In Brooklyn, Queen Italian Restaurant is the best authentic Italian cuisine the American public deserves to know about. This 45-year old establishment is located at 84 Court Street, and is noted as one of Zagat’s 1000 best Italian restaurants across the nation. Queen is the ‘Real Taste of Italy’, beginning with the warm and welcoming staff, to the genuinely freshest products and produce, their excellent cooking with Italian ingredients and a real Italian atmosphere.

Queen’s smooth, barely salty mozzarella is made in-house every day, it has a silky smoothness and is very impressive; sometimes the mozzarella is with roasted garlic asparagus or with tasty peppers, olives and soppressata. Their meaty mountain of thyme-seasoned osso buco only needs a fork, and the filet mignon gets its herbal kick from its rosemary-infused sauce, the provolone ravioli with leeks served with a delicious brown sauce is phenomenal, and the veal and eggplant dish is classic. A nice end to a delicious authentic Italian meal, is to order the crunchy Tuscan almond cookies and dipped into Vin Santo or indulge in a cool dish of house-made gelato; hopefully the plum is in season.

All the luxury hotels Brooklyn offers are not far from Queens, and if money is an issue, Queens serves a pre-fix meal for only $26 before 6:30pm. Even though for most New Yorkers, eating a meal before 6:30pm is unheard of, most of Queens main coursed begin at $25, so the ‘pre-fix’ is a great deal, and if you’re a visitor, you’re probably used to having dinner before 6pm.

The bread basket, which is served at every table is legendary; sesame seed bread, long thin breadsticks, anise breadsticks, sundried tomato bread and even some crackers; all the breads represents many regions of Italy. Their Chianti by the glass is light and delightful. Queens decor may seem odd to some, as it walks the line between ‘old school’ and gaudy nouveu, but it’s still considered upscale and yet has managed to stay true to its roots as a simple Italian restaurant.

There’s nothing like the midwest in the summer months. In any of the places where there’s snow on the ground from November-February (and sometimes far beyond), summer comes as a breath of relief. It really is a relief, as anyone who’s ever been able to witness the season’s turning here. The first sign of nice weather tempts people to put away the winter clothes, but it’s always a fickle time. By mid May, people can be pretty sure the change has come, and by June, things are moved to a whole new level.

For anyone planning a trip that includes a luxury hotel, Cincinnati is a magnificent place any time of the year, but it is the summer that brings out the best in people. Cool nights and warm days are pretty typical, and there are lots of parks that make it easy to enjoy the great outdoors without driving too far. But there are a few days here and there where the temperatures and the humidity start to gang up on the city. The swelter can indeed come as a surprise, but that’s nothing that a visit to a water park won’t cure.

The Beach Waterpark is the ideal place for someone looking for the feeling of sand between the toes. There are also some great water slides, and plenty of blue water to remind people about why summer is so much fun to begin with. King’s Island is something of a holy grail for the kids, where it’s a fantastic water park, and a great amusement park all in one. Moving from the roller coaster to the lazy river will make anyone feel young again. However, the really young ones will probably go back to the roller coaster, and the rest of the guests will opt for more floating weightlessly.

Being a city with a strong civic sense, there are also plenty of public pools, and, in any pinch, the backyard hose sometimes offers more excitement than anything on earth to a kid.

I always think of the men and women of Wall Street coming to a stop when the bell rings and heading out of the building straight into a New York pub to hash out the days events. What a conversation that would be these days. Is is a day for the Slaughtered Lamb Pub Sometimes a day on Wall Street just might make one feel like a slaughtered lamb and there is a pub that knows how to accommodate that. This pub is really cool. They have a great folk lore with their concept making it all a bit spooky. They are open every day from noon until at least 1 am during the week and 4 am on the weekends. When you walk in you enter the Werewolf’s Lair with the fire in the lounge and a game room in the Dungeon. They have some great beers from England, Scotland, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Mexico and the US as well as many other countries. They have some great English Pub style dishes and others on the menu.  

Maybe what would really hit the spot is some live entertainment. Joe’s Pub has a good reason to get out of that new york city hotel room and see some intimate live entertainment. They have dinner and cocktails being served for during all the shows and the shows feature some of the best talent in the music industry. Joe’s also features some up and coming artists. Some of the popular artists that got started at Joe’s include Jill Sobule, The Proclaimers, Alabama, and the more recent Sara Bareilles. They don’t just do pop and rock they also feature music and artists from all genre of musical styles. Some nights you may get a big dose of comedy, burlesque or cabaret. One just never knows who might be performing and who might be in the audience. It is a great pub.

As with all major cities there are plenty of big modern art and natural history museums to brows through and Phoenix is no different. They have a wonderful display happening at the Arizona Science Center. There is a great southwestern art displayed with the many other cultures at the Phoenix Art Museum. There are however, some interesting smaller or more specialized museums that are special to the Phoenix and Arizona Southwest area.  

