30 Eylül 2012 Pazar

Mammoth Sound & Vision Welcomes New York Visitors to SHI's Cloud

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Burbank, CA, USA (September 27, 2012) -- SHI International Corp. is going back to the future with its imaginative New York City Briefing Center, recently unveiled in the heart of Manhattan at 1 Penn Plaza. The Briefing Center’s focal point is a 3D animated tour of SHI’s innovative cloud architecture woven through the history of computing beginning with the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Produced by George Johnsen, founder of Mammoth Sound & Vision, this 22-minute video presentation provides an immersive and engaging “edu-tainment” experience, offering clients and partners a rare look inside SHI’s next-generation data center and cloud solutions. This sci-fi journey is led by SHI’s cloud computing mascot, HA-NA, also created by Johnsen. She provides the voice of the customer and she ultimately points them to the best fit for their organization’s cloud computing needs.

“One of the main things that we wanted to do here is to create a memorable experience,” stated Henry Fastert, Chief Techologist, SHI International Corp. “We also wanted to create a very positive view of the future. The cloud has created so much change in such a short period of time that people are very concerned about how it all impacts their companies and their careers. So we went back to a period of time – between 1955 and 1965 – where the future was viewed as a completely positive thing – we believed it would solve all our problems and it was really something that we all looked forward to.”

“Our plan was to meet Henry’s vision,” said Johnsen. “It’s our first briefing center, and it’s been a pleasure and a challenge to put a theme park in an office building. This kind of experience is usually reserved for places like Disneyworld or Universal Studios, where we often work. It’s a total immersion 3D film that puts the viewer in the middle of the cloud technology that SHI has developed. We looked backwards to look forward to a time where the future was really, really cool and took it from there.”
The Briefing Center is a futuristic office that delivers an interactive experience to give visitors a comprehensive view of SHI’s innovative cloud services, technologies, and capabilities. Designed in conjunction with Spin Design, the 5000 square foot center features bright white walls reminiscent of “2001: A Space Odyssey” and automatic glass doors that can transition from clear to opaque and even display images.

About Mammoth Sound & Vision
Mammoth Sound & Vision is a multi-continent production company based in Burbank, California, specializing in animation, visual effects, audio and video post-production, interactive programming and 3D stereoscopic production. Founded by digital pioneer George Johnsen, Mammoth SAV is on the leading edge of creating award-winning productions for themed entertainment and live venues as well as film and television. More information is available at http://www.mammothsav.com.

About SHI
Founded in 1989, SHI International Corp. is a $4 billion+ global provider of technology products and services. Driven by the industry's most experienced and stable sales force and backed by software volume licensing experts, hardware procurement specialists, and certified IT services professionals, SHI delivers custom IT solutions to Corporate, Enterprise, Public Sector, and Academic customers. With over 1,900 employees worldwide, SHI is the largest Minority and Woman Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) in the U.S. and is ranked 18th among Everything Channel's VAR 500 list of North American IT solution providers. For more information, visit http://www.shi.com.

Molly Deese Named VP and General Manager of Wild Adventures

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Valdosta, GA, USA -- Wild Adventures Theme Park (WA) has  named Molly Deese the park’s new vice president and general manager. Deese was previously WA’s operations director, joining the South Georgia park in 2008. In her new role, Deese oversees all guest and business functions for the area’s largest theme, water and animal park including supervising more than 600 full-time and seasonal employees. She takes over immediately, just as WA is readying for its Halloween events, including the September 28 opening of the new nighttime eventTerror In The Wild. The park also plans to announce new plans for the 2013 season later this week.

“Molly was a natural choice for this position as she has such a well-rounded theme park background. Wild Adventures is the area’s number one attraction and one of the biggest employers, and Molly has always shown a commitment to creating a fun and safe family experience and equally as important, making Wild Adventures a great place to work,” said Jane Cooper, president of attractions for Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE), parent company of WA.

Deese takes over from Greg Charbeneau, who will continue to work with the HFE corporate team in Norcross, GA on other business ventures.

A nearly 20-year theme park veteran, Deese has worked with some of the industry’s most well-regarded and popular attractions including Carowinds in Charlotte, NC, and Kings Dominion in Richmond, VA. Over the course of her career, she has worked in increasingly senior roles in the food and beverage area and later in retail. Most recently, Deese worked as WA’s operations director, overseeing all of the park’s attractions, including the water park, and business operations. In her new post, she now adds oversight of marketing, entertainment, safety and finance to her responsibilities.

“I love that Wild Adventures is part of the fabric of this community. Since moving to Valdosta four years ago, I’ve met many families who ‘grew up’ with Wild Adventures and have wonderful stories to share. I’m committed to having their kids grow up with this park too, making new family memories. All of us at the park look forward to having everyone out for our Halloween fun and scares this September and October,” said Deese.

