Archive for June, 2010

• Fort Collins’ Pep Squad

  Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

  For all of the great musical innovations coming out today, the scene in Fort Collins, Colorado is absolutely worth paying some attention to. And even the most jaded and critical listener might find themselves turning off their cynicism when they find themselves dancing uncontrollably to Pep Squad. Much of the innovation these days is coming from a media revolution. Software for electronic sounds are much cheaper these days, and with computer platforms that are easy to negotiate, anyone can write a new song.

  It still takes a little brilliance and a lot of connections, however, to get people to actually listen to it. It’s still a question mark whether Pep* Squad has the connections, but with their brilliance, those should be coming any day now. They finally got a chance to play outside of Colorado earlier this year, at Austin’s SXSW Festival , and that’s a great start.

  It’s already a pretty great start, however, and one listen might convince anyone to go ahead and book the hotel. Fort Collins is fun. Even without the music scene, it’s some of the freshest air in the country, and the quality of life is very high, even more so for people on vacation.

  A Pep* Squad concert will be a mix of many things, but the first thing that might strike a new audience member is the level of performance. This isn’t an ordinary rock and roll show, it’s dance music, and it’s meant to get the crowd up and moving. The way they succeed at this suggests that irony is not dead. And celebrating the irony is a great hook, because the music will eventually take over.

  They are masters of quotation, taking in all the tropes of glam bands of the 70s, and performing a level of fake angst that is fun, but also tugs at the heart in the most delightful way. When the singer starts to sound like he might be using a fake accent and riffing on the worst anthem rock singers, it’s because he really is, and it’s not long before one realizes there’s a genius at work somewhere.

• Historical Maps: Redesigning the World Post WWII

  Sunday, June 27th, 2010

  In history there are a number of strange and interesting maps that have been drawn. Most of them have very interesting stories. Some of these are simple maps like the globes that were made in Russia for a while. They would take a map of a city or a country or something similarly smaller than the world and would make a globe using this map. Some of these are placed over an already made globes , while other people made their own globe and placed the new map on their globe. There are a few articles out now about how to make your own if you are interested in doing this yourself.

  There is another interesting map that was found from around World War Two. It was a plan for how to split up the world after the Allies had won. In some ways it looks exactly like our world map now, and in others it is very different. On it is a title which refers to the New World Order. This doesn’t come as a big surprise as there was talk of the Allies having to lead the world in a path back to righteousness and how they would have to unite the world in order to heal the wounds that were caused. It is actually in this name that a lot of land was given and taken from people during this time. It is also in this spirit that the League of Nations was built after the first world war.

  The bottom of the maps details which of the current (for the time) countries and areas belong to whom. There are a few familiar faces in the scheme of things, such as USA has all of North America and Greenland along with a few islands, and USSR has all of Russia and extends some into Eastern Europe. There are also some new things, such as the USSA which is the United States of South America, in which it is imagined that they could all ban together and work as one. There is also “Hebrewland”, as it is labeled, which was their name for the Holy land of the Jews plus Jordan. Somehow the whole thing seems a little idealistic, as though some of these countries are going to just up and forget about other atrocities that have happened because of this one world war. It is an interesting look into the past however.

  What world maps and interesting globes have you found?

• Art Museums and Galleries in West Palm Beach

  Friday, June 25th, 2010

  West Palm Beach is one of the beautiful cities in Florida that is frequently included in vacation fantasies for people across the nation. It is a city with a pleasant atmosphere and incredible views, which makes it a favorite for almost everyone. In addition to the great beaches and all the water sport fun that can be and is had throughout the year there are numerous cultural attractions that appeal to the finer artistic tastes of tourists and residents alike. The city is full of museums and gallery spaces where all genres of art can be found and appreciated.

  Guests in a West Palm Beach luxury hotel are usually eager to start their day and enjoy some quality time on the beach before heading off to a museum or do some shopping, have a wonderful lunch at a patio cafe or any number of other options. And if museums are on the agenda, there are plenty to choose from. The Art of Helga King is a special collection that is viewed by appointment only. A great deal of the artist’s work is based on her life experiences in a concentration camp during the holocaust. Her work is as important historically as it is impressive artistically.

  The Norton Museum of Art is one of the city’s outstanding museums and contains a permanent collection of over five thousand pieces. It is well known for its collection of masterpieces from the 19th and 20th centuries and the museum features the works of great artists such as Georgia O’Keefe, Jackson Pollock , Pablo Picasso and many others. The Amory Art Center is located in a 1939 building that was designed in the art deco style, which is extremely attractive and suited for the exhibits it contains. In addition to the various exhibits there are numerous studio classes and workshops that keep the center engaged with the public.

• Carefree Golfing

  Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

  Carefree, Arizona equals golfing. There are three golf courses in this resort town; Desert Forest Golf Course, which is a private course and two at the Boulders Resort, the North course and the South course. All courses are award-winning golf courses and offer tournaments.

  The Desert Forest Golf Course , located 37207 N. Mule Train Road, is a private 18-hole Desert Forest course, featuring 7,011 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par 72. The desert course features grass from tee to green on all its holes and the greens are fast and sloped. The natural terrain comes into play at both sides of the fairways, forcing golfers to be accurate with their shots. 73.8 is the course rating and a slope rating of 149 on Bermuda grass. This course has six dogleg fairways, four to the right and two veering to the left. Desert Forest was designed by Red Lawrence in 1962; Jack Snyder remodeled two holes in 1978. In 1994 Desert Forest Golf Course hosted the Phoenix Silver Pro AM.

