Things to Do in Usa

An outdoor mall of shops and restaurants in downtown Denver, Larimer Square is the historic origin of the city, the site of the 1858 pioneer camp from which Denver ultimately grew. Today, Larimer Square is not only one of the Mile High City’s most lively and popular downtown destinations, but it’s also a great place to explore Denver’s most historic buildings.

Not your typical attraction, the LaLaurie House is one New Orleans icon that is usually viewed in something of a different light. Part of any good New Orleans ghost tour, the LaLaurie House history is far from pristine or pretty, though the house itself is beautiful.
Once home to the wealthy socialite, slave-owner, and serial killer Marie Delphine LaLaurie (aka Madame LaLaurie), a fire in the late 1834 brought to light (quite literally) the skeletons in the LaLaurie’s closets. Seemingly supernatural stories of great horror were unearthed here, where the LaLauries committed acts of unspeakable brutality and torture upon their slaves. Iron collars, disfigurement, and other mechanisms of torture occurred here that were so gruesome that stories about them continue to this day.

During the fire, Madame LaLaurie fled, an enraged mob destroyed all but the very walls of the place, and later tenants (including Nicholas Cage) restored it. Today the house is occupied, though it is rumored to be the single most haunted spot in New Orleans. Any tour that visits the LaLaurie House and tells of the horror that occurred here will make you believe that this is true.

While we can’t exactly claim it as fact, there’s a good chance that at some point in time Lanikai Beach was a finalist for a Corona commercial. With sand as white as the clouds above and water which is a welcoming and rich shade of turquoise, this tranquil beach on Oahu’s windward shore is the Hawaii you’ve always dreamed of.

Because it’s on the island’s eastern shore, Lanikai is often graced with gentle tradewinds which cool you just to the point of comfort. Afternoons in the summer months can get a little blustery, although kitesurfers and windsurfers who have launched from Kailua Bay opt to make the most of the wind and zip across the turquoise waters which are capped in flecks of white.

Since Lanikai is set in a private neighborhood the beach is accessed by simple footpaths and isn’t too visible from the road, and while this semi-isolation thins out the crowds, it also means there aren’t any facilities and parking can come at a premium.

Nevertheless, Lanikai is the perfect place for a comfortable chair, a good book, and the view looking out at the Mokulua islands graces the cover of many Oahu postcards. The white sand of Lanikai is the perfect place to spend the morning, or, if you happen to time it right, watch the full moon rise over the eastern horizon and as illuminates the cliffs of the Ko’olau Mountains.

While nowhere near as developed as Waikiki Beach or as family-friendly as Kailua Bay, Lanikai Beach is a place you come if you simply want to the put the world on pause for a while. It’s as idyllic a stretch of shore of you could ever hope to find, and it’s no wonder why Lanikai consistently ranks as one of the nicest beaches in the world.