“Stay tuned for some announcements regarding new rides and new season pass benefits coming later this week,” she added.

Wild Adventures is a 170-acre theme park, water park, and animal park all in one place for less located in Valdosta, Georgia. The park features one of the largest ride collections in the South, more than 500 wild animals, Splash Island Water Park, the region’s largest water park, shows, festivals and all-star concerts. The park is owned and operated by Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE), a company specializing in family entertainment.

Chance Rides Introduces Sunliner II

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Wichita, KS, USA -- The latest addition to of Chance Rides people movers is now on the market. Chance Rides first introduced the Sunliner™ series of trams in 1977. They were known industry wide for smooth reliable transportation for guests at all attractions.

Thirty-five years later Chance Rides has brought the Sunliner™ name back to the tram industry with the completely redesigned Sunliner™ II. It is built with the reliability that Chance is known for including features like air-ride suspension and air-over-hydraulic brakes, a low deck entry of 13” for easy access. And because the Sunliner™ II is built on the chassis of a Ford E-350 you have the flexibility to have repair service completed by any Ford authorized dealer as well as a reliable warranty of 3 years or 36,000 miles. The Sunliner™ II gives you a total capacity of up to 116 people with 3 trailing units. The easy to use hitch system allows for quick connecting and disconnecting of trailing units as needed.

Throughout September and October the Sunliner II will be making its way across the country on a demo tour. If you would like to see what the Sunliner II could do for your attraction contact Chance Rides and they'll be happy to arrange a tour for you. Chance Rides will have the Sunliner™ II on display at the IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando, FL, booth #4824, November 12-16th, 2012.

Chance Rides, Inc. is a family owned business located in Wichita, Kan. For more information about Chance Rides products, visit chancerides.com.

Wild Adventures Announces Two New Attractions for 2013

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Valdosta, GA, USA -- Wild Adventures Theme Park (WA) announces the addition of a duo of family rides for the 2013 season. For thrill seekers, the park introduces TailSpin, a rocking and spinning ride on a half-pipe which takes riders more than four stories high while facing outward on a motorcycle-like seat. For littler ride enthusiasts, the park is adding Wacky Wheels, a whirling teacup-like ride of funky cars. The new rides were announced by Molly Deese, WA’s newly-appointed vice president and general manager.

“We’ve had great response to the improvements we’ve made in the past few years, but families told us they wanted more thrill rides and rides for younger kids. The boardwalk location of TailSpin and Wacky Wheels creates a new lakeside hub for kids, teens and adults alike,” said Deese in making the announcement.

Deese also announced the park has introduced new season pass benefits for 2013 passholders including a risk-free concert guarantee, up to five Bring-A-Friend tickets for each passholder and early water park entry on Saturdays.

Next year, WA is bringing up to 20 new entertainment elements to park, including concerts, special events and shows. The park plans to reveal the full line-up in February 2013.

“Our goal is to always provide families with memorable fun at a great value and this upcoming season is no exception,” said Deese. “In addition to the rides, water park and animals, we know that many of our guests enjoy seeing concerts at Wild Adventures. With the new risk-free concert guarantee, families can take advantage of the lowest season pass price right now, knowing that if they’re not completely satisfied with the 2013 concert and entertainment schedule when it is announced in February, they can get their money back on any unused passes.”

In addition to the risk-free concert guarantee, next year’s season passes include two new added benefits: early entry to Splash Island Water Park on Saturdays and up to five Bring-A-Friend Free Days.

“Families told us they wanted even more convenience and flexibility and these new benefits provide just that. For less than the price of a single day admission to other theme parks you can purchase a WA season pass and visit as much as you want, all season,” said Deese. “At Wild Adventures visitors find major coasters, rides, a complete water park and great family-friendly entertainment, including concerts, in a relaxed atmosphere, but pay less,” said Deese.

For more information on Wild Adventures, visit www.wildadventures.com.

Wild Adventures is a 170-acre theme park, water park, and animal park all in one place for less located in Valdosta, Georgia. The park features one of the largest ride collections in the South, more than 500 wild animals, Splash Island Water Park, the region’s largest water park, shows, festivals and all-star concerts. The park is owned and operated by Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE), a company specializing in family entertainment. For nearly half a century, HFE has owned, operated or partnered in 21 properties across nine states, including Branson, Missouri’s Silver Dollar City; operating partner with Dolly Parton in Tennessee’s Dollywood and Dollywood’s Splash Country; operating partner in Atlanta’s Stone Mountain Park and owners of Ride the Ducks amphibious tours in six cities.

FORREC Continues Work On New Phases of Scream Land FEC in Dominican Republic

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Toronto, Canada -- FORREC, a global leader in the planning and design of themed entertainment environments, recently provided complete design services for Scream Land, a jungle-themed entertainment centre in the Dominican Republic that offers an active environment of climbing, jumping, sliding and spinning .

