UNITED STATES
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES (JANUARY 1997)
Just click to see Los Angeles's map
LOS Angeles bustles by day and sparkles by night. Get a great view of the show from the top of one of downtown's high-rise hotels. Head to Olvera Street, where the city's roots as a Mexican outpost come alive in colorful shops and restaurants. El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument encompasses 27 buildings of historical or architectural significance. Tour the 1818 Avila Adobe, the city's oldest home. A must-see for both its art and architecture is the Museum of Contemporary Art, a building as stunning as the art exhibited inside. Other architectural showpieces are the Italianate Renaissance-style Biltmore Hotel, facing renewed Pershing Square, and the Beaux Arts-style Central Library. Mission-style Union Station captures the heyday of train travel. Music and theater fans adore the Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, often site of the Academy Awards. Los Angeles' multi-ethnic society provides many opportunites for travelers to experience various cultures, foods and colorful traditions. LA's African-American community is celebrated for its exceptional jazz clubs and ethnic restaurants. Asia's influence on L.A. is considerable. Visit Japanese restaurants, gardens, and upscale shops in Little Tokyo. Take in the Japanese-American National Museum for an intriguing look at the Japanese experience in this country. Explore more Asian culture in Chinatown, a favorite dining destination. Hollywood is brimming with traces and faces of the stars. Take a snapshot of the famous Hollywood and Vine intersection, then stroll down Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame and pay homage to your favorite movie star's plaque glimmering on the sidewalk.
SILICON VALLEY, SAN FRANCISCO, US (JANUARY 1997)
Just click to see Silicon Valley's map
One of the major reason for Silicon Valley's success is our ability to attract people from all over the world to live and work in our area. The cultural mix and the resulting diversity of ethnic traditions, viewpoints, and value systems (both, personal and professional) have enriched all of our lives. Silicon Valley has become a model of how diversity can add strength and unity to a community. The title of Father of Silicon Valley, belongs to the brilliant Stanford University professor of electrical engineering, Frederick Terman. Teaching radio engineering, he encouraged his students to work for local companies and to start businesses of their own, rather than being lured back east to the dead end attraction of safe, "establishment" companies there. Among two of the students to heed his admonition were William Hewlett and David Packard. Their audio-oscillator, designed with Terman's help, became the basis for a later deal with Walt Disney Studios in 1939, for the film "Fantasia". Today, their company is a multi-national, multi-billion dollar giant. Today, Silicon Valley spreads far beyond its original Palo Alto bounds. Indeed its influence is felt in places like Austin, Seattle and Route 128, outside of Boston, even as far as Silicon Glen--in Scotland. The countries in the area now known collectively as "the Pacific Rim", can connect their economic emergence to a heritage running right through Silicon Valley.