BULS

Offering southern hospitality in a stunning beachfront setting, Folly Beach should be more than just a day trip on your next visit to coastal South Carolina. While most people flock to nearby Charleston for the ambiance and history, making Folly Beach a footnote on their vacation itinerary, this picturesque barrier island is actually the perfect centerpiece for getaway filled with relaxing pursuits.

Stretching for six miles just off the coast of South Carolina, Folly Beach combines the excitement of a waterfront vacation destination with the historical beauty of Charleston to provide an all-around amazing trip to anyone who steps foot along its shores. The waves of the Atlantic invite visitors outside for an afternoon on a soft sandy beach, while the wonderfully preserved atmosphere and buildings of the Old South are just a 15 minute drive away in Charleston. With surf, sand, sea, and history at your beck and call, you simply could not ask for anything more from an island oasis.

Should the sunshine and pleasant weather draw you towards the waterfront, the place to be is the Folly Beach County Park on the west side of the island. While you will certainly find plenty of sandy strips throughout the island, this soft expanse features not only 4000 feet of ocean frontage, with 600 feet designated for swimming only, but also 2000 feet along the Folly River for a distinct waterfront experience. Picture-perfect on 100 acres of highland, you can easily enjoy a day of sunning, swimming, surfing, and strolling in the sand as all of your cares melt away.

For those who prefer high-powered excitement on the Atlantic, Folly Beach is also teeming with watercraft rentals to make your adventures that just more memorable. Jet ski rentals are always popular, as are kayak rentals for those who want to explore the shoreline at a slower pace, but a more memorable excursion awaits when you set out with Reel Screamer Charters. Perfect for families, they combine bird watching, dolphin watching, shelling, and sightseeing around the Morris Island Lighthouse to provide a day of scenic beauty away from the crowds at the beach.

Beyond the waterfront adventures, Folly Beach offers fine southern cooking and ambiance in its many delightful restaurants. A cozy corner where you can mingle with the locals and enjoy a hearty breakfast, the Lost Dog Café is the perfect place to refuel before a long day of sun and sand. For delicious, uniquely-prepared seafood in a festive and inviting atmosphere, be sure to hit up the Folly Beach Crab Shack and relax on the outdoor deck for spectacular views and amazing food.

Since Charleston is one of those places in the country that everyone must see at least once, schedule a day or two to soak in the style and grace of this rich city. Overflowing with pre-Revolutionary War buildings, stunning antebellum homes, cobblestone streets, and the fragrant aroma of jasmine and wisteria, you can’t help but feel as if you have been swept away to another place and time. While you could simply wander around town and catch a glimpse of many historical sights, consider purchasing a Heritage Passport ticket for access to five fine homes and the Gibbes Museum. You can also contact the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau for advance information about tours and special events.

In a land where schedules fall by the wayside and the water dictates the pace of the day, you simply cannot help but forget all of your worries in Folly Beach. Slightly off the beaten path and teeming with dramatic scenery, you can enjoy the very best of this island wonder in a Folly Beach vacation rental that nestles against the soft sand and offers easy access to waterfront delights. In addition to the breathtaking ocean views and gentle breezes that only serve to remind you of your stunning setting, Folly Beach vacation rentals are also only a stone’s throw away from the plantations, houses, museums, and ambiance of beautiful Charleston. Always well-rounded with nary a dull moment, Folly Beach invites you to experience its wonders from a cozy vacation rental that looks and feels just like home.

Jen W.
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/make-folly-beach-your-relaxing-home-base-near-charleston-114263.html

Technorati Tags: beach development, Charleston

Southampton - Building a great city takes more than bricks and mortar

As the leaves brown, and the sunshine, of little we have had retreats to the shelter of the clouds we realise change is in the air. Not only the seasons but the future of our city is gathering momentum, Southampton is evolving.

June of this year saw the official unveiling of CityVision Southampton, a 5.5m x 4m grand model of the city. The joint effort by Solent Centre for architecture & Design and the University of Portsmouth brought to life the councils proposed vision for the city. At an astonishing £60,000 some critics say it deserves more than the ’space under the stairs’ at Southampton City’s Art Gallery.

The model focuses on the key developments all planned to be finalised in 2026.

The French Quarter

The streets of trendy bars and waves of sophisticated restaurants lift this Parisian haven away from anything else of its kind in Southampton. The already much loved French Quarter houses some of the most expensive apartments in the city, however in the future history will be on show for all to see. A mixed-tenure expansion will re-instate the history of the area much of which was destroyed by war time damage and post-war traffic planning. The sea, an element Southampton was built upon, holds a crucial role both in the creation of the sector and the significance of the past.

