With so many styles and features, these arent your average scooters and theyre not just for kids anymore!

Both adults and children can gain from the pleasure and convenience of electric scooters. Whether your children want a fun way to zoom around the neighborhood, or youre college student without transportation to class, or your work commute is too hard on your feet, almost anyone can benefit from an electric scooter.

Most electric scooters are easily compactable, using no dangerous fuels, have short charging times, and quiet motors. Ride your scooter to work or school and store it under your desk. Save time and skip the walk, save money on gasoline, and even do a small favor for the environment. Not only are electric scooters practical, theyre fun!

With quiet riding electric scooters, there are no smelly fumes and no need to mess with gasoline fuel. Plus scooter batteries are recyclable. While many riders choose scooters for the entertainment value, these earth-friendly vehicles are a sensible alternative to automobiles.

There are dozens of scooters to choose from, such as ZAP, GoPed, or Razor just to name a few. Your first step toward purchasing your new scooter is to make a list of what youre looking for. Manufacturers tailor some scooters for children, with a weight limit and a lower maximum speed. But other scooters go faster and further, supporting more than 200 pounds.

Scooters can cost from under $200 to over $1,000. Whatever your needs, youre sure to find a scooter in your price range. You can even choose an electric scooter with a seat.

Electric scooters are battery powered and rechargeable. Most charging times are less than eight hours. Your scooter may even have a quick charger.

Do you want to travel in style or do you just want to play in the backyard? There are trendy seated scooters complete with a headlight and rearview mirrors, usually priced around $2,000. More basic stand-up types vary in speeds and range. There are even off-road and stunt scooters for the more adventurous.

Even if your scooter is designed for a multitude of uses, be sure to observe safety. Wear proper attire and obey traffic laws. Avoid quick moving or congested traffic, give pedestrians the right of way, and operate your scooter defensively.

Make sure the scooters age recommendation suits your childs abilities. For example, Razor makes an easy to control, three-wheeled scooter suitable for children as young as two.

Just like learning to drive, you should thoroughly read the users manual and practice enough to feel comfortable before heading out to the open road. And just like your car, dont drive your scooter while drinking alcohol. It might be a toy, but it can still be dangerous. Find out your local laws regarding scooters in public places. While gas-powered scooters are not allowed on public transportation, you may be able to tote your scooter on the bus.

Take care of your scooter and it will provide you with years of entertainment. Since there are relatively few moving parts, electric scooters are reliable and durable. Many scooter manufacturers sell replacement parts online. Most adults can assemble and repair parts. However, having some bicycle mechanic knowledge certainly helps. The drive belt that powers the scooter is similar to a bicycles chain system.

Once you find your perfect electric scooter, make sure you are ready for curious questions and amused onlookers. Scooters are growing in popularity. Manufacturers are developing more creative designs and innovative features each year. Get ready to enter a new world of enjoyment and convenience with your new electric scooter.

Copyright (c) 2006

¶ 11:25 PM 0 comments

The beautiful city of Vancouver is located in the Southwestern corner of British Columbia, Canada; on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Being overlooked by the Coast Range Mountains and surrounded by water on three sides, the city has a landscape that truly takes your breath away.

The Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) has everything from Beaches, mountains and 192 beautiful parks to a cosmopolitan downtown area, fabulous shopping and entertainment. Due to it's location it has a mild climate, which means not too much snow in the winter and pleasant temperatures in the summer, but it does to tend to have a lot of rain. The average annual rain and snow fall is 1219mm.

As Canada's third largest city, the downtown area has a population of 514,000 (1996 census) and the GVRD has a population of almost two million. It is a city of newcomers, according to the 1996 census 45 percent of residents were immigrants. According to international surveys, Vancouver is one of the best cities in the world for quality of life. It is also ranked, along with four other Canadian cities, as one of the safest cities in North America.

The Greater Vancouver Regional District comprises 21 separate municipalities each is home to several hundred thousand people and many were once cities in their own right before being swallowed up by the urban sprawl.

The actual city of Vancouver itself is made up of 23 different Neighborhoods - each having its own distinct character.There are many wonderful places to visit, shop and eat in. This includes a vast number of galleries, sophisticated shopping and antique shops to choose from. Chinatown is one of the largest in North America and is a thriving commercial and residential district.

Gastown is the historical part of the city with cobblestone streets, heritage buildings, shops, restaurants and galleries. It's located just south of the harbor and is a vibrant place. Located just under the Granville Street Bridge is Granville Island Market which offers a mix of food, arts and crafts, shopping and theatres. Water taxis ferry shoppers to and from the market or you can stroll there.

