Las Vegas CityCenter, an $8.5 billion hotel, entertainment and shopping destination is due to open in stages starting Dec. 1.  2009

CITY CENTER BY THE NUMBERS

•67 acres on the Vegas Strip

•Four hotels with 6,300 hotel rooms, two with condos; one mega casino resort with 4,004 rooms

•Two condo towers, contributing to a total of 2,400 CityCenter condos

•A 750,000-square-foot retail/entertainment complex with the USA’s largest Louis Vuitton and Prada stores, plus Tiffany, Versace and Cartier, to name a few.

•More than a dozen restaurants from name chefs and stars including Wolfgang Puck, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Todd English, Michael Mina, Eva Longoria Parker and more.

•About $40 million in art, including an eye-catching piece composed of about 250 small boats, including rowboats, canoes and kayaks, by Nancy Rubins.

•Three spas, including an 80,000-square-foot spa with 62 treatment rooms at Aria.

•300,000 square feet of meeting space at Aria; more at the other hotels.

•CityCenter’s own energy-generating plant and fire station.

•The first fleet of stretch limos powered by clean-burning compressed natural gas.

•Slot-machine bases that serve as floor air-conditioning units, cooling guests from the ground, rather than wasting energy by chilling from the ceiling .

•For more information, visit citycenter.com

CityCenter’s half-dozen glass-and-steel towers – including two condo high-rises that lean 5 degrees instead of standing upright – add a futuristic look to this desert destination.

Inside, it resembles a modern art gallery and mind-boggling design showcase more than themed Vegas resorts. Pieces include an 84-foot silver serpentine sculpture depicting the course of the Colorado River, designed byMaya Lin of Vietnam Veterans Memorial fame. That hangs above the front desk of the Aria Resort & Casino.

The $8.5 billion hotel/living/dining/entertainment/shopping destination is billed as the largest privately funded construction project in the USA and is considered Vegas’ big gamble. Its lack of emphasis on gaming (only Aria has a casino), edgy style and city-within-a-city layout are “the next step in the evolution of Vegas,” says CityCenter CEO Bobby Baldwin– unlike anything yet seen in the USA’s adult Disneyland.

PHOTO GALLERY: First look at Las Vegas City Center

CityCenter is due to open in stages on 67 acres, starting Dec. 1 with the Vdara resort/condo, Dec. 3with the Crystals retail/dining/entertainment complex, and Dec. 4 with theMandarin Oriental, Las Vegas hotel and residences. This joint venture between the MGM Mirage casino-resort giant and Dubai World – a United Arab Emirates firm that invests in various properties – is premiering during one of the less-stellar years in Vegas history. It’s $1.2 billion over budget, causing analysts to speculate whether the big bet will pay off.

“Clearly, the timing couldn’t be much worse, though it’s slightly better than a year ago,” says Robert LaFleur, gaming analyst at Susquehanna Financial Group. (The Group owns a less-than-5% share of MGM Mirage, LaFleur says; the exact share is not disclosed.) “The Las Vegas market is a tough place” at the moment, he says.

Visitor numbers were down 4.7% January through September vs. 2008, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reports. Convention attendance dropped 27.1% during that period. Hotel discounting is the norm now, leaving luxe Aria and Vdara little choice but to open at official rates under $200 – from $179 on slow days for Aria; $149 for Vdara. That’s at least 20% off what they originally expected, guesses Anthony Curtis, publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor and an expert on local deals. He found a $129 offer at Vdara in December

Mandarin Oriental is banking on high rollers, with 392 rooms and suites that start at $545, with a second night free.

Vegas tempts travelers with jaw-dropping deals

Baldwin, a poker-faced former World Series of Poker champ, is used to taking risks. He sees City Center, designed for the high-end visitor, as bringing more culture to Vegas and serving as “a huge economic spark plug” for the struggling destination. It will provide 12,000 jobs, he says.

However, MGM Mirage had to seek outside financing from various banks to complete City Center. What will happen to the 10,000 construction workers who have been toiling around the clock remains to be seen.

What isn’t a matter of speculation is that an early tour of City Center reveals that renowned architects and designers including Argentina-born César Pelli and New York’s Rockwell Group have created a new look for Vegas between MGM Mirage’s Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts. A tram is due to connect the three starting Dec. 1.

Flashy neon signs and glitter are out. Natural materials such as recycled wood, stone and concrete are in. Six buildings in the complex already have gold status in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. That’s based on a third-party rating for eco-correctness; City Center’s status is a record in energy-squandering Vegas. (The 400-room Harmon boutique hotel, not due till late next year, isn’t LEED-certified yet.)

