Archive for June, 2010
South Street Seaport Offers the Best Shopping in Manhattan
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June 28th, 2010 >> Travel
Manhattan, located in the United States of American, is not only New York’s major commercial, financial and cultural center, but the worlds as well. In addition, it’s a shopping mecca, which attracts hundreds of thousands of international tourists each year, and it’s not just the famous shops on Madison Avenue, Fifth Avenue or Park Avenue, it’s also the shopping at the South Street Seaport , located at 12 Fulton Street. South Street Seaport, which dates back to the 1600s was re-invented to become a great place to go shopping with great views of the East River and the Brooklyn Bridge.
The mall is divided into 3 sections; one based in the original home of New York City’s fish market, another at Pier 17 that is along the water, and the third section is in the Fulton Market building near South Street, which is teeming with activities, a maritime museum, some of the best hotels Manhattan USA provides, dining and of course plenty of shopping.
This is a great place for any tourist to wander around aimlessly with their family, friends or going it solo. The South Street Seaport can get somewhat crowded, but that only makes for a great opportunity for people watching. Before you reach the 3 main sections, there are many stores and kiosks selling various items and souvenirs; stop by the smoothies stand on the 3rd floor, you won’t regret it, very satisfying.
Weekends at the Seaport, you will find many street performers that will amaze you with some very amusing entertainment, especially while you eat Al-fresco at one of the many outdoor restaurants. Also, during the summer months you can buy tickets for the speedboat and take a festive, fun and fabulous cruise around the harbor. South Street Seaport is easy to get to taking the train to Fulton Street. Plan to spend the entire day and evening, because there’s that much to see, do and shop. Visiting the Seaport is the best way to see a different and unique part of Manhattan.
New York is well known for having the best of almost everything in one of its five boroughs. So it is only natural that it also boasts having the best food in the world and this can be supported not only by the top chefs who chose to make this their home but also by the amount of satisfied customers the various restaurants have. Regardless of the specific reason you may be visiting New York, you will have to eat while you are there, so you might as well enjoy some of the best. Interestingly, one of the top choices of food for people who are visiting the city is Italian, and yes, New York knows how to cook and serve Italian food.
Some of the best restaurants New York City are those that serve Italian food and many of them are family owned and operated and also have been in the same family for decades. This is just part of the overall culture of the city and it is extremely common to see family owned and operated for various numbers of years on many of the restaurants. And while in some cities and towns across the nation this might be an extremely rare and impressive aspect, in New York it’s as common as seeing take out available in the window.
So, what are the best Italian food restaurants in the city? Well, that’s an extremely subjective conclusion to reach and everyone has their own taste, including critics. However, it is popular to determine the most popular ones, and here are few of those.
Babbo is recognized as the new Italian in the West Village and is extremely popular with locals. Esca on 43rd Street serves some of the best southern Italian food in the city. The crab and grilled octopus are some of the menu favorites and it is known for its fresh fish. Felidia Ristorante is known for more than the great atmosphere and quality of its food. It is run by the woman who taught Julia Child. And a short survey of New York’s Italian food wouldn’t be complete without a stop in Little Italy. Da Nico Ristorante is a favorite with locals and tourists alike. The grilled lobster is one of their specialties and they now have an outdoor garden for seating.
What makes a great beach great? It seems like an easy enough question, but then the variables start to come into play. The width and accessibility certainly do matter, because it’s never been a very good idea to climb down a very rocky slope to a small section of sand, only to discover that the waves are large and fast enough to climb the rocks much faster than people can. There are also factors that make it more comfortable and welcoming to human beings, things like softness of the sand, texture, warmth of the water, and the amount of sun.
There are at least a dozen things that come readily to mind on this track, and Dr. Beach has 50 that he works with. It’s all right that he is way ahead of the game over everyone else, because he is a doctor, after all. He actually is, and his name is Stephen P Leatherman and he works at Florida International University. His main focus of study happens to be the effects of natural disasters on the amount of erosion happening on beaches all around the world, and he’s been doing it long enough that he’s become something of an expert.
Some might say, The Expert, and being an expert on beaches makes him probably the coolest and the luckiest guy in the world. The list varies year to year, and last year, Hanalei Beach made it to the very top of his list, helping to attract people, certainly, to the wonderful hotels Hanalei has to offer.
It’s rather fascinating how the whole thing got started. Someone from a magazine saw his credentials and called him one day and asked him for his opinion of the best 10 beaches in the world. Leatherman named 10 off the top of his head, then went on a trip that took him unwittingly into the Tiananman Square moment of history. He’d forgotten about the list, and when he returned, it was published, and he was hounded with questions about why other beaches didn’t make the list. So he decided to put together a list of 50 criteria that would determine what makes a great beach, and every since, he’s been Dr. Beach. Busy, lucky man.
