Dinner and the Theatre in Delhi
July 2nd, 2010
Delhi is continually progressing and reaching the point of becoming a global city. Every year it sees increasing numbers of tourists who are there to experience the local culture, its cuisine and to discover some of the traditional heritage of the region. Delhi is full of incredible landmarks and beautiful monuments and these are one of the primary attractions for many tourists. Many tourists also enjoy a traditional performance while they are there. And along with the major landmark attractions they are interested in experiencing the traditional food of Delhi, which frequently becomes one of their favorite aspects of their trip.
Delhi hotels will frequently have great restaurant options right on the property, and even when they do not have they are still excellent resources for guiding guest in the right direction toward a great meal. In addition, they are great resources for quality cultural attractions and entertainment options. It is extremely common to enjoy a performance and fine dinner while you’re visiting a particular city or region and this is true for Delhi. And when guests attend one of the many traditional performance forms they not only enjoy a great show but are introduced to and experience part of Indian culture .
One of the continually popular shows in Delhi has been playing at the Shri Ram Centre for the past ten years. The play is called Ghilab and the plot focuses on the rebirth of Mizra Ghilab in the twenty first century. The show is a comedy and it deals with the situations Ghilab faces being placed in the sprawling contemporary society and all of its elements. The clever script shows the old timer being confronted with an existential identity crisis as he tries to navigate the fame and celebrity that surrounds him in the crazy new world, something that had alluded him during his actual lifetime. The show remains to be one of the favorites with local audiences and has also become a hit with the tourists.
A Great Way to Experience Las Vegas is the Power Pass
June 21st, 2010
The best way to see Las Vegas is with the Las Vegas Power Pass . You’ll get to experience the best attractions and save money at the same time. For one low price, you get into 23 top sights, rides, tours and more, all with the Power Pass. The single, all-inclusive price has built-in savings from what you’d have to pay normally for each individual attraction; there’s also a combined value of up to $500 in discounts and admission fees with special offers. Plus, you’ll get an easy to read, colorful guide map, which is included in the price.
You can pick up a Las Vegas Power Pass at Planet Hollywood and at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, which is one of the best 4 star hotels in Vegas . You can also register on-line and you’ll receive an e-mail with a link to a voucher for each attraction and service. Print the voucher and present it to gain admission or redeem the service. The Las Vegas Power Pass is your passport to the most exciting attractions in town, plus, with a Power Pass, you’ll be ‘fast-tracked’; meaning you’ll get to skip the lines at most of the attractions.
The Las Vegas Power Pass, is using smart-card technology and are good for 1, 2, 3 or 5 days. 1-day ages 13 and up costs $77.50; under 13 $45.00. A 5-day pass is $165.00 for ages 13 and up; $105.00 for under age 13. The attractions you’ll be able to use the Power Pass at includes: Adventuredome at Circus Circus (all-day ride pass), Cloud Nine Balloon Ride, The Eiffel Tower Experience at Paris (ride to the top observation deck), Las Vegas Mini Gran Prix Family Fun Center (including 1 pizza, drink and 6 arcade game tokens), the Natural History Museum, the Las Vegas Zoo , Madame Tussauds Interactive Wax Museum, the Liberace Museum, the Rollercoaster at New York-New York, Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, The Legacy Tour at Grand Canyon West (transportation not included), Sky Zone: 2 hours of open court jumping, the Stratosphere Tower: a ride to the top of the tower, $25 off the Apollo helicopter night Las Vegas Strip tour and much, much more.
Unless you hit it big in the casino’s, there’s really no other less-expensive way to experience all the attractions in Las Vegas other than to purchase the Las Vegas Power Pass.
Painted Bride, Philadelphia
June 15th, 2010
As the need for alternative art spaces continues to grow, especially in the Northeast where there are substantial numbers of artists that can fill spaces and make interesting work all year, the traditionally non-traditional houses are getting the attention they deserve. The word of mouth for Painted Bride in Philadelphia has always been very good, and for some unexplained reason, they’ve been able to keep themselves relatively under the wire. For a space that has been able to make it possible for artists to realize visions in a critical arena but outside of the mainstream, it’s rather remarkable.
Other spaces have tried the same thing, and have fallen to the usual traps. Too much attention, and it becomes an institution, and starts perpetuating the power structures it set out to avoid in the first place. Too much anonymity, and there’s no one to come and see the work that’s trying to get at least some new eyes on it.
With the Painted Bride, they’ve been able to continue their magnificent work since they opened in 1969. One of their greatest benchmarks is that they do indeed have a new roster of artists presenting all the time. There are some who have been here for multiple performances, and multiple showings, but the usual trap of a space like this turning into an ego boost for a select few has been averted.
It’s a very good thing, too, because this means that for those visiting the city and staying in luxury hotels, Philadelphia can offer plenty of institutionalized and alternative art. Painted Bride is a great place to begin, and also spend the middle, because for visual and performance art, this is some of the coolest stuff around today. Their Second Saturday events are also a good idea, because it’s an afternoon instead of an evening, there’s a wild mix of things, and there’s also free coffee.
Manila’s Great Amador
May 27th, 2010
There are exquisite works of art that come from Manila, and it’s always been that way. Lately, however, the past century or two, there have been some very impressive leaps of genius. Content and form are merged in very amusing ways in contemporary art from the Philippines, and Manila is the center of the storm. Innovations in installation art, conceptual and performance work, and experimental music are rather common, but no less extraordinary for their numbers.
