Florence is a lovely place, and there’s no way to set foot here without being touched by a kind of magic that makes one miss it for the rest of their lives. The only remedy for it is to return, as many people do, or move, as some do, or to visit it with a clear consciousness so that every moment can be savored. Time here is like the wine, and like the best sauces, delicate and overpowering at once, and worthy of savoring.

Because a trip often carries memories of great food as well as the lodging, it’s important to take care in selecting the hotel. Florence the city will see to it to take care of the rest. There are so many great works of art that it does indeed live up to all the hype, and there are many artists who still call it their home. The power of the city, its history and its present, are inspiring.

But of all the artists who lived here, there was none who missed it so much as a writer, not a painter, a certain Dante . The poet who penned the Inferno, Paradiso, and Purgatorio was born in Florence, and was engaged to be married when he was only 12 years old. At the time, he had already fallen for another girl, a certain Beatrice, who was only 9. He married Gemma when he was 20, and spent the rest of his life writing about Beatrice.

She doesn’t appear in all the works, of course, but tends to run through everything, and certainly reappears when he was working on the masterpiece of his life. It’s interesting and terribly sad, too, that he couldn’t return to Florence, and died in Tuscany . He is one of the most articulate writers in any language about exile, and one wonders if the ideal love he found and nurtured when he was a boy was also an aspect of that same sense of loss and longing.

If you find yourself in Atlanta with your kids there are so many things to do you won’t have time for them all. Unless, of course, you live there. Check out some of the great entertainment options such as the Center for Puppetry Arts . You and your kids are going to have a great time. They offer up some great puppet performances such as Paul Bunyan and the Tall Tale Medicine Show, Stellaluna and the Lion, The Mouse and the Other Aesop’s Fables for the little kids. There are shows designed to entertain teenagers and well as some made for adults. They have a museum area that puts a spot light on some of the major puppet designers and puppeteers. Jim Henson  is one amazing artist in the puppet business. He is responsible for the creation and acting of world famous puppet shows like The Muppets, Fraggle Rock and Labyrinth. There is also an area to express one inspiration by creating ones very own puppet.

Another, more active way to enjoy your stay with the kids, is to hit the local outdoors. Give the Chattahoochee Outfitters a call. They can take you and your family on a real Chattahoochee River exploration trip. They have all the fun river toys like rafts, kayaks, tubes and pedal boats. It is only minutes for down town Atlanta but it will feel like you are miles away from any major city. Azalea Park spans the river for a few miles and it is a wonderful way to take in the local scenery. They offer up some tours of different lengths to fit your time schedule, budget and ability. If you want someone else to take you down the river than catch a ride on the Roswell Riverboat. There are also bikes available with some lushes green river side paths to ride along.

Your Atlanta hotels concierge will also be able to give you more information on some of the top attractions in the area.

Usually, in Punta Cana of the Dominican Republic is all about the beach, with 21 miles of some of the whitest and softest coral sand beaches in the world; Punta Cana is where blue-green water kisses white sand and for good reason, it’s a haven for vacationers who only seek refuge in a beach chair, a fruity drink, non-alcoholic or with alcohol. There’s some great shopping to be done with some for the best deals around. Parents will find Punta Cana beaches a perfect place to bring the children. There’s never even the slightest chance of getting bored in Punta Cana, because there’s just to much to do, from snorkeling to swimming with the sharks to diving.

If you’re up for shopping, expect to find plenty of place to spend your money. Especially along the beach, there are stores right off the sands, but be prepared to do some serious haggling, and don’t worry about going super low-ball because the store owners have put a high price on most of the items they sell. After a hard day of shopping, check out the golf, Punta Cana has some of the most beautiful golf courses like Dientes del Perro (Teeth of the Dog), designed by the renowned Pete Dye. The course offers some of the best views in golf and this course has ranked as 35 out of the top 50 courses in the world.

