If you’d like to make theater the central theme of your next girls trip, consider Ashland, Oregon as your destination.  Each year from February to October, the small town of Ashland hosts the internationally acclaimed Oregon Shakespeare Festival and presents several Shakespearean plays as wells as contemporary works.  Most of the Shakespeare plays are performed at an outdoor Elizabethan Stage, modeled after London’s Fortune Theatre.  If you plan to see a performance, be sure to get tickets as soon as possible, since they sell-out early. Besides world-class theater, Ashland offers several nice shops, and plenty of restaurants and B&B’s to choose from.

Here are some of the plays showcased in this year’s festival:

• The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.  Angus Bowmer Theatre until Oct. 29
• The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare. Elizabethan Stage until Oct. 6
• The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare. Elizabethan Stage until Oct. 8
• King John by William Shakespeare.  Performed at the New Theatre until Oct. 29
• Cyrano de Bergerac: at the Elizabethan Stage until  Oct. 7
• The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare. Angus Bowmer Theatre until Oct. 29
• Bus Stop by William Inge.  New Theatre until Oct. 29
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Angus Bowmer Theatre until  Oct. 28
• Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage. Angus Bowmer Theatre until Oct. 28

If your get-together happens to be in Los Angeles, I highly recommend visiting the J. Paul Getty Museum.  Perched on a hill in the Santa Monica Mountains, the Getty Museum provides panoramic views of the city below.  Part of the fun of visiting the museum is just riding the tram from the parking lot up to the hilltop.  The tram winds it’s way slowly up the hillside so you can enjoy the scenery. (more…)

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear Pasadena?  Probably the Rose Bowl, right?  Pasadena was the destination for our girls trip last spring and we stayed at the Ritz Carlton Huntington Hotel.  Built in 1907 by Henry Huntington, the Ritz has been a landmark hotel since it opened nearly 100 years ago.  The hotel is located on 23 acres of manicured gardens, has an Olympic-size swimming pool and a full service spa. 

We decided to upgrade our room to the Club Level, and I was glad we did.  As Club Level guests you can drop by the Club Lounge and enjoy five themed food presentations daily – all complimentary.  True to Ritz form, every time we dropped in - whether is was for breakfast, afternoon tea or early evening cocktails and appetizers - the food and drink presentation was perfect.  (more…)

Known for its important collection of rare books, arts and botanical gardens, the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens is definitely worth a visit when in Los Angeles.
Henry Huntington, a railroad and real estate magnate, created the Huntington estate and filled it with exquisite items he collected from around the world.

The estate is situated on 207 acres on the outskirts of Los Angeles and includes the Huntington Library, the Huntington Gallery and 120 acres of botanical gardens.  When visiting the Huntington Library you’ll find an original manuscript of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, a Gutenberg Bible, a beautiful folio edition of Audubon’s Birds of America, early editions of Shakespeare’s works, as well as original letters of Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and Lincoln.

The gardens at the Huntington are spectacular and include 14,000 different species of plants.  When we visited last spring, we took the free guided walking tour of the gardens. The walking tour covers most of the gardens which include the Rose Garden, Shakespeare and Herb Gardens, Desert Garden, Japanese Garden, Australian Garden, Subtropical and Jungle Garden, Palm Garden, North Vista, and Camellia Collection.

If you’ve seen The Wedding Planner or Memoirs of a Geisha you’ll recognize places on the estate where scenes were filmed.  Remember to bring a camera when you visit. The Japanese Garden is a perfect backdrop for a group shot. 

Just north of downtown San Diego is Balboa Park, home of the world famous San Diego Zoo. Besides the zoo, the park also includes several museums and gardens including the Alcazar, Rose, Japanese and Desert gardens.  You can stroll around, admire the gardens and visit the San Diego Museum of Art.

One of the most exclusive areas around San Diego, La Jolla is the place to go for upscale shopping.  Stroll down Prospect Street for antiques, art galleries, jewelers, boutiques and specialty stores that will keep you happily shopping for hours. Stop into Bo Danica for hand-blown glassware, dinnerware and other home accessories. For a break, have lunch on the roof-top terrace at George’s on the Cove.  Our lunch on the terrace was excellent and the panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean were spectacular. 

Point Loma is well worth a visit and the site of the Cabrillo National Monument and an ecological preserve.  Learn about Cabrillo, an early Spanish explorer, and enjoy stunning views of downtown San Diego.  Take a nature walk along Bayside Trail to see indigenous plants or visit the tide pools where starfish, anemones and sea cucumbers live.

With its mild, sunny climate and waterfront location, San Diego is a great place to explore.  In the downtown area, Gaslamp Quarter is good starting point.  Begin at 5th & Island Avenue at the William Heath Davis House, home of the Gaslamp Historical Foundation.  The foundation offers information about the historic Victorian, Italianate and Rennaissance buildings located in the quarter. On Saturday mornings they also offer a guided walking tour.  Horton Plaza is located at the north end of the Gaslamp Quarter.  Over 170 stores and restaurants including Nordstrom and Macy’s are situated on 7 floors along 6 city blocks.

The plaza’s Broadway Circle is the place to buy half-price, day of the performance tickets to an evening show. During our weekend we saw “Forever Plaid” at the Lyceum Theatre, which we all enjoyed. 

A fun way to see San Diego is from the water. Go to the Broadway Pier in the downtown area and catch a 10 minute pedestrian ferry across San Diego Bay to the Coronado Ferry landing.  The ferry, which leaves every hour, allows you to see the city from the water and is a nice alternative to driving. On landing, stroll down Orange Avenue, the island’s main street, and browse through some of the shops. La Provencale has some beautiful tablecloths and pillows imported from the South of France.

If you’re not staying at the Hotel Del Coronado, be sure to see this legendary hotel’s lobby, shops and grounds. With its expansive ocean views, the hotel is a great spot for a snack or lunch before heading back to the ferry landing.

With more live music performances per capita than anywhere else, Austin is known as the “Live music capital of the world”.  On any given night you’ll have plenty of choices for live music which might include rock ‘n roll, rockabilly, jazz, salsa, blues, hip hop, funk, world music and retro. Starting in April bands perform at many outdoor venues as well. On Fridays from April to October, stop by the Austin City Hall for a free concert at noon. While you’re there, stroll along the new 2nd Street District which runs from City Hall to the Austin Convention Center. If you’re downtown after dark, check out the music scene on Sixth Street and the more refined Warehouse District. For a complete listing of bands, see the Austin Chronicle or Austin360.   (more…)

Live oaks draped with Spanish moss, white Doric columns and intricate ironwork are the indelible images of Savannah. The city is laid out in a grid, and dotted with lawn-sized parks.  You can’t go two blocks without stumbling into one of these mini sanctuaries.  It is the quintessential southern town and the kind of place where you just want to slow down and soak up the charm.  The setting of several major motion pictures, including Forrest Gump, The Legend of Bagger Vance and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Savannah’s Historic District is alive with the flavor of the Old South.  (more…)