Category Archives: Travel

Jun8

Burbank’s Hidden Treasures

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Burbank’s Hidden Treasures

There is more to Burbank, California than just its beautiful airport and industrious television studios; Burbank is a wonderful supporter for the arts and culture community, from one of the best farmer’s markets to live theater to dance, Burbank has much to offer. Plus there is a reason many people fly into Burbank instead of Los Angeles, it’s less expensive and the hotels are as good if not better than hotels in Los Angeles and cheaper. You can say that Burbank is a hidden treasure just a stones-throw away from Hollywood and the City of Los Angeles.

The Downtown Burbank Farmer’s Market happens every Saturday from 8am to 12:30pm, and offers the public fresh fruit, vegetables, organic foods and flowers. Most of the farmers come from Southern California and offer a huge assortment of great products grown and made locally. Located in the parking lot directly behind Burbank’s City Hall Annex on 3rd Street and Orange Grove, there’s plenty of free parking, but you need to get there early, because the best selection of produce and other great products go quickly.

The Colony Theatre , located at 555 N. Third Street, has a live theatre season line-up sure to please anyone. Currently ‘Grace & Glorie’ is being performed right now from June 9 to July 18, 2010. The West Coast Premiere of ‘Free Man of Color’ will be performed August 11 to September 12, 2010. The Colony Theatre has been around since 1975 and was started by a group of young Los Angeles television actors who were missing their theatre roots. Over the years, the theatre evolved from a small local ensemble to a well-established, nationally recognized, award-winning company, known for its high quality productions. The Encyclopedia Britannica Almanac listed The Colony Theatre as one of the 25 Notable US Theater Companies.

Burbank also offers it’s visitors and locals alike one of the best dance centers in California – The Media Dance Center , located at 237 E. Palm. The Media Dance Center is one of the preferred studios with professional dancers, like dancers from ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and it’s home of the Media City Ballet Company. The Ballet Company carries the traditions of Classical Russian Ballet for over 3 generations. The Media Dance Centre offers a variety of dance styles taught by world-renowned teachers.

This is just the tip-of-the-iceberg when it comes to the arts and culture that is to be found in the city of Burbank, check with any of the hotels Burbank
offers its visitors for a complete list of things to do in beautiful downtown Burbank.

May29

Miami Beach Colony Theatre

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Miami Beach Colony Theatre

Miami Beach attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world. People are drawn to the intense energy of the city’s night life, as well as the soothing aura of the ocean and the tides. It’s a fairly heady combination, making for a lovely time filled with lovely experiences. While the usual attractions will likely play a large part of any itinerary, with plenty of trips to the beach, and evenings spent dancing in the fantastic clubs, there is also a great entertainment culture here.

The Colony Theatre is one of the great buildings in town, hosting a wide variety of events. It began as a movie theatre in 1935, as part of Paramount’s chain of cinemas, and today continues to offer an array of spectacles. One can still see films here, and film festivals are still a mainstay of the theatre’s offerings. There are also live performances, with plays, comedy shows, and musical events. It’s had a major refurbishment recently, so that the glory it once had in the old days can come back to life again for the next generation.

Although it may not be indicated on your ticket stub, it’s also reported to be a haunted edifice. There are many haunted places all over Florida , and Miami Beach is no exception. Any city with a little history, and a close proximity to the sea, seems to be a natural setting for good ghost stories. While it may not be on the travel schedule along with gorgeous Miami Beach hotels, it’s still an awful lot of fun to investigate some of these places, within reason.

Here, the theatre stories involve the usual ingredients. People who work late after rehearsals have heard strange footsteps in the space. There is also a very curious story in circulation about a curious spirit dog who roams the halls. People have reported hearing the dog, and some have even seen it, running toward them only to disappear before it reaches them. Any little scare, however, can be washed away again by another trip to the beach, which is always in the plans.

May11

Corsica Chant

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Corsica Chant

This is the place where the cultures come together, and it represents a certain geography of the heart that is always finding its echos somewhere in the mountains far beyond. They are always too unwieldy to pass through on one short stay, and one short stay is usually all that is afforded, unless one decides to invent a Corsica in their dreams.

It would not be the first time such things have happened, because there is a magic here that cannot be found anywhere else. Like the ones who live here, and are from here, to leave here is to carry a hole or a cell in the geographies of the body, murmuring something that sounds like a song for a funeral. There are many voices singing about the magic and the loss, and there are those afternoons when the sounds and the tastes come together again.

