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Articles Los Angeles

Plan a Winter Ski Weekend in Lake Tahoe

Californians have long been flocking to the Lake Tahoe area for summer fun along the lake, but the area shouldn’t be forgotten about during winter ski season. And if living in the relatively flat city of sunny Los Angeles has made you a little wary of steep mountains covered with snow, well then Tahoe’s an even more attractive choice for your ski vacation destination.

Northstar-at-Tahoe, California, is an excellent choice for skiers of all levels, but especially for those just starting out or who haven’t been on skies for a while.  There’s a good ski school for beginners, (but still plenty of trails for more experienced skiers) and most of the runs aren’t as steeep as what you’d find at nearby area resorts. Northstar is also known for its tree skiing and fall lines which make for better sheltered runs during storms at at times when the powder is particularly deep.

The mountain offers 92 runs on 3,000 acres and features the largest snowmaking system of any resort in North Lake Tahoe.  Plus, at only about 40 miles from the Reno-Tahoe airport (with cheap flights to Reno departing from LA daily), it’s very easy to get to from Los Angeles.

And if skiing isn’t your winter sport of choice, you also snowboard, snowshow (just be sure you know how to choose the right snowshoes to make the sport more comfortable) or simply enjoy the apres-ski scene.

Photo by dannebrog

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Articles England

Confessions of an Anglophile

O, England: How I long for thee.

In my everyday life at home in Los Angeles, California, 5456 miles (8781 km) from the UK, I rely on the huge expat community here for immersion in English accents, the solid thwack of a Terry’s Chocolate Orange and a gentle spot of afternoon tea. I keep my eye on the BBC, bookmark cheap flights to London and make great big British plans.

But in my fantasy life, I have a wonderful flat on a quiet mews in Chelsea, hemmed in by a wrought-iron gate and overgrown with ivy. I work my steady way through all the neighborhood pubs in London, the West End’s theatre scene, all 5,000 acres of the Royal Parks. I even agree to settle on a football team.

I spend my weekends in Landmark Trust cottages, tramping across the Yorkshire Dales and tasting new wines on the Cornish Coast. Perched on chalky white cliffs, I point my smiling face into winds brought ‘cross the Strait of Dover. I wander the cobbled Tudor streets of the Cotswolds, roam the manicured grounds of fine Essex estates and swan around the gentle idylls of the Lake District like a heroine from a Jane Austen novel (who just happens to be wearing pants).

It’s a merry old English existence, that. Even from an entire continent away.

So until my dream can someday be real, I’ll just keep thinking up reasons to visit London, and I’ll share my knowledge and passion for the perfect UK journey here with you, posted on WhyGo England.

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Articles Croatia

Round The World via Europe

RTW vacations typically include many budget countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, India or Turkey. But if you manage to plan the vacation right, you can fit in some European countries as well, without breaking the budget.

Did you know that many European countries are very cheap to visit? You didn’t? Then read on. Countries such as Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and Bulgaria are excellent places to visit during a RTW vacation. Both accommodation and food are cheap. You’ll probably have a bit of a headache with planning the transportation part, but that can also be solved with a bit of practice.

Look up flights to Istanbul and plan to visit the city for couple of days. It will allow you to experience both the Asian culture and the European culture, hence avoiding the cultural shock when you step onto the Old Continent. Cheap Istanbul hotels aren’t hard to find , either, especially if you plan ahead of time.

Then, book a flight to Sofia (Bulgaria). Direct flights start at €122 per person one way (in late September). You can then spend a day or two in the capital and then explore the coastal area, close to Varna, where you can visit some interesting sights and relax, as well. From Sofia, you can head to Zagreb (Croatia) via Budapest (Hungary). Although Budapest tends to be a bit expensive during the summer, if you plan your vacation in early to late fall, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find excellent prices. Room rates start at €45 per night in hotels but you can find cheaper accommodation in hostels. Do allow several days in the city because there is a lot to see.

Central, Eastern and the Balkans can be excellent stops on your RTW vacation. The trick is to plan ahead and be flexible.

