the comments. Make your guess before you read the comments.

Image Credit: Tyler Nix from Unsplash