TND West

The history of the nation’s parks is rich and fascinating, invoking a sense of awe at the sense of commitment to the land and to the people who live here. This has been most recently brought to public attention in Ken Burns’ splendid PBS project, The National Parks . This series documents the origins of our public outdoor spaces, and stresses their development with a consciousness that is rather remarkable. It hearkens back to an ideal that the land of the free was not simply a metaphor, but an idea that could be actualized. The glories of nature need to be preserved, and the citizens here have a right to enjoy these spaces as part of a birthright.

It’s an ideal that invokes a keen sense of nostalgia, but in many places, it’s not simply a memory of better times, but a living present. This is certainly the case in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a city that is famous for its strong civic sensibility. It also makes it a perfectly spectacular place to visit, and there are plenty of gorgeous accomodations to make the stay here memorable. While visiting, tourists can have the opportunity to enjoy the public spaces, to get a taste of what life is really like here.

Fort Wayne has a climate that enjoys the four seasons of the year, with warm and humid summers, and snowy winters, as well as all the variations in between. This makes it particularly suited for wonderful parks , and they’re present here in a stunning array, with sizes that vary from a fraction of an acre to more than 300 acres. There is room for baseball, lake recreations, as well as plenty of space to gather with your friends to enjoy a lovely afternoon. Last year, Fort Wayne Parks

It’s interesting how everyone buzzes about Facebook and Twitter these days. The services are touted as the only way to reach consumers under the age of 30. If a company doesn’t have a Fan Page and at least one centralized Twitter account, they are being left behind.

The reality is a bit more complicated than that. It’s not so much about where you go as what you have to offer. If your tweets are simply stock quotes and links to your official press releases, no one is going to care. If your Fan Page only has official company announcements and more press release language, you’re not going to get many fans. People , over or under 30, want content — and they want it in as many formats as possible.

A Fan Page that includes insider photos, sneak peeks at new ad campaigns, games, contests and opportunities for the fans to generate their own content won’t just sell widgets, it will create widget advocates. Tweets that make people smile, laugh, or even get them worked up about a shared enemy will build a following that can be translated into a community of loyal customers.

And it should start with Facebook and Twitter — not stop there. You don’t have to be a company targeting 18-25 year olds to create a YouTube channel, or have great photos on Flickr. You’ll want to integrate everything with your blog and main website. Just make sure that the content that you’re spreading around is something people want to see — and to share with others.

Jackson, Mississippi is considered to be one of the quintessential Southern cities. Its rich history was home to such icons of contemporary fiction like Eudora Welty, who created and defined new categories of story-telling for a wide audience. It also has a perfectly fascinating musical history. There are more blues singers from the Delta from any other state combined, and its musical heritage can’t be underestimated. Visitors here can take the opportunity to explore some of the historical sights where it all began. It’s an ongoing tradition, too, and one that is continually evolving through the talents and inspirations of the people who live here and make the music.

People can still go to the famous Subway Lounge , which has been a first-hand witness to some of the most important blues players in the world. Open until 5am, there are large windows of time where it’s possible to catch a glimpse of the past, as well as its glorious present. This city is on the Mississippi Blues Trail, after all, and one shouldn’t expect anything less from a legacy as fine as this one. Spending time listening to the roots music into the wee hours might mean a long nap ahead, and it’s a good idea to be rested to see some of the other places of note.

Travelers can rouse themselves from a fantastic sleep and check out two of the sights where the inspirations were pressed to vinyl. Trumpet Records , which once graced Farish Street, is no longer operating, having only been open for a few short years in the early fifties, but its possible to see the historical marker honoring its place as a national landmark. The same is true of Ace Records , Johnny Vincent’s label that hosted such visionaries as Arthur Crudup, Willie Clayton, and Jimmy Clanton. That label has since gone over to the UK, and is still a powerhouse in keeping the blues tradition alive.

Las Vegas has a reputation as one of the most surreal cities in the world, and the reputation is very well-deserved. There are those who come to visit, looking for an experience that is similar to being at an amusement park, only at night and all the rides are a little bit mad. Even the locals love to indulge in the madness of the city, to get a little thrill when celebrities turn up in unexpected places. The local news here has a particularly local flavor, and there are often stories of old mob connections, as well as the occasional item about someone famous getting into a little trouble.

It’s all par for the course here, in this city of broken dreams that always seems to offer another chance with lady luck just a little further down the road. Some of the more mundane news in Las Vegas might cover celebrities playing in poker tournaments, and small crimes where there are suspicions and intrigues at every turn. It couldn’t be anything less here, because Las Vegas does everything with a kind of flair, a flair that fluctuates between world-class and a little bit seedy. That’s one of the great appeals about the city, and despite the strangeness, hotel guests always wake up sensing that something extraordinary might happen.

