Dialect Magazine – Page 13 – culture in action

Experience home & luxury at Westgate Resort at Painted Mountain in Mesa, Arizona

Written & Edited by Nadine C & Rhonda Gilreath

Nestled in beautiful Mesa, AZ, just outside of Phoenix (about 30 miles away from downtown Phoenix), you’ll find a cozy villa-styled hotel that feels like home. Westgate Painted Mountain Golf Resort is centered in the magnificent Sonoran Desert; needless to say, the views are spectacular. The overall feel is down home comfort meets luxury. Westgate Painted Mountain is a wonderful resort that offers open spaces and exceptional amenities.

Accommodations:

The people behind the design of the villas made brilliant choices with the spaces. Everything you’d expect from a standard hotel room is here plus more.

The cozy studio room is 300 sq. ft. with one king size bed and cable TV. It features a kitchenette equipped with a microwave, mini refrigerator, coffee maker, toaster and a table and chair to dine at. All the comforts of home will keep you feeling snug. There’s AC/heating and a ceiling fan, phone, and alarm clock. The bathroom comes equipped with a double sink, makeup mirror, and blow dryer. That’s not all, it has a jetted bathtub (that make you feel like you’re at a spa). The iron and ironing board are kept In the closet. The closet has enough space to place your luggage and hang your clothes. If you don’t want to stay indoors you can lounge right outside your door in the furnished patio. The studio room is perfect for one or two guests.

The one bedroom villa offers 750 sq. ft. of space, which is great for up to four guests. This room has all the offerings available in the studio villa but more. It comes with a king size bed and a queen size sleeper sofa (which doubles as a bed by night and a sofa by day) in the living area. The living area has a coffee table and television, too. There’s an extra television in the bedroom. The fully functional kitchen is equipped with eating utensils, dishes, pots and pans, microwave, coffee maker, toaster, full size stove and refrigerator. There’s a dining table, as well. The bathroom has a jetted tub and a shower, along with a double sink, blow dryer, etc. The one bedroom villa features a balcony or patio.

The two bedroom villa is 1,050 sq. ft. The two bedrooms have two king size beds and their own televisions. There is an additional queen size bed with the sofa, in the living area, plus a coffee table, comfy chair and TV. The full size kitchen includes everything that the one bedroom villa has to offer. In addition, the kitchen has a dining area with a table and chairs. There are two bathrooms, each with a jetted tub, double sink, shower and blow dryer, etc. The two bedroom villa is perfect for six guests.

An added perk: a washer/dryer is in the one bedroom and the two bedroom villas.

Amenities:

The Westgate Painted Mountain Resort offers many amenities. The outdoor pool has a rock cascade waterfall feature decorated with beautiful green plants and flowers. The pool is heated during the colder months. There are plenty of patio tables and chairs available for lounging around poolside. The pool area is fenced off for safety, however this doesn’t take away from the surrounding view.

Barbeque grills are available for guests to enjoy in the picnic area. A full size basketball court, shuffleboard court, and sandy volleyball court are on the property for added fun. In addition, there’s a playground and horseshoe area. There are two hot tubs, as well. The world-famous John Jacob’s Golf School is adjacent to the country club and offers an 18-hole course.

The clubhouse houses the front desk, a waiting area, a foosball table and more. The 24 hour fitness center is on the 1^st floor of the lobby building and has all the equipmentyou’d find at any major health club, such as treadmills, cycles, steppers and weights.

Westgate Painted Mountain Country Club offers spa services, such as massages, and a full laundry room for guests. The resort offers other amenities, including high-speed WiFi, a steam room and an activity schedule that offers fun and exciting activities for the family.

24 hour security is provided on the property. For your convenience, trash cans are placed at the ends of each building so that you can take out your trash when the in-room trash bags are full. Make sure you find out your check-in/out times and arrange for any late check-outs in advance, as it is based on availability and a fee does apply. The friendly staff at the front desk will go over any reminders with you to make sure your stay is smooth.

