Archive for January, 2010

No More Gridlock in New York

Travel | Posted by admin
Jan 29 2010
We were at JFK airport, when we asked the car hire employee for a van big enough to seat 8 people, plus their luggage, and you should have seen the look on the clerks face, she really was surprised. We were at a car hire in New York City http://www.newyorkcitycarhire.com. But, she then smiled and said they have plenty of different kinds of vans and that she’s sure she can accommodate us. We were really happy with the vehicle we got, it fit all of us, our bags and it had a navigation system.
 
It took us a while to get used to how the navigation systems works, but once we got use to it, it really came in handy. No matter where we wanted to go, it gave us the directions and the best route to get there.
 
It was late in the afternoon, but getting our first glimpse of the Manhattan skyline made us all excited. Then we ran into a traffic jam, it literally took us hours to get into midtown. We weren’t sure if we’d make through the Long Island Express way, we felt all trapped and wondered what could tie-up traffic like this? We couldn’t figure out how New Yorkers put up with this day in and day out.
 
When we made it over the East River and the wind picked up and a tremendous thunderstorm broke over head. We were all laughing at just how hard New York was making it for us to enter the city.
 
We really thought when we left JFK that we had plenty of time to find our hotel, unpack and maybe, just maybe see some of Manhattan before we had to be at our programed performance at a private Birthday party, but instead, because of the gridlock, we had to go straight to the place where we were performing. Not a good first day in New York City. We hope tomorrow, when we plan to take the SUV to Brooklyn, that we won’t run into any more gridlocks like the one we hit today.

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Air Supplies Indianapolis Airheads

Music, Travel | Posted by admin
Jan 27 2010

This is going to be a great year for Indianapolis.  The city that has a midwestern heart and a cosmopolitan outlook always has something interesting and new going on.  There’s always something very exciting for the locals as well as travelers wondering what’s happening in this city.  Tourists often come to Indianapolis and find that the luxury hotels are truly world-class, and all the hospitality and style of the city are displayed here in the lodgings.  There’s a lot to enjoy in a fine hotel, but in Indianapolis, there’s a lot going on in the city as well.

This February promises to be even more exciting that normal, when Air Supply comes to Muncie.  In a time of so much 70s and 80s retro, this group often gets lost in the shuffle, being in between the decades and steadfastly refusing to belong to any.  They still record and play together, too, which means there’s never a big pr campaign for a reunion tour.  They’ve played a lot of places outside the U.S., including a show in Cuba a few years ago that drew a stunning crowd, but it didn’t necessarily make the new here.  But despite all these reasons, the long time fans from here know that we’ve been all out of Air Supply for awhile, and we really are so, so lost without you.

Thirty-five years is a long time for any band to be together, and Air Supply coming, this will be a great chance for fans from here to give Graham and Russell another listen.  They gave us some tremendous moments when we were growing up, and it was the perfect thing to hear after your love life went sour, and you found yourself thinking out loud and falling out of touch.  We’re eager to see them be exactly what we always wanted.

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Flipper in Florida

Travel | Posted by admin
Jan 25 2010

Traveling in Florida means never being bored by what you might see next.  You’ll find it easy to travel, just by renting a car and making some quick arrangements to to stay at very cool hotels.  The state is stacked with unusual sights and attractions, such as the Coral Castle outside Miami, a 2.2 million pound rock structure built by a single man, a Latvian immigrant named Ed Leedskalin after being jilted by his 16-year-old fiance in the first half of the 20th Century, or Dinosaur World, a park filled with 150 dinosaur replicas, in Plant City.  Two hours to the south of Miami, you may add to these, the final resting place of Flipper, the dolphin best known for its role in the 1960s television series about a park ranger, his two sons, and their dolphin.  If you’ve never heard of the show, neither its two movies and eighty episodes, nor any subsequent remakes, you may want to know you’re living well outside American popular culture. 
 
Flipper is a stage name and the dolphin was actually named Mitzi.  She lived fourteen years, from 1958 to 1972, and is buried at the Dolphin Research Center, an organization dedicated to public awareness and education about dolphins, located about two hours to the south of Miami on US1 at Grassy Key, an island in the middle of the Florida Keys.  On a regular basis, Mitzi would communicate with the ranger’s sons, disarm poachers, and laugh and walk backwards on the water on her tail; okay, the last bit she actually didn’t do.  Like most of Hollywood, a few effects are best done by others.  Mitzi had a stunt double, a male dolphin who performed the tail-walking.  Apparently, it’s a trick not every dolphin can manage, although the show would give you the impression that it’s a common activity.
 
