Archive for March, 2010

How to find the Best Restaurants in Boca Raton

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

I found three superb restaurants during my stay in Boca Raton. Three that thrilled me beyond expectations. I don’t know about you, but travelling to places that I’m not familiar with always makes me leery about finding the best restaurants by what’s listed on the Internet. I always prefer to ask the staff of the hotel where I stay and, for me it never fails to be the best way to find the best restaurants where the locals eat, not where the Internet sites want the visitors to eat.

Big City Tavern, was my favorite of all the recommendations, it’s a popular venue located in the ‘Shops of Boca Center’ and after talking with the wait staff, I found out it was just revamped by new owners, which apparently has only done wonders for its popularity. They recreated an American Tavern classic establishment, which is reflected by the wood and leather setting and the menu. Like Kobe Beef Sliders, or what was my favorite the Spago-style pizza with Portobell mushrooms, goat cheese, spinach and pinenuts. But, I could tell it was the fish dishes to be the more popular with the other guests. After dinner, I hung around the bar area, which had a lively crowd. I really recommend this restaurant as being your first stop.

Arturo’s Restorante was recommended by the reservation staff at my hotel, this place is what I would call the Italian Grand-Daddy of fine dinning. Vincenzo and Rosario Gismondi are the owners, and as any good Italian restaurant should have, their children also have a hand in running the establishment. The restaurant is old-school classic Italian, and the waitstaff is clad in tuxedo’s and are veteran pros. I really enjoyed the Antipasti trolley that goes beyond the ordinary. I had the Costoletta di Vitello alla Griglia (grilled veal chop loin). All I can say is bellissimo! Cooked to perfection. Their wine list is outstanding and the building is reminiscent of a Tuscan villa.

The last restaurant I had the privilege to have dinner at, and was recommended by the valet parking attendant, was Cafe Joley. The owner, John Suley has created a charming bistro serving contemporary French cuisine with a touch of Mediterranean influence, and tosses in a touch of southern comfort. This very intimate, personal setting creates a waiting time to be seated. While I was waiting, I looked over the menu, which changes often I was told. The smells coming from the kitchen were tantalizing as I drank a nice red wine and making me very, very hungry. I ordered the Crispy Kataffi with encrusted Prawns and served with collard greens and sweet potatoes (the southern comfort touch). The wait was worth it, every bite was a new taste sensation, the collard greens would put any southern restaurant to shame. Very delightful and refreshingly light.

Next time you are in Boca Raton, at least visit one of the restaurants mentioned above, you won’t be disappointed. If none of these restaurants appeal to your particular appetite, ask one of your hotel staff for a recommendations, you can’t go wrong.

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Visit the Tampa Bay Renaissance festival

Saturday, March 27th, 2010

If you’re in Tampa this spring or planning a visit don’t forget your doublet or bodice. Between February and early April is the Tampa Bay Renaissance festival .

Renaissance Faires are made up of many things. Festivals of this nature combine historical reenactment with craft fairs and performance art. It’s often hard to tell the individuals working the faire from the guests but it’s usually a safe bet that the more expensive and historically accurate the costume a person has on the more likely they can help you or at least point you in the right direction. If you’ve never been to one before it’s hard to make sense of at first there are near limitless eye catching things to see and do. Jugglers, musicians, magicians, and other entertainers perform throughout the day. There are tons of period foods and specialty brewed drinks to taste and sample not to mention the crafts many of the vendors hand make. The Renaissance festival is a blast though not necessarily period. Not sure when you want to go? The Tampa Bay Renaissance festival has themed weekends so check their website before leaving your hotel room so you can plan your day around the events. Also, don’t forget the sunblock, bodice burn is a lesson you need only learn once.

Finding “Renn Faires” a little over the top and looking for something more historically accurate? The Society of Creative Anachronism is probably more your speed. While the periods at a festival mix liberally often times the SCA has a defined time period participants immerse themselves in the sciences, traditions, culture, arts, crafts, and lifestyles of. Unlike Renaissance Faires, the SCA is a participatory organization you’re also the audience and the performer because you’re expected to participate and immerse yourself into the culture. Also unlike the faires events are continuously being held in all regions, or kingdoms, all over the United States not just select weekends. Florida is split between two kingdoms Meridies which holds events ranging from Kentucky to just north of Orlando, FL and the kingdom of Trimaris in southern Florida

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Great Outdoor Activities and Nightclubs in Miami

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Very few people wonder what they can do once they arrive in a great hotel Miami. Fl is full of great outdoor adventure opportunities and those around Miami are particularly intriguing. Being located along some of the state’s greatest beaches and coastland, water sports and beach activities are extremely popular in this city. One of the first things any tourist can do as they settle in for their great vacation is rent a bike or moped to cruise along the beach area and decide where they would like to go first. In addition, there are some great helicopter and airplane tours that will give you a great view not only of your beach but all of those around the city as well as some of the great bay. You really haven’t seen the Miami Bay area until you’ve seen it from the sky.

