Pub In The Park

Halloween is not the only time of the year that people dress up in costumes though it most definitely is a popular reason they do. However, throughout the rest of the year costume parties occur regularly for a number of reasons and some of them are personal celebrations while others are for company or business parties. Whatever the reason, if you are invited to one and show up for it, you should definitely be in costume. And this is where many adults begin to freeze up. They feel they are not creative enough to come up with a good costume. Meanwhile, others live for these events and have a whole closet full of plus size adult costumes .

Whichever category you fall into, the good news is that there are stores and online sales sites that specialize in adult costume rental and purchases. This is great news, but somewhat unnecessary for those who are obsessed with costume parties, and even greater news for adults who become somewhat paralyzed when they are invited to a function that requires, or at least suggests, a costume. And remember, if it says suggestion, that’s really just a polite way of saying they’re required. Never show up for a costume party and say you’re dressed as yourself, unless you happen to be batman . Meanwhile, the next time you need a costume, relax, find a good store and have a great time. It’s your chance to let go and pretend for a night.

For over two thousand years Rome has been an amazing city for some of the richest history of mankind. When you visit this old city in Italy you will have the opportunity to see many of the sites from the Roman times. Many of the sites from early Rome are grouped together in one area so you can plan to see many site in one day. Many of the sites can be found in the same neighborhood as the Colosseum.  

The Colosseum is one of the most visited sites in Rome. It is considered one of the most amazing buildings ever built. This was were many intense forms of entertainment happened and was a sort of center for ancient Roman times. Many people come from around the world to learn more about the Roman culture and they are looking to the Colosseum for clues. Visitors can learn more about the Roman Gods and the Roman games that took place there. This is were the famous Gladiators would fight to their possible death for the Emperor.  

Capitoline Hill and the Roman Forum are other areas of ancient Rome. This is were the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus was dedicated. In the same area you will find the citadel and the Tabularium where many archives were kept. This is were many of the official business of the city was done. Tarpeian Rock is were many criminals died for their crimes as they were thrown from the rock to their death. Many of the old buildings in this old capitol are now museums that house the collections of artifacts and documents of ancient times. Michelangelo was the one who designed the area so that is significant in the history of the building structures and lay out.  

Step out of your Rome hotel and take a walk in the Piazza Navona which was originally an area of entertainment for sports and chariot races and is now an area of leisure. There are some wonderful cafes to sit out and enjoy some espresso and pastry while people watching. There are two fountains one of which is the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, which is dedicated to different regions of the world. The other is the Fountain of Neptune that was built in 1576. The Piazza is just a wonderful area to catch your breath after walking around the ancient ruins of the great Rome.

A few miles south of Burlington where you’ll find some of the best Vermont resorts , and just past Shelburne Bay, you’ll discover a massive museum of art and Americana, with over 150,000 works of art displayed in 39 exhibitions buildings, 25 structures of which are historic and have been relocated specifically to be a part of the museum grounds.

Electra Havemeyer Webb (1888 to 1960) was a pioneer of American folk art collections, and she founded the museum in 1947, about 63 years ago. In addition to impressionist paintings, folk art, quilts, and carriages from the 19th Century, as well as artifacts from the 17th to 20th century, she also collected whole buildings from the 18th and 19th century from New England and New York, relocating twenty of them to Shelburne.

You’ll find then, in the Shelburne Museum houses and barns and meeting homes, a one room-schoolhouse, a light house, a jail, a general store, a covered bridge, not to mention a 220 foot steamboat christened, “Ticonderoga.”

The idea behind this unique museum was to collect pieces and exhibit them in a village-like setting that reflected historic New England architecture; this is all enhanced by a landscape containing 400 lilacs, a circular formal garden, herb and heirloom vegetable gardens, as well as perennial gardens.

A trip to the Shelburne Museum, then, allows you to obtain a perspective on four centuries of art and culture. Among the folk art, you’ll discover 1,500 wildfowl decoys and miniatures, 150 trade figures and signs, 120 weather-vanes, and 50 carousel figures. A circus collection includes 600 historic posters and letters and memorabilia from such notables as P.T. Barnum, as well as a hand-carved 4,000 piece Kirk Brothers Miniature Circus. Exhibits on textiles includes 770 bed coverings, and 500 quilts, 400 hooked and sewn rugs, and over 2,800 costumes and accessories. There’s a decorative arts collection, too, with 6,650 pieces, such as glass, ceramics, pewter, scrimshaw, metalwork, and one of the nation’s best regional collections of painted furniture from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Among the art work, there are over 3,200 American prints, drawings, graphics, and paintings, representing works from Mary Cassatt, Claude Monet, Degas, Manet, Bierstadt, Church, Daubigny, Field, Heade, and Hicks, and others.

Until October 24th, you may see a special exhibit of modern and contemporary photography, titled “Constructed Landscapes,” featuring 60 photographs of Ansel Adams (1902 to 1984) and Edward Burtynsky (b. 1955), bringing together one of the most influential landscape photographers who ever lived with a contemporary photographer of “manufactured landscapes,” such as mines, railways cuts, and dams.

