Colorado Denver Hotels & Lodging Podcasts Restaurants Shopping Travel: Colorado Denver Hotels & Lodging Podcasts Restaurants Shopping Travel
by maribeth
Comments Off on Dana Crawford Chats About the Opening of Denver’s Restored Union Station and The Crawford Hotel
Dana Crawford Chats About the Opening of Denver’s Restored Union Station and The Crawford Hotel
Denver’s Union Station
I rarely write about a place without having visited it, however, in this case, I can do it with the utmost confidence. I’m talking about the newly restored Union Station in Denver and a splendid hotel housed within: The Crawford. Both have been a labor of love of for Dana Crawford and Sage Hospitality, and Colorado is abuzz about the reopening of this landmark station and the unveiling of this unique hotel. Listen to what Ms. Crawford has to say about this enormous project, her passion for restoration and future plans in the works in my Travel Fun interview below.
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Music & Dance Telluride Telluride Festivals: Music & Dance Telluride Telluride Festivals
by maribeth
Comments Off on Telluride Jazz Festival: Another Great Time in the Park
Telluride Jazz Festival: Another Great Time in the Park
Poncho Sanchez and His Band at Telluride Jazz Festival 2014
“Telluride is one crazy ride,” one of the guys in Poncho Sanchez’s band shouted to the crowd. I’d never heard that one before but it’s a good one—-our scintillating mountain town is one heck of a ride, especially at sunset during the Telluride Jazz Festival, the very moment when this musician expressed his exuberance about T-ride.
Beaver Creek Colorado Restaurants Telluride Vail: Beaver Creek Colorado Restaurants Telluride Vail
by maribeth
Comments Off on Summer Dining Picks for Vail, Beaver Creek and Telluride
Summer Dining Picks for Vail, Beaver Creek and Telluride
Fabulous Grilled Chops from Elway’s Vail
Wow, Colorado’s mountain towns are going off right now. Every year the summer tourism scene seems to grow as people realize that Colorado’s resort towns are the place to be to have fun, cool off and enjoy terrific dining. There’s so much to choose from, often your toughest decision is where to go. And it should come as no surprise that the culinary scene of our swanky mountain towns rivals the dining options offered in the world’s most cosmopolitan cities.
In this story, I’ve outlined some of my suggestions of where you’re sure to enjoy a delicious meal in a great setting. These are the busiest weeks from now through Labor Day, so I suggest you plan ahead and reserve as much in advance as possible at these and other fine restaurants.
Arizona Art & Culture Music & Dance: Arizona Art & Culture Museums Music & Dance
by maribeth
Comments Off on Making Memories at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix
Making Memories at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix
Inside the Musical Instrument Museum
It has been almost a week that I returned from a wonderful nine-day trip with my mother to the Phoenix/Scottsdale/Carefree, Arizona area. We visited many fine establishments, so expect to see posts on this glorious, sun-drenched part of the United States in the upcoming months.
We shared such a special mother/daughter time that I’ve, of course, been missing her. Thankfully I have many photos, mementos and music to remind me of the times we had together. Yes, some fabulous music that I discovered has taken me right back there with mom.
Are you familiar with French gypsy music? I’m talking about swinging gypsy jazz, moody boleros and tangos à la Django Reinhart. It’s the music of Paris from 1910 through the mid 1920s. You hear it and you imagine a smoky nightclub scene in the City of Light as you tap your foot and swing to the zippy beat. We heard this music performed by Zazu, a local French orchestra of Phoenix, during the Bastille Day celebration concert at the Musical Instrument Museum. Quelle découverte! Experiencing this music and this stunning museum was one of the highlights of our trip.
France French Life French Provinces Paris Podcasts Writing & Books: France French Life French Provinces Paris Podcasts Writing & Books
by maribeth
Comments Off on The Good Life France
The Good Life France
Paris Celebrating Bastille Day Last Night
Ahhhh, la France. I never let le quatorze juillet go by without celebrating France. Even though I’ve been busy bopping around Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, this year was no exception. I’ll let you know soon what I did in this hot, desert land to toast the richness of my beloved France on its Fête Nationale, but first I’d like to share with you a slice of The Good Life France. Before I left Telluride, I interviewed Janine Marsh, founder and editor of this terrific website/blog for my Travel Fun radio show.
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Arizona Restaurants The Southwest Travel: Arizona Restaurants The Southwest Travel
by maribeth
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My Mom: A True Original
My Mom: Mary Ellen Trigger Rogers Clemente
“I was great for telling stories,” my mom, née Mary Ellen Rogers, told me as we sipped frosty beers and munched on chips and salsa in an old cowboy bar in Scottsdale, Arizona. “When I was a young girl, my neighbor had a beautiful horse called Suntan,” she continued. “I dreamed of having a horse, so I started telling the story that Roy Rogers was my uncle. It was a plausible story, since my father was from Wyoming and, of course, my last name was Rogers.”
As I listened to my mom recount this tale—one that I had heard before but was relishing even more beneath the sweltering summer heat of Arizona here in this beloved watering hole where so many had come before–I sensed that she had lived this story so much that she almost believed it to be true. “When I was in the sixth grade, I had a leather belt with letters that hung down, spelling out TRIG. You know, as in Trigger, Roy Rogers’s horse. I was tall with long, bushy, blond hair, so I did sort of look like a horse.”
“I remember people calling you Trig,” I said.
“Yes, a few people—those that are still alive—still do,” my mom added as she scooped up the chunky salsa with her tortilla chip.
Art & Culture DC Hotels & Lodging Travel: Annapolis Art & Culture DC Hotels & Lodging Travel
by maribeth
Comments Off on A Patchwork Quilt of Memories from Annapolis
A Patchwork Quilt of Memories from Annapolis
The Perfect Launching Area for Kayaking at Meadow Gardens B & B
An Heirloom in the Making
Hot weather, boating, men and women in uniform, our nation’s capital, Americana, quilts, the sound of the water, seafood, red, white and blue, family and friends gathering, centuries worth of history—-these thoughts and more flood my mind during this sunny holiday period. I won’t be celebrating July 4th much this year, since I’ve decided to take advantage of the quiet time and catch up at my desk. But I am very much in the Fourth of July spirit and am nurturing memories of these bright, summertime moments even more.
Country Breakfast
Some of the best were experienced about the same time last year in Annapolis, Maryland. I visited this charming Mid-Atlantic town with my boyfriend and his family after his brother’s wedding in Virginia. Annapolis smacks of the sea and we enjoyed many aspects of it from savoring fresh seafood, to taking a sail on the Chesapeake Bay, to peering out into one of the many water inlets that typify this long-established seaport, home to the United States Naval Academy since 1845. We stayed in a charming bed and breakfast, one of countless in Annapolis that define the character of this old, historic town as much as their brick buildings and cobbled streets.
Colorado Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living The Rockies: Colorado Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living Ridgway The Rockies
by maribeth
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Garden Love
Nina’s Garden
I’ve been feeling much love these past days. It’s a different sort of love. It’s a love shared around a theme: gardening. This is rather new to me, since I’ve never been much of a gardener. I love visiting beautiful gardens and receiving a bouquet of flowers counts as one of my greatest joys in life, but getting down and dirty with the soil has never been my forté. Now, however, I’m much more enthusiastic, perhaps it’s because this year I decided to add vegetables and herbs to my potted plants. This year I yearn to see the fruits of my efforts and I’m crossing my fingers for an abundant harvest of tomatoes, peppers, basil, melon, pumpkins and more. As I sit at my desk, I’m sending love to all my little plants with the hope that they will defy the challenges of living at over 9,500 feet and that somehow they will miraculously thrive.
