Of course one of the most common associations to Orlando, Florida is all of the great theme parks that are located there. This is also one of the reasons why it continually ranks as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. And while this is the most popular and well known outsider aspects of the city there are actually a great deal more cultural attractions and outstanding entertainment establishments in the city.

If only the guests in a great Orlando hotel had time to experience the entire city during their stay, but alas, that actually doesn’t happen anywhere. So, it’s best to keep in mind some of the attractions that most people find enticing in addition to the great theme parks.

If you’re looking for something along the lines of great classical music while you’re in town the Orlando Philharmonic Symphony ranks among the best in the state. It serves as the resident orchestra of Central Florida and its diverse repertoire and performance schedule attract numerous tourists and also retain strong support from the community. One of the favorite aspects of their season is the Super Series, which is comprised of ten concerts featuring the best of pops and the classics. And of course there is an excellent summer series schedule to accommodate the seasonal visitors.

Summer is fast approaching and there’s a wide variety of places to visit all with their individual merits. But are you certain the city you pick will fit the wants of everyone in your family? Seriously give Boston Massachusetts some consideration this year. No matter what you are interested in you will be able to find something that catches your eye in this city. Whether you love history or want to squeeze something educational into your child’s travels like a trip to the Aquarium or want to have a whirlwind of nightlife and shopping this is the city to go to.

Boston has a wide range of music to sample. The wide number of colleges and universities of located in and around Boston offer a favorable environment for non-commercial music to be played. Several schools have their own radio stations and also supply a steady stream of young patrons for the local nightclubs and bars where local bands play. If you’re into Punk music the widely popular band The Dropkick Murphys call Boston home as do the Dresden Dolls. Not your scene? There are also large followings of Reggae, Blues, and Heavy Metal or a variety of clubs and bars that cater to all tastes.

If you’re coming to the city for a family vacation be sure to look at the Back Bay district when selecting a Boston hotel . Most of these hotels are within easy walking distance of museums, the aquarium, and the shopping district. Not to mention most of them being located almost immediately on the Freedom Trail. There are a variety of activities that will fascinate your child; from watching or riding a swan boat at the Boston Common to visiting the Franklin Park Zoo where you can experience lions up close or their Butterfly Landing exhibit.

Traveling with someone that isn’t interested in music, parks, or museums? You might want to drop by Fenway Park if they enjoy sports or maybe The Sports Museum if baseball isn’t their speed. Maybe they would be interested in a tour of the Samuel Adams Brewery or Harpoon Brewery, the perfect side trip if you enjoy the smell of freshly brewed beer, not unlike the smell of baking bread. If you prefer a more literary leaning there are hundreds of book stores many with a rich history like the Brattle Book Shop of Boston, the oldest antiquarian bookstore in the country with over 200,000 out of print books and other media.

We came to London with the idea that we might see ghosts, but instead, we left completely enchanted.  This had nothing to do with our own personal charms, but only due to the lovely ambiance at our hotel.  London is a great place to be if you’re with the one you love.  It’s also a great place for ghosts, however.  A few years ago, I came here for a few weeks to work on a laboratory production of a collaborative piece.  We were developing it around the theme of ghosts and memory.  I remember it was a particularly gloomy winter here, and that made it seem even more perfect for the work we were doing.

It would be a year or so until I met my partner, so I was very much alone, and very deep into the idea of playing the part with as much truth as I could muster.  I saw my character as dark, haunted, angry, and very isolated in a kind of self-imposed exile.  I was really very difficult to be around, even more than now, but I really felt that it was for the good of the role I was playing.  Of course, since this was company-created, I was solely responsible for the role I was creating, and it was all up to me, really.  I still acted as though I were suffering for this, having to give up my usual good nature, which is a nature I have never been comfortable in.  I completely forgot that we were also supposed to be working with ghosts, but no one approached me on this, since I was already deep in my artistic suffering.

We were basing some of the work in Corporeal Mime, and it was a great experience for me, because I could see my own obsessions and thoughts spelling themselves out in extraordinary dimensions.  As the time progressed, I could also see my own boring preoccupations for what they were, and sometime before the opening, I panicked.  I was having a very useful and overdue meltdown, and I thought I could not go on because I was not like the thing I was portraying.  Of course, I was that, along with many other things besides, and that was the door that opened up to an interest in ghosts, and an ability to be enchanted.

