Financial News of the Day

Monthly archives for March, 2010

Keeping Warm inside Manhattan

Mar30
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Tracy

I just spent my first day in Manhattan. I was happy to say that I just missed most of New York’s historic winter, which I heard came in early, was snowier, more frigid and lasted longer than expected. But, it seems as if Manhattan survived this Wintery blast and has begun to emerge from hibernation, not to say New York even knows how to sleep. It was still brisk outside, so I thought a nice hot and spicy food would keep me warm as I took a stroll around Central Park before I head off to see a potential client.

I heard about this Indian restaurant from one of my colleagues called the Brick Lane Curry House . He told me the cuisine is South Asian and it’s not too far from where I’m staying , so I thought I’d check it out. This place is what’s considered a curry house and their menu lists numerous hot curries, but what they are most famous for is the ‘Phaal Curry’ dish; anyone who can finish this dish gets their picture on the Brick’s P’hall of Fame, a free beer, plus a certificate with their name on it. Phaal Curry is described in the menu as an excruciatingly hot curry that brings on more pain and sweat than it does flavor. This dish is totally insane to order, because even the cook who prepares the Phaal curry wears a gas mask. There was no way I needed to warm up inside that bad, so I just ordered the Vindaloo, which is a fiery combination of fresh roasted spices cooked with potatoes and then I got to pick if I wanted that with chicken, lamb, goat, fish, shrimp, Paneer, tofu or vegetables. I picked the tofu. The meal was sheer bliss and just spicy enough to have a kick to it, but an enjoyable kick of heat.

I left the restaurant feeling all warm inside and my stroll around Central Park was fantastic. The Vindaloo kept me warm inside and my light jacket kept me warm outside. The sun was shining, New Yorkers seemed to all be at the park , running, jogging, roller blading, walking, or sitting at the park benches enjoying the fact that spring is in the air, it was really hard to leave the park to make it to my business meeting.

Posted in Food - Tagged

Style Spree in Washington Metropolitan Area

Mar28
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Tracy

Miller and Smith is one of the top private home-builder in the Washington Metropolitan region. Started in the early sixties, they have built thousands of homes, condominiums and developed numerous communities. They are known for making buildings that stand out with their imagination and creativity, so it is no wonder that they are hosting several great events all connected to each other, bringing in numerous other top ranking companies to educate and help out first time home buyers. If they don’t know how they want their custom house built this also offers them a chance to talk with home style advisers, such as Next Day Blinds , in order to help solidify their ideas.

The overall event is called Style Spree, where they offer a number of conferences and other educational events to a group of homebuyers as well as giving them $15,000 for home decoration and appliances for their new homes. The homebuyers can put their money toward any number of great items for their house such as hardwood floors, new appliances, granite counter tops, wireless home entertainment systems , upgraded cabinetry, high efficiency water consumers such as toilets and sinks, designer lighting, paint, window treatments, and closing cost assistance, to make it feel more personal and unique, offering a custom experience for each person or unit, or just help them afford the house in the first place. Luckily these people also get to take advantage of the $8000 tax cut for first time home buyers which expires April 30th and will take a huge burden off of many of them.

One of the events that took place was a style seminar in which they brought in a number of companies to talk about the things they know best. If you would like more information on this great set of seminars and what was discussed there are a few places you can look including their website. You don’t just have to be in Washington city, you can also be buying a home in a number of places including the rest of Maryland, Virgina or Delaware. This opens up the options for a lot of homebuyers to take advantage of this offer.

Posted in Home & Garden - Tagged

Honolulu’s Top Dog

Mar25
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Tracy

Reality T.V. is at its peak. MTV and Lifetime were at the forefront of this phenomenon. Soon, other major networks caught on. Now you can find reality shows on prime time and almost anytime. A&E has jumped on the band wagon and has its own line up of reality t.v. shows. Headlining for A&E is Dog the Bounty Hunter.

Duane Chapman, a.k.a. Dog, is a bounty hunter in Hawaii. He owns Da Kine Bail Bonds. Da Kine is a family business. His business partner is his wife, Beth, and they are joined by their two sons. they have offices in Hawaii and Colorado. His Hawaii office is located across from Queen Emma Square in downtown Honolulu. Honolulu is fabulous for business and pleasure. When they are not at work the Chapman’s have a home in nearby Kahala . It is a relatively private area on the island. this is where the family goes to relax and reconnect with each other. As the stress from the job can sometimes get overwhelming, it is important that they have a safe haven to retreat to. Take a family trip and live like the Chapman’s. On the island are many luxury honolulu hotels for you and your family to enjoy.

Like most families, the Chapman’s’ have had their ups and downs. In season four, the family faced a very controversial incident. With the support of fans and many community member, the show returned to the small screen. At the end of season 7 it was rumored that the two sons were leaving the show due to conflicts with their mother, Beth, over a clothing line they had started. no confirmation of the rumors was ever obtained, but the boys are definitely back. While Dog has had his business for many years, March 10th marked the beginning of its 8th season.

Posted in Travel - Tagged

The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore

Mar22
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Tracy

One of the most significant art collections ever put together by father and son may be found in Baltimore, Maryland. In the Walters Art Museum , there are over 28,000 objects of art which represent 55 centuries of creativity. It didn’t happen overnight, though; in fact, from the year the first exhibits opened to the public in 1874 until now, there have been about 49,640 nights, or 136 years. William Thompson Walters, originally native to Liverpool, Pennsylvania, came to Baltimore in 1841. He was a grain merchant with a wholesale liquor house who began collecting art, first locally, then expanding to European art and sculpture. He purchased Jean-Leon Gerome’s The Duel after the Masquerade , and commissioned works from Honore Daumier as well as Antoine-Louis Barye and Gerome, while living in Paris during the Civil War.

