It’s great to welcome everyone back to Home Turf Media and the home base for the Carnival of Cities.  My apologies to our Southern Hemisphere readers — I know it’s winter down there, but it’s hot as the dickens up on this side of the equator.

And how many of you actually have Neil Diamond’s “Hot August Night” double album….on vinyl? 

Never mind; onto our worldwide tour!

**  Cities in the Americas **

Seattle, Washington, USA   How about an “instant decoder ring” for the famous Pike Place Market AND a chance to figure out the sex of an eggplant?  Pam Mandel reveals all in her overview of the Savor Seattle Food Tours posted at her great blog, Nerd’s Eye View.  Yep, she’s the official Nerd.

San Juan, Puerto Rico   The Coqui has the Top 5 Reasons to Start a Caribbean Cruise in San Juan Puerto Rico posted at Visit The Coqui blog.  Save yourself the shipboard transit time from Miami and start your cruise when you’re already deep in the Caribbean.

Washington, DC, USA   Sure, you can mix politics and romance in the same city. Jon Rochetti writes about Dancing in the Moonlight at his blog The DC Traveler.  He says, ”Here’s a chance to hold your lover tight…dancing outside to live music on the Kennedy Center terrace in Washington, DC.”  Awww….hot August night, indeed!

Vancouver, Canada   Darlene Berkel presents Options For Pet Friendly Lodgings In Downtown Vancouver.  She writes at Everyone Loves To Travel, saying, “There are many pet-friendly lodgings available in downtown Vancouver, which means that you can take your pets with you on your trip rather than have to leave them at home alone, or in a pound with other pets.”

Long Island City, New York   Gotta love that public transportation; they think of everything.  On the East River you can admire the Manhattan skyline if you go Drinkin at Water Taxi Beach.  Check it out on shedwa’s blog.

Kansas City, Kansas/Missouri, USA   See, the problem is that Kansas City straddles the Kansas and Missouri borders, so sometimes it’s hard to figure out which state you are in.  Either way, it’s a fun town. Seafarer says, Kansas City, here we come at her blog Family Travel.

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA   Listen up as The Free Geek gives us The Ultimate Guide to Getting Comp’d in Vegas.  You can save all sorts of money, especially on lodging, so then you can turn around and spend it!  More details at Free Geekery.

Red Hook, Brooklyn, USA   Did you know that singer/author David Byrne of the Talking Heads has a blog?  Neither did I, until I read his post about city park food vendors in 8.19.07 Red Hook, posted in the David Byrne Journal. 

San Francisco, California, USA   So you’re in the pretty hip City by the Bay, and you have this marketing idea that involves a Kenny G-ish soundtrack and a bunch of businesspeople in a parking lot.  However, the Silicon Valley Blogger thinks not, and says, If You Want To Succeed, Here’s How NOT To Promote Yourself Or Your Business posted at The Digerati Life blog.

Oxford, Mississippi, USA   If you want literary inspiration, Marilyn Terrell and Katie Howell can fill you in with all the Southern good stuff.  Read about Unvanquished Mississippi at Intelligent Travel, the blog for National Geographic Traveler magazine.

Seattle, Washington, USA   Mary Jo Manzanares keep us up to speed in the entertainment department, with her post about A Kubrick Film Festival (from “Spartacus” to “2001: A Space Odyssey”) at her blog The Seattle Traveler.

Vancouver, Canada   Kevin Bedell asks, What is Government’s Role? at his blog 21st Century Citizen, saying, “Vancouver recently enacted a law outlawing leaving your car idling while unattended — it highlights the environmental awareness of that region.”

**  Cities in Europe **

Zurich, Switzerland   Jul writes about Fondling food in the darkness posted at This non-American Life, saying, “Zurich is home to the world’s first dark restaurant, where the servers are blind and the guests play with their food a lot on its way to their mouths…”

London, UK   The financial shaman Michael Fowke presents City of London: the money ghosts posted at Money is the way, saying, “Money ghosts are out of control in the City of London.”  It’s as good an explanation as any for why people make silly fiscal decisions.

Berlin, Germany   Molly presents Who goes to Checkpoint Charlie and FORGETS TO SEE THE BERLIN WALL posted at the Buda Baby blog, saying, “Though I currently live in Budapest, I love traveling all over Europe and was greatly impressed by Berlin on a recent long weekend there. This post describes some of Berlin’s highlights.”

Paris, France   Laurie Hertzel writes about going through the catacombs with Ethel Merman at THE FOOTBALL FAMILY FORUM blog.  Nothing like getting stuck underground with skulls and loud people.

**  Cities in Asia **

Ayuthaya, Thailand   artThailand presents Ayuthaya: return to the jedi (with gorgeous photos!) posted at artThailand.

Mauritius, Indian Ocean   Alfa King gives us some background on the history of his island nation with Independent Mauritius: A brief historical perspective posted at the Alfa King Memories blog.

**  Cities in the Middle East **

Dubai, UAE   You want to talk about HOT?  Grace says there’s no cold shower until November at her blog Sandier Pastures, saying, “At this time of the year, Dubaians long for cold showers!”

That concludes this edition, and thanks so much for visiting.

Submit your (one!) blog post to the next edition of the Carnival of Cities using our carnival submission form; it will be hosted by me on my Family Travel blog and will publish Tuesday, September 4th because of the US Labor Day holiday on Monday.  Past posts and future hosts of the Carnival can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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