Discover Norton Simon Museum In Pasadena California

The Norton Simon Museum sits on 9.5 acres, is housed in an 85,000 squrare foot structure and is located in the beautiful city of Pasadena, California at 411 W. Colorado Blvd. right across the street from where the television cameras are set up every year for the Rose Parade. Therefore millions of people view the front of the museum each year as they watch the Rose Parade. What most of these viewers do not know is that “The Norton Simon Museum of Art holds one of the world’s finest and most prestigious private collections of European, American and Asian art.”

The collection, which includes works by van Gogh, Picasso, Rembrandt, Rodin and Fragonard consists of over 1,000 works, including paintings, etchings (by Rembrandt, Goya, etc.), sculptures, photographs (Ansel Adams) and other mediums spanning a period of over 2,000 years. The museum also hosts lectures, gallery talks, family programs, musical performances, dance performances, films and tours.

The museum provides both private tours and monthly free public tours of their collection conducted by Museum Educators.

The museum’s store features a large selection of books on American, Asian and European art along with posters, prints, slides and stationery goods as well as books on photography, gardens and architecture.

The museum is closed on Tuesdays, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s hours are 12:00 noon – 9:00pm on Fridays and 12:00 noon – 6:00pm all other days. Admission fees are adults $8.00, seniors $4.00 and patrons under 18 years of age, students with valid id and museum members free.

For more information about the city of Pasadena, California see http://pasadena.usacitydirectories.com, a directory of links to city of Pasadena, California guides and directories listing hotels, restaurants, churches, physicians, attorneys, information, resources, services, things to do, places to go, art galleries, service organizations, auto dealers, nursing homes, convalescent hospitals, antique dealers and more.

Visit Beverly Hills California

Beverly Hills, California, one of the wealthiest cities in the world is known world wide for multi million dollar mansions, Rodeo Drive shopping, luxury automobile dealerships, four and five star hotels, fine dining establishments and wealthy citizens.

Beverly Hills is a great place to visit. Go shopping or window shopping at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Channel, Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, Gearys, Polo/Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Lalique, Tiffany Co, Robert Clergerie, Barneys New York, Van Cleef Arpels, La Perla, Hermes, Alfred Dunhill, St. John, Harry Winston, Buccellati, Cole-Haan, David Orgell, Salvatore Ferragamo, Hugo Boss, Fendi or dozens of other luxury boutiques, stores and shops.

If you are into luxury cars, you can find almost every type of luxury and classic car there is on the streets and at the dealerships in Beverly Hills.

If you can afford it stay in a bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel and be treated like a king or queen. There are also the Le Meridien, Four Seasons, Regent Beverly Wilshire, The Beverly Hilton, Raffles L’Ermitage Beverly Hills hotels as well as several other great hotels.

Have breakfast or lunch and see the stars at the Polo Lounge, eat at Trader Vics, Spagos, Il Fornaio, La Scala, Delmonicos Lobster House, Regent Beverly Wilshire, Benihana, Houston’s and other fine restaurants. All of them provide excellent service and delicious fare.

All of the businesses and merchants in Beverly Hills are used to serving wealthy and discriminating clientel, therefore almost anywhere you go you will be treated with service that is far above average. Unlike the scenes in the movie Pretty Woman I have never run in to rude or snooty sales clerks. Everywhere I have shopped, stayed or dined in Beverly Hills I have been treated very well. Money is money and it seems that the merchants believe that if you can afford to buy their goods or services you are more than welcome in their establishment. Since nowadays it is hard to tell by looks who has money and who doesn’t it’s easier and safer for the merchants to treat everyone as if they are wealthy.

Drive through the residential areas of Beverly Hills. You will find houses and mansions of all architectural styles and sizes beautifuly landscaped with dark green lawns, sculpted hedges, fountains and gorgeous gardens. Even the streets are clean and well tended.

Visit Beverly Hills, if you are rich you will feel right at home and if you are not you will probably, at least for a while, feel like you are.

By the way, even though the city is filled with luxury hotels, shops and restaurants, since not everyone who lives, visits or works in Beverly Hills is rich, there are still plenty of medium to inexpensively priced hotels, shops, restaurants, coffee shops and fast food places.

For more information about the city of Beverly Hills, California see http://beverlyhills.usacitydirectories.com, a directory of links to city of Beverly Hills, California guides and directories listing hotels, restaurants, attorneys, information, resources, services, things to do, places to go and more.