Yes, there is a lavish Cirque du Soleil Elvis tribute in Aria’s showroom, but there are no lava-spewing volcanoes or pirate-ship battles on manmade lagoons – just art installations by the likes of Frank Stella and Claes Oldenburg and multihued arcs of water that will collide and explode in a pool outside Aria. They’re from designers of the dancing-to-music Bellagio fountains but are on a micro scale.

“The idea was to be different and leading-edge,” says Baldwin, sitting in his office next to the construction site offFrank Sinatra Drive, which still is swarming with workers. The City Center team traveled the world seeking design inspiration. “If I had seen it (in Vegas), I didn’t want it,” Baldwin says. He chose multiple architects to avoid a single look.

Focal points

CityCenter, with its intricate details, can take days to take in.

Its centerpiece resort is 61-story Aria (so named because arias are focal points in operas), due to open Dec. 16. It has 4,004 rooms and suites accessed via smart keycards – wave them in front of doors to open. A cutting-edge system lets guests set everything from lighting levels to temperature to drapes, alarms and “do not disturb” signs via the TV or bedside panel. A downside: Standard rooms are small, so spring for larger quarters if you can.

Aria’s casino looks like no other in Vegas, incorporating earthy colors and a forest theme. You’d never guess the faux tree trunks in an adjacent bar are carved out of foam. Gamers who hate the smell of cigarettes will find a system new to Vegas that sucks smoke up and away, says Aria and Vdara President Bill McBeath, giving a tour as hard-hats hammer and rush to finish.

As at other casino resorts, there’s a separate entrance, check-in and quarters for VIPs, plus private gaming areas. One has $2,000-a-pull slot machines.

Some walls in Aria’s upscale Chinese restaurant are made of jade-colored silk, ripped out and redone when McBeath didn’t like the original craftsmanship.

The masses can sip and chew at Aria’s coffee shop, shaped like a Mayan pyramid and made of reclaimed river rocks. (No Starbucks here or elsewhere in CityCenter. “Everyone has a Starbucks,” McBeath sniffs.) Aria’s spa with 62 treatment rooms has something new for been-there-done-that hedonists: a sauna-like salt-block room from Japan and a relaxation area with heated-stone chaise longues.

With big-spending and superstitious Chinese gamblers in mind, Aria lacks floors 40-49. “The number four in Chinese when said sounds like the word for death,” MGM Mirage spokeswoman Jenn Michaels explains. “The superstition is strongest in a gaming environment.”

Next tour stop is Vdara, the hotel/condo that’s the first to open and that Michaels calls the “sleeper” of CityCenter. Just steps from Aria, it should play well with visitors who seek serenity as well as access to the action, and it’s the best value in CityCenter. All accommodations are non-smoking suites with kitchens and floor-to-ceiling glass windows (request one with views of the Bellagio fountains). A rooftop pool and spa with Champagne bar add to its appeal.

The Mandarin Oriental is all muted elegance, including an Asian-style welcome in the intimate 23rd-floor lobby with polished black-granite reception desk, adjoining a tea lounge and bar. The bar offers amazing views of the Strip through 20-foot picture windows.

The three-story Crystals retail/entertainment center aims to entice with ice-crystal sculptures, a carpet of flowers that changes seasonally and the most futuristic-looking shops in Vegas. The 750,000-square-foot complex has the largest Louis Vuitton and Prada stores in the USA. Not one luxury retailer pulled out, even in these tough times, says Crystals general manager Farid Matraki.

The shopping/dining/partying district looks like a design showplace. It also offers Vegas’ most velvet-rope shopping experience, with a separate entrance accessible only to those bearing invitation-only cards. “God only knows Las Vegas doesn’t need another mall,” says Matraki. “We’re trying to create an experience. Everyone is using their best and newest concepts here.”

CityCenter’s 2,400 condos, at every lodging property but Aria and Harmon and in the two leaning Veer Towers, are downplayed on the tour, perhaps because that market in Vegas – as elsewhere – is dismal. MGM Mirage announced a 30% price reduction in October after some buyers threatened lawsuits because of the drop in value. Lower-end studios that once were $500,000 now are about $350,000, Michaels says, adding that about half the condos are sold.

Tempting offers

CityCenter’s opening comes on the heels of MGM’s reported third-quarter net loss of $750.4 million, in part because of falling room revenue at its nine other Vegas casino resorts and because it wrote down the value of CityCenter. Until Dubai World came aboard, there was doubt CityCenter would be finished.

Now that it’s about to open, MGM Mirage is offering the under-$200 come-ons and wooing guests who’ve visited its other Vegas properties with free-night offers with a paid stay. Another way to get deals is to sign the guest books on CityCenter hotel websites, Michaels says.

