201 Street

Author Dorthea Benton Frank’s books reflect her love of South Carolina’s Lowcountry and her respect for the Geechee (also known as Gullah) culture that dates back to 1670. Nearly half of the slaves imprisoned in the Atlantic slave trade arrived through Charleston Harbor in the 1700s. Today, far from slavery, the Geechee/Gullah culture is celebrated and revered in South Carolina. Readers of Dot Frank’s books have been flocking to Charleston for years to discover more. Find a comfortable place to stay in the present for a journey back to the past.

Known for their craftsmanship, buying a contemporary Gullah artisan’s sweetgrass basket is akin to purchasing a piece of southern history. First used on the plantations for rice cultivation, basket making became an art form for slaves unable to work in the fields. The community of Mt. Pleasant, located north of Charleston, is arguably the best place to purchase sweetgrass baskets made by Geechee artisans. Basket stands are located along Highway 17. If venturing out of Charleston is not an option, baskets are available for purchase on Meeting, Market and Broad Streets.

Also crafty in the kitchen, the Geechee people are heralded for their cuisine. Located south of Charleston, Dye’s Gullah Fixin’s in Hilton Head is an authentic place to sample Gullah grub. Dishes with unusual names like hoe cake, perlo and swimp and grits are staples. Swimp is not misspelled; it’s simply the Gullah name for shrimp. Geechee/Gullah is not only a culture, it’s a language. “Chillun” stands for children and “box-up” means closed tightly.

The Geechees also have a unique belief system. For example, hair that remains in a brush must be flushed away or burned, and fish will not bite during a full moon due to their sore mouths. No patterns for sewing should be cut on Fridays, and horseshoes can be hung above a front door for good luck only if they are placed to form the letter “u” ??otherwise the luck might run out. Gullah history includes the practice of uncommon medical treatments. Bandages made of spider webs were used to control bleeding and small pieces of brown paper, licked like postage stamps, were stuck on foreheads to stop hiccups.

For Dot Frank’s fans and anyone else curious to learn more about Geechee/Gullah history, Charleston is the perfect destination to discover more .

London is a spectacular city.  It has all the appeal of a very contemporary metropolis, with fantastic art and live performance, and a generous selection of fine hotels.  Tourists seem to agree that it’s never waned in their hearts as one of the premiere travel destinations, where lively culture continues to set the pace for the rest of the world.  There are always plenty of things to see and do here, with a dizzying array of attractions and sights, ranging from the cutting edge to the deeply historical.  History has left some very deep marks here, with so many wars from all the centuries past, and the ghosts of World War II still haunting the city.

For some, there is no better chronicler of a post-war sensibility than the incomparable Leonard Cohen.  When he came here last year as part of his world tour, it was splendid enough to warrant a dvd and cd release of this spectacular event.  This tour was something that brought the reclusive singer-songwriter out of his meditative brooding, so that he could brood, and play fantastic music, for thousands of fans.  There were plenty of rumors that this tour was sparked by a need to pay a lot of debts, but the star seemed to be here only because of the debt that he felt to his fans.

The thing about Leonard Cohen is, he really does love to play.  It’s obvious that he has tendencies toward melancholia, and it’s also obvious that this is an arena that he is very comfortable in, and it cheers him up.  His dark and fatally-romantic songs have a strangely healing effect on the crowds, keying in on a layer of emotions that we all feel, but are often leery of entertaining.  For someone who began writing poetry inflected with musings on the holocaust, the move to international fame is somehow surprising today, but it makes a sense that’s only accessible when love and history start to dance together, showing us who we’ve been and who we will be tomorrow.

On most days, the idea is to keep your ship afloat, but on December 30th of 2009, right before the end of the decade, the ship known as the Sea Taxi was towed to a spot off Key Biscayne and sunk, simultaneously changing its name to the Ophelia Brian.  It became the biggest ship ever deliberately sunk to become an artificial reef in Miami-Dade County for the sport of scuba diving.  This ship was originally constructed in 1965, forty-five years ago, by J.J. Sietas in Hamburg, Germany.  The 210 foot vessel was christened Hoheburg, and has had a number of name changes over the years — the Marianne C., the Wilma, the Black Sea, the Ocean Breeze 1 — but ended its life above water as the Sea Taxi.  Today, the Ophelia will serve as an artificial reef, which will provide another place for recreational diving, for eco tourism, even for fishing to the locals at home in Miami and the travelers in that city’s hotels.   Previously, two other ships were sunk as artificial reefs — the Herbert Horn Type 458, sunk in 1984, and the Marie Horn Type 451, sunk in 1976.  Below the surface of the water, their names changed, too, to Ultra Freeze and Deep Freeze.