Ocean Village

The dwelling takes its name from the marina it surrounds, so it is only just the marina too becomes the focal point for the regeneration. Reinvigorating the marina is merely one result of the Ocean Village development, already an area of great wealth. Initially the Boat Yard designed by John Thomson & Partners, the creators for the French Quarter, intends to erect a residential scheme comprising of 130 one, two and three bedroom apartments to the area. All of which will be designed around a communal landscaped courtyard, drawing its focus from the powerful marina.

West Quay

With over 228,600 residents living, working and spending in Southampton West Quay is universally known. The Shopping precinct West Quay embraces thousands of potential shoppers every day, with West Quay Retail Park holding huge influence just a walk away. With this in mind two developments await the surrounding area. Carnival, a category A office building indulges workers with 5 floors of open plan spacing with triple height reception and a full height winter garden area for escaping the daily grind. The second investment being built on the old Pirelli works site is the Swedish flat-pack furniture store IKEA. Opening for business in 2009 the store will host 9,000 products and host a 600 seating restaurant selling IKEA food and beverages to the floods of shoppers brought to the Solent.

Central Station

Exciting news for the entire city proposes a redevelopment of the Central Train station. The stirring regeneration study intends to raise the profile of the station while improving both transport interchange of trains and buses while connecting Commercial road with City Centre.

These developments and will ensure Southampton develops into a modern vibrant city establishing itself as the main centre on the South Coast of England.

Paul Serellis
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/southampton-developing-for-the-future-706659.html

Whether you feel like filling your day with sports, arts, shopping or just a walk on the waterfront, Cardiff Bay is the place that offers the entertainment or leisure experience that you need. It’s also become a popular meeting place for people with VW campervans.

Known in the past as the largest coal exporting port in the world, by the 1980s Cardiff Bay was an empty land filled with abandoned buildings but it has changed its image and profile with the introduction of the Cardiff Barrage completed in 1999. This barrage impounded the River Taff and the River Ely to create a regeneration area dominated by the newly formed freshwater lake at the south of Cardiff city center.

Completed with the attractions it offers today, Cardiff Bay draws nearly two million visitors to its waterfront every year. Among the main attractions available now you will find The Welsh Assembly at the Pierhead, the Norwegian Church Arts Centre, the Wales Millennium Centre or the Goleulong 2000 Lightship, while the Techni Quest Science Discovery Centre and the Atlantic Wharf Leisure Village provide entertainment for the whole family.

Cardiff Bay plans for future attractions include a Welsh National Canoe and Rafting Centre complete with a 50m pool and a leisure water complex, an ice rink as part of St David’s, a Morrisons superstore and a Toys-R-Us store that will be the largest in Europe.

A visit to Cardiff Bay may also bring you to a local, national or international festival like the Welsh Food Festival or the MAS Carnival. With all this and much more to offer, Cardiff Bay must be among your favourite destinations when you’re looking for a fun time out.

The largest coal exporting port in the world has certainly changed its image with the construction of Cardiff Barrage, creating a freshwater lake measuring approximately 500 acres and resulted in 8 miles of waterfront. The barrage was used to impound two nearby rivers, the River Taff and the River Ely and it resulted in the now regenerated area that continues to develop as a leisure destination and a favourite among tourists from all corners of the world.

The Cardiff Bay Development Corporation, created in 1987, was the key player in the development of the area and by the year 2000 it had achieved most of its goals. The empty land and torn down buildings had turned into an unrecognizable area with a freshwater lake and habitats for several freshwater species at the mouth of the River Taff. This also resulted in an economic growth of the area with new apartments built, new jobs available, private lands becoming open to the public and much more.

The main attraction of Cardiff Bay is probably the waterfront, a perfect destination for a romantic walk, and it draws over two million visitors every year. When you visit the Cardiff Bay waterfront you will encounter its other attractions like the visitors centre known among the locals as “the tube”, the Cat-cruisers, Techni Quest, the land train or the Norwegian Church Arts Centre. Another popular place to visit is the spectacular Wales Millennium Centre for the performing arts that can offer you a day filled with art, be it ballet, opera or a musical. This is just one of the many cultural attractions in Cardiff.
If you prefer, you can just go shopping in the many shops the centre houses within its walls, or you can simply enjoy a refined dinner in one of the restaurants overlooking the beautiful Cardiff Bay. There are walking tours of the waterfront available and if you need to take a break you can choose from the wide range of bars and restaurants of Mermaid Quay. Cardiff Bay is also home to the MAS Carnival and several festivals of local, national or international importance like the Welsh Food Festival.

