Downtown Miami one of the best places to spend Holidays

. Posted by Emilio Vazquez

The best way to spend Holidays with your lover or family is to be in Miami, Florida. Why? There are many reasons why. Here are the most important reasons why you should visit Miami.

What most people see when they cruise the broad expanse of Biscayne Boulevard in downtown Miami today is the parade of newly minted blue-glass high-rises, soaring like a futuristic movie set from streets that just a few years back were home to black-top parking lots and decrepit buildings from bygone years.

 The Miami DDA is striving to influence all aspects of Downtown enjoying. To that end, efforts are ongoing to help downtown retail tenants through a variety of initiatives. After all, in this tropical and romantic city dining is more than eating. Dining in a restaurant is a chance to see and be seen in this paradise for Holidays.

Since its founding in 1965, the mission of the Miami DDA has been to make Downtown Miami a world-class metropolis, strengthening its role as an international hub for tourism, trade and culture. In recent years, however, the Miami DDA has shifted its focus away from the big picture of grandiose urban planning to now include the smaller picture of the street-level urban experience, to make Miami “the most livable urban center in the nation.”

The visitants can enjoy with the hop on Miami’s elevated People Mover, which will whisk them over the Miami River to the Brickell Area, now home to Mary Brickell Village, the finest concentration of business, culture, art and design with its array of stunning restaurants and shops in a courtyard setting is perfect to spend your Holidays.

Then, of course, there are the new performance halls at the Adrienne Arsht Art Center and the American Airlines Arena, as well as the museums to come. With the finest cultural institution as neighbors, the developer saw no better opportunity to connect with the neighborhood than through partnerships with these nearby establishments. The result is a unique amenity for residents. Through alliances, like the one with MAM, residents are granted membership and exhibition privileges.

While the ingenuity to link itself to its cultural neighbors belongs to the new Downtown Miami, the establishment of a defined arts identity for the local area was the brainchild of the City of Miami. For more than a decade, city leaders pushed to create the new Performing Arts Center, which includes the 2,400-seat Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House, the 2,200-seat John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall, a 200-seat black box Carnival Studio Theater, the Peacock Education Center, a restored Art Deco Tower, and the Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts, which unites the Center buildings across the street. At a cost of more than $400 million, the Center is now the jewel of Miami’s performing arts world.

A short walk to the south is the American Airlines Arena, a $220 million white ‘pill box’ with sheets of radiant, colorful glass windows ensconced by curved walls. It is home to the 2006 NBA champion Miami Heat basketball team, and the venue for everything from pop music performers to the Latin Grammy award show. The 20,000 seat building was designed by Miami’s world-class architecture firm Arquitectonica.

Presently, the Miami DDA is working with the City of Miami on the design of the upgrades, the coordination of contractors and businesses and is contributing approximately $200,000 toward the funding of the DWNTWNR Beautification Project – Phase I. The $4 million project, principally financed by the City of Miami Capital Improvements Program includes milling and resurfacing streets; adding new pavement markings; replacing cracked and/or broken sidewalks and curbs; replacing pedestrian ramps; and making various landscape improvements (trees, planters, shrubs & benches) throughout the project area.

A few hundred yards to the south of Bayside is Miami’s latest attraction, a gigantic, helium filled balloon that takes tourists and locals high into the sky on a wide, fenced-in platform for a bird’s eye view of the city. The most important condition for a romantic weekend around Holidays  is that the environment must be romantic as well.

To the east, readily accessible via the McArthur Causeway, is first Watson Island, home to Parrot Jungle and the Miami Children’s Museum, and next South Beach, the trendiest stretch of Miami Beach, where tropical chic is the rage and where nightlife begins somewhere past midnight. Then there is the Atlantic Ocean, of course, all of ten minutes away from the mainland.

The Miami Downtown Development Authority, founded in 1965, is a public-private, non-profit business organization that strives to develop Miami’s downtown area.  Its mission is to make Downtown Miami the most livable urban center in the nation and strengthen its position as the international center for commerce, culture, and tourism. Through its own programs and services and partnership with the City of Miami and other governmental entities, Miami DDA is dedicated to making downtown a more livable community and improving the quality of life for employers, employees, residents, property owners, and visitors.

