TND West

The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House is one of the premiere cultural establishments in Dallas, Texas. It is located in the downtown arts district and is part of the AT&T Performing Arts Center. This is also one of the newest arts and entertainment complexes in the city of Dallas and is one of the four venues that form the center. It was officially opened in October of 2009, just a few months ago and this coincided with the official beginning of the Dallas Opera’s new season. It has already become one of the major attractions for both residents and tourists who visit the city and enjoy the accommodations provided by the Dallas hotel and hospitality industry.

The name of the opera house is typically shortened to Winspear and is sometimes referred to as the Dallas Opera House. It as named after Margot and Bill Winspear who generously donated over forty million dollars for its construction. The opera house was designed Fosters and Partners and the principle architect was Spencer de Grey. De Grey is responsible for the attractive horseshoe configuration, which is also representative of traditional houses. It is structured to seat an audience of two thousand two hundred people. Sound Space, a London based firm, designed the acoustic aspects of the house, which is intended to host both opera and musical theatre productions.

The Dallas Opera is the primary resident of this beautiful new home and they moved here after having performed at the Music Hall at Fair Park. They opened their season at the new location with a production of Verdi’s Otello. The premiere performance took place on October 23 of last year. Graeme Jenkins was the conductor for this production, which starred Lado Ataneli, Alexandra Deshorties, and Clifton Forbis. There is also an education and smaller performance venue in the opera house which is called the Nancy Hamon Education and Recital Hall. It has a seating capacity of 200 and will be used for rehearsals, lectures, meetings and other events.

It’s hard to be a cowboy in New York City.  The problem as I see, in a singularly important way, is that you got to be careful not to get the heel of your boot stuck somewhere but I mean good, when there’s a train or what have you coming along.  It’s a dangerous thing, but it’s a dangerous city, and lots of people wear shoes with heels here.  But I don’t necessarily want to imply that we’re all in this mess together, because I for one am not in this together with anyone.  Not in this city.  I come here to make a go at putting a new product out on the market, and once it’s out, I’m done, and going back home.

I did get to book one of those boutique hotels, and New York has a good sense of class, and if you want to talk about hospitality, I never seen the likes of it ever before.  I wake up feeling like a million bucks, and usually I wake up feeling like I’ve been stomped on all night by a fat bull on trucker speed.  This is an irregular experience for sure, and one I would likely repeat, if this was all I had to do while I was here.  But there’s more work to be done.  I love Patsy Cline, see, and she had perfect pitch.

Now my partner and I have some ideas on what people want in the world, and for kids, a good ear is essential in developing a musical sense.  We have to instate these things when they’re young and impressionable, so they can thrive in the world as they grow.  Patsy Cline had a secret, of course.  Her perfect pitch came about from eating beef, and her support of the cattle industry caused a wave of what can only be called grace, on the part of the cows who wanted to be eaten, to send her the gift of song.  And as long as I’m here, I’m convincing people left and right that the cattle industry is not just a good idea, it’s come from divine providence.

Colorado has a beautiful and diverse geography and most of its regions are known for their particular aspects. Most of the areas in the state are extremely attractive and inviting to tourists who visit Colorado every year. It has some of the most popular ski resorts in the country and Steamboat Springs ranks high on the list. The city itself is known as Steamboat, and is commonly referred to as Ski Town USA and or the Boat. The ski resort at Steamboat is located in the Park Range, which is just east of the town on Mount Werner. In the broader perspective the resort is situated in the upper valley of the Yampa River. Locals know it is just west of the Continental Divide on Rabbit Ears Pass.

The name for the area is based on the numerous geothermal hot springs that are located in the surrounding Yampa Valley region. And although there no springs in Steamboat, though at one time there was a steamboat spring located where the present day library now exists. Early settlers in the early remarked that the spring sounded just like a steamboat, and hence it received its name. However, by 1908 continuous blasting and construction efforts in creating the railroad caused the spring to close down and become silent.

Skiing in the area had an initial importance to the settlers. For a long time it was the only means of accessing the area during the harsh conditions that occurred in the Rocky Mountain winters. The skiing slopes are some of the best in the country and also offer opportunities for world class ski competitions. Some of these include competitions in the Alpine Skiing World Cup. The sporting opportunities in Steamboat are not restricted to the winter months. Throughout the summer the river is popular and well known for its kayaking potential. There are many races and events that take place in the area each summer including the Yampa River Festival, which occurs every year on the first week of June. For interested tourists you can click here to discover the numerous resorts and Colorado hotels that service the area.