MGM also is encouraging everyone to take a gander at CityCenter. “Hopefully, they’ll see this as the next evolution of Vegas,” says CityCenter chief Baldwin, who doesn’t blink when asked whether the project is too ambitious for the times or suited to the Vegas crowd. “We believe we know what the customer wants. … If I’m accused of anything, it’s of being different.”

Even those going after the same deep-pocketed guests, such as Strip kingpin Steve Wynn, wish CityCenter well – at least publicly.

“We’ve got our fingers crossed that it’s a success and that it grows the market,” says Wynn, whose nearly year-old Encore has started discounting rooms as low as $109. He adds, enigmatically, “It’s certainly different than anything we’ve seen before, and the fellows who run it are almost as mystified as we are.”

Vegas does have a track record of “new hotels creating new demand,” analyst LaFleur notes. CityCenter hopes to attract sophisticates who wouldn’t normally consider a Vegas vacation.

A just-released report by CB Richard Ellis, which analyzes real estate and Vegas, says that “10% to 30% of CityCenter’s revenue will be incremental revenue for the market,” but the “balance is expected to come at the expense of existing Strip casinos.”

Says Las Vegas Advisor’s Curtis, “Short term, there’s lots of skepticism and even worry that it may hurt a little more than it helps. I think it will have its glow time early, then tread water waiting for the economy to return. But if things get back to normal, it will be a big winner.”

If it’s a visitor magnet, “It could be a turnaround point for the city,” says Brent Pirosch, a CB Richard Ellis analyst.

Still, CityCenter creators “are clearly opening with a 2007 business mode – high-end rooms and restaurants, less emphasis on gaming,” LaFleur says. “The question is, in a post-prosperity society, has something changed in people’s spending habits?

“Are there enough people to support four high-end (hotels) and go out and spend (on celebrity chefs and luxury goods)? In my opinion, the jury is still out.”

By Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

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Best Downtown Hotel – Golden Nugget

The Golden Nugget Las Vegas is a casino-hotel located in Las Vegas, Nevada on the Fremont Street Experience. The property is owned and operated by Landry’s Restaurants. It is the largest casino in the downtown area, with a total of 1,914 deluxe guest rooms and suites. It has also maintained AAA’s Four Diamond rating consecutively for 32 years from 1977 until 2009. It is only one of two resorts inside the city of limits of Las Vegas to earn this distinction, the other being The Resort at Summerlin. The Golden Nugget is currently constructing a 500 room, $150 million dollar hotel tower to be completed in 2009, despite the downturn.

Best Hotel for Families – Circus Circus

Circus Circus Las Vegas is a circus-themed 3,774 room hotel and 101,000 sq ft  casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It is owned and operated by MGM Mirage. Circus Circus features free circus acts on a regular basis throughout the day. Circus Circus has the only RV park on the Strip providing additional accommodations in the 399 space park operated by Kampgrounds of America (KOA). Circus Circus Las Vegas is the largest permanent big top in the world. The clown marquee at the entrance was provided by Young Electric Sign Company, and was constructed in 1976.

Best Hotel Rooms – Venetian

The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino is the largest AAA Five-Diamond rated Resort in the Americas. This luxury hotel and casino resort is located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, on the site of the old Sands Hotel. The Venetian is owned and operated by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation. The Venetian has 4,049 suites and a 120,000 sq ft casino. It is located on the east side of the Strip, between Harrah’s and the The Palazzo. Combined with the adjacent Sands Expo Convention Center and The Palazzo Hotel and Casino Resort, The Venetian is a part of the largest hotel and resort complex in the world — featuring 8,108 hotel rooms and suites, outnumbering the MGM Grand.

Best Customer Service – Bellagio

Bellagio is a luxury hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in the Paradise area of unincorporated Clark County, Nevada, USA and a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. It is owned by MGM Mirage and was built on the site of the demolished Dunes hotel and casino. Inspired by the Lake Como resort of Bellagio in Italy, Bellagio is famed for its elegance. One of its most notable features is an 8-acre lake between the building and the Strip, which houses the Fountains of Bellagio, a large dancing water fountain synchronized to music. Inside Bellagio, Dale Chihuly’s Fiori di Como, composed of over 2,000 hand-blown glass flowers, covers 2,000 sq ft of the lobby ceiling. Bellagio is home to Cirque du Soleil’s aquatic production “O”.

Best Architecture – Paris Las Vegas

Paris Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, USA, that is owned and operated by Harrah’s Entertainment. As its name suggests, its theme is the city of Paris in France; it includes a 5/8ths scale, 540-foot-tall replica of the Eiffel Tower, a neon sign in the shape of the Montgolfier balloon, a two-thirds size Arc de Triomphe and a replica of La Fontaine des Mers. The front facade of the building suggests the Paris Opera House and the Louvre.

