Sexy Savanah

posted by Savanah on Jan 28

What is a “parade ground”?  I had heard the word, and had no idea what it meant, as parades take place on city streets, not confined to a “ground”.  A parade ground is an area of a city park, that is set aside from the park proper, an area where sports are played without worry to the damage that could be caused to the stretches of green lawn and the landscaping.  They could be called simply baseball diamonds, or soccer fields.

The Parade Ground in Prospect Park has not only provided the residents with memories and incredible stories, but is the historical site where some of the best and most famous ball players in early history first stepped up to bat, or first took to the pitching mound.  Every time I have visited and stayed in one of the best hotels, New York City has offered me these kinds of historical tidbits, these stories of the past that make it all seem so much more real, as if I was there the first time Johnny Franco or Joe Torre stepped up to bat.  And I’m not even into the sport of baseball, but it is a nostalgic quest for me I guess.

Many aspects of public parks were changing in during the 19th Century, due to the innovative designers, and the Parks Commissioner of New York,  and the Parade Ground was one of the many examples of a growing interest in urban design.  It was based on the grounds used for military training exercises, grounds that were stomped on, walked on, and marched on extensively.  In Prospect Park, the grounds were a place to play, to play ball!

As with many of the buildings and facilities of the park, during the early half of the 20th Century, the Parade Ground was in need of restoration.  Now it is the site for baseball games, complete with lighting for night time games, a lawn bowling green and a Youth Center.  Upon restoration, many long time residents wrote in with stories of themselves, either playing or experiencing the first years of some of the major ball players careers.  It was not just a section of a park that was renovated, but the spirit of the city as well.

posted by Savanah on Jan 26

Drive through any major city and you can quickly see that payday loan and check cashing stores are becoming as frequent as Starbucks in New York City, but as every new lender opens its doors the controversy and debate over their place in our society increases. As with most debates ‚ political or otherwise ‚ it is best to gather all the facts before making any decisions.
For those who oppose the payday loan industry, their argument is clear. While consumers may look at payday loans and only see the signs for ‚ “no credit check required” ‚  they warn it does come at a price. Payday loans are only gained through high interest rates, sometimes more than 500%. Many believe that payday loans are paving the road to bankruptcy for those in low or fixed income situations. Many states are also trying to pass laws that would increase regulations on the payday loan industry.
On the other hand, there are many who strongly support the payday loan industry. Money Mutual Montel Williams have teamed up to help promote the benefits of payday loans, especially during this economically trying time. Supporters continue to express that payday loans are not meant to be long term. They were created to help in a sudden, unexpected emergency when fast cash is needed in order to avoid incurring NSF fees or bouncing checks. For most people they will be a one-time deal. For more information about how the payday loan industry works you can visit the Money Mutual site at moneymutual.com. They have a Q&A section that can answer many of the questions you may have.
This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the payday loan debate and, as with most debates, it is rarely cut-and-dry; however, if we keep an open mind and do our best to find the facts perhaps supporters of both sides can better understand the other. And with understand we can reach a  compromise that will bring this debate to an end.

posted by Savanah on Jan 25

Is it true that you can get great cheese steak in Philadelphia? Peter was determined to answer that question when he and his good friend Bob visited the city last summer. Bob had fallen in love with a girl named Tina who he had met six months prior while she and her family were visiting Tucson, Arizona where both Bob and Peter were going to school. Bob had convinced Peter to go with him and even offered to pay for their accommodations in one of the nice Philadelphia hotels. With that final offer on the table Peter figured he had nothing to lose and agreed to go with his friend on his quest to reclaim love.

So, on their first afternoon in Philadelphia Bob was scheduled to meet Tina at a the Last Drop coffee shop and Peter decided he would pursue his own quest to find a delicious cheese steak sandwich. They were to meet back at the hotel at five o’clock and make plans to either hook back up with Tina or go out on their own that night. Well, as it turned out Peter had no luck finding the perfect cheese steak because he was hesitant to just start sampling them. He didn’t have a lot of time and wanted to go straight for the best but he started looking around at all the people he could possibly ask and he couldn’t decide who he would trust with the best opinion. At four thirty he realized that he could poll people and make a decision based on the most popular place he heard mentioned.

