• About Us
  • CassieHepler.com
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
Explore With Cassie

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

  • About Us
  • CassieHepler.com
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • CassieHepler.com
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • CassieHepler.com
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

No Widgets found in the Sidebar Alt!

  • Explore with Cassie

    Philadelphia’s Inis Nua Theatre Company Showcases American Premiere of ‘Meet Me at Dawn’ by Zinnie Harris

    May 11, 2023 /

    Playbill cover and poster design are visually taut and arresting. “Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” — Vicki Harrison “Everyone can master a grief but he that has it.” — William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing “My life closed twice before its close; It yet remains to see If immortality unveil A third event to me, So huge, so hopeless to conceive As these that twice befell. Parting is all we know of heaven, And all we need of hell.”  — Emily Dickinson Story, photos by…

    read more
    Sharon Kozden

    You May Also Like

    Fahoo Forays, Dahoo Dorays: Welcome U-ville, a Seussian Whoville at Philadelphia’s Uptown Beer Garden

    December 31, 2022

    The Turtle Always Wins the Race at Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille

    October 18, 2017

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

    June 17, 2021
  • Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage

    Fahoo Forays, Dahoo Dorays: Welcome U-ville, a Seussian Whoville at Philadelphia’s Uptown Beer Garden

    December 31, 2022 /

    Bright Lights, Big City:  Uptown Beer Garden presented its seasonal U-Ville in homage to the Seussian Whoville. Between the radiant white of a clear conscience and the coal black of a conscience sullied by sin lie many shades of gray – where most of us live our lives. Not perfect but not beyond redemption. ~~ Leslie Pinckney Hill “People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.” ~~ Audrey Hepburn Story, photos by Sharon Kozden On the evening of November 16th, I Ubered into the City to celebrate the unveiling of Uptown Beer Garden’s holiday creation, U-ville … a name whose…

    read more
    Sharon Kozden

    You May Also Like

    Hotel Adeline Adds Boutique Flair with Secret Speakeasy to Scottsdale, Arizona

    March 20, 2019

    6th Annual Dinèr En Blanc Takes Over Franklin Square for Biggest Fête Yet

    September 14, 2017

    Long Island Medium Theresa Caputo on her Tropicana show: ‘I will guarantee that you will leave there feeling renewed, restored, positive’

    December 13, 2016
  • Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News

    Getting a Lil’ (Apple) Sauced During CiderFest at Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park’s Woodford Mansion

    November 14, 2022 /

    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…

    read more
    Sharon Kozden

    You May Also Like

    Merkin Vineyards in Arizona Offers Outstanding Reds, Food and Music

    January 12, 2021

    Look Out Philly Chefs, Local Culinary Kid Kills It on Chopped Junior

    May 25, 2017

    Unique Things to Do in Ocho Rios and Kingston, Jamaica

    July 13, 2026
  • Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News

    Uptown Beer Garden Mutates Upside Down for Spooky Season with ‘Stranger Things’ Theme

    October 23, 2022 /

    “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…

    read more
    Sharon Kozden

    You May Also Like

    Get Crafty at Huge A.C. Moore Store in Center City

    September 1, 2017

    Connect to Conquer: Philadelphia’s Union League Hosts YBConnected’s Charity Event

    June 27, 2018

    Merkin Vineyards in Arizona Offers Outstanding Reds, Food and Music

    January 12, 2021
  • Education,  Entertainment,  Explore with Cassie,  Food & Beverage,  Latest News,  Lifestyle

    Barnes Foundation Art Ball Showcases French Artist Suzanne Valadon

    April 4, 2022 /

    By the light of the silvery moon (and purple-hazy pool reflection), one magical evening at the 2021 Barnes Foundation Art Ball took place. “One of the things that’s quite striking when you look at her self-portraits is her attitude to aging. There’s a refusal of prettiness there … and an attention to the artifice of beautifying yourself, and then this very unflinching representation of her body as it changes.” – Nancy Ireson, deputy director for collections and exhibitions at the Barnes Foundation, speaking about Suzanne Valadon Story, photos by Sharon Kozden It’s been some time since I had reason to slither into a slinky cocktail dress and to slip on…

    read more
    Sharon Kozden

    You May Also Like

    Explore Nice, France in the Calmer Shoulder Season of October

    November 10, 2025

    A Guide to Exploring the Ancient Monasteries of Meteora, Greece

    June 10, 2024

    Don’t Steal from the Petrified Forest in Arizona

    April 23, 2021
  • 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…

    read more
    Sharon Kozden

    You May Also Like

    Four-Diamond Loews Philadelphia Hotel Welcomes Guests Like Family

    September 24, 2023

    Round Up Your Squad, Ride Horses and Chill at Rancho de la Osa in Sasabe, Arizona

    March 2, 2022

    Century Grand Phoenix Transports Guests into Locomotive Luxury Era

    August 31, 2020
  • 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…

    read more
    Sharon Kozden

    You May Also Like

    Lots of Fall Fun at the Pour the Core Festival at the Philadelphia Navy Yard

    August 15, 2018

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

    December 27, 2017

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

    October 2, 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…

    read more
    Sharon Kozden

    You May Also Like

    Relax in the Small Town of Wilsonville, Just South of Portland, Oregon

    April 10, 2024

    18 Atlantic City Restaurants with Waterfront Views

    April 23, 2015

    Baby Sea Turtle Season Enchants Everyone in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

    December 2, 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…

    read more
    Sharon Kozden

    You May Also Like

    Bank and Bourbon Offers Endless Whiskey Paired with Perfect Steak in Philly

    October 7, 2024

    Art Car World Bringing Burning Man Vibes to Douglas, Arizona

    December 5, 2021

    Cassie’s Cars and Casita Oasis in Arcadia, Arizona

    June 4, 2018
  • Destinations,  Education,  Explore with Cassie,  Latest News

    Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival Represents Fragility, Beauty of Life at Shofuso Japanese House and Garden in Philadelphia

    July 3, 2019 /

    Feast your eyes on this explosion of cherry blossoms and breathe in gratitude for nature’s spectacular gifts. “The significance of the cherry blossom tree in Japanese culture goes back hundreds of years. In their country, the cherry blossom represents the fragility and the beauty of life. It’s a reminder that life is almost overwhelmingly beautiful but that it is also tragically short.”  – Homaro Cantu Story, photos by Sharon Kozden I remember the moment in high-definition clarity. My face (as I type this) is cherry-blossom pink because a faux pas I made over a year ago was recalled for the purpose of this article’s opening (what I won’t do for…

    read more
    Sharon Kozden

    You May Also Like

    Behind the Scenes Interview at Atlantic City Boardwalk Con with Founder Mike D’Alessio and Mayor Don Guardian

    May 16, 2015

    Explore Turquoise Bay Dive and Beach Resort in Roatán, Honduras

    May 17, 2023
    The Flower Fields

    Float Through The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, California

    February 20, 2024
 Older Posts
Newer Posts 

Recent Posts

  • Seven Unusual Travel Superstitions from Around the World
  • Explore The Odyssey’s Viking Ship Draken Harald Hårfagre in Oslo, Norway
  • How to Move to Greece as an American
  • It’s the Cats Meow at the Phoenix Feline Fanciers in Mesa, Arizona
  • Desert Rose Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada Giving Condo Vibes

Categories

  • Day Trips
  • Destinations
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Explore with Cassie
  • Food & Beverage
  • Latest News
  • Lifestyle
Copyright © 2023 · All Rights Reserved · ExploreWithCassie.com and CassieHepler.com.
Ashe Theme by WP Royal.