BULS

The Santa Monica Pier is home to one of the famous theme parks the Pacific Park. The park is located in Santa Monica, California upon the Santa Monica Pier. The park overlooks the majestic Pacific Ocean towards the direction of the Catalina Islands. The Pacific Park contains a sum of 12 rides. This includes the Ferris Wheel, which will provide a wonderful view of the Pacific Ocean and also a roller coaster, that goes round much of the park. There is also a miniature golf course in the park. The main opening season is between May to September, there is very little functioning of the park outside the main season.

The park features rides aimed at Adults and Children which truly widens its appeal.

The adult rides include the West Coaster, the Pacific Wheel, Inkie’s Scrambler, Sea Dragon, Pacific Plunge, Sig Alert and Gyro Loop. The kids rides includes Ship Ahoy, Red Baron, Crazy Submarine, Pier Patrol, Inkie’s Lil’ Scrambler, Frog Hopper and Eurobungy.

There is also an in store shop with seaside gear being sold. Surfboards, cargo netting, beach wear, common and unusual gifts, LA Lakers wear and jeweller and crystals are some of the items being sold here. The store also has everything required for your outing at Santa Monica Pier or the beach nearby. There are towels, films and also sunscreen available.

The Pacific Park has restaurants to satisfy ones taste buds; there is the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, the Harbor Grill, the Pizza Hut Express, Taco Bell, Carnation, Funnel Cake Factory, Dippin’ Dots and Themed Food Carts.

There is so much to do and see here, a stay at a Beverly Hills hotel would be very useful. And why not enjoy luxury living for some time at a luxury hotel in Beverly Hills.

Naveen Marasinghe
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/the-famous-family-amusement-park-in-santa-monica-735189.html

Technorati Tags: Santa monica, Urban Leisure

The exquisitely detailed architecture and natural setting will give residents the feeling of living alongside a sun-drenched Bahamian harbor rather than just a few miles from the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan areas of Orlando and Jacksonville. Bike to historic downtown St Augustine, or take a short drive to the beach, cultural activities or world-class golf courses. The area is a boat owner’s dream, whether you have your own boat moored outside your home or at a slip within a few minute’s walk away, you will soon be out on the open ocean or fishing a backwater of the scenic Intra-coastal Waterway.

St Augustine, the nation’s oldest city is a wealth of history and charm. The city is home to historic fort Matanzas, Castillo de San Marcos, and the St Augustine lighthouse. Horse drawn carriages provide a charming ride through the enchanting and historic downtown that retains the old world feel provided by the Europeans that first settled here in the 1500s. These enchanting homes are Cranewoods Development’s contribution to continuing that tradition.

The unique collection of single family homes, cottages, town homes and penthouses, all feature stunning water views, looking across Salt Run to Anastasia park, the Atlantic ocean and St Augustine inlet. The unique designs feature superbly detailed balconies to maximize the views.

Although the homes are built with traditional exteriors, the interiors are luxuriously equipped for the 21st Century. Purchasers can choose from a selection of custom designed interiors, which enhance the desirability of these beautiful properties. The interiors contain a level of architectural detail unmatched in the area.

Construction manager HCM Construction is a nationally recognized builder based in Jacksonville, Florida. They are well acquainted with the challenges of constructing architecturally detailed homes in coastal environments. The homes have been exquisitely designed by Cronk Duch Partners, an architectural firm known for its heirloom quality home designs, with a flair for historically accurate detail.

Whether you are looking to relocate to Florida from out of state; wishing to purchase an exceptional waterfront home your primary residence; for investment or as a second home, then any of these outstanding residences would be well worth considering.

