Incredible Garden Mazes

Weather.com highlights some of the most spectacular mazes around the world, found everywhere from botanical gardens and cornfields to public squares and private homes. Wherever they’re located, these green landscaping wonders made up of life-size hedges can provide hours of mind-boggling entertainment. Some of the most breathtaking mazes include:

Hampton Court Maze: Considered the “most famous garden maze in the world,” this maze is a third of an acre, trapezoid in shape and is the UK’s oldest surviving hedge maze. One of its more unique features is a permanent art installation created by sound artists Greyworld. As visitors journey through the labyrinth, they will be able to hear sounds such as subtle music, laughter and whispers of conversation that fade in and out of the twisting paths.

Villa Pisani: Located in Venice, Italy along the the Rivera del Benta, the Villa Pisani once housed kings and emperors but is now a national museum for art of the 18th and 19th centuries. The museum welcomes 150,000 visitors annually, who come to marvel at the art, but they also come to walk the Villa Pisani’s complex nine-layer maze. Designed by Girolamo Frigimelica in 1720, thousands have gotten lost in its winding pathways with its numerous dead ends and tall hedges.

Erlebnispark Teichland: With more than 2,000 feet of green-lined pathways, the Erlebnispark Teichland outdoor maze is one of the main attractions at Erlebnispark Teichland in Germany. Those not into getting lost in the twisting and turning labyrinth can take advantage of the many activities the park offers, including mini-gold, rock climbing, toboggan runs, and amusement park rides.

Erlebnispark Teichland, Germany

Churchill has short-term corporate housing available Nationwide. Please contact us at 866-255-0593 or National@FurnishedHousing.com for more information.

Top 10 U.S. Cities for Well-Being

According to Weather.com, Gallup recently announced its annual list of cities with the highest well being index in the U.S. The formula to figure out the best cities for well-being uses six sub-indexes — life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors, and access to basic necessities. The top 10 rankings are below:

10. San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, California
9. Washington, D.C.
8. Ann Arbor, Michigan
6. Honolulu, Hawaii & Barnstable Town, Massachusetts (both tied for 6th place)
5. Fort Collins-Loveland, Colorado
4. Provo-Orem, Utah
3. Burlington-South Burlington, Vermont
2. Boulder, Colorado
1. Lincoln, Nebraska

Churchill has short-term corporate housing available Nationwide. Please contact us at 866-255-0593 or National@FurnishedHousing.com for more information.

Boston International Film Festival

The Boston International Film Festival will take place from April 12-20th with over 100 short and feature films from 30 countries at AMC Theatres on 175 Tremont Street in Boston, MA. This 10 day festival affords a rare opportunity to promote dialogue between filmmakers and the audience in an intimate setting.

There will be opening and closing night Gala Parties following the screenings. There will also be a red carpet affair, additional parties and panel discussions held throughout the event. The winners of this year’s awards are announced at the theatre following the last screening.

Churchill has short-term corporate housing available in Boston.  Please call us at 800-587-2640 or email us at Boston@FurnishedHousing.com for more info.

The 8 Apps that Every Jobseeker Should Have

Searching for a job in today’s economy can be incredibly stressful and bewildering. Thankfully CareerBliss.com has made a great list of eight apps to make the hunt for a job a little bit easier. They help you find what you are looking for, stay organized, branch our in your network, access all the info and documentation you may need, and make sure that you are prepared for the big interview. See below for the complete list.

 

1. LunchMeet: Once you link this app to your LinkedIn account, it searches for contacts in your industry who have said they are open to networking so that you can try to set up a lunch date or grab a quick coffee and discuss career opportunities. It even allows you to specify a time & place then looms for people willing to meet up nearby using geo-targeting.

2. LinkUp: The difference between this job search app and others out there is that is doesn’t just search a job board with postings that have been directly submitted. Instead, it looks for jobs on more than 22,000 individual company sites while sifting through the category of you choice.

3. Career Igniter: This app allows you to build your resume online and make sure it looks great in a pinch. There is a drop down menu for each section and it prompts you to include information like employer history, start & end dates, etc. The system will then automatically output your resume to several different templates to let you see what it looks like and lets you choose your favorite.

4. BusyBee: This app is great for freelancers. It allows professionals in education, construction, engineering, data entry, administration, design, writing, and more look for work by category & location so you can find jobs close to home. A good idea for those who don’t have any freelance experience if you want to try to make extra money & build up your portfolio.

5. Jibber Jobber: Everyone has been there at some point in their work life when you are desperate for a job so you apply everywhere and anywhere hoping for a call back. It’s easy to confuse companies when applying to so many different jobs. Jibber Jobber allows you to stay organized so you don’t mistake one company or contact for another & possibly cost yourself a shot at the job.

6. SparkHire: Awesome app for those who are looking for a job to replace their current one. Since most don’t have a lot of time to take off for the interviews, SparkHire allows you to upload video resumes, recorded interviews, etc. Employers can create text questions for interviewees and then you record the video answers and send them in. Those with the iPhone can also download the mobile app of the video interview software.