There isn’t any room service but no worries, you can enjoy fine dining, entertainment and golf (on an 18 hole golf course) within walking distance. Painted Mountain Golf Resort Restaurant, home of the Grandview Steak House, is very close to the villas. The restaurant/lounge/patio is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu features American cuisine, such as steaks, burgers, chicken, seafood and pastas and, also, serves beer, wine and specialty cocktails. The prices range from about twenty to forty dollars, on average. Depending on when you visit, you can catch special Steak & Golf deals for Westgate guests. There are seasonal events including Karaoke nights – the restaurant was voted the Best Karaoke Bar in the East Valley by The Phoenix New Times – a weekly Arizona newspaper.

I’m very particular when it comes to hotels, mainly in the area of cleanliness, and I was very satisfied with Westgate Painted Mountains Golf Resort! I didn’t get a chance to enjoy steak and golf because I arrived at the restaurant when it was already dark outside but this gives me an excuse to visit again. When I walked into the restaurant, there was an older crowd enjoying karaoke and having a blast! Good times had by all!

When considering visiting Arizona’s well known vacation spots like Phoenix, Sedona, and Scottsdale; don’t overlook Mesa. Mesa, Arizona has its own airport, the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, and plenty of restaurants, shopping, and recreation. Broaden your horizons in the “Valley of the Sun”.

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^{One or more resources listed were provided at a discount in order to allow for research on the subject of the review. All opinions are those of the writer and are not influenced by this.}

Musical Mayhem: The 2013 MTV Video Music Awards

New York is still recovering from this past Sunday night. Exploding from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, The 2013 MTV Video Music Awards aired live and the city hasn’t been the same since. Since very few awards were given out at this year’s show, the highlights were – you guessed…the performances. Some were demure, while others were over the top. Let’s get back to the awards. There were some who walked away empty-handed, despite being nominated in three or more categories; as well as, having some of the biggest hits of the summer. Weird, I know, but it was still a delightful two-and-a-half hour show.

image source: hollywoodreporter. com — image source: hollywoodreporter

Lady Gaga opened the show with her new single “Applause“. This was her first major performance in a few months. In her true performance art fashion, she changed in and out of elaborate costumes throughout the song. Flanked by dancers clad in black, she changed from a whimsical white ensemble, which transformed into a black catsuit, then into a cobalt blue jacket and skirt accented by a platinum blonde wig, then back to the catsuit with a bright yellow wig, then removed the wig and changed into a long wavy brown wig, while revealing a white bikini made of seashells. Totally GaGa!

London’s own, One Direction, presented the first award of the evening to Selena Gomez, for her new hit “Come and Get It”

One of the night’s eyebrow raising moments belonged to Miley Cyrus. Cyrus shared the stage with R&B sensation Robin Thicke during a mash-up of her “We Can’t Stop” and his “Blurred Lines“. The set featured the same giant dancing teddy bears which were featured in her video for the song. The performance featured Cyrus clad in a mouse printed leotard, then in a peach colored bra and panties. While twerking numerous times and groping Thicke, who wore a “Beetlejuice” inspired suit, she also used a foam hand as a sexual prop.

Midway through the performance, rising hip hop sensations Kendrick Lamar and 2 Chainz emerged onstage to join Robin Thicke for his new song “Give It to You”.

Soon Iggy Azalea and hip hop siren Lil Kim presented the award for Best Hip Hop Song to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis for their hit “Same Love”.

Actor/comedian Kevin Hart appeared to poke fun at performances given thus far, soon after actor Jared Leto arrived to present Kanye West’s autotune filled performance of his song “Blood on the Leaves“. Throughout his performance, West mostly appeared in a silhouette against a backdrop of trees. At times he was bleeped for his use of expletives.

image source: huffington post.com — image source: huffington post

An impromptu performance is then shown of Pharrell Williams performing “Get Lucky” with legendary musician Nile Rodgers and band Daft Punk. All clad in sequins jackets which gave them a 60’s soul singing group appeal, The group soon presented the Best Female Video award to Taylor Swift for her massive hit, “I Knew You Were Trouble”. She wore a plunging Max Azaria gown by Herve Leger, Ms. Swift completed her classy ensemble with elegant pin curls and her signature red lips.

