Las Vegas – More than Hotel Casinos

Las Vegas is known to be the adult playground.  It has the casinos where everyone and anyone loves to try their luck and hopefully win big.  It has amazing architecture with all the high rises and designer buildings (or I should say Las Vegas hotel casinos).  The Las Vegas hotels and Strip have plenty of entertainment and clubs for the evening hours, but the tourist should not stop there.  You can go to Las Vegas and actually do more than just party, if you would like to.  Here is what you can do, for those people who wish to see more than just hotel casinos in Las Vegas: visit the Spring Preserve where you can learn about the history of Las Vegas and how to preserve our environment; try swimming with the sharks at the Sharf Reef at Mandalay Bay Hotel; the wine lover and Italian cuisine passionate can go dine and wine at the D’Vino Las Vegas; and finally take your kids or yourself and friends on a one day trip to Zion National Park.

Mexico City Dining

When tourists come to Mexico City they want to explore the culture and sites, but also the menu.  Mexican cuisine entails a variety of dishes and ingredients that everyone should try at least once.  The city has more than two thousand restaurants.  Some are renowned, while others are local.  Typical dishes that you want to order when eating out are Tortilla or Aztec Soup, Chilli Rellenos,Cochinita Pibil and the wrapped in banana leaves tender pork loin.  If you are a seafood lover, you can find some great dishes like that too.  The only thing when it comes to this type of meal is to make sure the restaurant you go to is known for having fresh fish.  Travelers should also be interested in knowing that the Mexicans’ main meal is between 2 and 4 p.m.  They have lunch in total relax and enjoy dinner around 9 p.m.  The last tip for dining out is to make a reservation if you don’t want any surprises.

Havana Excitement – The Best Time to Visit

Havana is said to be a year round destination, but there are some things that can help you make a decision that meets all your needs.  One of the first things to keep in mind when deciding on when to visit Havana, is to make sure you know if you would prefer to be there during city festivals or not.  If you are the traveler who wants to enjoy a Havana festival, make sure you plan around this information firstly.  The next criteria to take into consideration are temperatures.  During the winter Havana (and the rest of Cuba) has a warm climate that ranges in the 70s Fahrenheit and the 20s Celsius.  In the summer the average temperature ranges in the high 80s Fahrenheit and the low 30s Celsius.  The last bit of information is that you don’t want to travel in September or October because they are the worst months when it comes to hurricanes.

What to expect from the weather in New York

When travelling to New York City it is very important to keep in mind what type of weather you will be facing on your vacation.  Typically we travel in a particular season and if the seasons are similar between your country of origin and the one you’re visiting this will be common knowledge, for those in different zones and with different seasons for the same months, it will be new and useful information.  The winter season in New York is from November to February.  Expect cold weather and some snow, especially after December.  The in between months are fall and spring.  If you enjoy low 60s and the colors changing in the fall, while the flowers blossoming in the spring, you should look into travelling then.  The summer in New York City is a bit more interesting to explain.  Due to the high rises and tar streets, when New York gets hot, it gets really hot.  The majority of the people don’t enjoy taking the subways as much as the day the rest of the year, but don’t worry, the A/C in the enclosed venues, like restaurants, pubs, etc, will keep you cool enough to enjoy the city even then.

Picking a hotel in New York

In a busy city like New York, you have to book your New York hotel there in advance! Here are some tips that may be useful for you while searching for the right hotel in New York.

When you phone the hotel asking for a room, the receptionist will tell you that room x is available for $ y. But sometimes he tells you about the first room available that appeared on his computer screen, while there are others available in the search results! So make sure to ask him if there are others options and what are their prices.

Also, some qualifications have different prices. For instance, you may be a senior or a student or a military that happens to have a special discount in this particular hotel. Some memberships also counts like frequent-flyer programs or trade unions.

Children sometimes have a policy too. Some hotels give discounts on children under a certain age that differs between hotels. Others propose ordering an extra bed for them rather than changing the beds-type room.

The most determinant factor of the rates of the hotels in New York in general is the season. A room may be hundreds of dollars more in the so-called ‘top season’. Here are the most important seasons:

-         Winter (from January to March): Best for bargains!

-         Summer (especially from July to August): second best.

-          Fall: the busiest and most expensive season after Christmas.

-          November: affordable only if you’re booking at some place away from a parade-route on Thanksgiving weekend.

-         Christmas: The highest of all in every price!

A bunch of eating places in New York

Where to eat in New York?

When you are visiting New York, sometime you are not in the mood of trying something new to eat (specially when you are starving!) and you just wish you could find a McDonald‘s or a Pizza hut somewhere!

 

The NewYorkers say that at South Street you can find many world-wide famous chain stores and restaurants. In addition, you can have your take-away meal, sit by the shore and enjoy! They say the view there is fabulous with all the ships coming and going.

 

Another practical hint is, if you want to take your kids to visit museums in New York you can find a lot of museums in the area. Such museums are unique not because of their cultural contents, but because they are near a place that can rescue you in case you have a bored starving kid in a big museum!

