Whatta Site

Recently Forbes listed the top 25 sites most visited annually in the United States.

Here is the list:

1. Times Square, 37.6 million
2. Las Vegas Strip, Nevada, 30 million
3. National Mall and Memorial Parks, Washington, 25 million
4. Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, 20 million
5. Disney World's Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, Fla., 17.1 million
6. Disneyland Park, Anaheim, Calif., 14.9 million
7. Fisherman's wharf, Golden Gate National Park, San Francisco, 14.1 million
8. Niagara Falls, N.Y. 12 million
9. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tenn., N.C., 9.04 million
10. Navy Pier, Chicago, 8.6 million
11. Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Ariz.-., 7.6 million
12. Universal Studios -- Islands of Adventure, Orlando, 6.2 million
13. Sea World Florida, Orlando, 5.8 million
14. Delaware Water Gap National, Penn. N.J., 5.13
15. San Antonio Riverwalk, Texas, 5.1 million
16.Temple Square, Salt Lake City, 5 million

17. Universal Studios, Hollywood 4.7 milion

18. Metropolitain Mueseum NY 4.7 million

19. Cape Cod National Seashore, Mass 4 million

20. Grand Canyon, AZ 4.43 million

21. Busch Gardens/Africa USA Tampa Bay 4.4 million

22. Seaworld, San Diego CA 4.26 million

23. Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia Penn. 4 million

24. American Museum of National History, NY 4 million

25. Waikiki Beach, Oahu Hawaii,

I was impressed with this list because Jan and I have actually been to nine of these sites, or ten, if you count crossing over the Delaware Water Gap on our way to New York City.

Times Square in New York ranks first with 37.6 million. Times Square is not really square and it covers a much smaller area than I’d thought. That’s a lot of people to visit one area. I question this statistic though. How do they count and what to they consider being visitors? When we visited Times Square I saw no counters, no interviewers to ask where people came from. I’m guessing most of those visitors are included on December 31^st , who come to the square to watch the ball drop. I always wondered what the big deal about that was.

Now, a place like Disney World/Land can count accurately because admission is paid and you actually pass through a gate. National Parks can count the number of people in each car as they collect fees. But places like Fisherman’s Warf, Las Vegas strip, National Mall, or the San Antonio Riverwalk, their counts are suspect.

You’ll notice that Temple Square is listed as the 16^th most visited place in the United States. That’s pretty amazing considering there’s no parking around there. I’ve got a little marketing background and I have a few suggestions on how Temple Square can work its way up the list. Of course, the square needs to add a few things that draw vacationers from these other places.

In a flash of brilliance I’ve devised a plan that will achieve this goal:

Rides. Lots of rides.

Thrill rides like the Expire by Spire where riders are hauled on scaffolding up to the top of the highest spire on the temple. Then, in a moment of absolute screaming terror the ropes give way and the riders plummet to within feet of the ground. What makes it scarier is that there are no hand rails or seat belts.

Other rides to consider is to add a couple of rollercoaster’s that whip and whoosh over and around the flowered plaza. The Choir Flyer would be a trembling wooden roller coaster with cars resembling hand carts. I can also picture The Tabernacle Twister, a modern coaster that swoops from the top of the Hotel Utah, then down through the doors of the tabernacle, and spiraling cork screw turns that screams past the podium and over the organ pipes.

Conference Center to the Earth would take awe struck visitors on a mythical journey to the earth’s center to see where the lost ten tribes are located. A few flying saucers filled with lost tribe members would fill the sky as the tribes wait to make their triumphant return.

The Book of Mormon Cruise would load travelers on a Jaredite barge. The ship would take travelers through the desert with Lehi and his family. The animatronics would make these characters come to life as Lehi picks up the Liahona and as Lamuel and Laman pick on Nephi. Witness the beheading of Laban, then drift by savage Lamanites who jump up from the bushes brandishing their clubs and spears, terrorizing the startled passengers.

Temple Square needs to throw in some stunts, too. How about skate boarders dressed like pioneers rolling off the copper topped tabernacle?! Square guests would be struck with wonder as they witness covered wagons zipping off ramps and flying over campfires fueled by torched “meadow muffins."

Finally, the annual event that will attract more visitors than any other venue- July 23^rd. As the clock closes in on midnight ushering in Pioneer day, a gargantuan multi-lighted colored beehive would descend from the top of the Church Office Building, the crowd below cheering and shouting for a new day to remember who made all this possible. A forward thinking creative marketing genius that launched Temple Square to number 15 on the most visited attractions in the USA. Yeah, that’s right-me.