One of the developments planned for the near future is the International Sports Village in Cardiff Bay, located on the Ferry Road peninsula and intended to be used as an Olympic training venue if completed by 2012. Other projects under construction at this time include an ice rink temporarily framed in timber, a leisure water complex and a 50m pool as part of the Welsh National Canoe and Rafting Centre. The leisure water complex will be completed, like the International Sports Village of Cardiff Bay, around the year 2012. The growing development of the area also includes the building of new stores like the largest Toys-R-Us store in Europe meant to replace the one demolished in the city centre and a Morrisons superstore that will most likely reduce the dominance of local grocery market giants Asda and Tesco. Some of the historic buildings will be spared by the development plans like the Norwegian Church and the Pierhead building but the rest of the historic area of the quay side will be fashioned with leisure facilities like cinemas, restaurants, shops, offices and even housing. The plans also include a new home for the National Assembly for Wales that will be designed by Richard Rogers.

Whether you are looking for a fun filled day, a romantic time out or you want to spend your time enjoying a quality artistic performance you can find it all in Cardiff Bay. The various shops and superstores offer you a wide variety of quality shopping at very low prices that can make your day a lot of fun. The Wales Millennium Centre for the performing arts is always ready to offer a quality show whether it is ballet, opera, dance or a musical. If you would prefer a more romantic pastime you can enjoy a refined candle light dinner for two with a view of the beautiful Cardiff Bay or simply take a walk along the Cardiff Bay waterfront. Either way, you can’t go wrong if you spend your day in Cardiff Bay.

Susan Ashby
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/spend-your-day-in-cardiff-bay-129117.html

Technorati Tags: Cardiff bay, Regeneration, VW Campervan

The Gardens have recently been fully restored at a cost of approximately £6.69 million and they are the only Botanical Gardens in the country to have undertaken such a complete restoration. In order to access the generous Heritage Lottery Fund Award of £5.06 million, an additional 25% in matched funding was raised. The Gardens are the only public open space in the country where the voluntary sector has raised more than £1 million in matched funding. The Gardens staff and FOBS volunteers continue to develop the plantings throughout the Gardens and are planning a small animal ara where children can handle chickens (housed in small chicken arks), rabbits and guinea pigs and learn more about caring and feeding them. In the future, additional projects will be undertaken to further enhance the Gardens as a centre of horticultural excellence.

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England. It is so named because of its origins in a field on the River Sheaf that runs through the city.

The city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass a wide economic base. Sheffield obtained world-wide recognition during the 19th century for its production of steel. Many innovations in the industry were developed locally, including crucible and stainless steel. This fuelled an almost tenfold increase in the population during the Industrial Revolution. It gained its city charter in 1893 and became officially titled the City of Sheffield. International competition caused a decline in local industry during the 1970s and 1980s, and at the same time the nearby national coal industry collapsed, affecting Sheffield’s population.

In 1801, at the time of the first census Sheffield had a population of over 31,000. By the standards of the time it was a large town. By 1851 it had grown to over 135,000. Like all Victorian towns Sheffield was dirty and unsanitary. However even for the time Sheffield had a reputation as a grimy and dirty town (not surprising considering its heavy industries). In 1832 there was an outbreak of cholera which killed 402 people.

However not all the houses were slums. In the early 19th century a middle class suburb was built west of the town around Glossop Road.

In the working class areas the worst houses were back-to-backs. These houses were literally joined back to back without even an alley between them. In 1864 the authorities forbade the building of many more such houses. However those that had already been built remained.

There were, nevertheless some improvements during the 19th century. In 1818 an Act of Parliament formed a body of men called the Improvement Commissioners with powers to pave and clean the streets. They also formed a police force. From 1818 the street of Sheffield were lit by gas.

The Botanical Gardens were laid out in 1833. The first cemetery opened in 1836. In 1830 a corn exchange where grain could be bought and sold was opened (it was later rebuilt).

In 1832 a dispensary opened where the poor could obtain free medicines. The present Cutlers Hall was built in 1832. In 1836 the botanical gardens opened. At first they were privately owned but the council purchased them in 1898.

In 1843 Sheffield was given a charter (a document giving the townspeople certain rights). From then on Sheffield had an elected town council, which gradually took over the powers of the old Improvement Commissioners. Sheffield was made a city in 1893. The Town Hall was built in 1897.

Ruskin Gallery was founded in 1875. Mappin Art Gallery opened in 1887.

In the early 19th century a private company provided piped water. In 1859 they built a dam across Dale Dike. On March 11 1864 this dam burst. As a result 240 people drowned. The council took over the water supply in 1887. In the 1870s the council built sewers and drains. At first raw sewage was pumped into rivers but in 1886 a sewage treatment plant was built.

