Cozumel!

Everything always seems to be more extravagant and unique in the eyes of an innocent, curious child. However, whenever I’m in a luxurious place, such as an incredible terrain, the child inside me thrives to come out. There are many places that I could specify as my “favorite” place to be, but there is one place in particular that I absolutely admire. Off the coast of Mexico, there is a small, secluded island called Cozumel. There are innumerable reasons why this discrete island is my favorite place. As a child, I walked on the shores of this sensational island, a feeling of complete contentment embellished me. I would run through the turquoise ocean tides and skip along the sandy shores thinking I was on top of the world. Despite my eagerness to persuade others to visit this place because this island is so remarkably breathtaking, I find myself hesitant to share such beauty as I would prefer to keep it my own special secret. I remember swimming in the warm ocean water, tasting the salt as it splashed in my face. My family and I use to ride the refreshing ocean waves and let the tide bring us back into shore. The dry, hot sand on the beach was decidedly soft as I often buried my feet and hands in it when I would sit down. I remember being buried in the damp, sticky sand and making countless sand castles. One of my favorite things to do was go snorkeling. When we went snorkeling in the coral reefs, it was breathtaking. I remember thinking it was the most beautiful scenery in the world. The turquoise water, colorful coral and brilliant colors of fish all complimented each other and were absolutely stunning. There is life everywhere under the water and everything was absolutely sensational. The days on this island always flew by. The countless memories I make when I visit this island is incredible. That is why Cozumel, Mexico is definitely a marvelous place to visit.

kb. 

audabon park

Favorite Place

In my 15 years of living, I have visited hundreds of places, all of which are unique in one way or another.  Some of these include Billings, Branson, and the hot springs of the Rocky Mountains.  But out of all of those diverse locations, my favorite place is an outdoor basketball court in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  There are two reasons why I love this place:  it’s the perfect place to go to whenever I’m in doubt, and it seems to be the only place I am at peace.

In Minneapolis, life can get stressful really fast, whether it’s from being claustrophobic or being robbed.  So, to get away I go to this basketball court that resides in Audabon Park.  It is right on the bottom of a hill, so it is very secluded.  To me, this place seems to be trapped in time, never changing as I go there every other weekend.  When I shoot baskets there, with a little friend I like to called Spalding (a basketball), no one has ever disturbed me or came up to me asking for money.  I can just be there without being disturbed by anybody, and that’s nice because it allows me to do some real soul-searching.

I have never played on a basketball court as calm as I have played on this one.  Whenever I play pickup games there, when there is any, I always cannot be stopped.  I’ve even played against former college basketball starts at Audabon Park, and yet I still can score more points than them.  In Audabon Park, I am unstoppable.  But the smile on my face is not a smile of arrogance;  it is a smile of happiness and contentment.  I feel as if I could live there happily without any money or food.  I could survive on the sheer love I have for Audabon Park.

To me, Audabon Park is the perfect place for me.  It’s the only place that will satisfy my emotional wants.  Maybe one day I could live near there so I could take my young ones to play basketball with me.  This little park in Minneapolis is all I need to survive.

~Chamalmy

Africa

If I were to choose a place I could go, I would most definitely want to visit Africa. I would want to visit Africa because of it fascinating history, great culture, and exquisite beauty. Africa has great horizions, interesting people, and much more. I was inspired to visit Africa after watching the movie The Lion King, although it is an animated version of Africa, because it captures the great aspects of the very large continent like the different tribes, or the true care they give to animals. Overall, Africa would be a great place to visit.

