Zoocap

Over twenty years ago, a crime was committed in a Turkish-occupied section of Cyprus. Thieves broke into a chapel near Lysi and and stole 13th century masterworks, tearing out a dome and an apse, cutting them into pieces and smuggling them off the island, planning to sell them piece by piece. With the approval of the Church of Cyprus, the rightful owners of the frescoes, the Menil Foundation in Houston, Texas, purchased the 38 fragments from the thieves and then restored them over a two-year period, constructing the Byzantine Fresco Chapel in which to house and display these works of art.

Free to everyone, the chapel opened in February 1997, where, for the last 13 years, visitors have been able to view the only intact frescoes in the western hemisphere, let alone in the United States.

The work includes a dome depicting Christ Pantocrator — “pantocrator” is a term more commonly understood in the Eastern Orthodox Catholic church, and rarely used in Western Roman Catholicism; it means variously “Almighty” or “All-powerful,” literally, “Ruler of All,” and more generally as “sustainer of the world” — and an apse that depicts the Virgin Mary, the Panayia — “panayia” is another title for the Virgin Mayor in Eastern Orthodoxy, suggesting an image where the Virgin Mary faces the viewer.

The chapel itself is about a 4,000 square foot space, a 4 million dollar building made of stone, glass and wood that was designed by architect Francois de Menil, the son of philanthropists John and Dominique de Menil. The intent was to create a space that could work both as an art museum and as a spiritual place. You’ll find this unique chapel and these frescoes in the museum district, near the best hotels in Houston , at 4011 Yupon Street and Branard Street. The chapel is open from eleven in the morning to six in the afternoon, from Wednesdays through Sundays.

The city of London is definitely synonymous with style in the culture of the time. It’s always been a far-reaching place, and where once there was empire, now there is a remarkable sense of fashion. Fashion sense, however, was never far from London, and even Shakespeare went on at length to discuss all the latest trends of the day, from all the countries with which England had relationships.

Today, it’s as much about style as it ever was, and the Style Council seems to come to mind when it comes to panache. That’s very likely due to the contributions that Paul Weller has made to culture. He is also very closely linked to style and fashion, and seems to have a particular knack for seeing and setting trends that the world notices. Now in his fifties, he is still as snappy a dresser as there ever was, and his videos entertain as much as they inspire desire to hit the streets of London and go shopping.

Perhaps that might be a bit antithetical to some of his projects from his Style Council days, and it also is slightly askew in terms of his relation to punk rock when he was with the Jam. But Weller has never been one to follow anyone else’s idea of propriety, and prefers to make his own way. It’s a marvelous thing, too, because the world needs new trends, and someone’s got to set them.

His modfather persona is one that evokes a longing to visit the city and see it in style from a stylish hotel London is famous for. There’s no reason not to see the city for oneself, and enjoy all it has to offer. The legacy from 1962 is still running strong, and visionaries like Weller keep pushing it from its fabulous present into an even better future.

Miami has an abundance of night spots to see and be seen whether you’re local or just in town for a night or three. Miami’s South Beach district is your one stop for shopping, food, and fun. It’s also home to most of Miami’s clubs and night spots.

The Miami Beach Mansion is one of the premier nightlife spots in South Beach. You are guaranteed a memorable night on the town when you visit this posh spot where you’ll see a variety of dancers, DJ’s, or performers on stage and be able to sip drinks from one of the five bars. One of the newest posh clubs to hit is The Skybar at the Shore Club, just one of the many boutique Miami hotels scattered through the city. The Skybar is made up of three areas: the Redroom which lends itself to a romantic feel with it’s lacquered floors and red lighting, the Rumbar which features 75 varieties of rum for the discerning pallet, and the Sandbar which is just like it sound a bar on the sand where you can enjoy your drinks and company on the beach.

Looking for something a little more down to earth or want to be a hipster for the night? The Miami nightlife has you covered here too. The Purdy Lounge may not be classy but it’s definitely fun, with it’s rockabilly atmosphere you won’t feel uncomfortable whether you’re there to play some pool with friends or enjoy the DJ. The Pawn Shop Lounge is like walking into a film studio with A.D.D at first but you’ll love the atmosphere there, though it has a bit of a double standard on ages ladies 18 and up but gentlemen have to be over 21, you can hang out in rooms with various themes including an airline cabin and school bus.