 

 

 

 

 

999 BRICKELL PREMIER OFFICES SPACES IN MIAMI

. Posted by Emilio Vazquez

The Congress Group Invests in Excess of $2 Million to Offer Tenants Affordable Alternative to Class A Office Buildings

In today’s economy, even tenants in the prestigious Brickell financial district are in need of affordable office space. 999 Brickell, now undergoing a $2 million plus renovation, is that building. The Congress Group has recently released “rent ready” office suites, a product of the current renovation that is yielding a premier Brickell Avenue address at affordable rates.  Also critical to the new look and identity of this 11-story building are new roofs, chillers and air handling equipment, and the replacement of all flooring. Additionally, the current ground-floor plaza area is being analyzed as the site for a new restaurant.  Completion of the renovations is expected within the next 12 to18 months.

“We’re not only making cosmetic enhancements; we’re increasing the asset value by going right to the backbone of the building,” explained Paula Phillips, vice president of The Congress Group. “They are discreet improvements that reduce noise, create greater energy efficiency and lower operating expenses in the long run. And although these improvements will enable us to compete with Class A buildings in the area, our pricing is considerably more attractive.”

Since it was acquired and renovated by The Congress Group and the esteemed Transwestern has been brought on as leasing agent, 999 Brickell has successfully been repositioned; 999 Brickell has been able to retain the majority of the existing tenants and capture new tenants in the marketplace at significantly higher rental rates. Rents start at $35.00 per square foot; comparable Brickell office space start at $38.00 per square foot.

Phillips added, “Because it is very costly to build new product and keep rents competitive, we are taking a building with great potential and renovating it so it is on par with other new buildings in this prime ‘Wall Street of the South’ location, but at lower rents. We will be the high-quality, value alternative in this area and are coming in at a perfect time, just when the credit markets are turning around and there is liquidity in the marketplace.”

Highlighted by an attentive and service-oriented onsite management staff, 999 Brickell features generous office space with spectacular views of Biscayne Bay and Brickell Avenue. The top-floor penthouse suites have large private balconies. Among the premium amenities are 24-hour manned security and an above-market parking ratio of 3.0 spaces/1,000 rentable square feet within a covered parking garage. The location provides an abundance of parking and easy access onto either Brickell Avenue or Brickell Bay Drive.

999 Brickell features 100,000 square feet of office space and is anchored by Helm Bank. The building currently has available office space ranging from 1,200 to 9,200 contiguous square feet; tenants may assemble four full floors totaling 36,000 square feet. 

The Congress Group is a Boston-based real estate investment and development firm that provides solid, stable ownership. Over the past 25 years, The Congress Group has developed more than 6.5 million square feet valued in excess of $1.5 billion. 

For more information on 999 Brickell, visit www.999brickell.com or call to 305-808-7820.

THE NEW FACE OF MIAMI DOWNTOWN

. Posted by Emilio Vazquez

A transformation is underway in Miami’s bold with a new central business and cultural district

What most people see when they cruise the broad expanse of Biscayne Boulevard in downtown Miami, Florida, today is the parade of newly minted blue-glass high-rises, soaring like a futuristic movie set from streets that just a few years back were home to black-top parking lots and decrepit buildings from bygone years.

“We have really been dealing with Downtown with what’s known as the ‘broken window’ theory,” says Loretta Cockrum, board member of the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA). “It’s all about the details, and the upkeep. If you keep up the small things, then the bigger things start to take care of themselves.”

For the last few years, the Miami DDA has been focusing its efforts on the particulars that can transform a city into a livable community, and those grassroots efforts are now starting to add up. Throughout the grid of Downtown streets and avenues, changes which at first were subtle are now becoming pronounced. A few trees here, a string of streetlights there, a couple of new shops opening—suddenly Downtown Miami is starting to feel, well, more like a downtown.

Since its founding in 1965, the mission of the Miami DDA—a public/private agency funded by property taxes within the Districts served—has been to make Downtown Miami a world-class metropolis, strengthening its role as an international hub for tourism, trade and culture. In recent years, however, the Miami DDA has shifted its focus away from the big picture of grandiose urban planning to now include the smaller picture of the street-level urban experience, to make Miami “the most livable urban center in the nation.” It is doing so in the four key districts define Downtown Miami: Brickell, the Central Business District, Park West and The Media & Entertainment District.

