This method of getting to LaGuardia Airport will take about 45 minutes from midtown Manhattan, longer if you use one of the more westerly subway stations. Many of our subway testers have found the Astoria Boulevard route is the best, but that assumes that the N and W lines are running properly. If you exit one of these stations you will find an M60 MTA bus that is both regular and reliable. There are two basic ways to do this – the first is to get to any New York subway station where you can make a free transfer to the M60 LaGuardia bus – This bus runs across 125st in Manhattan and then into Queens and up to LaGuardia Airport – the most optimal subway stations to get this bus are Astoria Boulevard in Queens (N and W lines) or one of the three 125 Street stations in Manhattan that serve 4,5 and 6 lines, 2 and 3 lines or the A,B,C,D lines. With a little exercise, you can travel to LaGuardia from Manhattan for just $3. Subway/Bus Combo – Cheapest Method to LaGuardia Airport Your best bet to LaGuardia from Manhattan is the subway/bus combo. When I called for a blue Super Shuttle van, it arrived on time, traffic was light, but the van made a few pickups at hotels – which felt like a bus tour of New York – it took me 53 minutes to get to LaGuardia from a W. Airlink provides the same service for $13. There are shared-ride, on-demand van services like Super Shuttle, which will pick you up anywhere in Manhattan and get you out to LaGuardia Airport in about 45-50 minutes. However, the fare is a moderate $12, and, again, depending on the time of day and the weather, it’ll take you about 45-60 minutes (after you’ve made it to Grand Central or the PA) to get to LaGuardia. The New York Airport express bus from Grand Central or Port Authority Bus Terminal to LaGuardia runs between 7:20 AM and 11 PM, so red-eye travelers are out of luck. A private limo is clearly the height of luxury, but the fares start at around $50. My yellow cab got me from 42nd Street & Vanderbilt to LaGuardia in just under 40 minutes, and the fare was $27, plus $4.50 for the Triboro Bridge toll, and a gratuity. If you don’t have your own a car, another alternative to get to LaGuardia from Manhattan might be a taxi, limo or express Bus. Taxi, Limo, or Express Bus to LaGuardia Airport Long-term parking is available at LaGuardia on a limited basis. On a bad day traveling to LaGuardia from Manhattan, you might get stuck in Midtown Tunnel traffic, or on the Long Island Expressway near Queens Blvd. From Midtown you can shoot through the Midtown Tunnel, take the Long Island Expressway to the Grand Central Parkway going toward the Triboro Bridge, roll past Shea Stadium, and on a good day you’ll be at LaGuardia Airport in about 35 minutes. To get to LaGuardia from Manhattan via car, take the Grand Central Parkway that stretches across Long Island abuts the LGA property. LaGuardia from Manhattan Using Your Own Car LaGuardia Airport is geographically the closest to Manhattan of the three NYC-area airports, but routes and methods for reaching LGA from Manhattan differ in cost, reliability, and comfort. ![]() In New York City, both LaGuardia Airport and JFK are located in Queens and logistical know-how often carries the day in getting to both of them. Located at 90-01 Grand Central Parkway in Astoria, Queens, LaGuardia Airport (LGA for short) is the 2 nd largest airport in the New York area and primarily handles domestic flights in the US rather than general New York Flights. ![]() What Method of Transportation ? LaGuardia Airport List of Travel Methodsīy Car Taxi, Limo, or Express Bus Subway / Bus Combo Limo / Helicopter Our Recommendation and Table The trip to LaGuardia from Manhattan from is dreaded by many, as it is the closest airport to the City, with the least amount of choices of travel – Sometimes it seems like the ride out to the airport is longer and more arduous than the flight itself. Other options for those looking for a luxury ride are the town car and private SUV services provided by ExecuCar, the SuperShuttle sister brand.Travel Directions to LaGuardia Airport (LGA) from Midtown Manhattan This van goes directly to where you need to be, no stops. ![]() If you prefer getting straight to your destination regardless of the cost or if you’re traveling with a group with lots of luggage, you can book a private van. You might even enjoy the social aspect of sharing a ride with a few other passengers headed in the same direction. If you’re traveling solo or on a tight budget, you’ll appreciate the low cost of the shared van. Taking a SuperShuttle to or from LaGuardia? There’s more than one option for you to choose from. Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Manhattan are all just a short distance away by car. It’s located in Queens and close to Rikers Island. The airport has a front-row water view, right on the East River. LaGuardia Airport is one of the three airports that serve New York City, alongside Newark airport and JFK airport.
