Looking for a vacation with some meaning? Well, the Republican National Committee just announced that it’s selected Tampa Bay for its 2012 presidential convention. So, don an elephant hat and start pushing for access now! More than 40,000 visitors are expected to hit the city the week of the convention (August 27, 2012), more than 15,000 of which will be members of the media.
According to Paul Catoe, president and CEO of Tampa Bay & Company, “This will be the largest non-sporting event that Tampa Bay has ever hosted and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome the 2012 RNC to our vibrant destination.” He also noted, “Tampa Bay is a dynamic destination that offers warm weather and even warmer hospitality, and I know we will produce the most memorable convention ever.”
If the 2008 convention in Minneapolis can be used to gauge the impact, some big cash should flow through Tampa Bay, especially for the hospitality industry. At the last Republican National Convention, 2,800 new jobs were created, bringing with them $100 million in wages.
Catoe observed, “The 2012 convention will be held during a time period that historically one of our lowest periods of the year for hotel occupancy.” He continued, “Having an additional 40,000 visitors in our community will provide an economic boost for businesses both in the hospitality industry, as well as those indirectly involved.”
Florida in the sumer may be tough, but at least you’ll sweat to be a part of history.
There are several Star Wars-themed events in Alabama and Florida that should be worth the trip, so you won’t have to crash on Dagobah or invade Naboo to feel the Force this summer.
This annual festival attracts Star Wars fans of all ages to Walt Disney World. There are meet-and-greets with a number of Star Wars characters, including Darth Vader, C-3PO, Luke, Leia and Jedi Mickey, who will sign autographs and pose for photos. Stars of the movies and TV series in the Star Wars franchise appear each weekend for “star conversations” and autograph sessions. This year’s guests include Temuera Morrison (Jango Fett) May 21-23 and Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian) June 4-6.
There’s also a Hollywood-style motorcade of Star Wars characters and celebrity guests each afternoon, complete with contingents of marching Stormtroopers. And don’t miss the Hyperspace Hoopla, which often degenerates into a Star Wars character dance-off.
Star Wars Weekends are free with regular admission to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. A one-day ticket will run you $79.
It’s the first Southeast U.S. showing for this traveling exhibit, which uses the futuristic robots and vehicles in the Star Wars movies to teach real-world science and engineering.
Visitors can meet C-3PO and R2-D2 and learn about how humans interact with robots in Star Wars. Then they can design their own robot in the Robot Engineering Lab. Or view a Star Wars landspeeder and actual vehicles and prototypes being designed today for space travel. In total, more than 80 original costumes and props from the six Star Wars movies are part of the exhibition.
More than 100,000 people are expected to visit the exhibit in Huntsville, and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center says it will likely be sold out during peak times. Officials there suggest you buy your Star Wars exhibition tickets in advance. Day tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for kids, evening (off-peak) tickets are discounted to $20 for adults and $15 for kids.
And if you have Star Wars fans ages 7 through 12, be sure to check out the Jedi Experience overnight camps being offered at Huntsville’s Space Camp facility.
Star Wars Celebration V
Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida
Aug. 12-15
This Star Wars fan convention is sanctioned by and this year, produced by, Lucasfilm. It includes parties, autograph signings, costume events, collectible sales, panel discussions and all manner of Star Wars geekdom.
Jay Laga’aia (Capt. Typho in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith) is the celebrity host for the event. Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) is the headliner.
A four-day ticket to the Star Wars Celebration will run you $128, kids get in for $54.
The long-awaited Sex and the City 2 hits theaters on May 27. For those hoping to visit some of the actual film locations, it’ll be a little tougher with the sequel (parts of the movie were filmed in Morocco, which is meant to stand in for Abu Dhabi).
A brief scene, however, was filmed a little closer to home at the Hotel Plaza Athenee, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Remember the first movie when Mr. Big built Carrie a drool-worthy walk-in closet? Well apparently for the sequel, crews resorted to filming an apartment scene on one of the hotel’s balconies (Suite 1501 to be precise).
I recently toured some of the hotel’s renovated suites, and it’s not hard to see why Hollywood came calling: many of the suites have views of Central Park, and some of the rooms can be joined together to create a palatial multi-bedroom suite.
Standing in the footsteps of Carrie’s Jimmy Choos obviously doesn’t come cheap: booking Suite 1501 (a deluxe suite with a balcony) starts at $2,200 per night.
For a more affordable Sex and the City experience, fans of the TV show may recognize the on-site Bar Seine as where part of the second-to-last episode was filmed. Bartenders here mix up a signature cocktail: the Crystal Cosmopolitan.
If you can’t make it to New York City in time for the film premiere, here’s the Crystal Cosmopolitan recipe for post-movie cocktails no matter where you are.The Crystal Cosmopolitan at Bar Seine
Ingredients
2 oz. Absolut Citron
1/2 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. white cranberry juice
1 lime wedge
Instructions
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. In the shaker, combine the vodka, Cointreau, and juice. Cover and shake thoroughly. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.
Speaking of martinis, famous hotel guests apparently have included none other than 007 himself (Pierce Brosnan).
Details: Hotel Plaza Athenee is located at 37 E. 64th Street at Madison Avenue.
Walt Disney World previewed its Main Street Electrical Parade on Sunday night for a few thousand international travel buyers visiting Orlando to attend the U.S. Travel Association’s international Pow Wow convention.
The parade, last seen at the Magic Kingdom from 1999-2001, returns to Walt Disney World June 6 through Aug. 14, with a new Tinkerbell float in the lead.
The beloved (and classic Disneyland) parade has returned to Florida as part of Walt Disney World’s Summer Nightastic! events, which also include:
A new Magic Kingdom fireworks show that promises special effects
New lighting effects and a new drop sequence on the Tower of Terror ride
The “Sounds Like Summer” concert series at EPCOT
Extended hours at Animal Kingdom
The Magic Kingdom was open only for convention-goers when the floats, newly outfitted with LED lights, were pulled onto Main Street USA and lit up about 10:30 p.m.
The private event was the opening party for the International Pow Wow, an annual event where U.S. destinations gather to meet with travel buyers from around the globe.
So, I never knew much about marine mammal life until I worked for the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) last summer. And to be honest, I thought it was all a little boring. I know, right? What did I know?
Not much, obviously. A few of those things: just how hard non-profits struggle to keep afloat, and just how closely every research center works with one another when rehabilitating stranded marine mammals. That brings me to the Marine Mammal Center, a non-profit veterinary hospital outside of San Francisco that focuses on the rescue and rehabilitation of injured marine mammals. At ASLC I was familiar with the Marine Mammal Center’s work, since I was writing about marine mammal populations and whatnot.
We’re pleased to share that the MMC will be offering super-cheap guided tours this summer – a total bargain for a research center that depends on grants, donations, and ticket sales to maintain operations. A guided tour will only cost $7 for adults ($5 for students and seniors). You’ll get to see, among other things, volunteers making herring milkshakes for baby marine mammals, veterinarians in the necropsy lab examining tissue samples, and of course, cute marine mammals (see photo). If you’re in the area, it’s definitely a worthwhile trip.