Apartment Blog

In 2008, Site Selection Magazine ranked Dayton the #1 medium sized metropolitan area in the nation for growth and expansion. This in important to know, because you surely want to move to a place city that is growing, but will also help you grow along with it!  Whether you are single, newlywed, or a family you will find Dayton to be an exciting and safe place to live. Dayton has a rich history of invention and innovation . Dayton is also known for its many patents, inventions, and inventors that have come from the area, most notably with the Wright Brothers’ invention of powered flight.

Imagine your kids growing up in an area known to encourage imagination and propel dreams to full fruition. They may grow up to take care of you one day with the money they make from one of their inventions or patents.  However, it doesn’t have to be just your kid’s dreams and goals, it could be the fulfillment of your own.    The environment in Dayton and the constant reminder of past achievements will serve as a natural motivational tool to help you continue on your path to greatness. This is a perfect location to call home!

Get more information and search tips on Dayton Apartments, or view all Apartments for Rent in Dayton, OH.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dayton,_Ohio

                                  Pic by opiummuseum

Do you ever wonder why we celebrate the holidays we celebrate? Do you ever look beyond the festivities, gifts, and laughter to understand the roots of the occasion.  Maybe you have and maybe you haven’t, but Halloween has a unique history.  History.com says that when Europeans came to America they brought their varied Halloween traditions with them.  It wasn’t as prevalent in the rigid protestant north as it was in southern colonies like Maryland.  Different European ethnic groups and American Indian traditions meshed to form the American version of Halloween.

The first festivities included “Play Parties” that celebrated harvest and people came together to dance, sing, tell stories about the dead, and tell each other’s fortunes.  Telling Ghost stories was common as well. History.com also notes that in the second half of the 19^th century America was flood with immigrants especially from Ireland, whom helped popularize Halloween nationally.

The Trick or Treat Tradition came from English and Irish Traditions, and Americans began to go from house to house asking for money or food. In the late 1800s though, there was a movement to take the witchcraft out of Halloween and make the holiday more about community get-togethers and games.  Halloween eventually lost its religious and superstitious overtones. Trick or Treating evolved over time to be an inexpensive way for the community to share the celebration. Also, in theory giving kids treats prevented them from being the victim of tricks.

Halloween is now the second biggest commercial Holiday, where Americans an estimated spend 6.9 billion dollars.  Knowing the history may just be of trivial consequence, but it will help you understand the dynamics behind such a popular holiday!

Football is fast becoming the most popular sport in America.  Some people are purely Pro-Football fans and others purely College Football junkies.  However, one tradition that transcends both levels is tailgating. Because Football Saturday is one of the main attractions of a football city/town, people from all over come for tailgating and watching games. It doesn’t matter if you even like football or understand the rules. Tailgating is a wholesome and fun event that the whole family can get involved in. It is also a source of pride and bragging rights for a community to have a competitive football team. 

For those that aren’t familiar with tailgating in the football world, it’s not “driving dangerously close to behind another vehicle.”  It is a social event that is held around the tailgate of a vehicle that usually involves beverages and grilling.  Fans dress in their team jerseys and talk about the upcoming game and get excited for the festivities.  It used to be an “underground” activity but has gained mainstream popularity with ESPN’s College game day reporting from the tailgating scene of the most exciting games of the day.

South Bend is one of those cities where tailgating is commonplace.  It is is also the current home to the College Football Hall of Fame. In a sense, every college football players dream is to make it to South Bend.  Although the Hall of Fame is scheduled to move to Atlanta soon, the pride of housing the Hall of Fame will never leave.  South Bend is a small city with a very dedicated and hardworking people.  Their allegiance is to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.  Notre Dame has one of the most storied football teams in history; some of that history even being documented in the popular movie Rudy. Notre Dame is at the center of this tradition and it is something you will enjoy during the fall months in South Bend.  Who knows, maybe you can make connections that will last through all the seasons!

Get more information and search tips on South Bend Apartments, or view all Apartments for Rent in South Bend, IN.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Bend,_Indiana

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailgate_party

History is made every day in Washington, DC. The capital of the United States portrays significance & power with its 19^th century structures and frequent motorcades sightings. The city of politicians, and their constant influx of interns, is always full of action and activities.

Enjoy being a tourist first before sinking your teeth into full fledged DC life.  Taking tours of all the monuments, museums and memorials will surely give you a greater appreciation for your new surroundings. Relatives will be anxious to visit after you have settled into the city, and knowing your way around the city will make the visit smooth and enjoyable. DC’s Metro system is very efficient and can get you around to all of the necessary sites.

