Bookmark Autopilot

When we think of most stories that are told about the Mississippi River we think of Mark Twain and his books about the southern Mississippi life but there are plenty of other Mississippi River stories to be told. You can create a few of your own while visiting the Minneapolis section of the famous American river. The best Minneapolis hotels will tell you that you really should spend some time on the river while you are visiting the area.

There are some great cruises that can be taken one of which is on the Minneapolis Queen . Climb aboard the old historic paddle boat and take a great ride on the river and or in Lake Minnetonka. There are some really beautiful views of the green edge along the cool water with the modern twin cities as the final back drop reaching to the sky.

Paradise Charter Cruises offers up the historical queen as well as some other amazing modern yachts that have wonderful decks to have a romantic lunch or dinner along the way. They are perfect for groups and special occasions with plenty of room for about 140 people to enjoy great food, drinks and dancing. It doesn’t matter if it rains or not because the fancy yachts have all enclosed areas for even the heaviest rainy days.

Technorati Tags: minneapolis queen

Stockton, California is a culturally diverse city that celebrates its uniqueness and individuality. Some of the distinctive features of this city are that it is the location of the University of the Pacific , which has existed there since it transferred from San Jose in 1924. In addition the Pacific McGeorge School of Law is located there as is the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. And something that distinguishes this city from all the others throughout the state, even more so than the academic institutions that exist there, is the annual Asparagus Festival , which is a favorite for residents and draws people from all over to sample some of the original recipes and daring creations.

The hotels Stockton are frequently full when the Asparagus Festival is taking place and guests are coming not only from near by cities but from all over the country. In addition to plenty of available fresh asparagus there are great recipes to try and cool live music to enhance the atmosphere and experience. In addition to providing great cooking ideas for asparagus, the festival is intended to provide a great time to entire families and there are various activities and features aimed at people of all ages.

The festival usually takes place in April and is already scheduled for April 15th through the 17th of next year. Some of the activities that will be part of next year’s festival include kids entertainment options, the hole in one golf activity and an eating competition among many other things. In addition to the great bands and musicians that will perform throughout the three day festival there are other entertainment attractions. From the sea lion encounter to the Velocity Circus there is something going on at the aspargus festival for everyone. And even if you think you don’t like this healthy and diverse vegetable, by the time you leave the festival you will be sure that you love it and can’t wait to try some of the new recipes you’ve discovered.

Technorati Tags: hotels stockton

There are plenty of very obvious reasons for visiting the city of Manhattan. The food and the entertainment are simply superb, and the choices really are endless. But for all the times to visit New York, February might be the most dubious month. Like so many cities at this time of year, it’s really rather cold. However, like so many other cities, the cold doesn’t stop the dance, and the rhythm of the city is still strong as ever. Furthermore, there’s also something terribly romantic about New York when it’s blustery and snowy, as it shows another one of its faces.

There’s another great reason to visit in February, when the coziness of a boutique Manhattan hotel starts to beckon. On February 9, the city declared a city-wide Alligators in the Sewers Day . This was the 75th anniversary of the legendary moment when a team of workers were shoveling snow into the sewers and discovered an 8-foot long alligator living down there. It happened in East Harlem, and the singular event lead to a whole chain of stories from around the city about various bands of wild alligators lurking beneath the city surface.

Chances are really very high that this central event, that lead to so many other urban legends about alligators never really happened. There are eyewitness accounts of such sightings, and they do recur over the decades, and it might be that the recurrence is as interesting as the question of truth. There are very few experts with any kind of scientific training who don’t acknowledge that such a thing is impossible, that there’s no way an alligator could survive for very long at all. Still, the stories persist. Tales of parents giving kids Florida gators as pets, who flush them when they start to grow, have been around as long as anyone can remember.

In all of these urban legends, it’s curious to consider why they are so popular. What is the deep psychological meaning of a band of albino alligators living beneath the feet? If this were a dream, how would someone interpret it? On a metaphorical level, there’s no doubt that the idea of the gator in the sewer is real, but whether it translates into the physical realm is unlikely, although fun to talk about.

