1. San Francisco is a wonderful laid back city. Focusing on the bridge — the Golden Gate — is exciting. You can take a tour that crosses the bridge. Get out and enjoy seeing San Francisco from a different perspective.

2. Lake Worth, Fla. is a hidden beach spot to visit. Family friendly and lovely, gentle waters. Local restaurants along Rt. 1 are fun.

3. Washington, D.C. shines as a place to visit. So much to see and do, most free. Aside from the national museums, there is also the F.B.I. Headquarters, The Kennedy Center, the National Zoo, Rock Creek Park, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

4. The Berkshires are a wonderful place to travel. Go along the Mohawk Trail, beginning in Boston, Mass, and all the way across the state. Jiminy Peak and the Berkshire Museum are interesting and different.

5. St. Louis, Mo. offers up a wonderful view from the Gateway Arch, Six Flags St. Louis, the St. Louis Zoo, the City Museum, Grant’s Farm, and the St. Louis Science Center and many more.

6. A great change of pace is the Mississippi River Cruise to see restored plantations, famous Civil War battlefields,
Victorian-era architecture, and enjoy jazz, country music, and the blues.

7. Don’t miss the Kentucky Derby Festival filled with two weeks of fun. The horse that wins all three of their famous races, wins the Triple Crown. Fantastic!

8. There are 52 miles of beaches at the Pensacola Bay Area with tons of free things — great for families.

9. New Orleans, La. awaits with restaurants, music, cultural arts, and festivals. And the beach is always a good choice.

10. Seattle, Washington has the monorail, Space Needle, and the Pike Place Market to visit. It is steeped in music and cultural arts to please all. The Seattle Waterfront and Chittenden Locks are interesting. Don’t leave until you’ve experienced the Underground Tour.

When it comes to ESTA US Visas, get yourself an ESTA Visa Application for an ESTA US Visa. Follow the directions carefully. ESTA US Visas are easy to find. When you fill the ESTA Visa Application out and submit, you will have an ESTA US Visa to visit all of the awesome places, and more, listed above.

Go and enjoy yourself!

There are almost too many galleries to mention in London, ranging from the monumental National Gallery to smaller, more bohemian café-come-gallery establishments; but whatever your aesthetic taste may be, there will always be something for you to see.

The National Gallery

Founded in the 1800’s, the National Gallery has grown from a small collection of generously donated paintings to an absolute global institution.  The Gallery offers free entry and houses the best of Western Art from the 13^th to 19^th centuries. World-renowned, it is well worth a visit from anyone who appreciates the classics and wants to see the masters up close.

Tate Modern

Created in the year 2000, Tate Modern prides itself on being a gallery for the new millennium. Showcasing the best in international modern art and located in the heart of London, Tate Modern hosts a collection of all major modern art movements from Fauvism through Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism to Minimal and Conceptual Art. Entry is free and is open all year round.

Tate Britain

The older brother to Tate Modern, Tate Britain houses British art from the 1500’s onwards. Featuring a huge variety of work from old masters to film and video installations as well as a continually changing program of temporary exhibitions, Tate Britain is a wonderful way to cram a history of art into one, beautiful and free trip!

If you’re planning a trip to London, why not think about making a weekend of it? There are loads of places to stay; Kings Cross hotels tend to be good value for money for their proximity to the city centre, but check before you go and book in advance to save yourself some cash.

Max’s love of art started from a very early age, as his mother, a fashion designer in Berlin endeavored to encourage him to create through buying him a huge array of art materials and telling him “Choose any balcony and medium, make a big mess and we’ll clean up after you”. Almost instantly Max was enamored, and it soon became clear that he had a talent that belied his age. Influenced by his childhood in Shanghai and his later study of Fauvian art in Israel with the Austrain expressionist Professor Honik, Max grew to adapt his own distinctive style, becoming the household name he is today.

In the late 1950’s Max began to study formally at the Art Students League in Manhattan where he became quickly obsessed with mastering realist art. He would reportedly spend hours working on anatomy and figure drawing before moving on to graphic arts in 1962. This began with a chance encounter with an art director of a record company who, upon seeing Max’s work, offered him a commission to produce the cover art for blues pianist Meade Lux Lewis, leading to more work designing record sleeves.

But perhaps the most important and significant period of Max’s work came during the 1960’s cultural revolution where he experimented with new four-colour web presses and “split-fountain” techniques to create bold, striking images that would soon adorn college dormitories across the whole of the USA. Max had become, literally, a poster boy for the revolution.

Since the sixties Max has continued to create and exhibit and has even painted all of the last seven American presidents. He, like the Beatles, has become inextricably linked with sixties counter-culture and the friendship between the two institutions has been well documented, with a baby grand piano Max painted for John Lennon recently being sold for $175,000 at a charity dinner hosted by Paul McCartney.

