Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Lying 41 miles south of Cancun, Playa del Carmen is a dream for Americans who don’t want to be surrounded by their countrymen (and women). Popular with Europeans, who account for 80 percent of the tourists who visit the lush locale, Playa del Carmen boasts pristine beaches, clear blue water and, yes, topless sunbathers. The crowd is older than the spring breakers who flock to Cancun every year, so the aura is relaxing, rather than frenetic.
Though spring hasn’t quite found its way to the Midwest just yet, it’s balmy here. Step into the 58,000-square-foot indoor waterpark–the largest in America–and the temperature rises to 87 degrees. It’s two degrees cooler in the water.
This little city (pop. 567), located south of St. Louis in the Ozark Mountains, is home to the Arcadia Academy, an antiques mall that used to be the Ursuline Academy, a Catholic girls’ boarding school that Bob Hope’s daughter attended.
When it comes right down to it, geocaching is just a high-tech version of hide and seek. Someone hides a box full of “treasures” in a public place–usually a park or forest–inputs the coordinates online at www.geocaching.com and then waits for people like you and me to go hunt for them.
It is nearing lunchtime on the set of “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”–which opens Wednesday–but there still are a few more shots to complete before they will be dismissed. A beam of light radiates above the actors, making them appear even more angelic than they will be on screen. With their flaxen, waist-length hair, these elves are the gorgeous supermodels of the movie. Even the horses know it.
For decades, the joke around Wellington was that Americans only knew of New Zealand as “that place by Australia.” But thanks to “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which was filmed in Wellington–New Zealand’s capital–the country is stepping out of Australia’s shadow.
Golf tees may seem like a strange souvenir to hawk at a rock ‘n’ roll club. But when the nigthclub is nestled in the heart of Myrtle Beach, S.C., it makes sense.
Make fun of their laid-back lifestyle, their aversion to walking (outside of a gym) and their quest for the perfect tans, but Los Angelinos know how to have a great time, day or night.
My friends used to snicker when I told them about my yearly trips to Idaho’s capital. And to tell you the truth, if I didn’t have family out here, I probably wouldn’t have given the city a second thought as a potential vacation spot. But you know what? All the potato jokes aside, Boise is a fun place to spend a weekend without having to worry about traffic jams or spending a lot of cash.
The Cat & Fiddle is easily my favorite L.A. hangout. Trendy, but not snooty, this pub and restaurant is one of the places to be seen this. People have a difficult time remembering what it’s called – I’ve heard Fiddle Dee Dee, Cat in the Hat and Cat in the Fiddle – but in a city filled with poseur clubs, the Cat & Fiddle stands out as winner.