Las Vegas, "Check Points" - SUMMER

Summer begins in earnest in mid to late June as temperatures climb steadily beyond the 32oC (90oF) mark. This is also festival time for Las Vegas with two food and one film festival to look forward to. For racing enthusiasts, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a treat, while gaming lovers enjoy the annual World Series of Poker tournament.


JUNE


World Series of Poker (Jun 2–Jul 15), Rio. More than 20,000 players match wits in this annual tournament. Buy- ins range from $1,000 for the ladies’ game to $10,000 for the No-limit Texas Hold ’em World Championship. Cine Vegas Film Festival (second week). An exciting and hugely popular film festival, with the chance to see great movies as well as many Hollywood stars. Several seminars are held for budding screenwriters and producers.


JULY


Fourth of July (Jul 4). Fireworks, drinking, gambling, barbecues, and outdoor concerts, as well as high temperatures mark the celebration. Local parks sponsor sports contests, pancake breakfasts, and other events.


AUGUST


Men’s Apparel Guild in California (MAGIC) (third week). The latest in men’s and women’s fashion apparel is showcased twice a year – in February and August. Some celebrities also display their own latest lines of clothing.


SEPTEMBER


San Gennaro Feast and Street Fair (mid-Sept). The centerpiece of this famous festival is the Italian cuisine feast with over 60 ethnic food vendors. The four-day event also features a carnival midway, Miss San Gennaro beauty pageant, rides, games,Live bands, and several stalls of arts and craft.


Greek Food Festival (mid- Sept), St. John’s Orthodox Church. Luscious pastries and lip-smacking Greek foods and specialties are available at this festival, which is held in celebration of the Greek Indepen- dence Day. Events include authentic Greek music, folk dancing, a huge shopping bazaar, and many other forms of entertain- ment that take place on the lush grounds of this massive church, which is located near Hacienda Road and Jones Boulevard.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (late Sept), Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This special NASCAR event is held for trucks. More than 70 Chevy, Ford, and Dodge pick-ups race at speeds of up to 160 mph (257 km/h) in this exciting competition.

Las Vegas, "Check Points" - SPRING

Las Vegas enjoys an average of more than 312 days of sun-shine each year, allowing for the enjoyment of various outdoor activities almost every day of the year. Spring and fall are the most comfortable seasons as World Series visitors and residents alike revel in of Poker chip the pleasantly warm days, filled with several sporting events, including golf and boxing championships, baseball tournaments, and NASCAR races.

SPRING

The spring months are usually very mild. The days are virtually cloud-free, and outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy the parades, carnivals, and numerous sporting activities that take place during these months.

MARCH

ShoWest Convention (early Mar). This huge, motion picture industry event lures several celebrities to town. NASCAR Weekend (early Mar), Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Busch Series and the Nextel Cup races are held over three days. This is the largest sporting event of the year, and attracts more than 150,000 racing fans.

Mayhem (mid-Mar– early April). College basketball season takes off as teams compete in a lead up to the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Cham- pionship finals.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade
(Mar 17). More than 100 entrants and colorful floats set off on the city’s biggest parade. Resorts use the occasion to run specials on corned beef and cabbage and green beer.

Big League Weekend (late Mar or early April), Cashman Field. Baseball season swings into action with gusto as six major league teams compete against each other.

APRIL


Native American Arts Festival (first weekend), Clark County Heritage Museum. Presents dance, drama, and musical performances. An outdoor craft market features over 40 vendors with Native American arts, crafts, and food.
Mardi Gras (early Apr). The Fremont Street Experience and several hotels gear up for special Mardi Gras festivities with live Dixieland jazz, street carnivals, and Cajun cuisine.

LPGA Takefuji Classic (mid-Apr), Las Vegas Country Club. Top women golf professionals compete at this international golf tournament. The championship holds
an impressive cash prize of $1.1 million.

MAY


Cinco de Mayo (Sun closest to May 5). Annual Mexican celebration with fun-filled activities at parks throughout the city. Casinos and hotels offer food and drink specials, as well as free giveaways.


