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Live Out Your Wild West Fantasies at White Stallion Ranch in Tucson, Arizona
Photos, video and story by Cassie Hepler Back in May 2019, I was on the radio with my East Coast fam, Small Bites Radio on Wildfire Radio. And everyone kept asking about the Wild West… like the gun shooting, horseback riding, free-range roaming desert seen in all the movies. Shortly thereafter, I was at a Visit Phoenix tourism lunch meeting a lovely lady who represented two amazing ranches in Arizona and invited me to stay and play. Little did I know the White Stallion Ranch is consistently voted one of the best ranches in the United States. But I soon experienced exactly why… We had a pretty cool June for…
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Marriott Phoenix Chandler Hotel Adds Luxury and Class to Chandler, Arizona
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler (unless otherwise noted) We love finding hidden gems. Although this one is not so hidden because the Marriott Phoenix Chandler is not only the largest legacy brand full service Marriott in the state (128,000 square feet total), the 264-room property features the greatest amount of hotel conference space in the area at 28,000 feet. Located in the bustling Price Corridor, it is managed by Cincinnati-based Winegardner & Hammons Hotel Group, LLC., an affiliate company of the Pyramid Hotel Group, which is one of the predominant hotel management companies in the United States. With easy access to Loop 101 and Loop 202, we thought it would…
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Masked Ball to Benefit UNCF Unveiled at Philadelphia’s Marriott Downtown
Tanya Amir displays poise and grace befitting her crown and title. “Though it be a thrilling and marvelous thing to be merely young and gifted in such times, it is doubly so, doubly dynamic, to be young, gifted and Black.” – Lorraine Hansberry Story, photos by Sharon Kozden March 7th was an extraordinary evening in Philadelphia … as fabulous as the many previous nights’ events I had covered in the city during my several years as a photojournalist. The eighth annual UNCF Mayor’s Masked Ball held at Center City’s Philadelphia Marriott Downtown was in full swing and shaping up to be far and away a memorable grand time in one…
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Bourbon Master Lifts Spirits at Loews Philadelphia’s Bank & Bourbon Restaurant
From left, Daniel Kulisek makes his point as Bank & Bourbon restaurant’s recently appointed Bourbon master. “If I cannot drink Bourbon and smoke cigars in Heaven than I shall not go.” – Mark Twain Story, photos by Sharon Kozden I’ll be straight up and honest. I’m not a hard liquor fan. My most daring drinky-drink is a margarita and without that sweet and salty cocktail, I prefer white wine. So before Covid19 chaos, and while on assignment to cover Loews Philadelphia Hotel’s Bank & Bourbon Restaurant’s media preview party of the appointment of their very own in-house Bourbon master, I knew I’d be in for an all-inclusive education. One doesn’t…
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First Tonino Lamborghini Store in the United States Opens in Las Vegas, Nevada
Story by Cassie Hepler, photos by James Tantillo (unless otherwise noted) To understand this Italian luxury brand’s family tree, you have the start from the beginning. The brains behind the brand, Ferruccio Lamborghini, founded the company in 1963 with plans for a refined grand touring car to compete with other high end brands such as Ferrari. His astrological sign is the strong-willed and stubborn Taurus thus why the golden bull became an iconic logo. In 1993, Ferruccio died of a heart attack at age 76. The famous car company Lamborghini founded by Ferruccio Lamborghini was later sold to the Audi VW group. Carrying on tradition, his son, Tonino, now runs…
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Get a Taste of Philly in the Crystal Tea Room at Wanamaker Building
This way please … to an out-of-this-world beverage and food stuffs happening. “Eating is not merely a material pleasure. Eating well gives a spectacular joy to life and contributes immensely to goodwill and happy companionship. It is of great importance to the morale.” – Elsa Schiaparelli Story, photos by Sharon Kozden The elegant Crystal Tea Room was the perfect venue for Taste of Philly’s 12th Annual culinary tasting and tippling event, which showcases the finest in food and spirits that Philadelphia area restaurants, wineries and breweries can lay claim to. Notable this year was an expansion of space, allowing for the sold out event to feature more of everything, including…
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Explore with Cassie Celebrates 5 Years of Lifestyle and Travel Blogging
Story by Cassie Hepler, photos by D’Nyjah French What began as an idea to keep exploring in the middle of a cold, harsh Philadelphia winter has now blossomed into a 5 year old! I remember it well… that month me and my IT angel spent grinding the idea out with laser sharp focus. By the end of January 2015, we had not one but two websites Explore Philly and Explore New Jersey (this is what happens when you mix a Virgo with a Taurus… extra AF). But since it was such a local East Coast hyper focus, we found that limiting. Of course we frequently traveled outside of the tri-state area…
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Oscar Nominee Rian Johnson Cuts a Sharp Figure at Philadelphia Film Festival’s Knives Out Screening
Lights, Camera, Action … with a heavy on the lights! Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “We must look a little closer. And when we do, we see that the doughnut hole has a hole in its center. It is not a doughnut hole, but a smaller doughnut with its own hole, and our doughnut is not holed at all!” – Benoit Blanc (Knives Out) The 2019 Philadelphia Film Festival (PFF) wrapped with yet another successful year (its 28th!) in the can. Running 11-days through October, the festival showcased 110 films at the Philadelphia Film Center. I had the distinct honor of attending the red-carpet premiere of the critically acclaimed Knives Out…
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Mardi Gras is Not all Boobs and Beads in Lafayette, Louisiana
Story, photos and video by Cassie Hepler As soon as this press trip was in the planning stages, almost everyone started asking me about boobs… “Will you see any? Will you be showing yours?” (Hard no, btw…) Then the bead questions started rolling in as well and what occurred to me is that no one really knows what the hell is going on during Mardi Gras, better known as Fat Tuesday. The French saying refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday. There’s also Lundi Gras, the Monday before Fat Tuesday which kicks off…
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DesignPhiladelphia Festival Celebrates 15 Years, Hosts Kickoff Party at Cherry Street Pier
The Ben Franklin Bridge’s steel-suspension design is a perfect backdrop for DesignPhilaldephia’s Kickoff Party. “Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fits our needs so well that the design is invisible.”- Don Norman Story, photos by Sharon Kozden My introduction to Philadelphia’s design scene occurred in fall at Cherry St. Pier, where DesignPhiladelphia kick-started its 15th annual 10-day long festival with a launch party that had the stunning Benjamin Franklin Bridge as backdrop. It was a fitting and iconic location choice. What, after all, screams both stellar design and Philadelphia more than the Ben bridge? What wasn’t fitting on that…