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Articles Los Angeles

Add your Los Angeles hostel or motel to the Hostel Directory

Motel in Los AngelesIf you own or operate a Los Angeles hostel, budget hotel, motel or any other budget accommodation – or if you know someone who does – you (or they) should enter the information into the new worldwide Hostel Directory . This will be a huge and global directory of budget accommodations, including hostels and motels. You shouldn’t worry about spam from this but you should expect some extra bookings.

The site is new but is part of a big travel network, so it should be worth couple of minutes of your time. Go to this Hostel Directory entry page for Los Angeles to add your budget accommodation to the listings.

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Croatia

Add your Croatia budget hotel or guesthouse to the Hostel Directory

Hostel in CroatiaIf you own or operate a Croatia budget hotel, hostel, guesthouse or any other budget accommodation – or if you know someone who does – you (or they) should consider entering the information into the new worldwide Hostel Directory . This will be a huge and global directory of budget hotels, hostels and other budget accommodations. Don’t worry about spam from it but you should expect some extra bookings.

This is a new site but part of a big travel network, so it should worth some of your precious minutes. Go to this Hostel Directory entry page for Croatia and submit the property to the listings.

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Featured Articles Los Angeles

Pink’s Hot Dogs

pinks.jpgHot dog stands rarely share clientele with the most exclusive restaurants in Los Angeles, but Pink’s Hot Dogs earn the business of even the most discerning patrons. Owned and operated by the Pink family since 1939, Pink’s Hot Dogs is considered a “locals” place that the whole city can claim.

What makes their hot dogs so special? It could be the special “family secret” chili-dog recipe, or inventive hot dog concoctions named after the celebrities that frequent their establishment, or the long line that gives you time to work your craving into a lather of lust for these one of a kind frankfurters.

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Croatia Featured Articles

Ivan Mestrovic

sculpture_poet_261462_l.jpgIf you don’t think that Ivan Mestrovic deserves a place among the greatest sculptors in history, perhaps because you’ve never heard of him, consider the following: Mestrovic created over fifty monuments in only two years in Paris, he sculpted throughout his whole life, from the discovery of his wood hand carvings that he had created while tending a flock of sheep as a boy though his apprenticeship and University and two World Wars, even through his retirement to the countryside in Croatia. He was also the first person to have a one man exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Beyond that, Mestrovic’s sculptures appear in a great number of public squares throughout Croatia, including sculptures in Dubrovnik and the Grgur Ninski statue with the lucky big toe standing outside of the gates at Diocletian’s Palace in Split.

Considered one of the best sculptors on religious themes to come out of Europe since the Renaissance, Mestrovic is something of a national icon in Croatia. His statues appear widely and have become valuable throughout the country and his former workshop in Zagreb is now a monument to his work and a place for exhibitions and art shows. In sculpting, Mestrovic combined the themes of symbol and myth because of their importance to the European spiritual climate. His work went through several periods and bursts in theme, from dark imagery and shapes to lighter and happier themes characterized by women holding musical instruments.

Born in 1863, Mestrovic tended sheep in a small village before a local artisan noticed his talent and brought him to be an apprentice for a year at his shop. From there, Mestrovic went on to study in France and Switzerland and, although he expressed wishes of returning to Split, stayed abroad during World Wars I and II. Before World War II, Mestrovic when through a period of producing public monuments almost exclusively, as if he felt he needed to leave public works behind before the war started. Mestrovic, however, made it through the fighting unscathed.

Mestrovic’s prolific artistic output influenced the art world greatly. Today his work is on display all over America and Europe and his name is synonymous with excellence in sculpting. But Mestrovic was not limited to one convention. His work also included the production of several major literary works and participation in some of Europe’s most influential political movements.

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Featured Articles Los Angeles

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

painting_paint_closeup_277362_m.jpgThe Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) features a little bit of everything in displaying more than 100,000 pieces of art from around the world and across many different disciplines and time periods.

From Africa to Europe to Japan and China and America, the only unrepresented region seems to be Antarctica, which has never had a very prolific output anyway.

The LACMA opened in 1910 as part of the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art. The museum did not have an art collection at the time, nor did it have the ability to acquire one, so artists loaned their work to the museum on a temporary basis so that they could be displayed.

