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Archive for the ‘Leisure’ Category

• Franklin Square in Philadelphia

  Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

  So, I was sitting in Steve’s Prince of Steaks in Philadelphia, yeah that’s what it was called but really they were great sandwiches, and was waiting for my mother and brother to get back from visiting whatever history store they had just wandered into. I mean yeah, Philadelphia is full of historic places and the buildings all look old and everything but I’d like to do more than think about old stuff, you know? I had wanted to stay at our Philadelphia hotel room and sleep in, but obviously that wasn’t going to happen. So, I’m sitting there eating my sandwich, and feeling a little bit cool that my mom actually left me there on my own, when I hear the door open and look up to see if they were back. And to my great relief my mother and brother were nowhere in sight but some beautiful boy was looking right at me.

  I must have blushed and hurried and took a sip of soda and then looked back. By that time he was standing to order his sandwich. I tried to watch him while keeping my face in another direction, which was difficult but a skill I was beginning to master. While he was casually watching his sandwich getting made I noticed he was glancing over in my direction. So, my other skill was to secretly make sure that he couldn’t be looking at anything else near me. Suddenly I heard my name and was startled as I and cute boy looked at the door at the same time.

  Of course it was my brother and mom who came right over and started talking about the cool history they had seen. Then they told me to hurry up because they wanted to go to Franklin Square and I started to feel sick. Just then cute boy walked over with his sandwich and said he overheard us mention Franklin Square. I immediately mentioned that I had always wanted to go there and then kicked my brother under the table as he started to give me a double take. Cute boy introduced himself as Adam and told us how to get there and all the attractions. He mentioned the miniature golf and the carousel and then offered to give us a tour. I accepted for the whole family, my brother was onto me by this point, and ended up having the greatest afternoon of my life while looking at a miniature golf course that was full of icons and decorations I couldn’t name.

• Backwards in Wichita, Kansas

  Friday, February 26th, 2010

  What can I say about Wichita, Kansas? It feels like I’ve stepped back in High School, even the radio station that plays classic rock for the 50’s and 60’s have local commercials selling used cars and carpet. Wichita, kind of struck me as somewhat charming, but at the same time made me realize just how far I’ve come in the past 15 years.

  I’m here on business, so I don’t have much time to really scope out the city like I want to, but at least Kansas hotels have at least come into the 21st century. The one I’m staying at has all the modern conveniences, which I thought it just might not have, been that Wichita is stuck in the mid 90’s. I’m meeting with a very good client of ours at supposedly a great restaurant for dinner and to seal a deal. I found the restaurant online at a site that listed the top 10 restaurants. Number one is Chelsea’s Bar and Grill, it’s a steakhouse offering premier cuts of beef, fresh seafood, wood-roasted chicken and there will be live jazz music. Now, that seems so much better than listening to country music, which seems to be prevalent here.

  But, I did have a little time before I met my client tonight, so I checked out the Wichita Art Museum. The first thing I saw when I drove there was this large sculpture of a person with one arm holding a sickle. Later, I found out that the sculpture was a large female and that there’s a dismembered male figure on the ground next to her clutching a hammer. Apparently, one figure is a bank robber and the other a banker. The piece was done in the 50’s by a member of a group of artists interested in raising social awareness and social justice. As I entered, I looked up a saw this enormous arch over the entry that was filled with hundreds of pieces of blown glass art. If I wanted to, I could walk out on that arch, shoeless, and take a closer look at the blown glass pieces.

  I only spent about an hour at the museum before heading back to my hotel to get ready for tonight’s dinner, but, I must admit, the Wichita Museum was quite impressive for a backwards city.

• Mary Poppins on Broadway

  Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

  One of the more recent Broadway trends has been to base musicals on individual performers or bands, such as the Billy Joel revue Movin’ Out or ABBA’s Momma Mia, as well as adapting hit movies to the stage or basing a musical on an already existing film, such as Billy Elliot. Meanwhile one of the latest and greatest film turned musical offerings opened in October of 2006 and continues its popular run at the New Amsterdam Theatre. This of course is the family oriented Marry Poppins and features all of the favorite songs from the movie. Some of these include Spoon Full of Sugar, Chim Chim Cher-ee and many others. This is a great offering for families who are looking for a fabulous stay and great theatre while they’re visiting New York.

