Los Angeles – the largest city in the state of California – is truly a city of dreams. LA is one of the most prosperous, multifaceted cities filled with world-class amenities such as museums, music, food, architecture, gardens. And this vibrant city is more famous for its never-ending stream of movies, inventions and trends. In this majestic part of world, not only Hollywood and Disneyland are wonders but also LA’s hidden enclaves have a surprising shade and taste which break its conventional image.Discount Hotels in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is one of the most cosmopolitan places on earth where people dwell from almost every nation. People are attracted to L.A. for its warm and beautiful weather, alternative lifestyle, and high energy and world-class dining. It is the home of original Bay Watch and is endowed with miles of beaches. In addition, this magic city has more than 80 stage theaters and 300 museums that are more than any U.S. city.
Apart from variety of cultural venues, popular music concerts, opera, and current Broadway hits, there are other popular tourist destinations such as Universal Studios, Paramount, and other movie studios. LA one of the most enthralling tourist destinations is best known as the Entertainment Capital of the world. Moreover, this city boasts full-bodied business services, wholesale trade, defense, international trade, health care and technology and movie industries.
Traveling to this city will give you one of most memorable traveling experiences. Here, the more airy, inviting and the ultramodern facility at museum house pocketed with impressive art collections and postmodern garden are just breathtaking. In the city’s western districts, the majority of tourist attractions, restaurants and shops are located. But in downtown LA, new architectural landmarks – the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels are one of the most impressive modern architectural achievements in the world. As well as, a growing underground art scene in Chinatown and downtown is quickly becoming a destination for culture hounds and lovers ahead of its time. For shopping experience, you must check out the famous Flea Markets and swap meets that offer something to everybody.
As far as traveling is concerned, Los Angeles is well connected to the rest of the United States by several major highways. And a sleekly high-tech funicular will whisk you from freeway level to this city in the clouds. Most visitors arrive at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), located on the coast just south of L.A.’s primary beach communities.
In this magnificent city, accommodation is no problem at all because discount hotels can be found everywhere. Most hotels in Los Angeles are the perfect combination of traditional elegance, luxury style and Hollywood glamour. Most of them feature cinemas, fashion shops, fine dining; studio broadcast facilities and the Kodak Theatre – new home of the Academy Awards. And if you are a foodie, you can enjoy tasty dishes, including both traditional and international, made with the personal touch of the restaurant’s cook. You will be pampered with first-class facility as honored guest. In these discount hotels’ friendly and informal atmosphere, you will get excellent value of your money for both business and leisure stays.
Now, there are a lot of discount hotels deals going on. So, simply choose the hotel region you prefer and give hoteliers a chance to treat you.
Destinations
An afternoon with your relatives in a local public park has morphed into multi-day or even week-long trips. Destinations range from a convenient central location to places with special family significance or a vacation hot spot, such as Washington, D.C., Orlando, Fla. or Phoenix, Ariz.
With the average reunion populated by 50 relatives, according to Reunions Magazine, a destination reunion can become a huge undertaking and quite expensive if you don’t plan ahead. Ask anyone who has done it; it’s a real labor of love. Fortunately, some hotels and other destinations provide reunion planning assistance and offer group discounts. For example, the moderately-priced lodging chain Country Inns & Suites By Carlson provides “virtual concierge” resources on their web site at www.countryinns.com to help reunion planners select a destination and plan their events. The site also profiles area attractions, restaurants, events, shopping and maps for many top destinations. “Another resource for reunion planners is the 20 great destination reunion locations we’re highlighting at countryinns20years.com in honor of our 20th anniversary,” said Steve Mogck, EVP and Brand Leader for Select Service Hotels.
In addition to planning support, the hotel chain offers many other amenities that a planner would want for their family reunion. They offer a homey atmosphere, complimentary hot breakfast, swimming pools, exercise equipment and even a “Read It & Return” Lending Library with an expanded assortment of books for all ages.
Agreeing on the location, date and accommodations are just the beginning. In most families a planning committee works together, sharing responsibility for planning and executing this large-scale event. Web sites and books on the subject recommend dividing and conquering in handling the details, research, communications and financial responsibilities of a large group event like a destination reunion. The good news is that once a family has its first reunion under its belt, it becomes much easier to plan the next get together.
