Jewish communities in US cities: size or age

This is a question for members of the Jewish community (of which I am a member) or others with insight on it: If you look at Jewish communities in American cities/metro areas today, which of these two variables is more important in determinng the vibrancy of the community, its ability to offer both the religious and (for lack of a better term) ethnic aspects of Jewish life: • the age of the Jewish community • the size of the Jewish community Let me explain. Cities like New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston have deeply rooted Jewish communities. Jews came in large numbers to such cities in the late 19th/early 20th century mainly from eastern Europe. Virtually all these immigrants were orthodox and the vast majority settled in heavily Jewish neighborhoods (paralleling other immigrant grops of the time like the Italians and the Poles). Jewish culture and religion flourished and Jewish institutions strongly served the needs of the people. In general, these cities have seen many Jews move to the south and west in the post-WWII years, dispering into cities across the nation. Yet these cities still retain a Jewish structure and traditon that newer Jewish communities may lack. Each has its own story of immigrant neighborhoods and how the community moved from one part of town to the other. Even today, many heavily Jewish neighborhoods can be identified. Eliminating perhaps two unique cities....Miami with its long history of Jewish resort and retirement as well as LA with its huge Jewish community that grew in the 20th century but is still pervassive (virtually all Jews, it seems, have relatives in LA....and some connection with Miami)...how does Jewish life differ in cities where the growth has come in more recent time, an era when Jews are more assimilated, less ethnic, often less strictly relgious, in less of a need for Jewish community services. I'm talking about places like Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas, among others. Each of these cities has a noteworthy Jewish community and the sizes of these communities may not be far removed from the traditional cities of the northeast/midwest (i.e. Cleveland, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, etc.); in fact, they may exceed these cities in Jewish population.But does their recent age, and the fact that the growth took place in this more assimilated era with its great degree of intermarriage make the newer communtiies appear "less Jewish" than older ones, even older ones with a smaller Jewish community, but one with strong community ties? NOTE: this discussion could apply to other ethnic communtiies as well but the American Jewish community, among the European immigrant groups may differ to the degree that being Jewish has both religious and ethnic overtones.>

Best suburban college town

Probably our first thought of an ideal college town is in a bucolic setting of its own, creating the perfect atmosphere for town and gown to create their own world. A second image may the big campus in the big city, the university that thrieves on its urban offerings. What about the third choice: suburbia. By suburbia, I'm referring to the immediate suburban area around our major cities. WHICH SUBURBAN TOWN OF A MAJOR UNIVERSITY DO YOU THINK MAKES THE BEST COLLEGE TOWN.....AND WHY? Are there others than aren't on this list, but should be?>

Detroit as a metaphor

Think about a city like Detroit, a place many Americans assumed died, was dying, is in the process of dying, or is already dead. List all the things that "went wrong" in Detroit: the decline of the automotive industry, decline of schools, racial change and violence, welfare, the gap between rich and poor, out sourcing of jobs, rapid suburbanization at the expense of the city, labor issues, etc., etc., etc. And then look over your list and come to the startling realization that every point on your list applies equally to the United States as it does to Detroit. We are Detroit. And it hurts a lot less to assign those negative traits to the Motor City, to keep on our blinders, to look the other way, than to look in the mirror, face reality, and see we really are becoming the very same thing that we ridiculously mock.>

