NorthWest Carrollton

Los Angeles is the largest city in California and the second largest city in the USA. It is located on the southern coast of California about 75 miles north of the Mexican border and 400 miles south of San Francisco. The original name of the city was The Village of Our Lady the Queen of Angels, but the name was shortened for obvious reasons.

Los Angeles is situated on an irregularly shaped coastal plain about 30 to 60 miles across. It is bounded on the west by nearly 60 miles of Pacific Coast beaches and ocean cliffs. The San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains form a 2500 meter high wall to the east. The Santa Monica Mountains define its northern limit and the Santa Anna Mountains define the southern.

Los Angeles has four major airports Los Angeles International, Burbank Glendale Airport, John Wayne Airport and Ontario International Airport. In addition, the Orange County Airport is less than one hour from the city and San Diego Airport is within a two hour drive.

Los Angeles natives inhabit the entire plain and all the local hills plus the sides of the mountain ranges and into all of the connecting valleys. The city now covers over 1000 square miles in dozens of interconnected communities. High rise buildings only exist in a few isolated clusters. From nearly every vantage point, you can gaze across miles of low rooftops with palm trees towering above.

Along the Pacific shore, Malibu, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey and Palos Verde are high class residential beach communities.

Hollywood is the historic home of the old movie studios and Beverly Hills is still the home of the movie stars. Here you can drive along the western terminus of historic route 66 on Santa Monica Boulevard. You can stroll along famous Hollywood Boulevard and the Sunset Strip. In nearby Burbank, you can visit many modern movie and television studios. In Anaheim, you can see the original Disney Land and Knotts Berry Farm.

Downtown is certainly a commercial district, but it is no more the urban centre of the city than many other neighbourhoods. Near the downtown area are ethnic neighbourhoods with large Asian populations called, Korea Town, China Town and Japan Town.

Unlike most cities, Los Angeles does not have a distinct urban centre. It is a collection of individual communities tied together by a complex network of roads and freeways. Each community offers a uniquely different character. Together, they make up this huge metropolitan complex called Los Angeles.

Toronto is the countries largest metropolis. It sprawls along the northern shore of Lake Ontario, its vibrant, appealing centre encased by a jangle of satellite townships and industrial zones that cover as Greater Toronto no less than 100 square kilometres.

The City of Toronto encompasses a geographical area formerly administered by six separate municipalities. These municipalities have each developed a distinct history and identity over the years, and their names remain in common use among Torontonians. Throughout the city there exist hundreds of small neighbourhoods and some larger neighbourhoods covering a few square kilometres. Former Municipalities include East York, Etobicoke, North York, Old Toronto, Scarborough, and York.

Torontos stylish and hip city centre is full of cosmopolitan excitement. Experience gourmet food in fine establishments, ethnic cuisine in authentic restaurants, or any number of other options available to the discerning diner. Zip to the top of the worlds tallest building and free standing structure, the CN Tower, or walk down Yonge Street and discover cafes, clothing boutiques and little shops. Visit a spa in the midst of the city and emerge rejuvenated and refreshed.

When night descends on Toronto, the streets come alive with dining, theatre, dancing and revelry. Experience world class theatre, first rate Broadway shows and action packed professional sports teams, such as the National Hockey Leagues Toronto Maple Leafs, the National Basketball Associations Toronto Raptors and the Canadian Football Leagues Toronto Argonauts. The shopping is renowned designer stores line Torontos fashionable districts, such as Yorkville, while unique boutiques are just a few blocks away try Kensington Market or Queen Street West. Diverse cultures make up Toronto, resulting in a vibrant international atmosphere.

Summer is the time to celebrate and Toronto is definitely the city to do it in. You can celebrate your lifestyle, your culture or even your favourite four legged friend, whether you love theatre or dance, films, or music theres a Toronto festival to celebrate who you are and what you love this summer.

Torontos climate is moderate for Canada due to its southerly location within the country and its proximity to Lake Ontario. It has a humid continental climate with warm, humid summers and generally cold winters, although fairly mild by Canadian and many northern continental US standards. The city experiences four distinct seasons with considerable variance in day to day temperature, particularly during the colder weather season. Due to urbanization and other factors Toronto has a fairly low diurnal temperature range, at least in built up city and lakeshore areas. At different times of the year, the proximity to Lake Ontario and the other Great Lakes has various localized and regional impacts on the climate, including lake effect snow.

Cincinnati is a city in south western Ohio, in the United States of America, that lies on the Ohio River.

The city enjoys a rich cultural history, particularly in choral and orchestral music, dating from German settlement in the nineteenth century. Once the nations pork capital and the countries largest city, Cincinnati today is home to several leading national corporations.