It’s that time again! Known as the seat of Sonoma, Santa Rosa will be once again hosting the Sonoma County Fair . Beginning July 27th to August 8, 2010, located at 1350 Bennett Valley Road, in lovely Santa Rosa. Enjoy 2 whole weeks of fun, with rides, midway games, an underwater floral extravaganza, shows and most of all plenty of delicious food!
The County Fair began in 1936, and over the past 70 years the Fair has grown exponentially to become one of the most popular in the entire state of California, mainly due to its top quality horse racing, an exquisite flower show, and innovating family entertainment. The Fairs commitment to showcase a wealth of educational support for the Santa Rosa and the surrounding community’s agricultural youth programs.
You’ll definitely want to make reservations at any of the local hotels Santa Rosa provides its visitors just for this annual event. Here are some reasons why: The Fair has two weeks of headline entertainment such as the 30th Annual Sonoma County Blues Festival, beginning July 31st – showcasing the best in Blues from around the country; the Singing Sensations Contest, where first prize takes home $1000, so if you’ve been sitting home, watching all the talent shows like ‘America’s Got Talent’, and you keep saying to yourself, ‘I can do that!’, then the Singing Sensations Contest’ is you chance to stand up and be noticed; the largest flower show in the United States will showcase the region’s best garden designers, both amateur and professional; the Fair’s Livestock Area is not only amazing, but interactive and educational, there’s something for everyone, and offers a unique opportunity to experience first-hand the agricultural abundance of the Santa Rosa area; and Farmers Day, on July 31st is where the whole family can enjoy an afternoon of barnyard events that are sometimes fast, sometimes hilarious and always educational.
In addition to the above traditional events, 2010′s Fair will top-off last years with these new attractions: Splash Dog, get your dog ready to compete in one of the fastest-growing sports in the country – dock jumping. There’s no better fun for water-loving dogs and their owners, it’s even more fun for the audience. Acro-Cats! – These fantastic, amazing felines will amuse you as they walk the high-wire, ride skateboards, and run a cat sized agility course. The Great Grape Drop – which is a collective effort by fair-goers to catch more grapes than anyone has ever caught before, but the catch is that the grapes are dropped from more than 50 feet up. Pirate’s Parrots – in the Livestock area, there will be a pirate ship run aground and a pirate and his flock of free-flying parrots present your with a fun show.
There’s way more the County Fair offers than what’s listed here, but as you can see, you’ll need to stay in Santa Rosa for more than one day, especially if you’d like to visit the vineyards and wineries on top of attending the County Fair.
There are stories that speak to a large community of world citizens, speaking of global concerns, and themes that seem to run through most places in most times. There are also smaller stories, ones that are more particular, and aimed at representing a small corner of reality where the light rarely reaches. In the best cases, in the best works of art, both things are possible at once, but it’s a very delicate balance.
Yet this is exactly what The Lyric Stage Company of Boston has set out to do, and after more than 35 years, they’ve gotten very successful at this. The mission is to produce provocative works and to give employment opportunities to the very talented theater community in the Boston area, and they’ve also been very good at fulfilling this mission as well. In 1990, a capitol campaign allowed them to move to their current space, and this suggests that they’ve both come a long way, but also stayed true to their original vision of 1974.
There are many cities that can tempt a visitor to come stay at the five star hotel. Boston is uniquely tempting, because its cultural scene is so very strong and interesting, and the city itself is a kind of living history of the country at large. It’s every bit as vibrant as it ever was, and perhaps even more so as the years begin to inform and influence the present, demanding the very best of the artists that live here right now.
Their current season offers some wonderful work that appeals to a very broad audience, as well as to those with specific interests, featuring musicals, dramas and comedies. And last season’s work, which featured Joan Didion ‘s book adapted for the stage, was a meditation of mortality that was enormously fitting for a Boston crowd, reminding us that grief is absolutely universal.
Sure you can find great jazz and blues in New Orleans. I didn’t realize you had to ask. And it’s also true that you can find great Cajun, Creole and other traditional southern food in this great city. And in addition, there are numerous other great cultural attractions and establishments that contribute to the atmosphere and society of New Orleans though they may not be part of the above mentioned symbolic staples of the city. So, where to you go when you visit New Orleans, in addition to the great live music clubs? That’s a great question and I’m glad you asked. Experiencing some of the city’s live music is a must for the guests in some of the luxury hotels New Orleans , though will make your trip that much more incredible if you visit some of the other top cultural establishments while you are there.
The New Orleans Museum of Art is one of the great cultural establishments of the city. It has an ongoing mission of inspiring love for art and creating an awareness and appreciation for it in younger generations. Education and a public dialogue are also strong elements in its purpose and this is evident in the great exhibits it presents as well as its permanent collection and extra events. Included among its features is a beautiful sculpture garden, which welcomes the public to enjoy a stroll through.
