Archive for July, 2010

Delicious Cactus in Seattle

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

Madison Park is one of Seattle’s most distinguished neighborhoods and is where Cactus is located. Cactus is a busy Mexican cantina that stands out from all the other restaurants in the area. If you’re a visitor to Seattle, Cactus is worth a try and don’t worry if the wait is long, you’ll receive a beeper so you can stroll the streets and if you wish, have a drink elsewhere, check out the Seattle hotel scene, then once you’re beeped, just head on back and let the party begin.

Your wait will be rewarded with salsa and guacamole so fabulously fresh you’ll swear each bowl was made to order. Cactus’s tapas bar offers delectable little dishes such as the grilled portabella mushrooms and green chili soup. The sauces are a complexity of beguiling tastes, the meats and seafood are cooked to perfection and the scent of cumin spiced black beans and fluffy Spanish rice will satisfy any steaming impatient thoughts about just how long you had to wait. Bliss will be your next state-of-mind if you order the smooth flan dessert or the nutty brownie topped with cinnamon ice cream swimming in a decadent puddle of Mexican chocolate and caramel. If you’re still not satisfied, try the Ripe Bananas in Meyer’s Rum, which is a nice saucy end to a great meal.

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Red Skies in Sydney

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

The reasons for traveling to Sydney are way too numerous to elaborate on in any depth, but the ocean is usually good enough for most folks. There’s also the splendid urban lifestyles, with a fairly regular dose of cosmopolitan flash mixed with local charm. The weather is also particularly lovely. The proximity to the ocean keeps it fairly cool all winter, and warm all summer. The seasons, by the way, are reversed down here.

There aren’t very many moments where there are extremes, with snowfall being very rare. The summer can occasionally see a pretty deep amount of red in the thermometer, because it is close to the deserts that take a lot of heat. That’s still fairly uncommon, and this makes Sydney lovely to visit any time.

Last September, there was a very unusual phenomenon, however, and most travelers are probably better off having missed it. If a huge dust storm that turns the entire city orange is interesting enough to be attractive, then fans of dust will have to wait for a long time, apparently. The skies of Sydney did turn orange , and it lasted for a very long time. It was caused, apparently, by a lot dust gathering and being blown about in the inland desert. Usually it dies out before it reaches the coast, but not this time. It’s very unlikely to happen again, but if the city suddenly looks like Mars , it’s probably just Sydney.

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Finding Treasure in Boston

Monday, July 19th, 2010

There is no better way to see a city than to be forced to explore it on your own, and that is what Cashunt does. This is not a tour, but more of a scavenger hunt in which you are asked to go out and a certain number of items throughout the city. Usually you will have to have it set up for you of course, but if you really wanted to you could easily have a local friend set it up, or set it up for a group of other friends and let them take a go at it.

Usually people meet up at another location after making their way from their luxury hotels. Boston is full of surprises so they are given a certain number of items that they have to buy or find around town. From there they are split into teams, given their tasks, which may not actually be the same, and told to head out into the city to find them. These days cell phones and GPS are encouraged to help people find their items. It can be a lot of fun if you do it right. At the end of the time limit you are brought back together and who ever has the most items wins.

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Columbia Center Make’s Seattle’s Space Needle Superfluous

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

You can see it from any of the luxury hotels Seattle has, or from any other place you happen to be at the moment, the Columbia Center is one of Seattle’s tallest buildings; taller than the Space Needle by almost 100 meters and is less expensive to visit too!

Located at 701 Fifth Avenue, between S. Airport Way and Cherry Street, Columbia Center ‘s Observation Deck , open on weekdays offers the best view of Seattle. This 941 foot building is the 2nd tallest building west of the Mississippi. The Observation deck wraps around the East, South and West sides of the building, so all you’re missing in your view of Seattle is Capitol Hill. You’ll have a view of the Cascades, the Olympic mountain ranges, a panoramic view of Harborview Hospital, the 520 floating bridge, the I-90 floating bridges, Beacon Hill, I-5, the ferry docks, the shipyards, all of West Seattle, Queen Anne, Puget Sound and of course, downtown Seattle.

The tour of Columbia Center only costs $5.00 and you’ll be taking 2 elevators, one to the 40th floor and the other to the 73rd floor, then on up to the observation deck. If the season’s right, you’ll also get to peer into a falcon’s nest on the North ledge of the building. Come to Columbia Center first, before visiting the Space Needle you may just find that a visit to the Space Needle isn’t necessary.

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Sting and Trudie in London

Sunday, July 4th, 2010

The famous pop star Sting, and actress and producer, Trudie Styler, share a lot more than just a happy marriage. It’s true, certainly, that they’ve been setting a kind of record for longevity in romance, where after all these years, there’s still no sign that the passion has even considered dwindling. It’s a refreshing thing to see, when the spotlight often dims the brightest dreams of happy couples, unable to cope with the pressures of being in love in public.

They do still live in London, both having deep roots here, maintaining strong connections to the city that gave them their sparks for music, movies, and also love. They live in two flats, actually, in London, but the couple is famous for liking to keep things lively and varied. They also have places in New York, Malibu, Tuscany, and the famous farm in Wiltshire that they’ve opened up for celebrity hounds for an evening at supper.

The couple have certainly come under public scrutiny, which is apparently a necessary evil of the trade. They’ve often been judged unfairly, or shown in unflattering lights, but again, that’s also part of the lifestyle. They seem to be taking it all in stride, focusing on their lives together, but also may have found a secret to a long marriage. It’s got nothing to do with the usual spices, but instead involves devoting part of their time to important causes in the world. While the truth about the disappearing rainforest was being bantered about by scientists for decades, it’s largely thanks to efforts by Sting and Trudie Styler that the world knows about the issue.

The city that embraces them again and again is always a great place for star-gazing. Travelers looking for adventure in an urban setting can book a hotel London ‘s offering, and see what the view on the street might be. Chances are slim of seeing Sting, but there are many other stars that call it home, and people watching is one of the great past times in this lively city.

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Extreme Sports in Las Vegas

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

At some point, when the head is swollen and the brain is cloudy from sitting at the poker tables all day and night, one may need to do something extremely different. It is a great rush when one wins it big at the craps tables but there are plenty of other thrills in the city of Las Vegas. There are other ways to get into the game and get some movement. Get a different kind of adrenaline rush. One could head over for some roller coast action, there are a couple of hotels that feature some great rides. But what else is out there?

How about an amazing zip line adventure? You’re going to have to take a short drive off the strip to strap in for a thrilling zip ride off top of a desert mountain, down a canyon and land at the base. This is the first zip line put together in Nevada and it is fun. This is special adventure as you get the flight path of a bird diving from the top of a mountain to the ground. The only effort you put in is screaming, at first and then laughing with awe in the middle and end. Visitors are are strapped into a paragliding harness and then attached to cables. They push you off the mountain top and you zip glide down the cables in untraveled territory. You aren’t on a dirt trail, you are dangling from the cables above a beautiful canyon and moving at a good speed. You get to see great views of lakes, mountains and the city of Las Vegas in the distance. Truly amazing. Bootleg Canyon Flightlines is were the fun is at.

Another great adventure with major thrills is skydiving. Contact Vegas Extreme Skydiving for your, should do in a lifetime, parachute out of an airplane. This is one of the most freeing experiences you will ever have and all of the best Vegas hotels can get you there.

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