Although it is not the most modern city, Oakland belong in California state is a beautiful place which has temperate climate and peaceful life.Visting Oakland, you can relax and feel comfortable after working hard.
Oakland is the port city with Port of Oakland seaport which is the second largest port in the USA. You can study a little about maritime history of the city at Heinold’s First bar and Last Chance Saloon. Bar was built of wood from the ship hunting whale.
Don’t forget to taste dishes at Everett & Jones
Mama’s Royal Cafe where you will have delicious breakfast.
Beauty of nature in Morcom Rose Garden, where the roses bloom on May.
Having lunch at Flora Hotel which was deliberate designed
Feeling happly at Luka’s Tap Room and Lounge.
Going for a walk around Merritt Lake to sightseeing.
Giving food to births near lake.
View universe at the Chabot Space and Science Center (Center for Natural Science and Space Chabot). Here are 3 observatories to view stars.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Hotel Particulier, Paris
Paris has its fair share of stylish, well-located hotels, but Hotel Particulier is an arty boutique hideaway which has eccentric touches, just like its owner.
Set off a large cobbled passageway between two of Montmartre's classy streets, the mansion is out of traffic earshot and is set in its own beautiful grounds.
We're buzzed through two big black gates before we're granted entry to the imposing Paris townhouse. Hotel Particulier has just five suites, all with garden views and all designed by the owner, artist and filmmaker Morgane Rousseau.
The reception itself is a casual affair - one member of staff at a small desk - but the lounge is still impressive, boasting several opulent rooms and an honesty bar. The The bar area is velvety and opulent - definitely worth a revisit in the cooler months.
We're shown up to room three, a sizeable suite with a "poems and hats" theme: whimsical poetry from fashion curator Olivier Saillard hang from the walls in envelopes, adorned with chains and coat hangers. The bedside lamps have trilbies for lampshades; each item of furniture is unique. The black-tiled bathroom is open plan and sandwiched between the living area and the bedroom: definitely a suite for Parisian lovers.
It's a sweltering day, and our air con isn't working, so the staff offer us champagne while we wait for it to be fixed. We sit outside in the downstairs bar, where outdoor tables snake around the side and front of the leafy property.
Our direct view should have been the unremarkable houses opposite but instead we are gawping at a huge piece of modern art (featuring sheep and a tree) cunningly hung between the foliage.
This is a quirky, arty place, which is no more evident than when we meet owner Rousseau. The green-fingered artist is watering the plants with a hose when we first see her just after midnight, and then again in the morning.
She describes how she designed each room individually, inviting her artist friends to contribute specially commissioned pieces. "I'm a filmmaker so I like to imagine a different story or atmosphere, like a movie, for each room," she says. Rousseau hints that many celebrities love the hotel's privacy, but she won't be drawn on names.
We order breakfast (€20 extra), which sets us up for a day of exploring Paris. A friendly waitress brings us coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice, croissants and soft boiled eggs, all in the same sunny outdoor setting.
We leave Hotel Particulier in the knowledge that we've stayed in one of Paris's most original hideouts.
It's not the epitome of 5-star efficiency - this is eccentric in every sense. But you won't find another place quite like it.
Hôtel Particulier Montmartre 23 Avenue Junot, 75018, Paris Tel: (01) 5341 8140. Website: www.oivip.com Prices start from €390 per night.
Top 5 City Cycling Holidays in Top Five, Holidays
Summer is finally here and the best way to explore the world's most beautiful cities and enjoy the sun rays has got to be by bicycle. With the exciting launch of London's very own bicycle hire scheme on 30 July, we look at our favourite city cycling holiday destinations.
Montreal cycling holidays
With its European-style charm, stunning architecture and riverside routes, biking around Montreal is sheer delight. Montreal's public bike system is called BIXI. Online credit card payments charge users around £3 for 24 hours, £18 for 30 days and £50 for six months, when the bikes are available for hire between May to November. The usage fees are simple too; with the first 30 minutes free of charge. Gift certificates are even available.
