As many of you have the sad duty to know, Stanley Martin Lieber, better known as Marvel Comics mastermind Stan "The Man" Lee, left this mortal coil after ninety-five trailblazing years. It was my pleasure to know him for a few of those years, to see him at Marvel's own comic con in New York in 1976 and other such gatherings over the years, talk with him on the phone, and even get an autographed poster of his greatest creation, The Amazing Spider-Man, after I sent him a McDonald's Gift Certificate. (This was my way of thanking Marvel for one of the reality-inspired stories which became its trademark, an episode of the liscenced Micronauts comic entitled "The Best Darn Burglar in The Whole Wide World," which, for you millenials, was a play on Burger King's tagline, which they used interchangeably with "There's nothing like the one and only Whopper.") Many of you out there in the audience may object to my mentioning a creative genius, the Walt Disney of the psychedelic generation, the man who turned simplistic super heroes into complex, realistic, human creatures who just happened to have super powers, in the same breath as mere junk food, but the very fact that Stan responded to my gift certificate (which I also sent to his famous editorial staff, the Mighty Marvel Bullpen) is a testament to the fact that although he was a very busy man, leading not only Marvel Comics, but also its many movie and TV projects, preaching the Gospel According to Marvel on talk shows and college campuses around the world, he was not above listening to his fans and taking into account every "knock" or "boost," as he would say, and even shaking hands and exchanging a friendly "Excelsior!" (The state motto of his hometown New York, which means, "Onward and upward to greater glory!")
Those who seek a bio of Stan are urged to log on to steveneisenpreis.blogspot.com and scroll over to Santa Steve's Nice List for 2015 where I give Stan the full Casey Kasem treatment. Although there are many more, mostly casual, Marvel fans who have hopped on the bandwagon since the first two decades of the Marvel Age of Comics (the 60s and 70s), I have the pleasure to belong to a rare breed of Marvelite, the kind who would not only go to see them at Comic Con, but also see them play softball in Central Park (even if it meant getting their butts handed to them by the Distinguished Competition), visit the New York headquarters for business AND pleasure, AND EVEN visit their office in suburban London not to mention their affiliate in Barcelona! Although Stan tried his hand at romance comics, novels,political satire, and even attempts to cash in on the respective success of PEOPLE and MAD magazines, the real life super heroes, fighting a never ending battle for truth,justice, and trying to pay the phone bill on time, among such important missions, were what he will always be remembered for. There may have been many imitators,but there was only one Stan, who never forgot, and made sure his characters never forgot his governing editorial philosophy:
"With great power there must also come great responsibility!"
Similarly, with great stories come the touch of true virtuosi such as Dickens, Twain, Hugo, AND Stan Lee.
As he once said to me, "Excelsior,man."
Sturdy Stevie Eisenpreis (My official Marvel Appelation which was bestowed upon me by Stan himself)
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Certainly Needed Now
I may be accused of being a one-trick pony because my last two Special Blogs have been devoted to CNN, its history, and its mission.but if I am, then, may I say, so be it..
Today, October 24,2018, one week before Halloween, traditionally a day when we face our fears and embrace the monsters of legend, the horror was all too real as a pipe bomb was delivered to CNN's New York bureau at the Time Warner Center in a package addressed to anchor John Berman. Around 10 AM ET, the CNN bureau was evacuated, while anchors Kate Bolduan and Jim Sciutto were delivering their newscast live on the air. This attack was linked to a series which also involved liberal-leaning billionaire George Soros, former Presidents Clinton and Obama, and New York State Governor Cuomo.
Clearly, this is an attack on everything that exemplifies New York in particular and America in general, democratic (with a small d) government that answers the needs of all the people, and a free and unbiased press. I haven't addressed FOX News by name, but I feel compelled to, because FOX has stoked the flames of fear and abused its power as a (supposed) journalistic organ. Not too many people remember this, but when FOX positioned itself as "The Network America Trusts For Fair and Balanced News," it meant as opposed to CNN, which it felt, along with the major broadcast networks and PBS, had a liberal bias, and that its tagline, "We Report, You Decide," implied that the "left-stream media" shoved their idea of news down America's unsuspecting throat and this was the alternative it was looking for. As I've said in the past, CNN was derisively known as "Chicken Noodle News" when it was the new kid on the block. The tactics used by this terrorist or group of terrorists mirror too closely the attempts of such as Hitler, Stalin, and Castro to manipulate popular opinion and convince their unsuspecting subjects that they are the true leaders of the country and any attempt to convince them otherwise should either be ignored or eliminated. If those madmen think they could silence CNN in this manner, they are sorely mistaken. More than a network, CNN is a voice that's Certainly Needed Now, when the country is divided as never before, our allies feel abandoned, and the world cries out for an honest news voice which, unlike FOX, does not subscribe to the politics of hate. Please write the simpleton who claims to be our President and tell him to stop merely talking about Making America Safe Again and getting off his posterior and actually DOING something about it, especially when it comes to making sure ALL voices are heard.
Thank you for hearing MY voice.
Steve
Today, October 24,2018, one week before Halloween, traditionally a day when we face our fears and embrace the monsters of legend, the horror was all too real as a pipe bomb was delivered to CNN's New York bureau at the Time Warner Center in a package addressed to anchor John Berman. Around 10 AM ET, the CNN bureau was evacuated, while anchors Kate Bolduan and Jim Sciutto were delivering their newscast live on the air. This attack was linked to a series which also involved liberal-leaning billionaire George Soros, former Presidents Clinton and Obama, and New York State Governor Cuomo.
Clearly, this is an attack on everything that exemplifies New York in particular and America in general, democratic (with a small d) government that answers the needs of all the people, and a free and unbiased press. I haven't addressed FOX News by name, but I feel compelled to, because FOX has stoked the flames of fear and abused its power as a (supposed) journalistic organ. Not too many people remember this, but when FOX positioned itself as "The Network America Trusts For Fair and Balanced News," it meant as opposed to CNN, which it felt, along with the major broadcast networks and PBS, had a liberal bias, and that its tagline, "We Report, You Decide," implied that the "left-stream media" shoved their idea of news down America's unsuspecting throat and this was the alternative it was looking for. As I've said in the past, CNN was derisively known as "Chicken Noodle News" when it was the new kid on the block. The tactics used by this terrorist or group of terrorists mirror too closely the attempts of such as Hitler, Stalin, and Castro to manipulate popular opinion and convince their unsuspecting subjects that they are the true leaders of the country and any attempt to convince them otherwise should either be ignored or eliminated. If those madmen think they could silence CNN in this manner, they are sorely mistaken. More than a network, CNN is a voice that's Certainly Needed Now, when the country is divided as never before, our allies feel abandoned, and the world cries out for an honest news voice which, unlike FOX, does not subscribe to the politics of hate. Please write the simpleton who claims to be our President and tell him to stop merely talking about Making America Safe Again and getting off his posterior and actually DOING something about it, especially when it comes to making sure ALL voices are heard.
