Places to Stay

The face of hotels as we know it will never be the same again. With chains such as Starwood and Marriott getting into the boutique market with aloft and Edition and the multiplicity of independent hotels out there, you can find a room and a hotel to match your mood and your style.

Check out this link from Concierge.com on the best design hotels of 2008. They are all a bit "out there" whether it be location or design. Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: design, hotels

The 4th of July is a very celebrated time around our house. My wife Jennifer is into everything Patriotic and we can't wait for July to come. This post over at Jaunted about urban fireworks shows, prompted me to look for great fireworks shows around the U S of A. Here is what I found. Let me know if you can recommend one.

- Top 10 Fireworks Shows in the US and the World

- San Diego, CA Shows Fireworks

- Washington, DC Fireworks

- South Florida Fireworks

- Georgia Fireworks

- Idaho Fireworks

- Chicago, IL Fireworks
- Evanston, IL Fireworks
- Naperville, IL Fireworks

- Boston, MA Fireworks

- Montana & Wyoming Fireworks

- Northern Nevada Fireworks

- New York, NY Fireworks

- North Carolina Fireworks

- Philadelphia, PA Fireworks

- Texas Fireworks

- Utah Fireworks

- Virginia Fireworks

As for our current family favorite, we like to go to an Angels Baseball game on the 4th of July and catch their fireworks afterwards. They are coordinated to music and always fun to watch. Don't forget the best fireworks viewing is from a spot with low ambient light, that makes the colors more vibrant and you see all the trails they make in the sky. It can also be a lot more fun if they are synced with music.

I hope you have fun this year. If you have any great fireworks photos please share.

Technorati Tags: fireworks, places to visit

The article about places for design inspiration covers places all over the world from Fairbanks, Alaska to Darwin, Australia and a lot in between. Most of the destinations are outside of the US. The article talks about four points for each location: history, getting there, natural inspiration and why will it inspire. Well worth a read, but you don't need to be a creative type to need inspiration. The photography in the article is beautiful and inspiring in its own right. Go take a look

Technorati Tags: inspiration, places to visit