New York City Christmas Lights: Holiday Season 2010 A Walking Tour

This is a description of a walking tour of Manhattan that includes the best places to view this year's Holiday Christmas Lights. All of the listings below have been personally visited and recommended. There are 54 areas of interest including: museums, Christmas window displays, famous buildings, interesting restaurants, impressive hotel lobbies, etc., and typical NYC points of interest. The walking tour is arranged in descending order from 104th Street to 12th Street.

1. Museum of the City of New York.
2. Tree Lights On Park Avenue.
3. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
4. Rhinelander Mansion/Ralph Lauren Store.
5. The Frick Collection.
6. The Crystal District.
7. Barney's. - Christmas Windows.
8. Bloomingdale's. - Holiday Windows.
9. Plaza Hotel.
10. World's Largest Menorah.
11. Time Warner Center.
12. Van Cleff & Arpels.
13. FAO Schwarz.
14. Bergdorf Goodman. - Christmas Displays.
15. UNICEF Snowflake.
16. Tiffany & Co. - Windows.
17. Louis Vuitton Malletier.
18. Trump Tower.
19. Henri Bendel. - Windows.
20. The House of Harry Winston.
21. Carnegie Deli.
22. The House of Cartier. - Displays.
23. Ellen's Stardust Diner.
24. New York Palace Hotel.
25. Rockefeller Center.
26. St. Patrick's Cathedral.
27. Radio City Music Hall.
28. Saks Fifth Avenue. - Windows.
29. The Waldorf=Astoria Hotel.
30. American Girl Place.
31. Hershey's Times Square.
32. Diamond and Jewelry District.
33. Tkts Booth.
34. Joe Allen Restaurant.
35. The World of Disney Store
36. Toys "R" Us. Times Square.
37. Fred F. French Building.
38. New York Yacht Club.
39. The Westin New York At Times Square.
40. Hello Kitty Store.
41. Chrysler Building.
42. New York Public Library.
43. Grand Central Terminal.
44. 42nd Street Food Court.
45. Fetes de Noel Holiday Shops At Bryant Park.
46. The Pond At Bryant Park.
47. Kinokuniya Book Store.
48. Lionel Electric Trains.
49. Lord & Taylor Dept. Store. - Christmas Windows
50. Great Buttons.
51. Morgan Library and Museum.
52. Macy's Herald Square. - Christmas Windows.
53. Empire State Building.
54. Forbes Magazine Galleries.

The 2010 Holiday Season is well represented in New York City. Take the family and enjoy a trip of a lifetime!

For a complete description of each of the 54 amazing Christmas lighting displays which includes where to start and what to see next, along with historical facts and places to stay while visiting the Big Apple you will want to check out the full article at: http://new-york-motels.net and we are sure that you will agree that the NYC Christmas Lights website is providing a fabulous free service with this great list. Feel free to print it out and take it with you on your walking tour.

Is Patong Beach the Place to Go in Phuket, Thailand?

Phuket, the largest island of Thailand, is nearly the size of Singapore and is located in the green waters of the Andaman Sea at around 850 kilometers south of the capital, Bangkok. As Thailand's most popular beach destination, whether the visitor is looking for a quiet place or an active area with plenty of colorful night life, Phuket island has everything someone would want on a holiday.

With beautiful beaches and some of the best resort hotels, the island is ideal to create a delightful ambiance for a truly memorable vacation. Phuket has 2 main seasons, which are the rainy season from May to October and the hot season from November to April. During the rainy season, showers last not more than two to three hours in a day and many sunny days still can be enjoyed.

The most favored beaches are situated in Bang Tao, Kamala, Karon, Kata and Patong. In addition to the beaches and night life of the island, many other activities can be enjoyed such as water sports, visit of temples, treks in the forest or motorcycle rides. Phuket also hosts one of the most famous International soccer 7s tournament in south-east Asia in November.

Bangtao beach is one of the longest beach in Phuket island and a luxury resort area dominated by a Laguna complex, a massive luxury-hotel development with golf course. Swimming is excellent during the dry season, and at the end of the bay is a smaller bay, which is nearly completely enclosed, with some fine corals.

Kamala beach, which is mostly a fishing village, is less crowded even during the summer season. A two kilometers long quiet beach where fishermen can be seen casting their net near their boats, is the only entertainment of the area together with the buffalo herds that come down sometimes to cool off.

Patong beach is the leading tourist district for water sports activities such as snorkeling, parachute flying, windsurfing, jet-skiing and sailing. Patong has the most unbelievable nightlife in all Phuket. Pubs, restaurants, go-go bars and discotheques are dispersed all over a 3,000 meter long beach front. The greatest concentration of night places are in Soi Bangla, where pubs with live music, bars with local entertainers and an important choice of excellent restaurants can be found.

