201 Street

As I write these words, it’s eighty-one degrees and sunny in Miami, Florida.  For the rest of the country, it’s quite a bit chillier.  In Hutchinson, Kansas, for example, it’s thirty-four degrees and snowing.  Even in Los Angeles, it looks like rain.  With Super Bowl XLIV behind us, hotels in the Miami area should be freed up for vacationers who wish to escape the colder climates.  If you go, you’ll find a surprising amount of things to do from the standard, such as great museums, to the bizarre, such as…  well, just read on and see!

For museums, you can take your pick of a number of outstanding choices: The Miami Science Museum, the Patricia and Philip Frost Art Museum, or the Gold Coast Railroad Museum.  At the Miami Science Museum, you’ll find exhibits that feature the Cabaret Mechanical Theater, a collection of current and past mechanized puppet-machines, some of which date back to the 1800s.  At the Frost Museum, there’s a host of intriguing art work, including an exhibit titled, The Fantastic World of Jose Gurvich.  This artist’s very life brings together a number of different cultures.  He pulls together images that bring together New York and Israel and Uruguay, focused on a pairing of the ordinary and the fantastic.  The Gold Coast Railroad Museum provides you with the chance to take a trip in a locomotive cab.  You’ll want to call to see that a) the trains are running, and b) to see about seating: there’s only four seats per ride in the engineering cabs, although the trains do run every half an hour on Saturday and Sunday from eleven in the morning to four in the afternoon.

What about the bizarre times to be had in Miami?  Check out the nearby Coral Castle located in Homestead, Florida.  It’s a series of structures built by Ed Leedskalnin, a Latvian American man who built this work in the middle of the last century, with over a thousand tons of stones, all perfectly balanced and precisely placed together.  It’s still a mystery as to how this man put this work together.  Get out of the cold and into the sun, and see a few museums and one man’s really intriguing accomplishment.

Tires are the symbol of the modern world. The wheel has been around a while, but tires demonstrate that change from things around for a while to improving on those things. Everything about tires are modern, from the synthetics that go into making them to the mechanical process through which they are made where hardly a single person touches them during their in utero state. The perfection with which they are designed is modern too. The grooves in them might look like some ancient language stretched out on a cylindrical scroll made of rubber for future generations to scrye from, but the grooves are there to make the drive smooth for the navigator and the passengers. But it is a kind of language. The grooves in tires are whispering to the road and telling it to make the drive smooth and good for their people.

Miranda Donne helped me to buy new tires . It was a couple of months ago. We had met at a local theatre production by some stray cats. It was a good show, but I forgot the name of the show but not the meeting. Miranda was perhaps the most fascinating person I had met. She was an auto mechanic with cherry bomb red nails. She was a theatre buff with a collection of trashy pulp films from the seventies. She was a vegan who celebrated Nation Bacon Day because according to her, you had to indulge in the bad at least once in while, or at least the slightly less than good: it was healthy for you. She can be pseudo philosophic like that a lot.

When we went to get my tires, she knew exactly what I wanted. That was really amazing to me because I didn’t even know what I wanted. But she was right. She found me the perfect set of tires and even installed them for me at her shop. I walked around and around my car until she told me stop because it was making her dizzy. She said it reminded her of the way tires start to whirl around so fast on the road you have a hard time reading the grooves. It made me wonder if the language of the road and tire was better than our language because it was so fast and that was what the modern is about: going harder, better, faster, stronger . We went to a play afterwards. Me with my dizzy walking and her with her red nails and oil tip manicure. I forgot that play too.

We started our day visiting the world’s largest McDonald located in Orlando, Florida. We had breakfast there, we are all huge suckers for stopping off anywhere that has the words ‘World’s Largest’, in it, so this was no exception. The Largest McDonald’s really doesn’t look that big on the outside, but when we went inside, we were impressed. There was a large arcade area, a painted jungle, that singing Mac Tonight, a 50’s style jukebox and of course food. We ordered off the bistro menu, which serves your food on an actual porcelain plate and real cutlery. We felt it was worth the stop.

We then headed off to Tallahassee where we had reservations at one of the better Florida luxury hotels for a night, in order to make it there to day we had to really push the 256 miles. We wanted to explore Florida’s Capital before we headed on to New Orleans. We made it into Tallahassee by 3pm and after we checked into our fabulous hotel, we checked out the downtown area and the Capital Building. We some how stumbled upon the Governor’s Mansion, so we took several photos and walk around the park nearby. We were tired for a long day of driving, and wanted to take full advantage of all the amenities of what a luxury hotel can offer. On our way back to the hotel, we spotted a Cracker Barrel, our favorite place to eat, but we pushed ourselves past the restaurant and forced ourselves step by step back to the hotel.

The first thing we did is go to our room and order room service, we ordered almost everything on the menu, and then we made an appointment at the spa tomorrow morning, for a full treatment.

Tomorrow, we have no real set plans besides heading west on I-10, all we could hope for is seeing more ‘The World’s Largest Something’ sign.

Vincent really needed a change. He had grown up in a small town in Wyoming and as will most people from that state he had strong ties to his hometown and loved the big sky country. However, he felt a strange stirring in his heart from a very early age and instinctively he knew that he would move on from his hometown as soon as he graduated high school. Fortunately for Vincent, buy the time he was old enough to articulate this desire he also realized that college would be just the ticket to get him out of town. He looked around for schools that he felt he would like to go to as well as cities that he wanted to live in.