They may not have the Met in Phoenix but they do have a famous museum call The Heard Museum . This is one of the southwest’s finest collection of American Indian art. They have a large collection of Indian dolls, pottery and jewelry that come from different tribes. Each tribe has their own style. There are also paintings and sculptures from famous Native American artists. Allan Houser is on display currently. He is a Chiricahua Apache artists and his collection has become one of Phoenix’s most prestigious displays. This museum is also near some really nice restaurants for a good lunch.  

One of the early industries in Arizona was the mining industry. Now visitors can learn about the life of mining in the state at the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum . This museum gives a great history lesson on the different mines in the state, the owners and the lives of the miners as well as what types of minerals can be found in the different areas. With a range of sea level to 12,000 feet in one state, with some volcano activity, there are bound to be many kinds of minerals across the state. It has been considered one of the finest collections of the mineral industry in the country. It is near downtown, not far from your five star hotel. Phoenix has many other museums to check out so enjoy your trip.

M Cafe , located at 7119 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles is a restaurant to be put on your ‘must try’ list. M Cafe serves up contemporary Macrobiotic cuisine, meaning no refined sugars, dairy, eggs, red meat or poultry. The restaurant is the place that made macrobiotic fashionable, mostly because almost anything made with vegetables bought at a decent farmers market will taste great, but also because the chef will allow kale to taste like kale, but will make the tempeh-based club sandwiches taste like one of the great sandwiches you’d eat at the Daily Grill. M Cafe’ was created in the Chaya tradition of preparing innovative cuisine with attention to great taste. M Cafe’s goal is to encourage a wider population to experience the healthy world of contemporary macrobiotic cuisine.

M is owned by the same people who own Chaya Brasserie and Chaya Venice. Even though all the food prepared and served at M Cafe is strictly based on macrobiotic principles such as the vegetable sushi is made with organic, artisan heirloom brown rice, the pesto is pungent, the tomatoes are ripe and the house baked bread is crisp, even the most hard to please or excite will find their taste-buds stimulated.

The menu features balanced, nutritious, creative cooking that is enjoyed daily by everyone, not just vegetarians or people with dietary restrictions. The chefs prepare each item fresh daily, using only the finest ingredients, served in an inviting European style cafe setting. M serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. No matter if you’re a local or a visitor and staying at a Los Angeles cheap hotel , luxury hotel, or resort, M Cafe’ makes everyone feel at home, eating amongst friends and neighbors. You’ll especially enjoy the simple pleasures of the MMMMMMMM Patisserie, featuring delicious muffins, cookies, scones, pastries and desserts created with organic, seasonal whole foods. Besides the Melrose location, they have opened up 2 more M Cafe’s, one in Beverly Hills and the other in Culver City.

Twelve years ago, in 1998, a Chinese-American pianist named Eileen Huang began the International Chamber Music Courses and Festivals (ICMC) in Positano, one of the most famous seaside resort towns in Italy.

In a setting of amazing beaches, serene gardens and homes, and centuries-old architecture, the festival continues the town’s link with music. An assortment of musicians have lived and composed here, including Wilhelm Kempff, who lived and taught the piano in Positano, from 1954 until he died in 1991, a total of 37 years.

Richard Wagner also lived near the Positano, over in Ravello, where he wrote an opera. In the surrounding area, there was also Enrico Caruso, the legendary tenor, born in Napoli and who spent his days in Sorrento.

The ICMC holds daily courses in the Positano high school (the Scuola Media), and teaches its students not only vocals, but a variety of instruments, such as violin, viola, piano, cello, and wind instruments. There are daily master classes, ensembles classes and lessons taught individually by musicians who are internationally renowned. Maestro Aldo Ciccolini , for instance, has taught a master class to ICMC students. A number of disciplines are conducted here, not simply music.

In the morning, for example, you’ll find students engaged in Tai Chi Quan, a traditional form of Chinese exercise, which is conducted on the seashore. Participants will also have lunch at various restaurants in town, allowing them to share in the experience of the cuisine of Southern Italy. In the evening, public performances will be given by solo and chamber groups.

A performance by the ICMC is only one of several engaging activities for a traveler who has booked one of the hotels in Positano . For anyone staying in this charming town, there are also available numerous day trips along the Amalfi Coast, or to Vesuvio, Pompei and the Isle of Capri. A few years ago, in 2007, the ICMC broadened its activities to include course work and festivals in Shanghai, China, as well.

Coming to Hawaii for first-time visitors is one of the most memorable experiences in a lifetime. It might only be eclipsed by the second time, or possibly the third. The truth is, Hawaii just gets better and better the more one looks into it. There are not only a vast array of spectacular attractions that appeal to travelers of all ages, but there is a natural wonder here that is simply timeless. The sea and the land meet in a particularly gorgeous way here, and any time of day or night is a great time to be close to the water.

There are plenty of ways to get close to the elements here, but it’s also worth getting to know the local culture. Hawaii is a mix of peoples and traditions, making a very special kind of place, and one that is enormously complicated. Trying to untie all the complications can be fascinating, although it’s endless, and there’s never a finish to the mysteries here. One of the most popular places to get in touch with the local culture is in Oahu. Activities that are popular here include fun in the sun and fine dining, and a particular favorite among travelers is the luau.