Max’s newest exhibition is now on show at The Road Show Company, Florida.

Amongst these festivals is the world famous Edinburgh Fringe – a celebration of theatre, art, comedy and dance. Founded in 1959, the Edinburgh Fringe gets bigger and bigger every year, and has become a sprawling event that takes over the entire city and spans the whole of August, providing something for almost everyone.

The unique thing about the Fringe festival is that it has no selection committee, meaning that any type of performance can take part. This is what gives it its experimental edge, and what makes it stand apart and above from other arts festivals. This is probably why it has become the biggest festival in the world, with over one million tickets sold and a whopping 40,000 performances in 2011.

In 2012, the Fringe is set to get even bigger, and programme details will be announced on the 31^st May so make sure you check it thoroughly before booking your trip so you won’t miss out.

If you are travelling from the south of England, Scotland is just a short haul flight away; with planes leaving daily from Bristol, Exeter, London, Newquay, Norwich and Southampton airports. If flying isn’t an option for you, the Caledonian sleeper train from London provides the ultimate in comfort. From the North, Scotland is just a short hop across the border by car or train, or, if you are on a tight budget, there are a number of coach services that offer a fantastic service at low prices.

If you want to make a proper holiday out of your trip why not try checking out some of the other great attractions? Shooting in Scotland is a popular tourist attraction, or you could visit one of its many beautiful lochs or explore the rugged highlands.

From the Harold Pinter Theatre, where Alan Ayckbourne’s “Absent Friends” appears in 2012, to the Noel Coward Theatre, where many famous productions have appeared, the prestige of the capital can be felt. So visiting the West End can also provide audiences with a chance to witness the work of some of the country’s most celebrated artists, as well as providing much-needed entertainment that audiences will remember for years to come.

Of course Shakespeare is also one of these famous playwrights and in the last year people have picked up record number of tickets to shows like Much Ado About Nothing at the Wyndham’s Theatre or Richard III at the Old Vic. It shows that the plays that our playwrights are producing will remain in the hearts of audiences for years to come and they will continue to see these classics every time they arrive on the stage.

So whether you are witnessing a famous play from the Bard or the latest by one of Britain’s best known living playwrights like Alan Ayckbourne or the equally celebrated David Hare the West End has a lot to offer and audiences will continue to pick up theatre tickets and flock to the capital time and time again.

It has been revealed that a new play is set to land on the stage of the Arts Theatre in March as part of a national tour and as a result audiences in the West End will have an opportunity to witness various familiar faces from the screen live. It will also be an opportunity to witness a new story from writer Karin Young, who has written for Emmerdale, whilst one of the cast members – Charlie Hardwick – has also accumulated credits from the soap.

Hardwick is known for portraying Val Pollard in the long-running ITV soap, though she has also appeared in movies like Billy Elliot and The Scar. She stars alongside Barbara Marten, Libby Davison and Lisa McGrillis.

In The Awkward Squad the focus is on Marten’s character of Lorna, a mother and grandmother who is looking forward to a quiet weekend with her children and granddaughter descend on her with a range of problems. So instead of focusing on her upcoming honorary PhD she has to listen to stories of redundancy, divorce, boob jobs and more.

The Awkward Squad appears at the Arts Theatre in London’s West End from Thursday 8th March 2012 (previews from Tuesday 6th March 2012) to Saturday 7th April 2012.

The Lion King is the story of a lion cub’s (Simba) emotionally-charged journey into adulthood and at long last his acceptance of his rightful royal inheritance. Simba begins his young life as the adored young prince of the highly esteemed King Mufasa. However, in the shadows of Pride Rock lives the evil, embittered Scar, brother of Mufasa who is secretly very envious of his brother. The plot takes a devastating turn when Scar murders Mufasa and drives Simba into exile by manipulating him to believe his father’s death was all his fault. Dejected, scared, and grief-stricken, Simba leaves Pride Rock. He is not alone for long though, he befriends a comedic pair Pumbaa the warthog and Timon the meerkat and begins to live his life carefree. After a time, he is confronted with his past and is encouraged to defeat Scar who has ravaged Pride Rock, and reclaim his rightful throne. The film version, full of dazzling, animated visuals, and beautiful, rhythmic songs translated over seamlessly to a stage musical.

On July 8, 1997, The Lion King the musical debuted in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Orpheum Theatre. Just a few months later, the success the musical had at the Orpheum could not be denied and Broadway beckoned. October 15, 1997, The Lion King the musical premiered at the New Amsterdam Theatre on Broadway and there is remained until June 13, 2006. It is currently still in production at the Minskoff Theatre; 5,350 shows later. The Lion King currently stands as Broadway’s 7th longest-running performance in its entire history. It has since debuted and had long-running stints in Tokyo, London, Toronto, Paris, Sydney, Mexico City, Johannesburg, South Africa and Madrid, just to name a few.

