Jun
25
On the second Friday of every month in Bethesda, Maryland, art lovers may participate in the city’s Art Walk, where the downtown Bethesda galleries and studios open up to the public from six to nine in the evening, a perfect time to take a stroll. The art available is a varied collection of painting, photography, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, and mixed media. And, if you don’t quite feel like walking from the Bethesda hotels , then it’s an easy thing to hop onto the Bethesda Circulator , a free trolley service (once known as the Bethesda 8 Trolley), which even stops at the Bethesda Metro station.
Only a block away from the metro station, you’ll discover the Waverly Street Gallery , one of 14 galleries that participate with changing exhibits and artists who are showcased specifically for this event. In particular, the Waverly Street Gallery is recognized in the DC area for its contemporary and traditional art, as well as its quality and affordability. Not only does the gallery services include workshops and artist talks, but it also presents new exhibitions of its artists each month, with a reception scheduled for the second Friday of the month to match up with the Bethesda Art Walk. The gallery has been in its present location since 1993, when the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County wanted an organization to take over this downtown art space. Originally, this venue was known as Arts Alive, then Creative Partners Gallery, and now Waverly Street Gallery, expanding from its original dozen members to more than twenty artists.
Other galleries that are a part of the tour include Creative Partners Gallery, Discovery Galleries, Ltd., Discovery Too, Fraser Gallery, Gallery Frame Avenue, Gallery Neptune, and the Washington School of Photography. Galleries not part of the guided tour, but still available in Bethesda, include Framer McGee’s Gallery, Lightwave, Moriah Gallery, and Orchard Gallery, Art & Framing.
Jun
19
Finally, you have gotten away from the daily grind of your home town and are checked into a great hotel in Texas. You weathered the traveling storm of stressful security searches and cramped seating. You may have even spent way to much for a stale airline sandwich. But now you can relax. You may even be tempted to check into the hotel and then stay there for the whole vacation with the HBO channel and room service. Don’t do it. You have made it to Laredo Texas and there are some interesting things to do that will enhance your mood. Get out and renew your spirit with the local attractions.
Take a walk around the Old Mercado. This is a great place to take a walk in a historical area of Laredo. It shouldn’t be to far from the hotels. Laredo has many hotels to choose from located all over the town. If the history sparks your imagination than head over to the old Fort McIntosh and see how this part of the west was won. It is an old fort that as been recently refurbished so that visitors could come and see the local history. The fort was named after General Lachlan McIntosh in 1778. It was the first fort built north of the Ohio River by the army. It was a large headquarters for the branching army in the region. Come see how they fought of the Native Americans and the British from this one fort.
Another great building finished in 1778 was the San Agustin Church . The spiritual life of the early settlers was fighting the fight along the side of the fort. The Native Americans would attack the settlement as a whole and the church would have to repair itself many times. It played a major role in reaching out to the Hispanic community that was hovering near by and aided the injured men of the fort. Always striving to keep the balance of the settlement struggles.
Jun
17
Washington DC is the center of the United State’s political scene, but also a center for the famed Smithsonian Institute, which maintains a system of 19 museums. You’ve heard of some of these museums before: The National Air & Space Museum, the National of American History, and the National Museum of Natural History, as well as the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
There are other museums, less well known, most certainly within the metro’s reach of some of the best hotels in Washington . These would include the S. Dillon Ripley Center, on the Mall, and the National Postal Museum.
The S. Dillon Ripley Center , also known as the Ripley Center is visible from the Mall only as a small pagoda. The greater part of the center is underground, containing the International Gallery as well as the Smithsonian Associates, a conference center and meeting rooms. Underground, it connects to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the Freer Gallery of Art. The Smithsonian Associates began last century, in 1992, as the educational, cultural and membership division of the Smithsonian Institution. It includes the Art Collectors program, dedicated to the creation of contemporary American art in limited editions, creating a place for collections and a forum for artists to talk about their work.
The National Postal Museum is partly run by the U.S. Postal Service and the Smithsonian Institute; it opened a year after the Ripley Center. It’s located across from Union Station in a building that was once the main post office of Washington D.C., from 1914 to 1986. Visitors will find here exhibits from the present to the past, from direct marketing (“What’s in the Mail for You”), the use of railroads and the mail, all the way back to the Pony Express.
It’s free to visit the Ripley Center and the National Postal Museum, as it is for every Smithsonian Museum, which was created to expand knowledge based on a gift by a British scientist named James Smithson (1765-1829), who asked in his will that, if his nephew should die without heirs, that the Smithson estate go to the United States for the purpose of increasing and diffusing knowledge among men. The gift at the time was 500,000 dollars, which would have been the equivalent of about ten million dollars today. The bequest was accepted and an act of Congress established the Smithsonian Institute in 1846 by President James Polk.
Jun
14
The Las Vegas Natural History Museum is located at 900 N. Las Vegas Blvd, just south of the intersection of Washington Avenue, next to Cashman Field and within walking distance from all major 4 star hotels in Vegas . The museum is a fun for all ages and offers educational activities for adults and children alike. It is also much larger than it appears, housing more than half a dozen excellent and unique exhibits.
According the the Natural Museum , Las Vegas was once located beneath an ancient sea. So, naturally, when you step inside the museum, you’ll be immersed in the Marine Life Gallery. You’ll feel like you stepped into the depths of the ocean itself. The room is filled with whales, sharks, dolphins, stingrays and many other sea creatures that are all suspended from the ceiling and walls. Plus, there is a 3,000 gallon live shark tank with bamboo sharks swimming past California round stingrays. In the next room, are several exhibits on sharks, including an exhibit devoted to the Great White sharks and an actual shark cage. There’s a full-sized replica of a Carcharodon Megalodon jaw and displayed alongside the jaw is a collection of items found in the bellies of various tiger sharks, like a shoe, a soda can, an unopened bottle of wine and even a license plate.
