posted by maggie on Aug 13
Marrakech is a city that embodies the spirit of Morocco . While once it was a bustling caravan town now it draws thousands of tourists and vacationers from all over the world to its exotic, maze like streets. Here alongside well air conditioned buildings you can see bustling marketplaces, crumbling architecture, and a variety of exotic people.
As one explores the streets outside luxurious Marrakech hotels a traveler’s senses can easily be overwhelmed by the smells and sights throughout the city’s many districts. If you find yourself in the famous Djemaa El Fna you might encounter a variety of performers from acrobats and storytellers to the mysterious snake charmer alongside rusty fairground rides as the air is filled with the rich smells of Moroccan foods.
The heat in Marrakech can easily overwhelm a visitor not used to the sun. It might be a good idea to mix in some indoor exploration to take a moment to cool off. The Marrakech Museum is perfect for this; filled with examples of North African art and sculpture you can lose yourself easily in the history of the region for hours before venturing back outside. The city is also filled with a wealth of oasis-like gardens like the Jardin Majorelle where you can stroll through the bamboo thickets, flowers, and date palms.
posted by maggie on Jul 29
It can be extremely difficult to decide what all you want to do and see when you visit Sydney, Australia, but on the brighter side it’s good to know that you can’t go wrong and that you will never run out of options. Exploring this great city is going to offer tourists the most amazing experiences in restaurant dining, incredible cultural attractions, entertainment options and beautiful views. What more could you ask for with a great summer vacation? Maybe you’d like some good shopping opportunities? Well, again there is good news, Sydney has some of the best shopping in all of New South Wales.
Many of the guests in the Sydney hotels will want to spend at least an afternoon exploring the great beaches and coastline extending along Sydney. And after you’ve had your day in the sun you might want to take in one of the diverse offerings at the Sydney Opera House or the Belvoir Street Theatre Company . And if you’re looking for great museums, the city has more than enough and the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Australian Museum are excellent choices for quality permanent collections and great special exhibits. This city offers the best of culture in one of the most beautiful geographic settings possible.
posted by maggie on Jul 23
Miami is one of the hottest cities in the country, and while it definitely gets warm there, the statement relates more to its overall appeal and popularity than to the actual temperature. There is so much to do there that residents never have to wonder beyond their city boundaries for fun and people from all over the world check the hotel rates Miami in order to book a vacation. There are beautiful beaches that offer all sorts of water sport activities and boating experiences. And the night club scene is of almost legendary status.
In addition to these highly publicized major attractions, Miami is full of dynamic cultural attractions such as great museums, quality symphony music and great theatre. From the Actors Playhouse to the Jackie Gleason Theatre, the community takes its arts seriously and is extremely supportive of them. The Planetarium: Miami Space Transit is a great place for families to be both educated and entertained, as well as inspired and thrilled. The Miami Art Museum is another one of the great establishments in the city that has educational programs as well as great art. And the Holocaust Memorial Museum is one of the cultural and history oriented museums and it honors the families and victims of the Holocaust. Miami is a great place to enjoy some fun on the beach and it is also a great place to experience impressive cultural attractions.
posted by maggie on Jul 1
Florida has its share of everything. There are great nightclubs, excellent food, rich and lively entertainment, and some of the world’s best resorts. Florida contains a vast array of all the elements of the human drama, and the human comedy, that make the state an interesting place to live. It’s also an interesting place to visit, and if one happens to accidentally break one Florida’s strange laws , then perhaps pleading ignorance might help. Who could have known that it was illegal to break more than 3 dishes, or chip more than 4 cups or saucers, in a single day?
It’s true that every state has them, and the old laws that are still on the books are a great source of amusement, but they also tell a little bit about the place and its history. Here, where it’s illegal to fish off of a bridge when driving, it isn’t just a simple correction to move people in the direction of common sense. This law shows that there had to be legislation, because at one time it was perceived to be a public problem. It also means that this is a place where people can fish off of public bridges, and that fishing is a big part of the local culture, in the past as well as the present.
