I was visiting my good friend John in San Francisco and while we were there we went to a Giants baseball game. I’m not really a baseball fan, but he is and logically he is also a huge Giants fan and since I was in town on vacation it sounded like a fun thing to do. I was actually the one who suggested it, as John knows that I’m not a huge fan and wouldn’t have brought it up on his own. It was a beautiful day and the best part of the whole event was when I got up to go get us a couple of hot dogs. There was this beautiful man in line in front of me and I don’t know why but I loved the way he ordered his nachos. He turned around and we made eye contact and he almost spilled his drink into his nachos. I don’t think this was because he was stunned by me or anything, it probably has more to do with how crowded it was an the fact a guy bumped into him.

Anyway, he kind of hung out for a minute while I ordered the hot dogs and then when I was finished he introduced himself to me. His name is Tony and he asked if I was really hungry because I had two dogs. I liked this and new the point of it so I quickly mentioned that one of them was for my non-romantic friend. He laughed and said that was kind of a sad way to refer to anyone, as non-romantic. I really liked his sense of humor, oh and his face and he ended up walking me back to my entry area.

Tony asked for my phone number and suggested we have coffee or diner or something while I was in town. I was eager to accept though I felt bad that I would be taking away from the time I spent with John. He didn’t care of course and only made the joke that I was in town a day and a half and got a date and he hadn’t had one in a year. I told him it was because he was non-romantic but he didn’t get it. I didn’t explain the joke we just enjoyed the rest of the game. The Giants won by the way, if that means anything to you. So, the next night I went out with Tony and we basically just hung out down along the Embarcadero. It was really an enchanted evening and while I didn’t want to sacrifice any more of my time with John, I told Tony I would return and find a place to stay that wasn’t too expensive. I can’t wait to return to San Francisco and to my cute nacho boy Tony.

It was my first night in Columbus, Ohio; it was Tuesday night and my good friend Joan, who picked me up at the airport and took me to the hotel I had booked for the both of us. She thought I was crazy for booking a hotel room for us since she has a perfectly good apartment. I told her that I wanted to spend time with her and not with all her other four roommates. Plus, I booked us a luxury hotel and got a great deal, click here, if you’d be interested in finding a great hotel and a great price. We didn’t do anything Tuesday night, except talk and talk and talk.

Joan had to work during the day, so I was left to my own devices during the day. All I did was call room service for breakfast, caught up on some movies, then ordered room service for lunch. When Joan got off work, we met up with a few of her friends and went to a Karaoke bar. We ended up not staying there long, because Joan said it was time to go see Bob Larit play, he always played at K 2U Bar and Grill on Wednesday nights.

I was in Columbus about 4 years ago, that’s when Joan introduced me to Bob Larit at K 2U Bar and Grill. I really enjoyed his music, so much so, I bought his CD, I even friended him on MySpace. So, Joan was right about leaving the Karaoke bar! But, when we left that bar, the weather outside was a bit weird; almost Tornatic. But, we made it to K 2U Bar and Grill in plenty of time to hear him play.

Halfway through the first set and Joan went outside for a smoke, she came back in and said that the Tornado sirens were going off. Bob’s music made it hard for us to hear it. As the word got around the joint, the staff and all the clientele’s mood changed. Everyone’s attention was on the TV at the bar. Local news was covering the progress of the tornado. I looked at Joan and the look on her face was that of fear. The weather map was showing that the tornado was heading our way. That’s when Bob made the announcement about the tornado.

We decided to stay where we were, and hope for the best, many of the clientele ran outside to head for home. The storm was over within minutes, the tornado seemed to have missed us, at least where we were. The next morning, the local news said that the tornado never touched ground.

Nobody’s got Modesto’s goat was the original slogan for the city of Modesto, toward the beginning of the 20th century.  It was decided that this wasn’t appropriate, at least for publicity’s sake, but it is appropriate in terms of outlook and atmosphere.  Modesto is a lovely place to visit, close to San Francisco and not as expensive, but with plenty of attractions, and a very lovely setting.  It’s a perfect place to settle in for a nice romantic weekend, or a honeymoon, and enjoy wine-tasting, outdoor sports, and lots of live music.  There are plenty of excellent hotels here that will suit anyone’s tastes, and help you to enjoy luxury in a luxurious surrounding.

