Glory Tuesday

Illinois is a fascinating state to tour and there are so many interesting things to see and to do.  Southern Illinois was home to many early settlers.  The Mississippi at Wolf Lake is a wonderful place to explore or head to where it meets the Ohio River and the Shawnee National Forest at the southern point of the state in the Cairo area.  In this area there is a rich history of the Civil War to explore as well as viewing the beautiful scenery.  There are many small towns and villages with extensive antebellum architecture to explore and wineries to spend some time at.

One way of exploring Illinois is to follow the flow of the Mississippi along the western edge of the state.  This drive is known as the Great River Road and stretches for 550 miles.  Along the road you can explore many small towns as well as take in some marvelous river views.  This road is often referred to as the heart of America because it encapsulates some 4 centuries of the country via historical locations and landscapes.

Another driving tour occurs for 3 days in October.  It takes place at twelve family farms in rural McHenry County, Illinois.  These farms are open to the public and offer a view of country life during the fall.  Be prepared for plenty of outdoor activities as well as good food, pumpkins, antiques and arts & crafts.

Illinois Wine Country incorporates over 90 wineries as well as 450 vineyards.  They can be toured and offer an amazing range of hand crafted wines.  The state has a history of winemaking, but it was not until fairly recently that the industry exploded and is now one of the leading producers in the country.  A nice way to experience the wine country is to stay at the many bed and breakfasts located near to the vineyards.

Article by the Illinois DUI attorney offering legal advice to drivers across the state.

As globalization starts to hit its full stride, the number of people who spend their lives traveling, whether for business or pleasure, continues to increase. Global companies and global internet means that more and more people are living in one country and working in another, or multiples of each. Corporations with offices around the world require a more mobile workforce and that workforce requires insurance.

Most frequent international travelers are on business trips. They may spend years hopping from country to country and demanded by their job, with short trips home in between. While they are traveling, they need to make sure they have adequate insurance such as a Bajaj Allianz travel insurance policy.

Travel insurance covers medical emergencies and even evacuation back to a patient’s home country. Comprehensive policies will cover other things like baggage, passport loss and even personal liability. some companies also include emergency cash advances and other services to aid during trip delay. International business travelers should be able to find the right coverage for whatever countries they need.

Soaring 880 feet above sea level, tourists and travelers may find themselves walking on the roof of the highest observation spot in Sydney, Australia. Located on the tallest building in the city, the Sydney Tower, the tour known as Skywalk takes an hour and requires no advanced booking, running approximately once an hour. At the literal height of the experience, you’ll find yourself at twice the height of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and at about the same height as Paris’ Eiffel Tower.

In order to take the Skywalk, you’ll be given a Skysuit to protect you, a suit that contains a safety-harness that’s attached to the outdoor walkways, allowing you to see the whole of Sydney far below. You’ll also be able to walk out onto a glass-floor viewing platform which provides a view of 360 degrees. It’s not for those with a fear of heights, but if you do have a fear and still want to go, you’re not prevented. You’re just asked to inform the guides so that they can make sure you have a safe and comfortable time.

The tour is hosted by Skyguides who provide commentary about Sydney, discussing the city’s beaches and distant Blue Mountains. There are age restrictions, though. Only people above the age of ten may go, and children between the ages of ten and 17 years old must be accompanied by an adult.

After such an adrenalin rush, you may want to find your way back to your Sydney accomodations , where you can relax and catch your breath, before heading out to dinner and a night of entertainment.

When visiting Washington DC, there are hundreds of sights to see, however listed below are 5 sights that shouldn’t be missed.

The National Gallery of Art , home to the Armand Hammer collection is located at 4th and Constitution Avenue NW. Once there, you’ll be able to peruse a wide range of world-class art collections from American Modernism of the Shein Collection to the German Master Drawings from the Wolfgang Ratjen Collection. The Gallery guarantees you’ll find an art style to suit your taste.

Visit the new Elvis exhibit for some hip-shaking fun at Washington’s Neweum . The Elvis exhibit is currently the hottest tickets in town and will run through February 14, 2011. Located at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue and 6th Street, within walking distance from a few of the luxury hotels Washington DC offers its visitors.

The Library of Congress: a Citadel of Learning. You definitely don’t want to miss the opportunity is visit the largest library in the world; filled with millions of books, recordings, photographs, manuscripts, and maps. Continual exhibitions, lectures and concerts are absolutely free to the general public.

Take in the aesthetic beauty and history of our nation’s capital with a Segway Tour. A Segway Night tour will take you by many of the city’s most important landmarks such as the Lincoln Memorial, the White House and the Smithsonian Institution.

After the Segway tour, it’s time to take a night-time cruise on the Potomac aboard the Odyssey, which offers a moonlit glance at Washington’s famous monuments; a most memorable experience.

Montreal is one of the most beautiful cities in Canada, as well as throughout the world. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec and the second largest in the country. It follows behind Toronto in terms of population of the overall metropolitan regions. The greater Toronto metropolitan area has a population of over 5,100,000 people and Montreal has over 3,600,000. Vancouver is third largest with population of over 2,100,000. In addition to being one of Canada’s largest cities it is also one of the urban regions that has a predominate French speaking primary language.

In addition to all of the people and French words that can be found and heard in Montreal it also has some of the country’s most popular landmarks and cultural attractions. People from all over the world visit this city and do so for a variety of reasons. Some of the city’s churches and cathedrals are also some of its most beautiful landmarks. Montreal is an amazing city with a tremendous amount to offer the guests in any one of the Montreal Hotels . The Notre Dame Basilica, The Queen of the World Cathedral and Saint Joseph’s Oratory, which is also the largest church in Canada are just a few. In addition there are a number of impressive cultural establishments such as the Place des Arts , which is a large complex of various theatre and concert venues and halls.

