New #WineLover Gets An Education From Holman Ranch Winery The second thing that Carla, a friend giving me my initial wine education, said to me was "don't ever drink rose in public." Her point was that rose, being a blend of red and white grapes, was a clear indication to girls that a guy drinking it was not a good decision maker. And girls like take-charge, confident … [Read more...]
President’s Day Weekend Mammoth Mountain: Cheers To The Yodler Ski Apres
We Started On The Ski Slopes, Hit The Yodler For Ski Apres And It Was All Downhill From There There are some trips among friends that are such a part of the annual party calendar you don't have to ask each other questions such as "are we going this year," or "is so-and-so going," but "who's going to make the reservations this time?" That was the case for several … [Read more...]
Bali Hai On Shelter Island Has San Diego’s Strongest Mai Tai
Scenic Restaurant Serves Up Strong Drinks That Impress This Rum Drink Veteran I wanted a margarita. Instead, I found a Mai Tai. And whoa, what a Mai Tai! I learned of Bali Hai on San Diego's Shelter Island from a couple of local gents having a smoke outside a dive bar. I was looking for a place on the water – and had margaritas on the mind – and they told me of Bali … [Read more...]
Swiss Deluxe Hotels Seem Like Dream Accommodations In Switzerland
Staying At Any Of These 5-Star Properties Is Traveling In Style On my way to a press luncheon to promote the Swiss Deluxe Hotels – a series of 5-star properties in Switzerland – I heard a radio ad for a Motel 6. And the funny thing about me and traveling is that I can stay at either! Oh, to be sure, I would prefer to be at Badrutt's Palace Hotel in St. Moritz rather than … [Read more...]
Paris Travel Blog: Walking, Wine And Cafes
A First-Person Guide To The City of Lights From Street Level My first look at Paris upon emerging from the Metro onto the streets of Paris was of a McDonalds. Great, I thought. Here I am in one of the world's most vibrant and oldest cities and the first thing I see is America's great contribution to world culture, the fast-food hamburger franchise. A day later, I … [Read more...]
Joining Tour de France Spectators A Party Bucket List Item
Blogger Wants To Be Drinking Wine And Nibbling Cheese At A French Village Cafe I have a vision, and it is of me being in a small French village in the countryside or the Alps, sitting outside at a cafe table – one of those tiny round ones, with narrow chairs made of wood – with a plate of cheese and a glass of wine in front of me. At any moment, a large group of athletes … [Read more...]
Bahamas Breeze Drink Recipe And Swimming With A Shark in ‘Jaws’
Rum Kept Film Crew Buzzing During Spring Break And Filming Of Movie Guest Blog Post By Walt Clayton, Author, The Strykes Buns Guide www.bunsguide.com/ JAWS The Revenge, filmed on location in Nassau – dat be in da Bahamas, mon – was a terrible flick but a terrific gig to work on for us crew members. For three sweltering months I toiled as part of the underwater film crew: … [Read more...]
Travel Europe Vicariously Through Rick Steves Videos
European Traveler Blu-ray Collectors’ Edition Box Set Now Available There's something that's plain cool about traveling in Europe. It's not just that it's been there since nearly the dawn of civilization, that it has landmarks that have stood the time test of centuries and that it has dynamic cities. It also has cool people, more cool frankly, than many of us in the U.S. … [Read more...]
Mai Tais At The Waikiki Royal Hawaiian Lacking Original Rum Punch
Scratch The Old School Drink; The New One Is Not As Good Or Strong Perhaps I was spoiled. Well, I was spoiled. And I freely admit it. But when you get used to something and then it changes – and not for the better – you get a little bit out of kilter. I am referring to a changes to the signature drink at the Mai Tai bar at the Royal Hawaiian. That's where I usually … [Read more...]
Waikiki Beach May Be In My Memorial Day Weekend Party Plans
Three-day USA Holiday May Find The Blogger In Hawaii Here's a great place to spend Memorial Day: Waikiki Beach! And I might be doing it. A friend is there on business and has a room and has invited me to crash in it, so I called another friend who works for the airline and he's working on a buddy pass. This would be great. I've been to Waikiki Beach on Memorial Day. … [Read more...]
Venetian Las Vegas Featuring Rum, Tequila & Wine Events For Carnevale
Italian Summer Festival Comes To Vegas With Several Fun Cocktail Happenings Carnevale, the biggest of the numerous festivals that take place in the small villages and towns of Italy throughout the summer, is coming to the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. It's a three-month celebration running from May 27-Sept. 8. The highlights, at least for me, are events featuring rum, … [Read more...]