For experienced boaters and sail boaters there are also some great charter and rental companies. Basically the boat resources in Miami are there for anyone’s interest regardless of your previous experience or training. Even though who have never been on a boat can take a guided tour with a professional and enjoy the waves and views from the safety of a professional boater’s stewardship. There are also great classes available and the offerings don’t end with boating. You can take scuba diving and surfing classes among many other great water sports.

There really is truth to the statement that there is an endless amount of activities to do in Miami and you will never run out of options for fun and entertainment. After you spend your day at one of the great beaches or in a boat cruising around the bay and enjoying the views there are some great restaurants and fabulous nightclubs to round off your evening. The nightlife in Miami is as exciting and thriving as the outdoor day activities. The club scene is also diverse and you can find great dancing in all genres including the local based Miami Bass. There are also some great live music clubs , and the list features something from every genre. Jazz, rock and roll and country and western are just some of the standard music options many live clubs feature.

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Spending Time in Denver without Family

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Upon arriving in Denver, I quickly found myself with symptoms of a cold. I’ve been getting a lot of colds lately, I’m not sure what’s up with that, because a rarely get a cold. Maybe it has to do with public transportation. I do my best to wash my hands at every opportunity, but that doesn’t seem to be enough, or maybe it has to do with being in crowded classrooms full of people not covering their sneezes or coughs. Nonetheless, I didn’t let yet another cold get me down, until I listened to my voicemail from my folks.

It was my birthday and every year I come into Denver to celebrate it with family. This year will be different though, my family (mom, dad, sister and brother) are all out of town! Not on purpose, but because they had an opportunity to go to the Bahamas for the weekend. I don’t blame them, I mean, tanning on a beach in the middle of a Denver winter is a dream come true. Their trip was very last minute, so last minute, that I only found out about it via voicemail on my phone once I landed. Mom explained how they won’t be able to pick me up at the airport and that how they felt so bad about that and missing my birthday and how I couldn’t join them, they made reservations for me at a very nice local hotel so I could at least feel like I’m on vacation!

I missed going to the Bahamas by a few hours! I hailed a taxi and told him to take me to the hotel. I think I was in shock, because when the taxi driver arrived to the hotel, I just got out and headed to the check-in desk without paying him and without my luggage. He actually had to chase after me with my luggage and tell me to pay up! Which I promptly did. I think I was thinking that this was all a ruse by my family and that they really weren’t heading off to the Bahamas, but instead waiting in my hotel room to surprise me, but when I got to my room, there was no one there. No note, no messages, nothing.

My cold turned for the worse, so I just stayed in for the night, on my birthday, family gone and no one to comfort me. While in bed I decided to make the best of a weird vacation and see what the hotel had to offer. They had a fitness center, billiards and an indoor pool. Too bad my cold will keep me from enjoying any of these amenities. Oh well, so much for making the best of things. I just hope when my family gets back from the Bahamas that they bring me something other than a souvenir.

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NY Post-Ironic

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

The funny thing about discussing post-irony is that it’s already been discussed, but I’ll talk about it anyway. New York does these things to me. It might be that lack of contact with the real planet, the one with the dirt and the sticks and rocks, that sends me reeling into these hyper-heady flights. It might be something in the water.

Or it might be that there’s so much to see here, at any given time, even on any given corner, that the mind is easily set to racing. A cool site for hotels is all one needs, really, to begin the adventure, and the rest you can make up when you get here. Life on the ground in NYC is always interesting, and always stimulating, and in truth, there is a park where people go to get their share of sticks and dirt, but the best ones are further north.

The call of the wild here, though, has less to do with nature and more to do with human ideas of nature, or ideas of ourselves as things waiting to be defined. One of the more interesting notions of self, then, came here in the last decade with Mama Mia! , when ABBA was rejuvenated with life as a musical, so that the group could be quoted in new contexts.

This is a particularly New York phenomenon, and one for playing around with inside one’s own head. The Swedish singers who seemed to be pretending at music revealed themselves as interesting musicians despite the pretense, and this set the stage for a new age.

You could call it post-irony , if that’s something that strikes you as relevant, or you could lose self-consciousness altogether and get lost in the music. One of the great advantages of a post-ironic age is that it is possible to get caught up in both the consciousness and the unconscious appeal simultaneously. The music keeps playing. And I keep bobbing my head to the catchy tunes, that sing sweetly to me in the park when I am dancing my own world beat.

