Westjet Airlines has rated Vancouver as the most walk friendly city. They have produced an excellent video that clearly give Vancouver a big boost. The video takes a few liberties when it does cutaways at the Woodwards Building, but otherwise it’s a fun few minutes that makes the city look great. It highlights Vancouver’s planning principle set forth many years ago to make pedestrians a priority, next cyclists, and then drivers.

It seems today’s city council may have altered that formula by pushing bikes to the top of the list. For instance, the Burrard Bridge bike lane trail, which was originally a foot path, but now supposedly pedestrians are detoured along the west side of the bridge, however, they don’t seem to adhere to the new restrictions and still walk on the east side.

Even though any Vancouver hotel provides awnings or other sidewalk covering over their front entrance, most other buildings in the city do not. Vancouver receives a lot of rain and weather-proofing the sidewalks, such as more buildings installing awnings, would be a welcome improvement. As for rare buildings that do have awnings, they should be required to maintain them. Some of them hang low enough to make pedestrians duck, or they leak, or water pours right in the middle of the sidewalk.

Despite these few complaints, Vancouver does deserve some national recognition for its efforts to make the city walk friendly.

Vancouver is Walk Friendly is a post from: Five DC

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Who were the first people in Sydney, Australia? The answer to this question might be found in a modern museum sitting atop one of the most important sites in the country.

On the site of the Museum of Sydney , the first Government House was built in 1788, 222 years ago, which served both as an office and a residence for the colonial Governor, Arthur Phillip. In the museum’s forecourt, the First Government House Place, the remains of the foundations of this house are preserved. Above the ground, there’s an art installation known as the Edge of the Trees, which marks first contact between British colonisers and the Gadigal people.

The Gadigal were the first people of Australia, whose ancestors lived for thousands of years in and around Sydney Cove, well before the First Fleet entered Port Jackson. These people were a part of Australia for more than 40,000 years.

A walk around the Edge of the Trees sculpture will allow travelers to experience aboriginal voices as they call out their clan and place names. Throughout the museum, there will be artifacts, paintings, film and sounds that demonstrate modern Aboriginal views of the past. In a gallery known as Gadigal Place, visitors will also have the chance to watch the film “Eora”, which has as its themes the connection between the Aboriginal people, past and present, with Sydney.

For those who are staying in Sydney, the Museum of Sydney is an excellent place to explore the past history of Australia, and get in touch with people who have lived here not for a week or two, but for tens of thousands of years.

Museum of Sydney and the Gadigal is a post from: Five DC

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The Taste of Colorado kicks off Friday, September 3, 2010 and runs through Monday, September 6th. A Taste of Colorado is a free outdoor festival held annually in Downtown Denver’s Civic Center Park. The Downtown Denver Events, Inc., which is a non-profit organization of the Downtown Denver Partnership, produces this annual event.

Originally named Festival of Mountain and Plain was established in 1895 as a carnival similar to New Orleans’ Mardi Gras celebration. The Festival was created to boost the city’s morale and vitality following the silver panic. However, the event was unsuccessful at ending Denver’s depression and attendance declined enough to make it fold in 1902. In 1983, the Downtown Denver Partnership made the decision to bring back the spirit of the original Festival to commemorate the opening of the 16th Street Mall. The following year, A Taste of Colorado was added to the Festival of Mountain and Plain concept and moved back to the Civic Center Park in the Downtown Denver, where the event first began.

Many hotels Colorado offers its visitors begin to fill up not only because of A Taste of Colorado, but because it’s Labor Day weekend. Over 500,000 people make the 4-day Festival their Labor Day Weekend celebration and enjoy the offerings of over 50 area food establishments, almost 300 marketplace artisans and vendors, 6 entertainment stages and educational programs promoting the diverse cultural and western heritage of the region. The best part about this terrific 4-day Festival is that it is all Free!