Scream Land, located on the fourth floor of Agora Mall in Santo Domingo, is Acego Group’s third family entertainment centre (FEC). The group owns and operates two existing HappyLand FECs. Where the existing projects are aimed at two– to twelve-year-olds, Scream Land has been conceived as the next generation of entertainment centres, targeting a slightly older market.

“Being in the business of fun we needed to work with a team like Forrec who understands the value of fun!” said Tino Miyar, Partner of Acego Group.

“Engaging toddlers and tweens is not an easy feat, but we believe that the blend of rides and activities at Scream Land, will captivate toddlers and tweens alike.” said Mr. John Plumpton, Principal and Senior Director of Entertainment Centre Design at Forrec Ltd.

The project encompasses three phases, the first of which contains eight attractions. Ballocity is a three-storey 100-square-metre play area manufactured by Prime Play. Zamperla attractions include Crazy Surf and Kite Flyer 8. From SBF Visa comes the five-truck Convoy, Midi Dance Party, the 12-metre Drop ‘n’ Twist and the 11-metre Balloon Wheel. The Go Kart track with 18 cars is manufactured by Eurogames.

The second phase, scheduled to open at the end of 2012, will be located on the Centre’s mezzanine level. It will feature a 500-square-metre arcade, a 300-square-metre laser tag arena, four reduced-size bowling lanes and 50 games, divided into 75% redemption and 25% video/simulation. The entire experience will be capped off by a six-pole Sky Trail.

For the third phase, Forrec is already designing a spinning coaster with a 250-metre track that will sweep over the go-kart track.

The jungle-inspired environment takes advantage of abstracted and simplified elements, oversized shapes, bright colours and bold patterns to create an exciting tropical experience that has already made it a major Santo Domingo attraction.

The innovative children’s attraction, which opened in August 2012, is expected to attract more than 400,000 visitors each year. It received more than 10,000 guests in the first four days of operations.

About Forrec Ltd.
Forrec is a global leader in the planning and design of themed attractions, entertainment facilities and themed environments. For more than 40 years, Forrec has been creating design solutions for projects all over the world – anywhere that people and their experiences come first. For information please visit www.forrec.com

About Acego Group
Acego Group is a holding company in the Dominican Republic with leading operations in entertainment, telecommunications, quick service restaurants, retail and the printing industry.

29 Eylül 2012 Cumartesi

Sandals Whitehouse

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This resort is located on the south coast of Jamaica. I  just came back from the very first Chairman's Royal Club Retreat. The resort has been redone and it is simply fabulous...from chocolate at the chocolate buffet to the chocolate martinis and the incredible martini bar, This resort is pure paradise.
Although it does take quite some time to go across the mountains, the gentleman who handles the roads for Jamaica promised that the holes in the road would be paved before the start of season. Which is December...
While there, slip out and go on an Island Routes catamaran cruise to the Pelican Bar...a place you will never forget.  Take a tour of the appleton rum factory or jump in the black river with one of the local crocs. Don't worry..they don't bite much>>
The highlight of our trip was YS falls...I watched my friends zipline while I stuck my feet in the mineral pool and dined on a catered lunch from the resort.
Honeymooners...future destination wedding brides...call me..book this resort..it is simply fabulous. The food, the staff the grounds, the rooms and the overall ambience is splendid......

love to all
travelsue

My trip to Nassau, rain rain go away

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Last month my two friends and I visited Sandals Royal Bahamian. Since we were 3 ladies and it is a couples only resort, we had two rooms. Picked up at the airport by a Rolls Royce. (I was never in a rolls- delete that from my bucket list).

We get to the resort and of course all of my friends who are in management are there for me..I just love them and the resort.

I get to my room...a one bedroom suite but you know the new rooms in the Balmoral block are much nicer..but I still opted for bigger....as we know bigger is better..They still need some renovation but as they say in Jamaica..soon come.

It rained...it rained and it rained. So we shopped and shopped and shopped some more. Downtown Nassau has become my very favorite place..oh the jewelry..and Columbian Emeralds..I like diamonds so don't be confused by the name.

There is a bus right outside of the resort...the #10..take it...totally safe and pay $1.25 each way...so easy to spend your money.

Back to the resort and we have an eat-a-thon going on. All of the restaurants are fabulous with the exception of Crystal. Not that the food isnt great..the service was slow and I believe they need a new wait staff.

Surprise surprise...waiting in my room for me were airline tickets to go to Exuma...a nearby island where there is a concierge/butler only resort called Sandals Emerald Bay. It has the most luxurious sand and it is simply amazing.
The resort has come a long way since I was there last and I am glad that Sandals resorts were kind enough to send me there.

Pure relaxation is the name of the game there. I would suggest a split stay for all of you who chose to go to the Bahamas. Spend 4 nts in Nassau...take a flight to Exuma and stay 3 nights at Sandals Emerald Bay....Just the best time to be had..