During the summer of his senior year of high school his family took a trip to visit relatives just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. It was a major family reunion and to be honest Vincent really wasn’t looking forward to going. Click here to see where his family and others stayed that summer. Once they arrived in Salt Lake Vincent felt a sudden calm come over him and a knowledge that this was where he needed to be. It was absolutely beautiful to him and he couldn’t imagine going anywhere else. At first it was the geographic beauty and the feeling that the city was nestled in among cradling mountains. He felt a little silly thinking that, but it was true. He would come up with a more masculine way to describe the sensation to friend however.

While his family was visiting, he talked his parents into taking him on a tour of the University of Utah campus. He loved the campus though he became a little confused, for the first time since his arrival. He knew he wanted to study law, and was greatly attracted to the S.J. Quinney College of Law, though he didn’t want to get his undergraduate and law degree from the same school. After a great deal of consideration, Vincent decided he would go to the University of Wyoming in Laramie and then apply to law school in Salt Lake. At last Vincent felt like he was headed in the right direction and his age old restlessness abided a bit.

Twenty years ago already, I was living in a cowtown, and against my better judgement I let my friend have access to my key to the university’s black box theater.  I’d been living in Phoenix before that, and saw a rise in alternative art, and was fueled by it.  In this unnamed cowtown, there wasn’t a lot going on with alternative anything, except for music, so I was hungry to see interesting people doing interesting things.  My friend had a group of collaborators who liked to get together in cowtowns and spend weekends creating large events with unusual art, and of course unusual people.

This was a lot like a happening, except a version 20 years later, and there wasn’t much formal training.  Not that they needed it, because the aesthetic was supposed to be rough and chaotic, and it certainly was.  Some people read new work out loud, there were couples performing in front of video screens with live music, and people dancing while tearing pieces of plastic off the walls.  It was pretty great.  I was getting ready to read a poem, and one of the L.A. artists told me that poetry was dead.  At the time, it seemed like an ironic quotation of something we already knew, because we were all participating in something that had been done already, only not in this particular combination.  So, when there are events in Phoenix that are worth looking into, and sound as inviting as a luxury hotel, Phoenix is the place to be.

Who knows why, but the alternative art scene here never died, and neither did poetry, although you might have to dig for it.  The 2010 Annual Poe Show is one such event, where some of the most essential experimental artists in Phoenix and Tempe will be coming together again for an evening of dada poetry in performance, as a birthday party for Edgar Allen Poe.  Some of the town’s most iconic artists, including Robert X. Planet (still edgy), Trish Jus Trish, Jeff Falk, and the Klute, will be there to demonstrate that poetry, performance, and Poe might all indeed be dead, but that’s not stopping any of us.

We headed down the turnpike and went around Miami going south. It was a beautiful day to travel. We stopped at the Visitor Center at Key Largo and stopped at one of the resorts at the Keys and on one was at the gate, so we drove in and found a place to park by the sea. We found a Gazebo with which to have the lunch we packed for our journey, it was nice a quiet by the bay.

While eating we read one of the brochures we picked up at the Visitor Centers and we learned that Henry Flagler built a railway line in the 1920’s down here to Key West, he needed a port that would enable him to bring in all the cargo necessary up from South America. But, after a few hurricanes the railway was pulled out and replaced with a road. So, all these small islands are linked by two way bridges and the longest, just south of Marathon is approximately 7 miles long.

The beautiful water is a light blue color and it’s calm today. There are houses and several Florida West hotels that are strewn all the way around the outside of the islands. Some seem to be 2 to 3 miles long and some about a mile long. We arrived to one of the better Florida West hotels and checked in. After unpacking, we went straight for the pool. It was nice to know that some parts of the US is receiving snow while we’re here soaking up the sun.

We then drove into downtown and walked about. We came across Mallory Square right at sunset. There were a few street performers, one doing acrobatics and another doing a one-man band show. There was a very large cruise ship in the harbour, plus catamarans and sailboats all bouncing delightfully about as the sun began to disappear. It was a spectacular site and one we were glad to have witnessed.

There are some haunted places in the Texas city of Austin.  If you are anything like me, part of taking a trip to a new destination involves the learning of and the searching out of such haunted establishments, and understanding the people through their myths and their legends.  On of the noted luxury hotels of Austin with reputation of being haunted by spirits, is the Driscol.  Upon finding that there were many stories surrounding this hotel, my friend and I booked a room there for a few nights, hoping to meet up with some of the players in the ghost stories.

One of the spirits we were expecting to see was that of a young girl who fell down the stairs.  Legends of the city state that sometimes, throughout the night, her laughter can be heard seemingly coming from the bottom of the stairs.  A bride who was distraught when her bridegroom canceled their wedding, died in the hotel as well.  Many guests of the hotel have reported seeing a woman in a wedding dress roaming through the halls.  And on any given night, should you see a man walking through the halls smoking a cigar, you may just be catching a glimpse of a long time resident of the hotel.  Upon his death, many people will see the cigar smoking man, on the grounds as well as inside.

While my friend and I kept watch, we saw no spirits the few nights we spent in the hotel, but we did find an spooky plot of land where an old school once stood.  In 1990, construction workers encountered many strange occurrences and accidents when they tore down the Metz Elementary School. There machinery and bulldozers would simply stop working, their tools would constantly disappear, and many of them suffered falls from ladders.  We walked through the open area and felt certain indescribable feeling.  I thought it felt a bit like restlessness.  But my friend told me that I was always feeling restless.  We have toured many of the legendary haunted places in the Western United States, and I have yet to have had a feeling such as I did that day in Austin, but I also have yet to see the misty, mythological beings that many claim, still walk the world of the living.

