Slip into good vibrations for a good cause!  HoMedics has developed new Massaging Slippers to sink your feet into that benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). 

For the third year in a row, HoMedics has committed to raising funds by donating $1 from each sale of these pretty-in-pink foot pleasers to the worthy organization.

Can’t make it to the spa for a foot massage?  Try these limited edition, cushy Massaging Slippers.  They’re battery operated and provide an invigorating vibration massage to soothe tired muscles.  Available during September exclusively at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $19.99. 

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 »

Here’s a site that will inspire you visually.  Trey Ratcliff’s gorgeous photo blog, called Stuck in Customs, is packed with photos he’s taken during his travels around the world. Here’s one of the Amalfi Coast in Italy. 

Photo blog:
Stuck in Customs

Baggage heaven?

Ever wonder where all the unclaimed airport luggage goes to?  To Scottsboro, Alabama, of course!  You never know what you’ll find at this store where luggage, clothes and accessories are sold for a fraction of their retail price.   

The Unclaimed Baggage Center

Via  sk-rt.com

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

Girls getaways have gone upscale and extend beyond the traditional weekend escape, reveals a new poll of 246 American Express Travel agents.  The poll, which found an increase in girls getaways according to two-thirds of agents, also found that women traveling together are seeking more active and luxurious vacations. Three in four agents said that girls getaways – vacations with girlfriends or female relatives – are a significant trend.  While spa, beach and shopping vacations still dominate as favorites for girls getaways, agents say women are increasingly taking cruise, culinary, city and active vacations that include golf (36%), skiing (33%), scuba diving and biking (20%).

Two out of three agents polled reported that when traveling together, women are indulging in more luxurious vacations than in years past.   More than half of agents say these getaways are not merely weekend retreats, rather they are between 4-7 days long.  While away, women are splurging on ultra-customized tours and experiences (42%), traveling first or business class (36%), and staying in private villas (20%).  In order by ranking, agents cited the most popular destinations for girl trips as: the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, Canada and South America.

MORE »

I’m going on a girls trip in a few weeks and staying in downtown Chicago.  While I’m excited about exploring the city, already I’m asking myself … what am I going to wear?!  Luckily there’s help for those, like me, who occasionally need inspiration in the fashion department.

Just like Expedia searches multiple travel sites for the best travel deal, ShopStyle searches fashion sites for apparel, shoes and accessories.  When I searched for “black sandals” on ShopStyle it returned a list of over 6,500 results.  The level of detail was pretty impressive – each result included a photo, catalog description, available colors and sizes, and a link to the store offering the product.  I found that I could also easily refine the search results to fall within a certain price range, brand, store and sales discount level.

Browsing through the results is actually a breeze.  I used their custom slider to quickly scroll through product photos until I found one of interest.  Hovering over a product photo shows a caption with all the product details and a “Buy this” link.  Talk about power shopping!

One of the things I like most about ShopStyle is a feature called Stylebooks.  It offers a way for women to easily share their personal fashion style.  Any visitor to ShopStyle can create a personal stylebook.  They can then create looks from the products they encounter while shopping. 

Here’s a ‘Look’ from one user’s stylebook:

With stylebooks, it’s easy to share your favorite finds with all the other women using the site.  Others see your stylebook by choosing ‘Browse Looks’, and can even add comments.  Stylebooks are a great source of ideas for pulling off a complete look.  Be sure to check out the celebrity stylebooks which recreate looks from various celebrities. 

Related links:  ShopStyle  |  ShopStyle stylebooks 

I just ran across a travel tool that I think is extremely cool.  You know when you’re exploring a new city - maybe shopping or visiting a museum – and your travel group decides they want to grab some Mexican food?  Or maybe during dinner you decide to catch a current movie and you want to know what’s playing nearby along with show times.

Now you can find nearby restaurants, movies and much more with just your cell phone.

Here’s how it works.  First you send a text message to 466453 (GOOGLE on most phones) and in the message body include what you want to find out.  Google will send you a text message back for free with the information you asked for. 

Examples:

For the complete list of message phrases, see the Google Mobile page.

Send a message and give it a try!
 

Yesterday it was 95 degrees, sunny and too hot to do much of anything except search out a place in the shade and order a cold drink.  We ended up sitting on the patio of my favorite restaurant, watching the boats skim across the lake and sipping a frozen lime margarita topped with Grand Marnier.  I love the citrus combination of orange and lime and even better, the drink seemed to cool my body temperature down at least 10 degrees!

It sounds like a lot of people are opting for frozen drinks this summer.  I ran across an item today saying that Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Makers are so popular that stores can’t keep them in stock. 

What’s your favorite cocktail to sip on a summer evening?

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]