To learn more about this unique opportunity, visit the project website at http://www.abacosatsaltrun.com

HCM Construction, founded in 1992 and based in Jacksonville Beach, has broad experience managing projects from concept through completion and works on a variety of projects as builder, general contractor and renovator. For more information, contact 904-270-0270 or visit http://www.hcmconstruction.com

Cranewoods Development, LLC is known for assembling project teams with the creative talent necessary to develop, design and build cutting-edge projects. Cranewoods focuses on specialty and high-demand waterfront markets along the Florida coast. For more information, visit http://www.cranewoodsdevelopment.com

Tag Craig
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/newest-st-augustine-florida-waterfront-community-on-pristine-salt-run-103192.html

Stanley Park is Vancouver’s famous urban paradise and I knew weeks in advance that I would need to explore it in detail, preferably on a bike. So this afternoon at about 1:30 pm I set off from the UBC Campus, and navigated my way downtown by bus, taking 3 buses to get to the eastern edge of Stanley Park. This was my first chance to glance at the city of Vancouver. It is a relatively new city and according to some accounts, its origins date back to 1792 , the year when Captain George Vancouver explored this region. Most buildings downtown west of Granville Avenue were built relatively recently as Vancouver has experienced a huge building boom over the last few years. A large part of downtown is covered by modern residential skyscrapers and Vancouver’s building frenzy continues unabated. It’s evident everywhere that this is a very popular place to live.

My rental bicycle was waiting for me at a place called Spokes Bicycle Rentals, a place that had been mentioned to me several weeks ago by the Vancouver’s Visitors Association. I met one of their managers, a young sporty guy named Phil who was extremely helpful in helping me lay out my itinerary for this discovery on two wheels. We started chatting and I found out that Phil is originally from Montreal and moved to Vancouver 3 years ago. He loves the outdoors and has gotten involved in snowboarding, mountainbiking and diving and he mentioned that Vancouver is among the world’s top dive sites.

After laying out my route for me and giving me information on all the important sights along the way, Phil selected a comfortable bicycle for me that would be able to handle leisure riding as well as some mild offroading. Once outfitted I hopped on the bike and started my tour along the seawall of Stanley Park. At 20 times the size of Central Park, Stanley Park is the 3rd largest urban park in North America, and its setting is just stunning. From the east side you have a view into downtown Vancouver towards Canada Place and the cruise boat terminal. Several ocean liners were docked in town.

One of the first major sights along the bike path are the Totem Poles, imposing in their height and number. I circled around Brockton Point towards the north-facing side of the peninsula, and a stunning view towards North Vancouver and the Lions Gate Bridge opened up. As per Phil’s advice, I cycled up to Beaver Lake which is a quiet little oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the seawall. It is a large pond surrounded by lush forest, covered in a water lilies. I cycled all the way around the pond and then headed back out to the seawall and quickly came to the Lions Gate Bridge which is surrounded by Prospect Point, the highest point in the park. From there I soon reached the northernmost point of Stanley Park and started cycling westwards again. Just past a single outlying rock called Siwash Rock I arrived at Third Beach that was just completely teeming with people. I bought a drink and relaxed for a while until I resumed my trip and passed a group of inukshuk builders close to Second Beach.

The crowds were intensifying and every conceivable spot on the burnt-out grass was taken up by sun-worshippers. The largest beach, located closest to the city, is English Bay Beach, replete with daytrippers. The crowds were a bit too much for me, so I crossed False Creek over the Burrard Bridge and explored Vanier Park and Kitsilano Beach. The view from the bridge is simply breathtaking. On the other side again there were thousands of people, barbequeing, sunworshiping, and picknicking.

I turned around and headed back on 4th Avenue, crossing back to downtown Vancouver via the Granville Street Bridge and headed straight across towards Canada Place and the seashore west of Burrard Street. Since my stomach was growling after about 3 hours of cycling, I returned the bycicle to Spokes and asked Phil for advice as to where to eat. He suggested an Italian place named Ciao Bella almost right across the street. I took his advice and plunked myself down on a nice patio and thoroughly enjoyed an Italian meal in the evening sunshine.

At 8 pm I was ready to head back to UBC and walked up to Robson Street, one of Vancouver’s main thoroughfares. Thousands of people were coming towards me since they were planning to catch the fireworks. The sidewalks were just totally full with people. I was walking in the opposite direction and ended up doing a quick little photographic tour of downtown, including the Hotel Vancouver. I saw a few more interesting buildings: the Vancouver Block and the Art Gallery of Vancouver.

