It’s not often that a movie comes along and in its wake you see visible differences in those who watched it. Julie & Julia is about two true stories of Julia Child and a blogger who attempts within a year to make every recipe in Julia Child’s 752 page classic, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Julie & Julia has generated new interest in the culinary arts and everyone - especially the tasters of these culinary creations – is benefiting. After almost 50 years of its publishing, Mastering the Art of French Cooking has jumped to #1 in its category on the New York Times bestseller list.

I’m not a serious cook, but I do love to bake. I belong to a Meet-up group called Iron Cupcake (the Iron Chef of the cupcake world). Every month we’re given a challenge (theme or required ingredient) and then competitors bake mini-cupcakes which are judged and the winner is announced. Since the movie, group attendance has tripled in size to over 100.

If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s definitely worth watching. And if it inspires you to improve your skills, grab some girlfriends and stop by a free Williams Sonoma class, check-out Yelp for an informal cooking class , or take a culinary vacation. But don’t stop there – host a simple get together using your new found culinary skills. I just did and I’m reminded how happy people are when they can relax and enjoy good food together.

Bon appetit!

Flagstaff is one of those towns not many people know about, but is definitely worth a visit. Located just an hour and half north of Phoenix, Flagstaff is a quaint college/ski town set in the mountains. Because of its high elevation, its summers are much cooler than Phoenix and it offers good skiing in the winter.

A group of us spent the 4th of July weekend in Flagstaff and we knew we’d made a good choice when we arrived on Friday evening. Although the downtown is small there are plenty of restaurants, hotels and activities to choose from. The town’s central park was our first stop, where the lawn was filled with people relaxing and listening to a rock band performing. Since it was the first Friday of the month, the art galleries were hosting ArtWalk where people are encouraged to go gallery hopping and can enjoy refreshments along the way.

After a Mexican dinner at San Felipe’s we walked around the corner to a Michael Jackson dance party tribute at the Orpheum. Hundreds of people were there, some in full Michael Jackson attire, and all were dancing to his greatest hits.

On Saturday morning, after stopping in at Late for the Train for much needed coffee, we made our way to the town’s 4th of July parade. It was a perfect small town parade, featuring a dog drill team, vintage tractors and several distinguished veterans including the Navajo code talkers from WWII. That evening the symphony played in an outdoor amphitheater followed by fireworks at dusk. All in all, a great place to spend the 4th of July.

The holiday season is here with ribboned wreaths and twinkling lights appearing everywhere. In Christmases past, I’ve set out my own miniature Department 56 “Christmas in the City” buildings, complete with brownstones, a fountain, hotel and library – all decked out with the perfect holiday decorations. 

Walking around San Francisco in the last few days, I’m seeing the life-size equivalent of my holiday display with the beautifully decorated Pacific Heights mansions, Union Square and the Civic Center.  

No matter what city or town you live in, there’s usually a holiday display that outshines the others.  Why not plan an evening holiday lights tour with your girlfriends  — followed by drinks or dessert of course!

Here’s a sampling of holiday light displays around the country:

New York
Check out the spectacular holiday window displays at Macy’s, Lord & Taylor, Tiffany’s and Saks Fifth Avenue.  Here’s a walking map of the top window displays in the city.

San Francisco
Some of the nicest holiday displays are around Pacific Heights, Union Square and the Civic Center.  You can also take a guided Holiday Lights Walking Tour or Cable Car Holiday Lights Tour.

Chicago
Stroll down Magnificent Mile where there are over one million lights decorating the shopping district on Michigan Avenue.  web site

Atlanta
Touring the Roswell historic mansions by candle light for a classic Christmas experience, or going to Lake Lanier to see millions of moving lights are just some of the many options in Atlanta.   More info

Austin
Twirl under the Zilker Tree, a 155 foot tall man-made tree of lights, until you’re dizzy, then stroll in Zilker Park where there are over 40 lighted holiday scenes.  Trail of Lights

More city light displays

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…)

One of the things I love about traveling in the summer is that many cities have a wide array of events going on, including free outdoor concerts and music festivals.  I try not to let the summer pass by without spending at least one evening under the stars at a musical performance. 

Here are just a few of the concerts coming up in the next few weeks - check your local city guide for even more listings:

• New York - Central Park’s SummerStage  info 
• San Francisco
• Stern Grove concerts: through Aug. 19  info  
• San Jose concert series  info
• Chicago
• Grant Park concert series   info 
• The Art Institute - free admission on Thursdays and Friday evenings with live concerts in the garden.
• Newport, RI
• Newport Folk Festival: Aug. 3-5  info 
• Newport JVC Jazz Festival: Aug. 10-12   info 
• Orange County concert series:  info
• Seattle
• Chateau Ste. Michelle concert series:  info 
• Bumbershoot: Sept. 1-3   info
• Lollapalooza Chicago: Aug. 3-5   info 
• Austin City Limits Music Festival: Sept. 14-16  info
• Monterey 50th Annual Jazz Festival:  Sept. 21-23  info

Are you curious about which cocktails are popular with celebs this season?  InStyle magazine did some research and created a photo gallery of some of the celebrity favorites, along with drink recipes. 

Try one of these fun cocktails at your next summer get together and dazzle your friends with your mixology skills!

• Angry Dragon - Jessica Biel
• Pomegranate Martini - Madonna
• Red Pearl - Rebecca Romijn
• Peach Passion - Gisele Bündchen
• Demeter - Teri Hatcher
• Raspberry Cheesecake - George Clooney
• Pomegranate Blossom - Charlize Theron
• Pink Elephant - Eva Mendes
• Passionate Saketini - Kate Hudson

[via InStyle Magazine]

I’ve written a lot of posts about some of the more glamorous places to visit in the U.S., but sometimes getting away from it all can be just what you need for a relaxing and creative girls trip.  I’ve looked into one of the latest trends in getaways and found there are quite a few places that specialize in craft getaways for women.  Usually set in scenic surroundings, these retreats have craft rooms with several work tables, die-cut tools and complimentary supplies. 

Kerry Griffin and her friend opened the Craft Retreat House in Wisconsin Dells last year to offer women a place to go to relax, rejuvenate and create.  “We have craft rooms stocked with supplies & tools so that our guests can work on their craft while enjoying a wonderful getaway.  Our guests love it!” 

Here are a few craft retreats to check out:

Whitepath Lodge (90 min. north of Atlanta)
http://www.whitepathlodge.com/group-retreats.html

Craft Retreat House (Wisconsin Dells)
http://www.bloomingescapes.com/

Craft Retreats Northwest (on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle)
http://www.craftretreatsnw.com/home.htm

Scrapbook Manor (Wisconsin)
http://www.thescrapbookmanor.com/

Scrapaway! (Big Bear, CA)
http://www.scrapaway.net/

Tree House Getaways (Michigan)
http://www.treehousegetaways.com/

Miss Lillies (75 miles southeast of Dallas)
http://www.misslillies.com/

Scrapbook Queen (Ohio)
http://www.queenofthecropgetaways.com/newindex.html 

Relax and Scrap Weekends (California)
http://www.relaxandscrapweekends.com/retreats.html

Croptopia Getaways (New England, NY/PA/NJ)
http://www.croptopiagetaways.com/

Give Me Time Retreats (Bay Area, CA)
http://www.gmtretreats.com/