Thank you for hearing MY voice.
Steve
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Who Ya Callin' Fake News?!?!?
Today, June 12,2018, the subject of our last Steve's Special,CNN, or, more accurately, TimeWarner , which owns it, Cartoon Network/adult swim, DC Comics, Warner Bros., and other iconic entertainment brands, has been given the go-ahead by the US Department of Justice to merge with AT&T, despite the objections of President Trump who has called The World's Most Important Network "Fake News," and critics who claimed the merger would block competition.
What a way to start your fourth decade, huh?
And to think, it all started on a less-than-network-quality budget in a former country club in downtown Atlanta. No matter what the clown who just left Korea thinks, CNN is real, here to stay, and my VERY proper friend, founding New York bureau chief Mary Alice Williams, would probably kill me if I said, "It ain't going nowhere!" But, like the news on CNN, it's true.
As they say at CNN, 30!
Steve
What a way to start your fourth decade, huh?
And to think, it all started on a less-than-network-quality budget in a former country club in downtown Atlanta. No matter what the clown who just left Korea thinks, CNN is real, here to stay, and my VERY proper friend, founding New York bureau chief Mary Alice Williams, would probably kill me if I said, "It ain't going nowhere!" But, like the news on CNN, it's true.
As they say at CNN, 30!
Steve
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Who Ya Callin' Chicken Noodle News?
Believe it or not, I was one of the first people in the world to hear of the Cable News Network before it covered a single story. WAAAAAAAAY back in 1979, I was researching a term paper on the history of what was originally called the Radio Corporation of America and shortened to RCA Corporation as it had become one of the major diversified companies of the late 20th Century, when I happened on a few news report that outspoken yachtsman/baseball team owner/media mini-magnate R.E. "Ted" Turner who had already shocked the world by turning tiny independent station WTCG Channel 17, Atlanta into SuperStation WTBS , was about to challenge the Big Three Networks' stranglehold on TV news with CNN, the world's first 24-hour all-news network. I wrote them for some promotional material on what made them different from RCA's crown jewel, NBC, and they happily complied. This was also the unofficial beginning of a beautiful friendship between Yours Truly and CNN's small, but mighty, New York team at a building that could hardly be called "small," One World Trade Center. When CNN officially hit the ground running on June 1, 1980, I was introduced to a veritable plethora of talented reporters not just from CNN New York and its content provider Independent Network News (a division of local powerhouse WPIX), but from networks all over the world such as the BBC (and ITN, now ITV News), Italy's RAI, and, after much arm-twisting on CNN's part, Russian state TV before it adopted a Western-style business model. From coast to coast and border to border, CNN had become a force to be reckoned with, debuting an international service by the end of the 80's and moving into radio in addition to starting CNN 2, which has since evolved into Headline News. CNN soon outgrew the WTC and moved to 5 Penn Plaza, right across from Madison Square Garden, The World's Most Famous Arena, and Macy*s, The World's Largest Store, with the Empire State Building watching over them. The area proved a better fit for CNN, which, in addition to its already-popular financial news show MONEYLINE (anchored by Lou Dobbs, later to become one of the most popular pundits at a competing network), challenged ET with SHOWBIZ TODAY (later SHOWBIZ TONIGHT), originally anchored by Bill Tush and Liz Wickersham, and later anchored by (at various points) Bella Shaw, Laurin Sydney, Lee Leonard, Jim Moret, and A.J. Hammer, with a team of entertainment experts including (every so-often) the man who shook up Top 40 radio the way Ted had shaken up TV news, Scott Shannon, as well as sports coverage,(with two reporters being my erstwhile friends Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick) talk shows,(including LARRY KING LIVE) and breaking news ,the most significant story happening on September 11,2001, when two planes flew into the World Trade Center and CNN became the go-to network in the days and weeks to come, as it had been during the first Gulf War. In 1995, Ted, after attempts to buy CBS and fending off advances from other networks, agreed to let Time Warner Inc. buy the percentage of CNN (and its fellow divisions of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. such as Cartoon Network and Hanna-Barbera Productions) it didn't already own, thus marrying it into a family that already included Warner Bros., HBO, DC Comics, and MAD Magazine, and five years later, America Online, the internet service pioneer, purchased TWI, lock, stock and CNN camera. Despite all attempts to portray AOL Time Warner as one, big happy family, the initials AOL were dropped from Time Warner's corporate name, and AOL was spun off a few years later.
Despite increased competition, CNN has held its own after all these years as it continues to make and cover the news from its studios in Manhattan's Columbus Circle area, just a short walk away from Lincoln Center, with next-gen reporters Frederica Whitfield, Brooke Baldwin, Carol Costello, and Anderson Cooper.What next for the network once derisively known as "Chicken Noodle News" as its parent has agreed to be acquired by AT&T who already owns Direct TV and the telephone business that put it on the map? The sky's the limit,but then, hasn't it always been?
Steve
Despite increased competition, CNN has held its own after all these years as it continues to make and cover the news from its studios in Manhattan's Columbus Circle area, just a short walk away from Lincoln Center, with next-gen reporters Frederica Whitfield, Brooke Baldwin, Carol Costello, and Anderson Cooper.What next for the network once derisively known as "Chicken Noodle News" as its parent has agreed to be acquired by AT&T who already owns Direct TV and the telephone business that put it on the map? The sky's the limit,but then, hasn't it always been?
Steve
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
BREAKING NEWS
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are breaking up after Angie has cited irreconciable differences, including Brad's responsibility, or apparent lack thereof, for their kids.
And THIS is breaking news why?
The world should be focusing on global security after the latest terrorist bombings in my home town of New York and at a Marine Corps run/walk in Seaside Heights, NJ, and outgoing President Barack Obama's address to the UN General Assembly on the refugee situation. What the fork is going on?
By the way, THAT was my sneaky segue into a review of THE GOOD PLACE, Thursdays at 8:30 PM Eastern and Pacific/7:30 PM Central and Mountain on NBC and anytime on http://www.nbc.com and the NBC app. The Good Place in question is,of course, Heaven,, and Kristen Bell is Eleanor Shellstrop, an ordinary woman who gets sent to aforementioned Good Place through a clerical error. (She belongs in the Bad Place.) and tries to convince the architect, Michael (Ted Danson), her soulmate Chidi, (William Jackson Harper), her neighbors Tahani (Jameela Jamil) and Jiyanu (Manny Jacinto) and information specialist Janet (D'Arcy Carden) that she can get her act together. One habit she's forced to change is cursing. She DOES have to turn THAT around, and that's no bullshirt! Part satire, part fantasy, part feel-good TV, you would be a great big ash-hole not to spend Thursday nights in THE GOOD PLACE! It may not solve all the world's problems, but, hey, it should motivate you to be a part of the solution!
