The Calendar

This Labor Day weekend things will be scorching as usual in South Florida, especially Miami!  For those of you looking for a hot weekend slam packed with hot celebs and events, look no further than ‘No Sleep Till Miami’, a music infused event being held September 1st-5th in Miami Beach.

This Week in Chicago: August 23-29

In less than 17 hours, twenty tall ships from around the world will sail into Navy Pier for a weeklong celebration.  Pepsi is sponsoring the Tall Ships Chicago 2010 tour this year and will be adding some exciting additions.  These majestic and historic ships will all be located at Navy Pier for the first time in history.  Guests will be able to board up to 12 of the ships and will also have the option to take a cruise onto Lake Michigan via five of the vessels.  For those who love ships, yachts and boats this event is perfect for you.

The ships will be docked at three Festival locations within Navy Pier all week.  Guests will have three different options for tickets to the event. The first option is general admission to the festival grounds, which includes viewing of all 20 ships.  The second option is a dockside boarding ticket, which will allow boarding of 12 ships along with general admission and dockside viewing.  The final ticket option is a sail-away ticket, allowing for a 60-90 minute sailing excursion on one of the historic tall ships.  This is the perfect event to drive up in one of our Chicago exotic car rentals.

Top 5 Places to Watch Air and Water Show

Chicago’s Annual Air and Water show will draw millions of people to the lakefront, rooftops, and boats alike this weekend.  Imagine Lifestyles was wondering where Chicago residents think they capture the best view of the actual air show.  As well as getting a great view, we also think having a good time and enjoying the show should factor in as well.  Imagine Lifestyles Chicago attempted to compile our own top five list of the best places to enjoy the overall experience of the Air and Water Show.

1.  Yacht
2.  North Avenue Beach
3.  Rooftop
4.  Lakefront Condo
5.  Oak Street Beach 

This Week in Chicago:  Lollapalooza Aug 6-8 2010 Grant Park

Think Woodstock, but substitute rain and farmland for 100-degree temperatures and downtown Chicago and you will have a pretty good idea what Lollapalooza is all about.  For 3 days this weekend, 8 stages will overtake Grant Park as over 120 bands bring their musical talents to the Windy City.  Headlining this year will be Green Day, Lady Gaga, and Soundgarden.  

Festival and music fans alike interested in going have the option of buying single day tickets or the 3-day weekend pass.  Lolla offers up a whole lot more than just music as well and this year is really stepping it up with the food selections they are offering on festival grounds.  This year, there will be two different food courts, also known as Chow Towns, on the north and south end of the grounds.  25 new restaurants have been added on to the already impressive foodie lineup from last year.  

Top 5 Boats to Rent for Chicago Scene Party 

Mardi Gras meets Lake Michigan this Saturday in the playpen located just north of Navy Pier for ChicagoScene.com’s annual boat party.  Arguably one of the better weekends of summer here in Chicago, you will not want to be left on shore watching all the action.  Imagine Lifestyles has put together a list of the top 5 luxury yachts and boats to rent this Saturday to ensure you do not miss any of the action.  

1.) 54-Foot SeaRay Sundancer

2.) 68-Foot Azimut 

3.) 38-Foot Cigarette Speed Boat 

4.) 40-Foot SeaRay Sundancer 

5.) Tige RZ2

Imagine Lifestyles Donates Lamborghini forJay Cutler’s Vegas Charity Cruise

Imagine Lifestyles Chicago is back in the giving spirit this month and it just happens to be helping out another Chicago Bears player again.  Having previously worked with Greg Olsen’s Receptions for Research charity, Imagine Lifestyles is teaming up with Jay Cutler and his Jay Cutler Foundation, which supports children with diabetes.  Our Lamborghini Gallardo rental car will be auctioned off to raise money for the charity during an auction while out on Lake Michigan.

Speaking of Lake Michigan, the event is being held on the beautiful Mystic Blue, a lake cruising ship based out of Navy Pier.  The event is being held July 22nd and is from 7-10 PM.  Tickets for the event are $200 and include a 3-course dinner, drinks, and dancing.  VIP tickets are available for $400 and include personal introductions to many Bears players including Jay. 

Imagine Lifestyles is extremely excited to get out on Lake Michigan and help out a good cause.  We realize how important it is to give back to the community where we reside and conduct business in.  We look forward to seeing all of you aboard the Mystic Blue and hopefully everyone can raise a great deal of money for Jay’s charity and have a good time.  

