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Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Subject: Do It: Best Tourist Attractions, 1st Installment
Time: 5:08:12 PM EDT
Author: claregoggin
Before I delve into the first in my summer series of the "Best Tourist Attractions", let me explain how I determine "Best" (I think "Tourist Attraction" is pretty self-explanatory).
First, this "attraction" should attract locals and tourists alike. Second, it should be darn cheap since we're all a little broke this summer.
Now then -- let's get started.
My first candidate for Best Tourist Attraction is the Staten Island Ferry.
Found by most tourists at the southern tip of Manhattan, the Staten Island Ferry takes guests on a ride passing some of the most scenic areas of the city. On a good day, a ferry passenger can get a good look at the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Governor's Island (equipped with a fake waterfall for a limited time), the lower Manhattan skyline, the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and just a gorgeous view of the bay. Passengers need not even spend any time in Staten Island. They only need to step off when they reach the outer borough and quickly step back on again to return to Manhattan.
The full round trip will take just under an hour. For a real treat, have a quick meal on the ferry while you enjoy the ride. A hot dog and a beer won't run you more than about $5. And the ferry is free. FREE! You rarely ever hear that word these days so take advantage.
Speaking of, if you're in the New York City area, looking for free things, give the Bryant Park Film Festival a whirl. Catch a movie and bring a picnic and you won't have to spend a dime.
Written by claregoggin
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Subject: Do It: Summer Vacation Idea
Time: 3:58:29 PM EDT
Author: claregoggin
Planning on traveling this summer? With the price of gas skyrocketing, it might not be the most cost effective to go it alone. Even a road trip to Chicago is going to starve your wallet.
But you could take a lesson from Matt Harding, the dancing, traveling, viral video celebrity who has been sponsored by Stride Gum to do some more traveling and dancing.
His latest video brings him to some fun national locations, including Austin, TX and San Francisco, CA. Watch and take notes. You may have one of the best summer vacations ever if you come up with the right sales pitch.
Or find an exotic location in CityGuide's top 10 list. Have fun & don't forget to text!
Tags: travel, dancing, video, celebrity
Written by claregoggin
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Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Subject: Do It: Summer Dancing and Foot Tapping
Time: 5:03:36 PM EDT
Author: claregoggin
In the great tradition of Summer Band Camp or in some other tradition that I'm ignoring, music festivals, tours, and concert series run rampant during the summer months. To keep us all updated, Salon recently posted a detailed schedule and guide. But they overlook one or two or five:
Milwaukee's Summerfest '08 hosts Rush, John Mellencamp, The Steve Miller Band and Stevie Wonder. The Summerfest is the self-proclaimed largest music festival in the world. Festivities kick off on June 26th and run for eleven days.
Ozzfest '08 only has one date lined up on August 9th in Frisco, Texas but Ozz-fans are already planning to attend.
Musikfest '08 in Bethlehem, PA gets started on August 1st with Avril Lavigne before other bands, including Earth, Wind & Fire and Boston, take to the stage during the ten-day run.
Mile High Music Fest will feature the Dave Matthews Band, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and John Mayer on July 19 & 20.
Austin City Limits, although a bit past summer with dates September 26 through 28th, offers acts like the Foo Fighters, Gnarls Barkley and Iron & Wine.
With so many options, you might think there'd be a few repeat performers. You'd be right. If you didn't catch Gnarls Barkley at the Myspace Secret Show in NYC on June 8th, you can see them at Summerfest, Austin City Limits, the KCRW World Festival in LA or at Lollapalooza in Chicago.
Fans will be able to catch Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers at Summerfest and at the Mile High Music Fest. Or if they prefer John Mayer, he will be playing Summerfest, the Mile High Music Fest and the Rothbury Festival (July 3-6) this summer.
Stone Temple Pilots may be making the most festival stops this year. The band has plans to play Summerfest, Musikfest, Bumbershoot in Seattle, the VirginFestival in Baltimore and the Chippewa Valley Rock Fest in Cadott, WI.
Make the most of your summer by mixing up your music festival experiences.
Written by claregoggin
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Thursday, May 29, 2008
Subject: Drink It: Mapping Your Next Beer
Time: 4:01:19 PM EDT
Author: claregoggin
Pop quiz: where's the closest place to get a beer right now?
... Time's up! Don't know? Fail!
If you often find that you have the above problem, you should check out The Beer Mapping Project. This site has been created by one intrepid individual who is passionate about finding beer quickly and conveniently. You can even use Beer Mapping Mobile Lookup on your mobile device.
Happy Hunting ... for beer.
Written by claregoggin
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Subject: Eat It: Cake Fight
Time: 3:32:52 PM EDT
Author: claregoggin
The Pillsbury® Doughboy® is on the campaign trail this summer. He wants you to eat cake.
Pillsbury is making stops around the country to give people the chance to choose between candidates: Cake, Frosting, Brownies & Quickbread. This morning, New Yorkers were able to taste the results when Cake and Frosting teamed up as a cake shaped like the U.S. which was cut into pieces and served to morning commuters, for free.
Keep your eyes peeled for more opportunities to get to know your candidates. And don't forget to vote online!
Written by claregoggin
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Thursday, May 22, 2008
Subject: Do It: Catch a Film Outside
Time: 4:18:26 PM EDT
Author: claregoggin
A new trend, according to the New York Times, brings movie goers outdoors. Outdoor film festivals are cropping up all over the place and across the country.
The longest running of these festivals is the Bryant Park Film Festival held every summer. The event, whose full name is The HBO Bryant Park Film Festival, will be embarking on its 16th year this summer. Each Monday during the summer, films will be shown to picnicking crowds in NYC, leading off with Dr. No, a classic James Bond film. HBO also holds a shorter festival in DC called Screen on the Green.