Phoenix is a collective series of multiple contradictions, beginning with the lawn.  The city was designed on an idea of Americana, where the picket fence sensibility was transplanted here in the 1950s and has stayed for reasons that are perhaps lost by now.  The lawns are still here, however, and some of the greenest lawns in the world dot the suburbs, despite the geography of the desert.  At the same time, there are many who claim that it is still a desert in terms of sensibility and culture, but the demographics suggest otherwise.  It’s one of the largest cities in the U.S., with a diverse population whose sensibilities certainly find their way into the art scene.

There is an art scene here, too, and it is thriving.  Perhaps not economically, but then, what city can claim this these days, but in terms of ideas and creative people, there is a lot to see here.  The summers, of course, are incredibly hot, with unearthly temperatures that make pit bulls shudder, but the rest of the year, it is truly a paradise.  The deep beauty of the desert is apparent everywhere, and there are plenty of urban adventures as well.  For accommodations in Phoenix, luxury hotels are very popular, because the sensibility here is very high on hospitality, and the locals know how to have fun.  During your stay, if you happen to be lucky enough to be in town for a Stray Cat production, check it out.

It’s a hot ticket, and they do sell out pretty quickly, so plan ahead.  The company began in the new millennium, which seems somehow appropriate.  This is theatre for a new generation.  Some of the best elements of contemporary U.S. realism work their way in to a decidedly experimental aesthetic.  Some of the best local performers work with this company at one time or another, and local director Ron May has been getting some of the attention he deserves.  He isn’t the only director at Stray Cat, but he’s one of the most interesting in the country, and it’s terribly exciting to see his work evolve in a rather spectacular direction.

Singapore has long desired to become a cultural and artistic hub. One of the aspects of a city or a neighborhood that contributes to this attainment of artistic stature, is the talent and the inspiration of a city’s own, their own people creating works of music, theater, and art. Many of the businesses on the island support the local art scene, such as the cafes, the restaurants and the business hotels. Singapore artists work to become recognized first locally and then internationally. One of Singapore’s “own” is an extremely accomplished and self taught artist Chong Fah Cheong. Chong was born in Singapore in 1946. He was raised by a medical doctor and part of a very large family. He is considered to be one of the pioneering sculptors of not only his time, but of all time in Singapore. He now lives and works in Canada, however he exhibits frequently in the galleries and the shows in Singapore and has quite a number of public works installed throughout the city.

As with the case of many self-taught artists, Chong showed an interest and a talent for the arts at an early age. And, as with many of those self-taught artists, he went on in life to pursue work outside of the field. He studied to become a teacher in a Missionary school, St. Joseph’s, but found that the religious life was not a life he wanted to be immersed in. He left and joined secular society in 1967. He was soon married and had two children. He continued school at the National University in Singapore. After one year, he and his family moved to England where he took up his boyhood interest, and studied art. He then moved back to Singapore where he became once again, a teacher at Saint Patrick’s School. As luck, and destiny, would have it, he found his voice, and now his vocation, through a random happening.

Some of the trees on the grounds of the school had been cut down. A colleague suggested he put the wood to use in his art class. He experimented with the wood, and in doing so, his interest in creating his own work was ignited. He now enjoys the fruits of a career most passionate and whimsical. All based on techniques that are self-taught. In 1978, he became a successful sculptor, but continued to teach. He has been an art lecturer as well, from time to time. But his iconic sculptures contribute to the incredible, and the growing, public art scene in his homeland of Singapore. Many pieces of Chong’s are installed along the Singapore River, alongside the works of Salvador Dali. And while Dali is famous and well respected, the people of Singapore admire and love Chong, as his pieces along the river, chronicle the history of their lives, and the history of the entire island.

Birmingham, known as the second city of the United Kingdom and is one of many cities that make up the West Midlands. In fact, it is just about in the center of the region, and the city itself now sits where the Forest of Arden was many, many years ago. Hills, and valleys, mountains and forests, this is Shakespeare’s country and that fact is still alive and well today. The number of theaters and amount of productions happening every year in Birmingham, is second only to the city of London. The city is also extremely well known for their dance companies, their art galleries, the symphony and the opera. It is no wonder that this is one of the most visited cities in the United Kingdom year after year, with people traveling from England and Scotland, as well as those from around the world, for a visit to a local restaurant or pub, a night out with the Shakespeare theater or the Welsh National Opera and then a night in at a quaint or perhaps historic Birmingham hotel.