One of the evening’s biggest winners, Macklemore, then joined by, Ryan Lewis, and Mary Lambert returned to the stage to accept his award for Best Rap Video for “Same Love”

Soon comedian and Saturday Night Live (SNL) alum, Jimmy Fallon, presented Justin Timberlake with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award. Fallon amused many as he referred to Timberlake as the “President of Pop”.

Timberlake enchanted and owned the evening as he performed a nearly 20 minute set to celebrate his win. Starting with his new hit, “Take Back the Night”, His medley continued with the electrifying “Sexy Back” which morphed into his very first solo hit, “Like I Love You”. Next came “My Love”, which was quickly followed by his powerful ballad “Cry Me a River”. Soon came “Rock Your Body”, and an energetic freestyle dance followed, which he performed with his back up dancers. Then came the moment that we were waiting for. The N’SYNC reunion! Beginning with “Girlfriend”, the former teen heart-throb slid into their mega hit “Bye, Bye, Bye”, and lastly, “Gone”. Suddenly many young women were transported back to their teenage years for one last time. Sadly the excitement was brief, as the performance only lasted a mere 90 seconds. Of course real N’SYNC fans wanted more.

Timberlake closed his exciting set with his current hits “Suit and Tie” and “Mirrors”. Justin’s performance was amazing, but his die-hard fans wanted just a little more N’SYNC. It was Timberlake’s first performance at the VMA’s in six years, and the first time he’s performed with N’SYNC since 2003.

After Kevin Hart returned before another commercial break to poke fun at N’SYNC, One Direction picked up the Best Song of the Summer award, for their hit, “Best Song Ever”.

Afterwards, Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, and Mary Lambert took the stage to perform “Same Love“. The trio was soon joined by R&B singer and Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, whose powerful vocals enhanced the performance. “Same Love” also won the award for Best Video with a Social Message for its take on pro-gay marriage. During the acceptance speech, Macklemore spoke candidly by saying, “To watch this song spread across the world is a testament to what is happening right now in America on the forefront of equality. Gay rights are human rights; there is no separation.”

Adam Lambert and Emeli Sande presented newcomer Austin Marone with the Artist to Watch award for his single “What About Love”. Marone also performed the song at the VMA pre-show.

Soon, TLC’s Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas introduced hip hop heavyweight Drake to the stage. His performance began with him flexing his singing ability with a performance of “Hold On, We’re Coming Home”, before sliding into an energetic performance of his massive hit “Started from the Bottom”.

Country/pop queen Taylor Swift presented the award for Best Male Video to Bruno Mars for his massive hit “Locked Outta Heaven”. Accompanied by spectacular stage graphics complete with green lasers, green neon lights, and a morphing gorilla image, Mr. Mars then performed his new single, the sexually suggestive “Gorilla“.

Shortly afterwards, Justin Timberlake picked up the coveted Video of the Year for his hit “Mirrors”.

Two awards were announced during the pre-show only:

Best Rock Video: 30 Seconds to Mars, “Up in the Air“
Best Collaboration: Pink featuring Nate Ruess, “Give Me a Reason“

Allison Williams introduced the final act of the evening, Katy Perry, to perform her biggest hit to date, “Roar”. Clad in boxing attire, complete with boxing themed choreography, and a stage as a giant boxing ring, Ms. Perry was the perfect choice to close the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. Until next year folks!

Tempe Mission Palms Hotel | An oasis at the heart of the action

Written & Edited by Nadine C & Rhonda Gilreath

Tempe Mission Palms Hotel is located in the college town that is Tempe, Arizona (about 7 miles from Phoenix and 5 miles from Scottsdale). The home of Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe has it all. This city is filled with vibrant energy and there’s always something happening. If you want to be at the heart of all the excitement, Tempe Mission Palms is the place to be. Despite the areas robust nightlife, once you enter Tempe Mission Palms and walk through the elegant lobby, you’ll be immediately transported into a serene and lush setting. The Southwestern décor is welcoming and the staff is equally friendly.