There are others, too, that somehow just seem confounding because they’re there. For example, it’s illegal to fall asleep under a hair dryer in a beauty shop, and the owner can be fined. It doesn’t take too long to figure out why this is so, nor does it take long to wonder how it came to be a law. There are others, though, that deserve a lot more digging for their origins. It’s against the law to imitate an animal . Who are the unwilling victims of such a crime? A visit to Florida might provide the answers.
posted by maggie on Jun 22
With some of the loveliest beachfront in the world, it’s not an easy task to wake up angry when visiting Myrtle Beach. 4 star hotels are about as luxurious as life needs to get, and facing so much hospitality and style, and the Atlantic Ocean, there are no good reasons for a bad mood. However, some people are morning people, and some are simply not, so there’s no fighting it when it does come. Good moods or bad moods, they do pass, although, truth be told, it is much easier to wait for a good mood to pass than to try to get out of a bad one. It’s better company for everyone if the mood is good.
On the days where the body decides not to cooperate, and it seems like the mind might not be so sure itself, there are tricks to getting these things to work together again, and in a better frame of mind (and body). This is Myrtle Beach, after all, and it’s the rare chance to get to be in a small town where there are limitless opportunities to relax and enjoy everything. Also, they are used to tourists here, so if one decides to fall asleep at the cafe because they’re so deliciously happy, there’s a good chance it’s happened before.
Wherever a day begins, after bed it should be somewhere with the smell of espresso, and for this, Jacob’s Java is a nice little spot in town. There is the suspected espresso drinks that can jumpstart the interior biology and make the day begin in earnest. It’s a good time to be awake. And once woken, anything that smells as good as fresh-baked bread is worth looking into, but it’s better if one doesn’t have to walk far. Next door is Benjamin’s Bakery and that smell that’s so much like fresh bread turns out to be fresh bread. It’s a fantastic start. And everything is one the verge of getting better, too.
posted by maggie on Jun 14
There are a hundred perfectly reasonable explanations for wanting to pay a visit to Honolulu, any time of year. Its eminence as a major destination for tourists and travelers in the world is well-established. With every passing year, it continues to attract more visitors, drawn by the siren’s call of its precious beaches, and the promise of happy times ahead.
But it is also a place of great learning, where the University hosts some of the most cutting edge and provocative thinkers, artists, and scientists in the world. There are some stunning experiments in the works at any given time, and the island offers a wonderful balance. Scholars can delight in a peace of mind that can only be found in such a lovely setting, but they can also interact with some of the best minds of their generation. Some of these, like Ryuzo Yanagimachi are putting forth theories and experiments that can be reproduced in other places, under the same conditions, and that’s tantamount to a breakthrough.
Some lovers of science and technology are familiar with the new cloning technologies, but it might be news to discover that one of the most promising comes from Dr. Yanagimichi, and is even called the Honolulu Method named for the place he developed it. He conceived of a way to take the DNA out of the nucleus of a mouse, and to inject it into another cell to replace its DNA.
The method has proven to be very elegant and successful, and has brought him enormous attention, and secured his place in the history of biological sciences. So, while many travelers are drawn to the Honolulu best hotels for the chance to escape from it all, there is also the possibility of meeting up with some of these exciting visionaries, who are helping to create a better world, here and everywhere.
posted by maggie on Jun 11
Washington DC makes everyone think of a few specific places and things, Senators, the White House, national monuments, these are just a few of the many things that go into making the country run well and DC is the center for all of this. However Washington DC doesn’t have to be about all of those things. A trip here can be about more than just history and government. Between the sightseeing make a little time out for some free fun.
If you are there on a weekend check out Saturday Morning at the National. It is a free performance series at the National Theater . Shows range from puppet shows to ballet and a lot in between. It is first come first serve however and the tickets are handed out thirty minutes prior to the show time. Some people will get there as much as an hour before that though, so if you want to check out that week’s show make sure to get there early.
If you can hand drum, or just like listening to drumming circles go out to Meridian Hill Park on Sundays between three and nine in the afternoon. Not only is there a drumming circle that offers to let anyone come in and join them but there is also African dancing to watch. There is no charge and they have been meeting here regularly for over forty years so it is a pretty sure fire bet that they will be there if you show up.
The National Museum of the American Indian offers free storytelling, music, dance festivals and more occur regularly. You would have to check their programming schedule to find out when you can get in and see one, but they are always put on by Native Americans and have some kind of significance to the tribe that is putting them on.