Since then, its mission has evolved to include the display of a wide selection of art from around the world and, more specifically, to display that art and make it interesting and relevant for as wide an audience as possible.

Admission

Visiting the LACMA costs $9 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and children 17 and younger get in free. The museum is also free to visit after 5 p.m. every day until it closes at 8 p.m.

Special exhibitions require tickets for admission that are roughly double the regular ticket prices, but children are still free and ticket prices are reduced on weekdays.

The biggest trick to visiting the LACMA is figuring out parking. There are three paid parking lots around the museum campus charging varying rates from $5 to $8. There is also metered parking on 6th Street, Wilshire Boulevard and adjacent neighboring streets. Parking is limited during certain hours.

Location

The LACMA is located at 5905 Wilshire Blvd, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits. It closes on Wednesdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, but is otherwise open throughout the year noon to 8 p.m. on weekdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends.

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Croatia Featured Articles

Rafting in Croatia

river_falls_niagra_246351_l.jpgThe big rubber rafts that Dalmatia Rafting supplies for your trip down the Cetina River are comfortable and soft and you might be reminded of the deck chair or lounger that you left behind on the beach in order to come out for a drift down the river. The similarities will soon leave your mind.

While the first few hours of the trip start on a lazy, winding river, the second half of the trip takes you down serious rapids that require group maneuvers, life jackets, and helmets for everyone on board.

Even so, most of your time is spent drifting down the beautiful river canyons of the Cetina river and like Croatia rafting in general, the point of the trip is to enjoy the outdoors rather than prove anything to yourself or the river by going through the biggest or toughest rapids.

Rafting is popular on the Cetina river, but the best place to go if you want to drift through canyons and hit the whitewater is Karlovac. With three rivers converging within just a few miles, there are multiple trips you can take from your base camp at Karlovac.

If you do decide to run the rivers around Karlovac, your first day trip should be the Kupa river. The Kupa runs through Risnjak National Park, allowing you to see the park from the inside out and see the complete path of the river as it winds its way along. Unfortunately, the Kupa river is only high enough to raft during the spring.

Your second day of rafting should be on the Dobra River. The Dobra was the first river in Croatia to have commercial rafting trips grace its waters and is one of the most popular places to get wet with whitewater. It is also one of only two rivers in Croatia with category IV rapids, the other being the river Una which makes up part of the Croatia/Bosnia border.

Rafting in Croatia typically runs between 20 and 40 Euros per person per day. Longer trips get more expensive and a lot of the rafting companies compete with each other for the lesser number of tourists during the late spring and early fall, before and after the rush of tourists come to join their river expeditions.

If you only have one day or have limited time in Croatia, you may want to try combining a tour of the Plitvice Lakes park with a rafting trip down the Korana river. Tour Plitvice first for a day and be amazed by the marvelous waterfalls, then follow the water that you watched cascade the day before down through the river and toward the ocean. There may be no better way to feel like you really saw one of the most impressive sights Croatia has to offer.

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Los Angeles Things to Do

Muscle (Venice) Beach

muscle-beach.jpgJoggers, runners, walkers, swimmers and dogs all go to the beach to work out, but none exercise quite like the guys and gals at Muscle Beach. With their comic book bodies, weightlifters come to Venice to perfect their ripped abs, swollen pecs, tree trunk sized legs.

Muscle Beach is part of Venice, although the original location was a few miles north in Santa Monica. The beach side weight room has been home to many famous bodybuilders including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Joe Gold, who founded Gold’s Gym, and a long list of world bodybuilding champions.

Weightlifting at Muscle Beach used to be restricted to the feeble equipment built in 1952 and placed right on the sand by the parks and recreation district. Now that the beach has gotten some notoriety, however, it has undergone a massive renovation and now features bleachers for spectators, a massive arch displaying a barbell over the entrance, and padded weightlifting, tumbling and jump-rope areas.

The original muscle beach held tumbling and gymnastics performances and competitions and most have now been moved to the Venice location. Each year, a bodybuilding championship is held at Venice Beach with the winner appearing in Iron Man Magazine. The contest is open to anyone for the $75 entry fee and attracts some of the top bodybuilding talent in Los Angeles, which can stack up with most places around the world.

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