Best Locals Hotel – Palms

The Palms Casino Resort, also known simply as the Palms, is a casino hotel and residential tower located in Paradise, Nevada. The main tower has 702 rooms and suites and contains a 95,000 sq ft casino, a recording studio and a 2,200 seat showroom. The Palms is owned by George Maloof with 5% ownership from The Greenspun Corporation. Despite the fact that it is located off the Strip, the resort has become a popular destination for many, especially with the younger crowd and Hollywood celebrities. The Palms competes for market share with Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, another off-strip resort aimed toward the 21-30 demographic. Both resorts are styled in a modern, neo-retro fashion.

Best Hotel Pool – Mandalay Bay

When looking for the best Las Vegas pools, the Mandalay Bay Pool area is the best place to go. With three pools and one river that is set in a beach style environment that makes the most of the Las Vegas atmosphere. The Mandalay Bay Resort Las Vegas pool is also transformed into a nightclub at night, letting you experience the best in music and concerts near the water. The Mandalay Bay pool area covers 11 acres, which gives all guests plenty of room to spread out, swim, and make the most of the day.

Best Hotel Spa – Canyon Ranch Spa Club

Best Strip Hotel – Mandalay Bay

Best Hotel Theme – Venetian

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Santa Barbara Tourist Hostel
Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Barbara is an amazingly beautiful beach town on the California Central Coast, home to movie and music stars, surfers, students and fun-loving friendly people.  Come and relax in this paradise during your trip to California! Our fantastic hostel is located only two blocks from the beach and one block to State Street, famous for it’s great nightlife, restaurants, gorgeous Spanish architecture and shopping.

McMenamins Edgefield
Troutdale, OR
Historic Edgefield is one of the truly remarkable destination resorts of the Pacific Northwest. It is a world of relaxation that seamlessly blends Oregon’s natural beauty with McMenamins’ signature whimsy: historic buildings of all sizes artfully restored and rich with cozy interiors, tranquil ponds and dazzling gardens, great food and drink, plentiful entertainment and surprising recreations. Encompassing a lush 74-acre parcel of farmland at the mouth of the spectacular Columbia River Gorge, Edgefield is a 15-minute car ride to or from the center of downtown Portland.

Ocean Beach International Hostel
San Diego, CA
An amazing location on the main road just off the beach, ecclectic bunch of travellers to meet and party hard with then surf the next day.There were parties at the hotel every night during our stay.

Elements Hostel
San Francisco, CA
The hostel is located right next to a nightclub, so you can be sure there is something to do. – The people there were helpful and went out of their way to make sure you have everything You needed. – Each bed has a locked drawer you can use to secure small bags or important items, they also have a secure room if you need a large bag secured.

Jazz on the  Park
New York City, NY
Jazz on the Park Hostel in New York is the flagship hostel and the largest of the Jazz Hostels family.  Since 1998 we’ve provided travelers with a relaxed and fun environment to meet other travelers and enjoy all the New York City has to offer.  Best known for our funky coffee bar, pub crawls, and summer BBQ parties, staying at Jazz on the Park Hostel in New York guarantees comfort as well as good times.

Hotel Congress
Tuscon, AZ
This has got to be as good as it gets for cheap diggs. This rock n’ roll hotel houses a live music venue/ club, bar/ pub, cafe and an annual music festival. The young, friendly staff a combination of down home and alternative oversee this hub of Tucson’s exceptional musical and artistic scene.

The Tropics
Miami, FL
This vibrant tropical Hotel ist the Sun-Piece in the middle of the reborn popular Art-Deco District with plenty of popular outdoor Cafes, Night Clubs, Tourist Shopping and huge amounts of Attractions. Everything was clean (including the pool out back), it was in an absolutely wonderful location and the staff was quite friendly.

Blue Moon Guesthouse
Lafayette, LA
The Blue Moon is one of those cool in an underground Parisian nightclub kind of way. It’s a hostel, so there’s a community kitchen and bath. You share food cabinet space downstairs with whoever’s backpacking across the United States from Ireland. But it has the best musical entertainment in Lafayette on Friday and Saturday nights, and is the preferred place to stay for the bands.

The Gershwin Hotel
New York City
Some of the art and the sex museum next door will probably put off your typical puritan American – but so much the better in my book. We stayed in the dorm rooms which were fine for the price, everything worked to a reasonable degree. The hotel has an excellent location, right next to Madison Square Park and 5th Ave.

