With all of the famous theme parks and family vacation oriented attractions located in Orlando, Florida, it can be easy to overlook some of the other quality cultural establishments and entertainment options. However, these are some of the standard popular attractions for residents and they are a great find for tourists who visit the city and are enjoying a stay in one of the 4 star hotels in Orlando . And while attractions such as Sea World, Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World will always remain some of the most popular and famous places to visit there are other great establishments that continue to attract large numbers of patrons and audience members every year.

This is a great aspect of any city that is so well known for some standout attractions. To be able to find other quality entertainment options and cultural attractions as well as great shopping opportunities are the perfect compliment and sometimes even the favorite aspect of many vacations. And in Orlando, it is difficult to find time away from the well known and loved theme parks, though it is most definitely worth the effort.

The Back Festival Society is one of the prestigious music establishments in the city and has been in existence since 1935 when it was established to commemorate the 250th birthday anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach. It has an international reputation and continually brings world class talent to perform with them. The Orlando Museum of Art is another highly regarded city establishment and attracts numerous people to its extensive permanent collection as well as to the impressive touring exhibits. There are many different cultures and art genres that are represented in its extensive collection and in addition the museum offers quality educational programs and special events. The exhibit Currents in Contemporary Art will remain at the museum through the end of December of this year and continues to be one of its most popular. When you visit Orlando, definitely go to some of the great theme parks, but also enjoy some of these quality cultural establishments.

Art and Baroque Music in Orlando is a post from: Faux Reel

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The luxurious NY hotels are just the beginning of the glitz and glamor of the big apple. You have so many to choose from and many of them are famous like the Ritz-Carlton or the Gramercy Park Hotel. One of the classics if the Waldorf Towers which is the home of the Waldorf salad. How about the many films you have seen the actors standing outside The Plaza hotel. Yes the hotels are really amazing and just the gate way to many incredible adventures to be had in New York City.

If I could I would see a Broadway show every night. It would take you over a month to see a show in each of the 40 professional theatres in the Theatre District of New York. May people come to New York just to see some Broadway shows. That and to have a slice of cheesecake afterwords in Times Square. Between 2008 and 2009 there were about 943.3 million dollars worth of tickets sold in the season. The history of the theatre here does not really begin until 1750. Which for us is a long time ago. There were two actor managers named Walter Murray and Thomas Kean that started a theatre company on Nassau Street. Of course putting on performances of Shakespeare and Operas. This would start hundreds of years of all sorts of interesting history. So many people and styles of performances have been put out most nights at one theatre or another. It all just grew and grew.

A few of the greats would be Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, West Side Story, Show Boat and Oklahoma. Today you can catch some of these shows still going as well as some new one like Mama Mia and Wicked. So if your coming to New York for a show you may want to get a book on the topic because there is a lot of rich history involved and you won’t want to miss it.

Broadway NY is a post from: Faux Reel

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I came to New York City to watch Broadway shows. I managed to purchase my Broadway tickets in New York before even travelling to New York. The most treasured ticket of all was for the musical ‘Spamalot’. I love anything Monty Python, so when I heard about ‘Spamalot’ opening up on Broadway, I made sure I had plenty of vacation time stored up. If I couldn’t get tickets for ‘Spamalot’ on the week of my vacation, then my second choice for a Broadway ticket was for ‘Burn the Floor’. Never heard of it, but I love dancing, and this musical is all about dancing!

Suspense over, I found a ticket available on the date in needed. So, here’s my own take on ‘Spamalot’.  Naturally it follows the madcap adventure of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table with their quest to find the Holy Grail. I got the opportunity to see a long chorus line of legless knights, a killer rabbit, beautiful dancing divas, and men, this time with legs, in tights. As I’ve said, I’m a huge Monty Python fan and I’m a huge fan of musicals, so I wasn’t disappointed with this production.

The musical has a cast doubling up on characters, like Lancelot, Robin, Bedevere, Galahad and Patsy have to play other characters. The song are mostly new, except for the reprised ones. I found the new score much more melodic and witty, and some of the songs were absolutely made fun of Broadway itself! For example, ‘You Won’t Succeed on Broadway’ number was very, very amusing.

‘Spamalot’ was written by Eric Idle and he does a fantastic job of successfully producing a magical and irreverent piece of pure entertainment. Mike Nichols directed the musical, which he did a fine job with detailed staging and keeping the fun rolling along. The musical features a superb cast: King Arthur is played by Tim Curry, David Hyde is Sir Robin and Sir Lancelot is played by Hank Azaria.  The intriguing set was designed by Tim Hatley.

Sometimes, during the musical, I did find the irreverence to be a bit dreary, which is unusual for the sharp edged trademark of any Python production, but all-in-all, the price I paid for this production was worth it. I highly recommend seeing this gem before the star studded power is replaced by unknowns.

Idle on Broadway is a post from: Faux Reel

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It had been a few years since I had visited, so when my friend met me at LaGuardia Airport we headed towards my opinion of one of the best restaurants New York City has to offer.  Of course there are a plethora of fine restaurants to choose from, but perhaps since this restaurant was my very first taste of not only food in the city, but real NY pizza, Rays in Times Square will always have a special place in my heart, and in my belly as well.  We then headed to Lincoln Center as my friend was very intent on my thoughts about the new fountain.

Last year, many people of the city were concerned over the changes and the renovation being done to the centerpiece fountain of the famous performing arts center.  The fountain has actually been entirely replaced, and the new fountain has a variety of special water effects, and the streams and spouting are now choreographed to music as well.  The same architectural design firm that worked on the Lincoln Center fountain, created the fountains located at the Bellagio Hotel and the MGM Mirage in Las Vegas.

My friend explained to me that New Yorkers were nervous about the project, as they wanted something classical, not gimmicky in any way.  The old fountain was an iconic structure in the city, and the memories people have associated with the fountain run long and they run deep.  The executive designer for the project, Peter Kopik, stated at the time that he was aware of the sentiments of the people of New York, and it was his challenge to create a new and a fresh design, without causing the people to be revolted.

Many have considered restoring or changing the fountain over the years, but concluded that it was a treasured symbol, and not something to be messed with.  And now, a few months later, many people do contend that yes, the fountain is elegant, and is an appropriate new centerpiece for the Lincoln Center.  My friend however, is a bit saddened, as the heritage and the history of the city is so important to him, and to most New Yorkers.  But he too agreed, as we sat on a bench and watched the water dance, that it is beautiful and amazing.

Lincoln Center’s Dancing Fountain is a post from: Faux Reel

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