Appreciating all that makes America special

Currently browsing: Americana
Americana means different things to different folks. Here at Great American Things, it means cool stuff that doesn’t fit into any other category. I guess we could have called it Miscellaneous, but “Great Miscellaneous Things” doesn’t tell you much, does it?


Americana: Radio City Music Hall

Posted by on Oct 7, 2011 in Americana, Featured | Comments Off on Americana: Radio City Music Hall

Imagine every man, woman, and child in America inside the art deco palace called Radio City Music Hall. Wait! Not all at once! My latent...

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Americana: 1959 Cadillac

Posted by on Sep 29, 2011 in Americana, Featured | Comments Off on Americana: 1959 Cadillac

Ah, the fin. The fins on cars in the late fifties came in three sizes: Big, Bigger, ’59 Cadillac. The style mavens of the day minced...

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Kid Stuff: Cracker Jack

Posted by on Sep 26, 2011 in Americana, Featured, Kids Stuff | 1 comment

My first question – how is that all the peanuts always fall to the bottom? They’re my favorite part of Cracker Jack, and it...

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Americana: The Hollywood Bowl

Posted by on Sep 21, 2011 in Americana, Featured | 1 comment

As an East Coaster, I admit I had the “Hollywood Bowl” all wrong. I thought the name referred to the band shell, which...

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Kids Stuff: Pixy Stix

Posted by on Aug 22, 2011 in Featured, Kids Stuff | Comments Off on Kids Stuff: Pixy Stix

Want to hazard a guess about how Pixy Stix came to be popular? Okay, maybe you think it was created as a drink mix. But then kids found out...

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Americana: YouTube

Posted by on Aug 4, 2011 in Americana | Comments Off on Americana: YouTube

YouTube was launched in November of 2005, but its immediate ubiquitous presence on the web makes it seem as if the video sharing website...

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Kid Stuff: Movie Candy

Posted by on Aug 3, 2011 in Kids Stuff | Comments Off on Kid Stuff: Movie Candy

I've placed this post under "kid stuff," but we have to be honest here. Lots of adults prefer candy to popcorn (or nachos or any other current concession fads) as movie fare. For many of us, it allows us a (mostly) non-judgmental way to eat what we wouldn't otherwise buy out in public.

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Holiday: July 4th Fireworks

Posted by on Jul 4, 2011 in Americana, Holiday | Comments Off on Holiday: July 4th Fireworks

They can be spectacular. In New York City, they exploded more than 22 tons of pyrotechnics a couple of years ago. Or they can be modest, a...

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Song: “God Bless America”

Posted by on Jul 3, 2011 in Holiday, Songs | 1 comment

Hard to believe, but “God Bless America” languished unsung and unknown for its first twenty years. The great Irving Berlin...

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Americana: USS Constitution (“Old Ironsides”)

Posted by on Jul 2, 2011 in Americana | Comments Off on Americana: USS Constitution (“Old Ironsides”)

Commissioned in 1797 and named by George Washington, the Constitution earned her nickname “Old Ironsides” during the War of...

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