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2.09.2007
This weekend in Boulder, Colorado
Friday
Don't miss winter fun on the ice in Downtown Boulder! The Ice Rink at One Boulder Plaza is open 7 days week. Call 303.209.3722 for details.
The Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art presents Spring 2007 Exhibits featuring the work of Halim Al-Karim, Kris Cox & Christopher Morris. Al-Karim presents his Passage to Sumer installation, composed of textiles and ceramics. Cox shows his abstract paintings which explore symbolic notions of time. Morris, a photojournalist, exhibits a series of work My America which he shot while covering the first and second administrations of President George W. Bush for TIME magazine. The exhibit opens this evening with a public reception from 6:30-8:00pm and is free. Call 303.443.2122 for details.
Saturday
America's very best will ascend to Boulder for the 2007 USA Cross Country Championships and World Cross Country Team Trials today beginning at 9:00am. In addition to a $40,000 prize purse, athletes will be vying for a coveted spot on the USA Team which will compete at the 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Kenya. Six races will be contested on the spectator-friendly, two kilometer loop course at the Flatirons Golf Course. Admission is free! Visit www.boulder2007.com for details.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research presents Cyclic Wonders from 1-3pm. Come learn about the cyclic wonders of the world through hands on activity stations for the whole family at this free event sponsored by Wild Bear Center for Nature Discovery, UCAR, and SCFD! Call 303.258.0495 for information.
The Boulder Public Library presents the 7th Annual Winter Festival of Stories through Sunday. Colorado storytellers present music and stories for the whole family in this annual program presented by the Rocky Mountains Storytellers Guild and the Boulder Public Library. Call 303.441.3196 for details.
Boulder Chamber Orchestra presents An Evening for the Senses at 7:30pm. The evening includes music, hors d'oeuvres, dessert, open bar, auction, chair massages and more! Music provided by Boulder Youth Symphony Quartet and Boulder Chamber Orchestra Musicians. Call 303.583.1278 for tickets.
Sunday
Boulder's Dinner Theater presents Crazy for You through March 3, 2007. This outrageously funny musical is filled with colorful costumes, great scenery and one of the century's best musical scores by George and Ira Gershwin. Come sing along with I Got Rhythm, Someone to Watch over Me and Embraceable You. Call 303.449.6000 for tickets and a complete schedule.
Boulder Theater presents etown, a live radio show taping with hosts Nick and Helen Forster featuring music and conversation with Martin Sexton at 7:00pm. The concert will take place at the Historic Boulder Theater located in Downtown Boulder. Call 303.786.7030 for tickets.
posted by luv2travel! at 1:43 PM
Enjoy a family-friendly Mardi Gras extravaganza in Pensacola Beach, Florida
Pensacola, Fla. - The Pensacola Mardi Gras season is in full swing and Pensacola prides itself on a celebration that is fun for the whole family. With a flurry of parades and exciting activities such as red beans & rice feasts, a Kritter Krawl and several festive balls, there is something for everyone.
A good way to get in the groove of the Mardi Gras season is rocking to the contagious music of the '80s with the Molly Ringwalds at the Mardi Gras kick-off party Friday, Jan. 26 at Seville Quarter. Laissez les bon temps rouler! Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 the day of show.
The 12th annual Mall Ball at Cordova Mall, 8 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, Jan. 27, is coordinated by the Krewe of Les Petits Enfants (Order of the Small Children) and benefits sick and injured children at Sacred Heart Children"s Hospital. Tickets are $40 per person.
Popular with children is the Krewe of Junkanoo Kritter Krawl, a parade of family pets at noon, followed by the Krewe of Kids procession at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10 at the Gulfside Pavilion on Pensacola Beach.
If beads, moonpies and other "throws" make your heart beat faster, you will delight in three days of continuous parades this year. Join the chorus as extravagant, gaudily colored floats roll down the street with their colorful kings and queens cheering the Mardi Gras crowd.
First up is Pensacola's only illuminated parade of the season, the Krewe of Lafitte Parade at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 16. The 250 Krewe members, including many pirates, will man the floats and take to the streets of downtown Pensacola. www.kreweoflafitte.net.
Pensacola's biggest and best-attended parade, the Pensacola Grand Mardi Gras Parade kicks-off at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17 also in downtown Pensacola. Pensacola's Grand Mardi Gras Parade has been named one of Southeast Tourism Society's Top 20 Events. www.pensacolamardigras.com.
Highlight on Pensacola Beach is the Krewe of Wrecks Parade at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18. The route begins near SpringHill Suites by Marriott and will proceed along Via DeLuna and ending at the Casino Beach parking lot. www.kowrecks.com.
