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Cafes in Mannheim

Some days on vacation you want to throw away the travel books, forget about the castles and museums, and soak up the atmosphere of a place by spending a morning in one of its cafes. If you wake up in Mannheim, in one of its many hotels , you won’t have far to go to find a number of interesting establishments in the City Center. Here’s a handful of places you might like to check out.

Broker’s Inn, located at P7, 19, Planken, offers its guests coffee, tea, and light meals. There’s a nice ambiance to the place with good service. At F1, 5, Mannheim, there’s the Cafe am Markt, a cafe that’s near museums and sight-seeing destinations. The menu consists of light snacks and meals. The Cafe Journal is particularly good for a mid-day breakfast, with service that’s friendly and a good atmosphere. If you’ve awakened with a sweet tooth, you might check out the more upscale Cafe Wagele, a place to meet friends in Mannheim for those who are fans of chocolate-cream, coffee and cake. If you have a craving for pralines and cakes, you can find that here by the slice or whole. Herdegen has been a cafe since 1838, and serves its customers terrific light snacks and desserts, as well as coffees and teas. The dining room is in a classical style, and the place offers a breakfast menu.

If you have plans for sight-seeing churches later in the day, try Ketch Up, at B6, 12 Mannheim, which isn’t known for its interior, but serves good breakfasts and is near a beautiful church. There’s also Meier’s, a restaurant known for casual dining, tapas or light meals, as well as coffee. There are full breakfasts served all day long and salads and sushi plates.

These are just a few of the cafes Mannheim has to offer its guests, with many more to discover in this city on the Rhine, which has origins dating back nearly a thousand years. Once you’ve had your coffee and breakfast, you should be ready to tackle such sights as the Wasserturm, considered by some to be the most attractive water tower in the world , and the Residenzschloss , the largest baroque palace in the country, now used as the home of the University of Mannheim.

Lisa
May 30, 2010
Travel
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Best Breweries in Copenhagen

In Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, there are 6 breweries to visit, but only 3 of those are the best ones to tour and enjoy a home brewed beer right on the spot. Plus,these three breweries are conveniently located to major Copenhagen hotels , so you don’t need to worry about driving back through unfamiliar traffic after having tasted several of the fine brews.

First on the list of Copenhagen breweries is BrewPub , which is a bar and restaurant that’s only a few minutes from City Hall Square in Vestergade. The bar is surrounded by a charming courtyard that makes for an oasis in the city. There are 14 draught beers on tap and 4 of those are reserved for Gunnhild Kolveried, and the rest are from the brew master’s own creations like Atlantic IPA, VesterWeisse and William Wallace 80 Shilling Ale. Visitors can also taste brews from Danish micro-breweries and not on an empty stomach either. The Danes are not only serving great brews, but chef Carsten Hughson created a great menu to fit any of the beers on tap. Restaurant hours are Monday through Saturday from noon to 10pm. The Pub is open Monday through Thursday from noon to midnight and Friday and Saturday from noon to 2am.

The Faergerkroen Bryghus, is a legendary inn in Tivoli, where in 2005 they added their own micro-brewery in the second building. In the first building, is the restaurant, where you can order an open-faced sandwich (smorrebrod) and many other delicious Danish dishes along with Faergerkroen’s famous house beer. The brew master, Georg Lassacher, who comes from Germany, makes a Blonde Lager that is superb and out shines the original Marzen and the Vienna Marzen. Faergerkroen is located in Tivoli, Vesterbrogade 3, and is open Sunday through Thursday from noon to midnight and Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 1am.

Hopefully, you will try the two breweries suggested above, but you most definitely need to check out the Amager Bryghus . It’s been over 50 years since the Danes have had a drop of Amager beer, but back in 2007, this brewery has once again opened its doors thanks to Morten Valentin Lundbak and Jacob Storm, who together worked with home brewed beer and won several medals and Danish championships. Tours are available in the evenings on Thursdays. Fridays and Saturdays the tours are open during the day and last two hours. The two hour tour will cost 150 DKK each (around $26 US), but the amount of the best brewed beers in Copenhagen you’ll get to taste is well worth the cost. Amager Bryghus is located at Fuglebaekvej 2C, kaelderen.

