http://www.offbeattravel.com Explore the Offbeat in Travel en-us All contents copyright 2012 OffbeatTravel.com Sun, 12 May 2012 12:20:48 GMT Sun, 12 May 2012 12:20:48 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.offbeattravel.com/tji-bata-shoe-museum-toronto.html Since the 1940s, Sonja Bata has scoured the world for footwear of every description, from the most ordinary to the most extraordinary. Her combined interest in design and shoes has led to a very personal collection, with examples from many cultures and historic periods. Some of the highlights include French chestnut crushing boots, delicately embroidered Chinese silk shoes, bear fur shoes for Japanese samurai, and footwear made from human hair. There's also a rare and well–preserved velvet–covered platform mule from 16th–century Venice -- the Venetian velvet chopine, a shoe so tall that the wearer could not walk unaided. http://www.offbeattravel.com/tji-bata-shoe-museum-toronto.html http://www.offbeattravel.com/lexington-kentucky-keeneland-attractions.html On a balmy spring day, there is an excited tension in the air, mingled with anticipation and the scent of mint juleps. Dapper crowds gather in the stands and anxiously watch the starting gate while tightly gripping their betting tickets. It is a few seconds to post time and all eyes focus on the magnificent Thoroughbreds that are coiled to break from the gate at Keeneland racetrack in Kentucky. http://www.offbeattravel.com/lexington-kentucky-keeneland-attractions.html http://www.offbeattravel.com/tji-warner-bros-VIP-studio-tour.html Guests of the Warner Bros. Studios VIP Tour are offered a rare look into the world of entertainment, with an intimate view of the inner workings of a thriving motion picture and television studio. Because nothing is staged - this is real Hollywood at work - there is no telling what, or who, lucky visitors might encounter. The VIP Tour gives guests a snapshot of what's happening at Warner Bros. working studio and transforms them into industry insiders. http://www.offbeattravel.com/tji-warner-bros-VIP-studio-tour.html http://www.offbeattravel.com/sayulita-mexico.html Standing on the terrace of my villa, I can see the surfers bobbing in the bay waiting for a surging wave to carry them to shore. My gaze follows the curvature of the shoreline that sweeps around the bay and backs into the dense Sierra Madre jungle. It's a warm afternoon with clear blue skies and a cool breeze ruffles my hair. Another perfect day in Sayulita, Mexico. http://www.offbeattravel.com/sayulita-mexico.html http://www.offbeattravel.com/tji-formula-1-racing-expo-austin-texas.html Formula Expo, set for June 16-17, 2012, will be a multi-faceted event open to the public, which will provide families and motorsport enthusiasts the opportunity to connect to the race experience, history, technology and prestige of the Grand Prix. http://www.offbeattravel.com/tji-formula-1-racing-expo-austin-texas.html http://www.offbeattravel.com/tji-free-washington-dc.html If you're looking for an affordable vacation, take a look at some of the fun, free and almost-free experiences that await you in DC. http://www.offbeattravel.com/tji-free-washington-dc.html http://www.offbeattravel.com/pasadena-california-reasons-to-visit.html After the famous Rose Parade and Rose Bowl football game is over, is there any other reason for tourists to visit Pasadena? On my recent trip to Pasadena, I was enlightened about this wonderful old California Town. The revitalized old Pasadena, a National Register Historic District, is a charming place to visit, with its many trendy restaurants and boutiques, all at home in historic buildings. http://www.offbeattravel.com/pasadena-california-reasons-to-visit.html http://www.offbeattravel.com/tji-african-queen-cruises-florida-keys.html The iconic original vessel from John Huston's classic 1951 film by the same name starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn has been relaunched and is now available for cruising the canals of Key Largo. http://www.offbeattravel.com/tji-african-queen-cruises-florida-keys.html http://www.offbeattravel.com/louisiana-juke-joint-teddys.html "I started out right here, then I went over there, and now I'm back up here!" A sixty-one-year-old black man in a cape named Teddy Johnson