Archive for February, 2010

The Marketplace

Attracting huge crowds since 1976 the marketplace aka Quincy Market / Fanueil Hall Marketplace is definitely where you should be when you are bargain hunting in Boston. The complete market stretches across three blocks including Quincy Market North Market and South Market. Each block is 535 feet in length and falls across the Fanuiel Hall plaza. The central design is made from granite and boasts Doric colonnade on both ends. It’s completed with a classic dome and rotunda.

The marketplace has managed to inspire several other old building restorations and instill the reuse concept throughout the USA. The Boston marketplace was once desolate and scheduled for demolition but a few creative people with better business strategies in mind restored the decrepit structure and if you look past the immediate storefronts you’ll notice the beautiful design too. The traditional market structure has lasted for decades after restoration but it’s somewhat hidden because of the frontal stalls selling everything from sausageonastick to frozen yogurts.

The main Quincy Market section is the best place in Boston to sample all sorts of snacks and dishes. There are many eateries serving Chinese noodles bagels barbecue baklava bagels and different types of mouthwatering sweets including chocolate chip cookies. It’s not exactly a flea market but the way the vendors have put up stalls the hawking and bargaining certainly gives a flea market feel to the marketplace.

The central market is an arcade filled with vendors hawking all sorts of souvenir items such as photographs of Boston sweatshirts and arts crafts. A few paved restaurants and bars can be found scattered among these stalls. Chain stores and specialty boutiques are found inside the North and South Markets. A perfect representation of old Boston remains at the Drugin Park a 1826 restaurant recognized for its classic interior and massive New England cuisine portions.

The marketplace is also renowned for its street performers and magicians or musicians are always around to entertain visitors. The greenhouse flower market located on the northern side of Fanuiel Hall sprinkles some color on to the somewhat dreary outlook of the entire market on a crowded day. Christmastime brightens up the place with glitter and decorations. The plethora of outdoor cafes are ideal for sipping a cold soda while watching people pass by on a hot summer day.

If you can spare a few days to explore the marketplace completely you should consider staying at the Langham Hotel Boston which is among the Boston hotels located nearby. The Langham Hotel Boston is excellent for relaxing after a tiring day and preparing for another day at the amazing Boston marketplace.

About the writer:  Naveen Marasinghe is an Online Marketing Executive at eMarketingEye which is a search engine marketing agency that offers integrated Internet marketing solutions and specializes in serving the online travel and hospitality industry. http://www.emarketingeye.com/

The Manila Melting Pot

Like many cities in developing nations Manila is not without its pollution and traffic nor the conspicuous divide between rich and poor. Nevertheless this bustling Philippines capital situated on the west coast of the island of Luzon is a remarkable melting pot of Asian and Latin cultures thick with history and flavor.

When in Manila sightseeing is protocol. Many history lessons have been learnt while visiting the oldest part of the city Intramuros Latin for within the walls which was founded by the Spanish in 1571 and houses numerous historic buildings and churches. Rizal Park named after anticolonialist Dr. Jos Rizal features a skating rink chess plaza beautiful ornamental gardens and free concerts on Sundays. Other places worth visiting are the Malacaang Palace The National Museum of the Philippines Binondo Manilas Chinatown and the Chinese Cemetery where some of the rich are buried with air conditioners chandeliers and flushing toilets.

Various accommodation in Manila is available ranging from 5star hotels to more affordable options on Roxas Boulevard or in the districts of Ermita and Malate. As with dining choices the high end brings us to Lolo Dads Caf a popular restaurant for gourmet Filipino cuisine and Ilustrado which serves Filipino and Spanish dishes.

For the more adventurous foodie a great selection of street foods such as isaw grilled chicken and pork innards banana cue kamote cue deep fried banana and sweet potato with caramelized brown sugar kwek kwek hard boiled quail chicken or duck eggs covered in orange batter then fried and seasoned and halohalo shaved ice with condensed milk preserved fruit sweet beans and a scoop of ice cream can be found throughout the city.

The best way to get a feel for Manila shopping is to go to a tiangge a market of stalls where everything can be bargained. Market! Market! St. Francis Square Greenhills Shopping Center and Tiendesitas are examples of such.

Traffic is a major headache but a Manila experience wouldnt be complete without a ride on the colorful and crowded Jeepneys jeeps once used by American Armed Force units that have been modified for public transport and are known for their flamboyant decorations. To find out more about this exciting metropolis visit the official tourism website.

About the writer:  My name is Pete P. I’m eMarketing Coordinator for Agoda Services. Agoda ‘s willing to provide more than qualities of services but also to contribute the sharing of ideas giving out travel tips reviews to customer and also to the public. This is one of ours article. Hope it would be more or less benefit for the happytimes of your next journey. More Tips Reviews Please visit my Blog or Agoda’s Website

The Limo Hire Industry Over The Last 10 Years

What I think of the limousine industry over the last decade.

The limousine culture originated in the US and has only recently seen commercial growth in the UK. The US market is fairly saturated with a variety of around 5000 limousine and taxi companies sharing in the 4bn per year revenue stream each offering different services for customers across the country.

The limousine industry in the UK has seen massive growth over the last ten years. Where previously this class of transport was reserved for wealthy or business folk the industry has become more commercialised offering a vast range of services catering for people from all walks of life and for almost any type of social or corporate event.

The growth in the industry can be attributed to the affordability of services offered and the demand for luxury travel for events ranging from weddings and proms to hen and stag nights. Another factor that has driven this growth is the emergence of the Party Vehicle’ limousines equipped with not just a minibar but state of the art sound and television systems games consoles smoke machines disco balls laser lights bubble machines and even hottubs.

The range of limousines available is ever growing from the classic Lincolns to Bentley Continentals of which the more obscure models are becoming more and more desirable due to their uniqueness such as:

The Fire Engine limousine offering 16 seats and a dance pole.

American Police Car Stretch offering 6 seats.

Stretch Hummers coming in various styles and colours and seating between 5 and 20.

Stretch Chrysler c300 baby Bentley limo with Lamborghini doors.

The new Audi Q7 limousine offering the best interior of any limo

The pink Chrysler c300 baby Bentley limousine

As well as the entertainment features of these vehicles the operators provide various ad hoc services such as complimentary champagne decorations food etc. Limo hire can be used anywhere in the UK. There is also now a 16seater fire engine in the Newcastle area which is also pink and comes with the crew dressed up in complete pink fireman outfits including pink fireman hats.

We see concentrations of operators based in and around major cities such as London Birmingham Liverpool Manchester Leeds Newcastle Cardiff Edinburgh amp; Glasgow. This competition between the different companies results in lower rental prices which attracts more customers. Although this ultimately results in industry growth it also means that companies such as Limotek can offer competitive prices as they source vehicles from a vast network of operators around the country meaning they can often find better deals through these operators than customers approaching operators directly.

Hiring a limousine is now seen as a matter of course for certain types of events and as the range of vehicles increases we can only expect to see further growth in the industry. As the majority of operators in the UK are small companies that cater for a particular region there may be a possibility for consolidation in the industry as we have yet to see the emergence of a brand name within the industry.

Why not have pink limo hire stretch limo hire or hummer limo hire.

About the writer:  Limotek limo hire London providers to all areas of the UK including limo hire London. We also provide mortgage quote.