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Celebrity spottings
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Apart from JSix restaurant in San Diego, there is another restaurant that Hollywood celebrities are rushing to: Rama, a Thai restaurant in the Gaslamp Quarter of the city. Rama has become a favorite destination for celebrities such as Shakira, Halle Berry, Kobe Bryant, Elle Macpherson, and Brandi.
 Positioned in a warehouse setting, the restaurant boasts "dreamlike décor" for an intimate and romantic dining experience. Whisper thin, tapered draperies drop from impressively high ceilings, billowing from the rafters to surround plush booth seating below. A discerning Buddha, like Tao in Las Vegas, overlooks the dining room, seated before a cascading wall of trickling water and towering rock.
The menu consists of traditional Thai fare with authentic specialties. The kitchen is lead by chef Pannuwat Soukjai, who trained at Thailand’s Royal Culinary Institute. The menu is a fusion of spicy, cool, sweet, salty and refreshing sensations, with a "hot" scale ranging from 1-10, a challenge for the most seasoned of spice connoisseurs.
You can also check out the 30-Two Bar & Lounge, where guests are invited to relax and enjoy a serene and tranquil, luxury lounge atmosphere. 30-Two is San Diego’s first and only private lounge, reserved exclusively for members or guests of Rama restaurant. |
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Celebrity Travel News
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 So Madonna is not the only Hollywood celebrity to be fascinated by India. When Phil Keoghan, the host of The Amazing Race, was recently asked by Jacqueline Neiss about the most exotic place he has ever been, his reply was "The most exotic, most extreme, most impactful would be India. I love it too. I think it's such an incredible country."
Indeed, India is not for everyone. While you can find almost all comforts that we are used to at home but be prepared to be exposed to extreme poverty too. As long as you are mentally prepared to deal with that, it is definitely worth a visit and you will have the time of your life, particularly if you can stay away from large metropolitan areas and focus on exploring the historical sites. |
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Celebrity Travel News
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Every place on the planet has something beautiful, though it doesn't always mean that you can "vacation" there. For instance, no matter how attractive Sudan or Afghanistan or Iraq may appear to be from a travel perspective, now is not the time to visit. Haiti is one of those places that you can add to the list. Not exactly safe, unless you plan it really well. The State Department has warned Americans for years about travel to Haiti.
In that context it was interesting to read about Paris Hilton's planned visit to Haiti on behalf of a non-for-profit organization. Like many other Americans clueless about the rest of the world, Ms. Hilton had no idea where Haiti was. When she was told that they speak French there [along with Creole], her response was, "I wouldn’t mind spending a few days there and the weekend in Paris.”
By the way if you are like Paris Hilton, Haiti is just 750 miles off the coast of Florida. It shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. So if Paris Hilton does go there, it wouldn't be anything like her trip to Disney.
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Celebrity spottings
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We already told you how to spot Drew Barrymore in New York. Well, there is another movie star that spends a great deal of time in the city: Scarlett Johansson. And like many other celebrity New Yorkers - Sarah Jessica Parker included - she does not hide from the rest of us by not getting out of the house and then getting into limos. Actually, she walks her dog, drives herself (pumping gas included), and eats at restaurants that most of us can afford to eat, for instance, the Lobardi's.
Another favorite spot of this animal lover is the Central Park Zoo. Like anyone who loves shopping, she takes the time to visit the boutiques on Fifth Avenue but don't be surprised to see her browsing small shops in the Pearl River Market or Lower East Side. |
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Celebrity spottings
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Adventure Girl Stefanie Michaels is a well known journalist and travel guru. The greatest part of her reporting is that she goes through each experience that she writes about rather than just reporting what others tell her.
