Four stops among skyscrapers, open spaces and legendary landmarks. From Manhattan to the deserts of the West, from the granite of the Black Hills to the roar of Niagara, Caroline crosses a continent of contrasts.
Her North America notebook
From vertical cities to endless horizons
Here Caroline discovers a North America of spectacular contrasts: urban skylines, desert roads, sculpted mountains and monumental waterfalls. Every stop has an instantly powerful image, almost as if it were already designed as a poster.
For this first selection, four iconic destinations set the tone: New York, Monument Valley, Mount Rushmore and Niagara Falls. Each place comes with a historical story, a memorable fact and a collectible retro poster.
4North American stops
2 countriesUnited States & Canada
€29.90poster price
01
United States · New York
New York — Manhattan goes vertical
In the 20th century, Manhattan became one of the world's great laboratories for skyscraper design. Completed in 1931, the Empire State Building embodies the race for height and the extraordinary confidence placed in modern architecture. Its Art Deco silhouette dominated the New York skyline for decades and became one of the city's most recognisable symbols.
Did you know?The Empire State Building was built in record time: just over a year from the start of construction to its opening.
Monument Valley lies within the Navajo Nation on the Arizona–Utah border. Its immense red sandstone buttes rising above the desert are the result of millions of years of erosion. In the 20th century, Western films turned it into one of the most famous landscapes in the American imagination, but above all the site holds deep cultural importance for the Navajo people.
Did you know?Many of the landscapes instantly associated with the cinematic 'Wild West' were filmed in Monument Valley.
Carved into the Black Hills between 1927 and 1941 under the direction of Gutzon Borglum, Mount Rushmore depicts the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The monument became a US national icon, but it also stands in a region sacred to the Lakota people, placing the site within a more complex history.
Did you know?The original plan was to depict the presidents down to the waist, but lack of funding ultimately limited the sculpture to their faces.
Niagara Falls lie on the Niagara River between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, on the border between Canada and the United States. The group includes Horseshoe Falls, American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. Their flow and width made the site a major attraction from the 19th century onwards, while the river also played an important role in the history of hydroelectric power.
Did you know?A considerable share of Niagara's water is diverted for electricity generation, especially at night and outside the main tourist season.
Four short questions to see Caroline's first North American stops from a different angle.
Why did Manhattan become the kingdom of skyscrapers?
Dense urban development, high land values and technical advances in steel-frame construction and lifts encouraged Manhattan's vertical growth from the late 19th century, especially in the early 20th.
Its monumental mesas, long vistas and red colours created an instantly recognisable setting that was widely used in major Hollywood Westerns of the 20th century.
The monument stands in the Black Hills, sacred land for the Lakota. Its history therefore extends beyond the presidential sculpture to territorial conflicts and the history of Indigenous peoples.
No. The site includes several distinct waterfalls, including Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side and American Falls on the US side. Together they form one of the world's most famous waterfall systems.
