Philippine Butterfly

Archive for June, 2010

Chicago has been around a long time and has some interesting people, places and events happen over the years. For a great place to get a solid over view of the city head over to the Chicago History Museum . They have a the Chicago: Crossroads of America exhibit that has some amazing pieces of history and the stories to go with them. The museum all around has some great multimedia presentations and interactive exhibits. Check out the old steam engine train, or visit a replica of an old jazz club. They have a mock store showing all the old time fashions.

There is also much history in the buildings and parks of the city. Union Station for instance is a historical landmark of Chicago. In the 40s this old train depot had about 300 trains coming and going each day. Thousands of passengers would fill the terminal as they went about their busy lives. There are still many commuter trains that come through on a daily basis but most of them don’t make the stop at the Great Hall which is the historical part dating back to 1925. It is a beautiful building with marble walls and floors, tall columns and torches made out of bronze.

Another turn of the century gem is the Buckingham Fountain . This famous fountain is one of the largest in the world. It puts on a grand water show every 20 minutes and at night it is all lit up with beautiful glowing lights that make it look like a big watery wedding cake. The fountain represents the states that surround Lake Michigan, with four horses, one for each state. Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. It was also to have a bit of Louis XIV’s flair with keeping in mind his gardens of Versailles when designing the fountain. This is the perfect evening getaway for lovers. So get out of the luxury hotels chicago has and visit the historical pink marble fountain. You will love it.

Most people think of partying like a rock star when they think of Las Vegas. There is actually a great community that is also present in Las Vegas. People who have been born there, raised there, own business there and have a normal family oriented life going on away from the Las Vegas Strip. These are the community based activities that you may want to know about when you are bringing your kids to the city. The city of Las Vegas has other family oriented pools beside the ones a the casinos. Check with the City of Las Vegas for information on local community pools near you.  

If you like auto racing, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway has NASCAR in its backyard on July 1 2010. Just when you thought the desert couldn’t get any hotter, the high speed races with pro drivers of NASCAR have just turned up the heat. There are also local drag races that happen in the evenings. You can get more information on how to get there from any of the 5 star hotels vegas has available. There is nothing like having the roar of a pack of race cars speed past you in the open night air.  

Check out the first Friday of ever month art event. The arts district of downtown Las Vegas comes alive with local art. Each city has its own artist influence and Las Vegas has its special flair. This First Friday in Las Vegas has a carnival feel with lots of local art, live music, and street performers. Their website has a map of the different areas to visit and what area may be featuring. This is a different side of Las Vegas.  

So keep up the hunt for interesting things to do in Las Vegas besides loose all your cash in a flashy machine or card table. The possibilities are endless. Maybe there is something to say about Vegas outside of Vegas.

Dallas is where President Kennedy was shot. The John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial , located at 411 Elm Street, west of Dalla’s downtown, on Market Street between Main Street and Commerce Street, is a simple, concrete memorial to President Kennedy. It’s placed 200 yard from where he was assassinated. Dallas chose to honor the memory of our storybook President by erecting this 30 foot high concrete walls, 50 foot square monument in 1970.

It’s an open-air structure that resembles an ancient tomb. Philip Johnson, a Kennedy family friend and architect, created this monument with the help of private donations from the citizens of Dallas. It’s open 24/7 and is lit-up at night. This monument is a space for contemplation. One might think this monument oppressive until they step inside the and see it open in the center. In the center is a black granite slab, which deliberately squares the memorial, making a tomb-like quality. On the black granite is inscribed, simply ‘John Fitzgerald Kennedy’, embossed with gold to capture the light from the white floating column walls and pale concrete floors. It’s intended not to be a memorial to the sorrow and pain of death, but as a permanent tribute to the joy and excitement of Kennedy’s life.

Visitors will be glad to know how convenient the memorial is to the five star hotels Dallas has to offer. There’s a short walk up a slight concrete incline, embossed with concrete squares making the Memorial very accessible. Inside, visitors will be confronted with a low-hewn granite square, too short to be a table, too empty to be a base, but too square to be a tomb. But, the 3 words inscribed on the black granite is the only verbal message in the empty room.

A majority of Dallas visitors spend most of their time in Dealey Plaza and the area around the Texas School Book Depository, and hardly make it to the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial. So, when you do visit, you’ll be able to enter the memorial and be the only person there, alone with you’re thoughts and deep reflection about the life of one of America’s greatest Presidents.

The city of Yerba Buena in the 1830′s was a small Mexican pueblo near the Pacific Ocean; today, it’s one of the world’s most famous cities with one of the world’s most famous bridges — San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. This historic city’s most historic site is known as Portsmouth Plaza , once simply a square in that long ago pueblo and is now known as the heart of Chinatown where residents gather for tai chi exercises, Chinese chess games, and other activities.

This one block plaza is bounded by Walter Lum Place to the west, Washington Street to the north, Kearny Street to the east, and Clay Street to the South. Portsmouth was the first public square of the city, established as far back as the early 1800s. In the Mexican-American War, John Berrien Montgomery, captain of the USS Portsmouth took the pueblo for the United States, and the first flag on July 9th, 1846, was raised here.

In addition, in 1847, this plaza saw the first public school in California built here; in 1848, Sam Brannan announced the discovery of gold and showed his findings to a crowd. It was a spot for memorials, such as the service held following the death of Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United States. On October 29, 1850, the First Admission Day celebration was held here when California joined the union as the 31st state. In 1971, director Don Siegal filmed a portion of the movie “Dirty Harry” in this square.