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Wood ash is especially valuable as a toilet cleaner, not only because it polishes the bowl, but also because it won’t harm septic systems.īleach-based toilet cleaners will kill the natural bacteria that keep a rural septic system, causing them to back up and potentially fail. When we run out of ashes, we stop at cracker barrel, and they will let us have some of theirs.” Natural Toilet Cleaner Usually, it only takes a few feet of rolling to get us out if the situation. My husband will put the truck in granny gear, and I walk beside the drive tires and throw a handful of ashes under the tires. We use them if we are stuck on an icy patch after waiting for wrecks to be cleared. They have gotten us out of trouble several times. We always carry a tin of wood ashes with us. The actual minerals in the ash also help with traction, just like sand but more effective. The spots where the ash hits melt in seconds into tiny pockets, creating a sandpaper-like surface on otherwise slick ice. Since wood ash is a natural ice melter, it can quickly create traction on slippery roads. This suggestion was submitted by a reader, and I have since tried it, and yes, it does work! I now carry a coffee can full of wood ashes in the trunk of my car, and it’s gotten me out of many a slippery situation. ![]() At least with wood ash, you don’t have to worry about it being toxic to kids and pets, as some walkway salts are. Winter is a messy time, one way or another. Salt that’s tracked in will damage floors, while wood ash tracked in can just be swept up later without issue. Chemical de-icing salt really isn’t that different, and it often gets tracked into the house too. We use it as ice melt on our front walkway, and once the ice has melted, we sweep it to the sides, so we don’t track it in the house. Be careful using it near your front door though tracking wood ash into the house makes a big mess. The natural minerals in wood ash work the same way as salt does to melt ice on driveways and walkways. Probably one of the most practical uses for wood ash is to use it slowly over the course of the winter as ice melt. Most of these work just as well in any household, whether you’re in an apartment in the city or way out in a rural community. I’ll walk you through how you’d use wood ash to solve each of these common everyday household problems.Įven if you don’t have a “homestead” or a back garden, there are plenty of ways to use wood ashes around the house, indoors, and out. Some of the most common modern ways to use wood ashes include: ![]() (Or, you can just scroll down and read them all.)
![]() TRAVEL PLANNING RESOURCES Looking to get started on your trip planning process? Let us help!Ĭheck out our packing lists and travel gear guide to ensure you're bringing the right items on your trip. 30 Awesome Things to Do in Playa del Carmen.Manzanillo Mexico Travel Guide: A Cancun Alternative.12 Best Day Trips from Mexico City (That are Worth Taking).The Amazing Mexico City Pyramids of Teotihuacan.What to Do in Mexico City – Itinerary for 3 Days.Top budget hotels we recommend in La Condesa: Top mid-range hotels we recommend in La Condesa: Top luxury hotels we recommend in La Condesa: Prices have gone up since those days, but it’s still a charming place to stay in Mexico City, with plenty of open, green spaces in an otherwise urban metropolis and many a boutique hotel to book. It’s a favorite because of its unique culture, as the area was for years a favorite amongst artists and innovators looking for cheap rents. La Condesa and Roma is a large area south of the historic center of Mexico City. Top hostels we recommend in Centro Historico: Top budget hotels we recommend in Centro Historico: Top mid-range hotels we recommend in Centro Historico: Top luxury hotels we recommend in Centro Historico: There is much to see in the Centro Historico, from Aztec and Colonial Spanish buildings to the largest public square in the Americas.įor first-time visitors and history lovers wondering where to stay in Mexico City, this is the place to choose, not just for the sightseeing but because there’s accommodation here to suit any budget. The Spanish then built what would evolve into Mexico City, on the site of the former Aztec capital when they conquered them, and from here the city spread out into the surrounding area to become the huge beast it is today. ![]() The Centro Historico was the original site of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan and, today there are still many lasting relics that still stand from this time, including the famous Templo Mayor. It’s where the city’s ancient origins can be found in all its historic glory. ![]() The Centro Historico is the absolute heart of Mexico City. Where to Stay in Mexico City: Best Districts & Hotels Here’s our guide on where to stay in Mexico City.