Let Me Visit!

Recently, I came across a wonderful district just south of Seattle’s Downtown.  Formerly an industrial district (it still kind of is), Georgetown is a great place to live, work and play.

The most notable buildings in Georgetown include The Lofts on Lucile, Pacific Market Center and the Seattle Design Center.  In addition, on Airport Way South, there are various gift shops, restaurants and bars.  There is even a tattoo shop and a Vespa dealership.

Georgetown also has a growing music scene – the renowned band Pearl Jam and local rapper the Y.F.C. have their studios in Georgetown.  In addition, there are privately owned music recording studios and schools in the Georgetown area.  Each year, they also have a music festival and street market in that same area.   Read the rest of this entry »

When traveling abroad, it is important to understand and be aware of the culture around onself.  Here are 20 important cultural facts that you may or may not have known about India.  Read them before travelling there.

1. People greet each other and part using the phrase, “Namaste.”

2. An important Indian holiday is Hindu New Year, which is celebrated at four different times, depending on region, and is observed with festivals, like Baisakhi. Another important holiday is Diwali. Diwali is a festival and is celebrated with firecrackers and lights, similar to Christmas in the USA.

3. Gifts are appropriate when going to social gatherings and at various holidays like Hindu New Year. Appropriate gifts include flower and clothes. Liquor like whiskey is also appropriate.

4. Social gatherings are usually family-oriented. However, it is usual for men and women to be separate at parties.

5. Children are disciplined strictly at home and school. 50% of kids are subject to verbal discipline and 42% of kids are subject to extreme physical discipline like spanking.

6. High school subjects include math, English, science, social science and second language. Days start with morning exercises, assemblies, moral classes, and subject classes. Usually there’s also special tutoring and athletics after school.

7. Literacy rate in India is 59.5%. Read the rest of this entry »

What you can buy at Bloomingdale’s on San Fran’s Market Street?  This is an interesting title.  Today, I would like to share with you about Bloomingdale’s located in the heart of San Fran’s Downtown at the Westfield San Francisco Center at 845 Market Street.

At the Bloomingdale’s store, you can purchase a variety of name brand products at reasonable department store prices.  Whether you are craving for the handbags from Louis Vuitton or Chloe, here is the place to go.

Additionally, you can buy shows from Jimmy Choo and Tory Burch – both exclusively wonderful places to buy shoes at.  For the gentlemen, there are stores like Canali, Ralph Lauren, John  Varvatos and David Yurman.   Read the rest of this entry »

If you ever end up going to San Francisco, let me recommend you to a great shopping place.  It is Embarcadero Center.  Examples of stores in the center include: Lucy, The Bar, Method, Club One, Pure Beauty, Origins, L’Occitane, Vanity Beauty Lounge, Ann Taylor, Barcelino, Banana Republic and Victoria Secret.

For drinks, there are cafes like Peet’s, Tully’s as well as Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.  For a sip of wine, you can go to Blanc et Rouge, or what translates to “White and Red” from the French Language.   Read the rest of this entry »

The kingdom of Shu was led by a ruler name Liu Bei. He was a man of virtue, and his desire was to restore the former Han dynasty back to its glory. Of the three leaders, Liu Bei was the most compassionate and daring. Along with his two forsworn brothers Guan Yu and Zeng Fei, he attempted but failed to reunite China.

His story begins with the story of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, when bandits tried to overrun the Han Dynasty. He and his brothers set out to protect the prince of Han. They succeeded in that battle but would ultimately fail to protect the prince. A dictator named Dong Zhuo would later manipulate his way to the top and forced the prince into abdication. Read the rest of this entry »

Several millenniums ago, in the part of the world we call China today, there were many feudal wars and civil conflicts. In this post, we will discuss the Three Kingdoms Era of China, a time when the country arguably faced its worst civil strife.

During that Era, China was split into three Kingdoms, known as the Wu, Wei, and Shu. Wu was ruled by Sun Jian and the Sun family, who wanted to restore peace and serenity under their family regime. Read the rest of this entry »

This weekend was the Capitol Hill Block Party in Seattle, Washington, a hot music festival on Seattle’s Capitol Hill, located slightly east of the Downtown Commercial Business District.

Tickets were for sale ($23 a day and $42 for both days through their vendor TicketWest.  Here is their lineup for you to check out.  Bands like Sonic Youth and the Black Lips are amongst the bands playing.

In addition to the music festival, on any given day you can explore the area like the main street, Broadway, filled with eclectic gift shops, restaurants and fashionable clothing stores.  Capitol Hill is home to a number of luxury automobile dealerships like Ferarri, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.  Read the rest of this entry »

This is part one of our ongoing series which will explore with you Hong Kong from the eyes of a localized tourist, one with strong knowledge of Hong Kong but doesn’t live in the hustling bustling city.

I found this picture on Carpe Diem Review, a creative arts publication and I felt it is quite an interesting picture since it represents Tsim Sha Tsui, a popular tourist destination on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong.   We can see in the picture the Yue Hwa Department Store, known for its fine tradional goods imported from Mainland China.

