Australia’s eastern coast is a beautiful place to go to dream, letting all the worries and responsibilities of the world fall away and to surround yourself with great gorgeous nature.  Creeks and hills run all through Brisbane, speaking of an idyllic place and time, that somehow seems out of sync with such a lively urban center.  There are many splendid contradictions here that move almost toward the absurd, and it’s reflected in the generous sense of humor that the locals all seem to share.  The city itself is really magnificent, large enough to make for a fantastic place to getaway, but still small enough that you can leave here feeling like you’ve had a taste of the real Brisbane.  There are a host of attractions and exciting events to keep your itinerary packed, or, if you like, you can keep the schedule very loose and enjoy all the things that might come up while you’re here.  It’s also a splendid place to come and do nothing.

There’s something for everyone when it comes to accommodations in Brisbane.  Boutique hotels are a fantastic choice for those looking for lodgings that cater to individual sensibilities, but still offer a sense of the city’s unique and very charming style.  It’s always lovely to wake up in surroundings where there is great attention to detail, and an attempt to offer a sense of the local atmosphere.  Brisbane is a fascinating place in general, with a long, interesting history, where multiple populations and cultures have come to stay over the centuries.  In the recent decades, it’s been at the cutting edges of world culture, and has had a stunning history as a major player in the music scene.  This might all come to an end when Short Stack comes to play.

Kidding, really.  Short Stack is a wild and raving new band in Australia that’s had a lot of good reviews, and a lot of pans, and the group is rising fast with an enormous sense of humor that is perfectly suited to Brisbane.  Their Stack is the New Black tour is playing in all the big cities, and has been anticipated with a number of good reasons.  The band is already well known for bringing back big hair and makeup, and offers spectacle that is designed to appeal to the preteen set, but with a tongue-in-cheekness that’s also got enormous appeal to a host of post-ironic 20 and 30-somethings.  The music is loud and bold, and it’s written for a pop audience, but it’s also extremely cool, with an edge of madness that suggests these boys could have a lot more to say when the first blush is over.

A trip to Dubai would not be complete without a trip to the Jumeirah strip, one of the longest beachfronts in the city, filled with palm trees and lifeguards.  Check the day, though, before you go, because unlike other beaches in the world, some of the days are segregated by gender.  As a convenience to women, the beach only allows females on certain days in order to allow them to sunbathe without the attention of men.  Immediately, next to the beach, you will find Jumeirah Park, which can provide a break and offer a place to eat or get-together with family and friends.

Whether you’re an expatriate or a traveler staying in a 5 star Dubai hotel, Jumeirah Beach has a lot to offer its visitors.  The area was once the province of traders, pearl divers, and, of course, fishermen.  In more recent times, from the 1960s forward, Jumeirah contained expatriates who worked in the emirate; however, since 1995, housing has expanded greatly across the city, and now Jumeirah is an exclusive section of the city, leading to the use of the area’s name to help identify products and clubs.

The majority of Dubai’s beaches are beside Jumeirah Road.  The blue-green waters of the Arabian Gulf lap at the white, pristine sand.  The many private clubs and hotels, divided beaches with public access, have high-quality maintenance for their patrons and luxurious facilities, not common in most desert cities: lawns, swimming pools, drink and food service on the beach.  If you choose not to stay in these hotels and resorts, don’t think that means you can’t see these beaches:  It’s possible for the public to attend by paying a daily rate that can be anywhere from ten dollars up to fifty dollars.  If you don’t want to pay a fee, then close by there’s the public beach at Al Mamzar Park; these facilities have the following: barbecues, kiosks, as well as playgrounds and places for family picnics.

Remember, in the upcoming months, the temperatures are going to be pretty pleasant, and the beaches will fill up with tourists.  Summer temps, in contrast, may reach as high as 104 to 122 degrees, with humidity just as high!

Hong Kong in the night time is like a sparkler going off all the time. This is the home of the worlds largest light and sound show, and it goes off every night at 8:00pm.  This event is actually in the Guinness Book of world records. There are 44 strategically chosen buildings that are involved and they are located around the Victoria Harbor. The whole city lights up with  a spectacle of laser beams, search lights and in every color possible. This unforgettable display of night time color is synced up with music and narration that inspires the spirit, diversity and all around energy of this thriving metropolis.