ĭon’t leave home without: Top 10 Mexico City (DK Eyewitness Travel Guide) ![]() There’s a lot you might not yet know about this historic city, and a lot waiting to be discoveredĭespite misconceptions to the contrary, many of Mexico City’s neighborhoods are completely safe for travelers too, especially the ones that have become firm favorites on the tourism scene.įrom the historic central district to the glamour and money of Polanco, there is an area for everyone. It now holds the title of the oldest capital on the American continents, north, south or central. In fact, Mexico City’s expansion began many hundreds of years ago, when the Aztecs laid its first foundations. Mexico City is best described as a unique sprawl, North America’s largest city has consumed many smaller towns and regions in its non-stop expansion, creating a huge range of different areas and neighborhoods to visit and to stay in. This is the real Mexico, far removed from the holiday resorts and party beaches of Cancun and it’s a place that should be given a chance by anyone truly wanting to learn more about this huge country. Mexico might be a country that’s better known for its beaches and coastline, but the nation’s capital of Mexico City is slowly making its move into travel circles as an eclectic and diverse urban destination. ![]() He made the right decision of the 50 or so town hall employees who reached the rooftop, only 10 survived when the tsunami tore through it. When the tsunami warning sounded, Kudo-san told us he saw workers at the nearby town hall flee to the three-story building, but he decided that it would be wiser to get to higher ground. The shell of the former Disaster Prevention Center.ĭirectly beyond the road that bisected the construction zone stood the rust-colored skeleton of a building, the city’s former Disaster Prevention Center. Yet that didn’t matter because his family was intact, unlike so many others. He and his family are among the 9,746 evacuees from Minamisanriku, and the close to 3,100 who are still in temporary housing. A former insurance company worker, Kudo-san, 44, told us that he considers himself lucky: he, his wife, and four children were all spared when over 1,200 other townspeople were not. Our guide, Kudo-san, met us at the the community center where our retreat was held, and started with a wrenching video and overview of what had happened. What had that deadly wave, rising at points as high as 30 feet, wrought, and what was being built in its place? ![]() I had read accounts of the tsunami in which survivors described seeing “a white line” far out on the bay, which moments later had transformed into a giant wall of destruction rushing toward them. I wanted to learn more about the effects of the disaster that left nearly 22,000 dead or missing and see with my own eyes the state of the ongoing reconstruction. They were so positive, and so alive that it was hard to viscerally grasp the scope of the natural disaster that had spawned some of their ventures. Until then we had been immersed in brainstorming ways to grow the organizations of a group of dedicated and inspiring social entrepreneurs. Extreme TSUNAMI in Minamisanriku - Japan 2011.On my last day in Minamisanriku, a small group of us from World in Tohoku signed up for a tour of the town’s downtown coastal area, which was decimated by the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011.Video about Miki Endo and the search for her body. Miki Endo, missing heroine of Minamisanriku.^ "Miki Endo, missing heroine of Minamisanriku" (video)."Heroes: Hear the Voice of the Heroic Young Woman Who Saved Thousands of Lives". ^ "Saitama to teach about Miyagi's tsunami 'angel' ".In Minamisanriku the killed or missing number about 900 of 17,700 inhabitants, including Miki Endo, whose body was not found until April 23. "遠藤未希/Miki Endo, the future's hope in 南三陸町/Minamisanriku-cho, Miyagi, Japan". ![]() ![]() "Japan Town Divided Over Tsunami Monument". ^ Nishiyama, George (August 26, 2011).Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World (Hardback). The remnants of the building have been preserved during the city's recovery. Photos show the roof of the building completely submerged at the height of the inundation, with some people clinging to the rooftop antenna. The three-storey headquarters of the department remained standing but was completely gutted, with only a red-colored steel skeleton remaining. Miki's body was discovered by authorities on 23 April 2011. She was hailed in the Japanese news media as a heroine for sacrificing her life and was credited with saving many lives. Of the approximately 40 people who fled to the roof of the building, only 11 survived, by clinging to the rooftop antenna. Miki Endo ( 遠藤 未希, Endō Miki, 1986, Japan – March 11, 2011, Minamisanriku, Japan) was an employee of the town of Minamisanriku's Crisis Management Department, tasked with broadcasting disaster advisories and warnings.