Saturday, November 30, 2013

Geographic Role of New Orleans Coffee Culture.

If one ever takes a trip to New Orleans, one of the many cultural aspects to be noticed is the food. Obviously, there will be things like mufalettas, gumbo, and po' boy sandwiches. However, New Orleans is home to a unique coffee culture. Coffee has been a part of the New Orleans culture since the 19th century. One place one may want to check out is the history Cafe du Monde.

One thing noticed in the coffee is chicory, which makes it unique. However, the aspect of New Orleans coffee culture is how it got started. In alot of places in America, coffee was that "work a day" kind of thing. In New Orleans, it has a different flair, a different flavor(no pun intended). Geography is a part of it. 1/3 of coffee imports have to pass through New Orleans before hitting the shelves in other parts of the nation. New Orleans has been a major port for bringing in coffee since the 19th century. Why? It's proximity to Latin America plays a part in this.

Watch this video:


Saturday, November 2, 2013

The American City of Bridges.


Located at the confluence of the Ohio, Monongahela, and Allegheny rivers, is the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

It is know as the Steel City. There is another name for Pittsburgh, the city of bridges. One distinction that Pittsburgh has is this: There are 446 bridges in this city.

Roberto Clemente Bridge, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

There is a geographic importance to these bridges. Think of Pittsburgh from a topographic and physical nature, and then look at it on a map.

This is a hilly city, characteristic of being in the Western Allegheny Plateau eco-region. There are also three rivers going through Pittsburgh. And now look at Pittsburgh on a map. The rivers, hills, and ravines give Pittsburgh a dissected character. The three rivers(for which the former Three Rivers Stadium was named) divided the city into three major parts. There is also Brunot Island in the Ohio River. The Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar section is on both sides of the Allegheny River.

This is where these bridges come into importance. With such a fragmented geography, there is a major necessity to connect the three parts of Pittsburgh. One has to be able to get to all parts of the city. There would be immense isolation without these bridges. Hills, rivers, and other geographic features in the Pittsburgh area render difficulty in the transfer of information, ideas, goods, and other things, in today's era. In earlier times, boat travel might have been the thing to use. However, for a city like Pittsburgh, access to people, goods, and services is a necessity. Bridges make traveling through Pittsburgh easier.









http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g53449-Pittsburgh_Pennsylvania-Vacations.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Roberto_Clemente_bridge.jpg