After a long day or two of walking the amazing path of American history in Philadelphia, it may be time to find a place to catch some great live music and a cold brew. This city has plenty of great places to catch some entertainment.  

Catch a great dinner show. There is a special venue to get some really great dinner as well as see some of the world’s most talented musicians. The World Cafe has it all going on. Some of the interesting artists they have had or have coming include country singer Suzy Bogguss. Jazz great Max Weinberg and his Big Band as well as some traveling greats like the Juan De Marcos& The Afro-Cuban All Stars. They have the best variety of musical talent to grace the stage and your presence. Make sure you find a night to enjoy a show here. Any of the hotels and boutique hotels philadelphia has available will have the car to get you to the World Cafe.

Another great music venue has not only bands that travel to town turning up the lights they also feature many great musicals and other shows. The Prince Music Theater has a lot of great things going on to entertain the city.  

Ortlieb’s Jazzhaus is another great place to catch a bit to eat and then stick around for some live music. The menu features some Cajun American cuisine filled with great crab and shrimp dishes. And one of their items they are famous for is their sweet potato fries. The other feature to this club is the music which it has been providing for 20 years. They have a great house band that plays lots of varying forms of jazz as well as some traveling acts that come to town. It is a class act atmosphere with great drink specials with a smile. Your gonna love the vibe.

It’s one of the great folk stories in the consciousness of the people of the U.S., to have a friend who got hitched in Las Vegas. It’s a story that has just a couple common themes, and they usually revolve around these. Sudden infatuation and intoxication are usually the ingredients, and they almost always serve as a cautionary tale. A lot of these are probably no more than urban legends, because of the nature of the story, with a friend, or a friend of a friend being the main character.

Not that it can’t happen in Vegas. With so much splendor in its fantastic hotels, Las Vegas can infuse any moment with a whole lot of charm that might not hold up after the oxygen is back to a normal level, and life can be seen in direct light, unhindered with neon. But there are certainly a large number of wedding chapels here, although they do try their best to discourage the severely inebriated from making a move that’s legal, and at least a little bit permanent.

The history of chapels in the city is actually a delightful one, and it does speak to a honeymoon spirit, and one that can sometimes give blessings to true love. The Wee Kirk o’the Heather just might be the oldest, as it claims to be, having been doing this since 1940. A graduate student should certainly figure out how to turn their stories into a sociology dissertation. Somewhere in the history of these services, stories about a minister dressed as Elvis started circulating, and it may very well have been the stuff of urban legend as well. But when word gets around, and there’s money to be made, supply rises to meet the demand, and now there are several chapels in town that can do the Elvis wedding , and even the Wee Kirk offers a special package for lovers enamored with the King as much as each other.

There’s a great way to see Seattle if you’re on a budget, it’s called the ‘Go Seattle Card’. This card provides access to almost 40 of Seattle’s top attractions for a very low price. The ‘Go Seattle’ card will give you the freedom to see what you want at a savings of 45% if you purchased individual tickets at any particular attraction.

The Go Seattle Card is the best answer for a cash-strapped family vacation, it’s your ticket that will get you into all of these attractions: The Space Needle, Argosy Harbor Cruise/Kirkland Cruise/Lakes Seattle Cruise, Seattle Center Monorail, Pacific Science Center, The Museum of Flight, Seattle Art Museum, Museum of Glass, Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle Bug Safari, Experience Music Project, Bellevue Arts Museum, Blake Island Adventure Cruise, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Childrens Museum of Tacoma, Deception Pass Tours, Emerald Downs, Flying Heritage Collection, Harold LeMay Car Museum, Henry Art Gallery, Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum, K1 Speed Indoor Karting, Lakewold Gardens, Museum of History and Industry, Nordic Heritage Museum, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Qwest Field , Recycled Cycled Bike Rentals, Safeco Field Tour, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, The Center for Wooden Boats, Washington State History Museum, Wing Luke Asian Museum and the Woodinville Wine Tasting Tour. You’ll get in free to all the above attractions when you show your Go Seattle Card, plus you won’t have to wait in long lines.

