WTVS News

Archive for March, 2010

Florida is a great place to head this summer for fun in the sun. With several cities all hosting major events, the gorgeous beaches, and the amusement parks there’s no telling to what you can find to do. This summer is a particularly active time for concerts in Tampa.

The Ford Amphitheater in Tampa is a large venue seating 20,000 and is the first outdoor concert facility in the Tampa Bay Area. This is the place to go to see some big name bands and concert festivals when you’re staying in Tampa . This summer has an all star line up kicking off in may with the 2010 Country Megaticket show featuring Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Toby Keith, George Strait, Rascal Flatts, and more. and finishing off the summer in September with a concert from the Kings of Leon.

This May the Ford Amphitheater will play host to Tim McGraw’s Southern Voice tour on the 7th in conjunction with the 2010 Country Mega ticket making this the place to be if you love country and are in Tampa or the surrounding area. My little sister I’m sure would be thrilled and packing her bags for Florida if she heard about all her favorite bands and musicians playing one venue on the same night. The the following week, on the 14th of May, Country fans are in for another treat as the Country Throwdown tour comes to town with Montgomery Gentry and Jamey Johnson. Don’t worry, if you’re in Florida in May and wanting to see a large concert but country music just doesn’t float your boat, the Bamboozle Road Show will be there to offer you some pop music from cute guys who actually play their own instruments.

June may not have as many events lined up as May but they’re sure to sell out fast. On June 3rd Sting will be preforming some of his biggest hits and some Police classics accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. Ticket sales for the general public for the Tampa show begin March 29 at 10 a.m., hurry and get yours before they sell out. Towards the end of June, on the 28th, The Dave Matthews Band will also play the amphitheater.

Needing something a little faster paced? Don’t think the rock lovers and metal heads will be excluded this summer. I suspect they saved the best for last as on August 10th you’re not going to want to miss The Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival . You can look forward to an evening of KORN, Rob Zombie, Atreyu, and so many more to mosh and head bang to spread across three stages. Finally, in September The Kings of Leon take stage on the 18th for those more into rock than metal.

The things about L.A. that everybody hears are all very true. It’s only because it’s such a big place, and there are so many people from all walks of life, that everything is probably true somewhere here. But one thing that’s not entirely true, but pretty close to true, is that nobody walks in L.A. It’s definitely a place where people love their cars, like Sarah Jessica Parker’s character explained to Steve Martin’s character in L.A. Story .

Who knows when people began to look down on mass transit, but it did happen here, and there’s a strange stigma associated with it. Perhaps it’s because the place is so very spread out, and anyone who takes the subway is limited to a small part of the city. That means that anyone who wants to do things around town on any given day would have to drive, or spend more time traveling than working.

However, there are some who are fiercely independent-minded, and starting to take back the right to live car-free. It is possible to get around here, they find, it just takes a little bit of ingenuity. Depending on the metro system is only inconvenient if one is used to do trying to do without it, so these are simply good habits that can be adopted.

But for those who aren’t looking for long trips, or even needing a car, and just coming to town to stay in the best hotels Los Angeles has to offer, there are lots of wonderful things to do in any neighborhood, and that’s one of the real joys about being here. That Missing Persons song, Nobody Walks in L.A. might be pretty accurate for the 80s and today, but tomorrow is another opportunity altogether to make things different here. The second largest city in the U.S. can certainly compete with the first for a great transit system. That’s a greening that would affect everyone.

One of the main institutions in Cincinnati is the University of Cincinnati . It is one of the nation’s older public research facility and was established in 1819. It has the fourth oldest continually operating law schools in the country. It is one of the more outstanding universities in the state and was ranked by The Center at ASU as one of the top 25 public universities. It is also one of the nation’s 100 largest universities with an annual enrollment of around 40,000 students. It also has an incredibly large selection of program of study, offering almost six hundred of them to its student body. It also maintains the distinction of being the largest single employer in the greater Cincinnati area.

Many of the parents of incoming freshmen students find comfortable accommodations and can enjoy a pleasant stay in surrounding area boutique hotels. Cincinnati is a major metropolitan area, though the neighborhood around the university has a definite college town atmosphere. As one of the larger and well established universities in the nation, the UC has a large population of out of state students. This contributes to some major national interest in the university as well as the city.

The school mascot is the Bearcat and the university is part of the Big East Conference. The most well known rivals of the school’s sports teams come from University of Louisville, Xavier University and Miami University. One of its more popular and extremely supported sports teams is its basketball team. It has a strong tradition in the sport and in the recent decade its football team has seen success and gained interest and support. UC has produced many basketball hall of famers and has won the NCAA national championship. The school also has one of the nation’s top dance programs in universities. The diverse academic programs and quality sports teams continue to entice students from around the country.

Planning a trip to Hawaii? Actually, the island of ‘Hawaii’ is one of 6 main islands that make up the ‘state’ of Hawaii. Basically, the island of Hawaii has the same name as the state of Hawaii. So, when you go online to find a Hawaii travel agency, make sure to not confuse going to ‘Hawaii’ (the state) as going to what is also referred to as the ‘Big Island’ , (Hawaii island). This is exactly why most people refer to the Hawaii Island as ‘The Big Island’. If this hasn’t confused you yet, there’s also a bit of confusion about Honolulu, Oahu and Waikiki, which are basically one and the same. So, if you go to Oahu (the main island), you will get to experience Honolulu (a county) and Waikiki (a district of Honolulu).