Kelly graduated from law school three years ago and had been working in small time offices as a law clerk when she finally had the opportunity to interview for a larger firm and as an associate. She planned her trip three weeks in advance and continually double-checked her plan reservations as well as those for her room in one of the luxury hotels DC. Sure it seemed a little extreme that a poor law clerk could be splurging on luxury accommodations, but Kelly felt like treating herself to the best she could afford. Well, by afford she meant charge. She felt that a day in the resort’s spa would help her to perform her best during the next day’s interview.

She also wanted to celebrate the fact that she landed the interview in the first place. And on top of that it was going to be a symbolic introduction to the rest of her life, which she hopped would begin in DC. Kelly invited her good friend Callie to go with her and Callie readily accepted. The two of them were going to have one fabulous time in DC, and maybe even tour some of the neighborhoods and pick out a small condo or apartment for Kelly to eventually move into.

While they were there they both wanted to tour the White House but they were surprised to learn that all of the tours were completely filled up. They found out that they could have scheduled an appointment for tour up to six months ago and that they should have at least scheduled one thirty days ago. Then they couldn’t believe that they didn’t assume as much or at least check it out in advance. Oh, well, they decided there would be plenty of time to make the tour once Kelly lived there and Callie could visit anytime she wanted. As expected, when they arrived at Capital Hill reservations were required for that too. They suddenly laughed at their lack of preparation and enjoyed walking along this symbolic stretch. Fortunately, they knew they would need tickets for the Kennedy Center and would be able to attend the ballet that night.

With arts programming constantly under threat of being radically under-funded, it is always inspiring to see young, and old, artists who are willing to continue doing the work at any cost.  It’s always a labor of love to make a career in art, and is often tantamount to a calling of an almost spiritual dimension.  No one in their right mind considers make art, outside of film and television, to be a potentially lucrative career path, so when we meet artists with intelligence and a few years’ experience under their belts, they usually have something important to offer the culture at large.

It’s even more exciting when one discovers that the work is, indeed, splendid, according to many definitions, and to see work that speaks to a local as well as a global audience.  These are some of the reasons why Philadelphia has risen up in recent years as a place to watch.  Rather than scaling back and doing fewer works, and safer works, the art scene here seems to be producing lots of exciting new things.  When visiting Philadelphia, cheap hotel prices make it even more attractive to stay longer, and it’s possible to really get connected to a wonderful community.

If you have the opportunity to see work by the local Headlong Dance Theatre, by all means, take it.  This is an exciting group that does consistently excellent work.  They were groundbreaking over 15 years ago, and they still are.  Those years of accomplishments have also honed their ability to tell edgy and interesting stories that spin contemporary culture in simultaneously absurd and necessary directions.  If you have the chance to see them in the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival, that’s even better, because there’s hundreds of other exciting acts performing stunning new work that might make you decide visiting the city is not enough.

Laura Robson is easily a favorite for the Australian Open Tennis coming soon because of her roots: she has Australian blood through her family, though her accent gives away where she was raised—the United Kingdom.  Her family has deep ties to Australia due to the fact that her great grandfather was president of the Australian Rules Football Club, for which the grandstand they hold is named after him.  Her uncle also has something to do with sports in Australia: in the seventies, he helped in the Premiership win of South Fremantle.  With athletics in her blood, she will be playing with Andy Murray, a favorite for the Australian Open too, which coincidentally is the initial event for the grand slam.  The whole thing starts on a Monday.

However, though these two are favorites, especially among the Australians because of Robson’s heritage, they do face some heavy opposition and the games up until the tennis open and during it may provide them with fiercer opposition than either of them suspected.  While he won against Sabine Lisicki and her partner Philipp Kohlschreiber (who is placed in the twenty seventh rank), both representatives of Germany, it was not the easy wins for which people know him for his impressive skills.  It was 2 to 1 win, which forebodes that Robson and Murray might need to put in more effort and time than previously expected.  Yet Robson is an impressive player, even after a few false starts during some of her games, as Sabine Lisicki commented on when playing against the talented fifteen year old.

Due to her age, Robson does not qualify for all that the Australian Open offers.  She can only play about twelve games with 3 wildcards.  If she ever wants to play against the primo players of tennis, she will have to  improve upon her ranking even though her talent on the court more than qualifies her for greater fare.  She is someone to watch out for as a young, up and coming star of the courts.

The summer months are the best time to visit Seattle Washington. So start your search for a room at a great hotel, Seattle awaits. There is plenty of things to do while you visit this quaint city. You could start with a great view of the city and surrounding areas by spending some time in the Space Needle. It is the defining landmark of the city. It was built for the 1962 Worlds Fair in the cities center. It stands 605 feet tall and for the year it was built it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. It was built to stand tall even with 200 mile per hour winds and 9.1 magnitude earthquakes. It would have survived the 1700 Cascadia Earthquake, so they thought. Oh and if you look hard enough you can see the 25 lightning rods on the roof to protect it from the lightning storms.

In the summer time on a clear sunny day visitors can take a 43 second ride to the top and grab some cocktails in the rotating SkyCity restaurant, which was originally called Eye of the Needle. The floor will move you around in slow moving circle while you enjoy a featured dish. Every table has a great view so you don’t have to worry about getting stuck in some dark back room. With in an hour you will have been on a full rotation and been able to see every view from its towering, central location. See the city below, enjoy the Olympic Mountains as they light up with a sunset or enjoy watching all the fairy boats come and go from the near by Vashon or Bainbridge islands. For a breath of fresh air and continued enjoyment take your martini out onto the observation deck.