REUNION PLANNING TIPS
Because planning destination family reunions is not easy, it has become the subject of many how-to books, web sites, magazines, newsletters and even big screen comedies. Longer distances and stays require more planning, activities and funds. To survive planning a family reunion, organization, checklists and plenty of help are needed. Country Inns & Suites offers tips on how to get started:
- Start at least a few months to a year in advance, depending upon popularity of the destination and time of year for the reunion.
- Recruit a planning committee.
- Assign small groups or individuals to handle:
- Dates, destination and lodging research and making reservations.
- Communications to build contact address, phone and e-mail lists; survey attendees regarding date and destination preferences; send out reunion invitation packets and tally responses.
- Finances to create a budget and manage a special checking account.
- Activities to plan the itinerary and arrange for keepsakes like special T-shirts.
- Meal planning.
- Photo and information collection to display and hand out to attendees.
- When choosing a destination, consider the time of year and potential conflicts. For instance, spring break means big crowds, increased rates and long lead times to make reservations.
- When choosing a hotel, look for one that has a variety of family-friendly amenities – like a pool and fitness area – to ensure that everyone is entertained when the day’s official activities are over.
COLLECTING MEMORIES
Keep those family reunion memories alive with a scrapbook. It’s a fun and relaxing way to create a collective memory. Creating a reunion scrapbook could even be one of the group activities planned for the last day of the reunion.
Here are a few tips to get started on a family reunion scrapbook:
- Save items of interest like ticket stubs, brochures and maps.
- Sort your memorabilia and photos by days, activities and other logical categories.
- Add a few old photographs to represent family history.
- Keep a journal of daily activities, funny moments and highlights of your activities. Even jotting down a few notes on a scrap of paper will make transferring the story to your scrapbook easier.
- Keep it simple. Let the pictures and the written memories tell the story.
- One of the bonuses of scrapbooking is that it helps photos last longer if the correct materials are used. Look for albums and paper that are photo safe, acid- and lignin- free. Also, use pens and adhesives that are tested for photo safety and archival quality.
Since scrapbooking is such a popular hobby, there are many resources available in stores and online. Digital or online scrapbooking is an easy way to share the reunion scrapbook with all attendees. You can download free digital scrapbooking software by visiting http://www.creativememories.com and clicking on StoryBook.
BREAKING THE ICE
Haven’t seen your 15 cousins for a decade, and now you’ll be together for 72 hours? Here are a few ideas for breaking the ice:
- Dress up. Don’t forget the matching shirts. Cheesy? Maybe. But outfitting everybody in brightly colored Johnson Family Reunion T-shirts promotes a united front and makes for a great photo op.
- Book it. Collect photos, info, contact numbers and e-mails, and have everything bound inexpensively at a copy center – a great memento. Or put together a cookbook of family recipes or memories. Ask for them in advance, bind them and voilà! A keepsake with everybody’s favorite dishes or stories.
- Plan a “meet and greet” welcome event at your hotel and play family trivia. Reserve a hospitality suite or small meeting room for the event, and then collect stories, fun facts and obscure history to create family trivia questions, and give prizes to the winners. Or select the couples who have been married the longest and play “the oldlywed game.” The couples who are best at guessing their spouse’s answers will be winners.
- Set up a pool party. Aside from the other scheduled activities, pick an afternoon to have everyone meet at the hotel’s pool so both the kids and adults can relax and get refreshed for more family fun.
Fort De Soto Beach is a historic fort built during the Spanish-American War located on Mullet Key. This 900- acre park has 7 miles of beaches, 2 fishing piers, picnic and camping areas, a small history museum and a 2,000-ft. nature trail.
Florida’s Gulf Coast, Caladesi is one of the few remaining large undeveloped barrier islands in Florida, and is only accessible by boat. It is an perfect locations for swimming, fishing, picnics, diving, hiking and nature study.
Key Biscayne’s beaches in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park’s visitors can stroll by the Atlantic, charter a deep-sea fishing boat, ride a jet ski, or just relax. It’s one of the best places in Greater Miami for golf, sunbathing & water sports
Perdido Key is a natural paradise is home to plentiful native wildlife. The clear green waters and miles of soft white sand are perfect for sunbathing or water sports and it’s considered one of the America’s best swimming beaches.
