San Diego and Shamu at Sunset

Think of San Diego and you think of ‘Sea World’ . A place where adults can play like kids and where kid’s just play. Sea World allows you to get close enough to touch a dolphin’s fin, connect with all the sea’s creatures, stare directly into a shark’s eye up close, safely behind glass and of course experience the spectacular show featuring Shamu the Killer Whale.

Dive in and be surrounded by the wonderful sights and sounds of the sea. As you enter the park, you’re handed a schedule and it’s best to take a moment to pick out the shows you want to catch; don’t worry about missing any, there’s plenty of time to see them all. You and you children will love the opportunity to feed fresh fish to the sea lions or pet the slimy creatures living in an actual tide pool.

The Wild Arctic attraction is worth a visit, which takes you on a simulated helicopter ride over snow-capped mountains. After the ride, you’ll get to see polar bears and walruses up close with only a glass barrier separating you from them; you’ll be glad too, because the sheer size of these amazing animals is astounding.

If you don’t have children, after visiting Sea World, check out the Budweiser Beer School, located near the entrance of the park. There’s a place serving free samples of all the various types of beer that Anheuser-Busch make. After attending the beer school and receiving a diploma, that’s when it’s a great time to head back to the park and watch the sunset Shamu show. There’s nothing more beautiful than seeing this magnificent whale jump up out of the water just as the sun is setting. What a perfect way to end a day and head back to your San Diego luxury hotel .

Posted on July 19th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments »

Where Do Boston Indie Rock Stars Go?

Boston was a different place in 1985. Musically, this was an interesting time to be living here, where groups were starting to form, and some informal relationships between musicians were just starting to take hold. That was certainly the case for Big Dipper , who came into the scene as fragments of previous bands, looking to create something new. That was one of the more exciting things about the scene, because everyone wanted to hear, and play, something different.

It was still close enough to the tail end of disco to understand that some of the mistakes of history should not be repeated, and the first wave of punk was already too far past. Youth is as youth does, and there were enough young artists here who were frustrated enough to make something different.

The indie music scene’s origins can’t be attributed to Boston, but it certainly was a big thing here, and perhaps The Next Big Thing. It’s a difficult position to be in, however, because the indie sense is against fame before it happens. Sometimes, the best that these groups can hope for is a chance to strut their stuff in a reunion, which The Big Dippers had in 2008 .

Locals and visitors staying in Boston’s hotels can find traces of the band in the new indie music, which has a growing momentum, that suggests that history does indeed repeat itself. And the aging musicians now have families and jobs in other fields, but are still close by, enjoying the city, and wondering how to make something different.

Posted on July 17th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments »

What You Need For Boat Building

There are a number of reasons that people get into building boats . It often starts as something that they do for fun and eventually turns into something that they do for profit, although it sometimes goes in the other direction. There are not a lot of boat builders out there who do not also love boats in their own right. The first thing you generally need to do is build the frame. This is one of the hardest parts. After that the main thing you will need is to start bending the wood in the right place so that when it goes onto the boat, the boat can glide through the water.

How big a boat you decide to build is up to you, but the more complex it is the more parts you will need. For example, if you decide that you are building more than just a small row boat, you will want to put a motor on it. That is when you will want to decide to start looking at Yamaha Outboard Parts . This is a great motor, and it can be even better if you build it yourself, and keep some extra parts for repair in the future.

Posted on July 15th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments »

Discovering Miami

Miami Historic Tours guided by Dr. Paul George, the historian for history Miami, are the best guided tours in the city. For 2 decades, Dr. George’s tours are renowned with all the local, national and international travel industries, mainly due to his continuing series of historic tours. Dr. George is a Florida native, author and Miami Dade college professor who has an uncanny ability to recall the most outstanding details concerning the people and the places that make Miami so unique. Hopefully, you’ll get to play, Dr. George’s ‘South Florida History Challenge’, a Jeopardy-style game.

Another long-time resident of the Miami area is Frank Schena, conducts eco-history tours, where he blends his expertise about South Florida’s natural environment and its population with his lively manner to make for one memorable tour.

The Historical Museum of Southern Florida tours also include tours of Coconut Grove, Little Havana, Miami’s Historic Churches and the ever popular 2 1/2 hour tour of the Miami Cemetery. You’ll be able to stroll through a cigar factory in Little Havana, stand before Al Capone’s home or explore a Dominican market. The Historical Museum is located at 101 West Flagler Street These Miami city tours can be private groups tours by customized boat, coach, walking or biking.

Make reservations today at any of the 4 star hotels Miami city offers, then delve into and discover hidden secrets and neighborhoods you never knew existed.

