1. King’s Road Café in West Hollywood

Is often heralded as the best place to get a cup of joe in L.A. Within a stone’s throw of some of L.A.’s best Lasik surgeons, King’s Road is both a coffeehouse and a small café with excellent pastries and light lunch items. They roast their own coffee, so you’ll have the freshest cup of coffee in town while you await your Lasik appointment in one of West Hollywood’s upscale medical offices.

2. Euro Caffe

Is a little bit of Italy in Beverly Hills, offering espresso drinks the European way, hot and thick in tiny ceramic cups. If your eye surgeon is in Beverly Hills, the office staff may get their own coffee at Euro Caffe – whether you get coffee to go before your surgeon’s appointment or visit the café for a latte and a freshly grilled panini afterward, you’re guaranteed an authentic European experience. Just watch out during World Cup season, as this place is a magnet for rabid Italian soccer fans.

3. Caffe Luxxe

Is an upscale Santa Monica coffee bar that makes amazing, fresh-roasted, old-school espresso drinks in the classic European fashion. The extensively trained baristas make the best cappuccinos in town, eight ounces with a perfect topping of creamy foam. Santa Monica is loaded with medical clinics, and if your Los Angeles lasik surgeon is nearby, stop into Caffe Luxxe for coffee before your appointment, and you won’t mind the wait.

4. Café Balcony, in West L.A.

Is a great late afternoon hangout which really only gets hopping after dark. Near a number of medical offices, you’ll find yourself sipping your coffee surrounded by other Lasik patients, along with folks going to or from their acupuncturirists, dermatologists and hair stylists – plus students from the local college and writer typing away at their laptops. Get a fresh-pressed pot of Kona for an amazing cup of coffee, and you’ll be wide-eyed for your laser surgery.

5. Swork Coffee

Is the epitome of the modern coffeehouse, with Internet access, a friendly staff and a “children’s area” for kids. Located in the Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles, it’s perfect if you have an appointment with an eye doctor in Glendale, or if you just want to relax and surf the ‘net after your visit with the surgeon.

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Timeshare – An Opportunity Missed

Firstly let me say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the concept of timeshare. If sold at the right price and managed well (at a fair cost) it can genuinely be a good option, especially when you consider the possibilities of swapping your week(s) for time at other properties. However there are frequent problems with the execution of timeshare schemes, these being some of the most common:

Cost – Frequently timeshare is sold at a huge premium to the underlying property value. To get an idea of the premium that is being paid, choose an average mid-season week and multiply it’s cost by 52, then compare this figure to the cost of buying a similar property outright. This premium is a particular problem if you decide to sell your timeshare as (if you bought it direct from the developer) you are very unlikely to get your money back. Buying on the resale market does solve this problem, but you can then be caught out by…

Management fees – What is the point of buying the right to have “free” holidays for a period if the management fees approach the cost of paying for a normal holiday each year? Frequently timeshare contracts amount to a free pass into your bank account with the option to increase management charges at will! On occasions people have been so desperate to free themselves from the contract that they have given the timeshare away!

Resale value – Because of the problems above, and also the bad name generated for timeshare by the pressure marketing techniques employed by some operators, resale values are extremely poor.

All of the above indicates that timeshare (if managed well) can be a nice way to enjoy holidays of a certain standard for many years, but can hardly be considered a good investment. But does fractional ownership do any better?

Fractional Ownership – Investment or Leisure Expense?

The key difference between timeshare and fractional ownership is that you own a fraction of the underlying asset. This should in theory give better investment performance, but you still have to be careful, as the same flaws that plague timeshare schemes can still be present:

Cost – There is a tendency for fractional property developers to construct very luxurious resorts with a massive range of services. This is very nice for your holiday but also makes it harder to work out what the true underlying value of the asset actually is. Try to research a normal re-sale of a property of similar size with the same basic amenities (e.g. swimming pool) and compare this with the total cost of the fractional property you are investigating. You will then gain an idea of how much you are paying for the “luxury” status and fancy services!

Management fees – Here the position is exactly the same as with timeshare – beware the small print in the management contract. An excessive management fee could wipe out any investment gains you might make and may become a financial burden.

