More than 30 feet tall and made of a quarter of a million forest green DUPLO® bricks, the LEGOLAND® Christmas tree is by far the most fun in the United States. Regular trees die, and most plastic trees are so … well … plain – they just look like trees. The LEGOLAND tree, on the other hand, is something to be celebrated. At 5:30 PM on November 30, 2009, Tori Spelling McDermott (of 90210 fame, and some other stuff) and Dean McDermott will be the featured guests. They’ll share some holiday cheer, as well, with a donation to the Ronald McDonald House.
A kids band called The Jumpitz® will be performing. I’ve never heard of them, but since I’m staring down the barrel of fatherhood, I imagine that my ignorance is doomed to have a limited life.
Of course, for those of us who grew up on LEGOs, the plastic building blocks are the main event. The tree will sport more than 240 ornaments – all crafted in the medium of LEGO – and will be the centerpiece of LEGOLAND Holly Jolly Holidays. After Christmas is over (from December 26 – 30), there will be nightly fireworks displays. Of course, a full-sized LEGO Santa will be on hand from the moment the tree is lit through the duration of the festivities.
Feeling lucky? Let’s hope so. From December 3 – 24, one kid will be chosen randomly every day to light the tree!
Halloween is the one day a year we seek fear rather than try to avoid it. We invite the prospect of ghosts, witches and vampires, and even if we concede that they aren’t real, it’s fine to suspend disbelief for a day. To heighten the sensation, consider wrapping your next trip in the Halloween spirit. There are plenty of destinations around the world that will help the hairs on the back of your neck to stand on end.
1. Melbourne’s Haunted Bookshop Ghost-hunter and historian Drew Sinton is waiting for you at The Haunted Bookshop in Melbourne, Australia. If you’re not afraid of the written word, this starting point won’t scare you, but along the way, you’ll hit a number of spots where ghosts have been sighted. Old Melbourne Goal (jail, that is) was home to 135 hangings. One of them, Ned Kelly, is said to have resulted in a ghost that won’t leave the site of his demise. While you’re there, walk the road to the gallows. If this isn’t enough for you, look for nutty ghosts on the Beechworth Ghost Tour at what was once the Mayday Hills Lunatic Asylum.
2. Under the Royal Mile Beneath Edinburgh‘s Royal Mile, you’ll find a warren of hidden “closes” where people once lived, worked … and perished. Mary King’s Close, once abandoned and forgotten, is now open via the Supernatural History Tour. Explore one of Scotland’s most haunted locations, get the scoop on urban myths and hear about sightings that occurred as recently as 2003. A few claim to have felt ghosts brush past on this tour. Will you be one of them?
3. Follow New France’s Great Master Old Montreal‘s cobblestone streets set the scene for any supernatural encounter. The sun goes down; the wind blows off the river. You don’t know what’s gust and what’s ghost! History is the breeding ground of the other-worldly, and the Great Master will take you through the century’s that have contributed to what is now the “New France Ghost Hunt.”
4. The Darker Side of Luxury No, you won’t have to worry about peasant uprisings, but if you’re looking for paranormal trouble, you can find it at a handful of Fairmont hotels. At the Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa (where I suffered through a business trip from hell a decade ago), keep an eye open for Victoria, a now deceased member of one of the founding families of the Sonoma Valley. A former steward, now dead, of course, hangs out in the silver room at the Fairmont Royal York, and a hotel maid who fell to her death in 1908 has yet to leave the Fairmont Empress.
5. The Ghastly Side of Downtown Orlando I’m sure there’s something going on at Disneyworld, but skip it in favor of downtown Orlando (my favorite part of Florida). On the Orlando Ghost Tours, you’ll get two hours to pick up the basics of parapsychology and poke around in locations confirmed to be haunted. You’ll even get to use specialized equipment to conduct your own paranormal investigation. Who you gonna call? After this, probably yourself.
October is National Dessert Month! Okay, it’s actually National Pizza Month, National Pasta Month, National Pretzel Month and National Pork Month too, but I’m putting my weight behind this one. (Oh who am I kidding, I’m sure I’ll put my “weight” “behind” them all!)
To celebrate this all-important occasion, 5 Fifty 5, the restaurant in the New Orleans Marriott, is offering an incentive to those guests who want to “eat dessert first!” Those who rise to the challenge will receive 20% off their entire bill.
If you can’t quite bring yourself to follow a decadent chocolate cake with lobster macaroni and cheese, crab meat sliders, or a 20 ounce steak with truffle fries, you can still enjoy these delicious desserts after your entree. Special creations unveiled for the promotion include Oreo sandwiches with Creole cream cheese shooters, seven-layer chocolate cake with an Absinthe shake, and a strawberry napoleon with pecan crunch. Can’t decide on just one $5.55 dessert? Order all five for $25.
5 Fifty 5 has won two “Best in Show” awards at the New Orleans Food and Wine Experience, and makes all desserts (plus breads and pastries) in house. The Marriott hotel is located on Canal street in the French Quarter of New Orleans.
If you can’t make it in for a dinner of dessert in October, don’t worry: at 5 Fifty 5, National Dessert Month will extend through November.
The Loveland Ski Area in Colorado officially opens its slopes today, marking the start of the ski season in North America. The resort will open its doors at 9 AM local time, greeting the first eager ski bums and bunnies of the year with 18 inches of fresh powder.
For Loveland, which sits 50 miles west of Denver, this will be the earliest opening day in 40 years. With 160 acres of groomed slopes, and the longest run reaching two miles in length, there is plenty to offer for the beginner and experienced skier alike. And while that 18 inches of snow may sound good for now, it is nothing compared to what will come in the weeks ahead. Loveland averages 400 inches of snowfall a year, ensuring a great season ahead.
Loveland won’t have all of the ski business to itself for long however. Rival resort Arapahoe Basin plans to open on Friday, which will be it’s earliest opening day ever, and the Boreal Ski Area in California will start allowing runs on Saturday as well.
With these ski resorts opening earlier than ever, one has to wonder what happened to global warming? Where I live in Texas we’re still having 90º days, and hard to think about skiing that doesn’t involve being pulled behind a boat. I’m a little envious of the skiers and snowboarders who are going to hit the slopes in the next few days. Anyone know of any cheap airfares to Colorado?
Immigrants awaiting deportation may find themselves in a hotel – provided they are not violent and don’t have any sort of criminal history. The check-in program is intended to cut the cost of holding immigrants before they are deported. Last year, the United States spent $2 billion on sheltering immigrants that would eventually be sent out of the country.
So, will it work?
The cost to detain illegal immigrants in “alternative” facilities (hotels and nursing homes, which are also included in the plan) is estimated to be $14 a day – compared to more than $100 a day to detain them in jails and prisons.
What’s not clear is how this will affect the occupancy rates in hotels near the border. If all goes well, this could be exactly what an ailing hotel industry needs.
