Friday 24 February 2012

The Romance of Vegas

A trip to Las Vegas is an experience of its own. No matter what time of year you visit there will be some manner of climate that will be new in some way, shape, form, or fashion to those who are visiting. There will be some star in the night sky that seems a little less bright when compared to the glam and glitz that defined Las Vegas and what has become known as "The Strip". Your trip to Las Vegas will be no more or no less than you make it. The problem with gambling destinations such as this is that if you spend your entire allotment of funds in the first few hours you are in for a very long and quite boring and possibly hungry vacation. Self control is not what this particular city is famous for and yet it requires a great deal of self control in order to really win at the games that are most often played in this city.
From the bright and glittery nightlife full of dancing girls, flowing booze, and the eternal ringing of the slot machine, Las Vegas is a city that was quite literally built on broken dreams. If you do not realize this going in, the chances are rather great that you might learn the lesson the hard way. This is in no way whatsoever meant to discourage your from visiting or from taking the gamble in the casinos. That is after all the main attraction for a visit to this city. The warning is a friendly reminder that in all things moderation is not really all that terrible a thing. If you're going to risk at all, at least wait till you're getting ready to head out of town rather than doing it your first night in. Las Vegas has a deeply interesting history to it, the kind of history that legends are made of. There have been Hollywood movies, a great deal of novels, hints, and innuendos and even more plain out speculation on some of the central characters that have come and gone during the process of building this glittering desert icon. Beneath the lights and the glitter lies a heart that built this oasis from the desert sand. If you get the chance during your visit find out all you can about the history of this city. I think it will make the trip that much more meaningful to you and might romanticize your time in the city a little bit too. Plus, for your guys, the girls love a good story and if you can woo them with grand stories of Vegas lore, then perhaps you will find a little luck of your own during your visit.
Through the years Las Vegas has had both vocal critics and outright devotees, they've legalized prostitution, kept gaming alive and well where others had failed to do so and stood against and corrupted more local and national government officials than anyone might ever care to admit. If one had all the facts about this city and it's oh so interesting history I would certainly love to read this tell all book. Even more than the past, the presence of Las Vegas is raising many eyebrows across America in disdain while others look on with rapt attention. From the gambling and the dancing girls, the bright lights, the games, the gold, the glam, and the glitz there are people that love it with the equal intensity of those that hate it. I guess some things about Vegas will never change. I would choose to visit Las Vegas over many American cities because its history isn't painted as lily white. This is one city that lives in sins and relishes that fact about itself. While some may call it 'Sin City' I prefer to think of it as a city that is unburdened by the sins of its past. When you think about it, those that are simply passing through commit most of the sins of Vegas.

