Not Your Backyard Pool

With temperatures soaring over 100 degrees in many areas of the US this week, it's a good time to talk about pools, look at pictures of pools, or best case scenario, be in a pool. Yahoo! Travel roped up a list of ten of the best new hotel pools from around the world. So read on and try to stay cool!

Perasa Resort - Phuket, Thailand
The small lights in the pool are fiber optics, not reflections.
(Photo: Visa Signature Hotels)

Best Western Kuta Beach - Kuta, Bali
Yes, I had to read it twice too...this is a Best Western.
(Photo: Courtesy Best Western Kuta Beach)

Thompson - Toronto, Canada
A roof-top infinity pool Double whammy.
(Photo: Courtesy of Thompson Hotels)

Westin Playa Bonita - Panama
This fresh water infinity pool looks more like the ocean that lies just beyond.
(Photo: Courtesy Westin Playa Bonita)

 Here's the full list and Yahoo's article http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/10-spectacular-new-hotel-pools.html

Bizarre Buildings

All over the country there are weird houses, funky hotels, and bizarre buildings. Some you can tour, some you can shop in, and some you can even sleep in. So here's to some of America's most unique architecture!

Winchester Mystery House - San Jose
In 1884 a fortune teller told heiress Sarah Winchester (yes, Winchester like the rifle) that she was haunted by evil spirits, but that if she would build a great house for them and never cease work on it, she would be safe. And so, for the next 38 years, Sarah had continual construction on her house.Legend also holds that Sarah held nightly seances to converse with the spirits and be sure they approved of her building plans. Thanks to the "spirits' instructions" there are stairs that go up into a ceiling, doors that open to reveal a walls, and even upside down columns. When Sarah did die in 1922 the house had 160 rooms, 10,000 windows, 2,000 doors, 47 fireplaces, 40 staircases, and 3 elevators.


The Miner's Hat and Hat 'n' Boots Gas Station - Kellogg, Idaho / Seattle, Washington
Why not make a building out of a big ol' hat? The Miner's Hat sitting in Silver Valley was originally a drive-in restaurant. Since the 1960s it has been home to Miner's Hat Realty. Out in Seattle, alongside Route 99 (Route 66's sister road) a giant cowboy hat held a service station while the restrooms were inside of large boots. It closed in 1988 and was restored and moved to Oxbow Park in the 1990s.

Teapot Dome Gas Station - Zillah, Washington
This little teapot is said to be one of the oldest operating gas stations in the country. Alongside I-82, this 15 foot tall teapot was originally built as a comic statement about the Teapot Dome oil deals of the 1920s.


The Beer Can House - Houston, Texas
John Milkovisch, drinking a six pack of bear a day, for 18 years saved up 39,000 beer cans. He even had a purpose. In 1968 he began cutting off each end of the cans and flattening them, then using them to side his house. A metal coated house takes in a lot of sun, so John used the lids, bottoms, and pull tabs to create curtains and fences.

Petrified Wood Gas Station - Decatur, Texas
In 1935 E.F. Boydston decided to cover the gas station, cafe, and motor court that he owned with petrified wood. That's pretty much the end of the story. These days the buildings are in the hands of one of E.F's grandchildren. Gas is no longer sold, but the cafe still sells food.


Haines Shoe House - York, Pennsylvania
Mahlon Haines, a shoe tycoon, knew how to market his product, and it helped him make a fortune. His most  notable scheme was to build a two-story, three-bedroom house in the shape of a shoe. There was even a shoe shaped dog house in the back yard. The shoe was rented to newlyweds and elderly couples at its open, but it is now a museum.


Hood Milk Bottle - Boston, Massachusetts
This 40 foot tall, milk bottle shaped building could hold 58,620 gallons of milk...but it doesn't. It was originally built alongside the Three Mile River in the 30s. In 1977 the bottle was transported via barge across the Boston Harbor where it currently stands as a snack bar.

Bigger is Better? Pt 2

Here's some more really big stuff!

Superman - Metropolis, Illinois
15 ft
This Illinois town took advantage of its shared name with the DC Comic home of Superman by dubbing itself the "Hometown of Superman." A seven foot statue of the superhero was erected in 1986, and then replaced by the current 15 foot bronze one in 1993. Below the statue is inscribed "Truth - Justice - The American Way."

Jolly Green Giant - Blue Earth, Minnesota
55 ft
This giant Jolly Green Giant lives at the birthplace of the Green Giant Company. Aside from living up to his moniker in height, Jolly Green also has a size 78 shoe.

Loon - Virginia, Minnesota and Mercer, Wisconsin
21 ft / 16 ft
The 21 foot long Loon lives in the center of Silver Lake in Minnesota. The locals refer to this loon as the 'world's largest loon decoy.' Mercer, Wisconsin has named itself the "Loon Capital of the World" and boasts a 16 foot loon, that apparently speaks on the days it is actually working.

Tire - Allen Park, Michigan
80 ft
This tire started its life as a Ferris wheel at the New York 1964-1965 World's Fair. It was moved to Michigan where it now stands at the Uniroyal headquarters. The tire weighs 12 tons and would fit on a 200 foot tall car.

Fish - Hayward, Wisconsin
140 ft long, 4.5 stories tall
This muskie stands at the center of the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame and houses a museum within it and an observation deck in its mouth.

Lucy the Elephant - Margate, New Jersey
65 ft
Lucy must have been quite the talk when she was erected as a real estate promotion in 1881. Stairs within the her legs lead up to the rooms inside. Over the years Lucy has been a summer home, tavern, and hotel. Lucy even has her own website.

The Old Lobster Fisherman - Boothbay Harbor, Maine
25 ft
This huge, yellow-clad man is the mascot for Brown's Wharf Inn Motel, operated by the Brown family since 1946. The Fisherman was added around 1994.

Dresser - High Point, North Carolina
40 ft
High Point is known as the "Home Furnishings Capital of the World," celebrated by this 40 foot tall dresser, complete with a pair of socks. The chest of drawers is actually the front of a building housing the High Point Jaycees.

Jimmy Carter Peanut - Plains, Georgia
13 ft
Democrats in Indiana built this smiling peanut for Jimmy Carter's visit to their town during his presidential campaign. The peanut was actually given to the President and now sits near his old campaign headquarters.

Baseball Bat - Louisville, Kentucky
120 ft
It seems obvious that you would find a giant baseball bat in Louisville, the town that made the Louisville Slugger famous. This particular bat leans against the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory and is a replica of Babe Ruth's bat. Close by the bat are the world's largest baseball and baseball glove.