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I'd go back in time to meet my father. He died when I was 5 and I don't remember much. I'd love to see what he is really like as opposed to things based on other people's memories.

You've got an old map there, LurkerSpeaks. The Uruguai stop at the end of Line 1/Linha 1 has already opened. Quite nice for a subway stop inside. As to the hotel, I know exactly where it is located, have passed it more times than I can count. Very, very close to Largo do Machado and from there really easy to get to the beach at Farme de Amoedo. Walking distance to 117. Also three non-rent saunas in Catete even closer than 117, if the urge strikes. Sauna Catete on Correa Dutra is especially nice with four floors and private rooms to rent. And open all night 24/7 on weekends and holidays. My best friend met his lover of four years there. A doctor, by the way although not a jewish one to bring home to Mama. Ursos Do Rio will be having intergenerational dance parties as well during the month of Copa Mundial just past the Catete metro stop at the Espaco Marun. I personally enjoy the evenings and all of the street life that surround the Largo do Machado than what you will find in Copacabana and Ipanema. But that is just my preference. People more normal, genuine, not so what we call nariz em pe/noses stuck up in the air. Best anc cheapest middle eastern food can be found right on the Largo do Marchado. And right around the corner by the traffic circle 1/4 block from the metro stop is the absolute best fresh acai from Para state at the Tacaca do Norte.

I time travel to the past all the time. I touch nothing and change nothing. It is all done through memories, some very pleasant and some not so pleasant. I shall never live so long as to double my current inventory of memories. Best regards, RA1

http://www.priceline.com/hotel/hotelOverviewGuide.do?key=hv5skedf&propID=25899504&jsk=334a050a364a050a20140513221419f75010322524&plf=PCLH 4* vs 3* for Atlantico & has free internet. Does location outweigh the lower quality for a first time visit to Rio?

When I first went to Rio de janeiro in October of 2002, the taxi driver took me to this hotel first. Shortly afterwards I was at the Hotel Atlantico Copacabana....

Human beings are genetically programmed for group bonding in difficult circumstances. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=CripLDmoSCg Same song, different verse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=VcMk85ZsBh0 That the first clip is spun to be perceived by Americans as delusional and manipulative and the second is meant to allow a German General to say for us what is in the hearts of our own 'band of brothers'. But does Band of Brothers manipulate our predisposition to bonding any less than the two German songs?

I lost my father when I was 24 and he was 51. I knew him to be a wonderful man and father during my "growing up" years but he was gone just when I became a "real" adult and he was getting smarter every day. Best regards, RA1

There has also been a new method to take people up the hill to Christo Redentor atop Corcovado. The buses go from Largo do Machado to the base at Cosme Velho and then up the hill to the statue's base. Alternatively you can catch the funicular railway up to the base. I haven't been since 2012, but at the time the buses were the quicker option to the railway.

Mine died when I was 8. This is a wonderful notion.

A U.S. federal judge struck down Idaho's ban on gay marriage on Tuesday, saying it relegated same-sex couples to a second-class status in violation of constitutional guarantees of equal protection under the law. The ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge Candy Dale was the latest in a string of decisions by federal judges against state bans on same-sex matrimony that, if upheld by higher courts, would sharply broaden access to marriage for U.S. gay couples. Dale said her decision would go into effect on Friday at 9 a.m. local time, unless put on hold by a higher court. Marriage rights have been extended to gay couples in 17 states and the District of Columbia in a trend that has gained momentum since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last June that legally married same-sex couples nationwide are eligible for federal benefits. That decision, which struck down part of the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act, has been cited by a number of federal judges, including Dale, in subsequent opinions overturning state bans on gay matrimony. The Idaho lawsuit was brought in November by two lesbian couples whose out-of-state marriages were invalid in Idaho and two couples who sought to be married in Idaho but were denied licenses. The lawsuit named Idaho Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter and Ada County Clerk Chris Rich as defendants. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/14/us-usa-idaho-gaymarriage-idUSBREA4D00Y20140514

Thanks...will check that out.

Hotel.com has the lowest price room at $120 vs. $138 on the above site + mentions that the breakfast is included. Best regards, RA1

E.g.,