I was born on the lower East side of Manhattan a few decades back. I moved out west in my twenties and have returned a few times. This past summer I got to spend some leisurely time showing my new bride the sights. As a first timer, she was obviously impressed by the shear grandeur and scope of this vital and bustling city. The height of buildings that block the sky is one of the first things she noticed. It was about then that I decided to look at the Big Apple through her fledgling eyes and revisit an old friend.

We stayed at a hotel not far from Macy?s and Herald Square at 35th street. We could easily walk to the Empire State Building, which still retains it?s magic and allure made famous in many a movie. At the observation deck, I could have sworn I saw Tom Hanks retrieve a lost teddy bear. The views are awesome and the whole art-deco lobby is clean and wonderfully unique. We made our way to Rockefeller Center and enjoyed a taping of the ?Today Show? in progress. The walk along Fifth avenue is decadent and a window-shoppers dream. Reaching Schwartz?s Toy Store, once again I visualized TH dancing on the keyboard on the second floor amid life-sized stuffed jungle animals.

We had already ducked into the Trump Tower and was taken by the opulent entryway. We then peered at the diamonds in the displays of Harry Winston and the renovation of the old Plaza Hotel into a condo project. Across the way was Central Park, boarded by an endless line of horse-drawn carriages waiting for lovers and tourists. Just inside the grassy knoll, they were filming a movie and we had to make a detour. Of course, it?s NY and they are always filming something.

The next day, the excitement continued at the Guggenheim Museum, a wonder of architectural ingenuity and the big dog: The Museum of Art, with it?s jaw-dropping Van Gogh originals and too many others to mention. We got to see the ?Imagine? tribute to Lennon and Nero Wolf?s plaque outside his building, which was fictitious but fun. We ended with a trip through Macy?s and hung around Times Square to absorb the ambiance and picture Dick Clark counting down the New Year. We left via Penn Station and caught our breath. It was only 3 days in town, but we had eaten NY pizza, deli pastrami sandwiches and mastered the subway system. Quite an accomplishment.

As we took our train out of town, we vowed to return to have a dog at Coney Island, visit the Statue of Liberty, The Museum of Natural History, explore more of Central Park and probably take a full week to capture all we missed. I was content that I could act as tour guide and point out the sights, but realized the wondrous diversity and culture that the City affords the tourist. Having been around the world, I can still honestly say that New York has something for everyone and should not be missed. Plan a trip in the spring or fall, if possible. We hit a cool spell for June, but the off-seasons are quite special. You won?t regret a moment, I promise.

So you need to relax? Or maybe just get into a tub and rest? Indoor hot tubs are one of the best inventions available for stress reduction. It is a wise decision to soothe those nerves that have faced havoc from work or from your family. Indoor tubs are great because it is more private and safe. You won’t have a problem if you want to strip butt naked and stay there for long hours and have no nosy neighbors looking around. Isn’t that the best thing on earth? Getting yourself that indoor tub will not only relax your body it will also calm the mind.

So you have been considering getting a tub inside your place? Before you actually purchase the item here are a few considerations to look into.

- How large can my tub be?

- What shape and size would work best with my overall theme in the house or in the location of the supposed tub?

- What is my budget?

- Would I want to use my tub on all seasons?

- Will a lot of people use the tub at the same time?

- Is the area for my tub waterproofed?

- Can I afford a big tub that will increase my electricity bill?

Once you have thought about the answers to the questions listed above do research. Check out sites and books. It would be even much better if you go around and checkout showrooms for tubs. There are a lot of businesses that focus mainly on bath and pools so you have a very wide variety. Just remember your considerations and specifications and you will be on your way to getting that new indoor tub.

There are also certain things that are part of the tub but are not visible. These are the posts that are to be attached below your tub so it could hold and carry all the weight that will be placed there. And by weight we are talking something around 5,000 lbs (this includes all the people who might use the tub at the same time).

