If you are looking for the signature glamour and excitement of Las Vegas, a stay at the fabulous MGM Grand Hotel and Casino might be the ideal option. This hotel is known for its spacious, lavish interiors as well as excellent dining, world class blackjack games, superb entertainment and opulent rooms. With prices starting at just $99 a night for a standard double room, the MGM Grand provides Las Vegas extravagance at a price you can … [Read more...]
Canada Experience Part 1: Entering British Columbia and Victoria
It was the summer of 2010 and we wanted to escape our city life in Austin, Texas and visit the Pacific Northwest. We had ten days off and decided to drive from Texas, to Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia (3000+ mile car trip). We had just bought a new VW and thought it would be fun to drive it across country and have an adventure along the way (and, boy did we ever)! We entered BC the "round-about" way by ferry from the NAS base on … [Read more...]
Glimpses of a Golden Age
"Fight for a just cause. Love your fellow man. Live a good life." Taking the first two letters of each part of his motto, William Bourn named his lavish country estate Filoli. Bourn indeed lived a very good life in this 36,000 sq ft mansion with its 43 rooms and 17 fireplaces. The estate was built with his gold mining money in 1917, sold to shipping magnate, William Roth, in 1937 and is now maintained by The National Trust for Historic … [Read more...]
Intro to Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is like a bright tapestry, woven from time, and enriched with the colors of history and culture. Some cities grow old and then slowly die. Santa Barbara never grows old, just more elegant and appreciative of its past. Words cannot begin to describe the intimacy and sophisticated flavor of this city, only experience and a stay here, can do that. In 1925 a devastating earthquake left the downtown in ruins. Santa Barbara rebuilt … [Read more...]
Norfolk a surprise of food, arts and other delights
For me, the best part of traveling has to be the delight of surprise, finding unexpected pleasures in places you thought you had a handle on, even if you haven't been there before. Norfolk, Virginia, provided that in a great, grand way on a recent trip I took there, as I found it a place with scenes of the culinary, arts and sports stripe. I'd gone thinking, perhaps as a stereotypically snooty Northerner, "Well, old, southern … [Read more...]
Market City Cafe – A Taste of Italy
Una Festa Italiana Probably one of the best ways to sample Italian wines is in a pairing with Italian cucina especially when chefs of note are involved in the preparation and choices, and so it was one evening. To celebrate the coming Holiday season this very special event took place at Market City Cafe in Burbank, California. Together the Executive Chefs from the MCC Hospitality Group joined forces to produce a superb repast -seven … [Read more...]
Gulf Shores, Alabama
With only a limited amount of gulf coastline in the entire state, this part of Alabama really delivers in regards to long white sand beaches, bright blue sunshine and clean air, world class southern cuisine, but most of all, the genuine Southern hospitality. The area certainly becomes crowded in the summer. This is a true family destination with a wide range of visitors coming from the Midwest and the East Coast. Visitors come year after year; … [Read more...]
Ventura’s The Cliff House Inn: Close to LA but Worlds Away
We heard the surf pounding the rocks in front of us, though we couldn't see the waves in the inky blackness. Far out on the water's surface a flame flickered and glowered, illuminating the edges of a wooden pier. Festive white lights ran up and around the palm trees next to our table, and I read the menu by the dim light of the candle. It was too beautiful not to sit outside, though my dress-up skirt and cute jacket were obscured by layers of … [Read more...]
Houdini Seance Evening at The Magic Castle, Los Angeles
"Open sesame." I asked the secret passageway through the bookcase to reveal itself. "Open sesame!" I commanded, an octave lower. Nothing. I looked at my friends, the ten of us pressed close together in the bustling hallway, but they were all there for the first time as well. I stomped my foot. "OPEN--" The creaky bookcase swung open, and we hurriedly followed the guide inside. For my fortieth birthday I had decided to celebrate with the Houdini … [Read more...]
Francis Ford Coppola Winery
We recently visited Francis Ford Coppola's winery and estate (Francis Ford Coppola Winery) in northern Sonoma County which with good traffic is about 1 hour and 20 minutes north of San Francisco California. The location is a rather bucolic one, the winery is nestled against the hills surrounded by vineyards. We have visited hundreds of wineries over the years; this one is unique. While wine is the focus of their operations here, the estate offers … [Read more...]
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