This wonderful building has been featured in a few movies and television shows. The animated show The Simpsons has mentioned or shown the needle at least five times as well as SpongeBob SquarePants making their version call the Sea Needle. It made it’s movie debut with It Happened at the Worlds Fair in 1963 with Elvis Presley. Then made an appearance in The Parallax View in 1974 with Warren Beatty. Most recently, in the 1999 Mike Myers smash hit, Austin Powers: They Spy Who Shagged Me.

Ever since its inception, the internet has had far reaching implications for every aspect of society.  It has changed the way we communicate.  It has changed the way we think.  It has changed the way we do business.  The recent fiasco with sports figure Tiger Woods is perhaps a great example of this.  Though he plays sports, his name has become a brand.  He has numerous advertisements that he does and tons of money from doing them.  His name and fame have made him a fortune.

Unfortunately, the way in which he handled the extramarital affairs scandal has affected that brand name he has worked hard on producing and cultivating.  Proper reputation management would have helped him out immensely, rather than the silence he chose for those few days after the allegations came out.  His brand took years to build, but yet had been destroyed in a matter of days.  Some could probably argue hours.  Bloggers and other social media sites tore him down, and his silent approach only fertilized their efforts.

Good online reputation management could have prevented all that.  It helps a company to protect its brand and name from customers who have no real grievances: there are times when a company has done all it can to help a customer out, but that customer simple has a chip on their shoulder.  However, in instances where a company has fault, online reputation management has a more difficult job of fixing things, though not an impossible one.

There are certain things to track and keep an eye on, namely, everything about your company.  The employees, your services, your products, your customers, and so on.  After all, online reputation management can only do so much if your company has a bad rep for a good reason.   You should also know your competitor and information related to your industry and what you do.  There is also more monitoring to consider: news feeds, search engine keywords, message boards, groups.  The point of monitoring sites like this is to see where your company stands on the internet.  Then from there, you can understand where you need to take your company or what you need to do to maintain it.

There are some dream experts who say that whenever you are dreaming about a house, that the house is a representation of you.  This is usually the case when there is something very significant about a particular house in a dream, not where it’s an incidental setting.  Some of my favorite dreams are about a house.  It’s not a house I’ve ever lived in, and I’m pretty sure it’s a house I’ve never even really seen.  But it’s always the same house.  Sometimes the dream shows me that there is another section of the house I’ve never even set foot in, and this makes me inexplicably happy all day long.  When I check this against the interpretations of dreams, I see that I’m not insane at all, at least not as far as the dream is concerned.

When a house opens up like this in dreams, revealing more rooms than before, it means that there’s a period of growth going on, that you’ve passed through some major life incidents, and are ready for the next part of the journey.  This excites me, and it’s sometimes hard to explain to my friends why I’m suddenly feeling this way, because it’s based on a very internal event that has no visible effects in the world.  I do get the same excitement when I make changes to my house in waking life.  When I got new blinds, I had a feeling that something wonderful had just happened, and I really couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next.

In this case, my friends thought my excitement was very well-founded.  They saw the difference and appreciated it as much as I did.  It was certainly the same house, and it was the same rooms, but suddenly the entire feeling was different.  With Next Day Blinds, criticisms are very minimal, and that’s very good news for dreamers like me, who see the possibilities in the spaces I live in, even the ones that only get to visit late at night, when there’s no one around except for me, and the houses I live in.

Forte dei Marmi is a wonderful waterfront resort town that is was once the shipping aid to the popular marble that came out of the Apuan mountains. This old jetty was quite the spot for trade in long past but is now filled with colored umbrellas and beach towels accommodating the many visitors it gets every year. In 1788, Leopoldo II finished an outpost that protected the port town from any pirate or military adversaries that loomed on the waters horizon. Almost all of the early European nobles where protected by this outpost. Diplomats, business man, artists and famous people had their villas here under the amazing mountain range.

Now the area has become quite the resort vacation town. The early monuments and ruins have become tranquil gardens leaving man to enjoy nature and let his mind wonder of the early history that played its roll here. The town itself is lined with calm sandy beaches. Check into one of these Forte dei Marmi hotels along the beach and have some lunch while you read your favorite novel.  Take a stroll into the village and hit some of the local shops and cafes along the old streets. You might even catch a wedding on the pier.

There are many people who come to vacation here because of the opportunity in sports. There are the water sports of course surfing ( when the weather allows), fishing both of the pier or boats, swimming and scuba diving, windsurfing and sailing are also popular. Then there is the mountain activities. The Apuan Alps offer up some great sport too. Climbers of all styles come to test their mountain climbing safety talents against the cliffs. Hikers come to get the conquer of the mountain top feeling and there are also some old forgotten villages hiding in the forest that are really great to walk into. There is even the possibility to see the marble mines.

I have a friend who lived in Los Angeles. He would often take a drive out to Santa Monica to get away from the city and get some fresh air. He was walking long the Santa Monica Pier and saw the famous actors Owen and Luke Wilson walking along the boardwalk. Of course being a great fan of theirs I was jealous to not have been there. That would be so cool to have seen them just enjoying normal life. Are they as funny and cool as they seem to be in the films they have done. My favorite of Owen Wilson was Shanghai Noon. Hilarious. Anyway, I wondered who lived in the neighborhood so if I visited I could keep my eye out for a night time stroll of the rich and famous.

There are a number of famous people who are now from Santa Monica like Christian Bale. Did you see him as a child actor in Empire of the Sun. Wow, it was fantastic. Oh an Marcia Cross, I love her in Desperate Housewives. Anjelica Huston is an amazing actress. Sean Penn and Toby Maguire are a few more great actors. Then there are some musicians to like the poetic Bob Dylan.  Suzanne Vega who is one of my favorites from the 80s.