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Gumbo and Ancestors in New Orleans

Monday, March 15th, 2010

New Orleans is a place that’s constantly hiding and revealing in equal measure, on good days. On bad days these things are out of balance, but there’s a certain grace to the blend of people who make up the city that use all the juju at their command to make things right again. There are lots of adventures to be had in town, and looking for balance is a good place to begin. In New Orleans cheap hotels can introduce a visitor to all the magic of the city in a very precious and hospitable way, where the odd mix of roughness and elegance come shining through.

There are plenty of places to sample gumbo here, and it’s a good idea to try as many as one is able to, because there is so much variation in the recipes, and when it’s done right, it is downright glorious. It’s also become kind of a metaphor for the place itself, because there is a remarkable blend of disparate ingredients that, when taken together, pack a powerful punch that is absolutely delightful, and has the deep sweet taste of life itself. It’s probably a wise idea to keep your opinions to yourself, and listen to the locals talk about it, because there are always strong feelings about gumbo.

The notion of comparing a soup to a city is nothing particularly local, but follows along the lines of many different cultures, especially island cultures, and it’s very common in the Caribbean, to compare their own ethnic mix to soups that have everything. The origins here are rather deep and complex. There are certainly contributions from the French, but the influences are more overwhelmingly West African. The word gumbo comes from the Ki-Kongo word for okra , which is a typical base here. Also, in the versions where greens are a central element, the number of greens is said to signify the number of friends you want, but the numbers are usually 7 or 9, and these are numbers that signify the dead, or the realm of the ancestors. The soup gets deeper, and the gumbo is always funky, and New Orleans has a beat that will not stop.

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Houdini in Las Vegas

Monday, March 8th, 2010

In the early part of the 20th Century, Ehrich Weiss was one of its greatest escape artists, but few people knew him by that name. Instead, most people are familiar with Harry Houdini and how he died on Halloween night in 1926. There are museums dedicated to Houdini the world over. One of these museums may be found in a Nevada desert in a city that has embraced magic as one of its primary entertainments, Las Vegas. The Houdini Museum is inside Caesar’s Palace, among the forum shops, and contains a number of original items owned by this magician and escape artist, actor, producer, and skeptic, who spent time to stop frauds who exploited others by claiming supernatural communication with the dead.

Houdini was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1874, and immigrated to the United States four years later. As a child, he was a cross country runner and made his debut in public as a nine year old trapeze artist known as “Ehrich, the prince of the air.” Influenced by a French magician named Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, Weiss began to call himself Harry Houdini. He added the i when a friend told him, incorrectly, that an additional i would make the name mean “like Houdini.” The name Harry came from magician Harry Kellar that Weiss also admired. At first, Houdini’s magical career didn’t meet with success; however, once he began working with escape acts his fame began to grow. He worked at first on the Orpheum vaudeville circuit, then toured Europe, traveling from the United Kingdom to the Netherlands, to France and Germany, to Russia. He escaped suspended in strait jackets, while in handcuffs stuffed into a large milk can, and from the Chinese Water Torture Cell , his best known trick. While legend and two movies suggest that this last act was involved with his death on Halloween, it didn’t.

Whether you stay at Caesar’s Palace, or one of any number of fine places , it won’t be difficult to escape to Houdini’s Museum and shop, browse the store, and view these famous, magical items.

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Cleveland Museum of Art

Monday, March 8th, 2010

The Cleveland Museum of Art is one of the city’s premiere cultural establishments that is actually one of the nation’s more progressive and dynamic art museums. It supports not only art, but also is extremely focused on education and research programs. One of the great aspects of this museum that guarantees its availability to all people is the continued policy of offering free admission. With this acknowledged, it is important to keep in mind that certain special engagement presentations and exhibits may require a fee. This is one of the city’s pride cultural institutions as well as one of the premiere attractions for many of the hotel guests who are in town for business meetings or for vacations, or any other reason.

One of the recent exhibits featured the works of Paul Gauguin and displayed pieces from his time in Paris in 1889. The major exhibit was a collection of approximately 75 paintings, ceramics, wood carvings and paper sketches and drawings. It provided an extensive view and introduction into this period of the artist’s career, which is credited with being the time he developed is signature style. Gauguin is well regarded as one of the major symbolist artists.

The exhibit titled Art of the American Indians: The Thaw Collection opened yesterday, Sunday March 7th. This incredible collection includes over 145 objects that are representative of the art and culture of various American Indian tribes. The exhibit is not tribe or region specific and is intended more as an overview of various work styles and offers a survey of different regional traditions. Part of the interest in this exhibit is the demonstration of works before and after the arrival of Europeans on the continent and potential effects they had on the artistic traditions of certain tribes and regions. This exhibit is scheduled to stay open through May 30th and admission to it is free.

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