Our journey through the wonderful United States of America takes is today in one of its most amazing cities, New York. Since it is just a huge city (it has a population of more than 8 million, and a total area of 469 square miles (1,214 km²) it is divided into 5 boroughs. These are : Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island. The one that interest us for today is Queens, the largest in area and the second largest in population. It is located in the western part of Long Island and here you can find 2 of the 3 big airports of New York – JFK International Airport and also LaGuardia Airport. Just this borough itself can be compared to other large cities of the world, and it has a population of 2,306,712 and an area of 178 square miles (461 km²).

But we’ll go even further in the borough of Queens, and the place that interests us for today is the Astoria neighborhood. It is located in the northwestern part of Queens, close to other neighborhoods such as:  Long Island City, Sunnyside and Woodside. It has its name after the name of John Jacob Astor, which was the richest man in America in the 1800’s. They decided to change the name this way in order to persuade him to invest 2,000 dollars in the neighborhood. After all he invested just 500 dollars, and he didn’t even set foot in Astoria, but the place still got his name. The neighborhood was initially settled by Dutch and Germans in the 17^th century, and other nationalities came here in time, but the 1960’s saw a large number of Greeks coming here. So today Astoria is the largest Greek population outside of Greece.

So this means that there are many Greek restaurants, shops, tavernas, cafes, bakeries and also Greek Orthodox churches here in Astoria. In the year 1990 there were about 18,000 Greeks here, which is just like the population of an entire small city. There are many other emigrants here, from all over the world, and you can find people here from Egypt,  Tunisia, Yemen, Morocco, Brazil, Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Mexico, India, Pakistan and others. As we said there are many Greek gift shops in Astoria, New York, and one of them is the GMW Greek Music & Video Superstore. It is located at this address:    25-30 31 Street, Astoria, NY, 11102 and has these phone numbers: 800-473.3522 or 718 932.8400. It is opened Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 9 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 8 pm. In case you are not living in New York, so you can’t visit the real shop, you can always visit its website :  http://www.greekmusic.com. Here you can find all sorts of items, and the categories of products are: apparel, books, DVD-s, gift shop, Greek food products, Kids zone, learning Greek items, multi region DVD players and music. What interests us the most is the gift shop, that contains all sorts of interesting items such as: candles, ceramics, Greek flag gear, home decorations, jewelry, keychains, mouse pads, oil paintings, ornaments, religious items, soccer gear, statues, stickers, Tavli / Backgammon and worry beads.

So whenever you have some free time, browse through all of these categories of products, and see if you find something interesting for you (or for your friends and family). But if you are living in New York (or in this area), and you have the chance of visiting the Astoria neighborhood, don’t forget to make a short visit to the GMW Greek Music & Video Superstore, and tell us more about it. Have a nice day!

The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is the United States government installation that manages America’s astronaut launch facilities. The Kennedy Space Center is located on Merritt Island, Florida and the center is north-northwest of Cape Canaveral on the Atlantic Ocean, midway between Miami and Jacksonville. Now Kennedy Space Center is serving as a base for the country three space shuttles, as the NASA field center and also conducts unmanned civilian launches from adiacent Cape Canaveral Air Force Station managed by the 45th Space Wing. Since 1968, KSC has been the launch site for every United States human space flight and is the fourth biggest structure in the world by volume.

For those who are interested in space issue, there is a way to please them. We refer at the Official Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Space Shop, the largest store devoted exclusively to space and NASA gifts, memorabilia and collectibles. At the Kennedy Space Center Gift Shop you’ll find the perfect space gifts for everyone on your list, from first time visitors to the long time enthusiasts, from more than 3000 space items and NASA souvenirs: Apollo program artifacts, pins and patches, official NASA keepsakes and collectibles, tempting toys, autographed books, shirts, hats and jackets.

To help you make an accurate image about the Kennedy Space Center Gift Shop merchandise, you have below a list with some of the most popular products:
-Apparel and accessories – Kennedy Space Center Gift Shop has the largest collection of authentic NASA apparel: Flight Gear and Astronaut Space Suits, Mens Apparel, Womens Apparel, Kids Apparel (this collection of mens/womens/kids and NASA apparel is out of this world), hats and caps (Failure Is Not an Option Hat, NASA Metal Stud Hat), jewelry and watches (NASA Blue Tie Clip, NASA Blue Cuff Links, Magnetic Space Jewelry, Planisphere Watch), product lines – you must see the latest KSC Gift Shop product lines featuring top sellers like: Failure is Not an Option, I Need my Space or Space Princess (NASA Space Shuttle Mission Merchandise, Shuttle Launch Experience, Astronaut Snoopy Space Collectibles);
-Space Toys: If you are looking for a space toy, don’t look further than KSC Gift Shop. The Space Store has a full line of space shuttle toys, space games, space puzzles, stuffed space toys and educational space toys like: Glow 3D Planets, Glow Constellation Creations, Remote Controlled Solar System Mobile, The Planets 1000 Piece Puzzle, Space Chess, Inflatable Space Shuttle, Space Exploration Toy Set);