If your favorite thing in the world is music, there are plenty of interesting things in town, but the real die-hard fans should try to catch XFest, to be in on what really happens here.  This is one of the coolest music festivals in the country, with something for everyone.  Those who have tastes that run toward popular top 40 stuff will find plenty to enjoy here.  Classic rock and rollers will also be satisfied with the eclectic line-up that has some great bands from the past decades.  And hiphop and electronic music fans will also find plenty to dance to, and enjoy a spectacular time.

XFest is another name for the Xclamation Festival, and it’s been going on for 11 years now.  Billed as the Valley’s Biggest Party, XFest is mostly about the music, with over 50 bands playing.  It’s also about art, too, and one of the great draws here is that this is inspired to revitalizing the downtown area.  It’s a visionary venture to bring attention and people to any downtown area in the middle of the summer, and live music and local art are keys to helping locals and visitors to see all the wonderful talents that a place has to offer.  This is a chance to hear local and national acts playing in a beautiful place, and promises a weekend to be remembered.

We had a very early start this morning for Miami, luckily we packed our things last night, because we got to sleep-in just for a bit. We got our bags to car by 7:15am, which was a bit surprising because we woke up at 6:50! We drove for only two hours before we made a rest stop at this place called St. Lucia, we hung around there for about a half-an-hour, there really wasn’t much there, except a Dunkin’ Doughnuts.

We got back into our car for about another 2 hours all the while our little one watched ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ on the DVD player in the back seat, and stopped for a restroom break, then about another hour on the road, we stopped at the Dolphin Plaza Miami, for lunch. We spent about 45 minutes eating and did a bit of shopping too. I bought some Havaianas for $12.00! Then we got back into our car and drove for about 45 more minutes and reached Everglades National Park.

We took the 2 hour tram tour and boy was it hot and stinky, something we don’t recommend. Halfway through our tour, we stopped and the guide told us to get out and get in the water! Water that’s filled with alligators and snakes. We did it anyways. After the tour we made our way to our hotel in Miami, which we found to be very luxurious, but we only had about an hour to get ready to head out for a fantastic Saturday night out in Miami. Our hotel provided us with a babysitter for our little one.

We had dinner at this quaint Italian place, then headed for a club called the Cleavelander, where we had made reservations for the rooftop Contiki. After that, we made our way to the Mango, a nice salsa club, we danced our shoes off, literally, our feet were so sore, we had to take them off. That’s when we decided to call a taxi to take us back to our hotel for the night, well morning, by the time we got to our room, it was 3:30am! We’ve been up for almost 24 hours!

What is it about ghost stories that so fascinate the young and the old, the skeptics and the paranormal researchers?  Carl Sagan had responded once to the question of whether or not he believed in other life forms in the planet, that as of yet he had no scientific proof, but that he sure hoped so.  This is how many people respond when asked about ghosts or spirits.  Well, that is provided that the ghosts are friendly.  There are many stories about ghosts haunting the streets and the buildings of New York City.

Some people actually look for allegedly haunted hotels when booking accommodations, however when I traveled to the city recently I was more interested in the non-haunted rooms.  Seeking luxury home I booked my stay using this page.  My trip to the city was a story collecting trip.  I wanted to know if most people who claim to have seen the ghosts, where seeing random ghosts or ghosts from history.  Not big history either, just the history of a location and a person.  Such as in the case on the train tracks in San Antonio, a site that is said to be haunted by the victims of an actual collision.

I found that some of the stories revolved around previous patrons who simply spent quite a bit of time in a particular location, such as the claims that the members of the Vicious Circle (Dorothy Parker, Harpo Marx, Edna Ferber etc…) still hang around the restaurant at the Algonquin Hotel, in spirit of course.  Other stories people tell, are of actual events, and the actual victims or inhabitants of a location, who still refuse to completely leave this earth.