Technorati Tags: urban legends

Your going to need to rent a car to get to all the amazing places to spend your money. Los Angeles is one of the worlds premier places to shop and your not going to want to miss any of it. This like other big influential cities is the home to some of the industries top designers. Down town hosts the Los Angeles Fashion District which has all sorts of goodies for cheap. For that market feel, you have to check it out. If you are a designer yourself and are looking for new fabrics and embellishments this is the part of LA shopping for you. There are many areas of the Los Angeles Fashion District so put on your comfy shoes and shop.  

One of the classic malls of Los Angeles is the old Beverly Center and it still holds the classics in brand name designers and stores. Power packed with the likes of Bloomingdale’s, Gucci, Kenneth Cole, Macy’s and Victoria Secrets along with the modern White House Black Market and Forever 21. This mall still has it all going on. You may have seen it in many movies from the 80s. It is still a great place to stomp around.  

Super funky fun and totally LA must shopping experience is Melrose Avenue. This is the street to find all those cool retro boutique stores filled with hip collections. Wanna dress like a rock star? You will find some great buys on Melrose Avenue.  

If your sporting the Benz and need a valet to park it, head over to Rodeo Drive . You have to keep a good eye out for the stars who may be out shopping in this area, hiding behind there huge sunglasses. If your lucky the paparazzi might be able to tip you off. This is Beverly Hills and this is were your going to find Armani, Salvadtore Ferragamo, Versace and many more top designers as well as the the custom costume designers. When your ready to be seen in one of the amazing gowns you can have your photo take by some of the local photographers at Herb Ritts and Mario Testino.  

After a day of shopping in this town, one will have to pass out one of the five star hotels in Los Angeles and nap before dinner.

Technorati Tags: five star hotels in los angeles

The extinction of the dinosaurs occurred about 65 million years ago, most likely by a comet that created the Chicxulub crater, buried now beneath the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. For a view of those past creatures or a look at how we use their remains in the form of fossilized fuels, come find the best hotels in Houston , and take an eye-opening trip over to the Houston Museum of Natural Science . Inside, you’ll be able to meet the dinosaurs in the Paleontology Hall, or look at ways oil and natural gas is formed in the Weiss Energy Hall, create chemical reactions in the Welch Chemistry Hall and learn about rare and crystallized minerals in the Cullen Hall of Gems & Minerals, and much more.

The Hall of Paleontology holds 450 fossils and fossil replicas, from little trilobites to the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex, reviewing a history of the Earth that stretches back 3.5 billion years. In the Wiess Energy Hall, you’ll go from fossils to holographic video displays as exhibits explore the world of energy development. In the Welch Chemistry Hall, you’ll get to experience a chemical reaction, making science clear through interactive displays, computer touch screens, and more holograms and videos, examining how elements are the building blocks of all matter, including human beings. Gems & Minerals contains 750 crystallized mineral specimens, including some particularly rare and attractive samples. In the Smith Gem Vault nearby, you’ll see how minerals are cut roughly and freshly extracted from the world’s mines.

The museum offers even more exhibits with the Farish Hall of Texas Wildlife, where you’ll be able to see displays of alligators, mountain lions, and river otters. There’s the Strake Hall of Malacology, which is the study of moulluscs or invertebrate creatures with soft, unsegmented bodies that place themselves in shells — molluscs include everything from snails to giant squids. Rare shells are on exhibit here in the hundreds. There are additional halls about African wildlife, space sciences, Egypt and the Americas.

Find your way to this fascinating look at the natural sciences by heading to 5555 Hermann Park Drive. The museum is across the street from the Miller Outdoor Theater, and is close to Highways 59, 288, and the 610 Loop. You may want to head there in the afternoons because the museum is often crowded on weekends and weekday mornings because of the high number of students which visit the museum each year. In the summer, the hours are from 9 to 6 on Mondays, Wednesdays through Sunday, and on Tuesday 9 to 8, with the last admission of the day accepted an hour before closing. All other times during the year, the exhibits are available from 9 to 5 on Monday, Wednesday through Sunday, and 9 to 8 on Tuesdays. Later hours are available on Tuesday because the museum is actually free on that day after two in the afternoon.

Technorati Tags: houston museum of natural science