Galante Is My Favorite Tasting Room On The Carmel Wine Walk
Good Wines Combine With Friendly Conversation In This California Gem Of all the fine wine tasting rooms as part of the Carmel Wine Walk, Galante is my favorite. That's because the hostess, Jenna, is lively and lovely, mildly sassy, loves Jimmy Buffett, will have wine herself with you, breaks out cheese and crackers and doesn't mind giving you an extra pour if you are … [Read more...]
Cubs 2013: At Least Getting Tickets To Wrigley Field Will Be Easy
Lovable Cubbies Predicted To Lose 90-100 Games So Let The Party Begin in Wrigleyville It's going to be a banner year in Chicago with the baseball team on the North Side. For the party scene in Wrigley Field, anyway. No, the Cubs are not predicted to win the World Series, make it to the Fall Classic, or even win any pennant. In fact, Sports Illustrated has picked then last … [Read more...]
World’s Most Dangerous Canadian Starts The LA Beach Party
Watch Out South Bay Beach Cities He's Back In Town Bring it on. I'm ready. I've been bracing for this for a couple of weeks now, ever since my friend said he was coming to visit me in California. He's The World's Most Dangerous Canadian, and I say that with the utmost respect. And fear. He is a former bartender and is currently a manager of a high-end restaurant. And … [Read more...]
Experience New York City St. Patrick’s Day Bars From Hop On Hop Off Bus
Enjoy Pints At McSorley’s Old Ale House Irish Bar Using CitySights NY Tour Here's a unique way to experience St. Patrick's Day in New York City: Do it from a hop on-hop off sightseeing bus. The Downtown Tour of CitySights NY goes right by key St. Paddy's locations, including the parade and several Irish bars. Or, landmarks, if consider Irish bars in NYC landmarks, and … [Read more...]
Johnny Manziel Headed To Cabo San Lucas For Spring Break
Cheers To Johnny Football For Tweeting His Trip If you didn't like him before, here's a great reason to like him now. Johnny Manziel, the slippery and elusive Heisman Trophy winner from Texas A&M, is going to Cabo San Lucas for Spring Break. While there's nothing unusual for a football player to be doing something fun, it is highly unusual in this day and age for a … [Read more...]
California Party Weekend In Carmel, Santa Cruz And Wine Tasting
Four Fun Days In Three Great And Gorgeous Coastal Cities As great as the beach life is in Southern California, I also enjoying heading up the coast on occasion to the upper central coast of the state. And so on this particular weekend I was invited on a press trip for two nights in Carmel. Well, it's a 6-hour driver from Los Angeles on the 101 Highway (a scenic six … [Read more...]
Monday Night Jazz At Ferraro’s Livens Up Slowest Night In Las Vegas
Italian Restaurant Pairs Live Music With Food And Drink Specials On a night when the Strip is calm and the city's famous clubs are dark, there's still entertainment in Las Vegas. Ferraro's Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar on Paradise Road sees to it with live jazz on Monday nights. From 10 p.m.-1 a.m., it features the quartet of Jazz Workshop, which is comprised of an … [Read more...]
Berlin On My Bucket List Of Places To Party
German City Seems To Be Hip, Busy, Fun And Casual All At The Same Time Rooftop lounges, 400 nightclubs and even beach bars. Beach bars? In Berlin!? Apparently, or so I was told by Berlin tourism, Visit Berlin, during a media luncheon it held for Southern California travel journalists at the SoHo restaurant, which is high over the Sunset Strip in Los … [Read more...]
First-Time Germany Travel Lessons: Pilsner Beer & An Ex-Girlfriend
The 7-Minute Beers, Karlsruhe And Finding The Correct Restroom The memories flowed as quickly as the beer. Well, a heck of a lot faster than the Pilsner was poured. But more on that later. I was at a media luncheon in Los Angeles hosted by Tourism Germany for us Southern California travel journalists. The new German public relations representative, a friendly frau by … [Read more...]
Bucket List Top 10 Party & Best Nightlife Destinations For 2019
From The America's Cup to St. Moritz To Hottie Toddie, Here's The Year's Prime Party Destinations Here's where I want to go and what I want to do in 2019. If the world were wide open to me, these are the places and events where I would party, for they are part of my all-time Bucket List. Some places I have already been to and want to go to again, while some … [Read more...]
Microbrew Beer Festival Part of Santa Anita Track Party Schedule
Horsing Around Involves More Than Watching Horse Racing In L.A. There's a microbrew festival at Santa Anita Racetrack in Los Angeles this weekend – specifically, Saturday, Jan. 26 – and the mere thought of this brings back some side-splitting memories. It was a few years ago that I was first introduced to what was previously the strange sport of horse racing. And, as I … [Read more...]