Got back to Nassau and more rain. We figured we would have to rearrange our schedule. Morning shop while the rain comes down..and 4pm beach or pool.
I must say, since the last time I was in Nassau the resort has improved tenfold.
More things to do...better food....and a much friendlier staff.

This is all due to the efforts of the wonderful management ...headed by Patrick Drake...he is amazing.

With love,

Sue


Secrets the Vine

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SECRETS THE VINE...
email trvllsue@aol.com for the best in pricing for this fabulous brand new resort

Sparkling. Elegant. Bold.


Defining elegance, Secrets The Vine Cancun is the first Secrets Resort & Spa in Cancun. This modern, contemporary adults-only resort is situated along a powder-white beach with crystal-clear views of the Caribbean Sea. Offering an adults-only Unlimited-Luxury® experience with gourmet dining options and top-shelf spirits, 24-hour room service, daily activities, nightly performances, elite services and superior amenities; Secrets The Vine features an exquisite Secrets Spa by Pevonia boldly inspired by cave-like structures and natural cenotes of the area. All of this and more is within reach and only 10 minutes from Cancun's International Airport.

Each of the Secrets The Vine's 495 chic guest rooms provide a private and romantic retreat of beauty and splendor with deluxe appointments including Italian porcelain floors, the finest luxury linens and much more.

The signature element of Secrets The Vine Cancun is the extensive selection of fine wines stored in an on-site Wine Cellar or "Enoteca" which provides wine tasting and pairings for the most sophisticated tastes. Or visit The Vine Bazaar, aptly named for its unique attention to detail and incorporation of refined tastes, a centralized venue whose modern feel encompasses a café, lounge, bar, and library for an elegant evening.



When you travel in a storm

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We who live in South Florida just had a fun weekend. We waited all we for the awful Isaac to come and churn us up and spit us out. Now hurricanes and nothing to laugh about I have been in a few. You need to be prepared for its arrival and hope for the best..BUT
WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOU ARE TRAVELING IN A HURRICANE...AND YOU HAVE BOOKED IT THRU AN ONLINE TRAVEL AGENT WHO ARE SPECIFICALLY ORDER TAKERS. 
I WILL TELL YOU..YOU LOSE YOUR TRIP, OR YOU ARE FORCED TO PUT OUT MORE MONEY DURING THIS TRIP BECAUSE AS I KEEP SAYING, YOU ARE ONLY A NUMBER WHEN IT COMES TO THESE COMPANIES..

BOOK THRU A TIME TO TRAVEL/HONEYMOONCARIBBEAN....and this is what we would do for you..
Case in point:

I had a customer who seemed to be happy with me for years and then all of a sudden she was gone. I can't control who comes and goes but one Sunday during hurricane season..She called..I didnt answer the phone but she called and said she was stuck in Puerto Rico because she and her Friend had booked a trip to St Lucia and what was she to do because the St Lucia airport was closed....hmmm

My immediate thoughts were to jump on it and help her as I do everything, but I guess my sadistic bones were working that say...I never answered the phone..

So I am guessing she was stuck and stayed in Puerto Rica...lost her money for her resort in St Lucia and never knew the wiser.

Had she actually booked thru me..The answer for this would have been easy..
There resort she was going to has a sister resort in Grenada and it would have been easy for me to send them to Grenada..no muss no fuss..

Please to all my customers and potential customers....These online agencies are just order takers. They don't know the properties ...they don't know how to help in time of your need...They just don't know
you need someone with years of knowlege...and A Time to Travel is here for you.

Call me at 954 575 6101 or email    SueSchmerling@gmail.com

One more time,..Why should you use travel agents?

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I don't know how many times I tell people to use travel agents to book their trips but you know..unless something happens to the person, they continue to use online agencies.
Just yesterday an agent of mine was speaking to someone doing work on her home. He indicated that he was getting married in a month and had yet to book a honeymoon but was in fact looking online.
She said to him..you know I can do that for you. His immediate comment to her was "you mean you would look that up for me? You don't charge for your time?
You don't charge extra for your services?
Her answer to him was ....all of those things.
If you give me your "wish list" I will search and find the perfect resort including air for your honeymoon that matches your budget.
Looking on a web site can only give you photos..
Having been there will give you everything and we will take care of you from start to finish..

So people out there....Book thru us. Book thru travel agents. We are only there to help you.

Travelsue

28 Eylül 2012 Cuma

Point Douglas Community Oven, Point Douglas, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

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A community oven project that I had filed under "Aspirational Community Ovens" (which is to say community ovens that might be built someday) moved forward to actual construction.

This was the North Point Douglas Women's Centre Community Oven Project (link). Their page shows some pictures of the construction and past updates for the project.

Some of the history of the project is recorded in the original blog post that I found that informed me about the project. That post mentioned some of the arts component of the project, which is made more clear by this invitation in a blog post to come and work on the mosaic that decorates the oven.