US Metros with High Millionaire Concentrations

Axciom and American Demographics put together an index of Millionaire Households across the country here are some of their findings Married with Money-and Children Metropolitan Areas ranked by millionaire households with preschool-aged children or younger 1 Nashua, NH........................3.06% 2 Lowell, MA.........................2.66% 3 Provo-Orem, UT..................2.52% 4 Salt Lake City-Ogden, UT.....2.48% 5 Danbury, CT.......................2.37% 6 Anchorage, AK....................2.29% 7 Lawrence, MA.....................2.27% 8 Denver, CO........................2.16% 9 Boise, ID............................2.16% 10 Raleigh-Durham, NC............2.15% Up and Coming Millionaire Households under age 45 1 Stamford-Norwalk, CT...............3.20%..........4,457 households 2 San Jose, CA...........................2.56%.........14,954 households 3 State College, PA.....................2.49%..........1,106 households 4 Middlesex-Somerset-Hunterdon, NJ.....2.37%....10,754 households 5 Nassau-Suffolk, NY....................2.35%..........26,802 households 6 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA..........2.32%.........2,114 households 7 Danbury, CT............................2.32%...........1,963 households 8 San Francisco, CA...................2.22%...........15,111 households 9 Iowa City, IA..........................2.17%...........1,013 households 10 Ann Arbor, MI........................2.05%...........4,925 households Old Money Millionaire Households not by income, but by lifetime accumulation 1 Honolulu, HI........................4.39%..............7,351 households 2 San Francisco, CA...............3.86%..............26,259 households 3 Santa Barbara, CA...............3.72%...............5,138 households 4 Stamford-Norwalk, CT..........3.60%...............5,038 households 5 Barnstable-Yarmouth, MA.....3.40%................3,040 households 6 San Jose, CA......................3.25%..............18,976 households 7 Naples, FL..........................3.20%...............3,963 households 8 San Luis Obispo, CA.............2.89%...............3,210 households 9 Salinas, CA........................2.69%................3,210 households 10 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA..2.67%...............2,430 households The Upper Crust Households with a Net Worth of $2 Million or more 1 Stamford-Norwalk, CT...............25.30%...............35,267 households 2 San Jose, CA...........................12.87%...............75,177 households 3 San Francisco, CA.....................9.87%................66,579 households 4 Danbury, CT.............................8.57%.................7,261 households 5 Nassau-Suffolk, NY....................8.49%................96,857 households 6 Newark, NJ..............................6.94%.................59,090 households 7 Orange County, CA...................6.79%.................65,445 households 8 Bergen-Passaic, NJ....................6.72%.................34,675 households 9 Oakland, CA.............................6.69%.................59,090 households 10 Honolulu, HI............................6.59%................11,035 households>