The musical, of course, made a few creative changes, for instance Rafiki the mandrill was made a female instead of a male and several additional songs were added to the playbill. It has won many awards, including several Tony awards.

It is a visual feast for the guest. The director Julie Taymor was wildly successful in bringing the beauty, vastness, and splendor of Pride Rock to Broadway.

The original production was so popular that it was made into a hit film and eventually was revived twice, once in 1994 and again in 2007. It is commonly performed in high schools, regional theater and summer stock productions. As of 2010, it was the 13th longest running show.

The musical opens at Rydell High School at the start of the new school year. The T-birds and the Pink Ladies are singing about what is ahead for them in school. Sandy, a new student, describes a summer fling she had with one of the T-birds, Danny Zuko. Sandy describes her emotions while Danny tells about the sexual aspect of the relationship, singing the popular song ‘Summer Nights’.

Later on at a pajama party the girls talk about boys, cigarettes and relationships while the boys steal hubcaps and take about cars, singing ‘Greased Lightning’. The first act ends with everyone in the park taking about who is going to the prom and everyone declare that they will always be together, singing ‘We Go Together’.

Act 2 opens at the High School Hop where Danny and his partner, Cha-Cha wine the hand jive contest. After the dance some of the guys meat up with Frenchie, one of the pink ladies, and she described how she has failed all of her Beauty school classes, singing ‘Beauty School Dropout’. Danny attempts to make up with Sandy and Rizzo thinks that she might be pregnant.

At the end Sandy changes herself to fit in with the greases at the high school. She and Danny end up together, ‘You’re the One that I Want’, and Rizzo discovers she is not pregnant.

because of the popularity of the movie, the revivals made some changes based on the film. for instance the T-birds were original called the Burger Palace Boys. There is also a school version of this musical that is appropriate for younger performers. It removes any bad language and alcohol or cigarettes. Much of the musical is edited or changed.

The problem is the teacher drinks and smokes a lot. Ballet is his only escape from his blue collar family. The Royal Ballet School tells the boy to a place where he could never possibly go if he stayed with his family. It is a great musical for the whole family. It will bring tears and joy to everyone. It focuses on Billy’s hometown and its declining state. Most of the music is done by Elton John. It won ten Tony Awards and ten Drama Desk Awards, including the Best New Musical. It first premiered in 2005 in London.

There are two major acts in this musical. In Act I, it starts off telling the story of the eleven year old, Billy, who finds a way to get out of his boxing practice by going to a ballet class. He is hiding it from his dad and the rest of the family. But when the boxing coach tells the dad that Billy has not been to practice in a long time, he goes into the ballet class and demands that his son leave the class. Billy gets an audition for the Royal Ballet School thanks to Mrs. Wilkinson. But when his dad will not let him go to the audition, he stays away from anything to do with ballet for about a year.

In Act II, it is Christmas time so the children from the community put on a play at the community center. His play makes Billy feel like he wants to dance again. But he knows that he cannot afford to go to the Royal Ballet School. This father decides to go back to work to help his son achieve his dream. Billy gets a letter of acceptance from the school but he tells his dad that he did not get in. At the end of Act II, Billy is saying goodbye to his own life and welcoming in the new life.

The main characters of the show is the narrator, Joseph, and Jacob. The narrator tells the story of Joseph and his brothers through words and songs. Jacob is Joseph’s father, who has twelve sons in all. He is a prophet who can predict the future. He has predicting the Joseph will save the House of Israel. So of course, it looks like he favors Joseph over his other sons. Joseph can also predict the future but he can also interpret people’s dreams. Even though this can get him into trouble, it evens up saving his life when he interprets one of Pharaoh’s dreams.

There are two acts in this musical. In Act I, the narrator starts off by telling the story of Joseph and his father. The audience finds out why Joseph gets the coat of many colors and that his brothers become very jealous of this action. Therefore, the brothers attempt to kill their own brother. But instead they sell him as a slave. They kill their father that Joseph has been killed and they smear goat’s blood all over his coat. Joseph is the slave of Potiphar and interprets all of their dreams. This makes him very popular to the servants.

In Act II, the narrator tells how Joseph’s fortune is about to change. This is because he hears of Pharaoh’s dreams and knows that he would be the only person who could interpret them. He tells Pharaoh that the dream means that he will have seven great crop years followed by seven bad years for his crop of corn. Therefore, Pharaoh puts him in charge of preparations for the disaster. This makes him one of the most powerful men in Egypt. Now two of the brothers have regret for selling their brother and lying to their dad about it.