I’ll start with the landscape, particularly Southern Africa. This region has a wide diversity of ecoregions including grassland, bushveld, karoo, savannah and riparian zones.This region includes species such as white rhino, lion, leopard, impala, kudu, blue wildebeest, vervet monkey and elephants. Africa’s “High Grasslands”, the high grasslands cover almost all of the southern peninsula, but are unfortunately being destroyed along with other plants and wildlife be overpopulation. These plains have very tall grasses and the grasses can range in color from dusty-grey to vibrant-green in some regions. The beauty sunsets are a amazing sight, looking at the reddish-orange sun sunken half way so only the top remaining portion is shown and with its rays distorting the small area around the edge, is a empowering image. It brings tranquillity back to the craziness of reality. Africa as a whole gives off that effect. The plains are not just any plains- these plains are home to many different species, just like the high grasslands, such as white rhino, lion, leopard, impala, and more. Even though these plains may only contain one tree for 50 miles or more, that tree could be a very fascinating if people would only stop and look a little closer. The Umbrella Thorn tree has a grey-brown color though the trunk and the branches, but at the top it has resilient greenery. The top of the tree is covered with bushy greenery, vibrant, luscious, green leaves. But this is not the only tree in Africa, there are so many which include, but is not limited to, the Wild Date Palm- a palm tree with feather-shaped leaves, very nice (even though the tree is 6 meters tall), or the commonly known Bushwillow- a wide spread, fairly common shrub, up to 4 meters tall, which grows on both deep sand and loamy-sand. The leaves are relatively large compared to others. All these trees can be found the Africa’s great savannahs, lone plains, thriving forests.

Just stating some facts, but hopefully you will see why overall Africa is a very wonderful place, full of brilliant colors and fascinating landscapes. Africa has so many different aspects and to only look at one or few is to look at the Statue of Liberty through a paper tube. You may know what you are looking at but you only see a small glimpse of what is truly there a great place- Africa.

-aj

NYC

The favorite place I have ever been is to New York City. It's one of my favorite because I lived there for four years of my life,  my mom and dad are both from there, and all my family lives there. It's not just my favorite place because of all the stuff like the museums, stores and sight-seeing, it's because my family is there and old family friends.  All the other stuff is fun, but not as much being around your family. The food there is so good. The Empire State Building was one of the coolest things there, except the gift shop because everything was $30. It's also so much different than Bemidji, of course, but it's nice get to a big city and just different mood than Bemidji. -br

madagascar

After thinking awhile, and looking through pictures of possible places I would want to go, I decided the perfect place I would want to visit would be the island of Madagascar. Madagascar is an island in the Indian ocean east of Africa, widely know for their beautiful cities, amazing and rare animals, and breathtaking ocean views. My reasons for wanting to go here is the ocean view and animals. Madagascar is home to roughly 200,000 animals- 150,000 of them being endemic, meaning they don't exist anywhere else. Some of these animals include various types of Lemurs and frogs, Aye-Ayes, Fossa's, Tenrec's, the Giraffe Weevil, Giant Leaf-Tailed gecko, and the newly found chameleons (among the tiniest reptiles in the world). But sadly, out of the hundreds of kinds of lemurs, about 40 kinds are a threatened species because of illegal poaching. Same with the tortoise of Madagascar, facing a close extinction. Poaching's not the only reason why some animals are going extinct, but there are also other human-caused effects and loss of habitat. It is estimated that only 3% of Madagascar's once massive forest is still there. 

The other reason I want to go to Madagascar is because of the ocean scenery. Madagascar has amazing and beautiful ocean views such as Ile Sainte Marie and Nosy Iranja. Just thinking of being on one of these beaches, lying on the powder white sand, the rays of sun on my face, the sound of the crashing waves, makes me want to by a first class flight to Madagascar. -ab

where I want to go...

We live in a world filled with opportunities for adventure.   We are at liberty to travel to distance lands of fun at almost any time, but of all the places to visit in the world, I think that the best place is the bathroom.  The adventurous atmosphere of the water closet is created by the usage of the loo and the decor that can be contained.

   The bathroom is the best place to visit because you can relieve yourself of your your body's unwanted nutrients.  You can also take a relaxing bubble bath or take a shower.  Another great thing about the bathroom is that you can be naked for an extended period of time without anyone caring.  Clearly, the bathroom gives people freedom and relaxation.  

