Is Paris on your list of cities to visit?  From now until July 31, 2006, you can enter to win the Tour de France Sweepstakes.  You don’t have to be a die-hard cycling enthusiast to enter.   Personally, my knowledge of the Tour de France is limited to watching Lance Armstrong stand on the podium to collect his annual trophy.  So, even if you aren’t planning a 30 mile ride before your trip to Starbucks this weekend, go ahead and enter.  It’s Paris!

Sponsored by Air France, Rail Europe and Maison de la France, the sweepstakes award prizes at each stage of the race. The following are awarded at the final stage:

Grand Prize: Trip for Two to France

• airfare for two to France
• two nights in a 3 star hotel in Paris
• breakfasts and dinners provided each day
• VIP seating in the Champs-Elysees during the 2007 Tour de France race
• two 1st class 4-day France Railpasses

2nd prize:  Trip for two to Paris

• Two Air France roundtrip tickets to Paris
• 3 nights in a 3 stars hotel in Paris near Champs Elysees
• breakfasts provided each day

See the France, Let’s Tour Again website for more details.

In a recent poll by IMDB (Internet Movie Database) users were asked about chick flicks and almost 17,000 responded.  Here are the poll results for:

Who’s the all-time chick flick queen?   

[Via  IMDB]

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?

Whenever I stop into my local Starbucks - which I do way too many times per week - I’m always surprised by how many of the tables are filled with groups of women.  You’ve probably heard the expression “third place”, a term that Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz popularized.  In our smallish town, Starbucks serves as that third place and is a common meeting place for girlfriends, mommy & me groups, and a myriad of other social and volunteer groups.  It’s not necessarily the best coffee shop for meetings, but given that the other choices around here are fast food joints, there really isn’t much of a contest.  (more…)

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.

From now through June 30th you can take advantage of some great discounts for spa services and hotel accommodations.  June is Travel & Leisure’s “Go to a Hotel Month” (GTHM) and hotels across the country are offering discounts to celebrate the occasion.

This week is Spa Week (June 17 - June 23) and when you mention GTHM, you’ll receive 35% off the price of select treatments.  Next week is Hotel Week with 35% off your second and third night’s stay at select hotels.

Here’s a sampling of some of the Spa Week discounts: (more…)

Here’s a quick recap of recent Girlaway articles:

• Sharing photos? Try Flickr.
• Flip-Flop Style
• Nantucket
• Booking a Flight?
• Getaway Now: 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?
• May Highlights

I don’t know about you, but I love hearing reasons why I should order that frozen margarita with my enchiladas.  A recent study highlights the positive effects on older women who drink 1 to 3 alcoholic drinks per day.  Now for the bad news.  The study only applied to women between 65 and 80 years of age.  Oh well, there’s no reason we can’t get started early! 

Here’s what the Science Daily says about the findings:

“The study, available on-line in the journal Neuroepidemiology, found that compared to non-drinkers, women who reported drinking up to two or three drinks per day performed better on measure of global cognitive function, which includes concentration, language, memory and abstract reasoning.”

This follows another encouraging development for all women when, at the end of May, CNN reported on a study that showed milk chocolate increases cognitive activity.

Sounds like I need to head over to Chuy’s for dinner and frozen margaritas and then to Mozart’s for chocolate cake!