August 6, 2016 - Celebrating Rio de Janeiro and The BEST hotels in Los Angeles

Elisa's Daily Scoop

Facts about Rio de Janeiro

HI!  Have you noticed that everything is all a-buzz about Rio these days - Rio de Janeiro, that is.

With the focus on the 2016 Summer Olympics, there is no way to separate the games from the locale.  

And with good reason.  Rio de Janeiro is a pretty exciting and exotic place.

Why, even the famous singer/songwriter, Peter Allen, "The Boy from Oz" wrote an entire song about this Brazilian city!!

In honor of the Olympics, let's take a closer look at Rio...

16 FUN FACTS ABOUT RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

(credit: www.ockovani.cz)

1. Rio de Janeiro was first visited in January 1502 by Portuguese explorers, who believed the bay they encountered (now called Guanabara Bay) was the mouth of a river.

2. The explorers named it Rio de Janeiro, "“River of January” and though it is not a river, the name stuck.

3. Rio de Janeiro is nicknamed Cidade Maravilhosa, or Marvelous City.

4. Locals are called ‘cariocas’, which is pronounced care-ree-o-cas.

5. In 1753, the first ever Carnival occurred in the city, kicking off 40 days before Lent and today Rio Carnival is the biggest and brashest jamboree of its kind.

6. Between 1815 and 1822, Rio served as the centre for the exiled royal court of Portugal, which had been driven from the motherland by Napoleon.

Carnival in Rio de Janeiro (credit: wallpapershome.com)

​7. November 15, 1889 is the date of the proclamation of the Brazilian republic.

8. Between 1763 and 1960, Rio was the capital, when it was then changed to Brasília.

9. The 1950 World Cup Final, between Uruguay and Brazil, remains the highest attended match ever with 173,850 spectators crammed into Rio’s Maracanã Stadium. Unfortunately, Brazil lost 2-1.

10. The best panoramic views are from the granite peak of Sugarloaf Mountain, which, at 396m, looms large above the city. 

11. Christ the Redeemer statue is perhaps the most iconic symbol of Rio, built from 1922 to 1931, it is visited by 5,000 people daily.

12. The statue is the largest Art Deco statue in the world and the fifth largest Jesus statue.

Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio - created 1922-1931 (credit:price travel.com)

13. Brazil's national culinary dish is Feijoada, which is a hearty stew made from black beans, sausages and low-grade cuts of pork (typically trotters and ears). 

14. There are some 600 favelas, or shanty towns, in Rio, with an estimated 6 per cent of Brazil’s population live in favelas.

15. Sixty-five percent of favela residents are considered middle class, with the largest being Rocinha. Official estimates of inhabitants is 70,000, but unofficial estimates say 180,000 is closer to the mark.

16. Samba is the dominant musical genre of Brazil, brought to Latin America by African slaves. The word samba is believed to have derived from a West African Bantu word meaning “to pray” and from an Angolan word meaning “pelvic movements”.


Getting back to yesterday -what a productive day!! Yes, my kids finished up the majority of their summer school work - Kelsey just needs to re-write her report neatly and she is completely ready for school come September.

We also spent several hours organizing Kelsey's room.  She has so many old clothes that don't fit her and with her sister just having a huge growth spurt, she just inherited a huge number of almost-new hand-me-downs.

Clearly, we needed to make room for the "new" stuff.  My little clothes horse sorted through drawers and her closet, only to find she still had wears in sizes 5 and 6!  She is now a 10-12.

Needless to say, we made a ton of room.  What a pleasure it is to go into her closet now. We even designated a special location for her school uniforms so they are easily accessible to her.

Gianna's room was another story.  While the bulk of her closet and drawers was done last week, this kid has quickly become a teenage slob!  Stuff everywhere, it is a bit difficult to wade through the mess and keep the room looking neat.

Anyway, our pile for the Veterans is growing and I cannot wait till mid-August when they come to pick up.

I also did a few handy projects around the house - fixing hinges on cabinets and organizing mine and the kids' books.

Last night, me and Kelsey settled down to watch a movie on Netflix, appropriately enough, "Mothers and Daughters."  It was cute - a touch sentimental but enjoyable nonetheless.

I don't men to be catty, but there was definitely a Botox fest prior to filming this movie.  Courtney Cox ("Friends") was such a beautiful girl - I'm not sure what she did to herself, but she looked absolutely awful.  It was hard to watch her as I spent the whole time trying to figure out what was wrong with her face.

Sharon Stone did not look much better either.  For some reason, mostly every female looked really strange - not sure why, but the movie kept my mine and Kelsey's attention. And no foul language or sex, which was refreshing.