For your family, just about every activity is geared with children in mind. Your hotel in Punta Cana most likely has its own activities, either at poolside or with offering their guests excursion packages, like water excursions running everyday from boats running up and down the coast to diving, to snorkeling and your hotels usually will offer these excursions at a cheaper price. Also, check out parasailing, deep-sea fishing or a ride on a glass bottom boat. Most hotels make it really easy to stay right where you are, but you and your family will barely see the inside of your rooms, because all of what Punta Cana has to offer will pull you in all directions from the beaches to town and to the mountains. Punta Cana has everything anyone could ever possibly want and more.

Central Pattaya, also known as Pattaya Klang, is a very popular beach for tourists and locals. A golden mermaid and dolphins mark the start of the beach with it’s beautiful brown-red sand and a great choice of accommodations and facilities.

After sunning on the beach, head towards Silom Road where the shopping is plentiful. Running from Charoenkrung Road all the way to Rama 4 Road, Silom is lined with shops and malls. You’ll find many business people walking along Silom to do banking, jewelry and gem trading as well as tourist shopping at any of the three shopping plaza’s, like the Silom Complex , which is located at a prime area of Silom Road, just off the Sala Daeng BTS station and the MRT Silom station. The Complexe offers shoppers such stores as Top Marketplace, Power Buy and B2S. Then there’s the Chamchuri Square , located on the Rama IV Road nearby the MRT Sam Yan Station and is Silom Roads newest shopping mall where you’ll find international cuisine from Japanese and Chinese through Vietnamese and Korean to European and American; this shopping center is also the center for education because it is owned by the Chulalongkorn University. The third shopping mall on Silom Road is The Silom Galleria , located between Pramuan Street and Soi 21. The Galleria is also known as Pattaya’s ‘Arts and Craft’ center, because it’s the home to the best quality precious gemstones jewelry, antiques representing the traditional ways of Thai design, and the arts that showcase Thai paintings.

Silom Road is definitely all business and shopping during the day, but at night, this main road is transformed into a night-time hotspot and a place to drink, dance and eat. No matter where you are in Pattaya, Silom Road is easy to get to, either by the convenient Skytrain (BTS) and the subway (MRT) transportation systems. The Skytrain’s Sala Daeng stations is where you’ll interchange with the MRT’s Silom station.

New York is known for going big. Big buildings, big parks, big entertainment, big industries and big money are the usual attractions to the city. There is also a more quaint and historical view of the city. Check out some of the historical homes that were saved from destruction and can be visited by history buffs. See the buildings that were here before all of the big came along.  

One of the first homes to be saved and restored is the Dyckman Farmhouse and it can be found at 204th street and Broadway surrounded by a small park. It used to be hundreds of acres of farmland before the city was developed around it. It was built in 1784 and the Dyckman family lived there until the 1850s. It was bought back by two Dyckman sisters in 1915 to make sure it was preserved. They did the early restoration on the home and then presented it to the city as a museum in 1916 where it has been open to the public since then.  

For a chance to visit American history check out the Fraunces Tavern Museum which was built in 1719. This is the old residence of Stephan Delancey where George Washington gave his farewell address to the Continental Army in 1783. It later became a tavern owned by Sameul Fraunces where it played a big role in pre-Revolutionary activities. It can be found on Pearl Street.  

Just a few steps away from Washington Square is the old red brick and marble home now called the Merchant House Museum . This is the real deal when it comes to preserved historical homes in the city. It is known to be one of the best most pristine examples of 19th century architecture and design.  

To make your experience of quaint history even richer check out the small hotels New York has available. There are many of them and a few are in old historical buildings as well.

If you find that you just can’t afford to dole-out tons of money to get a great hair cut and style in New York, usually around $300.00 a cut, why not consider getting your hair cut by a ’stylist in training’. Some of the top notch hair salons in New York City offers Training nights, where you can get a fabulous cut for just a fraction of what a normal cut would cost. Training night is for ’stylist in training’ to perfect their craft and you don’t need to worry if you’ll get a good cut and style, because the ’stylist in training’ is supervised by the best stylists in New York. Listed below is a list of only a few salons offering training night.