ĭuring the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami she remained at her post on the second floor of the three-storey Crisis Management Center continuing to broadcast warnings and alerts over the community loudspeaker system as the tsunami swept over the building silencing the loudspeakers, killing her and overwhelming the town. The remnants of the Crisis Management Department Building where Miki Endo was swept away by the tsunami. ![]() Further information is provided in our H ealth and Safety guidance. Do NOT follow suggestions which conflict with current advice from CLEAPSS , SSERC or recent safety guides. eLibrary users are responsible for ensuring that any activity, including practical work, which they carry out is consistent with current regulations related to h ealth and s afety and that they carry an appropriate risk assessment. Visit the secondary science webpage to access all lists: Whilst this list provides a source of information and ideas for experimental work, it is important to note that recommendations can date very quickly. ![]()
![]() ![]() Well, we are at the end of this huge blog post. So, without looking more you may choose this template for your project as it has already got 600+ sales on ThemeForest from thousands of medical website templates. This responsive template includes a mobile-friendly menu, Google Maps integration, password strength checker, more than 2500+ icons, sticky horizontal and navigational sidebar, unique responsive table, ajax Php form, and many more.Īpart from these stunning features it also includes a user admin dashboard, 40+ HTML pages, regular updates, and insanely good loading speed. Proper formatting with stunning graphics and animation makes this template awesome. This one is a very stylish and refreshing template. It is from an elite author of Themeforest. Novena - Best Medical Website Templateĭo you Want to create a doctor's directory and online booking website? If yes, Findoctor is for you. Additionally, we have picked both the bootstrap and WordPress medical website templates for your convenience. We narrow down this list including both free and premium medical website templates. The layout of a template is really important, especially for the service offering Website as you have to offer the solution to their problems. You should also consider not only the eye-catchy appearance of a template but also its layout. So, you need something special to create a minimal and professional one. But, all of them are not worthy of a professional medical website. So, the appearance of a medical website is a little bit different from other Businesses.įortunately, you will get tons of medical website templates on the web including the bootstrap and Wordpress versions. Ultimately, the appearance of a medical website should not be like a corporate business. So, Medical is no exception from this general rule of thumb. Like all businesses, medical services directly handle the people. A strong online presence is a must for any service-based business for getting the maximum commercial output. Since the character was created by an Austrian Jew and eventually voiced by a Jewish actress, Mae Questel, animation fans sometimes try to pinpoint various aspects that hint at Betty's Jewishness. The series was popular throughout the 1930s. From that point on, she was crowned "The Queen of the Animated Screen". īetty Boop was the star of the Talkartoons by 1932 and was given her own series that same year, beginning with Stopping the Show. At least 12 Screen Songs cartoons featured Betty Boop or a similar character. Īlthough Betty's first name was assumed to have been established in the 1931 Screen Songs cartoon Betty Co-ed, this "Betty" is a different character, which the official Betty Boop website describes as a "prototype" of Betty Boop. Today, Betty is voiced by Sandy Fox and Cindy Robinson. Later, several different voice actresses performed the role, including Kate Wright, Bonnie Poe, Ann Rothschild (also known as Little Ann Little), and especially Mae Questel, who began voicing Betty Boop in Bimbo's Silly Scandals (1931), and continued with the role until 1939, returning nearly 50 years later in Disney's Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). Her floppy poodle ears became hoop earrings, and her black poodle nose became a girl's button-like nose.