Trusted banks in the US

Put your best bank here and tell us why you trust them. Good luck>

Cost of Illegal Immigration May Be Less Than Meets the Eye

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/16/bu...=1&oref=slogin NY Times April 16, 2006 Economic View Cost of Illegal Immigration May Be Less Than Meets the Eye By EDUARDO PORTER CALIFORNIA may seem the best place to study the impact of illegal immigration on the prospects of American workers. Hordes of immigrants rushed into the state in the last 25 years, competing for jobs with the least educated among the native population. The wages of high school dropouts in California fell 17 percent from 1980 to 2004. But before concluding that immigrants are undercutting the wages of the least fortunate Americans, perhaps one should consider Ohio. Unlike California, Ohio remains mostly free of illegal immigrants. And what happened to the wages of Ohio's high school dropouts from 1980 to 2004? They fell 31 percent. As Congress debates an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, several economists and news media pundits have sounded the alarm, contending that illegal immigrants are causing harm to Americans in the competition for jobs. Yet a more careful examination of the economic data suggests that the argument is, at the very least, overstated. There is scant evidence that illegal immigrants have caused any significant damage to the wages of American workers. The number that has been getting the most attention lately was produced by George J. Borjas and Lawrence F. Katz, two Harvard economists, in a paper published last year. They estimated that the wave of illegal Mexican immigrants who arrived from 1980 to 2000 had reduced the wages of high school dropouts in the United States by 8.2 percent. But the economists acknowledge that the number does not consider other economic forces, such as the fact that certain businesses would not exist in the United States without cheap immigrant labor. If it had accounted for such things, immigration's impact would be likely to look less than half as big. Mr. Katz was somewhat taken aback by the attention the study has received. "This was not intended," he said. At first blush, the preoccupation over immigration seems reasonable. Since 1980, eight million illegal immigrants have entered the work force. Two-thirds of them never completed high school. It is sensible to expect that, because they were willing to work for low wages, they would undercut the position in the labor market of American high school dropouts. This common sense, however, ignores half the picture. Over the last quarter-century, the number of people without any college education, including high school dropouts, has fallen sharply. This has reduced the pool of workers who are most vulnerable to competition from illegal immigrants. In addition, as businesses and other economic agents have adjusted to immigration, they have made changes that have muted much of immigration's impact on American workers. For instance, the availability of foreign workers at low wages in the Nebraska poultry industry made companies realize that they had the personnel to expand. So they invested in new equipment, generating jobs that would not otherwise be there. In California's strawberry patches, illegal immigrants are not competing against native workers; they are competing against pickers in Michoacán, Mexico. If the immigrant pickers did not come north across the border, the strawberries would. "Immigrants come in and the industries that use this type of labor grow," said David Card, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley. "Taking all into account, the effects of immigration are much, much lower." In a study published last year that compared cities that have lots of less educated immigrants with cities that have very few, Mr. Card found no wage differences that could be attributed to the presence of immigrants. Other research has also cast doubt on illegal immigration's supposed damage to the nation's disadvantaged. A study published earlier this year by three economists — David H. Autor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mr. Katz of Harvard and Melissa S. Kearney of the Brookings Institution — observed that income inequality in the bottom half of the wage scale has not grown since around the mid-1980's. Even economists striving hardest to find evidence of immigration's effect on domestic workers are finding that, at most, the surge of illegal immigrants probably had only a small impact on wages of the least-educated Americans — an effect that was likely swamped by all the other things that hit the economy, from the revolution in technology to the erosion of the minimum wage's buying power. When Mr. Borjas and Mr. Katz assumed that businesses reacted to the extra workers with a corresponding increase in investment — as has happened in Nebraska — their estimate of the decline in wages of high school dropouts attributed to illegal immigrants was shaved to 4.8 percent. And they have since downgraded that number, acknowledging that the original analysis used some statistically flimsy data. Assuming a jump in capital investment, they found that the surge in illegal immigration reduced the wages of high school dropouts by just 3.6 percent. Across the entire labor force, the effect of illegal immigrants was zero, because the presence of uneducated immigrants actually increased the earnings of more educated workers, including high school graduates. For instance, higher-skilled workers could hire foreigners at low wages to mow their lawns and care for their children, freeing time for these workers to earn more. And businesses that exist because of the availability of cheap labor might also need to employ managers. Mr. Borjas said that while the numbers were not large, the impact at the bottom end of the skill range was significant. "It is not a big deal for the whole economy, but that hides a big distributional impact," he said. OTHERS disagree. "If you're a native high school dropout in this economy, you've got a slew of problems of which immigrant competition is but one, and a lesser one at that," said Jared Bernstein of the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal research group. Mr. Katz agreed that the impact was modest, and it might fall further if changes in trade flows were taken into account — specifically, that without illegal immigrants, some products now made in the United States would likely be imported. "Illegal immigration had a little bit of a role reinforcing adverse trends for the least advantaged," he said, "but there are much stronger forces operating over the last 25 years.">

What food is your city famous for?

what food is your city famous for? where are the best places to get these foods? what restaurants and other place have big reputations in your city? for wilmington, subs are very big. the two biggest places are capriotti's and casapulla's. capriotti's is more famous, but i would say it's a draw between the two as to which is better. there are multiple locations for both capriotti's and casapulla's (including the west coast, where capriotti's has expanded to in recent years), but the original capriotti's is on union street in wilmington, and the original casapulla's is in the nearby town of elsmere. capriotti's most famous sub is "the bobbie". it's been called "thanksgiving dinner on a roll", and it includes turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and other thanksgiving dinner items. capriotti's web site other food famous in this area are typical mid-atlantic dishes, such as muskrat and chitterlings. muskrat is a rodent found in the marshes in the area. chitterlings are deep-fried pig intestines. a good place to get these dishes is at "the knotty pine" on 11th street.>

the Richest cities.

ok which us cities has the most millionaires and has the richest neighorborhoods? from i last heard the top richest cities were LA and chicago.>

Buffalo, NY area

What do you think about the Buffalo, NY area? Letchworth State Park Lake Erie Lake Ontario Niagara Falls>

Small toursit cities?

So what are some small cities that base most of their economy on tourism? Also these cities cannot be attached to a metropolitain region. It has to be by itself far from a major city. What I mean are cities like Wisconsin Dells, and Branson. Got any others?>

NFL and NCAA Sports Teams Areas of Influence!