One of the places you can get out and see while you have a room at one of the modern hotels located in Irvine California is Knotts Berry Farm. Some people are more familiar of Knott’s jams and preserves sold all over the country. Other people think of theme park fun when they think of Knott’s. Well they are related. One part is the major theme park in Placentia and it is not far from your Irvine hotel. It all started in the 1920 when Walter Knott began to sell fresh berries and pies on a fruit stand along State Route 39. The whole family was apart of the business. He and his family were one of the first to sell boysenberries, a new growth that was created by putting raspberry plants with those of blackberry and loganberry, by cultivator Rudolph Boysen in the 1930s.

The area began to grown as the rate of travel moved faster. There stand turned into meals in small diner for travelers along the major connection between Los Angeles and Orange County beaches. Walter started to add ways to entertain a the crowds as they stayed for a meal and started to build an old ghost town in 1940. They added a narrow-gauge train for rides, had areas to pan-for-gold and had the Calico Mine Ride. It became the summer long county fair with pie contests. Even Walt Disney visited the attraction and his own Disneyland was not seen in anyway as a direct competitor. Disney even invited the Knotts to Disneyland the day it opened.

Today, Knott’s Berry Farm is a huge theme park filled with sorts of different areas. There is Independence hall which was so well done that they used it as a set for the film National Treasure of 2004. The Ghost Town is apart of the oldest area of the park and has most of the buildings that Walter originally brought to the property. Then there is Fiesta Village with the Montezooma’s Revenge Roller Coaster. The Boardwalk is a gypsy themed camp that was renamed a few times and currently is called Knott’s Airfield. This area has the most thrill rides in the park along with the Sky Cabin Tower. But that’s not all, visitors can also have a blast in Camp Snoopy, Wild Water Wilderness and the Indian Trails.

We met in Central Park, that much is true.  Or at least, we were introduced to each other there, which counts as meeting.  But it wasn’t until much, much later that we would have our first conversation, the one leading up to the moment where I realized that I was meant to study under her.  I’d heard about her before our introductions, and also took some time to learn about her after the first glance, so by the time we were sitting together, and learning how to breathe from her, I was already sold that she knew some things that other people would only dream about. 

So when I find myself in my hotel in Central Park, waiting to meet with her again, I see that this is a repetition that is welcome in the new year.  She’s been training people to work with these kinds of energies for a few generations, and it won’t be something that goes away like sand on the edges of a boot in the rain.  This is something that will continue, and I am starting to understand that the most essential lessons are those that are learned when you are walking in one direction, with the intention of learning something specific.

You are suddenly thrown in another direction, and one that you could not have predicted.  This is the real meaning of desire, its hidden meaning.  In the alpha and omega of the book of longing, there are chapters written from the dead to the living.  There are things in this fate-line that are beyond understanding, in this life or any other.  There is also another book that has been lost because of certain kinds of flooding, not related to water, which told the rest of our story, and we won’t know where it is until we get to the end, where the rose lies in the center of the four roads.

New York offers many adventures, and sometimes tourists forget about the simple, free adventures that will make them appreciate this city full of millions of pulsating individuals. I’ve been to Manhattan and to several boroughs many times before, but I’ve never bothered to take the opportunity to walk along the historically famous Brooklyn Bridge, a bridge that connects a deeply rich Italian culture with all the grid bindings lit up Las Vegas like and covers some of the City’s most infamous streets. Usually, my hotel choice, which I booked on this site: http://www.smallhotelsnewyork.com, is not near the bridge, but this time I did not let that stop me.

The bridge is approximately 2 miles long and lends any photographer, either amateur or professional, the ability to capture a moment in which separates them from the land and water; by merely setting a foot down on the stone facade and wonderfully detailed mason work that is the Brooklyn Bridge.

As I finally walked along this fantastic structure, I had an occasional sight of the seedier sub-culture of discord, disgust and disdain, which the gutters of New York hide well. The landscape kept me moving onward and I successfully reached my desired location, a pizzeria that has homemade ice cream; what would Brooklyn be without New York-style pizza and a side of ice cream? There wasn’t a table available for just one person, and there were many patrons who pushed tables together to fix their party of 6 or more. Fortunately, there was a little spot up by the counter that a waiter fixed up for me, a party of one, but that was after a wait of 45 minutes. The joint was packed with a good representation of all the ethnic cultures that is New York. That’s when I knew I was in the right place. The wait was worth it, but stay away from the public washroom, it seemed like all of New York just had to use this one restroom today.

Back to the bridge for one more comment: It took me an hour to walk across the art bridge and I was in total awe and amazed at it survival of over 100 years and what stories it must have about the millions of beings who have stepped foot on her or drove across her without even noticing her grandeur. Brooklyn Bridge is the most exquisitely erected bridges that I’ve had the privilege of walking across.