   The best thing by far about the bathroom is the option to let loose the storm that has been brewing in your bowels all week.  You have the right to fart really loud and make the entire room reek with the stench of the Arby's dinner you ate last week.  As you can clearly see, I love the bathroom because it protects the rights of those who need to defaecate. 

- RJ

Jamaica

I would like to visit Jamaica. I would love to visit there because it is warm and cozy in that region. And, the pictures I’ve seen of the beautiful blue waters of Jamaica convinces me that it is the--not number two--but number one place to visit. 

I like to hang out at beaches too, so that makes it doubly good. Now these are not just any old sand bars next to some old water source, these are Caribbean beaches! Have watched the film Pirates of the Caribbean and seen how beautiful all of those beaches are? Most likely I would guess they were somewhere near Jamaica. Better yet- one of my favorite movies Cool Runnings takes place in Jamaica. I very much enjoyed that movie, so that leads me to believe that I would enjoy it there a lot. If I see one of those “You could win a trip to Jamaica!” slogans on the back of a cereal box, you know which cereal I’m going to buy.

-el

Florida

My favorite place to visit would have to be Florida. I have been all over Florida once on a family vacation two summers ago. My dad, little brother Garwin, older brother Zack, and I went to Palm Bay, Florida, for a week. Palm Bay is on the east side of Florida on the Atlantic Ocean. The drive was about two full days of non-stop driving. When we arrived to Palm Bay, the temperature was already in the mid 90's. I remember because I got sunburned the first hour I was there. When we got our luggage into our hotel, we immediately set off into the town to look around. Our first night there, we had fresh alligator bites from a local diner. Over the next few days, we explored the small town of Palm Bay, and helped out many small businesses. Florida became my favorite place to be because it felt as if we were already welcomed into the community in the short time we were there. -hK

Land Of The Lost!

I would Love to visit Land Of The Lost because there are green alien, lizzard things, dinosaur, and weird Choka people --what's not love? Although this place sounds all fun and games, it isn't. You must learn how to avoid making fun-of a T-Rex so you don't get a huge walnut thrown at you. You also have to look out for falling ice-cream truck, and maybe get a ice-cream power puff girl treat before the phalopsurasters get them all. Even though you may risk the chace of getting ripped to shreds by the phalopsurasters, at least you had  the chance to eat that delicious ice-cream (mmmmm yummy). So, if your thinking on taking a trip to a place that'll blow your mind, this is the place to go.  

Not only is the resident pretty steller, but the landscape is awesome (you must say this in a funny voice out loud. Go ahead you know you want to do it... just do it!). Jut think about it! There's a place where you could claim you found everything because the last two people died or where to stupid to remember to right about it. You wouldn't have to worry about pollution in the air because there would be little to none in the area. Did I forget to mention that you get free king (when I saying I mean king of the king) crab and free (ahhh?) drinks because the crab also falls from the sky. 

These are all the reason why moving to the Land Of The Lost would be a dream come true!

Choka Fanatic 

St. George, Utah

My favorite place to visit is St. George, Utah.

St. George is about an hour and a half from Las Vegas, Nevada, in Southern Utah. I love going to St. George because it's always sunny and warm! On our last visit we stayed at a hotel and when we got up in the mornings and went to the pool, it was 82 degrees - here in Cass Lake it was 23 degrees! The canyons, as you drive into St. George, are full of colors blacks, oranges, reds, greys, blues and even a little bit of green. You can see Joshua Trees (cactus), palm trees, and even a few lakes.

I always enjoy visiting there because my great-grandfather and cousin live there. When we visit St. George, we enjoy going to the Lava Caves in Snow Canyon, and the sand dunes. The sand dunes are warm and you can feel the heat through your shoes. Snow Canyon is full of orange and red walls of sandstone. The lava caves are from old magma flows and really dark; we needed headlights and had to watch our heads because the lava rocks are really sharp.