If you are into sports there are some famous sports figures that live there too. Skateboarders Jay Adams and Tony Alva live there. Baseball’s famous Sean Berry and Ryan Braun. Braun is a little far from the Brewers isn’t he. There is a long list of rich and famous who live in Santa Monica. Make sure you can recognize their faces because you just might see one on the pier or shopping. Make sure you get a room with a balcony at one of the hotels Santa Monica has waiting for you and keep your eyes open for you favorite faces.

Fame is elusive, but everyone looks for it.  Or for fortune.  Either one is never everything that people claim, and they still go looking, and sometimes it’s as easy to find as time.  Taylor Swift at 20 probably isn’t concerned with running out of time, and doesn’t seem to have much trouble with fame either, and fortune has definitely been a by-product of all of her good luck.  If pressed about which is more surreal, however, fame gets the higher Swiftrank every time.  And it probably should, because it seems as though everyone who’s been where she is has the same feeling about it.

Andy Warhol said interesting things about fame, is perhaps the most observant philosopher of fame for the 20th century (for the 19th, it would have to be Stendhal, whose cocktail party ramblings about the good life, and being draped in velvet still influence our definition of celebrity-dom). He understood all to well that it was an illusion that everyone pursues, and also understood that when it does come, it never stays for very long.  These are difficult lessons for anyone who spends a lifetime looking for it, so in the case of Taylor Swift, it’s not so much of a heartbreak if it does go, because she seems to be concerned with keeping an eye on the larger picture.

It might be difficult, however, at this point in the 21st century, to pinpoint exactly what the larger picture might be.  As her songs suggest, we are a construction of texts, of various texts, and they don’t always fit together neatly.  Some of these texts are images, and image becomes a new language in the 21st century.  Some of the texts are spoken, and some, of course, are songs, and quotations of songs.  Her ability to revamp and remix a tradition, with a very personal and introspective touch, is a remarkable feature of her talent, which speaks to the way fame can and should work when things are out of joint.  It might be velvet, or it might be denim, but it hints at a revolution that tries to open a road where things like fame no longer matter.

Visiting Frankfurt is always eye-opening.  It has been one of the most influential centers of culture for years, and it saw some of the most remarkable minds of the 20th century living in its borders.  The legacy of this time runs very deep, and for many new artists working here, the mantle is necessarily enormously heavy.  It seems to make for great art, because it continues to be a place where some of the most exciting work in the world gets developed.  The philosophy of the cultures here that make art, that is to say, the counter-culture in general, determines some of its decisions in how systems and structures should be run.  This makes for some very exciting collaborations, and ways of conceiving work are always at the cutting edge.

Staying here is a uniquely splendid experience.  There is a sense of hospitality here that is genuine and exceptional, and there seems to be a conscious effort to always be stylish, and always enjoy the possibilities of the moment.  This certainly extends to the Frankfurt am Main hotels, where hospitality can be practiced without any kinds of pretense that it is anything else.  It’s lovely to wake up here, refreshed, and ready to enjoy some splendid meals, and take in some of the many attractions here.  Lucky travelers might happen to be in town when Tamara Grcic is mounting a new exhibition.

This artist works in a variety of media, and one of her most prominent forms in the global art world is sculpture.  She was born in Munich, and now makes Frankfurt her home, with occasional side trips to New York City.  She might be considered a mid-career artist, but the work always seems fresh and engaging.  Her Gaggiandre at the Venice Biennale this past year has caused another wave of excitement over this very prolific artist’s body of work.  She did some of her schooling in Vienna, which interestingly further strengthens the already deep connections between these two cities.

Many people wanting to redecorate their living spaces today are faced with issues such as money, and time.  But it really does not take much to spruce up and to refresh your house or your apartment.  And this is a great option, for those who were intended to find a new place, and now see themselves hanging on to their current one for a few more years.  At Next Day Blinds, there are many options for adding new window treatments in a variety of colors, which will enhance the overall look and feel of your home.

Although finding just where to start when redecorating may seem a daunting task, this is really a very rewarding project to undertake.  The first step, de-clutter.  In a spring cleaning kind of way.  Living in small spaces tends to lend oneself to a life that may be filled with the things that we simply just do not need.  Large spaces tend to allow this collection too, however in a small space, you really must keep it cleaned out in order to breathe.  So after the cleaning and the de-cluttering has taken place, take note of what it is you want to change.  Those with carpet running through there houses may consider a return to basics.  If the carpet is older, rip it out and stain the cement.

There are options for great rugs and throw carpets that will match your newly covered windows with the selections from Next Day Blinds. Re-arranging the furniture in a small space will also serve to free up the area, to give you a new feel of open space.  Gallons of paint, are not very costly and by adding a fresh coat or a new color, you will be amazed at the lift that will be created.  Start with one wall, and move to the next.  Sometimes, just a focus wall is all that is necessary to give a room a new feel.  During these times, there are still many things that one can do to give their living spaces the face lifts that are necessary and important to your own sense of well being and your joy to coming home each night.

Back in Singapore, we hit a dead end at the Embassy. The Indonesian visa can’t be issued. Most of my fellow tour members are on some resort in Bataam, so it seems only right that there is some kind of compensation. My husband joined me in my exile, actually he was very happy to oblige. We found what we were looking for as compensation with the island of Sentosa. It’s a small island that belongs to Singapore and is connected to the mainland by a monorail, a road bridge and a cable car.