After considering all that is that you want and need find a professional. Hire the best. They need to see the area first for measurements and proper design for the area. They will look into the ventilation of the area and all that comes along with it like humidity and air.

Germs are a no-no. Clean everything. Make sure air comes in and out. It is very important that no microorganisms will stay in that area. Keeping unnecessary organisms there will put a strain not only in your health but also in your wallet (think about medicines). Clean atmosphere will keep us healthy and relaxed. Isn’t that your main goal why you want that indoor tub anyway?

It is important to get a real and good electrician to do all the necessary components. Don’t attempt to do it your self. Your life and your house depend on this. Electricity can be a friend or a foe. You don’t just play around with it. Besides you wouldn’t want to roast yourself or turn your house to crisp right?

Another person you might want to check out is someone who can place your tub inside your house and waterproof the area. Not all do-it-yourselfers can carry 800 lbs right? Not all can tile their floors well too. You might want to consider a professional to prevent all the hassle. Aside from all the hassle you will also save money and time. Yes you will.

Aside from the person to do all the necessary requirements remember to look into your drainage. You wouldn’t want mildew and germs harbor there right? Remember to look into a good flooring too. A well done and waterproofed floor will not only make your tub the best looking tub there is it will also keep the tub from degrading.

Leave everything to the pros. You will get all that you deserve. And have that piece of mind that you are safe when you dip inside it. Thinking of a roasted you is not really very relaxing.

Relaxation is the key to a healthy and sound mind and body. Get yourself that new indoor tub and relax all the tension away. You deserve it.

As a boater, you want the waterways to stay clean. To make sure that your beautiful scenery will be around for your next trip out, here are a few tips that you can use.

1. Lead by example.

Next time you are at the marina, be sure to bend over and pick up a piece of litter out of the water (or from the beach, docks, or ground). If people see you taking the time and energy to clean up, they will know that it is not acceptable for them to litter.

2. Start a movement.

If everyone on your water picked up one item of garbage each time they went out, the water would be clean in no time. Put up signs suggesting the ?pick up one piece? policy along the dock or at a relative area.

You can also organize to get a lot of people together to clean your lake or river. Like the ?adopt-a-highway? program, getting everyone together once a year to clean your waterway will help you get your shores looking clean in no time.

3. Use Common Sense When Fueling.

If you have a portable fuel tank, be sure to always fill it on solid ground where spills are less likely to occur. In many areas it is illegal to fill a portable fuel tank in a boat for fire regulations. If your fuel tank is on-board, be careful while you fuel. Keeping a cloth or towel with you to wipe away spills will save the environment and your paint job!

Always know the capacity of your fuel tanks. Be sure that you have an accurate gauge to tell how full your tank is. Never overfill your tank.

If you have a smaller engine, use a funnel to fill your tank. You can even take an engine ashore to fill. This will give you an opportunity to wipe down the area of your boat where the engine attaches, and can prevent you from getting rust and other problems. This particularly applies to emergency engines for sailboats.

4. Know your Vent Line.

When fuel gets warmer, it expands. This can cause it to escape from the vent line. Riding through particularly choppy or rough waters can also cause fuel to escape from the vent line. You can install an anti-surge valve to prevent fuel from leaking overboard while you are having a good time.

When you are filling your tank, you will be able to feel air flow from your vent line. This air flow will increase dramatically when you are close to filling your tank. When you feel the air flow increase, it means that it is time to stop filling your tank.

There is no excuse for littering, especially on the water. The litter that you throw into the water can contaminate fish, the water that goes to our cities, and surrounding farmlands. The smallest items, such as cigarette butts, often take the longest to decompose (cigarette butts are NOT decomposable and will stay in the water, keeping it ugly, until they wash ashore where children might play).

As a boater, I have an intense respect for nature. I like going out into nature, and I have a vested interest in keeping our environment clean. Together, we will be able to keep our waterways clean.