Amid the famous architecture and streets, amid the five star hotels in San Francisco , this small square stands out for its historical significance, and it’s filled with markers to prove it. Travelers will find a marker that commemorates the first American flag raised in Yerba Buena. There’s a marker for the first public school, a marker to Robert Louis Stevenson, as well as a statue of the Goddess of Democracy. If you decide to visit this history-steeped site, there should be no trouble with parking; below the square, there’s a four level underground parking garage , which holds on average fifty thousand vehicles a month.

On Kauai, the oldest of the Hawaiian islands, travelers will find a lush green environment of canyons and trees and waterfalls, as well as the Kokoe’e Natural History Museum . Regardless of the weather, the museum is open every day, including holidays, from ten a.m. to four p.m. in order to greet the park’s visitors. While admission is free, there is a suggested donation of a dollar per person, because the museum doesn’t receive any state funding for its operations.

While the real exhibits in this museum lie outside, there’s still a great deal to see inside the museum. One such exhibit consists of two three-paneled wooden screens, which was created for the opening of the Kokoe’e Museum years ago in 1953. Pages from an 1885 book titled “Indigenous Flowers of the Hawaiian Islands” has been remounted onto the screens. The book was written by a Mrs. Francis Sinclair who included 44 color plates of her own original watercolors; while no book would be sacrificed in this way today, these 57 year old panels are a unique way to exhibit the early studies of Hawaiian plants.

Another exhibit to be found in the museum is “A Treasury of Trees, Resources of a Traditional Lifestyle”; in this case, the exhibit concerns forest trees and the traditional uses to which they are put. Guests will be able to touch the bark of standing trees and hold blocks of different woods in order to truly appreciate the differences.

There’s a section, too, about the game animals which were not native to Kauai, but introduced here. These animals include a wild boar to a stag, goats, some game birds, and even trout. Also, in an old Victorian cupboard, visitors will discover a selection of land and sea shells from Ni’ihau and Kaua’i. There’s s display, too, of the shell of a large sea turtle and a large whale vertebrae.

No matter whether guests stay in the best hotels Kauai offers in Lihu’e, Poipu, or the North Shore, travel time to the park is usually under two hours, as long as there’s not too much traffic. At the museum, visitors may learn about the history of their environment, then walk out into it, taking a look at the spectacular waterfalls in Kalalau Valley and stopping for lunch at the Puukapele Picnic Area.

As one of the great New England states Vermont is well known for its incredible geography and beautiful views. In addition, it and its neighbors are known for their friendliness an progressive political orientations. This was one of the original regions in the country and it maintains a strong perspective that is in line with much of the original constitutional creators’ philosophies. New England is also recognized as being one of the more expensive regions to live in this country, though it is certainly affordable to visit. And the residents of Vermont are extremely welcoming to the tourists who want to visit their great state.

In fact the greatest luxury Vermont hotels are frequently found in the form of quaint bed and breakfasts that are strewn across the state. And one of the things the state is most known for, the delicious maple syrup it produces, is also sitting in its freshest form at their tables. In addition, there are numerous events that are syrup themed and celebrate this great state resource and tradition, and attending a festival can be an extremely exciting aspect of your trip.

While the actual syrup season is relatively short and lasts from February through April, usually and dependent on the state region, many of the of the sugar factories are open all year to interested tourists. Some of the areas in Northern Vermont of the longest seasons, which last into the spring. However, any time of the year you can visit sugar factories such as Lakeshore Maple’s , which is located at Strawberry Acres in Newport, Vermont. In addition and as the largest produce of maple syrup in the nation, the state celebrates its tradition of creating the best syrup possible. Many of the refineries have been passed down through generations of families and are as much a part of one’s personal heritage as it is the state and the nation’s. The syrup that comes from the best of the Vermont establishments is the purest available and is one hundred percent syrup with no additives or fillers.

Austin Texas is well known for its music scene, but one of the most prestigious musical organizations is not going to be found in nightclub circuit or popular festivals such as the South By Southwest or Austin City Limits. One of the greatest musical organizations in the city is the Austin Symphony Orchestra . This is also one of its oldest cultural establishments and has been around throughout the development of Austin as the music capital of the world. It is getting ready to celebrate its one-hundredth season and this is a major event and the year will be full of special engagements and incredible performances.

Many of the guests in the Austin luxury hotels are interested in the various music venues of the city and are well acquainted with its status as one of the top cities in that industry. And a performance by the Austin Symphony Orchestra is representative of the great musical tradition of the city and demonstrates how it was one of the organizations that paved the way for its current status. In addition to the regular season there are various special events and performances that occur throughout the summer. This year will feature the Hartman Foundation Concerts in the Park and a special Children’s Day at the Park, among other events and performances.

What might be obvious at this point is that the orchestra was founded in 1911 and since that time has remained true to an intent to improve the quality of cultural orientation life for all persons regardless of age or gender. It has served Austin and Central Texas in this capacity as well as being a fundamental educational elements for the new generation of music appreciators and practitioners. The general concert season extends from September through May and the company performs at the new state of the art Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Center for the Performing Arts . If you plan to visit Austin, well anytime, this year you will definitely want to experience one of the hundredth anniversary celebration performances.