From King Kakes to gumbo, red beans & rice to chili cook-offs, taste buds delight in the delicious treats of the Pensacola Mardi Gras season.
The 10th annual Gumbo YaYa at Seville Quarter on Saturday, Feb. 10 features gumbo that is so good it makes your mouth say "YaYa." This cook-off benefits Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Cooking begins at noon and public tastings follow from 4 - 6 p.m. $10 per person. www.rosies.com.
On Lundi Gras or Rose Monday, traditional Red Beans & Rice will be served free to the hungry Mardi Gras crowd at 11 a.m. on Feb. 19 at the Pensacola Beach parking lot as long as supplies last.
The Pensacola Mardi Gras season ends on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 20, ringing in the Lenten season with a final celebration featuring two parades for those who want to party 'til the end.
Everybody twenty-one and older can join the Priscus Procession & Priscus Ball in downtown Pensacola. This trolley parade leaves at 5 p.m. from Capt'n Fun Downtown. Community-minded participants will be running for King & Queen Priscus - the lady and gentlemen that raise the most money for their charity will be crowned Queen & King Priscus. Admission is free.
Pensacola Beach's final celebration is the Krewe of Coma Parade at 6 p.m. at the Sandshaker.
For a complete schedule of events, visit www.PensacolaMardiGras.com, the official clearinghouse for all Pensacola Mardi Gras festivities. For more information on the Pensacola Bay Area, contact the Pensacola Bay Area Convention & Visitors Bureau at (800) 874-1234, (850) 434-1234 or www.VisitPensacola.com.
posted by luv2travel! at 1:36 PM
Former University Plaza Hotel Closes Doors - Will be Replaced by Two New Hotel Properties
Bloomington, Indiana - The former University Plaza Hotel, located on the 45/46 Bypass, has closed its doors. Kinser Group LLC has purchased the property from the former owners and has determined that the quality of the hotel was not representative of the City of Bloomington. The company has begun immediate demolition and remodeling of the property. Kinser Group LLC has hired several local companies, Crider & Crider for the demolition and engaged the services of Bynum Fanyo and Associates for the architectural design. They have already utilized the services of Figg Appraisal and Deckard Land Surveying.
Kinser Group LLC is making a long term investment in excess of $10,000,000 in the complete renovation of the site. The end result of this project will be two brand new hotels on the former University Plaza site. An up-scale Radisson Hotel will feature state of the art flat screen televisions, free high speed Internet access and iPod docking stations in each guest room. The project will also include a specialty restaurant and lounge and 4,000 square feet of meeting and function space. The second hotel property on the site will be a new mid-scale Comfort Inn.
The Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, which is also partially owned by Ken Edwards, the managing member for the Kinser Group LLC interviewed former University Plaza hotel employees in an attempt to match their skills to current job openings.
Ken Edwards, Jonathon Vento and Don Zeleznak of Kinser Group LLC have expressed excitement about their involvement with the opening of additional hotel properties in the Bloomington area. "We are very familiar with the history of this location and we are going to provide two properties that the local residents and visitors alike can be proud of for years to come. When the hotels reopen, we anticipate employing 70 plus associates, which will be long term jobs for the community. We are very excited to be a part of the City of Bloomington Indiana. Go Hoosiers!"
“We are thrilled by the investment that Kinser Group, LLC is making into our community,” says Valerie Pena, executive director of the Bloomington/Monroe County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “A brand new Radisson and Comfort Inn will be a nice compliment to the current mix of hotels in Bloomington.”
Both new properties have a target opening date of August, 2007.
posted by luv2travel! at 1:35 PM
Sesame Place, fun for all ages in Bucks County, PA
If you're traveling with young children in Pennsylvania this summer, Bucks County has a super fun family attraction for you! Visit Sesame Place, the nation's only theme park based on the award-winning television show, Sesame Street. They say this interactive play park is great for kids from ages 2-12, but I say children of all ages will love Sesame Place. Planning a business meeting or conference? Check out the meeting facilities and services available at Sesame Place. Located in Langhorne, PA, just 30 minutes outside of Philadelphia, Sesame Place will customize a meeting package specifically to your needs. Choose from indoor or outdoor, theater or classroom style facilities, in-house catering and A/V available.
posted by luv2travel! at 1:21 PM
Carlsbad California: Four Seasons Resort Aviara Welcomes Author, Chef, Teacher: Giuliano Bugialli
Carlsbad, CA - Four Seasons Resort Aviara's signature restaurant, Vivace, is proud to present an evening with the foremost English-speaking authority on Italian food - Giuliano Bugialli. Guests of this four-course dinner and book signing on Friday, March 23, 2007 will experience Bugialli’s twenty years of weaving wit and passion with his deep knowledge, remarkable technique and theatrical charisma. The evening's dinner will be derived directly from his new book, Giuliano Bugialli's PARMA - A Capital of Italian Gastronomy.
