Wine and Spirits Travel

  (This story was originally published in Cocktails and Joints)   Destination weddings can take away a lot of the hassle – and cost – from the bride and groom, but it’s difficult to plan when your guests don’t want to leave the U.S.   You can still find some exciting places to head out of town for your nuptials without anyone needing to make a trip to the passport office. In fact, you may find some of these places offer unique scenery you won’t get on an island. Geyserville, California Geyserville, California Between the Mayacamas Mountains and the vineyards, the backdrop for your ceremony will be amazing at the Geyserville Inn . This Sonoma accommodation is laid back and attentive at the same time. It’s family owned and there’s only one wedding at a time. Guests can stay right at the Inn in one of the well-appointed 41 rooms or suites. You should also consider the rehearsal dinner or next day brunch at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery . It may be in the heart of ...

 The first Illinois Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction was delayed because of the pandemic. When they rescheduled, I was ready to go experience this exciting night – and spend some time checking out the city of Joliet. I took my friend Lisa along. It had been quite a while since we had traveled together, but we certainly had a lot of trips behind us. Our first stop was at a place I’ve never been to in any city, a prison. We spent about two hours on a private tour exploring one of the most famous in the country. Old Joliet Prison , which was featured in the Blues Brothers movie.     Given the importance of keeping a lot of the historical artifacts, the accessibility to every building wasn’t available to me. I still felt I got to see a lot from the outside in my scooter. I let Lisa do the deeper exploring and picture taking. It was even more interesting to hear about how important these structures were to the development of the prison system in the state, and on...

I always relish trips with hotels and resorts because they keep the schedules light so you can enjoy their accommodations. Westin Cleveland Downtown had brought me to Ohio to write about their equisitely renovated property. I had a leisurely first day exploring and day two was about checking out a few of the top sites. I was especially looking forward to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I slept in and hit the gym at the Westin Cleveland . They had spared no expense in the remodeling and stocking the fitness studio with state-of-the-art equipment, televisions, headphones, and even water and towels. After a pilates workout, I went back to the room to shower and order my breakfast from room service. I had a yogurt parfait with lots of berries, as well as an order of blackberry pancakes. My first stop of the day was at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , where I was getting a private tour from Director of Communications Shauna Wilson. The excitement was mou...