Quite exhausted from a full day I started walking down Granville Avenue, still surrounded by throngs of people and had to wait 45 minutes for a bus since all buses were going down Davie Street to take people to the fireworks. Finally the bus came and I was listening to a bunch of teenage boys that were planning their under-age drinking escapades at the occasion of the fireworks. After a really long day I finally arrived back on the UBC campus at about 9:30 pm. Now it’s 11 pm and I can’t wait to hit the hay.

For the entire article including photos please visit http://www.travelandtransitions.com/stories_photos/hello_vancouver_2.htm

Susanne Pacher
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/hello-from-vancouver-part-2–wheeling-around-stanley-park-110767.html

One of the most important towns on the map of the United Kingdom, Leeds has a long history and heritage going back centuries. The name ‘Leeds’ was derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ‘Leodis’. Past history reveals that this area was under the domination of the Celtic Kingdom for a long time. Influences of the Anglo-Saxon period are quite visible in aspects of Leeds even now.

The history of Leeds goes way back to 1086 when it began to become prominent. Initially, Leeds was, like most other Anglo-Saxon cities, an agricultural township. The market was basically an exchange for agricultural products. Leeds was given a charter as late as 1207. At first it was an agrarian village but as trade flourished, it started taking the shape of a township. The population started growing by leaps and bounds. By the eighteenth century, the city had turned into a merchant city with cotton products and textiles as its major merchandise.

When Great Britain was ruled by the Great Kings and queens of the Tudor Dynasty that saw great rulers like the Henry VII, Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I, Leeds was predominantly a merchant township. The main products manufactured were woollen clothes. Trading was done using a route through the Humber estuary. An estuary is the mouth of a river with a triangle formation. An estuary played a very significant role in trade by sea in earlier days. The reason was that the estuary had a free connection to the sea and could help ships move freely. Moreover, since an estuary is a junction of a river and sea, the sailors were able to get a good stock of sweet water for sailing from the adjacent river without having to run much further.

As trade prospered in Leeds, especially in woollen fabrics, the population of city also started growing speedily. Initially the population was less than a thousand but this grew into around ten thousand at the end of the seventeenth century. The population further escalated to around thirty thousand by the end of the eighteenth century. With the passing of time, Leeds became one of the leading merchant townships of England. Leeds became so important for English trade that nearly half of the exports of the whole of England started to be routed through the city of Leeds. The growth was so rapid that by 1840 Leeds had a population of around one hundred fifty thousand, a staggering figure by the population scale of the time.

Milestones that played vital roles in the enhancement of population and trade in Leeds, as well as its growing stature, were:
Introduction of The Aire & Calder Navigation Act during 1699.
Opening up of the Liverpool and Leeds canals in 1816.
Setting up of the Railways in 1848.
Granting of city status to Leeds in 1893.

The British Legislature passed the The Aire & Calder Navigation Act during 1699. This Act aimed to improve navigation from the river Ouse at Airmyn to Leeds which ran via Castleford. The navigation was carried on by the river Aire. This Act also controlled the route through the river Calder from Castleford to Wakefield. The river was originally a very difficult route and created big problems for navigators. However, new shortcuts and loops were later opened making navigation rather easier for sailors and thereby reducing the transportation costs for trading. Bypasses were created by engineers like John Smeaton and William Jessop during the last part of the eighteenth century. A major achievement was the creation of the 6-mile long Selby Canal that connected the Aire at Haddlesey directly with the Ouse at Selby. An earlier major achievement was the construction of the long and wide canal from Knottingley to Selby, creating the port of Goole that bypassed a long stretch of the Ouse and made the route easier to navigate. To top it all, in 1905 the New Junction Canal that connected the Aire and Calder to Sheffield and Stainforth was put in place. A new bridge having a 600 ton load bearing capacity was added in the 1980s.