Memorial Day Weekend (last weekend). The city comes alive during three days of parties, outdoor concerts by international performers, sizzling shows, sports events, and appetizing cuisines.

RIU Hotels

RIU Hotels & Resorts has more than 100 hotels in 19 countries with 23,400 employees across the chain.
RIU Hotels & Resorts was ranked the world's 27th ranked chain.
The amazing list is here:


Aruba
Palm Beach

* Hotel Riu Palace Aruba

Bahamas
Paradise Island
* Hotel Riu Palace Paradise Island

Bulgaria
* Riu Dolce Vita
Obzor
* Hotel Riu Helios Bay
* Hotel Riu Helios
Pravets

* Hotel Riu Pravets Resort

Cape Verde
Boa Vista
* ClubHotel Riu Karamboa * Hotel Riu Touareg

Sal
* ClubHotel Riu Funana
* ClubHotel Riu Garopa

Costa Rica
Guanacaste
* Hotel Riu Guanacaste

Dominican Republic
Punta Cana
* Hotel Riu Palace Macao
* Hotel Riu Palace Punta Cana
* ClubHotel Riu Bambu
* Hotel Riu Naiboa
* Hotel Riu Palace Bavaro
Puerto Plata
* ClubHotel Riu Merengue
* ClubHotel Riu Mambo
* ClubHotel Riu Bachata

Sweet Home A..rizona!

Enchantment Resort, Sedona
 This hotel, is one of the best options of 2011 that you can enjoy on this new year.

 Text From C N Traveler: This former private ranch surrounded by pine trees in Red Rock Country offers an "unbeatable experience," with "great family programs and Native American education." Rustic adobe casitas have beehive fireplaces and Southwestern furnishings that are "in keeping with the location and theme." Decks open to views of Boynton Canyon that will "take your breath away." The "superb, customer-oriented staff are great," but the property "needs some updating." Expect "spotty cell phone reception, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing!" Yavapai serves Southwest-influenced dishes, such as buffalo tenderloin with quail sausage and blackberry chipotle glaze, along with 180-degree views of the surroundings.

¿Do you Know that in Sedona you can see a Mc Donald's with turchese arches? ...

Townhouse

150 20th street, Miami Beach, FL 33129, USA

Townhouse was originally conceived as an alternative to the growing demand for hotels in South Beach, miami. The initial idea, shared by the promoter and the designer, was to create a small hotel that was fun as well as welcoming. Without abandoning the glamour just outside the hotel's doors, and a way to make easy hotel reservations and offer the best hotel deals they wanted to make it modest and affordable. 

Hotel Tulbingerkogel

Vienna, Austria

This addition to an existing hotel is located in a small forest on the outskirts of Vienna. The small, new, three-story building is strategically located in order to take advantage of the spectacular views of the area. The project houses a spa that takes up the entire first floor and six additional rooms from which to enjoy the views of the surrounding forest and Schneeberg Mountain (alps). An attempt was made to respect the natural surroundings, and this is reflected in the building's scale as well as its materials.Of all the building's features, the design of the vertical screens, which unfold to provide privacy or protection from the sun and have and image of the forest being the building printed on them, stand out as examples of this goal.

Winter Escapes

Looking for some ideas for this winter?
Check out this 3 offers... and start to planning your next vacations.


Kenya
$1600 PER PERSON (TWIN SHARING)
Take a truly memorable trip this season, with one night's bed and breakfast in Nairobi followed by five nights on safari. Game drives will be taken in style - in a stretch, save, seater 4x4 which affords guaranteed windows seats for spotting the big five.


Bangkok
$330 PER PERSON (TWIN SHARING)
Head for the bustling city and bright lights of Thailand's capital on a four-night break, staying in the five-star surrounds of Pullman Bangkok King Power


London
$1070 PER PERSON (TWIN SHARING)
Shop, sightsee and eat in Michelin-Star eateries during a four-night stay in the Big Smoke. The grosvenor JW Marriott hotel will be your base, a luxury abode that's a stone's throw from the sights.