  The Boulders Golf Club and Resort, which is one of the five star Carefree hotels , located at 34831 N. Tom Darlington Drive, has two resort golf courses; the North course is an 18-hole golf course featuring 6,291 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par 72; and the South course features a 6,073 yard course with a par of 71. Both are designed by Jay Morrish. The North opened up in 1985 and the South opened in 1991. There are plenty of challenge for any golfer that come with stunning views. Resort guests have the opportunity to play one of the two courses on alternating days; a small private membership plays the course not used by resort guests. Each course is meticulously maintained and each layout is set amongst desert brush and cactus, which makes it imperative for golfers to keep shots on the fairways. The large rock outcroppings or ‘The Boulders’ makes judging distances interestingly difficult.

  If you’re not a golfer, visiting Carefree for a few days will make you wish you were, because the surroundings of both golf courses are the best that Carefree has to offer.

• Three Restaurants For a Special Night Out in Orlando

  Monday, June 21st, 2010

  People visit Orlando for all kinds of reasons and with all kinds of budgets. Some people can afford to stay in four star hotels. Orlando doesn’t attract all that many of those people though. For the most part it is people with kids, or people on a honeymoon having just spent the majority of the money on their wedding. Many of these people will still budget out a little bit of money to go to a nice restaurant for one evening, even if they can’t afford it for the rest of the vacation. Some of the parents will find someone to watch the kids for the evening, a rare experience while on vacation. That is why it is so important for them to choose the right fine dining restaurant for them to spend a nice night out. As it is the land of resorts and theme parks the majority of these are located in fine resorts.

  Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa has a great place that you two can go. Victorian-styled restaurant Victoria & Albert’s is easily up there as one of the fanciest restaurants in the United States. It is beautiful and the food matches the atmosphere. If you really want an experience you can reserve the chef’s table for a little extra money and watch from the kitchen as the master chefs work magic with the food and make beautiful meals.

  JW Marriott Orlando has a great little restaurant called Primo. It doesn’t sound like much at first unless you are a fan of James Beard Foundation chef Melissa Kelly. There is a good reason she has gained such world wide acclaim. She is best known for her use of farm-fresh produce and organic gardening. This means that all the food tastes better and is far better for you. She is also a brilliant nutritionist and puts together complete meals that will fill you up and do your body right.

  One of the most recognizable names that you could go to is Emeril’s Orlando. Here you can taste Creole as though it was straight from the city of New Orleans. Besides this one he also has another restaurant in the city that serves Asian and Polynesian flavors.

• A Monkey in Boston Garden

  Saturday, June 19th, 2010

  Since it closed in 1997, Boston Garden is still remembered, and very sorely missed, by scores of fans in the Boston area. It was a remarkable place, and was home to some of the most exciting sports moments in history. While it had its share of sublime moments of fearlessness, along with its share of disappointments and defeats, it also has some rather unusual stories as well.

  Apparently there had been several sightings of a leprechaun in the rafters, and usually not by the tippling fans, but by the Boston Celtics players. No evidence was ever found, but they did find something else in the rubble after the demolition took place. It’s still contested, and even Snopes hasn’t been able to verify it for certain, but the reports seem very clear that they found the bones of a monkey , who’d been living there for quite some time. No one was able to comment decisively on how long the monkey had actually been there.

  The find was a reminder of 1936, when Frank Buck, the great animal wrangler and fearless explorer, hosted his Bring ‘Em Back Alive show here. There were lots of critters that escaped, and some of these were monkeys, but the bones weren’t old enough to be from a time so long ago.

  There was a lot of talk, however, about how this was a true fan, and the monkey’s access to a perfect view of the games, season after season, has made the animal the envy of a few hardcore fans. It’s one of the great things about a city as old and rich as Boston, where stories like this are rather common. Anything can happen here, and it often does. That makes it particularly attractive to anyone who might be looking for a Boston hotel , giving another dozen reasons for making this a perfect place to getaway, and get into some of the local culture.

• Professional Tennis Rivals Andy Roddick and Roger Federer

  Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

  Like any other sports, tennis has seen some superstars on the court. And these are generally the players that keep mainstream enthusiasm and tennis obsession perspectives alive. Of course there is also the great love for the sport, but the superstars are the ones that breach into the non-tennis fascination status and frequently even draw in new fans. And once a person understands the structure of the game and follows a few players, they catch the bug and the passion remains with them long after the superstar that drew them in retires. Some of the best players and most famous personalities from the men’s category are Roger Federer and Andy Roddick, who also happen to be rivals. The Wimbledon schedule is just one of the tournaments in which they have clashed.

  Rodger Federer has equaled and even surpassed some of the top records set by previous great players. He is frequently considered to be the best complete tennis player, as if the others are missing parts. Perhaps overall best player is more fitting and the common status suggestion. Federer is from Switzerland and is currently, as of May 17th of this year, recognized by the Association of Tennis Professionals as World No. 1. This is just one of his records as he has previously held the title for 237 consecutive weeks. He has won 16 Grand Slam singles titles, which is a record for male players.

  Andy Roddick is an American player who has also been ranked as World No. 1. He is considered to be the top American player and is the only American male who is placed in the top ten. He won his first Grand Slam singles championship in 2003 when he defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero in the finals of the US Open. One of the skills he is most known and respected for is the speed and power of his serve. He currently holds the record for the fastest professional serve, which was clocked in at 155 mph. Both of these players should be on the Wimbledon 2010 program.