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There are fifteen Presidential Libraries in the United States, scattered from California to Maine.  The two in California are Nixon and Reagan; in Texas, you’ll find three, Lydon Baines Johnson, George Bush, and George W. Bush.  The rest of the states have one each: JFK in Maine, FDR in New York, Gerald Ford in Michigan, Herbert Hoover in Iowa, Harry S. Truman in Missouri, Dwight D. Eisenhower in Kansas, and William J. Clinton in Arkansas.  That’s fourteen listed.  If you want to find the library of the 39th President of the United States of America, then you’ll need to go to Atlanta, Georgia. The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum is one of the many sights you might see while staying in luxury at a number of hotels in Atlanta.

The museum and library are hosts to a number of interesting events.  If you’re looking for something different to do, then you might try out a President’s Library.  Recently, they held a performance by Gene Griessman who played the role of Abraham Lincoln.  In future events, Bill and Sue Wills will portray Lyndon & Lady Bird Johnson on February 27th, at two in the afternoon.  The show will focus on their lives together of “Lady Bird” and the “Master of the Senate.”  On March 4th, there will be a lecture and book signing of Betty Glad’s “An Outsider in the White House,” a book considered by some to make significant contributions to diplomatic history and presidential studies.  It’s not all lectures and plays at the library and museum, there’s photography, too: On March 17th, a photographic exhibition titled Life Through the Lens — Photographs by Senator Howard H. Baker will open, featuring a collection of fifty large-format photographs.

Many cities offer a variety of attractions to its guests, and Atlanta has more than most, from The World of Coca-Cola Museum to the Georgia Aquarium to Underground Atlanta.  Take time, too, to investigate a little Presidential history for Jimmy Carter.

My first experience with Dim Sum was in Chinatown in Los Angeles.  What I did not know at the time was that those Hong Kong restaurants were the models for the American restaurants their dim sum, the Chinese restaurant in LA would not have been there if it were not for those that came before on the other side of the world, where it is hand down the best of the Dim Sum.  All Dim Sum restaurants are usually large wide open rooms, filled with the waiters pushing the carts around and a noisy clang and clatter.  It is a bit of a chaotic experience.

When it is your first experience at Dim Sum, it may serve you well to bring a group of friends along with you.  This is after all a group meal traditionally, and in this way, you and your friends order a bit of everything, allowing you to taste more of the variety that is offered on the menu.  One of the restaurants that is known throughout the city as being one of the best of the best is Cuisine Cuisine.  Many of the top chefs of Hong Kong are making the dishes here that are traditional Dim Sum recipes.  However, the setting is very modern, set atop one of the skyscrapers of downtown, close to some of the best Hong Kong hotels, and the view of the harbour is spectacular.

Menus have become more popular in Dim Sum restaurants, and the push carts are no longer as commonly used as they once were, so the menu could be a bit intimidating for anyone who does not speak the language.  Most restaurants now operate in the same way that sushi restaurants do, by handing you a card that you tick off what it is you would like to order.  The menus, written in a foreign language, are also quite expansive, and while some may offer English translations, many do not.

At Cuisine Cuisine most of the staff are fluent in English, so for the English speaking customers this is a plus.  There are many dishes that are vegetarian, however there are many that are made with a variety of meats.  So it is best to consult the waiter, for you may not be interested in accidentally getting a plate of deep fried chicken feet set in front of you.  There are of course many other restaurants to choose from in Hong Kong for Dim Sum, this is the birthplace of the traditional feast, so you really can not go wrong with any choice you make.

There is a profound sense of joy that comes from having a spa in your own backyard.  The home becomes a refuge again, and is a place where you are sure to be able to relax at the end of a long day.  When the tired muscles hit the hot water, and when the jets start to do their work, there is really nothing like it on earth.  And it has fantastic therapeutic value, too.  There are new discoveries every day that suggest that portable spas are great for the heart and for circulation.  Then take into account the soothing effects of water, and the refreshing outside air, and these would add up to a lovely experience.

Interestingly, human beings have had a relationship with bathing that goes back a long time.  In Iceland, a sauna had to be built before the settlers would even move in back in the Middle Ages, which points toward a history of spas that goes back for centuries.  In the Middle Ages particularly is where many origins of our contemporary ideas of the hot tub originate.  This may seem to defy logic, or some basic preconceptions about the Middle Ages that might need some reconsideration.  Our perception of the Medieval times is not generally associated with acute personal hygiene, but rather the opposite.  Perhaps the idea of Courtly Love and public baths have not always gone together, and perhaps they should.