How to choose your seat on an airplane

We've found an interesting article written by Jeremiah Faith about airplane's seats.


Good seats / Bad seats 
On most airplanes there are a few seats that are particularly good and particularly bad. The good seats typically have extra legroom (e.g. exit rows); the bad seats typically have less legroom, are directly adjacent to a bathroom (where you have lots of people standing around and the occasional bad smell), or do not lean back fully or at all. Every airplane is different and even the same airplane design at different companies can have slightly different layouts, particularly for larger international flights (e.g. the coach section of a Boeing 777 can have two-seats|aisle|five-seats|aisle|two-seats OR it can have three-seats|aisle|three-seats|aisle|three-seats).

Most airlines provide the seat layouts for their airplanes, but it can be difficult to determine good seats and bad seats from these layouts alone. The best place to find the good seats and bad seats on your next flight is SeatGuru. SeatGuru has a vast and growing collection of the interior layouts for different airlines. For each plane, they provide a graphic seat map where the good seats are green and the poor seats are red. The good seats for most flights can be a little hard to get since many of them (e.g. exit rows) can only be assigned at check-in. However, SeatGuru can definitely help you avoid sitting on a five-hour flight with a seat that doesn't lean back.

General airplane cabin attributes Beyond the individual seats, each region of the airplane interior (i.e. front, middle, back) has particular features that can help you decide, which seat to choose. Getting off the plane fastest

Most people optimize their seat selection to get them off the plane fastest. The closer you are to the front of the plan the faster you'll get off when the plane lands. Largely because of this, airplane seats tend to fill up from front-to-back. However if you check your luggage on a domestic flight, there's really no reason to sit where you'll get of the airplane fastest, because even if you sit at the very rear of the plane and get off last, you'll still likely arrive at the checked luggage belt before your luggage. Only on international flights where you have to wait in line at immigration does your luggage often beat you to the luggage belt. On these international flights, there can often be a strong advantage to seating towards the front of the airplane, because immigration lines can be very slow; by getting out of your plane earlier you'll at least be in line in front of the other 200 people on your flight.


The quietest part of the cabin

The engines of commercial airplanes are most often located under the wings or (less commonly) on the rear fuselage towards the tail. It is noticeably quieter on domestic flights if you sit in front of the wings, which is another reason why people like to sit close to the front. Sitting in front of the wings is rarely possible when you fly coach on international flights as the entire coach section typically starts at the wings – only business and first class seats are in front of the wings.
On international flights, infants are typically placed in the first row of the coach section where beds are often provided that hang on the wall. If screaming kids bother you on airplanes, steer clear of the front of coach on international flights. On the other hand if you have a kid that makes a lot of noise, you'll blend in better and they might find more friends if you sit at the front of coach. On domestic flights, folks with small children often sit towards the back where there is more engine noise to mask any potential child screams. In addition the rear of the cabin is typically close to the bathroom for quick-and-easy diaper changes.


The part of the cabin that fills up last


The rear of an airplane is often the least crowded, which is biggest advantage of sitting in the back. If you sit on the back of the plane, you'll have to wait an extra 10-20 minutes to get off the plane; but unless the plane is full, you'll find more space in the back. In the back, you're much more likely to find a completely empty row, which you can claim as your own for a very spacious and comfortable flight.
Some couples are more proactive about securing more space on a flight and purposely try to get a 3-seat row for two people using the skip-a-middle trick. Most domestic (and may international) airplanes have seats in threes with a row seat, an aisle seat, and a dreaded middle seat. So dreaded are the uncomfortable middle seats that they almost always fill up last. Since planes typically fill up from front-to-back, the middle seats in the back of the airplane are the very last seats to get picked. If you travel with a companion on an airline that allows you to select your seats yourself, you can sometimes secure an entire row by selecting an aisle and a window seat (skipping the middle seat) towards the rear of the aircraft.
There is some risk to this strategy, because if the plane is completely or almost completely full, someone will likely have the middle-seat between you and your companion. When this happens you are still in a fairly good position bargaining-wise, because again no one likes the middle seat. You can typically offer to trade the middle seat person either the window or the aisle. If the person really wants their middle seat however, you're pretty stuck. Rather than spreading out over three seats with your companion, you've got some stranger in between you – that's the potential downside of the skip-a-seat trick.