7. Interview Pro: Great for practicing once you finally get the big interview. With more than 80 typical job interview questions, you’ll be ready for anything. The program also offers explanations for the questions as well as suggested answers.

8. Google everything: This one isn’t quite an app. However with Google Drive, Docs, Calendar, Alerts, etc. you can be ready for whatever comes your way. Save your resume on the cloud, share it with employers, collaborate with friends to update it, create interview reminders, and set up alerts for job postings.

Happy Job Hunting!

Churchill has short-term corporate housing available Nationwide. Please contact us at 866-255-0593 or National@FurnishedHousing.com for more information.

 

National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC

Washington DC’s National Cherry Blossom Festival kicked off last Wednesday. The festival will run through April 14th and is the Nation’s greatest springtime celebration.

The festival celebrates springtime in DC, the gift of the beautiful cherry blossom tree, and the enduring friendship between people of the United States and Japan. It commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukiki Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC.  Throughout the festival, various daily events will feature diverse and creative programming to promote traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit. Most of the events are free and open to the public. More than 1.5 million people visit Washington, DC during the festival to admire the trees and participate in the event.

The festival parade will take place on Saturday, April 13th from 10am to noon. The parade runs along Constitution Avenue (from 7th to 17th streets N.W.) and features celebrity performances, giant helium balloons, colorful floats, marching bands from across the nation, and more. Grandstand seating can be purchased for $20, and there is no cost for viewing along the parade route.

For a full list of the events by date, please click here.

Churchill has short-term corporate housing available throughout Washington D.C.and  Nationwide. Please contact us at 866-255-0593 for more information.

7 Phenomenal Natural World Wonders

Sometimes you have to see it to believe it. Weather.com has compiled an awesome list of some of our Earth’s beautiful natural wonders. Check them out below.

1. Mammatus Clouds: Pouches of clouds that hand under a base of cloud. They are also described as cotton balls or tennis balls. They often appear before a strong storm rolls in.

2. Ice Boulders: Generally consisting of a combination of slush and frazil ice (the first stage of sea ice that consists of loose, needle-shaped ice crystals in water and resemble slush). They form when ice chunks along the shore get churned back and forth by the waves and grow slowly in water that is just below freezing.

3. Crepuscular Rays: These beautiful rays are created by an optical illusion. Air molecules, small water drops, dust and other tiny airborne particles scatter a portion of he light rays off their straight path and toward you. You’re most likely to see this awesome view at sunrise or near sunset when the sun is closer to the horizon.

4. Neon Blue Waves: Late summer algea blooms can turn the ocean’s tide neon blue at night. The flashing blue light is caused by a chemical reaction in cells of the phytoplankton, which creates the algea. The agitation from the waves creates the bioluminescence or glowing quality in the algea. The algae at this time can result in mild toxicity in some sea creatures.

5. Snow Rollers: Mostly common in hilly or mountainous terrain, snow rollers are formed when strong winds pick up moist snow and blow it along the ground. The eventually leads to a cylinder or snow that is often hollow in the middle. They can grow as large as barrels and stop moving once they become too big.

6. Blue Holes: Blue holes are caves or underwater sinkholes that are roughly circular, steep depressions. They are named for their dramatic contrast between the dark blue, deep waters of their depths and the light blue of the shallow waters around them. They are typically found in low-lying coastal regions. The deepest is Dean’s Hole, in a bay west of Clarence Town on Long Island, Bahamas. It is 663 feet deep!

7. Tree-climbing coats: Yup, you read that right. Goats climb the Argan trees of Morocco in search of food. Over time, they have become accomplished tree climbers and can claw their way up the tress twisted branches in search of olive-like berries. Farmers follow the heard from tree to tree to collect the nuts from the fruit that the goats can’t digest. These nuts are what are used in Argan oil; popular oil used in cooking and is cosmetics/hair products.

Churchill has short-term corporate housing available Nationwide. Please contact us at 866-255-0593 or National@FurnishedHousing.com for more information.

5 Characteristics of Successful Savers

Nowadays everyone can use some extra cash in their savings for emergencies. With the cost of living continuing to increase while many of our paychecks remain the same, it can seem near impossible to put anything extra away. But, it isn’t and MSN Money’s article shows you how big-time savers make it happen. These tips can help you start to look at savings in a whole new light.