The Leeds - Liverpool canal is 205 kilometres long and about 4.3 metres wide. To accommodate longer boats that arrive through the river Douglas, the line from Wigan to Liverpool was made 22 meters long. The Leeds end of the canal joins with the Aire and Calder. It also joins several other rivers and links like the river Ribble, and the Bridgewater Canal. The link from Manchester to the Midlands is thus created.

The work that played the most significant role in the city’s industrial growth was the coming into being of the Middleton Railways. It also helped the city get its City status in 1893. It is the world’s oldest, and now England’s most treasured heritage railway. It runs on a one mile track between Moor Road, Hunslet, Leeds, and the Parks, halting on the periphery of Middleton Park. The Parliament in 1758 authorized this railway as the first legal railway in England. Initially built on wooden tracks, the iron fishplates took over around 1807 and paved the way for commercial use in 1812. Built in narrow gauge initially and operating as such up to 1881, it was thereafter converted to standard gauge and much later to broad gauge. Used mainly for freight services, regular passenger operation services were started in 1969.

The insurgence of education started to change the face of the city by the twentieth century when a number of academic institutions started operating in and around Leeds. Today, educational institutions like the The Metropolitan University of Leeds, Leeds Trinity University Colleges, the Leeds University are household names. Studies of Medical Science also saw a boom with The General Infirmary at Leeds and St. James Hospital emerging immediately after World War II.

Secondary industries however, saw a declining period after the Second World War. The manpower employed in secondary industries declined from 64,000 in 1991 to 44,500 in 2003. A few large engineering organizations are still operating in the city. These organizations deal mainly with turbine, automotive and automobile parts and accessories.

During the 1980s the British Government took up the task of focusing attention on declining urban areas. The Development Corporation of Leeds was formed to look after the decaying areas of Kirkstall valley and riverside areas of Leeds. This organization functioned till the end of 1995 and took some notable steps to rejuvenate declining urban areas in Great Britain. A number of properties on the riverside were refurbished. Several institutions that were defunct were also opened up.

Irrespective of its ups and downs, Leeds continues to be one of the most important six industrial and trading cities of England. Most importantly, Leeds is counted as the premier city of the ceremonial county of West Yorkshire. Leeds has been voted as England’s best commercial city and employs around one hundred thousand people in financial and business services. Banking, financial occupations, and advertising and legal consultancies have been the fastest growing business sectors in the area.

Article by Susan Ashby of Leeds Singles. To read more articles like this or for dating in Leeds visit http://www.leeds-singles.co.uk

Susan Ashby
http://www.articlesbase.com/dating-articles/leeds-where-did-it-come-from-79115.html

Since retirement, we have done a lot of traveling in our new RV. We have found that our lifestyle is very popular among baby boomers our age. We have met a lot of very nice and interesting people during our travels and hope to meet many more. A lot of retired couples tend to settle on a particular RV park and go no where else. But we are very adventurous and like to see new things and new faces.

RV parks are being built everywhere. Branson RV parks and campgrounds have popped up like mushrooms. We always enjoy going there because of the great entertainment offered in the theatres. Disney World RV parking is also quite nice. You are never too old to enjoy Disney World.

We also like to get away to the more secluded areas like the Colorado River RV parks. The Colorado River is so beautiful any time of the year. I think one of my favorites was the Pioneer Resorts and RV park. Our neighbors there sure could cook. We partook of Bison steaks and fresh corn one evening that was superb.

The great thing about traveling to different locations is the variety of food that you find. You can find Mexican food at RV parks in Lubbock Texas, great wines at RV parks in Southern California, and seafood at the Sun City Florida RV parks.

RV parks have kept up with the times also. You can find RV parks with internet in a lot of areas. This is great for those who like to keep in touch with family by means of email. We can keep track of our investments and can even pay bills over the internet. This gives us more freedom to travel.

We hope to see the entire United States and meet as many people as we can while we still have our good health. I is a real blessing to be able to do this and we are very thankful.

