Sub-ject » Travel

Danton’s Death Survives at London’s National Theatre

jeff — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:10:00 +0000

If you’ve booked a room at a London hotel before October 14, 2010, you’re in luck! The National Theatre is presenting the production of ‘Danton’s Death’, a Georg Buchner’s play, which is well-acted, has stunning staging and is deftly directed by Howard Brenton.

Danton is charismatically portrayed by Toby Stephens, the set of Christopher Oram can only be improved upon by the lighting of Paule Constable, both of which make a powerful statement, sometime over-powering the action on stage. However, even though the staging appears too often involving a very large cast moving around the stage as the brothel, tavern mob, court or Assembly, this 2-level set is utilized effectively.

Despite the plays billing, Howard Brenton’s heavily cut-down version of the play, which the focus on Danton and Robespierre, portrayed by Elliot Levey, is featured instead of the politics of the French Revolution.

George Buchner was 21 when he wrote the play back in 1835 as he hid from the police. The play, with its hair-raising on-rush of scenes and vivid dramatizations of complexities, visionary characters, was without a doubt one of the greatest political tragedies ever written. However, with the cuts made by the director, maybe to save time, we end up with a French Revolution that’s mostly about the personal power struggle between two men.

Despite all this, the play still has the air of a romantic personal tragedy and performances by actors who lead you from one swift moment to the next without taking you away from the swirling action on stage. Danton’s Death runs through October 14, 2010.

Danton’s Death Survives at London’s National Theatre is a post from: Sub-ject

Geography, Weather and Popular Cities in Florida

jeff — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 01:10:00 +0000

There are many regions in the state of Florida, and it represents a diverse geographic structure. The upper and middle as well as central state are known for specific features and cultural attractions, while the lower and coastal areas are by far most popular for their beaches. It has the nickname of the Sunshine State and this is well deserved, though if Arizona didn’t have the Grand Canyon there might be some competitive argument there.

The state has a mild tropical climate and receives a large number of warm sunny days throughout the year. The Florida beach hotels are aware of this fact and are used to accommodating tourists from all over the world at all times of the year. The southern portion of the state is one of the true tropical climates and this lends something of a paradise feel to the state. In addition it lends a bit of humidity.

Tallahassee is the capital of Florida and Jacksonville is the state’s largest city. Although cities like Miami and Palm Beach, as well as Orlando and Fort Lauderdale are its primary tourist destinations. And of course Orlando is most famous for all of the spectacular theme parks that are located there. Regardless of your primary reason for visiting, Florida is one of the preferred vacation destinations for people from all over the country as well as the world.

Geography, Weather and Popular Cities in Florida is a post from: Sub-ject

Caetano’s Rio

jeff — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 01:10:00 +0000

The rich history of Rio de Janeiro is boosted by its enormously vibrant present. Like the polyrhythms of the West African beats that underlie the Samba, moments in time stack up on each other until there is a sense of overwhelming power that releases itself only in giving into the movement and the moment. This is the place where the sea remembers, and needs to be thanked at least once a year. January is a very popular time, but like any mother, any time of year, and any time of day is ripe for a kind thought and gesture.

This is the place that fed the growing pulse of Caetano Veloso , who moved here from his native Bahia to become a university student. It’s hard to know if he also had the intention of starting one of the most important art movements of the century, but like the way the tides come in, it doesn’t matter the intention, because the effect is there and can’t be undone. It’s here in the landscape, from every restaurant and business hotel , and it certainly exists in the favelas.

Tropicalismo is not necessarily something that one would hear about when secluded in Rio de Janeiro hotels , but it’s present anyway. It finds its way in through the music as well as the visual art, and if there is any doubt about the power of this way of seeing, bringing up Caetano’s name in any setting will reveal that everybody here knows something unusual about him, and are ready to share the knowledge. These conversations also behave like polyrhythms, and it’s impossible to grasp everything at once, but there’s no need to.

Caetano’s Rio is a post from: Sub-ject

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Botanical Garden in Cape Town

jeff — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 01:10:00 +0000

The landscapes of the area in and around Cape Town South Africa are really breathtaking. There are so many ways to enjoy the natural things while visiting the city. You can get out and take long walks in the mountains behind the city or you can spend the afternoon on the beach and in the ocean below the city. Not far from your room in one of the Cape Town hotels is the Botanical Garden.

The Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden will take you and your family into such amazing beauty. It is considered one of the best botanical gardens in the world. It was established in 1913 and has been growing and teaching every since.

There is so much rich flora in South Africa and this is a wonderful place to see it all. You may want to visit here before you head out into the near by nature spots so you will be able to know what you are looking at when you see some beautiful plants and flowers.

The gardens also have many small animals and birds that are living in the gardens. The garden covers about 88 acres of land that is all protected as a world heritage site.