The Out-of-Africa exhibit is downstairs and features cheetahs, white rhinoceros, wart hogs, zebras and lions among many other African wildlife. Not far from that exhibit, you’ll get to listen to the sounds of an African rain forest and view into the forest floor to see the nocturnal habits of African creatures and of course, rainfall.
If you or your children have any scientific yearnings, check out the Young Scientist Center, which is a hands-on learning experience for all museum guests. You’ll get to unearth fossilized starfish, amphibian skulls and sharks teeth in a specially built sandbox that is a replica of a paleontology site. You may find that spending an afternoon isn’t enough time and want to come back the next day. There are several more exhibits, like the Egyptian room, or the snake pit room to mention a few. Don’t worry, the Natural History Museum is open daily from 9am to 4pm and it only costs $10 for adults and $5 for children 3 to 11 years of age.
Jun
10
Manhattan has a number of great street fairs and festivals all summer long and it is hard to miss them. They celebrate religious events, social events, historical events and pretty much any other reason people can find to gather and celebrate. Some of these great festivals happen in June and mark some of the most important events in history, or just some of the most fun events the city has to offer.
One of the widely acknowledged events that happens on the streets of Manhattan is a Juneteenth celebration , marking the end of African American slavery and celebrating freedom for all people in the United states. While it is not strictly a celebration that only happens in Manhattan it is understandable why this area has a large festival and has many reasons to celebrate.
Another great celebration is Make Music NY . There are a number of parts to this musical celebration, but the main two reasons that this celebration goes on is music and of course summer time. Some parts of this celebration consist of bands all over the city making music and drawing crowds. Other parts of the celebration consist of large numbers of musicians playing all at once a piece that was intended for one type of instrument. This celebration brings all kinds of people to the streets and allows many people from all walks of life to enjoy great music.
Usually these types of celebrations bring together the whole city in some way and are not something to be missed. These are not the only ones in town however. If you can’t schedule time around your favorite one however, there is no need to fret. Once in one of the many boutique Manhattan hotels ask the concierge about street fairs in your area. It is their job to know these kinds of things are they are likely to be very helpful. They might even know of one that hasn’t been mentioned here.
Jun
4
The Duchess of York has been the topic of major news reports coming out of London in recent days. The Duchess Sarah Ferguson hasn’t been the headline subject of international news for quite a few years, and though she has invested a great deal of time and effort in humanitarian work, her biggest sensational news occurred when she married Prince Andrew, the Duke of York. And while the couple is no longer together, it is once again her association with the Duke that has propelled her into the media spotlight. Well, then there was the 1992 tabloid photo that showed her sunbathing topless, really is that such a big deal? Well, she was with Texas businessman, who was kissing her feet, at the time and not her husband the Prince. And while she has never been portrayed as an innocent bystander, and has been given some slight notoriety reputation, this latest business is considered by many to be a royal scandal.
The news of the original Fergie’s personal fudgie stretched across the globe and eclipsed her trip to the United States to promote her new book. However, it did not stop the Duchess from continuing with her book tour plans. The controversy focused on a meeting she had with a businessman, who was actually a report in disguise, who paid her forty thousand dollars with the promise of an additional seven hundred seventeen thousand more to introduce him to her former husband the Duke of York . So, while this is an extremely controversial situation in the royal world, there doesn’t seem to be anything illegal about her behavior. And in some American celebrity standards, it seems to be status quo. This, however, seems to be an extremely embarrassing situation for Ferguson, who has stated regret over the deal. She and her former husband Prince Andrew were divorced in 1996 and Ferguson claims she has been near poverty since her official break up with the prince. The royal family is one of the points of fascination for tourists in Britain and the guests in the hotels in London are always eager to catch a glimpse of one or more of them.
Jun
2
Atlanta, Georgia is one of the most popular cities in the south and many people visit it and choose to relocated there ever year. It has a thriving culture scene and a diverse selection of entertainment options, festivals and other events. There is something in the city for everyone, though there are certainly some common favorite attractions and things to do for people while they are visiting. The following paragraphs contain descriptions of some of the top rated tourist attractions, most of which are also extremely popular with residents, so if you are planning a visit to one of the gorgeous Atlanta hotels , you will want to include one or more of these suggestions on your agenda.
If you have a family, then one of the perfect ways to spend an afternoon is to visit the Chattahoochee National Park. There are some tremendously fun activities and entertainment events that stretch the length of the forty-eight mile Chattahoochee River. One of the great aspects of this is that the activity options are also oriented toward environmental preservation and education. Another great option for families, as well as individuals, friends or couples is to visit the Center for Puppetry Arts . This is the largest of its kind in North America and in addition to the interactive museum, Puppets: The Power of Wonder, there are some incredible performances that delight and amaze audience of all ages.
If you’d like to explore a few of Atlanta’s famous landmarks, here are some favorites. The Georgia State Capital building, which was built in 1889 maintains a collection of artifacts that are included in the exhibits. Tours of the building last between an hour and an hour and a half. The Fox Theatre is another impressive cultural icon attraction. The historic building is vibrant and active today and presents some of the best Broadway touring shows as well as a summer movie series and Theater of the Stars productions. The Marietta Historic District is the perfect place to find interesting historic landmark buildings. There are five districts recognized on the National Register of Historic Districts. The historic trolley ride is one of the most popular was to tour this area.
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