Upon Walter’s return to the United States, he left the liquor business and went into railroads and banking, all the while expanding upon his art collection, mainly in the fields of European paintings and Asian art. By this time, his son was in his late 20s, and began making trips for his father, attending exhibitions for the senior Walter, inheriting the collection upon his father’s death in 1894. The son kept adding to the collection until his own death in 1931, when he gave all the art to the city of Baltimore, with the idea that it would be used for the public’s benefit.

Today, the Walters Art Museum is internationally known for its art, providing a view of the creative culture of the world from the pre-dynastic Egyptian era to 20th Century Europe. You’ll be able to take a look at everything from Greek sculpture, medieval ivories and paintings by Old Masters. There’s Art Deco jewelry and masterpieces from 19th Century America and Europe. If you’re stopping in Baltimore, best hotels may easily be found, but there’s only one museum where you can see 5,500 years of art all in one place. The museum is open from Wednesday through Sunday from ten in the morning to five in the afternoon, at 600 N. Charles Street in the historic cultural district of Mount Vernon.

Posted in Arts & Culture - Tagged

Santa Monica and the Pacific Coast Highway

Mar17
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Tracy

The Pacific Coast Highway also known as Highway 1 is a beautiful drive up the California coast. It starts in Orange County California moves through must see places like Venice Beach, Santa Monica and Malibu. Works its way up along some of the most scenic areas of San Luis Obispo, Monterey and Santa Cruz. It reaches its way to San Francisco over the Golden Gate Bridge and through Marin County. It makes its final stop in Leggett California where travelers can see some of the most amazing redwood trees.

Each area of the drive has its own adventure and beauty. In the southern section of the highway visitors will find some great fun in stops like Santa Monica. There are some really fabulous hotels to check into that are close to some main attractions like the Santa Monica Pier and the Third Street Promenade. If one takes a long enough walk south down the beach boardwalk they will end up along Venice Beach and all of the crazy people and sights to see there. It is truly a one of a kind place.

Santa Monica and the surrounding area may have a few celebrities walking around like Owen Wilson and his brother Luke Wilson, who have been seen walking on the Santa Monica Pier. There are also some great places to shop and eat both on the boardwalk and pier as well as the Third Street Promenade. There are many brand name shops along the promenade like Anthropologie and the Pottery Barn as well as American Eagle Outfitters and the Banana Republic. What ever your favorite stores are, they are bound to found along this pedestrian friendly walk way along with many nice places to eat like Barney’s Beanery . So make sure you plan to spend some time in the different areas that the Pacific Coast Highway has to play in on your vacation.

Posted in Leisure - Tagged

Some Time With Charlotte

Mar15
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Tracy

If you are visiting Charlotte North Carolina for the first time then you may want to catch a tour or two. Even if you’re not a tour sort of person it is sometimes a good chance to get a broad view of an new place and learn about sights that you may not have known about. In an area like Charlotte with such rich history there are many things to see and do. Maybe you would like to go spend an afternoon at the Levine Museum of the New South which give a really great picture of the American south from 1865 to today. They have a great record and interactive account of how the area has grown in the perspective of all walks of life.  

If you are only in the area for one night and you only have the night time to spend out on the town than check out what is happening at the NC Music Factory maybe there is a great concert or show going on while you are in town. This is the center of a whole neighborhood of fun or at least a good corner block of fun. Great for a one stop entertainment and restaurant experience. There is a main stage that holds a variety of live performances. They have a comedy club and a dance club called Halo. You can rock out at the Crobar or just go people watch at one of the restaurant and pubs like Black Bear Saloon or Wet Willies. Definitely a great way to get out of the cozy hotel for a little local adventure.  

If you have only a small bit of time during the day before catching the plane out of town maybe you would like to see a museum to open you mind back up. Check out the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art it is sure to help you relax your mind and get a nice walk in before sitting around another airport.

Posted in Entertainment - Tagged

Singapore is Not India

Mar08
2010 Leave a Comment Written by Tracy

We checked out of our hotel in Kuala Lumpur and got on the bus back to the airport. We wanted to get there early to see if we could change our Singapore Flight to India, but unfortunately they were unable to change our tickets. After checking in at our gate on this little machine at the airport, we dropped off our bags and went to find a place to relax that had a free wifi spot in the airport. Since we were hoping to go to India instead of Singapore, I wanted to see if Singapore had a good Indian restaurant , and I found this great restaurant website that listed all the better Indian restaurants in Singapore.

While I was searching on the Internet, my husband chatted up with a guy from Adelaide , but he once lived in Singapore, then in Japan and now in Kuala Lumpur. He was travelling to Singapore for the weekend with his girlfriend. He told us that there’s a section in Singapore called ‘Little India’ and that we would at least get a feel for India there. We ended up sitting next to them on the plane and he gave us several places that we should visit.

Our flight to Singapore only lasted about 55 minutes and we took the train into town. We walked to our hotel and that gave us our first taste of Singapore, and we think our stay will be all good, until we got into our hotel room. The bathroom was ridiculously small, and a weird shape. There was a entrance for the disabled, but for the life of us we couldn’t figure out how they would fit in here. It was so small that we feared if we dropped something there was no room to pick it up. We couldn’t help but laugh.

We headed out of our hotel to find Little India. That guy we met in the airport was right, it did give us a taste of India, and that Internet site that gave me the addresses of some Indian restaurants was great. The India restaurant we had lunch at was excellent. Our meals were very delightful, but it only made us really want to experience the real India all the more. We headed back to our hotel to use the wifi to see if we could make arrangements to fly to India.

Posted in Food - Tagged