In between some of this you will need to go back to your boutique hotel. DC has a lot to offer and trying to take it all in at once is tiring. If any of these events are not close to your hotel, remember that the preferred method of travel in this city is the subway and it will get you around quicker than most ways of traveling the surface streets. And you can always consult a travel directory for even more fun-filled ideas.
posted by maggie on Jun 4
Moving can be hard. It tends to be harder the farther away you move and the more stuff that is going on the move. In such a case one person moving with only enough stuff to fit in the back of a car moving down the street is of course a lot easier than four people moving with a twenty foot moving van full of stuff across state lines. It stands to reason then that it gets even harder when the move is across national borders . Here are a few things to have planned out ahead of time when getting ready to take this move.
Choose a great property management company to help choose the right place to live. This can be hard, but looking around at the news, websites and finding out what property managers are exceptional in the areas of interest. If this doesn’t work, asking a friend who lives in the area may be another way to go to get some help. Once a place to live is secured, make sure that the utilities are turned on before arriving and that the place will be livable. If possible get the property management service to do this allowing a little ease for the move. There is nothing worse than arriving in a new country and having no place to live, or a place that is currently unlivable.
Consider foreign exchange fluctuations and know that some days money will be better or worse for the duration of the move. When money is due for utilities, or when looking at job offers, know that the exact money is not the same between the two countries, even places like Canada and the United States have different currency rates. Making sure that the amount of money is very important and can be the difference between late fees, no house, no car, or too little pay and the lifestyle that could otherwise be had in a new place.
posted by maggie on May 9
Hawaii is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, and it’s no surprise that it draws visitors year after year. People come to escape the noise of the city, to embrace the call of the sea, and to enjoy all of the plentiful things that the islands have to offer. It’s been a major tourist site for many years now, and over time, people have been waking up to the island’s delicate ecosystem, and learning how to tread lightly here.
There are plenty of places to go where one can stay on the beaten path, because that’s the best thing that guests can do to respect the beauty that is here. Magnificent views are to be had all over Hawaii, from the splendor of Lanai to the charms of the small towns, where having an agenda is entirely optional. Taking it easy always seems to be the preferred activity of tourists, and there are plenty of possibilities for that here.
A cruise to Hawaii can be an event of a lifetime, where the culture on the ship becomes as interesting as the culture on the land, and there are opportunities for fun activities and wonderful island explorations. Anyone visiting here will discover that there are a wide variety of flora and fauna, and it’s a very unusual place in this regard. Hawaii is one of the places with the most endemic species, which means that there are creatures and plants here that don’t exist anywhere else.
There are, for example, caterpillars that eat snails , an evolutionary move that has scientists very interested. They lay in wait for the snail to sleep, then cover it with silk, and eat the snail to use its shell as protection for itself later. An on the Big Island , people might learn about the wide variety of snails here. There were once dozens, and now there are very few, and most of these are in danger of becoming extinct. In Oahu, there are Hawaiian tree snails , which have developed over a long period of time. It’s important to get to know about the species, and their endangered status is one more reason to walk with attention here, so that the next generations can also appreciate what’s here.
posted by maggie on Apr 30
New York is a place that veers back and forth between being a city with its fingers on the pulse of world culture and being that very same pulse. There are many ways to mark work that makes a deep impression, such as art criticism, reviews, and other ways of drawing attention through critical means. There are also ways of presenting raves and beefs, such as blogging, postings on social networking sites, or by artists quoting other artists in their work. The last draws on the great jazz tradition of signifying, which was the beginning of contemporary remixing and sampling.
Perhaps one of the most genuine means of drawing attention to a work that is significant, however, is to start something that is built to show the work itself. When curators and gallery owners begin from this impulse, then the greatest works of culture in the world have a chance to see the light of day, and the bar is suddenly raised for everyone. It is to this impulse that the Wooster Collective owes its birth, and it seems to be one of the rare organizations that has been able to withstand the test of time and remain delightfully and gracefully unorganized.
Visitors to the city, staying in a local New York cheap hotel looking for signs of life would do well to see what might be happening here. Their 11 Spring Street project in 2006 is still a stunning contribution to the world of art at large. The group’s work, centered on bringing attention to ephemeral art in general and street art in particular, has a particular force and weight here.
In this city, at this point in history, when the art market has decided almost unilaterally to forego innovation in favor of playing to the market itself, these kinds of focuses are invaluable. It also points out the fact that there is a great undercurrent of spontaneous artistic activity spawned by those great artists who are flying under the wire. It’s a marvelous time to fly.