The complete article here: http://travel.izzid.com/2008/Mar/how_to_choose_airplane_seat/

60 Thompson, NY

60 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012, USA.
60 Thompson is located in the heart of New York's Soho neighborhood. Although it is the tallest building in the neighborhood, everything in its interior is carefully designed in a domestic scale and in a minimalist style.
The rooms are characterized by their ample interior space and the careful design of all the details. Even the toilet paper is printed with the hotel logo.

The Muse - New York

The location of this hotel, in the heart of Times Square, New York's theater district, is an open invitation to create a fantastic interior space.
The objective was to inverse the visitor in a glamorous journey through the history of New York show business in the twentieth century. In order to achieve this, the designers drew upon the interior design styles of the broadway theaters.
In the exterior, a metal and glass percia frames the entrance and is distinguishable from a distance due the band of neon lights surrounding it.

Radisson SAS Hotel

Address: Karl-Liebknecht-Strabe 3, 10178 Berlin, Germany
Website: radisson.com
Architect: nps tchoban voss Architekten
Opening date: 2004 Photos: Radisson SAS Hotel, Berlin.
Style: Contemporany Rooms: 427
Special features: aquarium with 2500 tropical fish, indoor pool, sauna.

St. Paul Hotel

355 Rue mcGill, Montreal, QC CANADA.

The heavy, solid external image of this building, a 1908 example of the Beaux Arts style of the city, contrast dramatically with the interior, where clean forms, airiness, and light stand out.

The project is rooted in contrast, which are found repeatedly from the public areas to the interior of the guest rooms.

 The interior designer works from the premise that is the foundation of every hotel: it's a place where a lot of visitors from different countries come and go in short time spans.

So a rather mute, neutral atmosphere is presented but each room has its own identifiable character.

Want to see more? Visit Hotelspaul.com 

One option in Chicago Illinois

Here's one Hotel if you want to visit America’s first planetarium, opened in 1930!. BEST WESTERN Grant Park Hotel

You'll be within walking distance of the Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum, the Art Institute and the magnificent Buckingham Fountain. McCormick Place, Soldier Field (Home to Chicago Bears) and the Loop commercial district are only blocks away. The summer festivals in Grant Park and the attractions at Navy Pier are close by. Everything Chicago is known for: great restaurants, music from blues to jazz. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Grant Park Petrillo Bandshell are just steps away. Shop the Magnificent Mile. Public transportation is conveniently nearby. Our friendly staff can help you find maps and resources, so you can make your trip more memorable and worth repeating.


 Hotel Information:
Number of Guest Rooms: 172
Number of Floors: 9
Check-In: 3:00 P.M.
 Check-Out: 12:00 P.M.
Currency: U.S. DOLLARS (USD)
Time Zone: Central Standard Time
Hotel Ratings: AAA-2 Diamond
Pet Policy: No pets allowed
Child Policy: Children 17 And Under Are Free In Room With One Paying Adult In Existing Bedding.

Google Travel (Flights)

Recently Google released their Flight-Search service, we think that is the biggest beta version EVER.
Yes, google has the best results and a lot of engineering to make the best things but today we have a lot of services with more "experience" and much better results.

Has a very simple interface (good point) like all the other google's products; If you wanna go from Washington to San Francisco you just have to "say it to google" and the service will return the cheapest day.
At this moment small cities and outside the US is not available  ...

Let's wait some time to see if this products turns on or follows the same way of "Google Wave".

Comment, please.

Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Hartsfield–Jackson held its ranking as the world's busiest airport in 2010 (AND NOW IN 2011), both in terms of passengers and number of flights, by accommodating 89 million passengers (243,000 passengers daily) and 950,119 flights. Amazing, isn't it?

A good question.