Lisa
May 17, 2010
Travel
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Touring New York City

Whether one is visiting New York for the first time or has been living in the city for a while, taking a tour is always a fun way to learn more about the area. New York has some really interesting tours giving different perspectives of the city. Which makes a lot of sense because in New York just about anything is possible.  

A really peaceful way to see the the city as a whole is by getting on the Circle Line . They have a long 3 hour cruise and some short cruises that take people around the New York Harbor. They will take people out to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. There is a lot of amazing history to learn about the buildings and landmarks located along the waters edge. They also have a great way to see some fireworks on the Fourth of July.  

Walking tours have become rather popular way of seeing more about a place. If one likes to shop or design than taking the Gotham Garment District Walking Tour should be on their list. This is a great behind the scenes look at the fashion industry with a chance at some wholesale showroom pics. If 30 Rock is a new favorite show than one may like to take the Rockefeller Center Tour learning more about this beautiful landmark and the family that built it is more than interesting.  

Speaking of television or movie locations in New York. There is a whole list of tours that one can catch to see the many locations that were used for filming their favorite movie or television show. The Sopranos Sites Bus Tour has my vote. Check with your New York hotel concierge or local listings for more information on these tours and more.

Lisa
April 22, 2010
Travel
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Unbearable Los Angeles

The moment you lost me forever is the same moment that I moved in, and opened the first box. I couldn’t tell your plans, because you never told them to me, hoping I would guess, but treating me as though I were the crudest man alive if I were to speak them out loud. You are a force of contradictions, and the weight of all of our histories runs down my back when I am standing under the sun.

There are Arab traces that make this heart heavier than it might have been in another time and another place, and Hollywood calls for some strange new request for a better idea, and I have not been near enough to take the call. Nor do I think I would, even when I did know what this was, and where it was going. Los Angeles became unbearably light from that first moment. That’s the one that everything sprang from, and that’s the moment it would return to.

Do you remember the first time we walked this city together? I knew nothing about it, only that the hotels in Los Angeles were the best I’d ever seen, and that there were going to be some things in the city that would make me nervous. Some constant ritual that I would be asked into, and one which I could not possibly know or speak of in any contexts I knew.

Do you remember how I asked you to walk the city with me, we would go from one end to the other and tell each other life stories for a night. And you laughed and told me it would take 4 days of walking, and we would never finish because we would not survive. 4 days seemed short enough to me then, they spread out before us like an eternal return . I wouldn’t turn you down, not one request, in Los Angeles, there isn’t one request that I would refuse, but we flew away from each other like balloons on the day of the big parade, the one where we no longer believe in the marshall, and the only thing we can stand are the floats.

Lisa
April 4, 2010
Travel
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Fresh Tortillas in Amarillo

There’s something about fresh tortillas that can bring people to their knees. It doesn’t happen just anywhere, because a tortilla is something that is very much like French bread. To some people, French bread is just that, with way too much gluten to bother with, but to others, it’s a potential for paradise on earth, but only if it’s made in the proper way.

Anyone can make French bread, apparently, but few understand that it’s a sacred trust between the loaf and the cook, and the one who comes to eat it enters into the same sacred trust. That’s the same with tortillas, and when they are good, then there’s a reason to celebrate breathing for another day.

Travelers coming to stay in the hotels Amarillo offers, then, will likely find a lovely place to become engaged in this sacred trust as a little restaurant called La Campana . It’s been getting some well-deserved attention of late, but even with a million articles in the press, the business is driven here based on their traditional recipes cooked in traditional ways, and that pulls in regular customers better than any advertising can.

When it comes to Mexican food, there are some who think it all tastes the same, and they’ll eat anything anywhere and still complain, because they don’t understand, or care enough to learn about the regions and origins of anything. And probably don’t know how to tell the sides of the tortilla apart. However, for those who do know it, La Campana is a very bright spot in a pretty bright town.

