Любимая Аленка

Postcard DE-4268170 from Germany shows a candy wrapper for sweets glazed with chocolate "My Favorite Alenka" popular in Belarus. "My Favorite Alenka" is a brand related to "Alenka," a milk chocolate first produced in the Soviet Union in 1965 that has a distinctive creamy, rich taste.

I {heart} New York (in Las Vegas)

Outgoing postcard US-3263779 to Germany shows New York-New York Hotel & Casino with its architecture resembling the New York City skyline that includes the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building.

It is known for the 150-foot or 46-meter tall replica of the Statue of Liberty, whose face not only made into a USPS Forever stamp, but also landed USPS with a copyright infringement lawsuit. There is also another replica of the Statue of Liberty made of thousands of jelly beans in front of "It's Sugar" candy store on the second floor.

Shown predominantly on the lower-left part of the card, the Hershey’s Chocolate World store opened one year ago on June 3, 2014. It added yet one more 11-foot, 800-pound replica of the Statue of Liberty hand carved from milk chocolates.

Among other things, Hershey's also features a replica of the Empire State Building, made out of 1,800 Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bars, on the second floor.

Chocolate: The Exhibition

Chocolates are hot sale items in the week leading to Valentine's Day. Postcard US-2967694 to Germany shows a box of chocolate.

Bank of America has continued the monthly Museums on Us weekend program in 2015. On February 7 and 8, 2015, you can get a free admission to one of more than 150 participating museums, science centers, or botanic gardens around the U.S. by presenting your Bank of America or Merrill Lynch debit/credit card. In Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Springs Preserve, the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, and DISCOVERY Children's Museum are participating. 

Ahead of Valentine's Day, "Chocolate: The Exhibition" opened at the Origen Museum in the Las Vegas Springs Preserve on February 8 with a tag line Indulge your senses and unwrap the secrets of this sumptuous sweet that we crave! where visitors can: 

Learn how different cultures indulge their shared fascination of chocolate;
Follow cacao's transition from a bitter drink to a sweet treat;
Explore a replica life-size cacao tree and its native rain-forest ecosystem;
Barter cacao seeds for goods in an Aztec market;
Manipulate a conveyor belt and learn about the inventions involved in mass-producing chocolate.

The nationally touring exhibition runs through May 3, 2015 in Las Vegas

Chocolate World Opens at New York-New York

Hershey’s Chocolate World opened at New York-New York on Tuesday, June 3, 2014. The 13,000 square foot, two-story flagship store features an 11-foot, 800-pound replica of the Statue of Liberty that was hand carved from milk chocolates. There is also a replica of the Empire State Building, made out of 1,800 Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bars. Customers can mix and buy their favorite Hershey’s candies, customize their candy bar wraps, and purchase a large selection of accessories such as T-shirts, stuffed animals, mugs and key chains.

On an unrelated note, one year ago, Edward Snowden revealed highly-classified National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance documents through Glenn Greenwald's report in the Guardian on June 5, 2013, sending a shockwave throughout the world. It is important for us to continue the debate so that the freedom and liberty can be preserved, and Lady Liberty wouldn't end up just being a prop.

Postcard US-2236311 to Ukraine and US-2566020 to Italy shows a half-sized replica of the Statue of Liberty in front of New York-New York Casino and Hotel. In 2011, The U.S. Postal Service issued a Statue of Liberty stamp, accidentally based on this replica in Las Vegas rather than the original in New York City.

Happy Halloween

Postcard US-1925565 to Latvia shows a life-size chocolate skeleton at Jean Philippe Patisserie in Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas currently on display for the Halloween. The 1.65 m or 5'5" skeleton sits on a chocolate electric chair. It was made of 35 kg white chocolate, 30 kg dark chocolate and 1.5 kg rolling fondant by two talented pastry team members who spent more than 70 working hours. They also have miniature chocolates in the shapes of black cats, ghost, and witches. The photo was taken on October 12, 2012.