Southern California Activities: Spotlight on Kijubi

Every trip starts the same way:
Where are you going, and what do you want to do?

There are plenty of websites that help you find a place to go and how to get there (here's our list), but what can you do when you're there?  Sure you can find lots of attractions to visit, but what about something outside of the box?  That's where companies like Kijubi come in.

Kijubi is an experience marketplace, where you can find activities and experiences that don't fit in a box, but they can fit into your budget.

Although Kijubi helps you find things to do around the world, we'll focus on Southern California this time.  What could you be doing?  Use our map to find out.

ZIP Code Trivia Map

This week the magazine American Profile has an article called "Sudbury, Mass., Reflects Patriotic ZIP".  Sudbury has the ZIP code 01776, which they connect to their part in the American Revolution.

But what about other famous or interesting ZIP codes?  In television the most famous ZIP code would be 90210, which has had four shows using those famous numbers in their title.  How about the ZIP code "40516 and a half"?  Or what is unique about 07470?

Check each one to see why it's special, and let us know if we missed any.

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Ghost Towns - Who Ya Gonna Visit?

In an article called "America's Coolest Ghost Towns", Travel + Leisure looks for the most interesting ghost towns around the U.S., and spotlights thirteen of them.

We start you on our map in the western states, which is where we think of when talking about ghost towns, but move the map to the east to find former state capitals and submerged ghost towns.

There are even far more ghost towns than what we realize, and additional sources of information include Wikipedia and the websites Ghost Towns of the American West and Ghost Town of the United States (beware of annoying music).

So instead of the Ghost Busters "who ya gonna call", for ghost towns it's:
"who ya gonna visit?"

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The Guy Fieri Effect: San Diego

Guy Fieri has an effect on people, especially when it comes to food.  He makes food look good, and delicious. And since he does that in front of a large TV audience, people take notice, and want to experience the same food. That's the Guy Fieri effect.

The San Diego Union-Tribune looked into this effect on eight county restaurants Guy visited for his Diners, Drive-ins and Dives show.  The response was so overwhelming that three of the restaurants have opened up second locations, and it's easy to tell when a rerun has been on (hint: they get even more crowded).

Guy is a busy guy these days, what with his Food Network shows, a game show, and his own restaurants too.  But for local restaurant owners his biggest effect is when he comes to town, hungry, and with his sense of wonder for local versions of food.

Want to experience the Guy Fieri effect?  Use our TV Food Show Restaurants map to find the nearest restaurant.

National Park Week

There are 394 National Parks - where are they, and how many have you visited?

National Park Week this year is April 16-24, and according to the National Park Service, "This year's focus, Healthy Parks, Healthy People, highlights the connection between human and environmental health and the vital role America's national parks play in both."

When you visit a national park, it may actually be called something other than a "National Park".  As of today the National Park System is composed of 394 "units", of which there are 58 National Parks, 4 National Parkways, 78 National Historic Sites, and 17 other types of designations.  There are also more places that are within the 394 National Parks, or exist outside of the designated National Park System, such as National Memorials, National Historic Trails and more.

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Trivia time.  What is the only state without a unit of the National Park System? (answer at the end of this article)

If you like to visit our national parks, consider the Interagency Pass Program for annual passes, senior pass, a pass if you have permanent disabilities, and a pass if you are a volunteer.

eParks is the online store of America's National Parks, and it's also where you can get national park passports to keep track of where you have visited.

Zoom our map out and around to see all the places in the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, and in the U.S. territories of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. We also did not map eight National Parks that are scenic trails, rivers or parkways, since they cover multi-state areas.

Some other sources of information are:
National Park System Map and Guide

Our National Parks are truly treasures to behold, and hopefully we have helped you find not only the parks closest to you, but ones that you didn't even know about. Get out there and discover!

Trivia question answer:  Delaware

Things To Do: Seattle WA

Seattle is known by many nicknames, including the official one (Emerald City) and Jet City (Boeing's influence), and residents are known as Seattleites.

While you can't see all of Seattle in one day, the New York Times has taken a stab at finding a good amount of things to do in a day and a half in their article "36 Hours in Seattle".  We have also added the places they covered in a 2007 article called "Seattle’s New Food Market", which is mainly at the Melrose Market.

Speaking of food, if you're a fan of TV food shows like Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and  Man v Food, then look for the Food Network and Travel Channel map icons for places that have been visited by these and other shows.

And in case you're looking for more to do, we have added the attractions covered by CityPASS, which provides multi-day attraction passes at a discount.

Zoom the map out and around to see all the places.

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