Florida Culture for the Week of September 7, 2015 by Josh Garrick

Current:  Kids from the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida became Honorary ‘Mouseketeers’ at the Amway Center on the Opening Night of 100 Years of Disney On Ice on September 4.

Gifts, dinner, a visit from Mickey himself, and VIP seats for their first-ever ice show gave them a ‘magical’ experience they will never forget.

A Note from ChristaD, Education and the Rainforest Editor:  
This post was written by Kailini C., a high school student from the Gunston School in Maryland.  Kailani is a participant in the 2015 Amazon Workshops Student Field Reporter Project which enlisted the help of several students to share their 2015 Amazon experiences with us. Over the coming months, the Education and the Rainforest posts will feature Kailani's words, photos, and reflections – giving you a student's perspective on travel to the Amazon and its educational impact!  
 

St. John’s (one of my favorite places in the world!) has a wide variety of places to eat, from small to large, ethic to local, cheap eats to gourmet cuisine. But where are the best places to feed your kids – and yourself? No overplayed children’s menus here – these are great restaurants that serve excellent food. 

Here are my top 10 family-friendly restaurants on the Rock

(in alphabetical order so as not to play favorites - they are all favorites!)

There are a few things that Michiganders know, growing up. One is the beauty of a Michigan winter (good thing, because it is very snowy and cold!). Second is the incredible landscape we live in, from beaches to mountains, city to rural, and even a few islands thrown in. Another is our strong work ethic – arising from our northern European ancestors, and strengthened through winter and landscape. We honor this work ethic here, in a variety of ways.

Lisa Hsia is unlike the studio artists we have shared in the recent past. Actually, Lisa has no studio at all! She is a traveler and her art has to be portable. She takes her work with her out into the world, documenting in words and illustrations what she observes.

Now if you think Lisa limits her work to the Oakland, California (US) area where she currently lives, you are quite mistaken. Lisa truly does travel and a few years ago she found herself in a variety of cities around the world. She has graciously agreed to share her work with you.

You've heard it a million times - get travel insurance before you go. You've heard stories of times when it was necessary - and a few sad tales of people that didn't get it, and ended up paying a great deal of money - or not getting sufficient medical care. But when you plan your travels, you're usually focused on the details of the trip - and not insurance.