NY by night

New York City is defined by its skyline—the silhouette created by Manhattan's buildings is instantly recognizable and utterly mesmerizing. 

Photo by © Stephen Wilkes - Courtesy Peter Fetterman Gallery

US-2196319, sent by Liz.

In fact, NYC is home to more than 200 buildings measuring 500 feet or taller, roughly double that of its closest US competitor. 

US-6801729, sent by Amber.

You can appreciate the skyline's grandeur from the observation decks atop the Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, and Top of the Rock, and revel in its scope from lower vantage points like the Brooklyn Bridge or the Brooklyn Heights promenade. - in: https://www.nycgo.com

New York skyline with the Empire State Building.

More than any other building in the world, the Empire State Building represents the ambition of humans to build towers that reach for the skies. The skyscraper is probably New York's best known building and can be seen on many postcards.

The Empire State Building also features in many films, most notably the classic film 'King Kong' from 1933. Even today, though the building has been stripped from its title of the world's tallest building, it is a symbol of New York itself, visited by more than three million people each year. - in: http://www.aviewoncities.com/nyc/empirestate.htm
Card sent by Karina during her romantic trip with her husband to New York in 2013. 

Idaho State Capitol

The State Capitol completed construction in 1912 under the design of John Tourtellotte and Frederick Hummel. The State Capitol's design was highly influenced by the U.S. Capitol Building. The State Capitol's pronounced symmetrical wings, Roman columns, and the signature dome purposefully resembles the U.S. Capitol Building.

US-6799767, sent by Cathy. 

Much like a majority of the buildings designed by Tourtellotte and Hummel in Boise, sandstone from Table Rock was used in the construction. This is also the only State Capitol Building in the United States that utilizes geothermal heating.

Tourtellotte and Hummel's design for the State Capitol is Neo-classical.   The interior is a beautiful execution of natural light and marble.   The marble columns are actually not marble but created by an artisan using an almost forgotten technique called scagliola.   Known as poor mans marble, scagliola ironically was a forgotten art and only a handful of artisans at the time of construction were experts at creating the columns inside the Capitol.   

Budget restraints nearly changed the face of the Capitol as we know it today. The building had to be downsized, which shortened the width and the dome was at risk until John Tourtellotte vouched for its importance to the building. Because of Tourtellotte's efforts, the dome was saved.

A few years later in 1919, construction began on the two wings of the building that would hold the House and Senate chambers. Other than renovations and additions underground, the Capitol Building took the shape that we see today. - in: https://localwiki.org

US-6801742 & US-6808989

American officials from California and Wisconsin.

Photographer - Mark Henderson

US-6801742, sent by K.

 Muir Woods National Monument is in Marin County, California, just a few miles north of San Francisco. The 558-acre monument preserves one of the last remaining ancient redwood forests in the Bay Area. Some of the redwoods are nearly 1,000 years old and reach heights of more than 250 feet.

Named for conservationist John Muir, it was the 10th national monument to be designated under the Antiquities Act of 1906, the first to be in proximity to a major city, and the first to consist of formerly privately-owned lands.

Today, Muir Woods National Monument is home to more than 380 different plants and animals, including 27 species of mammals, 50 species of birds, 12 species of reptiles, and 5 species of amphibians. - in: https://gomuirwoods.com

Photo © Zane Williams

US-6808989, sent by Rob.

One of the most enduring fall traditions in the U.S. is going to a pumpkin patch to choose your very own pumpkin to decorate or carve and partaking in all the fun fall activities that go along with it.

Pumpkins grow in many different places across America, which means that pumpkin patches are accessible from lots of major cities from coast to coast. Pumpkin patches are fun for families with kids, but they also make for a great outing as adults looking to get outside and celebrate too. Lots of pumpkin patches offer more than just pumpkins too. At these farms, you can learn about how pumpkins are grown, hop on a hayride, tour a spooky barn, taste pumpkin-flavored goodies, and find your way through a corn maze. - in: https://www.tripstodiscover.com

US-6841280

Once on the brink of extinction, the manatee population level in Florida has been rising thanks to the legal protection afforded to animals classified as "endangered species". 

Photo: R. Kinre / Comstock

US-6841280, sent by Juan.

The manatee, Florida’s gentle giant (aka, the “sea cow”), may be spotted in the largest numbers during the winter and early spring months. 

Manatees are often found congregating around bubbly springs, within state and marine water parks, or near power plants where the outflow of warm water keeps their body temperatures constant.

