http://www.flyingcompass.com/ Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:56:16 GMT Thu, Mar 11th 2010, 15:56 GMT http://www.flyingcompass.com/California/San-Diego/td-593.html The San Diego Zoo is an attraction not to miss if you ever get to visit this beautiful Pacific coast city. It is situated just north of downtown and is part of Balboa Park; a complex of museums, attractions and park space that could keep you busy for weeks. Don't skimp on time here. We spent close to five hours just exploring the zoo. I would highly recommend starting your visit with the guided bus tour of the zoo. Included in the $33 admission price, it is a great way to get an overview of what the zoo has to offer, you'll learn some interesting facts about the animals and park, plus you will be better able to determine what you most want to see the rest of the day. The tour leaves from and returns to the front of the park and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the people who drive and narrate the tour are biologists and keepers who work with the animals and have intimate knowledge of the park. When exiting the bus tour, make sure you get the kangaroo stamp on your hand that allows you to use the network of buses throughout the zoo complex to speed up your trek from point A to point B, especially if you decide to skip over some areas or have kids that are getting tired of walking. Although I couldn't convince my friend to go with me, there is also a tram ride across the park that I imagine offers a fantastic view of the animals. There are hundreds of exhibits with animals from around the world and an equally impressive collection of plants on display. I'm not always interested in seeing the shows at zoos, but the "Legends and Lore" show was entertaining and educational. Highlights included a beautiful wolf, which howled with the audience and a cheetah, who is introduced to the audience with his companion, a golden retriever named Sven Olof. The pair has lived together since they were puppy and cub. The only downside is that the zoo can be difficult to navigate. Not that you will get lost, but you can get easily turned around if you are trying to follow a specific route. There are plenty of places to stop for food and for those with children, there is an entire children's section with lots of activities including face painting, which appeared to be quite popular. http://www.flyingcompass.com/California/San-Diego/td-593.html http://www.flyingcompass.com/Florida/Pompano-Beach/dn-451.html The folks we came with said they’d seen little local advertising since it had opened but that the place quickly gained a local following and was usually busy. J. Mark’s serves a nice varied American menu in an open dinner room - a look similar to other newer restaurant chains we’ve experienced lately. While there’s an outside patio, we elected to sit inside on this warm fall Sunday evening. The decor showcases lots of wood in rich gold tones; the lighting is fun, but not funky. While there is airiness to the layout, we still felt as if we had our privacy. Menu items included pork tenderloin, filet mignon, roast chicken and blackened chicken pasta. There were also salads, sandwiches and burgers, if that’s your liking, plus beer, wine and spirits with the latter being around $7.00 each. J. Mark’s is located on the north side of Pompano Citi Centre at the corner of Federal Highway (U.S. Highway 1) and Copans Road in a separate out building. Total bill for 4 was $95 before tip. ©Flying Compass, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.flyingcompass.com/Florida/Pompano-Beach/dn-451.html http://www.flyingcompass.com/Tennessee/Franklin/pl-94370.html After dinner, you unpack the car and arrive in the room, the wall-controlled AC is operating. You turn on the TV, hear the fridge humming away and you start working on your computer. Then around 11:00 a.m. as each of these items is dialed off you realize this is THE NOISIEST HOTEL YOU’VE EVER STAYED. You wonder what type of room they give people who don't ask for a quiet room. Not smart. Wouldn't it be nice if all hotel personnel were required to spend 30 minutes in the middle of the night in each room that they promote to customers as being quiet? ROOM 616 on the top floor north side with its floor-to-ceiling windows just pulls the noise from Interstate 65. And you can’t imagine on a Wednesday night how many tractor trailers drive down that road. It’s a constant buzz. Airport hotels are a dream compared to this. At least planes eventually stop at some point. It’s not like staying