Visit Big Bear California

Less than two hours by car from Los Angeles sit the year round playgrounds Big Bear Lake and Big Bear City. Situated in the San Bernardino National Forest at approximately 7,000 feet above sea level, Big Bear provides activities for all four seasons. Whether you are into camping, fishing, boating, water skiing, jet skiing, swimming, hiking, parasailing, horseback riding, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, bobsleding, playing in the snow, shopping or even just relaxing, you can do it in Big Bear and you can do it in clean fresh air, in gorgeous surroundings and in accomodations that range from unimproved campgrounds to top of the line hotels or spas.

Big Bear Lake is a freshwater lake, with approximately 22 miles of shoreline, set amoung forests of pine and oak. The lake is well stocked with trout, large and small mouth bass, blue gill, crappie, and catfish. There are several marinas and two public launches. You can rent sail or motor boats, or you can bring and launch your own boat. Meadow Park (800)448-5335, on the lake, provides a swim beach area as well as shaded picnic areas, barbecues, horseshoe pits, tennis courts, playground equipment, softball fields, and a sand volleyball court. Holloway’s Marina and RV Park (800)448-5335, offers lakeshore RV camping with all the amenities including, large level sites, full hook-ups, cable tv, restrooms and hotwater showers, a full service marina, rentals of fishing boats, pontoon boats, jet skis, windsurfers, sail boats, canoes and kayaks, paddle boats, water skis, fishing gear and more, a complete bait and tackle shop, a launch ramp and more. You might also want to check out Big Bear Shores RV Resort (909) 866-4151, a gate guarded resort complete with a 16,000 square foot mountain lodge, forty-slip marina, boat launching ramp, tennis, swimming pool, spas and a fully equipped private health club, the resort offers all the refinements of an exclusive country club. There are also numerous hotels, lodges, cabins and condos for rent, on or near the lake.

Big Bear boasts two excellent ski resorts, Snow summit and Bear Mountain Resort. Between the two of them you will find 75 trails, 20 lifts, four high-speed chairs, and seven snowboard parks for all levels of skill. Big Bear also has numerous, beautiful, groomed, cross country ski trails. If you don’t know how to ski, don’t worry, there are plenty of instructors. If you don’t have equipment, don’t worry, there are plenty of places where you can rent or buy your equipment.

Big bear is not just a winter wonderland, it is a year round wonderland. At Big Bear, you will find beautiful scenery, clean mountain air, plenty of things to do, friendly people and much more.

For more information about the city of Big Bear, California see: http://bigbearlake.usacitydirectories.com, a directory of links to the city of Big Bear, California guides and directories listing hotels, restaurants, attorneys, real estate brokers, information, resources, services, things to do, places to go and more.

Discover The Huntington Library, Art Collections, And Botanical Gardens

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens is located on 150 acres of land at 1150 Oxford Rd. in the city of San Marino, California. San Marino is best known for the financial wealth of it’s residents and for it’s proximity to the city of Pasadena http://pasadena.usacitydirectories.com. Many people, however, believe that the city’s biggest asset is the Huntington Library which is made of three art galleries and a library which “showcase magnificent collections of paintings, sculptures, rare books, manuscripts, and decorative arts”, and the botanical garden with a collection which “features over 14,000 different species of plants”.

The Huntington houses such treasures as “the Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales a Gutenberg Bible on vellum the double-elephant folio edition of Audubon’s Birds of America a world-class collection of the early editions of Shakespeare’s works original letters of Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and Lincoln and an unsurpassed collection of materials relating to the history of the American West.”, 18th century British and French art, American art ranging from the early 18th century to the early 20th, French and British sculpture, tapestries, furniture, porcelain, and silver, and British drawings and watercolors. Additionaly, the Huntington is world renowned as home to Gainsborough’s Blue Boy and Lawrence’s Pinkie.

“Henry Huntington began developing the Botanical Gardens in 1903. Now they span nearly 150 acres with sweeping lawns and vistas interspersed with statuary, tempiettos, and benches. Approximately 15,000 kinds of plants from all over the world make up the botanical collections, many landscaped into a series of theme gardens.”

The three and a half acre Huntington Rose Garden is comprised of approximately 1,200 cultivars made up of “Old Garden Roses (roses developed before 1901) China, Tea, and Noisette Roses Shrub Roses (including the David Austin English Roses) and Modern Roses from all parts of the world”.

