Monthly Archives: March 2010

Monuments and Museums in Baltimore

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While traveling through the East Coast, make sure to plan a few good night’s stay in Baltimore. Not only is the city close enough to the nation’s capital to take advantage of all there is to do and see in Washington, D.C., but there is plenty of opportunity in the largest city of Maryland, a city that has been in operation for the last two hundred and eighty-one years. Instead of taking a look at the D.C.’s Washington Monument, you may have a look at Baltimore’s Washington Monument and Museum at Mount Vernon Place. The monument stands at about a hundred and seventy-eight feet high, and was the country’s first monument that paid honor to the nation’s first president, George Washington. Made in 1815, one hundred and ninety-five years ago, you can see terrific views of Baltimore City after you climb its 228 steps.

In Baltimore, you’ll also discover Fort McHenry’s National Monument and Historic Shrine. This is an important battle site of the War of 1812, as well as the spot in which Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner. It’s free to go here and explore the fort.

If you’ve been out to Fort McHenry, you’ll also want to drop by the Star Spangled Banner Flag House. The home became a museum in 1927 and is one of the oldest museums in the city; it’s intent is to preserve the story of the woman who made the gigantic thirty foot by forty-two foot Star Spangled Banner flag that flew above Fort McHenry during the War of 1812; her name is Mary Young Pickersgill.

There’s also the Maryvale Castle , which was constructed in 1913, and patterned after Warwick Castle in England. Maryvale Castle belonged to Walter F. Wickes, a prominent doctor, and now is owned by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and is home to the Maryvale Trinity College Preparatory School.

If you’ve listened to any of The Alan Parsons Project or read a few short stories in American Literature courses, you’ll want to also see Edgar Allan Poe’s House on 203 North Amity Street. You’ll find in it original decorations as well as artifacts from Poe’s life. On Halloween, in deference to Poe’s scary stories, the house becomes a venue for scary theatrical performances.

Next time you arrive at the Baltimore Washington International Airport, instead of traveling first to Washington D.C., head north to Baltimore.

Hong Kong Restaraunts

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Hong Kong is becoming a tourist attraction country because there are many places for people to go to see some interesting sights and have a fun filled day. Click here in order to view a list of hotels to choose from.
Once the hotel selection is out the way then it’s time to get out and have a good time in Hong Kong. One thing to do in Hong Kong that everyone in the world must do is eat. Hong Kong has many restaurants that offer a wide variety of food that is very affordable and not to mention delicious. The Bostonian is a very popular restaurant that has been included in the high-ranking dining handbook The Hong Kong Best Restaurant Guide and has been a Hong Kong favorite for more than a decade. The menu offers a wide choice from its signature US Prime Rib and steaks to fresh oysters and Maine and Boston lobsters that are available all year round. Creole dishes are also very popular there. The atmosphere is relaxed and eccentric with each table equipped with crayons and paper tablecloths so diners can be creative while they sip their choice from an award winning collection of Californian wines. The Bostonian is tucked away in the basement of the Langham Hotel, with a bar upstairs serving lunchtime sandwiches and tapas in the evening.
Yung Kee is another must visit spot. Dim Sum is a Chinese tradition and it basically is an array of steaming baskets of dumplings and other delicacies brought out so that the diners make a selection, usually for late breakfast or a light lunch. Dim Sum is one of the specialties for which the multi-award winning lYung Kee is famed, along with the restaurant’s renowned Cantonese roast goose served up with sweet, stewed beans, nicknamed the ‘flying goose’ because most people that order it want to take it home too.

Hong Kong Restaraunts

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Hong Kong is becoming a tourist attraction country because there are many places for people to go to see some interesting sights and have a fun filled day. Click here in order to view a list of hotels to choose from.
Once the hotel selection is out the way then it’s time to get out and have a good time in Hong Kong. One thing to do in Hong Kong that everyone in the world must do is eat. Hong Kong has many restaurants that offer a wide variety of food that is very affordable and not to mention delicious. The Bostonian is a very popular restaurant that has been included in the high-ranking dining handbook The Hong Kong Best Restaurant Guide and has been a Hong Kong favorite for more than a decade. The menu offers a wide choice from its signature US Prime Rib and steaks to fresh oysters and Maine and Boston lobsters that are available all year round. Creole dishes are also very popular there. The atmosphere is relaxed and eccentric with each table equipped with crayons and paper tablecloths so diners can be creative while they sip their choice from an award winning collection of Californian wines. The Bostonian is tucked away in the basement of the Langham Hotel, with a bar upstairs serving lunchtime sandwiches and tapas in the evening.
Yung Kee is another must visit spot. Dim Sum is a Chinese tradition and it basically is an array of steaming baskets of dumplings and other delicacies brought out so that the diners make a selection, usually for late breakfast or a light lunch. Dim Sum is one of the specialties for which the multi-award winning lYung Kee is famed, along with the restaurant’s renowned Cantonese roast goose served up with sweet, stewed beans, nicknamed the ‘flying goose’ because most people that order it want to take it home too.

