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Woods Hole provides three cabins snuggled in the woods north of Covington, LA, about an hour from New Orleans. This is not your typical romantic, elegantly antique-appointed Southern Mansion or...
Woods Hole provides three cabins snuggled in the woods north of Covington, LA, about an hour from New Orleans. This is not your typical romantic, elegantly antique-appointed Southern Mansion or Plantation which is the basis of a large number of the B&B's in this area. Instead you get a rustic but roomy cabin with a private bath. I stayed in the Cypress Suite, which had a generous living room with a couch, two chairs, end tables, fireplace, dining table for two and a TV and VCR with cable. The bedroom was also nice sized with a queen bed, a couple of dressers and a couple of chairs. The bathroom was quite large, with a clawfoot tub and stall shower. A mini-fridge and microwave were next to the bathroom sink to form a small kitchenette. Breakfast consisted of cold cereals, packaged pastries and muffins (no cooked breakfast). As a business traveller, I appreciated the wireless internet, though it was not terribly high speed.
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Blue Willow has two suites (a third one is almost finished being renovated) which include a lovely bedroom furnished with beautiful antiques, a private bathroom and a sitting area/kitchenette. ...
Blue Willow has two suites (a third one is almost finished being renovated) which include a lovely bedroom furnished with beautiful antiques, a private bathroom and a sitting area/kitchenette. Renovated in 2002 by innkeepers Maureen and Tom Chambless, who are perfect hosts, the rooms are very comfortable, peaceful and relaxing. I stayed in the Heritage Suite, which has it's own separate entrance off a private New Orleans style brick courtyard (complete with spa tub). The suite has the following amenities: Air Conditioning, Ceiling Fans, Dining Table with chairs, Fridge, Microwave, Toaster, Coffee Maker, Tea Pot, Wine Bucket, Cable TV, VCR, CD Player / Alarm Clock, Hair Dryer, SPA Robes. The kitchenette is stocked with snacks,soft drinks, bottled water and all the makings for coffee, tea and other hot drinks. Breakfast at Blue Willow is termed "Continental Plus" and consists of coffee/tea/hot chocolate, pastries, fresh fruit, hot and cold cereals, milk, juice. I had three nights of incredibly good sleep on the perfect mattress, pillows and fluffy comforter on a gorgeous antique four-poster bed. I was so relaxed and refreshed, which was great since I was there on business and working hard. I would have loved if they had internet access, but most B&B's don't, I find, since people generally go there to get away from it all.
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Hollywood Park is a major top tier racetrack, but it's not nearly as nice as Santa Anita in Arcadia, CA. However, they do have Friday night racing, which can be really fun to go to with a bunch of...
Hollywood Park is a major top tier racetrack, but it's not nearly as nice as Santa Anita in Arcadia, CA. However, they do have Friday night racing, which can be really fun to go to with a bunch of friends. The track, built in 1938, is also a little pricier than Santa Anita (by a couple of bucks for each admission level), which I can't explain. Still, there are many important stakes races here with many of the country's top horses and jockeys coming to vie for the Hollywood Gold Cup and Hollywood Derby. Also, there is a casino there which is popular with poker players. Located right next to LAX, so planes roar directly overhead frequently.
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Magee's is located in the famous Farmer's Market at Fairfax Avenue and Third Street in Los Angeles. They are a simple deli counter where you can buy roasted meats and side dishes then sit anywhere...
Magee's is located in the famous Farmer's Market at Fairfax Avenue and Third Street in Los Angeles. They are a simple deli counter where you can buy roasted meats and side dishes then sit anywhere around the market to enjoy the delicious food. I am a New Yorker and very demanding when it comes to the quality of corned beef. Well, there's just no point to eating it if it isn't prepared right. Magee's serves it hot and juicy and fragrant and very flavorful. Part of this stems from the fact that they don't pre-slice it so the slices can cool down and dry out. They slice to order and they slice it thick, the way it was meant to be, which keeps the meat hot, juicy and bold in flavor. They have excellent roast turkey and roast beef, too, but I never get beyond the hot corned beef because only here and at the clubhouse at Santa Anita Park can you get corned beef which lives up to the exacting standards of a born and bred New Yorker.
