- Destinations, Education, Entertainment, Explore with Cassie, Food & Beverage, Latest News, Lifestyle
Places to Eat in Santa Fe, New Mexico from Frugal to Fancy
Story, photos and videos by Cassie Hepler I love food. Period. It doesn’t matter if it’s from a food truck, my neighbor, a street vendor or a fancy restaurant because I don’t have any food allergies thankfully. This whole hierarchy of travel tracking for only luxury food locations is just gross. Travel is travel. If you are out of your hometown, you are traveling. I don’t care if you’re staying at La Quinta Inn Santa Fe or The Inn of Five Graces, you’re still exploring another culture and this shaming people for traveling on different budgets is just so icky. When I was in my 20s, I was doing a…
- Destinations, Education, Entertainment, Explore with Cassie, Food & Beverage, Latest News, Lifestyle
Things to Do in Santa Fe, New Mexico Off the Beaten Path
Story, photos and video by Cassie Hepler After checking into my host hotel El Rey Court in Sante Fe, New Mexico, and gathering content all day, I was dead. As in I just drove there that morning with maybe five hours of sleep if I was lucky the night before and walked all over downtown. That’s honestly how I judge any place I go now… is it restful? Does it fulfill your mind, body and soul? So I allowed – or more like my body forced me to – take a juicy nap the afternoon after I arrived. It was then that I knew this place had healing energy and…
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Where to Stay in Sante Fe, New Mexico for Full Cultural Immersion
Story, photos and video by Cassie Hepler On the road again to Santa Fe, New Mexico’s capital and oldest city in the United States, nestled in the Sangre de Cristo foothills! This was a bucket list trip where I was only there once before when driving across the country to move from Philly to Phoenix, Arizona and since we were tethered to Optimus, the red Kia car via a U-Haul cab, I was only able to really enjoy that vivid, deep purple sunset at the hotel which is still engrained in my brain and I was determined to watch again. Because of the summer from hell 2025, I now bookend…
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Explore the Center of the World in Felicity, California
Story, videos and model Cassie Hepler, Photos by Delfin Welcome to the Center of the World in Felicity, California! Located on the Yuma, Arizona border, we ended up spending a glorious day shooting around this quirky place by default as our usual beloved Buttercup Sand Dunes were overrun with weekend RV and buggy traffic. (Hint: only go to the sand dunes on early weekdays for true lost in the desert vibes). But make sure to put Center of the World on your road tripping between states bucket list! We literally drove past it and were like what is that place only to end up there frolicking and having the best…
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How 5 Gyres is Fighting Microplastics: A California Love Story of Activism and Science
Meet Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen: the Environmental Power Couple Behind 5 Gyres Story by Irina Abraham Somewhere among the California hills, there lies a piece of paradise adorned with legends of Steve McQueen’s buried motorcycles, carefully crafted dinosaur sculptures, and breathtaking sunsets. The most fascinating thing about this place is its residents: there is a poet, a gold-bearing athlete, a muralist, and a promising young filmmaker. A power couple runs the place – Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen. They have sailed the roaring seas, unearthed precious dinosaur bone, and were a part of a team that discovered plastic micro beads were taking over The Great Lakes. Lucky to be…
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Best Hidden Gem Hiking in Las Vegas, Nevada
Story by Cassie Hepler, submitted images Because moving your body is the only way to keep it moving until you’re an old fart… You would think that walking flat – not even up a mountain or hill – would not produce many results. But alas, it does! A body in motion stays in motion and if you can just keep moving forward, that is the key to longevity and life. Currently they say get in 10,000 steps a day however sometimes that is impossible. For me, if I have a goal to reach that seems to motivate me more. That and being a couch sloth for a full day usually…
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Things to Do in Las Vegas, Nevada Besides Gambling
Story and videos by Cassie Hepler, Submitted Photos I’ve never enjoyed gambling. Watching my hard-earned money disappear within seconds and not returning anything tangible is not my idea of a good time. I do however like to watch people gamble as a lot of my friends enjoy it. I legit learned in two hours watching someone that Blackjack, or 21, is literally counting cards except you’re not supposed to count cards. I also learned that if you get free play from a casino (which seems to be drying up like the desert in summer), to just stick to penny slots and hit buttons. For real, I have no clue WTF…
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A 300-Day Nomad’s Guide to Why Slow Travel is Superior
Meet Ian Poh Jin Tze from Singapore in Southeast Asia who has quite an impressive resume and has mastered the art of slow travel. If you have no clue what that is, keep reading because it could just change your life. Q: Please tell us about how you became a world traveler? A: I am a storyteller – through the lens of my camera and the rhythm of my pen. For years, I’ve been chasing stories, capturing fleeting moments and uncovering truths that others might overlook. My work has graced the pages of prestigious publications like Singapore Airlines, Eater, Asian Food Network, and Le Cordon Bleu, and I’ve had the privilege of authoring…
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Tips and Tricks for Hassle Free Disabled Travel
You might think that this story doesn’t pertain to you or your family because no one is disabled – yet. Key word is yet! Literally in the blink of an eye, you too can be considered disabled from a car crash, a freak accident or through no fault of your own or just age – and we all will get old if we are lucky enough. For me, I have a large rods and screws from a scoliosis fusion right above my hipbones to my chest and I might need to be fully fused to my hipbones someday. I also learned over the summer that if anything further traumatic happens…
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Drink the Pope’s Wine at Châteauneuf du Pape near Avignon, France
Story, photos and video by Cassie Hepler Taste one of the best wines in France at Châteauneuf du Pape! We started with a leisurely lunch at Château des Fines Roches with an outstanding selection of fine French cuisine paired perfectly with each outstanding glass of wine. The red with the chocolate dessert was so decadent, it’s almost felt naughty eating it and enjoying the wine pairing! Only a half hour from Avignon, it makes a great day trip to explore more of the French vineyards and countryside in South of France. Using rocks on top of the soil, it is how they capture the unique and rich earthy flavors in…
