Before every vacation, I love researching places and learning about all the destinations, their history, and the attractions. I try to find a book or two about or set in the destination (I start this process as soon as the trip is booked so that I have lots of time before I arrive on-site). I start reading guides and blog posts from my cadre of trusted sites. I set up a Pinterest board to keep track of the things I deem important, the photos that capture my attention, and I compile information that would make a data nerd proud. Without proper preparation and some research, you could find yourself in difficult situations or end up missing some hidden gems. So it’s smart to do it. But no matter how much research I do, I love the serendipity that happens while […]
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Visiting Salton Sea: Your Guide to This Must-See California Attraction
The Salton Sea is one of the most environmentally significant places in California. It was once a booming tourist destination and attraction, but turned into an environmental disaster, leaving much of the surrounding towns and settlements abandoned and desolated. But that does not mean to suggest that it’s not worth visiting the Salton Sea. Today, the Salton Sea attracts visitors wanting to experience its volcanic mud hot springs, observe the unique wildlife, and also swing by the famous Slab City, a lawless town that features many art installations. For those planning a road trip through California, visiting the Salton Sea is definitely something to add to the itinerary. I had never heard of it, but while visiting Palm Springs, a friend suggested it as a day trip. I thought it was a great little escape into nature, and thought about […]
Read More2022 Travel Reading Challenge (5th Annual)
Hello 2022 and Happy New Year! While I’m very happy to see 2021 in the rearview mirror, it wasn’t a total write-off. I was able to do a little bit of traveling, including checking something off my bucket list (visiting a ghost town). Even this small return to travel lifted my spirits immensely. And, the big news for the year is that my book was published and released in September, Secret Seattle: A guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. It’s available for purchase in all the usual locations, local bookstores, Amazon, and directly from me. Secret Seattle: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure I did a lot of reading in 2021, completing 88 books (coincidentally, the same number of books I read in 2020). There were a few long-haul flights where I got some reading done, but […]
Read MoreReview of Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite with Globus Travel
Situated deep in the Sierra National Forest, and completely surrounded by a wilderness of breathtaking beauty, Tenaya Lodge is less than three miles from the southern park entrance to Yosemite National Park, and less than 16 miles from beautiful Bass Lake. Whether you’re into energetic outdoor activities like hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding among ancient giant redwoods, kayaking, ice skating, or prefer something more sedate like taking in the scenery of soaring granite monoliths, spectacular waterfalls, and the deep valleys of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, Tenaya Lodge is one of the best hotels for you to stay in. While it has all these activities – and more – it’s also perfect if you want to just relax and unwind. I did a lot of both – activities and relaxation – on a recent tour with Globus Journeys. Note that […]
Read MoreCruise into Luxury: A Review of Celebrity Apex
Sun, sea, and world-class service are just three reasons to embark on a cruise on the Celebrity Apex, the newest addition to the Edge class ships. The Apex is a 129,500-ton giant that boasts 16 decks, 1,467 staterooms, and revolutionary services and amenities, making it one of the most affordable luxury ocean-liner experiences on the market right now. Read on for a review of Celebrity Apex. So, what can you expect from a Celebrity Apex Cruise? I sailed on the Apex on a mini-cruise in early November. This was an industry sailing, with about 1800 employees, travel agents, media, and other travel industry representatives, and their guests. The sailing was complimentary for invited media and their guest as a way to explore the Celebrity Apex. I traveled with my niece, Audrey, who hadn’t been on a cruise since her daughter […]
Read More2021 Holiday Gift Guide for Travelers
Like many of you, I didn’t go anywhere for over 18 months as I braved through the restrictions, lockdowns, and closures that summed up much of 2020. I didn’t think much of traveling last year and didn’t do a holiday/end-of-year gift guide. During my time at home, and now that I’ve started traveling again (my first trip of the year was a cruise on the Carnival Mardi Gras in August 2021), I’m starting to think about the little things that help make travel easier and my time at home more reflective of the joy that I have for travel. The 2021 Holiday Gift Guide for Travelers has been divided into three sections – a general travel section, a foodie travel section, and a technology section. All of these items are things that I own or are on my personal wish […]
Read MoreAn Unforgettable Wild-West Experience: Bodie Ghost Town
If you’re thinking of visiting Bodie Ghost Town, you are in for a treat! The town is one of the best-preserved, historic towns from the era of the wild, wild west. Whether you’re visiting nearby Mono Lake for a look at the tufa or exploring the world-famous Yosemite National Park, a day trip to Bodie State Historic Park is worth adding to your itinerary. I visited Bodie as part of a paid partnership project with Globus Journeys. Globus offers a new type of group tour – Choice Touring – which has been designed to give participants the advantages of a group tour while still allowing for individual independence and flexibility. Our 9-day tour, California Dream’: Northern California by Design, started and ended in San Francisco. In between, we visited Sausalito, Sonoma, Sacramento, Lake Taho, Mammoth Lakes, and Yosemite National Park, […]
Read MoreSecret Seattle Now Available
Secret Seattle: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure is almost ready to fly on the press. It is available for pre-order on Amazon (here) and from the publisher, Reedy Press, here. The official release date is September 15th, 2021, and shortly after that, it will be available directly from me and on the Secret Seattle website. This is my first book. I wrote it in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. What a crazy idea, as closure and lockdown policies seem to change almost daily. The secrets in this book were rewritten many times as beloved businesses went out of business or pivoted in ways that didn’t work for the book. And now that it’s set for release, it seems like things are changing rapidly once again. Although it was a crazy idea, I’m so very glad that […]
Read MoreThe History of the Bikini: Fashion & War
For many women, the selection of the perfect bikini begins long before it’s time to hit the beach during vacation. It may very well be the first to-do item on a vacation preparation list. And for far too many women, there is no greater vacation angst than finding the right swimsuit – whether that’s a modern bikini, two-piece suit, or some other type of women’s swimwear. Learn about the history of the bikini. History of the Modern Day Bikini Archaeologists date the existence of a skimpy swimsuit back to 1600 BC., but the modern world was shocked by the debut of a new swimsuit made of mere inches of fabric. The bikini’s birthdate is considered to be July 5th, 1946. Two competing French designers, Jacques Heim and Louis Reard, are credited with creating a new style of swimwear and changing […]
Read MoreMore Than 25 of the Best Books Set in Washington State
We’ve narrowed this reading list down to some of the best books set in Washington State. These books will help you better appreciate not only the notable locations in Washington State but also some of its smaller cities, towns, and neighborhoods. Those of us who live in Washington State tend to take our home state for granted. It’s the birthplace of global corporations like Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon, UPS, Starbucks, and more. Washington State produces more than half of the nation’s apples. We have national parks, mountains, forests, water, with incredible bio-diversity. And the people who live here are richly diverse in background and culture. But wait – there’s more. Washington State makes regular appearances in books that make the best-selling and best-of lists. Seattle, the Olympic National Park, Puget Sound, and Mount Rainier are just some of the locales that appear […]
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