Corsica is a dream, is a myth, and is also a place that can be seen and known. Hotels in Corsica will only show one face, but that can also be said for the sea here. It takes multiple occasions to get a sense of the full face, and even the face is polyphonic .

There are ways of making a heart swell to match the power of the water, but none can ever overwhelm it, because the ocean is what brought the people here, and it takes them away when the night comes. The night is a time for things to disappear, and by morning, there is another song of mourning, and another melody that sounds like hope in a forgotten language.

Corsica is not forgotten, is not the past, and is not subject to fading away. It takes a fiery temperament to continue to remember, and memory here is an act that takes many participants, and all of them are silent on the train. But between the hours that separate the night from the day, the ancestors come singing, and this is the time when the music of Corsica finds a way into the bloodstream, and calls for an eternal return.

Apr27

Must-Do Shopping in Manhattan

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Must-Do Shopping in Manhattan

Yes there are several renowned department stores in Manhattan, such as Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York, and Bergdorf Goodman, all making sure New York City lives up to its reputation as the shopping capital, but none of these department stores have anything on Century 21 Department store . Located in the Financial District at 22 Cortlandt Street, between Church and Broadway.

Century 21 is the bargain hunters mecca, a place where they can get their fix of thrills. This store offers name-brand designers at very steep discounts, you can save up to 75% off of Pucci dresses, Gucci suits, Marc Jacobs sweaters, boots and home fashions, but you’ll need to do a bit of trolling. Your best bet is to go early in the morning to avoid the throng of other bargain hunters; check out the often overlooked sections like lingerie or men’s section. You can try to try on the designer clothes you find, but the dressing rooms, which are few and far between, appear to have been designed to deter people from trying anything on, apparently it’s Century 21′s antidote to shoplifting. When you get back to your hotel room to try on your finds and they don’t fit, just take it back, this only gives you another opportunity to find more bargains.

The department store has been around for an impressive 49 years, and is New York City’s best kept secret. It’s a favorite for Wall Street business people on their lunch break, it’s a popular stop for tourists and locals. As with any good name-brand, designer apparel department store, be prepared for crowds , chaos and possible tug-of-war, elbow throwing and hip-checking activities among the racks (it’s fashion worth fighting for), which is a semi-approved behavior because it’s a bargain hunting madhouse; the deals are plentiful and you just might get lucky an find that top-label treasure.

The hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 7:45am to 8pm; Thursdays and Fridays from 7:45am to 8:30pm; Saturdays from 10am to 8pm; and Sunday from 11am to 7pm.

Apr19

Bulls and Explosions on Wall Street

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Bulls and Explosions on Wall Street

Wall Street of New York City, the Financial District neighborhood, with its rich history is a great place to take a walking tour and to grab a bite to eat. Start with the sculpture of the bronze ‘Charging Bull’, made by Arturo Di Modica. The ‘Charging Bull’ has become the icon symbolizing Wall Street. Hotels report most of their guests book rooms at their accommodation just for the purpose of seeing this financial icon. The statue is located in Bowling Green, and not in front of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), where most people think it is located. The police moved it after thousands of complaints that it was blocking traffic in its original location. When you find the bull, you’ll see many visitor posing along side the statue for a snapshot , you might as well get a snapshot of yourself standing next to the bull, but be careful of which end you want to be associated with; the bull is fully endowed.

After taking a few photos, walk northeast to one of the most famous thoroughfares in the entire world, Wall Street. Located at the intersection of Broad Street and Wall Street is ‘The New York Stock Exchange’. NYSE goes back to 1792, where a gathering of brokers met under a buttonwood tree after Alexander Hamilton issued the first bonds in an attempted to raise funds to cover the Revolution debt. Currently, you’ll need to head to a related museum at the Federal Hall National Memorial, because the NYSE isn’t open to visitor.

Across the street of the NYSE is a building at 23 Wall Street, look for the deep craters and pockmarks that were created back in 1920 when a horse-drawn wagon, packed with explosives, detonated in front of the building . The explosion injured over 400 people and killed 30. The responsible party was never arrested because no one claims credit for the attack; it was the worse terrorist attack upon American until the Oklahoma City bombing and then 9/11 terrorist attack.