This is the case at the Belasco Theatre. This is one of the oldest theatres in the city, and many have claimed over the years to see the previous owner, David Belasco, wandering around back stage shaking the hands of the actors and riding the elevators.  Either way, be it the West Village bar Chumley’s, or in the famous Dakota Building on the upper east side.  Either way, be they random ghosts, or the spirits of real people, the city is full of their stories, but then the city of New York is filled with wonderful stories in general.

It was an extremely busy first day in San Francisco. After checking out what might be a good restaurant in San Francisco, we headed down Powell Street and caught the cable car to Fisherman’s Wharf; this place was absolutely cool! We hung out for as long as we could. Fisherman’s Wharf is very, very touristy and once we got there, we had to purchase jumpers, because it was too cold for us and the wind blew right through what we were wearing. We found San Francisco to be just like it is in all the movies, hilly, very hilly and it is cold even in the summer time. The average temperature here ranges around 20 to 21 degrees. 
 
The Wharf is 3 miles long and goes all the way to the Ferry Building. We had to squeeze our way through the throngs of people here and dodge some whizzing bike riders. We could see Alcatraz Island from the Wharf and count out all the piers, 40. We booked a boat tour to take us around the Bay, and while we were waiting to go on the tour, someone fell into the water! Two firetrucks came and one fire brigade boat and a police boat. They pulled the poor freezing person from the water, and the show was over. The tour around the bay is fantastic, but we were still to cold. Once we got off the tour boat, we went to the ‘Fisherman’s Wharf Taqueira restaurant, it’s the one we read about on the website listed above, man was the food there terrific! We really over ordered, but we couldn’t decide what to eat.
 
After that hefty meal, we decided to Filbert Steps, and up to Colt tower. The walk there was harsh, some parts were steep, very steep. Just what we needed after a huge meal. We then made it to the Ferry Building, and we were tired. We were lucky to catch a cable car going back to our hotel. Man were we beat, cold and happy.

There was a time when things mattered so much more.  I could convince myself that living in coffee shops and pubs was the most important part of my work, because it was there that I could have the most essential conversations.  These would be the kinds of talks that fueled my energy to get back into the cave I lived in and work until all hours of the morning.  It was a hard and furious work, because I thought I was supposed to be hard and furious.  I had all sorts of philosophical questions that were always running at full speed from the back to the front of my mind, all day and all night, and I perceived myself like the Hermit card in the tarot deck, always looking for answers in a very lonely search.

It’s hard to trace back to those days, when I’m finding myself spending more time at the best restaurants in Manhattan, enjoying a moment that passes, and not feeling like it’s up to me to chase it.  I don’t have to capture the conversation in any kinds of permanent mental pictures that will help me get the moment back later, when I’m creating.  The words still come, of course, and inspirations still flow through me like I’m always just waking up from a dream that I can still remember.

I met the most curious person in my life at the time when things were at their peak for me.  I thought it was a peak, because everything I made came to some kind of light, on paper or in another conversation.  He looked like a mad poet, and he spoke like an angel, but he surprised me when I discovered he truly had no plans.  Or at least, no master plan.  He could perform tricks with napkins and cards, and all the women were enchanted, and all the men were jealous.  But he had another card, a secret card, that was an invitation to a Magic Theatre that I’d never seen.  But once I walked through that door, nothing would ever be the same.

Each year in Lafayette, Louisiana, the city becomes the place to be for music, food, and entertainment, during the Festival Internationale de Louisiane.  Begun in 1987, this annual event has become a popular celebration of music, craftsmen and artistry.  Now in its 24th year, the 2010 event will occur from April 21st to the 25th, and may well draw together three hundred thousand people. 
 