These deliberately created wrecks will last for decades, and furnish a home for corals and marine fish, in addition to the opportunities made possible for fishing and diving.  South Beach Dive and Surf is one of a number of sea diving companies that enable you to visit and explore these artificial reefs.  You’ll find the PADI Five Star facility in the center of the fashionable South Beach area and within an easy walk to restaurants and hotels and other popular tourist sites.  Established in 1995, they boast an experienced staff that will help you make your dives, according to your own level of experience.  If you’re into diving, or know someone who is, this is an excellent way to explore a side of Miami most people don’t get to see, the world of Miami underwater!

While I wanted a tattoo really bad, the trip we planned in Florida would’ve prevent me from doing any swimming or diving, so we left the tattoo parlor and returned to South Beach. We walked around Miami Beach, checking out all the Art Deco area and taking in all the cafes and restaurants. We were lucky that the sun was shining, because later in the day thunderstorms began to brew. We heard later that a tornado touched down only a few miles away from our hotel in West Florida!

While we were walking around South Beach, we were offered free money! We knew there would be a catch, and there was, it was a ‘Time-Share’ ploy. If we listened to a 90 minute talk we’d get $80! We thought what could it hurt, and it turned out to be better than we thought, after waiting for about 50 minutes, we were told there was no representative available to talk to us, so we got our $80 and a ride back to South Beach – easy money!

The next day, we rented a car and headed down to the Florida Keys. We stopped in Homestead, which is on the east section of the Everglades National Park, that’s when we heard about a hurricane heading our way, we decided to head down to the Keys anyways and if a hurricane happens, we’ll deal with it then. But, the authorities had other plans, they began to evacuate all the residence and the tourist from the Keys, so we had to change our plans.

We drove all night and well into the morning back to our hotel, we weren’t too upset because we’ve been to the Keys before. Maybe now it would be a good time to get that tattoo, since the hurricane has made it awful to go to the beach!

The Tempe Little Theatre has been a standard city institution since it was originally established in 1971. It is also the city’s only all volunteer non-profit company and was founded by people with a passion for theatre who wanted to establish an affordable, yet quality production company for the community. This original desire remains in its productions today and the theatre is popular with residents of Tempe and the great Phoenix area as well as with tourist who are in town and considering entertainment options near the Mill Avenue area. Information is available regarding great places to stay in Tempe and in turn the hotels should have information on the Tempe Little Theatre and the Tempe Center for the Arts in which it is located.

The theatre is located just north of the main old town attractions and is close to the Tempe Town Lake. It has a standard season structure of four plays per year and in recent years the company has focused on presenting a selection of classic comedies as well as musicals, which seems to be fitting for the times and continues to build a strong audience base. TLT is located near Arizona State University and students are frequently interested in participating in the production process. They also form part of the audience base.

One of the progressive elements of TLT is its commitment to the needs and interests of the community and to consistently offer quality entertainment at affordable prices. All members of the community, regardless of their extent of theatre experience and training are invited to participate in the production process. The company’s production of the hit musical Sweet Charity will open next month. And it will be followed by a production of the satirical comedy The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, by Charles Busch. This is scheduled to run June 4 through the 20th. Tickets can be purchased at the theatre’s box office an more information on the productions and performance dates can be acquired as well.

Thanks to Bob, My husband and I got to attend the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Plus, thanks to Bob, our Burbank hotel is great! He booked it for us, since we didn’t know which one would be the best. The Tonight Show was one reason we are here in California, my husband, for the longest time, has been wanting to see a live taping. Bill Maher was one of the guests and we had no idea who he was, but he was hilarious! We thought he was one of the funniest men we’ve ever seen, and he’s so correct with everything he says, we really appreciated how he says everything we were thinking, but he says out loud and with a good sense of humor.

We weren’t allowed to take pictures during the taping of the show, or even afterwards, but we did manage to get our picture taken with Jay Leno! The studio will send us the photo, we just hope it turns out well. Anyways, we had a blast and my husband finally got to see Jay Leno live. But, now he wants to find out where we can see Bill Maher live!