Bye Buckaroos!
Steve
P.S.: If you prefer your cuss words undiluted, check out the 20th season of SOUTH PARK on Comedy Central. I'm not exactly a fan of EVERYTHING they do, but if that turns you on...
And THIS is breaking news why?
The world should be focusing on global security after the latest terrorist bombings in my home town of New York and at a Marine Corps run/walk in Seaside Heights, NJ, and outgoing President Barack Obama's address to the UN General Assembly on the refugee situation. What the fork is going on?
By the way, THAT was my sneaky segue into a review of THE GOOD PLACE, Thursdays at 8:30 PM Eastern and Pacific/7:30 PM Central and Mountain on NBC and anytime on http://www.nbc.com and the NBC app. The Good Place in question is,of course, Heaven,, and Kristen Bell is Eleanor Shellstrop, an ordinary woman who gets sent to aforementioned Good Place through a clerical error. (She belongs in the Bad Place.) and tries to convince the architect, Michael (Ted Danson), her soulmate Chidi, (William Jackson Harper), her neighbors Tahani (Jameela Jamil) and Jiyanu (Manny Jacinto) and information specialist Janet (D'Arcy Carden) that she can get her act together. One habit she's forced to change is cursing. She DOES have to turn THAT around, and that's no bullshirt! Part satire, part fantasy, part feel-good TV, you would be a great big ash-hole not to spend Thursday nights in THE GOOD PLACE! It may not solve all the world's problems, but, hey, it should motivate you to be a part of the solution!
Bye Buckaroos!
Steve
P.S.: If you prefer your cuss words undiluted, check out the 20th season of SOUTH PARK on Comedy Central. I'm not exactly a fan of EVERYTHING they do, but if that turns you on...
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Friday, July 15, 2016
Steve's Top 10 Cool Places To Take The Kids Next 4th of July
I know, I know, we just recovered from THIS 4th of July (and, on a more serious note, the violence that has been rocking the country), but it's never too early to start planning! A VERY good friend wants me to write a children's travel book about American history-related 4th of July vacations, but these days, you CAN'T have a travel book for kids, adults, or...I don't know, SMURFS, without web addresses, information about which airline goes to what airport, or ANY of that important stuff, and if you aim it squarely at the little rugrats, they're liable to take your wallet while you're off in Dreamland, disarm the security programs on your computer, go on to the web, and run up a bill equivalent to the national debt of a banana republic, and we don't want that, now do we? PLUS, even though my opinion of Donald Trump (and, to a similar extent, Bernie Sanders) is best reserved for another blog, he does have a point. and NOT just on his pointy little head: THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED! The European-owned publishers (and British-owned Penguin Random House, or, as I like to call it, Pungent Rancid House) that control the American book industry only publish books by established best-selling authors and celebrities that have signed gazillion-dollar contracts and kick the rest of us to the curb UNLESS you give them all your personal belongings and they (haha) "SELF-publish" it and sell it on Amazon. (Why in the name of Benjamin Franklin is it called "SELF-publishing" if somebody else does it? You REALLY want a self-published book? You take your manuscript to your local copy shop, get 100 copies, and sell it yourself to your friends and neighbors.) But, Buckaroos and Buckarettes, blogspot.com has given me the freedom to say what I want and share it with the world without jumping through a lot of hoops. So, with all that in mind, check your appointment books, give the little ankle-biters some incentive, fasten your seat belts and hold on to your hats, cause it's time for (Drumroll, please.)
STEVE'S TOP 10 COOL PLACES TO TAKE THE KIDS NEXT 4TH OF JULY
10. NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM (http://www.baseballhall.org ) 25 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326 1-888-HALL-OF-FAME info@baseballhall.org twitter.com/baseballhall facebook.com/baseballhall instagram.com/baseballhall google.com/+baseballhall youtube.com/baseballhall
To the untrained eye, Cooperstown, NY may seem like just another small town where you might want to spend just one day and then move on to the big city, but look closely and you'll find opera, ballet, museums, one of the largest Christmas Villages in the country, and, OF COURSE, baseball. With so many people watching, talking, and playing America's National Pastime, they don't call this "The Town Where Baseball Lives" for nothing! The National Baseball Hall Of Fame traces the game's beginnings and possible (English!) inspirations, continues through the many "base ball" clubs that popped up in the 1840's and 1850's and continues to the present day. Don't be surprised if your favorite mascot or player pops up in person (or in creature!). but, unfortunately, the closest (minor league) team playing today's game is the Tri-City Valley Cats in Troy (The other two cities are Albany and Schenectady.), a Houston Astros farm club playing in the New York-Penn League. (Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, 80 Vandenburgh Avenue, Troy,NY 12180, http://www.tcvalleycats.com ,twitter.com/valleycats , facebook.com/valleycats, You can see "Bull Durham" or "Pride of the Yankees," listen to a playlist ranging from "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?" by Natalie Cole to "Centerfield" by John Fogerty, and even see exhibits concerning your particular favorite team. There's no ONE official hotel for the Hall, but there are a whole lot of nice small hotels and B&B's owned by people who really love the Grand Old Game. (Check your favorite hotel site for the best hotel for the money.) Trailways, Greyhound, and Adriondack Trailways have a lot of nice buses for Cooperstown leaving from Port Authority Bus Terminal in NYC and Union Station in Albany. PLAY BALL!