Portland’s Jupiter Hotel Promotion Includes Pizza And Beer
Oregon Brews and Sizzle Pie In The City Of the Microbrew This is a great idea, the perfect promotion, right up there with complimentary Internet, and far better than bagels in the morning. The Jupiter Hotel in Portland, Oregon, has launched a hotel promotion that features free beer. And late-night pizza! In Portland, no less, home of the craft brews. It's called the … [Read more...]
Like Natalie Wood, I Fell Off A Sailboat in Catalina’s Two Harbors
The Harbor Reef Bar and Buffalo Milk Cocktails Make For A Fun Party Location Natalie Wood remains a mystery 30+ years after she drowned off Catalina Island and she's back in the news after a Los Angeles coroner changed her death from "accidental drowning" to "drowning and other underdermined factors." There's a lot of speculation about exactly what happened that Nov. 28 … [Read more...]
Here’s Where And How To Cheer Presidential Inauguration in 2013
Presidential Cocktails, An Obama Burger and A 'Sloppy Joe' Featured at D.C.'s BLT Steak Restaurant The Presidential inauguration is worthy of a cheers, right? It's a massive party in D.C., a night of galas, gatherings and celebrations. So why not have a couple of specialty drinks, one for President Barack Obama and another for Vice President Joe Biden, to toast? That's … [Read more...]
California Cultures Mix at Mendocino Crab Wine & Beer Festival 2013
Beer Drinking, Wine Tasting And Cracking Crabs Combine In Several Events It goes without saying that cracking crabs and drinking beer go together. That's commonplace along the East Coast, particularly in Maryland, home of crab cakes and beer. But it also happens in California. Except people in this part of the country – in particular in the northern part of the Golden … [Read more...]
Did LA’s Mayor Really Party With Charlie Sheen In Cabo San Lucas?
If Antonio Villaraigosa Can 'Party With The Best Of 'Em,' Well, Let's Party! Perhaps I misjudged Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. I always looked at him as being a typically poisoned politician, to be trusted only as far as as I can toss a beer bottle. Well, I still feel that way but if what Charlie Sheen says is true, I would like to be close enough to the mayor … [Read more...]
Transforming From A Mild Christmas To A Wild New Year’s Eve in Vegas
The Strip And Sin City Bars Await The Blogger's NYE Arrival It's almost party time again. After nearly two weeks of being with the family for Christmas Las Vegas awaits. Las Vegas on New Year's Eve. The past couple of weeks, my lifestyle has been as mild as the weather here in Siesta Key, FL. Going shopping, bike riding, driving around with backseat drivers all … [Read more...]
Switzerland Matterhorn Lake Geneva Region Travel Promotion
Swiss Host A Fun Boat Party For Los Angeles Journalists I like hearing about great places to travel almost as much as I love being at great travel places. When someone does it right – through words, pictures or video, or a combination of all three – it's like hearing Clapton play guitar, seeing Daniel Day-Lewis acting as Lincoln, witnessing Tom Brady throw a touchdown … [Read more...]
Labor Day Weekend Top Party Places at The Beach, Boats Or A Pool
Fiesta Hermosa Beach, Palm Springs and Austin's Lake Travis Are Prime Partying Places I'm at the beach this Labor Day Weekend. But I could just as easily be on a boat. Or at a pool party. The key to be somewhere in board shorts, around bikinis and in, on or by the water. These are the prime party places on this end-of-summer three-day weekend. • … [Read more...]
Win A Weekend in New Orleans For Arena Bowl XXV
Big Times in the Big Easy On Some Hot August Nights New Orleans called and I answered. The city is giving away a trip to the Big Easy this summer for Arena Bowl XXV. Airfare, three nights hotel on a weekend, dinner or Sunday brunch at Commander's Palace (that's where Emeril Lagasse kicked his cooking career up a notch), tickets to the Arena Bowl and two pre-event … [Read more...]
This Rocky Top Moonshine Still Is Open to the Public
Ole Smoky Moonshine Opens Tasting Room in Gatlinburg in the Great Smoky Mountains Once two strangers climbed 'ol Rocky Top, Lookin' for a moonshine still. Strangers ain't come down from Rocky Top, Reckon they never will. That lyric from the unofficial theme song of East Tennessee and the University of Tennessee is meant to imply that a couple of unwelcome intruders … [Read more...]
New Orleans is World’s Top Party City in January 2012
The Big Easy Goes Big With New Year's Eve, the Sugar Bowl, the Alabama-LSU BCS National Championship Game and Pardi Gras If you want to start out the New Year of 2012 partying, then there's no place better in the world to do it than New Orleans. You had just better be prepared to keep partying! That's because New Orleans – and not New York or any other place on the … [Read more...]