Apple Hostel of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA
Apple Hostel  offers dorm beds for cheap, but still provide travelers an abundance of tours and activities in an extremely clean and safe environment! Our international youth hostel also has the best location; we’re the only hostel located downtown and in the Old City, just a short walk to the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and the Visitors Centre.

Hostels in the USA
Top Ten Hostels in America
Best Hostels for Hiking or Backpacking
Best Hostels for Partying

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So you are coming to New York? That’s great! – There is so much to see here, so many places to visit, so many things to do. Visiting New York can be pricey, but not for New York Pass holders!

The New York Pass entitles you to visit over 50 attractions free of charge, often with the privileged Fast Track entry. You can stroll down the Museum Mile and discover the city’s top museums, or visit New York’s iconic Empire State Building and the Ellis Island. Want to admire city from the Hudson River? No problem, take one of the Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises.

There really is a lot do in New York City, so why not to do it all? No worries, you won’t spend a fortune and you will have enough time for everything. Simple try the New York Pass and enjoy your trip.

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United States of America is one of the places in the world where you can choose your adventure as a tourist. There are 50 states in which you can search for finest escapade spots that you like.

United States of America is more than 3.6 million square miles in land area. This huge sized nation houses diversified adventure spots that you should not miss. The land profile of U. S. is a good venue for outdoor activities. You can choose a variety of outdoor activities from land to water. Your U. S. travel will surely be memorable with these miscellaneous adventure spots that match your adventure fancy.

Kayaking and boating

You will surely love to do kayaking in some of the great known lakes in U.S. Paddling in Lake Superior will surely be one of the remarkable activity you can do when you’re there. The fascinating view is already a plus when you explore this known lake. You can also enjoy boating and sailing at Chautauqua Allegheny in New York for a more relaxing outdoor activity.

Back Packing

You can combine hiking and camping when you do your back packing activity in U.S. Mesa Verde National Park which is located at Southwestern Colorado, is known as the only American National Park that protects man made structures. The “cliff dwellings” is one of its beautiful spots which were constructed by the community who lived around 600 1300 A.D.

Grand Teton Park is another place you can visit for a hike. There are more than 300 species of birds in this area and bird watching is the perfect activity while camping. Yosemite National Park is also one of the favorite spot of back packers. This place is located in California and is very famous for its U shaped valley. You can do your camping near fascinating falls in the park. Yellowstone National Park and Great Smoky Mountain National Park are also known destinations in U. S.

Caving

CavingUSA

Spelunking or caving is another outdoor activity you can enjoy in the States. Tennessee is known for having most of the caves in the U. S. There are 8,350 caves found in this place alone. Spelunkers will surely love to explore these thousand caves and spent their summer vacation for this worthwhile activity.

Surfing and wakeboarding

SurfingHawaii

Surfers will surely love the great waves of Hawaii, the smallest state of the U. S. Despite its size, this archipelago is one of the most visited states.. The island life experience will definitely ease out the summer heat as you ride with its island waves with your surf boards. The Southeastern part of the nation is another venue for occasional surfing and you can bring your family along to bask in the sea and the sand. You can also enjoy wakeboarding and ride with the professionals on the waters of Miami. By the way, the dwellers of Miami are considered as the best looking people in the US. How about that?

Cross country biking and skiing

Skiing USA

The best site for cross country skiing and biking is the well known place of Niagara Falls. You can visit the Eirie Canal and the village with your family. Horseback riding is one of the outdoor activities that you can take pleasure in when you visit the New York State. Ice skiing is also of your reach in Squaw Valley, U.S.A. With its 450 inches thick snow, you can be able to enjoy a breath taking ride of its Alps.

People who love the outdoors will never regret it if they visit these amazing adventure spots in the U.S.A. Surely, there are countless of quests and location choices that you can decide on from among the 50 American states. Summer and vacation getaway is the perfect time for you to see the sights and unearth the beautiful sceneries and adventure spots America can offer. For those who love to travel a lot and discover fresh exciting activities in life, United States should be on top of your list.

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]]> http://www.travelerstipsnpics.com/08/us-adventure-spots-you-shouldn%e2%80%99t-miss/feed/ 0 http://www.travelerstipsnpics.com/08/free-things-to-do-with-kids-in-los-angeles/ http://www.travelerstipsnpics.com/08/free-things-to-do-with-kids-in-los-angeles/#comments Sun, 16 Aug 2009 01:08:13 +0000 tipsnpics http://www.travelerstipsnpics.com/?p=3995  

 It’s so much fun having kids. It’s a great excuse to do the things you used to do as a kid all over again. But, as you know, it’s expensive enough taking care of their basic needs, and there isn’t always much money left over for entertainment. So, I’ve compiled a list of the top 10 free things to do with kids in Los Angeles:

 Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Meander along the Walk of Fame to find the stars of your favorite celebrities.