Despite its size, the cliche of big city small town feel is a reality here. The downtown neighbourhood is compact and with little effort you can reach even on foot lovely hills overlooking downtown and the Ohio River. Since Cincinnati is by a river, we have hills and water and banks and all sorts of pretty, picturesque places.

The Childrens Theatre of Cinncinnatis rich history began over 80 years ago. Cincinnatis two Art Deco masterpieces were erected just at the end of the booming 1920s and the beginning of the Depression. The Art Museum is one of the countries oldest visual arts institutions and the first general art museum west of the Alleghenies to be established in its own building. Built in 1878 this Cincinnati showpiece has been renovated and updated and includes what is judged to be among the best and most beautiful concert theatres in the world.

Eden Park was assembled by a series of purchases beginning in 1859. The name came, naturally, from the Garden of Eden and was given by Nicholas Long worth who owned a large tract which constitutes the main portion of the park.

The nightlife is speckled with trendy, be seen places and quaint neighbourhood bars. Local music is hot, too, and is featured at many bars and restaurants. Cincinnati sits in a unique culinary band. The gamut with simple meat and potatoes, spaghetti esque chili and goetta for breakfast is a favourite.

Cincinnati could boast of a diversified economy that made it relatively recession proof compared with other Midwestern cities dependent on motor vehicle and heavy machinery manufacturing. The city prospered as the headquarters of Procter and Gamble.

Expect snow often during the winter months. Spring is rainy season with an average rainfall of 40 inches, bringing summer flowers into bloom. Summer heat hits the low 80s but it feels hotter as humidity is high. Fall is the best season with warm temperatures and little rainfall.

The riverfront is being revitalized under The Banks project. The city is undergoing significant changes due to an influx of new development and private investment as well as the beginning of the often stalled The Banks project.

Barcelona is a city that seems to have everything a tourist could want. Great weather, a compact city that is easy to get around, full of art, culture and entertainment venues, great food and friendly locals. Of course, the proximity of Barceloneta beach to the city centre means that tourists can enjoy a day in the city sightseeing and finish up the day on the soft sand with an icy glass of Sangria. What more could you want for a great fun filled holiday?

If you’ve been to Barcelona before and want to see another side of the local culture, or if you are looking for a party or event to spice up your holiday, you may want to look at the possibility of visiting Barcelona when the city is celebrating one of its famous festivals.

There are many festivals during the year in Barcelona because not only do Barcelonians get to celebrate the national holidays that the rest of Spain celebrates, there are also many festivals that Catalans celebrate as well. Add to that local neighbourhood festivities and what you’ve got is a city that never seems to stop partying! This means that tourists can rest assured, that nearly any time of year, something or someone will be being celebrated while they are there!

Sant Juan is a popular fun- filled festival dedicated to Saint John. The origins of this celebration date back to Pagan times where people celebrated the summer solstice by feasting and drinking and dancing around huge bonfires, said to ward off evil spirits.

The theme of fire has carried through to the modern version of this festival, in the form of fuegos artificiales, better know as fireworks! As well as council sponsored fireworks shows, the local kids get to enjoy setting off loud cracking fireworks in local squares and plazas in the weeks leading up to the festival.

On the day itself (usually the 23rd June), people gather in the streets to dance and celebrate. You wont have to go far to join in the fun as many communities sponsor a free live music concert in their neighbourhood, but if you want to head to the real action of the festival, head to the beach where you can join in on one of the all night dance parties, complete with dancing and music until dawn, and lots of fireworks!

The Gracia street festival, held in mid August is another exciting celebration you can enjoy in Barcelona. The festival is a community event where the residents of the streets get together to decorate their street in a theme of their choice. A committee is formed to ensure the project is designed and completed in time for the grand opening. This is serious business! Each street is competing for the title of the Best Street of the festival, and planning for the next festival often begins the very week after the festival ends!

Thousands of brightly coloured plastic bottles and other found objects are used to splash the streets with colour. Giant paper mache figures guard the entry and exit to the streets and coloured lights are everywhere. The festival runs for a week where a panel of judges decide which street is the best.

Of course, like all street festivals in Catalonia, beer on tap will be available on just about every street corner, to get the party going. Bands will be set up in each decorated street to encourage passers by to come inside, admire the hard work and creativity of the residents and have some fun at the same time.

The Festival La Merce is another exciting event that brings celebration to the streets of Barcelona in late September for five days between the 19th and 24th. Celebrating the patron saint of the city, street parades, fire parades and giant paper mache figures will take to the city streets. Free concerts will be on every street corner to entertain the crowd.

These are just some of the many exciting events that give Barcelona the well-earned reputation of being one of the party capitals in Europe. So what are you waiting for? Just make sure your book your accommodation in Barcelona on time, to avoid disappointment!