Baseball Season in Minneapolis

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Last year, we were staying in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The weather there is crazy cold, indescribably cold. I don’t know why people live here. But, my boyfriend and I wanted to see The Minnesota Twins play baseball, yes baseball! Lucky for both the Twins and the Vikings, because they make their home in the Metrodome , it’s an all enclosed dome to keep the freezing snow out. It was March 31st, the first day of baseball season and Minneapolis just received 5 inches of snow!

At first I thought my boyfriend was kidding about watching a baseball game in Minneapolis, but he was very serious. The Minnesota Twins are his favorite baseball team. We made it to the Metrodome via the Hiawatha Light Rail, straight from the airport. So, we didn’t have to deal much with the very freezing weather conditions. We were really impressed with the Minneapolis transportation system. Very progressive and very efficient. We made it on half-price Tuesday, so we only paid $10 per ticket. Although, we were very disappointed because the Twin lost 9 to 1 to the LA Angels! Plus,the entertainment was somewhat lacking, the Twins mascot, a Bear was only on the field about 3 times, one time the Bear drove around in a golf cart, and another time the Bear shot t-shirts out into the crowd. We didn’t get shot at, which really would’ve been a great story to tell about how I was shot by a Bear.

The food at the Metrodome was surprisingly good. I got a half-pound Bratwurst hot dog, and that lasted me for the whole nine innings. My boyfriend had the Famous Daves BBQ chicken sandwich and he too had a hard time finishing the sandwich, it was big and messy. The only aspect of the food that let us down was the ice cream. We were hoping for a sundae served in a waffle cone with tons of chocolate syrup and whipped cream with a cherry on top, as the advertisement picture shows, but when we got to the counter, all they had was soft-serve ice cream!

After the game, we once again took the light rail to a downtown area where we could check into one of the better Minneapolis luxury hotels for the night. We made no reservations, this was a very last minute trip, where we barely had time to pack enough warm clothes for a one night stay.

This year, we planned ahead and have reservations at the same hotel and we purchased advance tickets online forthe March 18th game.

Indian Fried Bananas

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Singapore is a melting pot of cultures and food. Its seemless blending of tradition and innovation is seen most evidently in its cuisine. Singapore’s long history of a major port city has allowed it to become the home to many travelers and sailors. In addition to planting roots and forming sub communities such as Little India , an entire new caliber of cuisine was inspired. From five star restaurants to street vendors, you can find exactly what you are craving for. Go with a time tested tradition, or try something new. Singapore is home to authentic and innovative Indian cuisine . Some foods cross borders all on their own. Indian, Mylasian, and Singaporean cultures all enjoy Goreng Pisang.

In the american south there are fried green tomatoes, and in Singapore there are fried bananas. Goreng Pisang literally means to cook a banana. Cooked or fried bananas served battered and warm are delicious! Sometimes the most authentic and traditional foods are found on the side of the street served out of a cart. Much like the taco stands that can be found along the streets of Mexico, you are sure to find cart vendors selling Goreng Pisang while walking the streets of Singapore.

Ripe picked bananas or plantains are fried to perfection in oil and then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. These tasty treats are sure to satisfy your taste buds while not breaking the bank. At .60-1.00 each, depending on the size of banana, they are defiantly affordable. There are a few key things to look out for in choosing a vendor to purchase your snack from. Make sure that the batter is not too think around the banana. Also, if you can, catch a glimpse of the oil and check to see if it is dark in color, which may be a sign that it needs to be changed. Even if you get a banana that has been fried in too thick batter or old oil, just peel off the outer tempura and enjoy the lovely warm banana on its own.

Water Slides and Skate Parks in Palmdale

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When I was seventeen I had to take my final vacation with my family. And believe me I was not eager to do it. While I loved my brother and sister, as well as my parents, they were much younger than I am and I just didn’t feel like we had much in common. Anyway, I resisted the family vacation that year but my parents pretty much forced me into going and promised it would be the last one we all took together. It was actually more of a guilt trip than a force and reluctantly I went with them and stayed for an entire week in one of the hotels palmdale . And actually, this ended up being one of the best family vacations I can ever remember taking. I didn’t even know what all there was to do in Palmdale, but there really is a ton of great theme parks and recreational facilities. It turns out I had more fun than if we had planned to go to Disneyland. Well, plus I’m too old to go to Disneyland, right?