Paris cycling holidays
With 371km (230 miles) of dedicated cycle lanes, Paris is a fantastic city to explore by peddle-power. The self-service cycle scheme allows visitors to collect a bicycle from one of hundreds of stations across the city 24/7, allowing for complete freedom. The first 30 minutes are free, with the additional 30 minutes charged at €1, the following 30 at €2 and then €4 per 30 minutes thereafter. Visitors can subscribe for one day or one week, and the sign-up process is easy to navigate at any Vélib terminal with a valid debit or credit card.
London cycling holidays
A public bicycle sharing scheme spins into action in the capital from 30 July. Bikes will be available at 400 docking stations across central London. You have to be a member to benefit, with charges of £1 for 24 hours, £5 for a week and £45 for annual members. Additional usage fees will apply, based on the duration of the journey; the first 30 minutes are free, however. Available round-the-clock and year-round, the bikes are a fantastic, hassle-free transport option for Londoners and tourists alike to get across one of the world's most beautiful cities.
Amsterdam cycling holidays
The infamously flat city of Amsterdam is best explored on bicycle, with the only up-hill challenges in the form of a few sloping canal bridges. The cost-effective scheme is run by the Dutch national train company NS which offers rentals from train stations and various other locations across the city. Sign up costs €9.50 per year and bike rental is a mere €2.85 for a full 20 hours of use.
Lyon cycling holidays
Cycling is just the best way to explore Lyon's stunning architecture, riverside and historic districts. With 340 stations scattered all over the city, Lyon's rent-a-bike system is simple, practical and cheap: you'll need to register first (€1 for a day or €3 for a week), the first 30 minutes are free and the following hour is just €1 (€2 per hour thereafter). France's second biggest city also offers plenty of cultural and culinary delights to reward you along the way.
Seven Park Place, London
Located in a quiet cul-de-sac in London’s upscale Mayfair area, St James’s Hotel and Club looks and feels like a private members’ club.
As we make our way to the hotel’s acclaimed Seven Park Place restaurant, we’re swiftly taken to our table within minutes, past the hotel’s swish bar and the rest of the tiny 26-seat restaurant.
The private club feel continues inside, where the décor is quite unusual to say the least – black and white flower wallpaper covered with Frida-esque, brash-coloured paintings, square-shaped carpet, gold ceilings, and plastic, chain-link lamps. This mix and mash of clashing patterns and colours is not for the faint-hearted, but it works for me – in an Alice in Wonderland kind of way.
Our table, in the grand little back room, is big and plush. With only three tables and no posh background music, the room is quiet and intimate. Bookshelves, dim lighting and huge comfy yellow banquettes add a luxury homey feel to it. Our fellow diners are smartly dressed, distinguished couples. The luxurious, exclusive surroundings call for an aperitif.
As I sip my Bellini while trawling the simple two-page, mouth-watering menu, the restaurant manager brings us an unexpected amuse-bouche of lobster jelly with crème fraiche served in a mini cocktail glass. Fresh, clean and sophisticated, it’s a delight in the mouth. We’re happy to follow the manager’s wine-pairing suggestions as we order from the à la carte menu and realise we’re in for a treat, a top-end meal of carefully assorted flavours and exquisite food combinations by William Drabble.
If the name sounds familiar, that’s because Drabble cooked at London’s Michelin-starred Aubergine for 10 years, after taking it over from Gordon Ramsay in 1998. Drabble joined St James’s Hotel and Club only last October and redesigned the entire menu.
My starter of pan-fried foie gras with peach chutney and gingerbread demonstrates how Drabble’s food is the very essence of luscious, indulgent cooking. The sweetness of the peach perfectly complements the dryness of the gingerbread and richness of the foie gras. The refreshing glass of Riesling also helps wash down such a rich dish. Presentation is impeccable, like art on a plate. My partner’s lighter fare of warm salad of lobster with summer vegetables is also a winner.