The earliest forms of leisure tourism can be traced as far back as the Babylonian and Egyptian empires. A museum of ?historic antiquities? was open to the public in the sixth century BC in Babylon, while the Egyptians held many religious festivals attracting not only the devout, but many who came to see the famous buildings and works of art in the cities. The local towns accommodated tourists by providing services such as: vendors of food and drink, guides, hawkers of souvenirs, touts and prostitutes.

From around the same date, Greek tourists travelled to visit the sites of healing gods. Because the independent city-states of ancient Greece had no central authority to order the construction of roads, most of these tourists travelled by water, hence seaports prospered.

The lands of the Mediterranean Sea produced a remarkable evolution in travel. People travel for trade, commerce, religious purposes, festivals, medical treatment, or education developed at an early date.

Guidebooks became available as early as the fourth century BC, covering a vast area of destinations, i.e. Athens, Sparta and Troy. Pausanias, a Greek travel writer, produced a noted ?description of Greece? between AD 160 and 180, which, in its critical evaluation of facilities and destinations, acted as a model for later writers. Advertisements, in the form of signs directing visitors to wayside inns, are also known from this period. However, under Romans rule is where international travel became first important. With no foreign borders between England and Syria, and with the seas safe from piracy due to the Roman patrols, conditions favouring travel had arrived. Roman coinage was acceptable everywhere, and Latin was the common language. Romans travelled to Sicily, Greece, Rhodes, and Troy, Egypt and from the third century AD, to the Holy Land.

Domestic tourism also flourished within the Roman Empire. Second homes were built by the wealthy within easy travelling distance of Rome, occupied particularly during the springtime social season. Naples attracted the retired and the intellectuals.

Before the sixteenth century, those who sought to travel had three modes in which to do so. They could walk, ride a horse or they could be carried, either on a little or on a carrier?s wagon. The development of the sprung coach was a huge advance for those who regularly travelled, and by the mid 1600?s, coaches were operating regularly in Britain. In the eighteenth century the introduction of turnpike roads, which provided improved surfaces for which tolls would be charged. The later introduction of the metal, leaf spring suspension also added to comfort.

Travel also requires accommodation, and at that time, it was basic. To accommodate the new demand for travel inns was provided. They provided fresh horses, and lodgings were available for rent to visitors when they arrived at their destination.

From the early seventeenth century, a new form of tourism developed as a direct outcome of the freedom and quest for learning heralded by the Renaissance. Young men who wanted positions at court were encouraged to travel to the Continent to finish their education. Others soon adopted this practice in the upper echelons of society, and it soon became customary for the education of a gentleman to be completed by a ?Grand tour? of major cultural centres of Europe, accompanied by a tutor and often-lasting three years or more. The appeal soon became social, and leisure seeking young men travelled, predominantly to France and Italy, to enjoy the rival cultures and social life of cities such as Paris, Venice, or Florence. By the end of the eighteenth century, the custom had become institutionalised for the gentry.

Passports have their origins in the medieval testimonial. A letter from an ecclesiastical superior given to a pilgrim to avoid the latter?s possible arrest on charges of vagrancy. Later, papers of authority to travel were more widely issued by the state, particularly during periods of warfare with neighbouring European countries.

Spas were already well established during the time of the Roman Empire, but their popularity, based on the supposed medical benefits of the waters, lapsed in the subsequent centuries. Renewed interest in the therapeutic qualities of mineral waters has been ascribed to the influence of the Renaissance in Britain, and elsewhere in Europe.

I need a vacation! There may be more to that statement than we realize. Recent studies show your life may depend on it. With a struggling economy and corporate layoffs, Americans are leaning towards not planning a vacation next year. According to the Conference Board, a firm specializing in private research, the number of Americans who will take a vacation within six months is the lowest in thirty years. 39% of the respondents who took their standard consumer survey were also not considering travel next year a low since 1978. Public health consultants believe this is a mistake.