  This is the fourth year of straight running for the popular musical, which has also been successful in its national touring agenda. To this date nearly two million people have attended this uplifting and entertaining production. Mary Poppins is definitely a show that lets both the imagination and your own personal dreams run free while you’re able to forget your problems and just enjoy the songs and spectacle for a couple of hours.

  The basic story of the musical deals with the Banks family who lives on Cherry Lane in London, England. The slightly comical chaos that the family experiences early in the play leads to the search for a new nanny. Of course there is also some disagreement about what type of person would make a suitable nanny for the family when the somewhat mysterious Mary Poppins suddenly appears at their door. Through some unexpected magical encounters the new nanny soon begins to teach the household some important life lessons and as unexpectedly as she arrived she proves to exactly what the troubled family needs. All of this unfolds in great style and fabulous effects that delight and entertain audience members of all ages along the way. Marry Poppins is definitely a show for the entire family and is exceptionally appropriate and a good choice for the kids.

• Outdoor Grills Provide Excellent Quality Time For Families

  Monday, December 7th, 2009

  Choosing an outdoor kitchen design has become an extremely exciting though somewhat detailed process in recent years. They have gained tremendous popularity and installing one in your own backyard opens tremendous potential for entertainment possibilities. They also can be considered a solid investment due to the fact that many families spend a lot more time at home when they have such a great backyard resource and they also add value to the home and property. Some couples have the intention of calculating the return of the money they invest and have an eventual intention of saving money by installing one.

  There is also the element of quality family time that should be considered when thinking about installing outdoor grills and/or full kitchen set ups. Many people don’t realize the extent of time that can be spent in the backyard when they make their initial purchase and are surprised to realize what seems like a new world opening up. Many times the installment of a backyard kitchen leads to a complete overhaul of the outdoor landscape with other items such as pools and volleyball courts being added later.

  They are also becoming extremely common features when building a new home. This has its benefits because the slate is clean and a couple can design their ideal outdoor kitchen and dining area without a vision of what’s already there in their minds. The grilling area and kitchen itself can be as detailed and elaborate as the consumer desires and it can also be simple and functional. There are models and designs that are suitable to all spaces and budgets which is just one of the reasons so many people are decided to install them in their home yards. They are also excellent set ups for family and social gatherings or major celebrations like birthdays and anniversaries. Holiday parties are another popular event to plan in backyard kitchen and dining set ups.

• The Cleaning and Proper Maintenance of Hot Tubs

  Monday, September 28th, 2009

  Hot tubs have been popular throughout the United States for many, many years. People in the movies are always having such fun parties, there are commercials on the television for them, and one of the best parts of going to a fancy hotel in the past, was the possibility of a jacuzzi hot tub. Hot tubs are very appealing but what one must keep in mind is that they do require upkeep and constant care. The chemicals and the products necessary for this upkeep can be found at choosehottubsdirect.com, and once one takes the time to go through the steps a few times, they will find that this is simple and not very time consuming.

  The heat of the hot tubs and the fact that they may remain covered a good bit of the time means that they could easily turn into a little swamp in one’s backyard. The first step is in making certain that the spa remains sanitized. The chemicals for this will make certain that bacteria will not be able to grow and multiply. Chlorine and Bromine are the two chemicals used for this procedure. Chlorine can be used in hot tubs, but is generally used in the colder waters of a swimming pool. Bromine will dissolve better in the hotter waters of the backyard spa.

  Waters of the hot tub need to be re-oxygenation from times to time. If this is not done on a regular basis the water may take on a nasty odor and may have negative effects on your skin. It is also is good to drain the tub from time to time and wash it down. Most of the cleaners used for this are those that remove oil and grease, as the body oils will collect as the hot tub is used more and more. Sometimes one may just use a standard window cleaner for this process. These are very easy things to do in order to properly care for your hot tub.