cruisin’ ocean drive

February 7, 2020

My favorite hotel along Miami’s famed Ocean Drive is The Betsy – a chic hotel with a rooftop pool…if I were to plan a future trip to Miami, this would definitely be my hotel of choice.

Walking along ‘the drive,’ there are a couple of super cool features outdoors at The Betsy to check out.

My favorite is an orb-shaped sky bridge, considered a groundbreaking piece of Miami public art. I was so fascinated with this structure!

The other unique feature is a sculptural Poetry Rail honoring local wordsmiths – from Langston Hughes to Muhammad Ali.

Cool, right? And you haven’t even seen the inside of the hotel!

I hope you enjoyed sharing a couple of the interesting features of The Betsy Hotel on Ocean Drive in Miami! Can’t wait to share my favorite restaurant!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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enjoying the ride

January 28, 2020

Aventura Mall is the largest mall (2,800,000 square feet of retail space) in Miami and one of the largest in the U.S. Anchored by five department stores including Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s, the center is highlighted by a mix of over 300 luxury boutiques and shopper favorites, including Anthropologie, Burberry, Cartier, Givenchy, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. It also features more than 50 eateries and restaurants, and showcases 20 museum-quality art pieces in a range of mediums.

Sounds amazing as far as malls go, right?

But when I made a quick visit to the Adventura Mall recently, I only had one destination in mind and it was none of the above-mentioned stores or eateries!

My (very) quick visit was solely for the purpose of taking a ride down the mall’s slide! The photos I have included here are of the slide at the Adventura Mall. Offered for free to any mall visitor, the slide is a great novelty! The climb up to the top offers some great exercise and the ride down is a lot of fun!

I have to say though, standing up was definitely a chore when I got to the bottom because I was so dizzy!

I thought it would be fun to share my ride with you today on the blog!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great week and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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lilly, palm beach

January 7, 2020

If you are a Lilly Pulitzer fan, you really have to visit the Palm Beach store! I know in the past I have shared photos from the Lilly store at The Breakers in Palm Beach, but there is also a store on historic Worth Avenue.

This past stay at The Breakers, I had some time to visit this larger store and want to share some photos with you.

Of course any Lilly superfan would have something custom made while visiting the Worth Avenue store!

I love this piece of art hanging in the store! If you know anything about the history of Palm Beach, you know the monkey is very significant! Johnnie Brown was the pet spider monkey of Addison Mizner, an eccentric Palm Beach fixture of the roaring twenties – and Johnnie’s grave is located in the first shopping arcade built on Worth Avenue!

One of the best parts of visiting any Lilly Pulitzer store is checking out the dressing rooms!

To read about the origins of Lilly Pulitzer design (and see the Lilly store at The Breakers), click here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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old is new again

September 17, 2019

The old song goes “everything old is new again.”

That was the case for me this past weekend when I spent some time in the town of Mystic. Even the evening views were ‘new again’ with the beautiful harvest moon seeming to hold court over the town!

The famous Mystic drawbridge under the harvest moon!

For a Food Network fan like myself, no Mystic visit is complete without a visit to Sift! If you haven’t been in a while, you may not have seen the new addition – including a rooftop bar!

While visiting, I realized that the hints of autumn were unusual since Mystic is always a summer destination for me. So, there you go – ‘new again.’

B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill is not a place I would think about visiting on a hot summer day! The mill is even operational at this time of year!

Even my favorite restaurant in Mystic – Bravo, Bravo is new again! It moved to a new location across the street from The Whaler’s Inn. Yes, still the same fabulous food!

I am sharing a few weekend examples of ‘new again’ with the hope that I can inspire you to also revisit a place you enjoy!

All vineyards seem ‘new again’ after my trip to Napa! I have learned so much more about wines and vineyards!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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everywhere you look…

August 16, 2019

No trip to San Francisco, no matter how short, would be complete without a stop at the famous Painted Ladies. These are a row of colorful Victorian houses located at 710–720 Steiner Street, across from Alamo Square park.

So, of course, on my first trip to San Francisco, one of the stops on a 9 mile walk around the city included Alamo Square park to snap a couple shots of the famous ladies!

I am sharing my glimpse of these gals here for today’s Friday field trip.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. The title of this post, if you don’t recognize it, is taken from the Full House theme song ;)

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conservatory of flowers

August 13, 2019

My recent trip to San Francisco included many miles of walking. One day, while walking through the world-renowned Golden Gate Park, it was a pleasant surprise to happen upon The Conservatory of Flowers – a Victorian-era glass greenhouse with more than 2,000 species of plants & flowers.