Interestingly, there is an community oven in Cringila, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia with a mosaic (link).




Peterborough Community Oven

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Sometimes there are coincidences. I discovered that I had overlooked some details in a couple of my sources about information about community ovens for Peterborough.

Someone else reviewing my links pointed out that I had confused Peterborough, Ontario, Canada (which has a Facebook community organization page). with Peterborough, New Hampshire.

Oddly enough, while I have been able to find a couple of mentions of the oven at Peterborough, NH, there is a bit more available on Peterborough, Ontario.

For Peterborough, NH, I found these two references:

  • "Kin Schilling ... organized school kids to build a community bread oven in Peterborough" (link)
  • "[O]ur community kitchen, grill, fire pit and outdoor Cobb/wood-fired C/Pizza oven offer great opportunities for cooking, often in community." (link)
For Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, I found these links:
  • Their Facebook community organization page
  • Mention of a survey asking for input about the oven
  • A more recent online article that mentions the outdoor brick oven
It's kind of interesting to contrast these two efforts. The NH oven is a cob oven built in 2009. The Ontario oven is planned to be brick, but isn't built yet.
There is something to be said for having a good oven now instead of a great oven sometime in the future. (These are not mutually exclusive alternatives.)
Regardless of those issues, I wish good luck to both community ovens, and I'm sorry I got them confused.

Rabbit's Bakery, Lake City, Minnesota Field Report

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One the second day of a vacation at Stockholm, Wisconsin, we crossed the border back into Minnesota to visit Rabbit's Bakery in Lake City. We got there just before noon, so that baking for the day was over, but the wood-fired oven was being heated up for the next day's baking.


There were lots of tasting things in case waiting to be chosen. We saw lots of people coming in to buy things or to have lunch at the bakery cafe.


There was some breads of the day on the rack waiting to be taken, a menu for drinks on the wall. You can also see a sign for pizza (lower right), which they currently make once a month.


They have their distinctive sign hanging outside their door.


Here you can see the chimney stack and cinder block addition for their wood-fired oven. It looks like they also added some additional venting.


Just in case you can't find it going by the address, they also have a distinctive sign on the exterior wall of their bakery building.

Everything we bought was good. I'll certainly stop by again if I'm in the area.

Isla Catalina

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Isla CatalinaSi soñaste un paraíso caribeño, lo encontrarás justo aquí, en Isla Catalina.

La Isla Catalina o Serena Key como la llaman las líneas de creceros en sus programas es una preciosa isla de arena blanca cercana a la costa sureste de la República Dominicana. Ella misma es un Parque Natural protegido donde, por supuesto, no existe edificación alguna. Desconocida para muchos agentes de viajes y turistas, la playa está completamente a resguardo del viento, gracias a lo cual, el mar se encuentra siempre en absoluta calma.

Altos de Chavon

Esta islita asombra no obstante sus reducidas dimensiones que no llegan a 15 kilómetros cuadrados, de los que se ha destinado un kilómetro de playa para el manejo de turistas que buscan exclusivamente la diversión bajo el sol aprovechando arenas perfectamente elaboradas, agua de temperatura óptima, un mar para todos los deportes acuáticos, todos los colores del universo tropical y alternativas de aislamiento para una sublime comunicación con el entorno.  La Isla Catalina tiene tres playas de importancia (del Oeste, del Norte y del Este), dos de las cuales tienen gran potencial para el desarrollo sostenible del turismo (las del Este y del Oeste), a pesar de que en la actualidad solamente se utiliza una (la del Oeste). Además de las playas antes mencionadas, que ocupan más de dos terceras parte de su litoral, la Catalina tiene costas rocosas muy singulares, las cuales bordean su parte meridional, formando farallones en algunos casos y acantilados en otros.

Uno de los mejores sitios de buceo de República Dominicana es el espectacular Muro. Desde la playa, una suave pendiente lleva hasta el impresionante muro que desciende a más de 100 metros de profundidad, con dos escalones impresionantes a los 25 y a los 40 metros. Toda la pendiente de la playa hasta el muro es un auténtico vergel tapizado de corales y fauna, una plataforma de miles de metros cuadrados a menos de 3 metros de media de profundidad, ideal para el buceo a pulmón. Posiblemente sea el mejor lugar del Caribe para esta actividad. Cada centímetro de este fondo está cubierto de esponjas y coral. La profundidad de esta terraza excepcional y única varía de 1,5 a 6 metros. Sin duda, se trata de un lugar privilegiado. Otro punto de buceo es El Acuario. El nombre lo dice todo. Hay fauna y formaciones de coral increíbles esperándote.

