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Harry Potter Theme Park Opens in Orlando

Lisa Brown — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:22:03 +0000

The New York Times reported that Universal Studios in Orlando is unveiling a theme park within their theme park, fashioned after the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. The park, called The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, cost an estimated $265 million to construct and will relieve some of Universal’s dependency on Marvel characters for attractions, as Marvel was just purchased by Walt Disney. Wizarding World will feature rides such as Flight of the Hippogriff, and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. The park is fashioned after the fictional Hogsmeade, a wizarding town described in the series. There’s also Hogwarts Castle, which although only 150 feet tall appears to tower at a height of 600 feet due to special effects. The park is expected to capitalize on the books popularity and draw in a percentage of the millions of fans that love Harry Potter. The Harry Potter Books have been translated into 67 languages, and when the final installment of the series was published, it sold 11 million copies in the first 24 hours. If Wizarding World can cash in on even a fraction of this popularity, it will surely recoup its investment. And if you’re staying in Orlando corporate housing, be sure to check out what is sure to be a popular new attraction.

Harry Potter Theme Park Opens in Orlando is a post originally from the Almost Home Blog, which focuses on corporate housing, travel tips, area information and other information helpful to corporate travelers.

Minneapolis-St. Paul- 3 Areas of the City to Consider

Lisa Brown — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:24:07 +0000

Forbes.com recently reported that Minneapolis-St.Paul is the least expensive place to live according to its geographic region. In order to reach this conclusion, Forbes.com compared elements such as cost-of-living with quality of life measures such as crime rate and divided the country into regions. The city ranked number 3 overall, and its high ranking was attributed to good salaries and the wealth of cultural opportunity that the city affords. Al Lee, director of quantitative analysis at PayScale.com, was quoted in the article as saying “The best place to be is on the fringe of one of those cities.   An hour or so outside of town, you’re still close enough to feel the influence of the high wage areas.”
Here are three suburbs of Minneapolis to consider when relocating to the area, or if you’re on temporary assignment and staying in corporate housing there:
1.)    Edina. Edina has a reputation for being one of the most affluent suburbs in Minneapolis. Median household income in 1999 was around $66K, which is well above the state average. It only follows that Edina public schools are among the top 100 for academics in the U.S., as rated by Newsweek in 2007. 46% of Edina public school graduates go on to pursue graduate degrees. So if you’re relocating to Minneapolis with children in tow, it would behoove you to consider Edina as an option for their home and schooling.
2.)    St. Louis Park. St. Louis Park is known for being a little more blue collar than Edina, but as real estate in the area has continued to uptick, the demographics may be rapidly changing. St. Louis Park has fostered several important figures in current events, including movie directors Joel and Ethan Coen, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman and Senator Al Franken. St. Louis Park is within comfortable distance of the city but is a little more laid back than other suburbs in the area.
3.)    Rochester. Rochester has both IBM and the Mayo Clinic as major employers. A good 45 minute drive from Minneapolis, it’s not the best place to live if you have a spouse commuting into the city. Still, odds are that both of you will be able to find jobs there. What’s more, it’s not so far from Minneapolis that you wouldn’t be able to drive in for a night of dining out and theatre.

If you are staying in Minneapolis corporate housing, don’t miss out on one of these great neighborhoods!

Minneapolis-St. Paul- 3 Areas of the City to Consider is a post originally from the Almost Home Blog, which focuses on corporate housing, travel tips, area information and other information helpful to corporate travelers.

67 Days of Smiles

Lisa Brown — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:44:37 +0000

Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates that it will take 67 days to enjoy the more than 100 attractions that the city has to offer. The Orlando CVB recently announced the winners of the “67 Days of Smiles” social media contest. Kyle Post and Stacey Doornbos are going to experience every attraction that Orlando has to offer, and blog, tweet, flickr, youtube, and facebook every step of the way. If you’re an Orlando corporate housing user there perhaps on business for 67 days or longer and want to follow in their footsteps, you can check out the Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau website, which lists attractions and updates deals on attractions regularly.

67 Days of Smiles is a post originally from the Almost Home Blog, which focuses on corporate housing, travel tips, area information and other information helpful to corporate travelers.