The Symphony of lights is best seen from the harbor. Visitors can catch a dinner cruise or  take a walk along the waterfront boardwalk, on either side of the harbor, to catch this breath taking show. There are five main themes represented in the display. It starts with the awakening, moves into energy, reminds us of heritage, takes us to partnership and in the finale we are brought into true celebration. Through out the year their are always special days to celebrate. On a special day, they will bring out even more pyrotechnic launches from the middle of the harbor. This of course, add even more pow to this visual punch.

After English speaking visitors have checked into one of the best hotels Hong Kong; has to offer, they should head down to the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront. It is located between the Avenue of Stars and the Hong Kong Cultural Center. The music and narration is done in English outside the Golden Bauhinia Square, the Hong Kong Cultural Center as well as the Golden Bauhinia Square located in Wan Chai on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. If there is a Tropical Cyclone Warning 3 or above or a red/black rainstorm warning at 3pm then the show is cancelled for that day.

Mallorca is one of those places that can live up to its reputation splendidly.  The natural splendor here is simply magnificent, with glorious beaches that add the perfect compliment to any lifestyle.  For some people who live here, and who visit here, the sea is the center of things, physically and metaphorically.  Many people will swear that living close to the water can help to extend your years on the planet.  This may or may not be true, but there’s no doubt that it makes the days go by with a much greater sweetness than other places.  With all the natural gifts, there is also a spectacular culture here, or perhaps its better to say cultures.  There are many different walks of life that make up the population in Mallorca.  Hotels create their own cultures, and they’re constantly being invented with each new influx of guests.

The local culture is another thing altogether.  There are large pockets where the locals have been living here for generations, and many have memories of its past as a fishing village.  Others might remember it as a great port town.  And still others are expatriates who have come here to visit, and decided to make Mallorca their home.  There are many different stories about the amount of artists who live here, and different theories about why they stay, but no one can doubt that they’re inspired by the sea.  Artists coming through are also touched, and even though the sea is everywhere, there is something magical about this particular section of the ocean that does something wonderful to artists, it would seem.

Brooklyn-based Celeste Fichter has been here before with her ARTPORT project, and spent some time in Valparaiso in a residency, and her post-structural installation to Hemingway, 84 Days without a Fish, has the ocean all over it.  Her wildly humorous work investigates culture and memory at the intersections of the real, where what is represented and what is imagined become a Lacanian Cobb Salad with an extra egg.  The multiple meanings are delicious, and the idea last long in the imagined and real memory.

New York City is full of amazing cultural elements as well as social landmarks and national icons. There is always something incredible to do and see while visiting the city and while many people consider Central Park to be a place to get away from it all, which it can be, and to experience some relaxation while in the city, it is also full of many interesting attractions and cultural elements. From the Angle of the Waters sculpture in Bethesda Terrace to the Central Park Zoo and Wildlife Center, this lush paradise in the middle of Manhattan could account for an entire tour trip itself.

The obelisk in the park is also referred to as Cleopatra’s Needle and is seventy-one feet high. It weighs over 244 tons and is one of the more interesting intriguing of the park. It is located in Greywacke Knoll directly behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is situated in what is now a rather secluded bower. The tower is the oldest man made object in the park and dates back to around 1500 BC. Sometime around 12 BC Augustus Caesar had the obelisk moved to Alexandria. By this time the lower supports of the corner stones had been broken off and Caesar had them replaced by the bronze sea crab supports. It remained in Alexandria until 1879 when it was relocated to the United States. It is unsure now why it was given to this country but it is accepted that this was either a gift from the Khedive of Egypt or that it was given in good faith as a measure of establishing an economic relationship between the two countries.

While this and other landmarks that are found in the park are extremely popular attractions for the tourists staying in a luxury or New York Cheap hotel, an interesting thing to consider is the amount of effort and work that was necessary in getting the obelisk to this country. It is difficult for us to imagine the strength and work that went into taking down the monument and getting it into the ship and sailing it to this country. Once it was here, the trip up the Hudson to the park alone took over four months. And of course there was then the effort needed to get the obelisk to stand upright again.

Gertie’s husband Will was being transferred to Charlotte, North Carolina. This was going to be quite a change for Gertie who had lived her entire life in Tucson, Arizona. She even went to college there and settled in the mid sized desert town thinking she might live there her entire life. All she could remember about Charlotte, she had never even been there before, was how nice all of the people sounded on the phone. This makes more sense when it is put in context with her job because she worked for in the customer service department of a major retail store through most of high school. She had many people call in from Charlotte and they were always extremely polite and she thought they were some of the nicest people she spoke with.