9. HERSHEYPARK (http://www.hersheypark.com) 100 West Hersheypark Drive, Hershey, PA 17033
844-330-1813 twitter.com/hersheypark facebook.com/Hersheypark, instagram.com/hersheypark,
Take the Amtrak Keystone Special from Penn Station in New York, Newark Penn Station in New Jersey, or30th Street Station in Philadelphia, to Harrisburg, PA where your special Hersheypark shuttle awaits and you may see a bustling small city, but looks CAN be deceiving! You can run out of things to do VERY quickly and the young 'uns may seal themselves off in their hotel room and threaten bodily harm if you bother them before the "SpongeBob" marathon is over. But take that Hersheypark shuttle to your official Hershey hotel (More on them later!) and you'll see a fantasy world which may be smaller than Six Flags but closer than Disney and just as magical. Ride their legendary roller coasters (IF YOU DARE!), get wet on the Boardwalk, an entertaining mashup of the Coney Island, Rehoboth Beach and Atlantic City boardwalks, and shake hands with a giant Hershey's Kiss, and no, you're not getting a hallucination from a chocolate OD! But the fun doesn't stop there! You can spend the night(s) at The Hotel Hershey (100 Hotel Road, Hershey PA 17033,1-884-330-1711, http://www.thehotelhershey.com), or Hershey Lodge (325 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033,1-884-330-1802, http://www.hersheylodge.com), have a nice lunch at Friendly's, Bob Evans,or Houlihan's in downtown Hershey, or take in The Hershey Story, a multimedia exhibit on the founder of the town, the park, and the chocolate empire that made it possible, Milton S. Hershey (Go to Google or Yahoo! for more information.) and the school that also bears his name, see a classic car museum, or shop till you drop at Tanger Outlets, featuring Skechers, Famous Footwear, and Disney, among others. How can such a small town have so much fun? (BTW, if you live in NYC and get homesick for Broadway, there's the Hershey Theater at 15 East Caracas Avenue (717-534-3412),hosting everything from its own symphony (playing the best of John Williams) to a full slate of Broadway musicals, (http://www.hersheyentertainment.com/hershey-theater for more information) to Weird Al Yankovic. (Oh, well, nobody's perfect!)
8. SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS (http://www.salem.com)
When this reporter took the Salem trolley in 2008, he wore a T-shirt featuring the then-current, and, sadly, final cast of the TV series CHARMED, (about three sister witches who tried to live normal modern lives while protecting the human world from black magic in San Francisco),Alyssa Milano (Phoebe),Rose McGowan (Paige),Holly Marie Combs (Piper), and Kelly Cuoco (Billie), and the operator observed, "Sir, there are witches on your shirt." Since this city was once the site of the most notorious witch hunt in American history, and therefore, a dark period in Colonial American history, I WOULD have been worried that the operator would throw me right off the trolley were it not for the fact the Salemites love the Charmed Ones as if they were real people living right in their neighborhood, but my choice in T-shirts did not escape her eye. She said, "Excuse me, sir, you have witches on your shirt." Well, it only stands to reason, as Salem has witches on its street signs, police department uniforms,public parks, and college campus. Not surprisingly known as The Witch City, Salem is just a drive or T ride away from South Station in Boston (More on THAT later!) and ready to share its magic. Not only are there more witch museums than you can wave a wand at, but you can park your broom and hang your conical (or pointy, if you prefer) hat at the Hawthorne Hotel (http://www.hawthornehotel.com ,18 Washington Square West,Salem, MA 01970, 1-800-SAY-STAY, facebook.com/hawthornehotel, twitter.com/hawthornehotel,, pinterest.com/hawthornehotel), a must-see landmark hotel. You can also see art from all historical periods at the Peabody-Essex Museum, see a live reenactment of the Salem Witch Trials, and take a ferry to Boston. Although Halloween is a long ways away, they won't mind if your little angel decides to dress in public as Glinda or Elphaba, (Just wanted to make sure all you WICKED fans were reading!), as a matter of fact, they encourage it with a veritable plethora of costume shops open and ready to attend to your every need any WITCH way it can! (Sorry, couldn't resist!) Whether you want to find out about author Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of Salem's most famous residents and the author of the timeless classic, THE SCARLET LETTER, take George Santayana's advice and relive a tragic time in our history before we are all doomed to repeat it, or just plain love witches, Salem, MA is the bewitching destination for you. (For the record, when a comic shop owner in San Francisco asked me how I was and I said, "CHARMED, I'm sure!" she just gave me a blank stare.Guess they think when you've inspired one TV show you've inspired them all!)
7. THE BERKSHIRES (http://www.berkshires.org)
Staying in the Bay State, the Berkshire area (Pittsfield-Great Barrington-Lenox-Lee-Stockbridge) is a delightful study in contrasts, from college sports, comprehensive art museums, restaurants on a par with those in Boston and New York, landmarks related to historical figures from Herman Melville to W.E.B. duBois to Arlo Guthrie (who's very much alive and ready to meet you at Alice's Restaurant in Stockbridge) to factory outlets for Nike, Reebok, Nautica, and other 5th Avenue brands and Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, its own jazz festival, and pop superstars like homeboy James Taylor. Take a Bonanza bus down the road a piece and have a slam dunk day at The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame (http://www.hoophall.com, 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue, Springfield, MA 01105 1-877-4-HOOPLA @hoophall on social media) in Springfield where hardwood history comes alive from the days of a peach basket and a soccer ball to the Beethovens and Mozarts of the NBA such as Jordan, Ewing,Kareem, and, oh yeah, LeBron. From small towns to small cities, the Berkshires have it all for the 4th. After all, isn't variety what America is all about?
6. WALT DISNEY WORLD (http://www.disneyworld.com) World Drive, Orlando, FL 32830 407-W-DISNEY facebook.com/WaltDisneyWorld twitter.com/WaltDisneyWorld
Yeah, I know, the crazy ISIS A-hole had contemplated WDW and they've had to write Louis the Sachmo-inspired alligator out of their "Princess And The Frog" spectacular after the tragic alligator incident at the Grand Floridian Hotel, but the Disney brand is nothing but resillient, and I'm sure things will be back to normal by next July 4th. There's usually a great patriotic Audio-Animatronic show at EPCOT Center, the Hall of Presidents, an outgrowth of Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln, features a special appearance from "Barack Obama" and a stirring narration by none less than Morgan Freeman, although that could change next year. Take a bus to Disney Springs to see the latest movies (from Disney and other studios) at their AMC theatre, enjoy Cirque du Soliel, and dine at a smorgasbord of restaurants including Rainforest Cafe. (Of course, you can still meet Mickey and Minnie, but if you want a taste of American history, Pocahantas holds forth at Disney's Animal Kingdom and the Princess show at Disneyland City Hall, and no, I don't mean Elizabeth Warren, and you can call the guy with the silly hat and long ears Goofy, not her!)
We're at halftime, and our Canadian readers as well as the millions of American voters planning to move to Canada for four years no doubt want to know the Top 3 Cool Places To Take The Kids Next Canada Day (July 1st), soooooooo.