The New Orleans Opera is another great establishment that promotes excellence in the field and inspires a great sense of appreciation in the community and audience while also providing high quality production entertainment. In addition to its strong mission of providing the best operatic productions it can, the company has a major purpose of creating performances that might the highest caliber of artistic expression. The 2020 season will include a production of Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess and Mozart’s The Magic Flute among others. These are just a few of the great cultural establishments and entertainment options available in New Orleans and the city is full of additional others.
While it is true that there are some door to door sales companies that are worth their weight in gold, there are still others out there that are scammers. It is not because the model of door to door sales itself is broken, but rather because it is easy to exploit. That is why companies that are using it as a legitimate business model should be rewarded even more. It is also why all salespeople who come to your door this summer should be looked into before buying from them.
Some things that may want to be considered before buying from a company is finding out what sort of conditions the salespeople are subjected to. There is of course no easy way to live as a traveling salesperson, even if it is just for the summer. Either you rent a place or you find a host family who is willing to take you in. It is when things get ugly that someone should be careful of buying from them. Many younger salespeople are picked on worse than the older sales people. Make sure that the money you are giving them will go directly to them. They should be buying from the manufacturer and selling to you, you should not be giving your money to the manufacturer. The reason for this is that many companies will hire on young salespeople , tell them to have people make checks out to the parent company and then withhold funds from them. If your area requires solicitation permits make sure that each salesperson who you consider buying from has one. Many young people get swept up in the sales, are given no sales training and not told how to deal with the laws that require them to be legitimate and investigatable by the government. For some young people who are runaways this is intentional, but for many others it is simply the company’s negligence. Companies like Southwestern Company have spent a large amount of time teaching their salespeople the right way to handle these laws and the best way to go about starting selling in a new area. Southwestern also gives their salespeople tools so that they are easily identifiable as being legitimate student sellers and not scammers.
All of this is not to say not to buy from door to door salespeople. It is actually quite the opposite. If they are legitimate, like Southwestern Company , and they have a product you want this is a great way to buy a good quality product. Often times they are products that you could not get otherwise and can be very useful.
If you happen to be visiting Tuscaloosa, and start to wonder about why you’re hearing so much about Druid City, don’t go looking too hard to find it. Tuscaloosa is a gorgeous town, offering all the charm that the South can muster, with a rather sparkly cosmopolitan sheen, along with a top university that brings in new waves of culture all the time. Druid City isn’t far, because it’s actually right here, just another name for the same place.
Often when people hear the name, they might remember that the Druids are the mystic sect from Ireland who wore lots of white and spent a suspicious amount of time outdoors talking to trees. Some might think they’re gone from the world, but they’re still here, although it might not be easy to find them here. You can find the oak trees though, and the name is evidence that there were descendants of Druids living here at one time. Now what’s around is an echo of the culture that comes down through generations in music, and some of the best of the local sounds can be heard at the Druid City Arts Festival .
This is a one-day event in the spring where bands like Kate Taylor, Blaine Duncan and the Lookers, and Kadesh and the Perfect Strangers play on multiple stages from 2pm-9pm, and it’s free to the public. You can purchase an after hours wristband for only five bucks, if you’d like the party to go on into the deeper part of the night. There are plenty of people willing to join you, too, as it’s part of the campus’ favorite things to do. This is just another great reason to visit, because even apart from the great hotels, Tuscaloosa offers lovely entertainments that can make the time here memorable and lots of fun.
Dealing with car repair issues is no simple task and causes stress and anxiety to people from all across the country. However, the subject recently came up and I was reminded of a situation with a friend of mine, many years ago. She was an incredible person who was raising three children on her own after the unexpected death of her husband, and while she was doing this she was also finishing her master’s degree and working full-time. Needless to say she was also struggling financially and didn’t have a lot of resources for unexpected crisis and various situations.
I was taking oboe classes at the time and my instructor offered me a couple of comp tickets to a local orchestra performances and I asked my friend if she wanted to go. We took her truck and on the way home the engine suddenly started to overheat. We pulled over into a parking lot and I felt bad that she was going to have a major repair bill to deal with. However, instead of calling a roadside assistance, she hoped out of the car, opened the hood, stared at it for a moment and then suggested we walk to my house. I wasn’t sure what she planned but since I only lived two blocks away that’s what we did. Meanwhile, she gabbed her purse and Ford Expedition repair manual out of the glove compartment box and we left.
After we got my car we went to a Pep Boys were my friend picked out some parts and items I had never heard of nor had any idea what they were for. We drove back to her truck and she single handled replaced a broken water hose using the information provided in one of the auto service manuals . I watched amazed and a bit dumbfounded and when she was finished I asked her how she learned to do all of that. She told me she had to learn it herself having experienced multiple breakdowns and no money in recent years. She said that you simply did what you had to do in life and she didn’t have any choice but to do it herself so she did. And she said her only help came from her repair manual, which had become one of the most important possessions she owned.