Saturday, March 29, 2008

Updates for this year's National Cherry Blossom Festival

This year's National Cherry Blossom Festival is from March 29- April 13 2008.

Mark your calender for some special events for 2008:

Tidal basin paddle boats: March 29th- April 13th 9 am to 6 pm. Online reservations for 10am to noon
Fireworks: April 5th 8.30 pm to 9 pm near Southwest Waterfront
Parade: April 12th 10 am to noon on Constitution Ave.
Photo Safari- If you have a penchant for photography and don't mind getting up real early and capturing a glimpse of the sun rays filtering through the blossoms, then this one is for you addicts. You will have professional photographer to guide you, but it all comes with a $$ :)

Please add your event summary after a visit in the comments sections

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Back to the 17th century -- Colonial Williamsburg

Colonial Williamsburg is a historic town in Williamsburg, Virginia which preserves the history from the 17th century.
It has the historic buildings from over 200 years back; the Capitol, the Governor's palace, the courthouse, taverns, Parish church, etc. There is a chain of historic buildings and sites on the Duke of Gloucester street which has the Capitol on one end and the ancient College of William and Mary on the other. You will see the local people dressed up in colonial wear who reenact various events from the ancient times like the shaving of the sheep and various such interactive events. They also have colonial Williamsburg costume rentals.
On my visit to Williamsburg, I started searching for street names and then realized that I have to travel 200 years back in time. There is a show called "The story of the Patriot" at the ticketing center which gives a lot of information about the history of America. There are Ghost tours at night!! I wonder how that would have been as I couldn't wait that long. There was a beautiful art museum having various exhibits with guns, furniture, silverware, pictures from ancient times, memories of George Washington and the Rockefeller family.
Its quite a unique experience to go back in time. I am amazed by the way they have maintained everything till date. I'm sure you'll enjoy it too.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Paddy's Day

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17th with great zeal by both Irish and non-Irish communities (UK, US, Canada, Australia) around the globe. The feast day of St. Patrick is celebrated in memory of the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick. It is marked by the wearing of green color and shamrock and leprechaun designs. It is celebrated in Ireland with parades, community feasts, mass and charity shows.
Another unique thing about this day is the St. Patrick day parade which takes place is various locations like Montreal, Birmingham, Manchester, Munich. In the US the most famous locations for these parades are New York, Savannah (Georgia), Las Vegas, Seattle, etc. New York parade has become the largest parade in the world.
The Chicago river is dyed green for this festival. Also the Trafalgar Square fountains in Great Britain, where the parade took place was dyed green this year (2008).
After the day long celebrations there are long parties in Irish pubs. I saw a part of this celebration in Virginia Beach, VA in an Irish pub called Murphy's. Everyone was dressed in green and there was good music and drinks served.
So go Green and celebrate the St. Patrick's Day in Irish Style!!

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Spring is here-- National Cherry Blossom Festival

The history of the cherry trees dates to 1912, when First Lady Helen Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two of these trees on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac river. National Cherry Blossom Festival is celebrated every spring in Washington, DC. Several varieties of Cherry trees grow around the Tidal Basin, at East Potomac Park, and on the Washington Monument Grounds, the most common being the Yoshino variety.
There are a lot of events all through the Festival like Ranger-led bike tours, self-guided tours of the flowering cherry trees, Kite flying competition. There is a Parade of National Cherry blossom festival featuring marching bands, floats, balloons, and other family entertainment.
If you don't mind spending some $$ you can enjoy a perfect evening with fireworks on a cruise along with dinner buffet. A cheaper option would be a paddle boat ride with your love one in the tidal basin.
This year's National Cherry Blossom Festival is from March 29- April 13 2008.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Chillout in Dubai!!??!!

Chillout, yet another concept turning into a theme restaurant located at Times Square Mall in Dubai.

Everything in here is made of ice; the walls, tables, chairs, cups, glasses and plates; the art on the wall, the sculptures depicting Dubai's skyline, the beaded curtains, the chandelier and the bar.

There is a $17 cover charge which will get you one drink and the rental of a hooded jacket, woolen gloves and insulated shoes. Customers can also spend a few minutes in the Buffer Zone, to adjust themselves before entering the restaurant. Thick sheepskin rugs cover the seats for the diner's comfort and the lighting constantly keeps changing colors as it filters through the ice. Customers can lounge on ice benches, cozy up to an ice bar and drink from, you guessed it, glasses made of ice. It serves a selection of cold sandwiches, salads and a range of beverages and has a maximum capacity of 40-45 visitors.

I'd say its a great place to Chill Out and escape from the searing heat of Dubai.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Shopping Destination, Dubai

I'm gonna write about one of the best shopping places I've been too. Its not just the variety which made me go over my "Shopping budget", its the uniques and the architectural sense that makes each mall stand out. I would say its like entering casinos in Las Vegas, you feel like your in a different world when you enter Luxor, or Paris or New York New York. Check back for my post on Las Vegas!!


Can you ever visit a tourist destination and start off your trip by visiting shopping malls?? Well that is how my Dubai trip began. The first place I saw in Dubai was Burjuman Mall, one of the world's most luxurious malls. With over 300 stores you'll surely be spoilt for choice. The mall looked like an ocean-liner from the outside.

I also liked the Mall of Emirates. The part I enjoyed the most was Ski Dubai. Read more on Ski Dubai in my previous post. I also enjoyed the time I spent at the "Toy Store" :D

Another mall I visited was Ibn Battuta Mall. It is named after a famous explorer, Ibn Battuta. The mall has cultural and historic values of the different countries, namely, India, China, Egypt, Persia, Tunisia and Andalusia.

Lastly let me introduce Madinat Jumeirah, a part of Madinat Jumeirah Resort which resembles an ancient Arabian citadel and is very pretty. It has a very vibrant and colorful market where you can find very creative and ancient artifacts. I must warn you that the artifacts are very expensive and if you happen to visit Dubai during Dubai shopping festival, you can purchase the same stuff at half the prices from Global Village. You should definitely take the Abra Tour, a very peaceful boat ride along a small watercourse with views of the Jumeirah Beach, Burj Al Arab and the Madinat Jumeirah resort.

There are various souks (an open-air market) around the city like the Gold souk; Gold is a serious business in the middle east, food souk, textile souk and spice souk. Another famous place to visit is Meena Bazaar.

I definitely want to visit Dubai and shop. I have plans to save all my shopping expenditure for the entire year and shop all for once at Dubai. I know how close I'm getting to that :P

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Shoot with PaintBall


Paint Ball, I didn't know what this could possibly mean until the time I heard from some pals who went for a PaintBall Game in MD,US.

Paint Ball is a sport where you form two teams and the team members are given guns and paintball markers. Yes, they shoot each other with a gun and No, it doesn't have bullets, it has liquid-filled, gelatin paintball shot from a gas-powered Paintball marker.
Paintball can take various forms, the most popular are woodsball, which is played in natural setting, scenarios, speedball and it is played in indoor settings also. A game of paintball usually involves two opposing teams seeking to eliminate all of the other team's players or to complete some other objective, such as retrieving a flag or eliminating a specific player. All players should wear a protective mask all through the game.
Paintball definitely hasn't become a mainstream sport. Paintball is a social sport and much of the enjoyment comes from the time between games, swapping stories or simply enjoying the company of your buddies.

If you intend to sit at home and play paintball on your computer then here are some free online games.

So if you feel like paintballing, check the Paintball fields closest to you.

Game time!!