The Green One » People

Hitting the Slopes in Breckenridge, Colorado

Ryan — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:56:40 +0000

Flew into Denver and made the three hour drive to meet friends in Breckenridge. It was a beautiful day driving my rental car through the mountains, seeing all the fresh snow got me excited about getting on my board. By the time I arrived to the area hotel , where we were all booked for the weekend, Molly, Jen and Rene’ were already there and in the jacuzzi drinking wine. I immediately joined them, after I found my bathing suit. We had a blast jumping in and out the the jacuzzi grabbing handfuls of snow and tossing snowballs at each other. Fortunately, no one else was around or I’m pretty sure we’d get kick out.

It was too late that day to catch the slopes for a good run, so after the jacuzzi we showered and went to the great fondue place located in the downtown area of Breckenridge, the Swiss Haven . We didn’t have reservations, so there was a 45-minute wait. We hung around the bar area and ordered wine. We struck up a conversation with the owner who’s from Italy and living in Belgium and here. Since I knew a bit of Italian and some French, he got us a table right away. Not bad for knowing a little bit of a foreign language. We really enjoyed the activity of eating fondue, we made up a new tradition that if someone lost a cube of food in the fondue, they had to kiss someone. Unfortunately, I was the only one who lost a cube in the dessert fondue. I asked the waiter if the owner was available so I could thank him for seating us so quickly, he came over and I kissed him on the cheek! Ha!

The next morning we hit the slopes, it snowed a bit last night, so we were ready for fresh powder runs. I had one of the best days of boarding ever. My jumps took me through some tough terrain . Later on in the day, the snow started coming down and reduced the visibility down to near nothing. It was time to get off the slopes and head back to the jacuzzi for some more snowball fights, or just snuggle by the fireplace in our room and watch a bit of cable.

Intrigue in Ibiza

Savannah Black Heritage Festival

Ryan — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:34:01 +0000

Georgia has a very peculiar and very precise charm, and it’s something that is even a little difficult to notice at first.� But the sense starts to grow on you, and it’s very much like the charm of the bee, overwhelming in the sweetness, but not always easy to access the sweetness.� It has a very complicated history that is present everywhere.� There are moments when this is readily apparent, and moments when it’s more hidden, but the things that happened here still resonate very deeply.� The stories of the past and the present are written in the lives of the people, in their words, in their actions, and in the music.

It’s a wonderful opportunity to visit Georgia any time of the year, but February is particularly lively in Savannah, when the commemorations of Black History Month are held.� Hotels are famous here for their generous hospitality, making any stay a memorable one.� With the extraordinary line-up at the Savannah Black Heritage Festival, it’s a ticket for one of the most memorable weeks in the area.� This year’s festival was a usual line-up of stellar performances, lectures, classes, a crafts village, storytellers, and plenty of discussions.� This is a great place to have fantastic conversations.

This year also sees a performance of Sweet Honey in the Rock.� This group from DC began from theatre roots, and branched into music.� They’ve been playing for four decades, and continue to stun audiences all over the world, including the White House recently.� They are certainly a national treasure, and play a wide variety of musical styles, blues, jazz, spirituals, pop, and continue to evolve.� Their instruments are their voices, making for stunning examples of the human spirit in action, working through the body to make glorious sounds.

San Antonio’s “Ripley’s Believe It, Or Not!” Museum

Ryan — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:10:46 +0000

One day walking down Hollywood Boulevard, I had a shock that set my heart to pounding pretty rapidly, too rapidly for comfort. I was passing the “Ripley’s Believe It, Or Not!” Museum, and walked closer to a wax statue they had propped near the front door. I was inspecting the face as he just looked so darn life-like, when his eyes shifted and he was looking directly at me. I could not believe it, that a human being could stand so still.

These museums are located throughout the United States, and one of the funnest times I spent in San Antonio was a day at Ripley’s and the adjoining Louis Tussaud’s Wax Works. Robert LeRoy Ripley was an interesting man, to say the least. He dabbled in study of anthropology, was an entrepreneur, and quite a famous cartoonist. At one time, he received a letter from a young boy, exclaiming that he had a truly amazing dog, one that could a variety of strange objects and still remain healthy. The young boy included a drawing he had done of his dog. That young boy was Charles Schulz, who went on years later to create the Peanuts comic strip and the amazing dog, later became the character of Snoopy.

In San Antonio, the museums are both located to many easy to find accommodations, many of them within walking distance. This is a great place the entire family will enjoy, with a bit of history and education and a lot of fun. There is an arcade for the kids, and a snack booth, so spending the whole day walking through the wonders of the world is easy, even though this is the largest of all of Ripley’s museums. The wax museum is set up by themes, from a room dedicated to Hollywood and the film industry, to a walk through history, and a children’s section of make believe. I highly suggest however, that should you step in for a closer look, be prepared, as you never know when one of those statues will look back at you!