Wednesday 8 February 2012

Family Friendly New York City

Many people forget that New York is a town full of families and plan their vacations without providing much thought to the entertainment possibilities that abound for children in New York City. It only makes sense that with so many families living in this city that there would be very many family oriented things to do and sights to see. For instance, there are 5 zoos in New York City; some of them better known than others. The five zoos are Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, Bronx Zoo, and Staten Island Zoo. Each zoo has something slightly different to offer than the others and if you have a true animal lover in your family there really is no harm in stopping by all of them. Also if you purchase the New York Pass you will find that most of the zoos mentioned above offer free admission to card holder. For the child who loves drama, New York City offers many theatrical productions that might suit him or her just fine. The first is geared towards girls and is American Girl Place. You can enjoy dining, shopping, and theatre while spending a day with your special little girl. This is a great bonding experience for mothers and daughters. The Manhattan Children's Theatre produces several high quality shows for children and families throughout the year at quite reasonable prices (season tickets are also available for those who live nearby). The New Victory Theater offers a different type of theater experience for families to enjoy. The Paper Bag Players are a must see experience. They offer a different type of theatre for children that encourages audience participation that gets your children involved in the dramatic process. If you have the time you should also check out TADA! Youth Theater in order to show your children that even children have talents that need to be explored and can make a difference not only in their own lives but also in the lives of others. In addition to the great activities mentioned above, there are several children's museums located in New York in addition to other museums that offer exhibitions that may be of interest to your children. The following museums are well worth checking out even if you decide to seek entertainment elsewhere: Brooklyn Children's Museum, Staten Island Children's Museum, Children's Museum of Manhattan, FDNY Fire Zone, Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, New York Hall of Science, Sony Wonder Technology Lab, Queens Country Farm Museum, and Ripley's Believe it or Not! Times Square. There are many more museums in the city that may provide plenty of family entertainment and education but these are some of the most kid-friendly museums in the city. Shopping is a fun and often educational process that often gets overlooked or even ignored when it comes to children. However, it would be remiss to mention great family things to do in New York without mentioning some of the wonderful children's retailers that abound in this city. Books of Wonder is aptly named as it brings back those books that held such wonder for us as children and gives us the chance to share those books with our children. They have old and rare books as well as many excellent current book selections. New York is also home to the largest Build-A-Bear store in the world, which will make the bear lover in your family's eyes light up with glee. There's FAO Schwarz, which is a toy store unto itself and almost worth the price of the trip to NYC alone. Old and young kids alike will enjoy spending an afternoon here. Toys R Us Times Square is offering up a Dinosaur portion of competition however by brining in great attraction to get families in the door and buying toys. Be sure that you let your little ones ride the Ferris wheel and that you get a copy of the photograph as a keepsake. New York City is gaining a reputation for a much softer far more family oriented side. Don't let the past reputation of this city prevent you from making this the family vacation destination it could be ideally suited to be.

Thursday 2 February 2012

The Blessings Of Vacations




There are so many wonderful things to do and see in New York City. It's hard to imagine that in a lifetime someone could possibly manage to get to them all. The problem is that many of them sound like so much fun it's hard to choose between the men and select the few. The best solution for me is to stick with things that can't be done at home. Playing in parks for the most part can be done at home. While none of our parks compare to the many available here, it can still be done at home without traveling thousands of miles in order to do so.

The same can be said for watching movies, fishing, hiking, riding bikes, and roller-blading. While getting exercise is great, there will be plenty of walking while in New York and I can actually roller blade when I get home, right? But if you like doing those things, why on earth would you deprive yourself of doing them simply because the locale has changed? If anything you will have a new shot of scenery to enjoy, new sights and sounds, and perhaps you can get your family, up, out, and active right along with you. 




In addition to the physical activities there are so many wonderful shows that can be seen on and off Broadway, there are also some wonderful opportunities to dance yourself as well as to watch others dancing. You can make music and listen to the beautiful sounds that others have made. You also have the wonderful and unique ability to choose from so many bookstore and antique shops. There are literally thousands of things you can choose to do and see within the course of a day in New York City, many of them free and some of them are actually freeing.

It is so important that we remember when vacationing what the actual purpose of a vacation is-to renew ourselves in our commitments to our families, our mates, and our work. In doing this we are supposed to come back refreshed and renewed ready to face the challenges that await us. Find something freeing to do while on vacation. Let your hair down and enjoy the ability to dance without worrying about who might see. Sing karaoke in a tavern, act silly with your kids and go walking barefoot on the beach with flowers in your hair. Remember what it was like to be young and have fun for the sake of having fun and most importantly, remember how to smile. 



Your New York Vacation should remind you, if nothing else how fleeting life is. The skyline of this great city has forever been changed and that is something we can never forget, it is not something we need to dwell on, but it is something that should really make us think when we remember it. We should seize each moment with our friends and families for the opportunity it is to not only be blessed but also to be a blessing in return.
Use your vacation as an opportunity to read to your children, sing to your mate, hold hands in the rain, and fall in love with each other all over again. Be romantic and sweet and hold the door open for him. Be silly and make up rhyming songs and tell your children often just how much you are enjoying playing with them and remember all of these things when you return home. That is when you will find that you are truly blessed.