bellowed that from the stage of his juke joint in Zachary, Louisiana. Underneath his cape, his red suit is obscured with money pinned all over it. The occasion is his sixty-first birthday party. On my party plate commingles a smothered turkey neck, a fried chicken wing, and the smeared remains of a piece of sheet cake. As I gnaw on the bones, Teddy relinquishes the microphone to the band, which lays right back into the groove as if the needle had been dropped. http://www.offbeattravel.com/louisiana-juke-joint-teddys.html http://www.offbeattravel.com/tji-philadelphia-new-mural-tours-2012.html Love art in public places? Philadelphia is the City of Murals and has a new home, and new tours with something for just about every interest. Where can I sign up for these fascinating tours? http://www.offbeattravel.com/tji-philadelphia-new-mural-tours-2012.html http://www.offbeattravel.com/basel-art-fasnacht-carnival.html I hadn't come to Basel to experience Fasnacht, but when I first arrived in front of the Grand Hotel Les Trois Roi, one of the oldest and most elegant hotels in Europe, the first thing I noticed was that despite its staid appearance, the second floor of the façade displayed three gigantic caricatures of kings, which lit the wide avenue. Fasnacht, the only Protestant carnival in the world, is as important as Basel's yearly Art Fair. http://www.offbeattravel.com/basel-art-fasnacht-carnival.html http://www.offbeattravel.com/tji-coffee-in-puerto-rico.html While most consider rum Puerto Rico's most famous and popular drink, a quick review of Island history may leave one thirsting for a different type of brew. Since the Spanish introduced the bean to Puerto Rico in the 1700s, coffee has been a staple of Island life, culture and business. Grown and harvested in the center region of the Island, locals enjoy this local product in pocillo (espresso),cortadito (espresso with steamed milk) or café con leche (a latté). Island visitors can not only do the same, but can also tour local coffee plantations. http://www.offbeattravel.com/tji-coffee-in-puerto-rico.html http://www.offbeattravel.com/tji-disney-new-resort-art-animation.html Just in time for summer, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort opens with family suites themed with classic Disney and Disney-Pixar films. Opening in phases, each of the four wings celebrates Disney characters showcasing Finding Nemo, Cars and The Lion King, with elaborate storytelling both inside and out. Standard guest rooms make up The Little Mermaid wing, the final phase to open. http://www.offbeattravel.com/tji-disney-new-resort-art-animation.html http://www.offbeattravel.com/african-game-lodges-kruger-national-park.html My mother has refused to fly for decades. It's something to do with a perforated eardrum that would make her head explode on take-off. I rue that medical (or mental?) abnormality whenever I drive into the bush in my adopted home in Africa. I wish she could see countless wildebeest making their spectacular migration. The skittering springbok that comically prance away if something spooks them. She’ll never see a glorious sunset over wide-open plains of gold and tan. Or admire that extraordinary thing the moon does when it rises as big and as red as the sun that just went down. You can't get it anywhere except Africa, and most people never really "get" it at all. But once it's got you, you'll never shake it out of your heart. http://www.offbeattravel.com/african-game-lodges-kruger-national-park.html http://www.offbeattravel.com/tji-berlin-new-airport-BER.html Passengers at the new airport will find everything ranging from domestic and European to intercontinental flights under one roof in the central terminal. That is, as soon as it opens. Read what's holding up progress. http://www.offbeattravel.com/tji-berlin-new-airport-BER.html http://www.offbeattravel.com/snohomish-washington-tulalip.html Beyond the walls of fragrant cedar and 19th century canoes, a chorus of entrancing voices sings in an ancient language that beckons visitors. Up entering the great room, a small fire glows surrounded by twilight, as a speaker begins an intriguing oration of the Tulalip Tribe in the ceremonial long house of Hibulb's Cultural Center. http://www.offbeattravel.com/snohomish-washington-tulalip.html