Downtown Miami is already a beehive of commercial activity and employment. Of the total number of jobs in Miami (273,963), almost three quarters of them (203,805) are in the downtown. It is also home to the Port of Miami, which contributes $12 billion annually to the Miami-Dade County economy. What the Miami DDA is bringing is the critical lifestyle and retail infrastructure to make Downtown Miami livable—and walk able.

Another program, inaugurated in 2006, is the Downtown Enhancement Team, or DET, which partnered with the homeless shelter Camillus House to hire 20 uniformed clean-up crew members. Not only did this take a score of homeless people off the streets, it helped clean up the Central Business District (CBD), via trash removal, sidewalk pressure cleaning, removal of graffiti from storefronts, and landscape maintenance. Doubled in size since its inception, the program supplements the City of Miami’s solid waste removal efforts.

Presently, the Miami DDA is working with the City of Miami on the design of the upgrades, the coordination of contractors and businesses and is contributing approximately $200,000 toward the funding of the DWNTWNR Beautification Project – Phase I. The $4 million project, principally financed by the City of Miami Capital Improvements Program includes milling and resurfacing streets; adding new pavement markings; replacing cracked and/or broken sidewalks and curbs; replacing pedestrian ramps; and making various landscape improvements (trees, planters, shrubs & benches) throughout the project area.

Pushing forward on the green front, the Miami DDA (again with help from the City of Miami) is also investing more than a half million dollars into park improvements, specifically creating or enhancing four pocket parks in the urban core. The first of these to be realized will be the Paul Walker Park on Flagler Street—which will have a 30-foot wall of water to be completed this summer—followed by the Sculpture Garden (near the main library’s Cultural Plaza), which is part of the new urban linear park including the two courthouse Triangle Parks.

“In the last five years, the most significant thing that I think has happened is that we’ve started attacking street-level issues,” says Cockrum. “The devil is in the details, and the same goes for life in an urban setting.”

From recreation to retail, the Miami DDA is striving to influence all aspects of Downtown living. To that end, efforts are ongoing to help downtown retail tenants through a variety of initiatives, including its 2008 Façade Improvement Program. This program is designed to help businesses located within the historic downtown district by reimbursing them for up to 75 percent of the cost for masonry, security, gates, awnings, paints, signage, lighting and so forth, with an eye to improving their exterior facades. For businesses that improve their appearance by installing see-through gates that encourage window shopping at all hours of the day and minimize graffiti, the city will reimburse 100 percent of the cost. Programs such as these helped the Miami DDA recruit a half dozen new retailers and restaurants to the downtown last year.

THE PROMENADE: The largest mixed use lifestyle center in Northern Broward County

. Posted by Emilio Vazquez

 

 

MIAMI DOWNTOWN INICIA SERIE DE CONCIERTOS EN VIVO

. Posted by Emilio Vazquez

El aclamado percusionista Sammy Figueroa inaugurará las presentaciones organizadas por el Miami DDA

Primer concierto viernes 14 de noviembre

Por primera vez en años, el Downtown de Miami será el anfitrión de su propia serie de conciertos presentada por el Miami DDA, las actuaciones de artistas se extenderán hasta abril del 2009 en distintas localidades del centro de la ciudad desde el Pabilón Tina Hills Pabilón en Bayfront Park, el campus del Miami Dade College Wolfson, la Flagler Street al Miami Dade Courthouse. Una variedad de músicos en distintos géneros ofrecerán distintos repertorios como parte de esta serie de conciertos que estará abierta al público sin costo alguno.

“El Downtown de Miami se está transformando en una maravilla urbana.  El que vive en el área tiene todo a su alcance, y es posible que alguien pueda vivir, trabajar y disfrutar del Downtown sin tener que salir del área”, indicó Joe Sánchez, presidente de la Junta de Directores del Miami DDA.

Para inaugurar la serie musical de la temporada, el percusionista nominado al Grammy, Sammy Figueroa, estar actuando en dos presentaciones el  viernes 14 de noviembre, a las 12:30 p.m. y a las 4:00 p.m., en el  International Food Plaza que está en la estación del Metromover del College/Bayside en la esquina de la 2 N.E. Ave y la 3 N.E. Calle.