The first public library was built in 1856. From 1873 horse drawn trams ran in the streets. In 1899 the first electric trams ran in the streets of Sheffield. Mappin Art Gallery was built in 1887.

During the 19th century the old industries like iron continued to boom. In 1856 Thomas Bessemer invented a way of producing better quality steel. In 1858 he began producing steel in Sheffield. Button making flourished. However in 1840 a way was found to make silver plate by electroplating replacing the old Sheffield plate. Cutlery continued to be the dominant industry in Sheffield.

By 1900 the population of Sheffield was over 400,000. This was partly due to boundary changes. In 1921 the boundaries were extended to include Handsworth and Wadsley. In 1935 they were altered to include Totley, Dore, Beauchief and Greenhill.

As one of the UK’s top leisure destinations, attracting millions of visitors every year, Meadowhall offers a truly unique opportunity to be involved with one of the most exciting retail spaces in the country. The Centre provides an excellent platform for all marketing campaigns, with multi media opportunities in place to promote to a captive audience of over 400,000 visitors per week.

Braeg Heneffe
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/sheffield-botanical-gardens-restored-376228.html

Technorati Tags: chicken arks, chickens, rabbits, sheffield, urban regeneration

Inner city gardens can do great things for community pride and spirit, and fortunately can be set up for little or no cost to the community. Indeed thay can be productive in terms of growing produce or keeping a few hens in a portable chicken ark. Inner city garden take away from unused plots and decrepit landscapes that are visually depressing and dangerously collecting trash, including needles.

If you know of a plot that could be transformed into an inner city garden the first place to stop is the local courthouse. Depending on the plot of land, inner city gardens either have to be approved by the city or the actual land owner, if there is one. Checking with the local courthouse can guide you as to whether a plot of land is accessible for an inner city garden. You could also check the city ordnances on keeping chickens to find out whether it may be possible to keep a few chickens in a chicken ark.

If you receive approval, which really isn’t that hard to get since you aren’t asking for any money, scraping together an inner city garden can be done at the most in a couple of weekends. Gathering volunteers from the neighborhood can make the job easier and the inner city garden more of a community project.

Clearing out a plot of land for an inner city garden is an adult job. Plots that have been left to waste away are filled with who knows what, and it is not uncommon to find old drug paraphernalia laying about where you are interested in putting your inner city garden. Once the plot is cleared, then children can help in assembling the inner city garden, although it is still prudent to warn them about anything you may have missed, such as the dangers of picking up a needle.

When putting together an inner city garden, it’s not really all that difficult to gather ample donations. Hardware stores and large chain stores are typically willing to donate a few shovels, rakes, or plants when a community is willing to let the public know that the inner city garden was made possible by their donations. A simple hand painted sign is usually enough to cover this promise.

When planting an inner city garden it is best to plant hearty plants, small bushes, and flowering trees if at all possible. These tend to be harder to destroy through mild neglect than other plants. The inner city garden is occasionally the target for vandalism. Unfortunately there are those who don’t appreciate the hard work and the potential for a rise in spirit that goes hand in hand with an inner city garden. Don’t give up on your inner city garden. Prove to the kids of the neighborhood that this project is important and that an inner city garden benefits everyone.

Lanny Hintz
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/inner-city-gardens-106670.html

Technorati Tags: chicken arks, gardens, inner city gardens, keeping chickens

Barack Obama has recently announced that £52.7 billion will be donated as part of a rescued package for households in the US in danger of repossession, the President said “Our housing crisis was born of eroding home values, but also of the erosion of common values.

According to the American President, “Solving this enormous crisis will require more than resources, it will require all of us to take some responsibility”. This acknowledgment that the government must set some rules and the bank lending policy is very distorted is a breath of fresh air. The total amount of money dedicated to at least stabilising the US economy could reach as much as $275 billion which is just a staggering figure to try and comprehend. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are to rewrite mortgages which will hopefully kick start the rest of the country into actually paying back the money that they have owed on their properties.

Additionally, the US have announced that they will be putting many resources and money into building new developments around North America where some of the most poverished areas of the US are. This housing development is long overdue and there is a great need for some new houses and developments and new life into states such as Dakota and Detroit. The houses themselves will be just a basic dwelling to serve the purpose of housing homeless people around America.

Critics have argued that the new administration for the Barack Obama presidency has failed to live within its means, by putting together a $787 billion stimulus bill. The housing rescue plan was forecast to be in the region of $50 billion, but Democrats, including Barney Frank, the influencial chairman of the local finance committee in the house of representatives, thought $100 billion was he amount needed.

Technorati Tags: homeless, housing, Regeneration