Almost as old, the San Diego Maritime Museum's Movie Before The Mast features films with nautical themes like The Bounty. Films are projected onto a specially rigged sail as an audience watches from the deck of the famous Star of India.
Chicago hosts another well known festival. The City of Chicago is very proud of its annual festival which shows films in Grant Park every Tuesday starting in July.
And Los Angeles -- Movie Capital, USA -- offers the location to several different outdoor movie festivals, including one in The Backyard at the W Hotel and another eerily held on the grounds of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
With so many available in these cities, it should be easy to find an outdoor film showing in your neck of the woods. You just have to keep your eyes open.
Written by claregoggin
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Subject: Drink It: Opinion on Country's Best Bars
Time: 3:35:17 PM EDT
Author: claregoggin
Everybody's talking about the best this and the best that lately. AOL CityGuide gave us their list of City's Best restaurants and bars around the country (in several different categories). Now Esquire's getting in on the game with a really long list of the places they call The Best Bars in America.
Esquire offers a few bars per state each assigned a rating (as prescribed by those visiting the site). On the other hand, City's Best divides their nominees into about forty specific cities, each of which divides into several different categories. Within each category, visitors can vote for their favorite, whether it be Best Beer or Best Dance Club or Best Live Music. Aside from those differences, the two lists do seem to agree on a few nominees.
Both campaigns nominate Zeitgeist in San Francisco; City's Best has the bar in the running both for Best Beer and Best Dive Bar. And Red Lion Tavern in LA is also recognized in both lists, having been nominated for LA's Best Beer by City's Best.
Denver's El Chapultepec pops up on City's Best Live Music and has a rating of 73 on Esquire's list. Another popular spot with both crowds is Churchill Pub in Miami which is pulling in a respectable 77 over at Esquire. Boston's Eastern Standard, nominated for City's Best Cocktails, also pulls a strong 73 in Esquire. And the highest rated of Esquire's New York bars, Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden, is in a tight race for City's Best Beer with Jimmy's (also on the Esquire list with a very nice 73).
Nearly all the Chicago bars listed in Esquire have been nominated for something in Chicago's City's Best: Matchbox, Duke of Perth and California Clipper for Best Cocktails, Hopleaf Bar for Best Beer, Hideout for Dive Bar & Live Music, Green Mill for Best Jazz Club, and Bungalow for Best Date Spot.
With any luck, you'll find your favorite on one of these lists and be able to vote them as winner of either race.
Written by claregoggin
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Friday, May 16, 2008
Subject: Do It: MTV Real World in Brooklyn
Time: 5:39:17 PM EDT
Author: claregoggin
Based on past experiences with former Real World casts, maybe this should be more of a Drink It item. Regardless, MTV is bringing another mismatched cast of young adults to Brooklyn -- most likely uber-hip Williamsburg. I'm sure the locals will welcome them with open arms.
Fans of the show are now asking, what bars will be featured in the new season -- where will the fortunate few living in an MTV-designed loft hang? The answer is simple.
Spuyten Duyvil serves beer. Lots of it. Beer attracts youthful and hip people. The MTV kids will come.
Royal Oak and Studio B have set themselves apart as dance clubs for the truly cool. MTV will darken both doors.
The nearby Union Pool and the slightly less nearby Union Hall will be gripped by the presence of young reality TV stars later to be known for their exploits on Real World/Road Rules Challenge. Perhaps they will even show up at the Brooklyn Social Club.
Occasionally the youths might want to eat and they'll go to San Loco at 2 a.m.
Or perhaps they will abandon the borough altogether for the cover charges in Manhattan but you never know, Brooklyn. Keep your eyes peeled for stumbling roommates followed by camera crews late at night and cat fights that seem a bit exaggerated for hipster females.
Written by claregoggin
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Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Subject: Do It: Visit Your Psychogeological Center
Time: 4:38:07 PM EDT
Author: claregoggin
Feeling like you just don't fit in with the crowd where you live? Maybe it's because you're not the same personality type as the rest.
According to the Boston Globe, "Psychologists have shown that human personalities can be classified
along five key dimensions: agreeableness, conscientiousness,
extroversion, neuroticism, and openness to experience." You may not feel like you fit into one of these groups but the authorities referred to as "psychologists" insist that you do. So pick one and accept it.
Recently, a little mapping action helped psychologists figure out where these personalities cluster. Check out their five maps and figure out if maybe you belong in a different part of the country. Then book a flight and check it out. Might be the best vacation you ever took!
Written by claregoggin
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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Subject: Drink It: Cosmos for Carrie
Time: 5:08:16 PM EDT
Author: claregoggin
You probably remember having a cosmopolitan early on in your drinking career and thinking how uber- Sex and the City you were. Then, even a few months before the series finale, you snubbed the pretty pink drink for being so three months ago.
But as the four New York girlfriends return for a romp on the silver screen, the cosmo is getting a reprieve. At least as long as the movie is in the theater anyhow.
A quick tour of cities might breathe a little fresh air into this former trend. In San Francisco, the suspected birthplace of the drink, visit the Cosmopolitan and taste one of their interpretations, like the Sparkling Cosmo with Champagne. Or stay in Carrie's hometown, New York City, and check out Katwalk Bar & Lounge on Wednesdays to get "Carrie Cosmos" or even "Miranda Martinis". You can even visit one of Carrie's favorite spots, Tao, to have a Peach Blossom Cosmo. Then take a trip to Los Angeles like Carrie and the girls and try one of the unique cocktails at the Library Bar.
Or stay home and wake up the tired cocktail with your own concoction. Whether you make it a different color or give it a tequila change up, you can finally sip this girly cocktail without feeling like last season's ball gown.
Written by claregoggin
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