On the other hand, in the arena of entertainment, there are also splendid and spectacular innovations, and a consummate performer like Pinky Amador gives the city a traction in the international arena that’s hard to ignore. She, too, is rather hard to ignore, or better, once one meets her, there’s no good reason to ignore her. Her doe eyes don’t always betray the confidence that animates them, but it’s always working. With a charm that’s as magnificent as any perfect totem, there is a presence in her that comes out in magnified forms when she is speaking from the screen or from the stage.
Her newest project, You to Me Are Everything , with Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera, is a film where she plays a kind of wicked stepmother who’s not wicked. Her wit and intelligence do come through in every scene, and she’s incapable of blending in anywhere. This is a kind of magnitude of attraction here, where the equation between the stars in the sky and human counterparts starts to make sense.
Her big break came with landing a role in the London production of Miss Saigon, and since then, she’s had work here, there, and everywhere. Travelers may not run into her when they set foot outside of Manila hotels , but they’re likely to see her face sometime during the day. On the cover of a magazine, or perhaps from a billboard, and even in 2 dimensions, she seems to reflect and exude the energy of the sun.
Beginning in Philadelphia
March 15th, 2010
Philadelphia attracts people from all over the world because it holds so much of the story of a new nation’s beginning and the legacy of its powerful existence today. They come to see and learn about the lives and the actions of many of the founding fathers of America. They want to see in person historical markers like the Liberty Bell and see if they can get a small motion of spirit at Independence Hall . Cherished places like the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were thousands of soldiers in the Revolutionary War were brought in sick or wounded and died. The numbers of men were staggering and now it is not a cemetery but a memorial built in 1952 in honor of George Washington and an Unknown Soldier as well as thousands of men that who died for the countries freedom from British rule during around 1777.
Visitors can see sights like the First Bank of the United States which was created in 1791 because of the debt that incurred from the Revolutionary War. This is were the first currency started for 13 states. Visit the building which is now a portrait gallery of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The first bank had its own controversies so come see what took place and why. Located around the city near many interesting sights visitors will find accommodations to fit all their needs. After a short late afternoon nap, one may want to head over to the Independence Historic Park for a summer evening walk and watch the sunset turn into the Lights of Liberty which is a grand light show with sounds reenacting the events that lead up to our countries first war. Visitors may also want to stop by some homes of interest like the Edgar Allan Poe House and the Betsy Ross house.
Cape Town’s Association for Visual Arts
September 27th, 2009
Cape Town is a fantastic place to visit, with amazing scenery that can dazzle every guest, no matter what age, and has a rich urban life that is always on the move, and always shifting. It’s had a remarkable and complicated history, and there are many tours here that can show you all the places where some of the greatest events of the 20th century happened. It also has a rich array of cultures, with many languages and many traditions. It’s possible to be in the midst of all this energy and also enjoy a heavy dose of relaxation and luxury. The best Cape Town hotels offer an extraordinary sense of place, with elegant style and contemporary design, and shower the guests with a warm hospitality.
We’ve selected some of Cape Town’s finest, so that you can be assured that you’ll have a gorgeous place to retire, and rejuvenate for every part of your own Cape Town adventures. There are lots of choices for exciting things to do, and it’s also possible to just spend a day watching the people, and getting to know the multiple and constantly shifting rhythms of the place. The visual art is stunning, and there’s works of all mediums in the many galleries that dot the streets. One of Cape Town’s more cutting edge of the institutionalized galleries, The AVA, or Association for Visual Arts, is definitely worth the trip.
It’s been in operation since 1971, and is one of the city’s oldest non-profit galleries. Their exhibitions are always worth checking out, because they revolve once a month, and their focus is on contemporary South African art. It’s a fabulous way to get to know the country, as well as getting multiple perspectives on Cape Town. The AVA tends to attract more artists from here, since the exhibitions are artist-driven, and then culled through a curatorial process. They present all sorts of different kinds of work, from painting to video installation to sculpture. They also work with artists who are self-taught as well as formally trained, so there are multiple levels of experience and approaches going on here. It’s a refreshing way of seeing and being in the art world in Cape Town.
New York Tour
September 9th, 2009
Had a great time in New York City. So hugh and so much there it is unbelievable. Overwhelming with the choices of things to do and see. Took a tour one day and that was really nice a bus picked us up at our boutique hotels New York and took us to battery park where we were able to see the Statue of Liberty and get a boat that took us out the island. From there we saw some of the neighborhoods of lower Manhattan – the Village, Soho and the East Village. Wall Street was particularly interesting the history and what happens there today. We made our way up the island to see other site like the Empire State building, Chrysler building, and Rockefeller Plaza were highlights in midtown. Were able to get out and walk around some and experience the city. I really like seeing Grand Central station too. The giant Victorian building housing an enormous train station. Trans here can take you around Manhattan and the boroughs, upstate, to CT and all over the country. I couldn’t believe how big this building is and how many people pass through it every day. Simply amazing to me never having seen anything like that before in person. After that we were taken over to Broadway and saw the theater district and all the marquise touting the latest shows and we saw Time Square too. The cross roads of the world is right! Unbelievable how many people and all the signs and lights, sensory overload for sure!!! The city was amazing and crowded the streets everywhere were filled with people seemingly very busy and in a hurry to get somewhere. The buildings and all the different styles of ornamentation and stuff was cool to see to. We didn’t get enough time to see everything, but I suppose that is normal for anyone visiting NYC so much to see and do how could you do it all even if you lived there!