However, it was too late to begin all that and he needed to return to the hotel and meet Bob, who had enjoyed a much better time that day on his own pursuit. Peter had to listen to the great conversation Bob and Tina had as well as the rest of the great time they shared. This was it, Bob felt he was truly in love. Meanwhile, Peter told him that was great, but he needed to find a cheese steak. Just then the phone rang and it was Tina. She was able to hang out with the two of them that night. Peter suddenly realized he could ask Tina about the cheese steaks, which he promptly did when they picked her up. Hands down and without a doubt, Tina was sure that the best cheese steak in Philly could only be found at Jakes. The next day Peter found out for himself and was content that both he and Bob found true love in Philadelphia.

posted by Savanah on Jan 21

Traveling with kids?  In many cities, it sometimes seems that there’s a lot for adults to do, but not that much for children.  I’ve been noting a trend, though, that increasingly cities have children’s museums, designed specifically for the young, and a perfect place for a family on the road.  If you’re stopping at hotels in Lafayette, LA, for example, you’ll want to check out their Children’s Museum of Acadiana,  which has a slogan of “Learning by Doing.”

 
Exhibits at the museum include a variety of learning opportunities for kids, such as the health-focused All About Me, which allows kids to role play doctoring, complete with X-Rays (simulated, I’m sure), and babies to weigh and monitor.  The All About Me area includes Geo-Fitness exercise mats, providing kids to combine motion with geography, dancing along to videos.  Many of the exhibits here have a health theme: Healthy Pet Hospitals, Food Pyramid, and To Tell the Tooth (a dental exhibit). 
 
There are a number of other exhibits designed to teach kids about the real world: Kid’s Cash, a banking exhibit; Kid’s Kondo, a toddler playhouse; a Ham Radio Station; Petit Magasin, a grocery store; Reuseum, a recycled arts studio; and Bubble Factory.  In the latter exhibit kids can make gigantic bubbles using the Children’s Museum recipe for bubble; they can even get inside a small tower that allows them to surround themselves by one immense bubble.  In Cafe des Enfants, kids can “work” in a hands-on restaurant exhibit, where they can act as customers or cooks or servers. 
 
Increasingly, cities have Children’s Museums, from the Explorium of Lexington, KY, to the Children’s Museum and Theater of Maine, to the Children’s Center for Science and Technology in Youngstown, Ohio.  Wherever you’re headed, from Lafayette to Hollywood, you can check out these museums at the Association of Children’s Museum,  and plan your trip accordingly!

posted by Savanah on Jan 19

The garage had to be sloughed of its guts, and my friend chose me to do it. Her name is Geraldine. Her old job was for a big auto industry. She never learned how to change oil in her years there but it was not necessary for her. She worked doing leadership training for managers and directors. It did provide her with source information on the trucks that were the greatest buys. Geraldine loved to ride in trucks because it was what her father drove her in every time the two of them went for ice cream after her softball team won a game.

There were all kinds of books in her garage. Books about team building program , books about magic tricks, books about Mexican papercutting. She actually had a few paper lamps she had made from directions in the books still hanging in her garage. They were in colors of a sunset in Florida. She had CDs from NIN and Soundgarden and Nirvana . She had videotapes of Reservoir Dogs and Clueless and Goodfellas. It was her life throughout the 1990s coded and catalogue in a dusty garage. A lot of it she wanted to keep, but when I asked her why she had bothered to invite me over if that was the case, she started to dump out boxes of it into her truck, and eventually mine too when I proffered it to her.

There were a few things she could not bear to part from but she still did for some reason. A mood ring from prize machine in a down and out Domino’s Pizza, her favorite restaurant since college, in Florida: she got it right after she got off the phone with her brother who told her their mother had just died after a nine month battle with cancer. A junky copy of a PeeWee Herman photograph and signature: she got it when we went out to one his shows. The last thing she wanted to keep but placed in the dumpster was rusted Swiss Army knife. I didn’t know the story behind that one.

