Category: Event
Cork hosts 31st Guinness Jazz Festival.
Located on the southeast coast of Ireland, Cork is the country's second largest city. Surrounded on both sides by the River Lee, it offers visitors many of Dublin's attractions -- good pubs, restaurants, and shopping -- without the traffic and congestion of Dublin.Patrick Street, which was redeveloped in 2004, has been named the best shopping street in Ireland several times. In addition to Brown Thomas and Debenham's department stores, you'll find plenty of stylish boutiques. Foodies will enjoy a visit to the Old English Market, also known as the Prince Street Market. The 140 stalls inside the Victorian-era brick and cast iron structure sell everything from pigs' trotters to Irish butter and cheese.
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Friday Night Skate Nights all over Europe.
Having started in 1994, the Paris Friday Night Skate is the best known in the world, with as many as 20,000 brave participants. The Rondo, as the event is called, begins at Place Raoul Dautry in the 14th at 10PM. The route changes each week, and the details are posted on Thursdays at http://www.pari-roller.com/index.php?p=101The popularity of the Paris party has spawned dozens of imitators. So if you're in a major European city during the summer -- and you're an experienced roller blader -- chances are there's a group skate you can join. You'll burn some calories, make new friends, and see the city from a different point of view.
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Great lineup at Montreal Jazz Festival.
Regular readers of this blog -- both of you -- know that we're big fans of Montreal, and of jazz. Those similarly inclined can enjoy both at the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, which runs from June 16 - July 6. Since we posted about it in March, they've added several great acts, including Aretha Franklin, Woody Allen, Leonard Cohen, and Diane Reeves.
Jazz legend Oscar Peterson -- who passed away this year -- was born in Montreal, and this year's festival is dedicated to him. Festivals often claim to offer something for everyone, but with 3,000 acts from 30 countries, Montreal delivers.
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World-class brews at the Portland Beer Festival.
One of the country's top beer gatherings, The Oregon Brewer's Festival, is coming up. Located in Portland's Tom McCall Waterfront Park, this year's event will be held from July 25 - July 28. More than 70 brewers are participating, including Alaskan, Anderson Valley, Bridgeport, Full Sail, Hales, MacTarnahan's, Red Hook, and Sierra Nevada.Washington, Oregon, and Idaho are the country's leading producers of hops, and Northwest brewers take full advantage of the local bounty and add hops, hops, and more hops throughout the brewing process. Traditional European brewers think these beers are crazy. But once you taste a finely crafted Northwest IPA or ESB, there's no going back.
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Seattle International Film Festival.
Any way you slice it, Seattle is a great destination. Stay downtown, and almost everything is within walking distance -- world-class 
restaurants, great shopping, trendy galleries, the Pike Place Market, and drop-dead-gorgeous scenery in almost any direction.
Take a ferry to Bainbridge or Vashon, just for the view. Head up to the Ballard Locks for the perfect picnic or down to Mount Rainier for the best outdoor experience this side of Denali.
Spring is a lovely time to visit. And if you go between May 22 and June 15, you can take in the Seattle Film Festival, which is gaining importance on the international film festival circuit.
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