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This is my second favorite travel store in the Los Angeles area after Magellan's (see my review), and actually it complements Magellan's very well. While Magellan's has a lot of travel clothing and...
This is my second favorite travel store in the Los Angeles area after Magellan's (see my review), and actually it complements Magellan's very well. While Magellan's has a lot of travel clothing and electronic gadgets and accessories, Distant Lands concentrates on travel books, an awesome collection of maps, and serious traveller luggage, large and small. It certainly also carries the requisite modern traveller gadgets like GPS devices, microlights and plug adapters. They have an excellent website at www.distantlands.com.
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The house is brand new, built in the last couple of years by proprietors JoAnn and Dan Gray, but it has the look of a classic French farm house. It is really beautiful inside and out. The live...
The house is brand new, built in the last couple of years by proprietors JoAnn and Dan Gray, but it has the look of a classic French farm house. It is really beautiful inside and out. The live oaks on the back lawn assure you that you are in the deep south. The three guest rooms are upstairs, in their own part of the house, giving the feeling of privacy. I stayed several nights in two of the rooms, and they were thoughtfully appointed and comfortably furnished. JoAnn and Dan could not be nicer people or more thoughtful hosts. I was staying there while shooting a film at night, so my hours were crazy, and they did everything to accomodate me including offering meals at different hours and letting me do my laundry in their machine after they heard I went into town and used a laundromat. JoAnn is a great cook and I had very delicious breakfasts. And even though this is clearly a "romantic getaway" kind of place, as a working business traveller I was thrilled with the free wireless internet access and cable television. About an hour's drive to New Orleans over the Lake Ponchartrain causeway.
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Video & Audio Center is not as large as Circuit City or Good Guys or Best Buy, but they have competitive prices and good sales. Also, while stocking all the most popular consumer brands like Sony...
Video & Audio Center is not as large as Circuit City or Good Guys or Best Buy, but they have competitive prices and good sales. Also, while stocking all the most popular consumer brands like Sony and Panasonic with mid-range prices and performance, they also have a large section of good high-end equipment like Denon, Onkyo, Harmon Kardon, without becoming an outrageously expensive audiophile only store. The staff there are very knowledgeable and helpful.
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This story is truly amazing. I discovered it when I returned from shooting a movie in Africa, and went on a quest to find a South African cider called Savannah Dry. I searched and searched and...
This story is truly amazing. I discovered it when I returned from shooting a movie in Africa, and went on a quest to find a South African cider called Savannah Dry. I searched and searched and called and called and finally after googling came to their extensive website, where they sold six packs and cases for very reasonable. Althought the cider had been marketing a bit across the US in 2001, this is literally the only place in North America that now carries it--and lucky for me they're right here in Southern California! I drove to the store to pick up a case or two (one was for a friend), and ended up spending quite a bit of time browsing their unbelievable collection of wine, beer and liquors. Their specialty beer room is mind-blowing--they've got more micro-brews from more places than I've ever seen. The staff is also extremely knowledgeable about their products--that must be a fun place to work!
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You could spend days browsing the extensive collection of books here if you have an interest in movies, television or theatre. You really won't find any discounts or sales here, but they have...
You could spend days browsing the extensive collection of books here if you have an interest in movies, television or theatre. You really won't find any discounts or sales here, but they have everything in the most recent editions. They publish thousands of plays as well, so the place is always filled with actors needing to pick up a copy of Long Day's Journey into Night or Pygmalion.
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This is a terrific neighborhood hardward store. Occasionally an item will be a bit pricey, but mostly, amazingly, their prices are competitive with the big box stores like Lowe's and Home Depot. ...
This is a terrific neighborhood hardward store. Occasionally an item will be a bit pricey, but mostly, amazingly, their prices are competitive with the big box stores like Lowe's and Home Depot. The store is very cramped, with one-person aisles stacked high with thousands of home and hardward items. This is a really fun place to shop--you can really find anything you need for household repairs, cleaning, building, etc. The staff is knowledgeable and helpful. Go there and you will be truly impressed with the huge selection of products.
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