Wine and Spirits Travel

For the second year in a row, I was invited to the Food Network's Food and Wine Festival in Atlantic City , New Jersey. As much fun as I have in South Beach, this one is extra special to me. The Jersey Shore isn't a television show as far as I am concerned. It's a place where I enjoyed the boardwalk with my family as a kid, and came to enjoy the casinos and the beach as an adult.  And, when you add in friendly chefs, great food, wine from around the world and lots of spirits, it all spells a whole lot of fun. I'm lucky enough to have my daughter Sam helping me out with photos and stories this year (and having fun). We arrived at the Chelsea Hotel , a modern boutique property at the end of the strip, in time for some of their "Bikinis and Martinis" party. The rooftop at Chelsea is a great place for a party and though the only ones in bikinis were the servers, there were plenty of interesting Martinis made with Cruzan Rum . We went straight from the part

I’ve spent a lot of time down in Florida visiting my mom and watching tennis at the Delray Beach Tennis Center , home to a major professional tennis event as well as numerous junior ones. The one thing I haven’t spent a lot of time doing is checking out the restaurants downtown Delray .  Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach is buzzing every night, with visitors and locals walking the streets and enjoying the eateries. The selection down there is varied enough to satisfy everyone’s dining desires, and I got to check out four that are among the best. Mom and I headed down Atlantic Avenue for an evening of restaurant hopping. Parking was much easier than I remembered in the few times I had been downtown. Most of the restaurants have valet, and there’s free parking in the streets behind them. Our first stop was at the opening of the downtown area – Tryst . When you first walk into Tryst, the immediate thought is that this is a nice pub, but as you look around at the European art and antique

I’ve often said that a vacation for me is time at home. While I still had to work, I did recently get two weeks back in Champaign. I had a chance to discover a great new place in the neighborhood and a major change for another. When you go to your regular salon to get your haircut and find out that they’ve done a few renovations it’s not shocking, but when you find out they are building their own one stop beauty block, it’s a different story. That’s what I faced at Rod Sickler Salon & Spa in Champaign. The expansion has added chiropractic care, cosmetic dentistry, photography, personal training, a medical spa and a tattoo parlor! “We’re getting all ages, from teenagers up to people in their 60s.” says Rod Sickler himself. “We call it now a ‘Center for Art, Beauty and Wellness.’ Where else can get a tattoo and have it lasered off in the same place?!” In addition to the unusual set up he’s orchestrated, my reason for giving a shoutout to Rod is that he is very involved in char

The hospitality of Riviera Maya was felt everywhere, but the staff at Secrets went the extra mile to make me feel at home. I was practically the only one at the resort not celebrating my honeymoon or anniversary, yet I never felt alone. My final night at Secrets Maroma happened to be the night of the Mexican Fiesta. Maria accompanied me to the weekly event, which includes a celebration of the culture, from vendors with silver jewelry, to Mexican food, tequila and a new favorite of mine, Mango Margaritas. There was a wonderful show of music and dance that took us through the various regions of Mexico. I remarked to Maria how impressed I was with the performance and she told me that this professional group is one of many hired to perform at the AMResorts . I have to admit this was my first show in the week I spent there and I wished I had seen more. After a night of enjoying the food and music, I was off to go pack. I bid my new friends farewell and enjoyed the breeze off the Car