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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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    Explore the World’s Most Beautiful Waterfalls by Road Trip

    June 4, 2024

    Award-Winning Treno Pizza Bar Features Fantastic Pig Roast in Westmont, NJ

    October 2, 2018

    Drink the Pope’s Wine at Châteauneuf du Pape near Avignon, France

    January 26, 2026
  • 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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    Fulfill Your Flying Squirrel Fantasies with iFLY Indoor Skydiving

    May 22, 2019

    Ancient Theater in Orange, France is the Most Preserved Roman Theater in the World

    January 19, 2026

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

    October 30, 2019
  • 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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    All Aboard the Moshulu, the World’s Oldest & Largest Tall Ship with Restaurant in Philadelphia

    August 5, 2024

    Loews Hotel Philadelphia Sparks Red, White and Views at Fireworks Watch Party

    September 22, 2025

    Philadelphia’s 2018 Flower Show Just Adds Water

    August 16, 2018
  • 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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    Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee Shows the King’s Impressive Wealth

    July 11, 2019

    Philadelphia’s 2018 Flower Show Just Adds Water

    August 16, 2018

    National Dog Show Brings Good Boys and Girls to Greater Philadelphia Expo Center

    March 17, 2024
  • 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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    Travel like a local

    Really Get to Know Your Destination Like a Local

    September 14, 2023

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

    January 12, 2026

    Art Car World Bringing Burning Man Vibes to Douglas, Arizona

    December 5, 2021
  • 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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    Escape to a Private Island in San Diego, California at Loews Coronado

    December 30, 2024

    Get Your Wild West on and go Golfing at Rancho de Los Caballeros in Wickenburg, Arizona

    April 2, 2024

    Philadelphia Real Estate Agent Handles All Her Sales Herself

    January 11, 2018
  • 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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    Holiday Gift Guide for Out of the Box Presents

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    Four Diamond We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort Offers Stay and Play Adventures

    June 17, 2021

    Experience Luxury at Hotel Valencia Santana Row in San Jose CA, the Only Boutique Hotel on Santana Row

    October 19, 2017

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