Guidebooks are annoying. Just because some editor who doesn’t know me tells me which restaurant is the best or what attraction is a must-see doesn’t make it a must-see attraction. Sightseers’ Delight is dedicated to the weird, the quirky and the fun. After all, traveling is fun.
If it’s not, you’re doing it wrong.
All of the places highlighted in this ever-growing database are great. Sightseers’ Delight has visited them all. We think you should make a point to see every one of them. But, this is not a guidebook. Just a webpage to help you plan your next adventure.
Benci di Cione and Simone di Francesco Talenti built the Loggia dei Lanzi, also known as the Loggia della Signoria, between 1376 and 1382. It is located on a corner of the Piazza della Signoria and adjoins the Uffizi Gallery. More than anything, the building is an open-air museum as it houses many historic statues.
The London cable car is a cable car connection that spans the River Thames in London, England. It is also known as the Dangleway and has been officially named the IFS Cloud Cable Car due to sponsorship reasons. The line was constructed by Doppelmayr at an overall cost of £60 million. The service was launched on June 28, 2012, and is run by Transport for London (TfL). Since October 20, 2022, it has been sponsored by the technology company IFS. Before this, from its commencement, the airline Emirates sponsored the line, and it was referred to as the Emirates Air Line until June 28, 2022. The service comprises a 0.62-mile gondola line across the Thames from the Greenwich Peninsula to the Royal Victoria Dock, located west of ExCeL London. In addition to transporting people across the river, the service is marketed as providing “a unique view of London.”
The London Canal Museum, located in the King’s Cross section of London, tells the often overlooked story of London’s Canals. The museum explores canals from their earliest days as important trade routes to the more leisurely pursuits they are used for today. The museum is housed in a former ice warehouse once used by Carlo Gatti that was built sometime in the mid-19th century to house ice that was imported from Norway by ship and canal barge.
The London Eye, also known as the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It stands 443 feet tall with a diameter of 394 feet, making it the tallest cantilevered observation wheel in Europe. With more than three million visitors annually, it is the United Kingdom’s most popular paid tourist attraction and has made numerous appearances in popular culture. It’s worth noting that the London Eye was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world during its debut.
London’s extensive subway system is famous the world over. But, the modern system took decades to develop. This museum, established in 1980 and located in a former flower shop in Covent Garden, showcases the history of transport from horse-drawn carriages to today’s subway system. Its holdings include an impressive collection of vehicles and artifacts used in developing London’s extensive transit system. Among the items on display is Metropolitan Railway steam locomotive No. 23. This engine is one of two surviving steam locomotives from the Metropolitan Railway, the company that built the first passenger-carrying underground railway in the world.
The McKinney Avenue Transit Authority, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, was founded in 1983 to return streetcar service to Dallas. Today, it operates the 4.6-mile-long M-Line Trolley. Millions of Dallas residents, workers, businesses and visitors have taken the trolley since it first ran in July 1989.
The Marble Arch, a magnificent triumphal arch made of white marble, is located in London, England. John Nash designed it in 1827 as the entrance to Buckingham Palace’s cour d’honneur. The arch was originally located near the palace’s central projection, which contains the famous balcony. However, Decimus Burton, an architect and urban planner once John Nash’s student, relocated the arch to its present location in 1851, near the northeast corner of Hyde Park. This ensured that Buckingham Palace’s expansion could continue without any obstructions. The region surrounding the arch, including the southern portion of Edgware Road and the underground station, is named after it. It’s important to note that the Westminster City Council maintains the arch as it is not part of the Royal Parks.
The Matthews Hotel Monument, located at North Howard Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, honors one of Akron’s most important cultural landmarks. From the 1930s through the 1950s, the Matthews Hotel welcomed legendary jazz musicians who performed in the city while traveling between major gigs in New York and Chicago. Icons such as Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald stayed here during an era when segregation prevented Black performers from lodging in white-only downtown hotels. The original hotel was demolished in 1982. Akron artist Miller Horns, who passed away in 2012, dedicated his life to ensuring its legacy lived on. Construction of the monument began in 2011 with support from local contractors who donated labor and materials.