Born in Florence, Giuliano Bugialli grew up in a villa outside the city where his father was director of one of Italy's largest wineries. Through his books, articles and appearances, Bugialli strives to make Italian ingredients and products better known abroad. He has always insisted on absolute authenticity in reproducing Italy's cucina, and in doing so has spread the requests abroad for Italian cheeses, wines, preserved meats, mushrooms and olive oil. Importers carefully study his books and articles to learn about new products.
Each of Bugialli’s books draws upon Italian family recipes which he painstakingly authenticates through old manuscripts, centuries-old cookbooks and personal travels of Italy's towns and villages. It is through these ventures that Bugialli also collects intriguing historical background and breathtaking photography to include in his books.
His native city of Florence has consistently honored him with accolades: The Caterina de Medici Award in 1980 for his outstanding contribution to Italian cooking and the Ponte Vecchio Award in 1984 for his contribution to the city of Florence and the region of Tuscany.
Bugialli's latest publication, Giuliano Bugialli's PARMA - A Capital of Italian Gastronomy, presents the food of this legendary city. The designated culinary capital of the European Union, Parma is renowned for its unique ingredients, Parmigiano-Reggiano and prosciutto di Parma. Spectacular photography of the city, its historic buildings, markets and surrounding countryside - as well as finished dishes and ingredients - create a sense of the richness and vitality of the culture and cuisine. More than 120 recipes, featuring classic simplicity and full, rich flavors are included. A wide array of pasta dishes and antipasti are demonstrated - many focusing on the veal and pork prevalent in this region.
Vivace's Chef Bruce Logue will prepare the four-course dinner with selections from Giuliano Bugialli's PARMA - A Capital of Italian Gastronomy. Reservations are available between 6:00 pm and 9:30 pm as Mr. Bugialli personally visits each table to describe dishes in detail.
"An Evening with Giuliano Bugialli" at Four Seasons Resort Aviara is offered for $95 per person or $125 including wine pairings (plus tax and gratuity). The dinner price includes a signed copy of Giuliano Bugialli's PARMA - A Capital of Italian Gastronomy. Reservations are now being accepted between 6:00 pm and 9:30 pm by calling (760) 603-3773.
Vivace is the resort's signature dining room serving regional interpretive Italian. Casual and elegant, the restaurant has a dramatic, open design with floor to ceiling windows that frame views of the lush surroundings. A fireplace and velvet covered love seats add to the restaurants cozy ambience. The menu showcases fresh handmade pasta, local seafood and traditional Italian specialties, as well as an eclectic wine list. An intimate dining room is available for up to 14 guests.
For more information, contact: Tony Pistillo, Director of Public Relations Phone: (760) 603-6848, Fax: (760) 603-6822, Email: tony.pistillo@fourseasons.com
posted by luv2travel! at 1:14 PM
The Great Outdoors of Mesa Arizona
It's amazing, Mesa offers the comforts of a city while also being close to outdoor adventure. Mesa has more than 320 days of sunshine each year, so you can go horseback riding in a desert wash, boating on one of four glistening lakes, enjoy golf in one of dozens of Arizona golf courses and hundreds of other fun family activities.
There are six lakes and two rivers within 60 miles of Mesa that let you experience Arizona desert boating, swimming, fishing, sailing and water skiing, or you can hop on your own personal rubber raft and float leisurely along the cool waters of the Salt River.
Mesa's near-perfect weather makes it possible to enjoy the outdoors year-round. You can tee-off at one of more than 40 Arizona golf courses within a half-hour drive from downtown Mesa. Many of Arizona's most renowned courses are located in or around Mesa, and area golf courses make it possible for you to enjoy many types of golf experiences.
The Superstition Mountains just east of Mesa provide the opportunity to explore adventures that will last a lifetime. Mesa area Jeep and Hummer tours, hiking treks, mountain biking, camping trips, multi-day off road excursions, helicopter tours and more await the outdoor enthusiast. Horseback riding, hay wagon rides, breakfast and dinner campfire cookouts and even cattle drives will enhance your Mesa outdoor experience.
When it comes to Chicago Cubs Spring Training packages, check this out: the Mesa Convention & Visitors Bureau has reserved premium tickets - including box seats - and there is no service fee when you purchase a Cubs Spring Training Package. Premium seating is limited so make your reservations early. If you prefer, purchase a value package and sit in the grandstands or on the outfield lawn and have a chance to snag a home run ball. This two-page brochure shows the participating properties, Cubs schedule, and HoHoKam Park seating chart. You can even book online.
posted by luv2travel! at 11:06 AM
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