 Attend a TV show taping with your teenagers.

Tickets are always free but must be obtained in advance (first come, first served.) The minimum age for most shows is 14. For more information, contact Paramount Television Audience Shows (323) 956-1777, Fox Television Center (818) 506-0043, and Audiences Associates (323) 467-4697. Free tickets are also available outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Universal Studios Hollywood, and the Glendale Galleria.

Stroll the Venice Beach boardwalk.

Check out the boardwalk performers. It’s a great place to people watch especially during the summer and on weekends. Limited free street parking is available in the neighborhood.

 Visit the California Science Center.

General admission is free. (Parking is $6 or you can take Metro Bus 445. And there is a fee for some of the special attractions.) The Science Center is open 10 to 5.

 Have a picnic at Griffith Park.

Griffith Park, with over 4,000 acres of trails and park land, is the largest city park in the United States. It is famous for the Griffith Observatory and admission to the Observatory is free.

 Sing-along at The Cow’s End.

This cafe hosts a free sing-along for children up to age 4 years every Thursday morning at 10:30 a.m. They’re located at 34 Washington Blvd., Marina del Rey.

 Pajama story time at Vroman’s.

Kids from 2 to 8 years old can attend story time at Vroman’s Hastings Ranch in their pajamas every Saturday evening at 7 p.m. They’re located at 3729 E. Foothill Blvd. in Pasadena. (626) 351-0828.

Explore the Getty Museum.

The building, gardens, and view are worth the visit alone. But the museum does house one of the best collections of art in the world. Admission is free, but parking is $7 per car, or you can take Metro Bus 761. Bike and motorcycle parking is free.

  Play in an aquarium under the Santa Monica Pier. 

A basic touch tank style aquarium features local marine life.

 Check out the fossils at the La Brea Tar Pits.

The La Brea Tar Pits are located in Hancock Park where the most abundant Ice Age fossils in the world have been found. The fossils are on display at the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries. Admission is free on the first Tuesday of every month.

 If you don’t feel like driving all over Los Angeles, just take your kids to one of the many beautiful Los Angeles beaches. If you bring shade, sunscreen, snacks, and toys, you have a ready-made all-day outing. Depending on how old your kids are, you may even get a little rest and relaxation there yourself.

Katie B. Marsh is author of The Parenting Game Plan – Negotiate, Compromise and Explore the Parenting Journey Together. A Unique Workbook to Help New and Expectant Parents. Go to http://BooksForSharing.com/ to download your FREE Parenting Style Compatibility Test to see how you and your spouse rate!

 (c) Copyright – Katie B. Marsh. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

 Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katie_B._Marsh

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Chicago is a great destination travel for people who love music, comedy and the theater. The city’s home to millions of people from different ethnicities and this can be seen by walking around the neighborhoods. The city can accommodate the needs of all the tourists regardless of their budgets. There are luxurious hotels, restaurants and boutiques for people with unlimited budgets, but there are also reasonable priced Chicago hotel rooms and restaurants. With so many places to see from galleries to museums of art and science, Chicago also has a number of beaches and parks.

Like many big cities, Chicago offers various types of accommodations which includes discount hotels and luxury hotels. It is not a difficult task to search for Cheap Chicago Hotels on the Internet. You can get the information that will explain about the hotels exact location, room charges, hotel facilities, and distance from airport, etc. Considering the rents and facilities of hotel that it provides, one can book the hotel rooms in advance. If you are here during the holidays then it is advisable to stay at Chicago hotel rooms which are located near local destinations.

If you do not want to go to theatres you can spend a day and a night by walking the Magnificent Mile or you can visit one of the many museums or attractions like the Field Museum, the Adler Planetarium, the Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Lincoln Park Zoo, the National Museum of Mexican Art of the museum of Photography.

Like many cities, Chicago can be a place you can keep returning to visit new things and one can actually spend several months in a row to visit everything there is to see in Chicago. The downtown has so many attractions that for some visitors this is the only part of Chicago they get to see during their holidays. That’s one of the cities where film and music celebrities can be seen quite often because Chicago’s the third most productive town in the movie industry. Chicago is one of the cities where literature and writing in general can be at home.
 

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Annual celebration of fish scales, pasties, and the beginning of summer. An homage to the Sideshow by the Seashore.