South Beach is a happening hot-spot with a chic night life. The “American Riviera” is great for couples on spring break (that can afford it anyway) since rowdy crowds of teenagers are rarely seen on its upscale sands.
Greater Fort Lauderdale has 23 miles of sun-drenched beaches and is perfect for people watching or shopping and dining at any number of great beach shops and restaurants that line the clean and eco-friendly beaches.
St. Joseph Peninsula State Park’s miles of white sand beaches and striking dune formations characterize this Florida Panhandle area. Boating, saltwater fishing, camping, canoeing and hiking are all popular St. Joseph Peninsula activities.
Clearwater Beach offers nearly every water and beach activity conceivable, and nearby Pier 60 Park has a family recreation complex with playgrounds, fishing and concession stands.
Anastasia State Park is home to several rare, threatened and endangered species. Located on Anastasia Island, near St. Augustine, this beach provides opportunities for Camping, fishing, picnicking, hiking, beach volleyball, boating and more.
St. George Island State Park sits on 9 miles of undeveloped beaches and dunes. It is surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico and Apalachicola Bay, and is a perfect setting for a quiet Florida getaway.
Daytona Beach is called the “World’s Most Famous Beach”. Visitors can drive automobiles on the sand by day and stroll the boardwalk by night, stopping occasionally to enjoy the arcades. Daytona Beach is also a major surfing hotspot.
Siesta Key is one of the most popular the beaches on the southwest coast of Florida and is famous for its soft white sand. Amenities include lifeguards, concessions, picnic tables, grills, restrooms, showers & volleyball & tennis courts.
Malibu Lagoon Beach:
A beautiful lagoon beach with 22 acres of wetlands, gardens and sandy beach. It’s considered one of the worlds premiere surfing beaches. On the east side of the Malibu Creek Bridge is the Malibu Pier, which is excellent for saltwater fishing. On the west side is a nature area.
Venice Beach:
No trip to Los Angeles would be complete without a trip to this iconic beach. Street performers, artists and “the beautiful people” mingle and stroll all the way to Santa Monica along the famous boardwalk that runs through this inimitable California beach town.
El Capitan Beach:
This shady, sandy, Santa Barbara beach features rocky tide pools along El Capitan Creek. It’s perfect for swimming, fishing, surfing, picnicking and camping. A long stairway gives access from the bluffs to beach and a bike trail connects the park with Refugio State Beach.
Ocean Beach:
O.B. as the locals call it is a laid-back beach-community know for its surfers and liberal politics. It is an eclectic beach community with a leash free “dog beach”, a fishing pier, swimming, surfing and volleyball. It has separate swimming and surfing zones, which is definitely a good idea.
Rio Del Mar Beach:
This long, sandy beach is found in the town of Aptos, California, in Santa Cruz County. It features fire rings and a barbecue and picnic area and is a popular summer beach. It is also the home to the “cement boat” a long stranded freighter ship.
Muir Beach:
This beach is less than a half hour drive from San Francisco down scenic Hwy I. It’s one of the most glorious regions of Northern California in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Fishing, surfing and campfires are allowed, and there are many coastal trails above the beach for hikers to explore.
Black Sands Beach at Shelter Cove:
This splendid black sand beach is a great place for Whale watching. Located north of the small hamlet of Shelter Cove in a remote region of the “Lost Coast”, it’s the trailhead for the famous King Range hike. This is a day only beach, so campers will have to head for the mountains.
La Jolla’s Beaches:
La Jolla means “the jewel,” a fitting name for the precious beaches of La Jolla’s coast. Surfers prefer Windansea beach, harbor seals love the Children’s Pool, La Jolla Shores is popular for swimming and sunbathing, while the Cove is a favorite snorkeling spot.
Drake’s Beach:
This vast stretch of white sand can be found at the Point Reyes National Seashore. The areas strong winds and choppy seas make it at little too violent for most swimmers, but sun worshippers will be delighted by the opportunity to work on their tans in a beautiful California outdoor hotspot.