Before streaming services we had Blockbuster - but did you know one remains in operation? On this episode, we share the downfall of Blockbuster, and how the Bend, Oregon location keeps its doors open to this day. 

See America

The Last Blockbuster

Over the more than 200 years of its existence, the US has become home to a number of iconic sites that domestic and international travelers alike place at the top of their must-see lists. The classic memorials and museums circling Washington, DC spring to mind, of course, because of their importance to both the history and future of our country, but other cities outside our capital possess an immediate connection with a building or structure: for instance, San Francisco’s graceful and majestic Golden Gate Bridge, the futuristic and awe-inspiring Space Needle in Seattle, the formidable and photogenic bronze lions guarding the entrance to Chicago’s famed Art Institute. America’s largest metropolis, New York City, is famous for, among other things: the Statue of Liberty, whose promise of freedom welcomed millions of immigrants to America’s shores; the legendary sports and performances at Madison Square Garden; and the delicious, titanic corned beef sandwiches and knishes at the Carnegie Deli. But one building alone symbolizes the strength, beauty, and spirit of New York.

The Empire State Building

The small town of Wamego, Kansas, with its modest population of nearly 5,000, is not a sprawling, sepia-toned farmland featuring Aunty Em, Miss Gulch, and Professor Marvel. It does not look like much of the Midwest landscape that comes to mind. Oh, no. Wamego, Kansas has poppy fields and Emerald Cities; yellow brick roads and ruby red slippers and lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Because somewhere over the rainbow is Wamego, Kansas, a town whose cultural identity has been oz-ified into no place like home.

Somewhere Over Wamego: The Wizard of Oz Museum

From modest beginnings in the small town of Burlington, Vermont, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and other products can now be found in freezers in over 30 countries. This is their story. 

Ben & Jerry‘s

Every year, from February to May, 1,800 acres of desert plateau spring to life with color. Purples, yellows, oranges, and blues all come together on the sprawling arid landscape to emulate an Impressionist painting; a fluid composition of light and hue, playing with intensity and movement. The four-petaled, burning orange poppy is illuminated as it contrasts with a vast, blue California sky. This week on the See America Podcast, the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve in Los Angeles County, California.   

Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve

When Americans travel internationally, they often encounter nations and civilizations far older than their 245-year-old home country. As they explore new cultures, the travelers learn the depth and breadth of antiquity, often well-preserved, in many of these foreign lands. How wonderful it is, they marvel, that we can take a trip back in time and see government buildings, houses of worship, homes, roads, markets: elements of entire societies that were established and active hundreds of years before the US was even a thought in anyone’s mind. While it’s true that the story of the United States goes back only a few hundred years, Indigenous cultures in North America had been thriving for centuries before Europeans set foot on the continent. Though sadly much of the history of Native American tribes have been lost or destroyed, a shining example of a Native American city lives on in southwestern Illinois, only a few miles from modern-day St. Louis. 

Cahokia Mounds

Every October the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta creates an enchanted world of vibrant balloon-filled skies, special shaped balloon rodeos and twilight balloon glows. In Balloon Fiesta Park, visitors walk alongside the balloons, witnessing these colorful, graceful giants inflate and leave the ground against the backdrop of the cerulean desert sky. The number and enormity make you feel like a kid again, immersed in a wondrous world of color and light, of excitement and sound. 

The Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

This week, The Beat Museum, City Lights Bookstore and the movement of a Generation that all started in San Francisco, California in the 1950s. These artists wielded their medium to question mainstream politics and culture, ushering a renaissance of new ways of thinking and creating in the world. If you're enjoying the show, please consider helping us reach even more people by leaving a five-star review on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/see-america/id1479148682   Save 15% off your Roadtrippers PLUS membership with code RVMILES2X at https://roadtrippers.com/   Connect with See America across social media:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seeamerica.travel/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeeAmericaPodcast See America Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SeeAmerica   Have a suggestion for a future episode? Email us at editor@rvmiles.com.    See America is part of the RV Miles Network of resources for the North American traveler. Check out our other podcasts - RV Miles and America's National Parks. Available where you listen to this podcast. 

City Light's Bookstore & The Beat Generation

The Boston metropolitan area offers a rich and intriguing look back to several significant points in American history: the landing of the Mayflower, the Boston Tea Party, the War of 1812. One community close to Boston that has held multiple levels of interest and fascination for literally centuries is the small town of Salem,15 miles northeast of Boston proper. Most people know Salem primarily as the site of the notorious 1692 Salem Witch Trials, as well as for its many references in media and popular culture for all things witchy and woo-woo. But Salem contains far more than metaphysical curiosities.    This week, Winter Island. 

Winter Island

A 200 foot sea creature that’s bigger than the statue of liberty. The largest carousel in the world, illuminated by over 20,000 light bulbs. A room that goes on forever. The largest collection of miniature doll houses and circuses - all under one roof. Today, we’re visiting what’s been called “the fever dream of the Midwest,” House on the Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin. 

House on the Rock

Early in the morning of March 18, 1990, two thieves disguised as police officers robbed a Boston museum of thirteen works worth some $500 million – the greatest known property theft in history. Among the works was The Concert, one of only 34 known by Johannes Vermeer and thought to be the most valuable unrecovered painting at over $200 million. And The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt's only known seascape. The story of the theft and its subsequent investigation is told in a thrilling new docuseries on Netflix. The unsolved heist is an epic tale, but it's not the subject of today's episode. Today, we're talking about the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum itself, still one of the best museums in the world.

The Isabella Steward Gardner Museum

PEZ. Known for its collectible dispensers depicting thousands of beloved characters and for its fruity brick-like candies, the brand has solidified its place in United States pop culture. From stocking stuffers to Easter baskets, PEZ is a nostalgic staple constantly innovating its appeal to kids and collectors alike. Nestled in Orange, Connecticut, with over 4,000 square feet of PEZ collecting goodness, one Museum offers a peek into all things PEZ.

The PEZ Museum

If you’re looking for places to visit that are visually and audibly stunning, spark the imagination, are in close proximity, appeal to the whole family, and are educational to boot, one of the best and most unique ideas is Chicago’s own Museum Campus, located on the shores of Lake Michigan, a short distance from downtown. While two components of the Museum Campus include the historic Soldier Field football and soccer stadium (home of the Chicago Bears) and the gigantic McCormick Place convention center, it’s also home to three of the city’s most famous and beloved attractions: the Shedd Aquarium, the Adler Planetarium, and the Field Museum of Natural History. 

Chicago's Museum Campus

Artist Tyree Guyton is on a mission to rehabilitate the image of his community through art. Discarded stuffed animals cling to a boat like barnacles, an old, bright pink hummer shell protrudes from the ground, colorful polka dots decorate an old two-story house and painted numbers ornament another. Tyree has transformed his city block and his community into the third most visited cultural site in Detroit. This week on the See America Podcast, The Heidelberg Project.

The Heidelberg Project

Many popular tourist destinations owe a large part of their identity to a singular aspect of their culture. In France, locals will introduce you to the joys of any one of their thousand distinct cheeses, while thoughts of Brazil might bring to mind their stunning beaches. You know that if you visit Arizona that one way or another, you’ll probably catch a glimpse of the Grand Canyon. If your travels bring you to the great state of Georgia, at some point, unless you take great pains not to do so, you will eat peaches. This week, the Georgia Peach Festival.

The Georgia Peach Festival

A podcast about great destinations. Join us on one epic road trip across America.

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