In that context, her trip to Kahala Resort on the Island of Oahu (in Hawaii) was remarkable because she believes that the island of Oahu has so much to offer to all visitors, though it is no wonder that it has always attracted the Hollywood elite. A lengthy list of celebrity sitings such as Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake (who enjoy surfing there), comedian- David Spade, rock star- Kelly Clarkson, Rock Star Super Nova's- Tommy Lee, surfer- Laird Hamilton, Will Smith, Sandra Bullock and Jesse James and Ben Affleck, American Idol's cast members - Ryan Seacrest and Randy Jackson are just a few who have enjoyed Oahu's activities, fine dining and nightlife. (Related: Maui too has great beaches) |
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Celebrity spottings
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 A place in New York where you will see a lot of celebrities hang out is called G Spa, which believe it or not is a spa by day but a wild nightclub after regular hours. Some of the celebrities that have been seen there are James Blunt, Petra Nemcova, Lindsay Lohan, Jay-Z, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Eliza Dushku, Scott Sartiano, Richie Akiva, and Justin Timberlake/Cameron Diaz.
This lounge is part of Hotel Gansevoort in the Soho neighborhood. The upscale spa offers pools for soaking, body treatments, sauna, and a Hiro Haraguchi hair salon.
While the lounge is the place to be for celebrity spotting, it is not the perfect place if you do not have tons of money. Like Bridge in Hollywood, expect not-so-great service for highly priced drinks (there is even a table minimum). In other words, go in a big group and spend enough to meet the minimum limit and spend your time admiring the stars rather than the drinks.
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Celebrity Travel News
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Hugh Laurie likes to travel so much so that he prefers hotels over rooms. And when he was recently asked in an interview with InSyle to name the best vacation destination in the world, he named Seychelles. "..White sand, water like vodka, vodka like water," he replied. (Related destinations: Fiji, Antigua, British Virgin Islands, St Tropez, and Bora Bora)
Seychelles is a group of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean closer to Africa. The best way to get there is on Air Seychelles that flies from major airports like London, Munich, Paris, Rome, Johannesburg, Mauritius and Singapore. No visas are needed, no matter what your nationality.
We recommend that you check out the New Emerald Cove Hotel, built on a private beach at Anse la Farineon the island of Praslin. |
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Celebrity spottings
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The Koi Group of restaurants is famous because of Koi - one of the most popular sushi joint in Hollywood and now they have another restaurant: Bridge. This restaurant serves a mix of Mediterranean and Italian cuisine prepared by chefs Mirko Paderno and Santos MacDonal. No surprise then that fans of Koi are lining up to eat at Bridge. Some of the Hollywood stars that hang out there are Jamie Foxx, Jessica Alba, Owen Wilson, and Eva Longoria. (Other popular restaurants in the area: Nobu, Il Sole, Orso, Moonshadows, and Hyde Lounge)
Now remember that it is an expensive place and unless you are a movie star, the service is likely to disappoint you - the staff is reported to be rude to the rest of us. So go there for celebrity watching, not to eat. Go the lounge instead of the restaurant, order some alcohol and munchies, and the let the fun begin. And if you are hungry prior to going, eat at Koi. |
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Celebrity Travel News
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 Well almost all celebrities go to Disney - or at least Paris Hilton does. But a lot of people assume that this is the only family destination for the celebs. In fact, for celebrities with families, Legoland is another great vacation spot.
Some of the celebrities that have been spotted at Legoland are Michael Douglas/Catherine Zeta Jones, Cate Blanchett, Reeser Witherspoon/Ryan Philippe, Hugh Jackman, and Julianne Moore. While a day trip is easy to do (north of San Diego in the beautiful Carlsbad area and close to La Jolla beaches), it is much better to spend some more time there, preferably two days - the ticket is just a few dollars more. And if you are one of those men who don't like to hang out with the kids, there are plenty of options to play golf in the area. |
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Celebrity spottings
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It is no secret that most Hollywood stars do not live in just Hollywood or Malibu - many of them call New York their home or even live in New York and commute to Hollywood. One celebrity that considers Manhattan as "home" is Drew Barrymore and there are plenty of opportunities to spot her.
While she makes millions of dollars for each movie, she often rides the New York City subway. She is also spotted walking her dog (often with Fabrizio Moretti) in the Lower East side area (it is our policy ot give out the exact address of the stars - we encourage you to celebrity watch only in a public place without becoming a nuisance - they are humans too and deserve privacy). |
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