Today equals more work around the house, some errands and grocery shopping.

Tomorrow...Horses & Horse Show...
I got roped into driving out east for the girls to see a few of their barn-mates compete in a show.  How do I always manage to say "Ok." lol.

Gianna is making treats for everyone today to bring.  I'll snap a few pics of the finished products when they are ready.

Of course, it wasn't enough to just schlepp out to the show;  they asked if we could go say "hi" to their beloved horses.  Ugh - no problem kids -- and I'll be back on a few-day routine with riding this week again, back and forth from Nassau to Suffolk counties, for the next 3 weeks.

Well, here's to a great weekend!

-E
xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 10 DAYS

Surprise Surprise!

"Guess where I am?" is the name of the game today!

Greetings from the Historic and Iconic Sunset Tower Hotel!
I'm writing to you from the Penthouse wrap-around Terrace and enjoying a most delicious breeze. Ahhhh life is GOOD!

As of yesterday I only knew that Dave and I were heading up to Los Angeles for a stay-cation mini getaway - but he was keeping it a surprise as to where we were staying...

I completely trusted his judgement as we typically do these little LA stay-cations and I leave almost all the planning to him...aside from where we will be eating! LOL

He has a pretty good record with surprising me with stays at:

The Los Angeles Bonaventure

PC: starwoodhotels.com

This famous Westin Los Angeles hotel is one of the most photographed destinations in the world.  
LA's largest convention hotel - widely regarded as a "City-within-a City".
The Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites has also been featured in several movies and television series over the years including most of the key scenes in the 1995 Johnny Depp thriller "Nick of Time".
Now out of all the very many movies filmed here why would I mention this one?

BECAUSE I worked on it!
​
Got ya wondering now...
Do you know anything about me??

The Los Angeles Ritz Carlton

PC: ritzcarlton.com

Located at the epicenter of Los Angeles, amidst the spectacular revitalization of downtown. This boutique hotel features luxurious accommodations, with dramatic, panoramic skyline views!

The Los Angeles JW Marriott

PC: tripadvisor.com

Overflowing with luxury resources, this hotel places you in the heart of the action in downtown Los Angeles, just moments from the city's top attractions.

The Los Angeles Biltmore

PC: discoverlosangeles.com

Home of Hollywood glamour, the historic Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles has been the choice of celebrities, presidents, and dignitaries, and the backdrop for many movies and TV shows. Designated as a historic-cultural landmark, the interior of this beloved 1923 hotel features frescos and murals, carved marble fountains and columns, crystal chandeliers, and embroidered tapestries.

The Hotel Bel Air

PC: embracelifephoto.com

Set amid 12 acres of secluded gardens, this 1922 Spanish mission-style luxury hotel is where some of the world’s most celebrated personalities go to relax and rejuvenate in style. Just minutes from Beverly Hills and Los Angeles’ most popular attractions, Hotel Bel-Air is regarded as one of the most beautiful hotels in the world.

The Beverly Hills Hotel

PC: starlinetours.com

Also known as The Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows, it is located on Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California. One of the world's most iconic and best-known hotels, closely associated with Hollywood film stars, rock stars, celebrities and ME!

The Chateau Marmont ​

PC: telegraph.co.uk

One of Los Angeles' Historical-Cultural Landmarks this legendary Sunset Boulevard hotel was designed to evoke the vibe of a French chateau. This great castle on the hill is the set of a film waiting for someone to call action - this is the place where things happen! 

and now The Sunset Towers Hotel!

PC: wiki.com

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 this landmark art deco hotel on the Sunset Strip in vibrant West Hollywood dates to 1931...

​But ya gotta come back tomorrow for the full SCOOP on this one!!

For now, I'll tell you a bit about yesterday...prior to our hotel arrival:

Yesterday was super busy and it was also a 2 stables type of day for us...

But of course Cosette had a great time, and did some awesome riding!

Then after a full day of non-stop errands and chores we were on our way up to LA. 
Arriving at our hotel before heading out to dinner - there was some complications about our reservations that ate up more time than we could've expected. 
So by the time we arrived (kinda late) for our dining reservations for the Summer Pop Up Series: Arata at Plant Food + Wine Venice

Dinner was delicious...but dessert was a bit odd!

More on this for FOODIE FRIDAY.

Then back to the lovely hotel we went, I took a gander at the skyline and then I had a most relaxing candle lit soak in the lovely tub.
AHHH life is GOOD!
​Did I already say that?! Lol

Time for me to go paint the town ;)

See ya tomorrow with lots more!
​-T