Stanley Park, located close to downtown, has over 1000 acres of forest and is a firm favorite with both locals and tourists. The park has many kilometers of pathway, an aquarium, a pitch and putt golf course, a miniature railway, tennis, restaurants, beaches and on summer evenings live theatre. Robson Street is in the heart of downtown and offers boutiques, side walk cafes, shops and restaurants.

The city has many tree lined streets and no highway cutting through the city so walking is encouraged. It is illegal to cross the street anywhere but at a marked intersection crossing in the city.

There is an excellent public transport system which consists of buses, Seabus, Skytrain and a commuter rail service called the West Coast Express. This is an integrated system and you can use the same tickets for different modes of transport. There is also an extensive system of bikeways, so cycling is another good way to get around.

The Port of Vancouver rates number one in North America in total foreign exports and is the gateway for Asia-Pacific trade. It has a natural deep water harbor and covers 233 kilometers of coastline. In 2003 its total cargo traffic was 66.7 million tones. The Port is also home to the Vancouver - Alaska cruise, one of the worlds most popular cruises. There are many attractions in and around the city offering a wide variety of activities.

Grouse Mountain - located just 15 minutes from downtown, also known as the Peak of Vancouver. Riding the Gondola to the mountain top is an absolute must, in the winter you can experience the skiing, snowboarding, snow-shoeing, ice skating and sleigh rides and in the summer mountain bike tours, helicopter tours, tandem paragliding or maybe just enjoy the magnificent views at one of the restaurants.

Science World - located on Quebec Street offers hundreds of interactive exhibits, wrap around movies in a giant theatre and year round special events. There are always new exhibits arriving so it never gets boring.

Capilano Suspension bridge and Park - located 10 minutes from downtown is the city's most popular visitor attraction. The swaying footbridge bridge is 230 feet above the Capilano River and spans 450 feet. There is also a colorful Totem park, trails through the West Coast rain forest and much more.

Vancouver Zoo is located in Aldergrove just off the Trans Canada Highway. They are open all year round and offer either daily admission rates or season passes. There is a miniature safari train and a safari bus tour, you can also hire quadra cycles or bring your own bikes, in-line skates or any motor-less transportation to get you around.

The city Aquarium is situated 5 minutes from downtown in Stanley Park. They are a self supporting and not for profit group and are Canada's leading aquatic conservation organization. Open year round they have many different types of marine life to learn about and a daily schedule of shows. The Vancouver Canucks are one of the strongest teams in the NHL (Ice Hockey) and with the BC lions always very competitive, there is a good supply of sports choices.

Vancouver is without doubt the most impressive city I have ever stayed in and is a must to visit if you are in Canada. Undoubtedly one of the most expensive places to buy property in Canada but with the amount the city has to offer I can understand why. For more detailed information including full descriptions of each municipality, visit http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com/vancouver.html

¶ 9:40 PM 0 comments

In this continuing series, we cover my move from San Diego to Chita, Siberia to be a professor at Chita State Technical University. We pick up the story outside the airport in Khabarovsk, Russia.

Khabarovsk

Khabarovsk is an amazing city. Museums with works from Picasso, Rembrandt and other masters. A bustling downtown area with cafes, a lively music scene and architectural triumphs. Then again, maybe not. We were far more interested in finding a hotel with hot water and never ventured into the city.

Outside of the airport, we were a bit flummoxed by the fact there appeared to be no taxis. We quickly learned that practically any Russian with a car is also a taxi for hire. After 5 minutes of egging each other on, Grae made taxi arrangements and we were off. Apparently taking in out disheveled appearance after 3 days of traveling, our driver suggested the Intourist hotel. We readily agreed.

During communism, Intourist hotels were set up for exclusive use by foreigners. Ours was fairly nice and, importantly, had showers with copious amounts of hot water. You can see a picture at http://www.lodging.ru/hotels/intouristkhab.asp. After having returned to humanity with one of the best showers of my life, it was time to brush up on my Russian skills.

I am a huge fan of ice hockey. During the eighties and nineties, many of the best players were Russians. In interviews, they almost always talked about learning English by watching television. If it worked for them, it would work for me. Not exactly.

As Grae showered, I flipped through the eight available channels. Sitcoms were a non-starter, but I eventually found a news channel. I see the images. I know what the images are. I hear the words being spoken by the reporters. I have absolutely no idea of what words go with what images. Okay, lets back up. What words do they use over and over? Damn, do they have to talk so fast? After 30 minutes, I have learned nothing, nada, zippo. My respect for Russians playing in the NHL has never been higher.

Might as well sleep on it. Yes, day three of the trip was finally done. My original prediction of a 2-day trip was out the window. Still, we were in Russia, so how much longer could it take? Pull out a map and take a look at the country. It is twice the size of the U.S.

Next When Stairs Attack

¶ 2:15 PM 0 comments