OK, this is highly unscientific, but it gives us an idea of public perception.. >

YOUR FAVORITE CITY, LA OR NYC?

A lot of people in the LA threads have been saying their city is better than NYC. We'll see. >

Have the fwy/expy scars in your city healed yet?

Let's face it....when those expressways and freeways of the interstate hwy. system came ripping through your cities in the 1950's and 1960's (and paved the path to exodus to suburbia), they tore into the urban fabric, separated neighborhood from neighborhood, and brutalized their immediate environment. But now we're close to 40 years removed from the destruction the expressway/freeway system did....and during that time, greenery has been placed on road embankments, new and sometimes quality construction has gone up alongside the highways, parts of roads have been placed underground and a general desire to soften the effect of the 1950's-1960's has been evident in many cities. So how about your home town? Have the scars of the way the expressways and freeways been healed? Have their sides been softened? Has new costruction drawn to their sides? And, most importantly, have they actually become a valued part of the urban framework? HAVE THE SCARS OF YOUR CITY'S FREEWAY OR EXPRESSWAY SYSTEM FINALLY HEALED....OR IS THE SYSTEM STILL AN UGLY AND DIVISIVE MESS?>

OKoboji iowa

Has anyone been to okoboji iowa. it gets over a million people visiting it a year and on west lake okoboji the average home price is over 1.2 million. It also has the oldest roller coaster west of the mississippi river. Its growing really fast berekely bedell has a house on the lake worth 13 million dollars and arnolds park has famous people sing there often last year i could remember the guy from dukes of hazard and weird al. Harrison ford might buy a house on the lake worth alot of money. It is one of 3 blue water lakes in the world, but to me alot of lakes look blue. http://www.okobojihomes.com/ http://www.sextonrealty.com/new%20we.../lakeshore.asp>

The Largest Churches in The United States, 2005

Largest Churches in The United States 2005, In Thousands of Followers The Roman Catholic Church 67,260 Southern Baptist Convention 16,440 United Methodist Church, The 8,251 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 5,503 Church of God in Christ, The 5,450 National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc 5,000 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 5,038 National Baptist Convention of America, Inc 4,985 Presbyterian Church (USA) 3,241 Assemblies of God 2,730 African Methodist Episcopal Church 2,500 National Missionary Baptist Convention of America 2,500 Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc 2,500 Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), The 2,489 Episcopal Church 2,320 Churches of Christ 1,500 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America 1,500 Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc 1,500 American Baptist Churches in the USA 1,433 African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church 1,433 United Church of Christ 1,297 Baptist Bible Fellowship International 1,200 Christian Churches and Churches of Christ 1,072 Jehovah's Witnesses 1,041 Orthodox Church in America, The 1,000 Source: 2005 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, National Council of Churches.>

