Find Out Which US Dialect You Use

US Dialect Quiz at the New York Times website

As you travel around the country, you'll probably notice that people talk in different dialects.  Sure, they all speak English, but certain words and phrases will be used differently to describe different things.  As someone who has lived over 15 years on both the East and West Coasts, I have been able to fondly compare the way folks talk between my friends and family.  And it's interesting that because of my length of time spent on both coasts, I now have a mixed dialect that includes influences from California and New Jersey.

This fun quiz you can find on the New York Times website allows you to answer a few questions to figure out your dialect map.  I originally saw this study by Joshua Katz last year, and it looks like he was involved in developing this supplemental quiz as part of the New York Times.  This quiz and assessment are a fun way to personally see how the way you talk fits onto the map.  This came out pretty accurate for me it seems - my 3 cities it said were Santa Clara, CA, Irvine, CA and Newark, NJ.  While I have never lived in Santa Clara or Irvine - it's still a Southern California influence which seems pretty likely for me - and I have lived in Newark so that certainly works.

See what this comes out for you - and let me know in the comments if you find it accurate, too!

>> Take the Dialect Quiz at the New York Times website

Enjoying the Smell of Gurgling Pits

La Brea Tar Pits - Los Angeles, California

Spending a day in Los Angeles last December allowed us to make a quick "Pin Stop" at a place that I think I had first seen in the movie Volcano several years ago (yes, that Volcano with Tommy Lee Jones!). If I recall correctly, the La Brea Tar Pits were featured as the initial place where the volcano of LA first made its presence known by making the already bubbling pits even more bubblier(?).

Main La Brea Tar Pit

Our stop here came in the middle of a regular Monday - where we parked in the paid parking lot across the street to the park.  I was pleasantly surprised that the La Brea Tar Pits were more than just a fenced-in tar pit but rather a larger space and museum that was spread out in Hancock Park, providing ample opportunity to walk around and enjoy.

As we entered the park, the first thing we took notice of was the smell.  The tar pits emitted a strong smell through the area from the methane gas that is expelled through its gurgling bubbles.  The pits are fully fenced in with some playful statues of mammoths and mastodons to help illustrate how these prehistoric animals may have interacted with and got stuck in the pits.  As you walk further around the park, you'll find other smaller pits and excavation sites where researchers are continuing to discover fossil remains of sabertooth tigers and other early animals.  We saw many tar-covered fossils that were on display in a still-active dig site.

Page Museum

In addition to the surrounding park area, the Page Museum is also located here, where you can learn more about the history of the pits and animals that roamed the region.  Unfortunately, we did not have the time to take in the museum at this time, and I'm sure it's worth a stop in the future.



Pin Stops Ranking: 4 Pins

An interesting landmark and park to visit if you're looking for something unique and historical in Los Angeles.  The city seems have to have done a nice job preserving the area, so people can enjoy the history of the place.

11 Countries in One Minute

This video caught my eye the other day when I saw it on Mobiledia.  It's a pretty cool concept as this guy Rick Mereki visited 11 countries and put this one-minute video together.  A nifty way to share his experience with everyone.  Love the concept - and you may find it inspirational to "MOVE."

Coca-Cola Life...Will it come to the US?

Not sure if it will come to the US, but while I was visiting South America last month, I got a chance to try Coke's new product, Coca-Cola Life.  They are testing this product in Argentina and Chile with some major advertisements on TV, billboards and the side of trucks all around.  It is being promoted as a lighter alternative to regular Coke, as it has less than half the calories.  However, those that drink Diet Coke know that there are no calories in the diet version.  So - not an alternative to Diet Coke - but to regular Classic Coke and maybe Coke Zero?

I was intrigued by it's green can and how it might taste in comparison to Classic Coke and/or Diet Coke (Coke Light for those outside of the US).  My first impression was it tasted a little like regular Classic Coke with some subtle but distinguishable difference in the sweetener taste.  It is supposedly a similar formula to regular Coke, which is very different than the formula for Diet Coke.  I don't drink soda that often, but with all the Coke choices, I prefer Diet Coke over everything else - so when/if Coca-Cola Life comes to the US, I probably will not switch over to it.

Would you try Coca-Cola Life?

California Lighthouse - but not in California!

The next stop on our "Ambitious Itinerary" Aruba tour is the California Lighthouse.  Located at the far northwest end of the island, this lighthouse sits at the top of the hill of Hudishibana with views of the ocean on several sides.  It's an easy drive as there is pretty much one way up the local road once the main highway ends.  You can park right next to the lighthouse as it is literally right next to the road.

When we saw the California Lighthouse in May 2013, it was really not maintained well.  The structure was not very clean with rust staining the top of the tower.  The green and yellow paint was fading and chipped everywhere, and the front door had a rusted gate that was locked, so you could not go inside.  It basically looked abandoned, and according to Wikipedia, it's no longer open to the public due to a tragic event.  It's also not very big, maybe 100 feet high, so you can capture the lighthouse in a single photo pretty easily even if you are standing close.

The Chapel of Aruba

Stone pews line the chapel front

To continue off our Ambitious Itinerary from Aruba, I thought I'd share a series of stories about our visit to the island in the spring of 2013.  We will start on the north end of the island where we can find a small chapel known as the Alto Vista Chapel.  The chapel is located in the northeastern end in the city of Noord (which translates as "North" appropriately) and is accessible by a short drive up to the top of a hill that faces a view of the ocean.

Alto Vista Chapel has been standing since 1952 and was apparently built on the same location of the original Catholic chapel from the 1700s.  This chapel has religious and historical significance to the area as it is considered the location where many Native Arubans had converted to Christianity.  On our drive up, we passed through dirt and partially paved roads and saw stations of the Cross posted on a different points along the path.  These all lead up to the top where parking is located next to the chapel on an open dirt lot.