This year in particular is special for the city, as the Birmingham Royal Ballet theater will celebrate their 20th anniversary. There will be celebrations and special performances throughout 2009, and the premier performance of David Bintley’s new ballet. The company has had residence in the Birmingham Hippodrome for the ten years, and has continued to strive for the best. Director, Bintley stated that they remain very well aware of how the audience is enjoying their work and do all that they can to ensure that the performances they give are vibrant, interesting and innovative. The company has worked very hard over the last 20 years, and has gained respect and love not only from the people of Birmingham, but internationally as well as they become more of a force in the classical dance world around the globe. This year promises to be an incredible one, as the company will perform not only new and collaborative works, but past works from their repertoire as well, a kind of history of performance giving back to and thanking the Birmingham audiences for their support and loyalty and love.

The club on Bleeker street, known as CBGB’s was founded in 1973, by Hilly Kristal. The music intended to be featured was the namesake, that of country, blue grass, and blues. But in the way that things happen in Manhattan, for no explicable reason save for a sign of the times, this became a well-known venue for punk rock. The Dead Boys, The Ramones , Blondie, and Sick of It All are famous hard-core bands that played there over the years and ensured the reputation of the club. The club stood beside the well known record store and cafe of the same name for many years. In the 1980’s the record store closed its doors but the venue did re-open as a gallery and second performance space. This space, unlike the original, became a popular performance space for more acoustic rock. With experimental jazz and folk being hi-lighted.

Originally, the acronym OMFUG was part of the official title of the club. Standing for Other Music for Gormadizers. The word, ‘Gormandizer’ generally refers to one who ravenously eats food, but owner Kristal, determined it to stand for those who eat up music, and just can not get enough. And while the intention was for nights of poetry and folk/country music, this small bar became the birth-place of punk rock music in the United States. During the 1970’s there were not many clubs, New York hotel suites, or venues for unsigned bands to have a chance to perform. CBGB’s change all that nonsense. Although not labeled as punk rock yet, the bands that played during this decade set the tone for what was to become, and what was to become famous. Early, unknown at the time, the regular house band on Sunday nights was Television. Most insist that it was this group that brought punk rock to the city, however, Kristal’s son, a music fan and officiando claims that it happened prior, the moment that Tom Verlaine stepped on stage there for the first time. But no music historian can deny that Television started the wave of ’street music’, a term used to describe punk rock music at the time. Sadly, the club closed in 2006, with Patti Smith giving the final performance. A clothing store was put in place, but that closed as well, in 2008. A bit of history gone, but not forgotten. Many travel to the city to take photos of what is no longer there, either remembering past shows, or wishing they’d been lucky enough to see just one.

Located in the center of the Bronx, just 20 minutes from Grand Central Station and New York airport hotels, is the Botanical Garden. In middle of the bustling city lies 85 acres of exotic plant life, dramatic landscapes with cliffs and waterfalls, rapids, and ancient trees, a natural history of plants and flowers. The Azalea garden alone, is larger than most other botanical gardens of other cities all over the world. Along with the Azalea garden there is a garden of rocks, of plants native to the geographical region, two lakes and the Bronx river. Over 700,000 visitors come to the garden every year and in the next seven years they will witness the changes as the garden will go through renovations and reconstruction. The garden of native plants and garden of azaleas will be created anew, while the forest will be restored. All three projects involve the creation of programs in the education and preservation department for all ages of students.

The reconstruction, funded by the Leon Levy Foundation, has the intention of the educating the public on ecosystems natural to the area, the natural plant life indigenous to the Eastern regions of the United States. The Native Plant Garden is scheduled to re-open in 2012, at the end of the summer. The forest is getting ‘cleaned out’ and restored as crews work to remove the exotic plants that have been placed there over the year, and being re-planted with the wildflowers and trees and other shrubbery that would naturally be growing there. The exotics have squeezed the locals out, and the restoration insures that the species native to the area will be able to grow and thrive in the future. As the forest in the garden gets a face lift, classes and seminars are being planned with the hopes of educating visitors on environmental concerns and the impact the environment has on the ecosystems that live in the natural forests, not just in the garden or in the Bronx, but in forests all over North America and the rest of the world as well. The Azalea garden will open in 2011, with an added 3,000 plants to the already large inventory. Combined with the azaleas will be other flowers and bulbs, planted with care to ensure a flowering and blooming hill side all year long. And in springtime, other gardens will be hard pressed to display such color as will be witnessed here in this garden in the Bronx. These changes will have an affect and will inspire for generation upon generation of visitors in the years to come.

