Restaurants
- Arizona, Culture, Day Trips, Dessert, Drink, Education, Entertainment, Explore with Cassie, Fitness, Food, Health, Latest News, Nature, Restaurants, Travel
Polish Your Soul and Your Plate in Sedona, Arizona
Photos, story by Cassie Hepler When you receive a last minute press trip invite to Sedona, Arizona on 11/11, you go. Those in alignment numbers represent a powerful opportunity to connect with your inner self and begin some kick ass spiritual growth. It also signifies that a period of change is about to start within you. And literally earlier that week, the shift was already in motion. So I delved into the energy vortex abyss that is the high vibe of Sedona for a magical weekend! But first we had to swing by the brand new Cove Mesa Vineyard in Cornville, AZ to enjoy a wine tasting and meet the…
- Animals, Dessert, Drink, Entertainment, Events, Explore with Cassie, Food, Latest News, Music, Restaurants, Suburbs
Getting a Lil’ (Apple) Sauced During CiderFest at Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park’s Woodford Mansion
CiderFest attendee gives the cider press a rotation during a demonstration. “There is a place, September, oh, very far from Pandemonium. A place where it is always autumn, where there is always cider and pumpkin pie, where leaves are always orange and fresh-cut wood is always burning and it is always, just always Halloween” ~~ Catherynne M Valente Story, photos by Sharon Kozden While fall is the Fiona Apple of my ear (read: the aural equivalent of moody, low-slung clouds) I actually know people who don’t like autumn. Weirdos? Nah. Just people doing what they do (read: exercising their right to be). Imma do me. You do you. We all do…
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Uptown Beer Garden Mutates Upside Down for Spooky Season with ‘Stranger Things’ Theme
“People don’t spend their lives trying to get a look at what’s behind the curtain. They like the curtain. It provides them stability, comfort, definition.” ~~~ Murray Bauman, Stranger Things Story, photos by Sharon Kozden Actually, Murray, I beg to differ with your above-referenced statements about “the curtain.” I liked getting a look at what’s behind it … at least I did on the evening of September 28th … when Aversa PR and Craft Concepts Group welcomed media to a preview party like none other at Uptown Beer Garden‘s Stranger Things-themed pop-up bar. Greetings from Hawkins, Indiana. Wish you were here! Perhaps if I had watched Netflix TV’s Stranger…
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Must-read: The Union League Guard House Hosts Gladwyne Free Library’s Annual Fundraiser
The charming floral-patterned invitation was designed by Board Member Mary Kate Bolinder. Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “Bad libraries build collections, good libraries build services, great libraries build communities.” – R. David Lankes Gladwyne Free Library held its annual fundraiser (its first since 2019) on a September afternoon at the private and exclusive Union League Guard House in Gladwyne, PA. Hosted by the library’s Board of Trustees, the $125-per person ticket to the “Library Libations” cocktail reception entitled purchasers to savory light bites, drinks, sweet treats and, most importantly, the opportunity to bid (during a silent auction) on an impressive array of items donated by local businesses and board members in…
- Arizona, Culture, Drink, Education, Explore with Cassie, Food, Latest News, Nature, Restaurants, Travel
Women Putting Arizona Wines on the Map
Story by Cassie Hepler & Arizona Office of Tourism, Submitted Photos Before I was a twinkle in my mother’s eye, she lived in Arizona back in the 70’s being an adventurous hippy with her little yellow VW bug and working at a grocery store in the meat department. She started out in Yuma, AZ before there was any sort of land development then worked her way over to Prescott, AZ. And one of her dreams was to open a vineyard in Arizona. Fate had other plans as she met my father in Pennsylvania who wisked her back East and my brother and I were born. But funny how I ended…
- Architecture, Arizona, Art, Culture, Day Trips, Dessert, Education, Entertainment, Explore with Cassie, Food, Latest News, Nature, Restaurants, Travel
Bisbee, Arizona Staying Spooky, Strange and Surprisingly Hip
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler Fresh from a couple overnights in the small city of Willcox, Arizona, I hiked that morning and drove the 1.5 hours down to Bisbee, Arizona ready to tear into some food! Located in the Mule Mountains of southeast Arizona, the city has a solid copper-mining past and only a little over 5,000 residents making it more of a small town feel. With a thriving arts, music and hospitality scene, it is a place for all the free spirits to join – including ones that are not alive. The energy is heavy and historical here. For someone who is sensitive to ghosts and the supernatural, I…
- Arizona, Culture, Day Trips, Dessert, Drink, Education, Entertainment, Events, Explore with Cassie, Food, Health, Latest News, Nature, Restaurants, Suburbs, Travel
Drop Down South to the Wine World of Willcox, Arizona
Photos, story by Cassie Hepler With more than 20 wineries in the Willcox, Arizona area, there are seemingly endless wine tastings and other area activities to chew on. Located in Cochise County near the border of Mexico, this small city is surrounded by picturesque mountain ranges, such as the Pinaleño, Dragoon and Chiricahua mountains. Surprising to most out of state visitors, the desert climate offers an ideal climate for winemaking including monsoons in the summer that gives that precious moisture to the earth to make the flavorful magic happen. But wine is not the only thing this small town but actually a city has to offer! We connected with the Cochise…
- California, Culture, Day Trips, Dessert, Drink, Education, Entertainment, Events, Explore with Cassie, Fashion, Food, Latest News, Music, Nature, Restaurants, Style, Suburbs, Travel
Small Businesses Reopen in Funky, Artsy Town of Claremont, CA
Story, photos by Cassie Hepler Finally California small businesses can breathe a sigh of relief – although still trough face masks as Los Angeles county mandates everyone unvaccinated or vaccinated wear a face mask in public places. And it’s not a bad call considering the Delta variant seems to be sneaking through even the best jabs available so far. So masked up and ready to explore, my journey began a little clunky with my TPMS tire light turning on about halfway to Claremont from Chula Vista, CA. My first thought was go to the tire store and second was it just needs some air… always go with the first intuition.…
- Animals, Arizona, Casino, Culture, Day Trips, Drink, Education, Entertainment, Explore with Cassie, Fitness, Food, Health, Latest News, Nature, Restaurants, Sports, Style, Travel
Four Diamond We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort Offers Stay and Play Adventures
Story, photos and video by Cassie Hepler Because everyone seems confused, let’s address the We-Ko-Pa namesake first! The name We-Ko-Pa means four peaks which is the popular mountain that borders the eastern skyline of Phoenix. The fabulous new 166,341-square-foot We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort replaces the original Fort McDowell Casino that many remember from 1984 as a bingo hall. Eight years later, the proud Yavapai Nation peacefully held off the attempts of federal agents to seize their slot machines, protecting their right to operate a casino on their reservation and provide livelihoods for their tribal members. That sentence alone infuriates me… freaking ‘Merica, but that’s a whole other story. Let’s focus instead…
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Paris, je t’aime! An American Reminisces on Her Love Affair with France
Story, photos by Jill Beckel Bonjour! It is hard to say where my obsession with Paris started, but I am honestly not sure. I know that I dreamed about going to Paris as child and something about it always fascinated me. I took French throughout middle school and three years of high school. However, I am by no means fluent. I can pick up phrases and written words here and there, but definitely could not hold my own in a full-on on conversation in French (I did try to brush up with the Duolingo app before this trip). Once I was in college, I knew that I wanted to travel…