There are a number of popular spots where you can take your guests to enjoy a luau any night of the week. They will all probably claim to be the only authentic place in Hawaii, or the best, and these claims might be true, and might be exaggeration, but they’re all very interesting, and offer a chance to see how Oahu’s gifts are presented to the world. Paradise Cove and Germaine’s Luau are both long-time favorites, offering full meals and entertainments. This is one way to enter into the spirit of vacation travel, and enjoy the presentation of culture and cuisine in a gorgeous island paradise.

It’s another cold day in Denver, so I spent a while indoors taking in my limited tourist options. I got up early today and went walking downtown to the State capitol building, which is the least distinct skyscrapers from all the others, both in design and height. Then I walked to see what time the Denver Art Museum, plus the Colorado history museum opened. I had about two hours to kill. So, I headed back to what I think is one of the best Denver hotels around downtown and took a hot shower to thaw out from my morning outing.

I went down to the lobby and got to chatting with some of the employees to see what they recommended I see, and the guy behind the registers desk said I should see the original musical being performed at the Denver Center for Performing Arts ‘Mama Hated Diesels’. I’m not cool about musicals, but this guy could only rave on and on about it. He told me that since it’s Saturday, I could make it to the matinee performance. I figured why not, I have been lacks in supporting the theater arts as of late, economy being as it is, so I headed down to the Denver Center. I was lucky that there was a seat available, for one person. Apparently, the show’s sold out for today’s matinee, I sat in-between these two groups of people.

‘Mama Hated Diesels’ is about American Truck Drivers. The plot surrounds a group of truck drivers who are all at this truck stop to swap stories. They sing about how they became truck drivers, about good truck stops, what truckers call speeding and parking tickets: Christmas cards and a song about the dirty side of New York City. The musical did it’s best to authentically portray the American trucker and all their experiences on the road, but to be perfectly honest, I really don’t care about truckers. Other audience members seemed to really get into the musical numbers, which were amusing and sometimes very funny, but I guess this musical still made me not like musicals very much.

I should’ve gone to the Denver Art Museum or even a coffee shop to spend a cold Saturday, rather than listen to signing Truck Drivers.

There are times when traveling that one just needs a bit of normalcy. Sometimes it is nice to just blend in with the locals and do what the locals do. Go were they go and feel like your a part of the community. If friendly enough, you just may feel right at home and make a few friends. One way to make some friends of a different sort is to spend an afternoon driving through the Lazy 5 Ranch . Henry Hampton, exotic animal handler, has created a way to share the wonderful relationship with animals to the world. Mr. Hampton is known across the country for his 35 years spent working with unique animals. He started his park by letting schools bring their kids to see the animals from the different buildings and fences on the property. Some of the locals would drive along his driveway to see the amazing creatures he had out in the pasture. After a while, Mr. Hampton started to think about how excited people were to see his animal collection and what would be a better for them to get the best view. How could young and old spend time in his world and do it safely. After a few years of planning and building the ranch opened to the public. There are more than 750 animals that came from 6 different continents and can be seen from the comfort and safety of ones own car. People can drive along the 3.5 mile road and get some great shots of many of these animals. The also offer a bucket of food to hand feed some of the animals. This ranch is dedicated to educating people in a fun way about animals as well as help to recover endangered species. Leave that fantastic hotel behind for a few hours and come see what a Ring-tailed Lemur looks like in real life.

Birthdays are a special time to celebrate the birth of a loved one. It is a time to reflect on the joyous memories you have of that person. If it is the celebration of a child, it must be extra special. These are the memories that they will hold dear for the rest of their lives. These memories will also be cherished by your friends and family as well. A time to bring everyone together in celebration and happiness.

Sound like a tall order to be filled? Picking a theme and getting the place decorated can take up a lot of time. Not to mention finding the space. Not so if you have someone else set the scene! There are many places, theme parks, zoos, and theme stores that offer Birthday Party accommodations. Yes, I said it, Zoos! The Amarillo Zoo offers Birthday party accommodations for up to 25 people (adults and children combined). Three picnic benches and an atmosphere roaring with fun is provided. The Birthday boy or girl and their guests will eat and open gifts across from the Lion exhibit! No utensils are provided, but snacks and drinks are available at the park. Also, everyone has access to the zoo for the entire day!

The zoo is perfect for setting the stage of excitement. After, or before, the Happy Birthday song and cake and ice cream are done, set out on an adventure to see the most exotic animals you can imagine! From an electric blue frog to two year old lemurs , you will not be disappointed! There is also a playground located on the zoo grounds for kids who have a little more energy, or want to take a break and slide down a couple of slides.

After your day at the zoo, sleep is a must! hotels amarillo will provide the perfect place to sleep after a birthday extravaganza! Make every birthday a special one and make every year count.