“Las series de conciertos del Downtown están diseñadas para promover y cultivar el desarrollo de las artes en la comunidad del centro de Brickell, al tiempo que se contribuye con la transformación cultural del Gran Miami”, dijo Alyce M. Robertson directora ejecutiva del Miami DDA. El Miami DDA está cumpliendo con la promesa  de diseñar un programa  que demuestre el compromiso de retomar el Downtown para la diversión de los residentes y trabajadores del área”.

El Miami Downtown Development Authority se creó en 1965 y a través de sus programas, servicios y asociaciones se dedica a mejorar la calidad de vida de los comercios y residentes del área. Para más información se puede visitar la página Web (305) 579-6675 www.miamidda.com.

 

 

CONCILIO APRUEBA PLAN MASTER PARA 321 NORTH EN PLANTATION

. Posted by Emilio Vazquez

Avanzan las construcciones del proyecto mixto de $800 millones

 

Fue un momento decisivo para US Capital Holdings Group cuando recibió luz verde para que desarrolle el ambicioso proyecto de $800 millones de dólares en el corazón de Plantation. La aprobación del plan mater por parte del Concilio de la Ciudad de Plantation conlleva a que 321 North continuará con los trabajos del desarrollo mixto. US Capital Holdings Group iniciará con las remodelaciones del Plantation Fashion Mall, construyendo 550,000 pies cuadrados para comercios, 613,000 pies cuadrados para oficinas y más de 590 unidades residenciales. El edificio existente de oficinas inaugurará en el 2009,  el componente comercial abrirá el 2011 y la nueva torre de oficinas se espera que esté completa en el 2012.

321 North cuenta con la certificación LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), un programa que incentiva a los urbanizadores a proteger el medio ambiente y a ahorrar energía electricidad. LEED fue consolidado por el Concilio de Edificios Verdes de Estados Unidos, el Consejo de Urbanismo y el Consejo de Defensa de Recursos Naturales.

“El programa LEED está diseñado para ir más allá del enfoque de edificios verdes y se concentra en el diseño y desarrollo de una amplia escala,” señaló Rick Fedrizzi, presidente de U.S. Green Building Council. “Nuestros programas pilotos son pioneros,  preparando el terreno para desarrollos de comunidades inteligentes y mas saludables”. 

La reezonificación del Distrito Midtown ofrece 850 acres (344 hectáreas) que incluye capitales públicos y privados en elementos claves de infraestructura tales como; el desarrollo de calles, transporte público, espacios abiertos, parques y plazas. Un sistema de troller gratuito subvencionado por la Ciudad de Plantation proveerá transporte entre las atracciones, centros de negocios y comercios.

La firma de arquitectos EDAW de California, será la responsable de los trabajos y diseños de los jardines de 321 North. La empresa cuenta con 32 oficinas ofreciendo además diseño urbano, planificación comunitaria y ecológica. Entre los proyectos más relevantes está la participación en el National Museum of the American Indian en Washington D.C., el tema del parque de atracciones de Universal Studio’s Islands of Adventure en Orlando, y en Miami los diseños de One Miami Riverwalk y Canyon Ranch Living, Miami Beach. EDAW también fue seleccionada para diseñar los parques de los Juegos Olímpicos que se efectuarán en el 2012 en Londres.

Plantation alberga más de 50 compañías de Fortune 500, tales como Motorola, American Express y DHL. La oferta de espacios de oficinas en la ciudad es la más baja del condado Broward, por lo que los empresarios no esconden su optimismo por el componente de oficinas de 321 North, el cual se convertirá en un centro de empleo que fomentará el crecimiento de la ciudad. Para mayor información puede visitar  www.321north.com.

THE 2009 LUSITANO COLLECTION GALLOPS INTO FLORIDA

. Posted by Emilio Vazquez

During the weekend of February 19-20, 2009, members of the equestrian community and South Florida social scene will gather at the 111-acre Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in Wellington, Florida, for the second annual Lusitano Collection Auction. The prestigious event will indulge guests with lavish cocktails and a gala dinner, courtesy of The Lusitano Collection. A portion of the proceeds from the auction will benefit the American Cancer Society and the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center.

Guests may view and examine over two dozen horses during the week prior to the auction as well as shop at various sponsors’ tents. The Lusitano Collection made its United States debut in Wellington during the world-renowned Winter Equestrian Festival in March, 2008, when buyers came to the Sunshine State from as far as California, Texas Connecticut, Mexico, Colombia, Belgium, Denmark and Guatemala.  It was the first time that such a collection of Lusitanos had been sold on US soil and gave clients the advantage of acquiring horses that are not available elsewhere in the world without the necessity of importing them either from Portugal or Brazil.  While the Lusitano Collection is a trademark created by five premier world breeders of the Lusitano horse, this year’s collection will only include horses from Interagro Farms, the largest Lusitano breeder and exporter in the world and Coudelaria Rocas do Vouga of Brazil.

Paulo Gaviao Gonzaga, who founded Interagro in 1975, oversees the breeding and training of 700 horses on his historic coffee plantation outside Sao Paulo.  He is assisted by his daughter, Cecilia Gonzaga, who heads the stud farm which consists of 20 stallions, many of whom are actively competing successfully in dressage.

Prior to the auction, the horses’ rigorous training is initiated under the expert guidance of Director Maurício Delucchi Borrelli and Swedish-born Pia Aragão, Brazilian Dressage Champion. “The objective of our work in the Picadeiro is to have all of our animals achieve international standards of dressage,” said Borelli.  “We seek to produce a horse capable of performing whatever activity his owner wants him to. I want people to see our horses and dream of riding them. I want the horses we sell in auction to be ridden safely and trouble-free by anyone anywhere in the world.”

Aragão adds, “Before a horse is chosen for the auction, it must be disease-free, have its legs x-rayed, pass a pre-purchase exam and be evaluated for ride-ability and quality.” She noted that the four- and five-year old horses that travel to the US for auction have lovely ground manners, load well and could easily compete in dressage at the novice level.

The breed is well known for its exceptional performance in all equestrian disciplines so it is no surprise that Lusitanos from Interagro have been exported to nine countries and trained in jumping, dressage, driving, and even as  cutting horses.  The Collection presents horses under saddle and includes a selection of geldings and a limited number of mares.

Gonzaga noted, “Recently rediscovered, the Lusitano horse has re-acquired the prestige it enjoyed in the past centuries as one of the best saddle horses in the world.”

For more information about the 2009 Lusitano Collection Auction which is open to the public for a fee, go to www.lusitanocollection.com .

 

 

FLORIDA SEDE DE LA EXHIBICION 2009 DE CABALLOS LUSITANO

. Posted by Emilio Vazquez

Durante el fin de semana del 19 y 20 de febrero de 2009, los miembros ecuestres del Sur de la Florida se reunirán e en el Centro Ecuestre Jim Brandon de 111 acres en Wellington para con el fin de efectuar la segunda Subasta Anual de  The Lusitano Collection. El prestigioso acontecimiento una serie de actividades y una cena de gala que estará patrocinada por The Lusitano Collection.

Una semana antes de efectuarse la subasta, los visitantes podrán admirar y examinar más de dos docenas de caballos de esta raza así como recorrer las exhibiciones de los patrocinadores. The Lusitano Collection hizo su debut en Wellington en el invierno del 2008 durante el Festival Mundial Ecuestre, evento al que asistieron aficionados a los Lusitanos desde California, Texas, Conecticut, México, Colombia, Bélgica, Dinamarca y Guatemala. Fue la primera vez que esta colección se vendió Estados Unidos y dando la oportunidad de adquirir caballos que no están disponibles en otras partes del mundo sin la necesidad de importarlos desde Portugal o Brasil.

The Lusitano Collection es en la actualidad una marca registrada y creada por cinco expertos de caballos Lusitano. El evento en el 2009 incluirá caballos de Interagro Farms y Coudelaria Rocas do Vouga de Brasil, ambos reconcidos  mundialmente en la crianza de Lusitanos.

En 1975, Paulo Gaviao Gonzaga fundó Interagro Farms, desde entonces supervisa la cría y la instrucción de 700 caballos en su finca a las afueras de Sao Paulo. Gonzaga cuenta con la ayuda de su hija, Cecilia Gonzaga, que dirige la granja que cuenta con 20 sementales, algunos de ellos también compiten exitosamente en la exhibición de doma.

Antes de la subasta, se efectuará un entrenamiento de los caballos bajo la guía de Maurício Delucchi Borrelli y de Swedish-born Pia Aragão, campeón brasileño en la doma de caballos para exhibición.

“El objetivo de nuestro trabajo en el Picadeiro es que los animales alcancen los estándares internacionales durante exhibición,” dijo Borelli. “Procuramos producir un caballo capaz de realizar cualquier actividad que su propietario lo desee y que los espectadores sueñen con cabalgarlos”.

Aragão agrega, “Antes de que un caballo participe en la subasta, es sometido a un examen para ver que no tenga enfermedades, radiografías de las piernas y un examen de evaluación de pre-venta que indica la capacidad de cabalgar y la calidad del animal”.

La casta de estos caballos es conocida en el desempeño de distintas disciplinas ecuestres. Los Lusitanos de Interagro Farm han sido exportados a nueve países del mundo y entrenados para equitación, exhibición y cabalgata. The Lusitano Collection incluye una selección castra y un número limitado de yeguas.

Gonzaga dijo, “Recientemente se anunció que el caballo Lusitano ha retomado el prestigio del que disfrutó en siglos pasados como uno de los mejores caballos de silla en el mundo”.

Para más información sobre la Subasta Anual de  The Lusitano Collection 2009 se puede visitar www.lusitanocollection.com o llamar al (305) 937-1581.

 

ACERCA DE LOS CABALLOS LUSITANOS

Nativo de la Peninsula Iberica fue domesticado alrededor de 5,000 A.C. por los guerros qe luchaban a caballo. Como sus vidas dependian enteramente de sus caballos, los Lusiitanos llegaron a ser famosos por su inteligencia por la facilidad para cabalgar. Estas calidades se han destacado para el desarrollo moderno dentro del deporte ecuestre y han contribuido al desempeño excepcional de los Lusitanos en todas disciplinas.

2008 MLB Championship Series Rays vs Red Sox

. Posted by FloridaTraveler

I had the pleasure of going to see games 1 and 2 of the American League Championship Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox. The games were played at Tropicana Field on October 10th and 11th and it was an experience I will never forget. I had been to a few Major League games in the past but I had never experienced playoff baseball.

Tropicana Field is the home stadium of the Rays and it is a monstrous dome stadium located in beautiful downtown Saint Petersburg. Tropicana Stadium opened in 1990 under the name “The Florida Suncoast Dome” Even though the stadium was finished, the city did not have a major league baseball team. The Tampa Lightning hockey team played 3 seasons in the stadium and the name of the stadium was changed to the “Thunder Dome” The city was finally awarded a MLB team in 1995 and the stadium name was changed to “Tropican Field” The first MLB game played in the stadium was March 31, 1998. The stadium is situated right off interstate I-275 which makes it easy to get to from any city in the Tampa area. Tropicana has some pretty large parking lots and there are plenty of private lots adjacent to the stadium.

Walking inside the stadium I was taken back by the enormous size of the interior of the dome. I have always thought baseball should be played outside but I really liked the look and feel of the dome. Looking around at the seating it appeared that nearly every seat would provide an excellent view of the game. There was a lot of activity on the field with grounds crews sparying water on the infield and sports reporters and camera crews were getting ready. Spectators were pouring into the stadium 3 hours before the start of the game. The thousands of fans entering the stadium were mostly Rays fans but there was no shortage of Red Sox fans.

By the time the game was close to starting the stadium was filled to capacity which is around 34,000. It was an awesome site to be there at the start of the game with 34,000 screaming MLB fans ready for some championship baseball. This was the first time the Tampa Rays have been in the MLB playoffs in their 10 year history. Not only was I seeing my first ever MLB playoff game but I was also watching the first ever Tampa Rays Championship series! The Tampa Rays advanced to the American League Championship Series by defeating the Chicago White Sox in the divisional series. The Rays are playing the Boston Red Sox who are the defending World Series Champions.

Game 1 was a great game with James Shields pitching for the Rays and Daisuke Matsuzaka pitching for Boston. The Rays could never get any offense going and the Red Sox were able to win 2-0. Before the start of the 8th and 9th innings the jumbo video screen showed a live shot of a stadium suite where Hulk Hogan and another wrestler were screaming “let’s go Rays” into the camera. Hulk Hogan really got the crowd fired up and the place became electric with people standing on their feet yelling “let’s go Rays” Even with the renwed energy of the crowd, the Rays could not come from behind and so game 1 was over. Walking out of the stadium with the thousands of Rays fans with their heads down you would have thought they were being lead to the gallows. The Red Sox fans were understandably fired up and they were letting the Rays fans have it.

Returning to the stadium for game 2 I was really concerned that the Rays were going to fall to 0-2 and then they would have to play the next 3 games in Boston. Game 2 proved to be an exciting MLB playoff game complete with a home run derby and numerous pitching changes. I was in the outfield and it was awesome to see 7 home run balls fly into the stands. The Rays were up by 1 run late in the game when a wild pitch allowed Boston to score the tying run which infuriated the Rays fans inside the stadium. It seemed the game would never end until B.J.Upton became the games hero by hitting a sacrafice fly which scored a run and the Rays won. The crowd went crazy when the game was finally won at 1:30am in the morning. This time it was the Rays fans turn to scream and heckle the Boston fans on the way out of the stadium.

I’m not a big MLB fan but these 2 championship games made me understand why so many people are absolutely crazy about the sport. This experience ranks right up there with a NCAA Final Four game that I went to and I hope to see the Rays playing in the World Series this year!

Nickelodeon Kid’s Suites Hotel - WOW

. Posted by FloridaTraveler

I was taking my daughter to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and I was looking for a kid-friendly hotel to stay in. I remebered hearing about Nickelodeon Kid’s Suites so I decided to visit their website to see what they were all about. I have to say that I have never seen a hotel website quite like Nickelodeon Kid’s Suites. They have such a fabulous and fun website that gives you a close up look at their hotel.

I booked the hotel thru their website and I was pleased with the AAA discount. I paid $129.00 per night for a 2 bedroom suite with bunk beds in the kid’s room. I traveled to the website with my daughter and her friend and I was surprised at how massive the Nickelodeon hotel is. When you drive up to the hotel your kids will get excited because the hotel’s buildings have different Nickelodeon characters painted on their top walls. The hotel is painted in bright and fun colors that let you know the hotel is all about fun.

One thing that pleased me when we arrived is the level of hotel security. The hotel is enclosed by a security gate and the front entrance has a staffed security checkpoint. It made me feel good knowing people cannot just wander into the hotel off the street. We parked and went to check in and we were happy to learn we could check in 1-hour early. The hotel issued wristband room keys to me and the 2 kids which was an added suprise. I hate having to carry room swipe cards and I loved having my room key on my wrist at all times. The kids had thier own wristband room keys which is an option that you can turn down when checking in.

When we arrived at our room, the kids were jumping for joy at the wonderful room. The room was big and spacious and full of color and fun. We picked the sponge bob room which had sponge bob displayed on several walls. The living room had a comfy couch with a very nice flat widescreen television set. The kid’s room was equipped with a bunk bed, tv, and a Sony Playstation. The Playstation is such a great way to keep the kids entertained while in the room. My room had a smaller television and a wireless keyboard for paid internet surfing. The bed was very comfy to my surprise. I can honestly say I was not expecting the rooms at the Nickelodeon Kid’s Suites to be this nice. The room is 100% geared towards kids and your kids will never forget staying in one of these suites.

We headed down to the pool area which will is the like no other hotel pool area. The Nickelodeon pool area is more like a water park than a pool. They have a giant water tube, slides, water guns, and shallow pools for your kids to enjoy. The main pool area has a giant green bucket atop the giant water tube and every so often they drop green slime (water) on the kids. You can rent a gazeebo tent for the day that comes complete with a tv. The pool area has a couple bars where adults can relax with a drink while the kids fly down the water tubes. Parents don’t let the pools and water scare you, there are plenty of lifeguards on staff to keep the kids safe.

The Nickelodeon Kid’s Suites also has a fabulolus food court complete with a nice restaraunt and several places to grab a quick bite. In the same area as the food court is the arcade which was a big hit with my daughter. Nearby is a kid’s only salon where the kids can get their nails done, hair braids, fake tatoos, and more. This area also houses the Nickelodeon Tv studio where you and your kids can watch live Nickelodeon tv shows. Your kids even have a chance to be on one of their tv shows that are shot live at the hotel. Acorss from the tv studio is the Nickelodeon 4d experience theatres where your kids can watch (4) different 4d animations.

The Nickelodeon Kid’s Suites Hotel is now my absolute favorite Orlando Florida hotel. If you have kids you must plan a trip to the Nickelodeon Kid’s Suites Hotel. To visit their website click here