There is no Labor when it comes to A Taste of Colorado is a post from: Five DC

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Thinking about Albany, New York, with its rich cultural scene, being the capitol of the state, and an exciting night life where the bars stay open until 4 am, it’s still impossible to forget William Kennedy . He’s put the city on the literary map, and has made readers all over the world familiar with the place. It has an incredible history. Beneath the glitz of the contemporary moment, where Albany luxury hotels draw visitors every year to enjoy the present, there are multitudes of other histories.

Many of these have been recounted in his Albany Cycle, which many critics have compared to James Joyce and what he’s done for Dublin. The novel that got the attention really rolling was Ironweed , which won him the Pulitzer Prize, and also became a film that earned oscars for both Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep. He also wrote the screenplay. This novel was extremely astute about the human condition, and the possibility for redemption. The careful attention to detail portrayed a much grimmer time in the history of Albany. All of his works about the city take on the larger themes of fiction, where transformation comes at a great cost, and where moments of compassion can spin the world on a dime.

Kennedy’s Albany is a post from: Five DC

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In Boston, there’s an area known as the Combat Zone located in Chinatown, which was at one time legally zoned as an adult entertainment district. The Combat Zone derived its name from the port-of-call sailors who frequented Boston for hundreds of years. Later, the zone was codified and moved to Washington Street to make way for Boston’s new City Hall building.

During its heyday, in the 1980s, the area featured dozens of clubs and a nightlife that lasted well into the morning hours. Chinatown’s lifestyle was compromised due to the activity of the Combat Zone, but in recent years the Combat Zone has since declined due to a combination of community activism, development of quality Boston hotels catering to family, upscale restaurants and the advent of the Internet and home videos.

The Chinese culture in Boston, and in particular Chinatown now offers tourists an unprecedented glimpse into history, culture and character of the neighborhood. In the 1880s, the first Chinese immigrants arrived in Boston, pitched their tents and ever since have diligently worked at maintaining their culture despite the infiltration of the Combat Zone. Family, food and tradition now makes for a rich mix for tourists to explore. You’ll find Chinatown nestled between Downtown Crossing and the South End.

Boston’s Combat Zone is a post from: Five DC

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It’s almost impossible to visit the Greek Island of Corfu and not be reminded of some of the fantastic stories related to its mythological history. Or, in a similar train of thought it’s nearly impossible not to succumb to the romance of the views and atmosphere. And with that in mind, it is also true that Corfu is an excellent vacation destination not only for couples and lovers but also for entire families. And it has even been the chosen retreat for individuals who simply need to get away and experience a some peace, quiet and soulful inspiration. And not surprisingly, or perhaps so, Corfu is a great choice for all of these orientations and more.

The fantasy and romance as well as the adventure and fun will begin at any one of the Corfu hotels . The accommodations range from extremely romantic to economic and spacious enough for the family. Sight seeing activities and various adventures can range from some of the major landmarks that also demonstrate various architectural styles to some of the popular festivals and performances that occur there. The New Municipal Theatre is one of the main cultural attractions of the island and represents the musical and operatic tradition that has been and historic part of the culture. There are a number of things to do and see and great experiences to enjoy on the island and the diversity of options attracts and equally diverse population of tourists.

Theatre and Other Attractions on Corfu is a post from: Five DC

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If you’re visiting Denver and you are a fan of the Titanic, then you must go see the Molly Brown House Museum . This restored Victorian mansion of the legendary Denver resident, now serves as a museum that attracts more than 40,000 visitors per year. Located at 1340 Pennsylvania Street it is close to many places with great Denver hotel rates .

The museum explores the eccentric life of the ‘Unsinkable Molly Brown’, a Titanic survivor and an eminent figure during the city’s Gold Rush era . The tour is very entertaining; you’ll get to hear about Molly’s younger days and how she came into money. As you enter into the foyer, you’ll be amazed at its grand, welcoming design. The mansion is still the same as she designed it, but through the years, several people lived in the house after the Browns moved out and it once was a boarding house, so there are very few items that were actually hers, such as furniture and pictures.

