Southwest Airlines 2006 Chinese New Year Parade

by Adrienne Wilson on

Chinese New Year
officially kicks off this Sunday and the festivities to follow are many. The biggest will more than likely occur in
China for obvious reasons, but outside of Asia, San Francisco is without a question, the place to be. Recognized as one
of the top ten parades in the world, the Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year
Parade is scheduled for February 11, 2006 starting at 5:30 PM. Decorative floats will make way down the city
streets while parade participants dressed in elaborate costumes dance, flip and move in celebration of the Year of the
Dog / Lunar Year. It is one of the few illuminated night parades remaining in the country and if you’re anything like
myself (a sucker for everything illuminated) the lights combined with twirling vibrant colors will move you in such a
manner you’ll be happy you didn’t miss it for the world.

If you’re nowhere near the area, but thinking a
great deal about making the event part of some pre-Valentine’s activity or just a fun weekend field-trip for the family
head to Southwest now, which I assume would have some kind of special internet
specials for groups traveling to the affair.

Idiotarod

by Erik Olsen on

I saw this over at Gothamist and couldn’t help post about it. I may  even go check it out. Might
make for a funny piece. Of course, everyone knows of the Iditarod. No? Well, where have you been living? Oh…you’ve
been in Mongolia? that’s cool. I hear the golfing is great there. OK. I understand then.

Well, then let me
explain. You see, the Iditarod is a long, long, long dog sled race they do in
Alaska. It attracts only the heartiest souls who push themselves to the extreme by racing day after day night after
night through brutally cold weather and some of the harshest conditions imaginable. The idiotarod has nothing to do
with any of that. The idiotarod is pure New York…or Brooklyn rather. At the idiotarod people replace dogs, shopping
carts replace sleds, and New York City replaces Alaska. And my guess is that fortitude is replaced with beer.

So anyway, this is the third annual idiotarod, and it takes places on January 28. It starts in Brooklyn, goes into
Manhattan, and ends after five miles of grueling….well, occasionally taxing, cart pushing. All good fun. More
details? Check here.

VIBE’s 2006 Hot Spots

by Adrienne Wilson on

It is rare that I flip open the pages of VIBE magazine and uncover some really awesome recommended travel destinations. Apparently the four 2006 hot spot package is a first time feature for the magazine and writers Casey Woods, Tom Masters, Corey Takahashi, and Carina Ray did a fine job in unveiling some very offbeat vacation ideas in London, Ghana, Suriname and Little Haiti. Turning most of my attention to the two page piece on Suriname, covered by amazing photos of forest just outside of Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname and the Djuka people that reside in the country, a trip to the country seems almost necessary. When the writer describes the capital city as part Amsterdam and part South Beach my curiosity certainly hits an all time high for the Dutch speaking country lost by somewhat well-known countries Guyana, Guiana and very well-known, tourist trampled Brazil. Recommended places to crash while visiting Suriname include Hotel & Casino Torarica and Guesthouse Albergo Alberga. Dining spots include Indisch Restaurant Sarinah and Restaurant Dumpling #1. Sadly the article isn’t online, but you can pick up VIBE on almost any newsstand or if you’ve heard enough skip right over to this Suriname tourism site.

Mozart's B-day

by Erik Olsen on

Mozart would
be 250 years old this year and if he were around today, why, he’d be one ugly old dude. But hey, he might still have the
spark. He still might be cranking out those golden oldies like Offertory in D, "Venite populi". Yeah, baby. Or
maybe he’d be a rock star. I can imagine him in a bleary, brandy-induced haze on stage, "Yo, dudes, more
Harpsichord!"

You know, the folks in Vienna and Salzburg, Austria still consider old Amadeus to be one
of their greatest talents. And indeed he may be (unless you cont Arnold Scwartzenegger, who is from Graz). And so when
it comes time for as important a date as Mozart’s 250th, well, you know they’re going to pull out all the stops and
there will be Mozart Kugeln for everybody.

So yes, all this is to say, if you are considering a trip to
Europe this year, why not plan it around Mozart’s 250th? That might
create exactly the excuse you need to get yourself to the continent this year.