Drink
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Christmas Pop-up Bar Tinsel Brings Season’s Gleam to Philadelphia
Tinsel is lit for Christmas 2023! “Oh, heart, let’s never grow too old To smile anew, when Christmas comes, At tassels red and tinsel thread …” ~ Nancy Byrd Turner Story, photos by Sharon Kozden Philadelphia’s beloved and popular Christmas pop-up bar is back! Tinsel came to sleigh on November 24th with its 2023 “Christmas Comedy” theme. In addition to lights galore and always outre displays and decorations, Tinsel is highlighting decades of tee-hees from fan-fav funny movies. Something I really look forward to at Tinsel each season is the specificity to detail in its overall production, decor and presentation. Be on the lookout for the little things. Check every…
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Foodie and Mizzou Fan’s Guide to Exploring Columbia, Missouri
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler It was bound to happen someday… the dreaded almost spending an overnight at the airport debacle. In my over almost 30 years of flying on airplanes, I had the worst and slimiest experience ever though American Airlines. I had a very slim window to make a layover and when I got an email the night before asking if I wanted to get paid (up to $700!) to switch my flight date and times, I had a feeling this wasn’t going to end well. Then at the gate at Phoenix airport, they pushed back the flight time a half hour making it near impossible. More than…
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PNC’s ‘LumiNature’ Winter Light Show Illuminates Philadelphia Zoo
“You have to find what sparks a light in you so that you in your own way can illuminate the world.” ~ Oprah Winfrey Story, photos by Sharon Kozden Watts up, Philadelphia Zoo? A hellota (it’s a word, according to Urban Dictionary!) twinkling and sparkling that runs until Saturday, January 6 is watts up! Know this: If you’re planning to check out PNC’s return of LumiNature, a wintertime light show featuring more than a million lights across 16 illuminated zones, it is presented “with timed entrance tickets available every half hour from 5:00pm to 8:00pm with the experience closing at 9:00pm or 10:00pm depending on visit date. Pre-purchase your timed…
- Architecture, Arizona, Culture, Day Trips, Dessert, Drink, Education, Entertainment, Events, Explore with Cassie, Food, Latest News, Restaurants, Travel
Stay and Play on North Mountain with Hilton Phoenix Tapatio Cliffs Resort
Photo, story by Cassie Hepler (unless noted otherwise) Just 10 minutes from my house in North Phoenix sits Hilton Phoenix Tapatio Cliffs Resort, nestled back onto North Mountain and tucked away where no one would know just how massive this place truly is… 450 acres of desert! Now that I’m dealing with an elderly cat, I have to constantly think about giving her medication every 8-10 hours and with this staycation it was easy to swing home, dose her and leave again (even if she left me a how she feels about me being gone present on the door mat). Built in 1982, the Spanish Mediterranean architecture is flanked by…
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Philadelphia’s Barnes Foundation Centennial Art Ball was Stunning
“Nude with Coral Necklace” by Amedeo Modigliani, 1917. “Modigliani Morning” her external motor, brash, she was more New York than Paris, but then, Rome was inside her speaking words passionately like Modigliani — LadyLabyrinth Story, photos by Sharon Kozden On Friday, October 20th, the Barnes Foundation will present its 2023 Art Ball, an annual event that more than lives up to its billing as the art party in Philadelphia. This I know because I’ve twice been fortunate to attend, hosted on assignment for ExplorewithCassie. Most recently I made the scene in 2022, when the Barnes Foundation marked both their centennial and a ten-year anniversary on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Last year, a…
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Four-Diamond Loews Philadelphia Hotel Welcomes Guests Like Family
Whoa, Loews! You had me at HELLO … and that Charcuterie Board. Family, indeed. “Whether anybody was home meant everything to a house. It was more than a major fact: it was the only fact … The family was the house’s soul.” — Jonathan Franzen Story, photos by Sharon Kozden It didn’t take me long to discover that The Loews Family at Loews Philadelphia Hotel meant what they said when they said I’d be welcomed like family. In July 2020, the luxury hospitality company introduced “a fresh brand position which defines Loews as more than simply a collection of hotels, but a brand deeply rooted in welcoming and caring for…
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Fly to Puerto Vallarta Airport and Explore Nayarit, Mexico
Story, photos, video by Cassie Hepler Flying on an early morning flight from Phoenix Sky Harbor, Arizona to Puerto Vallarta Airport went pretty smoothly with a hosted American Airlines aisle seat. Mind you, international flights call for a two hour arrival buffer time although it makes no sense as you can check in online and just find your gate fast especially with TSA pre-check but airlines haven’t caught up yet I guess. Also, try not to check your luggage. You really don’t need all that stuff you packed, trust me. I’ll make a basic bitch carry on travel bag blog post soon, I promise. Much like the Cabo San Lucas…
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Escape to Paradiso at Hacienda Del Mar in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler Imagine being whisked away from the Cabo San Lucas, Mexico airport by a private driver in your air conditioned SUV via Transcabo with an ice-cold bottle of water waiting for you. Then you are delivered to a Spanish style resort with 11 sprawling acres and a pretty darn private beach because there are no other resorts around. And you’re only 35 minutes from the airport and 20 minutes away from town! If you like to hunker down and just relax, this is your dream escape from the daily grind. My first trip to Cabo was in 2017, right before I decided to move to Arizona…
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Elvis is Alive at Wild West Town Blazin’ M Ranch in Cottonwood
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler Mosey on up North in Arizona to the Wild West town of Blazin’ M Ranch in Cottonwood, Arizona for an evening of fun, fantasy and food! We met this fun crew at the Verde Valley Wine Festival and liked their kind of weird. Then we found out Elvis was coming to town and it was on like Donkey Kong! And even better yet, they are adding on overnight stays in the covered wagons on this plush green property starting this fall so you can be completely immersed in nature and those funky Western vibes. Just a 20 minute drive from Sedona, the Blazin’ M Ranch…
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Explore Turquoise Bay Dive and Beach Resort in Roatán, Honduras
Photos, story by Cassie Hepler My perfect vacation includes a day of rest followed by a day of adventure, rinse and repeat. I learned this many years ago when I took myself to the Dominican Republic that rhythm makes me the happiest and most fulfilled after a trip so I can rest but also fully immerse myself in the culture. It’s important to know what brings you joy on vacation so you come back refreshed and not burned out! You know, the dreaded I need a vacation after my vacation vibes. So after a fun adventure day of exploring Costa Maya, Mexico, I was super excited to spend a day…
