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Explore With Cassie

Lifestyle & travel blog finding the unusual out of the ordinary.

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  • Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News

    Another Nor’easter Didn’t Stop People from Attending the 3rd Annual Philadelphia Restaurant Festival

    May 31, 2018 /

    Photos, story by Jill Beckel A wicked winter afternoon in March was the start of another Nor’easter! But that didn’t stop Philadelphians from attending the 3rd Annual Philadelphia Restaurant Festival which was held at the beautiful Crystal Tea Room at the Wanamaker Building. This year’s Philadelphia Restaurant Festival did not disappoint with over 60 restaurants, wineries and distilleries participating. Attendees traveled throughout the main room and the Viennesse Room of the Crystal Tea Room, stopping to sample anything that piqued their fancy. It was a great way to eat and drink your way through a showcase of Philadelphia’s vibrant local restaurant scene and try some new restaurants you may not have…

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    Jill Beckel

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    Visit California Wineries the Classy Way with San Diego Beer, Wine & Spirits Tour

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  • Destinations,  Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News,  Lifestyle

    Philadelphia International Airport Lands American Express’s Prestigious Centurion Lounge

    May 10, 2018 /

    Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “To the great city of Philadelphia, I am so grateful to bring this back home to you.” – Chef Michael Solomonov, on being named best chef in the country at the James Beard Foundation Awards in Chicago, 2017. AMEX’s Centurion Lounge tapped Mike as its menu man. The City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection was recently honored in becoming one of only nine airports in the world to offer travelers a uniquely unique and unforgettable way to hang before, between or after flights. On October 19th (prior to an official October 31st opening), media were invited to preview American Express’s Centurion Lounge and to witness what was in store exclusively for AMEX…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    Cool Down Inside Pristine Kartchner Caverns in Benson, AZ

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  • Education,  Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Latest News,  Lifestyle

    Helpusadopt.org Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Making Family Miracles

    May 10, 2018 /

    Who wouldn’t be hard pressed to avert his or her eyes from this clearly radiant and innocent child? “However motherhood comes to you, it’s a miracle.” – Valerie Harper Story, photos by Sharon Kozden I’ll just come right out and say it: I can’t take much. In other words, I’m highly sensitive, which can be a double-edged sword of both blessing and curse. I’m told that I feel too much yet wouldn’t have it any other way. Surmising that the Helpusadopt.org 10th anniversary Family Building Benefit at the Overbrook Golf Club in Villanova might require less eye make-up for an evening out (lest the waterworks flow), I played it sparingly. And…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    Three Philly Restaurants Compete in James Beard Foundation’s Mushroom Blended Burger Project

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    Philadelphia Real Estate Agent Handles All Her Sales Herself

    January 11, 2018
  • Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News

    Enjoy Upscale, Eclectic Asian Food at Yangming in Bryn Mawr

    March 28, 2018 /

      Run, don’t WOK! “we are the fortunate cookies, we who were flat but now curl moonlike around thick middles, cradling happy advice and lucky numbers in our crisp bellies” – Unknown Story, photos by Sharon Kozden While Walt Whitman sang his praises of the “body electric,” I’m here to sing similarly about Yangming’s foodstuffs eclectic. Yangming is an upscale, never-duplicated, well-known and loved establishment, offering an eclectic bounty of Chinese and Asian fusion cuisine. The cocktail offerings are creative, the wine list award-winning and the desserts a blend of either decadent or light. Indulge in the sweetest of treats or restrain with a fresh berry-based, naturally sugared more healthfhttp://yangmingrestaurant.com/reviews/ul choice. Lychee nuts…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    Gertrude’s Fine Dining Tickles Tastebuds in Breathtaking Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

    October 30, 2019

    Ride in Style with Aall In Limo’s Mercedes Benz to Temecula Wineries in California

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  • Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Latest News

    Run, Don’t Walk to theVillage’s Third Annual Health and Wellness Fair

    March 14, 2018 /

    Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “To be a consistent winner means preparing not just one day, one month or even one year – but for a lifetime.” – Bill Rodgers I’m one of those runners who registers for a race but come the morning of (typically a 6:00 a.m. or earlier call), decide instead I’d rather be breakfasting leisurely in some charming café. That said, during the 16-plus years I’ve been running competitively, I missed few actual races (either because of crappy weather or the rare injury). Otherwise, I always managed to rise to the occasion, to show up. That’s exactly what I did on the morning of October 21st, when theVillage hosted its It Takes theVillage health and wellness…