Anyway, I took them and keep them in my garage now. In case she changes her mind.

posted by Savanah on Jan 19

Well there are now some luxurious hotels located in Kansas and some of them are in Dodge City. In the old days, settlers had to pass through Kansas to get to the west. There are many famous legends who came through this state and many of them liked to hang out in Dodge City. Taking it way back to Civil War times General George Armstrong Custer made his way through this town as he headed for the Indian Wars of the Northwest. And through out the state of Kansas there were many soldiers who fought in those battles.

The first settlers of the town built a civilian fort called Fort Mann in 1847. The Santa Fe Trail was a wild and rugged stretch of land for which Dodge City was in the middle of. It didn’t take long for the Indian’s to burn down the fort. In fact it only took a year. The U.S. Army tried to set up forts over a few years time until finally Fort Dodge was opened and remained active until 1882. The settlers survived the area and became traders of Buffalo hides until the railroad made it to town and the industry turned to cattle.

The city boomed with business around cattle. This brought all sorts of characters to town. During that time there were more famous gunfighters working in that town than any other western town. Giving it the reputation as being the wickedest city in America. In 1883, the Dodge City War took place as the good and bad fight for the whiskey trade that was prevalent to the city. Part of the peace keepers in town included Wyatt Earp. He ended up  negotiating a peace between the party’s in conflict and ended the war before there were any deaths.

Today you can visit the old town of Dodge City and get the whole history of the town and the people who started it.

posted by Savanah on Jan 19

My initial plan of going by Greyhound from Chicago to New York City ended up by the wayside; I decided flying would be quicker and a more comfortable trip. I landed in La Guardia and the moment I stepped outside the airport, I was hit with a blast of cold weather. My friend Sutta came to pick me up and take me to one of the luxury hotels in New York, where I have reservations.

But, before he dropped me off, he was nice enough to take me to his favorite Indian restaurant and treated me to one of the better Indian meals I’ve had in a long time. My friend was a very busy person, so I was so happy he had time to pick me up at the airport and take me out for dinner and a very late dinner at that; which was extremely generous of him and his precious time. After he dropped me off at my hotel, I checked in and went straight to sleep.

I woke up with only 4 hours of sleep, feeling the urgency of not really having any time here, I decided that my only day here would be for the Downtown area and if I had time, I’d check out the Midtown area. So, my one and only day in this great city  I took the Metro to the World Trade Center. The Metro whizzed through the city and brought me quickly to the WTC. I stepped out of the station and was a bit confused with all the numerous barriers and maze like paths leading to the center, not much to see there yet.  Eventually, I found myself at Battery Park Esplanade and walked down to the Liberty Island Ferries. The place is beautiful and somewhat isolated, it faces the Upper New York Bay and the Hudson river and has an amazing view of the Statue of Liberty. I didn’t purchase tickets in advance to go up to the Crown of the statue, so I just went on the regular tour. I really liked the panoramic view of the New York skyline from here. I also when to Ellis Island.

It took me 4 hour to visit the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and then to return to New York City. I was extremely hungry and called up Sutta to see if he had time for lunch, he did, so I met him on Wall Street, where he works and we once again had another wonderful meal together. The rest of the day and evening, I spent walking around the downtown area, where I saw the Raging Bull, the American Exchange, Wall Street, South Street Seaport and the amazing Brooklyn Bridge.

I had dinner at the restaurant inside my hotel and went to bed. During my lunch with Sutta, I offered to return the favor and told him to come to Mumbai for one day and I too will pick him up at the airport, take him to his hotel and treat him to two lunches.

posted by Savanah on Jan 18

After a nice sleep-in at one of the Casino hotels in New York, we loaded our car and headed for the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. There’s a toll to pay of $3.40, which we promptly paid and crossed the Rainbow Bridge in to Canada. We then had to pass through an inspection station. We were mostly interested in the Falls, so we followed the signs and turned into a parking lot, which was actually not a parking lot until we passed this whole tourist area. We almost turned around thinking we read the sign wrong. It cost us almost $17.00 to park!