-Books and DVD’s: with KSC Gift Shop you can bring into your home the excitement of the Space program: space posters, books, DVD movies, computer software (Kennedy Space Center Tourbook, Appolo: Through the Eyes of the Astronauts, Space Tourism, Earthlight Special Edition DVD, One Giant Leap DVD, Hail Columbia!);
-Space Food: at KSC Gift Shop you have real astronaut space food, you can try a variety of tasty treats editable in and out of orbit: Freeze Dried ice Cream, Astronaut Moon Soup, Space Food Stick;
-Souvenirs: Looking for a space souvenir? KSC Gift Shop is offering you a great selection of NASA items like: Magnets and Key Chains, NASA Pens, Zippo Lighters, Mug and Glassware, Star Trek Movie;
Gifts and collectibles: at this category you’ll find an selected group of NASA collectibles and space memorabilia including mission pin sets, first day of issue cachets and other items of significance;
-Specials: some of the best deals on earth you’ll find at KSC Gift Shop: Kennedy Space Center Get Vertical t-shirt combo, NASA Long Sleeve Shirt and Hat Combo, three NASA Mugs for the price of two;

Our journey takes us today in the state of Virginia, in the Jamestown community. This was founded many years ago (in 1607) and it is the first permanent English settlement from the United States of America. Jamestown was among the eight shires of Virginia and also the capital of the colony for many years. But after some time the capital was moved to another city, that later become known as Williamsburg. But Jamestown ceased to exist as a settlement after 1699 (when the capital was moved to Williamsburg) and exists today only as archeological remains.

Jamestown, along with Yorktown and Williamsburg are forming the Historic Triangle of Colonial Virginia, which is an important tourist attraction from this region. In Jamestown there are 2 major areas that can be visited – the Historic Jamestowne and the Jamestown Settlement. The last of them is a Living History interpretive site. Nearby there is also the James River, that has a navigable portion and offers the passengers a beautiful view of the Jamestown Island from the river, an image that is pretty close to the one seen by the first colonists that arrived here, 400 years ago.

And since this area is a major attraction for tourists, there are here some museums and also some gift shops. The  Jamestown Settlement Gift Shop is located at this address: Route 31, Box South, Williamsburg, VA, Tel: (757) 253-7309. But in case you are not among the lucky ones that have the chance of visiting this area, you can always visit the online version of the gift shop, which is found here: http://www.shophistoryisfun.com/ . You can find all sorts of interesting gifts here, that are related to this historic place. They are sorted on categories, and these are: Apparel & Accessories, Audio-Video, Books, Collectables and Ornaments, Giftware, Ships & Navigation, Period Pieces, Prints & Maps, Toys & Games, Craft Kits & Books, Colonial Life, African-American, Native Peoples and also Kitchen & Garden. The gifts are also sorted by theme, and here you can find items for children, for men or for women. We’ll let you discover most of the items, but for now we’ll discuss  just about some of them. For example at the “Apparel and accessories” category you can find items like: caps, hats, costumes, t-shirts, sweatshirts, neckties, jewelry or coifs, all of them being somehow related to Jamestown. In the “Audio-video” category of course there are many CD-s and DVD-s with music or videos related to the history of this place. In case you prefer reading a book, there are many to choose from, and here are just some titles: “A Handbook of Native American Herbs”, “A Land as God Made It: Jamestown and the Birth of America”, “A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison”, “A New World: England’s First View of America”, “A Taste of 17th Century Virginia & Maryland”, “Africans in America – America’s Journey through Slavery” …and many more others. If you are visiting this place with your kids, and you want to buy something for them, there are many cool items for them, such as: dolls, games, puzzles, toys, playing cards, a set of a bow and arrows, Indian costumes, a toy helmet, some figurines and others.

Let’s discuss about one more category, for example the “Kitchen and garden”. Here you can find items for your kitchen and garden of course, such as: a pineapple stake feeder, a garden birdfeeder, some cooking books or books about gardening, and also some wildflower seed packs. So enjoy your trip to the beautiful historic area of Jamestown, Virginia, and also be sure to visit the museum and the gift shop. And of course after your journey, be sure to write something for us, and tell us all about this place and about its gift shop.

Levittown is the name of some large suburban units created in the United States of America by Levitt and Sons Company founded by William Levitt. You have below the Levittown units list:
- Levittown New York (the first Levittown);
- Willingboro Township New Jersey (known as Levittown in World War II);
- Levittown Pennsylvania;
- Levittown Puerto Rico.