Carsten Institute of Hair and Beauty , located on 22 East 17th Street on the 2nd Floor. You do need to make an appointment. All the stylist are graduating students from the Institute. Carstens combines an advanced French cutting technique with traditional shapes. You can make an appointment Tuesdays through Saturdays from morning to 1:30pm, you can get a cut starting at $18.00 and a color treatment starting at $37.00. Not bad for a French cut.

Oscar Blandi , is a salon committed to creating and enhancing a natural, classic look combined with the latest trends. Oscar Blandi caters to celebrities looking for a great style suited for the red carpet. Blandi’s cuts are simple, unassuming, sophisticated, and yet are always sexy. Oscars offers training nights on Wednesdays only starting at 5pm for $40.00 a cut and $50.00 for colors. Bring cash only. They are located on 746 Madison Avenue, between 64th and 65th Streets.

John Sahag is known as the ‘Michelangelo with scissors’, he is a master craftsmen who knows how to take the art of hairstyling to its highest form of perfection. He sculpts and carves with precision shape to frame your face perfectly. Your hair will seem to fall into place magically. Call to make an appointment for training night on Mondays only from noon till 6pm. A cut will only cost you $40.00 and $50.00 for color, if you want highlights add an additional $50.00. John Sahag only accepts cash and is located on 425 Madison Avenue at 49th Street.

If having your hair cut my a ’stylist in training’, make you nervous, check into the salons at hotels. Many of the best hair salons resides in specialized boutique hotels, so if you plan to visit New York, consider booking a room , because most of the salons will offer great discounts to the hotel guest.

Travelers visiting Tampa in early March ran into an unexpected problem. Which was not a problem at all in the eyes of the owners of Tampa luxury hotels . Many hotels, particularly those in the Westshore Business District and downtown districts, had to put up “no vacancy” signs and turn away customers. This comes at a critical time for Tampa’s tourism as previous years have had a lull thanks to the economic crash a few years back. After this Spring’s boom in tourism one can only imagine how positive the summer outlook is for tourism in Tampa.

Vehicles clogged damp streets and highways that Friday afternoon as hotel lobbies filled with travelers in search of a room for the weekend. Those in search of rooms were expected to find them farther from the center of town. Hotels as far out as Rocky Point even reported full occupancy and turning away customers.

Many things attributed to the sudden tourism boom Tampa experienced. These events ranged from jazz singer Michael Buble’s concert Saturday night at the St. Pete Times Forum to the 35th annual scientific meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology on March 13th through 18th. Not to mention the fact Spring Break was in high gear or the fact there were Major League Baseball’s spring training games and other athletic events.

Buble’s currently celebrating his American CD release of his album “Crazy Love” with his Crazy Love tour. His performance was virtually sold out with Roughly 100 of the 15,000 seats for his concert left empty on Friday afternoon. A Canadian singer-songwriter and actor, Buble’s has won several awards, including multiple Juno Awards and two Grammy Awards. His songs have a upbeat and romantic feel that’s unique to his style I’m fairly certain those seats were only empty because the doors closed before that last hundred fans could get checked into a hotel.

Franklin Square is a beautiful park, Philadelphia has really outdone themselves with this city treasure. It’s tucked behind the National Constitution Center. I’ve traveled to Philadelphia many times in the past years and I had no idea that this place even existed. I found out about it when a business client asked if we could conduct our meeting at a burger shack called ‘SquareBurger.’ Me, only wanting to please a client, agreed to meet him there.

My client, apparently, has a hankering for the burgers served at SquareBurger, which is located in Franklin Square and is a walk-up stall. My client could only rave on and on about how wonderful the burgers are here; he told me that once I bite into the burger, I’ll see what he’s raving about. I ordered the classic cheeseburger and fries, skipped the milkshake. The SquareBurger is by Stephen Starr, who is the best know restaurant entrepreneur in Philadelphia. No matter what restaurant he’s created, there’s always a line to get inside. That fact still holds true for even this outside fare. There was a line about 25 people long when we arrived.