A national, state and local landmark built in 1879; the Conservatory of Flowers was the first formal structure erected in Golden Gate Park and remains an icon at its entrance.

The Conservatory has five distinct galleries, each focusing on highlighting a different ecosystem, ranging from a tropical rainforest to the cloud forests perched on top of mountains.

I am sharing a few photos taken at the Conservatory with you here today. If you find yourself visiting San Francisco, be sure to put the Conservatory of Flowers on your list of places to visit! Even if plants are not your ‘thing,’ the glass greenhouse and surrounding grounds are worth visiting!

Have a fabulous week. Thanks for stopping by.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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alcatraz

August 2, 2019

One of the places I did not expect to go when I started thinking in advance about my recent California trip was a tour of Alcatraz! However, my son set up a tour and I was enthusiastic to check it out!

One and a quarter miles offshore from San Francisco, this small island was once a fort, a military prison, and a maximum-security federal penitentiary (closed in 1963). It is also the site of the first lighthouse on the West Coast.

Alcatraz Island is a designated national historic landmark and the National Park Service does an excellent job of preserving the island. It also provides tourists a very well organized ferry ride out to the island with a great self-guided tour once on the island.

I have never seen any prison in my lifetime so it was a little creepy to tour a vacated federal penitentiary, but so very interesting!

I spoke with a guard who was working on the island at the time the penitentiary closed and he told me his family never even locked the doors of their home while living on the island! Learning that the island housed prisoners who continually caused trouble at other federal prisons (including the notorious Al Capone), I think I would locked my door if I was an island resident!

What a great historic tour!

This was the library – I wish the books were still there!

I hope you enjoy seeing some of the photos I took while on Alcatraz Island today on Friday field trip!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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an ocean view

July 26, 2019

I can’t imagine enjoying any drive more than the one I took on the Pacific Coast Highway on my recent California trip!

In a previous post, I showed you one of my favorite scenic spots. Today, for Friday field trip, I am sharing a few random views during a drive on the coast of Northern California just so you can see how breathtaking it is!

If you have not yet had the pleasure to cruise the PCH, you definitely need to put it on your to do or bucket list…particularly if you are a beach lover!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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first trip to napa

July 23, 2019

With more than 400 wineries, each with its own unique style, setting and history, no trip to Northern California would be complete without visiting a vineyard in Napa Valley!

By staying in a Napa resort and visiting 3 different wineries, I was able to enjoy unforgettable wine tastings, stunning views, and behind-the-scenes tours of wine cellars and caves.

Being a wine connoisseur is definitely not a requirement to have a blast visiting vineyards! I am the perfect example! I barely drink alcohol at all, but I had a wonderful time sampling the wines of Napa! With the gorgeous views and interesting tours, I think I would have enjoyed my time at the vineyards if I drank nothing at all! Although I am glad I did – what a fabulous experience sampling a wide variety of tasty wines created at vineyards I actually toured!

One of the vineyards we visited was featured on the movie Wine Country with Amy Poehler. It is easy to understand why – with the scenic views spanning a 280-acre distinct property!

Wine is not the only enjoyment when visiting the vineyards of Napa. Most of the wineries serve food accompaniments. It was so interesting (and tasty) to discover the pairings created! It was also a wonderful way to identify some new cheeses! My favorite was one hand-rubbed with lavender buds and coffee called Barely Buzzed. When I got back home, I was thrilled to find out I could order it by mail from the Beehive Cheese Company!

My first trip to Napa Valley was definitely an unforgettable one!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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first glimpse golden gate bridge

July 19, 2019

I guess no visit to Northern California would be complete without a visit to the Golden Gate Bridge. I was interested in seeing it while in San Francisco, but really had no expectations.

The walk up to the bridge, and walking on the bridge itself, ended up one of my favorite visits on my most recent trip to California. There are so many awesome overlooks along the walk up to the bridge, it is a major sensory overload! And, the walk across the 1.7-mile expanse provides beautiful (though breezy) ocean views!

It is amazing to think that when opened in 1937 – over 75 years ago – the Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world!

It is easy to see why the Golden Gate Bridge is in the top ten of most visited landmarks in the United States.

I hope you enjoyed sharing some of my very first views of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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