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Get Healthcare When Visiting America

jeff — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 01:10:00 +0000

No matter what you might think of the healthcare in America, the truth is that being able to find health insurance that will cover you when you are vacationing in America can be a little bit hard. There are plenty of insurance companies that will cover travel between countries in Europe, and this is probably because they are all so close together. However, getting US visitors insurance can be a little difficult, and is often not something that you think about until it is too late and you are already injured or worse and stuck without insurance.

While this would be ok in some other ares of the world, America’s healthcare has become dominated by the insurance system and the prices for services are exponentially higher than what they are worth, making it an expensive venture if you accidentally break an ankle or something like that while on vacation to America.

If you do have travelers insurance however, you will often find that you did not need it. Because of this it is often wisest to get a cheaper insurance that will cover most things that you might be able to think of. If you are going to a big city , maybe buy enough to make sure you will be covered if you break a bone or two. This shouldn’t cost too much money, but it should also keep you covered even if nothing happens on your journey.

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Visiting Knoxville Finally

Miami Fine Latino Art

jeff — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:10:00 +0000

Founded in 1991, the Florida Museum of Hispanic and Latin American Art, which in now known as The Latin American Art Museum (LAAM) , is the first and only museum of its type, which fosters and promots both established and emerging contemporary artists of a very diverse Latin community.

The museum is 3500 square feet featuring 11 exhibitions throughout the year, plus a permanent collection of over 350 works of contemporary art from artists of Hispanic, Brazilian, and Haitian descent. The collection includes not only paintings, but sculptures and ceramics as well. The museum is located in the Miami’s design district, at 2206 SW 8th Street, also known as Miami’s Calle 8 Art Walk, convenient and within walking distance from any of the 4 star hotels Miami has to offer its visitors.

LAAM offers a comprehensive program that features monthly group and solo shows , plus a traveling exhibition program held at international venues. The museum extends their services to artists by providing career counseling and referrals as well as being a place for art professional seek as a first resort information on the vast array of Latino artists in Miami-Dade. LAAM is a beacon if you will, that draws in people with film, music, dance, literature, lectures, theatre and arts-in-educational programs encompassing Latino culture.

Visitors to LAAM will immediately feel comfortable and stay for as long as they like while viewing and studying fine Latin art or they may visit an artist in residence at one of the many mini studios on site and be able to ask the artist questions. LAAM is well worth an afternoon trip.

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Polish Art in San Diego

jeff — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 01:10:00 +0000

San Diego is a city that’s always under construction. Like most cities that are engaged in the world at large, San Diego inspires a kind of ongoing conversation between its own population and the global visions. It’s evident in the cuisine served at the city’s fine restaurants, in the ambience at the top San Diego hotels , and it’s certainly found in the local art.

In a city that’s so close to the Mexican border, there are natural correspondences and alliances that pop up in the artistic practices from both sides. It makes for an eclectic and lively conversation, and occasionally inspires international artists to do work in the city in order to understand a position in the world. Krzysztof Wodiczko , the great post-constructivist artist currently based in North America, had an exhibition of a retrospective here. The work shown at La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art was an eye-opening experience for the viewers, but it also did something to the consciousness of the artist.

He’s done projects in Tijuana since that time, engaging his vivid public projections that have made him a name in the art world. It’s not an unusual trajectory for artists to be captivated by the border here, and the works are part of a conversation that continues to shape the city in extraordinary ways.

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Foong Lin in Bethesda

jeff — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 01:10:00 +0000

It takes 17 hours to fly from Washington DC to Hong Kong, covering a distance of 8,181 miles or 13,166 kilometers, but there’s an easier way to get authentic Chinese food outside of that former British city. In Bethesda, Maryland, you’ll discover Foong Lin’s , well known to the residents of this town that’s been listed 1st in Forbes list of America’s most educated small towns, and 11th on a list from CNN of the top-earning towns in America.

Since 1990, Foong Lin has been serving Cantonese, Hunan and Szechuan style dishes, specializing in seafood and Peking duck; serving lunch and dinner, they also have a low fat menu and deliver within a three-mile radius, close enough, if you wish, to have food delivered to the Bethesda hotels , in which you’ve chosen to stay. Regular customers respond enthusiastically to this restaurant, with one claiming that he’s picky about the places he eats Chinese food and Foong Lin’s is the best he knows about. Other customers similarly praise the restaurant as one of the best Chinese places in Bethesda, noting that the Szechuan crispy beef is crave-worthy and the service first rate.

The Chef’s specialties include General Tso’s Chicken (battered fried chicken with spicy honey sauce), Kung Pao Triple Delight (jumbo shrimp, beef, and chicken in a Kung Pao sauce), and Fresh Mango with Jumbo Shrimp (includes shrimp, scallop, roast pork, snow peaks, chicken, black mushrooms, carrots and brown sauce), as well as Peking Duck (a selected Long Island duckling prepared in the old Peking style, served with scallion, plum sauce, and pancakes), and Yuling Crispy Duck, prepared with a special gourmet sauce.

