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Explore With Cassie

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

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

    Four-Diamond Loews Philadelphia Hotel Welcomes Guests Like Family

    September 24, 2023 /

    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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    Sharon Kozden

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    Pretty in Pink at Philadelphia’s Morris Arboretum’s Cherry Blossom Festival

    June 7, 2018

    Westin Tempe, Arizona Offers Perfect Location to Stay & Play for ASU Crew

    July 29, 2024
  • Destinations,  Explore with Cassie,  Latest News

    Rejuvenate at Joseph Anthony Retreat Spa and Salon at Loews Philadelphia Hotel

    July 14, 2021 /

    Sharon Kozden recommends one of the spa’s signature treatments, the Turkish Bath … a full body sensory experience. “Be still: Be stiller yet; and listen. Set the screen of silence at the portal of your will. Relax, and let the world go by unheard …” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox Story, photos by Sharon Kozden Bring on the luxe life! As a woman of a certain age, or as the French would say, “une femme d’un certain âge” (as well as a runner presently training for my third Philadelphia Marathon), I’m the ideal candidate to be pampered on the regular. So when Cassie asked if I wanted to visit the Joseph Anthony…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    DoubleTree by Hilton Celebrates Opening 500th Hotel in Times Square West, NYC

    June 19, 2017

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    November 24, 2025

    Explore Weird Wichita, Kansas and Dive into the Heart of the Country

    December 18, 2023
  • Day Trips,  Education,  Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Latest News,  Lifestyle

    Philadelphia Flower Show Blooms Outdoors for 2021 Season

    February 15, 2021 /

    The Pennsylvania Convention Center has been home base for PHS Philadelphia Flower Show exhibits since 1996. “Who can say that a buttercup shining in the sun like yellow enamel is not as enchanting as a white butterfly tumbling out of a tree trunk in a Brazilian jungle? That the delicate beauty of a white wild anemone excels the orderly perfection of the petals in a white camellia? “When I took time to look into the heart of a flower, it opened up a whole new world; a world where every walk would be an adventure, where every garden would become an enchanted garden.” – Princess Grace of Monaco Story, photos…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    Hopping into Spring with Fishtown Hops at Sugarhouse Casino in Philadelphia, PA

    May 9, 2019

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

    October 30, 2019

    Explore Turquoise Bay Dive and Beach Resort in Roatán, Honduras

    May 17, 2023
  • Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News,  Lifestyle

    Philadelphia’s Nightmare Before Tinsel Halloween Pop-up Complements Day of the Dead

    October 21, 2020 /

    Nightmare Before Tinsel follows strict adherence to face-mask protocol. Meet the new abnormal normal. “Terror is a passion which always produces delight when it does not press too close.” —Edmund Burke Story, photos by Sharon Kozden “How you pull up, Baby? How you pull up?” I pull up like I am all about the total experience. No summertime shore trip happens unless I watch Jaws first. The night before touring a nuclear facility, I popped The China Syndrome into my DVD player. A medical operation on my schedule guarantees a viewing of the suspenseful Coma the evening before I’m anesthetized. I intentionally scare myself. Apparently, I’m in good company, particularly…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    Enjoy Desert Zen at Rancho de Los Caballeros Ranch Spa in Wickenburg, Arizona

    November 18, 2024

    Explore Spiritually Uplifting Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona

    June 14, 2018

    How 5 Gyres is Fighting Microplastics: A California Love Story of Activism and Science

    March 30, 2026
  • Destinations,  Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News

    Bank on Delicious Tastes, City Views at Loews Hotel in Philadelphia, PA

    July 24, 2019 /

    When in Philly, stay and eat at Loews Hotel and Bank & Bourbon; both rate high marks in my playbook. “New York is a place where people go to reinvent themselves; Philadelphia is a place where people discover who they are.”  – Chef Peter McAndrews Story, photos by Sharon Kozden Maybe like me, you’re a country mouse, living outside Philadelphia’s suburbs while still close enough to identify Philly as your home city. Country life has its pluses: falling asleep to the sounds of crickets, sweet silence for lack of passing vehicles on long and winding roads and land expanses with more nature than neighbor views are just a few. I’m talking…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    Exploring The Sedona Film Festival for a Weekend in Sedona, Arizona

    March 23, 2026

    Piazza Pod Park Opens in Philly’s Northern Liberties, BEBOT Towers Over Fun-for-All Hot Spot

    June 19, 2019

    University City Gets Smart with Chic, Sleek Study Hotel and Unique Co-Op Restaurant

    January 24, 2018
  • Education,  Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News

    JDRF Celebrates Hope with One Promise Gala at Loews Philadelphia

    August 1, 2018 /

    Tres elegant and sparkling program design. “Diabetes is a lousy, lousy disease.” – Elaine Stritch Story, photos by Sharon Kozden Diabetes IS a “lousy, lousy” disease. In fact, I might add a third “lousy” to that statement to further drive home the message and truth. I once recall thinking – if I had to endure and manage a physical-health issue – type 1 diabetes is the single most awful disease that I’d never want to have. So many checks and balances to regulate insulin levels … a seemingly all-consuming daily, no let-up effort. It’s heartbreaking to imagine little ones in particular having to self-monitor and perform such necessary measures to…

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    Sharon Kozden

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    Explore the Largest Medieval Gothic Palace in the World at Palais des Papes in Avignon, France

    January 12, 2026

    The Place to ‘Vie’ was Philly Wine Week’s ‘Opening Corks’ Event

    May 24, 2018

    Save on Lodging, Food in Bermuda with Celebrity Cruises

    June 27, 2017
  • 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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    Rejuvenate at Hofsas House and Walk the Wine Trail in Fairytale Town Carmel by the Sea, California

    March 8, 2018

    Things to Do in Santa Fe, New Mexico Off the Beaten Path

    April 27, 2026

    Behind the Scenes Tour at The Divine Lorraine Where People are Already Living

    January 5, 2018

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