In Levittown is about houses units that are very similar to one another and could be built very easily and fast to get the development back as well as economically back after World War I. There is a Levittown Historical Museum in New York, at 150 Abbey Lane, opened in 1997 as part of Levittown’s 50th anniversary celebration, where are housed great collections of memorabilia, photographs, furnishings and appliances from genuine Levit homes. If you’ll visit the Levittown Museum  get ready to see a simulated Levitt residence with genuine living room and kitchen furniture, appliances and fixtures dating back to Levitt homes of the late 1940′s and early 1950′s. The museum offers you a sparkling of Levittown’s history, beginning with recollections, photographs and personal belongings of the first World War II veterans and their return to Long Island in search of affordable housing. You’ll see at the Levittown Museum, World War II memorabilia and uniform display, new exhibits periodically and a gift shop.

About the Levittown Museum Gift Shop we can inform you that over the past several years, many requests from “out-of-towners” looking to purchase Levittown merchandise were registered. Next we’ll give you some examples of the most popular items at Levittown Museum Gift Shop to help you make an accurate imagine:
-Levittown Postcards: Black and white postcards are available, including a special 50th Anniversary commemorative card, “Hapy Holidays” card showing a classic Cape Cod model covered in snow, Levittown Start/Finish line of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race and a memorable postcard showing William, Abraham and Alfred Levitt in front of an aerial view of Levittown;
-Official Levittown Pride t-shirt: You have now the opportunity to show your community spirit anywhere you travel;
-Levittown History Books: Presented by the Levittown Historical Society with the occasion of Levittown’s 50th Anniversary, general readers have a fascinating overview of Levitown’s birth and development, from the earliest days of the Hempstead Plains to its modern day status as a suburban icon;
-Abbey Lane – A Musical Tribute to Levittown by Bob Koenig: This is a must have CD for every Levittown fan;
Official Levittown Historical Society Bumper Sticker: With this bumber sticker will lead you for sure to some interesting conversations no matter where you travel in the United States;
-Colorized Poster of Levittown “Cape Cod” in the Snow: This poster suitable for framing recalls the warm and peaceful mood of a classic Levitt home in the wintertime;
-Levittown Note Cards: With this note cards of the charming original designs of Levittown’s Cape Cod and Ranch style houses you can communicate with your friends and family.

All this items, but not only this, are available at the Levittown Museum Gift Shop, the right place where to find a perfect Levittown gift.

We’ll continue our discussions about the gift shops from the United States of America and for today we’ll talk about the Cracker Barrel Old Country gift shop. This is not just a simple gift shop found in one city of the United States, but it is a major chain of gift shops and has 594 locations all over the country. So in case you are living in the US, there is definitely a Cracker Barrel gift shop in your city, or pretty close to it.

They are not just selling items, but a Cracker Barrel store is a combination of a retail store and a restaurant. The company was founded in 1969 and it is now base in Lebanon, Tennessee. It is a really good store and also restaurant and it was ranked for an amazing number of  19 consecutive years  as the top “family dining” chain from the United States of America, by the Restaurants & Institutions magazine “Choice in Chains”. It is a Southern themed chain and serves traditional Southern comfort food (this means simple and familiar food, that is not too expensive). The interiors of the restaurants are decorated with antiques such as photos, advertisements and household items and there is also a place for relaxing before or after the meal, where you can find a fireplace and a checkers table. So the food is simple and familiar, the location is the same, and this is  probably one of the reasons the Cracker Barrel is so popular – because it makes its customers feel just like at home.

In the gift shops from the Cracker Barrel stores you can find all sorts of items, collectibles, old time toys, classic candies, scented candles and so on. Also many items sold in these stores are holiday themed, depending on the time of the year. Since we can’t go and visit a real Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, we can make a visit on the online shop of the company, which is located at this site: http://shop.crackerbarrel.com/ . Here you can find all of the company’s products, and you can order them from the site, and receive them directly at your home (in case you are living in the United States of America of course).

So we’ll save your time from browsing through all of the categories of products, and we’ll tell you all of them. These are: Alan Jackson Collection, blue & white collection, candy, cast iron cookware, chocolate & coffee, comfort, DVD-s, Easter, exclusive music, exclusive Bill Gaither, food, garden, gift cards, great gifts, home décor, inspiration, kitchen humor, military rockers, Mother’s Day gifts, rocking chairs, rooster, sale, sand washed collection, toys, willow tree and Zac Brown Band. So these were just the categories…but you can imagine that each category contains many other objects, so this is a really big store with many nice products. So whenever you have the chance of visiting one of the 594 locations of the Cracker Barrel Old Country store, make this visit and you won’t regret it. First go and have a delicious meal at the restaurant, and then go at the gift shop and buy something to remind you of that place. And if you don’t have any Cracker Barrel shop close to you, just visit its online gift shop, and buy a really nice product for you, or for someone else.