Foong Lin seems to be particularly known for seafood, which includes not only the usual shrimp and scallops, but a variety of squid dishes as well — from Fresh Squid with Basil, Squid with Spring Onion & Ginger, and Squid in Black Bean Sauce. Fresh seafood specials are also served, such as oysters, clams, salmon, and seafood hot pots, where the seafood is steamed under a fire.

With all the energy you’ve saved by not traveling across the world to Hong Kong for a meal, and with a great place to sleep at night, you can make the most of your vacation exploring the monuments and museums in the Washington DC area.

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Island Experiences

Hall of Flame Museum in Phoenix

jeff — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:10:55 +0000

In ancient mythology, a phoenix is a sacred firebird, one that has a plumage colored gold and scarlet and lives in a five hundred to a thousand year life-cycle. When its life is nearly finished, the bird builds a nest and bursts into flames, turning into ashes from which a new, young phoenix arises, reborn, and ready to live again for another thousand years. Variations of this myth may be found among Persian, Greek, Egyptian, Phoenician, and even Chinese legends. The city of Phoenix, Arizona, has a long way to go to reach five hundred years; presently, the city which takes its name from this bird, has only been around since 1881, about 130 years, but, the city does seem to have a lot to do with fire.

In a city with the hottest climate of all of the United States’ major cities, fire-fighting aficionados may be happy to find the Hall of Flame Fire Museum and the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes , which consists of nearly an acre of exhibits on fire-fighting history. In this museum, there are over 90 restored pieces of fire equipment exhibited, dating from the 18th to the 20th centuries.

The great majority of the exhibits on display are from America; however, there are also fire-fighting apparatus from across the world, including England, France, Austria, Germany, and Japan. The Hall of Flame Fire museum, containing several galleries, also sponsors the National Firefighting Hall of Heroes, which honors those firefighters who have been decorated for heroism, and for those who have died in the line of duty.

In gallery one, there are over 400 fire helmets in the collection, including helmets dating back into the 1800s. Gallery two contains 25 motorized rigs which date from 1914 to 1948, including a 1952 American La France fire engine, used in Miami, Arizona, which is available for guests to board. There is also an immense 1919 Mack “bulldog” ladder truck from Baltimore, Maryland, and a 1913 Merryweather fire engine that was constructed in London but used by the fire department in Lima, Peru. Gallery three contains pieces use in local parades, such as a 1967 English ERF fire engine from Retford, Nottinghamshire in England. In gallery four, visitors will discover over 4,000 arm patches. A fifth gallery explores equipment used to fight wildland fires.

With all this fire-fighting equipment so close by, you’ll be able to sleep well in the best hotels in Phoenix , and not have any concerns, except which gallery to visit next. The Hall of Flame is located on 6101 East Van Buren Street, and open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sundays from noon to 4 p.m..

Hall of Flame Museum in Phoenix is a post from: Sub-ject

Waikiki Has the Best Beaches

jeff — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 01:10:00 +0000

‘Sprouting waters’, other wise known as Waikiki, once was the playground for Hawaiian royalty, but today, it has become a playground for all who come Oahu. Dining, shopping, royal palaces and booking a world class beach hotel, Hawaii has it all with sweeping ocean views, a natural beauty that’s incomparably rich with a unique blend of history and contemporary comforts that are beyond all expectations. Waikiki is vibrant during the day and at night it heats up with hot spot clubs to suit any ones desires.

The beaches, that run along Kalakaua Avenue, are worth a visit. Waikiki’s calm waters and shallow waters affords the opportunity for wading and swimming, plus a great place to learn how to surf, or take a catamaran ride manned by actual beach boys. Since Waikiki is lined with hotels along the beach, all you need to do is walk outside from your hotel and within a few steps the beach is right at your feet, and so are a vast number of activities.

On the island of Oahu, besides the gorgeous beaches of Waikiki, you’ll find adventure along the Windward Coast’s Green Mountains, pristine white sandy beaches and blue waters; all perfect for outdoor fun. On the North Shore, you’ll find local crafts, divine luxury boutiques, a rustic surf town with epic waves, such as the ones at Waimea Bay, which during the summer months the water of the bay is calm, but come the winter months the waves can reach up to 30 feet high , but the exquisite beaches aren’t the only attraction, the exceptional oceanfront restaurants are especially suited for romantic dinners at sunset as well as fun and late night eateries that offer the best local Hawaiian entertainment.

Oahu island not only offers Waikiki, the best in comforts, the best in beaches and in activities, but it is the island that hold the states capital, Honolulu, where there’s a thriving art community, and where you can find world class art galleries and museums. So, if Waikiki, for some reason begins to bore you, just travel a little bit Northeast up to Honolulu, and if you get a chance, check out the USS Arizona National Memorial , which is moored at Battleship Row in Pearl Harbor and watch an historic short film that recaps the events on December 7th, 1941.

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