3rd Cool Place in Canada: ROGERS CENTRE (http://www.rogerscentre.com) One Blue Jays Way,Toronto, ON M5V 1J1 (416) 341-3000
Since its 1989 debut as "SkyDome," the "Rog" has become a cherished part of the Toronto skyline and heaven on Earth for sports fans.Under the leadership of Rogers Communications (SportsNet Canada, City tv Toronto,and a veritable potpourri of great radio stations) since 2005, this multi-purpose arena has enjoyed record attendance for Toronto Blue Jays baseball, Toronto Argonauts (and occasional Buffalo Bills) football, family events including Disney's World On Ice, monster truck shows, and even traveling carnivals. You can take a guided tour, work out at GoodLife Fitness (If you're a member of 24 Hour Fitness, you can work out absolutely F-R-E-E, my favorite four letter word starting with F!), even get a mobile phone at the Rogers store if you're on a carrier that doesn't work in Canada. If the Rog isn't reason enough to holiday or live in Canada, I don't know what is!
2nd Cool Place in Canada: HOCKEY HALL OF FAME (http://www.hhof.com) Brookfield Place, 30 Yonge Street,Toronto, ON M5E 1XB (416) 360-7765
Sure, Torontonians in particular and Canadians as a whole like football (NFL and CFL) and baseball, but if you really want to understand them, you have to understand their national game which started on frozen ponds in Canada before moving inside in 1875 at Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal, I refer, of course, to ICE HOCKEY. Although the Hockey Hall Of Fame is a distinctly Canadian institution, as much a part of Canadian life as Cooperstown is of American life, don't be surprised if you see more than a few guests wearing T-shirts and hockey jerseys bearing the logos of their fave American teams, and when the Stanley Cup isn't skating across North America with your favorite team, you can say hi to it at the Hockey Hall. This is one GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL it should be easy to achieve! (And they also have players, coaches, and TSN talent on hand to teach the kids how NOT to be hockey pucks when it comes to teamwork!)
AND THE COOLEST PLACE TO TAKE THE KIDS NEXT JULY 1ST:
CANADA'S WONDERLAND (http://www.canadaswonderland.com) 9850 Jane Street, Vaughn,ON L6A 1S6 905-832-8131
SplashWorks AND Planet Snoopy in the same place? Good grief! Actually, you can check your grief at the door, take a chill pill at the Best Western Plus Toronto North York Hotel and Suites nearby, take the fam to see "Robinson Crusoe 3D" at the Action Theater,ride an authentic carousel from the turn of last century,see Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the Peanuts gang in great live shows,and buy outstanding "Made In Canada" merchandise at True North Gifts. Get on the ball before Lucy pulls it away and check this place out!
And the countdown continues...
5. GRAND OLE OPRY (http://www.opry.com) 2804 Opryland Drive, Nashville, TN 37214 1-800-SEE-OPRY
Country music is the soundtrack of America, and it's highly unlikely popular music as we have come to know it would exist without it. Longtime readers of Welcome to Steve Country (http://www.welcometostevecountry.com) know that the original broadcasts of the Grand Ole Opry radio program live from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville introduced beloved artists from Hank Williams and Johnny Cash to Carrie Underwood and Chris Stapleton into the mainstream. Today, what started out as a live local broadcast on The Legend 650 AM WSM has become an American institution heard around the world on US Army bases and its own app. There's a full slate of concerts and live broadcasts every week of the year, and, of course, backstage tours.and you can hang your 10-gallon hat at Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center (now owned by Marriott, but don't let that stop you) just a two-step away. Y'all pay 'em a visit, y'hear?
4. WASHINGTON, DC (http://www.washington.org)
Sure, PBS' "A Capitol Fourth" isn't exactly perfect, but as you are bound to find out when touring the White House and the office buildings for both houses of Congress, (Security is understandably tight, so stay tuned to the local media for information that may affect your visit, We The (Imperfect) People do our best with what we've got, and it's served us well for the past 240 years. More than 75 museums welcome you, including the Smithsonian and the US Holocaust Museum, the famous monuments are definite must-sees, and restaurants such as Ben's Chili Bowl and the near-legendary Four Guys. I'm Steven Eisenpreis, and you'll approve this city!
3. COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG (http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org) P.O. Box 1776, Williamsburg, VA 23187, 888-965-7254
You can read about history in a book, or you can see it up close and personal in Colonial Williamsburg. If you choose the latter option, you and the entire family are in for a treat. The "Interpeters" are aware of recent trends in live entertainment and the decline of college interest in American history courses, and they are doing everything humanly possible to make sure that Colonial Williamsburg continues to fulfill its promise "That the Future May Learn from the Past." Add hotels for every pocketbook, a PGA-quality golf course, and proximity to Busch Gardens The Old Country (where your little patriots can meet those Great Americans, Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, and an AUTHORIZED, OFFICIAL Elmo, not one of those Times Square knockoffs!), Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Odditorium,and brand name shopping, and you have a completely revolutionary way to spend the 4th! (You can also take a bus to Jamestown, where legend has it that if you listen very carefully, you can still hear Pocahantas sing "Colors In The Wind." OK, I got that confused with Disney, but you can STILL see a comprehensive Pocahantas exhibit! You can also spend a great beach day in Yorktown, and get some history with your tan!)
2. BOSTON,MA (http://www.cityofboston.gov)
Before I go any further, I would like to apologize to my fellow New Yorkers (http://nycgo.com) if I've given the Big Apple short shrift, because Fraunces Tavern is an important part of American history as is Richmondtown in Staten Island and the New York Stock Exchange and we DO have the best and biggest fireworks show in the country,but Boston IS where America as we know it took shape with the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere and the Boston Tea Party. Boston's Fourth Of July celebration is virtually unchanged from its original format in 1776, and the highlight has always been the Liberty Address, which has been delivered by luminaries from JFK to Julia Child. The Boston Red Sox play a traditional home game at "America's Most Beautiful Ballpark," Fenway Park (where you can get a selfie with their mascot Wally the Green Monster, named for the centerfield wall where pitches go to die), and the Boston Pops put on a show for the rest of the country with fireworks and a variety of local and international talent. Like the song says, "PLEASE come to Boston!"
Before we reveal the coolest place to spend the 4th of July, it has come to my attention that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is planning to move to New Zealand if a certain candidate becomes President. The best place to join her for holidays in the early part of January (The closest thing Australasia has to the 4th of July) is RAINBOW'S END (http://www.rainbowsend.co.nz, Two Clist Crescent,Manakau, Auckland, New Zealand, Mailing Address: Private Bag 76-924, Manakau, Auckland,2241.) Rai n Bow, the official greeters,have no intention of building a wall around THEIR magic Maori kingdom to keep anybody out, and Princess Sapphire,Sir Prised A Lot, Rover The Dog,and Iris The Fairy are all happy to meet kids of all ages,and not one of them has a combover! Count on the Bumper Boats and Go-Karts for YUGE family fun,and magic shows make your blues disappear faster than Trump Airlines, Trump Steaks, Trump Magazine...you get the picture! ANZ and Qantas have the wings, YOU have the fun!
