NoCuffs

This is where I gre up. My Dad wanted to be a star so we move from Fort Benning Georgia to Hollywood. For many years I lived just down the street from the Chinese Theater.
Certainly there is plent to do but I probably take it all for granted seeing as I prefer Manhattan. LA is very spread out so as much as the traffic is a hassle you probably should rent a car. Public transportation isn’t very good. There are plent of hotels but be careful if you are out of state or in another country and you see a deal that sounds too good to be true-it just may be one of those motels where Hookers and Johns conduct there business. That said-Hollywood has indeed changed a lot over the years—for the better. Not only did a grow up there but I was a cop there as well.
Universal Studios is worth checking out, Disney Land has expanded but have ot done that yet. If you come during the summer and can see a concert at the Hollywood Bowl (outside venue set in a hillside) that is worth it. Melrose has plenty of shopping and places to eat, as does Beverly Hills and I really enjoy going to the Third street Promenade. If you can hook up with a local then you can find food, bars, and places that are really good. I don’t think LA quite makes the grade when it comes to exceptional restaurants-unlike Manhattan, where I have never had a bad meal. We have a reputation of being too laid back and pretentious-certainly there is plenty of that but LA is a mixed bag. A lot of people from other places call LA home.

I would love to go to Italy and learn Italian. Does anyone know of any organizations that set up extended trips to learn the language?

I loved the Art Institute of Chicago and enjoyed the people. I woudl definitley return. But when the Hawk strarts blowing off Lake Michigan you know exactly why it is called The Windy City.

I went to Lincoln to see USC play the Huskers. I didn’t know what to expect. Oh, I knew we would win the game but I wans’t sure what the people would be like. These were some of the nicest people I have ever met.

I first must say that I have not been back since Katrina. I went on business (tesified in a federal trail) and had a blast. Good music and great food. That said, it appeared to be a place of the “haves and have nots” didn’t see a middle class. It was a wild place and it wasn’t even Mardi Gra. Be careful!

The Valley of the Sun—or the Surface of the Sun! The desert is beautiful during the winter time and I dig the monsoon season (maybe I am a bit different that way). The summer for me was barely tollerable. If you love golf, spas, good service all over the city then Phoenix is perfect. The city is easy to navigate ( it’s a basic grid), it is still affordable and I found the people to be very personable. Bank One ballpark which I gather is now called Chase Field is a great place to see a baseball game.

I went here to visit a dear friend. I think Newcastle was once an industrial town. It is a slow paace and probably a great place to live but I don’t think it is a place one would put on there place to go. Probably a nice place to settle down in. This was one of the first places I visited in my three trips to Australia. The Hunter Valley is not to long of a drive from Newcastle—-great wine as is the Barrosa Valley in South Australia.

Adelaide is a place I am glad I visited. The beaches were beautiful and it had a small town feel (it is not a small town but compared to Sydney, NY, LA)—it felt like a place I could definitely live. I went because of friends I had there. If I could LIVE in Australia ( I would like to) this would be towards the top of my list (thus far).

This is a place I want to visit and really learn about. Not just the touristy things though—quality of life, cost of living etc. ????

I really enjoyed Brisbane though I spent a great deal of time in a suburb called Warana which was very pretty but was a bit of a cultural void. I had fun though parading around in my New Zealnd All Blacks Jersey. I would love to return.