We can see the constant public works improvements taking place in Hong Kong that reflects on the city’s care to infrastructure and its people.  We can see many highrises, noting the high density nature of Hong Kong.  And many of those buildings just look like towers of concrete.   Read the rest of this entry »

Hostels have traditionally been a source of lodging while traveling especially for young adventurers in their teens and twenties. You may ask, what is hosteling?

Hosteling is basically like a dormitory in college where you share rooms or bunks with other people. In this case, other travelers. These have been around for a very long time, at least dating back to the 1960s.

Another difference between a hostel and a hotel (not only the difference in pronounciation and one less letter), they have shared dining areas, bathrooms and kitchens. Yet, the newer hostels have accommodated the demands of the present generation of traveler and include private rooms for couples and families as well. Read the rest of this entry »

1) The Capital City, Beijing, was once called Peking.

This was due to the fact that the earlier translation was in Cantonese, and the recent one is in Mandarin.

2) Astronauts can see the outline of the Great Wall from space — yes, it’s that long. Read the rest of this entry »

Live musical entertainment… is that your passion?  Do you enjoy beautiful outdoor settings?

If you are ever travelling to Seattle this summer, here is one event you should look for.  In conjuction with KEXP, a local public radio station is offering free concerts at the Mural for three hours every Friday for four weeks.  So if you like local independent music, then this is a place to check out.  In addition, while you are at Seattle Center, there are other events that will be taking place.  Last year, that venue hosted over 500 events.   Read the rest of this entry »

When traveling to Seattle, especially if are you planning to study there, you should definitely check out the University District, also known as U-District.

Centered on a street called University Way or many call it the Ave, the U-District is nearby the University of Washington’s Seattle campus where its award-winning medical, nursing, and computer science schools are located at, along with most of its other programs like the high-ranking Foster School of Business and the College of Engineering.  Read the rest of this entry »

English – Of course, English is probably spoken everywhere nowadays, but traditionally, only the UK, US, Australia spoke it.

French – France, Belgium, French Commonwealths in Africa Read the rest of this entry »

Pho: pho originated in Northern Vietnam, the region locals call Bac Viet and is now a countrywide favorite. With its not-so-exquisite flavors, pho stands out not because of the wild ingredients, but because of the perfectly mixed elements that create a mild flavor.

Bun Bo Hue: Originating from Hue, Central Vietnam (thus Bun Bo ‘Hue’), this Beefy Noodle Soup is well known for its spices and extravagant flavors in addition to the aroma and exquisiteness of the ingredients.

The noodle stands out not only because of the exquisite soup, but also because of the noodle itself. It is rather thick and slippery compared to the other noodles in Vietnam or elsewhere in the world. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are taking a trip to San Francisco, then there is a must-see destination.  The The Walt Disney Family Museum.  Now, you may ask, where is this museum?  It is located in the Main Post in the Presidio of San Francisco.

Now, what is there?  Of course there is Mickey Mouse, the legendary Disney trademark.  You can also see different characters from classic to present Disney movies and television shows.  In addition to the museum, there is an auditorium for viewing movie screenings and concerts.  Now, what’s the disclaimer here.  Looking at the flyer, they say clearly they are not affiliated with the publicly traded Walt Disney Company.   Read the rest of this entry »

Tacoma is one of the largest cities in the State of Washington. As one of the main cultural hubs in the Pacific Northwest, the city offers a diverse selection of museums, theaters, restaurants, shops and unique neighborhoods. Located just eighteen miles south of the Seattle-Tacoma “Sea-Tac” International Airport and fronting Interstate-5, the major thoroughfare in the West Coast, the city is convenient by all means.

Picturesque views overlooking the beautiful sailboats passing by Commencement Bay is another attraction. Since its inception in 1864, Tacoma has had a flourishing economy. With its plethora of trees and its close proximity to the Puget Sound, the city was a logging and shipping community.

As it grew rapidly, the Northern Pacific Railroad chose Tacoma as its West Coast Terminus. Soon the city was given the nickname, “City of Destiny.” Today, the Port of Tacoma is one of the largest container terminals in North America as well as an important entity in international trade. Visitors and locals alike have continually praised the City of Tacoma for its impressive museums: Washington State History Museum, The Museum of Glass and the Tacoma Art Museum. Adjacent to each other, the three museums form a triangular site in the prominent Museum District. Read the rest of this entry »

This is part one of our series – Casinos and more in Macau.

Recently, I took a trip to Macau and visited numerous casinos and hotels.  The most notable was at the Cotai Strip in the Taipa just south of the traditional Macau hotel and casino districts.  The Venetian.

Staying there made me feel like I was in Las Vegas.  It looked exactly the same as the Vegas property.  But there were distinct features found in the Macau property and not at Vegas.  Shuttle buses would drive tourists from the border of Macau and Zhuhai, China as well as from the ferry terminals.   Read the rest of this entry »