Carl Kinnebrew
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/take-a-look-at-rv-parks-103658.html

BMX Parks are either made of wood or they come in concrete forms. In most cases, the parks meant for BMX riders are council supplied parks made of metal. The style of riding determines whether the parks are made of wood or concrete. Parks made of wood are apt for technical rides while concrete allows a fast flowing style. Riders who are always in look for gaps and have an aim to fly from the coping generally like the hasty style.

Parks for BMX riders – places to try out skills

In most concrete parks, you are sure to come across several bowls and pools. However, if you prefer you can even merge the two riding styles inside one particular park form. Most concrete parks for BMX riders are built outdoors for their capacity to endure years of several climactic withering and torturing. Building a concrete park is quite an expensive venture for which contributions from different sources are put together to give form to such a concrete open space.

Most commercial BMX squares are made of wood. Some of the reasons for this have been successfully listed below.

1. Wooden parks are more easy to construct

2. Materials required for the construction are easily available

3. The cost of construction is comparatively less

4. It is safer to fall on wood then on concrete. You will not be severely injured

5. If the park is particularly meant for BMX riders, it should have steel coping, which cannot be easily damaged

Quarter pipes, spines, flat banks, wall rides, mini ramps and hips are some of the common obstacles included in the wooden parks meant for BMX riders. Irrespective of the fact that whether you are an inexperienced beginner or an experienced old hand, the parks present opportunities for riders of every level.

There are some parks specifically meant for novice and children while the others allow challenging jumps for more talented and in-art riders. These specific riding domains have provisions for more than forty jumps along with several banked turns.

Throughout the year, BMX riders are allowed to practice their skills on the park during the early hours of the day. Riders when practicing within the park should wear helmets and when juniors practice, they should be kept under the strict supervision of the seniors.

A park for the BMX riders can be both privately or public owned. If you enter a private BMX or state park, you have to pay admission fees. On the other hand, parks with no private ownership will charge you nothing. You will get to see private BMX or state parks within buildings with tall ceilings, roller rinks or warehouses.

If you are an expert BMX rider, you make sure to practice your techniques inside a state park as a means to sharpen your skills.

Robert Sheehan
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/bmx-parks-are-perfect-places-to-practice-bicycle-skills-130571.html

These days with large sites hard to come by and allotments much in demand, old gardeners or gardening junkies are no longer the sole exponents of GIY. No, many new entrants are young professionals, nature enthusiasts, people who are genuinely interested in getting closer to nature or reducing their dependency on mass market produce. Whilst others are experimenting by growing their own vegetables, almost like self sufficent micro farmers or even environmentalists, taking positive steps to reduce carbon footprint or better still growing for their own organic consumption and self satisfaction. Not surprising therefore to read in Press reports that the sale of vegetable seed has overtaken the sale of flower seed.

So if you are a potential GIYer and do intend starting a programme or project of growing your own vegetables, you might be interested in the following advice . So whether your motivation is to reduce air miles or taste organic food, there are some important points to consider when planning to start a vegetable garden.

Does size matter? No - not really, whether you have a pot, an old kitchen sink, a window sill or a sprawling site, growing your own vegetables is not only easy and exciting, it is also very rewarding.

Location â unless of course you enjoy longer walks through your garden, for practical reasons, the vegetable plot or kitchen garden should ideally be positioned nearer the house.
More importantly best to choose a position which permits the vegetable plot to enjoy a sunny aspect for much of the day. Although some vegetable produce will tolerate some shade (for example lettuce, runner beans etc), most won’t, so pick the site very carefully, pick a sunny and a sheltered position, avoid exposed windy sites. Other site aspects worth considering include picking a site where the prevailing ground conditions are level and free draining. Finally do bear in mind that good soil conditions will also be required, whether you prepare the ground by digging or mix in new soil or soil conditioners, most vegetables will require a growing depth of at least 300mm.