Personal Endurance Lands New Orleans' Times-Picayune Awards..Unreal Read

Monday, April 17, 2006 Times-Picayune wins Pulitzers for Katrina coverage By James O' Byrne Staff writer The Times-Picayune won two Pulitzer Prizes Monday, including a gold medal for meritorious public service, for the newspaper's coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. The newspaper also received a Pulitzer Prize for distinguished reporting of breaking news. Both prizes were awarded to the newspaper's staff. In addition to the paper's two awards, Chris Rose was honored as a finalist in the commentary category for his columns about the devastating psychic and emotional toll of the storm on the community. The commentary award was won by Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times. The Pulitzer Prizes are awarded annually in journalism, arts and letters, and are considered journalism's most prestigious honor. In the aftermath of Katrina, rising flood waters from collapsed seawalls forced more than 200 staff of The Times-Picayune and their family members to flee the paper's downtown offices in delivery trucks on Aug. 30. But photographers, reporters and editors stayed in the area continuously, and the newspaper never ceased publishing, posting online editions for three days, then returning to print editions as well on Sept. 2. The Pulitzer Prize board took the unusual step this year of awarding two public service medals, with the other going to The Sun-Herald of Biloxi, Miss., another paper that persevered in the face of the catastrophic storm. "Katrina, the greatest urban disaster in America, dealt tragedy and bitter loss to our community and everyone in this room," editor Jim Amoss told several hundred staff members assembled in the New Orleans newsroom after the awards announcement. "As our city was being ravaged, our citizens dying, our market destroyed, our homes lost, with chaos and lawlessness reigning -- while this was happening, we came together as a team," Amoss said, "and fulfilled a mission that is sacred to us: to publish no matter what -- no matter whether our house was destroyed, whether we knew what had happened to our families, or what the future held." Monday's awards represent the third and fourth Pulitzer Prizes for The Times-Picayune in its 169-year history. The paper won two Pulitzer Prizes in 1997, for public service, and for editorial cartooning. RoseÂ's recognition as a finalist this year also represents the fifth time the newspaper has been a finalist in a category won by another paper. "If anyone doubts the value of a daily newspaper, ask the readers of The Times-Picayune," Amoss said. "They will tell you what it means to have news from your hometown, brought to you by reporters, photographers, graphic artists, columnists, editorial writers and editors who know their backyard, understand the complexity of our situation and are driven by a passion for this place and this story." "I remember being in this room on the Tuesday after Katrina hit, and Jim Amoss told our team, Â'This will be the biggest story of our lives,' "said Ashton Phelps, Jr., president and publisher of The Times-Picayune. "He was right. And our team rose to the occasion. "Many people have asked me, 'What did you learn from Katrina about Hurricane planning?' " Phelps said. "I recently told newspaper publishers from across the country the best advice: Hire talented, tough and totally dedicated employees who will put the newspaper first at a time of major personal challenge.' That's what we had done -- and it paid off." This year for the first time, the Pulitzer Prize board allowed a newspaper to submit material that appeared originally in online form, in addition to printed stories, as a part of their entries. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, The Times-PicayuneÂ's continuously updated online blog, as well as its online editions of the paper posted each night on its affiliated Web site, NOLA.com, became the source of information for more than a million area residents who had evacuated, and for much of the world. In his remarks, Amoss acknowledged the contribution of the staff at NOLA.com, Â"who were integral to everything we published, and made us an around-the-clock vital link to readers scattered across the nation.Â" Visits, or Â"hits,Â" to Times-Picayune pages on NOLA.com, increased from an average of about 800,000 page views a day before Katrina to more than 30 million page hits a day in the days after the storm. Excerpts from those blogs, as well as stories from the online editions of the paper, made up a portion of both of the newspaperÂ's winning entries. Chased from the city by flooding and a lack of power and water, much of the newspaperÂ's staff worked out of temporary offices in Baton Rouge for six weeks, printing first at the Houma Courier, a New York Times-owned paper, and then at the Mobile Press-Register, a sister paper that is owned, like The Times-Picayune, by Advance Publications, Inc. In the immediate aftermath of the storm, another team of journalists worked in the powerless and chaotic city under difficult and dangerous circumstances, siphoning gas, charging computers and cell phones with car batteries and moving from house to house -- partly to stay ahead of danger, and partly to find the rare working phone lines out of the city. Moving around in a newspaper truck, the journalists also equipped themselves with a boat, a kayak, bicycles and vehicles loaned to them by other staffers. Friends who evacuated gave them permission to break into their houses for food and shelter. Police at one point advised the newspaperÂ's staffers to arm themselves. Reporters and photographers had guns pointed at their heads, either by nervous residents who had stayed and feared looting, or by law enforcement officers who mistook the working journalists for looters. "We didn't know what the next moment might bring. But we knew we were on the biggest story in the world, and it was in our town," said City Editor David Meeks, who led the team in the city. "We were determined to tell it, and through tremendous teamwork and resourcefulness, we did." Sometimes, in order to file stories or photographs, reporters and photographers were forced to drive to Houma in the evenings, then return to the city at night to continue working. In Baton Rouge, meanwhile, the paper set up a newspaper operation from scratch at two locations. Having left the city with only limited supplies, the newspaper needed everything from computers to pencils to rental cars to places to sleep for more than 100 staffers. Like tens of thousands of New Orleans residents, staff members of the newspaper worked while knowing that their houses and belongings were destroyed, and often while not knowing the whereabouts or well-being of their loved ones. But they knew that the newspaper would still publish, as the paperÂ's owners made their commitment to that task clear from the outset. In a written message to the staff, Donald Newhouse, president of Advance Publications, also offered his congratulations to the staff of the paper. "During the horrific events of the storm and flood and their aftermath, you were and are magnificent," Newhouse wrote to the staff. "What you did and are doing is immensely important for the people and the community you serve. The two Pulitzer Prizes affirm your excellence, your sacrifices and your heroism. My family and I are thrilled to be your associates." In one of the more memorable moments of coverage for the paper, staff members took printed editions of Friday, Sept. 2, to the Convention Center, where tens of thousands of refugees were still awaiting buses. "They pounced on the newspapers as if they were food," recalled Meeks. "We were bringing not only information that they were starved for, but also some semblance of normalcy amid the chaos – their hometown newspaper." The Times-Picayune returned to its building on Howard Avenue on Oct. 10, six weeks after its hasty exit, and printed that night on its own presses for the first time since Aug. 29. For a full list of winners, click here. To see the Times-Picayune's and NOLA.com's coverage of Katrina, click here. http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakin...17.html#131933>

