When I tell Lilia that we are going to view bats, she is scared at first. She knows bats only from horror movies and vampire stories in her favorite manga. All the same, she is willing to go. My concerns, as usual, are about accessibility. My daughter is deaf and uses a wheelchair. We are in the United States on our first mother-daughter trip. My husband and son are back home in Japan, busy with work, and summer school, and baseball practice. … [Read more...]
Coogee Beach & 2013 Sydney Fireworks
We are still trying to catch up on blog posts as its been a hectic past couple of weeks! Trying to avoid Bondi like the plague on the last day of 2012 we headed straight for Coogee. So did many others - there were more views of people than sand. Walking up the coastal walk I stumbled upon Wylies, boasting public swimming baths perched on the edge of the cliffs with its own sea pool built into the existing sandstone rock next to the crashing … [Read more...]
Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Located in beautiful East Tennessee, Gatlinburg is a friendly mountain resort town known for its charming wedding chapels, cozy mountain cabins, family-friendly attractions, local moonshine, fall foliage, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park – the most visited national park in the U.S. With so much to do and see, it’s a top pick for honeymoons and romantic trips, reunions, church retreats, family vacations, girls’ weekends, father-son … [Read more...]
Baseball in New York – Your Guide to Enjoying Baseball While Visiting New York
While there is plenty of theater, art and music to enjoy while visiting New York City, you'll also find that this is a popular place for sports fans as well. Sure, it's nice to visit the museums, enjoy the music scene and take in a show or two while vacationing in the city. However, while you're vacationing in the area and staying in apartments in New York, don’t forget about the rich sports experiences that can be found in the area. The city is … [Read more...]
Universal Studios Hollywood Presents “Eli Roth’s Hostel: Hunting Season,”
A Terrifying New Horror Maze at "Halloween Horror Nights" Universal City, CA -- Eli Roth, the multi-talented director, writer, producer and actor, will adapt his enormously successful "Hostel" film franchise to create "Eli Roth's Hostel: Hunting Season," a twisted new "Halloween Horror Nights" maze at Universal Studios HollywoodSM. The event begins on September 23 and continues on select nights through October 31. "Hostel: Hunting … [Read more...]
Three Days in Apimsu – Ghana, West Africa
The brilliant sunlight stings my eyes as we make our way out of the airport in Accra, Ghana, but it's the view ahead that has me fighting tears. Our son Casey has been waiting at the entrance gate. Since he entered the Peace Corps in West Africa his father and I have been separated from him for many months and 7,000 miles. Now, just fifty feet across the courtyard, I see that his pale northwest skin is shades darker, his brown hair cropped close … [Read more...]
Bluecause – Purchase with a PurposeTM
I've been following The BlueFish for some time and attended one of their networking parties last year. Bluefish is an organization based in Los Angeles that focuses on providing exclusive lifetime memories based on unique activities or experiences, both domestic and International. Recently they started "BLUEcause" - "an interactive space for cause-conscious consumers to bid on and buy items and experiences associated with the hottest brands, … [Read more...]
Pittsburgh Weekend Getaway
The steel industry vacated Pittsburgh starting in the mid 1980's and by the mid 90's had almost entirely disappeared. With a hold on the industry of Pittsburgh for such a long time the loss of the steel mills happened rather quickly. However the legacy of the period of steel in Pittsburgh lives on; names like Carnegie, Mellon and Frick dot the city. As a testament to the resourcefulness of Pittsburgh, neighborhoods have since been revitalized, … [Read more...]
Matanzas
So here's the idea: We had been trying to get out of the hotel for weeks, and finally, an opportunity presented itself. We were going to Matanzas, a town in the countryside of Cuba. It was the center of the slave trade in the time of its existence and in keeping with the trend of that trade, it created some of the most intriguing musical and cultural styles of the area. It is also completely untouched by tourism and it came highly recommended … [Read more...]
The Guns of Central America
My journey started in Havana - probably the safest capital in Latin America. The Castro regime has put so many cops on the streets that I was instantly told from the very beginning that any assault on a traveller is unthinkable. Scams, theft, yes. But in terms of violence, it is pretty obvious on the streets of Havana who is the boss. Then I flew in to Yucatan, Eastern Mexico. As I wait in the queue for passport control, a guy in front of me … [Read more...]