Don’t forget your camera.  Although you now live in DC, there are sights and sounds that you may only be able to see and hear once in your life time.  You never know who you will run into.  You could meet the President at a local burger joint or a professional athlete in the mall.

Apartments in Alexandria and Arlington, Virginia also give you easy access to DC and great views of the city without actually living in DC.  In Maryland, Oxon Hill and Silver Spring, also have great communities in the “DC Metro” area.  So, enjoy witnessing history, and if you are savvy enough, you may get a chance to make history as well!

Get more information and search tips on DC Apartments, or view all Apartments for Rent in Washington, DC.

We’ve all heard the story of Peter and the Wolf, right?  Well when I think about the roller coaster ride Brett Favre has taken the NFL and all of its fans on the fable is the first thing that comes to mind.  Favre recently signed a two-year, $25 million with the Minnesota Vikings.  I’m just as salty as the next real football fan because last time I checked, football is a team sport, not a ‘come and do what you please, when you please sport’.  I’ve got a few thoughts on what he should do.  But who am I to say what Brett Favre should or shouldn’t do?

Just your average sports fan.  Back in the day, about 10-12 years ago, I was an avid Brett Favre fan, especially when he led the Packers to their Super Bowl win in 1996. Reminiscing on the good ‘ol days, check on these apartments for rent in Green Bay.  But now, that’s a distant memory.  His indecision has begun to overshadow his immense accomplishments in the NFL.

Fran Tarkenton, former great Minnesota Vikings quarterback, described it best in a recent interview on ‘Outside the Lines’, an ESPN show focusing on off the field issues in different sports and athlete’s lives, when he said Favre signing with Minnesota was an ‘absolute circus’.  I completely agree, I don’t think it’s fair to football fans and the NFL, to take attention away from important football issues to focus on whether or not Favre is going to make up his mind this year.

Taking things a step further, a guest analyst on ‘Mike and Mike in the Morning’, an ESPN radio show which also airs on ESPN2, spoke on Favre’s daughter’s indecisiveness on whether or not he should come out of retirement.  Apparently, Favre’s daughter first encouraged him to join the Vikings in hopes that she would make new friends, but later expressed her hesitation to leave her current friends.  The analyst said, “I guess the whole family has a history of waffling.”  The greatest line ever!

It’s deplorable how some find it acceptable for Favre, or anyone, to waltz on to a team without attending training camp or any pre-season workouts.  Please explain this to me!  Favre’s inability to make a decision has caused some rifts in relationships, particularly with the Green Bay Packers.  Since March of 2008 Favre has retired first with Green Bay, came back, and when Green Bay doesn’t honor his ‘un-retirement’ he signs with the Jets.  Then, he retired again after an injury-laden season with the New York Jets. If New York is your scene unlike the ‘waffling’ Favre, check out these apartments for rent in New York.

Now, a major reason Favre’s signing with Minnesota is so tough on Packers’ fans is because the Vikings are a division rival.  This is the ultimate sin in the NFL.  But, I guess Brett thinks he’s above the NFL, right?  He doesn’t even have to come to training camp to play!  All I’m saying is, we need to focus more on the game of football and less on turning Brett Favre into a god of the NFL.  Because that, he is not.

 Hyped that you’ve got Favre now?  Check out these Minneapolis, Minnesota apartments for rent. 

It’s a tradition with my family year after year. We always pile up in our car and drive around to look at Christmas lights. There is one house in particular we always stop and see. We call it the ‘NOEL House’ as it has the ‘NOEL’ saying prominently displayed on its rooftop. We also make it a point to go to see the Holiday lights at Virginia Beach Oceanfront. There is something grand about looking at the holiday light displays across our city. I look in amazement at the creativity and the excitement that I feel. I feel like a child again, anxiously waiting for the big day!

Accumulated by americasbestonline.net, here is a list of the best holiday light displays in cities across the nation. Look who turned up number 11! J If you are near one of the areas, make sure you go out and look at the wonderful lights displayed.

1. Silver Dollar City- Branson, MO
Millions of Christmas lights cover the whole park. Plus, the entire city is transformed into a holiday wonderland each evening at 5:30 p.m. as guests join together on the Square for the lighting of the dazzling, five-story Special Effects Christmas Tree. Adorned with over 250,000 lights coordinated to blaze to the musical movements of Christmas songs, this unique Special Effects Christmas Tree presents classics such as “Carol of the Bells” and Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” in a spectacular light and sound show.
  
