Wondering where to go for Labor Day weekend?  Here’s a round-up of great places to celebrate the end of summer:

(click each place for more info)

Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is an idyllic coastal village, about an hour and a half north of Los Angeles. It’s a postcard-perfect town, surrounded by mist covered mountains and beaches…

Nantucket
Once home to many whaling sea captains, Nantucket is now a popular summer spot for the well to do. Walk along its cobblestone streets…

San Francisco
San Francisco is one of my favorite cities. And it’s easy to see why. It has a spectacular setting, moderate weather, cable cars, great shopping, interesting people and fabulous restaurants. (more…)

Places to Eat

During our stay in downtown Chicago, we’d eat a big breakfast and then have an early dinner before the evening events.  Here are some of the restaurants we visited along Michigan Avenue:

- Yolk is located near the south side of Grant Park and serves huge omelets, fritattas, crepes, 5 types of french toast and variety of pancakes.  My avocado, bacon & cheese fritatta with blackberry/banana multigrain pancakes was awesome!  A local favorite.

- The Corner Bakery Café is located at several locations along Michigan Avenue and perfect for a quick meal. The Wacker location has a nice outdoor patio overlooking the Chicago River.  For breakfast they offer simple scrambles, muffins and coffee cake, as well as several types of oatmeal.  For lunch or a light dinner, they have salads and sandwiches with mini-bundtlette cakes for desserts.  (more…)

Within a matter of hours of arriving at Chicago’s O’Hare airport, we’d viewed the opening of an origami exhibit along with a local news crew, sipped complimentary St. Michelle wine at the Chicago Art Institute while listening to live blues, and attended an outdoor performance of Bolero.  All these events were free and just a short walk from our hotel. 

My sister and I met in downtown Chicago last weekend to enjoy some music, shopping and relaxation.  It was the first visit for both of us, so I came prepared with my Chicago Pocket Pilot.  This handy water-proof guide has maps, top attractions, fun facts and transit routes and easily fits in a jeans pocket.  It ended up being a great resource.

Downtown Chicago is easy to navigate with its collection of trains, trolleys and buses, so we didn’t need a rental car.  Instead we bought a multi-day CTA pass at the airport and enjoyed being car-free for a few days.  Even with the transportation system, we did quite a bit of walking and were glad we’d brought good walking shoes.   (more…)

After having lived in Texas for nearly 15 years I’m almost ashamed to say that I’ve never vacationed on the Texas coast.  This year we corrected that oversight and spent Christmas week down at South Padre Island.  Call it beginners luck but we found a nicely furnished condo on the beach overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.

Best known for its wild Spring Break parties, we weren’t quite sure what to expect for crowds during this time of year.  We were happy and somewhat relieved to find that this time of year attracts mostly families and those euphemistically known as “Winter Texans”.

My husband spent a few hours scouring the vacation rental sites before sending me a few candidates for consideration.  He found a couple possibilities, but he can’t help it if he’s design impaired.  I pulled up Trip Advisor and after about 10 minutes found what I was looking for. 

With Trip Advisor, I was able to search for “South Padre Island”, and see a list of lodging choices sorted by popularity.  The detailed user comments not only helped us make the best choice but also provided useful insider tips.  We stayed at the Suntide III condominiums (ranked #1 by popularity) and our experience was consistent with the Trip Advisor comments.  Our condo was nicely furnished, extremely clean and the property had good shared amenities (pool, tennis courts, beach access, etc.). 

When relying on Trip Advisor comments, I keep in mind that owners give themselves good comments so I focus on those with at least half a dozen comments about a place to get several perspectives. 

I have to confess – I’m a pumpkin fanatic.  I love pumpkin bread, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin scones, pumpkin pie, pumpkin lattes and even pumpkin pedicures.  Pumpkins are one of the more interesting fruits out there.  They can weigh anywhere from 1 pound to over 1,000 pounds each and are considered a super food with a rich source of Vitamin A and potassium.  Not to mention that you can carve them to create stunning illuminated art!

October is the peak of the pumpkin growing season.  Here are some places around the country that celebrate this event: (more…)

Here’s a quick recap of what appeared in June:

• Where the Girls Are
• Chocolate Martinis
• Westin Kierland Resort & Spa (Scottsdale)
• Girl (Trip) Interrupted
• Mackinac Island, Michigan
• Spa Recap
• Vinotherapy
• Deals: Travel & Leisure’s Spa Week
• Stowe, Vermont
• Sharing photos? Try Flickr.
• Flip-Flop Style
• Nantucket
• Booking a Flight?
• Green Valley Resort & Spa (St. George, Utah)
• Beach Reads
• Carmel, California
• Things to do around Carmel
• Women may Benefit from Moderate Drinking
• Want to be on the Today Show?

From now until September 10, 2006, the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa is offering a package to lure even those of us who shy away from Arizona summers.  The Westin Kierland Resort offers golf with air-conditioned carts, tennis, spa services, a fitness studio, a waterpark with a 900 foot flowing river ride, and complimentary shuttle service to shopping in Kierland Commons.

Their Summer’s Hottest Package includes:

• 20% off a spa treatment
• $500 dining & shopping incentive book
• $10 gift certificate at Lather
• Rates start at $169 per night
• Offer is valid now – 9/10/2006
• When booking reservation, use rate code SUMMER

For reservations contact the Westin Kierland Resort.

Mackinac Island will take you back in time.  That’s exactly what happened to Christopher Reeve in the film Somewhere in Time, which was filmed here at the Grand Hotel.  From its horse drawn buggies, to its Victorian lined streets, the island retains the ambiance of a 19th-century village. Like his character, Richard Collier, you might find yourself sprawling across the bed of your room and saying “It really is June 27, 1912”.

There aren’t a lot of activities on the island.  This is the kind of place where you’ll want to go to soak up the scenery, read a book, spend time catching up with your girlfriends and just relax. (more…)