For my main course, I’m glad I opted for the fillet of John Dory. A much lighter dish than my starter, it’s again perfectly cooked and beautifully presented. The fricassée of girolle mushrooms and langoustine accompanying it is an interesting combination. The girolles on their own seem to lack in flavour – so does the fish actually – but the magic of the dish resides in the blending of its ingredients. It was my partner’s turn to get indulgent and his loin of veal with foie gras sauce did not disappoint.
Feeling pretty filled up but well taken care of by the attentive staff, choosing a dessert proves harder than we think. Still, I can’t go without pudding (women seem to have a second stomach for all things sweet) and despite thinking we should share one, we end up ordering two: the white chocolate parfait with cherries and the poached peach with schnapps sorbet and lemon verbena. But first comes another surprise, a pre-dessert. The mini savarin (sponge cake soaked in raspberry liquor) with vanilla and raspberry cream goes down a treat.
The chocolate parfait is oddly presented – chocolate-filled cannellonis don’t look that appetising – but of course the chocolate is heavenly. We struggle to finish our plates while sipping yet another glass of sweet wine (Côteaux Du Layon and Muscat). And just when you think it’s over, there’s more! Yes a selection of just-baked petit fours come with the coffee. I can’t eat anymore but the mini chocolate macaroons are too hard to resist. Well I don’t regret it. It’s one of the best chocolate macaroons I have ever eaten.
For cooking this good, £45 for three courses is not exorbitant. Seven Park Place is elegant and exclusive but if you want a treat and can afford it, it won’t disappoint.
Seven Park Place
St James’s Hotel and Club, 7-8 Park Place, London, SW1A 1LS
Tel: (020) 7316 1600.
Website: www.stjamesclubandhotel.co.uk
Price: A three-course dinner for two including drinks (wine, water, coffee) and service costs about £160.
Coralie Modschiedler
Re Discover Sri Lanka in Feature, Holidays
With peace newly restored to beautiful Sri Lanka, this tear-shaped land of exotic beaches, vibrant culture and prowling wildlife is ready to be discovered once more. Daniel Neilson explores.
After clearing immigration at Sri Lanka's Bandaranaike International Airport, a sign met us: "Just arrived in the land of ------ miracles", the penultimate word covered in a patch of paper sellotaped to the poster. We later hear that the president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, himself demanded the word ‘small' be covered up on all tourism literature. "It's more than a small miracle," he allegedly argued. He was right.
The marvellous story of this tear-shaped - some say pear-shaped - island, linked by a thread of limestone shoals to India, is replete with myths of kings and concubines, and legends of medieval merchants who found such a vast wealth of spices and gems that the Sanskrit word for Sri Lanka, Swarnadip, became the word ‘serendipity'.
Following a bloody end to the 26-year Sri Lankan civil war between the Tamil Tigers and the government, and the recent tense election - and not forgetting the brutal devastation caused by the 2004 Asian tsunami - the country is finally enjoying peace and stability. Sri Lanka is on the tourist map once more, and visitors will find much to enthral.
Sigiriya
Near the geographical heart of Sri Lanka is Sigiriya, or Lion Rock. The most remarkable of Sri Lanka's seven UNESCO World Heritage sites, Sigiriya is a colossal rock, jutting out of the jungle. Through head-high lion claws carved at the base, a rickety iron staircase climbs around the overhangs and rocky undulations to a flat (ish) summit. Walls are decorated with remarkable fifth-century frescoes of scantily-clad, voluptuous ‘heavenly maidens'. On top are the remains of a palace, carved out during the reign of King Kashyapa I (AD 477-495). Sigiriya forms the centrepiece of what is known as the ‘cultural triangle', along with the Jethwana and Abhayagiri monastery at Anuradhapura, the Alahana Pirivena monastic university and the royal city of Polonnaruwa, and the caves of Dambulla.