Accommodations:

The guest rooms and suites have recently been renovated to the tune of 8 million dollars. You’ll enjoy your stay and your sleep. Any bit of exhaustion will be swallowed up by the pillow-top mattresses with plush comforters and down pillows. Beds are lined with 300 thread count linens. The bathrooms have granite counters, a hair dryer and make-up mirror. Each room has a radio alarm clock that’s compatible with the iPod. There’s a mini refrigerator and digital security safe that’s large enough to hold a laptop.

I stayed in a Standard guestroom, during my stay. It was spacious enough to accommodate two people – comfortably, with a king size bed, desk, ergonomic chair, an easy chair, plasma TV, mini fridge, coffee maker, a safe, and all the standard trimmings of a hotel room. The room was very clean, too.

The suites are luxurious and great for more than 2 guests. Wireless high-speed internet is available. Coffee and tea service is brought to your room with the option for turn down service. A complimentary USA Today newspaper is available Monday through Friday. All rooms have a 37-inch flat screen plasma TV.

The One Bedroom suite includes a king or queen size bed. It has a living area with a sofa and two chairs, along with an attractive coffee table. The dining area has a dining table and chairs with an extra flat screen TV. The Executive Double suite includes two beds; two king or queen sizes. The living area comes with a sofa and easy chair. In addition, there’s a coffee table, end table and a desk, as well.

Amenities:

The Tempe Mission Palms Hotel has a rooftop heated pool, lined with plenty of lounge chairs. There are impressive poolside views of downtown Phoenix and Tempe. In addition, the rooftop houses a tennis court and basketball hoop. There are two Jacuzzi spas and a fully equipped fitness center for guests.

Valet service for your vehicle is available at the front entrance of the hotel. Airport transportation is available at certain times. For those travelling with pets, you’re in luck; for an additional fee, pets under 50 lbs. are allowed. Moreover, Tempe Mission Palms is excellent for business meetings and other events.

Harry's Place Patio - Courtesy of Tempe Mission Palms — Harry’s Place-Courtesy of Tempe Mission Palms

Tempe Mission Palms Hotel offers three choices for dining. The Mission Grille, a top rated restaurant, features American and Southwestern cuisine on the menu. There is a breakfast buffet offered during the day, as well. Harry’s Place Lounge is another spot which is open Monday through Friday from 2pm through midnight. On the weekend’s they’re open from 11am until midnight. You can choose a glass of wine or cocktail to go with one of their unique Southwestern dishes. The third choice is the Cabana Bar & Grill, open Thursday through Sunday from 11am until 6pm. The hours change according to the season, so be mindful of that. Enjoy a specialty poolside cocktail from Cabana Bar & Grill. They have a full bar.

Tempe offers plenty of dining options with over one hundred restaurants. You’ll, also, be in walking distance of live entertainment, shopping, and sporting events. And added perk is the proximity to the Metro Light Rail that can take you to downtown Phoenix.

Tempe Mission Palms is, overall, a great choice because of the location, accommodations, and views. The hotel grounds offer an outdoor fireplace with quality furnishing to lounge on. It is appealing from inside out with garden courtyards and palm trees. Everywhere you look there’s a charming view at hand.

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^{One or more resources listed were provided at no cost in order to allow for research on the subject of the review. All opinions are those of the writer and are not influenced by this.}

Sweet Obsession: Candy Crush Saga

Ahhh, those Facebook games. At times, getting numerous invites can be as annoying as being hooked on the game; however, hooked is just what many have become. There are so many to choose from but which game has the world “craving” for more? None other than the King developed Candy Crush Saga.

Released for Facebook on April 12, 2012 and released for smartphones on November 14, 2012, the popularity of Candy Crush has increased. Each level has a board filled with colorful candies and obstacles. You can move horizontally or vertically, swapping the positions of two adjacent candies to create sets of three (or more) candies of the same color.

As of March 2013, the Candy Crush Saga fever has spread rapidly. It surpassed FarmVille 2 as the most popular game on Facebook, with over 37 million likes on the application page and 45.6 million average monthly users. It’s the most popular app on Facebook and the highest-grossing app in the Apple and Google app stores. In December 2012, Candy Crush Saga had over 10 million downloads. Wow, is all that I can say.