The next day we made it to Universal Studios, and this one we can thank Joy for, she purchased the ticket for us and mailed them to us before we left on our trip around the US. Thanks Joy! We walked around and saw so many cool things. I tried on a Sponge Bob hat and I thought it looked pretty cute, but where would I wear it? There was so many things to try we didn’t know where to start, so we decided to walk around the entire area first. Then pick what we wanted to do first. Our first pick was to go through the House of Horror, I got a little spooked, it was so dark in there. Afterwards we looked at sets from famous movies, like Notting Hill, Jurassic Park and Back to the Future.

We found an ice cream parlor and went in to get water and a scoop of ice cream, both helped cool us down, it was a hot day in Hollywood! Then we went on the Revenge of the Mummy ride, the ride was fun. We would have spent the whole day there, but we had to get back to our hotel and pack up, our next stop was up to San Francisco!

My wife and I had been visiting a marriage counselor for the past six months. I’m no longer afraid to admit that though I have to admit that I used be a little embarrassed by this fact. Truthfully, I used to think that therapy was kind of ridiculous and I know that attitude might offend some people but I’m actually telling you the honest truth so that you can also understand my change of heart through the entire process of my attitude transition. Well, and there’s also the fact that one of the most beneficial therapeutic moments happened when I went with Joann on a business trip she took to Florida.

Okay, so it’s also true that she had only been asking me to go with her on some of these trips for the last five years, which also happens to be the length of our marriage, and I flat out refused every single time. And who could blame me? Who would want to go on a business trip if they didn’t have to? Well, it turns out they can actually be very fun. We upgraded the business class accommodations that her company provided and spent our time in a luxurious suite, which of course is romantic in its own right.
And one of my previous concerns was that I would be stuck in a hotel room by myself while she was working all day. It turns out that this wasn’t true at all though I could easily have hung out in the hotel Jacuzzi and they also had pool tables in the lounge, where I also could have spent a few hours.

However, while my wife was working I was down at the beach enjoying a beautiful day in the sun and sand. I enjoyed great views and delicious pizza while she worked hard throughout the day. Oh, I definitely got back to the room and was showered and ready to take her out for a nice evening every night, which I think was one of the keys to my continued daily outings. As it turns out I had a great time both day and night. I was able to dance with my beautiful wife well into the evening and relax in the sun during the slow afternoons. And guess what all of those great times cost me? Nothing at all, except the anger and resentment of my wife. She was so grateful that I had come along and was demonstrating some effort in spending quality time together in the evening, she didn’t even realize that it was all win win for me. The best cure for marriage problems is definitely to go with your wife on business trips. The end.

Find a great room with a spectacular balcony over the beach in one of the prestigious Malibu hotels presented here and get out the binoculars. If one would sit on the beaches of Malibu who would they eventually see? Who do fans want to see? How about Robert Downey Jr.. That would be so fantastic. I think is is a brilliant actor and am so glad he as been able to turn his life around and share is wonderful gift with the world once again.

He has been an actor for most of his life making his debut in one of his fathers films when he was five. He stayed busy in the industry every since. He was mixed in with the group of young actors of the 80’s called the Brat Pack in the film Less Than Zero. The official members of the Brat Pack included fellow stars like Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Judd Neson, Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy, Anthony Michael Hall,Demi Moore and Ally Sheedy. In the 90s he put out some great performances with film like Chaplin for which he gained a nomination for Best Actor with the Academy Awards for his role playing Charlie Chaplin.

The last few years of the 90s he had a hard time keeping himself together which was heartbreaking. But his has triumphed over his demons for a while now and has come back with vengeance taking on amazing role of Iron Man were his performance was brilliant. Tropic Thunder was a crazy comedy but Downey’s roll was the one that really took on a maturity to perform correctly. He once again pulled it off. Sherlock Holmes was also a fantastic fit for him, he chooses his roles well. I am really excited about Iron Man 2 coming out and I sure hope that he can continue to hold his life in his own hands.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mindy and Ryan had recently become engaged and were busy planning their wedding and reception services. They had known for a long time where they wanted to take their honeymoon, which not surprisingly was Greece. During this time Ryan found out he would need to spend a week and half in Singapore for an important business meeting. While he generally enjoyed traveling for work, this just felt like an unfortunate time to do so. But being a person who always tried to make the best of things, he decided to ask Mindy to go with him and make a vacation out of. While they were there Mindy spent time in Pasir Ris Park and also Fort Canning Green. She loved great outdoor spaces and thought this was the perfect thing to do while Ryan was in his meetings.