Ī colorful Betty Boop in Poor Cinderella, 1934īetty was first voiced by Margie Hines. By the release of Any Rags, Betty Boop was forever established as a human character. ![]() While much credit has been given to Grim Natwick for helping to transform Max Fleischer's creation, her transition into the cute cartoon girl was also in part due to the work of Berny Wolf, Otto Feuer, Seymour Kneitel, "Doc" Crandall, Willard Bowsky, and James "Shamus" Culhane. Within a year, Betty made the transition from an incidental human-canine breed to a completely human female character. In individual cartoons, she was called "Nancy Lee" or "Nan McGrew"-derived from the Helen Kane film Dangerous Nan McGrew (1930)-usually serving as a girlfriend to studio star Bimbo. Betty Boop appeared as a supporting character in ten cartoons as a flapper girl with more heart than brains. Clara Bow is often given credit as being the inspiration for Boop, though Fleischer told his artists that he wanted a caricature of singer Helen Kane, who performed in a style shared by many performers of the day–Kane was also the one who sued Fleischer over the signature "Boop Oop a Doop" line. Inspired by a popular performing style, but not by any one specific person, the character was originally created as an anthropomorphic French poodle. ![]() Although she was toned down in the mid-1930s as a result of the Hays Code to appear more demure, she became one of the world's best-known and most popular cartoon characters.īetty Boop made her first appearance in the cartoon Dizzy Dishes, released on August 9, 1930, the seventh installment in Fleischer's Talkartoon series. She has also been featured in comic strips and mass merchandising.Ī caricature of a Jazz Age flapper, Betty Boop was described in a 1934 court case as "combin in appearance the childish with the sophisticated-a large round baby face with big eyes and a nose like a button, framed in a somewhat careful coiffure, with a very small body of which perhaps the leading characteristic is the most self-confident little bust imaginable". ![]() She was featured in 90 theatrical cartoons between 19. She originally appeared in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. ![]() Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character created by Max Fleischer, with help from animators including Grim Natwick. Then finally, once all is sewn on we then cut and finish the hair to your desired style and look. We then attach the weft hair and closure to the mesh using a sewing technique. Next, we will then secure the mesh down tightly to your head using tiny undetectable silicone lined micro rings (these are much smaller than your standard rings), the rings are then clamped downwards to secure the mesh firmly in place. We then gently draw your natural hair through the mesh using a crochet tool. Our specialist will firstly create a foundation for your new hair using a soft breathable mesh fabric called a volumizer mesh and this acts as your new scalp. Our super light system allows your natural hair to grow as normal underneath and causes no tension or pulling on the hair or scalp. We use an added hair piece using the very finest Russian hair and made with a silk base which allows the scalp to breathe and integrates amazingly with the natural hair, giving a totally natural look. The Dream-Lux integration system is NOT A WIG, this is a permanent system that is worn every day. What Systems do we offer? Dream- Lux Hair Integration System The system takes roughly 2 weeks to be made as all of our units are customised to each clients’ needs and made on an individual basis. Once a deposit has been taken we will then make your customised closure and wefts based on the length, colour and thickness you have chosen. ![]() Vanessa will discuss all of the options available to you and what you are looking to achieve from the hair loss system, including hair length and thickness, we will discuss the final look taking into account your face shape and lifestyle and we can determine whether you are suitable for the hair loss integration system.Ī price will be given at consultation and if you would like to go ahead with the system, we do require a 50% deposit to secure your booking in the diary. This is a chance for us to sit down and go through everything with you, discuss your medical history, genetics and see how we can help you to move forward and make your day to day life a little easier. We invite you to come into the salon for a full, in depth consultation. Consultations and fittings are carried out on a one to one basis, with Vanessa, with no other staff or clients present to ensure your complete privacy at all times. ![]() ![]() Our private room, within our luxury salon, will make you feel at ease. We do not offer your run of the mill integration systems our systems have been tried and tested and tweaked for many years to give you the very best hair loss methods available and are bespoke to Dreamgirlz. Their are many salons popping up all over the UK now offering hair loss/ integration services after doing one day courses on a dummy head and not even training on a live client with any sort of hair loss please be careful as the way these systems are being fitted are not good