In addition to all this, Candy Crush Saga has received particular attention in the Hong Kong media, with reports that 1 in 7 Hong Kong citizens play the game. The game makes an appearance in, Korean Pop/Hip-Hop sensation, Psy’s music video “Gentleman”.

How does one play this game? Well, before we get into the fundamentals of the game, let’s discuss the characters. Every good game needs those, right?

First there’s Toffette (known as Tiffi) Tiffi. She’s a blonde girl with pigtails and is the main character. Tiffi travels around the game map and helps others with their problems.

Then there is Mr. Toffee. Toffee is a tall man with orange hair. He helps the player when they first start playing Candy Crush Saga.

Levels and Life System

This game is separated into levels. Each has its own requirements to complete. The Facebook version of Candy Crush Saga currently has 440 levels, and a new set of levels is released about every 3 weeks. The smartphone versions of Candy Crush Saga currently have 395 levels.

Candy Crush Saga, sometimes, requires a player to unlock a level before it can be played. A level can be unlocked by asking Facebook friends for help or by paying Facebook credits. The player is given a default maximum number of five lives. The player needs at least one life to play a level. If the player fails to complete a level, a life is deducted. Lives will regenerate at a rate of one life every 30 minutes. The player can also restore lives by asking Facebook friends for help or by paying Facebook credits. Overwhelming, huh?

Special Candies and Candy Combinations

Special Candies are created when four or more candies of the same color are matched together. Special Candies have special effects; such as, clearing an entire row of candies. Examples of Special Candies include striped candies and wrapped candies. If a player tries to swap two adjacent Special Candies, it will generally create a special combination effect. These effects are often more powerful than the individual candy’s effects.

Obstacles

Candy Crush has obstacles. Unlike the ones in real life, these obstacles are slightly entertaining. The obstacles appear on some levels and have a variety of properties. They are designed to make it difficult to complete a level. Examples of obstacles include: Chocolate that tries to slowly fill the entire game board and Tornadoes that randomly destroy spaces on the game board

Boosters and Charms

A booster is a single-use item that can be used to help the player complete a level. Boosters are usually bought with Facebook credits. Every level in Candy Crush Saga can be completed without the use of boosters but the game difficulty ramp is designed to encourage the purchase of boosters. Examples of boosters include: a Lollipop Hammer that can destroy any game square and a Free Switch that can swap any two adjacent candies. In earlier versions of Candy Crush Saga, a player could purchase charm items to help them complete a level. Charms were much more expensive than boosters because charms could be used repeatedly. Since June 27, 2013, Charms were no longer purchasable.

I’ve never played Facebook games, as my schedule prohibits. However, I might one day. When people refer to Candy Crush Saga as addictive or an obsession, it makes me a little apprehensive, yet curious to see what the hype is all about. If I decide to play, would I, too, develop the “sweet tooth”? That remains a mystery.

Beguiled by Turnberry Isle Miami

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Congress Hotel in Tucson, AZ

Tourists thinking of going to Arizona for a tour must visit the Congress Hotel. Situated in Tucson, this hotel offers features like no other. Apart from being a touristy hotel, the Congress Hotel is historic and one of Tucson’s most well-known landmarks. It was built in 1919; but soon found its fame with a bank robber by the name of John Dillinger, captured back in 1934.

In 1985, a music venue opened in the Congress Hotel by the name of Club Congress where bands touring through Tucson performed. There are four different bars in the Club and each one is very unique:

The Tap Room was and has been one of the most popular waterholes for cowboys since 1919
The main bar features a century old bar top by the name of “The Talk of The Town”
The Cybar club is situated to the side of the dance floor and was once more of a cyber café , about 10 years ago.
The Hotel Lobby Bar is a favorite of many tourists. You’ll find many cocktails of the best kind…you can pick any of the 150 spirits that are served here.

In 2010, the Hotel Lobby Bar’s bartender came out on top at a culinary competition in the World Margarita Championship with a Solerno Blood Orange culinary foam.

The Congress Hotel is, also, famous for its cocktail menu and won the “best cocktail menu” in 2010.