She loved the spice garden she found at Fort Canning and thought the park was beautiful and rich in historical significance. She thought about her wedding as she sat and listened to a distant concert. Maybe she and Ryan should get married outside in a park, she thought. The next day at Pasir Ris she appreciated the bike rental services and took a bike tour of the park. She loved the water and throngs of people enjoying themselves throughout the park. After she was finished riding she stopped to watch the people who were fishing in the lake. Again, Mindy was thinking about the wedding and decided to mention the idea of a park service to Ryan.

Later that evening she and Ryan went to a performance to the Esplanade Theatre by the Bay. After it was over Ryan mentioned how much he loved Singapore and wished they could stay longer. Mindy brought up her experiences as the park and suddenly both of them had the same idea. They should enjoy a wedding Singapore style. They loved this idea but decided it would be too difficult to accommodate all of the guests. Later that night as they were sitting in a small café enjoying a cup of tea and a biscuit Ryan suggested they think about changing their honeymoon location to Singapore. Mindy immediately agreed with the idea and had wanted to bring it up herself.

So you are a manager of a Baltimore plumbing company, you take a few days off, and wonder what can be done in the city with your family.  There are so many choices and what you should wonder is not what there is to do, but what you feel like doing.  Many of the activities take place around the city’s Inner Harbor, which in and of itself is a great place to spend some, unwind and relax, and have a lot of fun.

The Broadway Market is a great place to have a meal, or a great place to go to buy the produce to make your own meal at home.  Along with fruits and vegetables, you will find arts and crafts from local artists and entertainment provided by live, local musicians.  This is one of the oldest farmers markets that is still serving the people of Baltimore and it is located in the historic and very charming neighborhood of Fells Point.

The Baltimore Museum of Art is located near by and offers not only many traveling exhibits and events, but it is also free, each day, for everyone.  This is just one of the missions of the museum, to make art accessible to everyone.  Another free activity is to take a walk along the streets of Antique Row.  The shops are filled with everything from old books and stamps, to coins and curious objects, all illustrating the rich and extensive history of the city.

Little Italy is a great place to find some of the oldest produce stores, all family owned, and to find those families playing a bit of bocce ball in the park on Stiles Street.  Although be careful, you may be pulled into a game or two.  Another great walk to take is through the Cross Street Market. Again, this is another market that is steeped in history.  Located on Federal Hill, there are seafood restaurants and great pubs to grab a beer and some sushi, but you don’t need to spend money to have fun.

Just grab a bench on the street and check out the entertainment and the flavor of this historical neighborhood.  Baltimore has what every great walking city has, and that is fun and activity on the street corners, so even if you are working on a budget, there are many things to do in your free time, making this one of the best cities in the country.

Dubai is a diverse country, it’s in the hub of Eurasia and it’s drawing people from all over both continents. I’m staying at The American University in Dubai and they seem to be keeping up with the demographics, at least that’s what they say. I’m beginning to find out that they only represent the elite, the very elite, while the city itself has both extremes: the wealthy in search of paradise and the poor eager to eke out a better life for themselves and their families. Students from all around the world have enrolled here and Iran is nicely being represented, as well as the Gulf Arabs. The Nigerian contingent is sizable and then a smattering of Americans and a host of other nationalities.

I can pass for anything, for example, when in Greece, I get mistaken for a local all the time. I’ve been told I look Egyptian, Romanian, even Arabian. I was once asked by my editor if my family was from France, because he thought I looked French. I can’t pass for an African or an Asian, but during my travels, I have been mistaken for many other nationalities or ethnic groups. One time I was waiting in the lobby of a 4 star hotel Dubai, waiting for a visiting friend to check in and the hotel staff mistook me for some international hotshot, and gave me a free complimentary drink and a newspaper!  I’ve been thought to be Uzbek and even German.

Iranian women are considered to be very beautiful, so it’s a compliment when I’m mistaken for Iranian. But, here in Dubai, it’s an insult to be thought of as a Russian, because most people in Dubai think Russians are duplicitous. I was insulted at a Baskin Robbins when this Iranian man asked if I was Russian, he was hoping for something illicit, so I just gave him a rude stare and told him I was American.