Culture
- Architecture, Art, Culture, Dessert, Drink, Entertainment, Events, Explore with Cassie, Fashion, Food, Latest News, Music, Nature, Restaurants, Science, Sports, Style, Travel
Cheerio! Exploring London, England a Second Time Around
Story, photos by Jill Beckel London, England… a city known for its gray skies, beautiful architecture, culture, art, rich history, the River Thames, the British monarchy, pubs and tea. I was fortunate enough to have been able to study abroad in my college days for a term my sophomore year of college back in 2006. Since then, I’ve been yearning to go back and explore the city even more. I recently got the chance to make the trip back with my husband this time and it couldn’t have been better. All that I would have wished for was to have been able to stay longer! I knew that I wanted…
- Architecture, Arizona, Culture, Day Trips, Dessert, Drink, Explore with Cassie, Food, Latest News, Nature, Restaurants, Style, Travel
Relax, Reconnect and Repeat at Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort in Arizona
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler Once I moved across the country, I soon ended up living near Camelback Mountain in the trendy Arcadia section of Phoenix, Arizona as everyone said I would love it and they were right. I could see the telltale mountain from my farm casita rental. Shortly thereafter, I purchased property nearby. And big surprise, I ended up staying near Camelback and now have views of Papago Park and am kind of nestled in between both. I was also told (in new age land of Sedona of course) that Camelback is an amazing energy vortex mountain and wholeheartedly believe that. So when Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort…
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Take a Hike and Be Amazed at the Sonoran Desert in Arizona
Story, photos by Jason Nugent Often when people think of deserts, the image that comes to mind is one of a vast, barren landscape with nothing but sand for as far as the eye can see. As someone who has spent time in deserts around the world and has seen that specific view first hand, I’ll be the first to admit that I thought that the landscape surrounding Phoenix would be similar. Boy was I wrong. The Sonoran desert surrounding Phoenix is home to one of the most vibrant, lush landscapes in the Southwest United States. If getting out and appreciating that appeals to you, then I urge you to …
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Cider Sparkles at Fairmount Park’s 3rd Annual CiderFest in Philadelphia, PA
Event signage hangs from fence posts at Cedar Grove. Photos, story by Sharon Kozden “It was a beautiful bright autumn day, with air like cider and a sky so blue you could drown in it.” – Diana Gabaldon It really was a day such as described in the above quote … uncannily so if you happened to be attending the third annual CiderFest at the Historic Houses of Fairmount Park. Having written about and photographed the inaugural event in 2017, I had missed 2018’s iteration but was glad to be back spending my Saturday afternoon between the hours of noon and 5 p.m. surrounded by folks ranging in interest level…
- Architecture, Culture, Dessert, Drink, Education, Entertainment, Events, Explore with Cassie, Food, Latest News, Music, Restaurants, Style, Travel
Musical Memphis, Tennessee Resurrecting into its Glory Days
Story, photos/videos by Cassie Hepler (unless otherwise noted) The irony of getting off the old school Greyhound Bus from Clarksville to Memphis, Tennessee with its shiny, new marble polished floors and then stepping into a Mercedes Benz did not sneak past me. For me, getting a smidge of work done on the spotty Wifi was better than driving although a bit longer (3 hours versus 5 on the bus). I was reminded that some things never change since college and that I am still not a fan (big surprise there). However the journalist in me still likes mixing and mingling with all walks of life and hearing the strange stories that…
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Protect Your Skin from the Sun and Look Chic in Tenth Street Hats Featuring the Cloche Hat
Story by Cassie Hepler, photos courtesy of Tenth Street Hats Since moving to Arizona, it seems I have become the hat lady. And it’s mostly out of a way to protect my pasty white European/American mutt sensitive skin. When I first moved here, this California company Tenth Street Hats reached out to me to offer me some samples to wear and rock during my travels. Loving the boho chic, gothic, Cuban and Western vibes I found on the website, I delved deep into the hat world. So much so in fact, I am running out of walk-in closet space and may make a whole bedroom wall into a sort of…
- Architecture, Art, Culture, Entertainment, Events, Explore with Cassie, Food, Latest News, Music, Style
Opera Philadelphia Paints La Bohème Love Story at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia
Words on the street, blowin’ in the wind. Story, photos by Sharon Kozden (performance photos courtesy of Steven Pisano for Opera Philadelphia) “I have so many things that I want to say to you Or just one, but it’s as big as the sea As deep and infinite as the sea … You are my love and my whole life!” – La bohème, Act IV finale I can’t be the only one who has noticed that Opera Philadelphia‘s presence has been pervading the Philly scene. Locations, locations, locations … all teeming with operatic events and productions. There they were at the Academy of Music during late April and early May,…
- Architecture, Art, Beach, California, Culture, Day Trips, Education, Entertainment, Explore with Cassie, Food, Latest News, Nature, Sports, Style, Travel
Make the Most of Your Visit to Los Angeles, California
Visiting Los Angeles, California can be overwhelming. It’s a tremendous city, but there are so many tourist attractions of all different kinds that it’s difficult to fit in everything you’d like to see and do on a single trip. If you’d like help narrowing things down though, here are eight places in the LA area that are definitely worth your time. 1. The Original Farmer’s Market It may not be the traditional headline tourist attraction, but one of the most pleasant things you can do on your trip is spend the day sampling delicious food at the Original Farmer’s Market at Third and Fairfax. The market’s local vendors, such as Du-par’s…
- Celebrities, Culture, Dessert, Drink, Entertainment, Events, Fashion, Food, Latest News, Restaurants, Travel
2019 James Beard Media Awards Bites the Big Apple at NYC’s Chelsea Piers
Visit Philly’s presence as presenter tops the list! “Through food we express love. We bring comfort and hope. We forge new relationships and strengthen old bonds. Food reaffirms not only our humanity but the joy of being alive.” – Marcus Samuelsson Story, photos by Sharon Kozden I can’t cook for beans. Let me amend that: I choose not to cook because I haven’t yet arrived at a stage in my life where cooking takes precedence over other activities. However and albeit slowly, my evolving self is beginning to understand the bigger picture, to conceptualize the larger significance of the roles that food and cooking play in one’s lifetime. It’s as…
- Architecture, Culture, Dessert, Drink, Education, Entertainment, Events, Explore with Cassie, Fashion, Food, Latest News, Restaurants, Travel
Visit Philly’s Overnight Hotel Packages Offer Sizzlin’ Stay & Play Deals
The iconic and stately Bellevue Hotel is a must-stay destination when visiting Philly. Story, photos by Sharon Kozden You’ve got to check out Visit Philly‘s packages! Seriously. Unless you enjoy doing your own travel planning and research, let Visit Philly do the legwork for you. Visit Philly’s Overnight Hotel Packages have you covered with overnight accommodations at the city’s top-notch participating hotels, meals at its finest restaurants and a list of recreational, entertainment and educational perks to complement and enhance your stay. Concerned about hotel parking? Don’t be: it’s covered as well. On arrival, check your ride and let participating hotels pick up the parking tab. Talk about value-added … that’s…