Our last visit was to say goodbye to my great-grandma, yet even though the trip was full of sorrow, we still made lots of amazing memories. We had water fights, we hiked, we swam, we laughed and we took care of Grandpa Perry. My mom and dad showed us where they met, their schools and places they went as teenagers. We drove through the neighborhood and saw the house where my mom grew up, we drove past the spot where mom and dad met while cruising the boulevard. We even drove past subdivisions my Grandpa Perry developed. It was pretty cool to see the town I was born in and how it had changed.

My great-grandpa took me and my parents to one of his investment homes. It was AMAZING! It had a pool in the middle of the house, an awesome lava rock yard, a wall that opened all the way up so you could barbecue while still being inside. I even put dibbs on which room I wanted! The home was full of windows and you could feel the sunshine through each window.

St. George is a large city, with all the shopping you can imagine, golf courses everywhere, a large hospital complex, a college, lots and lots of restaurants. There is a Latter-Day Saint temple and Latter-Day Saint Churches on what looked like every corner. I wouldn't want to live there because the summers get really hot, but I love visiting. Each trip is always fun, full of laughs and lots of love. The best part of our trips are the stories that get retold over and over about St. George. We get to hear about how my mom and dad were both cruising the boulevard and my mom and her cousin thought my dad and his friends were cussing and flipping them off, so my mom and her cousin stopped to see why they were mad at them and come to find out they were just telling them to come over and talk to them. It's always neat to see the place they first met.

-tk

Stage

My favorite place to be is where I feel most at home. I feel most at home under the hot lights, shining on my back with a crowd watching me, with the fiercest weapon in front of me. That weapon is the power of voice, freedom, and lyric. That weapon is a microphone. I could say anything, sing anything, or play anything and be heard throughout the venue. I love it.

Some people share a very common fear. Stage fright. I’ve never had experienced any form of this in my life, not even nervousness before a performance.  Some get nervous in front of a camera, others public speaking. What ever the scenario, I think it is caused by lack of experience. I came to that conclusion because I have been performing since a very young age, and I think that is reason why I’m so comfortable on stage. After talking to several people about having stage fright, the most common reason comes down to mistakes. You might mess up and the audience will notice and possibly comment, resulting in your embarrassment. This is why people love live performances. Mistakes happen, and you just have to keep going and accept it as something that was bound to happen. Every performance you’ll make a mistake, and every mistake will always be different.

I love performing, I love being on stage. The moments I spend in the limelight are the moments in pure bliss for me. Each performance is unique in many ways. The venue, along with different venues come a different crowd of people. With each crowd of people you want to pick an appropriate set list. With each set list you make different mistakes. People will respond differently depending on your stage presence. How do you want the audience to feel? Uncomfortable? Do you want to, by making them uncomfortable, be in control of them? Do you want them to feel at home? Do you want them to feel comfortable enough to dance?

It’s all up to you. You, the performer. You can awe them, surprise them, essentially invoke any emotion you want out your audience. You, the performer. 

GB

where I want to go

                     If I could go anywhere in the world I would go to Argentina or France because I have always wanted to go either of those places. The main reasons why I would want to go to both of these places is because I want to meet new people and see new places.

         

                     I have always wanted to learn French because the language has always sounded beautiful.  I really want to see the Eiffel Tower because it looks huge and it seems like a very cool place to go.  Also, the Rush Hour 3 was filmed in France, and I love all the rush hour movies so it would be a dream of mine to go there. 

I also have always wanted to go to Argentina because I use to love the Cheetah Girls movies, and they went there in one of their movies. But I also want to go to a zoo in Argentina because there is a zoo where they let you sit on a full-grown male lion, which seems like a very awesome thing to do.  There hasn't been one attack on anybody from the lion, which is good, obviously.  They make sure that the animals are fed so that no one gets hurt when they go into cages.  

Both France and Argentina appeal to me very much because they have things that I really want to do in my life.

-ss

Medieval Times

   A couple years ago I traveled to Chicago to visit my brother who was stationed there with the navy. He was just finishing up with boot camp, and we were half visiting, half celebrating his graduation. We spent about four days there and we covered a fair portion of the city. Navy Pier, and the Museum of Science and Industry (which had one of the actual Ford Angelinas that were used in the filming of Harry Potter) were both awesome in their own ways, but my favorite place to see had to have been Medieval Times.