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Sprawled on her bed in an Amsterdam hotel, Lady GaGa is channeling Lady Godiva – sans the horse.While the 23-year-old has famously worn everything from Kermit the Frog to a hat made to resemble the solar system, today she’s rocking the one constant in her ever shifting wardrobe-underpants. And nothing more.But despite her dominance on the pop charts worldwide and bleached blonde hair, GaGa is not the average pop tart. She’s an accomplished songwriter and performer who seems to have come out of nowhere, bursting from the corner of Ludlow and Rivington fully formed and fabulous. In conversation, she’s chatty and articulate, but gives off the distinct sense she’s 10 steps ahead of everyone else — while the Internet is still buzzing about the lampshade she wore over her face in a TV interview, she’s plotting her next move.

Of course, if she invests wisely, she may never need to work again: Her debut album, “The Fame” has sold nearly 1.3 million copies in the United States since its low-key release last September via Interscope. For the year, it’s both the best-selling set for a debut artist, and the fifth-best-selling album overall.

Her digital single, “Just Dance,” has sold 4.4 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the No. 2 best-selling digital song of all time. Earlier this week, she snagged nine nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards, sharing the lead with Beyonce.

In addition to co-writing all the tracks on her album, GaGa has previously written for Fergie, the Pussycat Dolls, Britney Spears and New Kids on the Block.

“Getting into writing for others happened naturally, because at the time, I didn’t have a record deal,” GaGa says. “I don’t have an ego about other people singing my songs.”

And-as surprising as it may seem amid her outre outfits and the nudge-nudge-wink-wink lyrics-GaGa’s path from behind-the-scenes songwriter to cultural phenomenon was a smart, regimented plan. Before she was Lady GaGa, she was Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, an Italian Catholic schoolgirl from Yonkers, N.Y. She played piano and studied music as a child, but it wasn’t until she hit her early 20s that her songwriting and performance style clicked.

“She wrote almost all her hits in a week,” says Vince Herbert, who signed GaGa to his Streamline Records label, a joint venture with Interscope. “She flew to L.A. and sat in a studio with (producer) RedOne and just cranked it out.”

GaGa writes mostly at the piano, and to her, if a song doesn’t come easily, it isn’t meant to come at all. “A hit record writes itself,” she says. “If you have to wait, maybe the song isn’t there. Once you tap into the soul, the song begins to write itself. And I usually write the choruses first, because without a good chorus, who really gives a f—?”

But before she had hit records, she was an apprentice songwriter, working with a number of producers and trying to build a name for herself. Jody Gerson, who signed GaGa’s publishing deal with Sony/ATV, points out that she was driven to understand the publishing business from a young age.

“She interned at Famous Music Publishing before any of this,” Gerson says. “And even back then, she was famous for showing up for work in her undies.”

GaGa says she doesn’t want to be underestimated or written of as merely a pop songwriter. “I think most music is pop music,” she says. “The mark of a great song is how many genres it can embody. It’s about honesty and connection-look at a song like ‘I Will Always Love You.’ Whitney (Houston) killed it as a pop song, but it works as a country song, a gospel song, everything. If I can play a song acoustic, or just on the piano, and it still works, I know it’s good.”

Gerson says that she and GaGa are both particular about who the artist will work with, especially with her current touring schedule. “She’s swamped right now,” Gerson says. “There is a lot of interest; we’re talking to (“American Idol” runner-up) Adam Lambert right now, for instance. But it has to be a good match for her to spend the time.”

Coincidentally, GaGa’s crowning TV moment came in April, when she performed “Poker Face” on the “American Idol” results show. While the show helped boost her album sales (according to Nielsen SoundScan, “The Fame” sold 45,000 copies the week before the show aired, 51,000 the week it aired and 56,000 the week after), more important, it showed middle America that she was a bona fide pop star.

GaGa gets plenty of additional screen exposure through the use of her songs in soundtracks and commercials. But deciding whether to align her with big brands has been trickier.

Steve Stoute, head of the branding agency Translation, thinks GaGa herself is a brand. To that end, he has signed a deal with her and says he will treat her just like he does such clients as McDonald’s or State Farm. “I don’t just want to do deals for a check with her,” he says. “She’s at the point where she’s bigger than life. She’s transcended music.”

A few months ago, Lady GaGa decided to try a little experiment.

“I was talking to the members of the Haus (her creative team) about the power of image and the camera, and I wanted to say something on a real level about fame,” she says.

“I drink a lot of tea, and I decided to take a purple teacup out of my china collection and take it to London and make it famous. I put it in videos and had fans pose with it and put it on TV — at one point, the teacup had a call time.” It became the most famous teacup since Meret Oppenheim covered one in fur.

Not surprisingly, GaGa has a background in art history, which she studied for a while at New York University before leaving to pursue music and performance full time.

“There is certainly a performance art element to all of this,” she says. “I get challenged in interviews all the time, people asking me whether the clothes distract from the music. They’re not separate; it’s not one or the other. I dress the way I do to demonstrate my commitment to show business.”