The Hudson river in New York is named for Henry Hudson the man who discovered it. Not only did he discover the river he is responsible for creating the transportation system for the city, forever making history. Many things have changed since that time, but one thing remains the same and it is the relationship between Netherlands and the United States. The Quadricentennial celebration this year is in honor of both the landing of Henry Hudson 400 years ago in North American and the relation between the two countries, between the city of New York, once called New Amsterdam, and the city of Amsterdam. Throughout all of 2009, the two will exchange gifts, things such as artwork and tulips, festivals and conservation ideas, the main gift to the city of Manhattan being a pavilion. This will be designed by the architect Ben van Berkel of Amsterdam. This will be constructed on the site of Nieuw Amsterdam Plein, just aside Battery Park in Manhattan. It is meant to commemorate and honor the shared history of the cities in the past, and what promises to be a lasting relationship into the future.

The two cities are even exchange programs for job swaps, bringing Americans to Holland and vice-versa. The two governments will conduct seminars and conventions, bringing people together to discuss such topics as water management and health care. “Starry Night’ the Van Gogh painting permanently housed at the Metropolitan Museum in New York will be transported back to the Netherlands for the fist time, and will become the focus at the Van Gogh Museum in downtown Amsterdam. Many celebrations and parties will be held in the streets as well as in Amsterdam’s five star hotels, in honor of the painting and of the artist. And just last week, the Keukenhof Spring Garden opened. And as tribute, over 50,000 flower bulbs were planted in order to create the Statue of Liberty in a mosaic in the center of the park. And in New York, famous designers from Amsterdam have designed a path in the New York Botanical Garden, with the seasons in mind. The shapes and the colors of the park will change throughout the year as various flowers come into bloom. These celebrations of shared values and friendship with continue all year long.

With Delhi Fashion Week only hours away, designers and buyers are looking forward to a number of exciting event, in spite of the wanning global economy. DFW is scheduled for March 19 -23 at the Emporio Mall in New Delhi.

This year’s event seeks to encourage young and emerging designers. While the 37 designers scheduled to show their lines include Indian powerhouses like Mailini Ramani, Rohit Bal, and Tarun Tahiliani, younger artists will also be able to showcase their designs to buyers.

While the state of the world economy is expected to slow down the overall growth of the Indian design market, organizers are confident that the healthy local market combined with an increased number of West Asian buyers will make the event a success. DFW president, Sumeet Nair, stated that West Asian participation has grown “by up to 30 percent this year.”

With Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week running concurrently with DFW, expect to see the rich and fabulous filling up the five star hotels in New Delhi. They are also likely to turn up at area restaurants and night clubs during the six-day event.

One new feature for 2009 is the addition of “off-site” shows. These are designed to provide larger collections for buyers than can be displayed during runway shows.

Anyone visiting Kuala Lumpur should consider taking a trip to the Batu Caves. Only 8 miles outside the city, the caves are located in a limestone hill in the Gombak district. Actually a series of limestone caves, the structure also features some beautiful cave temples. Batu is named for the Batu River (Sungai Batu) and shares its name with a village in the area.

It is believed that the Batu Caves have existed for some 400 million years and some of the entrances were used by the Temuan people (an indigenous tribe of Orang Asli) as shelters. Chinese settles harvested bat guano as fertilizer from the caves beginning in 1860. The caves gained fame in 1878 when colonial authorities mapped and documented the area.

As one of the most popular Hindu shrines that exists outside of India, the Batu Caves attracts millions of tourists every year. The main cave temple is dedicated to Lord Muruga. Over 1.5 million pilgrims come to the shrine during the annual Thaipusam festive, which concludes at the caves.

The Sri Subramania Swamy murti was installed in 1891 and the first Thaipusam festival was celebrated there the following year. In 1920 wooden steps were constructed leading to the Temple Cave. They were later replaced by concrete.