next to a train track either, where they come and go. This is like being at the racetrack where they just zoom, zoom, zoom all day and night long. At 5:30 a.m. after low quality sleep, I write this. Have cranked up the AC and you can still here it. Even in the bathroom, separated by another wall you can hear the noise. Maybe a lower floor or a room on the other side of the building might have helped, but I won’t be coming back to find out. Have loved Franklin, Tenn. otherwise, just not wild about Aloft. Perhaps the name should have been A La Noise. A suggestion to the hotel owner: look at replacing your windows with ones that are better insulated, as these are not getting the job done. I can clearly see all lanes of north and southbound traffic. Great hotel. Poor location. Oh and the noise from the patio adjacent to the enclosed patio. When people sit out there at night to midnight, the noise carries straight up the side of the building. http://www.flyingcompass.com/Tennessee/Franklin/pl-94370.html http://www.flyingcompass.com/Tennessee/Franklin/pl-94369.html True to its name, Aloft has a very boutique hotel feel. While the new property opened in early fall 2008, there’s the sense that it could be retrofitted industrial space. Enter the lobby to find a small round front desk that resembles a check-out stand. Behind it is the open gift shop/food vending area with pricing displayed on signs. To the right as you enter the lobby is the open bar with a very hip feel to it. Find a pool table, a tall bar-high table for computer users and cozy sofas scattered around for places to connect with friends or have a business meeting and a martini. This could be a living room from the 60s? The front desk staff is quick and efficient and when asked “Where’s a good place for dinner?” They ask, “What type of food do you like?” So refreshing to deal with a capable individual. While the room request was for a unit with no noise (away from pool, ice machine, elevator), the front desk clerk advised that she had hoped our room met that expectation and she would move us if necessary. The room featured modern architectural details, European-size (small) rooms and the latest in technological innovations - an adapter box where you can plug in your computer or other AV devices and they display on the TV - and more electrical outlets than usual (16 unused plug-ins). The decor is contemporary with a bit of retro. Note the turquoise alarm clock with hands, dual desks separated by an upholstered bench rather than a wooden credenza to hold luggage. Maybe this is a dorm room. The bedding is fairly standard for most hotels – white linens. But rather than the foofy pillows that you throw on the extra chair every night, there were two long bolster pillows with fabric made to match the bottom of the dual blinds that roll down from the maybe seven-foot high windows. The mattress pad moves around all night under the sheets so it’s like sleeping on rolled up wash towels verses nice smooth bedding. Never experience that at a hotel before. Maybe the mattress pad is not anchored on the four corners. It's a standard hotel set up - bathroom to the right as you enter the room. Find no closet, but a floor-to-ceiling book-case looking unit with a curtain over a large opening for hanging clothes, an in-room safe, a cubby-hole with the coffee and maker, a built-in book rack with publications like the New Yorker, American Songwriter, dwell, Spin and Wired. Across the aisle is a bowl sink and floor-to-ceiling mirrors on the side (a pocket door) and front. How you don’t splatter water on them is beyond me). Below the sink is a small (a la dorm days) frig for use. It wheezes and best to unplug it to eliminate a layer of noise. Enter the restroom via the pocket door to find the toilet (far from the sturdy ones typically found in a commercial building) and a nearly floor-to-ceiling glass-enclosed shower with liquid dispensers for the eco-friendly types. Lots of tile all the way around on the walls and floors. http://www.flyingcompass.com/Tennessee/Franklin/pl-94369.html http://www.flyingcompass.com/Oklahoma/Tulsa/td-94237.html This is definately worth checking out! My kids spent HOURS there and all 3 were still throwin a fit when I dared say it was time to go...I think they could have spent all day there! The staff was so friendly i really loved it to! http://www.flyingcompass.com/Oklahoma/Tulsa/td-94237.html http://www.flyingcompass.com/Rhode-Island/Newport/dn-992.html If you’re looking for a true Rhode Island experience that the kids will enjoy, try one of the