Karon Beach is a lot quieter than Patong and is the second largest tourist beach in Phuket. A long and broad almost unspoiled beach with a very white sand can be enjoyed there. A superb coral reef is extending towards Kata and Bu Island at the southern point. Restaurants, bars and tour companies, but also non-hotel businesses are located at the north end.

Phuket has its own International airport and can be reached directly from overseas or from Bangkok with a 70 minutes flight.

Michel Gerard is a Travel author located in Asia. Visit the GuestHouse Phuket website to book your accommodation online and grab your *free* ebook: "Stories of Authentic Eco-adventure Destinations for Travellers in Thailand" http://www.guesthousephuket.com/ebook.html

A Few Days in Phuket

Phuket has a mixed reputation, partially deserved but also partially unfair. The first image that pops into many people's minds is the overdeveloped and rather seedy stretch of Patong beach. However, remember that this is just a small part of a big island and is easily avoided if that's not your thing.

Recently, my family and I stayed at Kamala beach, a bit further north of Patong and a world apart. Kamala is quiet, with no accommodation built directly on or behind the beach. It is a beautiful natural cove offering great photo opportunities and peace and quiet. Another advantage (for me) is the lack of vendors on the beach, here you really will be able to relax without having to refuse the Henna tattoo and doughnut sellers every 5 minutes!

We chose Kamala because it seemed ideal, having a young family. We didn't want to be in an area that was too crowded, but still with a nice beach and swimmable sea. We stayed in the Marriott Courtyard, and it was a choice between either that one or the Marriott Courtyard on neighbouring Surin beach (I had a promotional offer to use up at one of these two hotels). As we were travelling with my in-laws (who are Thai) the choice was simple. Surin was badly affected by the Tsunami and many people died, especially in the Courtyard hotel. Kamala was left untouched. Thai people fear ghosts and that is a big reason why tourism was slow to recover in the affected areas. They wouldn't even entertain the idea of staying at Surin for fear of upsetting any trapped souls. So...Kamala it was! If you wish to pay your respects while in Phuket there are a few memorial sites around the island. At the southern end of Kamala there is a monument just behind the little river that runs behind the beach and a little grassed area and pavilion.

What to do in Phuket when you get bored of the beach and the hotel pool though....well there is a lot! We hired a car so it made accessing these places easy for us, but the "songthaews" are regular and there's always a taxi or your hotel will usually arrange something for you. Of course we sampled the more family orientated activities, starting off at the rather more off-the-beaten-track Gibbon Rehabilitation Sanctuary.

This is worth a visit, even if slightly out of the way, to do your bit for a good cause. The centre is run by volunteers (European when we visited) and attempts to rehabilitate gibbons that were orphaned by poachers or kept as pets. They go through several stages of training before being released back into the wild, although of course some don't make it. The only ones you can see are the latest arrivals who are still used to a lot of human contact, as they develop through the programme they are moved further into the rainforest and away from human contact. There are a couple of nice trails you can walk while here, a few refreshment stalls and elephant rides. If you're interested, the staff are happy to talk to you about their programme as well.

Following on the animal theme we then visited Phuket Aquarium and it's related attractions. Most people only look around the aquarium itself and then go, and the aquarium is fairly sizeable although beginning to look a little shabby. They do have a great selection, and some especially large fish that scared my daughter! If you're travelling with kids this is a great way to entertain them for a couple of hours. If you've got an appetite for some more, the entrance fee also gets you into the "Baby Farm" as my daughter called it! It's a building at the back of the main aquarium where they run breeding programmes for many varied species of sea life. Be careful if you go in there as the Thai's are never that hot on health and safety, there are plenty of opportunities to fall over! And just a bit further down the road is a small facility that breeds turtles.

Phuket Zoo is, in my own opinion, a grim place best avoided. Sure if you have a little child, they probably will enjoy it and again it's a good way to pass some time. But any older children may be upset by the cramped and dirty enclosures and the obviously stir-crazy animals. A lot of the facilities appear uncared for and dirty. This place does have a poor reputation and fully deserved, if you can....stay away.

If temples are your thing there are plenty of those to visit. We went to the Phuket Big Buddha, which is really only accessible on wheels, it's a 6km winding road up a big hill. But when at the top you are rewarded with magnificent views all around. The Buddha itself wasn't complete when we visited in October 2009 but was still a magnificent sight. Also worth a look in is Wat Chalong, probably one of the most visited temples in Phuket. We were (or rather I was) treated to a procession of Miss Teen Thailand contestants in the temple grounds during our visit!

