The Landscape and Garden Blog
May
28
New Orleans is one of the great cities of The United States and it represents the diversity of city culture bases and is one of the points of pride for this country. Visiting New Orleans during a Mardi Gras celebration is a favorite annual event for many people from across the nation and is also considered close to being a rite of passage for some people. I have known couples who are obsessed with New Orleans and Mardi Gras specific culture and planning a trip there every year is one of the most important aspects of their lives. And while I have had a certain fascination with the experience, which I suppose originated when I saw Henry and June for the first time, though I only began to understand people’s obsessions with it after my first trip there.
Of course Mardi Gras is not the only aspect of the city’s culture that is intriguing to the guests in some of the top hotels in New Orleans and there is plenty to do all year round. Though of course it is almost essential to check out some of the blues and jazz clubs in the city if you plan to go. And this is true regardless of the season in which you will be visiting.
Fritzle’s is not only one of the best but is also the oldest operating jazz clubs in the city. This is a great distinction and of course it means that it was there during the development of the music scene and is one of the great historic as well as contemporary features of the city. Snug Harbor jazz bistro is another one of the great musical establishments in the city. It has been in operation for over thirty years and is one of the standard performance venues. In addition, it offers great food and a charming atmosphere. It is located in a renovated 1800s storefront just outside of the French Quarter. If you plan to visit New Orleans you should plan a trip to at least one of these clubs while you are there.
May
22
Melbourne happens to be the second most populous city in the country. It is also the capital of the state of Victoria. It should certainly come as no surprise then that it is also full of incredible landmarks, points of interest, cultural institutions and entertainment options. There is so much to do and see in this incredible city that it can be a little overwhelming for the guests in one of the great hotels in Melbourne to try and choose among the many options. Of course this doesn’t stop them from trying, though it certainly helps to have an idea of the landmarks you’d like to visit before arriving in the city. You could take up your entire vacation by simply visiting all of the interesting historic and cultural landmarks that are found throughout the city.
The Melbourne city centre is the main commercial hub of the city. It is defined by the incredible cityscape outline that is particularly prominent and beautiful in the evening. And while you can get lost in this large city center area, it is also a nice place to begin and determine your visits from there. One of the places you may want to visit, in fact it may even be your point of arrival into the city, is the Flinders Street Station . This incredible spectacle of a building sees over one hundred and ten thousand commuters passing into and out of the city every weekday. It is one of the city’s establishments that is registered on the Victorian Heritage Register , which lists points of cultural heritage in the state of Victoria. The original terminal began operating in 1854 though original station was replaced later in the century when the government decided in 1882 to build a new central passenger station. A competition was held to determine a designer for the new building and the winner was Fawcett and Ashworth. The design was titled Green Light and it was created in the style of the French Renaissance.
May
15
Families traveling to the top half of the Florida peninsula may only have mouse ear caps and Harry Potter on their minds, anticipating Disney World and the new Harry Potter theme park, but local residents know the area offers even more to visitors who find themselves checking into an Orlando hotel . While this is the city containing the Park of the Americas, Universal Studios Florida, the Mall at Millenia, Gatorland , and Wet ‘n Wild, for those who like the value of an education mixed in with their fun, there’s also the Orlando Science Center .
For more than five decades, the center has been a place for the curious to explore, combining entertainment with knowledge. If you’ve exhausted yourself on the larger parks, or if it’s pouring down rain, then the Science Center is an excellent alternative that’s entirely indoors, containing four floors of exhibits, gigantic movie screens and live programs which should engage the whole family.
Specifically for children, on Level One, you’ll find KidsTown, an area where kids under four feet tall may explore in a “town” designed for them. The mini-town will introduce scientific concepts to children through hands-on interactive exhibits and creative play; there’s an opportunity to pick and select oranges at the Orange Grove Factory, climb in a KidsTown tree, find out what’s beneath a city street, sail boats at a Waterfall, or play the part of a mechanic at the Super Service Center.
On Level Two, in All Aboard, kids will be able to explore in child-sized models of planes, trains, and even the space shuttle.
On Level Three, there’s the SimMan, who is a life-sized patient simulator; a contemporary piece of medical technology that’s used by health care professionals to train, allowing visitors to see how technology and the workforce intertwine.
On Level Four, Dr. Dare’s Lab allows kids to play scientist with hundreds of experiments that take a look at the properties of light and electricity and chemical reactions.
Of course, the larger parks are going to take the attention of most families, but if you’re a scientific-minded person, the Science Center is an excellent place to foster that interest in your own kids.
May
13
When it’s the time of year where Wimbledon and and the French Open are coming around again, and the eyes of the world are on Monte Carlo, tennis fever is in the air. There’s no good cure, except to pay attention, watch the matches, and read the news. If there is an obsession with tennis in the world, then it’s a common ailment, and it seems to lead to a psychological condition that’s pretty well-treated. Tennis is everywhere these days, and this is the season when people start looking at the history of the sport.
In the midst of the anticipation for the latest French Open scores , fans start to think about the past, and the tennis giants from previous generations. There’s also plenty of talk about who’s doing what this year, where the interesting plays might come from, and predictions for possible upsets. In all the thoughts about the past and present, the future seems to be coming in through the back door, and enters the room to take center stage while everyone has their heads turned in other directions. That’s how the future works in this game, because the athletes of today are dazzling, and capture our attention enough that the next generation can come quietly in.
Laura Robson has just been ranked at 269 in the world. It might not sound like a roar yet, and when the Wimbledon scores come in, chances are pretty high that her name won’t be mentioned. But Robson is only 16 years old, and those who play against her say that she has no weaknesses whatsoever. There are others who say it’s better not to mention her, because, like with the case of Annabel Croft , early expectations can lead to a difficult path. Croft seems to have done all right for herself, though, even with the burden of the world’s attention. Still, there is no telling what the next couple of years might bring for Laura Robson, but this is a very auspicious beginning, and this kind of past is what legends are born in.
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