Coronado Beach San Diego top in 2012 California

Coronado is named the top beach in the U.S. for 2012. It's the first time a California beach - usually criticized for having cold water - has won the contest since it started in 1991.

Coronado Beach was named the top beach in the United States for 2012 in the annual "Dr. Beach" best beaches list. It was the first time a California beach won since the list was started in 1991.
The win by the sand strand near San Diego was expected – Coronado came in second last year and since winners are automatically excluded from the competition, Coronado was the odds-on favorite to moved up to the top slot. More than 20 beaches in Hawaii, Florida and North Carolina were out of the running due to winning in earlier years.

The beach is the site of the Hotel del Coronado, a rambling Victorian castle that opened in 1888. The beach and hotel have been the setting of numerous movies and TV shows, most notably the film "Some Like It Hot," starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon.

    The Top 10:

1. Coronado Beach, San Diego
2. Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii
3. Main Beach, East Hampton, N.Y.
4. St. George Island State Park, Florida Panhandle
5. Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii
6. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Mass.
7. Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, Oahu, Hawaii
8. Cape Florida State Park, Florida
9. Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, S.C.
10. Cape Hatteras, N.C. in North Carolina.

Crystal Lagoon San Alfonso del Mar resort in Algarrobo, Chile

The Crystal Lagoon, located at the San Alfonso del Mar resort in Algarrobo, Chile, is the world's largest outdoor pool, stretching more than half of a mile and filled with 66 million gallons of water.

San Alfonso del Mar is a private resort located in Algarrobo, Chile, about 100 km (60 mi) west of the capital Santiago.^[1] It is, according to Guinness world records, the largestswimming pool in the world:^[1][2] 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) long, covering an area of 19 acres (7.7 ha), with a maximum depth of 115 feet (35 m)^[3] and holding 66,000,000 US gallons (250,000,000 l; 55,000,000 imp gal) of seawater.^[2][4] The pool, developed by Chilean company Crystal Lagoons, uses water pumped, filtered, and treated from the Pacific Ocean. It has been attracting tourists since it opened in December 2006.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Alfonso_del_Mar

Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun

Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun,, is tucked away on secluded Maroma Beach, voted the World’s Best Beach by the Travel Channel four years in a row. This haven provides opulence to the most discerning traveler with a pure white sand beach and stunning ocean views stretching as far as the eye can see, yet is located only 20 miles south of Cancun’s International Airport.          

Festivals Foods and Locations January 2012

JANUARY 2012 Food & Wine Festivals, Shows and Events

January 2011 ][ January 2010 ][ January 2009 ][ Check previous year if event not listed in current year: the event’s website may have recent updates

Dec 28, 2011-Jan 3, 2012 23rd Tasmania Taste Festival - Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

January 3-5, 2012 Keystone Farm Show
York, Pennsylvania

January 4-6, 2012 Potato Expo 2012
Orlando, Florida

January 5-7, 2012 12th Annual Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival
Vail, Colorado

January 7-22, 2012 106th National Western Stock Show, Rodeo & Horse Show
Denver, Colorado

January 10-12, 2012 23rd Annual Topeka Farm Show
Topeka, Kansas

January 11-12, 2012 Northern Illinois Farm Show 2012
DeKalb, Illinois

January 12-14, 2012 2012 Wine & Food Show
London, Ontario, Canada

January 12-14, 2012 Blackberry Farm: Taste of the South
Walland, Tennessee

January 13-14, 2012 12th Annual Minnesota Organic Conference & Trade Show
St. Cloud, Minnesota

January 13-14, 2012 Oregon Wine, Food & Brew Festival
Salem, Oregon

January 13-15, 2012 Carefree Fine Art & Wine Festival
Carefree, Arizona

January 13-16, 2012 Napa Truffle Festival 2012
Napa, California

January 14, 2012 7th Annual Florida Keys Seafood Festival 2012
Key West, Florida

January 14, 2012 Lafayette Oatmeal Festival
Lafayette, Colorado

January 14, 2012 Oyster Cook-Off
Apalachicola, Florida

January 14-15, 2012 31st Asian American Expo
Pomona, California

January 14-15, 2012 Smokin' Big Chili Challenge
Mesquite, Nevada

January 14-16, 2012 The Festival of Chocolate 2012
Tampa, Florida

January 14-Feb 11, 2012 4th Annual Pasadena PinotFest
Pasadena, California

January 15-17, 2012 NASFT 37th Winter Fancy Food Show
San Francisco, California

January 15-17, 2012 Child Nutrition Industry Conference 2012
Orlando, Florida

January 15-20, 2012 San Diego Restaurant Week
San Diego, California

January 16-22, 2012 21st Annual Boston Wine Expo
Boston, Massachusetts

January 16-17, 2012 Cattleman's Corral/Crop Visions 2012
Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, Canada

January 17-19, 2012 23rd Anniversary Fort Wayne Farm Show
Ft. Wayne, Indiana

January 18-21, 2012 MAFSI Annual Conference
San Antonio, Texas

January 18-19, 2012 Minnesota Pork Congress
Minneapolis, Minnesota

January 18-22, 2012 Okanagan Winter Wine Festival
Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada

January 19-21, 2012 Magie MT Agricultural & Industrial Expo
Great Falls, Montana

January 19-21, 2012 Virginia Farm Show
Fisherville, Virginia

January 19-22, 2012 20th Annual Frog Leg Festival
Fellsmere, Florida

January 20-21, 2012 Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival
Anchorage, Alaska

January 20-22, 2012 Agrarmesse Alpen - Adria 2012
Klagenfurt, Austria

January 20-22, 2012 International Chocolate Festival
Coral Gables, Florida

January 21, 2012 Kangaroo Island Gourmet Gallop 2012
Kingscote, South Australia, Australia

January 21, 2012 Chocolate for Choice
Portland, Oregon

January 21, 2012 3rd Annual Yaga's Chili Quest & Beer Fest
Galveston, Texas

January 22, 2012 London Charity Potato Fair and Seed Exchange 2012
London, England, United Kingdom

January 24-26, 2012 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium
Sacramento, California

January 25-26, 2012 Food Manufacturing and Safety Forum 2012
Dallas, TexasJanuary 25-29, 2012 7th Annual Frozen River Film Festival
Winona, Minnesota
January 26-27, 2012 MBWA 2012 Annual Conference
St. Paul, Minnesota

January 26-28, 2012 Beaver Creek Food & Wine Weekend
Beaver Creek, Colorado

January 26-29, 2012 Key West Food and Wine Festival 2012
Key West, Florida

January 26-29, 2012 Tunarama Festival 2012
Port Lincoln, South Australia, Australia

January 27, 2012 12th Annual Gourmet Cook’s Auction
Albert Lea, MinnesotaJanuary 27-28, 2012 Mesquite Dutch Oven Cookoff
Mesquite, Nevada

January 27-29, 2012 7th Annual Oregon Truffle Festival
Eugene, Oregon

January 27-29, 2012 Texas ZestFest 2012
Irving, Texas

January 28, 2012 Chocolate and Cheese Festival 2012
Campbellford, Ontario, Canada

January 28, 2012 Annual Kumquat Festival
Dade City, Florida

January 28, 2012 6th Annual Port Salerno Seafood Festival
Port Salerno, Florida

January 28, 2012 Beer, Bourbon and BBQ Festival
New York, New York

January 28, 2012 Lincoln City Jambalaya Cook-off
Lincoln City, Oregon

January 28-29, 2012 Bocuse d'Or USA 2012
Hyde Park, New York

January 28-29, 2012 Bring Out the Barrel 2012: Good Wine Hunting
Placerville, California

January 28-29, 2012 10th Annual St. Louis Food & Wine Experience
St. Louis, Missouri

January 29, 2012 Master Chefs Classic
Key West, Florida

January 29, 2012 31st Annual Loyola Marymount University Wine Classic
Los Angeles, California

January 29-30, 2012 BC Foodservice Expo 2012
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

January 29-Feb 1, 2012 ProSweets Cologne 2012
Cologne, Germany

January 29-Feb 4, 2012 Week of Chocolate 2012
Bloomington, Indiana

January 31-Feb 1, 2012 Expo & Showcase of Processed Foods
Sacramento, California

January 30-31, 2012 2nd Annual European Food Manufacturing & Safety Summit
Amsterdam, Netherlands

http://www.foodreference.com/html/january-festivals-2012.html

Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

http://www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/cosmopolitan.htm

Hoover Dam Overview

The inauguration ceremony of the new skyscraper tower of Huaxi village Jiangsu province

The inauguration ceremony of the new skyscraper tower of Huaxi village, in Jiangsu province, October 8, 2011. Huaxi village, also known as China's richest village, celebrates its 50th anniversary with the inauguration of a massive 328-meters (1,076 feet) high skyscraper that screams for attention from its lowly skyline.

A solid gold bull weighing a tonne also greets visitors at a viewing area on the 60th-floor of the tower, a ...
The new skyscraper tower of Huaxi village, Jiangsu province, October 8, 2011.

Huaxi village, also known as China's richest village, celebrates its 50th anniversary with the inauguration of a massive 328-meters (1,076 feet)
high skyscraper that screams for attention from its lowly skyline.
A solid gold bull weighing a tonne also greets visitors at a viewing area on the ...
A woman stands next to a solid gold statue of an ox during the official inauguration of a skyscraper tower in Huaxi village, Jiangsu province, October 8, 2011. Huaxi, also known as China's richest village, celebrates its 50th anniversary with the inauguration of a massive 328-meters (1,076 feet) high skyscraper that screams for attention from its lowly skyline.

A solid gold bull weighing a tonne also greets visitors at a viewing area on the 60th-floor of the tower, a testament to the wealth of the village.

In Huaxi, those from the original 2,000 residents have at least a house, a car, and $250,000 in the bank and enjoy universal health care and free education. Officials from elsewhere in China tour Huaxi to find out how this once sleepy village, with just 576 residents in the 1950s, is now so rich and why non-local businessmen would donate million-dollar factories to buy the privilege of a local residence permit.