Posted on July 13th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments »

Sex Crimes Against Minors are the Worst Kind

If there is one types of person in jail who is the most likely to be beaten up and taken advantage of, it is the person who goes to prison for sex with a minor. This is because although they are all criminals in there it is often thought of as being the one place that most of them will not go. Taking advantage of kids is wrong no matter what part of our society you are in, and in cases like this it is punished not just in the world outside of the prison cell, but also inside. For this reason it is pretty scary to think of getting charges with this without actually being guilty of it.

While there are those who would never want to admit to it, some girls have made it through high-school classes with good grades because of suggestions or even threats to teachers. It is particularly scary for a teacher to be accused of raping one of their students. They do not even have to be convicted of rape in order to have their job, reputation, and even family taken away from them.

Although the accusation can be one of the hardest things to shake, it will be made harder if they are convicted of the crime. This is why anyone who is being accused of sex with a minor, or even molestation should find themselves a good sex crimes lawyer. Arizona and many other states will keep records of sex crime offenders who are living in that state, so it is important to know that if convicted, the offender’s name goes out on the internet for all to see what they were convicted of.

Most of this can be avoided by handling kids with care. Not getting too close to them, or hugging them, things like that. If there are cameras in the areas with the kids, staying where the cameras can see you will give some evidence as to innocence if there is an accusation.

Posted on June 30th, 2010 by admin  |  1 Comment »

Great Restaurants in NY

One of the big attractions of the city of New York are the restaurants. The competition is tough and the people of the city know what they do and don’t like so that means there are many places to get amazing food. New York is also a great melting pot of immigrants who have brought their traditional cooking to the city and had the locals fall in love with it.  

For some nice contemporary American cuisine and wonderful wines get a reservation at the Gramercy Tavern The restaurant is very elegant in atmosphere and presentation. The dishes are fresh and the menu changes on a daily basis. The ingredient is very fresh and high quality and they put them together so perfectly. Your new york city hotel room won’t be serving you anything like this.  

Nobu has a couple of restaurants in the area and they are a fantastic Asian, Japanese style restaurant. Nobu 57 is a great uptown New York location that opened in 2005 and has been doing very well. This is the Japanese cuisine hot spot for some of the local stars. In fact, Robert De Niro is a part owner in this restaurant. They offer up some classic dishes as well as some new twists on the cuisine. It has two levels of tranquil flow with abalone shell chandeliers and terrazzo tiles. The furniture is made with Japanese quilt fabric and are comfortable to relax in. Enjoy cool, hot and raw dishes of all sorts of fish and a few meats. It is all very fresh.  

For a great Greek meal get a table at Molyvos . This is a Greek all the way from the decor to the dishes you will feel like you are in Greece for the evening. Chef Jim Botsacos knows how to serve his guests something fresh and tasty for dinner. He has many classic Greek dishes and they have a pre theatre menu for those looking to eat before catching a show. You will be pleased.

Posted on June 27th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments »

Marjorie Barrick Museum in Las Vegas

Minutes away from the Vegas Strip, you’ll find a few hours of calm and relaxation at the Marjorie Barrick Museum , located on the University of Nevada Las Vegas campus, between Wright Hall and Lied Library.

Marjorie Barrick came to Nevada in 1951 along with her husband, a real estate developer named Edward Barrick, who was part owner of various casinos, including the Flamingo. She played an essential role in the arts, education and social programs throughout Southern Nevada. While Edward Barrick died in 1979, Marjorie Barrick lived to the age of 90, passing in 2007, leaving behind a rich legacy: She established an endowment at the UNLV, which funds the Barrick Lecture Series, named after her husband. She also was a founding member of the UNLV Foundation Board of Trustees and sat on many community boards, which includes the Nevada Ballet Theatre and the Variety Club. Over her lifetime, she received numerous honors, including “Woman of the Year” from the Nevada Dance Theater in 1999, an honorary doctorate in humane letters in 1985, and the renaming of the UNLV’s natural history museum after her in 1989.

The museum itself, though, was founded in 1969, twenty years prior, and is committed to helping people better understand life in the American Southwest, Mesoamerica, and their environment. The cultural collection at the museum includes materials that date from thousands of years ago to the present, including cultural artifacts from the American Southwest and Latin America. A Pre-Columbian collection began in 1979, ten years after the museum opened, from a gift by Dr. Michael C. and Mannetta Braunstein. Today, there’s a collection of objects from almost every culture of Pre-Columbian Latin America, in addition to Mexican dance masks and retablos (a Latin American devotional painting). You’ll see Guatemalan, Bolivian and Navajo textiles, Paiute and Hopi basketry, as well as Navajo jewelry.