 

The only thing you should put in consideration is that there’s a fish market nearby. This fish market is the largest one in the whole U.S., so you could expect a fish odor that can be an appetizer on itself in case you’re a fish lover, or repulsive in case you’re not that much into fish!

Montreal’s famous junk food

Poutine is a famous food in Montreal, considered as the city’s signature junk food. It consists mainly of French fries, gravy, and cheese curds.

Ingredients:

7 ounces fresh foie gras (oily liver), will be cut into 4 slices.

6 egg yolks

2 1/2 cups PDC poutine sauce (available at the restaurant and stores)

1/4 cup cream (35 percent milk fat)

14 ounces cheese curds

4 white-fleshed potatoes (cut into french fries)

Oil for frying (2/3 tallow and 1/3 peanut oil)

Directions:

Foie Gras Sauce

    * Set aside 1/2 cup of PDC poutine sauce for final presentation.

    * In a saucepan, bring two cups PDC poutine sauce to a boil.

    * Mix the egg yolks, foie gras, and cream in a food processor at high speed.

    * Slowly add the two cups of hot poutine sauce to the mixture.

    * Pour into a saucepan and heat gently, stirring constantly, until the sauce reaches 175°F (80°C).

    * Remove the sauce from the heat and stir for 30 seconds more. Keep warm.

Foie Gras and Presentation of the Poutine

    * Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).

    * In a hot pan, sear the foie gras slices until they are golden brown.

    * Transfer the slices to a baking sheet and finish cooking in the oven for four to five minutes.

    * Cook the fries in the oil until crisp.

    * Place the fries on top of a mound of cheese curds on a serving plate.

    * Place a slice of seared foie gras on top and smother in the foie gras sauce.

    * Decorate with the one-half cup regular poutine sauce and serve immediately.

 

This is usually for 4 people.

Luggage and customs regulations in the USA

luggage

The existing safety standards in the USA predict that the baggage will be inspected by the authorities. During the flights it is not allowed to close with locks and combination keys your luggage, any damage will not be refundable. On intercontinental routes this rules are planned in different ways depending on the airline used, so it is always advisable collect some informations when entering the baggage. The compilation of the early form that will be delivered during the flight will give the possibility to speed up customs formalities that must be completed at the first airport of arrival in the USA. You can import free of customs duties, personal effects, 300 cigarettes, 50 cigars, one quarter of gallon of spirits or wine. It ‘absolutely forbidden to import plants, flowers, fruits, vegetables and meats.

Greater Portland and Casco Bay

Portland

Casco Bay region and Portland area are territories within sound, sight or scent of the ocean. Portland, Maine largest city, was built over a promontory surrounded by water on 3 sides; no visit in Portland is complete without trying a board trip out in the Casco Bay, around the harbor or towards the Islands. Ferries, fishing charters and excursion vessels depart every day from Portland docks; sea tours by kayak leave from Freeport and the Peak Islands: in Portland Old Port, cobblestone and brick streets are lined with art galleries and artisan’s shops, boutiques, coffee bars and fine restaurants. Climb the Observatory or take a walk. Portland cultural scene includes the opera, a symphony orchestra, museums and theatres. The city of Portland is also home to the Red Sox’s baseball team, the Sea Dogs and of the hockey team named Portland Pirates.
Don’t miss Portland surrounding like the Head Light, built in Cape Elizabeth thanks to George Washington, the Harbor Museum and Bug Light in Portland Southside. Scarborough offers different public beaches, Winslow Homer’s studio, a great park and Scarborough Marsh Audubon Centre, where bird watcher can canoe through the marsh.
When in Falmouth, jog around Mackworth Island or stroll the trails through Audubon’s Gilsland Farm. Hike Bradbury Mountain or bike following Portland Trails route. In Gray, visit Wildlife Park meeting moose or other injured or orphaned wildlife. In Yarmouth you couldn’t miss the Clam Festival, an annual townwide party.
Opportunities for shopping addicties are endless at South Portland Mall and in the surrounding stores; also Freeport can be considered a shopper paradise, because it houses the Legendary Bean along and its circa 180 outlets.

Museum of Modern Art: the New MoMA

Moma: Museum of Modern Art

A new MoMA’s wing born adding to the existing architecture various buildings, thus transforming it in a whole new museum with its cultural, social and historical context. The Museum of Modern Art, with its 630.000 square foot surface, houses contemporary art collections and temporary exhibitions. The Japanese architect Taniguchi who had won the commission took inspiration, for the lobby of the MoMA where we find also the information centre, from the streets of Midtown Manhattan. In the garden you will find masterworks of modern sculpture, seasonal plantings and reflecting pools. An Educational and Research building completed the Museum of Modern Art construction in 2006. Besides all this there are three theaters, restaurants and stores. The MoMA collection includes 150.000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, design objects and more, while the library contains 300.000 books and periodicals. Surely worth a visit!