Old Man of the Mountain, NH

Molly sent me this card on July 14, 2011, Postcrossing's 6th birthday.  

Old Man of the Mountain is located in Franconia Notch, New Hampshire.  The postcard reads: 

One of the world's most famous natural profiles.  It is also called the Great Stone Face.  It was immortalized in a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne and has appeared on a US postage stamp.  The face measures 48 feet from chin to forehead.

Photo by Bob Grant

 It came with these stamps:

American Clock together with 2 Forever stamps of the Statue of Liberty and American flag 

Yellowstone Park, USA

I got this postcard from Yvonne from Florida.  The text behind reads: "No matter where one roams through Yellowstone National Park, the delight, beauty, and awesome wonders of nature are inescapable.  People here are enjoying one of Yellowstone's spectacular hot springs, with the park's largest lake in the background.  This area of the park is known as "West Thumb."  It was given that name in 1870 when the Washburn party noted that the lake was shaped like a human hand, the fingers extended and spread apart as much as possible, with the large west bay representing a thumb."

Yvonne adds that she finds it unusual that the hot spring is so close to the lake, but remains a separate body of water.

Yellowstone National Park is primarily located in Wyoming, but extends to Idaho and Montana

The card came with the following stamps:

The Great Smoky Mountains are located along the Tennessee-North Carolina border

George Washington was the first president of the USA

Chicago, IL

I received this postcard from Sunny through the New Different Countries RR 120.  She writes that Chicago, or the "Windy City" is the 3rd largest city in the US.  The text on the postcard reads: "From shopping 'The Magnificent Mile' to a quiet stroll along the lake front, Chicago has something to offer everyone.

Chicago is home to the largest population of Poles outside of Warsaw

Ohio Amish Country, OH

The text from Tanya's postcard reads: "A picturesque farm in northeastern Ohio's Amish country.  The Amish, in tradition of their forefathers depend mainly on horse-drawn buggies as their means of transportation."  And in her own handwriting, she adds that the Amish are very traditional people; many do not use electricity or drive cars.

Some of the best cheese in the US is made here.  Discover more facts about this wonderful farmland on this website.

Approximately 40,000 Amish live and work here

The postcard came with these stamps:

The American Clock stamp represents the Banjo clock, first made in 1805 by Simon Willard in MA

2 of the 16 Go Green (Forever) Stamps issued in 2011

Florida, USA

I received my first map card from Aimee, who's actually a Fil-Am herself.  Her family lives in the capital Manila and the province Batangas.

Florida is known as the Sunshine State.  This was adopted as the State Nickname by the 1970 Legislature.  The Sunshine State is home to many theme parks such as Disney World, SeaWorld, Universal Studios (where the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is at), and soon to open in October 15, 2011, LEGOLAND.

In 1553, Juan Ponce de Leon named the state La Florida (Flowery Land) upon landing there during the Easter season, Pascua Florida.

The map card came with this stamp:

Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming

Chicago River, IL

Again, another postcard I received from my godmother in the States.

On most days, one would see this river to be murky green in color, but once a year, the Chicago River is dyed the perfect shade of Irish green during St. Patrick's Day.  The river dyes the Illinois, which in turn dyes the Mississippi, continuing to the Gulf of Mexico, running upstream across the North Atlantic, and finally the sea of green gets to greet the Irishmen of the Emerald Isle in the Irish Sea.  This has been a tradition since 1962.  You can read more about the history on this website.

The river has played a central role in the history of Chicago 

During the 19th century, the Chicago River was crucial to the city's development as a major center of the lumber and meatpacking industries.  Cool, but of course, the dying the whole river green is cooler.

John Hancock Center, Chicago, IL

I got this postcard from my godmother in the States.  After going to Hawaii, she and her family visited Illinois.  

The text on the postcard reads, "The sleek black lines on the John Hancock Center dominates Michigan Ave. and the Chicago skyline."

Completed in 1970, the John Hancock Center is home to large spiders and the observatory with the only open-air viewing deck in Chicago.  Read more about the building in its website here.

The building has 1632 steps from the lobby to the observatory in the 94th floor

My godmother sent this postcard when they got home to California.  It came with this stamp:

America's icon for freedom and independence, the Liberty Bell, is on America's first Forever stamp

Honolulu, HI

I got this postcard from my godmother living in the States.  She and her family took a trip to Hawaii a few months back.

The postcard features a beautiful rainbow arcing over the skyline of downtown Honolulu in the O'ahu island.  In the Hawaiian language, Honolulu means "sheltered bay."  Since 1845, Honolulu has been the capital city of the Hawaiian islands.  Barack Obama, the current president of the US, was born here.

Honolulu is the most populous city in Hawaii

It would be awesome to have a postcard from all 50 States.  The only thing more awesome than that is actually getting to personally visit all 50.