The shops in Paris cater to the needs of a lot of locals and tourists and can fit some budgets, depending on where you are looking. Paris is one of the most expensive cites but you can get great finds there as well.

The city is also the fashion hub of the world. You will find a lot of fashion houses in here. The haute de couture gowns and fashion also originate in here. Some fine examples are Cartier, Christian Lacroix and Chanel. There are also seasoned designers and also budding fashion designers who produce a lot of chic and stylish designs.

If you are tight on budget you might want to stay out of the high end shops and visit the flea markets and underground shopping centers. You can still find a lot of shopping outlets that offer a lot great knock offs. Some examples are Champs Elysees and Les Halles. You can also find European antiques for low prices. You can start shopping as early as 5 am and visit the multitude of Portes.

You might also want to consider buying second hand stuff in Paris. They are just slightly used and are really great buys. There are also outlet shops which you can go to get lowered prices off branded items. There are also trade in stores where you can purchase second hand books as well as food and pets.

You might also want to go window shopping, bargain hunting and browsing in your walks around the city. The best months to go no shopping here are on the months of January to July where there are still traditional sales. The old stock makes way for new stock therefore prices are discounted around 50 percent on almost all sales.

Harvin Gulfill is an expert on Weekend ophold. Visit the website to read more articles about Paris shopping.

While the efficacy and justification of demolishing the Mapes is debatable, one thing that is not is the glorious history of the hotel. It was built in’47, and signaled the start of the modern era of casino gambling. Despite the notoriety of Bugsy Siegel and the Flamingo in Las Vegas, it was the Mapes that became the first building in the nation to have a hotel, casino and live entertainment under one roof. It also became the hotel of choice for celebrities staying in Northern Nevada. Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe stayed at The Mapes during the filming of ‘The Misfits’. Joseph McCarthy, America’s famed anti-Communist crusader, admitted to a reporter over cocktails in the Mapes Lounge that he really didn’t have a list of Communists in the US despite his frequent and vitriolic insistence to the contrary.

In the 50s and 60s it became, along with Lake Tahoes Cal-Neva Lodge the place to be seen in Northern Nevada. The top floor, window-walled Sky Room showcased performances by the legends: Sinatra, Louis Prima, Mae West, Milton Berle, Sammy Davis, Jr., and the Marx Brothers among others. Subsequent years were not kind to downtown Reno but the Mapes prospered during the 60′s and 70′s. The hotel finally closed in’82, due more to financial difficulties experienced by the Mapes family caused by one of their other Northern Nevada gaming properties than anything else.

Reno never experienced the massive growth that occurred in Las Vegas and southern Nevada, and for that reason the destruction of the Mapes is more open to debate than the hotel demolitions to the south. Even the demolition of The Sands–perhaps the most historically significant casino in the state–is hard to argue against given the inability of such a small property to compete in the current Las Vegas marketplace and in light of the value of the mid-strip real estate. The old properties may have historic value to pop culture historians, but their survival doesn’t make economic sense. They’re simply ‘analog players in a digital world’.

This is not the case in Reno, where land and buildings for development in virtually every casino area are abundant. The city argued that the land on which the Mapes stood was necessary for their redevelopment efforts–a somewhat absurd position given the realities of downtown Reno and the lack of any real development on the property since the demolition. Despite receiving a number of viable concepts for the Mapes Building, the City Redevelopment Authority rejected all of them and the Mapes was destined for demolition.

The behavior of the City Redevelopment Authority throughout the process has come into question. Overlooking the Truckee River, the hotel was perfectly placed between the downtown casino area and the riverfront district. In’96, the city purchased the htoel and began accepting proposals for redevelopment. Despite receiving a number of proposals that made sense both in terms of their financial workability and positive impact on the downtown area, the City Redevelopment Authority nixed all of them and insisted that the hotel be razed.

After the demolition of The Mapes Hotel, the lot remained vacant for almost a year until a temporary ice skating rink was constructed in the winter of 2001. The site now houses a permanent ice skating rink which, while not a bad use for the land, brings into question the insistence by the City Redevelopment Agency that none of the proposals to preserve the building were viable. Clearly, they had no specific plan or even general idea of what to do with the land but for some reason wanted to see the hotel come down. This has led to all manner of speculation, ranging from financial self interest to a rumor that the structure was ‘haunted’ and needed to be destroyed to forestall future paranormal activity in Washoe County. Whatever the reason, the city of Reno lost a valuable landmark of a more civilized era.

Ross Everett is a freelance writer and highly respected authority on World Series betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook review sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

London has been around for more than 2,000 years. While few visitors have the time to take in all that London offers, there are some places more enticing than others. Take the time to see Westminster Abbey, the Tower Of London, and the Houses Of Parliament. You might want to consider taking them as part of a guided tour, as learning a little about their histories will give you an even better appreciation of them.

The House of Commons and the House of Lords are pretty impressive in themselves, but more popular among visitors is the landmark\’s clock tower. Locals sometimes call it St. Stephens Tower just to make a point. Everyone else affectionately calls it Big Ben. Each of its four clock faces is 23 feet across, and it is big enough to see from all around central London. You really want to get up close to it though, especially at night time when it is lit up and looks particularly special.

There are various palaces and historical buildings spread around the city. The most famous of them all is Buckingham Palace, home of Her Majesty The Queen. The changing of the guard outside is a sight to see. Tourists will gather long before the appointed time just to see the grand guards in their world famous red and black uniforms. The hat itself is legendary.

The sports fans amongst you will not be disappointed with London. Few things are as exciting as a throng of British fans cheering on their favorite football team. There are five teams currently in the English Premier League, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Fulham and West Ham. If English football is not your scene not to worry, check out a rugby game or world class tennis at Queens and Wimbledon during June and July.

As a final point, remember to pack your camera and take lots of photos!

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