Anyway, we went to the Drytown Water Park, which was incredible. My brother and sister weren’t old enough to go on all of the slides, which was cool with me. My Mom and I actually went on one of the slides together. It was the one called The Devil’s Punchbowl. I thought that was a funny name, but dang it’s really a thrilling ride. We had to climb 35 feet just to get to the starting point of this crazy slide. Afterward we had hamburgers at Dusty’s Grill, which is part of the park. There was also a great skate park that we went to. I used to do a little bit of skateboarding but hurt my elbow once really bad and since I also play the violin I decided to give up skating. I like to watch it though and the kids at the Chris O’Leary Skatepark were fun to watch and some of them were really pretty good. Overall, we all had a great time and I’m glad I went. At least I don’t have the eternal guilt of ditching my family on our last summer vacation, plus we all had a really good time.

What to Do About Boulder

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If one is visiting Boulder Colorado in the wintertime finding things to do is more than likely a no brainer. Play in the snow. Ski the nearby mountains, snowmobile the near by trails, make snow angels and have some full in snowball battles. Enjoy the many microbrew beers in the local pubs or fancy a nice cup of hot chocolate with the kiddos in the heated pool at one of the Boulder boutique hotels . The amount of energy it takes to play in the snow and cold will be a guarantee in getting a sold nights sleep. There is nothing like a warm cozy bed when it is really cold outside.

If one is visiting the area in the summertime then there are some other things to see and do. The beer pubs like will still be there accept this time you can sit out on the patio in your shorts and tee shirt. There are also some other fine ways to enjoying the mountains with hiking and biking the trails. I bet there is a fishing pole to rent with your name on it. If you want to just mull around town maybe you want someone else to do the hard work for you and catch Banjo Billy’s Bus Tours . This is were you can catch the real spooky scoop of this old small mountain town. This bus will take you on a trip from Boulder to Denver and back for about an hour and a half. There are plenty of interesting facts about the two cities and the area in between to learn. Sometimes the tour will go in the winter but it is best to make the plans well in advance and of course it also depends on the weather.

Gastro Pub in Columbia MD

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We’ve been staying in Columbia, Maryland for five days and we’ve pretty much exhausted going to all the points of interest, like the Howard County Farmer’s Market located in a church, saw the Broadway musical ‘Hairspray’ at Tobys Dinner Theater , and the African Art Museum that had a nice exhibit of masks, textiles, sculptures, jewelry and musical instruments. That was pretty much all there was to do here in the wintertime, I guess the town basically shuts down when there’s snow on the ground.

We were staying at one of the best columbia luxury hotels , so we decided to ask the staff at the front desk if they could recommend something for us to do, they told us about the attractions we’ve already seen and we were beginning to wonder if we needed to rent a car and go to Baltimore, but then one of the bellhops came around and asked if we’ve been to the Victoria Gastro Pub , which we have not. He said for us to go there tonight and we won’t be disappointed.

Boy, was he right! But, he didn’t tell us about the hour wait to get a table, or even find a seat at the bar. When we first arrived, we thought our taxi driver took us to the wrong place, because we were right in the middle of a business park! But, he told us we were at the right location. When we walked inside we were greeted by a very friendly hostess, who promptly told us about the hour wait, but to enjoy the bar, she actually, found us two bar stools and managed to get everyone to move down their stools so we could fit in; now, that’s service!

The bartender promptly greeted us and took our bar drink order and told us the drinks will be added to our ticket. We felt like VIPs. The place was hopping, at least in the bar, everyone there was basically waiting for a table too, so we all had something in common, which made for great conversations. We did have to wait an hour for our table, the hostess wasn’t wrong about that at all, so by the time we made it to our table, we were a bit tipsy and very, very hungry. The menus highlights included Fish and chips, crab reoullade, and a mushroom and Swiss Snake River Farms Kobe Burger. I had the duck fat fry poutine and mussels for starters. All I can say is my mouth was in heaven, the mussels, which were very tender, was served with a tasty broth. For the main entree’, my husband got the Snake River Farms Kobe Burger and fries. He too was in heaven; he said the burger was juicy and flavorful and the fries were a heap of chili cheese fries. I got the chopped veal stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese, served with baby carrots and mashed potatoes; it was exceptionally good, but way too much, I barely made a dent in my dish.

So, if you are ever in Columbia, MD, we highly recommend having dinner at the Victoria Gastro Pub!