Barcelo Santo Domingo

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Barcelo Lina"Este hotel 5 estrellas es la opción perfecta para viajes de negocios, ya que esta situado estratégicamente en el centro de Santo Domingo"
Durante muchos años conocido como Barcelo Lina Spa & Casino , el Barcelo Santo Domingo está situado en el centro de Santo Domingo capital de la República Dominicana, es uno de los hoteles con más tradición y prestigio de la ciudad.

Su restaurante " Kyoto" está considerado como uno de los mejores del país. Es un hotel muy recomendable tanto para el viajero de negocios, por sus servicios de planta ejecutiva y oferta de salones como para el turista en su visita a Santo Domingo, por su variada oferta de entretenimiento y ocio, en la que destaca uno de los casinos más animados de la capital.

El Barceló Santo Domingo esta situado en el centro de la ciudad de Santo Domingo, a sólo 30 minutos del Aeropuerto Internacional de las Américas y a escasos minutos de la Ciudad Colonial, centros de compras, negocios y los más reconocidos restaurantes

Habitaciones en el Barcelo Santo Domingo El Barcelo Santo Domingo está compuesto por 217 habitaciones standard de lujo, 10 Junior Suites, 6 Senior Suites y 1 Suite Presidencial. En nuestra Planta Ejecutiva ofrecemos check-in privado, desayuno continental, Hora Del té, servicios secretariales. Equipadas con :

Junior Suite Club Premium
Coloridas y con mucha luz, puede disfrutar de todas las comodidades, como: aire acondicionado, teléfono, TV vía satélite y pago por visión, servicio de habitaciones, minibar, nevera, baño con ducha, secador de pelo, espejo de aumento, radio, tabla de planchar y caja fuerte sin cargo.

Master Suite Club Premium
Espaciosas y luminosas habitaciones que están equipadas con aire acondicionado, teléfono, TV vía satélite y pago por visión, servicio de habitaciones, minibar, nevera, baño con ducha, secador de pelo, espejo de aumento, radio, tabla de planchar y caja fuerte sin cargo.

Suite Presidencial Club Premium
Espectaculares y amplias cuentan con una pequeña cocina, con aire acondicionado, teléfono, TV vía satélite y pago por visión, servicio de habitaciones, minibar, nevera, baño con ducha, secador de pelo, espejo de aumento, radio, tabla de planchar y caja fuerte sin cargo.

Superior
Barcelo LinaCómodas y amplias habitaciones que le ofrecen el máximo confort. Cuentan con aire acondicionado, teléfono, TV vía satélite y pago por visión, servicio de habitaciones, minibar, nevera, baño con ducha, secador de pelo, espejo de aumento, radio, tabla de planchar y caja fuerte sin cargo.

Superior Club Premium
Cómodas y amplias habitaciones que le ofrecen el máximo confort. Cuentan con aire acondicionado, teléfono, TV vía satélite y pago por visión, servicio de habitaciones, minibar, nevera, baño con ducha, secador de pelo, espejo de aumento, radio, tabla de planchar y caja fuerte sin cargo


RESTAURANTES Y BARES EN BARCELO SANTO DOMINGO
Barcelo Lina
El Restaurante "Kyoto" del Barcelo Santo Domingo está considerado como uno de los mejores del país.

B-Delicious Buffet & Restaurant
En un ambiente cordial y acogedor puede disfrutar de nuestro exquisito y variado menú de desayuno, almuerzo y cena en servicio buffet e igualmente a la carta. Ven a disfrutar con un excelente servicio y una magnifica calidad la variedad gastronómica de cada uno de nuestros platos. Abierto de 7:00 a.m. a 10:30 p.m.

Piano Bar
Con un ambiente totalmente renovado el Piano Bar le ofrece música en vivo todos los días en compañía de nuestra orquesta. Déjese seducir un buen rato en este ambiente donde puede entretenerse con música amena y disfrutar de la exquisita variedad que ofrece nuestras bebidas al estilo Barceló. Abierto desde las 11:00 a.m.

Lounge Bar
El Lounge Bar es el lugar ideal para relajarte en un ambiente elegantemente decorado donde podrás disfrutar de una amplia variedad de bebidas y unos exquisitos bocadillos. El lugar perfecto para pasar un buen rato antes de llegar a casa. Abierto hasta las 12:00 a.m. PARIS, BUDDHA

Kyoto
Kyoto, capital de Japón hasta el 1868. Por su gran patrimonio cultural durante la segunda guerra mundial la ciudad no fue bombardeada. Hoy en día, es la única gran ciudad de Japón que aún conserva numerosos edificios de preguerra. La gastronomía de este pueblo la puedes apreciar en el Restaurante Kyoto, ubicado en el Hotel Barceló Lina. En su cocina encontraras la más alta gastronomía japonesa en República Dominicana, disfrutando de la mejor relación precio-calidad y serás atendido con eficacia y profesionalidad degustando los platos de esta cultura. Abierto para almuerzo y cena.