Best, most attractive college towns

What are the best college towns, based on collegiate feeling, attractiveness? How about Madison, Ann Arbor, Charlottesville, Chapel Hill, Princeton, Athens, Boulder, Austin (not necessarily in this order).....and isn't it sad that there are no real college towns in the nation-state that is California (maybe because Cal, Stanford, UCLA, and SC are all metro area schools).>

Houston, Texas Sucks

Dudes with all of these gas prices going through the roof, three dollars per gallon for friggin unleaded. Do you think cities like Houston would suck to live in?>

Where in the U.S. Would I be able to find houses like this?

This is a wealthy house in a wealthy Toronto neighbourhood. Are there any neighbourhoods in the United States that can match this? The thread is: http://img13.exs.cx/img13/5302/PICT8637.jpg>

Southern Living's Take on Louisville

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/DESTI...cky/index.html Thoroughbreds just one facet of Louisville Southern Living maps out three ways to experience the city By Wanda McKinney Southern Living Thursday, April 20, 2006; Posted: 10:34 a.m. EDT (14:34 GMT) (Southern Living) -- No matter which way you see Louisville, you'll make it to the winner's circle. A bumper sticker sums it up perfectly: "I wasn't born in Kentucky, but I got here as fast as I could." The city offers a range of activities to fit any taste and budget. Sneak an inside peek at the Thoroughbreds that gallop around the track at historic Churchill Downs, or wander the hot new downtown entertainment district. You can even nourish your love for the arts at the first-rate theaters and museums. Come along for the ride as we show you three ways to enjoy this fun-filled city. Galloping good times All eyes will be on recently refurbished Churchill Downs May 6 for the Kentucky Derby. For you horse lovers out there, visit Louisville now to take advantage of the track tours offered by the Kentucky Derby Museum ($6 for tour, $9 admission to museum). Get up early; the tours start at 6:45 and 8 a.m. (beginning in mid-March). If you're lucky, a trainer will invite you over to pet a Thoroughbred as it munches on its morning hay. Speaking of breakfast, walk over to Wagner's Pharmacy, where trainers and jockeys eat. The drugstore/diner, open since 1910, also features a tack shop. Order a fried-egg sandwich for $2.25, and look at all the photos of famous horses and jockeys. Shopping with an equine theme is easy in Louisville. The best place to find horse-related items is A Taste of Kentucky. Sherry and John Hassmann fill their store with everything from sterling silver mint julep cups ($260) to T-shirts that say, "Talk Derby To Me" ($15). The most popular souvenir? A dirty, old horseshoe from Churchill Downs for $3 -- bound to bring you lots of good luck. Another great shopping spot is Louisville Stoneware. Pick up some of their hand-painted china depicting thundering Thoroughbreds, a fleur-de-lis, or the original Bachelor Button pattern ($30 per plate) before lunching at The Brown hotel's J. Graham's Restaurant, home of the Hot Brown ($11.50). The delicious combination of turkey, bacon, and cheese sauce on toast was invented here. Follow up with a piece of Derby-Pie ($5.50), which originated in Louisville at Kern's Kitchen and can be found in restaurants around town. This delicacy is filled with chocolate and pecans and topped with whipped cream. Now it's time to visit a venue that represents another sport of kings -- boxing. The new Muhammad Ali Center ($9 adults, $8 seniors, $5 students, $4 ages 6-12) features exhibits, a theater and two art galleries. Continue the equine theme into dinner at Equus restaurant. A Louisville favorite for 20 years, this venerable spot offers more than 250 bottles of wine in its cellar, and chef/owner Dean Corbett uses the finest regional produce in his fabulous cuisine. Order the deservedly famous Parmesan-crusted sea bass ($30). Cross the sweet finish line with their signature dessert -- Equus Chess Cake, a confection filled