While visiting the city of Stockholm Sweden you will want to head over to see the ship of King Gustav II Adolf from the Vasa Dynasty. They named the ship after the family name and it is a major heirloom to the city today. When Gustav inherited the throne there were three wars going on one with Russia, Denmark and Poland. This king needed the baddest warship he could build. And so came the Vasa.

After two years of hard work the ship left the dock for her maiden voyage in August of 1628 but ended up sinking in the middle of the harbor only meters away from the dock. There were some things salvaged from the bottom of the harbor over the next few years but mostly it just sat on the floor until the mid 1900s.

By 1990 the ship had been removed from the bottom of the sea along with many of its contents and had been restored. It has become Vasa Museum that takes visitors back hundreds of years in culture and maritime design. So while you are staying at one of the Stockholm hotels you really should go see some wonderful, well restored, displays of Swedish history.

The Art Institute of Colorado , located in Denver on 1200 Lincoln Street, has students come from across the country and around the world to attend the Institutes excellent art curriculum. These students strive for excellence in art and are dedicated to learning all aspects of art. Faculty members, by bringing in their professional experience into the classroom, teach a broad range of creativity, knowledge and techniques. The AICs staff is also as dedicated as the students by contributing numerous support services. Put all three together and an atmosphere of discovery, adventure and experiencing new challenges in applied arts is achieved.

Students learn from professional artists in a hands-on environment. They will also get the opportunity to make career contacts as well as making lifelong friends with similar interests. AIC asks their students to take an active part in their education by taking responsibility for their education that involves becoming fully engaged with eyes and mind wide open.

Evening and Weekend option are available at the Art Institute of Colorado for students who cannot attend during the day. A degree can still be earned during evenings and weekends, with an online and on-ground format.

If you’d like to find out more, book a room at one of the Colorado boutique hotels nearby and attend their Open House on September 11, 2010 to see what they can offer you in ways you thought could not be achieved in the field of art.

There is a great afternoon and evening waiting at Miners Landing on Pier 57 in Seattle. This pier is also a historical area of the city. Schwabacher Wharf was the original name of this pier when it opened in 1872. It was the center of ships coming and going so it was caught in the middle of many of the interesting events of Seattle’s history. It was one of the few places to survive the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 and it was at the forefront of rebuilding the Seattle we know of today.

The pier is easy to get to from the best seattle hotels and currently has lots of places to walk, shop and eat in the sea side town, Miners Landing . You will find some of the countries best seafood at one of the many restaurants like The Crab Pot, Fisherman’s Restaurant, the Salmon Cooker and the Alaskan Sourdough Bakery.

Send your kids over to the Seattle Waterfront Arcade while you browse the handful of shops. Take a ride on the vintage Carousel that is indoors. If you are planning a special family or business gathering you may want to check out Miners Landing as a place to host your party. All in all it is a great day hanging out long the historical wharf of Seattle.

Music is generally accepted as the main concert attraction in Las Vegas though comedy shows are also extremely popular and are frequently the favorite of many of the city’s tourists. Major names like Joan Rivers , Rita Rudner and Penn and Teller are some of the biggest names associated with the Vegas stage, though there are numerous other celebrity performers that will perform regularly, semi regularly or with a basic series schedule each year. Las Vegas continues to be one of the top places to see great comedy shows as well as music concerts. The Las Vegas hotels are full of, gambling opportunities obviously, some of the top names in all performance fields and comedy is one of the favorites.

Performers like David Spade will present a specific series of shows and these are always popular with tourists. Some people travel to the city to see a particular person they know will be performing there while others look for these major names who also appear in town. Louie Anderson , Jerry Seinfeld and Adam Sandler are other top names who have performed and some even are currently scheduled for shows in Vegas. In addition, the city has great local comedians that perform in smaller clubs and there are numerous sketch comedy groups and events that are popular as well. The Second City is one of the most famous improvisational groups and it is one of the favorite spots for many tourists to visit while they are in town.

There are so many great historic landmarks in the city of London that deciding where you want to go can be a difficult process. The Globe Theatre is one of the most popular attractions and is also one of the city’s most significant landmarks. It exists on the exact location of where William Shakespeare originally built his theatre, though the current building is actually a reproduction of the original theatre, which had a few unfortunate occurrences, and I’m not talking about bad performances or stinking reviews. The contemporary reproduction version draws huge crowds who just want to see the building and even more who want to watch an actual performance.

The Globe was originally constructed in 1599 and it was built using the wood from the company’s former theatre, which was simply called The Theatre. It was only thirteen years later that the Globe saw its first tragedy as it erupted into flames during a performance of Henry the Eighth. The theatre was rebuilt the following year though later in 1642 the Puritans would raze this theatre and the others when they closed them down and made the art illegal. Shakespeare had long retired and had passed on by this time.

The contemporary Globe Theatre exists in the same location as the original on the west side of the Southwark Bridge Road. The modern version first opened to audiences in 1997 and has been bringing the bard’s productions to the new stage on a regular basis since then. It can be a thrilling event to see the plays performed on a stage that is almost identical to the one used by Shakespeare and is in fact in the same location. Romeo and Juliet, A Mid Summer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night continue to be popular audience hits. The new theatre seats approximately three thousand people, which would have been similar to the original house. It includes both balcony seating and the floor or standing space, which was traditionally reserved for the penny groundlings. This is one of the favorite things to do for guests in the great hotels in London .