1. Start slowly- Every little bit helps. Often the biggest difficulties we face when saving has to do with getting started. Saving just a small amount can help you get started. Nicole Mladic, a mid-thirties communications director from Chicago couldn’t afford to put away a large portion of her salary when she was in her twenties. She started saving 2%. A few months later, she raised it to 3%, then 4%, etc. Sooner or later she reached her goal of 10% and today her net worth is more than $90,000.
2. Read the financial and economic news- A survey conducted by HSBC Direct found that “active savers” (about 1 in 5 Americans) tend to pay attention to financial news. This can help you be more aware and savvy about money and teach you basic principles of investing.
3. Save regularly through automated systems- Online banking makes this tip super easy. Set it and forget it by singing up for online monthly transfers into a brokerage or savings account. You can usually set it up so that the money transfers directly form you paycheck so you don’t even see it and therefore don’t have the chance to miss it.
4. Try to view saving as something pleasurable- It might see hard to look at tucking money away as something enjoyable when it may prevent you from purchasing something in the present but many successful savers take joy in knowing that they are saving money and building financial security for themselves and or their families.
5. Begin young- Many successful savers started when they were just kids and were taught the value of saving from their parents. While adults who didn’t receive those lessons can’t change the past, they can pass on better lessons to their own kids by talking about finances and family budgeting often.

Churchill has short-term corporate housing available Nationwide. Please contact us at 866-255-0593 or National@FurnishedHousing.com for more information.

The World’s 15 Most Amazing Waterfalls

Weather.com has compiled a list of the world’s 15 most spectacular waterfalls around the world – their size and power are awe-inspiring, especially when seen up close. Even more amazing is that in a time when NASA satellites and Google Earth seem to have recorded every square inch of the planet, even large waterfalls continue to be discovered. Below are three waterfalls around the world that made up the top 3 on the list. Click here to see the full rankings.

#1: Iguazu Falls, Brazil/Argentina: Located along the Iguazu River on the border between Brazil and Argentina, the Cataratas del Iguazú (as they’re known in Spanish) feature more than 270 drops along their 1.7-mile-wide cliffs, which range in height from just under 200 feet to nearly 270 feet.

Iguazu Falls

#2: Angel Falls, Venezuela: Discovered in 1937 by American pilot Jimmie Angel, the first to see them from the air, Venezuela’s Angel Falls are accessible only after a five-hour canoe trip through the middle of a tropical forest. The falls’ majestic scenery was the inspiration for the 2009 Pixar animated movie ‘Up.’

Angel Falls

#3: Niagara Falls, United States/Canada: Probably as famous as any waterfall on the planet, Niagara Falls is actually made up of three separate waterfalls – the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls, which lie on the American side of Niagara, and the Horseshoe Falls, which lie on the Canadian side.

Niagara Falls

Churchill has short-term corporate housing available Nationwide. Please contact us at 866-255-0593 or National@FurnishedHousing.com for more information.

America’s Coolest Small Towns

For a town to qualify as one of the “coolest small towns” around the United States, it must have a population under 10,000. It also must have something that makes it unique – independent shops, a sense of energy, an epic backyard, culture, delicious coffee, etc. According to Yahoo.com, the winner for 2013 is Lititz, Pennsylvania. Lititz was founded in 1756 as a Moravian community and features Lititz Springs Park which has been the center of town life since the 18th century when it was the site of public concerts, and houses a welcome center in a replica of a 19th-century Reading & Columbia Railroad depot. Today, visitors can sample handcrafted ales at the Appalachian Brewing Company of Lititz, savor homemade ice cream at Greco’s, or shop for furniture made by noted Lancaster County craftsmen. Other towns that made the list are:

Bay St. Louis, Missouri
Camden, Maine
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
Flagler Beach, Florida
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Greenville, Kentucky
Gulf Shores, Alabama
Quincy, California
Watkins Glen, New York

Churchill has short-term corporate housing available Nationwide. Please contact us at 866-255-0593 or National@FurnishedHousing.com for more information.

Incredible Cliff Cities of the World

Weather.com highlights amazing cliff cities around the world, where residents enjoy picturesque views that are unbeatable. With their houses propped precariously high on towering cliffs, they live in towns that display the perfect marriage of impressive architecture and spectacular works of nature. Some of these impressive cities include:

1. Manarola, Italy: the oldest and smallest village in Cinque Terre, a cluster of five historic villages on the Italian Riviera. It’s known for its pastel-colored houses that climb the side of a black cliff.

2. Rocamadour, Dordogne Valley, France: Tourists flock to this medieval village to take in the spectacular sights of churches, gates, houses and buildings built on the edge of the cliff.

3.Castellfollit de la Roca, Girona, Spain: The old town features houses made from volcanic rock, narrow streets, and squares. The Renaissance-style San Salvador church stands in one end of the cliff and features a square clock tower and domed roof.

4.Bonifacio, Corsica, France: Visitors will see the impressive sight of houses and buildings that look as if they’re growing straight out of the white, ocean-sculpted limestone cliffs towering about 250 feet over the sea.

5.Ronda, Malaga, Spain: Famously known as the birthplace of bullfighting, this city is also a major tourist attraction because of its postcard-worthy cliff-side views. Ronda is set in a mountainous area about 750 meters above mean sea level, with the Guadalevin River running through it and dividing into two.

Manarola, Italy

Churchill has short-term corporate housing available Nationwide. Please contact us at 866-255-0593 orNational@FurnishedHousing.com for more information.