with chocolate, ice cream, and cream filling ($8). You'll sleep well in the new Marriott Louisville Downtown, where crisp white linens and wonderful service promise and deliver a great experience. Big fun in the bluegrass You can have a great time in Louisville without spending a lot of money. Go visit the Louisville Zoo, where the first daffodils of spring turn the pathways into a yellow-brick road. This one-time cornfield now bursts forth with five major exhibit areas spread over 134 acres. Don't miss the "Gorilla Forest," one of the most popular spots in the 1,300-animal menagerie. Buy a ZooTram ticket for $2.50, and ride all day. (Admission: $10.95 adults, $7.95 ages 2-11.) Take a shopping-and-dining break at the hottest new venue in town. Fourth Street Live occupies an area of downtown once filled by a sleepy indoor mall. Open now for a year-and-a-half, the lively space has enticed visitors and locals alike back to the heart of the city. Don't miss a pin-popping game of bowling in Lucky Strike Lanes, and grab a gigantic burger at Hard Rock Cafe ($9). Peruse Borders for books by local authors, and then plan to come back in the evening, when lights and live music fill the air. But before the music starts, take in a Louisville Bats baseball game at Slugger Field (home games begin April 14). You'll love the stadium, with its friendly feel and excellent food. Browning's, one of the restaurants in the ballpark, serves up a great pulled-pork barbecue sandwich ($7.25) and a plate of miniature cheeseburgers ($7.50). Now, head back to Fourth Street Live. Just follow the sound of music and laughter. Have a drink at Maker's Mark Bourbon House & Lounge. Toast the town with a mint julep ($8), or just sip on a smooth Woodford Reserve bourbon ($6). They have Late Night Bites and drink specials after 11 p.m. every Friday and Saturday. Walk on over to the Marriott Courtyard Downtown or Galt House for a night of sweet Kentucky dreams. Looking lovely Before you begin exploring the city's artistic side, have a memorable breakfast at Lynn's Paradise Cafe. The Greek Scramble ($9.50) is a real winner, as is the French toast ($6.75). Head over to The Speed Art Museum, where you'll see a special exhibit that includes works by Rembrandt. Permanent exhibits feature bronze sculptures by Henry Moore and paintings by Cézanne, Picasso, and Chagall. Have lunch in the museum's Café Bristol, where their chicken salad sandwich ($5.75) -- spruced up with celery, raisins, and pecans -- is pretty and delicious. You'll be off to a great start if you begin your day of artsy fun at Lynn's Paradise Cafe.After browsing the Speed's museum shop, continue that same trend at Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft. Not only will you find wonderful exhibits, such as innovative woodwork and textile creations, but you'll also discover gift items by 200 different artists. The gallery shop holds its derby hat show every spring, with lots of fancy toppers to try on (starting at $150). Pick up a pair of handcrafted earrings for $20. More art and shopping await at Glassworks, where you can watch the glassblowers at work and then buy a finished piece. Discuss your evening activity choices over dinner at Artemisia. Try Chicken Marchan de Vin ($17). The New Orleans-style dish comes with a red wine sauce and aromatic veggies. This month (April 19-May 14) Actors Theatre presents "Crowns," a musical about African American women and their fabulous church hats. Or take in an event at The Kentucky Center, where you'll see a ballet, symphony, or Broadway play. For a perfect ending, check in to The Brown hotel, with its large rooms and inviting lobby. Sleep well, and dream of places yet to see. It's a sure bet that you'll love Louisville in the spring. This article is from the March 2006 issue of Southern Living. Because prices, dates, and other specifics are subject to change, please check all information to make sure it's still current before making your travel plans>

what city uses other big cities in a metro to boost their importance?

