patita

I wished I’d had more time when I was there. It was such a beautiful place—the open enclosures allowed the animals to move freely and more naturally. It was relaxing and not at all like a zoo. They take the educational mission very seriously.

If you’re interested in northeastern towns that have tried to compensate for the loss of local industry, it’s worth a visit. For kitsch: it’s the home of Uncle Sam!

The Junior Museum and the Arts Center are cool: http://www.artscenteronline.org/
All of River St is coming up a bit.
Local architecture is interesting—lots of brownstones. RPI campus is worth seeing.

Larry McMurtry’s bookstores are the main draw for this little Texas town northwest of Fort Worth (and since this article was written, he’s decided to keep them open):
http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2005/MERC-Feb-17-Thu-2005/25867569.html

The Spur Hotel would be the place to stay, of course: http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2002-03-01/cols_daytrips.html

Unless you’re the B&B sort:
http://www.lonesomedoveinn.com/

It’s my favorite city in the world.