The first thing we did was head down to see the falls. The Canadian side is different than the US side, from here we could see both falls in their full splendor and from many angles. The US side, we could hardly see the famous Canadian Horseshoe Falls off the observation tower. The Canada side is worth paying the toll and for the parking. We walked along the path taking photos and then stepped inside the gift shop. We headed back out and walked to the entrance to the Maid of the Mist boat ride. The pass out these plastic blue rain ponchos for us to wear so our clothes won’t get wet. We were right in the middle of the group that boarded, which seemed to be a prime spot if you don’t want to get soaked. We pulled away from the dock and passed by the American Falls. Then we approached the Horseshoe Falls and that’s when the fun began. I began to scream, but I wasn’t the only one! I could barely hold my hood on at the same time use my video camera, so I gave up on filming and held tight onto my hood.

The mist was so overwhelming, and the waves would spray up into the boat and we trudge upstream, know I know what salmon go through. We were all drenched by the time the Captain turned the boat around to go back downstream. I have to say, WHAT FUN!  After getting off the boat and removing our ponchos, we walked to a nearby restaurant and had lunch. The view of the falls from the restaurant was fantastic and dry!

posted by Savanah on Jan 15

Many years ago, I spent a few weeks in the city of New York working on a play, a show on 42nd Street. This was in the very steamy month of August, part of a festival of small, off-off-off Broadway theatre titled Ninety Plays in Ninety Days. This was the first time I had ever been to the city, and was amazed at just about everything, from the way the 5 star New York hotels, and businesses seem to operate twenty-four hours a day, to the incredible slices of pizza to be found for just a dollar on nearly every street corner. Another amazing aspect, was that you can find anything in that city, and I mean anything, no matter how specific or specialized your tastes and your interests seem to be. I found a sock store, sandwiched in between and electronics shop and a small market. The socks store was very tiny, just two narrow rows of nothing but socks.

My friend came to join me during the second week, and her mission was to find the chess club in the East Village. That’s all we had to go on, as her boyfriend back in Phoenix could not remember the name of the chess shop, but knew that it was famous, and he wanted a tee-shirt. We set out, thinking that this was going to be a hard place to find, but as soon as we got to the East Village, we stopped into the White Horse Tavern for a quick pint and asked the bartender. “Of course,” he replied…”that would be the Marshall Chess Club!” It was just down the street, so we finished up and headed out. We walked into the cigar filled room, and it was like walking back in time just a bit.

There were men of 80 years old sitting at tables with teenagers, playing chess and passing the afternoon. This is not only one of the oldest clubs in the city, but in the United States as well. The Manhattan Chess Club was its only rival, but they closed up in 2002, leaving the 95 year old club the most famous spot in the city for a game of chess and some great conversation. Neither my friend nor I were familiar with the game, be we stayed and watched for a bit before buying the tee-shirt and heading on to meet the rest of our group. This is a great place to stop on a tour of the city, one in which to experience a bit of the history of Manhattan, as well as a place to just simply hear some great New York stories from the people who live them.

posted by Savanah on Jan 8

Tennis rackets actually have an interesting history, originally made from human skin, and by monks no less.  Why human skin?  Because racquets as we know them today had not yet been invented so players had to use their hands to throw the tennis ball around.  Obviously, this grew uncomfortable and irritating to the hand, so gloves started to get used.  For some, webbed gloves proved useful but were not by any means as efficient as the paddle others used, which was way more effective.

Eventually, the form of the first tennis racket came into being during the English medieval period.  They were positively delicate in shape and form with small heads and long handles.  Playing against walls stopped too as the net was now a requirement of the game as it continued in its evolution to help players make better tennis scores.  In England, the majority of the changes to the game occurred in the 1900s under the eye of Walter Wingfield.  He had a patent that would alter how tennis was played and what you played it with it.  Ultimately, he helped to standardize the game with rules and the equipment with exact sizes and measurements to ensure a fairer and more even playing environment.

For the tennis racket this meant that with laminating and strings that bounced the ball better, players had a better edge.  However, laminating does not exactly make for the lightest technology by which make something.  Rackets back then that have been tested in their weight were an astounding fourteen ounces, which might not seem heavy at first, but after a couple of matches, it can be a lot more heavy than it was.  The heads also continued to be small, which made little since, though the strings did allow the ball to bounce better.  The very best of them back then cannot compare to modern technology and synthetics materials used to create superb tennis rackets used at place like the Australian Open.