for your hair/hairloss and may result in further hairloss, please please please do your research i have spent well over £20.000 in hair loss training and trained with 4 different well known reputable companies and have extensive knowledge on the different types of systems to ensure your hair will be treated the best way possible for your type of hair loss condition. Vanessa has done training with the very best hair loss clinics around the UK to ensure their is a system for every clients needs, one system might not be suitable for a certain client so its essential to be able to offer clients a variety. Our custom-made system can change your life in a matter of hours and give you back the confidence you deserve. It’s never easy going through hair loss and we are passionate about bringing back that spark and lease of life that hair loss can sometimes take away. Here at Dreamgirlz we understand how upsetting and distressing hair loss can be and taking the next steps to seeking advice can be a very nerve-racking time. ![]() "For hundreds of years, the peaceful transition of power has been a foundation of our Country. At this time, there is no connectivity between the events unfolding in Washington and anything in NYC. "We are closely monitoring the situation in DC. NYPD on the situation, according to police sources ![]() Additionally, there must be ZERO tolerance for violence in any form! It is very important now for everyone to please cooperate with Capitol Police who need to gain control of this situation immediately." We can all passionately love our country, but in our republic we elect people to represent us to voice our objections in the House and Senate on this day. We can debate and we can disagree, even on a January 6th following a Presidential election. "This should never be the scene at the US Capitol. This has been an obscene attack on our democracy, but we will prevail." Once we had a secure exit, we left the Capitol and I am now in a secure location. The Capitol Police barricaded the doors and we sheltered in place. I was in the Chamber as people attempted to breach it. "Thanks to everyone who has reached out and expressed your concern. Today's events are disgraceful but will not change the fact that Joe Biden will be the President of the United States on January 20." "My staff and I are in a secure location and are safe. Then we must get to work to pursue a mission of truth and reconciliation with our country's racist and violent past and present." As a start, we must remove Trump from office immediately. What we saw today was an attempted coup, fueled by white supremacy and a fascist in the White House-the logical extension of our failure to reconcile our history. Myself and my staff are safe and sheltering. "Thank you to everyone who has reached out to check in. I was barricaded inside the Capitol with a colleague, just steps away from a rioting mob as they marched through terrorizing and defiling our People's House. Never have I been more enraged and terrified, as I was today. This was a vile attack made by insurrectionists - in the name of a sitting President. Instead, what the world saw was an assault on the most sacred, hallowed grounds of our Democracy - a symbol of the world's oldest Democracy. "Today was supposed to be a day to carry out our solemn Constitutional duties, as duly elected Members of Congress, to certify the electoral college results. President Franklin Roosevelt set aside December 7th, 1941 as a date that will live in 'infamy.' Unfortunately, we can now add January 6th, 2021 to that very short list of dates in American history that will live, forever, in infamy." I have never lived through or even imagined an experience like the one we have just witnessed in this Capitol. "It is very, very difficult to put into words what has transpired today. Domestic terrorists who undermine our free and fair elections and attempt to sabotage the peaceful transfer of power must be brought to justice." It's an assault on democracy and America itself. "It's more than an assault on the Capitol building. So she stacked chairs, barricaded the door, turned off the lights and TV and hunkered down for more than five hours. They were shouting a bunch of things, but what was loudest and easiest to understand was USA, USA." I got real nervous because it just looked really chaotic and I didn't know what they had on them. "I turned on the TV and I happened to see that they were marching right past the room that I was in. ![]() "I heard a lot of stomping and shouting and chanting right outside my door and I was really confused," Meng said. Some were even at the scene where the chaos took place.