Now, back to planning your trip: if you’re flying, always plan your Hawaii trip so you depart and return during a weekday; Monday to Thursday. Fridays, in the travel industry, is considered a weekend day and weekend days are the most expensive travel days . As a rule of thumb, avoid planning your trip during any holidays. If you are planning a trip to ‘The Big Island’ during the peak time (mid December to April), you might consider using an all inclusive travel agency, and because they are an all inclusive travel agency, they will offer you great vacation packages and at a great price. They’re especially helpful if you don’t have the time to book your own vacation, like around Christmas.

It would be extremely time consuming to arrange for your own rental car, find a hotel, go online to find all the attractions on the Big Island and purchase advance tickets or reserve space, or let’s say you would also like to visit another Hawaiian Island like Maui, if you didn’t have time before to make arrangements, you won’t have time to make double the arrangements, plus you won’t even get the best prices. So, for the most part, using a travel agency that will do all the arranging, the bookings and the reserving for you with their all inclusive vacation packages is your best bet. These packages are tailored to provide everything necessary for you to enjoy and explore Hawaii and you get all of that for one price and at a the best price.

Taking advantage of Hawaiian vacation packages is the wisest decision; you’ll be able to keep to your specific budget and at the same time, do all the things you wanted to do on your wonderful fun filled Hawaii vacation.

If you are in Denver and you want to see more of the majestic area then take a drive to Boulder. It is only about 30 miles away, so within an hour you could be in a smaller mountain town drinking freshly brewed beer and creating some laughs with your friends and the locals.

Boulder is a great place to spend some time just hanging out with the fresh air and small town charm. It is the home of the University of Colorado and all the youthful activities that go along with it. The university is filled with great programs for learning all sorts of trades and industries from sciences and chemistry to entrepreneurial business and law with great music and arts programs as well. All of which flow out into the community.

This town is geared up for out door activities to enjoy all year round. The winter is of course all about the snowy down hills sport of skiing and snowboarding. There are a couple of ski hills with in 20 to 30 miles of downtown boulder and beyond. The closest would be Eldora Mountain which as a run or two for skiers and boarders of all levels along with some great places to get a hot chocolate.

In the summer there is endless out door activities to embark on. What could be more inspiring than hiking or biking some trails up to Bear Creek or staying in town and doing some kayaking down Boulder Creek especially in the summer as the snow melt creates a grand flow. If you hang on long enough you could end up heading down the South Platte River which would make its way back to Denver. All you need now is the perfect room with all the relaxing amenities to rest your head after such a great adventure in the near by wild.

Traveling across the country to Palmdale, California took us through some very beautiful scenery. At times, though, we did think we were on the moon because there were these incredible rock formations that looked like they didn’t belong on earth. The weather was wet, even for this time of year and all the towns along the way were pretty amazing, some of them made us feel like we stepped back in time. Before our trip, we decided to take the slow route to Palmdale. One road led us to old 138, which had some tight curves and bends that went up and down and up and up and down and down. We were really happy to find this route, because it gave us some breathtaking scenery.

After about a half-a-day on route 138, we decided to take the faster route to Palmdale, we were eager to meet up with my cousins on my mothers side, who suggested we book a certain hotel, Palmdale is known for the best accommodations. It was also arranged that once we got into town and checked in, we would meet them over at Butlers Coffee . So, after we found the hotel, checked-in and unpacked, we headed back out to find Butlers.

Once we arrived, my cousins were already there with all their children, which we didn’t expect, because it was a coffee shop, but the place wasn’t your average coffee shop. There was a huge bookshelf with books and games, plus a little kids corner stocked with toys and movies. So, while the kids played, the adults got to chat and drink some of the best coffee I’ve ever tasted; better than Starbucks! My cousins really did pick a marvelous place for us to catch up and have lunch. Butlers also serves sandwiches, pastries and freshly baked biscotti.

It was so great to see all my cousins again, it’s been too long since last we all got together. This is their first time meeting my Fiance’ too. Which they all gave him the third degree, which he passed with flying colors! Being back here, made me wonder why I ever moved away.

Washington is the northern most of the west coast states and is located directly south of the Canadian boarder. The geographic placement of this state contributes to its diverse environment and is part of the reason it is unique among the other states and is an extremely attractive vacation destination to a vast number of people. One of the interesting aspects of the state is that its eastern and western sides are completely different in both geography and weather patterns. The Cascade Mountains are frequently considered to be the dividing line between these two halves, and each of them attracts tourists for different reasons.

While Seattle is the largest and most famous city in the state, Olympia is the capital and is also located in the Puget Sound region. Meanwhile, some of the state’s more popular getaway destinations are far removed from this major cultural area. In fact, one of the great state attractions, the apple capital of the world, is located just southeast of Seattle and is on the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains. There are some great hotels and other options for comfortable rooms in the area. This apple capital is officially known as the Washington Apple Country and offers some incredible apple and cider based products.

The Washington Apple Country is located in Cashmere and the Cider Mill has a great gift shop that is irresistible to most guests and includes some of the delicious gift package offerings that are also available by mail. These include some of the chutneys, ciders, jams, candies, sauces and of course fresh fruits that are made there on the premises. In addition, there are ambient candles that are included with many of these packages. Washington is famous for many things and one of them is their delicious apples, which are popular across the country. It only makes sense that other products, most of which are based on this healthy fruit, are equally popular.