Beyond the exhibits, there are an amazing amount of buildings to explore, among them the 1950s House, apothecary shop, the blacksmith shop, the circus building, the Dorset House, the Dutton House, the General Store, the Hat and Fragrance Textile Gallery, Castleton Jail, the Horseshoe Barn and Annex, and the Colchester Reef Lighthouse.

The past year was a very special year, especially for those who grew up on Sesame Street . It was the show’s 40th anniversary, and with 122 Emmys (so far), it’s by far the most successful children’s show in the history of television.

Any show with accolades like that deserves a proper celebration, and it did get that at the Brooklyn Public Library , with an installation and display that commemorated the show’s anniversary. There were displays of the show’s history and development, so that the long-time fans could revisit their favorite educational icons, and learn more about the show. Old scripts,, book art, and photographs throughout the years accompanied the display.

In the proper fashion, to make the event traditionally and famously Sesame Street, there was indeed an educational aspect to all of it, for adults as well as children. The adults could learn lots of interesting information and fun facts about the show and the characters. For the kids, the library issues special edition library cards, with images of all the favorite characters.

The show is one of the most exciting developments in educational television, and its impact is as powerful now as it was when it first started. Actually, as time goes on, the show’s developers and creators have been growing with the rest of the country, and learning new ways of reaching the young ones. New educational theories are always coming down the road, and they haven’t missed a beat. In fact, the show has probably spawned more theories, and is the subject of more graduate theses, than anything else of its kind.

For visitors staying here in the Brooklyn cheap hotels , there are more opportunities to learn about the show, even when exhibitions like this one have closed. The show’s creators were living in Brooklyn Heights when they began work on the show, and there are areas of town that will look oddly familiar…

William Shakespeare has been one of the most popular and well known playwrights throughout the world for the last four hundred years. He continues to be produced on stages across the globe new generations of fans develop as time rolls on. He is arguably the greatest writer to have ever existed, though to many people that’s not only a critical but also subjective designation. However, what is not subjective is the fact that he has written some of the most popular comedies, tragedies and histories in the world. With that in mind it is only fitting that Shakespeare also be a traditional aspect of one of the most famous theatre companies in New York.

Every summer the Public Theatre company presents their Shakespeare in the Park series which is one of the most popular and famous occurrences in Central Park. Most of the seasons, including the upcoming 2010 season include two productions that are presented in repertory and frequently they feature some of the same cast members. This year the festival will include The Winter’s Tale and The Merchant of Venice. Generally there are some star studded casts and this season’s biggest name is Al Pacino. Pacino is one of Hollywood’s biggest names though he is no stranger to Shakespeare or the stage. In fact, he performed the role of Shylock in a film version of Merchant of Venice, which also featured Jeremy Irons and Joseph Fiennes.

There are many events and activities that occur in New York’s famous park throughout the summer, and the Shakespeare performances are always at the top of most tourists’ lists. There are free tickets available and most of the hotels in Manhattan will have information on how to access them, as well as the Public Theatre and the Shakespeare series. The two plays that are being featured for this season will be directed by Daniel Sullivan and Michael Greif. Additional cast members include Lily Rabe, Max Wright, Jesse L. Martin, Ruben Santiago-Hudson and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. The generous sponsorship of Bank of America is one of the major contributing factors that helps to keep this festival free to the public. Individual donations to the company are also greatly appreciated and have their own important place in the continued success of this series as well as other productions.

As summer starts to loom in the distance, and the distance reveals itself as not so distant after all, thoughts about the players start leaking out of our dreams and into our daily conversations. It will be an interesting year, there’s very little doubt, with so much anticipation over who might be pulling strange moves on the court, secret hopes that there will be a little bit of bad behavior, but even more hope that some moves will move us all with awe. That last one is always a guarantee, but no one knows when it will happen, and that’s reason enough to tune in.

But as the Wimbledon highlights start to come on the television, it’s a safe bet that there will be fans by the thousands looking to watch the replay of anything involving Justine Henin . She’s never won at Wimbledon, being the one of the big four that’s been elusive to her, despite an amazing career. So far, she’s ranked at number 24, which means that in just 15 months out of retirement, Juju is back. The Belgian star began again in Brisbane, which is a good choice for a new beginning, as that country has always been good to her.

Interestingly, whenever fans begin to talk about French Open tennis , the conversation usually gets turned Wimbledon, because that’s the really important one for her. Not that the French Open is any small accomplishment, but having won the title four out of the five times she played on the clay, the world understands that she can do it, it’s the other surface that keeps people wondering. It’s a good time to wonder, and she’s got some very interesting moves this year. Having won against Julia Goerges in Stuttgard , even with a broken finger–although it’s her left hand–is really very promising. The one hand backhand is still as mighty as it ever was, and the forehand clocks in at well over 100mph on the serve, and she’s not yet thirty. It’s going to be an interesting year.