Event: Jay Cutler Vegas Charity Cruise

Location: Lake Michigan on board Mystic Blue Ship

Time: 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

While in Chicago check out our fleet of Chicago exotic car rentals.

Post by Imagine Lifestyles Luxury Rentals

Summer is officially here and the temperatures have been slowly climbing the past few weeks.  This can only mean one thing for Chicago residents who know what “The Playpen” is.  Chicago Scene’s annual boat party is fast approaching and this week Chicago residents should be focused on securing a spot on a luxury yacht for Lake Michigan’s biggest boat party.  The actual party will be on July 31st, allowing all of those who want to attend plenty of time to secure a luxury yacht rental.

New luxury car brands have a tough road to travel, literally.  Competing with established brands like Lamborghini, Ferrari, Aston Martin and the like require just as much compelling marketing endeavors as quality cars!  Enter McLaren.

McLaren will be launching its first model, as I have previously covered, the MP4-12C sports car, next month at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.  Prior to the Pebble Beach show, it will be seen this month at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England, for the antsy types.

So it is "Ole! Ole-Ole-Ole!"  that is ringing out across Spain and everywhere there are fans of the now-World Cup Champions for 2010.

Spain claimed its first ever world soccer title with a 1-0 extra-time victory over the Netherlands in Sunday's final in Johannesburg, South Africa.

It was a rough game, with the Dutch having played very aggressively, tackling dangerously-hard, taking legs out from under Spanish forwards, and, in general, playing what some described as "dirty football."  They said they felt they had to be aggressive in an effort to stop Spain from its famous "keep-away" tactics of ball possession.

The hard tackling and repeated fouls and holding resulted in 13 "yellow-cards" or cautions handed out by the referee during the match. Eight were slapped on the Dutch, and by the final minutes, they were forced to play one-man short as a result of all the "carding."

With the man-advantage, Spain was able to capitalize, as Andres Iniesta scored the winner with four minutes left in a thirty-minute extra period, giving Spain the 1-nil victory and preventing the match from being decided on penalty-kicks.

Observers around the world were critical of the way the championship game was played, saying the final was "not good football." Among the critics was Sepp Blatter, the boss of FIFA, the world governing body for football, who said it was "a shame," and that a "lack of fair play" in his view, spoiled the final. Even former Dutch superstar, Johan Cruyff, who led the Netherlands to World Cup final appearances in 1974 and 1978, was unimpressed with the play of his countrymen, calling it "dirty and ugly" and he added that Spain deserved the victory.

For their part, the Spaniards are just happy to be home, with the victory and with the trophy. They have the coveted golden statue in their hands for the first time in the 80-year history of the tournament, and they become just the eighth team in the world ever to win it.

The team flew to Spain immediately from South Arica to begin celebrating with their fans. When their plane arrived at Madrid's Barajas Airport on Monday morning, goalkeeper and team captain, Iker Casillas, was first to emerge and he raised the World Cup trophy for the hundreds of cheering airport workers who began chanting "Campeones" or "Champions" as the players filed off into the 100-degree heat.

The squad had an audience with the Spanish King, Juan Carlos, and later with the country's Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, and then set off for an open-topped bus tour around the capital city where throngs of people lined the streets, cheering, singing and waving flags. The bus tour would be followed by a giant rally on a specially set-up stage on the banks of the Manzanares river where hundreds of thousands of fans gathered.

Suffice it to say, there will be quite a "fiesta" going on in Spain this week.

And it's safe to assume that the players are happy for another reason.  In addition to the huge salaries they will return to at their individual clubs like Real Madrid, and Barcelona FC, the FIFA organization gives 31-million Euros to the Spanish Soccer Federation for the World Cup victory. Each of the 23 players will receive 600,000 Euros, or  $756,000 USD for their victory.  Ole!
 

Nice pay for a month's work. That might just put another luxury car in the driveway, and certainly afford them any luxury car rental in any city they choose!
 

Post by Imagine Lifestyles Luxury Rentals

Two new teams definitely made the World Cup final interesting!

When the trophy was awarded to the winners of soccer's World Cup, it was destined to be a special joy for the players and for the nation of either team, as each was in line for a first-time champion.

Spain faced the Netherlands in the World Cup final on Sunday in Johannesburgh, South Africa, and the anticipation for both countries and their fans were off the charts.