Today I saw on "The Seattle Times" a very interesting new "Travel Q&A: Who rules on airline seats?" Have you ever been on this situation? What should we do?
The post, please comment:

Q: I recently traveled round trip to Philadelphia on Southwest. On the return flight, just as the plane was ready to depart, a woman boarded with two children. First, the person near the window was asked to move to a middle seat, and later I was asked to move to a middle seat. I declined because I'm not comfortable in anything but an aisle seat. Eventually, this very late boarder got to sit with her kids. Could the crew have forced me to move?

— T. Byrnes, Lompoc, Calif.

A: Probably not.

Although preflight safety announcements note that it's a violation of federal regulations to fail to comply with a crew member's instructions, airline representatives said the flight attendant probably made a request and wasn't issuing an order.

"We have an open-seating policy that in some instances could cause difficulty for a late-boarding family," Marilee McInnis of Southwest said in an email. "In those rare instances, we will ask for volunteers so that family members can sit together. As the term volunteer implies, it is voluntary!"

But — and when it comes to seats, there's always a but — circumstances alter cases. "If a person is seated in an exit row and is not willing or able to comply with those responsibilities, we do ask them to move," Alison Croyle, manager of corporate communications for JetBlue, said in an email. "Additionally, we have 'Even More Legroom' seats that customers can select for an additional charge, and if a customer moves to one of these seats without purchasing one, we offer them the opportunity to buy at that time or request they move back to their originally assigned seat.

"If they do not comply in either situation, for example, this could be considered interfering with an in-flight crew member's duties."

"Crew members" also include the PIC, or pilot in command, said Ian Gregor, a Federal Aviation Administration representative. "We have a rule that says that the PIC has ultimate authority over everything."

So if the pilot tells you to do it, you'd better do it. Add him or her to the list of people you should never cross (a list that presumably also includes any nun or your mother). No buts about it.

Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times

If you're planing to go to Thailand Part II

The Part I is Here

Visa

The following information about Thailand's visa information is obtained from the Office of the Immigration Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Tourist Visa Exemption
The Thai government allows nationals from 41 countries and 1 special administrative region to stay in Thailand for tourism purpose for up to 30 days without an entry visa.

List of 41 countries are as follows:
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam,
Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,
Hong Kong, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan,
Korea, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar,
Singapore, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, Vietnam.

Temporary Tourist Visa : Visa on Arrival
Passport holders from 21 countries may apply for visas at the immigration checkpoints for the purpose of tourism for the period of not exceeding 15 days.
Documents required: Valid passport, visa application form completely filled in, confirmed air ticket paid in full, one recent photograph
(4x6 cm), and application fee of 1,000 baht.
Validity of stay: 15 days
The visa is granted by Immigration officers at 24 designated international checkpoints located in Thailand's international airports -- Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hatyai, and at other points of entry into the country.

List of 21 countries are as follows:
Bhutan, China, Cyprus, Czech, Estonia, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia,
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Maldives, Mauritius, Poland, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Taiwan, Ukraine

Transit Visa
Documents required:
1. Passport or travel document with validity not less than 6 months
2. Visa application form completely filled out
3. One recent photograph (4x6 cm)
4. Confirmed air ticket paid in full
5. Evidence of adequate finance
(20,000 Baht per person and 40,000 Baht per family)
6. Visa of a third country in a passport or travel document

Visa fee : 800 baht per entry
(The fee may be changed without prior notice.)
Validity of stay: 30 days

Tourist Visa
Documents required:
1. Passport or travel document with validity not less than 6 months
2. Visa application form completely filled out
3. One recent photograph (4x6 cm)
4. Confirmed air ticket paid in full
5. Evidence of adequate finance
(10,000 Baht per person and 20,000 Baht per family)
Visa fee: 1,000 baht per entry
(The fee may be changed without prior notice.)
Validity of stay: 30 days or 60 days for nationals of countries on Thailand's Tourist Visa Exemption List