Resale – As you own a fraction of the freehold you might expect the value of your share to increase in-line with local property prices – wrong! The resale value depends on many factors as well as the increase in property prices, e.g. the market for fractions, the success or otherwise of the resort management, the level of management fees. The only way to extract the true value of the freehold is to sell the whole property. I would advise that all fractional ownership schemes have a regular review period (e.g. 5 years) at which point any of the fraction owners can trigger a sale.
Either the property would have to be sold or the existing fraction owners would buy out the unwanted fractions at full market value.

In summary, beware of the companies that became good at emptying people’s pockets with timeshare – they can do it with fractional ownership too (they can even do it with outright sales!).

Fractional ownership can be a good investment as well as fun but only if:

The relationship between the underlying asset value and the fraction value is clear and fair.

The management fees are reasonable.

There is a means to extract the value of your fraction if you decide you don’t want it anymore.

Neil Robertson is the entrepreneur behind reachtogether.co.uk reachtogether.co.uk, a fast-growing website dedicated to promoting the concept of fractional/shared ownership of leisure assets.

The first thing that she did was to secure the tickets. Although they weren’t selling them publicly they did have several par of tickets available through EBay and she was able to pick up some great tickets in the 7th row. After that she found out that the concert was actually being given at Harvey’s which is a hotel that is right in Lake Tahoe. Now neither my wife or I gamble but we decided that since the rooms were right there within walking distance we would go ahead and stay, boy were we ever glad that we did. The rooms were clean and fantastic and the concert was a blast.

While we were in Lake Tahoe we did a lot of things that were very enjoyable. Besides taking a day trip to Yosemite we treated ourselves to a sailing ship evening on the lake as well as a sunset martini cruise. The highlight of the trip was when we parasailed over the lake. It was so quiet and peaceful up in the parasail that I didn’t even want to come down.

So the next time you get an idea that you would like to go away at the spur of the moment I say go for it. There are a lot of places that you could go and many things to see and sometimes it all gets lost in the planning. That is why I think that our trip to Lake Tahoe was so perfect, there weren’t any plans to mess things up for us.

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Many of the campgrounds in Pigeon Forge feature a full range of camping experiences. Aside from the traditional tent sites, most campgrounds offer RV hookups, small recreational vehicle accommodations, rustic cabins, and more.

Most Pigeon Forge campgrounds can accommodate recreational vehicles up to 40 feet in length. Other amenities can include on site swimming pools, laundry rooms, game rooms, snack machines, fishing ponds, bath houses, and playgrounds for children. Of course campers looking for a more rustic and natural experience can stay on the tent sites, which are surrounded by beautiful trees and are near hiking trails and waterfalls.

Another advantage of Pigeon Forge campgrounds is the trolley system. Most campgrounds are connected to a trolley that runs through the town, giving campers a quick and fun way to reach all of the shopping malls, gift shops, arcades, music theatres, and theme parks that Pigeon Forge has to offer.

Travelers looking for Pigeon Forge lodging who want to be as close as possible to the natural beauty of the wilderness are advised to check out the campgrounds. Anything from a secluded tent in the woods to accommodations for a comfortable and luxurious 40 foot RV is an option on these campgrounds.

e-pigeonforgecabins.com Pigeon Forge Cabins Info provides detailed information on Pigeon Forge cabin rentals, chalets, hotels, motels, campgrounds, vacation packages, attractions, restaurants, real estate, and more. Pigeon Forge Cabins Info is the sister site of e-gatlinburgcabins.com Gatlinburg Cabins Web.

So, if you are considering this for the next time the family go on vacation, what might you need to consider – and, above all, what will it be important to pack, particularly when you have your kids along, to ensure that everyone has a good time?

Prevention is Better Than Cure

Depending on the age of the kids going on the family cruise vacation, there will be some best practices to make sure that they stay well during the trip. It’s always better to prevent illness, wherever possible, than it is to get into the realms of treatment.

That said, if anyone is going to be sick on vacation, a cruise ship is probably one of the better places, as they pretty well always have excellent facilities to fix you up – and that includes your kids.

Three key areas:-

1) Tummy troubles

Number one issue on any vacation, just as often as a family cruise vacation, is the irritating sickness and diarrhoea that can happen anytime.