Newport Creamery sites that has the feel of an old-fashioned drug store counter (plus booths) with a familiar menu. From its earliest milk and dairy days (1928), it’s a sure bet that their ice cream, as well as shakes known as "Awful Awful," are a real treat. Service is reasonably responsive, so you can get in and out quickly so as not to miss many of the attractions. http://www.flyingcompass.com/Rhode-Island/Newport/dn-992.html http://www.flyingcompass.com/Florida/Palm-Harbor/dn-991.html Situated in the same shopping center with a Publix grocery store, this is one of the few restaurants in the East Lake area of Palm Harbor. It is not fancy or fine and the atmosphere comes across more like a sports bar, but it meets the need for an inexpensive Italian restaurant. I suspect that it's a busy place for families after a soccer match or senior looking for an inexpensive meal. While they offered by-the-slice-pizza and had a great selection under the warmer as we walked in, we elected to order our own - knowing it would be fresher and hotter. We knew when we walked through the door and were seated what the experience would be, and it delivered. Pizza for lunch with beverages. $16 plus tax. http://www.flyingcompass.com/Florida/Palm-Harbor/dn-991.html http://www.flyingcompass.com/Florida/Clearwater/dn-990.html Situated across from Westfield Mall (formerly Countryside Mall), the location is convenient to find. If the world is in a recession, you wouldn't know it by going here. As they don't take reservations, its standing room only for anyone arriving at 6:15 p.m. on a Saturday night. The bar and high top tables in that area are all filled. This is peak time. Come later and seats are more readily available. A selection of seafood items can be ordered in full or half-size portions and the half-size portions are more than plentiful for those who eat food in moderation. The trout, grouper and peach-bourbon BBQ shrimp and scallops were all appetizing. Dinner drinks and desserts total $118 for four. http://www.flyingcompass.com/Florida/Clearwater/dn-990.html http://www.flyingcompass.com/Florida/Clearwater/dn-989.html Housed in the former Peppermill Restaurant, the new owners of Belleair Grill & Wine Bar created a very nice atmosphere following their re-do about a year ago. It came recommended as a perfect place to catch up with an old friend before heading in different directions. While the overall layout remains much the same, the soothing colors and furnishings have notched up the restaurant. The menu was upgraded and we wished we had the time to stay for dinner rather than drinks and appetizers. They feature a flight of wines (3 samplers) for those who are indecisive or wanting to expand their knowledge of viticulture. If looking for tasty appetizers, try the potato-wrapped goat cheese or the fried risotto balls with Asiago cheese. Both are delicious and an indication of what the entrees are like. For those not familiar with the area, Belleair is a neighboring residential (golf) community next to Clearwater. The grill and bar are south of downtown Clearwater and the road is also known as U.S. Alternate 19. Further south it becomes Clearwater-Largo Road. We'd encourage reservations for dining after 6:00 p.m. The waitstaff are very congenial. http://www.flyingcompass.com/Florida/Clearwater/dn-989.html http://www.flyingcompass.com/Florida/Clearwater-Beach/dn-988.html Everywhere you travel, there's always one place everyone tells you to go to. On Clearwater Beach that place is the Palm Pavilion. If there's room, ask to sit outside on the deck. The Palm sits directly on the public beach and overlooks the Gulf of Mexico. (I bet this place is busy at sunset). It was so relaxing just to sit there and watch the people walk by. This is one of those causal beach places. The food is good and the atmosphere is just perfect. A reminder that we should slow down and enjoy life more often. Staff is attentive and personable. The folks at the table next to us said they've been coming here for years and that the chowder is excellent. While we opted to stay under our colorful umbrella, they chose to bask in the sun on this January day. We ordered blackened chicken sandwiches that weren't too spicy. The chicken was nice and lean and the portion size was perfect. Doesn't matter what your age. They seem to draw people with toddlers to couples to retirees to seniors. Note to self: let's try this again around sunset or when there's live entertainment. Total before tip for two $19.00 http://www.flyingcompass.com/Florida/Clearwater-Beach/dn-988.html