This memory was all she knew of her new home so she and Will planned a two week vacation in Charlotte since they weren’t going to be moving there for another year. Gertie made their reservations in one of the Charlotte luxury hotels and paid careful attention to the disposition of the person on the other end of the phone helping her. Sure enough, she was very friendly sounding. One the plane flight Will began to talk about the early significance of Charlotte to the country’s development and this intrigued Gertie a great deal. And as they began their final descent into the city Gertie was stunned by the beautiful skyline.

As if to emphasize the historical significance of the city, which Will knew would impress his wife, he took her on an excursion the following morning and brought her to where James K. Polk, the eleventh President of the United States, had been born. The replica of his family home inspired Gertie’s curiosity and interest and she was sure that she would enjoy all these historic elements of Charlotte and the region. They enjoyed a quiet picnic out in nature and Gertie considered how different the geography and climate was from the desert. The next day they spent in the Mint Museum of Art and Gertie had a great time and enjoyed the permanent collection. They had lunch in a beautiful sidewalk café and Gertie knew as she sipped her tea that she was going to be happy there.

We were in Phoenix participating in the Rich Dad, Poor Dad Conference. I thought, for some reason that Phoenix would be a dull small Southwestern little city. But I was wrong, so very wrong. I didn’t attend all the workshops scheduled, I never do when I’m in a city I haven’t visited before, so that I’m able to do a little sightseeing. I actually took a whole Saturday morning and afternoon away from the convention.

I could tell from the 14th floor of one of the Phoenix luxury hotels where I was staying that there were white tents being set-up in a parking structure not too far from the hotel. It was 6:30am, I just knew it had to be a farmers market. By the time I made it down there, around 7:30am, I found out I was right. This was the Downtown Phoenix Public Market that offers the locals and visitors a like, fresh local produce, hand-made artisan crafts, food and entertainment. I ended up staying at the market until it closed at noon. What a marvellous treasure. Who would’ve thought that Phoenix, in the middle of summer, have an open-air farmers market? I talked to most of the vendors and bought several crafts, I really liked this piece of healing art handmade: it was so unique and beautifully unusual. I would’ve bought local produce, but I had no where to keep it fresh or no means to cook it. I was truly surprised to find a sustainable market in 105 degree weather.

The night before, was what Phoenicians call First Friday. It’s an artwalk in downtown Phoenix that happens every first Friday of the month. This is where all the studio’s and galleries open their doors to the public. Most of the walk is all along Roosevelt. But what I enjoyed the most is the fringe artwalk. All the local artisans who don’t have studio’s or galleries along Roosevelt set up tables to sell their art. It felt like all of Phoenix was either participating or just enjoying the art. What a marvellous idea.

Well, it’s time to finally attend at least on Rich Dad, Poor Dad workshop. I’m so glad I was wrong about Phoenix.

Australia is a fantastic place, and never fails to live up to its reputation for world-class hospitality.  Guests in Melbourne are made to feel welcomed, with a warm reception and a genuine friendliness that will last long after your stay here.  Every trip here hold many opportunities to make lasting memories, as well as providing a rich geography in which to get away from all the distractions of the busy world.  There are also many chances to get engulfed in a new and vibrant scene.  In many areas of the city, there is a lively night life, along with a host of attractions open in the day time, that can keep even the most cosmopolitan world traveler feeling right at home.

With its rich history and entirely contemporary sensibility, it is a fantastic place to find a great hotel.  Melbourne, Australia extends its hospitality particularly well to the accommodations available, and you’ll surely find something to suit your style and budget.  While you’re exploring the town, you’ll no doubt soon discover that Melbourne is a booming city, with a multitude of creative people doing very interesting work.  It’s been like this for a few decades now, and the recent years suggest that it’s in the middle of another high water mark for new works of art and music.  It attracts artists from all over the country, and also has its share of local heros.  Van Sowerwine, new media artist, now working and living in Brisbane, has roots here.

Her work is fascinating, often looking at childhood in a rather disturbing light, and bringing into sharp relief some of the shadows and corners of this iconic time, to tease out complex questions.  Her work crosses over from photography to video to installation, and does so with a very deft ease, as if she is seamlessly entering into a form that she is also simultaneously inventing.  Sowerwine‘s work is often shown here, and it’s shown all over Australia and starting to make its way around the world.  It’s absolutely worth it to seek it out, in order to enter into her installations, which form complete and complex worlds that are constantly torn between nostalgia and anxiety, drawing on some familiar notions of innocence and bringing them to the surface in a language that is all her own.