One of the most intriguing occurrences here are, of course, the celebrity sightings in Las Vegas . The casinos and clubs cater to a varied clientele, where visitors from small towns might have the chance to catch sight of a celebrity first-hand. For those who are tired of taking chances here in this city of luck, there are also plenty of formal meet-and-greet opportunities. Visitors can decide to pay a fee to see and be seen with famous visitors, like Donny & Marie, Wayne Newton, and Bill Clinton. Sometimes there are autographs, and sometimes there’s dinner, but there’s always a particularly enchanting sense of the surreal.

With its strong connection to the ocean, where a long history of travel and exploration precede the contemporary residents, Boca Raton has a kind of unearthly beauty that draws people every year. There is also a pretty substantial resort community here, with some of the finest hotels anywhere. Palm Beach has always enjoyed a splendid reputation among travelers looking for the perfect vacation of fun in the sun, and it continues to evolve in terms of local culture and attractions. Shopping is always a premium here, and there are plenty of ways to spend days and nights enjoying the weather as well as the night life.

It’s impossible to ignore the beauty here, even for one moment, and that’s one of the reasons why Boca Raton shows up in so many films. It’s perhaps a bit ironic that a place once named for the rough rocks that damaged ships, hence the translation of Boca Raton as “mouth of the rat,” is now one of the little slices of heaven on earth. Visitors might have the chance to be or see part of a movie shot here, remembering that this was the setting for the famous Bill Murray and Chevy Chase classic, Caddyshack . They can also go and see some of the original setting for the film while they’re visiting. This movie introduced many new audiences to the thrill of golf, and all the varieties of fun that could be had in a place such as this.

More recently, the deconstruction of Bewitched was made in Boca Raton. This Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell movie was overlooked by critics, but captures some of the splendid natural settings that are offered here. It’s also been a very popular place for television shows as well, and was somewhat immortalized on Seinfeld, as the place where George’s parents visited. It’s reputation as a place in popular culture is pretty solid, then, and travelers will enjoy finding out what the hubbub is all about by seeing it first hand.

From California Dreamin’ to Hotel California, and beyond, this state is one of the most commemorated in song. It’s probably a very close rival to New York in terms of music that’s been written about it, some of these surely written on commission, but some written from sheer inspiration. It’s pretty easy to see why. With gorgeous weather, lovely beaches, wharves, forests, deserts, and its enormous continuing contributions to global culture, California has always had a lot to offer. It’s a spectacular place to visit, and travelers can always find lovely accommodations to make for lovely resting in between the fun and adventures.

California is not just a place to which people like to dedicate songs, it’s also been one of the more instrumental places in the world in terms of generating music. This is due to the intense creativity of the population, some who are native, and others who are drawn to the cities to make their mark in the world, and find a like-minded community of artists and thinkers. The 60s saw its share of rock, and made great contributions to the world with surf rock and psychedelic music. The legacies of the Beach Boys and the good ol’ Grateful Dead can’t be underestimated.

The 80s brought new changes to music, and California contributed in at least two very remarkable ways: punk and hiphop. For many of today’s listeners, the genres seem to be different branches of very different trees, but in their roots, they came from similar impulses and at the same time. The fierce do-it-yourself attitude and aesthetic runs strong in both of these kinds of music, and in the beginning the artists worked together much more than their successors do. The 80s saw the true Old School of hiphop, with venerated elders such as Ice-T, NWA, and Dr. Dre, and on the punk side there was Minor Threat, Bad Religion, and the Dead Kennedy’s, among others. Today, with 80s retro fever running high, travelers can visit clubs in Los Angeles and other cities to revisit this time, as well as catch the next wave.

Visiting the city of Austin is always a cause for celebration. The rich, cultural environment is always shifting and changing, so that every visit will be different, with new things always in the works. It’s also one of the more pleasant places to live in terms of climate. Particularly during the winter, when the rest of the country is fighting their way out of ice and snow, Austin can host visitors with a very gracious sense of accommodation and style. There are cold days, to be sure, but in comparison to other parts of the world, the winter months are rather mild, making for a glorious time for all.

The Austin climate is considered humid subtropical, due to its longitude and position on the Colorado River. This means that the mild winters are characteristic, where there may be periods of temperatures below freezing, but these only happen for a couple of days, generally. With winters being usually mild, the summers are usually fairly hot. It’s difficult to get away from the fact that the summers here do get pretty warm. It’s not unusual for the temperatures to rise above 100 degrees in the summer months. However, the evenings are usually rather pleasant, and this makes it a wonderful place to visit all year round.

There are plenty of things to do outside in Austin, and if you decide to get out in nature, you’ll discover that many of the locals have the same idea as you. Unlike many other parts of Texas, Austin is unusually green and almost idyllic. Visiting the Emma Long Metropolitan Park can be a lovely experience, with over 1,000 acres of land, on the shores of Lake Austin. There are plenty of the usual outdoor activities you’d find in a city park, and many people come here to make a day of it. This is a fantastic chance to get some fresh air, and also get to know the nature and the culture in the beautiful city of Austin.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup festival is coming up next week. The festival is the event of the horse racing season in the UK.   There are better hats at Ascot but the Gold Cup is te big one for horse racing enthusiasts.  I found this great clip of Mr Mulligan winning the 1997 Gold Cup on YouTube