AND THE COOLEST PLACE TO SPEND NEXT FOURTH OF JULY,
PHILADELPHIA,PA (http://www.visitphilly.com)
Cradle Of Liberty, Birthplace Of America, need I say more? Actually, I can. The week before the 4th proper, Wawa Welcome America has tons of free events including concerts, meet and greet events with historical interpeters bringing Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross, George Washington, and friends to life,but the crown jewel is the Celebration Of Freedom outside Independence Hall on the 4th of July.
This year, I had the pleasure to see Leslie Odom, Jr. from HAMILTON read an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence and a special ceremony honoring Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, the fathers of The Sound Of Philadelphia made famous by artists such as Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes, the Intruders, the O'Jays, the Three Degrees, and MFSB (Mother, Father, Sister, Brother). The Phillies knock one out of the park at Citizens Bank Park in South Philly, and you have your choice of dining options from Chick-Fil-A and McFadden's Bar and Grill (an offshoot of a Citi Field fave in NYC) at the Park to Geno's Steaks across the street at Xfinity Live. You can also run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art like Rocky (and take a picture with "him"outside),catch up with your reading at the Free Library,catch a cool science show at the Franklin Institute, even see a Broadway play at the Academy of Music, Kimmel Center, or Walnut Street Theater. (I saw SISTER ACT at the Walnut. It was the most divine night I spent at the theater!)
So, there you go! Some great 4th of July suggestions, without benefit, if you can call it that, of publishers! (I hear that an editor is about to kill another super hero. Will they ever learn?) If any other rejected authors are as mad as you know what and not gonna take this anymore, shoot me an email at steveneisenpreis@gmail.com, and we'll show those pompous publishers that our First Amendment right to be published is nothing to be trifled with!
God Bless America and the brave men and women in blue and olive who protect her at home and all over the world!
Steve
STEVE'S TOP 10 COOL PLACES TO TAKE THE KIDS NEXT 4TH OF JULY
10. NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM (http://www.baseballhall.org ) 25 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326 1-888-HALL-OF-FAME info@baseballhall.org twitter.com/baseballhall facebook.com/baseballhall instagram.com/baseballhall google.com/+baseballhall youtube.com/baseballhall
To the untrained eye, Cooperstown, NY may seem like just another small town where you might want to spend just one day and then move on to the big city, but look closely and you'll find opera, ballet, museums, one of the largest Christmas Villages in the country, and, OF COURSE, baseball. With so many people watching, talking, and playing America's National Pastime, they don't call this "The Town Where Baseball Lives" for nothing! The National Baseball Hall Of Fame traces the game's beginnings and possible (English!) inspirations, continues through the many "base ball" clubs that popped up in the 1840's and 1850's and continues to the present day. Don't be surprised if your favorite mascot or player pops up in person (or in creature!). but, unfortunately, the closest (minor league) team playing today's game is the Tri-City Valley Cats in Troy (The other two cities are Albany and Schenectady.), a Houston Astros farm club playing in the New York-Penn League. (Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, 80 Vandenburgh Avenue, Troy,NY 12180, http://www.tcvalleycats.com ,twitter.com/valleycats , facebook.com/valleycats, You can see "Bull Durham" or "Pride of the Yankees," listen to a playlist ranging from "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?" by Natalie Cole to "Centerfield" by John Fogerty, and even see exhibits concerning your particular favorite team. There's no ONE official hotel for the Hall, but there are a whole lot of nice small hotels and B&B's owned by people who really love the Grand Old Game. (Check your favorite hotel site for the best hotel for the money.) Trailways, Greyhound, and Adriondack Trailways have a lot of nice buses for Cooperstown leaving from Port Authority Bus Terminal in NYC and Union Station in Albany. PLAY BALL!
9. HERSHEYPARK (http://www.hersheypark.com) 100 West Hersheypark Drive, Hershey, PA 17033
844-330-1813 twitter.com/hersheypark facebook.com/Hersheypark, instagram.com/hersheypark,
Take the Amtrak Keystone Special from Penn Station in New York, Newark Penn Station in New Jersey, or30th Street Station in Philadelphia, to Harrisburg, PA where your special Hersheypark shuttle awaits and you may see a bustling small city, but looks CAN be deceiving! You can run out of things to do VERY quickly and the young 'uns may seal themselves off in their hotel room and threaten bodily harm if you bother them before the "SpongeBob" marathon is over. But take that Hersheypark shuttle to your official Hershey hotel (More on them later!) and you'll see a fantasy world which may be smaller than Six Flags but closer than Disney and just as magical. Ride their legendary roller coasters (IF YOU DARE!), get wet on the Boardwalk, an entertaining mashup of the Coney Island, Rehoboth Beach and Atlantic City boardwalks, and shake hands with a giant Hershey's Kiss, and no, you're not getting a hallucination from a chocolate OD! But the fun doesn't stop there! You can spend the night(s) at The Hotel Hershey (100 Hotel Road, Hershey PA 17033,1-884-330-1711, http://www.thehotelhershey.com), or Hershey Lodge (325 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033,1-884-330-1802, http://www.hersheylodge.com), have a nice lunch at Friendly's, Bob Evans,or Houlihan's in downtown Hershey, or take in The Hershey Story, a multimedia exhibit on the founder of the town, the park, and the chocolate empire that made it possible, Milton S. Hershey (Go to Google or Yahoo! for more information.) and the school that also bears his name, see a classic car museum, or shop till you drop at Tanger Outlets, featuring Skechers, Famous Footwear, and Disney, among others. How can such a small town have so much fun? (BTW, if you live in NYC and get homesick for Broadway, there's the Hershey Theater at 15 East Caracas Avenue (717-534-3412),hosting everything from its own symphony (playing the best of John Williams) to a full slate of Broadway musicals, (http://www.hersheyentertainment.com/hershey-theater for more information) to Weird Al Yankovic. (Oh, well, nobody's perfect!)
8. SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS (http://www.salem.com)
When this reporter took the Salem trolley in 2008, he wore a T-shirt featuring the then-current, and, sadly, final cast of the TV series CHARMED, (about three sister witches who tried to live normal modern lives while protecting the human world from black magic in San Francisco),Alyssa Milano (Phoebe),Rose McGowan (Paige),Holly Marie Combs (Piper), and Kelly Cuoco (Billie), and the operator observed, "Sir, there are witches on your shirt." Since this city was once the site of the most notorious witch hunt in American history, and therefore, a dark period in Colonial American history, I WOULD have been worried that the operator would throw me right off the trolley were it not for the fact the Salemites love the Charmed Ones as if they were real people living right in their neighborhood, but my choice in T-shirts did not escape her eye. She said, "Excuse me, sir, you have witches on your shirt." Well, it only stands to reason, as Salem has witches on its street signs, police department uniforms,public parks, and college campus. Not surprisingly known as The Witch City, Salem is just a drive or T ride away from South Station in Boston (More on THAT later!) and ready to share its magic. Not only are there more witch museums than you can wave a wand at, but you can park your broom and hang your conical (or pointy, if you prefer) hat at the Hawthorne Hotel (http://www.hawthornehotel.com ,18 Washington Square West,Salem, MA 01970, 1-800-SAY-STAY, facebook.com/hawthornehotel, twitter.com/hawthornehotel,, pinterest.com/hawthornehotel), a must-see landmark hotel. You can also see art from all historical periods at the Peabody-Essex Museum, see a live reenactment of the Salem Witch Trials, and take a ferry to Boston. Although Halloween is a long ways away, they won't mind if your little angel decides to dress in public as Glinda or Elphaba, (Just wanted to make sure all you WICKED fans were reading!), as a matter of fact, they encourage it with a veritable plethora of costume shops open and ready to attend to your every need any WITCH way it can! (Sorry, couldn't resist!) Whether you want to find out about author Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of Salem's most famous residents and the author of the timeless classic, THE SCARLET LETTER, take George Santayana's advice and relive a tragic time in our history before we are all doomed to repeat it, or just plain love witches, Salem, MA is the bewitching destination for you. (For the record, when a comic shop owner in San Francisco asked me how I was and I said, "CHARMED, I'm sure!" she just gave me a blank stare.Guess they think when you've inspired one TV show you've inspired them all!)
7. THE BERKSHIRES (http://www.berkshires.org)
Staying in the Bay State, the Berkshire area (Pittsfield-Great Barrington-Lenox-Lee-Stockbridge) is a delightful study in contrasts, from college sports, comprehensive art museums, restaurants on a par with those in Boston and New York, landmarks related to historical figures from Herman Melville to W.E.B. duBois to Arlo Guthrie (who's very much alive and ready to meet you at Alice's Restaurant in Stockbridge) to factory outlets for Nike, Reebok, Nautica, and other 5th Avenue brands and Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, its own jazz festival, and pop superstars like homeboy James Taylor. Take a Bonanza bus down the road a piece and have a slam dunk day at The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame (http://www.hoophall.com, 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue, Springfield, MA 01105 1-877-4-HOOPLA @hoophall on social media) in Springfield where hardwood history comes alive from the days of a peach basket and a soccer ball to the Beethovens and Mozarts of the NBA such as Jordan, Ewing,Kareem, and, oh yeah, LeBron. From small towns to small cities, the Berkshires have it all for the 4th. After all, isn't variety what America is all about?
6. WALT DISNEY WORLD (http://www.disneyworld.com) World Drive, Orlando, FL 32830 407-W-DISNEY facebook.com/WaltDisneyWorld twitter.com/WaltDisneyWorld
Yeah, I know, the crazy ISIS A-hole had contemplated WDW and they've had to write Louis the Sachmo-inspired alligator out of their "Princess And The Frog" spectacular after the tragic alligator incident at the Grand Floridian Hotel, but the Disney brand is nothing but resillient, and I'm sure things will be back to normal by next July 4th. There's usually a great patriotic Audio-Animatronic show at EPCOT Center, the Hall of Presidents, an outgrowth of Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln, features a special appearance from "Barack Obama" and a stirring narration by none less than Morgan Freeman, although that could change next year. Take a bus to Disney Springs to see the latest movies (from Disney and other studios) at their AMC theatre, enjoy Cirque du Soliel, and dine at a smorgasbord of restaurants including Rainforest Cafe. (Of course, you can still meet Mickey and Minnie, but if you want a taste of American history, Pocahantas holds forth at Disney's Animal Kingdom and the Princess show at Disneyland City Hall, and no, I don't mean Elizabeth Warren, and you can call the guy with the silly hat and long ears Goofy, not her!)
We're at halftime, and our Canadian readers as well as the millions of American voters planning to move to Canada for four years no doubt want to know the Top 3 Cool Places To Take The Kids Next Canada Day (July 1st), soooooooo.
3rd Cool Place in Canada: ROGERS CENTRE (http://www.rogerscentre.com) One Blue Jays Way,Toronto, ON M5V 1J1 (416) 341-3000
Since its 1989 debut as "SkyDome," the "Rog" has become a cherished part of the Toronto skyline and heaven on Earth for sports fans.Under the leadership of Rogers Communications (SportsNet Canada, City tv Toronto,and a veritable potpourri of great radio stations) since 2005, this multi-purpose arena has enjoyed record attendance for Toronto Blue Jays baseball, Toronto Argonauts (and occasional Buffalo Bills) football, family events including Disney's World On Ice, monster truck shows, and even traveling carnivals. You can take a guided tour, work out at GoodLife Fitness (If you're a member of 24 Hour Fitness, you can work out absolutely F-R-E-E, my favorite four letter word starting with F!), even get a mobile phone at the Rogers store if you're on a carrier that doesn't work in Canada. If the Rog isn't reason enough to holiday or live in Canada, I don't know what is!
2nd Cool Place in Canada: HOCKEY HALL OF FAME (http://www.hhof.com) Brookfield Place, 30 Yonge Street,Toronto, ON M5E 1XB (416) 360-7765
Sure, Torontonians in particular and Canadians as a whole like football (NFL and CFL) and baseball, but if you really want to understand them, you have to understand their national game which started on frozen ponds in Canada before moving inside in 1875 at Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal, I refer, of course, to ICE HOCKEY. Although the Hockey Hall Of Fame is a distinctly Canadian institution, as much a part of Canadian life as Cooperstown is of American life, don't be surprised if you see more than a few guests wearing T-shirts and hockey jerseys bearing the logos of their fave American teams, and when the Stanley Cup isn't skating across North America with your favorite team, you can say hi to it at the Hockey Hall. This is one GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL it should be easy to achieve! (And they also have players, coaches, and TSN talent on hand to teach the kids how NOT to be hockey pucks when it comes to teamwork!)
AND THE COOLEST PLACE TO TAKE THE KIDS NEXT JULY 1ST:
CANADA'S WONDERLAND (http://www.canadaswonderland.com) 9850 Jane Street, Vaughn,ON L6A 1S6 905-832-8131
SplashWorks AND Planet Snoopy in the same place? Good grief! Actually, you can check your grief at the door, take a chill pill at the Best Western Plus Toronto North York Hotel and Suites nearby, take the fam to see "Robinson Crusoe 3D" at the Action Theater,ride an authentic carousel from the turn of last century,see Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the Peanuts gang in great live shows,and buy outstanding "Made In Canada" merchandise at True North Gifts. Get on the ball before Lucy pulls it away and check this place out!