Zoos hold a spot in my heart.  From the time I was a young girl, my parents took us to the Phoenix Zoo just about once a month.  My mom had a special satchel, she called her “zoo purse” and whenever I saw her packing it up with crackers for the turtles, water bottles, and any other item she thought we may need, I knew it was going to be a great day.  Years later I was visiting my friend in Brooklyn, which is one place to find a “boutique” which is always charming.

Whether it’s a boutique record store, a boutique coffee shop, a boutique dress store or a boutique hotel in New York,  the place to find these small and often times family owned businesses, is along the streets of Brooklyn.  We had spent the week ’boutique-ing” our way through the city and were ready for another day of just the same, when Robert’s sister asked if we would watch her 5 year old daughter.  We said yes, both of us knowing that we really weren’t certain of the best ways to entertain a 5 year old for a few hours.

We figured boutiques were out, and Robert thought for a moment and came up with the Prospect Park Zoo.  Zoos!  Of course!  The first incarnation of the zoo at Prospect Park, was during the 1880’s under the title of the “Prospect Park Menagerie”.  By 1910, the Menagerie had already become obsolete as more knowledge was gained on how to best house animals in captivity.  Almost eighty years later, a partnership was formed between the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of New York, and their combined efforts resulted in the Prospect Park Zoo of today.

The 37 million dollar renovation began in 1989, and while historical structures were preserved, the living conditions of the animals was totally revamped, creating enclosures for the various species that were as close to the natural habitats as possible.  Robert’s niece thoroughly enjoyed her day.  I packed a “zoo purse” for the occasion, and in the light of that little girl’s eyes, I found a bit of my past and a bit of my childhood wonder.

Everyone likes a good ghost story now and then. Some people even like to spend their vacation time search out and staying in haunted places. There are some supposedly haunted hotels around the country. Gettysburg Pennsylvania claims to have a few. This pikes my interest because of the incredible history that has taken place there. I always think of ghosts as being lost souls who have some sort of unfinished business here on earth. I do have a couple of ghost or spirit stories of my own to tell, however, it is also fun to hear those stories put out by other people.

It is always interesting to approach a building that has claimed to be haunted. Is it just the fact that you are looking at it with some sort of thought of it being haunted that makes it so creepy. I always wondered if I were to walk by a building I knew nothing about, would I know it was haunted just by seeing it? The Farnsworth House in Gettysburg claims to be haunted and it does look a bit spooky from the street. Well, with the sad affairs that happened in this private civil war time home, I could believe it was haunted. Jennie Wade was an innocent civilian and maybe she wasn’t finished living. This is also the place to catch the scoop on many real people who lived and died in this town and have left their ghostly signature around town.

Gettysburg is considered one of the most haunted towns in the country with many books written about the subject. Tours were created because of the many stories that have been told. So find a non haunted room at one of the hotels Gettysburg has and take a spooky tour of the old homes and places in a town of a major American Civil War Battle and other historical happenings. Remember, if you stay in a haunted place you won’t get any sleep.

In the 1970s tennis was it.  It was a big time trend in sports up until the eighties.  Though still very popular, these years were a high point for the sport.  In the eighties Jimmy Connors conquered most of the people he played against, only to be rivaled by John McEnroe.  Both of these men are known for their tempers, especially McEnroe.  Connors was trying to disprove notions about age and tennis while McEnroe was a young upstart with a disposition to match.  In numerous tournaments, from Wimbledon to the Australian Open, tennis stars like them created legendary stories for this era in tennis.

McEnroe won his reputation for being a great tennis player and for being a brat off the court.  Part of what made him a fantastic player was his left-handedness.  It made the ball go in the opposite direction the opponent was not expecting and therefore throw the opponent off.  It provided him an advantage, along with his velocity and ability to change his angles quickly.

Though he was famous because of his talent, he was not popular.  People liked his edginess, but because he would consistently fight with umpires and other tennis authorities throughout games, it cost him a lot on his reputation.  More often than not, the calls those officials made were justified.  The sulking McEnroe did not help matters either, especially since he claimed to be right because he could “feel” how the ball played.  How bad was his temper?  The British press eventually rechristened him in their media as superbrat.  Other nations, including his home nation of the United States quickly picked up on the term.

McEnroe was known for throwing his racket during tantrums, cursing at refs and other players, and other behaviors that fit his British nickname.  He was a phenomenal player, beating the great Swedish player, Borg, several times, but there were other phenomenal players during and after the heyday of tennis too that had the tact and demeanor that endeared them to the public, and their sport too.  With the upcoming Australian Open, fans wills get to see some of these charming players, though there are still a few bad boys, and girls for that matter, that still give tennis an edginess.