Good tortillas have a way of reaching the hidden parts of the soul, and offering a little bit of a break from the rush of things. It’s a taste that grows deeper and more profound with age, surely, and cooking them properly requires the same. This is one place to find that particular door to paradise.

Lisa
April 1, 2010
Travel
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Kings Dominion in Virigina

Kings Dominion should be on the list of things to do and see for anybody who is in the state of Virginia as a resident or has chosen to come for vacation. There are plenty of rides to explore for children and adults of all ages. If you go to Kings Dominion be sure to get there early because there is so much to do and see you will want to have as much time as possible. After a long day of exploring the park and screaming at the top of your lungs you will definitely be tired and worn down. The best option after a day such as that would be to get a room at albemarle hotels and relax. Be sure to live your hotel early however because there is nearly a two hour ride between Kings Dominion and Albemarle.
There are so many different types of rides and sections at kings dominion that it may take a few trips to see it all and ride each one. The Intimidator 305 is the tallest and fastest roller coaster of its type on the East Coast. Only the second “Giga-coaster” ever built in North America the lift hill will stand a towering 305 feet at its highest peak then it descends 300 feet at an 85 degree-angle and thunders along the track at speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour during its three minute race to the finish. It is a nonstop thrill ride.
For the children there is a section of the park called Planet Snoopy that has a large number of rides that are suitable for small children to enjoy. The rides for the children are inspired by locations and characters from the Charlie Brown comics and cartoon series. A few of the rides go by the names; Flying Aces, in this ride the guest sit in seats that are lifted up to 85 feet in the air and spun around in circles. Those are just a couple of the rides that are featured at Kings Dominion but there are many more and also lives shows are put on and there are many different places to eat a good meal and get some dessert on a warm day.

Lisa
March 25, 2010
Travel
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Hughes and Missouri

Southeastern Missouri has a charm and a mysterious quality that bears repeating through multiple visits. Constantly making new connections, and investing its own thought in its future, there are many possibilities to explore the cities here as well as the small towns. There are fantastic things to look into, but none of them is as rewarding, perhaps, as looking a bit into the life of the great poet, Langston Hughes .

Born in Joplin in 1902, Langston Hughes was to have a remarkable career as a poet, enjoying a kind of success that is often only bestowed posthumously, although his immortality seems to be gaining in strength every day. There is nothing short-sighted about the words, which prove themselves more and more prophetic with each passing decade.

This is a find reason to visit the accommodations and enjoy what might be one of the most interesting times spent in a small town. Of course, there will likely be many moments of very delightful bliss, looking at a day that’s meant for relaxing and some delicious food. Making people feel welcome is a habit that gets learned, and it certainly circulates in the air here.

Missouri’s reputation is made on sentiments like Hughes ‘, who wrote so many remarkable things that touch generation after generation, and continue to explore the margins, looking for the empty spaces that seem filled with meaning, and only find words, hinting at something deeper, some deeper reason why this must be so. Moving from Missouri to Europe as an ex-pat, and to New York as a literary darling, there are more worlds in his life than most writers get to visit in their imaginations. And at the end of the day, what really is important is that agreement between the musician and the man behind the stove.

Lisa
March 23, 2010
Travel
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Kolaches in Pittsburgh

For many people, the idea of Pittsburgh conjures up images of a grey industrial city, where there’s people who work, and people who watch football, and they’re usually the same people. There is a very strong work ethic here, and the Steelers are loved by nearly all, but there’s a bit more to the place than all this. Its reputation in industry hit rough times in the 70s, and it hasn’t recovered its glory as a manufacturing town, but it certainly has reached other heights in its multiple identities, and there’s always more than meets the eye here.

The downtown is really spectacular, with a very lively arts community. It’s not just the Andy Warhol museum, or the presence of Carnegie Mellon, but these certainly help. The citizens here are genuinely committed to making this city a center for visual and aural art forms, and the public events are usually refreshingly well-attended, and the atmosphere is fairly wonderful. There are also pittsburgh luxury hotels that speak to an elegance that merges old world customs and contemporary convenience. There are also spectacular used bookstores, great waterfront activities, and hidden gems everywhere you go. The mix of cultures that built Pittsburgh is still very much part of the fabric of everyday life, and there is a great diversity here. There’s a fairly strong Slavic community here, including Czech-descended people.