In the 1960s, the Dolphin Research Center existed under a different name: Santini’s Porpoise School.  Here, Milton Santini, who pioneered dolphin training, was responsible for training Mitzi and was chosen to star in the original movie.  You can visit the center, which is open daily from nine a.m. to five p.m. (although it’s a wise idea to call first to make certain: 305-289-1121), in order to take a tour of the facility and pay your respects.  Just look for the dolphin statue at mile marker 59.

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Gettysburg Sensations

Travel | Posted by admin
Jan 19 2010

Everyone who is interested in the events of the Civil War need to make the trip to Gettysburg. There are plenty of quaint hotels around Gettysburg that will put you close to the site were the Battle of Gettysburg took place. The town has also put together some great museums filled with artifacts and stories to help get a good understanding of what took place in this historical city. There are plenty of tours one can take to get the most out of your experience. If you decide to go on a self guided tour then try getting a CD of the history of the area to listen to while you visit the sites. There are plenty of tour companies ready to take you on a guided tour. I am not usually one to take these sort of tours but this might be the best way to go. They have double decker buses and also tours of the Jenny Wade house. Maybe one evening you would want to try the candlelight tours of the city. What a thrill to get the haunted stories in the darkness of the night.
Make sure you add the Dobbin House Tavern to your list of places to eat. It is the most famous restaurant in town so you may want to get there early. This restaurant is the old home of Reverend Alexander Dobbin who lived there in 1776. This building has been restored to its best authenticity. From the seating and the decor to the outfits the staff wears you are sure to feel like you are back in the 1776 days. So make sure you go and eat some authentic 1776 period recipes by candle light and enjoy the ambiance.
Many of the buildings around town are original and restored. From the bed and breakfast homes to the old hotels as well as many shops and restaurants you will find yourself in many historical places that have a few stories of there own. Come and see where great men such as General Robert E Lee and Major General George Gordon Mead fought each other in this famous battle. See where President Abraham Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address to the people who lived through the battle and the winning northern army.

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The Pig & Whistle Pub of Los Angeles

Travel | Posted by admin
Jan 18 2010

When I lived in Los Angeles, a great night out was spent usually, at least some part of the evening, at the famous Pig and Whistle Pub in Hollywood.  That is one of the great things about the city of LA, whether you are living there or just spending time in one of the fabulous LA hotels, the boundaries of the city are hard to discern, and in one moment you will be in LA, the next moment Beverly Hills, and the next moment Santa Monica.  And for a city in the Western part of the country, LA is rich with history.

The beginning of the “Golden Era” in Hollywood, began in the 1920′s.  This was once a sleepy Southern California suburb, LA, but soon became the movie industry capital of the world.  Many people traveled from far and wide to set up studios along the now famous strip, Hollywood Boulevard.  This was a time of magnificent glamour, in the dress, in the architecture and in the life styles of the residents of Los Angeles.  It was during this time that the Pig and Whistle opened their doors, in 1927.  There is an incredible courtyard, an out door patio that is extremely serene, even given the fact that it sits in the middle of a town that is all about the hustle and the bustle.

Originally, the front door of the Pig and Whistle, was just to side of the entrance of the Egyptian Theatre, a spot where names of old such as Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy, and Clark Cable were seen attending the premieres of the their newest movies.  This is the kind of history we are talking about, the traditions and the stars of the long ago beginnings of Hollywood.  Yes, there is style and there is grace in Los Angeles, and the current incarnation of the Pig and Whistle stands testament to the that, from the hand painted tiles to the carvings along the walls and the ceilings.  Should you find yourself in Los Angeles, find your way to 6714 Hollywood Boulevard.  Grab a pint, and sit in the history, sit in the same chairs wherein the Hollywood stories began.