The Cathedral Cave (also known simply as the Temple) features a vaulted ceiling that rises 100 meters from the floor and houses several ornate shrines. Two other cave temples are the Museum Cave and the Art Gallery Cave. The latter two were recently renovated and renamed the Cave Villa. Other points of interest at Batu include the tallest Murugan statue in the world, which is 140 feet tall and the Ramayana Cave which chronicles the story of Rama.

Those wishing to witness the Thaipusam festival or visit the Batu Caves at other times of the year will find plenty of comfortable lodgings in the nearby city, including 5 star Kuala Lumpur hotels, various resorts, and even boutique hotels.

Tamil Nadu is a state in India that is known throughout the world for its unique culture. Tamil emigrants have settled throughout the globe and look to Tamil Nadu and its capital city, Chennai, for art, crafts, and film that celebrate the region’s language and culture. Visitors to Chennai (formerly known as Madras) will find a number of five star Chennai hotels to choose from as well as numerous beach resorts and budget hotels. Any will provide a good base for exploring the culture and heritage of Tamil Nadu.

Chennai is home to India’s second largest film industry. Commonly called “Kollywood” this collection of studios and production companies creates Tamil language films and television programming for distribution throughout India and other parts of the world with large Tamil populations. In recent years Kollywood has begun producing films in several languages or with subtitles to share the Tamil culture with non-Tamil speakers.

Chennai is proud to be the center for Tamil literature, dance, music, and other arts. Kalakshetra is a center for the revival and preservation of Indian arts and crafts and is famous for its productions of Bharatanatyam, a traditional Tamil dance form. The poet Thiruvalluvar is memorialized in the Valluvar Kottam auditorium which features a temple chariot that reaches 101 feet high. Dakshinachitra recreates life in South India and features performances of traditional arts as well as workshops.

There are numerous art galleries and museums featuring Tamil art as well as art from around India. The National Art Gallery in particular exhibits artifacts ranging from the 10th century through modern times. Visitors can also watch contemporary Tamil artists at work at the Cholamandal Artists’ Village.

One cultural event not to be missed is the annual Madras Music Season. For five weeks every December Chennai hosts this celebration of traditional music, theater, and dance. It is believed to be the largest cultural festival in the world.

Barcelona is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in all of Spain. The second largest city in Spain and the capital of Catalonia, Barcelona is located on the Mediterranean coast. The charming city is famous for its incredible architecture, fabulous cuisine, and thriving nightlife. It is home to world-class restaurants, 5-star Barcelona hotels, fabulous shopping, and a mulititude of historical and cultural sites. Barcelona even boasts nine structures that are part of designated World Heritage Sites.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) maintains a list of sites that are “of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity.” These sites may be structures such as buildings or monuments, natural sites such as lakes, mountains, deserts, or forests, or even entire cities. While Barcelona has only two official “sites” they comprise nine individual buildings.

Two of Barcelona’s structures that together make a World Heritage Site are the works of of Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The Hospital de Sant Pau and the Palau de la Música Catalana were added as one site in 1997. The hospital was built between 1901 and 1930 and features bold decoration and design while still functioning as a hospital to the present day. The Palau de las Musica Catalana is a music hall that was built between 1905 and 1908 to house the Orfeó Català choral society. It is a airy, steel-framed structure with decorations provided by many of the top designers of the time.

Antoni Gaudí was responsible for many of the most famous structures in Barcelona. Three of his structures, the Palau Güell, the Park Güell, and the Casa Milàbecame a World Heritage Site in 1984. In 2005 another four structures, the Sagrada Família, the Casa Vicens, the Crypt in Colonia Güell. and the Casa Batlló, were added to the official Site. La Sagrada Família is Spains’s most visited landmark and remains the only major church that is still under construction. When finished, the structure will include twelve towers representing the Twelve Apostles, each rising over 100 meters tall.

Of Gaudí’s other sites, the Casa Batlló is unique in that it represents the renovation of a pre-existing building that included new concepts in deocration and ornamentation. Casa Mila is an apartment block with a wave-like facade while Güell Palace is a stunning example of Catalan Art Nouveau architecture. The Crypt in Colonia Güell is considered to be one of the most admired works of the architect and foreshadow many of the features in the Sagrada Família.