Often caused by little more than a change in the chemical balance of the water we drink, these illnesses can be debilitating and need close attention. The rule is the younger or older we are, the more likely the effects are to be severe.

The easiest prevention is to avoid anything that might trigger an upset by drinking plenty of simple fluid. Seafoods, rich and spicy dishes are the most likely foods that can cause problems. Drinking bottled water may help too.

On a family cruise vacation, you need to pack some essentials for kids. The very best thing you can ensure that you have are rehydration salts. Basically, sickness and more particularly diarrhoea prevent the absorption of fluids back into the body, which is how we normally keep the right fluid balance.

When this is not working, due to some bug, overheating or eating something that ‘didn’t agree with you’, kids and elderly especially need to get that balance rectified as soon as possible. So take some rehydration sachets that you can buy from any pharmacy and give small amounts frequently.

If in any doubts, particularly with young children, checkout the sick bay onboard sooner rather than later.

2) Sunburn

A great family cruise vacation will, hopefully, find everyone enjoying a bit of sun, which is great for any trip. In fact absorbing the sun’s rays is good for our health as it promotes the body to make Vitamin D, which is valuable.

Trouble is it is easy to get too much sun. When onboard, it is easy to get burnt unless you make a real effort to get protected. This is for three particular reasons:-

- There may be a breeze on the ocean, which masks the strong rays of the sun. You feel a cooling wind, which stops you feeling the sun as much – then it’s easy to burn, especially for children whose awareness is not yet fine tuned.

- Secondly, there is a lot of reflected light that comes off the ocean and bounces burning rays upwards.

- Finally, children’s skin is especially susceptible to sun damage, whether on a ship on the ocean or otherwise.

It’s vital to get protected well, with a very high factor and keep protected. Then a nasty attack of sunburn will be avoided.

If burnt, always seek good medical advice. Sunburn is no different from any other burn and can easily lead to serious consequences. Drink plenty of fluid as damaged skin loses fluid far more easily than usual. Seek medical advice early if in any doubt.

3) Travel Sickness

Generally modern cruise liners are very well stabilized, so it’s not that common to have sea-sickness. The routes plied on family cruise vacations are not those where you might expect a rough journey (though it can happen!).

That said, susceptible folk may feel ill even if the ride is on an ocean that’s as smooth as a millpond, so it might be best to take precautions, especially if you know that one of your kids is likely to feel a bit queasy.

You pharmacist will be able to advise you what is available where you come from. One thing that can often work really well are little wrist bands that you can get that have a little dimple on them, facing inwards onto a pressure point on the wrist.

These are non-invasive and non-ingested, so are a lot less likely to cause side-effects. Often available in attractive colors for kids, they might be a solution to a problem that never gets it’s feet wet, because you nipped it in the bud!

Everyone wants a relaxing time when away, so for a great family cruise vacation, have a think about the best ways to ensure everyone, including the kids, feels well too.

Always check with your medical advisor before taking the actions suggested or implied in this article.

(c) 2007 hawaiian-cruises-online.com Hawaiian Cruises Online. Look no further – all the Hawaiian Cruising information you’ll ever need, in the 50 pages that are totally free. Destinations; cruise lines; ‘what’s on’; eating options and more, all at Martin Haworth’s website, Hawaiian-Cruises-Online.com Hawaiian-Cruises-Online.com

Spain’s borders include France, Gibraltar, Portugal and two communities of Morroco, but one of its most popular borders is its eastern border along the along the Mediterranean Sea. This beautiful coastline has turned this region of the country into a big tourist destination. Its near 5,000 kilometers of beaches and coastline are a big boost to the country’s tourist economy. The area’s climate also adds to the high tourism in the area. Generally, the weather on the coastline is moderate while the inland areas can get much colder in the winter and hotter in the summer.