     Medieval Times is a restaurant where you not only watch a show full of medieval sports such as jousting and sword fighting, but you also eat like you’re in that time period. The waiters don’t give you silverware. The meal is served in courses and includes everything from soup and chicken to apple strudel. And while you eat, knights on horse-back search to find a missing herald in order to create peace between two kingdoms through a marriage proposal. Only one thing stands in their way, one of knights isn’t as good as he seems. This knight wants to ruin the chances of the other knights' survival as well as the chances of peace between the kingdoms. The knights share this role as it varies from show to show, but the character adds to the suspense and the urgency of the quest at hand.

     Upon arrival, the audience members are divided up to support each of six knights; I supported the black and white knight. Spectators are given flags and crowns for their knight, and the most enthusiastic audience members seated near the front may receive flowers from their knight during the show. After being seated, waiters bring out the meal and Lord Chancellor takes the floor to introduce the show. He gives some background information, then brings out the knights in order to begin.

     A net is lowered around the arena to protect the audience from the splintering of lances during the joust. After the joust, the net stays down, and the real fun begins. The knights engage in sword fighting, and true intensions of one of the knights are revealed. The knight in question got rid of the missing herald and wants to take over the kingdoms and rule for himself. The show continues as the knights embark on a mission to find the herald, and defeat the rebel among them. It also includes a visit from the royal falconer and the royal falcon themselves. Only one knight comes out on top, and they earn eternal glory. The knight who turns against the king earns a life of eternal shame.

     Every kid dreams of being a knight in armor at one point in their life, and every little girl wants to be a princess. I know I did. Coming to the castles allows any child or adult to relive and enjoy those fantasies again on a larger scale. I would love to go to Chicago again, just to see the show. I personally have a little thing against the green knight since he kind of defeated my knight, but I wouldn't care if I ended up with the evil knight. He kicks butt sometimes! One of the upside to when I went to the show was that I was able to sit in the front and see everything clearly and get even deeper into the action. I loved it

     Medieval Times takes the definition of dinner theater to a whole new level. It allows everyone to relive that point and time of fantasy in their life and enjoy the thrill of a royal tournament. With a meal fit for a king and many royal characters, it is hard to be bored in the palace. There is always so much going on, and so much that the audience can take part in. So take a trip to the dungeons! Or just come to see the knights. It doesn't matter why you come, all that matters is that you have an unforgettable time.

LS

places.

The woods. The trees. The water. It’s not a place exactly. It’s everywhere, anywhere, that nature exists without having been trampled on by the human footprint. I am a human, so I can criticize our species without feeling remorse. I have, I’m sure we all have, lived in countries, cities, places, where modern development has devastated the natural beauty of trees, living trees and sparkling waters. Whether we know it or not, the tall, dull gray of buildings are overtaking the horizon. 

When I imagine a perfect place, my favorite place, I see stretches of green fields and the endless blue of oceans on the inside of my eyelids. The forest is a perfect place for me run. I can run and climb and explore and discover and I won’t encounter the bustle of the city or the endless rows of human-built creations, where nature could have prevailed. The ocean; the sound of it is just relaxing and comforting. Although I have never lived in a place near an ocean, when I get the chance, I still let the water surround me and it feels like home.

I think that we, as the “smartest” race, abuse our power. We destroy many things that are beautiful and turn them into apartment blocks and pollution.Why do we need to continue expanding when we have a surplus amount of buildings? Why is it that we humans feel that we need to crush nature?

I wonder how long it will take society to turn the idea of ordinary vegetation into gold dust. I wonder how long it will take for my favorite places, in the woods and the water and the outdoors, to become few and far between. I wonder when the world will realize that we need all these outdoors places, unblemished by the human race. I wonder when people will realize that we need to have favorite places still. 

-kw