What to grow? Some might have favourites, some might stick with old reliable:
• Potatoes are good, and probably one of the easiest to grow, they are also great at breaking down heavy soils. But do remember to give them plenty of water.
• Leeks - easy to grow from seed and young leek tastes wonderful
• Broad beans - very tasty when young but are very easy to grow
• Sweetcorn - harvest when tassels are brown and boil in salted water
• Radishes - many different varieties to choose from, but an ideal and fast growing crop from which to teach the children GIY
• Runner Beans – quick growing, plentiful and pick and with lots of pick’n’grow fun

Deciding on the Layout – is important especially where space might be limited. For example you can grow some varieties at ground level whilst others such as French and Runner Beans can be trained to grow very effectively up trellising or bamboo canes. In larger sites, plan a series of long narrow beds which are easily accessible from both sides, but do remember to leave plenty of space between the growing beds, for example you should be able to move along pathways between beds with a wheelbarrow or more importantly if you like to get down on your hand and knees and get dirty, you’ll need at least 900mm – 1200mm spacing between the beds. Growing beds can be ground level on larger sites or raised on smaller sites or where soil conditions are poor. Raised beds can be developed using soil from other sites and mixing with compost, manures, soil conditioners etc. Also because they are raised you can ensure that drainage is good. As stated earlier, most vegetables prefer to grow in sunny areas, therefore it make sense to orientate beds on a north south axis, this ensures that all vegetable get sun each day. Be generous on spacing between beds, and consider a surface material so that all weather access is possible.

Ground Preparation – the better the soil, the better the performance, it is not impossible to provide good growing conditions. Vegetables require nutrients, water and oxygen. Soil plays a vital role in providing nutrients to plants. So it is important to prepare ground by digging to improve plants take up of nutrients. Alternatively if ground conditions are poor, you can use raised beds to provide better growing conditions for plants. In contrast to the ‘dig system’ the concept of using Raised Beds is sometimes referred to as the ‘No dig system’. Raised beds can be constructed from a variety of boards/timbers, recycled pallet boards, railway sleepers, pressure treated new sleepers, builder’s scaffolding boards all being popular choices.

Using crop rotation wisely – rotating the planting and growing of vegetables yields many benefits in terms of efficiency, bounty and disease/pest control. For example, Broccoli grows well in soils containing good levels of nitrogen, on the other hand, beans put nitrogen into the soil. Potatoes with the large canopy of foliage are very effective at suppressing weeds, whereas onions grow particularly very well in weed free soils. So from a crop rotational perspective, one would plant beans before of broccoli and potatoes before of onions.

Starting a rotation cycle – you should plan for at least three years, meaning the same vegetable will grow in the same spot every third year. However if you wish to also grow potatoes, better to use a four year rotation. The RHS has a very simple way to remember where each vegetable comes within the cycle: British Rail Late, where:

B = brassicas (cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale, turnips etc) was
R = roots (beetroot, parsnips, carrots)
L = legumes (peas, Broad bean, French bean, Runner bean, onions, garlic, chives)

How it works in practice is in area 1, you plant brassicas first year, roots in second year and legumes in third year. In area 2, you plant roots first year, legumes second year and brassicas third year. In area 3, you plant legumes first followed by brassicas and roots.

Maintenance – providing you have done good ground preparation, maintenance of the area shouldn’t be much more than adding a good fertiliser (Fish Bone & Blood) before planting or manure in Autumn. Watering is important especially during the early vulnerable stage, again bets done early in morning or late in evening and always check to make sure water is getting down to plant roots. Weed regularly to avoid unwanted competition for nutrients and water.

If at first you don’t succeed – try again. Sometimes it is only as a result of trial and error that you will discover what grows best for you in your area and conditions. Don’t be afraid to ask other local gardeners for tips or advice with particular problems, most of all, have fun in growing your own vegetables and join the burgeoning legion of GIY enthusiasts..

For more information, visit: http://www.owenchubblandscapers.com/news/entry/grow-it-yourself-where-to-start/

Owen Chubb
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-help-articles/planning-on-growing-your-own-vegetables-where-to-start-646310.html