The staff of the museum are well-versed when it comes to anything relating to Molly Brown. The tour only lasts 45 minutes and the entrance fee is $6.50. After the tour, drop by the gift shop, which used to be Molly’s horse stable, and you’ll find some great Titanic memorabilia, like a White Star Line t-shirt, a DVD about the Titanic and a replica of the New York Post the day after the Titanic sank.

Denver’s Own Molly Brown is a post from: Five DC

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San Diego is an interesting place. In some respects, it’s a lovely beach town, where the call of the sea is all that there is, or all that matters, and time spent in the sand and the sun can invigorate tired and frayed nerves. In other respects, there is a local culture here that has been developing its own style of art and performance for generations. Twenty minutes from Tijuana, there is a border culture here that takes in multiple perspectives to create images of the world that are sometimes particular and sometimes inclusive. There’s always more than meets the eye, however, and there’s always more to say about reality, as it extends as far as the tide.

Sometimes it’s less like the ocean, and more like the tide pools, small sections of reality that contain multitudes of worlds that speak for a short time before becoming something else. It’s a splendid sensation, and experiencing it from a San Diego boutique hotel discovered in a favorite travel directory can convince anyone that this might be the best place in the world.

There’s always more beyond to explore, and for those prone to exploration, Lynx Performance Theatre has some pretty complicated maps. They’ve been developing a performance style here since 2003 that incorporates psychoanalytic theory along with their edgier theater offerings, and the results are sumptuous and provocative. The African spirits that haunt the waters understand the subconscious in a way that art can only approximate, and sometimes, like a tide pool, all we’re left with is an approximation.

Lynx in SD is a post from: Five DC

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The city of Seattle is one of the most splendid places in contemporary history. There’s something here that can appeal to almost every taste and sensibility. It’s a multicultural place with a reputation for civic mindedness. There is also a terrific sense of innovation here, and a love for things that are interesting or unusual. The neighborhoods are remarkably distinctive, where Ballard has a funky and offbeat sense, Capitol Hill has a name for grit and culture, and Green Lake is a place to relax and enjoy. Every neighborhood is unique, and the landscapes are constantly changing.

The city is also constantly changing. There are recent modifications in the downtown districts, some good but also some losses, that make the city a different place than it was ten years ago. Regular guests at the five star hotels Seattle offers will always find a new city when they come back to visit.

The changes in the city are not part of a new trend at all, but are deeply rooted in its history. Anyone who takes Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour will find out that the only constant here is change. This is a fascinating look into the city as it was over 100 years ago. Before the fire, and before indoor plumbing, downtown was a bit of a different place, and after the tour, it will never be the same. It might also inspire you to have a closer look at the cracks in the sidewalks.

Beneath the Square in Seattle is a post from: Five DC

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Everyone goes to DC to explore the historical sites and see where our founding fathers did a lot of their work. However, that is not the only thing to do in this town, and the whole place changes once the lights go down. You won’t expect to run into Obama at any of these hot spots, but you can walk around like you are a local and soak up the atmosphere of the most powerful city in the Nation.

If you are still in a mood for history, check out U street where there are still a number of historical jazz clubs that are open to the public. There are also quite a few new ones, so if you don’t care about the place where Duke Ellington played for the first time, that is ok and there is no need to push yourself into something you are done exploring for the day. If you want to know what this place is like for the locals, head over to Busboys and Poets, hop on your computer or crack open a book and don’t forget to pop your head up once in a little while to people watch. You will be able to blend in just fine.

If you can’t decide where you want to go, check out Boomerang. They will take you back and forth all night between four or five different bars around town. You can party hop all night if you want to, but be careful because if you stay out too late the subways will close down and you will have to catch a taxi back to your boutique hotel. DC is a nice place, but you don’t want to let yourself get stranded anywhere.

If you don’t like to drink, still take the advise about staying out too late. Make sure you go back early, but no so early that you miss touring the city at night. There are a number of buses that can take you around and show you the lights. Almost all the monuments get lit up, so it is something you don’t want to miss.

DC at Night is a post from: Five DC

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