Aug
17
Bay Area Sightseeing and Winery Tours
Filed Under California, United States of America | Leave a Comment
by crackmarketing
From culture to art to history to wine, San Francisco has a lot to offer as a major tourist destination. Charming and effervescent, dull days and dreary moments are rare, and there are thousands of things that one can do within this city. Read more
Mar
12
Helmsley Park Lane Hotel New York
Filed Under New York | Leave a Comment
The Helmsley Park Lane
36 Central Park South
New York, New York 10019
Toll Free Reservations (USA ONLY): 1-800-221-4982
International Reservations +1 212 371 4000
Reservations Direct: +1-212-521-6640
Rooms offer views of Central Park and the New York Skyline, walking distance from Fifth Avenue Shopping, Broadway Theaters, Museum Mile, and Lincoln Center.
Rated as a 5 star hotel.
Mar
12
Royalton Hotel New York
Filed Under New York | Leave a Comment
44 West 44th Street
New York, New York 10036
Tel. 212 869 4400 Fax 212 869 8965
Reservations US
800 697 1791
Reservations International
00800 4969 1780
www.royaltonhotel.com
Centrally located in the heart of midtown Manhattan, walking distance from Fifth Avenue, the Broadway Theater District and Times Square, and nightlife.
Rated as a 5 star hotel.
Mar
12
Le Parker Meridien New York
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Le Parker Meridien
118 W 57th St
New York, NY 10019, United States
+1 212-245-5000
www.parkermeridien.com
Located on West 56th Street between Avenue of the Americas and Seventh Avenue. Walking distance from Central Park, MOMA, Carnegie Hall, Broadway theatres and Fifth Avenue.
This property features 730 guestrooms that offer views of Central Park and the Midtown Manhattan skyline.
Rated as a 5 star hotel.
Mar
12
Grand Hyatt New York
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Grand Hyatt New York
109 East 42nd Street
New York, NY 10017, United States
Tel: +1 212 883 1234 Fax: +1 212 697 3772
www.grandnewyork.hyatt.com
Located in downtown East Side, New York City, within walking distance of Central Park, Times Square, and Fifth Avenue. Nearby attractions include Statue of Liberty and Little Italy.
This hotel has 1,311 rooms, most offering a view of downtown NYC.
Amenities include a gym.
Rated as a 5 star hotel.
Mar
12
The Plaza Hotel New York
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The Plaza Hotel
Fifth Avenue at Central Park South
New York, New York
United States
10019
T.(212) 759-3000
F.(212) 759-3001
email:theplaza@fairmont.com
The iconic hotel has recently re-opened after extensive renovations, and now offers 282 suites. Amenities will include a world-class retail collection debuting in late spring 2008, featuring exclusive boutiques and purveyors of fine food, as well as health and wellness facilities to include a Caudalie Spa, Fitness Center by Radu, and Warren Tricomi Salon.
Prices estimated to start from USD 1000 per night.
Feb
14
Alaska, land of fantastic scenery, king crab and the Northern Lights
Filed Under Alaska | Leave a Comment
Methinks Alaska is my next travel destination. It’s the land of sceneries to dwarf all others, where the mountains, glaciers and bears are all larger than life, where the natural beauty is unspoilt, and where, even in summer, the weather’s just perfect, not too hot, not too cold, just right for travelling without raising a sweat.
Need more information before you go ? TravelAlaska’s giving out free brochures get yours here.
Sep
19
My two favorite rides at Disney theme parks are “It’s a Small World After All” and “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad”. Both are popular attractions at Disneyland, Disney World, and the Disney parks in Paris and Tokyo.
“It’s a Small World After All” made its debut at the 1964 New York World’s Fair in the UNICEF pavilion and was designed as a message of international harmony by Walt Disney’s team. It was transported to Disneyland in 1966, and located inside Fantasyland; it instantly became a highlight of the park.
In this ride, passengers get into boats outside the attraction and they are carried inside and moved along by a gentle current. They go through a series of rooms, each of which has dolls from different countries and cultures singing and moving to the catchy song. There is the Taj Mahal, Big Ben, and the Eifel Tower, among other global landmarks. I like trying to spot all the different countries and landmarks.
There are about 300 Audio-Animatronics figures from 100 different nations. They are simple and childlike with their repetitive movements and limited articulation. At the end of the ride, there are dolls from all the different nations singing “It’s a Small World After All” together. To me, it is very appealing ending.
That song is the infectious kind that I can’t get out of my mind. It was written by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman, who also wrote the songs for Mary Poppins. It is continually played in a soundtrack loop, about 4,800 times an operating day in Disney parks around the world. Just about all of us can’t help singing along.
It’s a world of laughter, a world of tears,
It’s a world of hopes and a world of fears;
There’s so much that we share,
That it’s time we’re aware
It’s a small world after all.
It’s a small world after all,
It’s a small world after all,
It’s a small world after all,
It’s a small, small world.
There is just one moon, and one golden sun,
And a smile means friendship to ev’ryone;
Though the mountains divide,
And the oceans are wide,
It’s a small world after all.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, in Frontierland, is a relatively gentle roller-coaster geared towards adults and teens; it is more exciting to ride in the back of the train than the front. It was modeled after a runaway mining train in the Wild West, and opened in Disneyland in 1979 and in Disney World a year later. The track and queue design are different at each park, even though the theme is the same. There was a prolonged development phase for “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad” in which they considered several “histories” for the mountain. Themes of gold fever and revengeful native American spirits were finally chosen for the ride.
In Disney World, the ride is about 3.5 minutes of hairpin turns and dark descents, and there are six trains which are nicknamed I.B. Hearty, I.M Brave, I.M. Fearless, U.B. Bold, U.R, Daring, and U.R. Courageous. I prefer this roller coaster to other ones because it is just exciting enough for me. You feel like you are falling, and go around corners quickly enough to be tossed from side to side.
There are 20 audio-animatronic figures including donkeys, chickens, possums, and the rainmaker in a now flooded mining town: Professor Cumulus Isobar. There is also antique mining equipment, falling rocks, an earthquake, and the smell of sulfur as you pass phosphorescent pools. In Disney World, you careen through a dinosaur’s ribs, under a waterfall, past spewing geysers, and over a volcanic pool.
The lines are long but move fairly quickly. It is best to go during parades, or use a FASTPASS, or go late in the day (many people say it’s even better after dark). Plan for at least 30 minutes of queuing at non-peak times, and an hour at peak times.
It is easy to see why “It’s a Small World After All” and “Big Thunder Mountain Railroad” are so popular. They both have appealing themes and lots of attention to detail. They are very different from each other but both are great examples of why Disney theme parks are so much fun. I never get tired of them
About The Author
Tracy Crowe has been to both Disneyland and Disney World, and loved both of them.
For more information about Disney theme parks, visit
http://yourdisneythemeparkinfosite.com/