You don’t have to be Czech, however, to visit Cafe Kolache . Nestled on the main street in Beaver, one of the suburbs to the north, Kolache’s was started a few years ago by Kristi De Maiolo . She moved here from Houston, where there is also a large Czech population. There, kolaches are served in coffee shops and bakeries, but she noticed that there weren’t places in town to get them. Traditional families would prepare them from traditional recipes, but there’s no reason not to enjoy them in public. It’s a kind of sweet bread, in small squares, filled with meat or fruits or fillings, and when they’re warm, they’re delicious. They’re actually delicious any temperature, and this little neighborhood coffee shop is a fantastic place to go on a rainy day. With free wi-fi, and all the cool midwestern charm you could ever hope for, it’s a taste that’s contagious.

Lisa
March 8, 2010
Travel
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NY Smiles

I’m not going to come back again, I’ve decided, because this time, I am simply going to stay.  If there is no leave-taking, then there is endless return.  I would have liked to experience that sensation of the eternal return just once in the last five years, but I’ve flirted with the city enough, that now it is asking me to make a decision.  I’ve decided.  The five-star hotel that tells me that I’m in NY might eventually be a dream of the past, because I won’t be able to afford it, or won’t have the job that reimburses my expenses, and I will certainly miss the hospitality.

I’m not under the illusion that hospitality is the rule here, and I understand that it’s an exception that’s usually reserved for the visitors.  I don’t expect a parade for me, and I don’t even expect my new landlord to even be polite to me, and that’s all in the realm of the things that I’ve come to accept.  This has been a long, ongoing dance, my love of New York City.  Sometimes it’s fierce, and sometimes it’s quiet, but the pulse is always there.  This is what people mean when they talk about the tango.

My favorite dance here was the one I learned that last time through.  I was preparing for my meetings, and gathering together disparate pieces of a puzzle that were too large for someone so small, and I had the distinct impression of things falling apart.  On the way to catch a cab, I caught sight of a man on the corner, holding a hat.  As I approached, I saw out of the corner of my eye that he was looking at me and smiling.  I’ve learned how to avoid a gaze here, but when I got closer, I heard him whisper that he just wanted to know if I could spare a smile.  I had that on me, and since that day, I vowed to always donate whenever I can.  I might like it here as much as I love it.

Lisa
February 27, 2010
Home, Travel
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The Missouri Contemporary Ballet at Center for the Arts

The Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts in Columbia is a great multi-purpose establishment that hosts film festivals, great concerts and much more throughout the year. It is one of Columbia’s premiere cultural and entertainment centers and entices many of the people who are in from out of town and visiting the city for any number of reasons. And one of the great things about it is that it offers a great variety of performances and many people consider it to be their primary source of quality entertainment. Information on this and other major cultural establishments is usually available at the top resorts you can check the lobby or front desk of places like this for more information.

Various companies chose the center for their primary performance space. The calendar is usually filled with a diverse selection of music concerts, dance and other performances to serve the equally diverse audience community. Next month alone will include a performance by the Avett Brothers and a symphonic wind ensemble by the MU School of Music. Also on the schedule is the Plowman Chamber Music finals as well as the awards ceremony that will follow. The MU School of Music will also present a concert by the World Percussion Ensemble. There are many more events something new can be found almost daily.

The Missouri Contemporary Ballet will be at the center for a couple evening’s performances in early April. The company is a professional ballet group that is focused on providing great entertainment using the basic structure of ballet. They create unique live dance shows that incorporate various musical genres and are oriented toward entertaining audiences of all ages and backgrounds. They also have a strong commitment toward education and offer outreach programs for students and also take their performances to special engagements at retirement homes, schools and other places.

Lisa
February 26, 2010
Travel
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