GaGa names as her inspirations people like Klaus Nomi and Andy Warhol, who she says saw themselves as living their roles. “There is no sense of duality when it comes to who I am. It’s not a play-acting thing for me. When I did the Rolling Stone cover shoot, I said I wanted to be shot as the rock goddess I know I’d eventually be.”

Though she doesn’t speak to it directly, there is a sense that GaGa also is canny about using her wardrobe to keep her in the public eye. In the month of July alone, Perez Hilton’s Web site mentioned her 13 times, almost always for her outrageous outfits. More recently, Hilton’s Twitter messages have been breathlessly recounting the pair’s Japanese escapades.

Such attention is usually reserved for starlets going through rehab, involved in public breakups or falling drunkenly out of limos-and GaGa does none of this. Though she’s admitted to using cocaine in the past, she seems to have realized that she can get just as much attention by slapping on a hat made of hair, without all the nasty side effects.

“The Fame” will be rereleased in the fourth quarter, a year after it debuted. It originally arrived September 9, 2008, to a mostly positive critical reception, but didn’t appear on the Billboard 200 until November. It bounced around the charts for the early part of 2009, but then cracked the top 10 in March upon the strength of her first U.S. hit, “Just Dance,” and only built from there.

“We always just assumed we were going to sell records,” GaGa says. “I have a sense of optimism and liberation, despite the state of the industry and the economy. We function like the industry is in full bloom, and that audacity works for us.”

GaGa had to wait to hit those sales records in the United States, though, breaking first in Canada and then in Australia.

She has also toured nonstop, starting off opening for labelmates New Kids on the Block, then headlining her own Fame Ball tour. She opens for Kanye West later this year. And she can guarantee one thing-her closet will remain locked to the infamously stylish and demanding star. “If Kanye tries to wear my clothes, I’ll kick his ass,” she says with a laugh.

 

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miami_beach

Miami is certainly a fun-loving place. The two tenets of life here are the beach and the bar, which means this large city in the southern state of Florida makes for an awesome backpacking destination.

Time spent partying here can get quite expensive however, as those numerous cocktails and chasers don’t come cheap. Consequently, it’s important the incoming backpacker pick his or her drinking hole carefully – there are numerous excellent and affordable places to spend an evening in Miami, you just have to be prepared to look for them.

Here are a few suggestions of places where the earnest backpacker can enjoy a fulsome and relatively inexpensive night out on the town in Miami…
 

Jazz on South Beach Hostel

Miami hostels prove a good bet if you’re looking for like minded backpackers to share an evening out with. What’s more, part of the deal when you book a Miami hostel is often organized nights out, whereby staff take you to places that only the locals know about. Jazz on South Beach Hostel is one such place. A carefree and fun hostel, it’s known for being the epicenter of many a memorable party in Miami.

Lost Weekend, Espanola Way

Lost Weekend, Espanola Way

Lost Weekend is just the type of bar backpackers love: there’s no dress code (so you can get in wearing your vest and cargo pants that haven’t been washed for a month), pool, darts and Foosball are all available, and the drinks come happily cheap.

The Playwright Irish Pub, Washington Avenue

Playwright Irish Pub

This atmospheric Irish Pub is extremely popular with locals and travelers alike. Not only is the drinks list extensive, the food menu hearty and cheap, and the sporting occasions raucous (in a good way), but the place is also fitted with traditional wooden decor. Which means it’s not just the Playwright’s drinking culture that carries that certain flavor of Ireland!

Tavern in the Grove, Main Highway

Tavern in the Grove

This great joint is a favorite among students, who lap up the welcoming ambiance and cheap drinks with predictable fervor. This is the type of place where you head early in the evening, and remember very little thereafter.

Tobacco Road, South Miami Avenue

Tobacco Road

One of Miami’s most famous nightlife spots, this is another joint that can suck you in at any hour of the day and keep you in its thrall for a near infinitive amount of time. The drinks are affordable, the food is good, and the live music come nightfall is pumping. It’s an all round excellent choice.

Happy Hours

Happy Hours in Miami bars prove a great way of enjoying the nightlife here. You can either milk a good deal on cheap booze for as much as you can get, or you can use the opportunity to get into one of those swankier cocktail joints on the beach using the justification that the drinks won’t dent your wallet as much as they normally would. Ask around at your Miami hostel to find out about the best happy hour deals in Miami.

Before settling down and becoming a copywriter for HostelBookers.com Johnny Cooper did a backpacking tour of USA and he checked out a variety of hostels in Florida and a hostel Miami

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonny_C.

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