And the countdown continues...
5. GRAND OLE OPRY (http://www.opry.com) 2804 Opryland Drive, Nashville, TN 37214 1-800-SEE-OPRY
Country music is the soundtrack of America, and it's highly unlikely popular music as we have come to know it would exist without it. Longtime readers of Welcome to Steve Country (http://www.welcometostevecountry.com) know that the original broadcasts of the Grand Ole Opry radio program live from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville introduced beloved artists from Hank Williams and Johnny Cash to Carrie Underwood and Chris Stapleton into the mainstream. Today, what started out as a live local broadcast on The Legend 650 AM WSM has become an American institution heard around the world on US Army bases and its own app. There's a full slate of concerts and live broadcasts every week of the year, and, of course, backstage tours.and you can hang your 10-gallon hat at Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center (now owned by Marriott, but don't let that stop you) just a two-step away. Y'all pay 'em a visit, y'hear?
4. WASHINGTON, DC (http://www.washington.org)
Sure, PBS' "A Capitol Fourth" isn't exactly perfect, but as you are bound to find out when touring the White House and the office buildings for both houses of Congress, (Security is understandably tight, so stay tuned to the local media for information that may affect your visit, We The (Imperfect) People do our best with what we've got, and it's served us well for the past 240 years. More than 75 museums welcome you, including the Smithsonian and the US Holocaust Museum, the famous monuments are definite must-sees, and restaurants such as Ben's Chili Bowl and the near-legendary Four Guys. I'm Steven Eisenpreis, and you'll approve this city!
3. COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG (http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org) P.O. Box 1776, Williamsburg, VA 23187, 888-965-7254
You can read about history in a book, or you can see it up close and personal in Colonial Williamsburg. If you choose the latter option, you and the entire family are in for a treat. The "Interpeters" are aware of recent trends in live entertainment and the decline of college interest in American history courses, and they are doing everything humanly possible to make sure that Colonial Williamsburg continues to fulfill its promise "That the Future May Learn from the Past." Add hotels for every pocketbook, a PGA-quality golf course, and proximity to Busch Gardens The Old Country (where your little patriots can meet those Great Americans, Bert, Ernie, Big Bird, and an AUTHORIZED, OFFICIAL Elmo, not one of those Times Square knockoffs!), Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Odditorium,and brand name shopping, and you have a completely revolutionary way to spend the 4th! (You can also take a bus to Jamestown, where legend has it that if you listen very carefully, you can still hear Pocahantas sing "Colors In The Wind." OK, I got that confused with Disney, but you can STILL see a comprehensive Pocahantas exhibit! You can also spend a great beach day in Yorktown, and get some history with your tan!)
2. BOSTON,MA (http://www.cityofboston.gov)
Before I go any further, I would like to apologize to my fellow New Yorkers (http://nycgo.com) if I've given the Big Apple short shrift, because Fraunces Tavern is an important part of American history as is Richmondtown in Staten Island and the New York Stock Exchange and we DO have the best and biggest fireworks show in the country,but Boston IS where America as we know it took shape with the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere and the Boston Tea Party. Boston's Fourth Of July celebration is virtually unchanged from its original format in 1776, and the highlight has always been the Liberty Address, which has been delivered by luminaries from JFK to Julia Child. The Boston Red Sox play a traditional home game at "America's Most Beautiful Ballpark," Fenway Park (where you can get a selfie with their mascot Wally the Green Monster, named for the centerfield wall where pitches go to die), and the Boston Pops put on a show for the rest of the country with fireworks and a variety of local and international talent. Like the song says, "PLEASE come to Boston!"
Before we reveal the coolest place to spend the 4th of July, it has come to my attention that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is planning to move to New Zealand if a certain candidate becomes President. The best place to join her for holidays in the early part of January (The closest thing Australasia has to the 4th of July) is RAINBOW'S END (http://www.rainbowsend.co.nz, Two Clist Crescent,Manakau, Auckland, New Zealand, Mailing Address: Private Bag 76-924, Manakau, Auckland,2241.) Rai n Bow, the official greeters,have no intention of building a wall around THEIR magic Maori kingdom to keep anybody out, and Princess Sapphire,Sir Prised A Lot, Rover The Dog,and Iris The Fairy are all happy to meet kids of all ages,and not one of them has a combover! Count on the Bumper Boats and Go-Karts for YUGE family fun,and magic shows make your blues disappear faster than Trump Airlines, Trump Steaks, Trump Magazine...you get the picture! ANZ and Qantas have the wings, YOU have the fun!
AND THE COOLEST PLACE TO SPEND NEXT FOURTH OF JULY,
PHILADELPHIA,PA (http://www.visitphilly.com)
Cradle Of Liberty, Birthplace Of America, need I say more? Actually, I can. The week before the 4th proper, Wawa Welcome America has tons of free events including concerts, meet and greet events with historical interpeters bringing Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross, George Washington, and friends to life,but the crown jewel is the Celebration Of Freedom outside Independence Hall on the 4th of July.
This year, I had the pleasure to see Leslie Odom, Jr. from HAMILTON read an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence and a special ceremony honoring Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, the fathers of The Sound Of Philadelphia made famous by artists such as Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes, the Intruders, the O'Jays, the Three Degrees, and MFSB (Mother, Father, Sister, Brother). The Phillies knock one out of the park at Citizens Bank Park in South Philly, and you have your choice of dining options from Chick-Fil-A and McFadden's Bar and Grill (an offshoot of a Citi Field fave in NYC) at the Park to Geno's Steaks across the street at Xfinity Live. You can also run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art like Rocky (and take a picture with "him"outside),catch up with your reading at the Free Library,catch a cool science show at the Franklin Institute, even see a Broadway play at the Academy of Music, Kimmel Center, or Walnut Street Theater. (I saw SISTER ACT at the Walnut. It was the most divine night I spent at the theater!)
So, there you go! Some great 4th of July suggestions, without benefit, if you can call it that, of publishers! (I hear that an editor is about to kill another super hero. Will they ever learn?) If any other rejected authors are as mad as you know what and not gonna take this anymore, shoot me an email at steveneisenpreis@gmail.com, and we'll show those pompous publishers that our First Amendment right to be published is nothing to be trifled with!
God Bless America and the brave men and women in blue and olive who protect her at home and all over the world!
Steve
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