In the past, there’s a whole host of great performers and entertainers from around the world.  Here’s a list of just a few of them: from Brazil, Cyro Baptista; from Cuba, Yerba Buena; from Belgium, Mousta Largo; from Mali, Tinariwen; from the United States, Steve Riley and the mamou Playboys; from Sweden, Vasen; from France, Le Trou Normand and Les Yeux Noirs, and from South Africa, Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
 
This year’s performers include Steel Pulse, Seira Leone’s Refugee All Stars, Lunasa, Sonny Landreth, Keith Frank & the Soileau Zydeco Band, Mucca Pazza, Taj Weekes & Adowa, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Donna the Buffalo, Henry Gray and the Cats, Irish Stories & Songs with Celjun and Lunasa, as well as many others.  The festivities will have several presentations from Louisiana Folk Roots, including the International Fiddle Summit, Michael Yuan Nunez & Mark Meaux and the Quebec/Louisiane workshop.  In addition, you’ll find Melissa Stevenson & the Dill Pickles, as well as the Progressive Baptist Church Choir.  It’s quite an eclectic list of performers. 
 
If you plan on attending, you’ll want to find a hotel well in advance, and then, not only should you attend the festival, but take part in other attractions Lafayette offers, such as a visit to the Children’s Museum of Acadiana or a trip to nearby Avery Island, where you can see how Tabasco is made, plus see the famous Jungle Gardens and Bird City.

Mallory was just beginning her first semester at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and didn’t know anyone on campus when she first arrived there. It was a beautiful campus and she loved the self-contained aspect of it as well as all of the lakes. It was definitely her favorite of those that she toured before making her final decision. She had applied to three different schools and was accepted by all three of them, which at first seemed to be exciting but then Mallory quickly realized that problem that it actually presented. She felt like her work was over simply by narrowing her options to three schools. However, when she received her acceptance letters she realized it had only just begun.

Finally, her decision came down to a gut instinct to go to Charlotte. Her parents were happy with her choice though she never confessed how she arrived there. They had been with her on her original visit and they all stayed in one of the Charlotte luxury hotels. Both of her parents were impressed with the campus and the school and her mother loved the university neighborhood in which it was located. At the time Mallory fantasized about which apartment she would live in and all the friends she would meet while at school.

The actuality of the demands of college and realities of being on her own had fully settled in as Mallory made her way to her early Monday morning algebra class. The highlight of that class, well aside from the fact that she actually liked algebra, was the fact that an incredibly good looking guy sat right across from her every day. She sat at her desk and looked forward to seeing him when someone tapped on her shoulder. She looked up and it was Matt, that good lucking guy! He asked her if she was doing okay with their current section and she said she was, which she immediately regretted thinking he was going to offer to help her. Instead, Matt looked relieved and asked if she would be willing to meet him in the library later that afternoon to help him. Mallory agreed she would and suddenly, and for the first time, realized she loved college life.

It was a tough game for the Philadelphia Eagles today. They were even through the first quarter as neither they or the Dallas Cowboys scored. Then in the second quarter after the Cowboys gained their first touchdown the Eagles immediately returned it. An eye for an eye it seemed. And right after that it seemed the Eagles caught an interception very near the Cowboy’s goal line and for that instant things looked good for Philadelphia. Troy had to continue the details of this game as he reported back to his brother and cousin who had been out on a secluded fishing trip and missed a whole day of football.

Troy was a huge Eagle’s fan and though he lived in a small town upstate of Philadelphia, he frequently makes the trip to attend a game at the Lincoln Financial Field, though he continues to refer to it as Veteran’s Stadium as that was the name of the field when his grandfather took him to his first game there in 1979. It remained Veteran’s Stadium until 2003 and though it wasn’t the original stadium name, it was what it was called for almost all of Troy’s life. And even some of the staff at the hotel Philadelphia where he would stay called it the Stadium.

Fortunately his cousin and brother had already heard that the Eagles did not win the playoff game before they encountered Troy so he didn’t have to deliver the whole blow. And that refers to Troy’s passion for the team and the difficulty he would have had proclaiming the loss, not the reaction felt by his audience who were oddly indifferent to the game’s outcome. They were interested in the details of how the score became so lopsided and Troy had to continue on with the devastating second quarter, during which the Cowboys scored a total of 27 points. The second half of the game was not as gruesome as the first and neither team scored much. Ultimately, the final score was Dallas 34 and the Eagles 14. It wasn’t a shut out, or as bad as last week, but it was still bad. Troy’s cousin and his brother decided they needed to take him out that night. It was good for Troy, but didn’t help his precious Eagles much.