The Straight of Gibraltar is at the most southern tip of Spain and is an important passage from the Mediterranean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean. The city of Algecrias is nearby and watches over the tourist and merchant trade passing through the area. The Alicante region along the eastern coastline by the Mediterranean Sea is very popular with tourists from all over the world, but particularly from Europe and Spain. Madrid, the capital of Spain, is located in the center of the country near the Tagus River. The city of Seville is located in the southwestern part of Spain and is known for its Spanish culture and art. Seville is also known as being a financial center. Barcelona and Cartegena are also important cities in Spain. Barcelona is located on the Balearic Sea and Cartegena along the Mediterranean Sea. Cities in the northern part of the country in the Bay of Biscay include the coastal cities of Gijon, Santander, Coruna and Vigo.

With so many cities located near or along a coastline, it should be no surprise that fishing and salt production are two of its major industries. However, despite its easy access to the water and history in the salt trade, there is still a fairly high rate of unemployment. For visitors to the area, though, many of these cities can offer a good taste of local life and the Spanish culture.

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It may never be possible to have all the camping gear you will ever need or want when you find yourself on the site, however, one should indeed strive to always be prepared when going camping outdoors. First of all, you should be a very safe place ‘ both from people and animals. Do not ignore the fact that sometimes, the people are more dangerous than the animals. Second, you should have with you more food and water then you should need in case of a delay in leaving. The unexpected can happen (and the chances are that will happen if you are not prepared for it). Be prepared for rain, for loss of food or water, for running into a wild animal or a dreadful human being. Be prepared to handle any and all the situations, and have each member of your group be equally prepared. Always have a First Aid Kit handy.

Preparation is the key, so be sure to carry some extras and be ready for stormy weather as well as forest fires, when you go camping. Carry some type of protective gear against fire. It is imperative that every member of your group knows how to handle and douse a fire effectively! This could sometimes be the difference between life and death. This basic knowledge is essential and can prove to be life saving since fire is one of the most potential hazards during a camping trip. This is again a very critical aspect, because a carelessly drawn fire can spell disaster not only for you but for the whole forest, and sometimes the entire region. It is a lot better to be prepared and safe then being hurt.

J W Crabb

myoutdoorcampingstore.com myoutdoorcampingstore.com

It is important to make enquiries regarding deep sea fishing tariffs before finalizing a deal. Tourists may opt to compare packages that are offered by different companies in order to find an affordable and enjoyable deal. They may be scheduled as half day, full day, two day or weekend activities. Tourists may even choose to indulge in custom-made deep sea fishing activities that last longer. It is important to verify the credibility of such companies to ensure a safe adventure.

Companies may offer wooden boats, solo anglers, chartered vessels or custom-built vessels. All these options are categorized under varying price points. In order to be successful at deep-sea fishing ventures, tourists may opt to work with trained personnel on the boat. They offer first hand training and prove to be extremely friendly guides. A deep sea fishing adventure can only be undertaken in vessels that are licensed and can withstand unfavorable deep-sea conditions, if any. To help tourists in their exploits, sailing vessels are fitted with radar, fish finders, radio and toilet. These companies also take care of supplies such as, fishing equipment, bait, hooks and sinkers, unless tourists are professionals and choose to bring along their own set of supplies. Such people may even participate in trophy deep fishing activities to make their vacations even more enjoyable and memorable.

e-MiamiBeach.com Miami Beach provides detailed information on Miami Beach, Miami Beach Vacations, Miami Beach Real Estate, Miammi Beach Condos and more. Miami Beach is affiliated with e-MiamiHotels.com Discount Miami Hotels.

I rather love this concept. The gringo can, in a small way, cash in on this. In the first neighborhood we lived in here in Guanajuato, there was a Mexican family that did not do well within the “Neighborhood Group.” They had these really vile little mutt dogs that loved to bark relentlessly. When they weren’t sleeping, they were barking. Like most Mexicans in this town with dogs, though they had a yard, they felt it necessary to cut these dogs loose at least once a day, sometimes twice, to roam the streets.

This was a signal to the dogs that their owners approved of their reprobate behavior of biting and mauling the ankles of those who dared pass by, especially Gringo Ankles. Poopie and Pongo especially loved eating my flesh. I don’t fault the dogs. They were born as the spawn of Satan so I do not hold it against them. Though I had plotted their deaths many times, I soon grew to forget my animosity and rejoice in the fact that everyone else in the neighborhood wanted to kill these two dogs.

