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

I’ll admit it – I’m an emotional push-over when it comes to patriotic events.  I get choked up when I sing the Star-Spangled Banner at sporting events.  When it comes to Fourth of July parades, it’s seeing the men and women who have served our country that moves me. I’m incredibly grateful to them and for the free country we live in. 

As American women, we enjoy many freedoms, and one of our most precious freedoms is our right to vote.  Thanks to the women who struggled before us, females gained the right to vote in 1920.  That seems pretty recent to me – Hershey’s Kisses have been around longer than our right to vote.  Besides celebrating the 4th of July, I intend to celebrate my freedom throughout the year by voting in every election.

Here are some Fourth of July celebrations worth checking out: (more…)

Now that the trees are starting to blossom across the Southern US, it reminds me of all the spectacular gardens there are to visit.  

Here’s my top ten list of favorite gardens:

1. Butchart Gardens (Victoria, B.C.)
What started out as a limestone quarry and cement factory has turned into one of the most beautiful gardens in the world…more

2. New York Botanical Gardens (New York City) 
Located in the Bronx with over 250 acres and 27 gardens, the New York Botanical Gardens is one of the largest botanical gardens in the world. web site

3. Huntington Library and Gardens  (Los Angeles)
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…more

4. Kew Gardens (London)
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew have 300 acres of public gardens as well as the renowned Millennium Seed Bank.  web site

5. Callaway Gardens (Pine Mountain, GA)
Just 1 hour southwest of Atlanta, Callaway Gardens is a 13,000 acre resort and is the first-place winner for 11 consecutive years of Southern Living Reader’s Choice Award for Best Public Garden. web site

6. Biltmore Estate (Asheville, NC) 
The Biltmore Estate, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, is one of America’s great estates. The mansion, which is the largest private residence in America, has 250 rooms and covers 8,000 acres… more

7. Magnolia Plantation (near Charleston, SC)
Created in 1676, Magnolia Plantation is known as the oldest major public garden in the country. The 500 acre plantation has been owned by the Drayton family for over 300 years… more

8. Skagit Valley Tulips (near Seattle, WA) 
One of the most spectacular floral displays in the country occurs in Skagit Valley in April.  Every year over 1,200 acres of bulbs are planted which reach their peak bloom in April… more

9. Filoli (San Francisco) 
Located 30 miles south of San Francisco, Filoli is recognized as one of the finest remaining country estates of the early 20th century… more

10. The Flower Fields (Carlsbad, CA)
Located in Carlsbad, the Flower Fields have been a favorite spring-time stop of flower lovers for decades… more

Every year I convince my family to go with me to see the gingerbread houses at the local Four Seasons Hotel.   I love visiting gingerbread villages to see the incredible detail and inventive use of edible materials for construction.  Since we rarely get snow around here - and I like it that way - the gingerbread houses take me as close to a wintry village as I want to get. 
I’ve seen hand-made stained-glass windows from sugar, ironwork made of chocolate, a river made of melted Jolly Ranchers and molded fondant people.

Some of the more impressive gingerbread villages are joint efforts between architects and pastry chefs which are auctioned off for charities.  The results are usually amazing. 

Here are some of the bigger gingerbread displays around the country that you may want to check out before January: (more…)

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 are some highlights from July:

• The Getty Museum (Los Angeles)
• Summer Travel Specials
• Local Getaway - have fun in your own home town
• Summer Entertainment Sampler
• Shakespeare Festival (Ashland, Oregon)
• Win a trip to France!
• Top Ten Bakeries
• Organizing a Girls Trip? Check out TripHub.
• San Juan Islands, Washington
• When the Girl is away…
• San Juan Island Lavender Festival
• Who’s the queen of chick flicks?

One of the great things about summer is that many cities offer a wide range of outdoor concerts and theater performances, many of which are free.  Every year I try to catch at least one performance in the park. Here’s a sampling of some of the free events happening this summer:

New York City:  catch a diverse selection of free summer performances in Central Park.  The Metropolitan Opera’s “Met in the Parks” series runs from August – September and is also free.

San Francisco:  Stern Grove has been offering a free concert series each summer for almost 70 years. This summer you can choose from blues, rock&roll, opera, salsa, ballet and classical music. The grove itself is a beautiful setting and filled with fragrant eucalyptus trees that provide great acoustics.

Chicago:  Grant Park offers free classical concerts from June through August at Millennium Park.  Concerts are held in the new outdoor pavilion with state-of-the-art outdoor acoustic design. 

Austin: the Zilker Summer Musical has been a tradition for almost 50 years.  Every weekend evening from July through August, you can catch the current musical at the Zilker Park Hillside Theater.

San Jose:  their “Music in the Park” event returns this year and is offered free to the public.  This concert series includes such well-known bands like Smash Mouth and Better Than Ezra.

These are just a few -  check your online city guide for local performances.  All you need is a blanket and a picnic basket!

Besides Orcas Island (see previous post) another popular destination within the San Juans is San Juan Island itself.  Step off the ferry at Friday Harbor and enjoy this picturesque walk-able seaside town with several interesting shops and good cafes.  

This weekend - July 15 and 16 - is San Juan Island’s Lavender Festival and Summer Arts Fair.  Friday Harbor will host most activities which will include local artists, live music performances and everything lavender. (more…)