Trinity Church, located on the far west end of Wall Street, was founded by King William III of England back in 1697. Alexander Hamilton is one of a half-dozen people of note to be buried on Trinity’s grounds.

Mar26

Washington Coming of Age

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Washington Coming of Age

There are probably only a handful of films about Georgetown specifically, compared to the dozens that are set in DC, and none can capture the elusive pains of new adulthood like one particular Brat Pack feature. Watching a movie when you’re at the same age as the characters in the film can be an empowering experience. Of course, this is what Hollywood banks on, and they always seem to bank on viewers being between 18-24 years old.

This is a good bet, because there are always people in that age range, and the strange magic of films makes it so that we only get a six-year window where the stories told up there are really our stories, meant for us. It would be nice to know ahead of time, so we can make sure we pay more attention. There are times, too, when we feel like we’ve fallen completely into their trap, seeing something that reflects us, and we might be easily influenced at the time, enough to accept all the projections we’re being offered.

That kind of conscious assent to image is a key to the power of cinema, and it’s a strange and baffling thing that has complex potential that no one since Godard has cared to explore with any intelligence. It’s certainly not there in St. Elmo’s Fire , the 80s film I’m looking at here, and perhaps that lack of intelligence is what helped us to believe we weren’t being fooled, and instead we were being sung to.

The movie did make me want to go there, to book one of the Washington hotel suites that might get me close enough to their college. I wanted to have drinks with Rob Lowe, hang out with Andrew McCarthy and write angsty poetry, and eventually declare my undying love for Ally Sheedy. There might be time for the last one still, but the other two fell away into a celluloid ideal, whose power lies hidden in the obsessions of a generation.

Mar22

San Antonio Scores Big Points

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San Antonio Scores Big Points

We didn’t have any plans for the three day Presidents’ Day weekend. So, we did a bit of research and found extremely cheap round-trip airline tickets and we found affordable accommodation at this site for two nights, weekend nights! We’ve never been to San Antonio and the weather forecast was sunny, so off we went!

We arrived in the early afternoon on Saturday and found our hotel, which was very close to the Alamo. Since this was a ‘last-minute’ trip, we didn’t have a guidebook, we figured all we needed to do was follow the signs to the Alamo, which we did. While we were there, we asked a few of the tourists what sights they recommend, and we got three different answers.

The Tower of the Americas, which we saw no matter where we were in San Antonio. It’s almost like the Space Needle in Seattle. It has an observation deck atop and a rotating restaurant. It was built for the World’s Fair, just like Seattle did, but San Antonio’s tower has this fantastic 4-D attraction, where the Space Needle does not. Score 1 point for San Antonio!

The Rio San Antonio, which was a thoroughly entertaining tour of the famous Riverwalk, our guide was so very funny, he kept us laughing the for the whole 30-minutes of the tour. This was a great tour, because it allowed us to get a feel about where everything is located in San Antonio. Score 2 points for San Antonio!

The Market Square , which was recommended by the tourist from New York City, is where we had some great Mexican food for dinner. We ordered the Mexicano con huevos with chorizo, and the Green Chili enchiladas. Our meals were served with fresh hot flour and corn tortillas. When our bill came, we were only charged $10! Ding, Ding, Ding! Score three points for San Antonio!

We walked for the most part, but we also took the streetcars, they were very inexpensive and efficient. It only costs $3.75 for the whole day. We only purchased a $1 fare, because the day was almost over. Our last stop for the night was at the Blue Arts Brewing Company. I got to play bartender until an actual customer walked in! Our favorite beer is the Smoked Dark, it’s a Scottish pale ale, and the taste stays with you even after trying another brew or drinking a glass of water. So, I was forced to order a cup of pork green chili soup, now there was a good kick in the behind!

According to our scoring system, San Antonio wins hands down for the best town in Texas, but then, we haven’t been to every city or town…yet!

Mar8

The Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa

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The Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa

Tampa is one of the popular Golf Coast towns of southern Florida and is located along the west coast. Among other things, it is one of the state’s major sports cities and the professional teams are well supported by locals and regional residents. However, there is a distinction between Tampa Bay sports and those of another popular coastal town with professional sports teams, Miami. However, one thing is certain, southern Florida loves its sports and its sports teams. Ask any guest in one of the Tampa hotel rooms and they can testify that there is a love of sports in the area.

