Driving toward Denver is an amazing journey. We saw some clouds in the distance, but after a few miles, we realized that it’s really snow on top of the mountains, majestic mountains. Driving through Colorado is a real treat. We made it to Denver and knew we needed to find a local hotel for the night and to figure out where we would go next. We were truly winging it, an unplanned adventure. We never discussed going anyplace in particular, we just let the roads and the beauty of America take us where she wanted to take us.

Initially, we thought we’d just have a quick stop-over here in Denver, maybe grab some dinner or check out the club scene , but we could tell this city requires more from us than a stop-over. We were on I-70, but then we saw a southerly turn on to I-25, we took it. It still kept us in Denver, but in a different area other than where I-70 would’ve taken us, more industrial, mile high flea and farmers markets, and factories. What an odd juxtaposition. What we didn’t realize as we were looking up at buildings, were the all the cars in snow banks. Apparently, we just missed a huge snow storm! We were happy that Denver keeps the roads maintained, but we did see a few ice patches ; coming from Minnesota those ice patches were nothing we couldn’t handle.

We were passing through downtown Denver and I couldn’t believe just how slow the drivers were going, below the speed limit. I guess they aren’t used to driving in winter weather conditions, but we managed to find a great place to stay and they had their own restaurant inside, which was great, because we didn’t realize just how tired we were, we didn’t feel like driving around anymore. After we had a wonderful dinner, we went up to our room and pulled out a map. We closed our eyes and both put our index fingers down on the map. It was so funny how we both picked the Grand Canyon in Arizona! So, after a day of exploring more of Denver, West we go!

Taking a road trip, whether to the next state or across the country, can be a lot of fun; listening to music, enjoying the scenery, spending time with family and friends. However, as in most of life’s situations, being unprepared can bring unexpected stress and really put a damper on your trip. While there are many things to prepare for before leaving for your trip, such as getting your car checked out by a mechanic and making sure you have the necessary first aid and survival supplies , one thing that you need to do is read the map.
When you are planning your trip, the first thing you want to do is determine where it is that you are going. Once that is established you can then determine what the best route would be. If you are looking for the shortest or most direct route, there are many online tools such as MapQuest or Google maps that can help you find your way with very specific directions. However, if you are desirous of a more scenic route then you will probably need to pull out the road atlas .
To begin make sure that you have the map facing the correct direction. The legend should be in the bottom left hand corner and North should be facing up. If you have a list of points of interest or things that you want to see along the way, make sure that you have that nearby. Begin by locating your starting location and the first stop that you want to make. Look at what highways run between those two points and determine whether there is one that will take you there or if there are several. It is usually a good idea to write down which highways you are going to take so you don’t forget. Do this for each of your stops and you will soon have your whole trip mapped out. It can also be a good idea to have someone double check your work if you are uncertain of your route.
With your directions and map in hand you are ready to head out on a relaxing and stress free road trip.

Coming to DC is a cause for celebration, opening up so many opportunities to see interesting new projects developing in a city that is also a project in development. It’s always been a kind of center for the culture in the country as well as its political stage, and both art and politics feed each other. Sometimes they egg each other on.

This is a place of primary gestures, where the elemental emotions of a human being are evoked, and over time, the performer learns to represent it all. It’s also a place for visitors, coming to observe the gesture and the sound, and try to find their way in a complex system of signs. Even on the most confusing days, there is rest at the hotel , where everything can settle in, in order to come back full force the next day, with a new sense of being in the here and now.

For those who admire the best representations of reality, and see imitation as pure flattery, will find spaces of magnificent and shiny life in the Happenstance Theatre productions, which move somewhere between movement and plays, which is to say, exactly where pantomime should be. Also mime, generally speaking, is representing realities in their shows, and making devastatingly beautiful shows of virtuosity. This is in large part due to the strengths of the founders, Mark Jaster and Sabrina Mandell, and also due to their collaborators.

Taking the skill of the performers , and framing this centrally, is a good point for departure into works of art that lift one out of the usual and into the sublime. This is a very good splice of lives, which demonstrates the resilience of DC in general. It also testifies to its place in the country’s culture, and contributions to the world scene. It has always been a great place to go to see live performance, and there have always been those who come here to push forms and test limits. The work of Happenstance enters into this tradition of the untraditional, to undermine expectations and take us to places where all the spheres seem to spin at once.

On the road with sunshine and snow-capped mountains in front of us. We were on I-5 driving to Sacramento Valley. We made a stop at Redding and checked out the Sundial Bridge located at Turtle Bay Exploratorium. We passed Shasta Lake, which was absolutely stunning with the contrast of the dryness of the valley. The grass is brown and the creeks are dry. We passed by several firefighters who were out keeping an eye on the dry conditions.