Well, I tried reasoning with these people. One of the owners was a deaf dwarf who wondered just why don’t Americans show a little tolerance to a bit of noise? Of course, he couldn’t hear his dogs barking, making the sonorous and earsplitting roar that two yip-yip dogs create. And, just perhaps the TV he ran at maximum heart attack-inducing volume had something to do with it.

We complained to the Internet Café guy in the neighborhood and he said he wife would take care of the problem. And, she did. Her reasoning was that we gringos were just as much a part of the neighborhood group as any of the Mexicans were. She told the deaf dwarf as much. She said that the way he refused to control his loud and ankle-biting dogs was not appropriate and not good for “The Neighborhood Group.” We were part of the whole. The rest of the neighbors (one of whom walked by the dogs, opened their gate, and chased them down the block in hopes they would keep going and never return—it didn’t work!) stood up for us even though we were gringos.

That just one of the things I love about this town.

Most gringos move to Mexico based on a Concept and not a Reality. Find out the difference by clicking on the link below:

zyworld.com/theolog/page14.htm Notes From South of The Border – Survival Tips To Maximize Your Expat Success

Results? Business travel management is forced to enter a sobering re-thinking of priorities including keeping track of personnel, evaluating political risks in international travel, refining travel insurance risks and even incorporating corporate security and training programs in order to upgrade skills and responses to threats.

Yes, money matters and corporate travel management policies will constantly focus on discounts and expense control. But what’s changed is now money factors have become dilute against the backdrop of 9/11 attacks in America, London subway bombings, Bali nightclub bombings, train bombings in Spain and even more grisly examples where organized society is confronted by non-state independent terrorist militia and suicidal fanatics.

Corporate Travel Management Specialists For A New World — Travel Safety And Travel Intelligence. Security, employee training, business traveler tracking and more are being conducted through technology-enabled centralized corporate travel management firms. No longer is business travel management merely the hunt for group travel discounts and frequent flyer miles programs. Lives are at risk.

Learning The New Ropes — Business Travel Seminars. Businesses regularly use seminars to teach the latest techniques in travel security. For example, Westerners are taught to avoid placing identifying stickers on luggage, or to wear clothes with logos that might readily identify themselves as Americans or Brits. Low key anonymity equals lower risk business travel.

What Happens When Terrorists Attack — Surviving Captivity. What about being captured by terrorists? Travel management pros now regularly pass along detailed guidelines for surviving captivity, how to cope, what to expect, what to say, understanding political and ideological motivations of terrorists.

Travel Intelligence — Real Time Employee Tracking Data Access. Business travel management experts stress real-time data access, beginning with meticulously planned and documented business travel plans…providing hour-to-hour movement details in advance…along with hotel and meeting venue contact access information, cell phones, names of customer contacts and more.

Pre-Flight Advice — Tip On Carry On Gear. Check to verify with your travel management advisors, but you’ll soon be restricted to bare-bones carry on gear. Cell phones, lap tops, food, beverage, backpacks, even books may become banned as permitted carry on gear, following attempts in August by Pakistani and British terrorists to plant IED’s (improvised explosive devices) in 10 flights departing to the USA.

Pre-Flight Advice — Tip On Airport Parking. Leave nothing to chance. Security delays, busy flights, limited on board services means that business and leisure travelers need to pre-book airport parking needs at least several days in advance of your scheduled departure. Get your business travel management experts to lock-in reservations for airport parking, car rentals and related needs throughout your travel itinerary.

Pre-Flight Advice — Tip On Airport Hotels. Airport security restrictions plus limited carry on allowance means significant “down time”. You’ll need to identify airport hotels that are technology enabled, offering you high speed web access to your business files, emails, as well as webex video conferencing so that you can contact customers, home office, prepare reports and presentations, plus stay in contact with family.

Business travel management is entering a new vista for integrating travel planning, security, and employee tracking. For more travel planning tips please go to:-

Reserving Airport Parking Nationwide: wise4living.com/tpark/ wise4living.com/tpark/

Airport Hotel Locater: wise4living.com/tairhotel/ wise4living.com/tairhotel/

Author Robin Derry is publisher for wise4living.com/ wise4living.com/ a specialty information site that gives solutions to health, household, sport, travel and legal needs.