My business client was absolutely right, the Stephen Starr burger was what I always dreamed a cheeseburger to be! I know I’ll be having my own hankerings for this burger once I leave town. This was my first experience at Franklin Square, but as we walked around the square, I thought that this place is a spectacular summer park. There’s an 18-hole miniature golf course, the grounds are well maintained, there were giant Philly sand sculptures, a restored carousel, a gorgeous fountain, and a fantastic playground. What a great place to take my family.

After we conducted and concluded our business, I hung around for quiet awhile, I even got in a game of putt-putt golf. Next time I’m in Philadelphia, I’ll have to bring my family and stay at one of the luxury Philadelphia hotels that are close by Franklin Square.

There are ghosts and then there are ghosts. In New Orleans, everyone seems a little fantastic, and it’s one of the places where it’s sometimes a little hard to tell the living from the dead. There are a lot of funky spirits here, and not all of them have gone on to other worlds, and some of them are still very much alive, but somehow caught one of the local buses and became rooted to the community here. It’s happened enough times that it’s almost not so surprising, but pleasant enough when it happens, to meet local eccentrics. Unfortunately, one who won’t be found again is John Kennedy Toole .

This soul was a one-time only incarnation, and can’t be repeated. Some are like that, made of such rare stuff, and in such a potent combination, that it only gets one explosion into a body on the planet. His story is a magnificently tragic one, and certainly enough reason to look into new orleans cheap hotels just to get the chance to follow the footsteps, or find the threads that connected this life to the world, although briefly.

His story is well-known, perhaps, so it’s not necessary to go back and talk about how he ended his life in his early thirties. It is necessary to talk about how his manuscript for A Confederacy of Dunces , which was unpublished when he died, was taken on as a project by his mother. She pushed it forward, and it took off when it was released, and it won the Pulitzer Prize. The son was a genius, and the mother something very close, for recognizing what happened with her boy, and that alone is something of a New Orleans story. It’s a little bit spooky, and a little bit sad, but there’s something warm and terribly funny here, that feels like the human spirit.

We left McKinney Falls State Park and headed south to San Antonio, Texas. We made a stop at the town of New Braunfels, which we heard was a very nice place to visit, it’s a German town that was originally founded by a German prince alongside a substantial amount of German settlers. They really knew how to pick a fantastic spot located along a river. New Braunfels is pretty much a sleepy town with a Wurst Fest sometime in the Fall, a number of very old buildings built German style, a waterpark with no water running through it and some very interesting murals painted on some of the buildings. It was time for lunch, so we found a restaurant, German of course, and the food was very authentic and tasty. We then stopped off at the oldest bakery in Texas to get dessert, we both had the apple strudel.

It didn’t take us long to drive to San Antonia and into downtown to find the Alamo. It’s a lot smaller than we expected, we thought it would be this huge mission, but it’s basically a church and some old barracks with walls. We couldn’t take pictures while we were inside the church part, well anywhere inside any of the buildings. We thought the Alamo was a great historical site for any Texas, American and Mexico history buff. The place was really rather fun.

We left the Alamo and walked to the river. We past by many interesting shops, countless eateries, curio shops, bars and luxury hotels. San Antonio
Riverwalk was amazing. It’s a man-made canal that winds through much of the downtown, it’s really scenic. We even took the small water-taxi tour=http://www.kent360.com/files/EconomicDevelopment/waterfront/SanAntonioRiverWalk.jpg that points out several cool points of interest. We found that there’s a lot of art sold by craft vendors placed all over the riverwalk, as well as flowers, sculptures and small, little man-made waterfalls.

We were thirsty for a beer, so we made it over to the Tower of the Americas=http://www.toweroftheamericas.com/ , which has a rotating restaurant at the top spire, and we spent several hours in the British pub. Mind you, we only had a beer, it was the company that kept us entertained for those lost hours. By the time we left San Antonio, it was 9pm! It will be very late by the time we get into Austin.