Surfing The Channel

Archive for July, 2010

Dallas is one of the great cultural centers of Texas as well as the nation. And theatre in Dallas is one of the thriving artist genres that is well respected and strongly supported by the community. It is frequently theorized that any city or civilization is only as great as its arts and this is demonstrated by those found in Dallas. The Dallas Theatre Center is one of the great establishments in the city that offers a diverse selection of plays from various genres and styles. In addition, they have a strong focus on education and performance based outreach programs that are popular with the community.

The fall season at the center begins with a full force production of William Shakespeare’s Henry IV. Kevin Moriarty is directing this favorite among the bard’s history plays and it will be presented in the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center . The play will open on September 10 and run for a month concluding on October 10. The next production also represents the diversity of shows presented by this company. Rain, by Regina Taylor, will have its world premiere in a co-production with the Goodman Theatre. It is scheduled to open on November 5 and will run through December 5. Check for the Dallas hotel rates on specific days if you plan to be in town for this or other productions.

If you’ve come to Manila, Philippines, then it’s likely you have an interest in history, and one of the best ways to find out the stories of this 439 year old city, founded in June of 1571 by three Spanish conquistadors, is to get out of the hotel suites and take a walking tour of sites that have existed for centuries.

On the Old Manila Walks tour , you’ll discover the actual story behind the fusion of so many countries — of Malasia, China, Spain, America, and Japan. Starting out with the original walled city of Manila, the Intramuros walk takes you to the origins of Manila four centuries ago, beginning at the Plaza Roma. You’ll make your way to the Manila Cathedral, then the San Agustin Church and Museum Complex, followed by the Barrio San Luis, and the Intramuros Wall. As part of the tour, there’s an optional fine-dining lunch or dinner in a pre-war home close to Malacanang Palace. The Legarda mansion serves classic Filipino menus here, in a 1930s style setting. The walk lasts approximately three hours.

If the walking tour hasn’t tired you too much the first day, and if you can rouse yourself from the comfortable rooms at the Manila hotels , then you might work your way through Chinatown in Binondo. Here, you’ll start at a 16th century Baroque cathedral, and work your way to a Chinese shrine. You’ll start at Plaza Calderon dela Barca, and continue on to the Basilica de San Lorenzo Ruiz, finally ending at Ongpin Street and the Carvajal Alley Market, simultaneously experiencing the culture, history, and cuisine of Manila.

There are so many things to see and do when you visit Seattle, Washington that many people are completely engaged in the standard tourist attractions, while others are so overwhelmed by what all the city has to offer that they completely miss seeing the obvious sights. And that’s a pretty difficult thing to do seeing that you will almost literally run into the Pike Place Market if you head to the western edge of the city and the Space Needle can be seen from all over and is one of the major landmarks and visual recognition points. But overlooking these aspects of two of the most famous and popular attractions in the city, it can be easy to understand how they are completely missed with so much else to do and see.

The Seattle boutique hotels will likely remind guests, as if that is actually really even necessary, that the Space Needle and market are there and will also guide visitors in the right direction. Again, that’s not a difficult task. However, they are also excellent guiding resources for other cultural attractions in the city such as the Seattle Art Museum , which will open its highly anticipated Picasso exhibit this October and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra . In addition, there are numerous theatre companies throughout the city and great live music venues. Rounding this off with great restaurants and fabulous shopping opportunities it easy to forget to visit, wait what are they again?

There are many quality cultural establishments and respected arts organizations in the city of Sydney that contributes to its overall atmosphere of sophistication and style. Companies such as Opera Australia and numerous theatre organizations as well as museums contribute to this image. The Opera Australia is the country’s principle opera house, which is fitting due to its name, and is also the third busiest opera in the world. It has received international recognition and acclaim, and has one of the longest standard seasons, which lasts for eight months out of the year.

It has an extremely large audience base and can record well over 200 performances a year with an attendance that surpasses 300,000 patrons. It is one of the principle attractions for many people who are visiting the country and staying in one of the great hotels in Sydney and tourists account for a large portion of the audience. However, that does not overshadow or even compare to the enormous amount of support and respect it receives from the community. The company has one of the highest rates of funding that comes directly from ticket sales. One of the most famous performances given by the company occurred in the early 1990s and featured Dame Joan Sutherland in Baz Luhrmann’s production of La Boheme by Puccinni.

Many people who want to visit New York have plans to tour some of the great museums in the city. And while this is one of the popular tourist activities, as well as one that is frequently engaged in by residents, it is important to know that you don’t actually have to go to a museum in Manhattan to see great art. The city is full of public art and sculpture as well as privately commissioned works that come and go across the city throughout the year. This is one of the ways that residents are extremely lucky, they constantly have a flow of great art appearing on their city streets and rarely have to step foot into a gallery to see it. However, and this is the important part, they do go to the galleries and museums. New York has one of the highest are enthusiastic and supportive communities in the world, and this is part of what makes the city thrive.

The guests in Manhattans best hotels are more than encouraged to visit some of the great museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art and the Brooklyn Museum , among many others, as well as some of the great galleries. However, it is also extremely fulfilling and can be a special part of your trip to take in some of the public and privately commissioned art that is out in public spaces.

Parks throughout New York are full of art. Central Park has numerous sculptures and exhibit areas, it also happens to be across the street from the Met, and visitors have the opportunity to view them as they enjoy a relaxing afternoon. Some of the other current outdoor art installations include Stephen Vitiello’s A Bell For Every Minute, which is a dynamic sound installation. It can be found on the 14th street passage. Various artists contributed to the installation at City Hall , which is titled Statuesque and features various alternative sculpture interpretations. Wherever you go in New York, you are more than likely to find some beautiful public art.