I havea problem with Dallas thinking that Ft. Worth is the same city as Dallas. Many of their statistics are scewed because Ft. Worth is included in them. Ft. Worth is a entirely seperate city and my it self is considered big. Is it me or does anyone else have a problem with this?>

What are the most expensive and best shopping streets.

to me the most expensive streets are 5th avenue, ny oak street, chicago rodeo dr, lA my favorite would have to be oak street.>

Worst US State to take a drive in?

Which US states do you abhor the most for having bad interstates or highways? For me, it's I-81 Pennsylvania. Absolute horror I must say.>

Buffalo's NY Central Terminal (photos)

Okay, lots of the old rust-belt cities have large train stations, some are beautiful and some are now empty. This is a photo tour of Buffalo's HUGE train station, it was closed in 1979 and now is slowly getting back on track due to a all-volunteer group and public and private donations. www.buffalocentralterminal.org Thanks for checking it out! >

A City Created in a single day: The 1889 Land Run

Land Run of 1889 When looking at cities with dramatic foundings, I think the Oklahoma City metro should take second place, behind Romulus and Remus fighting over Rome. In a single day, the area that is now the OKC metro had a population of 50,000 boomers and sooners. People waiting in Purcell before the Land Run. The dramatic birth of the Oklahoma City metro On April 22, 1889, 117 years ago, an estimated 75,000 people lined up at the borders to the Unassigned Lands, an area that now coincides with the Oklahoma City metro in central Oklahoma. Runners had the choice of a 160 acre farm lot or a city lot. 10,000 blacks also made the run, including upper and middle class blacks. As a result, several all-black towns were created in central Oklahoma, including Langston which is now home to Langston University. By nightfall on April 22, Guthrie, the territorial capitol of Oklahoma, and Perry south of modern OKC, both had a population of about 15,000 living in makeshift tents and shacks. Oklahoman Station (later OKC) had 10,000 residents. A December 1889 report stated that Oklahoma Territory (today's central Oklahoma) had a population of 50,000. OKC 10 months after the Land Run And Broadway by 1911. Today, parades and events across "Oklahoma Territory" are held to comemmorate the Land Run. Guthrie, the heart of old Oklahoma, has a week long 89er Days Celebration, culminating in a downtown carnival and parade.>

How long after graduation can one afford a home in the city?

I'm just curious to know how long after a student graduates can he expect to be able to purchase his own home, should he choose to stay in OR very very near the city. I am thinking about my own future and I think I may have to deal with apartments for the rest of my life because once I finish school, I'll be up to my eyeballs in student loans and I'll have to make sure I get those paid off--seems like that would take up most of my funds, in addition to regular living expenses. I won't have to worry about having a car since I don't drive so I will save money in gas, car insurance, car upkeep, and car purchase cost. The only other little things I will have ot pay for besides food and utilities are landline, cell, and internet. I don't reckon I'll be having a family ANY time soon if at all so I'd be most interested in a house suitable for a single person + a guest (so like a 2br for an occassional visitor like family or friend). Since I would prefer to live in a city, I've given up hope for a backyard, but I would like a place that's just right if I want to have at least a medium sized doggy. What I'm asking is, how long do you think it would take to be able to afford a small house (NOT a condo!) in a city, after I finish gradschool? Is it just completely arbitrary? Is it entirely dependent on what kind of job I can secure after graduation? Is it more so dependent on which city I ultimately end up in? Is it impossible to purchase property before the age of 30 in a major city? What are good ways to become eligible for a decent mortgage in a major city? Ideally I'd like to get a 15 year plan so as to 1. pay it off sooner and 2. not end up paying 2x+ for the property in the long run. Is it possible to own a home in a major city on an accountant or CPA's salary? Thanks......>