Sentosa is essentially a resort island. We went swimming at Palawan beach, visited a butterfly kingdom, saw a lot of turtles, toured a fort from WW2 and took pictures on what is deemed to be  the southernmost point on Continental Asia. We past by the famous Merlion statue, It like the one in Singapore, but this one is much bigger. We didn’t want to pay to go up it, plus we got a better view from the skytower. From the skytower, we could see just how busy the port of Singapore is. There’s a huge container park and the harbor, bay and estuary is crammed full of cargo ships all waiting to dock to be unloaded. It was kind of fun to look one way and see only palm trees and water, then look the opposite way and see a huge conglomerate of cargo ships.

We then took ourselves to one of the Singapore Sentosa hotels. We really enjoyed the five star treatment, which helped us eagerly forget and forgive what we now refer to as a misunderstanding at the most loveliest Indonesian islands that we had the privilege of not entering.

Soothed, relaxed and calm beyond belief, we floated back to downtown Singapore the next day, drifting without a care into hustle and bustle of central Singapore, where we entered a waterfront buffet and got all lush as we wined and dined. Replete with satisfaction, we now no there is no country or no place on earth where we would rather be.

Singapore is certainly one of the most fascinating places to visit, being an island city state with a complex cultural atmosphere that is always changing.  It is also one of the most exciting places to visit right now, being at the forefront of arts and technology.  There is a uniquely cosmopolitan feel to the place that makes for some splendid tourist pleasures.  Those who have visited before will always be amazed at the new and innovative things that are happening, and those who have never visited are in for some delightful surprises.  The vibrant urban setting is exhilarating during the day, and comes even more to life at night.

There is always something happening in town, with an extremely lively and active local culture, as well as many international performers that pass through.  It’s a fabulous place to get in touch with the essence of global culture, and one of the nicest ways to begin any evening is with a superb meal at one of Singapore’s Chinese restaurants.  After tasting some magnificent food, there is so much to choose from, and you might come across some of the rich and exciting jazz stylings of Aya Sekine.

This young musician has had an amazing career behind her, and there is much more to come.  The artist was born in Osaka, and has spent her first twenty years between Japan and Singapore.  She also lived in New York City for nine years, and put together a terrific festival that lasted for 10 days and featured local New York artists, as well as seven experimental music groups from Japan, called the Japanese-Smackdown New York.  Her energy has not eased up one bit, and she can be seen performing in Singapore, as well as being always connected to an impressive roster of projects with other artists.  Her music is a wonderful introduction to the complexities of Singapore culture.

Not many people expect a Smithsonian Museum outside Washington D.C., much less a Space Museum, much less one containing the actual, recovered capsule from the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission in the mid-70s, and certainly not in the state of Kansas.  But if you take a brief forty-five minute drive north west of Wichita you will find the Cosmosphere, a museum and space center, one of only three museums in the world that contains three recovered capsules from all three of the early manned American space program.  Here, you will find the following capsules: The Liberty Bell 7 from the Mercury mission, Gemini 10, from the Gemini mission, and, of course, the capsule made famous by the Ron Howard movie, Apollo 13, from the Apollo mission.

If you’re staying in Wichita in one of the fine hotels Kansas offers, then travel on the 96 highway North through the mid-western farmland; in December, it’s pretty cold, but in the Spring and Summer months, you’ll find these fields teeming with wheat.  You’ll pass towns off the highway with such names as Haven and Yoder.  The latter is a small Mennonite Community with a terrific Mennonite restaurant.  Farther on, you’ll find an air field, and then reach the town of Hutchinson itself.  Find your way to 11th Street, and a tall rocket looms over the Cosmosphere, which in addition to the museum, boasts an IMAX theater and various astronaut camp programs, including Future Astronaut Training, Mars Academy, and Overnight Space Adventure.

You’ll want to spend a couple of hours or more at the Cosmosphere, but if you’ve only got an hour, here are at least the highlights you should see: V-1 and V-2 rockets from Germany, Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2, the Redstone Nuclear Warhead (disarmed, without nuclear material, for everyone’s comfort), a 109 foot Titan rocket, a Russian Vostok spacecraft, a Liberty 7 Mercury spacecraft, a Gemini X spacecraft, an Apollo White Room, and then the main attractions, for me, at least, are the Apollo 13 command module, Odyssey and a Moon Rock.  That’s a lot to do in an hour, so give yourself some more time.

The Cosmosphere also boasts a fine gift shop, full of space toys, key chains, books and posters, with a helpful, friendly staff.  In fact, most of the magnets on my overfilled refrigerator door are from the museum — featuring shuttle launches and capsules and panoramic scenes of Mars — all purchased from the middle of Kansas.

Helen and Troy thought they had planned their dream wedding. They both had large families who were all interested in attending it and there is a big difference between planning a large wedding versus a small one. Their first plan was to go small and simple but they quickly realized this would not work. So, they went all out and made it not only large enough to accommodate their families and friends, but they also decided to make it as fantasy oriented as possible and include their dream elements. This included everything from the ballroom in which the reception would take place to the string quartet that would play before the outdoor ceremony.

Oddly, with all of the commotion involved with the wedding planning, they somehow forgot to plan on a honeymoon location. When Troy realized this and confided it to his friend and best man Paul, he almost couldn’t believe it. They honeymoon was supposed to be the best part of the ceremony, how could they have both forgotten about it? It wasn’t that they weren’t looking forward to the whole thing, the wedding itself just continued to grow and became their entire focus. Paul quickly told Troy’s parents about the mishap and they in turn contacted Helen’s parents.

