DC!

  I have to give props to Washington D.C. I used to live there. I go back and visit every year. On my most recent trip back I decided that I couldn't think of a city that had as much to offer as DC. Many people that I talk to disagree. They usually bring up New York City to counter, but I do not concur. Though New York is superior in many ways (the bars close much earlier in DC), DC has more overall yo offer. I think to see DC properly, you have to reserve at least 6 days: 2 days for monuments, 2 days for museums, 1 day for government (visit your state represenative's office and the Capitol building) and 1 day for neighborhoods (which would include the National Zoo.) And most of this is easily accessed by a simple subway system. (New York is awesome but their subway system doesn't have anything on DC's metro.) Some find their humid summers a bit harsh, but they put on a hell of a fireworks display in the nation's capital

I LOVE A PARADE...

if flowers or floats make you smile, or marching bands make you merry, or horses make you happy, the place for you to be on new year's day is colorado blvd. in pasadena. since 1890, the rose bowl has been the thing to see. this year, the 121st rose parade was no exception. with 41 floats, 22 marching bands and23 equestrian units, there is something for everyone. on the night before the parade you will finds the curbs packed with people rallying for the best spots. this year "sully" sullenberger, the pilot who bravely crash landed his jet in the hudson, was the grand marshall. my personal favorite part of the parade is cheering on the men and women who bravely follow the horses armed with shovels and trash cans on wheels. my least favorite part is trying to decide which floats to take a picture of--they are all so beautiful and masterly crafted (how do they get all those flowers on there...) i wound up taking way too many pictures...

NEW YORK CITY

Who among us is so bold to write a blog about new york city? you would need a set of encyclopedias or even a library...where would you even start? volume one might be central park. There could be a whole volume on the subway and whether people and/or werewolves live down there. then a volume on the food which would have a few pages on Katz's deli, knishes and DWHD (dirty water hot dogs). i'm going to tell you about something that maybe you haven't seen or visited--THE HIGH LINE. the high line is a park built on a elevated freight line from the 1930's. there is a whole history, some great views and some landscaping that is worth seeing. check it out! for more information, including where it is, go to their website at www.thehighline.com

SMALL TOWN

in my tribute to small town america, let me introduce you to clayton, a small town in the san francisco bay area,   in what bay area residents call the east bay.     it is about 35 miles from san francisco. clayton is the type of place that has a town-wide pancake breakfast on the 4th of july. a breakfast that i recommend. 'downtown' is very nice. there are a couple of nice restaurants, a park, and a saloon. perhaps the nicest thing about clayton is that it is located at the bas of mt. diablo. if you're a hiker, don't miss these trails. if you're not, you can drive to the top and check out the stars

WHERE THE RIVER BENDS

so, yes, there are dozens of music festivals across the world. I'm just glad i finally got to go to one....Riverbend 2009. While I expected to be slammed by one hillbilly band after another, I was treated to a nice mix of music. We started out with Willie Nelson, whose first words were "whiskey river, save my soul." I think I was an instant convert to country music at that point. The next night was Train. I also enjoyed the Wailers and the B-52s. The end of the festival was marked by a fireworks show that tingled my spine and lit up the Tennessee river. Perhaps the best part of Riverbend is the city that hosts it--Chattanooga. Don't forget to get a moon pie and some RC Cola when you're there, and I reccomend a stop at Aretha Frankensteins for some pancakes...

DONT FORGET BERKELEY

Millions of people visit the bay area every year, but in their haste to get to get to the fabulous city of San Francisco, i'm afraid they miss out on their kind sister to the east--Berkeley. Berkeley is just across the bay and can be easily reached by subway. everyone has heard of UC Berkeley--either for its sports or its academics. the campus is worth the trip in itself. San Francisco has Coit tower, Berkeley has the Campanile, completed in 1914, it stands 307 feet high, and not only does it provide a beautiful view of the area, but a bell concert three times a day during spring and fall. San Francisco has Haight street. Berkeley has its own lovable Telegraph Avenue, where you can find shopping, food and lots of students.

Berkeley is re-known for its cuisine and its liberal attitude. it has its own Psychic institute, where you can get your aura cleansed or your palm read. Try walking around or taking the bus. You will always find something new and interesting in Berkeley

destination wedding

when i think destination wedding, i think of warm sand between my toes. my classy sister and her husband however are skiers, so they think of cold. if you're thinking of a cold classy place to go, think robert redford's sundance resort in utah. not only is it a village of bungalows gathered around a restaurant, a bar, a gift shop and a ski slope, the service is great. the staff will usher you around in their fleet of white SUVs. once, i couldn't remember which room i was in, a young man walked out of the back room and say "hi. you're in 34C, right?" and then he drove me there. the closest thing i had to a celebrity sighting was when my waiter said to me, "matthew perry ordered the same thing." i think it was pork, and it was delicious. the ceremony took place in a beautiful wooden building with huge windows overlooking a small lake. luminaries lit the paths running through the woods. classy. so i guess what i'm saying is, if you like to ski and get married and you have money, go to the sundance resort. i'm going to try to get my sister and her husband to write his/her versions of the honeymoon.