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Wonderful Winter Land of New York City

Travel | Posted by admin
Jan 12 2010
We wanted to rest on New Year’s day, but we decided to take on New York City with very little sleep. We headed out of one of the top New York City hotels and it was snowing a little, it was only 32 degrees and the wind wasn’t blowing, so it wasn’t so bad to be out, especially since we layered our clothing. We once again caught the Gray Line bus not far from Ground Zero and really enjoyed the heated tour and this time we learned about Chinatown and all the different tenements on the East side. Next, we got to tour the Waldorf, which was incredible, but we thought our hotel was just as good and not as expensive.
We got off the bus and walked six blocks to Grand Central Station and that’s when we really began to miss the heater bus tour, it was cold! The wind was picking up and it was going right through our layers of clothes. We had lunch at one of the dining areas at Grand Central Station, we went for pizza…again! It was just okay, not like the pizza we had last night. Next, we decided to brave the weather and check out Central Park, as we were walking towards the park, we saw a Gray Line and hopped on board. We totally took advantage of the heat. We hopped off at Central Park and took a nice winter stroll, even though the weather was turning, there were tons of people in the park; especially at the ice-skating rink. There was a stand serving hot apple cider, so we bought the largest cup they had.
It was getting colder by the minute, so we headed back via subway to our side of town – Tribeca and back to our hotel, but we passed a pub on our way that looked quite fun, Reade Pub, so we dropped in and had a really good hamburger and fries. There was a really good musician playing, so we stayed and listened to him play until sometime past midnight! So, much for taking it easy after New Year’s Eve!
We were so glad our hotel was not too far away, because by the time we left the pub, it was 20 below! Burrrrrrr……

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Winter and Summer Sports in Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Travel | Posted by admin
Jan 11 2010

Michael could hardly wait to get to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He had only been there once before and that just happened to be in the summer. The town was relatively quiet at that time and he was there because his good friend Jim invited him on a kayaking trip. He had a great time on the Yampa River and though he was a skilled kayaker, his friend Jim was much better, even in an entirely different league, Michael found out. The reached Charlie’s Hole, which Jim had assured Michael he could handle and it turned out he spent more time upside down and under the water than above it. At least he was able to make good use of his rolling skills. Meanwhile, he was so exhausted from the afternoon adventure that he just didn’t have it in him to go out to the clubs with Jim, who ended up staying out most of the night.

Michael laughed a little to himself as he remembered that trip. This time, however, he was visiting Steamboat Springs in November and not only was he a much better skier than kayaker, but he was also meeting his girlfriend Janet there instead of Jim. All of these aspects pointed to a fabulous weekend and Michael couldn’t wait to enjoy it. As soon as he arrived at one of the hotels Colorado he found Janet waiting at the fireplace in the lobby. She looked beautiful as always and the two of them wasted no time getting their gear and heading for the slops.

It was a beautiful clear and crisp afternoon and Michael felt like showing off a bit. He had never before been skiing with Janet and he was extremely confident he could make an impressive jump. She asked him not to and said it looked pretty dangerous, which only further encouraged Michael. And, as you are likely to be guessing at this point, Michael was on his way and seemingly out of nowhere another skier lost control and propelled right into Michael. They both went down and Michael ended up with a broken leg. Back at the hotel he and Janet were sitting in front of the fireplace drinking some hot chocolate when Janet joked that she would have to hit the clubs alone and Michael only considered the irony.

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Search Engine Ranking Pages Gone Bad

Business | Posted by admin
Jan 05 2010

Marketing means a lot of effort and time put into a campaign for a company to improve and increase their visibility in a market.  Part of the way companies improve and increase business, especially in the online world, is though online reputation management.  Companies can be wrecked in a matter of hours by an angry employee or cranky customer who feels that they have been mistreated, regardless of whether or not those people have real reason to be offended or hurt or not.  The internet does not judge whether something is right or right, fair or unfair.  It judges based search engine results, good keywords, and quality content.  So while you’re company might be in the number one position for a certain keyword or grouping of keywords, it might not necessarily be for anything good.

SERPs, as search engine ranking pages are otherwise known as, have expanded in other ways too that can be damaging for a company.  YouTube and blog sites have search engines as well.  It’s not simply the old standbys people commonly think of, such as Google.  And these negative results can make a detrimental mark on any company’s online reputation and brand.  For a company that has the majority of its business online, it is vital they understand how manipulate search engines to their advantage, especially when a customer hurting their reputation has no founded reasons for trying to destroy them.

Part of what a company must do is monitor certain things online constantly. Constant vigilance is key.  Its brand, obviously, is very important to monitor, but also the company and the people who make up the company: its executives and its employees.  When searching out bad news in search engines, it’s a good idea to include other keywords in your search that are probably inflammatory, such as sucks or scammed, but will allow you to know where you stand on the internet.  Blogs and social media sites like MySpace and Facebook are prime places where customers or employees can try to take a company down.  This is all a part of online reputation management and search engine optimization services.  It helps companies to understand what problems might exist and thusly what they need to do fix them.

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