2. Oglebay Festival of Lights- Wheeling, WV
In 1985 a holiday tradition began at Oglebay and spread throughout the city of Wheeling. That tradition is the Winter Festival of Lights celebration. The first year, displays and landscape lighting covered about 125 acres over a three-mile drive throughout the resort. Since then, the show has grown into one of the nation’s largest Christmas light shows, covering more than three hundred acres over a six-mile drive throughout the resort. 
 

3. Fantasy of Lights- Pine Mountain, GA
A 5 mile drive by car or trolley takes visitors past 13 holiday scenes with more than 8 million  Christmas lights.  Since 1992, this outdoor light and sound show has glittered with holiday magic for millions of people. Families from across the Southeast have added Fantasy In Lights to their list of memorable holiday traditions. This year, experience the 15th annual Fantasy In Lights with its eight million lights creating more than a dozen beautiful scenes, and you’ll see why this is the brightest holiday light show in the South! 
 

4. Smoky Mountain Winterfest- Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, TN. 
Smoky Mountain Winterfest is a magical celebration that begins in late fall.  Ride the Trolley Tour of Lights around Pigeon Forge and claim a spot on the sidewalk  for Gatlinburg’s “Fantasy of Lights” Christmas Parade, featuring lighted floats, marching bands and giant helium balloons.  This event combines 3 Tennessee cities: Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. These neighboring Smoky Mountain towns are ablaze with 5 million lights thru February. 
 

5. Trail of Lights - Austin, TX
The  Trail of Lights is a mile long display of 42 lighted scenes, US Post Office, Santa’s House, the Yule Log, and an entertainment stage. The festival begins with the lighting of the Zilker Tree, a 155 feet tall, 180 feet diameter lighted tree consisting of 3,309 bulbs on 39 streamers strung from Austin’s historical Moonlight Tower. Since 1987 the honor of lighting the tree has been bestowed upon the winner of the city-wide children’s tree coloring contest. The tree lighting ceremony takes place on the first Sunday of December. 

6. Magical Nights of Lights - Lake Lanier, GA
Rekindle an old tradition or create a new one at Lake Lanier Islands Resort’s 16th annual Magical Nights of Lights holiday celebration. Known as the world’s largest animated light extravaganza, the fun kicks off November 22 through December 30 from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 pm. nightly! Bring the whole family a drive through tour of over six miles of twinkling, holiday light displays and a live nativity scene complete with live actors and animals!

7. Holiday Festival of Lights, Charleston, S.C.
Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission created the Holiday Festival of Lights to bring families and friends together and to raise support for the Charleston county park system. With over 600 individual displays located throughout the park in 132 power locations, the Holiday Festival of Lights is a magical sight to see! 
  
8. Enchanted Garden of Lights, Chattanooga, TN
See Rock City! The gardens’ natural beauty is complemented by more than 25 holiday scenes as half a million lights illuminate rock formations along the Enchanted Trail. 

 9. Southern Lights - Lexington, Ky.
The annual Southern Lights event is the largest fundraiser held for The Kentucky Horse Park. Over 25,927 vehicles passed through the electrical wonderland in 2006 alone! Everything from petting zoos, model railways, arts, crafts, and Santa Claus fill the Indoor Attractions section free of charge to guests.

 10. Mission Inn - Riverside, CA
This magnificent hotel and grounds have over two million Christmas lights!  Enjoy the sounds of the holiday season as our Dickens’ Carolers stroll throughout the hotel every Thursday through Sunday, beginning November 25, 2005, or enjoy a romantic carriage ride around the grounds - to take in the lights of the holiday season.
 
11. 100 Miles of Lights - Virginia Beach, VA
Come share the glow of the season and experience millions of lights and hundreds of events from Virginia’s capital city to the Atlantic Ocean. The region will glitter and glow, sparkle and shine with lights, lights and more lights. 100 Miles of Lights features holiday events and activities in Richmond, Williamsburg, Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach.

Drive-through and walk-through light shows will dazzle and shine with more than two million lights, providing a colorful backdrop to the wide range of events and activities for the young and young-at-heart. Lighted boat parades, city illuminations, festivals, parades, living history re-enactments, caroling, dining events, music and dance are among the many activities occurring throughout the region from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day.
12. Bright Nights at Forest Park - Springfield, MA
New England’s most popular holiday destination and largest drive-through lighting display. Two and a half miles of Forest Park are illuminated with more than 500,000 twinkling lights, bringing the magic of the holiday season to life for people of all ages, in dozens of dramatic scenes such as “Poinsettia Fantasy,” “Seuss Land,” “Toy Land,” and “Victorian Village.” Plans are in place this year for bright new displays, and special celebrations to commemorate the holiday traditions of the many cultures that make up the region.

Source:
http://www.americasbestonline.net/christmas.htm