Nuwara Eliya
Sri Lanka is the fourth largest tea producer in the world, and the central highland town of Nuwara Eliya - a bizarre mix of Sri Lankan highland life and Scottish colonial heritage, with a pleasant climate and breathtaking valley views - is considered the hub of the country's tea industry. A visit to a tea plantation, such as Glenloch, is a fascinating insight into your Ceylon tea bag. Nuwara Eliya also makes a great base when visiting Horton Plains National Park: a grassy sanctuary home to leopard, sambar, and the purple-faced langur.
Yala National Park
Yala National Park, in the southeast of Sri Lanka, has what is thought to be the highest density of the endangered Sri Lankan leopard in the world. Although infiltrated by the Tamil Tigers as recently as 2008, and also acutely affected by the Asian tsunami, Yala is once again becoming Sri Lanka's key safari destination. Here, leopards are (fairly) easily found, along with crocodiles and buffalo. (Or, even better, crocodiles eating buffalo.) Another alluring national park is Minneriya National Park - home to an abundance of elephants and birdlife.
Galle
In the southeast corner is Sri Lanka's loveliest town: Galle. Pass a day wandering the ramparts and sea wall of the old colonial fortified city. The ubiquitous tuk tuks zoom around ox-pulled carts, and children play cricket on the greens, while the braver teenagers leap from the sea wall into deep and impossibly narrow pools among the rocks. Take tea in the colonial Amangalla Hotel, or grab a kadala - a fiery mix of chickpeas, chillies, curry leaves, onions and coconut eaten from a newspaper cone. Galle is most famous for its literary festival held each January; the 2010 festival saw author Ian Rankin and historian Antony Beevor descend on the town. Galle is also home to one of Sri Lanka's best hotels, Galle Fort Hotel.
Beaches
Whether it's marvelling at the stilt fishermen around Galle, or watching them haul the nets in, sat down reading an Michael Ondaatje novel, or riding a an elephant along pristine sand, much of Sri Lankan life, and tourism, happens on the beaches. The west and southern beaches are warmest between October and March, and the east coast beaches best March to October. There are dozens of good hotels just north of the capital Colombo in the town of Negombo; the Jetwing Beach is an excellent option. The seas can be rough around the southern coast - but the beaches remain spectacular.
Trincomalee
Described by British Admiral Horatio Nelson as "the finest harbour in the world", Trincomalee (or Trinco to the locals) has always been fought over, and its residents experienced some of the worst fighting during the recent war. Today, the Government soldiers, fingers on the triggers of AK-47s, watch over the town. However, this is a both fascinating and safe location, and one which deserves an afternoon spent walking the streets and markets, and chatting to the very friendly locals - cricket being the popular topic of choice.
Author:Daniel Neilson
Las Vegas
A surprising choice as your favourite city, Las Vegas means the ‘meadows’ in Spanish, but meadows are probably the only thing you can not find here. Even for those who are not interested in gambling, Las Vegas is one of the most exciting cities in the world. ‘The trip’, in the centre of town, is five kilometres of the most extravagant hotels you will ever see including replicas of the Eiffel Tower, the Egyptian Pyramids and ancient Roman Palaces. It uses almost 24,000 kilometres of neon lights! Famous for its ‘quickie’ weddings (boths Elvis Presley and Richard Gere were married here) you can even arrange a ‘drive through wedding’ and be back in the casinos in an hour!
According to a viewer:‘There can be no other place like this on earth-it’s like entering a cartoon world’.
Bellagio Hotel
The musical Fountain in front of Bellagio Hotel
Luxor sphinx
The spinx
Halloween at Bellagio
Cesars Palace
Eiffel Tower view
Flamingo pool
Casino
Paris hotel
Venice nataliza
Cherry blossoms in America
At 3 months last year, the citizens of Washington capital come to two sides of Tidal Basin lake to view cherry blossoms blooming and taking photographs in flower festival. Images on Reuters.
|
|
|---|