Manatees are related to the elephant, with grayish thick, leathery wrinkled skin. Propelled by huge powerful tails, manatees are actual slow swimmers. They lumber along quietly through Florida’s waterways. If you look, you can find them year-round in Florida, but it is much easier in cooler months when large numbers cluster near the temperate water.

As herbivores, manatees usually dine on marine and freshwater plants, grazing along grass flats and aquatic meadows, surfacing for air while breathing through their whiskered nostrils. These gentle creatures are definitely heavyweights, tipping the scales anywhere between 1,000-3,500 pounds and consuming up to ten percent of their body weight in marine vegetation each day. The females give birth to calves typically weighing more than 60 pounds as they nurse under water. - in: https://authenticflorida.com

Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley - Mexico

Sometimes it is not that easy to decide whether a postcard is from a UNESCO site or not. This one, for example, raises some doubts but after some research, Oscar, who sent it, and I decided to include it in our collections and thus remove one more place from our missing lists.

This painting by José María Velasco shows a cactus in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, the originary habitat of Mesoamerica. This Mexican site has been classified as a World Heritage Site since 2018.

Reproducción Autorizada por el Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura 2018

Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, part of the Mesoamerican region, is the arid or semi-arid zone with the richest biodiversity in all of North America. Consisting of three components, Zapotitlán-Cuicatlán, San Juan Raya and Purrón, it is one of the main centres of diversification for the cacti family, which is critically endangered worldwide. The valley harbours the densest forests of columnar cacti in the world, shaping a unique landscape that also includes agaves, yuccas and oaks. Archaeological remains demonstrate technological developments and the early domestication of crops. The valley presents an exceptional water management system of canals, wells, aqueducts and dams, the oldest in the continent, which has allowed for the emergence of agricultural settlements. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1534/

Pantanal - Brazil

Pantanal is a place that I'd like to visit in Brazil. It must be great to have the opportunity to see so many species of animals.
I don't remember who sent the 1st card but the others were sent by Luzia, to wish me good luck in my new house, and Valéria, more than 10 years ago.
Pantanal is classified as UNESCO WHS and also Biosphere Reserve.

The Pantanal Conservation Area is located in western central Brazil, in the extreme south-west of the Mato Grosso e Mato Grosso do Sul State and the international border with Bolivia and Paraguay.

Foto: Johannes Compaan

The transition between the seasonally flooded areas and the mountains is abrupt. This ecological gradient is unique to the whole Pantanal region and offers a dramatic landscape. Located between the river basins of Cuiabá and Paraguay, the site plays a key role in the spreading of nutritive materials during flooding as well as in the maintenance of fish stocks in the Pantanal. 

Although the property only covers a small part of the Pantanal (one of the largest wetlands of the world, covering around 14,000,000 ha), it is representative and of sufficient size to ensure the continuity of ecological processes. It also protects numerous threatened species, such as the giant armadillo, giant anteater, giant otter, marsh deer and the hyacinth macaw, the largest species of parrot. The jaguar population in the property is probably the biggest in the entire Pantanal region. The number of aquatic plant species found there is also remarkable. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/999/

Golden Pavilion Temple - Japan

A summer and winter views of the lovely Kinkaku-ji, Golden Pavilion Temple in Kyoto.

This temple is one of 17 locations comprising the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto World Heritage Site. 

JP-1411155, sent by Mitsuyo.

Kinkaku-ji is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan.

Kinkakuji was built in 1393 as a retirement villa for Shogun Yoshimitsu Ashikaga (1358-1409). He intended to cover the exterior with gold, but only managed to coat the ceiling of the third floor with gold leaf before his death.

 JP-318950, sent by pupunin.

 The shogun lived here in luxury as Kyoto's people suffered the effects of severe famine, earthquakes and plague - as many as 1,000 people died each day during this period.

After his death, his son converted the building into a Zen temple of the Rinzai school named Rokuonji, in accordance with Ashikaga's wishes. This was an established tradition and many of Kyoto's temples are former retirement villas.

Published by NBC (Nippon Beauty Color) Inc. Japan

JP-371131, sent by Makiko.

Kinkakuji burned down several times during the Onin War. In 1950, the Golden Pavilion burned again, this time by a fanatical monk.

The present temple structure dates from 1955, which was rebuilt true to the original except for a significant enhancement: both upper stories are covered in gold leaf, in accordance with Ashikaga's original intentions. In 1987, the temple was re-covered in gold leaf five times thicker than the original coating! - in: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/japan/kyoto-kinkakuji