Spain has never won the World Cup until now, and has never before reached the final. This, in spite of the fact they are one of the most respected teams in the game, sporting a roster full of elite players, and are the reigning European champions, having claimed that crown in 2008.

They dispatched a strong German team in Wednesday's semi-final, winning 1-0 in an efficient, and impressive display of ball control and relentless pressure.

The Dutch whipped Argentina and England with 4 -goal outbursts in both games, and booked a spot in the final, edging pesky Uruguay 3-2.

The Netherlands have reached the final game twice before, losing to Germany in 1974, and to Argentina in 1978. It has been years of disappointment since then as they have fielded teams full of fabulous players, but have always fallen short. Earlier this week, after the semi-final win by The Netherlands, Amsterdam's Museum Square was awash in the orange colors of the team and with celebrating fans, thrilled that they stood a chance to win the World Cup.

The Spanish were similarly jubilant on Wednesday.  The goal that sent Spain to the final, came from veteran defender, Carles Puyol, and not only elicited tears of joy and much hugging and singing of "Ole! Ole! Ole!" back in Madrid's Plaza Mayor, but even had the normally poised Queen Sofia jumping to her feet and cheering from her spot in the stands at the match in South Africa.  The final game was even sweeter! 

Emotions run deep among soccer fans, and these finalists were two of the most passionate sports nations in the world.  A "virgin" victory was assured for one of them, and Spain certainly deserved it!
 

For more Sports, follow link!  Also treat yourself to a peek at our luxury car rental fleet.

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Really?  The NBA's top player turns his decision about where to play next year into TV reality affair?  Yes, it came down to that.  But it seems the world has become accustomed to that route.

But however cheesy, and however manipulative it was, however it was milked to keep the NBA top-of-mind in the off-season.....it is official, LeBron James is headed for Miami!

He will complete a troika of superstars that will now patrol the hardwood in South Florida and turn the Heat into instant favorites to win the league title.

 This Week in Chicago July 6th- July 11th 

For the weekly dose of what is happening in Chicago, Imagine Lifestyles is going to step out of the box and look in a new direction.  This week we take you to Highland Park, IL, one of the north shore’s nicest suburbs.  So what are we doing in Highland Park you might ask?  

 The Chicago Symphony Orchestra will be presenting Zukerman and Mozart at Ravinia Festival, one of the cities’ best outdoor music venues.  World famous violinist and conductor Pinchas Zukerman will be presenting this All-Mozart performance.  Look for special guest, Arianna Zuckerman, Pincha’s talented daughter.

 One of our favorite things about Ravinia is the easy-access to and from the venue from the city.  For those of you looking to avoid the hassles of traffic and even worse the crowded Metra, call Imagine Lifestyles to arrange for a luxury rental car.  We can even arrange for your own personal driver for the evening.  This will probably be the only time you invite that special someone out for a night of wine, cheese, and Mozart under the stars so make sure you travel in style with one of our exotic rental cars.  

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With all the headlines about young sailor Abby Sunderland recently while attempting to win the title as the youngest female sailor to circumnavigate the globe, it will certainly be a treat for those attending the Sydney International Boat Show, as Jessica Watson is making an appearance. 

Jessica Watson holds the record as the youngest person to sail around the world solo, completing her trip before the ripe old age of 17.  Recently, Abby Sunderland was attempting to compete with this record, but ran into some snags and was thankfully rescued. 

The thrilling, often-mystifying, heart-in-mouth suspenseful, vuvuzela-blaring World Cup tournament in South Africa is down to four teams in the chase for soccer supremacy.

And it's not the four countries people were expecting to be there.

Top-rated Brazil is gone, and so is perennial contender, Argentina. Both were shock losers on the weekend in quarterfinal action.  Brazil was sent home by the hard-working, methodically efficient Dutch team; and the mercurial and emotional stars on Argentina were disgraced by a 4-0 loss to Germany.

The 18th annual Mango Festival is hitting South Beach July 10th-11th, hosted by Fairchild Garden and featuring the Mangoes of India.  There are many layers to this fabulous festival, so don’t miss the one day it comes to fruition!
So why should you attend the Mango Festival?  It is a historical celebration of not only a piece of fruit, but of Indian culture, music, cuisine, dance and more. 

South Beach is one of the few places in the world where you can immerse yourself in a plethora of cultures, experiencing their lifestyles, food, music, dancing and more.