Recently, there has been a rather hefty amount of translations completed that are all suggesting that the people of the Middle Ages practiced bathing in a way that rivals the Romans with their baths.  It was a common part of public life in most areas of Europe, and the descriptions sound very much like our experiences with our hot tubs.  The great writer on courtly love, who has been a guide for cavalier lovers, Andreas Capellanus, always stressed the importance of the bath and its role in higher love.  A simple dip, then, into your portable spa might be a dip into a fascinating history.

A Maui vacation allows tourists not only a chance to enjoy its well known reputation for sapphire oceans and flowers that jewel its tropical landscape, but it also provides tourists with a chance to learn about some of the rich culture that make Hawaii such a top spot for tourism. 
 
The namesake God of the island, Maui, was the runt of his family, but he had a sharp wit and a mischievous temperament.  However, his brothers were unimpressed, especially with his fishing skills.  Out of revenge for the hurt his brother caused him, Maui used his quick wit to fill his boat to the brim, stealing the fish through trickery from his brothers who looked on with wonder.  Until they discovered what he was up to.  Then they left him out home with their mother.  Unhappy with the arrangement, Maui felt great distress until his mother, a goddess that guarded the road to the Underworld, sent him out to find a magic hook from his father, a god who held up the heavens. 
 
According to this myth from Hawaii, the hook was named a Manaiakalani and it was caught up in the heavens where his father lived.  If it caught hold of the land, it would bring the ancient seas together.  Maui got the hook, and then asked his brothers to go fishing with him again.  Instead, his brother laughed at him and tossed him to the land again.  But when they returned, they returned without any of the fish they had caught on their trip.  Maui cajoled them into allowing him to go back out to sea with him where the brothers only caught sharks.  Mad that the fish Maui had promised them still did not appear, they scorned him.
 
Using the hook and a powerful chant, he caught the Great Fish.  Ordering his brothers row as hard and as furiously as possible without looking back at the fish, Maui held the Great Fish for two days on the magical hook.  Yet curiosity got the better of one of his brothers and he looked back.  The line loosened from Maui as soon as the brother had looked back.  Soon enough the line broke and the magic plunged into the sea to be lost forever.  Maui was greatly upset because he was attempting to pull up a great land, but instead he only had the islands of Hawaii for his sweat and hard work.      
 
 
If tourists want more than just the usual sun, sand, and beaches, Maui travel deals would give other opportunities to them to expand on their knowledge of the deep cultural roots that bind the Hawaii islands together.  Coming back with a better understanding of the myths and culture of Maui would provide tourists with an even longer lasting souvenir than any material goods bought in boutiques or shops.

When one is searching for a Singapore restaurant, what ever food one is wishing for will be found. The diversity of the cultures that have moved to the country over the years as served to create not only a variety of art, music, theater and dance, but of the world of food as well. Each of the cultures have brought with them the foods and the recipes of their homelands, and through time these dishes have evolved into food that is unique to Singapore, the Singapore French food, the Singapore Vietnamese food, etc. The list goes on and on.

Throughout the history of this island, many have traveled from other countries to find work in Singapore, and to find a better way of life. As different cultures have settled in the country, they have adapted and evolved their traditions and how those relate to the environment and their surroundings, and to the produce and differences in the local ingredients.

Many different ethnic groups have provided the variety of cuisine which ranges from Italian to Indian, from Chinese to Thai. Three examples of dishes that are truly Singapore, are curried fish heads, the famous chili crab, and a salad of raw fish called yu sheng. This variety is similar to that found in the streets of New York City, USA, and is the tell tale sign of a culture that is truly metropolitan and international. Throughout the city of Singapore, there are some hubs, or epi-centers to be found, again similar to the Chinatown and Little Italy neighborhoods of Manhattan.

If one has a taste for Thai food, the Golden Mile Center is the place to go. Or if one should desire some schwarma or falafel, Arab Street offers up the best of the cuisine from the Mid-East. There are locations to find the more expensive and gourmet restaurants such as the Quays or the Colonial District, as well as the famous hawker stands that are located throughout the city and in the suburbs. These stands offer up hearty meals, for a good price. Anywhere one may wander, the good food is always easy to find in Singapore.