Instalaciones en el Barcelo Santo Domingo

Dispone del restaurante "Kyoto" en lo más alto de la gastronomía del país. Además cuenta con restaurante buffet, cafetería, piano bar, piscina, jacuzzi, sauna, peluquería, casino y tienda de regalos. Casino de juegos, piscina con jardín tropical, Jacuzzi, Gimnasio

Salones de Conferencias en el Barcelo Santo Domingo

9 amplias salas completamente equipadas, preparadas para su banquete de bodas o celebración especial. Con la garantía de una excelente gastronomía al más alto nivel del país

PAREJAS, BODAS y RECIEN-CASADOS

En Barceló Santo Domingo saben que, en su día más especial, todo tiene que ser perfecto y la organización de bodas, el maestro de ceremonias y el chef le brindarán toda su experiencia profesional para que su sueño se transforme en una feliz realidad  La céntrica situación del hotel, a escaso minutos del centro histórico y comercial de Santo Domingo, la comodidad de las habitaciones junto a un excelente servicio y una refinada gastronomía convierten el Barceló Santo Domingo en un lugar ideal donde poder pasar sus vacaciones en la República Dominicana

Planes de comidas disponibles en el Barcelo Santo Domingo

Alojamiento y Desayuno
Media Pensión
Pensión Completa
Solo Alojamiento

Instalaciones

2 Piscinas exteriores
Gym
Spa
9 Salones convertibles en 9 con capacidad hasta 1.500 personas

Servicios Adicionales

-Cambio de moneda Casino Excursiones
-Niñera (bajo petición)
- Peluquería Tienda de souvenirs
-Médico
-Dispone de planta ejecutiva con servicios -exclusivos de Business Center
-Centro comercial y locales nocturnos en la zona
-Conexión a Internet WIFI


EL CASINO DEL BARCELO SANTO DOMINGO

The Casino of Barceló Santo Domingo is open daily 4:00 pm to 5:00 am. The casino features forty-five slots and fifteen table games. The property has two restaurants and a hotel with 217 rooms

Slot Machines - 45 total

Table Games - 15 total

27 Eylül 2012 Perşembe

A to Z Produce, Stockholm, Wisconsin Field Report

To contact us Click HERE
For my wife and me, if the weather is good, and the day is Tuesday, the usual question is, "Can we go to Stockholm, Wisconsin for pizza?" A to Z Produce is, as far as I know the original pizza farm.(I have collected many links about them here.)

When my wife and I visited on August 21, we got there early so we could avoid the wait, but there was already a great throng of cars. Still, I think we were still only pizza 38. We found a place to park pretty close to the ovens.

We were amused by the signage they had posted. The rules are few, but important. I told my wife that "Fences zap" is a warning most places would never post and most people would never see. It's a useful warning though because the location is a working farm with cattle, and the cattle fences have to work as intended, meaning live electric fences. (We arrived about 4:45.)


Since A to Z remodeled a few years ago, there is now more shelter over the ovens and for people waiting for their pizza. It is not so important on a pleasant summer evening, but when it's raining or cold, the shelter is very welcome.


The way to order is simple. They list the pizzas they are making, and you pick the kind you want. They will make you a pizza that half one kind and half another, but you need to accept what you get. It seems like every time we have gone there recently, the person taking order simply takes your order and says, "That will be 10 minutes."


Robbi operates the ovens herself. (People were not obeying the "NO FLASH PLEASE" writing over the ovens.) There are two ovens; there is basically a three-stage pipeline. About once a minute, Robbi moves a pizza from the second oven to a pizza box where the cashier will slice it. She then moves and rotates the pizza from the first oven into the second oven. Ted will carry a new pizza from the kitchen and put it into the first oven. When they are operating at full speed, they produce a new pizza in less than one minute.

So, when the person taking the orders says to everybody, "That will be 10 minutes," it is pretty much the truth. (If you come later, you may have to wait longer. The key is not how fast pizzas are made, but how fast people arrive. If a big crowd appears, the back up happens, but it's mainly handling the orders, not making the pizzas. One time when we got there later at 6:25 in the evening they were serving pizza 135 or so. Still faster than one per minute.)


This is the original oven, now used for the second minute of cooking.


They keep a lot of pizza boxes ready, but having them ready to go prevents a delay in boxing up the pizza. If you bring your box back, they knock a dollar off the price of your pizza.


This is Robbi turning a pizza before transferring it.


After we got our pizza home, I forgot to grab the camera to take a picture of it before getting slices out of the box. According to the time stamp on the picture, I took this picture at 5:16, which means we ordered the pizza, received the pizza, drove to where we staying, and then served the pizza all in 31 minutes.


This is the place that got me hooked on wood-fired oven pizza and the benchmark against which I compare all other wood-fired pizza places.