Just when job insecurity and stress are at an all-time high, we could use a break. The Framingham Heart Study, an ambitious health research project, has been striving since 1948 to identify common risk factors contributing to cardiovascular disease. Researchers of the project observed three generations of questionnaires filled out over a twenty year period. The data showed women who vacationed only once every six years or less were almost eight times more likely to develop coronary artery disease or have a heart attack. There is a clear correlation between lifestyle and stress. A study published in 2000 involving 12,000 men over a nine year period had parallel findings. Men who did not vacation annually were 33% more likely to die of a heart attack and had a 21% risk of death from other causes. The facts also point to the effect vacations have on your mental health. Research scientists at the Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin report the rate of depression increased as the frequency of vacations decreased.

These studies suggest real evidence that taking a vacation is necessary to your health and well-being. Now is the time to reinvent our travel plans. With pressure on spending budgets, considering all the options is a smart idea. Not long ago, the emergent travel giant, MOR Vacations, unveiled a new product that will allow families to travel while squeezing the most out of their limited finances. Securing time off from work may be the only thing standing in the way. Almost 25% of Americans working in the private sector do not receive paid vacations according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There are 127 countries that mandate paid vacations. The U.S. does not. John de Graaf, executive director of the Take Back Your Time board, is lobbying Congress to pass the Minimum Leave Protection, Family Bonding, and Personal Well-Being Act that will mandate three weeks of vacation. It’s a tough sell to business, but more enticing than sick time because it is more predictable.

Economic indicators are still pointing downhill. Making up for the negative effects is necessary to our continued health. Allocating funds towards a lavish, tranquil vacation is even more compelling. We all have it coming. A travel club lifetime membership could turn out to be a worthwhile investment. Stay away from timeshare rackets with recurring anniversary fees and long, drawn-out payments. Consider the options with a one-time, front-end fee and completely transferrable membership. Even more valuable is automatic VIP status for new members and free travel passes for unlimited guests. A travel product with these attributes will help balance your work-life responsibilities and squeeze every cent out of your travel budget.

Families traveling with kids will find Amboseli national park, a safari destination matched to no other, with less tourist traffic, breathtaking open spaces, easy access from Nairobi, the list is endless.

The park described by writers as ‘ a home for the Gods’ covers 150sq mile south of Nairobi and lies just at the foot of Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain at 5,895m. The park is currently on the cross roads with the government and the local communities both claiming ownership, with Kilimanjaro’s snow capped peaks dominating every aspect of this Park and form a stunning backdrop to the wildlife found here – elephant, lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo, cheetah and a host of plains game and its breathtaking beauty, the tag is well worth the effort!

The area is home to the Masai people, tall, colorful, proud, nomadic warriors famous for their legendary prowess in battle and single handed acts of bravery in fights with wild animals. Perhaps, more than any other people they have learned to live in complete harmony with the wildlife which surrounds them, this knowledge they proudly shared to visitors and well worth the time. Kids will be allowed to get really close and explore the simple but fascinating homesteads, adults will also enjoy the cultural aspect of the lifestyle.

Amboseli’s Oltukai lodge is one of the best spots in the world where children can watch elephants and study their fascinating wilderness behavior, This is where you will find the highest concentration of elephants than anywhere else in Africa, they can be seen spread well over the savannah woodland, just remember to ask your driver guide on how this clever mammals mourn and pay last respect to a dead member or how they cross their tiny young on a fast flowing river. .

Quietly tucked away from view, The Kibo family Villa crouches undisturbed, an elegant three-bedroom log cabin built in stone and gum tree, in complete harmony with its surroundings. Own entrance, a lounge, a fully fitted kitchen and a barbecue area. Secluded by a copse of indigenous Acacia Tortilis trees and five acres of garden, Kibo Villa is peace and privacy made perfection. Two or threes small families traveling together love the self-catering option, use the lodges facility is welcome. Detailed attention is taken on security issues and a resident nurse is available on call.