If you find that you need to hit the shops then Phuket Town should cater for your needs, as well as the nearby hyper-global-mega malls (!!) of Big C and Central Festival. Phuket offers many superb photos opportunities and if you're able to hire a car, I'd recommend a trip to one of the many viewpoints (they're shown on any good map). You can get some spectacular sunset shots.

There are countless other activities such as trekking, boat trips, fishing trips, go-karting, Muay Thai fights and training camps and much more. Phuket can be a sleazy, booze trip if you want and Patong can certainly offer you that. But don't think that this is all Phuket has to offer! You should have a great time!

Matthew's Travel Website, http://www.matthewt.co.uk
My blog, http://matthewted.blogspot.com

Visiting Beaches in Phuket

Beaches are integral part of any Phuket tour. The island hosts an array of beaches, all of which have something distinct about them. Famous beaches like Patong, Karon, Kata and Kamala are located in Phuket. Beaches of the Island are the rendezvous of sports, adventure, shopping and night life.

Patong Beach

Patong, most visited beach in Phuket, offers mist-wrapped mornings and the sunsets which are always worthy to watch. And Patong isn't finished with natural beauty. Add to it colorful atmosphere, a range of restaurants, fun-filled nightlife, fabulous fun-making, and the temptation to visit Phuket become irresistible. A long white sandy stretch, Phuket offers thrilling adventures and fast-paced shopping. Any visit to Phuket is incomplete without Patong trip.

Karon Beach

If you wish to avail full range of facilities, dining and activities, but are not too fond of crowds, Karon is your destination. A stretch of squeaky white sand, Karon beach has a number of budget guest houses, restaurants and bars. Some artists have built here a complex of huts and galleries, which would interest art lovers. A football stadium, which hosts both national and international events, is also located near Karon Beach. One can get here rejunevating spa and shop for handicrafts. For enjoying nightlife, you could visit Patak East Road.

Kamala Beach

Kamala is considered the most beautiful beach in Phuket, offering panoramic views of the Andaman Sea. Ringed by forested hills, this calm and pleasant beach has pretty white sands. If one seeks more than sunbathing, facilities like boats are available. At Kamala Beach, one can get a feel of old Phuket. Shopping in village markets has its own charm. One would find a range of hotels and apartments are nestled around the fishing village. After a day of water sports and shopping, one can entertain in evenings at Phuket FantaSea Entertainment Complex, known for sparkling dances and leg-shaking music.

Kata Beach

Milky sands and turquoise waters make Kata Beach different. Surfers like to have fun at Southern end of Kata beach. Every year, during December, beautiful yachts from all over the region arrive in Kata to participate in King's Cup Regatta, Asia's premier sailing event. Tourists wishing to explore beyond the beach can take assistance from several dive shops and tour operators. One could also shop for souvenirs and readymade clothes at shops in Kata village. A popular tourist resort, there are sufficient number of restaurants and hotels too.

Surin Beach

If you wish to relish delicious seafood and sunbath in peaceful and pleasant atmosphere, Surin could be your option. A casuarina-lined beach, Surin has calm and refreshing atmosphere, thanks to the absence of jet-skiis and speedboats. However, the beach is good to enjoy activities like snorkeling and and surfing. Near the beach, one can find facilities like shops, bars, cafes and small hotels.

Bang Tao Beach

A long milky beach, Bang Tao is known for luxurious resorts and villas. One can enjoy a slew of activities including golfing, windsurfing, elephant riding, kids sports, rock climbing, horse riding and ropes course. At open-air village market in close vicinity of the beach, one can get first-hand experience of a conventional Thai market.

Chalong Bay

Muddy coastline makes Chalong Bay unsuitable for most water sports. However, it does have a jetty where you can hire boats. Tourist facilities like parking, restaurants, information kiosks and shops are located on jetty.

Panwa Beach

Panwa is a tranquil beach at a short distance from Phuket town. The foremost attraction of the beach is Phuket Aquarium at the Phuket Marine Biological Center. It is the centre of most water sports competitions in Phuket.

Laem Sing Beach

People wanting a reclusive day can visit Laem Sing which has a white beach at the center and rocky outcroppings at both ends. Located between Patong and Surin, Laem Sing is good for snorkeling and sunbathing. You would find some locally run restaurants and bars, but no accommodation facilities are available.

Dinesh Patairya has been writing on tourism for several online and offline publications for years. He is currently working for a project on Phuket [http://www.yourasianvacations.com/thailand/phuket/index.html] with YourAsianVacations.com