When we left, I checked the vehicles parked on the road around the farm. There were licenses representing five states, mostly Minnesota and Wisconsin, but also Iowa, Nebraska, and Ohio. This is a place that doesn't care if you find them or not; they already have enough business. (This was highlighted in a recent blog post by Mark Leslie that he called "Old MacDonald had a ... Pizza Farm??")

We are already fans, but we enjoy reading about how other people react when they discover "the Pizza Farm."

Rabbit's Bakery, Lake City, Minnesota Field Report

To contact us Click HERE
One the second day of a vacation at Stockholm, Wisconsin, we crossed the border back into Minnesota to visit Rabbit's Bakery in Lake City. We got there just before noon, so that baking for the day was over, but the wood-fired oven was being heated up for the next day's baking.


There were lots of tasting things in case waiting to be chosen. We saw lots of people coming in to buy things or to have lunch at the bakery cafe.


There was some breads of the day on the rack waiting to be taken, a menu for drinks on the wall. You can also see a sign for pizza (lower right), which they currently make once a month.


They have their distinctive sign hanging outside their door.


Here you can see the chimney stack and cinder block addition for their wood-fired oven. It looks like they also added some additional venting.


Just in case you can't find it going by the address, they also have a distinctive sign on the exterior wall of their bakery building.

Everything we bought was good. I'll certainly stop by again if I'm in the area.

Third Street Deli, Pepin, Wisconsin Field Report

To contact us Click HERE
On the third day of our field trip to Wisconsin, we had dinner at the Third Street Deli in Pepin. I had checked with them about some questions I had, so that when I arrived, I was recognized. We actually stopped by twice, once before they were heating the oven and later after they started serving food out of the oven.
The oven was built last year. It was more massive than they were expecting.  

The oven is part of an outdoor kitchen with some counter seating and an outdoor patio. There is some shelter from the weather while still being out of doors.

It's a pretty big oven. It looks like a relative big barrel-vault oven instead of a hemispherical oven more typical of a pizza-only oven.


They have some of the tools that I would expect for a wood-fired oven, but not all of them. (It's enough for what they do.)


Once the oven is heated up, they keep a fire in the back to keep the temperature up. That takes some practice to regulate and to cook with.


Here are a couple of calzones in the oven.


One got a little charred. This is apparently a rare problem, and they remade the item (for free of course) for the people who ordered it.


This is a "before" picture of my margherita pizza.


This is the "after" picture of my pizza. It pretty much comes out of the oven and then to the table. (It was only about 5 minutes before the pizza going in and me taking the after picture. Part of that was remembering to get my camera out before I ate the pizza.)


I thought it was a very reasonable price for the pizza ($8). Unlike A to Z Produce (the Pizza Farm), the Third Street Deli does not specialize in pizza; they have a lot of other offerings. (My wife really liked the roasted beet salad.)

The next time I'm in the neighborhood of Pepin on a day when A to Z is closed and Third Street Deli is open (Thursday through Sunday), I would happily go there again for pizza or for something else on the menu.

Vino in the Valley, near Ellsworth Minnesota Field Report

To contact us Click HERE
I have a previous blog post about Vino In the Valley, near Ellsworth, Wisconsin (their Facebook page).

I had the opportunity to stop at Vino in the Valley during a vacation in western Wisconsin. This was to be our last major outing of our vacation.

What I had heard about Vino in the Valley was that they had an outdoor oven. That turned out to be true. Their oven is outside.


What I had been expecting was that it would be a wood-fired oven. In that, my expectation was not met; it was fired by gas (of some kind). It actually was a two-level oven; it might be that the different decks were maintained at different temperatures.


What I thought might be a kind of vineyard setting (more like Falconer Vineyard’s Vineyard Bistro, Red Wing, Minnesota) turned out to more of an open-air supper club. There was a long building with fabric walls, many tables, a couple of bars, and even a lounge singer (seen below heading for her outdoor stage).


The building has a couple of angles so that the ends bend toward the gazebo that acts as the stage.


You can see the outdoor bar in the background here and many tables with umbrellas for people to wait at. After checking in at the reception desk, we were given one of the squarish electronic devices that vibrates and flashes to let you know when your table is ready. As a couple, we got seated very promptly.


We were actually seated near the front, right next to an indoor bar and close to the oven.


Whoever was running the oven, was very quick. I never had enough time to snap a picture of what was going into or out of the oven with the oven door open.


Unlike some of the other places we ate at on this trip, a small pizza came with a salad and a bread basket. The pizza when we got it was at best OK.


What Vino in the Valley apparently is, is an open-air supper club. They had a big parking lot, and there were a lot of cars in it. What Vino in the Valley is not, is a wood-fired pizza place. There was a mismatch in expectations between what I was hoping to find and what they are. For people who are looking for what they are, they are great. For somebody like me who looks for wood-fired oven pizza, they are not what I was expecting.


For similar places, click on the vineyard and farm labels on the right of the page. There is also a blog post about Wisconsin Pizza Farms.