We knew we were in Napa when we drove past vineyard after vineyard. The vineyards were beautiful and perfectly lit by the sunset hitting the valley with vivid purples and pinks. We stopped by the Napa Valley Wine museum, and by the time we left, it was getting later than we expected, so we figured we would get a room for the night. We found a nice place to stay , and we’re surprised by just how tired we really were, as soon as we got into our room, we went right to sleep.

The next morning, we were up bright and early, we drove on to Petaluma and we stopped to take a hot air balloon ride. It was windy, so we had several false starts, but we finally got up in the air. Even with the wind though, it was misty over the vineyards, giving them a peaceful look. After our balloon ride, we found a diner serving a very traditional American breakfast, eggs, bacon, toast and coffee. We did manage to make it to a couple of vineyards and our favorite was the Robert Mondavi Winery , it was pretty commercial compared to the other smaller vineyards we toured, but it was a better and more informative tour, plus the wine was superior. We ended up buying a case of wine from each vineyard, so I think we’re stocked up for quite a while.

It was getting late again, so we headed back out on the road to make it to our next destination, Sausilito, which is just north of San Francisco. We really wished we had more time to visit more vineyards, but as it was, the wine we tasted already gave us a bit of a buzz.

We headed out to take our first look around Singapore. There were blossom’s everywhere, but not as many big artistic lanterns that we were hoping for in celebration of the New Year. It was late by the time we found a place to have dinner, so afterwards we headed back to our hotel and settled in for the night.

The next morning we went for a walk along the river to the New Years festival being help at Clarke Quay, but we were unprepared for how hot it was. I was beginning to get a sunburn on my shoulders and neck and it was still morning! We had to get out of the sun and find some place cool. Back at the hotel I used the free wifi to find some good restaurants for us to have lunch and dinner , but I didn’t think about a place for breakfast, but I did remember that they listed an 1A Crispy Puff located in Clarke Quay, so I suggested we find it and have a decadent breakfast and get out of the sun at the same time.

After we stuffed down 3 crispy puffs, we asked the staff to recommend a place were we could get some sunscreen lotion, they pointed right across the street. Great! We purchased a very expensive tube of 90 SPF sunblock and lathered it on. Then we went to once again to check out the festival, there were some very amazing lanterns that were just being put up, but we seemed to be to early, there was no one around as of yet. We asked around, and we were about an hour early, the festivities will start and noon.

We decided to check out the shopping malls that are strewn around Clarke Quay, but they weren’t open! The shops should open up at 11am, but there was no signs of stirring inside the shops. We did find a huge Casino open, it’s the second one in Singapore, but we didn’t want to gamble, so we headed down to Chinatown to see how they were celebrating the New Year, they too were only in the stages of setting up. But, we could see they hung-up thousands of lanterns, so we’ll have to come back in the evening.

It was lunch time, noon, but before we headed back the the festivities at Clarke Quay, we decided to check out one of the restaurants recommended by the Internet site: Hotstones and we were so glad we did! The restaurant is elegantly decorated and the food was superb! I’m so glad I found that website, their list of restaurants is absolutely top-notch.

The Tampa Theatre is one of its historic buildings that is also extremely relevant to the contemporary culture. In fact, it is such a dynamic part of the contemporary society that it was one of the focal points for last night’s Oscar Celebrations. This isn’t the only time of year though that this theatre has anything going on. It is incredibly active and not only shows films but has various programs and presentations and remains a strong aspect of contemporary society while also standing out as one of the city’s historic landmarks. These elements combine to make it one of the more appealing attractions to tourists and the numerous guests who are enjoying comfortable stays in the area hotels.

The theatre dates back to the 1920s when cinemas were being built all across the country and a few of those were designed and constructed in such an elaborate fashion that they were recognized as the grand movie palaces. The Tampa Theatre, designed by the famous theatre architect John Eberson , was one such place and its great dynamic beauty and sophisticated atmosphere linger in its isles, the theatre and front lobby today.

In addition to some of the film presentations and special engagements, tours of this historic theatre are also offered and are extremely popular with the tourists. The tours are incredibly detailed and introduce the participants to the theatre’s history and some of the stories from its early glory days. Meanwhile, up to date events and performances are also discussed as the patrons are guided from the balcony to the backstage area, as the tour title indicates. The theatre can also be rented out, which is a common occurrence and it is frequently the preferred location for special celebrations such as wedding dinners, birthdays and anniversaries. Other companies also rent it to host special presentations and performances.