Of course that is not all that Tampa is known for, nor the only thing on the residents’ minds. This second largest metropolitan area in the entire state has a great number of cultural attractions and entertainment as well as dining options that keep residents happy and tourists entertained. This also explains why so many people are attracted to this city and enjoy its attractions every year. And of course it doesn’t hurt that the city is also nestled conveniently along the coast and that it has some of Florida’s great beaches along its edge. There are almost too many great and frequently unique aspects of this Florida city to mention in a few paragraphs, though many people have tried as they relate stories of fabulous vacations they have spent there.

In addition to the great beaches, there are numerous parks and recreation areas that are part of the Tampa Bay metropolitan region. Many of these are associated with the beaches though not all of them are and they have some great outdoor activities and attractions. The Lowry Park Zoo is just one of these and it attracts children and adults alike to the interactive exhibits, rides and educational programs. There are over 2000 animals in this environmentally oriented city institution. It continues to remain one of Tampa’s strongest environmental educational icons. So, if you’re planning a trip to Tampa, check out as many things as you can, but don’t miss the parks, beaches and of course the Lowry Park Zoo .

Mar2

Outside of San Francisco

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Outside of San Francisco

If you have spent some time in the San Francisco hotels www.hotelsanfrancisco.com and have experiences much of what the city has to offer you may want to plan some day trips on your next stay in the city. Nothing cures the dull drums of industry conventions like a drive to the near by wine country. Better yet, grab some work friends, get a limo and head to Napa and Sonoma for the day. You won’t ever forget it. There is nothing like driving down any given road in those areas and seeing all the great wineries that you have seen only on labels before. You may want to plan a little ahead so you get a chance to see which wineries are near each other and which ones you are a must see for you. If you head North up highway 29 you will hit some greats like Nickel & Nickel, Cakebread, Sequoia Grove, Saint Supery, and Frogs Leap which have corks that say ribbit. Dare to go even farther up the same road you will get to Merryvale, Freemark Abby and many many more.

Sonoma also has a fantastic group of wineries like Cline Cellars, Chateau St Jean, Buena Vista Carneros Winery, B.R.Cohn, Gloria Ferrer Caves, Schug Carneros Estate, Sebastiani and Valley of the Moon. Oh, the possibilities are endless with wine. You may have to come back for seconds or thirds. Many of these wineries have great tastings of there latest wines as well as gift shops with all sorts of other things like wine accessories, recipes and cookbooks, wonderful appetizers to nibble on and certainly some great wine making stories that end up being half the reason fall in love with a particular winery. So if you are in the bay area don’t miss out on a great opportunity to see the wine country you will love it.

Feb28

Honchie in Dallas

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Honchie in Dallas

The Dallas nightlife scene has never been more interesting, or more appealing.  It’s also never been quite so funny.  In a time where it’s become a trend to take our fun very seriously, turning enjoyable evenings into shows of coolness, where smiling reveals weakness and a laugh is akin to surrendering to some strange order of things, it’s nice to see cracks in the skin of the machine.  Dallas has always seemed poised for this, ready to question how things are done, or how we look at things, in order to make the world safer for the community here.  This is one of the things that makes it such a splendid place to visit, and the hotels in Dallas always offer a graceful entrance into this lively city.

It’s all rather graceful here, in its own way.  There is certainly a local style, and there are local flavors.  In a city this size, there are always plenty of new players on the scene, and this isn’t just true in the nightlife, but can be found in music, art, and standup comedy.  Poised on the edges of all of these is Honchie, one of the rising music groups.  They list their influences as Andy Kaufman, and he singularly added a plurality of dada techniques to live comedy, and changed the way we thought about laughing in public.  There is certainly a similar aesthetic going on here, and it looks like they’ve been at this for some time.

They’ve been compared to Tenacious D, Frank Zappa, and Ween, and these are also apt comparisons.  It’s not that they’re derivative of anything, but they are simply hard to classify, because for one thing, they don’t seem to take themselves very seriously.  In the world of rock, where attitude is everything, this might be bolder than anything Lou Reed ever considered as oppositional.  This is very funny music, where the songs are a collapse of quotations from arena rock, hip hop, funk, pop, and alternative.  The live shows are hilarious send ups of rock tropes mixed with performance art we haven’t seen since the Tubes.  And, they also happen to be pretty fantastic musicians, which makes the joke go on for longer than one line, and, it looks like it might be long enough to sustain a career, if there is any justice.