Kids will love the lavish private family buffet breakfast or dinner set out specially as a family package in wonderful secluded detting amongst the tortillas trees only a tone away from the family of the resident elephants also having a feast of their own, breakfast works out best.

Selenkay conservation area lies east of Amboseli is well off the beaten track, never visited by tourist till now, birdlife is prolific especially bird of prey. The 6 tents Porini luxury camp caters for 12 guest at a time, the camp is in the lines of a traditional luxury family camp, comfortable family tent rooms, ensuite bathrooms, flush toilets, solar powered electric lighting and an amazing chef completes a safari family haven! At Amboseli locally trained masai naturalist or walking guides will get Kids out in the mornings in a small group of say 8 kids for an adventurous nature exploration. This walking trips to the nearby sites in most cases will include lessons on the masai hunting techniques, catching and naming butterflies, treasure hunts, tree planting, hide and seek in animal camouflaged clothing and an interesting Q and A session answering every question they have ever had on wildlife and tribesmen.

Jamaica is one of the most luxurious islands you could ever care to visit and it is for sure the most fashionable tourist destination in the West Indies. This island is filled with gorgeous food, white sandy beaches and a extensive rich historical past. All inclusive Jamaica vacations provide you the perfect chance to explore the large array of holidaymaker attractions that are available to you in Jamaica.

The island of Jamaica is situated just south of Cuba and west of the Dominican Republic. All the major cities here are placed along the coast, these include Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Kingston. When you are on your all inclusive Jamaica vacations, if you wish then you will be able to travel to all or just one of these marvelous resorts. These resorts all have several beaches to a certain degree. This gives you the opportunity to have the most pleasant all inclusive vacation in the Caribbean.

Seven Mile Beach is one of the finest beaches of Jamaica, which is situated near Negril. This splendid beach is extended 11 km beside the west coast. The whole beach is covered by golden sands and is an idyllic place for families

Boston Bay Beach is another enchanting beach in Jamaica, which is situated near Port Antonio. The beach is famous for its clean waters, white sands and the grand jerk pork stands. Holidaymakers can see the largest sea waves at Boston Bay Beach and can hire surfboards to enjoy surfing in these waters.
You should take time on your all inclusive Jamaica vacations to explore some of the interior of Jamaica. The Black River is based on the South Coast of Jamaica. If you take the time to visit this area, you will be reminded of the Tarzan pictures, this is because the spot is full with lush green trees and forests. While on a excursion with South Coast Safaris, you will find wild crocodiles in the woods. As well, this place is the home for many wild animals. Birdwatchers will forget everything here seeing the abundance of birds and bird life in these forests.

Green Grotto Caves are some of the most fascinating caves in Jamaica and once these granite caves were used to conceal runaway slaves. On the face of the caves, there are non-stop boardrooms and there is a supernatural Grotto Lake near it. You can visit the lake by taking a boat. Blue Mountains is another beautiful place in Jamaica, which should not be missed on your all-inclusive Jamaica vacations.

The Blue Mountains is one of the largest and greenest parks in the Caribbean and it is best for traveling around. To reach the peak of the mountains you have to trek 5 to 6 hours through deep foliage. While on thisa trek you will be able to listen to the wonderful bird songs and chirping of the birds.
All inclusive Jamaica vacations offer the opportunity of enjoying a rafting experience. You can go rafting on the Rio Grande, which is located near Port Antonio. Rafting on the Rio Grande is for certain a unique experience and you can use the bamboo poles supplied to push the rafts along. Martha Brea’s village is another spot where you will also be able to enjoy rafting during your Jamaica vacations.

This village offers a excellent rafting experience. Here you have to sit on a high platform, which is made from cane wood and from the platform you can observe long spread out river surroundings. The view of the river scenery is fascinating and charming.