Together, the four of them planned a great weeklong stay in the Caribbean Island of Curacao, which Troy’s parents claimed was one of his favorite places on Earth and Helen’s stated they knew she had always wanted to visit the Caribbeans. They paid for their flight and room in one of the best hotels Curacao and then surprised the unsuspecting couple with their gift at the rehearsal dinner. And not only were they surprised at the thoughtfulness and effort of the gift, but also by the fact that the honeymoon had completely escaped them. And it truly was an amazing trip. They loved touring all of the historic buildings and were impressed with the Dutch architecture. They also spent a great deal of time on the beach and had the time of their lives while they were away.

Sherman burned this town to the ground more than a century ago but that was not the end. Over the past century, Atlanta Georgia, has become the new capital of the south. In the 19th century, Atlanta was originally called Terminus and only had a railroad stop to offer travelers passing through. Now it stands as a mega city thriving with 5 million people and many large and small companies. Visitors can check into one of the best hotels Atlanta has to offer and engulf themselves in the city that brings rich history from the civil war days to today. Atlanta city of culture, commerce and a trail of history to keep one occupied for days.

You can learn about people who came from here such as Margaret Mitchell and of course Martin Luther King Jr. In the last 60 years Martin Luther King Jr. is the one many come to learn more about. His contribution to civil rights is and will always be legendary. Visitors can follow his life from his home to his church to the place of his death and then to his grave that stands in memorial. People come from all over the world to the museum where they can learn about his speeches and contributions.

Other modern day notables are Ted Turner and CNN. Ted Turner started CNN from Atlanta and it is still being broad casted from this city. Ted, now retired, still has an office in Atlanta and I am sure still has a few things to say in the business. Another big corporations started here is Coca Cola. In the basement of a pharmacist named John S Pemberton is where this ever popular soft drink was created and distributed. Many visitors come from all over the globe to visit the World of Coca-Cola. It has details of all the Coke products, all the products they send around the world and all of the creative advertising campaigns they used to make this such a huge international company.

One of the great aspects of this time of the year is all of the sales that are going on throughout the nation and in addition to that there are numerous specials that will extend well into the New Year. What this means to the wise consumer is not only that they can count on special prices for holiday gift giving, but they can also look for that special new appliance or household luxury item that will be on sale and may end up as a Christmas present for someone, but for the wise consumer it is just the time of year to be making these major household purchases.

One of the popular home improvement options that is becoming a strong priority across the nation is restructuring the backyard and creating more of a home entertainment environment. This is benefiting families in many different ways and one of the most obvious and important is that it is helping to build greater connections between family members and it creates better options for family home nights. In addition, it allows for greater social entertainments to occur at the home, such as a teenage party. And creating a beautiful backyard landscape with additional features such as an outdoor kitchen and dining area will add value to the property, which is extremely important in today’s market.

With all of these elements to consider, it is natural that this time of year is the perfect time to find bbq grills on sale. It is also a great time to make the purchase and increase the pleasure potential of your backyard and the value of your home. With all these reasons to support buying a new grill or complete outdoor kitchen there is really no reason to put it off or resist it. Buy a grill, enjoy your life and improve your home.

Curtis grew up in Dallas, Texas and wanted to be in a rock and roll band. Some of his friends told him he would have to move to Los Angeles if he really wanted to make it big, but Curtis just wasn’t interested in going there. He had nothing against LA or California; he just happened to love his home state of Texas and believed he could make a go of it there. Well, at least he was willing to accept making his living by playing in bars and local clubs if that meant living where he wanted and also following his passion. Besides, Austin was a great music town, in fact it was famous for its music scene and he was proud and excited to move there.

His friend Jim agreed to go with Curtis to help him find a place to live but also because Jim wanted to check out the scene in Austin. They booked a couple of rooms in one of the best Austin hotels and headed out of Dallas. Curtis had been to Austin plenty of times before though Jim had only been once and that was when he was a child so he really didn’t remember much. He noticed a strong atmospheric change right away and though Austin was the capital of the state, it had a distinctively easy going feeling.

On their first night in town Curtis suggested the go to an open mic. Jim was not a big fan of these but Curtis had brought his guitar and really wanted to get a feel for playing in Austin. Jim suspected it was really because Curtis couldn’t seem to go for an entire day without performing for someone. However, he finally agreed that he would go with Jim to the Water Tank. After a few minutes Jim began to enjoy himself and the two of them stayed there most of the night. When it was Curtis’ turn to perform he decided to try out a new song he had written and received a positive response from the crowd. He then coaxed Jim to join him in a song they both knew. That evening left Curtis with a great feeling about moving and left Jim considering the idea of moving there himself.

There’s nothing quite like being famished in a new city, one that you have never been in before, and also in arriving there in your state of hunger. However, this is quite another experience when it occurs in New York City. The problem here is not going to be in finding a place to eat, but rather in choosing from the endless amount of possible options. This is exactly what Jack encountered when he landed at La Guardia Airport in Queens New York. He was so hungry that he was just going to grab something at the airport before hoping in a taxi and heading across the bridge to his Manhattan hotel. He came to New York to visit his friend Max who had moved their two years prior. Instead of eating a quick bite in an airport venue Jack decided to tough it out until he could get ahold of Max and demand that he take him to one of the best Manhattan restaurants.
Jack was a huge fan of food, and although he was constantly hungry, he was also extremely particular about where and what he would eat. And whenever he visited a new city, he would in part gage his like and respect for it by the quality and diversity of cuisine it offered. And now it was New York’s turn to be put to the test. Max was well aware of this aspect of his friend, and was eagerly awaiting his phone call. He had been planning on taking Jack to Keens Steakhouse. He felt that his friend would love not only the food but the atmosphere and historic elements of the establishment. It has served great steaks since 1885 represents the unique historical aspect of the city. Max new that environment, atmosphere, uniqueness and charm were as important to Jack as the food. And he also loved restaurants that somehow represented the city. This was certainly the case for Keens and Max was eager to introduce it to his friend. And Jack could not have been happier or more satisfied. He immediately loved the old charm and feeling of the place. And he loved the steamed Maine lobster and filet mignon he had as his entrée. As he sat there looking at the numerous historic pictures on the wall, he was certain that New York was a great city.