Things I Learned in Lincoln, Nebraska

It was late Thursday afternoon, the day prior to the beginning of a needed vacation. The boss stops at my desk and tells me a project must be done before I leave. In a passive aggressive fit I complained outloud after he had walked away. As the day ended for everyone else I was still working, feeling stressed and angry. Christy, my cubicle neighbor, stopped by on her way out the door.
"What are you still doing here?"
"I'm trying to do as much as I can. Then I'm going to just leave."
Then in a thoughtful moment I posed, "When I return I may not have a job. But, at least I’ve been to Lincoln, Nebraska!"
Yup. Coming to Nebraska is worth losing everything for, except my marriage. OK, I don't want to lose a few other things either, like kids, house, or the multiple boxes of cereal stored in the spare bedroom.
There are many things related to the state of Nebraska. One is corn. During our Nebraska tour the only corn I saw were iced kernels in the freezer. The corn fields just hadn’t produced yet. The other thing relating to Nebraska is Mutual of Omaha. I have fond memories of Marlin Perkins “Wild Kingdom,” sponsored by the giant insurance company. I always thought Mutual of Omaha was a weekly activity for teens at church. Never did figure out why Omaha's mutual was so special.
The third thing belonging to Nebraska is tornadoes. Ever since Dorothy and her house were sucked up from the Kansas wheat fields and landing her in the Nebraska city of Ozmaha we've become keenly aware of the power of these dirt twirlers.
So, without extending the suspense longer, here is my list of things I learned in Nebraska:
1) Flying still scares me.
2) Noah is a funny kid. In trying to talk, if we didn’t understand him, he begins to sign. Sometimes it was like playing a game of charades with the little guy. He loves to jump: from the couch, off the ottoman, leap from his turned over rocking horse, off the bottom stair step, from the dining room chair, out of the car (non-moving of course). I told Kevin and Nicole I hope they have great insurance because they're going to need it to help heal their little daredevil.
3) Noah also loves hats, especially his red cowboy headgear, that came with his musical rocking horse. It’s rare to see a toddler enjoy wearing the fedora.

4) Lincoln, Nebraska is a city of nearly 250,000. Way larger than expected.
5) Runza’s must be an acquired taste. A runza tastes like chopped spicy meatloaf in a pita pocket. I believe it’s only found in Nebraska. There are many Runza fast food restaurants through out the state. They also serve hamburgers but I’m sure these are just Runza patties. And, apparently spell check doesn’t recognize the word Runza. It must have tasted one.

6) Cornhuskers rule!!! They do in Lincoln anyway. Scary name though. Envision troops of guys in overalls threatening their foes by pulling the husks off of corn cobs. I know if I saw this terrifying sight I’d turn and run.
7) The University of Nebraska is famous for football. At some point during this upcoming fall season the stadium will have sold out for 300 consecutive games. Not bad for there being seats for only 359 fans. Sorry, Nebraskans. Just kidding. It’s actually a huge stadium that dominates the Lincoln skyline. Not hard to do when the other major buildings are Runza restaurants.
8) The “Husker” paraphernalia dominates everything. From grill covers to shovels, all sport the blazing red “N”. They’ve also created several interesting sayings lettered across t-shirts, sweat shirts, and foreheads. Some of these read: “Children of the Corn:” another T shows a tornado with these words on either side, “Come for the weather, stay for the ride!”
9) In a place where athletes on the football field rule I found it funny to come across another t shirt that read, “Nebraska Bowling.” Oh yes, the dreaded Cornhusker bowling team. I can see a future job interview that goes like this:
Interviewer: “I see you played for the University of Nebraska.”
Alumni: “Yep, I played in several bowl games.”
10) Omaha Beef. I see this advertised in magazines, TV, etc.Their beef is the best. Only problem is I never saw any cattle. Either the beef is imported from Wyoming or the herbivores are hiding in the corn fields.
11) Lincoln has a heap lot of parks. They're all over the place.
12) Tornadoes. Enough can’t be said about these Tasmanian twisters. Comfort levels dive as you disembark from a plane and see signs in the airport directing you to underground tornado shelters.
13) Local TV stations know how to keep viewers. Every local station has what seems to be a continuous crawl across the bottom of the screen warning of impending severe weather. The information gives the name of counties that may experience thunder storms that could produce tornadoes. No one dares change the channel to cable because one of those dirty whirlwinds might creep up on you. I was a little suspicious though when the counties they began to mention were located in Hawaii. This supports the old TV adage, “if there’s no news, make something up.”
14) Ask to see my pet tornado. No, it’s not as scandalous as it sounds. Seems like a great Christmas present for Christina.
15) As usual, we picked record heat days to be there. The humidity was 80-90%. Many use the “feels like a sauna” or “just stepped out of the shower” phrases to describe what high humidity feels like. My description is “heavy sweat.” Enough said.
16) Never leave a debit card at Olive Garden as an accidental tip for the waiter. Ask Jan about that one. She’ll be glad to tell you.
17) Kevin and Nicole make great fries and hamburgers that are thicker than a thousand sheets of copy paper. I needed to dislocate my jaw like a boa constrictor eating an elephant to get my mouth around it. Jaw’s still flapping.
18) Kevin and Nicole are courageous, hard working, loving parents.
19) Noah does cry over spilt milk.

20) Nicole and jars of applesauce repel each other.

And finally, Jan and I truly enjoyed our Nebraska vacation. Nicole was a great tour guide and we loved being around Noah. Since he’s communicating we get a feel of his personality. He’s going to be a charmer. So, “Nam” and “Gapa” love these kids and wish they were closer. But we understand, Lincoln is a great place to raise a family. So to all the overall clad cornhuskers we bid farewell with a famous Nebraskan slogan, “Grab your corn and get the heck outa here. A
tornado's comin’!”

We captured some fireflies on video.

Handcart treks were often difficult, and sometimes accidents occurred along the way.


(Actually, Noah got tired and tried to rest.)


For some must push, and some must pull...





And some just play around!