Go Seattle Card also includes savings at 30 stores, like Macy’s, where you’ll get 10% off your first purchase. When you purchase the Go Seattle Card, you’ll also receive a full-color guidebook. The Card is your ticket to as many of the included attractions as you want for the number of days you selected, which begins the first day you use it, for instance, you picked a 3-day card, if you use it on a Monday, the Card will be valid for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. There are 3 locations you can pick-up the card once you’ve ordered it online, all 3 locations are conveniently located near the best Seattle hotel , or if time allows, you can have the Go Seattle Card mailed to you. Check out this site for more details concerning pricing.

When you’re visiting Seattle, you must go to the Seattle Opera, and if you’ve never attended an opera before, here are a few tips, like what to wear or what time should you arrive, all of which will make your first time at the opera a memorable, enjoyable experience, instead of a miserable, embarrassing or boring experience.

Usually it is the etiquette and outfits that put people off from attending the opera, but most are simply common sense, just like how every baseball fan knows what to do during the seventh-inning stretch, going to the opera has it’s own traditions, such as being on time, latecomers are not allowed to take their seat if the performance has started, they will be seated during an intermission. The talent at the Seattle Opera is quite exceptional and the musicians are topnotch, but all is done without amplification, and some of the most memorable and dramatic moments in opera are usually the quietest, so keep those candy wrappers inside your purse, or unwrap the cough-drops before the performance. Talking, even whispering to your companion is not even a consideration, and by all means fiddling with your program is out of the question.

The only time enthusiastic displays of appreciation are welcome is after a well-executed aria. Basically, the experience of the audience will let you know when it’s time to shout ‘Bravo!’ Opera used to be patronized by royalty, but today’s opera is for all people to enjoy. In these modern times and especially in Seattle, you’ll see opera-goers wearing everything from Ball Gowns to Birkenstocks shoes. So feel free to dress-up for the night, or dress-down and be comfortable, because when it comes to opera, almost anything, but the most casual wear is appropriate.

Here is a list of the most common sense reminders before entering the theater: turn-off all cell phones, watch alarms, make sure the material of the opera is appropriate if you are bringing children. There’s no food or drink allowed in the theater, no humming along with the music or beating time to the music. Don’t leave just before the end of the opera in order to ‘beat’ the traffic; you might consider sticking around for the free post-performance Q & A session, which is always enlightening.

And most of all, don’t worry if you don’t know the language the opera is in usually German, Italian or French, because there is an English captions board above the stage, so this way anyone, from any walk of life can thoroughly enjoy a night at the opera. If you’re from another country and staying at a boutique hotel, Seattle USA opera is still a ‘must see’ event.

One of the great pleasures a traveler may take in Washington DC is to explore the side streets just off the Mall, along Pennsylvania Avenue, where visitors will discover a number of historic buildings. At the intersection of Pennsylvania and 12th Street, there’s the Old Post Office Pavilion , which is also known as the Old Post Office and Clock Tower. The official name of the building, however, from 1983 on, has been the Nancy Hanks Center.

Nancy Hanks, who lived from 1927 to 1983, was the second chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) , serving from 1969 to 1977 and appointed by President Richard M. Nixon, and continued to serve for President Gerald R. Ford. She was active during this time to save the historic building from demolition. The building today now offers shopping and places to eat and is the home, too, of the NEA.

Originally, the building was built on the verge of a new century, in 1899, and was the first government building with its own electric power plant. Inside, you’ll find offerings of international food, interesting shops, and musical events, all planned to entertain audiences for lunch, mid-day, and after work.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the Old Post Office, though, is the Clock Tower, which rises 315 feet above the city, providing terrific views in 360 degrees. From here, it’s possible to see many famous landmarks, perhaps even where you’ve chosen to stay at one of the best hotels in Washington .

National Park Service Rangers give Clock Tower tours each day, and everyone, from individuals to large groups, are welcome to attend. Inside the clock tower, visitors will find the official United States’ Bells of Congress, which was a bicentennial gift from England to celebrate the end of the Revolutionary War. These Bells of Congress are rung every Thursday night and on special occasions by the Washington Ringing Society.

You may arrange for a free tour and find out more information by dialing (202) 606 8691. If you’re traveling in the summer, the Clock Tower is open to the public from nine in the morning to eight in the evening, Mondays through Saturdays; and from ten in the morning to six in the evening on Sunday. After Labor Day until the following Memorial Day, the hours are nine in the morning to five in the afternoon, Monday through Saturday. The hours on Sunday remain the same year round.