Extension of Stay
Those who wish to stay longer or may wish to change their status of visa must file an application form at the Office of Immigration Bureau located on Soi Suan Plu, off South Sathon Road, Bangkok. The extension of stay as well as the change of certain type of visa is solely at the discretion of the Immigration officer.
The above information is subject to change. For more details, contact the Immigration Bureau, South Sathon Road, Bangkok,
tel. 0 2287 3101 to 10 or visit www.immigration.go.th

Thanks to http://www.thaiwaysmagazine.com/

If you're planing to go to Thailand

TIPS & FACTS PART I

Custom

• Thailand is a Buddhist country where Buddha images are held sacred. Sacrilegious acts are punishable by imprisonment even if committed by foreign visitors.
• Thai people hold their King and Queen and the Royal Family in great reverence, and so won't tolerate foreigners showing disrespect to them.
• Generally Thai women are conservative. So don't touch them without their consent.
• Dress properly when entering a Buddhist temple. Miniskirts and shorts are not allowed. Take your shoes off before going inside the hall of worship. Ladies must not on any account touch a Buddhist monk, give things direct to him or receive things direct from him.
• Intimacies between man and woman should not be shown in public. Sunbathing in the nude is prohibited.
• Call Thais their first names; use the title "Khun" for adults.
• Normally, Thai people address others by their first names and with the title 'khun'. So don't be surprised if you are addressed as 'Khun Mary' or 'Khun John' instead of by your surname.
• Traditionally, Thais greet each other with a wai (by pressing the palms together at the chest). If someone wais you, you should wai back (except wai-ed by a child).
• Thai people smile to express gladness and happiness, to thank for small services, to return the wai of children and inferior persons, and even to excuse small inconveniences.
• Don't touch a person's head, nor ruffle his hair. The head is the noblest part of the body. A sincere apology should be offered immediately if you touch someone's head unintentionally.
• Avoid placing your feet on the table while sitting. Never use your foot to point things out or to touch any part of the body of anyone, which is considered rude.
• Entering a Thai house, you're expected to remove your shoes.

Thanks to http://www.thaiwaysmagazine.com/

A little Town: Mazamitla, Mexico.

Hello to all visitors, today we're glad to present a little town that we visit a year ago in Mexico: MAZAMITLA.

From Wikipedia:

Mazamitla (La Capital De La Montaña) is a town and municipality of the Mexican state of Jalisco. It is located 124 km south of Guadalajara in the Southeast Region and is a popular resort destination for travelers from Guadalajara. Its name comes from the Nahuatl and means "place where arrows to hunt deer are made"; its territorial extension is 177.18 km2. According to Count II Population and Housing, the municipality has 11671 inhabitants who are devoted mainly to the tertiary sector. For its natural beauty is considered by the federal Secretariat of Tourism as a Pueblo Mágico.

I've found a "Little guide" to get there if you're going from Guadalajara. (thanks to John And Susy)

How to Get There

From Guadalajara, take highway 54 toward Colima for 12 kilometers and turn off onto highway 15, signposted “Morelia.” After 20 kilometers, follow the Jiquilpan sign and keep going another 33 kilometers to the Mazamitla turnoff, just past Tuxcueca. Now go uphill 41 kilometers southeast to Mazamitla.

In town, pass Morelos Street and turn right on Galeana which becomes Manuel Cardenas. Go south until the street ends. Take a right and an immediate left to get onto J. Chavarria which takes you past Monteverde Enterprises to the entrance of Fraccionamiento Los Cazos. Inside, turn right at the first fork and then bear left. The waterfall is three kilometers southwest of the entrance, at N19°53’35.0”W103°02’29.3”. Total driving time from Guadalajara to Los Cazos gate: two hours and 20 minutes



John and Susy Pint.

The meaning of "Pueblo Magico", It's the way in mexico call to all those "little town" that preserve their original costumes, food, architecture and stuff... they're magic because it doesn't matter if we are living in a tech-era, they keep using horses to go to their school.

Leave Your Comments.

¡We're Back!

Hello to our readers!

For some weeks we were absent for work reasons, but we're back with many many post, notices, tips and pictures for all the travel-lovers.

Thank you for all the emails asking about this project.

So... Enjoy!