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    Sharon Kozden

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  • Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News

    Old Man Winter Is No Match for Zoup’s! Comfort Soup

    March 7, 2018 /

    “A Jewish woman had two chickens. One got sick, so the woman made chicken soup out of the other one to help the sick one get well.” – Henny Youngman Story, photos by Sharon Kozden Full disclosure: I don’t much care for soup. I fault my mom for that as well as for having sent me to charm school at 12 years of age. But that’s another story altogether, which I’ll reserve for my memoir. The onset of my soup-phobia began in childhood, when our soup staples alternated between thin chicken-noodle with two pea-sized bits of poultry of questionable authenticity. It’s alternative was chicken with rice, equally runny and with the same meager addition of a barely-there protein…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    Ride in Style with Aall In Limo’s Mercedes Benz to Temecula Wineries in California

    January 30, 2019
  • Education,  Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News,  Lifestyle

    Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus Stages American Bandstand Themed Fall Ball

    January 10, 2018 /

    “The whole American pop culture started in Philadelphia with ‘American Bandstand’ and the music that came out of the city.” — Daryl Hall Story, photos by Sharon Kozden I’m old enough to remember “American Bandstand.” Dick Clark emceed a bunch of kids dancing around and rating records. It was then how we discovered the cultural zeitgeist of music, fashion trends, hair styles–you name it. That the program originated in Philadelphia meant little to me then, as the radius of my existence was probably ten miles in circumference. Now that I live in Philadelphia’s suburbs, it’s a point of pride and a great factoid with which to impress a random stranger…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    The Mob Museum in Las Vegas is like Mafia School with a Speakeasy

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    September 15, 2023
  • Destinations,  Explore with Cassie,  Latest News

    Explore With Cassie as I Move Out West!

    December 29, 2017 /

    Story, photos by Cassie Hepler My plans to post on this blog monthly have sadly fallen by the wayside since summer as my life has been in overdrive with travel, writing for Metro Philly and Metro US, modeling, blogging for my other babies Explore-Philly.com and Explore-NJ.com and then some! I’ll try to do an epic recap of highlights here so you can follow along and see what I’m up to nowadays. As soon as I got back from the San Antonio press trip, I began writing freelance with Metro Philly and soon thereafter Metro US. As I continued to write for Metro, a lot of travel trips were happening as…

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    Cassie Hepler

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    Adventures Driving Cross Country with a U-Haul

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    Eat and Drink Your Face Off in San Antonio, Texas While Exploring the City

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    Behind the Scenes with P.J. Whelihan’s at WIP Wing Bowl 2017

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  • Education,  Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News

    Fairmount Park Conservancy Presents Flavors of the Season at Historic Philly Houses

    December 28, 2017 /

    Mama said punch you out! Manatawny Still Works struck seasonal gold with this winter. “For centuries men have kept an appointment with Christmas. Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home. – W. J. Tucker Story, photos by Sharon Kozden ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through Fairmount Park’s historic houses, the aromas were wafting, from simmering punch to braised beef short ribs – with no signs of either mouse or grouse. The stockings really were hung by the fireplaces with care. And while there was no actual “Visit from St. Nicholas,” the comestibles and beverages included in December 10th’s Flavors of the Season event delivered (as…

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    Sharon Kozden

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  • Day Trips,  Education,  Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Latest News,  Lifestyle

    Tune Into the Sounds of the Season at Fairmount Park’s Historic Houses

    December 27, 2017 /

    “Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart … filled it, too, with melody that would last forever.” – Bess Streeter Aldrich Story, photos by Sharon Kozden They came. They toured. They listened. On December 2, in what was part of a 16-day seasonal presentation called A Very Philly Christmas, Fairmount Park’s Historic Houses came alive with the sounds of music during The Sounds of the Season. Philadelphia was well represented by its diverse musical culture and community, which included Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, Choral Arts Philadelphia, Clef Club of Jazz, Opera Philadelphia and PlayOnPhilly.…

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    Sharon Kozden

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