In today’s world, some people may no longer have it in their budgets to take on large projects restoring and updating their homes, but there are many small things, many simple ideas that will boost the look of your house or apartment, and turn boost your mood.  Many of these ideas when windows are concerned, can be found at nextdayblinds.com.  Grievances about old and dingy drapes are often heard, and the sales people will help you find the perfect, new modern styles that will fit your taste and be easy on your budgets.

Being organized and neat will improve the feel of any room, especially if you are working with limited spaces.  Get rid of your clutter, or if there are things that you simply can not throw away, find somewhere to store it.  Many times at Next Day Blinds,  the designers create shades not only for windows, but for separating the spaces in offices or rooms, and this is one way that you can stylish remove the clutter from sight.  Flowers, plants and small herb gardens will brighten up not only your rooms, but your spirits as well.  Bringing in a bit of the outdoors is a great way to feel at peace and to inexpensively add charm and a homey feel.

Fresh paint will drastically change the feel of a room, as living in rooms with either darker colors, or dingy and older paint jobs can really have an effect on the total feel of the room, even if everything else has been taken care.  Paint is not too expensive, and while doing it yourself may seem like a big project to tackle, it is actually quite relaxing and satisfying.  And by finding the perfect match for your new paint at Next Day Blinds,  grief will no longer be a part of your life, as you walk into your new, and more delicately designed living space.

The city has a certain charm that’s immediately palpable, fueled by the intensely active urban culture, and the energy of the young and creative people who live here, driven by a desire to make something happen.  It’s a splendid place for making things happen, too, because it’s history reveals a lively edge that’s always been at the forefront of the international arts scene.  Musically and in terms of visual art, there’s always something going on here, making it a terrific place to visit.  There are also a host of fantastic city attractions, as well as access to gorgeous natural areas that can offer a magnificent sense of respite from the busy world.  There’s truly something for everyone here, but for those who tend toward tastes that are individual and unique, it’s even more promising.

For amazing restaurants that serve up local fare or the latest in international culinary tastes, and with ingredients that are always fresh, this is the place.  There is easy access to supplies of fresh produce, seafood, and beefs, and the multiple sensibilities that live here make up some fantastic new traditions for global cuisine.  For boutique hotels, Sydney, Australia is splendidly perched in a place where individuality reigns supreme, offering lodgings that are exceptionally stylish and appeal to your unique tastes.  There are many choices here for the discerning populations, and that’s also very true in the music scene.  There is a fantastic history in Sydney for music, having been one of the forces in creating styles that have been influential in the way the world hears rock and roll.

Today the tradition for breaking tradition continues, even with groups with such wide appeal as Faker.  The Sydey-based alternative rock band has been together for over a decade, if together is the right term.  They’ve changed their line-up a lot over time, and now seem to be honed in on a sound that is receiving excellent notices, and a very busy playing schedule to boot.  Nathan Hudson, the front man, is the only original remaining member, and he’s got an enormous charisma to carry his booming vocals that speak of an archetypal indie angst.  Their newest release, Be the Twilight, is filled with catchy tunes that speak of a place between dark and light that is enormously nervy and melodious, creating musical juxtapositions that are perfect for listening to while you wonder why it all went wrong.

“The Star Spangled Banner”, the national anthem of the United States.  When the song plays, no matter where you are, in a Chicago pub or a Baltimore restaurant, there will be something that tugs you to your feet.  I had not thought of myself as particularly patriotic.  But one summer, I was sitting outside in San Diego, California.  We were at a performance of the San Diego Symphony for the Fourth of July celebration.  The music was great.  And then they played the song, the anthem.  As I sat there listening, the fireworks illuminating the sky, I got tears in my eyes, that made their way to my cheeks.  My college boyfriend looked at me with a question on his face.  I was a little punk rocker…”America this and America that”…we complained about America in our college days.  Many people complain about the country.  But when that music played it hit me, just what people went through in order for us to have what we have.

I imagined Francis Scott Key, just a man, just a lawyer who was setting out to rescue his friend, Dr. William Beanes.  Just a man held captive on a boat while the British attacked Fort McHenry and the Baltimore Harbor.  Everyone knows the story, about how through the blaze and the bombs, Key saw the the American flag, still flying above Fort McHenry while the smoke still hung thick in the air.  A man was really standing there seeing that, it is not a myth nor a legend but a truth, and that is what brought tears to my eyes so many years after the fact, sitting at a performance by a symphony in Southern California.

One man stood there and finished the last lines of a poem he had been working on.  He wrote it on an old envelope and gave it to Captain Benjamin Eades.  Eades later that night, climbed upon a chair in an old tavern and sung the poem to the tune of “Anacreon in Heaven”.  Before he was finished, the crowd in the pub was singing along.  That is why now, when the song plays, there is something that tugs you to stand.  It is not only the big history of the country, but the small history of one man who was just simply trying to rescue his friend from the British.  Everything was being blown up around him, and dirty and wounded and held captive on a ship, he wrote a song about a flag.  A song about a group of people who just did not give up.