“Playful plant choices, such as topiary animals, weeping mulberry trees, papyrus, and tree aloes resembling something from the world of Dr. Seuss, create a storybook atmosphere that combines elements of fantasy with the very real wonder of nature” make up the children’s garden.

“The Shakespeare garden contains shrubs and perennials that evoke an English garden. Many of the plants have been cultivated for centuries and were even mentioned in works of Shakespeare, including pansies, violets, pinks, rosemary, daffodils, iris, roses, pomegranate, and orange.”

In the Subtropical Garden, “Walking east to west from the Jungle Garden, the areas transition from subtropical southeast Asia and South America plants, to Mesoamerica plants (Mexico and Central America) in the central beds, Chile in the upper central bed, southern Africa in the western bed extending along the road and in beds continuing uphill to the lawn, to the Mediterranean region in the upper two west beds.”

There are also Chinese, Desert, Herb, Camellia, Japanese, Australian, Palm and Lilly Pond gardens as well as a Botanical Conservatory

The Huntington is closed Mondays and the following holidays: Christmas Eve Day, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day and Thanksgiving.

Admission is free to members. For non members the fees are Adults $15, Seniors (age 65) $12.00, Students (age 12-18 or with full-time student I.D.) $10.00, Youths (age 5-11) $6.00, children under 5 are free. Groups of 15 or more are $11 per person. Admission is free to all visitors on the first Thursday of every month.

For more information about the city of San Marino, California see http://sanmarino.usacitydirectories.com, a directory of links to city of San Marino, California guides and directories listing information, resources, services, attorneys, realtors, things to do and places to go.

Vanuatu – Your Invitation To Paradise

Escape from the daily grind and combine a rejuvenating holiday where you can relax on white sandy beaches, take a swim with the friendly colorful reef fish that eat straight out of your hands.
Shop at the many duty free retailers and visit the local market and to top your day off why not head out to one of the many restaurants that provide a wide range of local seafood and cuisine.

Vanuatu is a land of rich lush tropical rainforests, beautiful blue lagoons, waterfalls and a myriad of hidden bays and beaches that range from snow white to volcanic black. Not forgetting the warm waters of aqua and dark blues with a fascinating underwater world of colorful tropical fish that live amongst magnificent underwater wrecks and coral reef formations.

The untouched tropical paradise, of the South Pacific lies only 2 hours from Brisbane, Australia. Meaning ‘Land Eternal’, Vanuatu is a chain of 83 islands from volcanic beginnings formed in a Y-shaped archipelago which stretches over some 800kms of the Pacific Ocean, half way between Australia and Hawaii.

The capital, Port Vila is a well developed tourist destination that boasts one of the most beautiful natural harbors in the world. The town offers excellent restaurants, duty free shopping, and a colorful local market. Port Vila is a town that is never raced and never in a hurry. A gentle, peaceful place where the locals and visitors alike can simply take the time to enjoy just how blessed it has been by nature.

The rural areas of Vanuatu require a more adventurous spirit. Yet it is here that over 80% of the Ni-Vanuati people live in small villages, maintaining the Melanesian culture as it has been for thousands of years. The Ni-Vanuatu people are a gentle, loving, friendly and peaceful people, who enjoys life’s simpler pleasures in a country of diverse and unique customs and culture. There are experiences for the traveller not found anywhere else in the world.

Vanuatu is recognized as one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. There are small communities of French, British, Australian, New Zealand, Vietnamese, Chinese and other Pacific Islands people living in harmony with the Ni-Vanuati. This virgin tropical paradise of the South Pacific blue waters is of such beauty that one will never want to leave.

Treat yourself to 5 Star accommodation and relax in the luxury that is the DXGrand Hotel. Boasting stunning views of Port-Vila and Mele Bay, the DXGrand Hotel offers unsurpassed quality in features, comfort and service. Go deep sea fishing, put on your scuba gear and dive into the crystal blue water to view the amazing creatures, catch a short plane ride to a near-by island and take a walk up an active volcano to view the spectacular eruptions.

Why not take advantage of the great holiday packages available and come and experience the peaceful lifestyle of a relatively new country where the true island living can be seen while you are still looked after in style.

Perhaps you may wish to visit other small local islands and see the happiness and activity in the local ni-Vanuati people showing you their local craft and why not stay for the local feast of beautiful food.