Just outside the museum, you’ll discover a 1.5 acre garden, which features plants that are drought-resistant, seemingly perfect for the climate in Nevada, but which come from Australia, Mexico, the Mediterranean, and South America. Together, the garden and museum may act as a place to get away from the lights, bells and whistles of the Strip, and a place to gather your energy for another round at the excitement of the 4 star hotels in Las Vegas and casinos.

The museum is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. It’s closed state and federal holidays. Cost of admission is free, although there is a suggested contribution of five dollars for adults and two dollars for adults, 62 and older.

Posted on June 25th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments »

Sklar Becoming in Oyster Bay

Oyster Bay is a perfect dream, a collection of villages where one can find urban attractions as well as the idealized version of life close to the water. Distinctively East coast style characterizes the place and the residents, with many ideas of the good life existing in one location. It’s been the home to many interesting individuals, and among them is Nina Danielle Sklar . She, like the place she was born, has been through several changes of identity, revealing that there’s always more than meets the eye, and always more revelations on the way.

She changed her name to Jessica, taking one of her middle names, and then more recently changed her last name to Seinfeld. It wasn’t all that recent, however, but she’s been recognized as being the wife of the wildly successful comedian Jerry Seinfeld since 1999. The two met after she’d just returned from a honeymoon, and sometimes fate plays twisty tricks on people. One moment they are convinced their life has changed, and begun in a new direction, only to find there are even more directions, and more changes.

They’ve been happy together, on all accounts, with children and a life that they’ve managed to keep private. Or at least, as private as such a life could be. She has her own claims to fame, having written a cookbook, Deceptively Delicious , which contains recipes for raising healthy children. The idea is not altogether new, but no good ideas really are, where healthy ingredients are contained in the kinds of foods kids tend to like, such as meatloaf blended with carrot.

This, too, is another example of things being much more complex than they seem, and her life has been a road where those things that lie beneath the surface are essential, and all the ingredients make it worthwhile. Travelers looking to experience a bit of the good life would certainly enjoy looking into the selection of hotels Oyster Bay has to offer. It’s a recipe for a great vacation.

Posted on June 22nd, 2010 by admin  |  1 Comment »

Las Vegas Non Hotel Restaurants

If you are looking for a place to eat in Las Vegas that doesn’t involve walking through a hotel to get to there are plenty of options. Right on the strip, in between the best Vegas hotels you will find a 30 year, city staple with the Peppermill . The Fireside Lounge is on one side and the Restaurant is on the other. It is considered one of the best romantic bars with great staff and the most exotic drinks. It has been seen in a couple of movies, Casino and Showgirls, as well as some Television shows over the years and remains to be a great late night stop. The coffee shop is open twenty four hours and serves up some great food with large portions.  

A little off the strip on Paradise Road you will find a great Tapas kitchen and bar with the Firefly . They have some amazing food and the atmosphere is classy and clubish. They also have live entertainment on occasion with the flamenco dancers, comedians and Latin music. Their drink specialty is the Sangria which is blended and then marinated for three days before they are willing to serve it. They also have a nice wine list, other cocktails and beer.  

If you find yourself way off the strip near the western part of town in Sutherlin you may want to check out the local Flemings Steakhouse and Wine Bar for a fantastic steak and a great glass of wine. They feature some of the best steaks in the business and have a hundred wines by the glass. All of the glass wines can be tasted as a wine flight so you have an opportunity to taste many different kinds of wines with out having to drink a bottle or two by yourself.

Posted on June 19th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments »

Hernan Bas: A Dandy in Miami

The paintings of Miami-based artist Hernan Bas have been characterized as a celebration of another time, where Dandyism and Decadence come together in a contemporary mindscape. Yet there is something about the paintings that speaks to a Miami that is very modern, or perhaps post-modern is a better term for them. Mixing forms is the main attribute of the cutting-edge art since 1970, and he is certainly working along these lines. But there is also another thrust to the work that situates it very elegantly and formally, in a time that is of his own construction.

The figures that haunt most of his paintings are young men who have a certain knack for posing for an imaginary camera , giving the scenes a definite sense of performance of self. This almost serves as a double lens, where the viewer is looking at a painting of a scene that is already captured. In this sense, the formal notions implied in the painting give us a sense of a reality captured already. It moves it quite smoothly into another time, but it is as if the figures were performing the other time, and the aura is one of a remarkably precise present.

This is a very geographic move as well as a philosophical move. It suggests that the social scenes today have resonances with those movements in the past. Miami is a perfect setting for these ideas, because the performance of self in everyday life is part of the way the city moves. From the tourists who enjoy their time at the five star hotels in Miami , to the regulars who frequent its famous clubs, there is an overt delight in being larger than life. The eternal qualities of the beach are fueled by the mechanical sounds of the clubs, making an energy that is entirely human, and entirely present.

Posted on June 17th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments »