Cool Sounds with Az-Izz

This Thursday, I hung out with the band Az-Izz at the Peachtree Tavern in Atlanta. You may have heard them perform on cruise lines. They play R&B, jazz, country, hip hop… You name it. Az-Izz band members are also cool to hang around. They are just a bunch of good, down-to-earth guys who are extremely talented. They are also some handsome gents. Oh, but I was talking about their sound. Listen to the clips from their performance at the Peachtree Tavern and tell me what you think about them.

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Inside CNN is a tour of the CNN Broadcasting Tower. This tower is located in Atlanta, Georgia. During this tour, visitors get a chance to see the CNN newsroom in action. You can look down and watch the writers and editors from a viewing room. You will also learn facts about the history of CNN while on the tour. The tour takes you to up eight stories of the building, which you walk down during the course of the tour. Call 404) 827-2300 and make special arrangements for people in your party who cannot climb the stairs. CNN tour does occur while Atlanta anchors are on the anchor desk, but you have to get there before 4 p.m. Reservations are between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. The tour takes you to the Control Room Theater, Special Effects studio and Interactive News Desk section, and new tours begin every 10 minutes.

You can’t take pictures while in the CNN news building, and pictures are not allowed on the tour, but you can be photographed behind a mock anchor desk and by a set of the photos for about $20. Oh, and the security is tight in the CNN newsroom and the CNN Plaza. To take the tour, you will have to go through a security check. Your personal belongings will be checked. The security guards also make sure that people are not photographing areas during the tour.

The tour costs $12 for adults, $9 for children 4-18 and $11 for seniors 65+. The CNN tower in Atlanta is located at:

One CNN Center

Atlanta, Georgia

The CNN Plaza is adjacent to the Phillips Arena and the Georgia World Congress Center. Centennial Park, the Georgia Aquarium, and the New World of Coca Cola  are also nearby (within walking distance). The Omni Hotel is located in the CNN Plaza, so if you see the Omni in downtown Atlanta, you are at the CNN Tower.

Have any of you visited the Inside CNN tour in your area? I understand that there used to be a tour in New York, but it’s no longer conducted.

The New World of Coca Cola is found right next to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. It’s like a huge Coca Cola museum, with tons of pictures, logos, and figures, representing Coca Cola. There’s even a room devoted to Pop Culture artwork of Coca Cola. My favorite part of the tour was the end when visitors had the chance to drink as many and and much Coca Cola products as they like (we were given plastic cups). The flavors represented different countries. Some of the flavors were watery and some were not carbonated. I tended to enjoy the sweeter carbonated drinks, like those from South Africa. It was cool to taste what sells in different countries.
If you are in midtown Atlanta, check out the New World of Coca Cola, especially if you plan on visiting the Georgia Aquarium. Those of you who are staying in the Omni Hotel, the Ramada or the Hilton Garden Inn, in midtown are in luck. You can walk to both the Georgia Aquarium and the New World of Coca Cola.

Set aside about an hour to look around. In addition to viewing the memorabilia, you may enjoy watching Coca Cola ads from around the world. There is a small theater at the New World of Coca Cola devoted to ads.

Here is the address to the New World of Coca Cola
121 Baker Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30313-1807
(404) 676-5151 or
1-800-676-COKE (2653)

Tickets are $15 for adults and $9 for children. Children 0-2 can enter the New World of Coca Cola for free. Senior citizens who are 55 and over can enter for $13. Hours for the New World of Coca Cola vary. Check the hours here.

Photo Credit: Versatile Aure, Flickr Creative Commons License

Fun and excitement, bright lights, and plenty of people-watching, Las Vegas is one of the most popular destinations this summer. If you are planning a trip to Las Vegas, you have come to the right place. Here is a run-down of some hotspots you won’t want to miss during your trip. If you are staying for a weekend getaway, try to select at least one of the hotspots for your visit.

Pure Nightclub  was recently voted the best in Las Vegas in the Vegas Weekly Readers’ Choice Awards. So, according to weekly readers in Vegas, Pure is the hottest club. Oh, and the Pure DJ, DJ Hollywood won best DJ at the awards ceremony. Noir Bar at Pure earned the award for Best Cocktails in Las Vegas and the Chef earned the award for Best Chef in Vegas. So, in addition to Pure being the hottest club all around, it also has the best cocktails, food and the best music. Pure is located in Caesar’s Palace and has breathtaking views of Las Vegas.

Mandalay Bay

This hotel and casino has awesome views of Vegas. Actually, there are two bars on the rooftop. The Mix Lounge,  where DJs spin a variety of beats, including techno, is on the 64^th floor of the hotel. The cover is $25 for the general public and $10 for hotel guests.

• Forty Deuce is definitely not for the family. Watch a wild show with hot female and male burlesque dancers. The males and females, typically dance on different days. The dances maybe a little dirty without being raunchy or nasty. When the show is over, you can dance until dawn. The cover is $20-$25.
• Eye Candy, message other guests or project an image of your choice on a screen using Eye Candy’s interactive touch tables. Eye Candy, also located in Mandalay Bay is plush and high-tech. There is no cover!

The Venetian

You will be entertained at the Venetian Hotel and Casino. There have been a few mixed reviews on the five star hotel by readers on Yahoo! Overall, the hotel had a high rating. The Venetian, however, is still a popular must-see location to gamble.

Caesar’s Place, the Mirage and Bellagio are on the strip! Here’s a handy map of the Las Vegas strip so that you can better plan for your visit.

Many people today own and are familiar with a GPS otherwise known as a Global Positioning System. They can be bought in just about any store. It is now becoming a standard item in new cars being sold throughout the world. Together with the latest technology and with the advent of the GPS, Geocaching is the new game in town.

What is geocaching? Have you ever heard of it before? Geocaching is a treasure hunting game for outdoors in which people use a Global Positioning System (GPS) device to hide and find items throughout the world. The items are called geocaches and usually involve small trinkets that are put into a locked box along with a log book.

So you’re wondering how geocaching works and how is the game played? People will put some type of inexpensive trinket in a waterproof container together with a log book or paper and pencil. They will go and hide it somewhere outdoors making note of the coordinates of the hidden spot. These coordinates are then posted on the internet. Anyone who wants to play the game can get the coordinates and then set out with their GPS to find the treasure. When you come upon a treasure, you may take it or leave it. If taken, the you must leave another trinket in it’s place for the next person to find.

Typical treasures are coins, toys, cd’s and even books. Some coins are called geocoins and move from place to place with their travels being logged on the internet. Although most treasures are inexpensive trinkets, some may be valuable and will be placed in hard to reach areas ready to be found and kept by the first person who discovers it. Some are very small and are called micro caches while some are big enough to fit in a five gallon bucket.
If a cache is stolen, it is said to have been “muggled” and will be reported on the internet so that the original cache owner can replace it or repair it.

There are many different types of Geocaching being played right now from traditional to night geocaching. Some are virtual and others are major events. It has become a rather interesting hobby and game using today’s technology. There are many free websites dedicated to Geocaching where you can sign up and find treasure within your home zip code. If you are interested in playing, make sure to visit this link which is the official Geocache website:
http://www.geocaching.com/

If you have been Geocaching, we’d love to hear your stories about the search and what you have found. If you have just starting and are interested in learning more about it, join us to hear what others have to say. Share in the adventure!

With more than 80,000 animals, there’s plenty to see at the Georgia Aquarium. Your children will love watching the whale sharks, the largest fish in the world. Whale sharks’ mouths can span up to four feet, and they have 300 rows of teeth. Next, in line are the Beluga whales; they are the massive 3,000 pound giants of the sea. The Georgia Aquarium also has the largest collection of giant grouper in the world. In fact, the largest exhibit, which is the home of the whale sharks at the aquarium hold about 6.3 million gallons of water.

Pet the Animals
The Georgia Aquarium is highly interactive. The Georgia Explorer exhibit has a large play area for children. There are also five pools with sea stars, horseshoe crabs, and bonnethead sharks. Children may touch the animals in the pools. Your children and you can learn about creatures that are native to Georgia thanks to the many signs and educational kiosks throughout the aquarium.

Watch a 4D Movie
4D is a little different than 3D. The characters seem to jump right off the screen and you can feel sensations during the movie. So, in other words, you will get a little wet experiencing the 4D movie. It’s just a sprinkle, though. Admission to the 4D theater is $5.50 for adults and $4 for children 4 to 12.

Eat Tasty Food
Pizza, salads, fruit, and melt-in-your-mouth desserts, there is a large variety of food at the Georgia Aquarium’s Café Aquaria Food Court. Most of the prices are also reasonable, so you don’t have to worry about spending your mortgage payment on a bottle of water. You can get a decent meal for about $8 per person.

Getting to the Aquarium
The Georgia Aquarium is located at 225 Baker Street in Atlanta. You can park in an adjoining, covered parking deck for a fee. Uncovered parking lots nearby are also available. Regular hours for the Georgia Aquarium are Sunday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. There are special seasonal hours, so it’s best to check for exceptions.
The Georgia Aquarium is definitely an attraction that you don’t want to miss. Visit the Georgia Aquarium online at www.georgiaaquarium.org.

Photo Credit:Hyku, Flickr Creative Commons License

Are you planning a family reunion for your vacation and need some cool games to keep people entertained? Here are some old standbys.

The Telephone Game

This family reunion game works well for children. Everyone should line up. The organizer has a word or a phrase that is related to the family is whispered to the first person in line. The message is passed down until it reaches the last person. The last person states the message out loud. The organizer reveals the original message. Usually, by the time the message reaches the last person, it doesn’t make any sense or is completely changed. This family reunion game gives people a good laugh and shows how rumors are formed!

Introduction Game

The introduction game is the perfect family reunion game to reacquaint family members with each other and learn something new about your family. Divide the group into pairs. The organizer should have a list of about 5 to 10 questions for each group. The same questions could be used. Here are some sample questions:

• What would you do with a million dollars?
• If you were stranded on a dessert island what would you take?
• What is your funniest family memory?
• Describe one time that a family member encouraged you.
• What do you think is the greatest achievement in your life so far?

Here’s how this family reunion game works. Each person in the pair must answer the questions posed by his/her partner. Give everyone about 15 minutes or so to answer the questions posed by his/or partner. To play the game, a family member introduces his/her partner and tells the group where the person is from (city, state, or country). Next, the interviewer (the person who asked the questions) reads the answers.

Guess the Family Member

This is a simple guessing game. Before the game, everyone should list a selection of well-known and maybe some little known facts about himself or herself. The facts could include their name, age, where they went to school, their favorite pet’s name, how many children they have, etc. The group organizer reads a card, asking the family to identify the person. For example: “The person I am thinking of has four children, lives in Orlando and has a dog called, Fluffy. Who is this person? The family member who guesses correctly the most could win a prize.

Family reunion games are a fun addition to your gathering. They will help you have a memorable vacation, and help you learn something new about your relatives. Do you have any family reunion games that have been successful during your reunion? Share your ideas in a comment.