Monthly Archives: December 2009
Holidays at Navy Pier
Navy Pier welcomes its most important guest of the season to launch a month-long holiday celebration, as Santa Claus makes his grand entrance – arriving by boat. Accompanied by his elves and the Pier’s own cool animated penguins – Clyde and Montague – Santa leads the way to the spectacular lighting of the Pier. The ceremony concludes with a fireworks display set to seasonal music. Holiday festivities include sleigh rides, free outdoor ice skating, live holiday music, visits and photos with Santa and a holiday Kid’s Craft Corner.
Aaron Kwok
Natty-dressing Canto-pop star Aaron Kwok has been getting fit for this series of 16 consecutive concerts. He needed to – despite having a fondness for wearing suits on stage, his dance routines are high energy and bound to have his legion of female followers in a froth. Musically, expect a run through of all his hits over the past five years including soppy love songs and some more predictable dance numbers.
Hometown Holiday
The ghost of Vegas Past is conjured up easily at the Clark County Museum, where a street of restored historical local buildings will be dressed up with over one million lights in the name of the holidays. While strolling among the beautiful old homes, slathered to the rafters in period holiday finery, you can drop some cash at the Museum Guild’s craft and bake sale, enjoy roving carollers or take a sleigh ride, all while the kids sit with Santa and design their own make-and-take ornaments. Live music will set the scene.
Saxon
Breathtaking is the only word to describe the restaurant in the newly opened Saxon Hotel. Everything, from the delicious food to the stunning décor and tranquil ambience, is perfect. The hotel was once home of philanthropist Dow Steyn and is where Nelson Mandela wrote his autobiography after being released from prison. There is no written menu, as the head chef creates a new selection of dishes each day, using only the finest and freshest ingredients. The maitre d’ personally describes the menu to diners and the food is not only sumptuous but also delightfully presented.
Moby
Moby has provided the soundtrack to much of Y2K. Singles culled from ‘Play’ have topped the charts throughout the world, and snippets are heard everywhere, from slick car ads to the ‘X-Files’. Now the chirpy New York musician, surprised but unfazed by sudden global stardom, is on the Rome leg of a triumphal European tour. ‘Play’, with its exhaustive range of samplings and gizmos, might seem the ultimate studio album but Moby and crew do a creditable job of producing a quality live act.
A&M Comics
The reek of aging paper and incense that assails you upon entry is a tip-off that this is no Johnny-come-lately comics-and-collectibles joint. It took A&M owners Jorge Perez and Richard Cortina years to accumulate the hillocks of trading cards, graphic novels, paperbacks and model Millennium Falcons that teeter precariously on top of the rows of DC and Marvel back issues. Whether you’re into the gritty ‘Spawn’, the lyrical ‘Sandman’ or the campy ‘Betty & Veronica’, you’ll find it here.
Johannesburg Of Yesteryear
Ardent painter and water-colour artist Mary Hume exhibits a remarkable collection of paintings and sketches. Mostly depicting buildings and homes, her work provides enlightening glimpses into a Johannesburg of old. For over 20 years, Mary scoured the city sketching and painting every type of building from slums to architectural masterpieces. This promises to be a nostalgic experience for many especially as a few of the sites depicted have changed dramatically.
Public loos
Florence (indeed, most of Italy) has never been the best place to find a public toilet ‘in extremis’. Either you can’t find one, or when you can, it’s filthy. The city council, however, must have become aware of the problem as they have built new ‘gabinetti’ throughout the city and published a booklet designed to help tourists find the nearest one. The washrooms are all properly cleaned, all but one have baby-changing facilities and many are wheelchair accessible. There is a charge (L500-L1.500) and all have specific opening hours. The leaflets are available from tourist offices, bars and news stands.