Ĭongressmember Grace Meng was in a small room off the house chambers, with another member of Congress. WASHINGTON DC (WABC) - Politicians and officials from the Tri-State area are responding to the pro-Trump mob breaching the Capitol in Washington D.C. Local politicians from the Tri-State area responded to the violent clashes broke out between supporters of President Donald Trump and police at the U.S. ![]() ![]() “In fact I built two, and another one for Australia. “We constructed a full-scale replica of the imperial palace – it was the largest touring stage set in the world,” he says. One evening in 2008, after a concert in front of the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Rieu decided it would be marvellous to play in front of such a spectacular backdrop every night. And there’s nothing we love more in this little country than beating the Germans.” As the platinum awards tumbled in, Rieu’s vision became increasingly grandiose. How might it have influenced his career, I wonder, if Ajax had lost? “I don’t know,” he laughs, “but sometimes you need these pieces of luck. Ajax did me a huge favour and scored just before half time. I knew that there was a big European game coming up, Ajax against Bayern Munich, so I bought a minute of live TV coverage during the break. “At the time an insurance company had used the Shostakovich piece for a television commercial and at the last second I decided to put it on the album. ![]() “We had just finished our first major recording,” Rieu says. One of his most-viewed YouTube clips shows the violinist leading several thousand Ajax fans in a sing-along of Shostakovich’s hummable – though hardly well-known – Waltz No 2, for the 1995 Champions League final.Īndré Rieu serenades football fans in 1995 Having rejected the life of a conventional soloist, it was fitting that Rieu’s big break should occur not on the concert platform, but the centre circle of a football pitch. It made him very rich, but he was a fantastic musician, so what is so wrong about that?” “He proved that it is possible to be a businessman as well as a musician – I have only one orchestra, he had five. In 1987 Rieu renamed his band the Johann Strauss Orchestra in honour of his idol, Johann Strauss II. If you ordered that, I would come out of the kitchen and play at the table – but then I realised that I would have to start practising again.” We had menu cards printed up: the most expensive item was going to be the Pizza Paganini. So we thought that we might open a pizza restaurant. Marjorie was studying languages and she was fed up too. “I founded my first orchestra in 1978 with just 12 musicians and we played for weddings, restaurants, anywhere we could get a booking, and we were always ignored. “There was a time when I felt like putting my violin away for good,” he says. Billboard figures indicate that Rieu’s 2014 world tour outsold Metallica, Ed Sheeran, Rod Stewart and Beyoncé while his annual summer concert from Maastricht’s medieval town square was broadcast live to cinemas this year, becoming the first concert film to take more than £1m at the box office in a single day, beating previous records set by One Direction and Take That.Įven though Rieu’s father was a conductor who led the Maastricht Symphony Orchestra, following in the family business wasn’t always easy. He did – over 40 million at the last count, firmly establishing him as the biggest-selling classical musician in the world. She said, ‘In that case you had better sell some records.’” But later I told my wife Marjorie that I should like to own it. ![]() It was dark and damp and practically falling down. I first came here for piano lessons when I was six years old – the teacher was a total bitch and I hated her. He is tall, remarkably well-preserved for his 66 years, and dressed in a navy bespoke suit, red silk tie and shiny silver boots that look as if they might have been purchased in anticipation of his oft-stated ambition to become the first musician to perform on the moon.Ī Christmassy get-together at André Rieu’s castle. Rieu strides into his drawing room at precisely the appointed time. It seems only natural that the man at the heart of this elaborate fairytale should live in a castle: Rieu inhabits a 17th-century chateau with its own butterfly house and a coat of arms belonging to a previous occupant, Charles de Batz-Castelmore d’Artagnan – the inspiration for Alexandre Dumas’s fictional musketeer, who died at the siege of Maastricht in 1673. There are still pieces of the polyester avalanche filling my pockets when I meet Rieu a couple of days later at his home in Maastricht. And the concert is subject to a strange microclimate of its own, with sudden downpours of balloons and flurries of fake snow that takes some shaking off afterwards. Referring to the howling gales outside, he introduces the Skater’s Waltz as “the perfect piece of music for your Irish shit weather”. Rieu is, in case there is any doubt, an extremely fine violinist with a seductively plush tone and a stage persona that turns out to be surprisingly relaxed and informal. |